Hello on Thursday Morning

Dear Friends,

We have another unsettling day weather wise in the beautiful Berkshires. The rain is going to put a damper on the plans of beginning the deck staining at my friend's home. It doesn't look like starting our project at 8:30 AM is going to happen today.

Our Wednesday went as planned. After visiting Mom just around breakfast time, I came home to be carpentry man once again. I am pretty much done my most of what needed to be done. My next job is to carefully wash the deck in preparation for the staining.

Linda finished one of her two projects. I think she will be attacking her closet today. I suppose that I should do my closet too.

Two of the three Boston teams lost last evening. The Bruins lost in overtime, the Red Sox were beaten at home by the Cleveland Indians, but the Boston Celtics did even their series by beating Orlando on the hardwood floor. The Yankees lost their game in 10 innings so they weren't able to gain ground on the Sox.

Politics -- Another New England State has said "Yes" to same sex marriage. I know some of my readers can't stand the thought of same sex marriages. Yes, I know the typical arguments of marriage: "Marriage is between a man and a woman, and that marriage implies procreation." Marriage implies happiness, and certain rights, like being able to visit a loved one in a hospital, sharing health benefits, etc. I too thought that it should be called a "Civil union" and not marriage, but I have changed my position.
Same sex couples are just like any other male-female couples. The original same sex female couple in Massachusetts, who got this whole issue on the table got divorced, just like the people who sometimes do in the so called "normal marriages." Most of the gay people will tell you that they didn't grow up wanting to be gay. A person shouldn't be penalized because they are born wired differently. No, the gays are not going to take over the world. I say "Live and let live!"

Observation -- A 60 year old Pittsfield third grade teacher dropped dead at her home the other day. It was a brain aneurysm.
This tragic incident just reinforces the fact that retiring when I did was a very good decision. You never know when "your number is up." "Life is Good", so enjoy it while you can. If work brings you life, enjoy that too.

Well, I have to do some quiet chores around the house, and not waist the day because the weather interfered with my plans.

Have a great Thursday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Wednesday

Dear Friends,

It is 47 degrees, and rainy as I start this e-mail. The weather prognosticators say that the rain will end , and we will reach 68 degrees at some point today. They also said not to get to excited because we are in this unsettled pattern for the next four or five days. Mother's Day will be dry, and a cool 61 degrees. A cookout on the deck doesn't seem like it is going to happen.

Speaking of rain, The Red Sox and Yankees did battle during the rain for almost half of their game at the new Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox ended up winning the game. I went to bed a happy man.

Yesterday went as planned. Linda was exhausted with her double session of Mah Jongg.

My exhaustion was caused by me trying to be carpenter man. I decided to replace some deck railings, and post caps on our deck before beginning any deck staining. The deck railings are those 2 by 6 inch pieces of pressured treated wood. I use the deck railings to set drinks on.
The rain put a halt to my project around 2:30 PM. I will finish the project when the rain ends today if all goes well.

Linda was nervous and told me to stay focused so that I wouldn't cut off some of my fingers with the electric hand saw.
My evening meeting went well. It was over in less than an hour.
I didn't have the energy to go off to the Irish Session at O'Laughlin's Pub, so I went home to watch the Red Sox.

Mom -- I didn't visit Mom on Tuesday, but I will do so in a little while.

Politics -- It looks like the economy is starting to head in a positive direction.

News -- A Florida man threw his girl friend's baby out the window of his car after a domestic dispute in Florida. The baby was in the car seat at the time. He will be charged with murder. I wonder what excuses the defense will make up so that the person can spend less time in jail. "Stupid people shouldn't breed!" This is not my quote, but I did forget the name of the female who wrote those words of wisdom.

Observation -- While watching the Yankee game on television last evening, there was a guy in the stands behind home plate with a Yankee shirt on. The relatively young guy was bald. As the rain was falling pretty steady for four innings, I was wondering if being bald in a rain storm is a good thing.
The other day, my former vice-principal, who we met a social function, said that I needed a haircut. I told him that he sounded like my mother.
I will have to have Linda give me a trim in a day or so.

Social Calendar -- Linda has two projects to do in the house. One of those projects is one that she is really is trying to avoid. This is a multi-day project of changing from winter clothes and sweaters to summer clothes. I have to be available to move buckets, and take out garbage bags full of old clothes.
Mom and carpentry projects are the only things on my social calendar.

I am pretty sure that we have no social commitments this evening which is highly unusual. I already know what I will be cooking for supper if all goes well.

Have a great Wednesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Tuesday Morning

Dear Friends,

I rushed to put in those air conditioners a few days ago, and they were only used twice. I have been going between turning the heat on, and turning it off. We aren't getting out of the 50's today here in the Berkshires with a little spotty rain showers. Tomorrow we are back to the 70's.

Our Tuesday went as planned. Linda did get in her round of golf, and she went to her Monthly BONCO game at a friend's home. She won a beautiful hanging basket. I had her playing the incorrect game according to yesterday's e-mail.
Today she is going for a body maintenance procedure before playing Mah Jongg with her normal Tuesday group of ladies. No, her evening is not free, she has another Mah Jongg game with a different set of friends at 6:30 PM. This group picked up a new player who learned the game while wintering in Florida.

I did do a few things around the house before visiting Mom during the mid afternoon. She had some form of therapy 5 times on Monday. After the brief visit with Mom, I headed off to Lee to prepare a steak dinner for Dad and I. Not too much bonding occurred because the Red Sox game was delayed for 2 hours and 20 minutes. I left at 7:30 PM to go home and watch the Celtics lose their first playoff game of the second round.
Speaking of the Red Sox, they were victorious over the Yankees, but it wasn't easy. I listened to the last few innings on the radio. The game never ended to 1:08 AM.

My social calendar starts today at 8 AM. I am helping a friend stain his deck, and he said that he would help me do mine. We are going off to Home Depot, and he will help me select the proper tools to do the job. He has done his deck so many times that he has become an expert.
I do have a meeting at 6:30 PM related to Irish Sister City stuff.
Of course, I will visit Mom at some point today also.

Swine Flu -- Massachusetts picked up 28 cases of Swine Flu. I am not sure if we have any cases in our area. Bargain flights to Mexico are still available.

Politics -- Nothing to report.

World News -- The Pirates off the Somalia Coast are still active. Nations are starting to fight back which is good.

Observation -- I use three sources of information for my weather, but why are all three different from one another?
The local newspaper prints a five day forecast, the weather Channel does also, and the local television stations discuss a five day forecast too. Which one am I supposed to believe? I think that I would have better luck playing the slot machines at a Casino than I would have figuring out the daily weather is going to be.

Have a great Tuesday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Monday Morning

Dear Friends,

We had a pleasant, and no commitment day on Sunday.
My visit with Mom went from 9:30 AM until almost 3 PM. I had planned to come home from the hospital after Mom had her lunch, but all of a sudden my sister, and father showed up too. We discussed the next step for Mom after the hospital releases her, which we were told would not be right away. As a family, we did agree that mom should go back to the rehab portion of the Laurel Lake facility in Lee.
Yesterday, Mom seemed to want to sleep more. The nurses and doctors want to cut back on her pain medication because they don't want her to sleep all day long. There is no rehab on the weekend. I am guessing that they have her booked in for several times today.

While I was doing my thing, Linda read both newspapers in peace and quiet before she did some household chores. About an hour before I headed home to watch the Red Sox, she went off to do a little basic necessities shopping at WalMart some of which were clothes for me. The way that I beat up my shirts and pants makes me a candidate for inexpensive clothes.

Sports -- My Red Sox lost a third game out of four to the Tampa Rays' baseball team. In the evening, the Boston Bruins lost their hockey game. I did a good deal of reading as my sports' team were getting beat up. I am reading another top ten book written by David Baldacci called "The Family." It may be fiction, but it is pretty good so far.

Social Calendar -- Linda is booked in for golf with her girlfriends at 3:30 PM, and then she is off to Mah Jongg at 7 PM at a friend's home. She is a substitute for this group of ladies. Rain might put a damper on her golf game.
I will be heading off to Lee to bond with my father this evening. I am going to whip up a couple of sirloin steaks with all the fixings, and we will watch the Red Sox do battle with the Yankees, weather permitting.
I have some Irish Sister City stuff to take care of too during the day.

Politics -- The next 100 days for the President should be very interesting, and hopefully very fruitful.

Have to read the local newspaper, and get dressed before deciding which task to accomplish next.
Have a great week at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Sunday Morning

Dear Friends,

It was a pleasant day in the Berkshires on Saturday. The sun did come out for several hours, and I did get a chance to wash both cars before we headed off to the Kentucky Derby Party.
Not many people at the Derby bet on the winning horse. The wife of my golfing buddy, who is a neighbor a few doors North of us, picked the winning horse. She won $100 on a two dollar bet. I asked her why she chose this particular horse. She said that the word "Bird" was in the horse's name. She didn't look at the odds which were 50 to 1. I asked what the significance of the word "Bird"? She said that there is a bird which keeps on pecking at one of her windows at her house. Birds sometimes do this because they see a reflection of themselves in the window, and they think that it is a competitor.

Mom -- I never went to the hospital on Saturday. I never talked to my sister or father either to find out how dear old Mom was doing. I will be getting dressed after sending this e-mail, and make a visit to Berkshire Medical Center. I am not sure if the therapists work on the weekends. I am guessing that the doctors will want to discharge Mom at some point next week. To where, I have no clue.

Sports -- My Red Sox and Celtics won their respective contests on Saturday. I fell asleep watching both of them. The Kentucky Derby Party Mint Juleps might have played a role in my sleepiness. The Boston Bruins Hockey Team plays today as well as the Red Sox. The Red Sox have an early afternoon game in Tampa Bay before they head off to do battle with the Yankees in New York on Monday and Tuesday.
Speaking of the Yankees, their multi-million dollar pitcher had a little trouble in Saturday's game, and the Yankees lost. Us Red Sox fans were heartbroken.

Politics -- A female Republican congresswoman is speaking out on President Obama's first 100 days in office. She said the the President has been doing "too much Taxing, Spending, and Borrowing." If that is what it takes to get the economy turned around, then I am all for it, and I am backing our President.

Well, I have to get the old body moving, and get dressed.
Have a great Sunday.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Saturday Morning

Dear Friends,

Our Friday went by okay.

My day started with a morning visit with Mom, and an afternoon visit too. She had therapy four times on Friday. I was there for one of them. Just watching two therapists getting Mom from the bed into a wheelchair is a form of exercise in itself. I don't see how dad will be able to manage this task by himself if Mom did come home after her hospital stay.
I did take Mom for a walk around the hospital both inside and out. While passing the family surgical waiting room, I saw a former high school classmate of mine. He was waiting for the doctor to tell him how his wife was doing after surgery. His wife, who taught English at my former high school, had just had reconstruction done on her second knee. She fell, and opened up the surgical wound, and also broke her wrist during the fall. Good thing that we have health insurance to get us through these "Golden Years".
My senior golf didn't happen because of the rainy weather.

Linda spent her day doing errands, and attending at finance meeting at our Italian Lodge.
Her and a girlfriend did supper, and a movie while I watched my sporting contests. Separation is good!

My sister said that she would take the morning shift with Mom so that I could sleep. It sounds nice, but I woke up before the chickens did, and here I am, at the computer.

Social Calendar -- I have to purchase a "Racing Form" newspaper today, and see which Kentucky Derby horse races well in cool, and wet conditions. It really doesn't matter what the odds makers say because the favorite always seems to have trouble winning the race.
The Kentucky Derby party, which have been attending for several years, is a good deal of fun. We see quite a few people whom we know, but whom we don't see that often.

Sports -- My Red Sox lost another one last evening, but the Boston Bruins did win their first game of their semi final playoff round. The Bruins looked like a championship team.

Swine Flu -- A friend suggested that this flu was no worse than the Asian Flu which many of us were faced with during the early part of our life time. We can't go around wearing masks every time we go somewhere.

Politics -- The rumors are flying everywhere about who will replace Justice Souter on the Supreme Court. Our African American Governor's name, Deval Patrick, has been put into the mix. We need him more to fix the multitude of problems in Massachusetts before he makes it to the Supreme Court.

Weather -- We might make it to 60 degrees today, but will won't see the sun at all.

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

Hello on Friday Morning

Dear Friends,

The book club dinner party went well. The grilled vegetables, shrimp, and grilled boneless breasts of chicken were a big hit too. I thought that I made a pretty large batch of grilled vegetables, but there wasn't much left for the Curley lad.
The women want me to do a repeat performance. I suggested that we do a summertime event, and invite the husbands, and I will whip up a batch of margaritas. They are working on setting a date.
Linda tried a new dessert for the first time too, and I sampled some when I got home from our neighborhood watch meeting.

Speaking of the neighborhood crime watch meeting, it went well too. We had an assistant district attorney present as well as the chief of police, two beat officers, gang task force officer, and the night shift lieutenant there to answer questions and concerns. When the police, and the court officer left, I sampled some of the host's cream Limoncello. It to was wonderful.
Our neighborhood was deemed one of the safest in the city with very few incidents happening in our neighborhood according to the law enforcement officials.
I retold the story about the banana theft, and asked for their advice. They said that the manager of the store has to come forward, and be willing to prosecute. The chief of police, who was a former student of mine, said that the banana theft is a crime. He told me not to be confrontational. Oh darn!
I did get some helpful ways which I could have dealt with the situation form my e-mails readers.

Speaking of the banana theft, I went back to the grocery store and chatted with a meat department (next to produce) employee about the incident. He told me that these people will come in with their whole family, including their children. They will open a 12 pack of juice boxes, and give every one something to drink, but of course not pay for it. They will do the same thing, and open a box of cookies, and feed their whole family, and not pay for it. The worker told me that the store doesn't do anything about the thefts which even got me more upset for a second day.

Mom update -- Mom had three sessions of therapy on Thursday. My sister was with her for breakfast,and I was there for lunch. I will be there this morning. My sister had them get mom into a wheel chair, and gave my mom a ride around the hospital. Mom enjoyed being out of the hospital room. A dietitian came in, just after Mom ate lunch, and she told me that mom was not consuming enough protein. The dietitian said that they have ways to bump up the numbers, and that they will add things to her daily meals.

Sports -- My Celtics and Red Sox both went down to defeat on Thursday. The Red Sox have a chance to redeem themselves this evening.
The Celtics have to win their weekend game since they are tied 3 to 3 with the Chicago Bulls. The one good thing is that they are playing the game back in Boston. Tampa Bay on the other hand has the Red Sox's number as the saying goes. There are certain teams that you have trouble beating no matter how bad that they are during a given year.

Politics -- Am I the only one tired about hearing about "Swine flu?"

Social Calendar -- I have a Mom visit, golf with my seniors, an afternoon nap, and then I am not sure what Linda has for our evening plans. She has enough stuff around the house to keep her busy all day long.

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