Hello on Monday Morning

Dear Friends,

I just got back from Retro Fitness. The Ninja guy and I opened the place at
4:30 AM.
Now some of you might think that my use of the word "Ninja guy" to be a bit
racist, but as I was on the treadmill at one point this morning, I had the
personal television on the machine going. As I was searching for the ESPN Sports
Center Channel, which I always watch while on the treadmill, I saw an
infomercial. They were advertising some kind of super mini blender. It was
called the "Ninja!" Is this considered racism?

Speaking of ESPN, I was watching the summary of all the professional football
games which took place on Sunday. As I watched the summary of the game between
the two Florida teams, I started thinking about the tailgating, which my friend
and I used to do, when we had our Patriot season tickets. I was thinking what it
must be like to tailgate if your team was a Florida based one. I was trying to
imagine wearing shorts and tee shirts as opposed to long underwear, winter
coats, hats, and gloves, and winter boots, and rain gear especially if my friend
and I were at yesterday's Patriot game at Gillette Stadium (It rained during
most of the game).

Randy Moss is catching a whole bunch of flack on all the Sports Programs, and
Sports pages of newspapers today. He was awful yesterday by not running routes,
dropping passes that he should have caught, etc. At one point, Tom Brady went
over to the bench to speak to him after one of his drop balls.
Randy better get his act together this week during practice. The Patriots need
to win every one of their remaining games to secure first place in their
division. I would bench Randy if he plays like he did yesterday.
The Patriots are off to Buffalo on this Sunday. The Patriots haven't been able
to win on the road this season, and I hope that this is not the case on Sunday.
I like the Eagles, the Saints, and the Vikings as we get closer to the
playoffs. Most of the other teams are mediocre including the Patriots.

Tiger -- The saga continues! More firms who have Tiger as their spokesperson
are severing their ties with him. I hope that he has enough money left for a
divorce settlement!

Linda and I had a pleasant day on Sunday. Linda worked a lot harder than I did.
I watched the Patriots while wrapping presents. Linda did all the organizing and
separating and labeling, etc until 6 PM. We finished wrapping pretty much
everything which needs to be wrapped. We couldn't put everything away because
when our sons and their family arrive, they might have to use some of our
wrapping supplies.

Our almost 5 month old grandchild had his first airplane ride this past
weekend. Kyla had to be at a work related conference in New Orleans. She decided
it was a good time to take Kevin and Max with her.
The first time that I ever had a chance to get on an airplane was when Linda
and I went on our honeymoon to Puerto Rico. I was in my mid 20's at the time.
Kids now are so lucky!

The weather on Sunday was pretty miserable. Snow, sleet, freezing rain to
eventually all rain put a nix on Linda going to the Christmas play in a
neighboring town.
We have about a day and one half of temperatures in the 30's before we go into
a deep freeze. The cold weather is coming in on Tuesday evening. We will have
several days of high's in the low 20's, and single digit temperatures during the
evening.
We didn't lose too much snow with yesterday's warm weather, but we do need a
nice coating of the white stuff to hide the dirty snow.

Social Calendar -- I am engaged this evening with a UNICO board meeting which
starts at 6 PM. If I didn't go to this meeting, there is a 6 PM ITAM board
meeting that I would be attending. I would rather go to the UNICO Board meeting.
Our UNICO President said something about serving pizza. Yeah!

Bird feeders -- We have 6 gray squirrels, and 2 chipmunks fighting the birds
for my sunflower seeds. The furry creatures better enjoy the good times right
now. When Kevin's dog, Billy, arrives for the Holidays, the furry creatures will
have to run for their lives. Billy loves chasing the furry creatures. Maybe the
birds will then have a better chance at eating the sunflower seeds. I think that
Isabelle will enjoy watching the squirrels do their thing. Frankie beans, Kyla's
dog, will be there to give Billy moral support.

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

Hello on Sunday Morning

Dear Friends,

We had a pleasant Saturday yesterday. There weren't too many people at Retro
Fitness when I opened the doors at 6 AM.
This is just the way that I like it!

Linda went off with a girl friend to do a little shopping. I wrapped some
sticker labeled Christmas presents while Linda was doing her thing.
The four of us met a Papa Joe's Ristorante at 6 PM. Most of us enjoyed our
meals including the appetizers.
No one wanted to party on so we went our separate ways after supper. This was
fine with me since I had the Boston Celtics, and the Boston Bruins to keep me
entertained. I even finished savory the book that I was reading because
professional basketball can get kind of boring.
Well, my Bruins lost a heart breaker in overtime. My Celtics put a big time
hurt on the Chicago Bulls.

Linda sat and watched her previously recorded programs while I watched my
sports.

We have some nasty weather coming in later on this afternoon. We have ice
changing to rain. The Patriots might get some of this weather during their 1 PM
game today.
The Patriot Player who spoke up for being sent home for being late to a team
meeting the other day will not be playing. I believe that he will be watching
the game at home. This is the second time that he has been in Belechik's
doghouse. I will bet that they are looking to trade him as I speak!

We were invited to go to the Holyoke Mall this morning, but we took a rain
check. The couple who invited us wanted to depart for the Mall at 8 AM. We don't
like to break our Sunday routine of reading the newspapers, and then me settling
down for some professional football. I will have some wrapping to take care of
after Linda labels the presents for me.
This evening Linda wanted me to go with her to a Christmas play at a theater in
a neighboring town. I am hoping that she makes a few telephone calls, and finds
a substitute for me. Maybe the foul weather will put a damper on things.
By the time that the play starts, it should be an all rain event!

Politics / News -- Same old, same old! It does get monotonous after a while.

Observation -- We got into a discussion the other day about grandchildren. I
made the statement that it is our job as grandparents to "spoil our
grandchildren rotten." Three out of the four of us agreed with my statement. The
person, who disagreed, tried to use the argument that we as grandparents should
work in concert with the parents instead of going against the way that they rear
their children. He thought that the excess presents, treats, etc. that we giver
as grandparents was not a good approach! Well, our friend can maintain his
position, but the three of us are going to continue to spoil our grandchildren!


I am getting ready to head off to Retro Fitness.
It opens at 6 AM again today.

Have a great Sunday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Saturday Morning

Dear Friends,

It was quiet day on Friday for the Curley's in the Berkshires.

Linda had a body maintenance appointment in the morning, and tried to do a few
errands after the procedure. It was too cold going from the car to the store and
back again for her to really enjoy herself. She quit after only shopping for an
hour or two.

I was rescued from attending a cultural event last evening. Linda and a friend,
along with her relatives' two children, went off to a Shakespeare's version of
some kind of Christmas program. I was in bed before she arrived home to get all
the details of the play.
I enjoyed the quietness of the home, and almost finished savoring another
murder mystery book. A few more chapters, I will be done reading the book. It is
another one from the top 10 list of books.

I am not sure what is on our social calendar this evening.
When I return from my workout, and have a healthy breakfast, I will be wrapping
presents. Linda has them all labeled for me. We have been wrapping them in the
basement for the past few years. We have two tables to work with, and I will
turn on ESPN Sports Center while completing the wrapping task.

Politics -- Mark Sanford was finally served divorce papers from his wife of 20
years. This politician is the one who had an affair with a woman from Argentina.
This woman, and her children have been staying at the waterfront home owned by
this politician. This is another example of a guy who must not have taken his
marriage vows too seriously. What is with these people?

News -- While doing my errands on Friday, I was listening to the radio in my
car. There was a story about a UPS guy who wasn't delivering his packages. He
stole over $250,000 worth of items, and he got caught selling them on "Ebay".
Those packages better not be any of ours!

Tiger is taking a break from golf. Actually he and his wife are probably
working out a financial settlement for when she says that the marriage is over.
Would any of my female readers want to try and salvage a marriage like this one?
Yesterday, it was reported that she bought a place on a little island in
Sweden. A divorce must be on the horizon!

December 7, 1941 - I did forget to mention that this past Monday was Pearl
Harbor Day. I didn't forget the day. When I was in school, we had to memorize
the date, and be able to explain the significance of the event. What is so sad
is the small number of World War II veterans who are still around. There are so
few of these brave men and women still alive in the United States.
Again, I ask myself, what did we learn from all the bloodshed during World War
II? The killing just keeps on taking place, but in different countries. Am I too
unrealistic to hope that we can ever solve our problems without killing each
other?

Sports -- None of my teams played in any contests last evening so it was a
quiet night for me. My son is correct about some of the thugs who are playing
sports right now. Some of the troubled athletes actually like coming to a
disciplined team like the Patriots. Since no one made them follow rules during
their upbringing (often fatherless homes), the athletes enjoy having a no
nonsense coach like Belechik.

Observation -- Well, the ice is finally starting to form on our lakes. When
the ice is safe to walk on (for me it must be 6 or 7 inches thick), I will be
going from the gym, and then back home to gather my gear for a few quiet hours
on the frozen pond. Linda will have her four or five hours of peace and quiet
too.
Fresh air and a little sun is good for the body. I am also not crazy. I
wouldn't have gone ice fishing yesterday with a below zero wind chill. Ideal
conditions for me would be temperatures between 25 and 35 degrees, and no wind.
A little sun would be nice, but cloudy weather is better for ice fishing.
I have already received and offer to do a little ice-fishing in New Hampshire.
Linda's Godson, and his wife own a house on a small pond. I can put a few tip
ups out, and stay in their house until a flag goes up. Now this is called
ice-fishing!

Have a great weekend.
Christmas is almost here.
Hope that you have someone to share it with.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Friday Morning

Dear Friends,

"Baby its cold outside!" It is in the teens in the Berkshires right now, and
not supposed to get out of the low 20's for the rest of the day. It will be
windy all day long too!
As I headed off to retro Fitness for my 4:30 AM start time, I saw that one of
our local ski areas was making snow. I could see the lights on the slopes even
though I couldn't actually see the snow guns on. This little ski area is where
Michale and Kevin, and me learned how to ski. Since I took it up as an adult, it
took me a bit longer to get the hang of it. I still need a lot of work!

The Retro Fitness experience went well this morning for the most part. I
encountered a little difficulty on the
treadmill. I like to try and do my one hour workout without my glasses on. I
thought that I could read most of the buttons on the machine. I was on a 20
minute mile pace when I started pushing buttons to change a setting. I started
pushing them so fast that the machine got confused, and went into an emergency
stop mode. I almost fell off of the
machine when it came to a screeching halt. I didn't know how to restart the
machine. I had to call an attendant to get it going again, which was
embarrassing. I wish that I had more patience when it comes to electronic
equipment.

We had a pleasant Thursday. Linda hovered by the telephone trying to find a
bargain during the Radio Auction. She did manage to secure a restaurant item. I
have to pick up the certificate at the radio station this morning.
The auction didn't have a lot of great items, and it ended by 1 PM. Past
auctions lasted for two days.

After lunch, and the auction, we headed off to do a little Christmas shopping,
mostly for children. This was a quick shopping adventure because Linda was going
out with her Book Club at a restaurant in my home town of Lee. I don't know how
the dinner turned out because I was in bed when she came home. I was trying to
watch the Boston Bruins, and the Boston Celtics in bed. I did see the Bruins win
their game, but I did miss an exciting finish to the Celtic game.
Oh Darn!

Speaking of sports -- One of the four Patriot players, who were sent home
because of being late for a team meeting the other day, let himself be
interviewed on ESPN. He might be sitting on the bench on Sunday for their 1 PM
game.

A couple of Red Sox players will be playing for new teams next year.

Jack Nicklaus was asked to comment on the Tiger Woods fiasco. Jack said that it
was a private matter between Tiger and his family.
Well, Tiger's sponsors don't think so. They have started pulling advertisements
which have Tiger as their spokesperson. Maybe my friends are correct? If Tiger
can get back on the golf course, and win a few tournaments, his transgressions
will be old news.

After doing a couple of errands, I think that I will be wrapping presents for a
good portion of the day.

We are not socially engaged for the weekend, but I think that Linda doesn't
mind that. She has a list for the grocery store which seems to be a mile long.
She also has lists of things which must be done before our sons and their
families arrive for Christmas. She develops the stress, and gets headaches while
I just keep on savoring my books. I try and not put to much in my head to get
stressed out about! I can't remember half of what she tells me anyway!

We have already had one couple tell us that they are free this weekend. Hint!
Hint!

My friend who had the rotator cuff surgery saw the orthopedic doctor on
Thursday. He said that the healing in his shoulder is going well. He is allowed
to start therapy right away. This is good news for my friend, but he is well
aware that the process will be a slow one for the type of injury which he has.

Observation -- While in Walmart yesterday, we were in the toy and game isle. I
saw the game called "Connect Four". We have the game. Kevin has some in his
restaurant for his customers while they are waiting for food to be prepared. I
was tempted to purchase a new one because I think ours needs a paper clip to
hold it together since it has been used so many times.
Well, I didn't purchase a new one. The game manufacturer tweaked the game.
Instead of the one simple and original game, they added two more versions of the
game. Change is often good as you can see with the electronics revolution. On
the other hand, when you have created a successful game, why does it need to be
changed?
Speaking of games, do families play board games any more? This was the one
shelf in the store which wasn't getting a lot of action when we were there. I
remember playing most of those board game with our children. "Chutes and
Ladders", and "Candylan" were two of my favorites!
I used to take my games and puzzles to school just before Christmas. So many of
my students had never even seen or played some of those games when they were
small.

Well, have a great Friday and a weekend in general.
Have to read the local newspaper, and get to some quiet chores.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Thursday Morning

Dear Friends,

As the saying goes: "What a difference a day makes?" It was 34 degrees when I
headed off to Retro Fitness this morning. Three of us opened the doors at 4:30
AM. I did my thing without any interruptions which was a great way to start my
day.

Wednesday went as planned.
Linda and I hung the Christmas tree decorations on our fresh tree. Linda dug
out all the old decorations which have more sentimental value than you can
imagine. Yes, the decorations are kid proof, but cute. Some of the decorations
were actually made by our two sons when they were in elementary school. Linda
and I are hoping that they will recognize their own creations.

Linda never left the house on Wednesday.
I did venture out around 2 PM to mail a few items, and pick up some items at
one of three local hardware stores which are still trying to compete with the
Home Depot type of stores. The local stores are so people friendly. I purchased
a box of those artificial logs and a 50 pound bags of sunflower seeds. The clerk
carried the birdseed out to the car for me after I paid for the items. As a
matter of fact, the bird seed was on sale in 40 pound bags, but they didn't have
any in the store. They substituted the 50 pound bag for the forty pound bag, but
charged me the sale price for the 40 pound bag.

Linda can't sleep late this morning. There is another one of those radio
auctions which starts at 9 AM today. My 3 month gym membership was secured by
Linda by way of a previous Radio Auction. The restaurant gift certificates are
what we usually go after, but there are so many great items besides the ones
related to food. Linda is socially engaged this evening.
I think that there is a Boston Celtic basketball game to keep me entertained.
Oops! I almost forgot that at one of the local jewelry stores it is "Mens'
Night" from 6 PM until 9 PM. They are even going to serve beer. In the past,
they just served champagne along with appetizers. I prefer the Champagne of
bottled beers!

Speaking of sports --> 4 Patriots were told to go home yesterday morning
because they were late for their 8 AM team meeting. Randy Moss was one of them.
The Tiger saga continues. Most of us are tired of hearing about it, but the
media are like mean pit bulls. One of Tiger's transgressions was a porn star.

I didn't know that Tiger owns two homes about a mile from one another. The
media isn't sure which one that Tiger is living at.

On a different note, John Daly, the often in trouble blue collar type of
golfer, has lost 115 pounds. He has four ex wives. He is trying to make a
golfing comeback, and I think I might start cheering for him.

We picked up about 7 inches of snow here in Pittsfield.
It is mild outside right now, and it will be so throughout today. This evening
the bottom falls out, and we are in for a stretch of weather where we will not
get out of the 20's right into the weekend.

My first task of the day is to attack the snow deposit at the bottom of our
driveway left by the city plows as they got right down to the blacktop on our
street. The private contractors, which the city hires to plow the side streets,
just can't do the job of the few multiple ton trucks that the city owns. My plow
guy had trouble getting up my driveway in his rear wheel drive pick up truck. I
would do my own driveway since I have a snow blower, but when the snow is really
deep, and heavy, my snow blower just can't do the job.

The crock pot soup was wonderful once again. As a matter of fact, Linda has
some of her Tuesday group of Mah Jongg ladies using their crock pots for the
first time in a long while.

Observation -- When I left the house yesterday, I had to drop off a package at
the UPS store, and then make a stop at the Post Office. I didn't realize that
the UPS store can do all the stuff that a Post office can do. I bought stamps,
mailed a package, and dropped of some Christmas Cards. This is going to be my
new Post Office. The parking is easier at the UPS store than at the Post Office.
The lines are almost non existent. The clerks are very friendly.

Speaking of Christmas Cards--> Last year I sent off almost 100 Christmas cards.
I think that I am going to discontinue this practice unless someone sends us a
card first. The money saved can be spent for grandchildren type of things. As an
example, I purchased a toddler sled, and a regular sled yesterday in
anticipation of our grandchild being here for Christmas. I can't wait to take
both of them sliding!

Well, I have to read the local newspaper, and get to some quiet chores.
Have a great Thursday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Wednesday Morning

Dear Friends,

Retro Fitness will be without the Curley Lad this morning. The snow has started
to fall from the winter storm which has made its way across the country.
The weather gurus have us getting about four or five inches of the white stuff
before changing to a mix, and then to rain.

We had a pleasant day on Tuesday. Linda had fun playing Mah Jongg. All six
players showed up which hasn't happened in a long time. Only four can play a
round of Mah Jongg before the other two can play.

The most activity that I participated in was to vote in a special election for
a Democrat who will be fighting for Ted Kennedy's spot in a January election.
The second activity was to finish the book that I started the other day. As far
as savoring it, I did use two days before I completed it.

The whole wheat pasta dinner which we ate last night went very well. The only
negative was the sausages which we had purchased from Costco's. They had none of
the good Italian flavors that the locally made sausages do have.

The crock pot "chicken and vegetable" soup has been brewing all night. It will
be perfect at lunch time.

Today we will decorate the Christmas tree. We planned to do it on Wednesday
whether it snowed or not.

Speaking of the tree, after sending this e-mail, I will have give the tree
another drink of water. The tree is always thirsty during the first few days
after you set it up. We purchased a Balsam Fir because it is one of the longest
lasting trees with respect to its needles staying on the tree.

We haven't heard from our son in Kansas. We were wondering if he picked snow /
rain or a combination there of.

News -- Nothing exciting jumped out at me with respect to being very
interesting except for the fact that Tiger Woods' mother-in-law is feeling the
stress of his transgressions. I am wondering how long that Tiger and his wife
will be together.

Observation -- A local writer wrote an editorial about taking Christ out of
Christmas with respect to this time of year. He said that he was upset that we
now have to be politically correct, and say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry
Christmas". He said that he was also upset that the public schools can't
display, sings songs, or have anything related to Christ, baby Jesus, etc.
Well, the day after his editorial, a Rabbi responded with his objection to the
local writer's piece. He said that when he was a Jewish child growing up, he
felt so awkward singing songs in public schools which had nothing to do with his
religion. He reminded all of us about that when the Constitution was formed, a
separation of Church and State was part of the deal.
My point of this discussion is that we here in the United States can disagree
with a person's stance on a particular issue, but we don't have to use bullets,
and bombs because we aren't in agreement.
Another point is that the religions of the world often play a pretty big role
in many of the conflicts which we seemed to get involved in.
If a particular religion works for you, then be happy and support it, but don't
try and convert me!

Well, I am going to open the blinds to the sliding glass doors onto the deck,
and watch the snow fall, and the feathered and furry creatures attack my bird
feeders. We have some of the fattest squirrels and chipmunks in the
neighborhood. I don't think that the raccoon has come back to my bird feeder. I
will now be able to see his tracks in the snow if he does.

Today is garbage collection day for our neighborhood. I didn't put my trash and
recycle stuff out yet because I am listening to the radio to see if it might be
canceled, and postponed until Thursday. I also didn't put it out because I
didn't want our garbage flying up and down the streets since the wind is really
blowing right now.

The Pittsfield Schools called off school already. The rest of the County is
doing so as I finish this e-mail.

Have a great Wednesday!
If you don't have to be on the roads in the Berkshires, then stay home, and
stay off of the highways.
When our two boys were small, I would be outside playing with them, and making
snow men / woman, and snow forts.
I hope that I get a chance to do so when Isabelle arrives. Even though Max is
too young to walk, I am taking him outside too. Every kid (and adult) needs a
little fresh air to keep them healthy!

Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad

Hello on Tuesday Morning

Dear Friends,

Our Monday went as planned with no bumps along the way.

Our friend left his place of work, and a little after 10 AM we were on way to
the Christmas tree farm. My friend was in his car, and Linda and I were in our
car. The five mile drive to the top of the mountain didn't take long. We used to
go to this tree farm every year when our two boys were young. It was called
Strawberry Acres at that time. I am not sure if the new owners kept the name.
We were the only customers at this particular time. The owner said that he was
very busy over the weekend. He said that the musical artist James Taylor bought
a tree over the weekend. He brought a 12 foot pole so that there was not
question about the height of the tree that he eventually picked out.
Our friend was the first one to cut his tree down. Actually he chose his tree
in less than a minute. He used another minute to cut down his tree.
Linda and I took a little longer to chose what we thought was the best tree for
us. Linda treated the adventure like she was Christmas shopping at Macy's. She
has to scope out all the offerings first. She then mentally selects 3 or 4
potential trees for me to cut down. After much thought, observation,
measurements, etc., we selected our tree.
I guess I forgot what it was like to lay on the snow covered ground, and saw
the tree as close to the ground as possible. I also forgot that when I used to
cut down those trees, I was a bit younger and lighter than this almost 63 year
old person right now.
My friend put his banded tree in the trunk of his car while I put our tree on
the roof of my car. My friend dropped off his tree at his home, and went back to
work. Linda and decided to put up the tree. Once again, I forgot the overall
effort it takes to set up a live tree. Just getting the beast to sit up straight
in the the new stand that we bought was a challenge.
In anticipation that we would be exhausted, Linda had a crock pot soup brewing.
She started the soup before going to bed the night before, so it was ready for
us for lunch.
So far, the tree has the lights on, and a lighted angel on the top of the tree.
Our bodies, Linda's more than mine, ached so much, they we are waiting until
Wednesday to put the ornaments on the tree.

Linda's Mah Jongg went well last evening. She won many games, and she came home
in a good mood.

Today she is off again with her Tuesday Mah Jongg ladies for her 11:30 AM until
4:30 PM session.

I will be firing up the crock pot once again. Today I will be making a red
sauce with sweet sausages. Tonight is pasta night. Some Italian bread, and a
glass of red wine will compliment the pasta of our choice quite nicely.

As a matter of fact, since we are in a Winter storm watch from late Tuesday
into Wednesday, the crock pot will busy for a third day in a row. Wednesday we
are planning on having chicken soup in anticipation of being housebound because
of the weather.

The weather is not exactly one that we like. It is supposed to start off as
snow, and then eventually turn to all rain. We are hoping that we don't get much
of the rain.

Tiger Saga -- The word is that Tiger had at least 10 women that he transgressed
with. I was wondering how many of my female readers would stay married to a man
if he transgressed that many times? I already know where I would be if I
transgresses even just one time.

I started savory another new book. I am reading the latest James Patterson
booked called "I". I have half the book to go. I will finish it when Linda is at
Mah Jongg today.

Well, I have to head off to the gym. I want to be there when the doors open. I
don't want anyone talking to me or distracting me except for saying "Hello" of
Goodbye". I like to chat with people, as you well know, but not when it is
workout time.

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