PASCHAL TRIDUUM

Uncle Frankie can't show up for Easter because he's visiting Fran.  I shall have to get his mail for the next few days.  This evening's Mass at O. L. Sorrows begins this year's Paschal Triduum.  Fr. McKernan has asked me to get my feet washed.  It's the first time I've ever done that.  His sister is visiting him from Long Island for Easter.   Mary Anne, Steve & the kids will be coming in soon.  Of course all the liberal troublemakers are coming out of everyplace insisting we refer to it as just another holiday, as if any other holiday counts.   There's not such a lot of shopping to do for Easter.   I've always really enjoyed the beauty of all the decorations, nice clothes & flowers.  The only disadvantage is that it's entirely too fattening.  Because of my not having gotten a haircut in quite a while I got one this morning, after morning prayer at O. L. Sorrows, at Rose Chairge's in West Pittston.  Yet again it was a little hard for me to find her place because her husband has changed locations.   He got rid of the Batman logo & that was my only way of finding it.  After a few extra minutes of going crazy I got there.   She knows Michelle & Gino so I found out from her what they've been up to lately.  Spring is here but the weather is often still too cold.   Dave is always going through the neighborhood looking for things to do.  He cuts people's  grass,  trims bushes, etc. in the warm weather.  There's still no word from  Frank about my odometer.   Gas prices are still going up & it's gotten plum out of control.

FOURTH OF JULY

This past weekend Sam, the younger of my nephews, had quite an exceptionally nice & busy time.  He went to his Senior prom & his graduation from Long Beach High School, on Long Island.  He's eighteen years old as of earlier this month.  It's a month of major milestones for him.   Following in his brother Michael's footsteps he intends to attend Hofstra University in September.  He recently got his driver's license too.   Michael is also quite busy too with his girlfriend Erin, job & new life.   Bridget, their sister, the youngest of all, has just finished her time at summer camp.   Mary Anne came in on the bus a couple of days ago to help with all the necessary cooking for the Fourth of July.  Very soon we shall have to face the inevitable crowd in Hilldale.   Unfortunately I missed the big final farewell reunion at St. Gabriel's in East Elmhurst, & shall also be forced to miss the big reunion at St. John the Baptist in West Islip.  It's on July 1.   My parents still constantly pester me to water the plants & flowers for them each day.  There's so much rain lately though that many days it's entirely unnecessary.  Last night at around 10:30, there was an absolutely overwhelming electrical storm.  My cell phone works really well.  My parents now have the one I started out using because they don't want to be bothered with all the extra things.  I was forced to spend an absolutely insane amount of time on the phone with the Tracfone people to get theirs re~activated but other than that all goes quite well.