Hello on Friday

Dear Friends,

A Therapy session at the Medical Arts Complex, a visit with dad at the hospital, an afternoon nap, and attending a play at the Colonial Theater went as planned for me.

Linda on the other hand had an exciting time of writing out bills, doing some recreational shopping with a girlfriend, and attending the play called a Christmas Carol.

Let me start with an update on dad. When I arrived at 8:30 AM, dad was sleeping. His breakfast tray was next to his bed, and he slept through breakfast. When he did wake up, the poking and prodding began. He was one sore buckaroo. After I left near 11 AM, they had taken his blood, done an Ultra Sound on his ceratoid artery, given him his usual dose of pills, received communion, and was asked questions by a case worker. My sister, who had some business to take care of, was going to find out about his medical condition, discharge back to the nursing home, etc. I left the hospital after dad was given some pain medication so that they could change his bed while he was in it. Changing a bed while a person is in it is not a big deal except when you have a broken collar bone, and back issues because they have to roll you from side to side. I didn’t want to see my dad in agony as they rolled him from side to side. The nurses’ orders were for total bed rest. My father is not allowed out of bed for anything. I will be heading to the hospital this morning once again with his favorite newspaper.

I found out from the Brodeur’s yesterday that Jerry’s 90 something year old dad had fallen at his assisted living place in Tewksbury. His Dad was X-rayed and luckily no broken bones appeared on the X-Ray.

The joy of dealing with aging parents is endless!

The play was okay last evening. The set design was awesome. I am so glad that we paid only $25 per ticket for the first balcony seats. The seats on the main floor were going for $100 per ticket, and I would have felt shortchanged if I sat in those seats. The acting was good. I still like the old black and white movie that we baby boomers grew up with.
As I was watching and listening to the main character, Mr. Scrooge, I started thinking that this guy was a Republican who turned into a Democrat by the end of the play. For several of my friends, the reverse has happened.

Linda and I did stop for some wings at Patrick’s Pub before the play. The other couple couldn’t join us because of work commitments. Oh Darn!

Speaking of the other couple, I felt bad for the wife. She is into this physical fitness thing; Kayaking, hiking up mountains, walking briskly, Yoga, etc. Several months ago at Yoga Class she knew she strained something, but it didn’t seem so bad. She is experiencing back issues right now including a possible bulging disk. She is hurting so bad that her doctor told her to cool it with her exercises. Her not being able to do her exercises are hurting her more than the back pain. I am trying to think of a moral to this little story about us baby boomers and exercising. I guess we have to do things in moderation. We might have to adjust the statement which we grew up with about “No pain, no gain.” She sees a specialist at the end of January to determine whether she will need an operation or not. Oh Darn!

Linda and I are going out once again this evening. Today it is for an Irish Sister City friend. We will be celebrating her 80th birthday party the Berkshire Hills Country Club. If you saw this lady, who was born and lived in Ireland for 17 years before she came to the United States, you would never guess that she is turning 80 years old. There will be a lot of food, fun, and merriment before this party comes to an end. I better take an afternoon nap like I did yesterday.

Politics – I see where Bachman is trailing the pack of Republican contenders. I think that it might be time for her to fold the tent, and go home.

Watching the Republicans duke it out is like watching the Boston Celtics Basketball team play the first three game of the season. The Celtics are 0 and 3 for the first three games. The team looks old and tired just like when the Republicans do when they are debating.

I did forget to mention that our granddaughter, Isabelle, from Valdosta, Georgia turned four years old yesterday. Her Minnesota grandparents were there in Valdosta to celebrate Isabelle’s birthday. Linda and I chatted with Isabelle on the cell phone yesterday. She was happy like I always was because both of our birthdays are close to Christmas. We always seem to get a double dose of presents.

Kevin’s restaurant will be getting a little plug in the Berkshire Eagle next week. I sent an e-mail off to the staff writer who reviews restaurants as well as the night scene. She said that she would do a little write up of Dough East Boston. Even if it is a small paragraph, there are a lot of people who go from Pittsfield to Boston and especially to Logan Airport (which is 1.1 miles from Dough). This will be another dose of free advertising. So far Dough has been featured on the television program called “the Phantom Gourmet, Boston Globe newspaper, and next week in our local newspaper. There is one more program that he is trying to get on called “Billy Costa’s T.V. Diner.”

Well, I will read the local newspaper, and then go off and visit dad at Berkshire Medical Center right after he has breakfast. I chose his lunch, and dinner yesterday, and his meals for today. I hope that he likes what I chose for him.

Have great day at work or play!
New Years is almost here.
I can’t wait for the New Year’s Eve party at a friend’s home tomorrow, and the Sunday New Year’s Day brunch at different friend’s home.
The formal diet starts on January 2, 2012.

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad