Hello on Wednesday

Subject: Hello on Wednesday Morning from the Beautiful Berkshires


Dear Friends,

The wind is howling and the cold air is starting to make it's way into the Berkshires. We have some nuisance snow heading our way on Thursday. It won't arrive until the commute home from work on Thursday ( which doesn't apply to Linda and I), and the snow showers will fall into Friday. The last time that we had snow showers, we picked up 8 inches of snow, but the weather guy keeps on saying it will be just a couple inches white stuff.

The boneless pot roast cooked in our crock pot turned out spectacular for supper last evening. I put the onions, potatoes, and carrots in the crock pot along with the beef. I used a special gravy mix which I put in the crock pot which was the liquid contribution for the crock pot concoction. You had to be there to taste how good this supper time meal really was.

For working people, the crock pot is a wonderful solution to coming home after work to a home cooked meal when you have no energy to think about making supper. Of course, there is "take out" as a second option. Linda and I used to use the crock pot when we were teaching. We either prepped the crock pot the night before, or I did so in the morning. Linda didn't want to touch any food in the morning, but since I always got up early, it was usually me who set up the crock pot meal.

Speaking of crock pots, Linda is hosting her Tuesday Mah Jongg session next week. The ladies will be treated to chicken soup which will be made in our crock pot. We will start the soup before going to bed on Monday night, and it will be ready by noontime on Tuesday. I will have lunch with the ladies unless the lakes are safe enough for me to do a little ice-fishing.

Observation -- Some of us are lucky enough to have garages to put our cars in. While on the highways after last week's surprise "Snow Showers", I was amazed how people who have to remove snow from their cars do so. One driver had so much snow on their front and rear windshields that a policeman could have pulled them over and issued a ticket for driving a vehicle with unsafe conditions. Even their passenger windows contained a lot of snow.

Another thing that really bugs me is the way people park their cars in parking lots. Since I have been making many visits at the Berkshire Medical Center parking lots while dealing with my mother (when she was alive) and father, and now me going to therapy at the Medical Arts Complex, I can't believe the way people park their cars. When the parking lines are clearly marked, I don't understand why people can't park their vehicles in between the lines. I remember one time when a person who I said "Hi" to, as we crossed paths at the hospital, squeezed his Suburban into a parking place next to my car so close to my car that I couldn't get into the driver side door. I tried to find the guy, but he had already entered the hospital, and I couldn't catch up with him.

Today is garbage collection day for our neighborhood. The wind is blowing so hard that I am afraid to put out the trash. My trash buckets will not stand upright with the severe winds as they are right now. This is one of those days where people's trash will be blowing up and down the street all day long. Oh Darn!

Social Calendar -- I will be leaving the house first today. Have to resolve an issue with medical payments since I am now on Medicare. Medicare needs proof that I need my sleep apnea device since I went from the City of Pittsfield's health care system to Medicare. I can solve this problem over the telephone. Oh Darn!
Linda is the only one socially engaged today. She has her Wednesday Knitting Group gathering at Panera Bread this evening at 6 PM.
I started savoring another book, and I will have the Boston Celtics game on with the volume turned way down this evening. There is turmoil on the team, and rumors about trading one of the big three aging stars. Oh Darn!
My Boston Bruins were beaten last evening! Oh Darn!

Politics -- The wealth of Mitt Romney has become a discussion point during the Republican debates. I was wondering if a person like "Joe the Plumber" could ever be President of the United States in this day and age. I would think not! Politics and Money seems to go hand in hand. Oh Darn!

Cruise Ships -- From January through March, this is prime time for booking cruises. A couple whom we know and their friend's are booked in for a cruise before the winter is over. I would imagine that their cruise will be extremely safe since the Tuscany incident has been on the television airwaves for the past week or so. They are still looking for bodies in Italy. Can you imagine the class action suit which will be filed, and how much that the cruise lines will have to pay out?

Wind turbines - There was a report in our local newspapers that they are not a hazard to our health. They are a hazard to our beautiful landscape in the Berkshires. I say put them in your back yard if you love them so much. Leave my Berkshire Hills alone!

The accident which occurred in our neighborhood has come to an end. The Clerk Magistrate, who heard the case, didn't find enough evidence to go to trial. The person who was struck by a neighbor's car has damaged body parts. I would imagine that the car insurance company of the driver will be paying for the medical bills for the victim.

Well, I have to attach creepers on my boots, and take out the garbage. Our driveway is a shinny sheet of ice. I don't need to fall on the ice, and damage any body parts like I did 5 or 6 years ago.

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