WARM WEATHER ROCKS!

The library was closed yesterday because John, the librarian, was unavoidably forced to go someplace work related. The Hoyt Library was closed too because of something that's going on with a new extension to their grounds. I went to Barnes & Noble. That's always been one of my very favorite places. Borders is even better but it's way over in Scranton. Today we wish a very happy first birthday to Natalie, Krissykrissykrissy's daughter. Woody Allen's movies have always been among my very favorites. Yesterday I saw "Bananas" again. I couldn't help noticing a lot of familiar faces who were in it. I just noticed that Pp. Benedict XVI will be canonizing my fellow Carmelite, Bl. Nuno Alvares Pereira (1360_1431) tomorrow. The Portuguese Religious will be among several blesseds who will be canonized in tomorrow's consistory. The temperature should be in the eighties today & I shall really be looking forward to it. Yesterday I got three letters from the blood drive people. On May 6, 7 & 8 there will be blood drives in the area. I get my pick this time. Two are in Pittston & one in Exeter.

NICER WEATHER

Not much has been happening lately around here. Mary Anne called last night with all the latest news from New York. Fortunately I've noticed lately that I haven't been getting any headaches these days. Yesterday I took a short Spanish quiz on the foreign language site, Livemocha. Amazingly I got most of the questions right. Last night I ate an apple. I have no idea why. I've most certainly not, recently anyway, been in the habit of eating fruit. I must have gotten stricken by an impulse from out of nowhere. Cathleen just told me that the weather in California is 96 degrees today. I heard on the Weather Channel yesterday that the western U.S. has been going through quite a warm spell these days. Today's weather is quite nice but yesterday's was one of our entirely too frequent miserable days. Yesterday I started re_reading "The Living Flame Of Love" by St. John of the Cross. That could come in quite handy at the Carmelite meetings one of these days.

RAINY DAYS & MONDAYS ALWAYS GET ME DOWN

It was a very nice weekend. The Carmelite meeting was quite uneventful. Unfortunately Sister Catherine is no longer with us. She has been transferred & we may have to think of moving somewhere else from now on. The library was closed so immediately after the meeting I went to Barnes & Noble at the Hub in Wilkes_Barre. I got a copy of Woody Allen's "Vicky Christina Barcelona" & a book by a famous cardinal. Yesterday was Divine Mercy Sunday so the churches were all very busy all over the world. Uncle Frankie showed up a few times over the course of the weekend. I lectored at 5:00 Mass on Saturday. In the Citizen's Voice on Saturday I noticed that some black guy had been picked up in Amityville, N.Y. for having committed murder in Plains a while ago. Last night's Holy Name Society meeting went as well as usual. Nothing distinctive happened. Unfortunately today is the tenth anniversary of the Columbine Massacre. It was primarily an attack on Christians, a symptom of the main obsessive priority of our times. The weather absolutely stinks to day. So far it's been very cold & raining although it's been very nice lately.

CARMELITE MEETING TOMORROW

I just found out this past week that tomorrow is Laura's birthday though I've conveniently forgotten exactly which one. She's cousin Mark's wife. Unfortunately they live over in New York so I hardly ever get a chance to see them. While I'm on the subject, happy birthday this month to Sean, Angus Italo, Aunt Norma, Liz & Tony too. Uncle Frankie showed up yesterday but I wasn't around at the time. As far as I know everything worked out as well as ever. As always, I'm still pigging out on Easter candy. It's getting quite seriously annoying by now. Cousin Noreen recently went to a wine tasting at Martini Beach. I don't know if the name of the place was intentionally chosen that way or not. Tomorrow, I have to lector at 5:00 Mass. The new schedules were in the rectory last weekend so I made sure I got mine. At least the weather is still gradually improving. Today seems, so far, to be quite a nice day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, POPE BENEDICT XVI!

My parents have been going crazy lately trying to do as much spring cleaning as possible. The weather, a little at a time, is getting somewhat better. It's usually at its very best during the afternoon each day. The show about Shakespeare was on EWTN again yesterday so I made sure I watched it. As a compulsive bookworm, I've always been really interested in those kinds of things. We're back at the churches of the Wyomings from now on but Fr. Walsh wasn't available this morning so Fr. McDonnell, O.S.J., ended up covering for him. Bob called me last night at 10:00. I've always liked going to bed early & I've always despised the phone. At least the conversation turned out to be reasonably interesting though. I truly wish people would keep the phone on a nice short leash. This month's Carmelite meeting will be on this coming Saturday morning. Most probably the attendance won't be anything to brag about.

DISGUSTING WEATHER!

Uncle Frankie came over for only a little while yesterday. Of course, he showed up with candy. By now the miserable weather has gotten disgusting beyond human comprehension. Today is the last day at St. John's for Mass. Fr. Walsh is supposed to be back tomorrow. When I go to Pittston in the morning, I make sure I stop at the Turkey Hill each day, in Exeter, to get the paper. Lately washing the laundry seems to be taking up quite an awfully large share of my day. It's a lot like taking out the garbage. Neither one appears to take so much time until you realize how many separate times each one inevitably has to be taken care of. I just noticed today that cousin Mary Ellen has recently joined Facebook. It should be quite interesting having her among us. We have lots of relatives with us now. Lately there's still nothing on TV but I usually watch "Jeopardy" & "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire".

GAS PRICES GOING UP

Today, for the second day in a row, I ended up having to go to St. John's in Pittston for 8:00 Mass. There's a lot of traffic congestion in that area so at times it can be quite an effort getting through it all. While I was out I couldn't help noticing that gas prices have been going up a few cents at a time these days. This morning I got started on that site that teaches foreign languages. I have very many Italian & Hispanic connections these days. Because the Italians are awfully talkative I made sure I started with the Italian lessons. The first lesson so far is about groceries. It's all about things like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage asparagus & other food that can be found in a grocery store. It also covers things like bags, shopping carts & everything else from that environment. Now that Easter weekend's over, we have all been getting back to the usual grind. I'm having an impossible time trying to handle all the leftover food & candy.

HOLY THURSDAY

There was ice on the cars' windows this morning & the temperature was thirty degrees. It's absolutely unacceptable. I'm just about finished with that book on Marxism. I only have around sixteen pages to go. This weekend, being Easter, is going to be entirely too active for me but it will be quiet enjoyable too. There will be plenty of kin constantly hovering around. Lately all I've been doing is taking out garbage & going up & downstairs with laundry. It's boring but not bothering with it is even worse. Every time I turn on VH1 these days, they always seem to be showing their retrospective of one hit wonders of the 1980's. Unlike the crap that's on the radio now, the music from that era was usually pretty enjoyable. At its very best it was extremely good. New Wave was one of the best things to happen to pop music. Disco stunk & rap is pure poison. I can't handle all the grunge, etc. either.

WELCOME OLIVIA!

To my undying chagrin & insatiable disgust, it snowed for a little while this morning. Spring is here in name alone. Yesterday I went to Turkey Hill in Exeter for a full tank of gas & a half gallon_I got two quarts_of one per cent milk. I wanted two per cent but made a bit of a mistake. Gas prices have gone up a bit lately. After I left Turkey Hill I went over to the Dollar Store at the Midway in Wyoming to get some AA batteries. Jennifer's little daughter, Olivia Lynn, was born this morning. Congratulations to all the relevant kin. Now we are on the verge of the Paschal Triduum. Holy Thursday is tomorrow, followed by Good Friday, Holy Saturday & Easter. The Easter Season, starting Sunday, goes on for a full fifty days. I wish people would stop saying that "Happy Holidays" garbage. "Happy Easter" is absolutely the only acceptable thing to say. Today the library's parking lot was filled when I first showed up so I was forced to park in the Methodist church's parking lot next door.

THE NEVER ENDING WINTER

Easter is only five days away. It promises to be quite a busy time. After a while I get sick & tired of all the food. Other than that, though, it's nice. Later today I should go for gas. My tank is getting seriously low. My car registration fee is paid now even though it's not due until the end of next month. There was something on it I couldn't figure out at first. After a few minutes though, I looked it up on the back of the form & it turned out to be really easy. There simply can't possibly be any legitimate excuse whatsoever for this endless winter garbage. It's always ice cold around here. Lately it seems as if I've been continuously busy with boring things. All I do is take out garbage & wash clothes. I just found out from pro_life activist, Norma McCorvey-we're on each other's Facebook friends lists-that Obama, the abortion president, has gotten all those letters from the Red Envelope project. That's really good news.