Dear Friends,
Linda left the house a little before 1 PM, and I left a little after 1 PM. I was in bed by the time that she came home for her adventurous day which included recreational shopping and dinner out with some girlfriends. I spent the afternoon, and part of the evening with my UNICO brothers and sisters preparing a meal for Ad-Lib clients and their helpers. We made a salad, and a main dish of Chicken Parm, Eggplant Parm, rice, and a vegetable. For dessert we made a fresh apple crisp and put on a dollop of vanilla ice cream. We peeled so many apples that I wish that Linda had bought me one of those apple peelers which I saw on QVC. At one point we had three to four workers peeling apples. We were so glad when the last apple got peeled.
There was much food, fun, and merriment in the kitchen before the night ended.
They had an article, with pictures, in today's Berkshire Eagle about the Ad-Lib dinner. They didn't even mention that UNICO prepared the meal. Oh Darn!
I don't have time to write a long winded e-mail this morning. I have Therapy at 7:30 AM, and a bunch of errands to take care before heading off to a 1 PM Pizza Party with my golfing buddies. Even though I haven't played golf with them since June 28, 2011, I was still invited to participate in the after golf party today.
I know that Linda has to make a grocery run today. She is cooking for one of the two book clubs which she belongs to. She will be hosting the event which takes place on Monday evening. I might be grilling some vegetables for the ladies.
I will be watching Monday Night Football in my Man Cave while they eat, and then settle down to discuss the book which they all read.
Today is supposed to be okay weather wise, but bursts of rain will be coming in for the rest of the weekend. This won't be good news for the Saturday Oktoberfest which takes place in a large parking lot in downtown Pittsfield.
Well, I have to get ready for my Therapy appointment.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Hello on Thursday
Dear Friends,
Well, I can put away my Red Sox tee shirts, sweat shirts, and shorts for another year. I don't want to watch, listen, hear, or read about the monumental collapse of the Red Sox for the 2011 season. It was so sad to watch the closer for the Red Sox not being able to hold a one run lead as the home team came up in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Tampa Rays game on the other hand was more exciting to watch as this team overcame a 7 run deficit, and they eventually won their extra inning game.
This is another case where a small market and small payroll team showed that money can't necessarily put a winning team on the field. Oh Darn!
Linda's cold is getting better, but she was a little off on Wednesday. I do hope that she is feeling better when she wakes up today. Her social calendar appears to be a full one today. Linda and a girlfriend have already made plans to do a whole bunch of recreational shopping during the day. This evening she will be going out with a couple more girlfriends for supper.
I will be working a UNICO prepared dinner for an organization called Ad-Lib at the ITAM.
Kitchen workers are scheduled to arrive during the early afternoon while servers while be arriving closer to 4 PM.
If either of us were free, we would have attended a Mayoral fundraiser for the candidate who we are supporting at the Italian American Club.
My day went as planned on Wednesday. My scheduled visit at the Federal Building to officially apply for Medicare went well. If all the paperwork goes through, I should be on Medicare as of December 1, 2011. I must sign up for a supplement program through the City of Pittsfield when my application gets accepted.
During my visit at the Pittsfield City Hall, I found out that they were giving Flu Shots to current and retired City Employees. I got my free of charge flu shot yesterday too. I didn't know about the Flu shots because the City of Pittsfield doesn't send out notification in any form to us retirees. I did get some other dates and times when they would be given so I sent out an e-mail to some retired City of Pittsfield friends. I am hoping that they pass on the information to other retirees.
Speaking of the Federal Building, every time that I go in the waiting room, I see a very interesting group of people. I did see a friend that I used to caddie with at the Stockbridge Country Club when I was the 14 to 15 year old range. He was doing what I was doing, signing up for Medicare as he and I both near the age of 65. There is another group of people that are always in the waiting room too. This is the able body looking people who are young, some have a child or two, and they are on some kind of assistance, or are seeking to be put on some program. For these people I always ask myself, how can you take from a system that you haven't even put into? A friend once told me that the staff at Federal Building had to call security and escort him out the building because he was making these comments out loud.
I always take a look at Linda's Facebook everyday, which I am not allowed go on because I might get myself in trouble. Linda is correct that I should stay away from Facebook. From the daily stuff that I see on there, I would love to "zing" a few people with my comments. I am not a psychologist, but through what I read on Facebook, I would interpret there are some unhappy people out there. They definitely would not be part of the "Life is Good" club / philosophy that I try to live my life by. Sometimes life isn't so good, but I always try to get through / over the bumps in the road, and dwell on the positive things in life. After a while, the "Whoa is me" type of attitude becomes a way of life. I better stop right here before I get myself in trouble.
My lawn is looking the best that it has all summer. I am going to give it a trim within the next couple of days. I like cut the lawn during the week so that lawn cutting doesn't become a weekend activity. When you are working, taking care of the stuff around the outside of the house always became part of what you did on the weekends.
Moose pictures - Two friends did say that the friends who took Moose pictures without the photo chip in their camera still might have pictures inside their camera. You hook the camera up to a computer to get the pictures out of the camera. I am looking forward to seeing the Moose pictures. Some people were asking where the moose was prancing around. Our friends the Christoplis' own a home tucked into the woods just outside of Pittsfield. They have seen all kinds of creatures including bears in their yard in the past.
Why would anyone want to give up multiple seasons and go South, and miss a chance at seeing Mother Nature at its finest?
Well, I have to read the local newspaper, and do some quiet activities.
I am going to squeeze in a noontime nap so that I can make it through the UNICO function today. Linda will be on her own having a fun during day and evening with girlfriends.
Have a great Thursday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Well, I can put away my Red Sox tee shirts, sweat shirts, and shorts for another year. I don't want to watch, listen, hear, or read about the monumental collapse of the Red Sox for the 2011 season. It was so sad to watch the closer for the Red Sox not being able to hold a one run lead as the home team came up in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Tampa Rays game on the other hand was more exciting to watch as this team overcame a 7 run deficit, and they eventually won their extra inning game.
This is another case where a small market and small payroll team showed that money can't necessarily put a winning team on the field. Oh Darn!
Linda's cold is getting better, but she was a little off on Wednesday. I do hope that she is feeling better when she wakes up today. Her social calendar appears to be a full one today. Linda and a girlfriend have already made plans to do a whole bunch of recreational shopping during the day. This evening she will be going out with a couple more girlfriends for supper.
I will be working a UNICO prepared dinner for an organization called Ad-Lib at the ITAM.
Kitchen workers are scheduled to arrive during the early afternoon while servers while be arriving closer to 4 PM.
If either of us were free, we would have attended a Mayoral fundraiser for the candidate who we are supporting at the Italian American Club.
My day went as planned on Wednesday. My scheduled visit at the Federal Building to officially apply for Medicare went well. If all the paperwork goes through, I should be on Medicare as of December 1, 2011. I must sign up for a supplement program through the City of Pittsfield when my application gets accepted.
During my visit at the Pittsfield City Hall, I found out that they were giving Flu Shots to current and retired City Employees. I got my free of charge flu shot yesterday too. I didn't know about the Flu shots because the City of Pittsfield doesn't send out notification in any form to us retirees. I did get some other dates and times when they would be given so I sent out an e-mail to some retired City of Pittsfield friends. I am hoping that they pass on the information to other retirees.
Speaking of the Federal Building, every time that I go in the waiting room, I see a very interesting group of people. I did see a friend that I used to caddie with at the Stockbridge Country Club when I was the 14 to 15 year old range. He was doing what I was doing, signing up for Medicare as he and I both near the age of 65. There is another group of people that are always in the waiting room too. This is the able body looking people who are young, some have a child or two, and they are on some kind of assistance, or are seeking to be put on some program. For these people I always ask myself, how can you take from a system that you haven't even put into? A friend once told me that the staff at Federal Building had to call security and escort him out the building because he was making these comments out loud.
I always take a look at Linda's Facebook everyday, which I am not allowed go on because I might get myself in trouble. Linda is correct that I should stay away from Facebook. From the daily stuff that I see on there, I would love to "zing" a few people with my comments. I am not a psychologist, but through what I read on Facebook, I would interpret there are some unhappy people out there. They definitely would not be part of the "Life is Good" club / philosophy that I try to live my life by. Sometimes life isn't so good, but I always try to get through / over the bumps in the road, and dwell on the positive things in life. After a while, the "Whoa is me" type of attitude becomes a way of life. I better stop right here before I get myself in trouble.
My lawn is looking the best that it has all summer. I am going to give it a trim within the next couple of days. I like cut the lawn during the week so that lawn cutting doesn't become a weekend activity. When you are working, taking care of the stuff around the outside of the house always became part of what you did on the weekends.
Moose pictures - Two friends did say that the friends who took Moose pictures without the photo chip in their camera still might have pictures inside their camera. You hook the camera up to a computer to get the pictures out of the camera. I am looking forward to seeing the Moose pictures. Some people were asking where the moose was prancing around. Our friends the Christoplis' own a home tucked into the woods just outside of Pittsfield. They have seen all kinds of creatures including bears in their yard in the past.
Why would anyone want to give up multiple seasons and go South, and miss a chance at seeing Mother Nature at its finest?
Well, I have to read the local newspaper, and do some quiet activities.
I am going to squeeze in a noontime nap so that I can make it through the UNICO function today. Linda will be on her own having a fun during day and evening with girlfriends.
Have a great Thursday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Hello on Wednesday
Dear Friends,
Our primaries are over in Pittsfield, and the mayoral candidate whom we are supporting will be on the final ballot in October. Only 24 % of the eligible voters did come out and vote which is a sad but almost a normal percentage. Our candidate came in second, and he has to make up 671 votes which was the winning margin. Our candidate has less than a month to overcome this deficit. The candidates are both of Italian heritages. The winner was a former city councilor, and the candidate which we supported is a current city councilor. If you listen or read to both of their campaign advertisements, they both say the same things. I think some of the vote was what will happen during a national election; incumbents will be in trouble! If you are a politician at any level, the public blames you for every ill which is going on in the United States. Even my radio show host friend, who has a three hour talk show, has been advocating voting against every incumbent at every level of government. The few that he would keep in their political office don't do anything special for me.
Linda and I didn't attend the post election party for our candidate. The effects of us sitting across from the guy who blew his nose during the bus trip to and from Buffalo finally got to Linda. I was sitting closest to the guy, but the germs jumped over me and are attacking Linda as I type this e-mail. She was overdosing on any kind of cold remedy and orange juice that she could get her hands on as I was watching the game in my Man Cave! I didn't feel that I should abandon her while she was in this state of weakness.
I did stay up and watch the entire Red Sox game last evening.
Tonight's game is the final game of the regular season for both teams vying for a playoff spot. If the Red Sox lose and Tampa Bay wins their game, the Red Sox season will come to an end. Both teams have the same record after last night's game: 90 wins and 71 loses. One month ago, the Red Sox had a 9 game lead over this team. Last night's win for the Red Sox was a nail biter, but it didn't have to be. The Sox went into the bottom of the eighth inning in Baltimore with an 8 to 4 lead. They ended up winning by an 8 to 7 margin. The losing team was one hit away from tying the game in the bottom of the 9th inning.
I did for get to mention an article which was in our month old AARP Newsletter. If there is a way that a person can't take advantage of a system in place, there will always be a person to engage in fraudulent enterprises. I am referring to the Maryland Podiatrist who got caught billing Medicare for procedures that were never done. "The straw which broke the Camel's Back" was when the Podiatrist billed Medicare for feet care on a person who was a double amputee.
Speaking of systems, Linda and I have an appointment at 10 AM at the local Federal Building in Pittsfield. I am signing up for Medicare today which will not begin until my 65th birthday which occurs in late December of this year. A supplement to take care of things which Medicare doesn't cover is offered (which we pay for) for us retirees through the City of Pittsfield. This means that our next stop will be the Pittsfield City Hall to speak with the treasurer to tell her which supplement plan that I will be signing up for. I also have to prove that I have signed up officially for the Medicare program. We have two more places to go in City Hall: one is to find out when Flu shots will be given to current and retired employees, and the other stop will be voter registration to sign up for an absentee ballot. I hope that Linda is feeling better when she wakes up because I have her running ragged for most of the morning until about noon time.
This evening is her Knitting Group gathering at Panera Bread at 6 PM. She really looks forward to this every Wednesday gathering. Maybe we could take an afternoon nap together.
Linda wants me to stop "painting" a scary picture of what our son is going through in Afghanistan. Well to me it is scary. This is no video game where it is you and against the bad guys. If you get shot in the video game you can hit the "reset button" or hit the "play another" game button. In a real life war zones, there are no such buttons.
Weather -- I detect a little coolness in this morning temperatures. Could fall be finally arriving for us in the Berkshires?
Speaking of fall, several maple trees have already lost their leaves. The leaves have looked sickly for the past couple of months. While in Buffalo, I turned the television on, and a plant expert showed exactly the kind of blight that our maple trees are experiencing in the Berkshires. He said that the unusual amount of moisture has caused the problem, and that trees will not die. The excessive moisture caused an imbalance in the tree system. If we have the normal amount of rain next year, the maple trees will return to their natural beauty.
Well, today is garbage collection day, and the recyclables will be bottles and cans.
I am going to read the local newspaper, and do some quiet activities before I have to go and wake up Linda.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Our primaries are over in Pittsfield, and the mayoral candidate whom we are supporting will be on the final ballot in October. Only 24 % of the eligible voters did come out and vote which is a sad but almost a normal percentage. Our candidate came in second, and he has to make up 671 votes which was the winning margin. Our candidate has less than a month to overcome this deficit. The candidates are both of Italian heritages. The winner was a former city councilor, and the candidate which we supported is a current city councilor. If you listen or read to both of their campaign advertisements, they both say the same things. I think some of the vote was what will happen during a national election; incumbents will be in trouble! If you are a politician at any level, the public blames you for every ill which is going on in the United States. Even my radio show host friend, who has a three hour talk show, has been advocating voting against every incumbent at every level of government. The few that he would keep in their political office don't do anything special for me.
Linda and I didn't attend the post election party for our candidate. The effects of us sitting across from the guy who blew his nose during the bus trip to and from Buffalo finally got to Linda. I was sitting closest to the guy, but the germs jumped over me and are attacking Linda as I type this e-mail. She was overdosing on any kind of cold remedy and orange juice that she could get her hands on as I was watching the game in my Man Cave! I didn't feel that I should abandon her while she was in this state of weakness.
I did stay up and watch the entire Red Sox game last evening.
Tonight's game is the final game of the regular season for both teams vying for a playoff spot. If the Red Sox lose and Tampa Bay wins their game, the Red Sox season will come to an end. Both teams have the same record after last night's game: 90 wins and 71 loses. One month ago, the Red Sox had a 9 game lead over this team. Last night's win for the Red Sox was a nail biter, but it didn't have to be. The Sox went into the bottom of the eighth inning in Baltimore with an 8 to 4 lead. They ended up winning by an 8 to 7 margin. The losing team was one hit away from tying the game in the bottom of the 9th inning.
I did for get to mention an article which was in our month old AARP Newsletter. If there is a way that a person can't take advantage of a system in place, there will always be a person to engage in fraudulent enterprises. I am referring to the Maryland Podiatrist who got caught billing Medicare for procedures that were never done. "The straw which broke the Camel's Back" was when the Podiatrist billed Medicare for feet care on a person who was a double amputee.
Speaking of systems, Linda and I have an appointment at 10 AM at the local Federal Building in Pittsfield. I am signing up for Medicare today which will not begin until my 65th birthday which occurs in late December of this year. A supplement to take care of things which Medicare doesn't cover is offered (which we pay for) for us retirees through the City of Pittsfield. This means that our next stop will be the Pittsfield City Hall to speak with the treasurer to tell her which supplement plan that I will be signing up for. I also have to prove that I have signed up officially for the Medicare program. We have two more places to go in City Hall: one is to find out when Flu shots will be given to current and retired employees, and the other stop will be voter registration to sign up for an absentee ballot. I hope that Linda is feeling better when she wakes up because I have her running ragged for most of the morning until about noon time.
This evening is her Knitting Group gathering at Panera Bread at 6 PM. She really looks forward to this every Wednesday gathering. Maybe we could take an afternoon nap together.
Linda wants me to stop "painting" a scary picture of what our son is going through in Afghanistan. Well to me it is scary. This is no video game where it is you and against the bad guys. If you get shot in the video game you can hit the "reset button" or hit the "play another" game button. In a real life war zones, there are no such buttons.
Weather -- I detect a little coolness in this morning temperatures. Could fall be finally arriving for us in the Berkshires?
Speaking of fall, several maple trees have already lost their leaves. The leaves have looked sickly for the past couple of months. While in Buffalo, I turned the television on, and a plant expert showed exactly the kind of blight that our maple trees are experiencing in the Berkshires. He said that the unusual amount of moisture has caused the problem, and that trees will not die. The excessive moisture caused an imbalance in the tree system. If we have the normal amount of rain next year, the maple trees will return to their natural beauty.
Well, today is garbage collection day, and the recyclables will be bottles and cans.
I am going to read the local newspaper, and do some quiet activities before I have to go and wake up Linda.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Hello on Tuesday Morning
Dear Friends,
Today is primary voting day in Pittsfield. You can never estimate the number of eligible voters who will come out and vote. The last vote for State Representative had 4000 of the 24000 registered voters show up at their polling places. This was a very dismal showing of the citizens of Pittsfield who need to elect someone to represent most of the citizens of Pittsfield in the StateHouse of Massachusetts.
Hopefully, today there will be more people interested in voting since we have 5 people vying for a shot at becoming our next mayor. The two people getting the most votes will be on the final ballot. The vote for city councilors, council at larger, mayor, State Representative, school committee, etc., and any ballot questions will take place in the middle of October. We also have some ward races which have more than three people running for office, and that number has to be to reduced to two.
Linda has her usual Tuesday Mah Jongg session at a friend's home while I have a bunch of outdoor projects to take care of. I might postpone my activities until cooler weather arrives, and the mosquito population starts to die off. When I washed both cars yesterday, I did so during two different time periods because the mosquitoes and me were fighting each other. The mosquitoes used to come out around dusk, but now they attack at all times of the day. One even got into my Man Cave as I watched some sporting contest last evening.
Speaking of sports, I had to turn off the Red Sox game because I couldn't bear to watch them go down to defeat. The Monday Night Football Game wasn't much better so I watched some police type programs using the "On Demand" choices that Warner Cable has to offer.
We are hoping that our candidate becomes one of the top two vote getters for the position of Mayor. We will party with the rest of his supporters if all goes as planned this evening after the polls close. I don't know how that you can get people to come out and vote. There are so many people who take the attitude that their one vote doesn't really matter. Ask the people who lost an election by a couple of votes if you don't think voting is that important? I believe that a person has no right to complain about the people who win an election unless you came out to vote.
Our military son continues to fly daily missions into enemy territory in Afghanistan even though he is on the night shift. I do send him a daily email to check on how things are going, but sometimes he is so busy that he is not able to respond until a day or two later. His family and Linda and I are hoping that his tour of duty ends soon so that we all can be together when we visit them in Southern Georgia during mid October.
The firm (Stoneturn) that our daughter-in-law, Kyla, works for in Boston opened an office in New York City last week. The firm celebrated by going out to eat at Per Se (Hells Kitchen) in New York City. That must have been some evening!
Her husband posted a picture on Facebook over the weekend of a headless rabbit. Their cat goes out hunting every day, and brings back trophies such as field mice, moles, chipmunks, etc., of the hunt. A good number of people were grossed out by the headless rabbit, but some of their friends want to hire out the cat to get rid of unwanted rodents in their yards.
Linda and I can't wait for some fall like weather, frost on the ground, etc. It is times for the summer flowers to die, and for us to purchase some mums. Some of our neighbors have already purchased fall flowers. It got so hot yesterday that I had to us an air conditioner for my afternoon nap. Our wishes of cooler weather will arrive this weekend.
News -- Nothing really jumped out at me as I skimmed the CNN News on line. I am not sure if this is a good or a bad thing.
Speaking of news, has the printed newspaper become an obsolete item?
The younger generation pretty much does everything on line. This baby boomer likes to hold a newspaper in his hands, but the daily newspaper might go the way of the Dinosaurs pretty soon.
As an example, in yesterday's daily blog I talked about the wonderful biscuits that we had at the Bob Evans restaurant in the Niagara Falls area. I went on line and found their recipe for the biscuits. As the weather gets cool, I will try and make them, and I will let you know if they come out the same as the ones which we had for breakfast on Sunday morning in the restaurant.
If there are any voting issues or people running for office required in your part of the country, then get out and vote. There are no excuses because most of the candidates in our area have telephone numbers to call if you need a ride to and from the polls. My sister actually has been working at the polls in her neighborhood / ward for years. Her picture was in the paper when we the polls were open for the State Representative primary. She will be working the polls once again today.
Have a great day at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Today is primary voting day in Pittsfield. You can never estimate the number of eligible voters who will come out and vote. The last vote for State Representative had 4000 of the 24000 registered voters show up at their polling places. This was a very dismal showing of the citizens of Pittsfield who need to elect someone to represent most of the citizens of Pittsfield in the StateHouse of Massachusetts.
Hopefully, today there will be more people interested in voting since we have 5 people vying for a shot at becoming our next mayor. The two people getting the most votes will be on the final ballot. The vote for city councilors, council at larger, mayor, State Representative, school committee, etc., and any ballot questions will take place in the middle of October. We also have some ward races which have more than three people running for office, and that number has to be to reduced to two.
Linda has her usual Tuesday Mah Jongg session at a friend's home while I have a bunch of outdoor projects to take care of. I might postpone my activities until cooler weather arrives, and the mosquito population starts to die off. When I washed both cars yesterday, I did so during two different time periods because the mosquitoes and me were fighting each other. The mosquitoes used to come out around dusk, but now they attack at all times of the day. One even got into my Man Cave as I watched some sporting contest last evening.
Speaking of sports, I had to turn off the Red Sox game because I couldn't bear to watch them go down to defeat. The Monday Night Football Game wasn't much better so I watched some police type programs using the "On Demand" choices that Warner Cable has to offer.
We are hoping that our candidate becomes one of the top two vote getters for the position of Mayor. We will party with the rest of his supporters if all goes as planned this evening after the polls close. I don't know how that you can get people to come out and vote. There are so many people who take the attitude that their one vote doesn't really matter. Ask the people who lost an election by a couple of votes if you don't think voting is that important? I believe that a person has no right to complain about the people who win an election unless you came out to vote.
Our military son continues to fly daily missions into enemy territory in Afghanistan even though he is on the night shift. I do send him a daily email to check on how things are going, but sometimes he is so busy that he is not able to respond until a day or two later. His family and Linda and I are hoping that his tour of duty ends soon so that we all can be together when we visit them in Southern Georgia during mid October.
The firm (Stoneturn) that our daughter-in-law, Kyla, works for in Boston opened an office in New York City last week. The firm celebrated by going out to eat at Per Se (Hells Kitchen) in New York City. That must have been some evening!
Her husband posted a picture on Facebook over the weekend of a headless rabbit. Their cat goes out hunting every day, and brings back trophies such as field mice, moles, chipmunks, etc., of the hunt. A good number of people were grossed out by the headless rabbit, but some of their friends want to hire out the cat to get rid of unwanted rodents in their yards.
Linda and I can't wait for some fall like weather, frost on the ground, etc. It is times for the summer flowers to die, and for us to purchase some mums. Some of our neighbors have already purchased fall flowers. It got so hot yesterday that I had to us an air conditioner for my afternoon nap. Our wishes of cooler weather will arrive this weekend.
News -- Nothing really jumped out at me as I skimmed the CNN News on line. I am not sure if this is a good or a bad thing.
Speaking of news, has the printed newspaper become an obsolete item?
The younger generation pretty much does everything on line. This baby boomer likes to hold a newspaper in his hands, but the daily newspaper might go the way of the Dinosaurs pretty soon.
As an example, in yesterday's daily blog I talked about the wonderful biscuits that we had at the Bob Evans restaurant in the Niagara Falls area. I went on line and found their recipe for the biscuits. As the weather gets cool, I will try and make them, and I will let you know if they come out the same as the ones which we had for breakfast on Sunday morning in the restaurant.
If there are any voting issues or people running for office required in your part of the country, then get out and vote. There are no excuses because most of the candidates in our area have telephone numbers to call if you need a ride to and from the polls. My sister actually has been working at the polls in her neighborhood / ward for years. Her picture was in the paper when we the polls were open for the State Representative primary. She will be working the polls once again today.
Have a great day at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Monday, September 26, 2011
Hello on Monday
Dear Friends,
The bus trip to the Patriots vs Buffalo game was a great deal of fun. There is no way that I could have driven to and from the game in Buffalo, New York. I was tired just from sitting on my butt for the 6 hour plus ride to get to our destination.
We arrived at the Motel 6 and were all checked in by almost 4 PM. At 6 PM, the bus took any of us who wanted to go to Niagara Falls. Since this was the first time that either of us went to Niagara Falls, we were in awe.
The bus remained in the area so that some of us who wanted to try our luck at the Seneca (an Indian Casino) Casino, located about four blocks from the Falls, could have some fun. The bus took us back to our Motel at 11 PM. The Casino was okay, but smoke filled. We couldn't wait to get back outside to breath in some fresh air. The Casino did take the few bucks that we played at the slot machines.
The Casino was absolutely packed. Any of the best restaurants had an hour and one half waiting time unless you had made reservations.
If you were at this Casino this past Saturday evening, you wouldn't believe that there was any problem with the economy. Many of the people at the Casino were from Canada since the border between our two countries is so close. If we had more time, we would have crossed the border into Canada. We did bring our passports with us.
The next morning we met at the bus at 8 AM, and we went off to a chain restaurant called "Bob Evans" which originated in Ohio. The food was great especially their biscuits. Linda ordered toast with her breakfast, and I ordered biscuits. When I let Linda taste my biscuits, she had no desire to eat her sour dough toast. The biscuits were so light and fluffy that she ordered some extra for herself. We wanted to have the recipe for the biscuits since they were so good. There are no Bob Evans restaurants located in the Northeast. I think that Linda is going to go on line to see if she can find the recipe for those biscuits.
You might be thinking what was the makeup of the people on the bus trip? The first young adult we met had a tee shirt with a shield symbol which said "If you see da police, then warn da brother." He was a Buffalo Bills fan, and when the Bills beat the Patriots, he let us know multiple times on the bus that the Bills won the game. There was a mixture of people our age, and a group of "20 somethings". One of the members of this group bought a roll of shop style paper towels, and he blew his nose on the trip during the whole bus trip to and from the game. He also brought some face cloths, and wiped his brow during the whole type too because he was sweating so profusely.
Some of his friends were in the middle of taking physical fitness tests because they wanted to become correctional officers in prisons throughout the State of Massachusetts. Actually, there weren't many people from Pittsfield on the bus. Many were from North and South County.
When the bus driver parks his bus at the Stadium, every organizer of the bus trip brings out their tailgating grills, food, and beverages for all of us on the bus. We had so much food, fun and merriment for a couple hours before we walked into the Stadium.
Our seats were in the nose bleed section with the sun blaring in our faces for the whole game. Linda got an unplanned suntan, and some sunburn too.
It is so difficult when your team loses in opponent's stadium. All of us Patriot fans were surrounded by a stadium filled with Buffalo fans. We couldn't wait to get back on the bus as the Buffalo fans celebrated their victory. We did have several Buffalo fans on our bus, but the majority of people on our bus were Patriot fans.
There was a no smoking policy in the Stadium. One of the youngsters on the bus got caught smoking. Security escorted him to the front gates, and he missed most of the game. The security at the game was on top of rowdy fans in a heartbeat. Beer sales stopped when the second half of the game started. I was in a beer line when security came over and shut the beer stand down. We bought two waters instead. Oh Darn!
We sat on metal benches with a back to them. I am thinking that those metal benches might be cold when the winter finally arrives in Buffalo, New York.
The Buffalo Bills Stadium is not as nice as Gillette. It is smaller than Gillette. The parking lots were not as nice as the ones at Gillette. It doesn't compare to what Gillette Stadium has to offer us Patriot fans.
Would we go on a bus trip like this again? I would say yes, but Linda might need a couple of girlfriends to go with. Linda didn't have a chance to do any recreational shopping at all. Actually, we didn't have much free time to do so.
I am guessing that Linda might sleep a long time this morning unless the telephone rings. My head hit the pillow at midnight, but Linda chose to stay up for a while.
I have a 10:30 AM Physical Therapy session. Linda has BONCO at a friend's home at 7 PM. The rest of the week right into the weekend has been booked in. There was a change in Saturday's social calendar. We were supposed to attend a Pig Roast / Birthday party on Saturday afternoon for a former student of mine who is turning 37 years old, but this party got postponed.
Well, I have to read the Sunday newspapers, and today's local newspaper before going off to Therapy.
While Linda is at BONCO, I will be watching the Red Sox limp along during the first of the last three games of the regular season in Baltimore. They are still holding onto a 1 game lead while in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Have a great day at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The bus trip to the Patriots vs Buffalo game was a great deal of fun. There is no way that I could have driven to and from the game in Buffalo, New York. I was tired just from sitting on my butt for the 6 hour plus ride to get to our destination.
We arrived at the Motel 6 and were all checked in by almost 4 PM. At 6 PM, the bus took any of us who wanted to go to Niagara Falls. Since this was the first time that either of us went to Niagara Falls, we were in awe.
The bus remained in the area so that some of us who wanted to try our luck at the Seneca (an Indian Casino) Casino, located about four blocks from the Falls, could have some fun. The bus took us back to our Motel at 11 PM. The Casino was okay, but smoke filled. We couldn't wait to get back outside to breath in some fresh air. The Casino did take the few bucks that we played at the slot machines.
The Casino was absolutely packed. Any of the best restaurants had an hour and one half waiting time unless you had made reservations.
If you were at this Casino this past Saturday evening, you wouldn't believe that there was any problem with the economy. Many of the people at the Casino were from Canada since the border between our two countries is so close. If we had more time, we would have crossed the border into Canada. We did bring our passports with us.
The next morning we met at the bus at 8 AM, and we went off to a chain restaurant called "Bob Evans" which originated in Ohio. The food was great especially their biscuits. Linda ordered toast with her breakfast, and I ordered biscuits. When I let Linda taste my biscuits, she had no desire to eat her sour dough toast. The biscuits were so light and fluffy that she ordered some extra for herself. We wanted to have the recipe for the biscuits since they were so good. There are no Bob Evans restaurants located in the Northeast. I think that Linda is going to go on line to see if she can find the recipe for those biscuits.
You might be thinking what was the makeup of the people on the bus trip? The first young adult we met had a tee shirt with a shield symbol which said "If you see da police, then warn da brother." He was a Buffalo Bills fan, and when the Bills beat the Patriots, he let us know multiple times on the bus that the Bills won the game. There was a mixture of people our age, and a group of "20 somethings". One of the members of this group bought a roll of shop style paper towels, and he blew his nose on the trip during the whole bus trip to and from the game. He also brought some face cloths, and wiped his brow during the whole type too because he was sweating so profusely.
Some of his friends were in the middle of taking physical fitness tests because they wanted to become correctional officers in prisons throughout the State of Massachusetts. Actually, there weren't many people from Pittsfield on the bus. Many were from North and South County.
When the bus driver parks his bus at the Stadium, every organizer of the bus trip brings out their tailgating grills, food, and beverages for all of us on the bus. We had so much food, fun and merriment for a couple hours before we walked into the Stadium.
Our seats were in the nose bleed section with the sun blaring in our faces for the whole game. Linda got an unplanned suntan, and some sunburn too.
It is so difficult when your team loses in opponent's stadium. All of us Patriot fans were surrounded by a stadium filled with Buffalo fans. We couldn't wait to get back on the bus as the Buffalo fans celebrated their victory. We did have several Buffalo fans on our bus, but the majority of people on our bus were Patriot fans.
There was a no smoking policy in the Stadium. One of the youngsters on the bus got caught smoking. Security escorted him to the front gates, and he missed most of the game. The security at the game was on top of rowdy fans in a heartbeat. Beer sales stopped when the second half of the game started. I was in a beer line when security came over and shut the beer stand down. We bought two waters instead. Oh Darn!
We sat on metal benches with a back to them. I am thinking that those metal benches might be cold when the winter finally arrives in Buffalo, New York.
The Buffalo Bills Stadium is not as nice as Gillette. It is smaller than Gillette. The parking lots were not as nice as the ones at Gillette. It doesn't compare to what Gillette Stadium has to offer us Patriot fans.
Would we go on a bus trip like this again? I would say yes, but Linda might need a couple of girlfriends to go with. Linda didn't have a chance to do any recreational shopping at all. Actually, we didn't have much free time to do so.
I am guessing that Linda might sleep a long time this morning unless the telephone rings. My head hit the pillow at midnight, but Linda chose to stay up for a while.
I have a 10:30 AM Physical Therapy session. Linda has BONCO at a friend's home at 7 PM. The rest of the week right into the weekend has been booked in. There was a change in Saturday's social calendar. We were supposed to attend a Pig Roast / Birthday party on Saturday afternoon for a former student of mine who is turning 37 years old, but this party got postponed.
Well, I have to read the Sunday newspapers, and today's local newspaper before going off to Therapy.
While Linda is at BONCO, I will be watching the Red Sox limp along during the first of the last three games of the regular season in Baltimore. They are still holding onto a 1 game lead while in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Have a great day at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Hello on Saturday
Dear Friends,
Our Friday went as planned. We had lunch at Berkshire Hills before heading off to the Beacon Cinema to see the just released film called "Moneyball"
starring Brad Pitt. We both thought the movie was great. To get an idea of what it is about you can read this week's Sport's Illustrated. Brad Pitt is on the cover of the magazine, and there is a story inside about the essence of the movie as well as a joint article about the brains of the Red Sox, Theo Epstein. When you see the movie, the articles in Sports Illustrated will both make sense.
We ended up at the Shamrock for some food, fun, and merriment, and some games of Keno. I messed up playing one game, but my $10 mistake turned out okay. I filled out the form incorrectly, and chose 1 number instead of three. Every time your one number comes up you collect $2.50 for every dollar you bet. Well, my quick pick lucky number "77" came up 7 times during my 10 games. Even after we stopped playing and sat down to eat, the number kept on coming up. Linda had several games where two out of three numbers came up (you win $2.50 for two numbers) so we just about made enough money to pay for our supper.
We did meet some interesting people at the Shamrock. There is this couple who we always see in the Shamrock on Friday nights. They call us by our first names, but we don't know there names. Well, the husband gave us a business card, so we now know their names. We started chatting about children. They like the Curley's have two children. One of their grown children works for a company called "Covidien". This company provides medical supplies to hospitals and medical facilities. If you get to watch a Red Sox game, and the Green Monster is in the picture, you might see a sign on the Green Monster with the words "Covidien". The son of this nice couple is the CEO of the company.
In a couple hours, we will be heading off to the local bus terminal to get on the tour bus heading for Buffalo, New York. The ride will take about five hours if all goes well. We will check in, and take a cab to Niagara Falls.
We want to stay there during the daylight and evening hours (when it is all lit up) before we head off to the Hard Rock Casino. We are figuring midnight before our heads hit the pillows in the motel. We catch the bus at 9 AM on Sunday and head off to the Buffalo Bills Football Stadium for some tailgating before we go into watch the game which starts at 1 PM. We are in the higher regions of the Stadium, but it will be fun just to be there, and cheer for the Patriots. As I mentioned before, Sunday is Linda's birthday.
This should be a birthday to remember.
I did give the lawn a trim yesterday before the rains came in. The mosquitoes were fierce while I was cutting our lawn and my neighbor's lawn.
I just killed a mosquito a minute ago which bit me why I was typing away. I killed the little bugger, and a smear of my blood and the dead mosquito are on now on the wall next to me. I am not going to clean the wall up as a reminder of how much I dislike mosquitoes.
We are not bringing any computer devices with us on our weekend trip so you won't hear from me until Monday morning. We have another busy week coming up next week, and I don't think that there is a free day on our calendar. I still can't believe some of our retired friends who are bored in retirement as we have trouble finding a day with nothing on our social calendar.
Have to go and put some cream cheese on some bagels for our trip. I then will make sure we have everything for our trip. Partial sun and mid 70's weather is back in the forecast for Sunday in Buffalo. I am taking out some long sleeve shirts that I put in my travel bag.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Our Friday went as planned. We had lunch at Berkshire Hills before heading off to the Beacon Cinema to see the just released film called "Moneyball"
starring Brad Pitt. We both thought the movie was great. To get an idea of what it is about you can read this week's Sport's Illustrated. Brad Pitt is on the cover of the magazine, and there is a story inside about the essence of the movie as well as a joint article about the brains of the Red Sox, Theo Epstein. When you see the movie, the articles in Sports Illustrated will both make sense.
We ended up at the Shamrock for some food, fun, and merriment, and some games of Keno. I messed up playing one game, but my $10 mistake turned out okay. I filled out the form incorrectly, and chose 1 number instead of three. Every time your one number comes up you collect $2.50 for every dollar you bet. Well, my quick pick lucky number "77" came up 7 times during my 10 games. Even after we stopped playing and sat down to eat, the number kept on coming up. Linda had several games where two out of three numbers came up (you win $2.50 for two numbers) so we just about made enough money to pay for our supper.
We did meet some interesting people at the Shamrock. There is this couple who we always see in the Shamrock on Friday nights. They call us by our first names, but we don't know there names. Well, the husband gave us a business card, so we now know their names. We started chatting about children. They like the Curley's have two children. One of their grown children works for a company called "Covidien". This company provides medical supplies to hospitals and medical facilities. If you get to watch a Red Sox game, and the Green Monster is in the picture, you might see a sign on the Green Monster with the words "Covidien". The son of this nice couple is the CEO of the company.
In a couple hours, we will be heading off to the local bus terminal to get on the tour bus heading for Buffalo, New York. The ride will take about five hours if all goes well. We will check in, and take a cab to Niagara Falls.
We want to stay there during the daylight and evening hours (when it is all lit up) before we head off to the Hard Rock Casino. We are figuring midnight before our heads hit the pillows in the motel. We catch the bus at 9 AM on Sunday and head off to the Buffalo Bills Football Stadium for some tailgating before we go into watch the game which starts at 1 PM. We are in the higher regions of the Stadium, but it will be fun just to be there, and cheer for the Patriots. As I mentioned before, Sunday is Linda's birthday.
This should be a birthday to remember.
I did give the lawn a trim yesterday before the rains came in. The mosquitoes were fierce while I was cutting our lawn and my neighbor's lawn.
I just killed a mosquito a minute ago which bit me why I was typing away. I killed the little bugger, and a smear of my blood and the dead mosquito are on now on the wall next to me. I am not going to clean the wall up as a reminder of how much I dislike mosquitoes.
We are not bringing any computer devices with us on our weekend trip so you won't hear from me until Monday morning. We have another busy week coming up next week, and I don't think that there is a free day on our calendar. I still can't believe some of our retired friends who are bored in retirement as we have trouble finding a day with nothing on our social calendar.
Have to go and put some cream cheese on some bagels for our trip. I then will make sure we have everything for our trip. Partial sun and mid 70's weather is back in the forecast for Sunday in Buffalo. I am taking out some long sleeve shirts that I put in my travel bag.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Hello on Saturday
Dear Friends,
Our Friday went as planned. We had lunch at Berkshire Hills before heading off to the Beacon Cinema to see the just released film called "Moneyball"
starring Brad Pitt. We both thought the movie was great. To get an idea of what it is about you can read this week's Sport's Illustrated. Brad Pitt is on the cover of the magazine, and there is a story inside about the essence of the movie as well as a joint article about the brains of the Red Sox, Theo Epstein. When you see the movie, the articles in Sports Illustrated will both make sense.
We ended up at the Shamrock for some food, fun, and merriment, and some games of Keno. I messed up playing one game, but my $10 mistake turned out okay. I filled out the form incorrectly, and chose 1 number instead of three. Every time your one number comes up you collect $2.50 for every dollar you bet. Well, my quick pick lucky number "77" came up 7 times during my 10 games. Even after we stopped playing and sat down to eat, the number kept on coming up. Linda had several games where two out of three numbers came up (you win $2.50 for two numbers) so we just about made enough money to pay for our supper.
We did meet some interesting people at the Shamrock. There is this couple who we always see in the Shamrock on Friday nights. They call us by our first names, but we don't know there names. Well, the husband gave us a business card, so we now know their names. We started chatting about children. They like the Curley's have two children. One of their grown children works for a company called "Covidien". This company provides medical supplies to hospitals and medical facilities. If you get to watch a Red Sox game, and the Green Monster is in the picture, you might see a sign on the Green Monster with the words "Covidien". The son of this nice couple is the CEO of the company.
In a couple hours, we will be heading off to the local bus terminal to get on the tour bus heading for Buffalo, New York. The ride will take about five hours if all goes well. We will check in, and take a cab to Niagara Falls.
We want to stay there during the daylight and evening hours (when it is all lit up) before we head off to the Hard Rock Casino. We are figuring midnight before our heads hit the pillows in the motel. We catch the bus at 9 AM on Sunday and head off to the Buffalo Bills Football Stadium for some tailgating before we go into watch the game which starts at 1 PM. We are in the higher regions of the Stadium, but it will be fun just to be there, and cheer for the Patriots. As I mentioned before, Sunday is Linda's birthday.
This should be a birthday to remember.
I did give the lawn a trim yesterday before the rains came in. The mosquitoes were fierce while I was cutting our lawn and my neighbor's lawn.
I just killed a mosquito a minute ago which bit me why I was typing away. I killed the little bugger, and a smear of my blood and the dead mosquito are on now on the wall next to me. I am not going to clean the wall up as a reminder of how much I dislike mosquitoes.
We are not bringing any computer devices with us on our weekend trip so you won't hear from me until Monday morning. We have another busy week coming up next week, and I don't think that there is a free day on our calendar. I still can't believe some of our retired friends who are bored in retirement as we have trouble finding a day with nothing on our social calendar.
Have to go and put some cream cheese on some bagels for our trip. I then will make sure we have everything for our trip. Partial sun and mid 70's weather is back in the forecast for Sunday in Buffalo. I am taking out some long sleeve shirts that I put in my travel bag.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Our Friday went as planned. We had lunch at Berkshire Hills before heading off to the Beacon Cinema to see the just released film called "Moneyball"
starring Brad Pitt. We both thought the movie was great. To get an idea of what it is about you can read this week's Sport's Illustrated. Brad Pitt is on the cover of the magazine, and there is a story inside about the essence of the movie as well as a joint article about the brains of the Red Sox, Theo Epstein. When you see the movie, the articles in Sports Illustrated will both make sense.
We ended up at the Shamrock for some food, fun, and merriment, and some games of Keno. I messed up playing one game, but my $10 mistake turned out okay. I filled out the form incorrectly, and chose 1 number instead of three. Every time your one number comes up you collect $2.50 for every dollar you bet. Well, my quick pick lucky number "77" came up 7 times during my 10 games. Even after we stopped playing and sat down to eat, the number kept on coming up. Linda had several games where two out of three numbers came up (you win $2.50 for two numbers) so we just about made enough money to pay for our supper.
We did meet some interesting people at the Shamrock. There is this couple who we always see in the Shamrock on Friday nights. They call us by our first names, but we don't know there names. Well, the husband gave us a business card, so we now know their names. We started chatting about children. They like the Curley's have two children. One of their grown children works for a company called "Covidien". This company provides medical supplies to hospitals and medical facilities. If you get to watch a Red Sox game, and the Green Monster is in the picture, you might see a sign on the Green Monster with the words "Covidien". The son of this nice couple is the CEO of the company.
In a couple hours, we will be heading off to the local bus terminal to get on the tour bus heading for Buffalo, New York. The ride will take about five hours if all goes well. We will check in, and take a cab to Niagara Falls.
We want to stay there during the daylight and evening hours (when it is all lit up) before we head off to the Hard Rock Casino. We are figuring midnight before our heads hit the pillows in the motel. We catch the bus at 9 AM on Sunday and head off to the Buffalo Bills Football Stadium for some tailgating before we go into watch the game which starts at 1 PM. We are in the higher regions of the Stadium, but it will be fun just to be there, and cheer for the Patriots. As I mentioned before, Sunday is Linda's birthday.
This should be a birthday to remember.
I did give the lawn a trim yesterday before the rains came in. The mosquitoes were fierce while I was cutting our lawn and my neighbor's lawn.
I just killed a mosquito a minute ago which bit me why I was typing away. I killed the little bugger, and a smear of my blood and the dead mosquito are on now on the wall next to me. I am not going to clean the wall up as a reminder of how much I dislike mosquitoes.
We are not bringing any computer devices with us on our weekend trip so you won't hear from me until Monday morning. We have another busy week coming up next week, and I don't think that there is a free day on our calendar. I still can't believe some of our retired friends who are bored in retirement as we have trouble finding a day with nothing on our social calendar.
Have to go and put some cream cheese on some bagels for our trip. I then will make sure we have everything for our trip. Partial sun and mid 70's weather is back in the forecast for Sunday in Buffalo. I am taking out some long sleeve shirts that I put in my travel bag.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Friday, September 23, 2011
Hello on Friday
Dear Friends,
The Pot Roast dinner prepared in the crock pot and the light rye bread made in my bread machine went very well. If you are thinking that we should have invited some friends to join us; the meat was a two per size one with enough for one leftover meal.
On my friend's daily radio talk show, they often talk about student dress codes since Pittsfield High School is located on a main road where the public can drive by and observe what the student's are wearing. Yes, there is a school dress code and administrators have to enforce the dress code when they see someone dressed inappropriately. When we were still teaching, the vice principles had sweat shirts, and sweat pants available to put over clothes deemed inappropriate.
I was skimming over the CNN news online this morning, and I saw where the owner of an electrical contracting business in Utah is being sued by the female employees because he created his own dress code: "Trudy Nycole Anderson has accused her former employer Derek Wright of sexual harassment, including attempting to enforce a dress code that included “miniskirt Mondays,” “tube top Tuesdays,” “wet T-shirt Wednesdays,” “no bra Thursdays,” and “bikini top Fridays.” (Apparently, his alliterative skills tapered off as the week went on.)" I would bet all the male employees never missed a day of work.
Did this guy really think that he could get away with this stuff in this day and age?
Speaking of news, sometimes I am afraid to look at the first two pages of our local newspaper. There is so much death and destruction happening around the world on a daily basis and it comes in all forms. I look at the world and politics through "Rose Colored Glasses", but I might have to invest in a new pair of glasses.
I sent an email to my daughter-in-law yesterday trying to pick up her spirits while her husband is off in Afghanistan. During this past year our son has not been home for almost 6 months (at various times) because of military obligations. The children really miss their father while Danielle is trying to raise the two children on her own. I could feel her pain in the email. Danielle's spirits will be picked up for a few days because her parents arrived from Minnesota yesterday.
Linda and I will be there in mid October for a week. Our visit will be when the whole family will be there because Mike's tour of duty will hopefully be over just before we arrive.
In the past few e-mails I have talked about our son being in a war zone, but there is a lot of stress on the home front too.
I am watching the weather forecast on the television in the kitchen as I create this email. The front that has bringing us off and on rain is not moving. This is why there is a chance of rain for everyday of the weekend, and going into next week. It won't be a cold rain, but Linda and I will still have to pack rain gear for our fun filled weekend. Oh Darn!
A friend sent me an e-mail of all the bad stuff which is going on in Mexico: the killing of Mexican politicians, Mexican police chiefs, wars between the drug cartels, mass killings, stuff going on at the American borders, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if the United States is called upon to give a helping hand (military support) to this country which is in severe turmoil. While all this bad stuff is happening, the tourist business is booming in Mexico with great deals going on as I type this email. The same thing is happening in Brazil. You can party in Rio, but the nearby slums are war zones. Maybe if we Americans stop traveling to countries in turmoil, the political and human rights positions would change. I don't want to send American dollars to solve the problems in these countries because it never ends up going to the right places.
If you have large portfolio, and you were going to access it yesterday, the stock market drop put a large "hit" on your wealth. Oh Darn!
Social Calendar -- Linda was supposed to go to a matinee with some Mah Jongg girlfriends today. The movie that they wanted to see is not on the matinee schedule, so the ladies won't be going to movies.
Linda and I might be going off to see the new Brad Pitt movie which has a matinee time slot. The Brad Pitt movie got rave reviews, but I am not sure if Linda will like it as much as I do. On the other hand, if I ask her if she wants to go to a movie, she is like a little kid and gets so excited. She could go to the movies everyday of the week if she knew someone who likes them as much as she does.
Well, I have to get to some quiet activities before the Queen wakes up.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The Pot Roast dinner prepared in the crock pot and the light rye bread made in my bread machine went very well. If you are thinking that we should have invited some friends to join us; the meat was a two per size one with enough for one leftover meal.
On my friend's daily radio talk show, they often talk about student dress codes since Pittsfield High School is located on a main road where the public can drive by and observe what the student's are wearing. Yes, there is a school dress code and administrators have to enforce the dress code when they see someone dressed inappropriately. When we were still teaching, the vice principles had sweat shirts, and sweat pants available to put over clothes deemed inappropriate.
I was skimming over the CNN news online this morning, and I saw where the owner of an electrical contracting business in Utah is being sued by the female employees because he created his own dress code: "Trudy Nycole Anderson has accused her former employer Derek Wright of sexual harassment, including attempting to enforce a dress code that included “miniskirt Mondays,” “tube top Tuesdays,” “wet T-shirt Wednesdays,” “no bra Thursdays,” and “bikini top Fridays.” (Apparently, his alliterative skills tapered off as the week went on.)" I would bet all the male employees never missed a day of work.
Did this guy really think that he could get away with this stuff in this day and age?
Speaking of news, sometimes I am afraid to look at the first two pages of our local newspaper. There is so much death and destruction happening around the world on a daily basis and it comes in all forms. I look at the world and politics through "Rose Colored Glasses", but I might have to invest in a new pair of glasses.
I sent an email to my daughter-in-law yesterday trying to pick up her spirits while her husband is off in Afghanistan. During this past year our son has not been home for almost 6 months (at various times) because of military obligations. The children really miss their father while Danielle is trying to raise the two children on her own. I could feel her pain in the email. Danielle's spirits will be picked up for a few days because her parents arrived from Minnesota yesterday.
Linda and I will be there in mid October for a week. Our visit will be when the whole family will be there because Mike's tour of duty will hopefully be over just before we arrive.
In the past few e-mails I have talked about our son being in a war zone, but there is a lot of stress on the home front too.
I am watching the weather forecast on the television in the kitchen as I create this email. The front that has bringing us off and on rain is not moving. This is why there is a chance of rain for everyday of the weekend, and going into next week. It won't be a cold rain, but Linda and I will still have to pack rain gear for our fun filled weekend. Oh Darn!
A friend sent me an e-mail of all the bad stuff which is going on in Mexico: the killing of Mexican politicians, Mexican police chiefs, wars between the drug cartels, mass killings, stuff going on at the American borders, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if the United States is called upon to give a helping hand (military support) to this country which is in severe turmoil. While all this bad stuff is happening, the tourist business is booming in Mexico with great deals going on as I type this email. The same thing is happening in Brazil. You can party in Rio, but the nearby slums are war zones. Maybe if we Americans stop traveling to countries in turmoil, the political and human rights positions would change. I don't want to send American dollars to solve the problems in these countries because it never ends up going to the right places.
If you have large portfolio, and you were going to access it yesterday, the stock market drop put a large "hit" on your wealth. Oh Darn!
Social Calendar -- Linda was supposed to go to a matinee with some Mah Jongg girlfriends today. The movie that they wanted to see is not on the matinee schedule, so the ladies won't be going to movies.
Linda and I might be going off to see the new Brad Pitt movie which has a matinee time slot. The Brad Pitt movie got rave reviews, but I am not sure if Linda will like it as much as I do. On the other hand, if I ask her if she wants to go to a movie, she is like a little kid and gets so excited. She could go to the movies everyday of the week if she knew someone who likes them as much as she does.
Well, I have to get to some quiet activities before the Queen wakes up.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Hello on Thursday
Dear Friends,
I just watched a video of a woman who had a huge sized Afro, as we used to call it, complaining that the TSA security people in the airport fondle her hair making sure that there were no explosives in her hair. All this was brought upon by the terrorist who had a bomb hidden in his turban in Afghanistan. The terrorist detonated the bomb killing himself, and an Afghan leader as they were about to sit down to discuss peace negotiations.
A few days ago, I discussed the importance of having a strong family unit, and the parental job of teaching your child some basic things before they head off to school. Well, this one Mom got herself in trouble because of a "Show and Tell" day at school. The elementary school child brought in Mom's crack pipe. The school authorities called in the police. The police went to the child's home and arrested the mother. The mother already posted bail, and she is awaiting her court date. When I talked about the parents being a child's first teacher, I was speaking of the parents teaching the child things like the alphabet, and not how to smoke crack!
Politics -- The political scene is on the quiet side right now. The Republican candidates vying for a run at the President are still "duking it out."
The President is still pushing his economic recovery plan. The Feds lowered the interest rate hoping to stimulate the economy.
The unemployment rate in Pittsfield has decreased more than the State average in general.
Everyone wants no new taxes in Pittsfield, and the country in general. The price of everything we consume is still going up. Locally the multiple rounds of rain, hurricanes, etc., have caused our area to import pumpkins from other parts of our country in preparation for the fall season.
The politicians vying for office all over this country are saying the same things about how they are going to fix the economy, foster education, and take care of the elderly, help small businesses, etc. The public wants to see concrete plans of how that the politicians are going to make good on these promises. The UAW has made a tentative agreement with the auto manufacturers.
Sports -- The Yankees clinched their division by winning two games yesterday. They beat the team twice who is trying to overtake the Red Sox for a playoff spot. The Red Sox lost another one last night. "In the Kitchen with David" on the QVC channel was more exciting to watch than the Red Sox Game.
As you know, Linda and I will be going to the Patriots vs Bills game in Buffalo this weekend. There are some key Patriot players who got hurt last weekend when the Patriots played the San Diego Chargers. The Patriots are favored to win this game, but the Patriots have struggled playing the Bills in Buffalo. The Bills also have one of the better teams this year than they have had in the past. I am only semi confident that the Patriots can win the game.
I think that neither of us have any evening commitments on this dreary and rainy day. I might fire up the crock pot and do that pot roast with all the fixings for supper. I had to postpone this meal because of the birthday party invitation the other day.
I defrosted the freezer in the garage yesterday. This was a multiple hour project. We threw out some food items that were so old that you would need the "Carbon Dating" method to find out how old some of the items were.
Luckily the defrosting of the refrigerator took place on a garbage collection day. I filled a garbage bucket full of old food products. If you are wondering what got tossed, I will give you an example. We had some ravioli's in there that a friend bought for us when they were coming back for a trip to Boston. Linda tried to cook a small batch for herself on Monday night when I was at my UNICO membership meeting. The ravioli's must have been freezer burned, and she couldn't get them to cook. She boiled and boiled them, and eventually she gave up, and cooked up a box of regular pasta.
I don't know if I mentioned it or not but both of my sons a have been busy doing what they normally do. Our restaurateur son said that they are making another movie in East Boston in one of the old warehouses next to his restaurant. I am hoping some of the cast and crew get a chance to spend some money in our son's establishment.
Our military son is on the night shift in Afghanistan. I assumed that he would be flying fewer missions during the night. My son said that this is not true. They have been flying 24 / 7. They fly out (A 10 Thunderbolt) looking for the bad guys, or to give ground support to the troops when needed.
As we enjoy the everyday comforts and freedoms which we have in the United States, keep in mind that there are men and women that are in "harms way" as we go about our usual business.
Well, I am going to do some quiet activities, and prepare the pot roast for the crock pot.
Have a great Thursday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
I just watched a video of a woman who had a huge sized Afro, as we used to call it, complaining that the TSA security people in the airport fondle her hair making sure that there were no explosives in her hair. All this was brought upon by the terrorist who had a bomb hidden in his turban in Afghanistan. The terrorist detonated the bomb killing himself, and an Afghan leader as they were about to sit down to discuss peace negotiations.
A few days ago, I discussed the importance of having a strong family unit, and the parental job of teaching your child some basic things before they head off to school. Well, this one Mom got herself in trouble because of a "Show and Tell" day at school. The elementary school child brought in Mom's crack pipe. The school authorities called in the police. The police went to the child's home and arrested the mother. The mother already posted bail, and she is awaiting her court date. When I talked about the parents being a child's first teacher, I was speaking of the parents teaching the child things like the alphabet, and not how to smoke crack!
Politics -- The political scene is on the quiet side right now. The Republican candidates vying for a run at the President are still "duking it out."
The President is still pushing his economic recovery plan. The Feds lowered the interest rate hoping to stimulate the economy.
The unemployment rate in Pittsfield has decreased more than the State average in general.
Everyone wants no new taxes in Pittsfield, and the country in general. The price of everything we consume is still going up. Locally the multiple rounds of rain, hurricanes, etc., have caused our area to import pumpkins from other parts of our country in preparation for the fall season.
The politicians vying for office all over this country are saying the same things about how they are going to fix the economy, foster education, and take care of the elderly, help small businesses, etc. The public wants to see concrete plans of how that the politicians are going to make good on these promises. The UAW has made a tentative agreement with the auto manufacturers.
Sports -- The Yankees clinched their division by winning two games yesterday. They beat the team twice who is trying to overtake the Red Sox for a playoff spot. The Red Sox lost another one last night. "In the Kitchen with David" on the QVC channel was more exciting to watch than the Red Sox Game.
As you know, Linda and I will be going to the Patriots vs Bills game in Buffalo this weekend. There are some key Patriot players who got hurt last weekend when the Patriots played the San Diego Chargers. The Patriots are favored to win this game, but the Patriots have struggled playing the Bills in Buffalo. The Bills also have one of the better teams this year than they have had in the past. I am only semi confident that the Patriots can win the game.
I think that neither of us have any evening commitments on this dreary and rainy day. I might fire up the crock pot and do that pot roast with all the fixings for supper. I had to postpone this meal because of the birthday party invitation the other day.
I defrosted the freezer in the garage yesterday. This was a multiple hour project. We threw out some food items that were so old that you would need the "Carbon Dating" method to find out how old some of the items were.
Luckily the defrosting of the refrigerator took place on a garbage collection day. I filled a garbage bucket full of old food products. If you are wondering what got tossed, I will give you an example. We had some ravioli's in there that a friend bought for us when they were coming back for a trip to Boston. Linda tried to cook a small batch for herself on Monday night when I was at my UNICO membership meeting. The ravioli's must have been freezer burned, and she couldn't get them to cook. She boiled and boiled them, and eventually she gave up, and cooked up a box of regular pasta.
I don't know if I mentioned it or not but both of my sons a have been busy doing what they normally do. Our restaurateur son said that they are making another movie in East Boston in one of the old warehouses next to his restaurant. I am hoping some of the cast and crew get a chance to spend some money in our son's establishment.
Our military son is on the night shift in Afghanistan. I assumed that he would be flying fewer missions during the night. My son said that this is not true. They have been flying 24 / 7. They fly out (A 10 Thunderbolt) looking for the bad guys, or to give ground support to the troops when needed.
As we enjoy the everyday comforts and freedoms which we have in the United States, keep in mind that there are men and women that are in "harms way" as we go about our usual business.
Well, I am going to do some quiet activities, and prepare the pot roast for the crock pot.
Have a great Thursday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Hello on Wednesday
Dear Friends,
It is official; Linda and I will be celebrating her birthday on Sunday at the 1 PM Patriots vs Bills game in Buffalo, New York. The bus leaves Pittsfield at 9 AM on Saturday morning from the transportation center in downtown Pittsfield. By 1 PM we should be at our Motel 6 in a place called Amherst, New York. The plan right now is to check into the motel, and take a cab to Niagara Falls which neither of has been to.
In casual conversation while playing Mah Jongg on Tuesday, Linda announces our plans. One of the players asked if she could "tag along" with the Curley's for our weekend adventure. Since we are both friends with the lady, Linda couldn't say "No". During a break at Mah Jongg, the lady called up, and made her reservation.
Even though the advertisement for the trip said that there are single, double, and triple rooms available, we all won't be staying in the same room.
This is actually a trial run because this lady and Linda are going to a Mah Jongg tournament in Atlantic City during November. I will not be "tagging along."
I was listening to the radio talk show yesterday that is hosted by one of my email recipients. My friend and one of the callers watched a John Stossel program on Charter Schools in the New Orleans area. They were impressed with the students wearing school uniforms, the discipline that took place in the Charter Schools, and the supposed education that is so much better than in the Public School setting. I wanted to called and interrupt the love fest that was taking place between my friend and the caller, but I didn't have the energy to do so. We have a Charter School in Berkshire County, and it is not cracked up to what it is supposed to be. They do not test any better than the students who attend the Public school setting. When a student is "kicked out" of the Charter School, where do you think he or she ends up.
Charter Schools don't receive special funds to run that school. They just take money from the same "pool" of money designated for education in that town.
If you have Special Needs Children, who do you think has the best programs to deal with these children?
The love fest also continued on when they heard that Charter Schools are not bound totally by Union rules. They loved it when they heard that these schools have longer school hours. A longer school day doesn't mean a great increase in student knowledge. The longer school day means less of a hassle for the parents. The students can do (or at least start) homework in school instead of bothering the parents when they come home from a long day at work. Instead of parents trying to juggle their work schedule when the kids are normally home at 3:30 PM, they can pick them up on the way home from work. Am I implying that Charter Schools have become more like baby sitting institutions instead of educational ones? You bet I am!
While at the birthday party last evening, the daughter of the birthday woman told us how her 5th grade class was going in a town (about 40 miles from
Pittsfield) after about a month into the school year. She said that her 5th grade class was "The Class from Hell!" She has trouble when she starts off by telling her students to open their books, and turn to a certain page. All the trouble she has from these students begun in the home, and not in the classroom. When there is no setting the tone (good old fashioned discipline) in the home, how do you think that the kids are going to act in school? When television and electronic games become the babysitters for their children, the children think that school should be entertaining too.
I have witnessed first hand what goes on in the homes of our grandchildren, and the interaction which takes place between the parents and the children.
As an example, there are books in the family room / play area, and in the children's bedrooms. One morning, while baby sitting Max in Tewksbury, I heard some noise coming from his bedroom. I peeked in, and there he was sitting in a laundry basket reading a book or at least thumbing through the pages (he can't quite read right now since he just turned 2 years old).
Where do you think that he learned the importance of book reading? Did the "Classroom from Hell" students ever have their parents read to them, play with them, etc.?
I am a firm believer that the family unit has become more dysfunctional over the past 40 or 50 years. Fix the family, and we wouldn't have so many societal problems. Parents are the first teachers of their children. If they do what they are supposed to do as parents, then teachers can do what they are supposed to do as educators. If we can fix what goes on from birth to when our students enter our schools, there would be no "Classes from Hell."
The birthday party at Patrick's Pub went well. There was much food, fun, and merriment before the Curley's departed. I went up the bedroom to watch the last few innings of the Red Sox Game. I didn't go to sleep a happy man. The two best closers for the Red Sox couldn't hold a one run lead, and the Sox eventually lost the game. Luckily the Yankees beat the team which is fighting the Red Sox for a playoff spot.
Even if the Red Sox make the playoffs, my confidence level that the Red Sox could win any games is at the lowest point ever.
I do have the Patriots football team to lift my spirits.
Politics -- I see where Palestine might be getting close to forming their own State? Could the tension between Israel and the Palestinians be easing?
Let us hope so!
I see where an Afghan leader who was trying to get together to discuss peace with the Taliban was killed by a suicide bomber. The bomber hid the bomb in his Turban. We might have to make some policy changes in what people are allowed to wear. Does every person who wears a Turban or women who wear veils have to be banned from doing so? Am I going to be leery of sitting next to someone on an airplane who is wearing a Turban?
Social Calendar -- I have a bunch of errands to do before I take my afternoon nap. I might be having a "Chicken Novena" for supper this evening.
The weather should be okay for me to cook the chicken on the grill. I think the Red sox are playing again this evening too.
Linda doesn't have to move her body until her 6 PM Knitting group meets at 6 PM at Panera Bread. She gave me strict orders not to bug her today. That is almost impossible for me to do that.
Have a great Wednesday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
It is official; Linda and I will be celebrating her birthday on Sunday at the 1 PM Patriots vs Bills game in Buffalo, New York. The bus leaves Pittsfield at 9 AM on Saturday morning from the transportation center in downtown Pittsfield. By 1 PM we should be at our Motel 6 in a place called Amherst, New York. The plan right now is to check into the motel, and take a cab to Niagara Falls which neither of has been to.
In casual conversation while playing Mah Jongg on Tuesday, Linda announces our plans. One of the players asked if she could "tag along" with the Curley's for our weekend adventure. Since we are both friends with the lady, Linda couldn't say "No". During a break at Mah Jongg, the lady called up, and made her reservation.
Even though the advertisement for the trip said that there are single, double, and triple rooms available, we all won't be staying in the same room.
This is actually a trial run because this lady and Linda are going to a Mah Jongg tournament in Atlantic City during November. I will not be "tagging along."
I was listening to the radio talk show yesterday that is hosted by one of my email recipients. My friend and one of the callers watched a John Stossel program on Charter Schools in the New Orleans area. They were impressed with the students wearing school uniforms, the discipline that took place in the Charter Schools, and the supposed education that is so much better than in the Public School setting. I wanted to called and interrupt the love fest that was taking place between my friend and the caller, but I didn't have the energy to do so. We have a Charter School in Berkshire County, and it is not cracked up to what it is supposed to be. They do not test any better than the students who attend the Public school setting. When a student is "kicked out" of the Charter School, where do you think he or she ends up.
Charter Schools don't receive special funds to run that school. They just take money from the same "pool" of money designated for education in that town.
If you have Special Needs Children, who do you think has the best programs to deal with these children?
The love fest also continued on when they heard that Charter Schools are not bound totally by Union rules. They loved it when they heard that these schools have longer school hours. A longer school day doesn't mean a great increase in student knowledge. The longer school day means less of a hassle for the parents. The students can do (or at least start) homework in school instead of bothering the parents when they come home from a long day at work. Instead of parents trying to juggle their work schedule when the kids are normally home at 3:30 PM, they can pick them up on the way home from work. Am I implying that Charter Schools have become more like baby sitting institutions instead of educational ones? You bet I am!
While at the birthday party last evening, the daughter of the birthday woman told us how her 5th grade class was going in a town (about 40 miles from
Pittsfield) after about a month into the school year. She said that her 5th grade class was "The Class from Hell!" She has trouble when she starts off by telling her students to open their books, and turn to a certain page. All the trouble she has from these students begun in the home, and not in the classroom. When there is no setting the tone (good old fashioned discipline) in the home, how do you think that the kids are going to act in school? When television and electronic games become the babysitters for their children, the children think that school should be entertaining too.
I have witnessed first hand what goes on in the homes of our grandchildren, and the interaction which takes place between the parents and the children.
As an example, there are books in the family room / play area, and in the children's bedrooms. One morning, while baby sitting Max in Tewksbury, I heard some noise coming from his bedroom. I peeked in, and there he was sitting in a laundry basket reading a book or at least thumbing through the pages (he can't quite read right now since he just turned 2 years old).
Where do you think that he learned the importance of book reading? Did the "Classroom from Hell" students ever have their parents read to them, play with them, etc.?
I am a firm believer that the family unit has become more dysfunctional over the past 40 or 50 years. Fix the family, and we wouldn't have so many societal problems. Parents are the first teachers of their children. If they do what they are supposed to do as parents, then teachers can do what they are supposed to do as educators. If we can fix what goes on from birth to when our students enter our schools, there would be no "Classes from Hell."
The birthday party at Patrick's Pub went well. There was much food, fun, and merriment before the Curley's departed. I went up the bedroom to watch the last few innings of the Red Sox Game. I didn't go to sleep a happy man. The two best closers for the Red Sox couldn't hold a one run lead, and the Sox eventually lost the game. Luckily the Yankees beat the team which is fighting the Red Sox for a playoff spot.
Even if the Red Sox make the playoffs, my confidence level that the Red Sox could win any games is at the lowest point ever.
I do have the Patriots football team to lift my spirits.
Politics -- I see where Palestine might be getting close to forming their own State? Could the tension between Israel and the Palestinians be easing?
Let us hope so!
I see where an Afghan leader who was trying to get together to discuss peace with the Taliban was killed by a suicide bomber. The bomber hid the bomb in his Turban. We might have to make some policy changes in what people are allowed to wear. Does every person who wears a Turban or women who wear veils have to be banned from doing so? Am I going to be leery of sitting next to someone on an airplane who is wearing a Turban?
Social Calendar -- I have a bunch of errands to do before I take my afternoon nap. I might be having a "Chicken Novena" for supper this evening.
The weather should be okay for me to cook the chicken on the grill. I think the Red sox are playing again this evening too.
Linda doesn't have to move her body until her 6 PM Knitting group meets at 6 PM at Panera Bread. She gave me strict orders not to bug her today. That is almost impossible for me to do that.
Have a great Wednesday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Hello on Tuesday
Dear Friends,
It is another one of those days where I should be sleeping instead of typing away on our laptop, but I just couldn't get back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. I think that an hour nap after working several hours in the garage on Monday interrupted my sleep pattern. My straightening up of the garage is a multiple day affair. I should work on it again today, but when you are retired, you can work every other day or essentially do things at your own pace. Procrastination is another retiree work tactic.
They had an article a few weeks ago about people in Pittsfield not recycling enough. Yesterday I cut up three containers worth of cardboard boxes. I always save a few boxes for sending out little treasures to the grandchildren. I guess that I never realized how many boxes that I have saved over the past few months. One of these days when we both feel ambitious, we should go in the garage, and go through every bucket, and start throwing out things. When I say every bucket, we are talking over 40
18 gallon buckets. One of these days, I won't be able to climb a step ladder, and lift buckets up and down the ladder. The Buckets are stacked on the three levels of shelves. It would be so nice not to have a layer of buckets in front to the three level shelves in the garage too. The plastic buckets are probably worth more than the junk inside them. Each son has buckets that we labeled full of their childhood stuff. Do you think that they will use a sports shirt that is labeled "Pittsfield Boys and Girls Club" that they wore when they were 12 or 13 years old? Linda gets teary eyed just looking at the stuff in these buckets. If we depart this earth, our kids will just pay someone to throw the stuff in an extra large dumpster.
Our UNICO membership meeting at Mazzeo's Ristorante went very well. The food was wonderful, and the socialization was priceless.
After the meeting, I ran into a friend who I haven't seen in a while. He told me that he was bored during the first year or so of retirement. He is back working at Cranwell. He is the omelet guy currently in the main house at Cranwell Resort and Spa. Besides his multiple years of working as an executive at General Electric, his second love was cooking food. He can cook more than omelets. He has worked in Sloane's Tavern next to the club house at the golf course which is located at the resort. He also is a writer and an actor in the local theater group. There is not one play that he hasn't gone to locally, in New York City or Boston. He has produced some of the plays locally too.
We started talking food last night for a little while before I had to take my friend home. I was the designated driver last evening. He said that after a play one night, they had a cast party. He cooked a whole bone in ham for the party. He told me some of his secret ingredients that he put on the outside of the ham. He said that the cast and crew are still talking about how great the ham tasted. The party took place a year ago.
Politics -- Asking the rich to pay their fair share in taxes might be an almost impossible task. 72 % of the people across the nation believe that the wealthiest among us should do so. The wealthiest among us contribute to the Republican Party, and they expect their political representatives to keep it that way.
The Red Sox split a day / night double header. The Yankees won their game, and the relief pitcher, Mariano Rivera, became the record holder for the most saves. I actually listened to the last inning of the Yankee game. The Yankee announcers started to discuss the Red Sox collapse. If the Red Sox get eliminated from the playoffs, it will be the worse one since 1978 when they had a 15 game lead, and squandered it.
Continuing on with the sports' theme, Linda and I might be attending the Patriot Game in Buffalo, New York this weekend. If things do work out as planned, I won't be having a Patriot party alone in my "Man Cave" like I did this past Sunday.
Social Calendar -- Linda has her Tuesday Mah Jongg session at a friend's home today. I was going to do a pot roast in a crock pot for supper, but we received a last minute invitation to attend a birthday this evening at a local Pub. The celebration starts at 6:30 PM.
Primary Day -- Today we will be going to the polls to vote for a 3rd district State Representative. This is a special election since the office is vacant since the State Representative left office to become Clerk Magistrate (a life time job and an increase in pay compared to what a State Rep earns). In October we go to the polls once again for a Primary to whittle down the multiple candidates vying for all kinds of political offices. The final election takes place on November 8, 2011.
Well, I have to do some quiet chores before the Queen wakes up.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
It is another one of those days where I should be sleeping instead of typing away on our laptop, but I just couldn't get back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. I think that an hour nap after working several hours in the garage on Monday interrupted my sleep pattern. My straightening up of the garage is a multiple day affair. I should work on it again today, but when you are retired, you can work every other day or essentially do things at your own pace. Procrastination is another retiree work tactic.
They had an article a few weeks ago about people in Pittsfield not recycling enough. Yesterday I cut up three containers worth of cardboard boxes. I always save a few boxes for sending out little treasures to the grandchildren. I guess that I never realized how many boxes that I have saved over the past few months. One of these days when we both feel ambitious, we should go in the garage, and go through every bucket, and start throwing out things. When I say every bucket, we are talking over 40
18 gallon buckets. One of these days, I won't be able to climb a step ladder, and lift buckets up and down the ladder. The Buckets are stacked on the three levels of shelves. It would be so nice not to have a layer of buckets in front to the three level shelves in the garage too. The plastic buckets are probably worth more than the junk inside them. Each son has buckets that we labeled full of their childhood stuff. Do you think that they will use a sports shirt that is labeled "Pittsfield Boys and Girls Club" that they wore when they were 12 or 13 years old? Linda gets teary eyed just looking at the stuff in these buckets. If we depart this earth, our kids will just pay someone to throw the stuff in an extra large dumpster.
Our UNICO membership meeting at Mazzeo's Ristorante went very well. The food was wonderful, and the socialization was priceless.
After the meeting, I ran into a friend who I haven't seen in a while. He told me that he was bored during the first year or so of retirement. He is back working at Cranwell. He is the omelet guy currently in the main house at Cranwell Resort and Spa. Besides his multiple years of working as an executive at General Electric, his second love was cooking food. He can cook more than omelets. He has worked in Sloane's Tavern next to the club house at the golf course which is located at the resort. He also is a writer and an actor in the local theater group. There is not one play that he hasn't gone to locally, in New York City or Boston. He has produced some of the plays locally too.
We started talking food last night for a little while before I had to take my friend home. I was the designated driver last evening. He said that after a play one night, they had a cast party. He cooked a whole bone in ham for the party. He told me some of his secret ingredients that he put on the outside of the ham. He said that the cast and crew are still talking about how great the ham tasted. The party took place a year ago.
Politics -- Asking the rich to pay their fair share in taxes might be an almost impossible task. 72 % of the people across the nation believe that the wealthiest among us should do so. The wealthiest among us contribute to the Republican Party, and they expect their political representatives to keep it that way.
The Red Sox split a day / night double header. The Yankees won their game, and the relief pitcher, Mariano Rivera, became the record holder for the most saves. I actually listened to the last inning of the Yankee game. The Yankee announcers started to discuss the Red Sox collapse. If the Red Sox get eliminated from the playoffs, it will be the worse one since 1978 when they had a 15 game lead, and squandered it.
Continuing on with the sports' theme, Linda and I might be attending the Patriot Game in Buffalo, New York this weekend. If things do work out as planned, I won't be having a Patriot party alone in my "Man Cave" like I did this past Sunday.
Social Calendar -- Linda has her Tuesday Mah Jongg session at a friend's home today. I was going to do a pot roast in a crock pot for supper, but we received a last minute invitation to attend a birthday this evening at a local Pub. The celebration starts at 6:30 PM.
Primary Day -- Today we will be going to the polls to vote for a 3rd district State Representative. This is a special election since the office is vacant since the State Representative left office to become Clerk Magistrate (a life time job and an increase in pay compared to what a State Rep earns). In October we go to the polls once again for a Primary to whittle down the multiple candidates vying for all kinds of political offices. The final election takes place on November 8, 2011.
Well, I have to do some quiet chores before the Queen wakes up.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Monday, September 19, 2011
Hello on Monday
Dear Friends,
I hope that you all had a pleasant weekend no matter what activity you and your family were engaged in. This applies to my single friends too.
I never left the house except for picking up the Sunday newspapers off of my driveway. In the late afternoon, Linda went off to the grocery store to get some rolls for the pulled pork which I cooked in the crock pot. This was the party with myself food that I decided to make while watching the Patriots. Of course the food consumption took place during half time of the Patriot Game.
Speaking of sports, the Red Sox lost another game as they get extremely close to missing the MLB playoffs.
The Patriots on the other hand were a different story. Tom Brady was "Tom Terrific" for a second week in a row. The defense still has room for improvement, and they will need it as they head off to play the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo, New York this coming weekend. Two teams that are in the same division, and have the same 2 and 0 records will make for a very interesting game.
Sometimes I get myself in trouble with my political views, words of wisdom, etc., but how about Pat Robertson saying that it is okay to move on and divorce your significant other who has Alzheimer's. He said that there is Biblical backup to his claim. I just watched a short video interview with a Biblical expert, and he said that there is no reference to his claim. I have had two friends who lost their significant others to the disease, and both friends stuck with the "For Better or for Worse" clause in the marriage contract. If something like this is allowed to break a person's marriage vows then I could see it snowballing into any disease or illness being the reason for divorce.
Politics -- The way that our President is campaigning for his jobs bill, some feel like it has become class warfare.
Former President Clinton was interviewed in one of the Sunday Morning Talk Shows. He said that the recovery from the financial mess that that he inherited and the current economic decline, loss of jobs, etc., that we are experiencing right now normally takes about 5 years to recover from. The American people mentally want a quick fix, but that is almost impossible for it to occur.
A blogger friend sent me a list of financial aid which we have sent to every NATO country which votes against us 70 % of the time along with the dollar amounts. If the figures are accurate, you would be totally shocked.
Social Calendar -- I have a UNICO membership meeting this evening at Mazzeo's Ristorante. I can't wait to see what Italian epicurean delights that we will be served. Oh yeah, there is a meeting before we eat. We are installing 7 new members too I think!
Linda does have a free day, but I might need her help in the garage as my supervisor. The stuff is starting to accumulate so bad that we can park the two cars in the garage, but we can't get out of our cars. Oh Darn!
Since I watch a good deal of sporting contests on television, I see a lot of commercials. Am I the only one who thinks that family members in the commercials are not a pretty sight?
I also had some thoughts about smokers since there were about 8 people on our bus trip to the Irish Festival who are smokers. There was no smoking on the bus, but when we did make a short Dunkin Donut stop, the smokers all gathered around each other and puffed away outside of the bus. I am not trying to beat up smokers, but I just want to make them aware that the clothes that they are wearing reek of stale cigarette smoke. You can dress up in the greatest looking outfits, but you still can smell their smoke laden clothes. Oh Darn!
Yes, they can come back at me that I smelled like a brewery after a few beers, but often smoking and drinking go hand in hand.
Well, I have to read the local newspaper, and put on some work clothes, and start cleaning up the garage. I won't need Linda's help until after she wakes up and reads the newspaper.
Have a great Monday at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
I hope that you all had a pleasant weekend no matter what activity you and your family were engaged in. This applies to my single friends too.
I never left the house except for picking up the Sunday newspapers off of my driveway. In the late afternoon, Linda went off to the grocery store to get some rolls for the pulled pork which I cooked in the crock pot. This was the party with myself food that I decided to make while watching the Patriots. Of course the food consumption took place during half time of the Patriot Game.
Speaking of sports, the Red Sox lost another game as they get extremely close to missing the MLB playoffs.
The Patriots on the other hand were a different story. Tom Brady was "Tom Terrific" for a second week in a row. The defense still has room for improvement, and they will need it as they head off to play the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo, New York this coming weekend. Two teams that are in the same division, and have the same 2 and 0 records will make for a very interesting game.
Sometimes I get myself in trouble with my political views, words of wisdom, etc., but how about Pat Robertson saying that it is okay to move on and divorce your significant other who has Alzheimer's. He said that there is Biblical backup to his claim. I just watched a short video interview with a Biblical expert, and he said that there is no reference to his claim. I have had two friends who lost their significant others to the disease, and both friends stuck with the "For Better or for Worse" clause in the marriage contract. If something like this is allowed to break a person's marriage vows then I could see it snowballing into any disease or illness being the reason for divorce.
Politics -- The way that our President is campaigning for his jobs bill, some feel like it has become class warfare.
Former President Clinton was interviewed in one of the Sunday Morning Talk Shows. He said that the recovery from the financial mess that that he inherited and the current economic decline, loss of jobs, etc., that we are experiencing right now normally takes about 5 years to recover from. The American people mentally want a quick fix, but that is almost impossible for it to occur.
A blogger friend sent me a list of financial aid which we have sent to every NATO country which votes against us 70 % of the time along with the dollar amounts. If the figures are accurate, you would be totally shocked.
Social Calendar -- I have a UNICO membership meeting this evening at Mazzeo's Ristorante. I can't wait to see what Italian epicurean delights that we will be served. Oh yeah, there is a meeting before we eat. We are installing 7 new members too I think!
Linda does have a free day, but I might need her help in the garage as my supervisor. The stuff is starting to accumulate so bad that we can park the two cars in the garage, but we can't get out of our cars. Oh Darn!
Since I watch a good deal of sporting contests on television, I see a lot of commercials. Am I the only one who thinks that family members in the commercials are not a pretty sight?
I also had some thoughts about smokers since there were about 8 people on our bus trip to the Irish Festival who are smokers. There was no smoking on the bus, but when we did make a short Dunkin Donut stop, the smokers all gathered around each other and puffed away outside of the bus. I am not trying to beat up smokers, but I just want to make them aware that the clothes that they are wearing reek of stale cigarette smoke. You can dress up in the greatest looking outfits, but you still can smell their smoke laden clothes. Oh Darn!
Yes, they can come back at me that I smelled like a brewery after a few beers, but often smoking and drinking go hand in hand.
Well, I have to read the local newspaper, and put on some work clothes, and start cleaning up the garage. I won't need Linda's help until after she wakes up and reads the newspaper.
Have a great Monday at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Hello on Sunday
Dear Friends,
The Irish Festival was wonderful. Toward the end of the evening for our group of about 30 people, hypothermia started to set in. Just kidding! The temperatures did start to drop when the partial sun went in, and the temperatures fell like a rock. Linda and I used the tactic of our pioneer ancestors of "bundling" to try and stay warm. That didn't work so we tried to find a vendor which sold hot coffee or hot chocolate. There was one, and the lines were huge, but Linda decided that it was worth the wait.
We were actually hungry at 6 PM so Linda went in line at the vendor who sold corned beef sandwiches. The guy before Linda got the last one. Oh Darn! They were selling the corned beef sandwiches with a dollop of cabbage on a bulky roll for $7. Luckily we had some for lunch which was hours before they sold out.
We heard some great bands in all three venues all day long. We arrived at the place a little too late to hear many songs from our local band Rakish Paddy. This was their first time performing at the event, but they are booked in for next year. Our bus was a "KidsZone" yellow school bus with no bathroom. As we were on Route 90, an extended cab truck went by and pulled up along side of our bus. All the people in the truck hoisted up beers and tooted their horn in a mocking way!
Some of us decided that next year, we are willing to pay extra for the trip, and ride in adult bus with a bathroom. When you are drinking beer (some of
us) from the moment you arrive at the festival from mid morning until the concert ends at 11:30 PM, it would have been nice to have a bathroom on the bus. We old timers have a tendency to use the facilities more often than we did when we were in our 30's.
They did say that anyone could sign up to volunteer to work the festival next year. As I read the restrictions, I decided that I would not be a good candidate. If you get caught drinking while working a shift, you will be fired with no questions asked. How could I volunteer serving beer at the beer stations if I couldn't taste the beer to make sure it is fresh and cold?
As predicted, my head hit the pillow about a minute after midnight. It took me less than two minutes for me to fall asleep.
Linda said that she wants to sleep until 10 AM today. I hope that none of her girlfriends call before that time. When you are in demand like Linda often is, that very seldom happens.
I didn't wear any Irish colors at the festival. I wore all Patriots' gear. I wanted to see if I could "get a rise" out of the Jets and Giants fans since the Festival is in the State of New York. I finally did get into a calm conversation with a seasoned ticket holder of the New York Jets. I told him that I wore the Patriot gear because I wanted to remind them that the Patriots are coming to avenge the loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl a few years ago. We also want to avenge the loss of last year's playoff game where the Jets sent the Patriots packing. It is a long season, and I hope my predictions come true.
I am going to overdose on football today. As I stated in a previous email, I will be having a party with myself in my "Man Cave" this afternoon as I definitely watch the 4:15 PM Patriot game which will be televised nationally.
I was reading a AARP newsletter, and there was an article about a one year old company called "Rent a Grandmother." This Los Angeles based company sends out 50 year old grandmas to care for children as well as adults. They are paid from $14 to $18 per hour. The women are usually college educated and often have spent their working years in education. I would have received a pretty good paycheck for the two days that I was babysitting Max. If Linda ever gets bored with retirement, she knows that she could get a job in a heartbeat.
We enjoy the retirement life so much that we will never be bored. We have trouble finding a day without a social engagement on it. We have a full social calendar next week starting on Monday.
If I didn't attend the Irish Festival yesterday, I would have been working with some of my UNICO brothers and sisters at the Melville Street Block Party (outside of the Catholic Youth Center and the Boys and Girls Club) slinging hamburgers and hotdogs for several hours.
There was another Air Show crash, but this time it was in West Virginia. 9 people had died from injuries in the crash at the Nevada Air Show. Oh Darn!
Politics -- The financial wizard, Warren Buffet, said that he pays less in taxes than his house maid. This doesn't seem fair to us middle class people who pay for the running of our Federal Government.
Well, it is time to skim the Sunday newspapers quietly. I like to do this before Linda wakes up. I then will decide on some appropriate food as I settle down and watch NFL football starting at 1 PM. For any of my email recipients who have no interest in sports of any kind, opening weekend of the NFL had the highest television viewer ratings than ever before. Some people are making big bucks off of sports, and it is not just the players of those sporting teams. When the New England Football team is one of the Fortune 500 companies, and they are worth money in the billion dollars plus range, you can't tell me that sports have no relevance in the scheme of things. Talking about jobs, just think how many people are employed each Sunday at the home team's stadium?
Have a great Sunday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The Irish Festival was wonderful. Toward the end of the evening for our group of about 30 people, hypothermia started to set in. Just kidding! The temperatures did start to drop when the partial sun went in, and the temperatures fell like a rock. Linda and I used the tactic of our pioneer ancestors of "bundling" to try and stay warm. That didn't work so we tried to find a vendor which sold hot coffee or hot chocolate. There was one, and the lines were huge, but Linda decided that it was worth the wait.
We were actually hungry at 6 PM so Linda went in line at the vendor who sold corned beef sandwiches. The guy before Linda got the last one. Oh Darn! They were selling the corned beef sandwiches with a dollop of cabbage on a bulky roll for $7. Luckily we had some for lunch which was hours before they sold out.
We heard some great bands in all three venues all day long. We arrived at the place a little too late to hear many songs from our local band Rakish Paddy. This was their first time performing at the event, but they are booked in for next year. Our bus was a "KidsZone" yellow school bus with no bathroom. As we were on Route 90, an extended cab truck went by and pulled up along side of our bus. All the people in the truck hoisted up beers and tooted their horn in a mocking way!
Some of us decided that next year, we are willing to pay extra for the trip, and ride in adult bus with a bathroom. When you are drinking beer (some of
us) from the moment you arrive at the festival from mid morning until the concert ends at 11:30 PM, it would have been nice to have a bathroom on the bus. We old timers have a tendency to use the facilities more often than we did when we were in our 30's.
They did say that anyone could sign up to volunteer to work the festival next year. As I read the restrictions, I decided that I would not be a good candidate. If you get caught drinking while working a shift, you will be fired with no questions asked. How could I volunteer serving beer at the beer stations if I couldn't taste the beer to make sure it is fresh and cold?
As predicted, my head hit the pillow about a minute after midnight. It took me less than two minutes for me to fall asleep.
Linda said that she wants to sleep until 10 AM today. I hope that none of her girlfriends call before that time. When you are in demand like Linda often is, that very seldom happens.
I didn't wear any Irish colors at the festival. I wore all Patriots' gear. I wanted to see if I could "get a rise" out of the Jets and Giants fans since the Festival is in the State of New York. I finally did get into a calm conversation with a seasoned ticket holder of the New York Jets. I told him that I wore the Patriot gear because I wanted to remind them that the Patriots are coming to avenge the loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl a few years ago. We also want to avenge the loss of last year's playoff game where the Jets sent the Patriots packing. It is a long season, and I hope my predictions come true.
I am going to overdose on football today. As I stated in a previous email, I will be having a party with myself in my "Man Cave" this afternoon as I definitely watch the 4:15 PM Patriot game which will be televised nationally.
I was reading a AARP newsletter, and there was an article about a one year old company called "Rent a Grandmother." This Los Angeles based company sends out 50 year old grandmas to care for children as well as adults. They are paid from $14 to $18 per hour. The women are usually college educated and often have spent their working years in education. I would have received a pretty good paycheck for the two days that I was babysitting Max. If Linda ever gets bored with retirement, she knows that she could get a job in a heartbeat.
We enjoy the retirement life so much that we will never be bored. We have trouble finding a day without a social engagement on it. We have a full social calendar next week starting on Monday.
If I didn't attend the Irish Festival yesterday, I would have been working with some of my UNICO brothers and sisters at the Melville Street Block Party (outside of the Catholic Youth Center and the Boys and Girls Club) slinging hamburgers and hotdogs for several hours.
There was another Air Show crash, but this time it was in West Virginia. 9 people had died from injuries in the crash at the Nevada Air Show. Oh Darn!
Politics -- The financial wizard, Warren Buffet, said that he pays less in taxes than his house maid. This doesn't seem fair to us middle class people who pay for the running of our Federal Government.
Well, it is time to skim the Sunday newspapers quietly. I like to do this before Linda wakes up. I then will decide on some appropriate food as I settle down and watch NFL football starting at 1 PM. For any of my email recipients who have no interest in sports of any kind, opening weekend of the NFL had the highest television viewer ratings than ever before. Some people are making big bucks off of sports, and it is not just the players of those sporting teams. When the New England Football team is one of the Fortune 500 companies, and they are worth money in the billion dollars plus range, you can't tell me that sports have no relevance in the scheme of things. Talking about jobs, just think how many people are employed each Sunday at the home team's stadium?
Have a great Sunday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Hello on Saturday
Dear Friends,
After my nap on Friday, I gave the lawn a trim before we headed off to the Shamrock for supper. It was just the two of us on a relatively quiet night at the Pub. Of course, we always meet an interesting person or two every time we are playing Keno at the bar before sitting down to eat supper. Well, last night was no different. We met a nice lady who came in for a beer while waiting for her take out order. This woman was born in Austria before immigrating to the United States. She worked for 42 years in the Pittsfield City Hall before the current Mayor let her go. She hired a high powered local group of attorney's to take her case. She told us that they the lawyers studied her case for several months, and that there is a chance that she can win her lawsuit. I did admit that I held recognitions signs for the same Mayor who fired her. I also told her who we were voting for in this election, and she said that she is not voting for the person who we are supporting because he as a City Councilor didn't support her in the law suit. When I told her my last name was Curley, she asked if I am related to a Joe and Ruth Curley who lives one street over from where she lives. I said: "Yes, they are my Uncle and Aunt." I told her that we would probably meet her again one of these days as she holds signs for her Mayoral hopeful "Bianchi" while we hold signs for our candidate "Marchetti". There is more to the story of why she was terminated, but I will end this discussion before I get myself in trouble.
We also met a nice guy (81 years old) who said "Hello" to me in particular twice. The first time was when he was at the bar waiting for his table to be ready. He couldn't remember who I was. I actually had his daughter in class years ago. While at the bar, Linda and I told him our names. When he and his group finished their meal, he came back to the bar, and he asked us our names again. I went through the thing about look at my hair. I have curly hair, and my last name is "Curley". I am not sure that the next time that we meet he will remember who I am. Most of us do experience some memory loss as we age, but this conversation was getting kind of scary. Yes, this person still drives a car which is another scary thought!
Sports -- My Red Sox finally won a game last night. It was a must win game for the Sox because there was a very good possibility that the Red Sox could have been in serious jeopardy of losing their wild card playoff spot as the regular season comes to an end. The Yankees lost, but the Sox aren't worried about winning their division right now. Making the playoffs is the only thing on their minds.
Continuing on with Sports, the Patriots play on Sunday at 4:15 PM at Gillette Stadium. I was going to have a Patriot Party, but Linda wanted to just chill and watch the Emmy's which come on at 7 PM. Since she had a busy week, she just wanted to have her Sunday as a "Chill Day". So as of this moment, I will be having a party with myself in my "Man Cave". Oh Darn!
Social Calendar -- Today, we have a really full day on the bus trip to the Irish Festival at the Saratoga Fair Grounds in Ballston Spa, New York. By the time that we get home from the all day affair, our heads won't hit the pillows until midnight.
The Festival is always a fun affair because besides having three venues for Irish Music, there are whole bunches of vendors selling food, beverages, jewelry, Irish gifts, exhibits, etc. I won't be able to weave in a nap so I will sleep like a log when this day is over.
I am also debating whether or not to take my Orthopedic boot since being on my feet all day might make my Achilles Strain worse. They do have seats at the festival at the musical venues. I know that both of us can't be on our feet all day and night long.
Another thing that we have both been thinking about is what to wear. The day starts off cool (we had a freeze warning last night in the Berkshires), and then goes from sun to partly cloudy before dropping off when the sun goes down. The mid 60's are the forecasted high for today.
Politics -- I just wish the Republicans would whittle down the number of candidates who will be taking a run at President Obama. Could there ever be a candidate like "Joe the Plumber" instead of the "Rich and Famous" candidates vying for the Presidential office?
Air Show -- I see where there was a tragedy at an Air Show in Nevada. A World War II plane crashed into a stand of spectators. There were some deaths and multiple injuries. Right now the officials are saying mechanical problems, and not pilot error from the 74 year old pilot who was killed in the crash. We have been to several Air Shows, and usually the planes don't fly that close to the spectators.
I also saw where Davis Monthan Air Force base in Tucson, Arizona was in a lockdown yesterday. Someone reported a lone gunman on the base, but no one was actually found in a thorough search of the base. This base is where our Lt. Colonel son learned how to fly the A-10 Thunderbolt. He also spent some time there in April of this year before shipping out to Afghanistan.
Well, I have to do some quiet chores and select appropriate clothes for the Festival.
Have a great Saturday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
After my nap on Friday, I gave the lawn a trim before we headed off to the Shamrock for supper. It was just the two of us on a relatively quiet night at the Pub. Of course, we always meet an interesting person or two every time we are playing Keno at the bar before sitting down to eat supper. Well, last night was no different. We met a nice lady who came in for a beer while waiting for her take out order. This woman was born in Austria before immigrating to the United States. She worked for 42 years in the Pittsfield City Hall before the current Mayor let her go. She hired a high powered local group of attorney's to take her case. She told us that they the lawyers studied her case for several months, and that there is a chance that she can win her lawsuit. I did admit that I held recognitions signs for the same Mayor who fired her. I also told her who we were voting for in this election, and she said that she is not voting for the person who we are supporting because he as a City Councilor didn't support her in the law suit. When I told her my last name was Curley, she asked if I am related to a Joe and Ruth Curley who lives one street over from where she lives. I said: "Yes, they are my Uncle and Aunt." I told her that we would probably meet her again one of these days as she holds signs for her Mayoral hopeful "Bianchi" while we hold signs for our candidate "Marchetti". There is more to the story of why she was terminated, but I will end this discussion before I get myself in trouble.
We also met a nice guy (81 years old) who said "Hello" to me in particular twice. The first time was when he was at the bar waiting for his table to be ready. He couldn't remember who I was. I actually had his daughter in class years ago. While at the bar, Linda and I told him our names. When he and his group finished their meal, he came back to the bar, and he asked us our names again. I went through the thing about look at my hair. I have curly hair, and my last name is "Curley". I am not sure that the next time that we meet he will remember who I am. Most of us do experience some memory loss as we age, but this conversation was getting kind of scary. Yes, this person still drives a car which is another scary thought!
Sports -- My Red Sox finally won a game last night. It was a must win game for the Sox because there was a very good possibility that the Red Sox could have been in serious jeopardy of losing their wild card playoff spot as the regular season comes to an end. The Yankees lost, but the Sox aren't worried about winning their division right now. Making the playoffs is the only thing on their minds.
Continuing on with Sports, the Patriots play on Sunday at 4:15 PM at Gillette Stadium. I was going to have a Patriot Party, but Linda wanted to just chill and watch the Emmy's which come on at 7 PM. Since she had a busy week, she just wanted to have her Sunday as a "Chill Day". So as of this moment, I will be having a party with myself in my "Man Cave". Oh Darn!
Social Calendar -- Today, we have a really full day on the bus trip to the Irish Festival at the Saratoga Fair Grounds in Ballston Spa, New York. By the time that we get home from the all day affair, our heads won't hit the pillows until midnight.
The Festival is always a fun affair because besides having three venues for Irish Music, there are whole bunches of vendors selling food, beverages, jewelry, Irish gifts, exhibits, etc. I won't be able to weave in a nap so I will sleep like a log when this day is over.
I am also debating whether or not to take my Orthopedic boot since being on my feet all day might make my Achilles Strain worse. They do have seats at the festival at the musical venues. I know that both of us can't be on our feet all day and night long.
Another thing that we have both been thinking about is what to wear. The day starts off cool (we had a freeze warning last night in the Berkshires), and then goes from sun to partly cloudy before dropping off when the sun goes down. The mid 60's are the forecasted high for today.
Politics -- I just wish the Republicans would whittle down the number of candidates who will be taking a run at President Obama. Could there ever be a candidate like "Joe the Plumber" instead of the "Rich and Famous" candidates vying for the Presidential office?
Air Show -- I see where there was a tragedy at an Air Show in Nevada. A World War II plane crashed into a stand of spectators. There were some deaths and multiple injuries. Right now the officials are saying mechanical problems, and not pilot error from the 74 year old pilot who was killed in the crash. We have been to several Air Shows, and usually the planes don't fly that close to the spectators.
I also saw where Davis Monthan Air Force base in Tucson, Arizona was in a lockdown yesterday. Someone reported a lone gunman on the base, but no one was actually found in a thorough search of the base. This base is where our Lt. Colonel son learned how to fly the A-10 Thunderbolt. He also spent some time there in April of this year before shipping out to Afghanistan.
Well, I have to do some quiet chores and select appropriate clothes for the Festival.
Have a great Saturday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Monday, September 12, 2011
Hello on Monday
Dear Friends,
I left the house first on Sunday. I acted like a human sump pump once again at a friend's home. The water coming into their basement is decreasing. I only took out 5.5 wet vacuum containers of water. I am passing the reins of water removal to another friend of the family from Dalton. Oh Joy!
After the water removal, I never left the house except to pick up a pizza around 7:15 PM. I did overdose on Professional Football from 1 PM until after 11 PM. I finished reading a book on the Ipad while doing so. The Red Sox lost another one too. It was unbearable to watch the Red Sox give up so many runs. They will be lucky if they make the playoffs since they are playing so awful.
I can't wait to see how the New England Patriots play this evening at 7 PM in the first of two Monday Night Football games on national television.
I had a particular interest in watching many of the games yesterday because I am participating in a weekly contest through a Boston Radio Sports'
Channel on line called WEEI. Half of the teams which I picked to win in week one lost. My selections weren't even based on point spreads. All I had to do is pick the winning team of each game. If I picked them very well, there is a chance that I could win two Patriots tickets. Well, the way I picked teams during the opening session of professional football would be a good indicator that I would never win a pair of tickets which they give away weekly. Oh Darn!
Social Calendar -- I have a UNICO Board Meeting at 6 PM. I think that Linda is not socially engaged at all. She definitely needs a day of rest with no one bugging her.
Post Office -- I got to thinking about my Unionized Brothers and Sisters who work for the United States Postal Service, many of whom will be facing layoffs. I have had great experiences while using the services which they provide. Many Curley's past and present have worked as Postal Workers. When sending mail or packages across the nation and all over the world, we are still the least expensive of any countries that I am aware of. With the age of electronics, people are not sending out hand written letters in the numbers which we used to do. You can send an instant message to anyone in the world by just by hitting the send button on whatever device that you are using. Often, we get invited to parties by way of an "E-Vite". Half of our household bills come on line, and you can pay them that way even though Linda likes to write out checks. We still get invitations to weddings and bridal showers in the mail as well as "Thank You's" sent by the wedding couple (usually the female). Sending Christmas cards has almost become obsolete. You can even send condolence comments on line when a person makes the obituaries instead of hand writing a sympathy card to the family.
When our son was attending the Air Force Academy in the 1990's, they suggested that we parents send letters to the Cadets to help alleviate the stress of being isolated, and the stress of military life. I remember writing a hand written letter to our son on a daily basis no matter what we were doing. I remember being of the beaches on Cape Cod, and still writing these letters. Now, I compose something on the Ipad or Laptop, and the message gets sent to Afghanistan as soon as I hit the send button.
Well, it sure does look like something has to give if we are doing things electronically instead of by sending letters in the mail. What I fear is the urge to privatize. Privatization to save a few bucks ends up costing more in many situations. Of course, conservatives promote the concept instead of working to tweak the current system to make it more efficient. What I also fear is the little town Post Office falling by the wayside. We have a lot of communities in the hill towns of Berkshire County which rely on their hometown Post Office. Since Pittsfield is one of the two largest communities in the county, they might have to drive to Pittsfield to fulfill their Post Office needs. Oh Darn!
Well, I have to do some quiet activities.
Have a great week at work, school, or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
I left the house first on Sunday. I acted like a human sump pump once again at a friend's home. The water coming into their basement is decreasing. I only took out 5.5 wet vacuum containers of water. I am passing the reins of water removal to another friend of the family from Dalton. Oh Joy!
After the water removal, I never left the house except to pick up a pizza around 7:15 PM. I did overdose on Professional Football from 1 PM until after 11 PM. I finished reading a book on the Ipad while doing so. The Red Sox lost another one too. It was unbearable to watch the Red Sox give up so many runs. They will be lucky if they make the playoffs since they are playing so awful.
I can't wait to see how the New England Patriots play this evening at 7 PM in the first of two Monday Night Football games on national television.
I had a particular interest in watching many of the games yesterday because I am participating in a weekly contest through a Boston Radio Sports'
Channel on line called WEEI. Half of the teams which I picked to win in week one lost. My selections weren't even based on point spreads. All I had to do is pick the winning team of each game. If I picked them very well, there is a chance that I could win two Patriots tickets. Well, the way I picked teams during the opening session of professional football would be a good indicator that I would never win a pair of tickets which they give away weekly. Oh Darn!
Social Calendar -- I have a UNICO Board Meeting at 6 PM. I think that Linda is not socially engaged at all. She definitely needs a day of rest with no one bugging her.
Post Office -- I got to thinking about my Unionized Brothers and Sisters who work for the United States Postal Service, many of whom will be facing layoffs. I have had great experiences while using the services which they provide. Many Curley's past and present have worked as Postal Workers. When sending mail or packages across the nation and all over the world, we are still the least expensive of any countries that I am aware of. With the age of electronics, people are not sending out hand written letters in the numbers which we used to do. You can send an instant message to anyone in the world by just by hitting the send button on whatever device that you are using. Often, we get invited to parties by way of an "E-Vite". Half of our household bills come on line, and you can pay them that way even though Linda likes to write out checks. We still get invitations to weddings and bridal showers in the mail as well as "Thank You's" sent by the wedding couple (usually the female). Sending Christmas cards has almost become obsolete. You can even send condolence comments on line when a person makes the obituaries instead of hand writing a sympathy card to the family.
When our son was attending the Air Force Academy in the 1990's, they suggested that we parents send letters to the Cadets to help alleviate the stress of being isolated, and the stress of military life. I remember writing a hand written letter to our son on a daily basis no matter what we were doing. I remember being of the beaches on Cape Cod, and still writing these letters. Now, I compose something on the Ipad or Laptop, and the message gets sent to Afghanistan as soon as I hit the send button.
Well, it sure does look like something has to give if we are doing things electronically instead of by sending letters in the mail. What I fear is the urge to privatize. Privatization to save a few bucks ends up costing more in many situations. Of course, conservatives promote the concept instead of working to tweak the current system to make it more efficient. What I also fear is the little town Post Office falling by the wayside. We have a lot of communities in the hill towns of Berkshire County which rely on their hometown Post Office. Since Pittsfield is one of the two largest communities in the county, they might have to drive to Pittsfield to fulfill their Post Office needs. Oh Darn!
Well, I have to do some quiet activities.
Have a great week at work, school, or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Hello on Sunday
Dear Friends,
Another day went exactly as planned. The Human Sump Pump went off and removed 11 wet vacuum buckets of water from our friend's basement. As I left, the water was still coming into the basement. As I pulled out of the friend's driveway, I was thinking my efforts of water removal were like me "Peeing in the Wind!" The water is pumped out a cellar window, and it probably flows right back into the cellar. A friend sent me an email saying that there is a portable sump pump which costs about $60 that could save me a whole bunch of effort and time. The task of water removal is divided up between me and my friend's son-in-law. I have been communicating with the son-in-law by way of e-mail, and he too is getting tired of being a human sump. Luckily, he is in his 20's, and he is a bit more nimble than the Curley Lad.
Sports -- Well, all the sports teams that I hoped would win yesterday failed to do so. Notre Dame let Michigan go down the field and score the winning touchdown in the last thirty seconds of their game. The Red Sox lost an extra inning game. Oh Darn!
I am going to overdose on professional football today from afternoon right into and through the evening. My team, the New England Patriots, play the first of two games on Monday night football. I can't wait!
My baby sitting services are required on Wednesday in Tewksbury. I might leave on Tuesday and visit the Brodeur's first. Kevin and Kyla got tickets to a Phish Fundraising Concert which will be taking place in Vermont. The Phish group originated from and they are Vermont natives. Funds raised will be going to the flood relief effort of the damage cause by Hurricane Irene. It is a one evening event. Max can't wait to see his Papa again, and the feeling is mutual. Linda has a whole bunch of booked in events so she will be staying home.
Our picnic at a friend's home last evening was wonderful. There was much food, fun, and merriment before the cookout ended. We had "Dine in Ribs", and chicken shish kabobs along with an assortment of great salads. This was after multiple appetizers at the beginning of the party. Linda and I played cribbage in a losing effort, but it was fun. You had to see this homemade cribbage board. One of the guys used to work in G.E. Plastics before he retired, and before it was sold to an Arabic group called Sabic. He made a cribbage board out of a chunk of Lexan, which was invented in Pittsfield. The chunk of Lexan is so heavy that if you ever dropped it on your foot, you would have to be taken to the emergency room of Berkshire Medical Center. It could be used as a weapon too.
Hopefully today is a chill day. I think Linda has a few coupons that she would like to use at the Mall. She doesn't need me to accompany her. As I have said in the past, we men are simple creatures. We can wear clothes and footwear until they fall off our bodies. If we men seem to be wearing clothes that need a change (in the eyes of our significant others), we can always depend on our wives to bring home some new clothes.
Speaking of clothes, I washed a batch of my clothes the other day without checking the pockets. I must have had a pink napkin in one of the pockets. Pieces of the napkin, as it dissolved, got stuck to every garment that I was trying to wash. Linda has been going around the house picking up pieces of the napkin everywhere that I have been walking in the house. Wait until she goes to wash her clothes, and they are dotted with pieces of the pink napkin. Do you wonder why Linda likes it when I am gone from the house for a couple of days?
Have a great day even though it might not be a sun filled one for us in the Berkshires.
The Sunday newspapers are awaiting my perusal.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Another day went exactly as planned. The Human Sump Pump went off and removed 11 wet vacuum buckets of water from our friend's basement. As I left, the water was still coming into the basement. As I pulled out of the friend's driveway, I was thinking my efforts of water removal were like me "Peeing in the Wind!" The water is pumped out a cellar window, and it probably flows right back into the cellar. A friend sent me an email saying that there is a portable sump pump which costs about $60 that could save me a whole bunch of effort and time. The task of water removal is divided up between me and my friend's son-in-law. I have been communicating with the son-in-law by way of e-mail, and he too is getting tired of being a human sump. Luckily, he is in his 20's, and he is a bit more nimble than the Curley Lad.
Sports -- Well, all the sports teams that I hoped would win yesterday failed to do so. Notre Dame let Michigan go down the field and score the winning touchdown in the last thirty seconds of their game. The Red Sox lost an extra inning game. Oh Darn!
I am going to overdose on professional football today from afternoon right into and through the evening. My team, the New England Patriots, play the first of two games on Monday night football. I can't wait!
My baby sitting services are required on Wednesday in Tewksbury. I might leave on Tuesday and visit the Brodeur's first. Kevin and Kyla got tickets to a Phish Fundraising Concert which will be taking place in Vermont. The Phish group originated from and they are Vermont natives. Funds raised will be going to the flood relief effort of the damage cause by Hurricane Irene. It is a one evening event. Max can't wait to see his Papa again, and the feeling is mutual. Linda has a whole bunch of booked in events so she will be staying home.
Our picnic at a friend's home last evening was wonderful. There was much food, fun, and merriment before the cookout ended. We had "Dine in Ribs", and chicken shish kabobs along with an assortment of great salads. This was after multiple appetizers at the beginning of the party. Linda and I played cribbage in a losing effort, but it was fun. You had to see this homemade cribbage board. One of the guys used to work in G.E. Plastics before he retired, and before it was sold to an Arabic group called Sabic. He made a cribbage board out of a chunk of Lexan, which was invented in Pittsfield. The chunk of Lexan is so heavy that if you ever dropped it on your foot, you would have to be taken to the emergency room of Berkshire Medical Center. It could be used as a weapon too.
Hopefully today is a chill day. I think Linda has a few coupons that she would like to use at the Mall. She doesn't need me to accompany her. As I have said in the past, we men are simple creatures. We can wear clothes and footwear until they fall off our bodies. If we men seem to be wearing clothes that need a change (in the eyes of our significant others), we can always depend on our wives to bring home some new clothes.
Speaking of clothes, I washed a batch of my clothes the other day without checking the pockets. I must have had a pink napkin in one of the pockets. Pieces of the napkin, as it dissolved, got stuck to every garment that I was trying to wash. Linda has been going around the house picking up pieces of the napkin everywhere that I have been walking in the house. Wait until she goes to wash her clothes, and they are dotted with pieces of the pink napkin. Do you wonder why Linda likes it when I am gone from the house for a couple of days?
Have a great day even though it might not be a sun filled one for us in the Berkshires.
The Sunday newspapers are awaiting my perusal.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Hello on Saturday
Dear Friends,
We had a pleasant day on Friday. I left the house first, and went to the home of our Dalton friends, and wet vacuumed their basement once again. I extracted 11 wet vac buckets of water before I left their home. The water was still coming in as I left their home. I am getting the feeling that I am a human sump pump. I am so hoping that when I stop in there this morning that the amount of water is less than what I encountered yesterday.
This task might be good exercise for me, but it isn't helping my Achilles problem. At 2:30 AM I had to pop a few Ibuprophen to lessen a dull ache.
I never did give the lawn a trim on Friday. I am going to give the lawn a trim when the grass dries, and Linda promised that she will give my hair a trim today at some point today.
Before I attack the lawn, I have to trim some chestnut tree branches (which whack me in the head), and rake up the many chestnuts which are on the ground. The blades on my riding lawn mower have been taking a beating when I don't pick up the chestnuts first. When I get my riding lawnmower tuned up when the mowing season ends, I have to have the blades sharpened.
The reason that I never touched the lawn was that Linda and I went off to see the movie "Contagion." We enjoyed the movie, but if you are a germ phobic than you better skip this movie.
We ended up at the Shamrock last evening. We played Keno and socialized for a couple hours before we sat down to eat. Linda won $25 plus a few $2.50 wins if you get two out of the three numbers which we usually play. When we walked in the place, the bar was empty, and the place was quiet. Linda sat next to a white hair lady who told Linda that her husband died 6 years ago. We didn't have a great deal of conversation with her, but she seemed like a really nice person. At one point she started humming / singing for no apparent reason at all. We were so happy when the bartender brought her food while she was sitting at the bar because she stopped singing.
While at the Shamrock, we got to chatting with the wife of the owner who does a little bit of everything dinning room and bar area while her husband is in the kitchen cooking food. She said that it must be a full moon because of a noon time incident which she told us about. Two ladies were seated, and just about ready to be served when another lady walked in, and goes directly to the two seated women. This woman tells the two ladies that they were in her favorite seat, and that 4 more people will be joining her. The original two ladies gave up their seat without any argument, and moved to another table. What would you do if this incident happed to you? Would you move, or would you just stay seated?
We are socially engaged this evening. We got invited to a late afternoon / evening cookout. We were asked to bring an appetizer. I can't wait.
Politics -- Even my conservative friends liked the President's action plan when he addressed the Nation on Thursday evening. Our local newspaper did show a picture of a Republican holding a sigh during the Presidential address which said "Drilling = Jobs". I would have added the word "Pollution". What really got me most was that I think signs like this are inappropriate at a Presidential address. When you are at a sporting contest, or at a political rally, signs are okay with me, but not when the President is addressing Congress.
Sports -- The Red Sox and Yankees are both in a losing streak. It doesn't appear right now that the Red Sox will win their division. Oh Darn!
Cell Phone Charger -- I left my cell phone charger in Tewksbury while baby sitting last week. Kyla FedEx's it, and it arrived as we were heading off to the movies. Life without a working cell phone in this day and age is almost impossible to deal with.
Well, I have to do some quiet activities. Actually there aren't any quiet activities that I can do unless I am out of the house. Linda has bionic ears, and she can hear my every footstep around the house. She can even hear me typing this e-mail.
Since I left the house to do the wet vacuuming at 7:30 AM on Friday, she went into a deep sleep until the telephone rang at 9:30 AM. I won't say which friend called, but Linda woke right up from a deep sleep. Oh Darn!
Have a great Saturday!
It was so nice to see the sunshine yesterday even though we gave up a couple hours of it to attend the matinee.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
We had a pleasant day on Friday. I left the house first, and went to the home of our Dalton friends, and wet vacuumed their basement once again. I extracted 11 wet vac buckets of water before I left their home. The water was still coming in as I left their home. I am getting the feeling that I am a human sump pump. I am so hoping that when I stop in there this morning that the amount of water is less than what I encountered yesterday.
This task might be good exercise for me, but it isn't helping my Achilles problem. At 2:30 AM I had to pop a few Ibuprophen to lessen a dull ache.
I never did give the lawn a trim on Friday. I am going to give the lawn a trim when the grass dries, and Linda promised that she will give my hair a trim today at some point today.
Before I attack the lawn, I have to trim some chestnut tree branches (which whack me in the head), and rake up the many chestnuts which are on the ground. The blades on my riding lawn mower have been taking a beating when I don't pick up the chestnuts first. When I get my riding lawnmower tuned up when the mowing season ends, I have to have the blades sharpened.
The reason that I never touched the lawn was that Linda and I went off to see the movie "Contagion." We enjoyed the movie, but if you are a germ phobic than you better skip this movie.
We ended up at the Shamrock last evening. We played Keno and socialized for a couple hours before we sat down to eat. Linda won $25 plus a few $2.50 wins if you get two out of the three numbers which we usually play. When we walked in the place, the bar was empty, and the place was quiet. Linda sat next to a white hair lady who told Linda that her husband died 6 years ago. We didn't have a great deal of conversation with her, but she seemed like a really nice person. At one point she started humming / singing for no apparent reason at all. We were so happy when the bartender brought her food while she was sitting at the bar because she stopped singing.
While at the Shamrock, we got to chatting with the wife of the owner who does a little bit of everything dinning room and bar area while her husband is in the kitchen cooking food. She said that it must be a full moon because of a noon time incident which she told us about. Two ladies were seated, and just about ready to be served when another lady walked in, and goes directly to the two seated women. This woman tells the two ladies that they were in her favorite seat, and that 4 more people will be joining her. The original two ladies gave up their seat without any argument, and moved to another table. What would you do if this incident happed to you? Would you move, or would you just stay seated?
We are socially engaged this evening. We got invited to a late afternoon / evening cookout. We were asked to bring an appetizer. I can't wait.
Politics -- Even my conservative friends liked the President's action plan when he addressed the Nation on Thursday evening. Our local newspaper did show a picture of a Republican holding a sigh during the Presidential address which said "Drilling = Jobs". I would have added the word "Pollution". What really got me most was that I think signs like this are inappropriate at a Presidential address. When you are at a sporting contest, or at a political rally, signs are okay with me, but not when the President is addressing Congress.
Sports -- The Red Sox and Yankees are both in a losing streak. It doesn't appear right now that the Red Sox will win their division. Oh Darn!
Cell Phone Charger -- I left my cell phone charger in Tewksbury while baby sitting last week. Kyla FedEx's it, and it arrived as we were heading off to the movies. Life without a working cell phone in this day and age is almost impossible to deal with.
Well, I have to do some quiet activities. Actually there aren't any quiet activities that I can do unless I am out of the house. Linda has bionic ears, and she can hear my every footstep around the house. She can even hear me typing this e-mail.
Since I left the house to do the wet vacuuming at 7:30 AM on Friday, she went into a deep sleep until the telephone rang at 9:30 AM. I won't say which friend called, but Linda woke right up from a deep sleep. Oh Darn!
Have a great Saturday!
It was so nice to see the sunshine yesterday even though we gave up a couple hours of it to attend the matinee.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Friday, September 9, 2011
Hello on Friday
Dear Friends,
I was back wearing the boot on Thursday. My Achilles strain is a little better today, but I can still feel it enough that I can't go bootless. I also kept on telling the Orthopedics guy that I haven't been doing anything unusual these past few days, but I realized after I left the Doctor's office that this wasn't true. I went to a friend's home and emptied 7 or so buckets of water from this friend's basement (on more than one occasion). All the twisting and turning that I had to do as well as connecting and disconnecting hoses (one which goes out a window, and then water is pumped out that cellar window) when the buckets, electrical wires to the wet vacuum as I moved it around three rooms in their basement, etc., most likely caused the pain which I was experiencing on Thursday morning. Well, I am going back to their basement this morning for hopefully the last time since we have no major rains in the forecast for over a week. I will be extremely careful during the wet vacuuming process today.
I sat on my butt for most of the day on Thursday, and read a book on the Ipad. I had all intentions of going to an afternoon wake of a friend whose 91 year old dad passed away, but yesterday I was physically unable to perform (PUP) as the football world says when a player is on the disabled list.
Speaking of football, I watched a good portion of the game last night on NBC. The Greenbay Packers look like they could do a repeat as Super Bowl Champions this coming season.
I also watched the hapless Red Sox, who had another chance to pick up a game on the Yankees who lost their game, but it was not to be for the declining Red Sox. There is nothing for us Red Sox fans to cheer about over these past few weeks. Oh Darn!
Politics -- Before I watched any sports last evening, I did listen to the Presidential speech given to Congress and the Nation. President Obama's speech and his plan of action were superb through this Liberal Democrat's eyes. I did see many of the Republicans squirm in their seats when the President made the comment of the rich paying their fair share with respect to taxes. If his plan is signed into law, a lot of good things could happen to help turn around our ailing economy. I like the part of us producing goods that are stamped "Made in America". Has the President been reading "The Curley Lad's" daily blogs? Didn't I make reference to that in a few e-mails ago? He also talked about fixing roads and bridges and fixing our infrastructure in general. Didn't I also say something about that in some emails the other day? Could I help out with the President's speech writing?
Social Calendar -- Today appears to be free one which is good. I need to stay off my feet for a couple of days so that I can put away the boot. I do have to give our lush lawn a trim at some point today. I will take an afternoon nap too. When I say we are free sometimes Linda weaves in a body maintenance procedure. Actually, before this weekend is over, I need Linda to cut my hair and trim my mustache. My hair is starting to be out of control. I get a hint of that when I start scaring little kids when I come in contact with them in grocery stores, Target, Walmart, etc.
Observation -- As I was putting on my boot yesterday during the mid morning, I got to thinking about some of our friends who have significant others or close friends to help them get through some difficult times. We have two friends currently who are in the recovery / physical therapy stages of rotator cuff surgery. Both admit that they couldn't go through what they are going through without this special person (s). Neither can drive a car. One friend had surgery in Boston (and follow up appointments), and the other in Pittsfield. They both have physical therapy in Pittsfield at the same place that I go to. They both need someone to take them back and forth to therapy. They both need help putting on clothes, help with bathing, etc. The significant others pick up prescriptions. How about making meals and eating them? Did you every try and do that with one arm? I still think back when I had quadriceps tendon surgery in January of 2006. I was stuck in bed for several days before I could move around or manage a set of stairs in our Colonial Style home. Linda climbed those stairs, and brought me meals as if I was in the hospital. She was so exhausted dealing with me I think that she was ready to put me in a nursing home. I couldn't drive for months so who do you think ended up being my chauffeur? My whole point is that I hope that all of us who have gone through things like some of us have experienced really appreciate what the other person did to get us through those difficult times. I for one certainly do!
Have a great weekend!
If you live in area like the Berkshires who hasn't seen the sun for days, get out an enjoy it.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
I was back wearing the boot on Thursday. My Achilles strain is a little better today, but I can still feel it enough that I can't go bootless. I also kept on telling the Orthopedics guy that I haven't been doing anything unusual these past few days, but I realized after I left the Doctor's office that this wasn't true. I went to a friend's home and emptied 7 or so buckets of water from this friend's basement (on more than one occasion). All the twisting and turning that I had to do as well as connecting and disconnecting hoses (one which goes out a window, and then water is pumped out that cellar window) when the buckets, electrical wires to the wet vacuum as I moved it around three rooms in their basement, etc., most likely caused the pain which I was experiencing on Thursday morning. Well, I am going back to their basement this morning for hopefully the last time since we have no major rains in the forecast for over a week. I will be extremely careful during the wet vacuuming process today.
I sat on my butt for most of the day on Thursday, and read a book on the Ipad. I had all intentions of going to an afternoon wake of a friend whose 91 year old dad passed away, but yesterday I was physically unable to perform (PUP) as the football world says when a player is on the disabled list.
Speaking of football, I watched a good portion of the game last night on NBC. The Greenbay Packers look like they could do a repeat as Super Bowl Champions this coming season.
I also watched the hapless Red Sox, who had another chance to pick up a game on the Yankees who lost their game, but it was not to be for the declining Red Sox. There is nothing for us Red Sox fans to cheer about over these past few weeks. Oh Darn!
Politics -- Before I watched any sports last evening, I did listen to the Presidential speech given to Congress and the Nation. President Obama's speech and his plan of action were superb through this Liberal Democrat's eyes. I did see many of the Republicans squirm in their seats when the President made the comment of the rich paying their fair share with respect to taxes. If his plan is signed into law, a lot of good things could happen to help turn around our ailing economy. I like the part of us producing goods that are stamped "Made in America". Has the President been reading "The Curley Lad's" daily blogs? Didn't I make reference to that in a few e-mails ago? He also talked about fixing roads and bridges and fixing our infrastructure in general. Didn't I also say something about that in some emails the other day? Could I help out with the President's speech writing?
Social Calendar -- Today appears to be free one which is good. I need to stay off my feet for a couple of days so that I can put away the boot. I do have to give our lush lawn a trim at some point today. I will take an afternoon nap too. When I say we are free sometimes Linda weaves in a body maintenance procedure. Actually, before this weekend is over, I need Linda to cut my hair and trim my mustache. My hair is starting to be out of control. I get a hint of that when I start scaring little kids when I come in contact with them in grocery stores, Target, Walmart, etc.
Observation -- As I was putting on my boot yesterday during the mid morning, I got to thinking about some of our friends who have significant others or close friends to help them get through some difficult times. We have two friends currently who are in the recovery / physical therapy stages of rotator cuff surgery. Both admit that they couldn't go through what they are going through without this special person (s). Neither can drive a car. One friend had surgery in Boston (and follow up appointments), and the other in Pittsfield. They both have physical therapy in Pittsfield at the same place that I go to. They both need someone to take them back and forth to therapy. They both need help putting on clothes, help with bathing, etc. The significant others pick up prescriptions. How about making meals and eating them? Did you every try and do that with one arm? I still think back when I had quadriceps tendon surgery in January of 2006. I was stuck in bed for several days before I could move around or manage a set of stairs in our Colonial Style home. Linda climbed those stairs, and brought me meals as if I was in the hospital. She was so exhausted dealing with me I think that she was ready to put me in a nursing home. I couldn't drive for months so who do you think ended up being my chauffeur? My whole point is that I hope that all of us who have gone through things like some of us have experienced really appreciate what the other person did to get us through those difficult times. I for one certainly do!
Have a great weekend!
If you live in area like the Berkshires who hasn't seen the sun for days, get out an enjoy it.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Hello on Thursday
Dear Friends,
The pitter patter of rain drops hitting the bedroom air conditioner was enough to wake me up. Should we think about building an Ark like the Biblical character Noah did? You know that you have had too much rain when you see mushrooms growing in our lush lawn. I am guessing that people who normally get water in their basements are going through another round of cleanup. I know that some friends who have sump pumps installed in their basements can here the pumps running 24 / 7. By chance I checked on the basement for a friend who is out of town yesterday afternoon. I left after removing 6 or 7 wet vacuum buckets, and the water was still trickling in as I departed. Oh Darn!
Our golf course sent out a newsletter yesterday saying that a women's golf tournament has been cancelled, and it won't be rescheduled. The course has so much water on it right now that they are not letting out golf carts. Our Dalton friend's golf course is usually worse off than my golf course because there is a brook that meanders through the whole golf course. Well, the meandering creek shut down the course for several days when Hurricane Irene passed through. I am guessing that it is shut down for sure right now.
Speaking of this golf course, UNICO will be cooking hotdogs and hamburgers for a Big Brother's and Big Sisters Golf tournament next Wednesday at the Dalton course. I volunteered to help out. I am not sure what happens if the course gets shut down next Wednesday.
It does seem that we are in a pattern where the recent rash of Hurricanes head right for the Northeast and Western Pennsylvania and Western New York, and deposit a whole bunch of rain.
Our day did go as planned on Wednesday. I made the pick up of our friend from Therapy at 9 AM. While I was in the same complex, I went next door to Orthopedics, and made an appointment with the Physician's Assistant. I have a 9:15 PM appointment this morning. Linda is socially engaged this morning too. Linda did do some recreational shopping with the friend that I picked up.
Social Calendar -- Linda has a Red Hat Breakfast at 9:30 AM at a place called "On a Roll" in downtown Pittsfield. She also has a luncheon meeting with some girlfriends who meet every couple of months to catch up on what all of our children, and grandchildren are doing. She better eat a light breakfast.
My strained Achilles has been feeling great since we came back from the Dominican Republic several weeks ago. Well, today it is aching quite a bit.
It is like when you have had an injury, and your body can detect a change in the weather. I hurt enough right now that I might be back wearing the boot for a while. I didn't do anything over the past few days to strain it, but it feels like I have to pay attention to it right now which hasn't been the case for several weeks. Oh Darn!
Sports -- I couldn't bear to watch the Red Sox go down to defeat last night after squandering an 8 to 5 lead in the later innings of the game. The Red Sox had a chance to pick up a game on the Yankees who lost an extra inning game earlier in the day.
The first professional football game of the season takes place this evening.
It will be broadcast on a NFL Network Channel which I refuse to pay extra for. Oh Darn! The two teams who will be battling each other are some of the best teams in professional football.
Politics -- Our President is ready to announce a jobs / economic recovery initiative tonight. Yes, my conservative friends are already saying why hasn't he done this several months ago? I repeat that I didn't know that the government was responsible for creating jobs. Well, with all the damage done by the recent hurricanes, and the fires in Texas, the construction industry should be looking up. The problem is the people in the flood ravaged areas won't be getting insurance money to rebuild unless they had purchased flood insurance. Oh Darn!
I put out the garbage last evening when it wasn't raining. This week "Paper"
is the recycling object. I wouldn't want to lift the paper recycling bucket after all the rain which has fallen overnight.
A mosquito was just flying around my body with the hope of getting some delicious blood. When the rain stops, I would bet that sitting out on the deck would be impossible. Our city decided to stop spending money on spraying for Mosquitoes this year. We citizens will be paying for this cost savings measure.
Speaking about cost cutting, our county jail and the head Sheriff, Tom Bowler, who was a former student of mine, was informed that they are cutting his budget. The bad guys haven't stopped committing crimes so that it doesn't make sense for the State of Massachusetts to cut County Jail budgets. Is the Liberal State of Massachusetts hoping that crime has gone away?
Speaking of crime, I heard that they found the bodies of three men, one of which, were going to testify against a Hells Angel member. I will have to wait until the local newspaper comes out today to see if this rumor is true.
The Hells Angel guy was arraigned the other day on multiple charges of a whole bunch of not so nice things that he did. With respect to one of the charges, there are no witnesses if the rumor I heard was true. Oh Darn!
Have a great day at work or play!
I was going to say that I hope that you stay dry, but that won't happen for several days.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The pitter patter of rain drops hitting the bedroom air conditioner was enough to wake me up. Should we think about building an Ark like the Biblical character Noah did? You know that you have had too much rain when you see mushrooms growing in our lush lawn. I am guessing that people who normally get water in their basements are going through another round of cleanup. I know that some friends who have sump pumps installed in their basements can here the pumps running 24 / 7. By chance I checked on the basement for a friend who is out of town yesterday afternoon. I left after removing 6 or 7 wet vacuum buckets, and the water was still trickling in as I departed. Oh Darn!
Our golf course sent out a newsletter yesterday saying that a women's golf tournament has been cancelled, and it won't be rescheduled. The course has so much water on it right now that they are not letting out golf carts. Our Dalton friend's golf course is usually worse off than my golf course because there is a brook that meanders through the whole golf course. Well, the meandering creek shut down the course for several days when Hurricane Irene passed through. I am guessing that it is shut down for sure right now.
Speaking of this golf course, UNICO will be cooking hotdogs and hamburgers for a Big Brother's and Big Sisters Golf tournament next Wednesday at the Dalton course. I volunteered to help out. I am not sure what happens if the course gets shut down next Wednesday.
It does seem that we are in a pattern where the recent rash of Hurricanes head right for the Northeast and Western Pennsylvania and Western New York, and deposit a whole bunch of rain.
Our day did go as planned on Wednesday. I made the pick up of our friend from Therapy at 9 AM. While I was in the same complex, I went next door to Orthopedics, and made an appointment with the Physician's Assistant. I have a 9:15 PM appointment this morning. Linda is socially engaged this morning too. Linda did do some recreational shopping with the friend that I picked up.
Social Calendar -- Linda has a Red Hat Breakfast at 9:30 AM at a place called "On a Roll" in downtown Pittsfield. She also has a luncheon meeting with some girlfriends who meet every couple of months to catch up on what all of our children, and grandchildren are doing. She better eat a light breakfast.
My strained Achilles has been feeling great since we came back from the Dominican Republic several weeks ago. Well, today it is aching quite a bit.
It is like when you have had an injury, and your body can detect a change in the weather. I hurt enough right now that I might be back wearing the boot for a while. I didn't do anything over the past few days to strain it, but it feels like I have to pay attention to it right now which hasn't been the case for several weeks. Oh Darn!
Sports -- I couldn't bear to watch the Red Sox go down to defeat last night after squandering an 8 to 5 lead in the later innings of the game. The Red Sox had a chance to pick up a game on the Yankees who lost an extra inning game earlier in the day.
The first professional football game of the season takes place this evening.
It will be broadcast on a NFL Network Channel which I refuse to pay extra for. Oh Darn! The two teams who will be battling each other are some of the best teams in professional football.
Politics -- Our President is ready to announce a jobs / economic recovery initiative tonight. Yes, my conservative friends are already saying why hasn't he done this several months ago? I repeat that I didn't know that the government was responsible for creating jobs. Well, with all the damage done by the recent hurricanes, and the fires in Texas, the construction industry should be looking up. The problem is the people in the flood ravaged areas won't be getting insurance money to rebuild unless they had purchased flood insurance. Oh Darn!
I put out the garbage last evening when it wasn't raining. This week "Paper"
is the recycling object. I wouldn't want to lift the paper recycling bucket after all the rain which has fallen overnight.
A mosquito was just flying around my body with the hope of getting some delicious blood. When the rain stops, I would bet that sitting out on the deck would be impossible. Our city decided to stop spending money on spraying for Mosquitoes this year. We citizens will be paying for this cost savings measure.
Speaking about cost cutting, our county jail and the head Sheriff, Tom Bowler, who was a former student of mine, was informed that they are cutting his budget. The bad guys haven't stopped committing crimes so that it doesn't make sense for the State of Massachusetts to cut County Jail budgets. Is the Liberal State of Massachusetts hoping that crime has gone away?
Speaking of crime, I heard that they found the bodies of three men, one of which, were going to testify against a Hells Angel member. I will have to wait until the local newspaper comes out today to see if this rumor is true.
The Hells Angel guy was arraigned the other day on multiple charges of a whole bunch of not so nice things that he did. With respect to one of the charges, there are no witnesses if the rumor I heard was true. Oh Darn!
Have a great day at work or play!
I was going to say that I hope that you stay dry, but that won't happen for several days.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Hello on Wednesday
Dear Friends,
Our Tuesday went as planned. I dined with the Mah Jongg ladies before I took an afternoon nap. The hamburgers and hot dogs were a big hit as well as Linda's cucumber and garden fresh tomato salad. One lady, who has had heart issues in the past, did not partake of the hot dogs and hamburgers. She brought herself a sandwich.
Linda was not so lucky playing Mah Jongg. She exhausted her $5 maximum limit as the games ended a little after 4 PM. A good time was had by all.
After Linda put away her snack food which she had set out for her guests, and freshened up, we headed off to our next event which was the Berkshire County Jimmy Fund Polenta Dinner at the ITAM. Our table of 10 grew into a table of 15. The tables were long tables and not round ones so adding an extra person or two was not a big deal. Some of our friends were "Newbies" because it was the first time that they ever had a Polenta Dinner. I did invite these people to become part of the Curley's Polenta Dinner circuit. The Polenta Dinner was great. My friendly back door neighbor and his wife were in charge of the preparing the dinner. Some UNICO members and Jimmy Fund members formed an assembly line and dished out the Polenta and brought the bread, salads and the polenta dinner to each one of us who attended the event. The bread became an issue for the guests because it was served without butter. The head guy doesn't serve the bread with butter because he believes that there is enough butter and cheese that goes into the polenta to clog the arteries of the healthiest people who attend the event. Well, our table of 15 asked for some Italian salad dressing just to dip the bread into, and they adjusted quite well. There was dessert and coffee too.
Out table also celebrated the birthday of a friend who had rotator cuff surgery a couple of weeks ago. We warned her that the recovery would not be easy since we have several friends who have gone through such an ordeal. If you are wondering how old this friend is just let me say that she is not eligible for Medicare for a few more years. Currently she is sleeping in a lounge chair, and she is not physically able to sleep in her bed yet.
I am picking her up from Physical Therapy around 9 AM this morning. Linda and she will eventually do a few errands before she will need some pain medication as well as some rest. Right now the woman has her arm in a sling which puts a damper on what she can or can not due. Oh Darn! We friends can feel the pain which she is going though.
Texas Fires -- Over 700 homes have been destroyed with the recent rash of forest fires. I can't imagine seeing your house (that we have all worked so hard to maintain) burned to the ground with the foundation the only visible thing that is left. We have been so fortunate in Berkshire County to have escaped the natural disasters which you see or read about in the news. We have had some flooding which is minor compared to the devastation which took place in Vermont and in New York State due to Hurricane Irene. It is raining out right now which are the remnants of Hurricane Lee. Our grounds are so damp, and the forests around her are so wet, that a forest fire wouldn't have a chance of starting. Texas on the other hand is like a tinder box since they experienced months of 100 degree temperatures.
Linda and I are actually looking forward to fall like and eventually winter. Some of our friends think that we are crazy. We know many people who are already booked into places or have second homes down South because they dislike the winters so much in the Northeast. If you were raising a family, wouldn't you want to have your children go sliding, or learn how to ski on snow, or build a snow fort, or have snow ball fight, go snow shoeing, cross country skiing, cutting down a live Christmas tree, etc. How about taking the kids ice-fishing?
We had an exchange student from Spain with us for a full school year when our youngest son was in high school. We took Ramon with us to a Christmas Tree farm in a nearby by town. He got down on his hands and knees and cut down a Christmas Tree. It was the first and the last time that he had ever done so. I say last because Ramon was no fan of the cold weather.
If you grew up in a place that has all four seasons, you should have grown up being taught activities to make it through these seemingly long winters.
Linda lived for a short time in California when she was growing up. A pool party for Christmas is not the same as having a fresh pine sent from a real Christmas tree permeating the house.
Social Calendar -- Linda has her Wednesday night Knitting Group gathering at Panera Bread at 6 PM. I have an informal UNICO Board meeting at the Italian American Club at the same time.
Have a great day at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Our Tuesday went as planned. I dined with the Mah Jongg ladies before I took an afternoon nap. The hamburgers and hot dogs were a big hit as well as Linda's cucumber and garden fresh tomato salad. One lady, who has had heart issues in the past, did not partake of the hot dogs and hamburgers. She brought herself a sandwich.
Linda was not so lucky playing Mah Jongg. She exhausted her $5 maximum limit as the games ended a little after 4 PM. A good time was had by all.
After Linda put away her snack food which she had set out for her guests, and freshened up, we headed off to our next event which was the Berkshire County Jimmy Fund Polenta Dinner at the ITAM. Our table of 10 grew into a table of 15. The tables were long tables and not round ones so adding an extra person or two was not a big deal. Some of our friends were "Newbies" because it was the first time that they ever had a Polenta Dinner. I did invite these people to become part of the Curley's Polenta Dinner circuit. The Polenta Dinner was great. My friendly back door neighbor and his wife were in charge of the preparing the dinner. Some UNICO members and Jimmy Fund members formed an assembly line and dished out the Polenta and brought the bread, salads and the polenta dinner to each one of us who attended the event. The bread became an issue for the guests because it was served without butter. The head guy doesn't serve the bread with butter because he believes that there is enough butter and cheese that goes into the polenta to clog the arteries of the healthiest people who attend the event. Well, our table of 15 asked for some Italian salad dressing just to dip the bread into, and they adjusted quite well. There was dessert and coffee too.
Out table also celebrated the birthday of a friend who had rotator cuff surgery a couple of weeks ago. We warned her that the recovery would not be easy since we have several friends who have gone through such an ordeal. If you are wondering how old this friend is just let me say that she is not eligible for Medicare for a few more years. Currently she is sleeping in a lounge chair, and she is not physically able to sleep in her bed yet.
I am picking her up from Physical Therapy around 9 AM this morning. Linda and she will eventually do a few errands before she will need some pain medication as well as some rest. Right now the woman has her arm in a sling which puts a damper on what she can or can not due. Oh Darn! We friends can feel the pain which she is going though.
Texas Fires -- Over 700 homes have been destroyed with the recent rash of forest fires. I can't imagine seeing your house (that we have all worked so hard to maintain) burned to the ground with the foundation the only visible thing that is left. We have been so fortunate in Berkshire County to have escaped the natural disasters which you see or read about in the news. We have had some flooding which is minor compared to the devastation which took place in Vermont and in New York State due to Hurricane Irene. It is raining out right now which are the remnants of Hurricane Lee. Our grounds are so damp, and the forests around her are so wet, that a forest fire wouldn't have a chance of starting. Texas on the other hand is like a tinder box since they experienced months of 100 degree temperatures.
Linda and I are actually looking forward to fall like and eventually winter. Some of our friends think that we are crazy. We know many people who are already booked into places or have second homes down South because they dislike the winters so much in the Northeast. If you were raising a family, wouldn't you want to have your children go sliding, or learn how to ski on snow, or build a snow fort, or have snow ball fight, go snow shoeing, cross country skiing, cutting down a live Christmas tree, etc. How about taking the kids ice-fishing?
We had an exchange student from Spain with us for a full school year when our youngest son was in high school. We took Ramon with us to a Christmas Tree farm in a nearby by town. He got down on his hands and knees and cut down a Christmas Tree. It was the first and the last time that he had ever done so. I say last because Ramon was no fan of the cold weather.
If you grew up in a place that has all four seasons, you should have grown up being taught activities to make it through these seemingly long winters.
Linda lived for a short time in California when she was growing up. A pool party for Christmas is not the same as having a fresh pine sent from a real Christmas tree permeating the house.
Social Calendar -- Linda has her Wednesday night Knitting Group gathering at Panera Bread at 6 PM. I have an informal UNICO Board meeting at the Italian American Club at the same time.
Have a great day at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Hello on Tuesday
Dear Friends,
Linda and I finally had a chill day with no commitments. It was a great way for us to end the Labor Day weekend. I did send Linda out to get some farm fresh corn on the cob. The on and off rain stopped jut in time for me to char some "Dine In" precooked baby back ribs. Linda whipped up a tomato and Cucumber salad. Supper was wonderful.
Speaking of food, I will be cooking hot dogs and hamburgers (lunch time) for the Tuesday Mah Jongg session which Linda is hosting today. I might be cooking in a rain slicker which I have had much practice doing.
This evening we will be attending a Jimmy Fund Polenta Dinner at the ITAM at
6 PM. I reserved a table of 10 which is almost filled up. I am not going to be working in the kitchen even though one of my UNICO brothers is the head chef for this fundraiser. I will be dining with Linda and some friends.
Well, the buses will be rolling this morning as schools throughout the county open their doors. It has been so long that either of us were participants in the opening of school that it is a distant memory. We enjoy our current phase of life so much that we have no desire to return to the classroom.
Speaking of schools and some comments from one of my readers that Americans schools are in dire straits, the first teachers of children are their parents. If parents do their job before any child enters the classroom (and continue working from pre K through high school), those children will most likely do well. That is the problem right there. As the family structure / unit has changed or deteriorated so has our society. Like I said before, it takes a mom and a dad to raise a child. Yes, I do know that there are some great single parents raising their children, but I would bet that they would love to have another set of hands to help out with child rearing.
We now have grandparents doing a good deal of the child rearing. None of our baby boomers friends grew up with grandparents raising us. Grandma and Grandpa were people that you went to visit, share holidays, participate in birthdays, etc., but you went back home after a visit.
Making babies is the easy part, but the real work takes place after the birth of a child. Linda and I love to see our sons and daughter-in-laws interact and work with their children. Their offspring are so lucky to have such great parents. We grandparents don't mind helping out like I did last week with a little baby sitting, but we both know we will eventually return to our retiree life.
It is also a job of parents to install a work ethic in their children. The work ethic can be in the form a mom who decides to be a stay at home mom (which is a full time job during the formative years). Every thing that we do as parents will eventually be a learned behavior in our children. If mom and dad stay home all day, and neither able bodied parent goes off to work, why wouldn't a child think that this must be a way of life when the child becomes an adult?
Schools are asked to play the role as Mom and Dads because there are so many dysfunctional families. The amount of actual teaching in the classroom has decreased over the years since we are solving other issues in those classrooms. Teachers spend a lot of time trying to catch students up to the same level as their classmates who didn't have moms and dads doing their job as parents. The social services that schools now provide were nonexistent when we baby boomers went to school. Pedro Martinez (a Red Sox pitcher at the time) made the comment about the Red Sox vs Yankee rivalry as they were about to do battle: "Who's your Daddy?" Those words can apply to the many dysfunctional families who send their kids off to school on a daily basis.
Fix the family, and society will fall right into place!
Sports -- The Red Sox lost a heart breaking extra inning game in Toronto as the Yankees won a slugfest by a 11 to 10 score. The Yankees have increased their lead against the second place Red Sox. Oh Darn!
One of my exciting activities yesterday besides watching sports was to ball up some yarn for Linda. She has been working feverishly knitting some items for our female grandchild who will be arriving this coming February to Kevin and Kyla.
Have a great day at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Linda and I finally had a chill day with no commitments. It was a great way for us to end the Labor Day weekend. I did send Linda out to get some farm fresh corn on the cob. The on and off rain stopped jut in time for me to char some "Dine In" precooked baby back ribs. Linda whipped up a tomato and Cucumber salad. Supper was wonderful.
Speaking of food, I will be cooking hot dogs and hamburgers (lunch time) for the Tuesday Mah Jongg session which Linda is hosting today. I might be cooking in a rain slicker which I have had much practice doing.
This evening we will be attending a Jimmy Fund Polenta Dinner at the ITAM at
6 PM. I reserved a table of 10 which is almost filled up. I am not going to be working in the kitchen even though one of my UNICO brothers is the head chef for this fundraiser. I will be dining with Linda and some friends.
Well, the buses will be rolling this morning as schools throughout the county open their doors. It has been so long that either of us were participants in the opening of school that it is a distant memory. We enjoy our current phase of life so much that we have no desire to return to the classroom.
Speaking of schools and some comments from one of my readers that Americans schools are in dire straits, the first teachers of children are their parents. If parents do their job before any child enters the classroom (and continue working from pre K through high school), those children will most likely do well. That is the problem right there. As the family structure / unit has changed or deteriorated so has our society. Like I said before, it takes a mom and a dad to raise a child. Yes, I do know that there are some great single parents raising their children, but I would bet that they would love to have another set of hands to help out with child rearing.
We now have grandparents doing a good deal of the child rearing. None of our baby boomers friends grew up with grandparents raising us. Grandma and Grandpa were people that you went to visit, share holidays, participate in birthdays, etc., but you went back home after a visit.
Making babies is the easy part, but the real work takes place after the birth of a child. Linda and I love to see our sons and daughter-in-laws interact and work with their children. Their offspring are so lucky to have such great parents. We grandparents don't mind helping out like I did last week with a little baby sitting, but we both know we will eventually return to our retiree life.
It is also a job of parents to install a work ethic in their children. The work ethic can be in the form a mom who decides to be a stay at home mom (which is a full time job during the formative years). Every thing that we do as parents will eventually be a learned behavior in our children. If mom and dad stay home all day, and neither able bodied parent goes off to work, why wouldn't a child think that this must be a way of life when the child becomes an adult?
Schools are asked to play the role as Mom and Dads because there are so many dysfunctional families. The amount of actual teaching in the classroom has decreased over the years since we are solving other issues in those classrooms. Teachers spend a lot of time trying to catch students up to the same level as their classmates who didn't have moms and dads doing their job as parents. The social services that schools now provide were nonexistent when we baby boomers went to school. Pedro Martinez (a Red Sox pitcher at the time) made the comment about the Red Sox vs Yankee rivalry as they were about to do battle: "Who's your Daddy?" Those words can apply to the many dysfunctional families who send their kids off to school on a daily basis.
Fix the family, and society will fall right into place!
Sports -- The Red Sox lost a heart breaking extra inning game in Toronto as the Yankees won a slugfest by a 11 to 10 score. The Yankees have increased their lead against the second place Red Sox. Oh Darn!
One of my exciting activities yesterday besides watching sports was to ball up some yarn for Linda. She has been working feverishly knitting some items for our female grandchild who will be arriving this coming February to Kevin and Kyla.
Have a great day at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
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