Oct.27-Nov.3, 2005 #366

     Joe and I stopped, as usual to see Hazel and found her in good spirits. She was tickled to be invited to both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. It is much better then being alone on the holiday. Her plans to head for Jamaica are up in the air right now. The gentleman who usually accompanies her has not yet made his plans. The trip may not take place until next year.
     Octavia, my friend from Portlandville, reminded me that the Portlandville Methodist Church was having their Harvest Dinner. I told her to reserve us seats, for Joe And I, We made arrangements to go meet her and friends at 1:00pm, the first of three sittings. They were seated across from us at the table- a gentleman and young lady, who just happened to meet at the dinner. They got along so well, I thought they were a number. Perhaps they will be-never can tell. Keep me posted. It is the first of the Harvest dinners and as usual, it was wonderful. The ladies said there were 20 plus turkeys roasted to perfection and that will give you an idea of how much butternut squash, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, stuffing, rolls and PIES had to be made. Irene Schbitz and friend and her sister, Irene Matteson, also enjoyed the dinner, but I didn’t see them until we were leaving. Proceeds go to the fuel fund.
     A massive snow cloud hovered over the Milford skyline like a huge spaceship all afternoon. Weather report said that seven inches of snow was coming our way. It didn’t come that night but nailed us the next morning with heavy wet snow, which knocked out power till the next day and still many are without power. Schools were delayed or closed. That is Number One!
     You won’t believe it, but my Stress Echo was canceled, because I took my blood pressure meds the night before. It will be another week now, before I can have it done. Too bad I was not made aware of this.
     Tex Seaman, the new Otsego County Veteran’s Director, helped me set up and appointment for the van, to take Joe to his appointment at the VA in early November in Albany. It will be a big help now that gas is so high. I will go with him so that he does'nt miss anything. He will get his shoulder checked possibly get a cortisone shot along with pneumonia and flu shots.
     Joe and I we were on our way to Staten Island to attend the 50th special birthday party of is brother Robert. We left at 8:30am. It was overcast with a sprinkle of sunshine most of the way. I filled a small cooler with ham salad and egg salad sandwiches,pickles, yogurt and OJ. About 11:30, Joe's sugar went down and the stash worked well. We did well, but a wrong turn got us lost just minutes from his sister, Joan's home. We came to a stop at a four corners with a traffice light. The streets were very narrow and not able to contain the flow of vehicles passing through. Horns blew and gestures were crewd and voices loud. It was not a place I found comfortable. She met us at the mailbox on an intersection of McQuine and Amboy Road then we followed her home. One wrong turn lead us astray.
     The next few days were incredable-visiting with friends and family, except for one afternoon when Joe took Joan shopping for a new car. I went along for the ride. We spent a good part of the afternoon with the Nissan dealership, but ended up walking away. We will keep our eyes open for a deal. . .Friday evening Joan treated us to a great Italian dinner at the Buona Pasta Restaurante on Amboy Road, Staten Island. Here we had a chance to get aquainted. I learned that Joan has had a rough time of it. She lost her hubby to cancer and her firefighter son, to a house fire in Brooklyn, We tried to laugh and it worked.
    The next night, we headed for the birthday party. The family all helped with planning and decroations in their beautiful new home. It was a Halloween Spectacular with ghosts, goblins and pumpkins, etc. They had an entertainment center set up with all kinds of great music and everyone was dancing even Joe, who had been watching all those who were dancing. He did well for someone who can''t hear the music. It was a great evening.
     The few days went quickly and Sunday morning came quickly. We gained an hour with the time change so it wasn't so bad. Joe decided to visit an old buddy of his in Glendale, Queens. They hadn't seen each other for a decade. It was fun listening to them talk about the things that they did in their youth. The visit was short, but hopefully they will get together again in the future. Joe lived in Brooklyn, and Queens, N.Y., a long time and so it was easy for him to get around. It was nice to meet one of Joe's life-long friends.
     We filled the gas tank up at $2.41 and we used just a little under a half a tank of gas. The trip was fast. The scenery was striking. We got home to find that Joe's friend, Doug, had taken good care of Patches and she was so excited to see us , she all but jumped three foot! After getting everything out of the car and then had the rest of Joe's lima bean, and ham soup. It filled us right up. This was the end of a busy few days and it was great.....
      With a big smile, Joe handed me a bouquet of beautiful red roses and later a anklet of silver and gold braid, something I always wanted.  It was no special occasion and it certainly touched my heart.
      Thought for the Week:  It is better to say nothing, and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt. [ Author Unknown]