BIG PARADE

Uncle Frankie & Fran came over for dinner two weekends ago. Mary Anne, Steve & Bridget came in last weekend. Michael & Sam stayed home because they were too busy. This past weekend was fairly quiet. Uncle Frankie was visiting Fran. I checked his mailbox on Saturday but he didn't get anything. Now that I get channel 72 again, I've been watching a lot of old movies. That channel has all the really interesting classics including even the very old silent movies. Veteran's Day passed by a few days ago without any significant milestones. There were no really noticeable festivities around here. The weather lately has been unseasonably warm although the mornings can be cold & icy. Yesterday was the Feast of All Carmelite Saints. Today is the Feast of All Carmelite Souls. This weekend was St. Joseph's & Our Lady of Sorrows' parishes' last weekend in existence. As of next Sunday our new parish's name will be St. Monica's. I lectored at O.L. Sorrows' last Mass yesterday. I covered for Linnae. Fr. McKernan was gone for a couple of weeks to India recently. There were visiting priests while he was gone. I gave a double red cell donation last Monday at O.L. Mt. Carmel in West Pittston. Unfortunately I got a very bad headache on Tuesday & another one on Thursday. When I used to work at Citicorp in Farmingdale & Melville, around twenty years ago, Carole, who was then my supervisor, always complained that every time I gave blood I got a violent headache the next day. Unfortunately it still happens. Yesterday I went to Barnes & Noble in Wilkes_Barre. It was one of my usual trips over there. When I went to Price Chopper at the Midway, to get the papers & a loaf of French bread, there were a bunch of fire trucks & police cars there to help the local high school celebrate their having one the biggest game of the year. They led a big procession up Wyoming Avenue. Thanksgiving is now only ten days away. Recently I got my dues notice from Wayne at the Luzerne council of the Knights of Columbus. It's that time of year again.

FAMILY FEASTS

Saturday morning's lay Carmelite meeting went well. We meet at the Little Flower Manor on South Meade Street every third Saturday of the month, from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Anne & Mary Elizabeth were there for a while but they had to leave early. Barbara couldn't show up because she got very sick from all the bitter cold air conditioning at the meeting in Middletown. They really overdid it that day. Last Sunday I won twenty dollars on the money wheel at O.L. Mt. Carmel's family feast. This Saturday I won a basket of shampoo, soap & bath products. I lectored at 10:30 Mass yesterday. Amazingly my cousin Maelene's son, Joey, turned thirty on July 16. They live in North Tonawanda. I can still remember when he was first born. At times like this I feel like such an old geezer. Uncle Frankie & Fran came over for a while yesterday. She had to leave early but he stayed for supper. It rains every once in a while lately, including this morning but it's not enough. I've never been able to help getting a kick out of the really nice green border around the otherwise parched grass on people's lawns these days.

YET ANOTHER MIDDLETOWN TRIP

I went to yet another Carmelite day of recollection on Saturday morning. It was, as always, in Middletown, N.Y. I drove, in a summer shower, to the Little Flower Manor in Wilkes_Barre to meet Rosemary. From there, she drove to a local school in Clark Summit where we got together with Barbara to go the rest of the way. As always Fr. Mario, Theresa, & Jim & Rosemary were there with all the other regulars. I was especially happy to be able to see Marie, Carmela & Debbie from the Seaford chapter too. They told me all about Fr. Stanislaus & Fr. Vitalis. As always they served a really nice continental breakfast & lunch. There were lots of things on sale from the book store too. It was quite an absolutely exhausting day though. I woke up with a very annoying headache on Sunday. The weather on the way home was slightly weird. It rained for a few seconds at a time in certain places only over specific spots. I've hardly ever seen anything like that before. Rich, the oldest of the Ronald's three kids, turned forty on Saturday. I went to the last night of O.L. Mt. Carmel's annual feast last night. While I was there I won twenty dollars on the money wheel. Fr. Phil & Fr. Jackson were there. Fr. Phil said that our next meeting would probably be sometime next month. Yesterday Danny showed up with a picture, for my parents, of all the kin from the Fourth of July. He wanted to know if Gino & Michelle were home because he had one for Aunt Helen. He also found a pair of sunglasses & a watch that one of the kids appeared to have forgotten to take home.

Nightmarishly Foggy Morning

Thursday, December 14, 2006: This morning was nightmarishly foggy. So far the rest of the day hasn't been anything to brag about either. It's an extremely significant Carmelite feast day, though_St. John of the Cross_so I made quite sure I got over to O.L. Mt. Carmel Church in Pittston for 7 a.m. Mass. I'm just about finished with Villette. Life has been going on so far, so well. Christmas beckons. One of these days I shall have to give you a nice big itemized check list about all the no_nos of Christmas.