Dear Friends,
It is difficult to believe that another week is about to come to an end. Time seems to be flying by at a quick pace. This weekend we will be turning the clocks ahead one hour because day light savings time has arrived once again. For many of my readers, they don't revel in this turning of the clocks ahead. They view it as a loss of one hour of sleep. For us morning people, we love it. I enjoy seeing the sun peaking over the horizon at 5 AM.
I just got through whipping up four loaves of The Curley Lad's version of Irish Soda Bread. All of these Irish Soda Breads have specific places where they will be going. I am taking one for sure with me when I visit dad who is now staying at my sister's home. My dad, sister, and her family said that they really like the Irish Soda Bread as a mid morning snack, or after supper with a cup of tea or coffee.
Speaking of dad, all the people who having been coming to check on dad or work with him are impressed with how sharp he is. They know that there are certain things that dad has to work on like leg strength. I am guessing that the nurses, home health aide, and the occupational and physical therapists see people each day who are ten times worse than dad is.
Next week all the people mentioned will be coming three times per week --> M, W, F, and then we don't know what happens after that. I think his care giving will be falling on the shoulders of my sister and her family, and me.
When I go off to visit dad, I have to go by two golf courses. When I drove by them yesterday, I saw temporary flags out on my golf course which means the golfers are hoping for an early start to the golf season. The temperatures were in the lower 60's on Thursday, but over night, the ground was covered with a blanket of snow. If the golfers can make it through today and Saturday (temperatures in the 30's), we have a whole bunch of days coming up where temperatures will be in the 50's and 60's. I am guessing that the golfers will be out in force next week for sure.
Linda made it though four consecutive evening events this week so far. She had fun yesterday and won some door prize / Chinese Raffle. Tonight we are going out together. We are attending a birthday bash for one of our Irish Sister City Friends. The covered dish affair starts at 8 AM. Linda and I will be whipping up some finger sandwiches for the party. I might cut up one the Irish Soda Breads and bring it to tonight's party.
Since the party doesn't start until 8 PM, we might socialize with some friends at the Shamrock as well as play a few games of Keno first.
Since I got up so early to do the baking, I will be taking an afternoon nap for sure.
Linda has a midmorning body maintenance procedure.
Actually my hair needs a little trim. I will try and find a free moment next week so that Linda can cut my hair. She does such a great job with my hair, and the price for doing so is within my price range.
Rush Limbaugh -- I sometimes get myself in trouble by what I say in my daily bog, but I am not the only one who gets himself in trouble. Rush made some comment that got all the women in the nation fired up. Rush lost several of his major sponsors. His three hour program from noon to 3 PM here in the Berkshires has been taken of the air, and has been replaced by a Fox Sports" Talk program. Rush makes over $50 million per year with his daily broadcasts. I won't miss his three hour program at all. My conservative friends and relatives in the Berkshires already miss him. Oh Darn!
Well, I have to check the soda breads, and do some quiet activities. At some point this morning, I have to make a grocery run for the ingredients for the finger sandwiches. I also need flour, Butter Milk and sugar so that I can make more soda breads for next week as we approach St. Patrick's Day.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Friday, March 9, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Hello on Saturday
Dear Friends,
Hope that all of my readers had a pleasant Friday like the Curley's did.
Linda never left the house, but she was busy puttering around the house before settling down to listen to the WUPE Radio Auction. She purchased more restaurant certificates for our favorite places that we like to eat and party at. She has another day doing the same thing starting at 9 AM until all the auction items are gone. We sometimes give the certificates away as gifts for friend's birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
We decided to not go out last night. After my 5:30 PM meeting, we ordered a couple of pizzas from a place up the street, and I picked them up. I say a couple of pizzas because we like to heat up leftover pizza as a lunch time snack. The pizza place is located in Greeridge Plaza and it is called Pazzo's. Actually, the plaza has changed hands, and the new owners are cousins of the Mazzeo family. This guy owns very successful Hair and Spa salon on Tyler street. The convenient store has had a makeover, and the deli now has an Italian flair to it. Linda bought a sub for her sandwich, which she took to her Tuesday Mah Jonng session, and she said it was very good. Certain night's they sell pasta until it is gone. Since the place is a mile from our home, we will most likely be frequent customers.
Speaking of food, I wore a green dress shirt to the WolfTones concert the other light. Linda said "Oh brother" because she knew that I could not get through a meal without spilling food on my shirt. She was right! I got this grease stain on this shirt in no time at all. She has tried two or three times to get the grease stain out of the shirt. I just checked the shirt out and there is a very tiny stain left in the shirt. I purchased this shirt at the Annual Irish Festival at the Saratoga fairgrounds a couple of years ago. It looks like I will have to purchase another one this year. Oh Darn!
I am going to take a bib with me this evening because I will be wearing the same shirt. I really don't care how funny I look.
Last night as a matter of fact, the first piece pizza slipped out of my hands hit my sweater and landed on my cargo pants. I was wearing all black clothes.
Can you imagine what I would look like if I was the one in a nursing home?
I also did forget to mention that I saw a friend that I went to Catholic Elementary school in Lee when we were growing up. When it came to high school, he traveled each day to Pittsfield to go to St. Joseph's High School. I went to Lee High School. I haven't seen this guy for over 30 years. We chatted briefly before the concert started. I said that we have 4 grandchild, and that life is good. He said that he had 17 grandchildren by way of two marriages. He like me became teachers. I believe he started his career in Vermont, but he spent the last 14 years in New York State. He ended his career as a superintendent. Since Vermont doesn't pay it teachers that much, and pennons therefore are lower, he said that he wished that he spent his whole career teaching in the New York State public school system. I wish that I had more time to chat with him because I would remind him of a party that we had at his home years ago when his parents were out of town. Someone at the party tossed a lighted cigarette off what they thought was in the bushes in front of the house. Well, the cigarette landed in a smelly sneaker on the porch. The cigarette caught the sneaker on fire, and was about to catch the porch on fire. Someone started to smell burning rubber, and put the fire out.
We only have one thing on our social calendar today, and that is the Polish Falcon's corned beef and cabbage dinner this evening. This is actually a fundraiser I think for the Jimmy Fund. For $15 , you get a meal and free entertainment. The Irish Band Rakish Paddy will be playing Irish tunes for we guests all night long. Linda and I are part of two reserved tables. There will be much food, fun, and merriment before this night is over.
On a sad note, I read the obituaries in the local newspaper, and the elderly man in the obituary was a father-in-law to three of my UNICO brothers. The wake is on Sunday from 2 to 5 PM and it appears that the Curley's will be attending the wake. The man spent the last day of his life at the same nursing home that my dad was at. I would see the daughters stopping in at the nursing home to visit their dad. I asked one the daughter's the other day, how her dad was doing, and she told me that her father was not doing well. The 88 year old man died of cancer.
Today, I am going to stop at my sister's home to visit dad. I didn't get a report on how day one went with my dad now staying at my sister's home. I learned on Facebook that my father was playing swords with one of his great grandchildren. This sure beats being around the people in a nursing home just waiting for the Good Lord to take them.
I skimmed the local newspaper, and it was full of the not so nice things that are happening locally and in the world. The front page article which disturbed me the most was the arraignment of the guy who will be going to jail for being a drunk driver who killed a 24 year old woman in a car accident. The woman just graduated from Yale in May. This was the fifth DUI offense for this 35 year old Connecticut driver. The Southern Berkshire town, where the girl got killed, borders Connecticut.
Well, I have to do some quiet activities before Linda wakes up.
Have a great day.
The temperatures should approach 50 degrees today before a cold front moves in.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Hope that all of my readers had a pleasant Friday like the Curley's did.
Linda never left the house, but she was busy puttering around the house before settling down to listen to the WUPE Radio Auction. She purchased more restaurant certificates for our favorite places that we like to eat and party at. She has another day doing the same thing starting at 9 AM until all the auction items are gone. We sometimes give the certificates away as gifts for friend's birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
We decided to not go out last night. After my 5:30 PM meeting, we ordered a couple of pizzas from a place up the street, and I picked them up. I say a couple of pizzas because we like to heat up leftover pizza as a lunch time snack. The pizza place is located in Greeridge Plaza and it is called Pazzo's. Actually, the plaza has changed hands, and the new owners are cousins of the Mazzeo family. This guy owns very successful Hair and Spa salon on Tyler street. The convenient store has had a makeover, and the deli now has an Italian flair to it. Linda bought a sub for her sandwich, which she took to her Tuesday Mah Jonng session, and she said it was very good. Certain night's they sell pasta until it is gone. Since the place is a mile from our home, we will most likely be frequent customers.
Speaking of food, I wore a green dress shirt to the WolfTones concert the other light. Linda said "Oh brother" because she knew that I could not get through a meal without spilling food on my shirt. She was right! I got this grease stain on this shirt in no time at all. She has tried two or three times to get the grease stain out of the shirt. I just checked the shirt out and there is a very tiny stain left in the shirt. I purchased this shirt at the Annual Irish Festival at the Saratoga fairgrounds a couple of years ago. It looks like I will have to purchase another one this year. Oh Darn!
I am going to take a bib with me this evening because I will be wearing the same shirt. I really don't care how funny I look.
Last night as a matter of fact, the first piece pizza slipped out of my hands hit my sweater and landed on my cargo pants. I was wearing all black clothes.
Can you imagine what I would look like if I was the one in a nursing home?
I also did forget to mention that I saw a friend that I went to Catholic Elementary school in Lee when we were growing up. When it came to high school, he traveled each day to Pittsfield to go to St. Joseph's High School. I went to Lee High School. I haven't seen this guy for over 30 years. We chatted briefly before the concert started. I said that we have 4 grandchild, and that life is good. He said that he had 17 grandchildren by way of two marriages. He like me became teachers. I believe he started his career in Vermont, but he spent the last 14 years in New York State. He ended his career as a superintendent. Since Vermont doesn't pay it teachers that much, and pennons therefore are lower, he said that he wished that he spent his whole career teaching in the New York State public school system. I wish that I had more time to chat with him because I would remind him of a party that we had at his home years ago when his parents were out of town. Someone at the party tossed a lighted cigarette off what they thought was in the bushes in front of the house. Well, the cigarette landed in a smelly sneaker on the porch. The cigarette caught the sneaker on fire, and was about to catch the porch on fire. Someone started to smell burning rubber, and put the fire out.
We only have one thing on our social calendar today, and that is the Polish Falcon's corned beef and cabbage dinner this evening. This is actually a fundraiser I think for the Jimmy Fund. For $15 , you get a meal and free entertainment. The Irish Band Rakish Paddy will be playing Irish tunes for we guests all night long. Linda and I are part of two reserved tables. There will be much food, fun, and merriment before this night is over.
On a sad note, I read the obituaries in the local newspaper, and the elderly man in the obituary was a father-in-law to three of my UNICO brothers. The wake is on Sunday from 2 to 5 PM and it appears that the Curley's will be attending the wake. The man spent the last day of his life at the same nursing home that my dad was at. I would see the daughters stopping in at the nursing home to visit their dad. I asked one the daughter's the other day, how her dad was doing, and she told me that her father was not doing well. The 88 year old man died of cancer.
Today, I am going to stop at my sister's home to visit dad. I didn't get a report on how day one went with my dad now staying at my sister's home. I learned on Facebook that my father was playing swords with one of his great grandchildren. This sure beats being around the people in a nursing home just waiting for the Good Lord to take them.
I skimmed the local newspaper, and it was full of the not so nice things that are happening locally and in the world. The front page article which disturbed me the most was the arraignment of the guy who will be going to jail for being a drunk driver who killed a 24 year old woman in a car accident. The woman just graduated from Yale in May. This was the fifth DUI offense for this 35 year old Connecticut driver. The Southern Berkshire town, where the girl got killed, borders Connecticut.
Well, I have to do some quiet activities before Linda wakes up.
Have a great day.
The temperatures should approach 50 degrees today before a cold front moves in.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Friday, March 2, 2012
Hello on Friday
Dear Friends,
Hope that all of the children and students in the Berkshires who had a snow day on Thursday had a fun day with the snow which fell over the past couple of days. I did venture out on the roads at 9 AM, and the main thoroughfares were down to the black top. I did get the feeling that the Pittsfield Schools should not have closed the schools. The weather prognosticators predicted 3 to 6 inches of snow would fall, but the additional snow was less than an inch.
There wasn't much news in our local newspaper this morning. I did like the article about the leaders in the town of Lenox voting "No" to windmills. As I have said in previous emails, I don't want windmills on every one our beautiful Berkshire mountain tops. I shouldn't use the term "mountain" because our tree lined forests are like bumps, and none have the elevation of a mountain like Pike's Peak in Colorado.
The local Convenient Store robber is getting close to being caught. The authorities put a video of the recent heist on the air waves, and several tips have been coming into our police department.
Politics -- The Massachusetts Presidential primary takes place this coming Tuesday. All my readers know who I will be voting for! I am pretty sure that Linda will be voting the same way. Linda and I don't always vote the same way for every person or issue, but we lean toward the Liberal vote.
Update on Dad -- Dad was officially discharged from the Mt. Greylock nursing home on Thursday. All of the staff on the wing where dad was being taken care of gave dad a big hug before we left. Dad is now staying at my sister's home. He has his own bedroom. His two motorized chairs are at my sister's home; one is in his bedroom, and the other one is in the family room. When I left him at 2 PM on Thursday, he was sitting in the family room. My sister was going to prepare a steak dinner for dad and her family for supper last evening. Dad was getting tired of pasta on the menu. Sometimes dad said that the nursing home would serve some form of pasta several times per week. Dad is a meat, potato, and vegetable man.
I am not sure if I should wait a day or so to visit dad. Getting adjusted to a new environment might take some time for dad.
I think the move might do well for his psychological health.
I did say "Goodbye" to his roommate. The roommate said that he was going to miss my father. I asked his roommate, who will be in the nursing home for the rest of his life, how many roommates that he has had during his time in the nursing home. He said that he has had at least 6 roommates, but dad was his best one so far. The roommate is only 78 years old.
I did come home and weave in an afternoon nap while Linda went off to her Thursday afternoon knitting gathering at Dottie's Coffee shop located in downtown Pittsfield.
We headed off to the Shamrock and hooked up with a friend whom we had supper with. Corned beef and cabbage was on the menu as well as a beef stew. Linda and I had the corned beef, and our friend had the beef stew. The corned beef was okay, but not as flavorful as the one which Linda and I make in our crock pot. We purchase the less expensive type called "point cut" of corned beef which has more fat which produces the flavor.
As matter of fact, I purchased 6 packages of corned beef which was on sale at one of grocery stores in Pittsfield. Two of them will be used when Linda hosts a party of girlfriends next week.
I was trying to find a date on our social calendar to invite some friends over for a Curley Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, but we have no free days until after St. Patrick's Day. Oh Darn!
I just checked my raisins which have been soaking in Irish Whiskey. I think that need another drink. The raisins need another day or so of swimming in the whiskey before I use the raisins when I make some Irish Soda Breads.
The WolfTones Concert last night at Wahconah Country Club was great. This group has been playing together for 49 years which is highly unusual. They have been performing at the Country Club for 22 years.
Our normal Friday night at the Shamrock playing Keno and eating some type of seafood product has a little glitch. I have to attend a last minute called meeting that is very important at 5:30 PM. The meeting will take place at the Italian American Club, and I hope that it is a short one.
Rush Limbaugh made national news once again. His comments about birth control, and who should pay for it has hit the airwaves. The media is running with this newsmaker.
Like Rush says about himself : "I am on loan from God!"
We had another indicator how dangerous it is to be a policeman in this day and age. A routine traffic stop in New Orleans turned deadly. Two officers were shot, but they did manage to shoot and kill the passenger of the car which the police had stopped.
We have so many activities going on each day or weekend in the Berkshires that we can't attend all of them. The events that we would like to attend cost $25 per person per event. Sometimes we just have to say "No".
There is a Jimmy Fund Comedy Show the cost is $25 per person. There is a Civitan Soup Fest $25 per ticket. There is a Wine Tasting for a family foundation which costs $25 per ticket.
Linda I decided that the $10 per ticket Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, including a live Irish Band at the Polish Falcon Hall on Saturday night, is in our price range.
Well, I have to do some quiet activities, replenish the bird feeders. I will give my sister a call and ask her how day one went with dad.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Hope that all of the children and students in the Berkshires who had a snow day on Thursday had a fun day with the snow which fell over the past couple of days. I did venture out on the roads at 9 AM, and the main thoroughfares were down to the black top. I did get the feeling that the Pittsfield Schools should not have closed the schools. The weather prognosticators predicted 3 to 6 inches of snow would fall, but the additional snow was less than an inch.
There wasn't much news in our local newspaper this morning. I did like the article about the leaders in the town of Lenox voting "No" to windmills. As I have said in previous emails, I don't want windmills on every one our beautiful Berkshire mountain tops. I shouldn't use the term "mountain" because our tree lined forests are like bumps, and none have the elevation of a mountain like Pike's Peak in Colorado.
The local Convenient Store robber is getting close to being caught. The authorities put a video of the recent heist on the air waves, and several tips have been coming into our police department.
Politics -- The Massachusetts Presidential primary takes place this coming Tuesday. All my readers know who I will be voting for! I am pretty sure that Linda will be voting the same way. Linda and I don't always vote the same way for every person or issue, but we lean toward the Liberal vote.
Update on Dad -- Dad was officially discharged from the Mt. Greylock nursing home on Thursday. All of the staff on the wing where dad was being taken care of gave dad a big hug before we left. Dad is now staying at my sister's home. He has his own bedroom. His two motorized chairs are at my sister's home; one is in his bedroom, and the other one is in the family room. When I left him at 2 PM on Thursday, he was sitting in the family room. My sister was going to prepare a steak dinner for dad and her family for supper last evening. Dad was getting tired of pasta on the menu. Sometimes dad said that the nursing home would serve some form of pasta several times per week. Dad is a meat, potato, and vegetable man.
I am not sure if I should wait a day or so to visit dad. Getting adjusted to a new environment might take some time for dad.
I think the move might do well for his psychological health.
I did say "Goodbye" to his roommate. The roommate said that he was going to miss my father. I asked his roommate, who will be in the nursing home for the rest of his life, how many roommates that he has had during his time in the nursing home. He said that he has had at least 6 roommates, but dad was his best one so far. The roommate is only 78 years old.
I did come home and weave in an afternoon nap while Linda went off to her Thursday afternoon knitting gathering at Dottie's Coffee shop located in downtown Pittsfield.
We headed off to the Shamrock and hooked up with a friend whom we had supper with. Corned beef and cabbage was on the menu as well as a beef stew. Linda and I had the corned beef, and our friend had the beef stew. The corned beef was okay, but not as flavorful as the one which Linda and I make in our crock pot. We purchase the less expensive type called "point cut" of corned beef which has more fat which produces the flavor.
As matter of fact, I purchased 6 packages of corned beef which was on sale at one of grocery stores in Pittsfield. Two of them will be used when Linda hosts a party of girlfriends next week.
I was trying to find a date on our social calendar to invite some friends over for a Curley Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, but we have no free days until after St. Patrick's Day. Oh Darn!
I just checked my raisins which have been soaking in Irish Whiskey. I think that need another drink. The raisins need another day or so of swimming in the whiskey before I use the raisins when I make some Irish Soda Breads.
The WolfTones Concert last night at Wahconah Country Club was great. This group has been playing together for 49 years which is highly unusual. They have been performing at the Country Club for 22 years.
Our normal Friday night at the Shamrock playing Keno and eating some type of seafood product has a little glitch. I have to attend a last minute called meeting that is very important at 5:30 PM. The meeting will take place at the Italian American Club, and I hope that it is a short one.
Rush Limbaugh made national news once again. His comments about birth control, and who should pay for it has hit the airwaves. The media is running with this newsmaker.
Like Rush says about himself : "I am on loan from God!"
We had another indicator how dangerous it is to be a policeman in this day and age. A routine traffic stop in New Orleans turned deadly. Two officers were shot, but they did manage to shoot and kill the passenger of the car which the police had stopped.
We have so many activities going on each day or weekend in the Berkshires that we can't attend all of them. The events that we would like to attend cost $25 per person per event. Sometimes we just have to say "No".
There is a Jimmy Fund Comedy Show the cost is $25 per person. There is a Civitan Soup Fest $25 per ticket. There is a Wine Tasting for a family foundation which costs $25 per ticket.
Linda I decided that the $10 per ticket Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, including a live Irish Band at the Polish Falcon Hall on Saturday night, is in our price range.
Well, I have to do some quiet activities, replenish the bird feeders. I will give my sister a call and ask her how day one went with dad.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Hello on Thursday
Dear Friends,
Today is one of those days that Linda and I would just like to put on a set of comfortable clothes like sweatpants and sweat shirts, and look out the sliding glass doors onto the deck and watch the snow fall and the birds attacking the sun flower seeds which I put out for them. Most of the schools in Berkshire County are closed too.
Well, this is not going to happen today.
My sister and I are getting dad out of the nursing home today. The discharge time is 1:30 PM. I am hoping that my sister can get dad up my sister's steep driveway.
After my sister and I get dad settled, the day won't end for the Curley's. Tonight we are going off to the Shamrock Restaurant & Pub for supper with a friend at 6 PM before we head off to the WolfTones Concert at the Wahconah Country Club. We are hoping that the roads will be better by the time the concert starts which normally is around the 8 PM hour.
The Irish American Club of Berkshire County is sponsoring the concert, and they are hoping for a good turnout at least enough concert goers to pay for the band. This is one of those days where paying at the door would have been a good option because of the not so nice weather, but we have already paid for the tickets ($25 per ticket).
Can you believe that a sister ship of the one which ran aground in Italy had to be towed to port? They lost power which means a lot of bad things happened on the ship like no food, sanitation, air conditioning, etc. Did some evil spirit put a curse on this cruise line?
I have already skimmed the local newspaper. It would appear that there are some dumb things that people do in each State including our Liberal State. In a city called Methuen, the school sent home a list of the food which will served in the school cafeteria for a particular week. One of the lunch menu items listed was as "KKK Chicken Tenders." Do you think that the creator of the menu has a problem with African American people? Oops! I made a political incorrect statement. African Americans now want to be called "Blacks".
The violence continues in Syria. I am wondering when we will be invited to help out?
The investigation into the burning of the Muslim Bibles in Afghanistan is ongoing, and the violent protests have not stopped. The American military should get out of Afghanistan should do so as soon as possible.
I was the only one who left the house yesterday. I visited dad in the nursing home. I didn't have to go to his room. He was in the lobby of the nursing home in his wheel chair. I think he knew very well that he will be departing the nursing home.
After the visit, I came home to replenish the bird feeders. The snow started falling as soon as I filled up the last bird feeder. I have do it all over again today because the birds were eating the seeds on Wednesday like it was their last meal.
The weather guys says that we should pick up 3 to 6 more inches of snow before the storm ends this evening. We have 5 inches already, and I know that because I had to put on my boots to get my newspaper. My newspaper is put on the front step right outside the main door to our house. The wind blew the newspaper off the step, and I found it in the bushes. I ended up with snow all over my pajamas, and the sweatshirt that I was wearing.
So far, no one has cranked up their snow blowers. Linda is sound asleep so there is no way that I am going to start mine.
Linda whipped up a wonderful crock pot soup for supper last evening. It was one of those clean out the freezer and vegetable bin days. We will have some soup for lunch today before I go off to help dad move from the nursing home to my sister's home.
I finished savoring a book yesterday and started another one. The newest book is a James Paterson one. The murder and mayhem has already started in the first couple chapters of this book which is the way I like it.
Linda spent most of day and evening knitting and watching her favorite programs. We wish that we could have a repeat of yesterday.
For our friends who read the Berkshire Eagle online for free, this appears to be coming to an end soon. They have a two week special where you can read the Berkshire Eagle online. After that, you will have to pay a fee for reading the newspaper on line. Many newspapers have already done this, but we are a little slow in the Berkshires.
Well, I better get to some quiet tasks one of which is too find the container of raisins, and find a plastic container to put them in along with some Irish Whiskey. I am just about ready to start making some Irish Soda Breads. The raisins need to spend a couple days swimming in the whiskey before I put them in the Irish Soda Breads. The Whiskey rehydrates the raisins and adds flavor to the breads. The alcohol is burned off in the baking process. No, I am not giving away my secret recipe form the Irish Soda Bread!
Have a great day!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Today is one of those days that Linda and I would just like to put on a set of comfortable clothes like sweatpants and sweat shirts, and look out the sliding glass doors onto the deck and watch the snow fall and the birds attacking the sun flower seeds which I put out for them. Most of the schools in Berkshire County are closed too.
Well, this is not going to happen today.
My sister and I are getting dad out of the nursing home today. The discharge time is 1:30 PM. I am hoping that my sister can get dad up my sister's steep driveway.
After my sister and I get dad settled, the day won't end for the Curley's. Tonight we are going off to the Shamrock Restaurant & Pub for supper with a friend at 6 PM before we head off to the WolfTones Concert at the Wahconah Country Club. We are hoping that the roads will be better by the time the concert starts which normally is around the 8 PM hour.
The Irish American Club of Berkshire County is sponsoring the concert, and they are hoping for a good turnout at least enough concert goers to pay for the band. This is one of those days where paying at the door would have been a good option because of the not so nice weather, but we have already paid for the tickets ($25 per ticket).
Can you believe that a sister ship of the one which ran aground in Italy had to be towed to port? They lost power which means a lot of bad things happened on the ship like no food, sanitation, air conditioning, etc. Did some evil spirit put a curse on this cruise line?
I have already skimmed the local newspaper. It would appear that there are some dumb things that people do in each State including our Liberal State. In a city called Methuen, the school sent home a list of the food which will served in the school cafeteria for a particular week. One of the lunch menu items listed was as "KKK Chicken Tenders." Do you think that the creator of the menu has a problem with African American people? Oops! I made a political incorrect statement. African Americans now want to be called "Blacks".
The violence continues in Syria. I am wondering when we will be invited to help out?
The investigation into the burning of the Muslim Bibles in Afghanistan is ongoing, and the violent protests have not stopped. The American military should get out of Afghanistan should do so as soon as possible.
I was the only one who left the house yesterday. I visited dad in the nursing home. I didn't have to go to his room. He was in the lobby of the nursing home in his wheel chair. I think he knew very well that he will be departing the nursing home.
After the visit, I came home to replenish the bird feeders. The snow started falling as soon as I filled up the last bird feeder. I have do it all over again today because the birds were eating the seeds on Wednesday like it was their last meal.
The weather guys says that we should pick up 3 to 6 more inches of snow before the storm ends this evening. We have 5 inches already, and I know that because I had to put on my boots to get my newspaper. My newspaper is put on the front step right outside the main door to our house. The wind blew the newspaper off the step, and I found it in the bushes. I ended up with snow all over my pajamas, and the sweatshirt that I was wearing.
So far, no one has cranked up their snow blowers. Linda is sound asleep so there is no way that I am going to start mine.
Linda whipped up a wonderful crock pot soup for supper last evening. It was one of those clean out the freezer and vegetable bin days. We will have some soup for lunch today before I go off to help dad move from the nursing home to my sister's home.
I finished savoring a book yesterday and started another one. The newest book is a James Paterson one. The murder and mayhem has already started in the first couple chapters of this book which is the way I like it.
Linda spent most of day and evening knitting and watching her favorite programs. We wish that we could have a repeat of yesterday.
For our friends who read the Berkshire Eagle online for free, this appears to be coming to an end soon. They have a two week special where you can read the Berkshire Eagle online. After that, you will have to pay a fee for reading the newspaper on line. Many newspapers have already done this, but we are a little slow in the Berkshires.
Well, I better get to some quiet tasks one of which is too find the container of raisins, and find a plastic container to put them in along with some Irish Whiskey. I am just about ready to start making some Irish Soda Breads. The raisins need to spend a couple days swimming in the whiskey before I put them in the Irish Soda Breads. The Whiskey rehydrates the raisins and adds flavor to the breads. The alcohol is burned off in the baking process. No, I am not giving away my secret recipe form the Irish Soda Bread!
Have a great day!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Hello on Tuesday
Dear Friends,
Our Monday went pretty well, but I was out of the house most of the day dealing with dad issues. I will be at it again today as I open the family home in Lee at 1:30 PM so that two motorized chairs can be disassembled and brought to my sister's home in Pittsfield. Technicians from where dad purchased the chairs will be doing this work.
The home inspection at my sister's home went well on Monday. The two therapists, my sister and I, and dad arrived at my sister's home at 11 AM. Getting dad from the car to the upper level of my sister's home went pretty well. The therapist told Marie exactly what needs to be done in her home to make it safe for dad since he is a fall risk. After we took dad back to the nursing home, I did have time to weave in an afternoon nap before going back to the nursing home. At 3:30 PM, the therapist showed my sister and me what to do when helping dad climbing stairs. Since my sister spent 23 years of her life working in the hospital, she already knew what to do.
Dad's discharge date from the nursing home is March 1, 2012 at 1:30 PM.
While I was doing my thing, Linda was writing out bills. It was good that I wasn't around to bug her.
She had to prepare an appetizer for her meeting. Her meeting was a fun one where the ladies at the gathering were discussing details of their annual Cape Cod trip which takes place toward the end of June.
My UNICO golf committee meeting lasted about an hour, but it wasn't exactly what I would call fun.
Of course, we are in a winter storm watch / warning for the next few days. I am watching the local news right now, and the weathermen are all excited because they have something to talk about. I might even get a chance to use my snow blower. I really want to use the snow blower because I had to have it serviced a month ago. The weather guy whom I am watching is saying 5 inches for us in Pittsfield. Whatever snow does fall, will melt on Saturday because we will be back into the 50's. The weird winter continues!
Ohio School Shooting -- I want to know all the details of the family life of shooter who is an alternative school student. From the bits and pieces of various reports, grandparents have been taking care of the shooter. I want to know more about the 17 year old boy's parents. I always claim that as the family unit has deteriorated over the years, then so does society! Many of the troubled youths in our schools and in society in general happen to come from screwed up families. If you don't believe it, try teaching high school for more than 30 years like than Curley's have done.
Luckily we didn't have any shootings, but we did have a homemade bomb of metal parts and nials set off in a trash can in my school. This incident was toward the end of my teaching career. I think that the target of the bomb was the Principal of our school because the trash can was in the back of the school where the Principal would stand as the students got off of the school buses or out of the cars which they drove to school.
My radio talk show host, who is on my daily blog, can tell you even more stories about troubled youths (and adults) since he met many of them in the penal systems which he worked at throughout the United States as well as in foreign countries.
This Ohio tradgety wasn't the only incident in our schools yesterday. A seventh grader whipped out a loaded hand gun while in a lunch line because another student made a disparaging comment about another female student.
People keep on asking Linda and me if we miss teaching. What do you think?
Sports -- I didn't have any Boston teams engaged in any contests last evening so I decided to read a book while watching the Daytona 500. I couldn't last until 1 AM when the winner crossed the finish line. I stopped watching the race when a car crashed into the Jet Engine drying vehicle, and it caught fire. The fuel from the track drying vehicle coated the track, and it caught fire too. It was like watching a movie as they fire was put out and the track was repaired. No one was killed which was the only positive.
Speaking of sports, the weather channel has a video which they have been showing of a car which fell through the ice where a bunch of ice-fisherman had their cars and truck parked side by side. Instead of catching fish, a wrecker had to catch a car which had fallen through the ice. When a vehicle gets submerged in water, can you imagine what the water does to the electronic systems which all the vehicles have in them nowadays?
I met a relative, who is a couple years older than me, in the nursing home who was visiting his mother-in-law. I must say that I am never at a loss for words, but this relative could talk your ear off in no time at all. My grandmother Mary Curley (my Dad's mother), and my cousin's mother were sisters both of whom were born in Northern Italy.
At one point, we were chatting in the lobby of the nursing home, and my cousin knew every person who entered and left the nursing home. He struck up a conversation with all of them. I said to myself that my cousin is just like my 88 year old father. They can tell you who lived in what house in the Pittsfield neighborhood that they grew up in. My dad and my cousin could tell you almost every classmate that they had going back to Saint Charles Catholic elementary school. I wonder if I have the "gift"?
On the local scene, the female robber who has been holding up Convenient Stores while armed and masked, has finally been caught on video. Someone who watches this video has to recognize the voice of this woman. All of Pittsfield is waiting for this woman to be caught. The court system better show her no mercy when the Police catch this woman!
Social Calendar -- Linda has her normal Tuesday Mah Jongg session at a friend's home in Lenox. I have the dad stuff to deal with.
I have a crock pot brewing with comfort food. It is a beef pot roast with all the fixings. It should be wonderful by supper time.
Have a great day at work or school!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Our Monday went pretty well, but I was out of the house most of the day dealing with dad issues. I will be at it again today as I open the family home in Lee at 1:30 PM so that two motorized chairs can be disassembled and brought to my sister's home in Pittsfield. Technicians from where dad purchased the chairs will be doing this work.
The home inspection at my sister's home went well on Monday. The two therapists, my sister and I, and dad arrived at my sister's home at 11 AM. Getting dad from the car to the upper level of my sister's home went pretty well. The therapist told Marie exactly what needs to be done in her home to make it safe for dad since he is a fall risk. After we took dad back to the nursing home, I did have time to weave in an afternoon nap before going back to the nursing home. At 3:30 PM, the therapist showed my sister and me what to do when helping dad climbing stairs. Since my sister spent 23 years of her life working in the hospital, she already knew what to do.
Dad's discharge date from the nursing home is March 1, 2012 at 1:30 PM.
While I was doing my thing, Linda was writing out bills. It was good that I wasn't around to bug her.
She had to prepare an appetizer for her meeting. Her meeting was a fun one where the ladies at the gathering were discussing details of their annual Cape Cod trip which takes place toward the end of June.
My UNICO golf committee meeting lasted about an hour, but it wasn't exactly what I would call fun.
Of course, we are in a winter storm watch / warning for the next few days. I am watching the local news right now, and the weathermen are all excited because they have something to talk about. I might even get a chance to use my snow blower. I really want to use the snow blower because I had to have it serviced a month ago. The weather guy whom I am watching is saying 5 inches for us in Pittsfield. Whatever snow does fall, will melt on Saturday because we will be back into the 50's. The weird winter continues!
Ohio School Shooting -- I want to know all the details of the family life of shooter who is an alternative school student. From the bits and pieces of various reports, grandparents have been taking care of the shooter. I want to know more about the 17 year old boy's parents. I always claim that as the family unit has deteriorated over the years, then so does society! Many of the troubled youths in our schools and in society in general happen to come from screwed up families. If you don't believe it, try teaching high school for more than 30 years like than Curley's have done.
Luckily we didn't have any shootings, but we did have a homemade bomb of metal parts and nials set off in a trash can in my school. This incident was toward the end of my teaching career. I think that the target of the bomb was the Principal of our school because the trash can was in the back of the school where the Principal would stand as the students got off of the school buses or out of the cars which they drove to school.
My radio talk show host, who is on my daily blog, can tell you even more stories about troubled youths (and adults) since he met many of them in the penal systems which he worked at throughout the United States as well as in foreign countries.
This Ohio tradgety wasn't the only incident in our schools yesterday. A seventh grader whipped out a loaded hand gun while in a lunch line because another student made a disparaging comment about another female student.
People keep on asking Linda and me if we miss teaching. What do you think?
Sports -- I didn't have any Boston teams engaged in any contests last evening so I decided to read a book while watching the Daytona 500. I couldn't last until 1 AM when the winner crossed the finish line. I stopped watching the race when a car crashed into the Jet Engine drying vehicle, and it caught fire. The fuel from the track drying vehicle coated the track, and it caught fire too. It was like watching a movie as they fire was put out and the track was repaired. No one was killed which was the only positive.
Speaking of sports, the weather channel has a video which they have been showing of a car which fell through the ice where a bunch of ice-fisherman had their cars and truck parked side by side. Instead of catching fish, a wrecker had to catch a car which had fallen through the ice. When a vehicle gets submerged in water, can you imagine what the water does to the electronic systems which all the vehicles have in them nowadays?
I met a relative, who is a couple years older than me, in the nursing home who was visiting his mother-in-law. I must say that I am never at a loss for words, but this relative could talk your ear off in no time at all. My grandmother Mary Curley (my Dad's mother), and my cousin's mother were sisters both of whom were born in Northern Italy.
At one point, we were chatting in the lobby of the nursing home, and my cousin knew every person who entered and left the nursing home. He struck up a conversation with all of them. I said to myself that my cousin is just like my 88 year old father. They can tell you who lived in what house in the Pittsfield neighborhood that they grew up in. My dad and my cousin could tell you almost every classmate that they had going back to Saint Charles Catholic elementary school. I wonder if I have the "gift"?
On the local scene, the female robber who has been holding up Convenient Stores while armed and masked, has finally been caught on video. Someone who watches this video has to recognize the voice of this woman. All of Pittsfield is waiting for this woman to be caught. The court system better show her no mercy when the Police catch this woman!
Social Calendar -- Linda has her normal Tuesday Mah Jongg session at a friend's home in Lenox. I have the dad stuff to deal with.
I have a crock pot brewing with comfort food. It is a beef pot roast with all the fixings. It should be wonderful by supper time.
Have a great day at work or school!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Monday, February 27, 2012
Hello on Monday
Dear Friends,
Hope that you all had a pleasant Sunday.
My legs did get a much needed rest, and I spent most of the day in my Man Cave savoring a book written by the author whose books are based on the television program "Bones". The main characters in these books are always trying to catch some sick minded killer(s).
I usually have the television turned on low while reading the book. I wanted to watch the Daytona 500, but I won't be able to view the postponed race until noontime today.
Before I did settle down to my book reading, I did visit dad in the nursing home. I did purchase some bird seed on the way home from the Mt. Greylock nursing home. I should stop feeding the birds because the bears will be coming out of their dens if they haven't done so already.
Speaking of animals, there is an annual rabbit hunt sponsored by a local Sportsmen's Club. They hunters claimed that the rabbit count is down. The naturalists and the hunters contend that the Bobcat and Coyote populations are keeping the rabbit population lower this year. People have spotted Bobcats in their backyard. One family said that a bobcat was sunning himself on the railing of their deck. The homeowner rushed into the house to get a camera, but the Bobcat departed for she could take a picture. Oh Darn! I was wondering if this home owner had bird feeders in their yard. When I fed the birds yesterday, I saw some tracks in the little bit of snow we have, and they weren't bird tracks, rabbit tracks, or squirrel tracks. Could the bobcats be in our yard?
Social Calendar -- I will be helping with dad going to my sister's home, along with a therapist from the nursing home, for a home inspection. The nursing home won't officially discharge dad unless they deem the home is safe for dad who is a fall risk. Dad was in good spirits, and the staff at the nursing home knows that he will be leaving soon if all goes well today.
This evening, Linda and I will be leaving the house but going in opposite directions.
The national news was kind calm this morning. There was a video showing a billboard in UTAH which somebody paid for which said "Bomb Iran!"
The burning of the Kouran's at a United States military base in Afghanistan is still causing problems for the remaining American troops who are there. I had heard somewhere that the bad guys who were in our prisons were communicating with one another in those bibles. If this was true, the Americans should have said so before they burned those bibles.
It was another evening of the actors and actresses patting themselves on their backs. The awards don't seem to all go to the favorites. It is like trying to pick the winning horse in the Kentucky Derby. Some long shot usually wins the derby.
Weather -- We have some kind of snow event heading this way on Wednesday. The weather prognosticators keep on mentioning the track of the storm. I have to see the white stuff on the ground before I believe their forecasts.
The snow budget in Boston has used $2 million of the their $17 million snow budget. What will Boston and the other communities in Massachusetts do with the budgeted funds if they don't get used up? How about lowering our property taxes?
On the local scene, we have had a rash of burglaries of Convenient Stores here in Pittsfield. The bandit hit another one on Saturday night. She comes in with a mask while brandishing a hand gun. She demands the money from the cash register of these stores. If I owned or worked at one of the stores, I would have some pepper spray or my own handgun. The Pittsfield Police are working feverishly to stop this bandit. When the person is caught, they better give her the maximum jail time, and not use any excuses for doing so like: she is a drug abuser and was robbing stores to buy drugs, or she had a terrible family life. How about the victims who go to work each day on the night shift not knowing that the bandit will hit their store soon. I am betting that the workers at the stores who have been robbed aren't sleeping well.
Well, it is back to school today for teachers and students who had this past week off. I remember those Mondays after a school vacation very well.
Have a great week at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
P.S. Don't forget that if you want to be dropped from my daily blog, just let me know.
Hope that you all had a pleasant Sunday.
My legs did get a much needed rest, and I spent most of the day in my Man Cave savoring a book written by the author whose books are based on the television program "Bones". The main characters in these books are always trying to catch some sick minded killer(s).
I usually have the television turned on low while reading the book. I wanted to watch the Daytona 500, but I won't be able to view the postponed race until noontime today.
Before I did settle down to my book reading, I did visit dad in the nursing home. I did purchase some bird seed on the way home from the Mt. Greylock nursing home. I should stop feeding the birds because the bears will be coming out of their dens if they haven't done so already.
Speaking of animals, there is an annual rabbit hunt sponsored by a local Sportsmen's Club. They hunters claimed that the rabbit count is down. The naturalists and the hunters contend that the Bobcat and Coyote populations are keeping the rabbit population lower this year. People have spotted Bobcats in their backyard. One family said that a bobcat was sunning himself on the railing of their deck. The homeowner rushed into the house to get a camera, but the Bobcat departed for she could take a picture. Oh Darn! I was wondering if this home owner had bird feeders in their yard. When I fed the birds yesterday, I saw some tracks in the little bit of snow we have, and they weren't bird tracks, rabbit tracks, or squirrel tracks. Could the bobcats be in our yard?
Social Calendar -- I will be helping with dad going to my sister's home, along with a therapist from the nursing home, for a home inspection. The nursing home won't officially discharge dad unless they deem the home is safe for dad who is a fall risk. Dad was in good spirits, and the staff at the nursing home knows that he will be leaving soon if all goes well today.
This evening, Linda and I will be leaving the house but going in opposite directions.
The national news was kind calm this morning. There was a video showing a billboard in UTAH which somebody paid for which said "Bomb Iran!"
The burning of the Kouran's at a United States military base in Afghanistan is still causing problems for the remaining American troops who are there. I had heard somewhere that the bad guys who were in our prisons were communicating with one another in those bibles. If this was true, the Americans should have said so before they burned those bibles.
It was another evening of the actors and actresses patting themselves on their backs. The awards don't seem to all go to the favorites. It is like trying to pick the winning horse in the Kentucky Derby. Some long shot usually wins the derby.
Weather -- We have some kind of snow event heading this way on Wednesday. The weather prognosticators keep on mentioning the track of the storm. I have to see the white stuff on the ground before I believe their forecasts.
The snow budget in Boston has used $2 million of the their $17 million snow budget. What will Boston and the other communities in Massachusetts do with the budgeted funds if they don't get used up? How about lowering our property taxes?
On the local scene, we have had a rash of burglaries of Convenient Stores here in Pittsfield. The bandit hit another one on Saturday night. She comes in with a mask while brandishing a hand gun. She demands the money from the cash register of these stores. If I owned or worked at one of the stores, I would have some pepper spray or my own handgun. The Pittsfield Police are working feverishly to stop this bandit. When the person is caught, they better give her the maximum jail time, and not use any excuses for doing so like: she is a drug abuser and was robbing stores to buy drugs, or she had a terrible family life. How about the victims who go to work each day on the night shift not knowing that the bandit will hit their store soon. I am betting that the workers at the stores who have been robbed aren't sleeping well.
Well, it is back to school today for teachers and students who had this past week off. I remember those Mondays after a school vacation very well.
Have a great week at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
P.S. Don't forget that if you want to be dropped from my daily blog, just let me know.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Hello on Saturday
Dear Friends,
Hope that you all had a very pleasant day on Friday like Linda and I did. Breakfast with the Pittsfield High School Female Retirees went very well.
I am invited back on March 23, 2012. I did do more listening than talking for a change.
Speaking of breakfast -- Two eggs, two slices of toast, home fries, and bottomless cup of coffee for $3.99 is quite a deal for we Berkshireites. Why bother even cooking breakfast at home?
I did go off and visit dad just as the therapist whisked him away to a therapy session. I went with dad to see what he does at therapy. All of a sudden the room filled up with patients and therapists and there was no room for me at all. Dad was in good spirits knowing that his days were numbered in the nursing home. I hope that everything goes well leading up to his Wednesday discharge date.
We did go off to the Shamrock last evening with an Irish / Polish friend. The three of us arrived at 4:45 PM, and there were no seats at the bar. People were coming out of the woodwork as the expression goes. The place was packed at the bar and dinning area through the 7 PM hour as we left the Pub.
The fish last night was spectacular. Two of us had Fish & Chips, and our health conscious friend had baked fish.
All of us played Keno while we sat at the bar before we decided to sit down in the dinning room area to eat. Usually, we are not so lucky playing Keno. We turn in our slips after playing 10 games at a cost of $1 dollar per game. I didn't even know it, but the bartender doles out 5 $20 bills. Winning $100 was a nice surprise for me. I have to credit Linda for my winnings because I usually don't bet four numbers. I am kind of wimpy, and bet mostly two or three numbers. One time I even bet 1 number per game. The less numbers you play, the smaller the payoff is. Last night I decided to play 4 numbers and I was lucky enough to win the $100.
We came so early that I had time to watch the whole Boston Bruins Hockey game. The Bruins lost the game in a shootout, but it was an exciting game.
I will be leaving the house today before Linda even wakes up. I will be at Berkshire Hills Country Club with the kitchen crew of my UNICO Brothers and Sisters a little after 8 AM chopping and dicing, cutting up the multiple pounds of three cheeses which will go into the Polenta just before we serve it. A bunch of guys will be deveining the venison before cutting it up into stew size pieces, etc. A great deal of preparation goes into preparing to serve over 350 people at the Women's Imaging Center Fundraiser.
Like I said in previous emails, the day for me won't end after we get through serving the large crowd of guests. Linda and I are heading off to the Polish Falcon Hall to dance and listen to a Country Western / Rock Band called Whiskey City. I am figuring that my head won't hit the pillow until after midnight
Linda has a totally free day, and is planning on hooking up with some friends for supper before we meet up and go to the polish Falcon Hall.
When I skimmed the online CNN news, nothing really jumped out at me. The world is still in a state of turmoil. The Republicans continue to beat each other up with the latest gaffs made by Mitt Romney. If you talk long enough, anyone can get themselves in trouble which often happens to me.
Speaking of gaffs, one of the retired teachers at breakfast relayed a story to me about our son who owns the restaurant "Dough East Boston." Kevin was a student in this teacher's Honors History Class. The teacher asked the class where they should bury the remains of the Father of the American Navy -- John Paul Jones. He was originally buried in England. The students began shouting out West Point (Army), Colorado Springs (Air Force), etc. Another student yelled out Norfolk, Virgina. The teacher said that they were getting closer to the correct area that a naval officer should be buried. After several other responses, the frustrated teacher asked if there were any "Seamen" in her class. All the boys started looking at their crotches as they started giggling. Our son Kevin, who was seated in the front row of the class, whispered to the teacher that she should have used the word "Sailors" instead of "Seaman".
I was watching part of the Doctor Oz show just before we departed for the Shamrock. He was telling the audience and we viewers about ways to prevent or decrease the onset of Alzheimer's. I remember two of the three remedies. One was a liquid sage that you take so many eyedroppers of. The other one Linda and I always have in our house which was celery. The hearts of celery release a chemical which helps ward off Alzheimer's Disease. As a matter of fact, the red sauce that we Unicans are preparing today will have finely chopped up celery as one of the ingredients.
The wind is howling in the Berkshires. We are expecting 20 to 40 mile per hour winds for most of the day as the temperature drop. The few inches of snow that we were supposed to get never materialized. Our mild winter continues.
Well, I have to gather up some of my kitchen gadgets, apron, hot mitts, and liquid refreshments, etc.
Have a great weekend.
If you live in the Berkshires, hold on to your hats.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Hope that you all had a very pleasant day on Friday like Linda and I did. Breakfast with the Pittsfield High School Female Retirees went very well.
I am invited back on March 23, 2012. I did do more listening than talking for a change.
Speaking of breakfast -- Two eggs, two slices of toast, home fries, and bottomless cup of coffee for $3.99 is quite a deal for we Berkshireites. Why bother even cooking breakfast at home?
I did go off and visit dad just as the therapist whisked him away to a therapy session. I went with dad to see what he does at therapy. All of a sudden the room filled up with patients and therapists and there was no room for me at all. Dad was in good spirits knowing that his days were numbered in the nursing home. I hope that everything goes well leading up to his Wednesday discharge date.
We did go off to the Shamrock last evening with an Irish / Polish friend. The three of us arrived at 4:45 PM, and there were no seats at the bar. People were coming out of the woodwork as the expression goes. The place was packed at the bar and dinning area through the 7 PM hour as we left the Pub.
The fish last night was spectacular. Two of us had Fish & Chips, and our health conscious friend had baked fish.
All of us played Keno while we sat at the bar before we decided to sit down in the dinning room area to eat. Usually, we are not so lucky playing Keno. We turn in our slips after playing 10 games at a cost of $1 dollar per game. I didn't even know it, but the bartender doles out 5 $20 bills. Winning $100 was a nice surprise for me. I have to credit Linda for my winnings because I usually don't bet four numbers. I am kind of wimpy, and bet mostly two or three numbers. One time I even bet 1 number per game. The less numbers you play, the smaller the payoff is. Last night I decided to play 4 numbers and I was lucky enough to win the $100.
We came so early that I had time to watch the whole Boston Bruins Hockey game. The Bruins lost the game in a shootout, but it was an exciting game.
I will be leaving the house today before Linda even wakes up. I will be at Berkshire Hills Country Club with the kitchen crew of my UNICO Brothers and Sisters a little after 8 AM chopping and dicing, cutting up the multiple pounds of three cheeses which will go into the Polenta just before we serve it. A bunch of guys will be deveining the venison before cutting it up into stew size pieces, etc. A great deal of preparation goes into preparing to serve over 350 people at the Women's Imaging Center Fundraiser.
Like I said in previous emails, the day for me won't end after we get through serving the large crowd of guests. Linda and I are heading off to the Polish Falcon Hall to dance and listen to a Country Western / Rock Band called Whiskey City. I am figuring that my head won't hit the pillow until after midnight
Linda has a totally free day, and is planning on hooking up with some friends for supper before we meet up and go to the polish Falcon Hall.
When I skimmed the online CNN news, nothing really jumped out at me. The world is still in a state of turmoil. The Republicans continue to beat each other up with the latest gaffs made by Mitt Romney. If you talk long enough, anyone can get themselves in trouble which often happens to me.
Speaking of gaffs, one of the retired teachers at breakfast relayed a story to me about our son who owns the restaurant "Dough East Boston." Kevin was a student in this teacher's Honors History Class. The teacher asked the class where they should bury the remains of the Father of the American Navy -- John Paul Jones. He was originally buried in England. The students began shouting out West Point (Army), Colorado Springs (Air Force), etc. Another student yelled out Norfolk, Virgina. The teacher said that they were getting closer to the correct area that a naval officer should be buried. After several other responses, the frustrated teacher asked if there were any "Seamen" in her class. All the boys started looking at their crotches as they started giggling. Our son Kevin, who was seated in the front row of the class, whispered to the teacher that she should have used the word "Sailors" instead of "Seaman".
I was watching part of the Doctor Oz show just before we departed for the Shamrock. He was telling the audience and we viewers about ways to prevent or decrease the onset of Alzheimer's. I remember two of the three remedies. One was a liquid sage that you take so many eyedroppers of. The other one Linda and I always have in our house which was celery. The hearts of celery release a chemical which helps ward off Alzheimer's Disease. As a matter of fact, the red sauce that we Unicans are preparing today will have finely chopped up celery as one of the ingredients.
The wind is howling in the Berkshires. We are expecting 20 to 40 mile per hour winds for most of the day as the temperature drop. The few inches of snow that we were supposed to get never materialized. Our mild winter continues.
Well, I have to gather up some of my kitchen gadgets, apron, hot mitts, and liquid refreshments, etc.
Have a great weekend.
If you live in the Berkshires, hold on to your hats.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
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