Elena and Matt again venture south, while Nastia and Sean head to the great northern territories of Orange County

It’s summertime and the living is easy. Oh to live in summer ten months a year, with a week of Fall, a week of Winter and two weeks of Spring. Short of that we’ll just have to take what we get. Everyone is going to some place because it is high summer, you know, reread the first sentence.

Elena decided to go to the beach with Matt. They wanted to go to the beach today, Thursday July 13th, but the weather said it was going to be cloudy and overcast with a chance of thunderstorms. THe weather people got it wrong, it's great out. Yesterday was good too, so they didn’t sacrifice anything going yesterday. Elena stayed up a little later on Tuesday getting everything together for the trip. She had a cooler bag and whatever else together for the trip. Oh, yes her tent (see previous beach day for how great the tent is.) She’d planned to leave at 7:30 and get to the beach early. Plans didn’t go as planned. They kind of Muller timed on her, you know. She wanted to get there at 9:30 and ended up leaving about then, yeah, Muller time.

She was driving. Teri and I had asked her to be careful driving down there the night before and she gave a sarcastic reply. I then said to her, “Even if you don’t mean it, please say it like you do.” surprisingly she did. We both know she will be careful driving down there. We just need to hear her say it so we can feel we've done our parenting best to keep her safe. Even though at this point in life we are just influencers. You know those annoying people usually online with opinions that for some reason people listen to. She left, just a little late, picked up Matt (got to speak to that boy about being a man a little more and doing things like driving more. You know, he needs to be a twentieth century man, like me. Yes, it’s a joke, but only halfly(Spell check says ‘halfly’ isn’t a word. It should be. It means there is some truth to it, but I’m hiding it in humor. Or according to my family, I’m just writing a lot of words because it’s not funny or subtle)) Again new paragraph, back to the subject at hand. She picks Matt up, they stop at an ATM and then and only then get on the road. They hit traffic, yes, in the Oranges, don’t we all. And they are down there at about 11. The weather is nice. I assume they set up her tent, go in the water, and eat some lunch. I don’t know because the book of Elena doesn’t open to those pages. It will open up with a text about 4:54 when Teri will text asking what time they will be home. A positive ‘not sure, just packing the car.’ is texted back. Elena’s mother falls for her trap when she asks, “should I feed the dog?” If you’re not a big fan, she blows hot and cold toward the dogs, what would you say to that? Ah, you’d say , no. So, YES, like in a New York minute she does.

Relieved of the thought (hey, she didn’t even give it that.) of having to feed the dogs, she is free to eat out dinner (I’m sure she was going to do it anyway.). They eat dinner at Jumbo’s Bar and Grill on the Boardwalk at the beach. She sends a picture of her sushi nachos. Her mother, envious, askes, “ohhhhh where???” Elena, On the Boardwalk. Very good. The clams were aaammaazzzinng, mmm”. She is being evil as we are eating leftovers trying to get to a town concert with the Amish Outlaws. And yes, some of them are Amish. Teri tells her to save any leftovers. Elena, well satiated (to completely satisfy yourself or a need, especially with food or pleasure, so that you could not have any more) tells her, “No leftovers. I swallowed everything down.” We go off to the concert and on our way home around 9:30, she texts she is home. A big surprise.

Nastia on the other hand gets out of work early, meets up with Sean at the house and takes his car to a relative’s house for a BBQ or maybe just dinner. Nastia is getting a little like Elena. I have to ask if I want information. When I get home and before I change for the concert, I spend time calling her and Sean’s phone. I know they are probably alright, but just like Elena saying she’ll be careful driving, I need to hear it from Nastia. After a while Teri says to give it up. Shortly afterwards Nastia calls. I remained calm and explained to her it would have been nice to receive a text from her letting us know that she got out of work early and she and Sean headed up to Orange County. She says she’s sorry, what else can she say or I do except tell her to be safe and have fun. She arrives home later in the evening then us saying she had fun and everyone there was asking her where she was putting all the food she ate. Nastia went into detail about what she ate. I don’t remember what it was, except it was a long list. At Thursday’s dinner she will talk some about her evening. Elena, she’ll be out with Matt again and come home just before 11. Again, ah, to be young, in love and think you have money, I’m so jealous.

Seaside Rendezvous Song by Queen

It's that time of year again.It’s time to go to the beach. It’s the same, but different now. We all go to the beach, at least for now, as a family. It’s different because now the girls take a separate car. It was supposed to be a group of nine or ten. Sallyann and her family were going, but Katie got sick and they couldn’t make it. So the group was down to seven. The girls still wanted to go on their own. So We said we’ll meet you down there at the parking lot on Hamilton Ave. They arrive first and park on Hamilton. We’re still a half hour away, so I tell them we’ll meet them on the beach. Yes, this opens things up to misunderstandings and all those other good things. We arrive on Hamilton about half an hour later, drive down the road and pull into the lot on the right side of the road. We pay our $15.00, unload the too much stuff to bring to the beach stuff and go towards the closest walkway to the beach. It’s almost straight ahead. Where else would someone who parked on Hamilton go?

Sean goes down Hamilton, but goes to the left side of the road's parking lot. He parks all the way down in the lot toward the next road over. So the closest walkway is not the one closest to where we park. I’m dragging a wheeled cooler,carrying Elena's tent,a chair and an umbrella. Teri has a chair and a bag, maybe two. We over packed considering the ice tea and the Mountain Dew for Elena is never touched. I wanted a gallon of water and lots of ice to fill the rest of the space. Teri had us ditch the beach cart because the wheeled cooler has wheels. In sand it’s more like a bulldozer, it just pushes the sand in front of it. I’m in jeans because I don’t like myself and want to suffer in the 90 degree heat and humidity. It is so foggy I can’t see the water. We trudge through the sand. It feels like we are in a survival movie, lost in the desert. I’m pulling half the beach in front of this cooler. ‘

Before we even stepped on the beach, I call Nastia and Elena. No answer on their phones. I guess you can’t take it in the water. Nancy, good old helpful Nancy had gone ahead, found where they were, stood up and waved. Then sat back down. I guess I can give her a pass, she didn’t know two idiots have over packed for the beach. We arrive where the girls have set up their camp. Teri wants to set up here, she’s tired. I don’t like it. I thought it, but didn’t express it. Yes, I’m getting better,but I think, it's like going to a strip club. Why go if you’re going to sit in the back row. So I want to move closer to the water, Teri is done walking. I say I’m going, she says, good bye. I set up on a little hill where the beach crests toward the water. It’s nice, I like it. Teri joins me and then pesters her sister to join. She wants people she cares about to be around. Finally Nancy moves about half way closer. She’s behind us, but near to the girls and their boyfriends.

The girls don’t consider moving once. I forgot, in all that crap Teri and I hauled was a small pop up tent Elena forgot to bring. She sets it up and she and Matt get comfortable inside it. I set up the two chairs, trying to make Teri a little more comfortable because she did move for me. I try to use the beach umbrella stand. First time it goes in rough and it’s in the wrong place. The second time it goes in better, but again it’s in the wrong place. I give up and jam the umbrella into the sand and sit down in my chair. I drenched with perspiration. I try to dry off. Teri is sitting next to me, the girls and their boyfriends are in the water.

About an hour later Nastia and Elena are looking for food. Teri tells them they were responsible for their own stuff and should have brought some. She then gives them her potato chips. They finish off most of them. Teri notices Nastia's top is inside out. Nastia puts on Teri's beach cover which is incidently also inside out and goes through the process of flipping her top right side out. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a girl on the beach with her top on inside out, so Nastia, I love her.

Later we go onto the broadwalk looking for a place to eat. Usually that leads to a place whose name I forget. They have okay food that is pricey. I lean over to Teri and tell her this. Walking south we encounter a new place. There are no menus in the windows and no one is sure whether to go in. Someone, most likely Teri says lets try it and we go in. It has a deck overlooking the water, but it is so hot and humid we pick indoors with the air conditioning. The girls and Sean go a little crazy ordering drinks and appetizers. Teri orders a soup and onion rings. I ordered an onion burger with fries. The food is really good. My burger was something like $17.00, but worth it. The girls and their boyfriend want to split the bill and try to get the waiter to do it, but it gets confusing. So each couple and Nancy look at the bill, Teri and I step in when necessary and help them claim their portion of the bill and some tip money. Somewhere it goes haywire because Teri and I are still left with about $100.00 of the bill (total with tip $242.00 for seven people) Teri says at least there was an attempt to do it correctly.

Back on the beach well fed, the girls and their boyfriends go back into the water (what happened to that old wives tail about waiting 45 minutes after eating. Those old wives always have something to say.) Teri and I sit for a while, then walk in to mid calf deep in the water, then go hunt for seashells with Nancy. We return, it’s 4:45 and the kids (that is easier than the girls and their boyfriends, but that makes me the old man I don’t want to be.) are packing up to go get something on the boardwalk and go on a ride at the pier. I’m feeling like that old man suddenly and I’m thinking about all this crap we’ve lugged into the middle of the Sahara desert. I do a very un-Joe Muller thing and ask for help. Sean says they'll contact us shortly to help with all this crap.

A while later we are packing up and we get a call to see if we need help, much welcomed help. And Nastia you keep asking if I like Sean! Relieved of much of the crap it’s one trip to the car, then a quick trip for ice cream.

Teri is so pleased with the day she lets me drive home. She comments how I don’t like driving her car. I correct her and tell her I don’t like driving her car when she is in it. She does take the hint and her directions on how to drive and what lane I should be in are minimal. She does get upset when a car pulls in front of us, we’re in the left lane going 80. The car kind of looks like it wants to go back into the center lane. He drifts toward it some, then rides the line between lanes. This pisses me off, I then realize he’s drowsy. I change to the center lane and pull up alongside him and lean on my horn. I then yell at him through the closed window. The horn was for him, to wake him up. The yelling was for me. Teri didn’t like either and tells me so. I pass him. At mile marker 136 traffic slows and stays slow through the Oranges. We arrive home around 8.Immediately the dogs are let out and then Teri and I are in the shower. The others (that doesn’t sound right, sounds like something out of a horror movie) arrive not too long after us. I don’t ask how their trip was. I'm tired and just glad they’re home safe. It was a very hot and humid day, but I enjoyed it and would do it again, just with less crap. Lyrics Seaside, whenever you stroll along with me Merely contemplating what you feel inside Meanwhile, I ask you to be my Clementine You say you will if you could, but you can't I love you madly Let my imagination (run away) with you gladly A brand new angle highly commendable Seaside rendezvous I feel so romantic, can we do it again? Can we do it again some time (I'd like that) Fantastic, c'est la vie mesdames et messieurs And at the peak of the season The Mediterranean This time of year, it's so fashionable I feel like dancing in the rain Can I have a volunteer? (Just keep right on dancing) What a damn jolly good idea It's such a jollification as a matter of fact So tres Charmant, my dear Underneath the moonlight Together, we'll sail across the sea Reminiscing every night Meantime, I ask you to be my valentine You say you'd have to tell your daddy if you can I'll be your Valentino We'll ride upon an omnibus and the casino Get a new facial Start a sensational Seaside rendezvous, so adorable Seaside rendezvous, hu-u-u Seaside rendezvous, give us a kiss

Forth of July and Elena spends more time with Matt.

Every so often I go off the path and go into the weeds of life. You know that place,everyone has it. It’s a place that you know you shouldn’t go, but you do anyway. For me today that weedy patch of ground is pictures. I love to take pictures of the girls to the point that they hate it, sometimes. I’m big into genealogy. My family tree goes back many generations and the oldest picture I have is from the late 1800’s. It’s of that scallywag (definition:a person who behaves badly but in an amusingly mischievous rather than harmful way; a rascal. From the distance of 100 years anyway.), Richard Madison Smith. He married four times, but never bothered to get a divorce and he sold patent medicine (The term "patent medicine" has become particularly associated with drug compounds in the 18th and 19th centuries, sold with colorful names and even more colorful claims.) made mostly of madeira wine. When the girls graduated elementary school there was a moving up day ceremony. During the ceremony pictures of the students were shown on a screen, then a baby picture followed. The problem for the girls was the youngest picture we had of them was Nastia was maybe eight and Elena was maybe seven. It’s one of the saddest thoughts sometimes, you know off in the weeds thoughts.

Elena and Matt are back on again. She is going over to his house. She has slept over his house a couple of times. There is no mention of sleeping in grandma’s bed any more. I asked Teri about the permissive attitude we have raised the girls in since we adopted them. I was heading toward their rough first years of life with my point when she said “They are over twenty-one and they could move out.” I kept my mouth shut. The words ‘our house, our rules’ pushing against my front teeth, waiting for me to open my mouth, but I swallowed first.

The highlight of the weekend might have been the fireworks. I asked Sean to purchase some over in Pennsylvania one day when he was visiting his dad in Port Jervis. I asked for bottle rockets, sky rockets and roman candles, things I remember from my childhood. We shot them off after dark, between rain storms and they were fun, but not very impressive after watching the professional displays. The fourth was a big nothing celebration for us this year. It was small. Nastia and Sean went to an Aunt's house and were back in the late afternoon. Amanda, her baby KJ,Elena, Nancy, Teri and I were the only ones I cooked for. It was just hamburgers, hot dogs and salads, egg and potato on the menu and it rained twice during the day. That night we headed down to the Nyack fireworks. Last year the big memory wasn’t the fireworks, but the girl we saw passed out at the corner of a road we wanted to go down. Paramedics were there and I guess she was ok. They didn’t seem to be stressed out about her. The other memory was leaving the show took twice the time of the fireworks. We parked in the municipal lot and went up main street.

This year Teri parks on a side street in South Nyack. It’s close to Memorial Park and with my 89 year old mother with us a short and easy sort of walk (there was still the hill in Memorial Park.). We sat through the music, talked, or as twenty-first century people looked at our phones. I tended the citronella burner. It’s something we've had at the house for many years and I alway forget to take it out when we have a party. Teri said not to bring it, I said it was ok. This is where the story gets good. I’m lighting it up, getting several places on the coil to burn and from behind us a woman goes, “I hope you don’t mind if I move a bit closer to you guys. You’re so prepared, You have the citronella burning, keeping away the pests” Teri, always the sweet and helpful one, says, “Sure, it’s no problem.” Me, I sat smugly quietly tending the coil and just enjoying the moment.

The show ended a little before 10PM. We walk to the car and I tell Teri, the best way to go is to get on the Thruway, just to the south of where we are and head north. Teri’s not so sure, but does it anyway. It moves slowly south. People are heading in the opposite direction and traffic is moving. During our trip south Teri says,”You know it might have been better to go up North Broadway and hit 9W.” Now that might have been a good idea if you weren’t on the southern side of town and had to go through all of that traffic in town. Even with my expert navigation, it still took us an hour to get out of town. Sean and Nastia got home quicker than we did, while Elena and Matt were later. They’re into each other again so I guess the whole time she is gone was not just driving.

Elena slept over Matt's, Nastia goes to the American Dream Mall in the Meadowlands

After missing last year's fishing trip because Elena and I were both starting new jobs, we, I decided to go out again this year. Now Nastia is off from her new job for a couple of weeks starting somewhere around the 19th, 20th and even though I’d rather go out in July, the tides were just about right to go out on the 23rd of June. So even though it was early,we were going. Another change to the tradition, Nastia wanted Sean to go with us. And of course Elena later asked if Matt could come. I knew this day would come, I just hoped it wouldn't be today, you know it’s like they both will get married and eventually leave the house, or maybe just decide to live somewhere else, whichever it is, I worry about it very little, because it isn’t today and maybe not tomorrow. When they do leave I may be glad they are going. You know, have you been around them?

The trip was set for Thursday, June 23rd. I’m a take a Thursday off type of guy. When I had my milk delivery business I’d close the shop on Thursday’s. When I used to think I had money and went to Broadway, I’d go on Thursdays. For some odd reason I always felt Thursdays were looked at as the unloved Fridays of everybody's lives. It was the bridesmaid to every Friday bride. It was close, but it just wasn’t the weekend yet. So I always like to show Thursdays some love and take them off as often as possible. Plus, when you go back to work Friday, you got the weekend to look forward to again. I wasn’t in love with going so early in the fluke season and the summer on our trip. July is prime time, it’s usually warm to hot. Everyone is in bathing suits enjoying their time out on the water and if it’s planned properly the tides are just right to fish a rushing tide the majority of the day, or even a falling tide is ok as long as dead low isn’t too early in the day. I’m sorry Sean, but I think you or the change to June doomed this trip from the beginning. In the few years we've gone out fishing, it’s been just the girls and I. he minute we add a fourth or maybe change the date to June the weather doesn’t cooperate.

The first hint of trouble comes when I check the long range weather forecast. It says rain on my mom’s birthday party. It clears, but it is an ominous warning of wet weather to come. On the Monday before the trip I check the long range forecast, it’s not looking good. 20% chance of rain. Tuesday, it's up to 40% and by Wednesday, after I’ve canceled my day, it's hovering around 90%. I took a picture of the sky off the internet from a weather cam out near Moriches. It’s bad, but not the worst I see during the day. And of course it doesn’t rain a drop in Rockland.

Elena, I believe, still takes her day off and hangs out with Matt the whole day. Doing stuff that only the book of Elena will be privy to. When asked later that evening, she will say, ‘Oh, we just hung out at…” It’s so generic, I don’t even truly remember what she said. All I remember about that part of the day is I believe she spent the day over at Matt’s. I think she went over Matt's after dinner on Wednesday and called to say she was sleeping over his house and then they hung out together the rest of Thursday together. The book of Elena is not open to me like the book of Nastia. If I had the time and a blog I could tell you stories. Oh, wait, that's what I’m doing now. The problem is Elena doesn’t share with me unless she is drunk and then I can get her to talk. Then it gets fun. It’s like an Indiana Jones movie, all kinds of surprises come out. But alas that has only happened once. That previous story is for her grandkids. You know the ones she says in 2023 she’ll never have because she is not having any kids. She’ll be a great mom, even with tattoo’s. Now Nastia wants to have kids, she’ll just forget she has them and her husband (Sean?) will have to remind her or at least take care of them until she remembers she has them. It’s not that she is forgetful, it’s just she needs to grow up some right now before she has a 24/7 responsibility. Boy have I strayed today. Well, the fishing trip was canceled and Elena spent the day at Matts. Boy, the previous paragraph was unnecessary. Nastia and Sean go to the American Dreams Mall for most of the day. It was so much fun I heard nothing about it and Nastia who did s well at the race track taking pictures of cars going straight, making left turns and cars stopped, didn’t take any pictures of the New Jersey disaster that bankrupted at least two companies and was painted at one time the most God awful color. Me,I went to work. At 9 AM, I thought we'd be at the boat, starting to head toward the open sound. Around 2, I thought about eating that sandwich I was planning for the day. At four I thought about standing in the parking lot of Silly Lilies thinking about the great day we had and all the short fish we had to let go. I’d also wonder about all the fish we let go back four-five years ago and where they were and why we didn’t have first dibs on catching them after letting them go back then. Yeah, I know finders, keepers, losers, weepers. Around 6 or so, that night, I thought we’d be home or about home, tired, but happy after a long day of some of the best memories I’d have fishing. I just love to be around those two so much and yes I will be very sad when they move out.

Grammy's 89th Birthday

It’s Tuesday June 20th, Two days after my mom’s birthday BBQ. On June 17th she turned 89, her brother is, ah, 93? Both are doing well for their age. They both have trouble with falling, I’m told. I don’t see my uncle too often and my mom I see her once, twice a week these days, so I’m not too sure.

Some of the down sides to living to be so old, I’ve noticed, besides the falling, is when we tried to think of people to invite to the BBQ, the list is very thin. It starts with Bruce and there are not many people after that.

There are about twenty people who are coming to the party. I tried to plan ahead. I want to make ribs and BBQ shrimp. I have a great rib recipe I haven’t made in years and I’ve never done BBQed shrimp.

The ribs marinated in a vinegar marinade mostly overnight. Nastia and I worked putting together the marinade and a BBQ sauce. I’ve rarely made a BBQ sauce and the directions I copied from a magazine from twenty odd years ago were sparse. We combined the ingredients and it didn’t say to cook down the sauce, but it was thin and things needed to combine. We cooked it down. The next day it was nice and thick with a nice taste to it. We started with two racks, then added a third when I thought that wasn’t enough ribs. The next day, Nastia again helped put the shrimp on skewers. About half way through Elena wanders in and helps. We did two types of shrimp. One in a marinade, that was good. One with bacon and pineapple that needed more of something.

Sunday, Father's day was warm and sunny. Saturday in the afternoon a line of thunder showers rolled through so even though it was Father’s Day, we picked the right day. I sparked up the grill and started with burgers. I felt rusty cooking at a grill for the first time in a few years. I haven’t cooked at a Ladeckero BBQ yet. Everyone mingled, sat around talking. The weather again was nice. Eric went above and beyond fixing up his back yard. The front yard in three years has gotten so much smaller with all the trees and shrubs growing so big in three years. It’d be nice to do it again next year.

Nastia goes to her first concert and Elena stays home. Also can't forget the pool.

Nastia goes to her first concert and Elena stays home. That line sounds like the sisters who have only one dress story and both can’t go out on a date at the same time. I don’t remember if it is a song or an old folktale. I do know if it was a dress they both had to share, Elena would walk around naked. She hates dresses. SHe’ll consent to a pair of loose pants that might be mistaken for a dress, if you're not moving. I have a few pictures of her in dresses, but I think the last one might be the time we went to Washington DC to visit the Russian Embassy back when Putin was still considered a human. On the trip down to DC we listened to the search for the Boston Marathon bombers, it was that long ago. You know, pre-tattoos and short hair Elena. Saturday afternoon I’m working outside in the yard. Nastia is hanging out with Arriana. They were at the house for a few minutes before they got bored and went for pizza then went to visit Sean. When they returned suddenly Nastia is going to see Ed Sheeran in the Meadowlands at Metlife Stadium. This is another of those loosening of the apron strings moments and thank God it turns out to be an easier one. I talk to Teri and she says it’s OK. I talk to Nastia and ask who is going? She says it is her, Arrianna and Sean. I say, “And Sean is driving?” She replies, “No Arrianna.” I go again,” And Sean is driving.” She gets it finally and says yes, Sean is driving.

It turns out Arrianna is a good driver, she’s driven down to Virginia to visit her boyfriend, it’s just easier to have Sean drive. They say the concert is at 6PM. I know that is wrong, but I tell them they should leave soon and they do. Travel to the Meadowlands is quick until you can see the stadium, then it takes forever. Their GPS says they are a few miles from the stadium. It takes an hour and a half to cover those few miles. One thing I never experienced was people taking Ubers to the show. When they get stopped in traffic, they get out and walk. Arrianna picks up a group heading to the stadium who pays for parking for them, $40.00. What do these people do after the concert? Walk? Sean, Nsatia and Arrianna get to their seats, in the nosebleed seats just as Ed Sherran is going on. They send a couple of videos and it looks like a great concert. They are home before one AM, maybe even earlier. It’s a Saturday night so it doesn’t matter.

Elena went to dinner with Teri, Nancy and I. We went to a diner in Orangeburg. THe food was good. I know the owner Nick and I’ve only been there a handful of times in the 10-11 years since I left the milk business. Teri shows me a picture the other day and says, “zGuess who was in Nyack the other day? I see the picture and don’t recognize #19 until I read the caption. Mariano Rivera, a retired former Yankee pitcher, was in Nyack at the Strawberry Place.

During the last couple of weeks the cover on the pool was taken off. I knew we needed a new cover, but I didn’t know how bad until the cover was removed and the water looked like a large cup of black coffee. I tried to clean it but gave up after a couple of hours of vacuuming it. Teri agreed and we emptied it. Refilling it took a day and a half and about $200.00 in water from United Water now known as Veolia Water. Everytime I hear the name it reminds me of a joke on Seinfeld. He’s dating a girl and can’t remember her name, but remembers it rhymes with a body part. United Water’s new name sounds like it rhymes with a body part too. Don’t think about it too hard because I don’t think it really does, it just sounds like it should. Well, the pool is open and I tell Sean it is tradition to throw Nastia in first, which he tries and I have to show him how it is done. It’s icy cold and Nastia is the only one to go on that day.

They go in later in the week and I throw two rafts in the pool and yes Nastia gets on one on her hands and knees. Again I tell Sean it is also tradition for Nastia to be pushed off the raft first. I walk over to the pool to show him how when she gets off the raft and into the water before I can push her off. Fun times. Elena doesn’t join them in the pool. I think she and Matt have not talked since around the time she went and got him his dry cleaning. She doesn’t talk about things like Nastia does. I know alot about Nastia, but with me at least Elena is secretive, the book of Elena doesn’t open to me often. I hope she does to Teri. You can tell when she is not with Matt. She’ll smoke or at least have weed (really it’s called pot, and I don’t really want to get into it here) edibles, usually gummies and or she’ll drink Mountain Dew. And as all of us caffeine addicts know, it’s loaded with caffeine, just like orange soda, Coke and Pepsi. I guess Matt doesn’t approve of those things. Maybe that is something they fight over, or maybe not. I don’t know. I’m not privileged to open the book of Elena very often. It’s my mom’s birthday today. She’s eight-nine. Her brother is something like ninety-three. She’s doing pretty good for her age.

Memorial Day 2023

Memorial Day this year is not very memorable. Saturday or Sunday Nastia and Sean head to a family BBQ for his side of the family. She returns saying it was fun. Monday, Memorial Day she heads, this time with Sean, Sean’s father and Uncle to Lime Rock race track to watch a race. Never was a big fan of watching cars make a consistent left turn and end up where they started. I asked Nastia to send pictures and she sent pictures, a lot of pictures. I like when they do. Some Pictures of cars going straight and not making a left turn. Some pictures of cars going fast, some not going fast and some stopped. I even got some pictures of them.

She came back later that night saying she had fun. Sean, after all of that, says ‘good night’ and drives to Orange County. Long day for him. Elena, her highlight of the long weekend, was going to get Matt’s dry cleaning and bring it to his house while he was at work. Wow, she’ll make a great 1950’s housewife, NOT! It was nice of her to do. Either the girls are hiding all the things they are doing (smuggling guns to the Ukrainians? Hopefully not the Russians.) or they are starting to lead very boring lives. I was surprised Elena announced she was making tacos for dinner on Tuesday, without being asked. I didn’t have the heart to tell her Teri and I have stopped forcing them to make dinner. If they want to learn and have the experience of cooking together with one of their parents, we’ll be there. Otherwise, their loss. I’ll miss it, but no more forcing it.

Now if they never stop making dinner once a week, I won’t complain. I get home from work at 5:20 and I don’t have to cook. I must admit, even about two months after Teri lost her job.

I’m a little lost on what to do between 5:15 and dinner. I do a little gardening, or drink beer. Drink beer while gardening. Call people while drinking beer. Call people while drinking beer in the garden, I haven’t tried that yet. Sounds like too much work. I don’t know, maybe on a warn sunny afternoon I’ll try it. If I don’t like it, I could sit in the garden drinking beer while calling people. That I know I can do.

We're all alright, We're all alright, We're all alright- from Surrender by Cheap Trick

Amanda's baby came home today. There was something going on in the lungs and they wanted to keep an eye on him. Hopefully it's in the past.

I went along with Teri to meet the newest member of the family and the baby's aunt and grandmother, very nice people. I was the only male there until Kenny, the father, not the son came home. I guess, if I felt like it I could make a joke about Kenny, the father, Kenny, the son and Kenny the holy ghost, or talk about how confusing it is when both Kenny jr and Kenny sr come home on the same day at almost the same time, but I don't feel very happy. Just before Teri and I left I noticed several bottles of 43 on the dining room table. I got a little angry at Elena. Two of the bottles were the vegan variety of 43 and I know Elena bought them.The bottle of regular 43 Sean and Nastia purchased I didn’t give two thoughts about. We leave. When we return, I walk in the back door (only guest come to the front door, at least that’s the way it used to be.) and I walk into the dinning room. I get a big friendly hello and hug from Nastia. I wasn’t happy, but she is 21+ so what can you do. I then notice about a third of the bottle of regular 43 is gone. I'm concerned, but I’m sure Nastia shared it with Sean and Elena. Except Elena went over to Matt’s and Sean had some vodka and soda near him. Nastia and Sean are going to order pizza. I say, I’ll go get it. Nastia wants to visit her friend at the pizza parlor. Teri and I say no. If you want to keep her as a friend don’t go. I think we convinced Sean to let me get the pizza. Nastia is asked to go up stairs and lay down for a little while. She insists she’s fine and she insists she is not tired. I force her upstairs and the last twenty feet I fireman carry her. You know, an arm around the thigh and the other holding onto her arm with your carry, I mean daughter (I still not feeling happy, so that joke, yes a small joke, just kind of slipped out.) across your back and into the bedroom and gently placed on her bed. The next time won’t be so nice. Sean is up with her. I go to oversee dinner, Teri and I are having leftover pork chop she made earlier in the week. I think after a little while I hear that she has left the house and is walking down to the pizza parlor. She has no phone and no money. So no pizza. I wasn’t going to let her go. I go out the door and from the porch I use mean daddy voice on her (yes I have one and the only person who hears it is Teri when we get into a fight. I’d call it mean Joe voice,but that doesn’t sound as, you know…cool.) I tell her she has no phone, no money and better get back here.Sean runs after her and is talking to her. I again yell in a normal voice she needs to come back or I’ll carry her back. She argues with him saying she wants to go visit her friend at the pizza parlor. I see he’s getting nowhere so right in front of our neighbors Mike’s house I grab her leg, pull her arm over my back and lift her up and start walking home. I’m 65, I quit doing this stuff long time ago, but I’m angry. So like I’m only 63 I carry her across my back, up the street, up the front stairs, UP THE STAIRS TO THE SECOND FLOOR, down the hallway, during the whole trip I’d like to check my pulse or at least stop to see if I’m having a heart attack. I’m puffing the whole way like an old steam locomotive. In her room I throw her on the bed. Told you it wouldn't be so nice. I take her shoes off and throw them down the stairs. I know that won’t stop her, but it will slow her down a little. She stays and Teri and Sean comes in and I believe I’m asked to go tend to dinner or maybe to just leave, I don’t remember. I do remember I’m in the kitchen cooking dinner when I hear her throwing up. It is not a time of triumph or I told you so. It just makes me sad. I never want either of them to feel pain, even necessary pain like a hangover or the dry heaves. She drank quickly and often. Teri and I were not gone long. With driving Nancy home,maybe an hour or a little over that. She, with maybe some help finished off a good third of the bottle. There was a time earlier in the evening when I told her she was acting like what I thought her Russian mother acted like. This got her angry. She yelled she is not like her, she doesn’t have a problem. It doesn’t matter. She needs to take her family genetics into account and to take it seriously just like I have for all of these years. And I will worry, just like my mom did for all of the years I seemed not to listen to her about it. I cooked an extra pork chop and we invite Sean to eat with us. He spends some time upstairs, relieving Teri of holding her hair back as she prays at the porcelain god. Sean finally gets her back to bed.At dinner Sean and I agree that if she’d gone to the pizza parlor, she’d have thrown up there and neither of them would have ever stepped foot in there again due to extreme embarrassment. Sean also say that Nastia has been off lately. When they went to Jessie’s, the one with the son, she was quiet. Jessie even commented. I, on the other hand, never seem to notice these things. Nastia, Elena and I played Super Mario Brothers all rainy afternoon and she seemed fine. She also drank on an empty stomach. She had an English muffin and some strawberries all day, bad idea. I go up to hold her hair back when she returns to the bathroom. At this point she is having the fun of the dry heaves. Your body wants to expel some more of the poisons in your body, but they are all in your bloodstream and your stomach is empty. So nothing comes up. There is the involuntary spasm, your throat is prepared for vomit. The mouth is open, the salivary glands are working causing your open mouth to drip and make you want to spit, which you do after it’s over. With all that preparation, nothing comes up. I guess it’s your body’s way of telling you to never do it again.And at that moment you're swearing you’ll never do it again. After I while of this I help her back to bed.During this whole time she is hyperventilating. I’m concerned. As she falls asleep her breathing returns to normal and I get scared because I can’t hear if she is breathing. I lean in close and she is breathing normally. Sean comes up and as I leave I ask him to check on her to make sure she is breathing. I wasn’t kidding. She scared me tonight. More than I ever want to be scared by her again. The two of them came to America for a reason. I may not ever know the reason, but it is not so one of them dies in a most useless manner as drinking too much. Monday comment- Here's the big kicker from Saturday night. Came Sunday morning when I went in to see how she is doing. I expect to see someone lying on their stomach with drool leaking from their open mouth groaning quietly, eyes vacent, wishing the hangover was done, suffering from a massive headache. I find her on her back, glasses on looking at her phone like nothing has happened the previous night. I on the other hand should not have carried her across my back. I’ve known for years I have two disks in my neck that are touching and when I use my shoulders for much of anything, like let's say carrying your drunk daughter back in the house, upstairs and throwing her on her bed that the next morning I’ll have a headache. So when I asked God not to make her suffer too much from being an overindulgent child, he interpreted that to mean I get the hangover. Fair play God! *Why do Irish people say fair play? This is a common Irish phrase that has transcended borders. It's the Irish way of saying “Well done.” If anyone has done even a remotely good job or achieved something, then the Irish praise comes in the form of “Fair play.” - Yes I'm being a little sarcastic.

We're meeting the possible future inlaws over dinner and a movie

It’s a warm day in mid May. It’s not air conditioning warm yet, but it's getting there. Last week Guardians of the Galaxy 3 opened up. The Muller side of the family gathered for a ‘Holy Communion for Mahew and the next day Billy and Alyssa’s engagement party. Guardians would have to wait. This week Amanda was due to give birth, maybe on mother’s day or if she held out, maybe her mother’s birthday. Someone got the bright idea to make seeing Guardians an event and invite the possible in-laws to see the movie. It was settled late in the week to have pizza at PrimaVera Pasta in the Dickman building near the railroad tracks, then to go to the 8:15 showing of the movie. Dinner went well, there were eight of us and we ordered three pies. We were a little light on pie, but who expected Sean’s skinny little sister to eat four slices. We sat around and talked, Teri and Sean’s mom doing most of it. Everyone tried to be involved and friendly. It went well. The movie started at 8:15 and ended around 11:00. It was a bit of a surprise how long it was. Everyone said good night and how they had a good time together. Nastia asked me a couple of times if I was looking forward to meeting Sean’s parents and everytime she asked I said, no. I’m not sure if she understood why. I guess it’s the meeting of people who might be in your life for the rest of our or their lives that makes it a big deal. When Teri and I introduced my mom tot Teri’s parents at a Mexican restaurant in Haverstraw around thirty years ago; each were going to be in each other’s lives for the next twenty odd years. Amanda gives

birth to a son 7lbs, some odd ounces Sunday night, Mother’s Day. Nastia who is dying to be around babies (“Not yet my own Daddy.” She says) offered to help out Amanda while she is in the hospital. She offers to stay at Amanda’s apartment down the street near St Paul’s church overnight. She and Sean go down to the apartment Sunday night to walk the dog and stay with the dog. They come back a little while later saying the dog has peed on the bed. I guess the dog is not happy being left alone for so long and let someone know. Sean and Nastia are not able to stay there because of that so they walk the dog and come home. Amanda should be back at her apartment today or Tuesday at the latest. The baby develops a breathing issue and stays at the hospital while Amanda comes home. KJ should be released by Friday. Teri is alway difficult when it comes to Mother’s Day. In past years I’d wanted to cook brunch over her protests. This year when I asked her what she wanted to do, she said she wanted nothing. That was what she was going to get, except Elena decided she wanted to take her mother out to breakfast for Mother’s Day at Pancakes Plus. I stay out of it. If she wants to do it, I’ll go. Amanda is in labor, so Nancy is at the hospital. Sean has gone home to spend some time with his mom. Elena pushed her mother to get ready to go out. Elena, who does not see the morning sun on her days off, is ready to go at 9:00. When I got up, I got dressed, so I am ready. Nastia somehow got ready. Sean left to have time with his mother on Mother’s Day. Nancy is at the hospital waiting for her first grandchild (feels weird saying it, writing it, even thinking it.) We drove over to Pancakes Plus, in Nanuet. Surprisingly the wait I predicted (over an hour and a half) is zero. We went in and sat down. All four of us order pancakes. Teri and I have craisins and walnuts, Nastia has chocolate chips and Elena strawberries, and blueberries. Nastia keeps stealing bacon from me and sausage from her mother. It is a nice time. I haven’t been out to breakfast in so long; I am shocked at the bill total. The girls split the cost. I leave the tip. I think it’s on the way home Elena starts talking about learning to drive a motorcycle again. Before that she talked about the new Nintendo Switch game console. I don’t remember how it transpired, but with Teri’s blessing I tell Elena if she’d give up the motorcycle forever I’d buy her a Nintendo Switch. She thinks about it and says, “No”. I countered with ten years and then lowered it twice more because she kept saying, “No”. I give her a final offer of waiting until she gets her other tattoos she is waiting for until she turns 26. After a few minutes of probably intense internal emotional debate she finally says,” yes”. Nastia then butts in saying, “I want a motorcycle too.” and she wants the same deal. This time it is my turn to say, “No”. At home I feel bad and Teri says I have to offer her something, she can’t get something for nothing. I go up to her room and tell her if she wants a Nintendo Switch, she has to go back to college part time for a year. I’m thinking she will get her degree. It’s her turn to say, “No”. I thought it was a great offer. I guess she didn’t. I feel very modern when I order the Nintendo Switch online for pickup in store. I put Elena’s name down so she can go and pick it up and I never leave the house. I also never see the switch. When Elena comes back the game goes to her room and if I want to see it I have to visit her room. What a racket! I hope I don’t regret doing this. I feel we’ve saved her life for the next five years. I hope when she turns twenty-six she’ll realize a motorcycle is too dangerous for this area and the Naruto anime she wants on her left arm is childish. Will some future person please look at her arms and let me know if the wait is worth it? on the motorcycle too please!

After parties last weekend, it's all happening at the Zoo.

The first or second good weekend, weather wise of the year was spent celebrating family events. The first event on Saturday, the holy communion of Mathew, started around one in the afternoon at Karl and Madeline’s house. I didn’t recognize Mathew. I’d not seen him in two plus years because of Covid and recently because of life being life. I hadn’t even met Luke; who’s now a cute two year old running around. The atmosphere at the party was something I’d hadn’t experienced since I was a little kid in the early sixties. There were little kids all over the place. Women who were going to give birth, who’d just given birth or just plain old families with several young kids.

When Billy, Denis, Cory, Ryan and Amanda were all young, it was different, they were all family. Saturday, I didn’t know any of the parents, so I guess they are friends of Kristen and Matts. I talked to Teri about this afterwards and she said we could be in the same situation as Karl and Madeline in the next few years. I guess we could, but the girls have a smaller circle of friends. I made a mistake and voiced my opinion when Karl, Eric and Lynn were talking about politics. After I said, “That anti-vaxing asshole?” I quickly got up and left until they decided to speak of something else. I should have stuck to the weather. As it was beginning to break up I asked for a family picture. I should have asked to add Kristen and her two kids. Nastia and Elena were not invited to the holy communion. Elena was working anyway. Nastia on the other hand, if she’d gone, she’d have had a grand time with all of those little kids there.

Sunday was Billy and Alyssia’s engagement party. It was over at Alyssia’s parents house on Continental Drive over past Van Houten Fields off of Sickletown Road. The day was warm and sunny. One of the first truly hot days of the year. We arrive around one in the afternoon and sit at a table with other members of the Muller family. The food is very good, the day warm enough that several times Nastia asks me if it would be okay for her to put her feet in this gorgeous place they have. I tell her each time she asks, “I’ll mistakenly push you in if you’d like.” She doesn’t go for it.

They even have an escape room. Nastia, Elena and Sean went to do it. I didn’t feel smart enough to do it, so I skipped. I guess I didn’t have to worry. Elena applied for her car inspectors license. They needed a copy of her high school diploma and she couldn’t find it. I looked in all of the ancestry stuff and it wasn’t there. I did find Nastia’s, mine, two of my cousin’s diplomas, but not her’s. She had to apply for a copy and it takes time and money. I know it’s in the house somewhere. Tuesday, the day before Nastia starts her new job, Sean and her go to the Bronx Zoo. It’s been several years since we’ve gone. Every so often the girls will go. Last time it was with Jessica’s family (not Jessie with the child) and her mother. On this trip it was just Sean and Nastia. They left early and spent a full day there. The weather was great and I forgot to ask her to send me a picture. I’ll do it now.

Wednesday, Nastia started her new job. She works with handicapped children in Piermont. It’s a simple trip to get there, but on the way back, if you're not familiar with the way they reconfigured 9W a few years ago, you can end up on the bridge going to Westchester or the Thruway going north, not as bad. And if you haven’t guessed, Nastia ended up going to Westchester. She calls Sean in a panic. Should I be hurt that she didn’t call me. I know he’s number one in her heart, but… you know…

He calms her down and texts Teri. I knew nothing about it until it is over and she is home. I would have thought it was funny and maybe asked her to visit a good chinese food restaurant over there to bring some home. She had an adventure and she got home safe. All and all something we’ll laugh about later. I feel like I’m talking about one of our dogs escaping. On Thursday, today Elena and Matt are going to the Zoo. It is going to be the warmest day of the week. She sent a picture to her mother and I without me even asking. How cool is that! I like to see pictures and see what they are doing.

Elena makes Pulled Pork, her parents go out to a movie and the Meat Song

Elena gave grief this week and last week about cooking dinner. She was down right nasty on Monday. I heard her and Nastia still up around 11:30 on Sunday night. Nastia is still unemployed, but Elena had work on Monday. After work, on Monday Elena takes a nap. I like taking naps and if done right you feel more alive or at least more willing to put up with people. She did it wrong, I guess. Dinner Monday was Spinach, raviolis, pesto and mozzarella cheese cooked in the oven. It was good. She is called by her mother to set the table for dinner. After a while, no Elena. Nastia sets the table and Teri calls Elena for dinner. I might have even called her on the phone too. Still no Elena. Teri is mad, me, I’m like, well, more food for us, her loss and if she’s not down when we’re finished, she can unpack it and warm her own dinner. Nastia is more concerned and yes tomorrow she’ll say she hates her sister too. But tonight she is concerned that her sister is not answering everyone’s call for dinner. Nastia goes upstairs and discovers Elena is asleep. We’ve all heard of ‘letting sleeping dogs lie’, well in our house you should ‘let sleeping Elena’s sleep’. She comes down and is as nasty and surly as she can be. She doesn't have a nice word for anyone. She is so bad that I try to avoid talking to her. At one point I ask her to go back to bed. She says,”Sure, no problem, thanks” and is not seen for the rest of the night. Nastia observes, “Well she must be getting her period.” True or not, it is for the best that she is gone back to bed. The funny thing is when she wants to be she can be as charming and funny as anyone, but that’s when she wants to. Tonight she didn’t want to, not at all. The next morning she will awake and it will be like her evil twin was visiting us the previous night. She’ll act like nothing happened and she’ll expect everyone else to act the same way. While Elena is catching up on her sleep, I ask Teri if she’d like to go see a movie called, ‘Somewhere in Queens’ with Ray Romano. It is a movie made on a small budget and it is only playing until Wednesday. I have the bowling dinner on Wednesday, so that leaves Tuesday. Now Elena is going to cook dinnerTuesday. Teri and I debate whether to tell her in advance or to tell her last minute like she does so often. Good parenting makes us tell her Tuesday morning. No one was going to talk to her Monday night. She puts dinner together in the crockpot for pulled pork. Teri turns it on for her about 10 AM and she’ll be home to shred it around 5:30- 6PM. As we are eating our food court dinner Teri thinks it might just be her for dinner. Suddenly we both feel guilty. Her sister and Sean do eat with her and she brings some over to Matt to have. She asks how much rice to make and later sends pictures of what she cooked. I sense some pride in her sending the pictures.The rice is a little lumpy, but it looks good. v

I love funny mistaken texts and Elena sent me one while cooking. I'm just sorry I missed the 'meat song'

After a good movie, we get home around 8:30. The three of them are in the living room playing Super Mario brothers having a good time. Except for the drain not cleaned and the clean crock pot left out, the kitchen is clean. Seems like everyone had a good night

Nastia rearranges her room, giving Elena ideas.

Nastia rearranges her room, giving Elena ideas. And more dinners. Nasia asked if I could take the extra bed in her room down. She sleeps in a queen size bed and the single bed next to hers has never inspired anyone to sleep in it. The last time Amanda was living in the house, she slept with Nastia, the same with Jessica.

A few months ago, Elena broke one of the posts on the bed in a small temper tantrum while playing XBox. Yes, neither Teri nor I heard about it. I had to ask Nastia who did it? I remember being that angry once. I did stupid things like that. I’m not proud of that time in my life. Elena has a lot of anger inside and yes Nastia, we do treat her differently than you, I’m sorry. I took the bed apart and everything except the box spring made a sharp turn in the hallway and fit up the narrow stairs to the attic. So the box spring and the mattress will go out on junk day. A TV set I won at Dave and Buster’s that plays VHS tapes also went upstairs. I wanted to know if the TV worked, of course I’d bought it upstairs first. I plugged it in. When TVs went digital all signals were converted away from what this TV could pick up, so it is only good to play VHS tapes. I played a tape that said family on it and it is a copy of the family reunion my mother planned in the summer of 1988. I watched a few minutes and I stopped when I got to a dozen people who were there who have died since. I’ll get it transferred to another form so it can be seen by everyone who wants to see it. I still need to find the original and return it to Harriet.

Nastia vacuumed the rug, we spun it to hide a worn corner of it. She requested, so we moved her bed against a wall. It turns out it’s up against the adjoining wall of Teri’s and my bedroom. Not that anything is going on, but the sense of privacy has disappeared. It’ll be moved soon. With the room all back together, Elena walks in fresh from work. She comments how she likes the way the room is set up and considers moving her room around to match having the bed against the wall. It does make the room feel larger.

Sunday dinner was going to be chicken marsala, but the mushrooms were bad. They went into the Lomi (A Lomi turns food waste into dirt in under 18 hours, it’s pretty cool. I have almost 5 gallons of dirt from using it.) We quickly pivot to chicken cutlets. I offer Elena the opportunity to cook with me to make up one of her delinquent meals she owes the house, she passes. I guess she doesn’t fear living on take out, Tacos and instant soup for the rest of her life when she moves out. Nastia comes in and asks if she can help. I let her because I’m tired from working outside for all of three hours. Boy it sucks getting old. I had trouble standing up. I cut the chicken and pound it flat. She flours, eggs and milks, then bread crumbs them. I cook the first half, she finishes. Dinner was good. Elena, what are you cooking this week? She is trying to make pulled pork. It’s easy and quick. A good week day meal.

Nastia makes Empanadas Elena puts off making dinner.

Nastia makes Empanadas Elena puts off making dinner. The fun seems to have left the girls when it comes to cooking. Both of them have said they don’t know what to cook. I can understand, so when they say that I try to get them to investigate options they might want to eat. When you don’t know what's out there you are limited. How can you imagine the vastness of choices when you don’t know what the variety is? It’s hard to explain, I’ve been where they are, so I feel I know. It comes from not being exposed to what is out there.

Coming up on 14 years this October, they have not been involved in what they have eaten very much. If they didn’t like what they were fed, they’d sort of eat it, but not notice it, if you know what I mean. Now that they have to cook their immediate reaction is to try to cook something they like, something usually easy. That’s OK, but they’ve gone through their list of likes and Teri and I want them to expand their repertoire.Add new things, try to cook things they have never had and most of the time these dishes will still have a list of familiar ingredients. Last week Nastia made stuffed shells and Elena made a dish with ground beef, peppers and cheese. Both were good and both were later used as leftovers on a later day (So Teri and I don’t have to cook, if we don’t want to) So far this week Nastia made Empanadas. It was her first attempt to make them and there were a few mistakes made. Both Teri and her are unemployed looking for jobs. During the afternoon both made the empanadas. Nastia went bowling in our league and Teri put the empanadas in the oven just before we came back. She left it up to Nastia to decide when they were cooked. Here is where the frame of reference comes in. I have burnt enough food that I have gotten pretty good at deciding when something is cooked, Nastia hasn’t. I was not involved in this and thought Teri had a handle on things. Nastia asked, “When are they cooked?” Teri said when they have browned. Now Nastia has no frame of reference for what is considered browned. I would have stopped at a light golden brown. Nastia took her mother's directions to mean ‘brown’, so she waited until they were ‘brown’. She made rice and two vegetables and called everyone to dinner. I didn’t take a picture of the empanadas, but suffice to say the color they came out of the oven was more along the lines of almost a chocolate brown. She asked everyone how they were and I was honest. They were over cooked. They still tasted pretty good. THe one problem that plagued the dinner was she made different ones for different tastes. Seans had no peppers in his. Nastia’s had no cheese and the rest had peppers and cheese. Teri and Nastia made marks in the different ones to tell them apart. The marks disappeared while they were cooking. During dinner empanadas were passed around as people found one they didn’t like. I ate whatever was put on my plate. Dinner was good.

I added an old picture of Nastia and a new picture of garden asparagus because I didn't take any picture during any of this. Elena has Thursdays off. She cooked last Thursday and cooked a beef dish with peppers and cheese, it was good. She has plans for this Thursday and has pushed off her cooking day to Friday. I have a feeling it’s going to be takeout for her night to cook. I don’t like letting this happen because when she is no longer the richest person in the house because she doesn’t spend much, she’ll need to know how to cook and won’t have the skills and if Teri and I are gone, she’ll be calling her sister asking how to make something. Elena would rather starve or eat instant soup.

It's Friday now and Elena has put off cooking dinner again. Yes we are letting her get away with it again, Nastia. She gets nasty and it's just not worth it. We treat each of you differently and I hope you will understand one day why. One day you and her will be sitting down together and she'll wonder why her meatballs don't taste like her mother's or how did dad cook something else. You'll know and you don't have to tell her if you don't want to. Your mother and I will be laughing from beyond the grave.

Well, they are sisters. They hate each other until they start looking out for each other. They go out drinking one night. They come home several hours later and Nastia is pretty drunk or maybe just acting it, I don’t know. She starts talking to me, eyes all wide and glassy. Elena comes up behind her, turns her around and walks her upstairs. Making sure she is safe and in bed. Sisters??!! Go figure, I think the next day Elena would have said she hated her sister if asked.

Easter 2023 Elena goes to Matt's for passover, the Mustang and bowling

Nasia and I hung out over the weekend. Sean had two Easter’s to go to. The first one Nastia accompanied him. It was held at Sean’s uncle's house. A very nice place, Nastia said. They both got back around 10:30 that evening. Sean slept over and left Sunday morning to go back to Orange County for his second Easter, I assume with his father. Sunday morning, I’m outside working on the screening for the blueberries (I’ll explain. I am putting up netting so the birds don’t eat the blueberries.) and she comes out to hang out with me. After a while I ask her why is she here and not with Sean? She says he left for his second Easter before she came out. Teri made ham, corn souffle, pineapple casserole, potatoes and some vegetables for dinner. She did everything except the carrots that Nancy bought over. Teri said dinner was going to be at 2 PM. It wasn’t even a Muller 2 PM either, it was almost exactly 2 when we sat down for dinner. There were five for dinner this Easter. Amanda couldn’t make it, Sean was in Orange County for dinner and Matt might have been working. I didn't take an Easter picture, so I used a picture of the asparagas growing in the garden.

I wanted to make dessert, but Teri asked me to let her make it and she made this stuff called fluff or something like that, it was good. Like I always do, I was planning to make a dessert, some rugelach. I’ve never made it, so why not make it on a holiday for dessert. What could go wrong. I’ll wait while you tick off all the things in the past that have gone wrong… I think that is enough. It would have come out great, maybe not in a timely fashion, but it would have been great. And yes it is more of a passover dessert, but, well you know, it’s good. I was even thinking of making hamantaschen. Yes, that is also more of a passover dessert. Ah, America that vast interwoven tapestry. My brother Eric and his family were a group of only four at Easter this year too, I believe, so maybe next year we should combine them. A few days before Easter on Thursday, Elena went to passover dinner with Matt and his mom. She didn’t say too much about the night, but she came back with some leftover Elena has gotten it into her head she wants to fix the Mustang. The Tuesday after Easter she brought home a battery for the car, the first step in getting it going. I really don’t know how that car has gotten so old. I just bought it yesterday (October 2000), or maybe it was last week, it was really recent.

I also hope she doesn’t view this like the bottle of 43 I bought one day. That bottle her and her sister finished off on me and they then went out and purchased a new bottle that mysteriously then became their’s. It's funny how that works. Last night, the third to last week of bowling, Nastia after bowling a 111 in the first game, starts the second game, with a strike, then she throws a second and then a third. After that she throws an open (8 pins) and I think it is all over. In the next three frames she throws three more strikes., then a spare. At that point you start to think it is possible for her to reach 200, which is the promised land for amateur bowlers. She opens in the ninth, leaving her with a 189, still a chance. For the last few frames I’ve noticed she is throwing the ball softer. I don’t want to say anything that might ruin the moment. Nastia never the superstitious one is talking about it asking if she gets this how many pins will she get. I really want to tell her it’s like in baseball. If you are pitching a no hitter, you don’t talk about it, it’s a jinx. Come the tenth frame, I throw out all superstition and tell her to go up and just throw the ball. Don’t think about it. She needs a mark plus pins to get 200+. Her last throw is a nine and she misses the ten pin. She ends up with a 198. I go to the front desk get her score announced. Coming back from the front desk I notice some wise has eleven strikes in a row. On his last throw he leaves the ten pin for a score of 299, amazing.