Hello on Wednesday

Dear Friends,

Another day in Curley World went as planned. Linda played Mah Jongg. I had physical therapy after finishing the lawn cutting, and I squeezed in a nap.
We went off to a wake together, later than I wanted to go, and then we went to a gathering at a friend's home. There was much food, fun, and merriment before our evening ended at the gathering. Grilled beef tenderloin was the main meat (which I didn't have to cook), and a whole bunch of delicious salads. Home made Key Lime pie, and a chocolate pie were for dessert.

The best part of the gathering was not only the food and beverages and the great group of friends, but it was the fact that a couple, who have been trying to have a baby for a long time, announced that she was pregnant. This woman was one of a set of triplets some of whom I had in my math classes at Taconic. When she was born, she weighed one pound at birth. All of the triplets survived the premature birth, and none had any physical problems.
Our military son Michael graduated from high school with the husband.

Speaking of Therapy, there is a hand therapy part of the complex, and then the regular part that deals with all other body ailments. As I was making a co-payment, I look over and I see my Dalton friend being worked on in the Hand Therapy division. I went through my whole session for my leg, and I saw that my friend was still being worked on. He has a hairline crack of an index finger. The Orthopedic doctor said that he should be wearing a splint on the finger for four to six weeks. Well the therapist said that she has seen many of those cracked fingers, and that my friend should be thinking 6 to 8 weeks. She told my friend and me that 4 to 6 weeks is on the low side.
The good thing is that the index finger doesn't hinder my friend's golf game too much. This injury occurred while my Baby Boomer friend thought that he could keep up with his thirty something relatives while tossing a football over the Fourth of July weekend.

Sports -- The Red Sox and the Yankees both lost their games last night. Oh Darn!

Social Calendar -- I enlisted a person over 65 to be with me when I pick up the thirty pounds of bangers today at Guido's. Wednesday is senior citizen discount day at Guido's. To get the 10 percent discount, you must be 65 or over. I still have until December before that will happen. I am pretty sure that Linda only has her Wednesday evening Panera Bread Knitting group at 6 PM. I might have to have a chicken novena when she is gone.

Weather -- The heat and lack of rain is wreaking havoc on some of our deck flowers. Even watering them doesn't seem to be a big help. Some of our other friends are noticing the same things with their flowers too. The plants do better when we have a couple days of nice weather, and then a day of rain.

Third Thursday -- Tomorrow is the July Third Thursday in downtown Pittsfield from 5 to 8 PM. The temperatures are supposed to reach the 90 degree mark.
Grilling Irish Bangers in the warm temperatures will require assistance from our Irish Sister City volunteer workers.
A few doors north from our booth and the canopy, under which the Irish Band Dublin Porter will be playing just outside of Pasko Gift and Frame, will be the Irish Idol from our Sister City in Ballina, Ireland. Liam Geddes will be performing in front of Spice from 6 to 8 PM, as well as promoting two of his albums. Liam was on the radio yesterday being interviewed on a live talk show program that one of the bloggers above hosts Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 1 PM (1340 on the AM dial). Liam will be performing at multiple venues during his visit to the Berkshires.
On Saturday, Liam will be performing in the city of Saratoga Springs, New York which is located not to far from the Saratoga Horse Race Track.

Politics -- As the Budget wrangling still goes on, the Dow Jones had the best day so far in 2011. The market jumped 202.26 points yesterday. The rich are getting richer. Apple announced that their profits had doubled.
The Space Shuttle employees across the nation have now entered the unemployment lines. Every day there seems to be good news mixed in with some not so good news.

Observation -- As I get older, I see a lot of crazy drivers behind the wheel of their cars. The drivers aren't just the young ones who think going fast will get them to their destination quicker. I am afraid to go in and out of parking lots outside of stores. People seem to come at me from all directions. I feel like I should be driving a car surrounded by bumpers, or a vehicle so large that people would just stay out of my way. People in parking lots continue to bang our cars when they get out of their cars.
Being courteous on the highways is almost non existent. While walking, I am often afraid of crossing at a cross walk. Those "Stop for Pedestrians" signs at crosswalks for some people are meaningless. The best cross walk in Pittsfield is where the Physical Therapy Parking garage is located which is across from the Hospital. They actually have flashing lights at the cross walk. No matter what age or vision ability a person has while driving, you can never miss this cross walk. I wish that our city had all cross walks with these flashing lights.

Well, my first task of the day is to water every flower on our property. I might put on the lawn sprinkler for some of the dry spots on our lawn too.

Have a great Wednesday.
Remember to drink plenty of water like beverages, and put on sun tan lotion to prevent sunburns.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad