LAY CARMELITE MEETING

Very early this morning, I got up to go to the lay Carmelite meeting over on S. Mead St. in Wilkes_Barre. Sister Catherine was available this month. Anyone in Northeastern Pa. is asked to visit the Little Flower Manor on the first Saturday morning of each month & check us out. Our meetings start in the chapel at 9:00 a.m. At the meetings, we even have coffee, tea & pastries. It was very nice to see that one of our own, St. George Preca, was recently canonized by Pope Benedict XVI. KrissyKrissyKrissy is still in New York. All has been rather droll over here lately. The real action will be starting in a few weeks. A while ago, I found a pair of good sneakers in my trunk. Having forgotten they were even there, I got stuck wearing only shoes for quite a while. I hope they turn out to be a welcome change of tootsie pace for me. They'll be very nice for the grass cutting I shall have to do later on today. It's boring but it only takes a very short time. Happy Father's Day, tomorrow, to all you guys who qualify.

GO TO HELEN HUNT FOR IT

On this day in 1963, the living legend of Helen Hunt was born. KrissyKrissyKrissy will be staying in New York until Tuesday. The painters are still finishing up the house. One of them even has his kids working. With any luck, it should turn out to be the very last day. Tomorrow is the big Wilkes Barre Carmelite meeting. From now on, until further notice, they're starting at 9:00 a.m. I'm an early bird anyway, so either way I'm cool about it. I started reading William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair yesterday. Because it's summer, the library has been very busy lately.

LONG WALKS/HAPPY FLAG DAY

Lately I've been learning to walk really well. I've never gotten around to it before but I need the exercise. Last year, during the nice weather, I really set my mind to it. Yesterday, at the levee, I walked a full mile along the path. Including the walk each way, to & from, I really must have put on quite a whole lot of mileage. Unfortunately, I ended up with a very large callous on my right foot. Because yesterday was the Feast of St. Anthony(pronounced Ant'ny) of Padua, I made sure I went to 7p.m. Mass at St. Anthony's Church in Exeter. They gave out the traditional bread. I finished that Jane Austen book too. Although it's usually been very warm these days, today's awfully cool. It's a nice change of pace, but I'm still much more of a hot weather kind of guy. Yesterday there was the slightest smidge of a drizzle. Besides Stacy's wedding & the Fourth of July, we shall be soon getting ready for Tina's graduation too. I suppose all of her hundreds of best friends will be there. Because it's summer, the library has been getting insanely crowded lately.

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

It's not that I enjoy a drought any better than the next guy, but lately when we get rain, we get all sorts of electrical storms. I most certainly shouldn't like to have to travel in all that mess. KrissyKrissyKrissy has gone to little Eddie's graduation from pre_school this morning. Those things are always just as cute as a bug's ear. I didn't go to pre_school. When I was a kid, school started with kindergarten. Yesterday I read a couple of dozen more pages of that Jane Austen book. The Fourth of July & Stacy's wedding are getting closer & closer with each passing day. They're the two very big upcoming milestones these days. Sometimes summer's just too much fatteninger & fatteninger.

A REALLY INTERESTING NIGHT

Last night I went to hear a speech at O.L.Mt. Carmel Church on William St. in Pittston. It was given by a really famous woman philosophy/theology professor from Cambridge University in England. There was a really nice supper first, followed by the talk & a question & answer session. I, of course, didn't know anybody there, but that's most certainly never stopped me before. There was a bit of a crowd but somehow it was very comfortable. Who knows how I could possibly have forgotten to mention it? Yesterday's the thirtieth anniversary of the day I got out of high school. Howdy to all my classmates from St. John's. It rained a little last night but lately the weather's been entirely too dry. Nobody's watering his grass or anything for fear of drought. This morning, believe it or not, I took an insanely long walk. I walked down to the levee that's right before the Midway. On top of that I even walked down the path up to the spot that was specifically marked .25 mile. For me, that's most certainly quite an accomplishment. As a result of the heat & strain, I now most probably smell about like hell warmed over.

VERY NICE QUIET WEEKEND

The weekend went quite well for me. I signed up, at O.L.Sorrows Church, for a lectors' meeting at St. Joseph's on June 23. Tonight I have to go to O.L.Mt.Carmel Church for a talk that's being given by a really famous professor. KrissyKrissyKrissy just got back this morning. All has been going well in New York. Yesterday I read something, in the Times Leader, that struck me as quite interesting. The article was about music's lasting effect on young people. It turns out that according to this article, the assumption that an individual's addiction to the music of his adolescence really does linger all through his lifetime. It's not just a boring trite cliche. The music of one's teens & early twenties will always follow him around from then on. No wonder I keep on hearing "Mockingbird", "I Want to Be A Lifeguard", & "Freeze Frame" wandering around through my head so frequently. I've always considered the music of the sixties my very favorite though. I really quite desperately need a haircut but haven't gotten around to one just yet. I've been walking a lot for exercise. Last night I saw most of the Elizabeth Taylor movie,The Diary of Anne Frank.. Nothing much has changed so far.

ANOTHER VERY DROLL DAY

On this day in 1870, Charles Dickens died. I'm practically finished with that book of his. On this day in 1934, Donald Duck was first introduced to the world. Whoa, did we ever have the major & totally storm last night or what! There were thunder & lightning up the wazoo. What a way to end a drought. We really needed it. The grass will be substantially greener from now on for a while. KrissyKrissyKrissy showed up late yesterday but is now gone again for a while. The Fourth of July beckons, getting closer & closer by the second. In a few more weeks, we shall be surrounded by crowds of characters trying oh_so_desperately to catch up with all the gossip of the past year. The countdown to zero hour has already begun. The last weekend of this month should have plenty of totally groovy surprises in store for us, including Brianne's shower. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

NICE WEATHER SO FAR

Yesterday, Sam's birthday & Jerry Day, went quite well. I spoke to Same & Michael on the phone for a few minutes. The birthday boy got a wet suit for a present. I asked Michael for some help with my computer but he said it's most probably just plain dying of old age by now. Uncle Frankie & Fran showed up, as usual last night, for a little while. I'm assuming the Ronald has been feeling a smidge better lately because he just sent me an e.mail a few minutes ago. Up until recently, every time I've gone out for the papers each day, I've gone to the local Wyoming Ave. Unimart. Yesterday, though, I got the really bright idea to start taking advantage of those paper machines on the streets around here. They open up whenever somebody puts the right amount of change in & he just gets to take out the paper he wants. The only disadvantage is to the distributor because there's nothing stopping a crook from taking more than what he's chosen to pay for. KrissyKrissyKrissy's not back from her latest jaunt just yet. She's confusing. Today's the day when the grand & glorious Friday dance beckons for one & all. Ever since I first discovered the Friday dance it's been catching on quite well.

VERY COOL WEATHER LATELY

The weather's still a smidge nippier than it's been lately, without much rain. I just found out that O.L.P.H., my old parish, will be having their 25th anniversary feast & street fair starting on July 11th with Polish night. After that, until the 15th, are Irish, Italian, American & International/German nights, in that order. I miss those things. I knew everybody in the entire area, having lived there since pert near my twelfth birthday. Last night I saw the old Cecil B. DeMille movie The Sign of the Cross with many old time stars in it. The guy in the picture is one of the top bananas in my old KofC council. I just got their Tidings & the Columbia lately. I see they recently hosted something for the young_uns from the Lindenhurst public schools. It's nice being able to keep up with the old stomping grounds.

COOLER THAN AVERAGE DAY

Today's weather is a smidge on the cooler side compared to our recent very hot streak. It's a nice change of pace. I just like very warm weather though. Well, folks, I reckon the big annual shindig over in Hilldale is coming up once again. It will be on the very last weekend of June this year. It will be fattening, over crowded & nerve wracking as always. I never get to see any of these characters all year though, so it should be really interesting. It's a swell time combined with all sorts of hysterics, gossip & sunburn. Perhaps you're wondering why I came up with the Beatles & Grateful Dead videos yesterday. This week is the Sgt. Pepper anniversary. It was on the first. I like the Fabs' early days better than the psychedelic era though. The Grateful Dead video is because tomorrow is Jerry Day. I couldn't help noticing on the "Don't Ease Me In" video that it was recorded on June 27, 1970, close to exactly thirty seven years ago. I first found out about "Don't Ease Me In" in 1980, when the Dead released it on their "Go To Heaven" album. Ever since then, it's been quite an absolute favorite of mine.