JULY

Today is the very first day of a brand spanking new month. Lately it's been raining extremely violently for a little while at a time several days a week. Yesterday, besides early in the afternoon, it also started pouring after I went to bed last night. Both storms included thunder & lightning. Mary Anne took Bridget to Scranton yesterday to see their coal mine exhibit. Fortunately they beat the bad weather. Bridget told me this morning that she's going to Dorney Park tomorrow. Tonight I have to go to O.L. Mt. Carmel in Pittston for another of those meetings. I've read Pope John Paul II's encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" twice over so I'm as ready as I shall ever be. Steve's big concert was last night. Lately I've been re_reading Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey" & all those other books. I've been reading Keats' poetry too. Today people will started filing into Hilldale for the big Fourth of July bash. A lot of people won't be available until at least Friday. Some will be completely unavailable. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

TOMORROW'S THE BIG DAY

Yesterday I went to DeMauro's for pizza. I've eaten their pizza once before. It's on William Street in Pittston right across the street from St. John's Church. I'm not even the least bit impressed with the parking over there. The kin wanted chicken wings too but they didn't have them. Mary Anne went someplace else to get them. The pizza was quite good. They're one of the very few pizzerias in the area that have round, New York style pizza. Usually we end up getting Sizzle Pie in Kingston but they're always closed on Mondays. Today is Dennis' fiftieth birthday. He's an old friend from St. Gabriel's in Queens. Tomorrow is the first day of our annual trip to Hilldale for the Fourth of July. Most of the kin will be showing up, though many won't be available. My cousin Vinnie is going to get his new Kia Sportage today. He says his Blazer's dying of old age. Yesterday I watched "Becker" again. It's always really interesting. This morning, after Mass I was supposed to get milk but I plum forgot. Fr. Walsh showed up this time. The guy who's in charge of unlocking the church never got there until really late though.

GOT A DVD PLAYER & VCR

Mary Anne & Bridget have been here since last evening. Mary Anne asked me on the phone if it was raining & I told her that it wasn't. It started raining a little while later. Bridget now has braces. The Fourth of July weekend starts this Wednesday. It promises to be quite a nice time. This morning, in the parking lot at O.L. Sorrows, Bob told me that Fr. Walsh is definitely going to be leaving the parish as of maybe this Thursday. He didn't want a party though. He kept quite a low profile about it for a very long time. Rocco's wife was there today. I asked her to tell Rocco I said hello. Uncle Frankie went to a party yesterday & after that went to see Fran at Cape May. Today my father & I went over to Target to get a DVD/VCR player. he got a t shirt too. I used my mother's gift card to defray the cost. When I got home, instead of bothering to wait a couple of days for Steve, Sam & Michael to help, I promptly tried to figure it out on my own. I have to learn these things anyway. Because Dave put the set on wheels it lost its balance when I moved it. It fell crashing to the ground. I learned my lesson the hard way. I should have waited for Steve & the boys.