Hello on Tuesday

Dear Friends,

News on the national and global level was a bit calm this morning as I checked the CNN news on line.

It appears that Mr. Romney is getting close to becoming the Republican’s sacrificial lamb as those debates continue from State to State. I wish my conservative friends “Good Luck” if they think that their candidate can make President Obama a one term President.

I am up early because I was thinking about my father, and I my own mortality. I was also thinking about my avid reader’s comments as we went back and forth in my daily blog yesterday. Albert is correct about everyone finding their own niche in life as we baby boomers turn into senior citizens. I keep getting a snapshot of what it is going to be like as we Baby Boomers pass through the 60’s and 70’s, and into our 80’s age group. This snapshot has come from reading the local obituaries each day, and observing what goes on in nursing homes and hospitals since I have been spending a lot of time in both of them over the past four years.
Albert’s focus on life will change a little as his two boys and their wives start producing a family. Grandchildren are a wonderful change to the person who possibly ponders the phase of retirement. As I have always maintained, continuing to work is a life saver for some of our baby boomer friends. Maybe if I had a job where I could take off weekends of my choice, extend holiday periods, do work at home, not travel during school vacations which is when the airlines increase fares, close an office door and tell the secretary to hold my calls when I am a little tired on some days, use a company car, etc., I too would probably be still working. When you are a teacher, you can’t do any of things just mentioned. This is why I say, we knew going into the teaching that we would have less during our working careers so stop being jealous that we are now receiving pension (which we contributed to in every paycheck). I also don’t want to hear that I should be feeling story for our State when there are financial woes. The voters always want us Sate and Municipal workers to start making givebacks to help the State balance the yearly budget. We in the teaching profession are getting our due right now.

I helped dad with breakfast when I visited with him on Monday. He is not the same man that I used to visit in the nursing home. He was one week from going back to his home in Lee before the falls began. Oh Darn!

The Crockpot dinner was a big hit yesterday. The fall off of the bone pork was spectacular. We invited a friend to join us, and she too enjoyed the meal. This friend has an empty refrigerator at her home because she will be heading south at the end of the week to be in warmer climates. We are taking her and her mom to the Airport on Friday. Our friend can’t wait to leave the Berkshires and get to the warmer weather.

We might do a B.J. warehouse house rotisserie chicken for supper tonight. Linda will need some sustenance for her two Mah Jongg sessions which she has today. Her usual Tuesday Mah Jongg session takes place a friend’s home starting at 11:30 AM, and the hostess will be providing lunch. Tonight Linda and two other friends will be driving to a South County friend’s home at 7 PM to participate in an evening session of Mah Jongg.
I might go back to reading books which I haven’t done in over a month. Of course, I have some kind of sporting contest this evening, and there is an afternoon nap in my future too.

I did forget to mention in my daily blog that my Dalton friend had a birthday yesterday. He has a few years before he hits the 65 year old mark.

Weather – I am watching the weather channel on the kitchen television while creating this email. We are in for a cold couple of days before the temperature get close to 40 degrees once again. Our high will be 18 degrees today, and very cold this evening along with wind.

Today the children will be heading back to school after the Christmas vacation. I remember how it was like to try and motivate the lifeless children on a day after long vacation. These high school children who Linda and I dealt with have been sleeping until noon each day during the school vacation, and now they are in our classrooms at 7:25 AM. We do remember coming home at the end of this day totally exhausted. Do you think that Linda and I miss days like this?

Well, I have two therapy appointments beginning at 8 AM, a visit with dad at the hospital, and then I will be housebound (my choice) for the rest of the day. If we decide on the rotisserie chicken for supper, I will have Linda pick one up because it is on her way home from her first session of Mah Jongg.

Have a great day at work or school!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad