Hello on Saturday

Dear Friend,

I can't be long winded today because our grandchild will be getting up any minute. Grandpa is in charge of the early morning shift of childcare.

Our Friday went very well. 11 of us seniors teed off around 9 AM. They golf pro and the golf course superintendent did allow golf carts to be used. The weather bounced around from hot to cool during the whole round. The coolness won out as we finished 18 holes. I had a good front nine, but I faded on the back nine. Our team of four lost the maximum amount of $3 per person. Oh Darn!

I came home and took a two hour nap so that I could recharge my batteries for the Wine Tasting event.

Linda had a delightful bunch of hours for a bandage change, a little last minute food shopping for our weekend guests, etc. She enjoyed doing things at her own pace, and not being bugged by me.

The wine tasting was well attended and a fun event. At our next board meeting, we will get a financial update of how much profit was realized. I would say that there were at least 300 + people who attended the event. I am so glad that I reserved two tables before I played golf at Berkshire Hills. Linda won an oil change from the place which we take our cars to when they need to be serviced.

I missed seeing our grandchild before he went to bed. He stayed up a little later than usual, but that doesn't mean that he will stay in bed longer. He loved playing with his dad's set of Matchbox cars. Grandpa and Max will be playing with them in a little while.

Kevin, Max and me haven't decided what we are going to do when Linda and Kyla are at the 11 AM wedding shower at the Country Club of Pittsfield. The weather should be okay for us to spend time outdoors, or at a nearby public playground. Kevin and Kyla want to also bond with some friends who live in Pittsfield, and with some other friends who are in town for the wedding shower.

The Southern tornadoes are the second worst ones which we have experienced in the United States so far. The death toll seems to be rising each day. The count is 350 plus.

Sports -- I always talk about sports, but I couldn't believe the report that a school system in Texas built a 60 million dollar stadium for High School football. The Stadium will seat 18,000, and it will replace the old 14,000 seat Stadium. For those people who could care less about sports, this high school has a 600 person student band. Those people in Texas think big in everything that they do. My Red Sox lost another game last night by one run.

One of the most interesting things that happened last evening at the wine tasting is that I found out that an Irish Sister City friend and I are related on the Curley side of the family. You know when you get talking about this person and that person; well all of a sudden my friend says that she is a cousin to my cousin. As we kept on chatting, we realized that we are third cousins. It definitely is a small world.

Well, I have to quietly sneak out the front door and get the local newspaper from my driveway. I would like to a few more minutes of quiet time before the energizer bunny and the two dogs get active.

Have a great Saturday and Sunday.
Linda and I will be having a fun day and weekend for sure.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Friday

Dear Friends,

The Royal Wedding is taking place as I begin this e-mail. I don't have the television turned on yet, and I am not sure if I will.

Our Thursday went as planned. Our house is totally ready for the Tewksbury Curley's. I dug out a bunch of old Match Box cars for Max to play with. Both Michael and Kevin had their own sets of cars. I did notice that more metal was used in the older cars compared to the set which Max has right now. We did go to a couple of stores to look for some tracks so that Max can roll his Matchbox cars down, but we couldn't find the same set up which Max has at home. When Kevin and Kyla are packing for Max, they will have to throw in a set of plastic tracks so Max can continue to play with the cars as he does at home.

Max has pretty much outgrown the infant size portable crib that he will be sleeping in at our home. Max will be like one of his Matchbox cars put into the slotted containers. At home he has been sleeping in a regular bed, I am not sure if he will be able to adjust to the portable crib. We are also not sure if he will be able to climb out of the portble crib. We will soon find out.

We don't know when the Tewksbury Curley's will be arriving in Pittsfield, but we will most likely not even be at home. We have the UNICO Wine Tasting Event at the Berkshire Hills Country Club this evening which starts at 6 PM. We want to go early because I am going to reserve 2 tables side by side. I have at least 14 people who have purchased tickets who want to sit together. There is still room at one of those tables (for the moment) for other friends to join us.

In between cleaning the house, and setting up for a toddler, we did go off to the Wake of a former colleague of Linda and me. The 75 year old man died of Alzheimer's disease. He spent the last few days of his life in a Soldiers Home about 30 miles from Pittsfield.

We have three other friends who have the disease, and UNICO is doing a fund raiser for one of them on Sunday May 15 at the Berkshire Hills Country Club.

Linda and I were both aching quite a bit from closet sorting adventure on Wednesday and the house cleaning on Thursday.

The wine, beer, and liquor tasting at a newly renovated Liquor store didn't happen on Thursday. I asked one of the workers if we missed it, but she said that the tasting took place on certain days. I told her the local "Penny Savers" booklet, that you can pick up at grocery stores, etc. said that there were tastings taking place every day of this week. She knew nothing about it, and I didn't have the Penny Saver booklet with me verify that I was correct. I did go home and showed Linda that my dates were correct. Could I have gotten a rain check on the wine, beer, and liquor tasting?

The destruction in the Southern States from the Tornadoes is difficult to watch on television. There are still many missing people buried in the rubble, and the rescue workers are finding more bodies each day. Yesterday they found the body of a five year old girl. NBC reassigned Matt Lauer from the Royal wedding to the tornado ravaged States.

We did get a little wind and rain at various times on Thursday, but not any tornadoes. The Berkshires hills protect us quite a bit from incoming tornadoes.

Other global events have been put on the back pages of most media outlets. The Royal Wedding, the Tornadoes, and the liftoff of the Space Shuttle this afternoon out of Cape Canaveral have been dominating most of our news.

My baby boomer cousin (Military veteran) and his wife from Florida were part of a Motorcyle Motorcade for a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan. The motorcade accompanied the body from the airport to the funeral home. This is a sad reminder that war is not a good way of solving problems. It is also a reminder to all of us that we should thank all of the men and women past and present who have made this land of ours a great place to live.

Weather -- We have 5 or 6 days of good sleeping weather coming up; 60 degree range for the highs, and 40's for the lows. It is still not time to plant flowers because some of the lows might be low enough to hit the freezing mark. Memorial Day weekend or the first week of June is our target dates for planting in the Berkshires.

Sports -- I did get to watch the Red Sox last evening. They won the final game of the Baltimore series. For the Yankee fans, they did beat up the White Sox last night too. The NFL draft started yesterday. Some of the first round of the best players in the country end up being a bust when they make it to the pro's. The Patriots have some early round picks, but Coach Belechik will often give up his top choices for some no name player from some small college who turns out to be a winner.

Well, I have to do some quiet chores before I head out the door. Today is my Friday golf with the seniors. The rain yesterday might still delay letting golf carts out on the course. We won't have many of my older senior friends on the course if carts aren't available. If I don't play golf, I give my lawn a trim.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Wednesday

Dear Friends,

Our Tuesday went as planned except that I didn't clean up the brush from the Choke Cherry tree which was cut down on Monday. Instead of doing the outdoor projects, I decided to install four air conditioners throughout the house. We did turn a couple of them "on" since the temperatures hit 80 + degrees in Pittsfield. These air conditioners are getting heavier and heavier as I get older and older.
Of course, as soon as I put them in the windows, the temperatures will be back in the 60's for a week straight.

Linda's Mah Jongg session went very well. She had the most wins of the group on Tuesday.

We did get a thunderstorm roll in last night near 11 PM, but nothing like the tornadoes warnings and tornado strikes which hit other parts of our nation.

The Fish and Chips at Matt Reilly's were very good last evening. When the bill arrived, it didn't have the Monday and Tuesday special prices. We had to send the bill back, and we received the discounted price (a savings of a little over $5).
Matt Reilly's has an outdoor deck, but they were not serving food on the deck as of Tuesday. Once the deck is in use, the discounts for fish and chips are over.

News / Politics -- The Royal Wedding is still the top news on all of the morning programs. They even have a count down for the wedding as we in the United States have a countdown for the Space Shuttle.
The rest of the Middle East and Africa is in turmoil with protests like the ones in Libya, Syria, etc. There is also the Taliban prison break in Afghanistan where some really bad guys have not been recaptured. Cambodia is having some political unrest too.
The rich are getting richer in the United States as the middle class continues to struggle. There was even a report that it is easier to start a business in China than it is in the United States. The people in the oil industry are making some serious profits as the crude oil prices continue to rise. Even the price of Silver is up to $50 an ounce.

Social Calendar -- As soon as I finish my morning routine, and read the local newspaper, I am going to attack the brush in the back yard.
After Linda wakes up, and finishes her morning routine, I will be her assistant as she attempts to clean her walk in closet. I am the guy who will be holding the garbage bag for all the clothes going to "Good Will."
Linda is the only person socially engaged this evening. Today is her Wednesday evening knitting group session at Panera Bread which starts at 6 PM.
I feel the urge to cook some chicken. Do I grill it or cook some in the oven?


Sports -- I didn't go to bed a happy person last evening since both the Red Sox and the Boston Bruins lost their respective games. Both teams play again this evening, and I am hoping that the results are much better.

Our friends who ate at "Dough East Boston" on Monday reported that the food was great. They said that they would tell all of their friends who are heading to Logan Airport. For those people who are visiting Boston, making a side trip to his restaurant is a great idea.
Just remember that Kevin's normal day off is Tuesday, and Sunday the restaurant is closed. You can still get food on Tuesday, but you might not see Kevin. Kevin actually tried to open the restaurant on Tuesday (he had his son with him), but he got stuck in traffic because of an accident, and the large volume of traffic. His partner opened the restaurant.
Kevin turned around and went back home and he and Max spent the day out in their backyard. Tewksbury didn't get as warm as we did in the Berkshires.

Jerry Brodeur's is doing so well after his kidney transplant that he might be discharged from the hospital today or tomorrow. When Linda called the Brodeur home, one of Jerry's sisters answered the telephone, and said that the sister (who donated her kidney) was out taking a walk with her husband.
Ginny had to stay longer at the hospital on Monday because she was being taught what she has to do in between the visiting nurses coming to the Brodeur home.

Well, I have to do some quiet chores in the home, and then put on some working clothes for my outdoor project.
I want to do all these chores so that my social calendar will be totally free so that I can play golf without thinking about what projects I have after a round of golf. My golf game has so much room for improvement that I don't need any mental distractions while on the course.

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

Hello on Tuesday

Dear Friends,

My body was aching by the end of the day on Monday, but it wasn't from working out at Retro Fitness. I spent at least three hours moving deck furniture from the deck, and putting it into one half of our garage. Three glass tables, twenty chairs, 3 small tables, a whicker set of furniture, removal of wall decorations, etc. took multiple trips before the screened in room was furniture free. The screened in room is where I stack the furniture items for the winter. The room is only 14 feet by 14 feet large. At 1 PM, my neighbor comes over with his chain saw and a ladder, and he cuts down the choke cherry tree in the back of our storage shed. In another two hours, I ended up with two wheelbarrows of firewood, and a pile of the small branches which are sitting on the lawn in the back yard. I hopefully will chop those branches up, and stuff them in the back of my car and take them to the resource recovery plant at some point today.

Linda was doing chores in the house, and trying to transfer photos from her camera to the computer, and eventually to a flash drive. Our grandchildren are growing up so fast that we have to keep changing the pictures throughout the house. This process took Linda multiple hours to do.
Linda also went around the house, and made a list of tasks which have to be done before Kevin and his family arrive this weekend. Guest bedrooms become storage areas when not in use. Of course, she also mentioned that the bathrooms could do a little cleaning. Oh Darn! She weaved in a quick grocery stop too because we needed some basic supplies.

Linda did hook up with a girlfriend around 5 PM to see a movie and to have supper within walking distance of the downtown theater. Linda did say that I would have liked the movie "Lincoln Lawyer."

Social Calendar -- Linda is off to her regular Tuesday Mah Jongg session at a friend's home at 11:30 AM today.
I have enough to keep myself busy for a couple of days. I am going to do my outside project first because I can't have a messy backyard when the grass is trying to grow. I also have to change my closet from the winter stuff to the summer like clothes because we have some summer weather in the forecast for today and tomorrow. Even thought we will hit the 70 degree mark, we will have to deal with thunderstorms for a couple of days and rain shower possibilities through Friday. The weekend is going to be sunny, and ideal for taking care of our grandchild, Max, and the two dogs.

A Pittsfield friend called yesterday, and said she was doing a pickup of a friend / relative who was flying in from Ireland. She said that she was going to Kevin's restaurant for some food before they headed back to Pittsfield. I haven't got all the details of how the food experience went, but she did say that Irish Soda Bread was on the menu. Linda and I brought multiple desserts for the Easter Dinner at Kevin's home including one of my Irish Soda breads. I am guessing that Kyla wanted some of the leftover desserts out of her home. She doesn't want Max to get hooked on sugar laden products. My Irish soda bread does have 3/4 of a cup of sugar in my recipe which will end up in two loaves of bread. I actually cut down the recipe by a quarter of a cup. I am wondering if Kevin sold any of my Irish Soda Bread to his customers. If they liked it, I might have to pass on the recipe so that Kevin can make multiple loaves in his huge Hobart mixing machine.

I can't believe that someone created a dog fighting App. Did the creators seriously think that it would be a go with some many people still remembering the Michael Vick dog fighting incident?

I also heard that the price of gasoline has peaked, and we might start to see prices going down as we soon enter the summer vacation period. While on the Mass Turnpike the other day, we saw a huge camping trailer hauling their car which was attached to the back of it. We were trying to guess how few miles per gallon that they must be getting before they have to refuel. I guessed that this vehicle must have been getting no more than 10 to 12 miles per gallon.

I also see where the wedding list to the Royal Wedding has all kinds of people on it. A single English Pub owner was on the guest list of the 1900. He is on the list because his Pub has been frequented by the couple many times before they were even engaged.
Can you imagine what the cost of this event must be? Can you imagine the number of people required to prepare the food and serve a room of 1900 people all at the same time? Can you imagine the liquor bill for such a crowd?
Can you imagine the number of Americans who will be glued to their televisions to watch this Royal Wedding? I might not be one of them!

Another tornado struck and killed 5 people in Arkansas yesterday. More severe weather is forecasted today as the front moves east. Every time that the media shows pictures of the destruction that these storms have done, I count my lucky stars that we have been tornado free. You can see the pain that these people are going through as the media shows pictures of what is left of their destroyed homes. To work your whole life making this place we call home, and within in instant it is turned in to rubble. This has to be so heart breaking.

I think Matt Reilly's Pub might make us supper once again tonight. We have to take advantage of the Fish and Chips special because it goes off the menu pretty soon. I should be cooking something on the grill, but there is no deck furniture out there right now until the deck gets re-stained.

I have a couple of Boston based sporting teams doing battle to keep me entertained this evening. No, I won't be bonding with Linda while drinking a bottle of wine. How many sporting contests do you watch where they advertise wine as the beverage of choice? Yes, I know that the wine lovers don't watch sports for the most part. Do they really know what they are missing?

Have a great Tuesday at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Monday

Dear Friends,

The end of a pleasant weekend took place around 6:30 PM on Easter Sunday. This was our departure time from North Tewksbury. Easter dinner was great as well as the socialization which took place among family and guests.

Kevin and Kyla set up an Easter Egg hunt for Max outdoors. Kyla filled up plastics eggs with all kinds of chocolates, M & M's, and jelly beans. Max wanted grandpa to open each one, and he proceeded to try and eat all of the goodies in each egg. His cheeks were filled like the squirrels and the chipmunks that eat all my sunflower seeds at my birdfeeders. Max had on this brand new white summer like shirt given to him from his Florida grandmother. Well, everyone knows that Linda is a master of removing stains in my clothes, so she was given the task of getting the stains out when we went back into the house. I spilled red sauce on a brand new shirt that I was wearing at the dinner table. Oh Darn!


Max was his usual good self the whole day. As we were heading out the door, Kevin and Max came out to say goodbye. I picked him up to tell him that we were leaving. He started waving to Kevin thinking that I was putting him in our car. Luckily there were enough people in the house that it was easier for us to say goodbye and head out the door. Last Sunday when I left after my baby sitting adventure, Kyla said Max cried for an hour because he didn't want me to leave.

On the way home we were invited to stop in for a continuation of the pleasant day at an Irish Sister City friend's home, but the traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike, in the usual bottle neck area, was backed up for over four exits. We took and rain check, and headed directly home.

We have a full day on tap today starting with a neighbor who will be cutting down a choke cherry tree behind our storage shed which leans over a fence into this neighbor's property. We also have a guy coming over for a little deck work which includes replacing screens and blinds in our three season room on our deck. Linda is trying to hook up with a girlfriend who is ten times busier than Linda and I. I have a 6 PM meeting at our local senior center. Our UNICO Board will be going over a by-laws update. Hopefully, this won't be a long meeting, but there are no guarantees since the last board meeting took 2 hours, and we couldn't complete what we set out to accomplish.

The world continues to be in turmoil, as this week we have the Royal Wedding as its focus.
During the afternoon on the day of the wedding, there will be a launch of the Space Shuttle on which the husband of the Congresswoman Gifford. She was shot in the head by a crazy person in Arizona.



The most important things on our social calendar is the UNICO Wine Tasting on this Friday night at Berkshire Hills Country Club, and Max and his family coming to the Berkshires for a wedding shower. Linda and Kyla will be attending the shower on Saturday at 11 AM at The Country Club of Pittsfield. As of this moment, the Tewksbury family will be arriving in Pittsfield while Linda and I are off to the Wine Tasting event on Friday night.

Jerry Brodeur continues to do well after his Kidney transplant. His sister, who donated one of her kidneys, was released from the hospital in Boston on Sunday. Jerry has several more days before he can be discharged.

Well, it is back to work or school this week. Yes, Linda and I do remember the Monday after a week's school vacation. We were always so exhausted when that first day came to an end. It took so much energy to pick up where we left off in the classroom, and to keep the students motivated, and on task. We like the way things are right now during these retirement years. What time does the movie start, is the weather good enough to play golf, what are we doing for lunch and supper, should I do some yard work or wait until another day, do we have any babysitting gigs coming which involve the grandchildren, when is the next party or cookout, etc., are the only things that are on these retirees' minds.

Have a great week.
April is coming to an end.
Talk to you soon! The Curley Lad

Hello on Saturday

Dear Friends,

Another day went as planned in Curley world on Good Friday. I took a rain check on golf with my senior friends, but that is okay because I accompanied Linda to her wound clinic appointment at 1 PM.

Update -- Linda is done with taking antibiotics, but she still will have the VNA nurses coming to our home twice per week to change her bandage. Since the wound is still draining, ever so slightly, the wound clinic doctor said that she must continue with the VNA nurses, but she doesn't have to go to the wound clinic every week. Her next appointment is now two weeks from yesterday. Today is the two month anniversary of the Hernia from Hell ordeal.

Our friend who had the kidney transplant, and his sister who donated her kidney, are continuing to improve at Brigham & Women's hospital in Boston. Linda might not be able to visit them right now, but at least we get daily updates from his wife.

To add more stress to the kidney transplant surgery ordeal, the gas furnace in their home stopped working yesterday. The repair person had to be called in before his wife went off to the hospital.

I actually received a telephone call on Friday morning from my golfing buddy. His hot water tank in his home sprung a leak. He had to call a plumber, and his hot water tank has to be replaced.

Linda and I did go off to the Shamrock Pub last evening with three Irish Sister City friends. We had much food, fun and merriment for the couple hours that we were there. We figured that the Shamrock Pub would be busy on a Friday night since Friday is when they specialize seafood products, and it was Good Friday. Not!

After supper, all of us decided that we would return to our homes, put on sleepwear, and just relax. Since I had a sporting contest to watch, I went into my man cave to watch the Boston Celtics basketball game. The Celtics lead their series by a 3 to 0 margin. I decided to watch the Red Sox game in bed. I didn't last to long before it was "lights out" for me.

Light snow is falling right now in the Berkshires, but most of you are sleeping, and it will be washed away by the rain as temperatures rise. We might hit 50 degrees on this rainy Saturday.

Sunday should be warmer, but Linda and I will be with our son and his family in Tewksbury. There will be 7 adults, and Max around the dinner table. Ham is main meat on the menu.

Linda and I decided that we are going to wait until our grandson goes to bed on Sunday night before we head home. We can't stay an extra day because we have a full day on Monday booked in on our social calendar.

Politics -- Senator McCain wants the United States to get more involved with helping the rebels in Libya.
President Obama wants us to help the protestors in Syria who are being killed by the current people in power. Here we go again! Should we get involved with every nation that is having internal conflicts? I thought that religion was the root of many of these conflicts, but our democratic form of government must look pretty attractive. The only problem is that these waring nations have to realize that change doesn't come quickly. As an example, it took us a while to give women the right to vote. We had our own civil war over the slavery issue.

Well, I have some quiet activities to take care of before I wake up Linda. She actually wants me to wake her up at 7:30 AM. We should be exiting Pittsfield no later than 8:30 AM.

I chatted with my father yesterday. He continues to heal well from his aneurysm surgery. He is back driving his car. He will be celebrating Easter Dinner with his his wife at the nursing home.

Have a great Easter in whatever way you choose to celebrate it. Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Good Friday

Dear Friends,

Hope that your Thursday went very well because it did for the Curley's.

I see that my Thursday blog struck a nerve in one of my e-mail recipients. Just a few weeks ago, the husband of the respondent was saying that my blogs have been too mild. He loves it when the banter goes back and forth, and I do too (but not Linda). Think of my daily writings as one of the many columns on the editorial page of a newspaper. Every columnist on that page has opinions of everything from politics to life, etc.
You may not agree with my position on any subject, which I decide to talk about, but the writings should stimulate your own thoughts and opinions.

Also realize that my ideas come from family and friends. You guys are the best source for my material.

Okay, I might stretch the actual truth and facts a bit on any issue, and sometimes my ramblings might be too personal, but life is too short to sweat the little stuff.

I am not the only one to say that "life is too short"! The fundraiser last night was for a columnist for the Berkshire Eagle who was sitting in a wheel chair with an amputated leg. He is a baby boomer who didn't pay attention to what his doctors told him to do, and the doctors started cutting off toes and eventually his leg. In his Thursday morning column, he used those exact words. For some people, it takes a while to realize that fact.

One of my email recipients had a successful kidney transplant on Thursday. He can verify that "life is too short" for all the physical problems which he has been going through.

One of my UNICO friends told me yesterday at the fundraiser that he is going to Boston to get a lung transplant (non smoker) within the next couple of months.

If everyone each day started off with my philosophy that "Life is Good", the aches and pains which a majority us get as we age will be minor stuff compared the people who need transplants, heart bypass surgery, cancer issues, etc.

The "World according to Curley" may be in disagreement with your philosophy of life, but once in a while an email recipient might agree with a particular position of mine.

Sports -- The Boston Bruins and the Boston Red Sox won their games on Thursday. The Boston Celtics play this evening. I never thought of having a bottle of wine while watching my sporting contest in my Man Cave, but I am open to a change. Not!

Social Calendar -- Linda has a Wound Clinic appointment at 1:30 PM today. We are guessing that it might be her last. We are also hoping that they will tell her to stop taking antibiotics.

Linda and I did go to Patrick's Pub last night after the pasta fundraiser for some fun and entertainment. The Irish Band was great. The band was still playing as we left at 10:45 PM. About two seconds after my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.

I am supposed to play golf with the seniors this morning at 9:30 AM. If it doesn't warm up from the 27 degrees which it is right now, you won't see the Curley Lad on the golf course.

This evening we are going off to the Shamrock Pub at 5:30 PM with a bunch of Irish Sister City friends for some food, fun, and merriment. It is "Good Friday" in the Christian world. It is supposed to be a day of fast and abstinence. I will try to be a good Christian, but it might be difficult at an Irish Pub.

I was just thinking that when it is time for me to depart this earth, I want it to happen in the middle of an activity which I enjoy doing like on the golf course, in a Pub, or in my man cave, at a house party, etc., but not in a hospital or in a nursing home. I have seen the inside hospitals, and the inside of nursing homes too often and they are not fun places to spend the last few days of anyone's life.

Well, I am going to end this email right now before I get myself in any trouble like I did yesterday. I do thank all of you for reading my daily blog. If you disagree with my opinion on something, I like hearing from you. I know that my conservative friends (and independent ones) can't wait to pounce on my Liberal Democratic views, but it is nice to hear from some other email recipients too.

Have a great weekend.
Surround yourselves with family and friends which Linda and I will be doing. Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Dear Friends,

Our Wednesday didn't go as planned. I had forgotten that Wednesday night is Linda's Knitting gathering at Panera Bread. She called our friends and left a message saying that we were going to take a rain check at going to the movies with them. They did have their Spa Day, but after the Spa Day, their plans fell apart. Our friends never did get the message which Linda left on her cell phone. They called us and said that they were on the way to the Japanese Restaurant right across from the Beacon Cinema. Linda asked if they received either of our two messages: one on her cell phone, and one on their home phone. Our friend said that they went directly from the Lenox Spa straight to Pittsfield. If she had listened to either message, they would have found out that the movie "Lincoln Lawyer" was not playing at 7 PM. There were two matinees, and in the evening some special event was taking place at the Beacon Cinema, and this event replaced the "Lincoln Lawyer" movie. The Curley's prefer matinees because it frees up our evenings for other adventures. After Linda left for knitting, our friends called me and asked me to look in the local newspaper to see if the movie was playing at our local Mall! Not! They spent the evening home alone which is what they didn't want to do.
When they both retire, they will find out that Matinees are the best time to attend movies.

I also messed up my sports watching. The Bruins are playing tonight and they did not play last evening, but the Red Sox played a 4 PM game on Wednesday. The Red Sox won this afternoon game so I got my dose of sports.

Observation -- The husband of the above mentioned couple is still working even though we are same age. He has daughters still in College so retirement is not an option. He has this week off since it is our Spring School vacation here in Massachusetts. This school vacation week in April got me thinking. We very seldom get (have gotten) nice weather during this Spring break. It is usually too cold and wet to putter in the yard. Our golf course has been open since March, but there haven't been many days where either of us could be on the golf course. Today we will have temperatures near 50 degrees with howling winds strong enough to do some wind damage. Tomorrow will turn out to be the best day of the week so we will be able to play golf with our senior group, but temperatures might not get higher than 55 degrees.
My whole point was that when Linda and I were teaching, we always wanted to get out of town. If we didn't have funds to take a trip to warmer climates, we at least went to Cape Cod when our children were small. To have two boys in the house saying that they were bored for a week straight could push anyone over the edge.
So my male friend has pretty much been trapped in the house all week. This is another bad thing because wives can always find projects for their husband to do when they are together 24/7.
The last two days of school vacation doesn't look any better for us in the Berkshires because rain is forecasted for Saturday and Sunday.
Spring Breaks in the Berkshires might not be good enough to recharge your batteries!

Social Calendar -- We will both be at the Fundraiser Pasta Dinner this evening at the ITAM. Linda will be attending the Fundraiser with a couple of friends, but I will be part of the crew from UNICO preparing the Pasta Dinner which we are serving at 5:30 PM. The evening will not end when Linda is done eating and socializing, or when my kitchen responsibilities are over because we are off to Patrick's Pub with a bunch of Irish Sister City Friends around the 8:00 PM hour. The Irish Band "Rakish Paddy" will be playing. I am trying to figure out when I am going to weave in a nap because I have to be at the ITAM a little after 2 PM. I will never be able to make it through what appears to be a long day without a nap.

I was listening to a sports' talk program which will make the national news if it hasn't happened already. In Houston, a 13 year old "student of the month" type of boy won tickets to the final four NCAA Basketball tournaments (took place in Houston). The assistant principal doesn’t tell the father that there were two tickets. The assistant principal, who was a Butler College fan, acted as a chaperon, and took the 13 year old to the game bypassing the boy's father. Well, when the father found out that his son had won two tickets, and not just one, stuff hit the fan. The assistant principal got a letter of reprimand in his file, and that was it for his punishment. The boy's father believes that the assistant principal should have been fired.

Well, I am up early because I heard Retro Fitness Gym calling me. I will be there with the 4:30 AM crowd.
I will have to take it slowly since I haven't been there for a while.

Have a great Thursday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Wednesday

Dear Friends,

Our Tuesday went exactly as planned. I spent most of the morning straightening up a portion of the garage before taking a nap.

Linda had her bandage changed just before heading off to play Mah Jongg.

After I woke up from my nap, I finished savoring a book while Linda was doing her thing. We bonded for an hour or so before we headed off to Matt Reilly's Pub for fish and chips for two.

After we arrived home, we put on our sleepwear, and settled down to watch a little television. Linda put a Duraflame long in the fireplace of the family room, while I headed for my man cave to watch the Boston Celtics Basketball game.

The Celtics did win game 2 of their playoff game against the Knicks, but my Red Sox couldn't win their fourth game in a row in Oakland,California. I didn't stay up and watch the 10 PM game, and good thing that I didn't.

Weather -- The temperature on Tuesday never got above 45 degrees in Pittsfield. We had a light rain for most of the day. Even though Tuesday might not have been great weather wise, we sure are lucky that we live in part of the country where the severe weather is at a minimum. I watched some of the weather channel in between my sporting contests, and there were tornado threats in multiple places. This year might end up being a record for the number of tornadoes which hit the United States. One part of the country, as reported on the weather channel, was getting softball size hail as we were getting a little rain.
I am not sure if I would rebuild in the same area in which a tornado destroyed my home.

Politics / News -- The world news sure is depressing from what I scanned on my I Pad. I might just spend more time focusing on family and friends, and mentally put all the not so nice stuff on the back burner. Who cares whether a movie star is not happy with her breast implants? Is Charlie Sheen taking shots at President Obama a newsworthy event, when Charlie's life is out of control? The Royal Wedding has taken up so much of the news, I am ready to gag! Who cares who is on the wedding invitation list? Just get the darn wedding over! Of course, there will be a large segment of people in the United States glued to the television to see the Royal wedding take place a at the end of this month including my family members. They will soon realize who they got stuck with, and that most of us males have so few Prince like qualities (and money).

Observation -- I was wondering if there was an art to opening a cereal box. While Linda was sleeping yesterday morning, I decided to grab a bowl of cereal. I picked up this box of cereal that looked like a child opened it. I had to go into the garage and locate some duct tape to repair the shredded box cover. Linda was wondering if I would notice the difficult time that she had over this past weekend (since I was baby sitting in Tewksbury) trying to gently open this new box of cereal. She said the glue on the box cover gave her a real problem so she tried opening it from the other end after she ripped first end a little.
Could it be time for the cereal manufacturers to redesign cereal box covers so neither males nor females will have difficulty opening a cereal box?
We did have a good laugh about the situation.
I have noticed that other boxed items like Saran Wrap, Aluminum Foil boxes, etc., present a challenge too.

Social Calendar -- Linda is going to accompany me for a follow up doctor's appointment at 9:30 AM.
We were invited to go to the movies this evening with another couple to catch a 7 PM movie. Of course, the movie will be starting as the Boston Bruins do battle against the Montreal Canadians. I made a suggestion that we take in a matinee, but this couple is booked into an afternoon massage. They are both going for a massage, and the massage will be getting over at 5 PM.
For me, I have never had a massage, and I have no great need to get one. The couple, who we are going to the movies with, are one of those touchy feely couples. I am not sure if I could lie still, and relax while a stranger touches my body. I suppose I wouldn't know unless I tried getting a massage.

Well, I have to put out the garbage, and finish my morning routine before Linda wakes up.
Have a great Wednesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Tuesday

Dear Friends,

Our Monday went as planned. After our 10 AM meeting we went out for breakfast at a downtown eatery called "On a Roll". We beat the breakfast time line by 30 minutes. It is nice when you have a coupon which says breakfast for two. We then headed off to Walmart in search of a couple basic necessities. The parking lot was full. Good thing that we didn't have a full list of items to pick up.

My UNICO membership / dinner meeting went well at the Cork & Hearth Restaurant in Lee. We are doing so many fundraisers. The next one is this Thursday at the ITAM. I will be part of the kitchen crew. As of last night, 275 people have signed up for the event with more people purchasing tickets at the door. Linda and some friends will be attending the event.

We have a bunch of events in May too. The May 15 event is for a Baby Boomer friend who has Alzheimer's disease so bad that her husband had to put her in a Dalton nursing home. She might not be well enough to attend the fundraiser in her honor. Her husband has his own set of health problems too. He is a long time UNICO member. It is so sad to see what this disease has done to her. Of course, you have the residual affect of making the caregiver sick too. This is another situation where we all should enjoy life every moment that we are on this earth because we never know what the next day brings. Surround yourself with family and friends. Give your grandchildren a whole bunch of hugs as often as you can. If you have a significant other, give them a lot of hugs too.

Politics -- While in the car, I turned on the radio and listened to my favorite local talk program. The host had on a representative from the local "Tea Party". They were going to have a rally at our Park Square, and then a speaking program next door at the Crowne Plaza. I felt at times that I was listening to the Republican taking heads like Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, etc. The talk show host is a former Democrat turned independent, but the way he portrays our President and local Democratic Congressmen and Congresswomen on the National, State, and politicians on the local level on his program each day, he might as well be a Republican or a Tea Party member. The guest on the radio program and the talk show host didn't like the way the United States spends money which we really don't have. Well, do you think we Democrats like all the money that our government spends on a daily basis? Can you think what good that the money spent on the million dollars per Tomahawk Missile would do just to help here in the United States.
I was reading my latest edition of the AARP newsletter, and they highlighted who and what age group of people has found it necessary to go to local food banks just to survive each week. Baby Boomers are gravitating to these food banks. Our roads are a mess in Massachusetts, and throughout the country. I think that we should return to the WPA programs that we started in the World War Two time frame. There are so many public projects that could get people back to work. Our National Public Parks have taken a hit, and have gone into disrepair. Some parks have been closed as cost cutting measures. Our bridges can all be updated. A National high speed rail way would help get some of our cars off of the roads in this time of ever rising gasoline and diesel fuel prices. Our Libraries have decreased the hours of when they are open. Our National Silvio Conte archives have taken a hit. We do need a strong military to keep this land the "home of the brave, and the land of the free", but do we need to spend the largest amount of our budget on weapons that kill people than any other Nation in the world? A few months ago the local General Dynamics workers secured a $500 million dollar contract (with the help of both Democratic and Republican congressmen form Massachusetts) for defense work on our Nuclear Submarines. Those workers don't want to hear about cuts in defense spending. The Republicans and my independent friends think that we Democrats are really leaning toward a socialistic type of government. No party is in favor of giving our hard earned dollars to people who don't want to get off of their butts and find a job. Those Democratic programs were designed to get people over some tough times in their lives, and not make handouts a way of life. How about helping the people in the fire ravaged Texas area, or helping people in States in which Tornadoes have caused millions of dollars in damage?
We as a Nation don't do well in helping our own people!

On a happier note, my Red Sox, and my Boston Bruins won their sporting contests on Monday. The Boston Celtics play the New York Knicks in their second game of the division playoffs this evening.

Linda has a bandage change this morning before she heads off to her normal Tuesday Mah Jongg session at 11:30 AM. Since we have another dreary day on tap for today, I am leaning for a fish and chips dinner for two at Matt Reilly's for supper tonight. By going out to eat, we are helping the economy. Yeah Right!

We still have the heat on in our house which is sad to say. The next day which will have sunshine and relative warmth will be Friday (high of 55 degrees). The senior group will be teeing off at 9:30 AM, and I hope to be on the golf course with them. Today and tomorrow have a 50 % and a 60 % chance of rain respectively. On Thursday we will have howling winds with temperatures near 50 degrees, and you won't see me on the golf course.

Well, I have to finish my morning routine, and answer the telephone when the VNA nurse calls. I might attack our messy garage before I take my beloved afternoon nap. I will need a nap if I plan on staying up for some the Red Sox game which takes place in Oakland California this evening.

Have a great day.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Friday

Dear Friends,

Our Thursday went pretty much as planned. I did a few errands in the morning, made Linda a soft boiled egg for breakfast, puttered around the house a little, before we headed off to the wound clinic for her 2 PM appointment. She still didn’t get a clean bill of health from the surgeon who dealt with her at the wound clinic. She is to continue on with taking antibiotics, and having the VNA nurses come to our house to change bandages every other day. The bandage is down to the size of a bandaid, but they are still packing what now is a very small incision area. Linda saw a new surgeon yesterday, and he said that the hernia, which Linda had, was a difficult one to repair. It even had its own name. He started to say that from his experience, he would have done … He stopped the conversation because he didn’t want to get the original surgeon in some kind of trouble. It was like one colleague protecting another. Since Linda has to have her bandage changed on Saturday, I will be heading off to baby sit our grandson Max in Tewksbury alone in a few short hours. I will be leaving Pittsfield no later than 8 AM.

The Polenta dinner at the Italian American Club was wonderful. I sat with a couple who spend the winters in Florida, and they are on my daily blog too. They just came back from Florida a couple of days ago. They said that the heat and humidity was just starting to arrive in Florida. That was a signal for them that it was time to head back to the Northeast. They have a place in Bradenton, Florida.

Linda was at a new book club gathering at a friend’s hom while I was at the Polenta Dinner. I didn’t get any details because I fell asleep at the end of the Bruins’ hockey game which I was watching in bed.

The Boston Bruins Hockey team did lose the first game of the playoffs in their division. For some reason, the Bruins struggle against Montreal even though Montreal has been a mediocre team this year. Oh Darn!

The Red Sox are back in action tonight. I hope that the Sox can start a winning streak, and get themselves out of last place.

The Celtics’ first playoff game takes place on Sunday against the New York Knicks.

The weather in the Berkshires and the weather in Tewksbury will have the same highs and lows. I think that the Berkshires might have a chance of rain on both Saturday and Sunday.

I forgot to mention the other day that my bird feeders were knocked to the ground, and some creature(s) ate all the sunflower seeds. I wasn’t sure if it was raccoons or bears. Well, I got my answer a day after the incident. The bear left a deposit in my yard. It is their way of marking where an easy and free meal can be found. Usually at this time of the year, it is a mother bear, and her cubs. One of my bird feeders was high off of the ground. I have it attacked to a thick branch of our maple tree. I am guessing that Mom sent a cub up the tree, and knocked down the bird feeder. The bear straightened out the decorative “S” hook that the bird feeder was hanging from. I forgot to take in the two feeders that I have left in my yard last night. I turned on the flood light in my back yard a few minutes ago, and the bird feeders were still there. Since most people are sleeping now, the bears could attack my bird feeders any minute now. The slightest bit of noise will have me up and off of the kitchen chair which I sitting at right now.
My bird houses are getting a lot of action. This time of the year, the birds are starting to build nests, and they will be producing off spring too. A pair of swallows has returned to the same bird house which I put out last year. I cleaned the bird houses before I put them up. I have 4 or 5 bird houses up right now, and almost every one is being used.

Politics - A couple of my conservatives friends on my blog can’t believe that I think that our President is doing a good job with what he had to work with. Not every move he made has been stellar, but he is really trying to get the United States back on the road to economic recovery. My conservative friends thinks that when he speaks that there is no substance to his speeches, but even my conservative friends have to admit that the President does have command of the English Language. My friends are convinced that I must live in some fantasy world because I believe what the President says.
Donald Trump got himself in trouble once again by saying that the younger President Bush was one of the worse Presidents which we have had.
The air traffic controllers falling asleep can be traced back to President Reagan when he busted their Union, and the downsizing eventually came back to put the lives of the flying public in jeopardy. Since my conservative friends think that I am living in some La La land, tell me what President Reagan did which was so great. He gave us “feel good” speeches and trickle down economics, and teachers in Massachusetts (and Federal workers) not being able to collect a pension and social security, etc.

Well, I have to finish my morning routine, and gather some last minute items for my trip east.
Have a great weekend.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Thursday

Dear Friends,


We made it through a cool Wednesday in the Berkshires. I had to turn the heat back on in the house. As we were doing some errands, the people whom we observed were wearing hoodies, and winter type clothing. The wind howled for most of the day.


Linda has an afternoon appointment at the would clinic today. I am hoping that the doctors give her a clean bill of health. She went in there last week thinking along those same lines, but it didn't happen.
When she wakes up each morning, and comes downstairs, she still doesn't feel like her normal self. Her wound area is still bringing her some discomfort. Like I said in previous emails, she looks perfectly normal when we are out and about, but not all the issues have been resolved.


I am assuming that she had fun with her knitting group last night, but I was in bed trying to watch the Celtic game. I fell asleep as usual, and was woken up by the roar of the crowd at the end of the game. The Celtics did win their last game of the season, but all the starters were given the night off. The second team players did a nice job against the New York Knicks who they will meet in the playoffs this weekend.


Speaking of the weekend, today I will put together a duffle bag of clothes in preparation of my babysitting gig in Tewksbury this weekend. I think that I will park the car in the driveway this evening, and head off to Tewksbury while Linda is still sleeping on Friday morning.


Social Calendar -- Linda's doctor's appointment isn't the only thing on our social calendar today. Linda is now a member of another book club, and they are meeting this evening. While she is doing her thing, I think that I will be heading off to the Italian American Club. There is another Polenta dinner which starts at 6:30 PM. Most of our friends who we would normally invite are busy, and some are partying in Las Vegas as I type this email. I will have to find an empty spot at someone else's table. Oh Darn!


Charlie Sheen was in Boston yesterday. Our son Kevin, who posts his daily special on line for his restaurant, "Dough East Boston", created a new sandwich in honor of Charlie Sheen. The description of the sandwich sounded great.
Charlie's one man show got mixed reviews. It is time for Charlie to get back to what he does best!


The New York State mom who drove her car into the water from a boat ramp with the thought of killing herself and her four children was a real sad story. The 10 year old who survived and who swam to safety will be messed up for the rest of his life.


The Japanese crisis, the Libyan conflict, and the unrest all over the world is so depressing to listen to and watch each day.
Also trying to follow American politics, and what out Congressmen and Congresswomen think should be cut is discouraging.
The rich continue to become wealthier. The Apple Company is nearing the 1 trillion mark in sales. The Curley's have contributed to that number.
More jobs are starting to become available which is a sign that our President has our country heading in the right direction.


USA Today had an article that losing weight is linked to better memory besides spending less money towards our health care system.


Observation -- Linda decided to watch a new program about coupon clipping and using. I watched the first show with her. The people highlighted in the program are fanatical. I watched them purchase over a $1000 dollars worth of groceries, and the out of pocket expenses were under $50 dollars. There are a couple of major problems. The film crew went inside the homes of the two people. Every room in their houses, including bedrooms, basements, and even a shower stall were filled with grocery items. A shelf in one house, had 50 mustard containers, 40 or 50 containers of laundry soap, over a 100 rolls of paper towels, etc. They also purchased frozen dinners, pizza, etc. Meat bought with coupons went directly into their freezers.
To me it was like those people whom we call hoarders.
I started thinking about all the food pantries which are always in need of food. The food bank volunteers could do exactly what these coupon cutters do every week. The people in the program will purchase multiple Sunday newspapers, and sit down an clip coupons. Often the whole family will participate in the coupon cutting, and purchasing of the items. If every food bank did what the coupon cutters did, the shelves in the food pantries would never be empty!


Weather -- It is supposed to hit the 60 degree mark today before we return to cooler temperatures for the next few days. I looked for 70 degree temperatures in the long term forecast, but I couldn't find any.


Gasoline prices -- Anyone who has to commute long distances to work has really taken a hit in their pocket books or wallets. We need these oil producing companies to stop fighting. I think that we are getting crude oil from these countries, but that the oil companies are gouging we Americans. I did see where they are going to let companies drill for oil in Pennsylvania, and most restrictions have been lifted. I hope that the lifting of regulations doesn't come back to bite us years from now.


Baby Boomer Stuff -- There was a very good article in our Sunday newspaper about who wants all the items that we Baby Boomers have collected and saved during our life time. Our children don't want any of it. As a matter of fact, our son and his family are moving from Kansas to Southern Georgia, and they are planning a huge tag sale. Since our son is doing some training at another Air Force Base, Danielle's mom is driving from Minnesota to Kansas to help her out with the tag sale, and to help take care of the two grandchildren.


Well, I have to stop composing, and finish my quiet morning routine.
Have a great Thursday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Wednesday

Dear Friends,



The wind is howling, my garbage cans which I put out last night after my night of revelry, are tipped over, and the bottles and cans are rolling down the street.

The shorts and short sleeve shirts won’t be able to be used for this day. We will be in the 40’s for most of this day.

Every time that I think of putting away the winter gear, and changing over to summer like clothes, a cold front moves in.

I shut off the heat in our house the other day, but I will be turning it back on when the hypothermia sets in.

I also imagine that our friends who are visiting relatives in Florida will be sending an email telling us how warm it is there.

My golf clubs will be staying in the back of my car for another couple of days.



Linda had fun playing Mah Jongg on Tuesday and you know how my time spent with our Pakistani guests went.



Our 6 PM Irish Sister City meeting went well also. As predicted, it lasted for about an hour. I will be typing up the minutes of the meeting when I finish this blog.



For some of us, the meeting continued at Patrick’s Pub. Linda was driven home by a friend because she was getting tired, but I stayed a bit longer. When I left, there were still a few friends from of our original table of 20 left.

We also celebrated the birthday of member’s son who turned 21 years old on Tuesday.

The party for him actually continues in Las Vegas today. 10 people will be heading to the Albany, New York airport mid morning today to get on a non stop Southwest airlines flight to Sin City. One of the 10 people has never been to Las Vegas. If Linda didn’t have her health issues, we would have been on that flight to Las Vegas with them.

Linda and I really like Las Vegas, but several of our friends have no desire to go back to Sin City.

If this trip works out well for the 10 people, this trip could be an annual event.



The Pakistani’s did show up at the Pub, but they didn’t have anything to eat or drink. Two of the Irish Sister Members engaged in conversations with them for at least 30 minutes. Since it was raining, a sister city person drove them to the Bed & Breakfast where they were staying. The Bed & Breakfast was within walking distance of the Pub.



The Pakistani’s said that they had a desire to go to a Catholic Church, and a Synagogue before their stay in Pittsfield is over. They leave Pittsfield next Thursday.



Social Calendar – I am off to a doctor’s appointment at 10:30 AM. Linda likes to go with me because I never know the appropriate questions to ask. I also forget much of the stuff that the doctor tells me.

After the appointment, we will probably do lunch somewhere, I will take an afternoon power nap most likely.

In the evening, Linda will be heading off to her Wednesday Knitting group. She hasn’t been able to attend this weekly event in a couple of months.

I am going to do a Chicken Novena while Linda is with her Knitting friends. I hope that there is a fragrant candle in our house. I would cook the chicken on the grill on the deck, but it is too cold to do so.



Our Pakistani friends have a full schedule today. After a full day of learning activities, someone is picking them up at 5:30 PM. They will be dining at this person’s home.



I am going to call dear old dad to see how his follow up appointment went at BayState Medical Center in Springfield on Tuesday. My sister took him to this appointment. I am not sure if he heard those magical words that he can return to his normal activities, which includes driving his car once again.



Sports – My Red Sox have the worst record in the American League East Division. They lost again last night in their home baseball park. It is so sad to watch them play. We fans really hope that things get better. The Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics are ready to start the playoffs in their respective sports.



The Japan Nuclear crisis rivals the Chernobyl one according to the latest reports. The rest of the world is in the usual turmoil.

A couple of 20 year olds robbed a kids’ lemonade stand in Texas. The Police caught the two perpetrators who made off with a jar of money which totaled $130 dollars. The kids were raising money for some really sick kids.



The body count in Long Island is up to 10 people. The neighborhood is in a state of fear.



Well, I have to end this e-mail, and get to the minutes of the Irish Sister City Meeting while they are fresh in my mind.



Have a great day at work, school, or play.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Monday

Dear Friends,

Sunday was a much more physically pleasant day for Linda than on Saturday. Her multiple hour adventure with a girlfriend in Williamstown went very well. I was content to stay home and overdose on watching sports. I did one outdoor project before I decided to be a coach potato. I squeezed in a nap too while Linda was doing her thing because I wanted to be able and stay awake through the whole 8 PM Red Sox vs Yankee baseball game.

The VNA nurses showed up at 8:30 AM to observe and change Linda's smaller bandage. We had never seen these two nurses before. One was being trained so that is why there were two nurses on Sunday. They thought that her wound was healing very well.
Linda had less discomfort which means less pain medication. She is trying to ween herself off of the pain medication.

Since the VNA nurses came on Sunday, Linda is now in a Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday bandage changing schedule. This means that I will be doing the weekend babysitting for our grandchild Max alone in Tewksbury. This might be difficult for me to chase around an active Toddler for a couple of days, but I will be up for the challenge. If I get overwhelmed, I always can ask the Brodeur's for a little help since they live one street over from Kevin and Kyla's home. My goal is to take Max outside, and tire him out. I want to tire out this energizer bunny so much that when it is nap time or bed time, he will sleep like a rock. I will probably sleep like a rock too!

When Linda arrived home from her Williamatown adventure, I was couch bound, and watching the Masters. She grabbed her knitting and we watched the golf tournament to the very end. A pizza place less than a mile from us made our supper.
I wanted to cook some chicken leg quarters on the grill, but Linda doesn't love that type of chicken. I will save the leg quarters, and have a Chicken Novena when she is out with girl friends, and when I am home alone.

I must admit I did overdose on sports on Sunday. The Bruins, Celtics, and the Red Sox were all in action. The Red Sox were the only Boston based team which won. The Red Sox finally got some great pitching from the Red Sox starting pitcher. Josh Beckett was finally in the zone. He only gave up a couple of hits during the eight innings which he pitched. The closer came in and the ninth inning, and he did what he was supposed to do. I went to bed a happy man because of this Red Sox win.

Social Calendar -- I have a UNICO board meeting tonight at 6 PM. I think that Linda has nothing on her social calendar. I think that Linda wants a do nothing day because we have a full calendar from Tuesday right through the weekend. Her next wound clinic appointment takes place on Thursday.

Politics -- I see where China is blaming the United States and the Internet for causing all the unrest in the world. Maybe the leaders in China can see an upheaval of their political system. China has such control of their political system that they can squash any form of protest with military might. If they can keep their people in the dark on all of global unrest, they can continue to control the masses.
I also see where the Donald Trump is pushing for President Obama's birth certificate. I am not sure if that is a good way to win the hearts and minds of people as Donald seeks the nomination of the Republican party. I would think that a presidential candidate has more pressing matters which he should be discussing if he wants to become the next President of the United States.

Observation -- While cleaning our two cars over the weekend, I did notice a few bumps on the Kia. I am guessing that some of them were caused during the two weeks when Linda was in the hospital. I watched how some people parked in those sometime narrow spaces in the parking deck at the hospital. I was wondering if when people make contact with another car, they would look at the damages, and leave a note when necessary. The passenger side front bumper was scraped by another car, and I can't rub out the scratches. I don't know how a person could just drive away without leaving a note. Even if the person wrote a note without their name, and said that they were sorry for striking my car, I would be somewhat happy.

The weather is starting to become more springlike. The first two days of this week have chances of afternoon thunderstorms, and for the next three days we have a chance of showers each day.

Our Atlanta friends were visiting relatives in Florida for the past few days. Hot and humid, and in the 90's. Linda got a call from one of those friends last evening as they were sitting by the pool having a cocktail. I was in my Man Cave watching the Red Sox game.
This telephone call got me thinking of how both Linda and I have no desire to spend a life in a State in the south. What motivation would a person have to do outdoor projects in that heat and humidity? When I was doing that assembling project the other day, I was on my deck. The temperature was in the 50 degree range. It was sunny, and there was no humidity. When I cleaned both cars inside and out over the weekend, it was pleasant to be outside, and not overwhelmed with heat and humidity. The Southern States are a nice place to visit, but when we return back to the Berkshires, we both agree that there is no place like home.
We have some States in this hot and humid weather, and they are dealing with wild fires. Another State or two are dealing with flooding rivers as the snow in the mountains starts to melt.
Our biggest issue is when are the tulips going to bloom?

Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Sunday

Dear Friends,


Linda did not have a good day on Saturday. She had a dull ache all day long in the incision area even when we went off to supper at the home of our friends. At the wound clinic on Friday, the doctor said that he was watching an area of concern. Well, Linda's body was telling her on Saturday that something is going on which doesn't appear to be good.
When we arrived home from our night out, there was a message on our answering machine that the VNA nurse will be at our house at 8:30 AM this morning. Last week, they had a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedule. We not sure if the wound clinic doctor told the VNA to return to a daily schedule. Oh Darn!


We both have a busy week coming up, and I and hoping that Linda will be
physically able to make it through all of our scheduled events. She might have to cancel a few of her events which she really enjoys.


She has something on her social calendar booked in today. A friend is picking her up at 11:30 AM, and they are heading off to the Clark Institute of Art which is located in the Williams College area. She decided to skip her Red Hat event which is also scheduled to take place in Williamstown. The Red Hat group is going a buffet brunch at the Williamstown Inn. Linda is not a fan of buffet meals. There is usually too much food, and people have a tendency to over eat.


While she is doing her thing with a friend, I have more projects to take care which I didn't finish on Saturday.


Sports -- My Red Sox were beaten by the Yankees on Saturday. A former retired Red Sox pitcher, Pedro Martinez, wants to play for the Red Sox. At this point in the baseball season, the Red Sox appear to need a good deal of help in the pitching department.
The Red Sox and Yankees do battle again this evening at 8 PM.


While the Red Sox were losing their game, the Boston Bruins hockey team was winning their game. The Bruins also found out that they will be playing their arch enemy the Montreal Canadiens during the first round of the playoffs. This rivalry is like the Red Sox vs the Yankees rivalry.


Golf -- The youngster from Ireland was still in the lead of the Masters Tournament in Atlanta.
Tiger Woods was starting to fade by the end of the third round of the tournament. Tiger might have too many shots to make up as they enter the final round today.


The Celtics do battle against the Miami Heat today.


Supper at our friend's home -- After a beverage or two on our friend's deck, the temperature started to drop, and we were forced to go into their house. The host grilled some marinated lamb blade steaks on his Webber grill while his wife made rice, and oven roasted asparagus. We also had a tossed mixed greens salad.
After a little break, the hostess brings out a homemade tart concoction which contained strawberries and blueberries. The host was a home economics teacher during an early phase of her life. The dessert was wonderful too. The host made this dessert for the first time with the her long term goal of making and taking it to Tanglewood during the summer time music concerts when we are partying on the lawn.


Lent -- As I was perusing CNN on line this morning, I was intrigued by a guy who gave up eating for Lent. He decided to go on an all beer diet. An expert in the nutrition field, explained all the good things that were in beer. She said that in 800 AD, the monks were the ones who started making beer. The beer which they produced had a high alcoholic content. I thought that the monks prayed all day, but they must have engaged themselves in other activities. Beer for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time might interfere with a person's ability to function at work, or to carry on a relationship with another person. This guy must be one happy person.
I would also think that he would have to a bathroom close by so that he could make it through each day.


My Tuesday plans have changed. I will be at the Pittsfield City Hall on Tuesday at 10 AM to meet and greet our Pakistani guests. I went on line yesterday, and looked up dietary restrictions of people of the Muslim religion. It would appear that our guests can eat chicken and beef, but not pork. The consumption of alcohol is prohibited.


Well, I hope that Linda has a better day than she had on Saturday. She was hurting during the whole day including the nice dinner which we had at our friend's home, but she didn't complain at all.


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

Hello on Saturday Morning

Dear Friends,

Linda and I made it through another Friday together. Her getting physically better seems to have caused less bonding. I didn't make her breakfast. We made ourselves separate lunches. Has the bonding stopped? I told her that I would make her a hearty breakfast today before I do any projects.

I left the house first once again on Friday. She had just come down stairs from a good night's rest as I was heading off to Lee to see how dad was doing. I brought my father his favorite morning newspapers, and made him a hearty breakfast while Linda was home alone. As a matter fact, she skipped breakfast except for making herself a bowl of oatmeal on Friday which I found out when I arrived home around noon. She liked it much better when I waited on her. I will have to keep that in mind before I start my day.

Update on Linda's condition -- The wound clinic was a mad house when we went there for her 1:30 PM appointment on Friday. They took her in a room as soon as we walked into the wound clinic office. She was in that room alone for a long time before a doctor came to see her. I was watching the Red Sox game in the office lobby wondering where she was. There were so many people which required wound clinic services that the doctors were bouncing from examination room to examination room. All these patients walked by me as I was watching the game, and so many of them looked like they had more serious issues. One guy had a hospital gown on, and his leg, which was sticking of a blanket while he was sitting in a wheel chair, looked awful and discolored. A couple patients had amputated legs. I started to get uncomfortable just looking at these patients so I focused on the game.
When the doctor finally got to see Linda, he agreed that her wound was healing nicely, but she wasn't given a clean bill of health. There still was an area of concern, and Linda has to continue on with her current treatment, and the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday bandage changing by the VNA nurses. She also has to keep taking the pill form antibiotics. We both were hoping for better news. She has another wound clinic appointment next Thursday.
I must say that Linda is looking pretty good when we are out and about, but her body tells her that she is not completely ready to return to all of her normal activities. Oh Darn!

After we arrived home, I took a power nap in preparation for our evening activity. We had a really great time with the couple whom we have never gone out with before. We were to meet them in the bar area at a local restaurant around 6 PM. Linda and I decided to go early, and it was like old home week. We met so many friends whom we haven't seen for a while. There was no lack of conversation. The couple who we were supposed to meet with arrived a little after 6 PM. We said goodbye to one set of friends, and bonded with this couple. I went to the person at the desk, who happened to be one of my former students, and she reserved a table for the four of us.
The conversation at the table went very well. I didn't bring up and controversial subjects. I really did want to talk politics, but I will save that discussion for another time. I might have eaten a little too quickly, but I did eat at a slower rate than I normally do. I was so hungry that I ate everything on the plate of my Chicken Parmesan dinner. My plate looked like I let a dog lick the plate at the end of a meal. The couple did take note of that.
After the meal, we skipped coffee and dessert at the restaurant and invited the couple back to our house. After a short visit, the couple left our house. I think that they sensed Linda was getting a bit tired.
As we said goodbye to this couple, we all agreed that we should do this again. I was thinking that a cookout on our deck might be a fun way to hook up the next time.

Speaking of hooking up, I received an e-mail from City Hall by way of an Irish friend, who invited our Irish Sister City Committee members, to participate in a reception in the City Hall Chambers for two professional Pakistanis who will be spending a few days in our fair city. The reception takes place on Tuesday morning at 10 AM. I can't make the reception because my sister and I will be taking my dad for a follow up visit at BayState Medical Center in Springfield at the same time as the reception.
The Pakistani guests will be spending the day observing how Pittsfield City government works. They will be going to every department in City Hall during the day. They need some people to show them the sights of our area, and take them out for lunches. They will also need people to take them out for supper, and to do a little partying. There are a few stumbling blocks. Our guests are most likely of the Muslim faith, and they don't consume alcohol. Taking them the Patrick's Pub, O'Laughlin's Pub, Matt Reilly's Pub, the Shamrock Pub, etc. might not be a good idea. As a matter of fact, we don't know what kind of food that they like to consume. I believe that eating pork is not allowed. Their diet might already have some American influence in it. I will have to do a little research of what is in a typical Muslim diet. I might volunteer to work with our Pakistani guests a little bit while they are in Pittsfield.

Politics -- I see where we have a budget agreement so that our government won't be shutting down at least for a little while.
This crisis, which was averted, got me thinking about politics. There is a Tea Party rally coming to Pittsfield for your listening and viewing pleasure. I will have to read about it in the local newspaper. I have already lost a relative who used to get my daily blog when I originally started attacking the Tea Party. I got to thinking about the Tea Party once again. The Tea Party is composed of people who are fed up with the two party system of government. Their members tend to be conservative. Their members were formerly members of the Republican Party as well as from those people who dropped their affiliation from ether party (the independents). They lost faith in their own party so that they formed their own group. It reminded me of the boy in the playground who owned the bat and the ball. If he didn't get his way, he took his bat and ball and went home, and the game ended. It could also be like what happened in the public education arena. If your school is not educating your children, parents should get involved and be part of the solution. Well instead of parents working with the school, the administration, and the teachers to fix the problem, they created Charter Schools. People are now finding out that forming a new beast didn't solve all of their problems.
There was a time in our great nation when if something wasn't working, we would take it apart and fix it. We have become a "throw a way" society in all aspects of our lives including politics.

Sports, etc. -- My Red Sox, and their Eastern division rival, Tampa Bay, finally have won their first games of the new baseball season. It was so refreshing for me to see the Red Sox defeat the Yankees in yesterday afternoon's game. The Red Sox starting pitchers are still struggling, but their bats came alive. Their bullpen actually came out and did what they were supposed to do which was to hold a lead.

There has been a good deal of off the field activities also going on. Manny Ramirez, of the Tampa Bay baseball team got busted for another drug violation, and decided to retire instead of going through a multiple game suspension. His last violation cost him a 50 game suspension.

The intoxicated mother of Lebron James, a top rated professional basketball player, slapped a valet at a posh Miami hotel because the valet shut off the engine because she didn't come out to get her car for over 30 minutes. She used the line "Do you know who I am?" Well the Miami police do now when they finally took her to the police station.

A professional basketball player named Alan Iverson used the same line when he got in trouble with the law this week too. The arresting officer had no clue that he was a big time star.

Social Calendar -- A friend wanted Linda to go to a Wine Tasting / Pasta event today. The friend tried to get a couple of her girlfriends to join them, but she didn't have any luck. Neither of us males wanted to join them. We have outdoor projects to take care of especially since the temperatures are supposed to reach the 60 degree mark.
My Red Sox play the Yankees at 1 PM which I will most likely be listening to the game on radio while doing my outdoor projects. My male friend is a Yankee fan.
The Masters Golf Tournament comes on around 3 PM. Tiger Woods is in the hunt and he is 3 strokes behind the leader from Ireland who just turned 21 a year ago.
I am not sure what the exact plans are for the Curley's, but we might be heading over our friends house for supper.
As you see "Life is Good" for the Curley's no matter what our social plans are.

Have a great weekend.
Ours has been off to a good start so far.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Thursday

Dear Friends,

Linda must be getting better because we have started to bond less over the past few days. Even the VNA nurse decided that Linda's healing is going so well that she needs to be seen on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She now has a small Band-Aid on. The very small wound is now packed with some kind of seaweed / silver solution. Yes, I didn't make a mistake in spelling.

I left the house first once again Wednesday. I got my Subaru inspected, and went a grocery store to pick up a few items which were on sale until the end of the day on Wednesday.
After unpacking my car, I started to develop guilt about abandoning my friend who wanted to play golf after his dentist appointment. When I arrived at the golf course, I saw his car in the parking lot so I knew that he was somewhere on the course. Since there were a handful of people on the course, I just went up to the first tee, and began playing a few holes. I ended up playing the first hole, and I jumped over and played the fifth through nine holes before I called it a day. I never ran into my friend.
When I came home around lunch time, I told Linda about my round of golf alone, and she said that women wouldn't have done what I did. My friend must have played the back nine, and that is why I missed him.

After lunch, which Linda made, I went for a nap, and she went off to do a little recreational shopping. After a month and one half of being housebound, Linda was overwhelmed on what she had been missing in the stores. She wanted to touch, feel, and experience everything in the few stores which she went into. She didn't even go to all the stores which she wanted to because she started to get a little tired. I had to take the few treasures which she purchased out of the car for her. Her friend Vicoden helped to ease her discomfort. I think she wants me to go off with her today to finish what she had intended to do yesterday.

After supper, which was that Crock Pot Corn Chowder recipe I mentioned in Wednesday's e-mail, she was picked up by a girlfriend, and they went off their once a month BONCO session at a friend's home. She had fun once again, but came home tired.
The Corn Chowder came out wonderful. We tweaked the recipe a little, but it was as good as the reviews had stated. Ham was the meat in the recipe, but we both thought that chicken could be a good substitute for the ham. Of course we had some Italian bread to soak up the good flavors of the chowder/soup.

While Linda was at BONCO, I went into my "Man Cave" and switched between the Red Sox, and the Boston Bruins. The Red Sox still haven't won a game since the season started, but the Bruins did win their hard fought hockey game.
I think that I have a Celtic game to keep me entertained this evening.

If I feel the urge to go out, I believe that one of our Irish Sister City friends and his band are playing at Patrick's Pub this evening. Andy Kelly and his band are trying to raise funds for the band's trip to Turkey. They have a donation bucket right in front of where the band sets up in the Pub.
The philosophy of the band is that they can help create an atmosphere of world peace through music instead of bloodshed. Do you think that Andy might be a Democrat?
I am not saying that I am going to the Pub for sure because I have to wait and see how Linda makes it though the day.
Since I didn't do much bonding with Linda on Wednesday, I feel the need to spend time with her today. I didn't make breakfast for Linda on Wednesday. She made us a sandwich for lunch, and we had the crock pot chowder for supper which was a joint effort.
She has begun to get back into her normal routine, and I have a feeling she doesn't like the busy schedule which we are starting to return to.
From my perspective, it is good to have my dancing partner almost back to normal. It was getting kind of lonely when I had to represent the Curley family at all those St. Patrick's Day functions, fundraisers, etc. Yeah Right!

Politics -- I see where Glen Beck and Fox are semi parting ways. It was a mutual divorce. Glenn is going to pursue another forms a media to get his message across. I wish Russ Limbaugh, and his friend Sean Hanity would take the same path. I don't think Rush would give up his $50 million dollar + career.

When I scanned the CNN news online, I saw where the Tea Party wants government to shut down if an agreement can't be reached between the Democrats and the Republicans on a budget. This got me thinking about the Tea Party. When people go into the voting booth in upcoming elections, will the American public have three choices of candidates? A Democrat, Republican, and Tea Party Candidate could really end up splitting the votes. I do see where the Republicans are aligning themselves with the Tea Party because they must see the handwriting on the wall. Cut the size of government, less government intervention at the State and National level, but don't take away my services. If some pork barrel program can direct funds in my State, keep the dollars flowing.
If there is a natural disaster in my State, just call on the Federal Government to bail us out. Maybe if all of us at the Local, State, and National level tried solving our own problems, we might not be in the fiscal crisis which we are in. What ever happened to the concept that when you fall down, you get up off of the ground, dust yourselves off and you try and solve issues on your own. This all starts right at the family level, and should be taught in the home before our children leave the nest. I think that we have created a nation of enablers. There are bumps along the road of life, and people can't be running back to their parents to help and bail them out. Well, the same can be said for us running back to our government in a time of crisis.

I also see where Charlie Sheen's road show did very well in Cleveland after an awful show in Detroit. I still can't believe that people would pay money to listen to a Comedian, who is an addict, and who has two women by his side (and in his bed) to keep him happy.

On a sad note, I saw where a Navy Jet crashed after takeoff in California and both pilots were killed. There is no such thing as a routine mission whether it is a training one or especially in a war zone. You don't have to be in a war zone to put your life on the line. All of us should count our lucky stars that we have people willing to do what our military personnel do every day of their lives. Even we Liberal Democrats are willing to pay for a strong military to keep the freedoms which we American enjoy.

I called my dad yesterday, and everything is going well in Lee. Today he has three elder service specialists coming to the home to help him out.
My sister stopped in yesterday, and prepared a steak dinner with all the fixings so Dad was very happy.
We go back to BayState Medical Center on April 12 for a routine visit with his surgeon for a check up. I think my father wants to return to driving, but he has to get through April before he gets a clean bill of health. He also can't get VNA services if he is not housebound.

The Masters Golf Tournament begins today in Atlanta. Our Berkshire Hills Golf pro is at the tournament with a few club members. Unless you have an in, to get tickets, you have to submit your name, and they have a lottery like drawing. The name submittal is done a year in advance of the tournament. A few years ago, this Atlanta club didn't allow women, or people of color to play on this course. Even the good old boys had to somewhat give into the equality part of the Constitution of the United States.



Well, we will have to see what a new day brings to my Queen.
It is supposed to be sunny with less wind. I am going to give both cars thorough cleaning both inside and out after Linda wakes up.

Have a great day.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Wednesday

Dear Friends,

I just got through preparing a Corn Chowder Crock Pot Recipe. I mentioned this recipe before, but Linda and I decided to make for the first time today.

Our Tuesday went well, but I spent from 8:30 AM until 2:45 PM bonding with my father in Lee. An occupational therapist and a physical therapist showed up at his house yesterday to assess my father's situation.
On Thursday, the VNA nurse, The Occupational Therapist, and the Physical Therapist will come to work with my dad.
In between the Occupational therapist, and the Physical Therapist, I made dad a hearty breakfast.

I went from Dad's place to do a few errands, and I never arrived home until almost 5 PM. Linda actually called to see why I hadn't arrived home. She thought that I got lost along the way.
I say this because when we went out for supper, I stopped at "Stop Sign", and I waited for the light to turn. There were no traffic lights at this intersection.

My and Dad and me never made it to the Memorial Service for his friend. He felt that he didn't have the stamina to make it through the service.

Linda and her Mah Jongg ladies had a fun time at our house. Linda was a bit tired when their session ended around 4 PM.

Since I wasn't home to make supper, we decided to let Matt Reilly's Irish Pub make us supper. Tuesday is two Fish and Chips dinners for $17.95.

After we arrive home, we both put on sleep wear. I went into my Man Cave to watch the Red Sox do battle in Cleveland and the Celtics had a home game.
Well, the Red Sox are off to an 0 and 4 start to the season. It was so clod in Cleveland that there were about 7,000 fans at the game. I saw one blanket covered couple leave their seats and head home after about 3 innings of the game. Baseball in March and April shouldn't be scheduled in the Northeast and in any cities near the Great Lakes. The Celtics did win their game.

I put an artificial log in the fireplace in the family room so that Linda and could be warm and cozy while she watched "Dancing with the Star". Last night was one of those "Separation is Good" evenings for the both of us.
I don't know how my readers with one television in the house can function.
I just can't sit through some of the programs which Linda loves, and she feels the same way with what I watch.

Speaking of artificial logs, we ran out of them a couple of days ago. I went off to Walmart, and they had already taken the logs off of their shelves.
I go over to Price Chopper, and I had to have a manager go into the back room of the store to find me a box. I wanted the large size logs. He comes out with one box of them and the cardboard was broken on the box. The stores did make a correct move to put away those logs because we shouldn't be in need of setting up a fireplace at this time of the year. The temperatures should be warmer than what we have been getting. I drove home in a heavy duty snow shower when I left Lee and headed toward Pittsfield. All the higher elevations picked up a coating of snow. Around Pittsfield, the snow melted as it hit the ground.

It is 30 degrees right now. The temperatures are going to reach a high of 50 degrees before some afternoon rains come in. There is some 60 degree temperatures predicted when the weekend arrives, but we might have to dodge some rain drops.

The Red Sox will be playing the Yankees at Fenway starting on Friday night. The air coming off of the ocean at this time of the year is usually brisk and cold. I will be watching the games in the comfort of my own home.

I haven't made a decision to hook up with a friend to play golf. My friend has mid morning dentist appointment, and wanted me to hook up with him after his appointment. My friend is willing to play golf alone which might be the case today.

Social Calendar -- Linda has a BONCO session this evening. A friend might pick Linda up, and take her to BONCO.
I am totally free which is highly unusual. I do have the Boston Bruins to keep me entertained.
I did notice that I have to get an inspection sticker for my Subaru. I will do that after the VNA nurse changes Linda's bandage.

Fundraiser -- I saw in the Berkshire Eagle yesterday that UNICO is preparing another Pasta Dinner on April 21, 2011 at the ITAM. It is for a columnist who writes for the Berkshire Eagle, Derek Gentile. He avoided seeing a doctor for many years, and the doctors have started to amputate portions of his leg(s).

Politics -- Same old same old. We are going to have to shut down government if a compromise can't be reached. Could a Tea Party Candidate or a person whom the independent voters like solve this yearly tug of war? I would bet not!
Governor Cuomo had to make some tough budget cuts to balance the budget in New York State. There were some grumblings from the people who might be affected by the cuts, but the Governor has stood his ground. Can you believe that this Governor is a Democrat?

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

Hello on Tuesday

Dear Friends,

Monday was another day of bonding together for Linda and me. Linda is healing very well according to the VNA nurse who changed her bandage on Monday morning. She is working on getting her stamina back. She was like a possessed woman on Monday as she went around with her Swiffer Duster and prepared the house for today's Mah Jongg session. I didn't do any dusting while she was residing at Berkshire Medical Center in a hospital bed for 15.5 during the "Hernia from Hell" ordeal. Do you think that the males cleaned the cave when our homosapiens ancestors inhabited this earth?

I didn't get involved with the dusting, but I did do a little vacuuming, and set up the card table and four chairs in the living room where these Mah Jongg ladies will be playing.

Linda never left the house on Monday, but I did. I went to the wake of a former colleague of mine. I actually had the friend as a student in the 70's including his girlfriend at the time. I also had the couples' two daughters in class too. Their daughters are both married, and they have children too. It was so easy years ago when you taught children who grew up in two parents' homes in which the parents took an active role in child rearing. Also, divorce wasn't as rampant as it is now.

I will give you an example of some of the messed up families, and eventually messed up children we have in our classes today. I got in a discussion with a clerk at a discount bread store the other day. The clerk was bemoaning the daughter's choice of the husband which her daughter chose. The husband of her daughter plays in a bar room dart league. The game usually ends around 9 PM. The clerk tells me he that her son-in-law stays until the bar closes, and some nights the guy never comes home. Do you think that their children wonder where their father is when they are having breakfast the next morning before the kids head off to school? What a role model these children have?

Politics -- The President is running for another term. I know that my conservative friends are not filled with joy that he is running again, but us Liberal Democrats think that he is doing a pretty good job, and he deserves another shot at running this country. There was a lot on his plate when he took over as President, and every day there are new decisions and crises which the President has to deal with. I will agree that he made a lot of promises that haven't been fulfilled, but four years isn't enough time to solve all the problems which he encountered. The rich and powerful can't complain because their fortunes have been growing very well. Americans want changes to happen quickly, but our President has found out that it doesn't happen overnight. Do you think that we might have to change some tax loopholes so that a company like General Electric didn't have to pay any taxes this past year? I would bet that they are one of many companies who paid little or no taxes. If these companies aren't paying taxes, the average worker / retiree have to foot the bill to keep, our government going. The small companies in our country like my son's restaurant, "Dough" in East Boston doesn't get the tax breaks which the larger companies enjoy.

Sports -- I did watch the Boston Bruins squander a three goal lead, and eventually lose their hockey game to the New York Rangers. I also stayed up and watch UConn Huskies beat the Butler Bulldogs. Both teams threw up a lot of "Bricks", but the seasoned coach beat the coach who is half of his age. The other day I read that out of 5.9 million people who sent in brackets into ESPN.com, only 2 people had chosen every team correctly including the final four. The organizer of the pool that I entered printed out the results of all of the people who entered their pool. I was on the last page near the bottom. It was embarrassing to see my name listed. I do have the Red Sox to keep me entertained this evening.

Social Calendar -- Linda will be getting her bandage changed this morning, and then prepare for her Mah Jongg friends who will be arriving at 11:30 AM. I am leaving the house at 8 AM, and heading off to see dear old dad this morning. I will make him breakfast before we head off to a 10 AM funeral service of a close friend of his. The service takes place at St. Mary's Catholic Church about a mile from his home. I hope that he has the stamina to make it through the service. I chatted with my father yesterday, and I forgot to ask how he made out with respect to having the VNA nurse coming to his home. His VNA nurse sees him twice per week, and she doesn't have to change a bandage because my father didn't have one from his operation when he was discharged from BayState Medical Center.

Weather -- We have a day of rain and strong winds predicted for today with temperatures in the 50's. Wednesday will be cooler and in the forties with a chance of an afternoon shower. I chatted with two friends and golfing buddies at the wake which I attended on Monday afternoon. They agree with me that 40 degree temperatures are not golf playing weather. My friend who wanted me to play golf with him on Wednesday morning might have to do so alone. My friend probably thinks that we are wimps, but you are supposed to get some joy out of the game of golf. When you have to think about staying warm, you won't find me or my other two friends on the golf course.

Supper -- The pork loin dinner which I prepared went very well last evening. I am not sure what we are doing for supper this evening. Whatever it is will be another epicurean delight.

Grandchildren -- Our military son sent pictures of their three year old daughter at an indoor amusement part. There was a children's roller coaster at the park. We were sent a video of Mom and Isabelle riding on this roller coaster. I asked my son if Isabelle liked the roller coaster. My son said that she went on the roller coaster 20 times with him and bunch of times with her mother, and 20 times alone. I can see this fearless grandchild in the cockpit of a fighter jet just like both of her Air Force parents were flying before she was born.

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