Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Hello on Wednesday

Dear Friends,

It is balmy 2 degrees outside this morning, but we will reach the 24 degree mark in the Berkshires today.

Our day went as planned yesterday.

I helped dad with breakfast yesterday at the hospital. Dad was shipped back to the nursing home. This time he has a roommate, and his new room is almost across from the nurses’ station.
I was going off to see him this morning until I remembered that we have two people coming to our house; one to replaces the outside front door, and an insurance agent. My visit to dad will take place later on today.

With today being Wednesday, it is Linda’s knitting group gathering at Panera Bread at 6 PM. I have the Boston Bruins, and the Boston Celtics to keep me entertained while she is gone. I started a new hard cover book last night after Linda left for her second session of Mah Jongg. I shut off the television so that I wouldn’t be distracted.

As I surmised, Linda came home totally exhausted after her second session of Mah Jongg. She couldn’t say “No” when she was asked to be a substitute for this other group which she normally doesn’t play with. The three players, who were colleagues and friends of hers, have not been in contact with one another for a long time.

I see were Romney and Santorum picked up the most votes in the Iowa caucus. I am really so excited. I can’t wait for the New Hampshire caucus. Watching these conservative candidates debate is like watching the National Basketball Association plays games on television. It could also be comparable to “watching paint dry.”

After the back and forth discussion because of comments I made in Tuesday’s blog, I think that it all comes down to people thinking that the other guy has an easier job in life. Every job has its perks and benefits during and after a person retires. My perks and benefits come from taxpayer dollars, but sometimes people forget that we teachers are taxpayers too.

When the relatively young floor nurse came to give dad his medication yesterday morning, she said that my father and I looked familiar. We should because my mother, my father, me, and Linda (who was on this floor for 15.5 days dealing with an infection) have been on this floor. Some of us have been on the other four floors at some point too either as a patient or a visitor.

We will be going out on Thursday night to a wake for our 90 year old Irish friend who passed away. The wake is from 4 to 7 PM, but we members of the Irish Sister City Committee are going to have a real Irish Wake a little after 7 PM. We are going to a covered dish affair at the home of one our members where once again there will be much food, fun, and merriment. The Curley’s will whip up some kind of dish. My first thought was to make a platter of some finger sandwiches.
We won’t be able to make the funeral service at the Dwyer Funeral Home on Friday at 1 PM because we are taking a friend and her mom to the Hartford airport. They will be flying into warmer southern climates at 2 PM. This means that we will be on the road, or at the airport.


Warmth and Lack of snow – This unusual weather really does affect a lot of people. The ski areas couldn’t even make snow and retain it. The deer hunters struggled to locate deer because the Berkshire Hills had no snow cover. The deer had an endless supply of food. If hunters chased the deer to high elevations, there was still food on the ground. The deer didn’t have to go to lower elevations in search of food.
The winter sports stores have taken a hit. If a person received snow shoes for Christmas, where could they go to use them?
I am ready to do some ice-fishing, but there was open water on the lakes and ponds on Sunday. The cool weather for the last few days has provided a thin layer of ice, but it is too thin for me to venture out there. I also don’t like to fish on bare ice. 6 to 12 inches of ice with a little snow cover make for idea conditions.
Anyone who sells live bait and ice-fishing equipment has taken a hit too.
How about the people who bought trucks and put a snow plow on them thinking that a little snow plowing would help make some truck payments?
There is a positive among this lack of snow and ice. The budgets for snow removal for the cities and towns have been used only once for the October snow storm.

I chatted with our restaurant son last evening. He was with Max all day yesterday since Tuesday is Kevin’s day off at the restaurant. Kevin and Max did go into the Chelsea Depot for some food and restaurant supplies. Even though Max is only two years old, he is never too young to learn the family business.
For my local Berkshire Eagle Readers, Kevin’s restaurant Dough East Boston will get a little mention I think in the Thursday addition of the newspaper. I am not sure if will be in either today’s or Thursday’s newspaper. I will let you know when the article appears.

Speaking of food, we did have the B.J.’s warehouse $4.99 rotisserie chicken last evening along with the leftover potatoes and carrots from the night before. The meal was wonderful. I cut the chicken in half. We can have a second supper time meal or slice up the chicken and make sandwiches for lunch.

Well, I have to read the local newspaper, and get dressed. I think that I will get dad his favorite newspapers first; deal with the people coming to our house this morning, and then go off and visit dad.
I do have take an afternoon nap so that I can watch my sporting contests while reading my John Sanford book this evening while I am in my Man Cave.

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

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