Hello on Friday

Dear Friends,

It is a balmy 35 degrees as I begin this email, but the temperatures should reach a high of 67 degrees as the day progresses. In a few short hours, I will be teeing off with my senior buddies for a round of golf at Berkshire Hills Country Club. I won't be able to engage in the 19th hole activities because I will be heading off to the Corporate downtown clean up of the main street of the City of Pittsfield. I will be part of the Irish Sister City team (at 1:45 PM) who will be cleaning up the area in front of Pasko Gift and Frame which happens to be owned by an Irish Sister City Committee member. Our base of operations is the Ralph Froio Senior Center in Pittsfield which is diagonally across from Pasko Gift and Frame.

Linda and I had a pleasant day on Thursday. We went off to the Beacon Cinema to see the top box office movie of this past weekend: Fab Five of the fast and furious series. It was non stop action from the beginning to end. Linda and I were the only ones in the theater # 6 for this 1:45 PM matinee. In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, we ate at a Mexican chain restaurant called Hot Harry's after the movie. We each had a burrito and we shared a Coke. I missed my afternoon nap, and the afternoon Red Sox Game. Good thing that I didn't stay home to watch the Red Sox because they lost by a score of 11 to 0.

Shortly after we arrived home, I went off to a neighborhood watch meeting. We had the outgoing public health commissioner, the chief of police, a beat officer, and our ward councilor as our guest speakers. The health commissioner talked about the new blight law which the city of Pittsfield has adopted. I would bet that most people believe that the law affected the little guy who owns rental property. The print and radio media helped to fuel this misconception. The health commissioner said that 85 % of the rental property in Pittsfield is rampant with code violations. Because of the new law, the health commissioner can go into the blighted property, observe the property after a complaint has been filed, and he can condemn the property. Any renters would then be evicted, and it is the property owner who must find a place for the people evicted to live in. Once the property is condemned, and boarded up, the police can arrest people who try and sneak into the property. The police officers pointed out there are such properties where it has become a flop house for the druggies especially on the weekends. Since this property has been condemned, the police now have the right to go in an arrest anyone who is in that building. After hearing multiple stories from the health commissioner and police officers, I am so happy that we in Pittsfield have instituted the blight law. Another scary thing is that when people can't take of their property, some owners just abandon the property. The banks don't want to deal with the property once it is abandoned. The abandoned property gets trashed by squatters, and the whole neighborhood is affected by the blighted property.
The new law gives the health commissioner and the police a way to address the situation.

I see where Justin Bieber, the teenage idol / singer got egged while playing at a concert in Australia. I would bet that he didn't feel the love when the egging occurred.

Well, I have to read the local newspaper, select my golf wardrobe, and load up my car with brooms, gloves, etc. for the downtown cleanup. Linda will be enjoying multiple hours of doing things at her own pace. I think that she has a mid morning body maintenance procedure.

I also want to wish our daughter-in-law Danielle and her son Gabriel a happy birthday on this May 6. Danielle is having a one year old birthday party for Gabriel today. They will be celebrating his birthday with a party at which some neighborhood kids will be coming to the house. Danielle and a girlfriend in the neighborhood share the same birthday. Danielle and her girlfriend secured baby sitters, and they are going to do dinner, and see a movie.

Have a great weekend.
We are supposed to have a pretty good one weather wise.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad