COUGH CALMED DOWN

I went to 7:30 Mass at O.L. Mt. Carmel in Pittston this morning. There was a pea soup fog. It was worse when I first left. By the time I was on my way home it was much better & only very bad in certain spots. Uncle Frankie showed up for a while yesterday. I made a mistake. The big game isn't until this afternoon. It's often on Saturdays. Mary Anne called yesterday with all the latest about her family. When I got up this morning I couldn't help noticing that my throat isn't as violently out of control as it was yesterday. I made sure I got some Hall's cough drops yesterday. I have to lector tomorrow at 10:30 Mass. With any luck my throat will sound at least a bit better by then. Slowly but surely I'm finishing the candy I got from Vinnie. It includes raisins & pretzels too.

ILL LATELY

The cold weather is now truly upon us. I always seem to need a heavy sweater & coat these days. Dave says he's losing customers because of it & because of old age. Uncle Frankie came over for a while yesterday. As far as I know he & my father are going to their weekly game tonight. The annual St. Therese novena is now over for this year. Yesterday was the last day. There was a Mass with a visiting priest. I woke up yesterday with a violent headache & was afraid I might not make it to the last day but I got there. There was a party afterward but I didn't stick around. I think my annual allergy has turned into a bit of a cold. I'm extremely run down & hoarse. I don't have a headache anymore but I always cough. We have to say the first happy Friday of October & dance the first Friday dance of the month. This Sunday there will most probably be a nice Octoberfest over on Wellwood Avenue in Lindenhurst. We say happy birthday to Brian in California today. He's an old friend.

DREARY FEAST DAY

Today is the first day of October. I took out the garbage & put a bunch of leaves in front of the house this morning. Frequently the leaves smell extremely seriously gross but today they weren't quite so bad somehow. I woke up this morning to a very dreary day with lots of clouds. The cold autumn weather seems to have made its appearance. I also have a seriously annoying headache. It's the Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, The famous Little Flower of the Carmelites. Later today will be the last day of the novena. Yesterday when I went to the church, I couldn't help noticing that the Unimart gas station nearby was selling gas for only $2.38.9, the lowest I've seen in quite a while. Of course I couldn't resist that price so I made sure I filled my tank. The bridge work is still going on. So far it hasn't interfered with anything I've been doing so I don't mind. Even when they're not working on the main part of the bridge, where people have to drive, they always seem to be doing something on the part that's by the river.

SWINE FLU

My hair gets progressively more annoying with each passing day. So does my persistent cough. Like Steve, I seem to get stuck with quite an attack of allergies each year at around this time. October begins tomorrow with the Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower. I've been showing up at her annual novena over at the Maronite church on Loomis St. in Wilkes_Barre. It ends tomorrow. I made sure I got something really nice each day of the bake sale. Lately there's been quite a panic going on over here about the upcoming swine flu epidemic we've been expecting. Eventually we shall all have to get shots. The weather recently alternates among cold, warm, & rainy each day. As usual these days the bridge on Eighth Street is still under construction & traffic is an absolute nightmare because of it.

HECTIC WEEKEND!

Saturday went quite well. For my father's birthday, everyone showed up. Mary Anne, Steve, Sam & Bridget got in early in the day. Uncle Frankie, Fran & Lisa showed up later. I didn't get to go to the St. Therese novena over the weekend but it was still quite an interesting time anyway. The food, as always, was both plentiful & fattening. Yesterday was weird though. Bob & I agreed to go to the K of C's pro_life rally in Forty Fort & Swoyersville. We parked our vehicles separately, one at each church. The churches are quite a distance apart. He left early without me & I was stuck with no car to get home. I ended up having to mooch a ride to the other church. When I got home Steve, Sam & I went for the Old Forge pizza I ordered quite a few months ago. Then Steve, Sam & I went to Jitty Joe's for ice cream. He wasn't so good at directions, especially in the rain, as he seemed to have thought so he made a few wrong turns on the way. Today is Eddie's birthday. He's cousin Larry's son. He gets a happy birthday. As always they're working on the 8th Street bridge this weekend. It will be closed down for hours at a time each day.