Nastia goes drinking

I'm very conflicted about what I am going to write today. Going out drinking with friends is a ritual most everyone has gone through. I'm conflicted because Elana's and Nastia's Russian mother from what I have learned was an alcoholic and she died very young. I have freely provided both of my daughters with alcohol (god that sounds real bad) and Teri and I have monitored their drinking so that their experiences don't get out of control and they have respect and an awareness of what could happen when they drink. It all boils down to a line in a TV show I used to watch called 'life in pieces'. One charactor says to the other, "You know that thing you said would probably never happen, I think it has." Teri and I believe all the things we tell our daughters to be aware of will probably never happen, but they need to be aware they could. Nastia a few days ago announces she is going to go out drinking with her friends . They are going to a bar in New City with friend from work, a guy friend. Nastia talks to Branden about it and he asks that Jessie go with her (Nastia also calls her JJ). I'm at work when Nastia calls and tells me it is just her and JJ, so could I drive them over to the bar. I try to convince them to go local, but The Peppermill grill is closed on Mondays and they didn't want to go to Ricks Club. I get home as Nastia is going to pick JJ up. When they get back I ask if anyone has eaten? Nastia hasn't. A bad start to the night.JJ promises to make sure she eats something. I give the speach about not accepting drinks from guys and leaving each other alone. And Teri adds the down leave your drink unattended (Rohypnol, The date rape drug is the refrence) I drive them over to D and D's in New City. I asked them what time can I pick them up? Nastia says her curfew is 11. What time do I want her home?I look at the clock in my car, it says 7:42 and I say 7:42. JJ the wise ass says AM? It's agreed I will pick them up at 11.I drop them off, swing around the parking lot and see them sitting outside. I wonder if they are having trouble getting in, Nastia does look like she is fourteen still. I leave. Later that night Teri and I get a tornado warning for the area. Teri wants to call Nastia. I say leave it be, you know it's one of those things that probably won't happen, but could. We see some amazing lighting come out of the western sky. Nastia later will tell me she missed it, she was inside while it happened. Elena will ride it out at Matt's texting us she is staying at her boyfriend's until it is over. She is always willing to make the big sacrifice. The storm passes and about 10:30 I text Nastia I'm coming to pick them up a little early, she texts, ok. I get over there at 10:50 and text Nastia, I'm there, no answer, three minutes later, I text again, no answer, two minutes later again, no answer. I text again and this time I say please answer me, I get no answer. I get out of my car and head over to the door. I see them outside laughing and sort of walking. I say hello to them not saying anything about the texts, you know because, you know it is one of those things that probably won't happen and didn't. I drive JJ home and they both tell me about there night. JJ tells how she slipped Nastia a sprite instead of a 7 and 7. Nastia tells me how she drank a Mike's hard lemonade, started a second and smoked some weed (pot!) outside the bar. And how the bartender refused to serve her. She thought she was more high then drunk. different sides of the same coin. I get Nastia inside and we go upstairs. Nasita wants to do it again she says. I watch over her going up the stairs and when I watch her brushing her teeth, Teri has had enough of my babying her and sends me away. I don't want to go, I'm enjoying myself, but I go. Teri takes over and after my shower I go in and say good night to Elena,then Nastia. Nasita is on her bed still dressed and she is facetiming Branden. I remind her that drunk facetiming is as bad as drunk texting. Things get said you can't take back and I leave. It's a night I'm sure she will not remember. Not because of alcohol or weed (pot!), but because of the things that could have happened,that didn't, thank god. /

Seeing the bad side of the Muller Family

Friday afternoon Elena informs us she will not be having dinner home. She has been spending alot of time with Matt after work lately. School is out and he now has sometime to spend with her. She says his mom is having a BBQ and has invited her. Later it turns out that the BBQ is on Saturday and Elena is now asking if Matt can eat with us. I'm at work reading the exchange between Elena and Teri. I have forgotten Nastia and I had planned to make meatballs and have spaghetti with them. I am reminded of this around five when Nastia calls to ask if it is pork she needs to get. I tell her never mind, plans have changed and now we are going to the Taco factory with Matt. Nastia is a little put out with me because if she didn't call she'd have bought the pork. I told her no big deal, the pork would have not gone bad. It was also a good thing she didn't buy the pork because Teri got home first and she didn't need the added stress of cooking after the week she has had.(Job issues). We are all home around seven and walk down to the new Taco Factory. Before the Taco Factory,it was Sangria's cafe, before that it was Sangria's. All three owned by the same person or group. Sangria's moved to a bigger building on Rt 303 and is doing very good. Sangria's cafe serving american food/ deli didn't do so good. Food was good, but it wasn't special. We walk in to the Taco Factory and are seated in the corner near the windows. Elena sits near Matt and during most of the night they hold hands. Elena talks about getting another tatoo. I have kept silent about this subject from the beginning when Teri got her first tatoo. One or two tatoos can look sexy, but I've seen some women covered in tatoos and even if they bath three times a day their skin looks dirty to me. So I hear this little voice in the back of my mind. It is Teri saying if I don't approve of tatoos say something. Yeah, wrong time and wrong place, but I give my speach about what I think of tatoos. I dont realize it at the time but it upsets Elena. Now she doesn't choose to attack me, but instead she begins to attack her sister, not right away, but she starts saying things about her when the conversation goes to has she filled out the card her union sent her asking for her to name a benificiary on either

her 401 or a life insurance policy. It makes no sense to name Teri or I and it is too early to name Matt. So Nastia it is. When Elena says she doesn't want to. Nastia adds fuel to the fire by saying she didn't want to name her sister either. Thing don't get better. I get upset and tell Teri I'll go pay for the drinks we've ordered and let's leave. Teri says, no. I sweep my hand and say, "I don't real want to be in the same room with these two right now." It puts a big chill on the evening. The table is silent after that. Conversation does gradually return. Which was a good thing. The Taco Factory is very under staffed and it is their Grand Opening weekend. So we sit for over an hour waiting for our food. It finally arrives, Teri ordered a steak taco, it is very good, Elena orders a burrito, She is unhappy because it has been cut in half. Nastia ordered a buritto also. Matt I don't remember what he ordered. I ordered a chimichanaga filled with pork called pastor. I looked it up, it's pork marinated, then grilled. The chimichanga had a sweet taste to it. I guess they put some fruit in it. It was real good. Teri gave me a corner of her steak taco, it was real good too. Except for seeing the bad side of the Muller family, I think Matt enjoyed his food too. Well such is life. I didn't realize at the time, but the crappy evening was my fault. I didn't have to talk about tatoos and how I don't like they there. I didn't realize how it put a real chill on the evening and set Elena off. Before that she was not attacking her sister. /

Opening the Pool too early and a hole in the pool liner.

After last year everything seems to need to be done early and too excess at least a little bit. We had the pool open last year, but this year I and at least Nastia needed the pool open early. I'd wanted to open it the end of April. It was cold and very unsummerey. Teri commited the coup de gras (this time I used it correctly, not like the

previous blog entry) when she said United Water had most likely already read the meters and we'd get charged summer rates anyway, so I waited. Mid May can sometime, at least over the last few year be unpredictable. Some days are nice and warm, otehrs a little cold. I opened the pool mid May on a weekend. The neighbors maple tree was stil dropping polynoses (When I was young,we called them helicopters) I thought, no big deal, I'll clean them out after I patch the hole in the pool and fill it up.I'm sure the hole is in the floor of the pool. I clean all of the

leaves out of the pool and begin to look for the hole. I walk the pool sure I'll find it at any moment. I don't. To prevent the liner from shrinking Teri says we should fill the pool up. We fill the pool up about three quarter of the way. There is a shortage of chlorine so I don't feel the need to fill the pool all the way up and put chlorine in it. Big mistake, also the temperature drops from the upper 80's to a high in the low 50's for several days. The polynoses continue to fall into the pool and I don't have a skimmer to clean them out. Yesterday I drain the pool, clean the polynoses out and again look for the hole in the pool. Later in the day Nastia comes to help. I put about six inches of water in the pool to stop the liner from shrinking. Nastia rolls up her pants legs and climbes into the icy cold water. She tries to keep her pants dry, but does not succeed when she sits down oh her legs. After that she goes on her hands and knees to look for the hole. After about half an

hour she too has had it. We let the water settle and I drop food dye into the water and it shows nothing. That is it for the day. The next two days it is hot and humid. Late in the day we got thunder storms, so little is done on the pool. Friday, the level of the water has not gone down. So I turned the hose on again and added some more water. I forgot it is on so I called Elena who is still asleep at home asking her to turn the water off before she leaves. I also text Nastia to make sure the water is off when she gets home around 2:30 from work. The pool water level as of Saturday morning is about six to eight inches from the water mark where the water was over the winter. The level hasn't dropped. I put a chalk mark on the line and it looks good. More water goes in it later today. I will add more to this post until the pool is up and patched. //

Life goes on and on and on...*

*I guess the alternative is some stranger throwing dirt on your face while you are in a deep hole in a box. Sometimes I feel I just might want to take the stranger, the hole and the box. Life around here has been a little tough. Some of it is Teri and I are getting older and some of it is Teri and I have gotten ourselves into positions at work that are not working any more. For Teri it never really worked. She was hired for a position of customer experence and from day one she has been handling the call center. People have ignored her and just plain old made her job tougher. Now her bosse's boss is unhappy with her job preformance. It's not good, she is very unhappy there. My problems at work are, I was told I care too much, so now I don't care. I still work hard, but when they take the heart out of my insurance food program and allow people to go with out, even though we will get new authorizations for 90+% of the clients, I just do what I'm told and hope God doesn't take it personal. For the girls, life goes on. They are young and in love and that is all that matters. There biggest problems are getting up early in the morning to go to work or go see their boyfriends in the morning. This weekend, Nastia and Branden are going to a hotel in Suffern, I think it is called The Crown Plaza. They are going there to have room service and just hang out. Nastia used to say that alot when she would go out with David. Nastia reassures me they are not going to have sex there. She is over twenty-one and if I told her no she can't go, she would listen, but she is also at that age that she has to take responcibility for her own actions. I'm not saying anything is going to happen Saturday night that hasn't happened before. I just saying She is old enough to do these things and I'm hoping she grows up some by experencing life, if that makes any sense. Elena is still just Elena. She decided to get drunk the other night with Nastia. At Nancy's birthday Elena decided she liked 43. We've had the bottle for years and hadn't touched. 43 is best after eating Mexican food preferrable from El Bandido in Spring Valley when the previous owner was alive and ran the place. Back on Tuesday Elena goes down stairs and gets the 43 again. She gets three shot glasses and pours three shots. I've had two

bottles of beer and I'm just sitting quietly at the table. They offer me a shot and I drink it. They pour themselves several more shots and they peter out pretty quickly. I wasn't going to stop them for drinking. I still want them to wake up with hang overs. I do point out to the both of them that Elena has a controling personality. She controls her intake of mountain dew. It is a soda high in sugar and caffeine. For the longest time every where she went she had a can or bottle of it. Then it was gone replaced by bottles of water. She said she just didn't feel like drinking any. Did Matt say something? Elena in my opinion has the personality to be an

alcoholic. So I keep a closer eye on her then Nastia who after a couple of drinks is done. After dinner and the shots of 43, Elena goes upstairs and Nastia sits with Teri and I watching TV for a while. Neither of the girls wake up with a hang over the next day. 43 is a liqueur with a proof of 62 (highest proof is 200) So I guess it is sort of safe, but it could be that infamous gateway drug that sends Alice down that rabbit hole. I'm hoping Teri and I are being responcible and demystifying the lure of alcohol. All you future people can flip several years into the future and find out. If you do could you leave me a note in the comment section to let me know if I'm making a mistake. /

They're going to Great Adventure- the poor man's/women's Disney World

Several months ago the girls decided with Jessica (Elena's friend) to all go to Great Adventure in June. At the time it was so far away that I didn't really care, so I didn't give an opinion. I'm starting to realize that eventually the day they talk about will come to pass and they won't forget about it. Well another one of those days has come to pass and yes they did not forget about it. Jessica's mom, Jessica, Nastia and Elena are heading to Great Adventure in Jackson New Jersey. And yes it is definately the poor man's/women's Disney World.(like how I am including both genders, now all I have to do to be'woke'is start using 'they' for the gender indeterminate and to ditch him and her and be gender neutral. What a load of horse crap, hopefully all you future people have no idea what I'm talking about. One day people will hopefully just be proud to be who they are and not have to attach so many bullshit labels to it. I'll now get off my soap box.) I've been there pre and post Disney. The first time I went to Great Adventure was just after it opened. My mom took us there to the animal park. We asked to go on the rides when we saw them as we were leaving. She said no. Some of her decisions in retrospect I think were a little odd. Why did we go down there just for the animal safari and not for the rides? Did she think she could not control four kids in Great Adventure alone? Maybe. The second time I went was just after high school with a bunch of people who were friends of a friend of mine. we got up at the crack of dawn, went to a dinner where no one except me wanted breakfast. They all were maoning and groaning about someone eating this early in the morning, I was eighteen or nineteen at the time and they embarrased me into having just an english muffin and a drink. Soooo, guess who got charged a service charge for their order. When we got to Great Adventure it was overcast with a light rain. We got to go on so maney rides that I thought this is the greatest place! Then the sun came out and so did everyone who had stayed away in the morning. I still thought it was great. The third time I went was after we had adopted the girls. We went down to Jackson, paid an expensive ticket fee, I don't remember how much, I just remember it was close to Disney World prices, I thought. We entered the park. I must have been expecting Disney World level entertainment, what we got was tourist trap entertainment. The girls had gone to Great Adventure every year they were in Summer Camp and they loved the place. We all went on a roller coast where I hurt my neck, so I quit going on most rides. We ate lunch at a name burger place, paid top dollar and it was awful. I generally had a bad time. The coup de gras (I looked it up to make sure I was using it correctly- The final killing blow that puts a person out of their misery), wait I guess that is incorrect because I was not put out of my misery. My feeling when I saw they were charging extra money to go on some of the most outrageous rides was more like outrage. I've prattled (talk at length in a foolish or inconseqential way) for quite a few paragraphs and they have just left. The girls stay over at Jessica's. At nine-thirty this morning I text the girls and ask them if they are there yet. I figure if they got up at 7 or so and were out of the house by 7:30 they'd be there almost. Elena replys that they just got up. Teri calls them and talks to Elena. She find out that Elena didn't bring a tooth brush. So around 10 they both walk in the house so Elena can brush her teeth. Teri comments about their clothes and lack of pockets to put their phones and stuff. She also comments about Elena's stained shirt. Elena complains and says she fine, but she goes up to change her shirt. Nastia too goes and changes to pants with pockets. I hope they have fun. It'll be noon by the time they get there.

I texted the girls sometime after one. They reply, we'll be there soon. I'm thinking that if this were Disney they'd get there just before it closes at five. Great Adventure stays open later I'm told. I asked for a pictures from Great Adventure, so I could see what fun they were having. I get a picture of the two of them just after they arrive about two. Later I ask for a picture of the two of them with Jessica. That is all the pictures I get. I don't want to intrude on their fun asking them to take pictures. Plus Matt isn't there to

walk away from the camera, ask Elena. The girls send a text message they aere going to Jessica's house to retrieve Elena's car. I receive it around 9:45 while Teri, Nancy and I are watching the movie Cruella at AMC Theatre in the Palisades Center. Everyone had fun this day I guess. /

Memorial Day weekend finally...

Earlier in May the weather is warm, up in the eighties. Everyone thought it was going to be an early summer. So last week I opened the pool and started to look for the hole in the liner. Around Thursday the temperature drops to a high of 58 and it started to rain and it rains through the weekend getting no warmer then 60. As the first almost post Covid holiday I and my family are looking forward to the holiday. But we are not all looking in the same direction. Nastia starts the week off by sleeping over her friend Jesse's house. I see her Monday and for only a little while, I think on Wednesday or Thursday. Then she is gone again. She works Saturday then goes to Branden's house for what

she said is a BBQ. When asked about it later she will say it was just Brandenn's family getting together and not really a BBQ. Nastia then reappears on Monday, Memorial Day at our house,after she's worked Stop and Shop. Ahh, to be young with no responsibilities. Now Elena she worked and hung out with Matt. She didn't say too much about what they did, but she used the house as a bedroom during the Memorial Day weekend. What are you going to do. They are in that time of life where they are earning some money and their bills are small. I remember it will. I felt rich or at least comfortable back then. I thought it would last forever, or at least not end today or tomorrow. And I'm sure they feel the same. They are in love or at least think they are and it is a great time in life, one of the best where everything seems possible. On the Wednesday after Memorial day, Nastia goes to her first Summer bowling league night. She says she thinks they won all three games, but she is nor sure. Elena went to the movies to see The Quiet Place II. She came home with flowers and said the movie was great. The flowers were from Matt. That kid has fallen hard for my daughter. And I think she has for him too. Like I said this time of life, before kids and morgages is the best time of life. I wish I'd never left it sometimes.

Hiking and the warm weekend

Elena and Matt decided to go for a hike. When I first heard about it I thought Ok, they are going to walk around Rockland Lake or something like that. Well it turns out that they were going to Bear Mountain. I've been to Bear Mountain but never hiked. My Mom has hiked alot of the trail in the county and I should have talked to her about it so she could have guided them. My only advice was to take a picture of the trail marker so if they got lost I could tell the search dogs where to look for the bodies. A day or so before the hike she brings home this back pack. It's a beautiful thing. I think she paid a good dollar for it.It's green and light weight, has a pull cord at the top. It's just very nice. The day before the hike, She makes sandwiches for her and Matt. I'm sorry, but I find that so cute.Elena being

domestic and showing she cares for someone so much she'll make him a sandwich. It's too cute. The Morning of the hike she is packing the back pack with freezer packs and all the stuff they think they will need. I relax and think if they get lost we'll just follow the stuff they throw out of the pack when they realize

it's too damn heavy to be lugging all over god's creation. I make a comment about the weight of it and Elena tries to heft it onto her back. She admits it's heavy, but takes nothing out of the pack. Matt comes and picks her up and off they go. After a while, maybe two, three hours Teri and I haven't heard from

her.So I text her and ask for some pictures. She sends pictures of the trail, Matt walking away from her on the trail, pictures of grass and trees. I text her back and ask for a picture of them together. She sends it and Teri ask for a picture of them together, smiling. They try again and it is a little better. All through the day Elena sends picture of where they are walking. I realize they are walking in Doodletown. I

don't know the history of it, but it is now part of the Bear Mountain state park. It was once a small town up in that area and I guess the state bought out all of the residents. I'd heard my mother talk about it several times when she walked that area. Elena sends back a steady stream of pictures of the signs talking

about what houses were where and when they were taken down. It is interesting. I do notice she is always taking pictures of Matt walking away. I wonder what that is about? (Come on and just think about it for a moment) Then the texts stop. I figure they are out of the town. Sometime around four or so I notice the sky is getting dark and the wind has picked up out of the northwest. It looks like a thunder storm is coming. They are north of us and they might even be in it now. I text

her and ask her if they are still hiking. No Answer, after a little while I text again and say thunder storms are coming are you hiking still. no answer again. Teri sends a hellooooo. Finally an answer. She says they are not hiking and her phone died. I guess it got better. (Monty Python and the Holy Grail joke) She comes home around six I think. Nastia worked, then went over to Branden's house. That was Sunday. On Monday she works 7-3 and then goes over Branden's house. Her mother and her have a talk about being to easy, too willing to run over to his house. She then comes to talk to me about the same thing and I tell her that she needs to be a little bit more difficult to get. He needs to come over her more. He needs to pursue her, not the other way around. He'll value you more if your'e not always there for him. God, it was all so sexist, but it was still so true. I even told her that is just the way guys are. She would alway drop what she was doing for David whenever he call. He was emotionally unavailable to her, but she didn't care and or didn't see it. Finally she got tired of him being so distant, physically and emotionally. She is in this relationship with Branden. He works odd houra and it is tough for her to see him. AND it is alway her running to see him, not the other way around. One night after being with her, he drops her off and he goes to hang out with his friends. It's not bad, but why did he drop her off, was it late and she had to be home, I don't remember, maybe. I kind of hope so. Elena and Matt for some reason are alot simpler and I don't know why. Matt works alot and goes to school. Elena works alot and wants to go back to school. They hang out on Wednesdays like Nastia does with Branden.They have some evening together, but it doesn't seem like Elena is rushing over to Matt's everytime she can. Nastia when she goes it almost....she reminds me of a person who doesn't feel complete unless she is in a relationship and if that is true, it is not healthy. I worry more about Nastia right now then Elena for some reason.Maybe it is because Elena is a strong independent person, maybe too independent and Nastia used to be. /

Nancy's birthday, power games and 43

Sunday we all got together to celebrate Nancy's birthday. Orginially we were going to go to a restaurant, but Amanda wasn't able to make it so we had a dip party. Yeah, I know, the joke is too too obvious to make though. If I were to make it, it would include us all. My contribution was to make Swedish Meatballs. I love cooking and I've said it before, it's therapy. I get into the kitchen, I've collected all the necessary ingredants in advance and I love it. Somehow, this time I blew it. Around lunch time I go to get bread for a sandwich. I also picked up heavy cream for the sauce, but forgot good bread for the meatballs. When I go looking for the beef broth down stairs, I can't see any. The next day I will find it, where I'd put it, a shelf below where I looked, right below the chicken broth.So I run out to get some beef broth and don't realize I've forgotten my wallett until I'm at self-check out. I rush back home, get my wallett and leave. About half way back to the grocery, Teri calls and asks me where I've been, where I'm going and why did I rush out of the house? I'm confused, there was no one home. It turns out Nancy is in the living room and Teri is upstairs and I'd parked on the street , not seeing her car. I start the meatballs after all the running around about five, for a six PM dinner. Teri asks me how long do they take? and honestly I didn't know. For me dinner is ready when everything is cooked and I am rarely concerned with time as Teri can well confirm. Teri wants to help and I'm rushing around and she is asking me questions and I'm angry it is so late to be starting this and I should have been more organized and Teri is asking more questions and I'm trying not to be angry and "no, Teri I'm not mad, why would you think that?". Teri starts to clean up for me. I use a few too many pans when I cook. I'll put onions in a bowl for two minutes while I cut celery. So lots of pans that get used for a short peroid of time. The Meatballs get made in a timely manner, about twenty minutes or was it closer to an hour? Mother's and daughter's usually don't get along at certain points of their lives.Teri and Nastia are no different. Teri wants Nastia to grow up and be an independent lady. While at times Nastia is determined to grow up a foul mouthed, man dependent unemployed house wife and mother who talks like a truck driver. If this was the 1950's Nastia could be a very happy person, but it's not. So Teri and Nastia bump heads often. Tonight while I am cooking was one of those nights. I don't remember the fight, I just remember how their attitudes changed on a dime. They had just finished fighting when Queen's Bohemian rhapsody comes on Alexa. If you future people don't know Queen and Bohemian Rhapsody, civilized society has come to an end. In a strange way that song unites Teri and Nastia and they both start singing it and also dance a little to it. I took a video and you guys are the only one who know about it. Call me and I'll show it to you. Other wise you'll just have to imagine it. After the song ends, Teri quickly whips up a corn dip and then Amanda shows up. Everyone is here. Now back on mother's day I lost Teri's card and with everything that was going on I didn't find it in my computer

until the next day or maybe it was a day or two after that. I finally filled it out. I add a bottle of Rumchatta and a day or two before Nancy's birthday, at night for a surprize the next morning I left it where Teri usually sets up her computer. That next morning Teri goes to work instead of working from home. That night we eat dinner in the kitchen. For two, three days the rumchatta sits on the table. After a while I start to wonder who would break first and admit to it's existence. I don't remember exactly how it came about, but Teri asks me if I'm going to just leave that there and it would have been nice to tell her it was there the night I put it there. I thought it was a surprize, but I replied that I was wondering who would break first and then I smiled, I don't think she thought it was funny or smiled back. We sit down to eat dinner. I think, this is a celebration and for some reason I think of the bottle of 43 I have down stairs and how it would be nice to sample a little of that vanilla liquor, so of course I go and get it. I

round up four glasses, Teri saying she didn't want any.I hand a small glass with about a half inch of golden yellow liquid in it to Amanda, then Nancy and finally Nastia and Elena. Nastia has had it before and swollows it. Elena a little suspicious snifes it, looks it over and finally tastes it. She makes a face, then asks for more. I give both girls about four shot of it and the light weights they are, I am forced to cut them off after their mother

complains. I didn't care if they got drunk and had hang overs. It would have been controlled and they need to know the cost of too much alcohol. Dinner ends with a canoli cake made by Amanda, it was good. After clean up Teri takes Amanda and Nancy home, Nastia and I go watch TV and Elena goes up to facetime Matt. It was a good night. i /

Mother's Day

It's been a chilly May so far. I thought we might get a frost last week, but we escaped it. It was Mother's Day the other day and the girls went all in. Elena spent a good chunk of money on flowers for Teri and Nancy. She got them both gift cards for $100.00. She spent way too much. Nastia was going to buy her mother a braclett. When I saw the price I told her it was too much to spend. I told her to get her mother Rumchatta. It's a drink Teri loves and with all th estress of life on her these days she needs it. I bought Teri a card for mother's day and I was going to give her some rumchatta too. I put the card in my laptop so I wouldn't lose it and guess what? I couldn't find it until the next day. Does it still count? Teri didn't want a brunch and it is a little Covidie out there still. It doesn't stop people from going out, but why deal with it. So I invited Nancy and Amanda over for a Mother's day dinner. Amanda couldn't make it as usual. I defrosted two prime rib roasts. One seemed to little. Plus the dates on the two of them were 2019 and 2016. It rained Saturday, but Sunday was looking fine. I started the day vacuuming Teri's car. I thought it was a good gift for her. She never has the time and if I don't do it around her birthday or Mother's day, it doesn't get done. I haven't even cleaned my car in a good long while. The car came out good. Later taht night I wondered why my left shoulder was sore. SUcks getting old. Dinner was scheduled for about four. Teri, Nancy and Elena go and get their nail done. When Nastia comes home she is asked to join them. She wants tips on her nail and Teri says there is not enough time for that, so Nastia passes. I start prep around 1:30. I am not sure how long the meat takes (fifteen minutes a lb, two roasts about four pound each, around an hour as it turns out) I pealed red potatoes to put in with the roasts. I use five pounds and it really isn't enough. Sometimes the girls remember they are Russian and eat potatoes like there is no tomorrow. Then other times they're American girls and don't. I cut the fresh broccoli up and the mushrooms. Everything was prepared and ready to go, early and on time, well sort of. I put both roasts in seperate pans. I love cast iron, so I used the huge cast iron for the bigger roast. I think the pan is 14-16 inches across, while the smaller two are about twelve. I put potatoes around it. The smaller roast,

I squeezed into one of the smaller cast iron pans and put the remaining potatoes in the third cast iron. But I didn't put the cast iron with just potatoes into the oven with both of the roasts. I don't know why. Both roasts cook for fifteen minutes at 500 degrees. I then lower the temp to 325 and put the third pan of potatoes in the oven. They all cook for an hour. I put on the broccoli's water to boil and wait. This is were things went a little side ways. I ask Teri to make the mushrooms, she does such a good job. I put the broccoli in the boiling water and turn it off. Usually this way the broccoli will cook slowly. I'm checking the roasts They are approaching the 120-123 degree area where they should be taken out and allowed to rest. The resting peroid is so the juices set in the meat and the meat will continue cooking and become medium.I take the roasts out. The potatoes have stuck some so I scrape the pan. Teri says the broccoli isn't cooked, so I turn that up and forget about it until I smell it later on. The roast is rare when I cut it and usually if you stack the meat it will become medium to well done. I avoid stacking it mostly, but it is cooled some and doesn't cook. I remember the broccoli. It is just the five of us. Amanda is working a double and can't make it. Nastia gets out od work about four and Elena had the day, a Sunday off, unusual. We sit for dinner around five, not bad for Muller time. The meat is a little rare. The broccoli is over cooked and I couldn't find my Mother's Day card for Teri, but it is nice to sit around the table with the ones you love and just be. Which is what we do. Memories are made from days like this. I may not remember this exact Mother's Day, but the feeling for this small group of people only grow stronger. I do find my card to Teri a few days later in my laptop. I put it there so I wouldn't lose it.

More Covid shots

Tuesday Nastia and Nancy get their second Covid shots and I think that is it for everyone. There might be others out there who have not gotten their shots, but right now, I can't think of anyone except Denis who hasn't gotten his shots yet. Denis has a reason. After all of his heart problems the doctors thought it is best to wait before he gets his. A neighbor who works in a prison hasn't gotten his shots. It's a little surprising he hasn't. If I worked there I'd want a shot. Nastia and Nancy go to Pomona Health Center a half hour apart to get their shots.Both walk in together and are able to get their shots immediately. Last night Nastia complains of a sore shoulder and an upset stomach. This morning, Wednesday Nastia is up at seven-fifteen waiting for Branden to pick her up. As she is getting ready to go over Branden's house she says it's just her shoulder where she got the shot that's sore. It's going to be hot today so Nastia is wearing a summer dress. It is short on her and she knows it. She says she is wearing shorts under the dress. The short stick out from the bottom of the dress and look like fancy underwear. I don't think the combination really works, but I let her

go anyway. Usually she drives over stays for a while, then goes to work. When she is over there she says Branden is sleeping, so she sleeps next to him...hmmmm. Elena this morning got up a little later about eight. Her plan is to go mow Nancy's lawn and then hang out with Matt. I hope she comes home to shower after mowing Nancy's lawn, it is going to be 85 today. I meet the two of them at the bowling alley for the final games of the season. It's been a bit of a disappointment this year. I bowled very uneven this year. Elena saves the best for last. In the first game she bowls 139 and the second a 151.Because of Covid there is no bowling dinner so after the final games the trophys are handed out. Elena gets a trophy for high female game. I don't remember what that was. Either way it was over 151. Last night I go upstairs to kiss the girls good night. I knock on Elena's slightly open door and she say wait she is getting dressed. I look toward her bed where her phone is pearched on her bed and see Matt disappear from the screen. I kind of quietly laugh and leave. Nastia's light is out so I head to bed. Later Elena comes into our room and says good night.

ywah, it's real easy to get the Pfizer vaccine?

My sister got the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, she's fine after a few days of aches and pains. Teri got the Moderna vaccine. She got a small rash and some aches and pains. My mom got Moderna and she came through with flying colors. I got a first shot of Pfizer on March 19,2021. My card said the second shot is April 9th at 9:15. It's a Friday and I have the weekend if I feel bad to get over it. Teri disputes the following, but I remember it like it was carved in my brain.Teri says her vaccine appointment is for Wednesday April 14th, I tell her mine is for the 9th. She says mine can't be first since she got her shot first. I think, ok, she has to be right. I blindly follow her for maybe the first time in my life. I miss my shot. So, Teri the bulldog, she is and yes that is a very high compliment, finds me a new shot for Monday at 4:15. Not perfect, but it'll do. Today I leave work early and head over to Pomona Health Complex. I get there early by about fifteen minutes. I get on a line of about fifty people (I counted, I was forty-fifth. What else are you going to do.)After about ten minutes a women starts walking the line asking if there are any four o'clock people on line. They rise their hands and are escorted inside. I move up about ten feet. I start reading on my phone. The line walker is back. She asks if there are any Pfizer people on line, She also asks if there are any more four o'clock people. I get off the line with one other person. I start to head to the doors when she stops me. In a low and conspiratorial tone she tells me Pomona is out of Pfizer, but RCC has the good stuff and it is wide open. We both give an evil smile. Those poor souls infront of me will never know. I hop in my car and I know the back roads of this area having gone to RCC and delivered milk in the area for years. So I shot down School House road or something like that and come out onto New Hempstead road. I hang a quick right and zip though a landscape that is unfamilar except for the names of the roads. I arrive at RCC in minutes. I walk in tall and proud. I'm getting my second Covid. The first hint of trouble is when the fancy thermometer that shows your face doesn't work. I start out getting very close to it. The aide says to move back, further, further, further...further. It feels like they were trying to get rid of me.Another step and I'll be ouitside. Finally the screen detects a mask. Does the maker of this unit know something about the future use of masks that I don't? The aide finally gives up and uses a sensor thermometer like the bowling alley does. I don't think it worked either, but they move me on to the next satation.First or second, I'm asked. I proudly say second Pfizer. I pointed to the closest table.A nice looking gentleman in a not light, but not dark suit is about to get a fury I don't even know I hold. I pleasently say, Hi, I'm here for my second Pfizer. He asks if I have an appointment, I say no, Pomona sent me (you know, like I got a connection, man) He replys something like, I don't know why they keep sending people over here. The best I can do for you is get you an appointment at Good Sam for tomorrow, say about eleven? I try not to unload on this poor soul who has been here all day and was most likely the loser in who will work the Covid site at RCC today, but I do. It starts slowly about how I have taken off half a day from work and I can't afford to take another day off. He says something, I reply, I'm sixty-three years old, I should be at my earning peak, but I'm at a crap job(pay wise yes, job satisfaction, no) that pays me what I made as a twenty year old and I'd like to retire (not really) and I'm not going to be able. I feel a pain in my neck that starts somewhere in my shoulders where I keep all my tension. It radiates up through the right side of my neck then up into my head and I feel a headache starting on the right side of my head. I start to leave then turn around and tell the poor guy to scheadule me. Maybe when I calm down I'll want to go. He tells me to write my name and phone number on a list that is full from top to bottom.I put the information in at the top above the information line. Before I go I tell the guy, I'm sorry I unloaded on him. He say he understands. I feel sorry for him as I leave. Walking out of the fieldhouse I'm cursing and talking to myself. If someone were to notice me they might assume this is a side effect of the Covid shot and run for the hills. I get in my car hit the wheel, curse a whole bunch of times and finally pick up my phone to call Teri. I tell her about my adventure. Even though she doesn't remeber my version of why I missed my first appointment she is sorry I've gone through this. I tell her I will be home soon, about half an hour. My sirius radio stopped working about two weeks ago and only plays commercials so I think it is time to finally get that fixed. I'd done it last week and it seemed fixed for a day until I changed the channel. A calm fifteen minutes later after two tech guys I realize all my presets had been wiped out and it has been working for the last week. I don't tell the second tech helping me. I reset my presets and decide to take a slow leisurely drive home. It makes me angry to drive Viola Road these days so I head toward Route 59 where all the changes that have happened over the last thirty year I know about. I drive down 59 pass where the Hub bowling Ally was and where I was a menber of the Golden Lions bowling league. I remember the strip club down the road from it that I used to stop in when I'd had a bad night bowling or just felt a little lonely. I pass the Route 59 Drive In where I saw Star Wars and the site where a Pathmark Supermarket used to be. I knew a girl who used to work there. About an hour or more after my call to Teri I'm on Kings Highway and she calls, Is everything alright? I reply yes even though I am calm on the outside my anger still burns on the inside. At home I try to look up sites for Pfizer shots through the county web site. Everyone has no Pfizer. I give up and let my anger bubble up. closing my lab top a little to hard surprising Teri, she jumps some. A little later she says Walgreens has shot available, why don't you go and book one. I get on the Walgreens site and they have shot for tomorrow and they have shots in the morning. I book an 8:35 shot. It's a miracle. The next morning I get up a little early and go to Walgreens in Stony POint. I like Stony Point. I really don't

like Good Sam Hospital, don't ask why. I get to Walgreens at 8:05 and go in. I'm third on line and they take me imediately. I have paperwork I printed out from last night. It has a water stain on it from a bottle I put on it t omake sure it din't fly away. I hand it to them anyway. The women glaces at it ask my a question I missed and tells meto sit down and wait. A few minutes later I guy with a needle invites me behind a curtin and sticks me in the arm. While he is doing this he menations that they have an excess of supply and if I know anyone who needs a shot to send them up. After my shot, I feel a weight lift from my shoulder I didn't know was there. I'm told in two weeks I'll be full vaccinated. While I'm waiting to see if the shot bothers me,I call Pomona Health Center to tell them about the excess at WaLgreens. I get recording only. So I call a few people and all of them have gotten their shots. A day later I feel fine

Saturday night Tacos with Matt

When Branden came over for tacos on Wednesday, Matt couldn't make it. Elena asked to have tacos om Saturday and

to invite him over. On Saturday afternoon I was bored and thought it would be nice and peaceful to start cooking the taco meat. It was real early about 3:30. Dinner wasn't until 7pm. I browned up two pounds of meat and

added a pound of meat I cooked up earlier in the week. I added seasoning mix to it then I added some meat from Wednesday. I stopped for a while then around six I got the oil ready, Teri did the lettuce and when Elena came home she cut the cheese. I cooked the corn tortilles in oil and warmed the flour tortilles in three damp paper towels. Matt arrived a little after seven and we all sat down for dinner. Matt started with two tacos and

when he went back for more I felt he was comfortable around us. Wednesday, Branden only had two tacos. He either didn't like them or he was uncomfortable taking more. After dinner it got a little weird. Nastia's conversation can get a little spicy at times. After she said something that Teri didn't like, Nastia gooes we're all adults here. I had to laugh. Nastia helped clean up and she found some rubber gloves and tried to blow them up and couldn't. I blew them up and this is were things got a little weirder. Nastia puts two balloons under her shirt and walks out into the dinning room.Elena pops one ending Nastia's dream of big boobs. She then asks me to blow some more up and put them in her pants and walks out saying she is now a Kardashian. If you future people don't know who they are, the world is a better place then. Finally Nastia says, "I'm being born and tries to squeeze her head through a glove opening. I think wasting of gloves signals the pandemic is coming to a close. We settle down and talk some more. Elena gets a glove blown up and ties it to her head. Around ten pm Teri goes upstairs and Nastia follows soon after. She wants to talk to her boyfriend. I sit at the table starting this but soon grow tired. I ask Elena when she has work and tell her to not be up too late. They stay down stairs watching TV until about 11 and she walks him to his car taking about fifteen minutes to get there and back. The night ends quietly not long after

Another Wednesday and Teri gets her second Covid, I miss mine.

Well Wednesday bowling is winding down, the girls having Wednesdays off is not. Yesterday Elena declared to her mother

that it was a day for herself. She gets a sandwich for lunch for her and ehr mother and they have lunch together.THEN she goes over to see Matt. When I saw her at bowling and she was dressed nicely I knew she'd gone to see him. Teri and I watch a show called The Goldbergs. In it are two characters Erica and Jeff. It has become clear in the later episodes that Elena is Erica. Now Nastia hasn't been seen for several days. She said Jesse invited her over her house to sleep over Monday and

Tuesday. I last saw her I think Monday morning. She showed up to bowling and hung out with me while I was there, it was nice. She then stayed there and bowled with Brandon and a couple of friend.They have all decided to join a summer bowling league. It starts at seven and they bowl three games. It's a four member team and they are not going to be done until 9:30-10 PM. I remember doing a league like that in the 80-90's, the Golden Lions and we bowled at the Hub in Monsey. At the time one of the best lanes in the county. Last week I told Teri my Covid shot was for April 9th. She said it couldn't be because she had gotten her's before me. I thought I was wrong and didn't check my card. She got Moderna and I'd gotten Pfizer.So yesterday I pick up my card so I have it for Friday and it did say Friday the 9th, I'd missed it. It turns out that Pfizer and Moderna have different wait times, which no one had ever mentioned.Teri managed to get me a second shot for Monday at 4:15. Denis came home from the Hospital yesterday. It has been a long tough road for Eric and Lynn. Right now Denis is

good and he needs to get his strength back. I know he has the heart and the strength to do it and he will make it.When he was born he had a problem with his heart. After he was born, the surgeons went in and fixed what was wrong with his heart. They were told there would be problems in the future. Something, a virus or something caused a problem with his heart and they had to go in and fix it. He'll be on blood thinners for the rest of his life, but he'll be alive and hopefully healthy.

It seem like I've done this before

Yesterday, Sunday I wanted to make something special to eat, instead I opened the freezer and found items that had been in there for almost a year. Some of the items, like the philo dough was from Mother's day about five years ago. I hate throwing things out, but Nastia's ice cream cake from December can't be good by now. Some freezer pops (frozen sugar water) were easy to throw out with a expiration day of 2017. The philo dough I was going to throw out (expiration day 2018) when I opened it up. It looked fine, so I decided to use it. I looked up what to make with philo dough and found a delicious recipe called chocolate raviolis. The dough had to defrost for twenty minutes, so I went off to do something else while it defrosted. Before I got any further I was reminded that we were going out for breakfast. Teri was moving slow so she said it was most likely going to be brunch. The reason for brunch was Elena had her first Sunday off in years. With Nastia at work the plan was to pick Nancy up and go to a new place called The Breakfast and Brger Club in Nyack. I know the place when I used to deliver to it when it was the Skylark Restaurant.It was run by a guy named Jimmy. He'd always say call me Jimmy the greek.He opened the restaurant in the 60's when it seemed Nyack had no future. He sold in the 2000's and the place became Johnny Cakes and didn't last too long. SO now th ebrand new Breakfast and Burger Club is open. Teri has wanted to try it for several weeks. Nanacy has been there several times and says it is really good. The three of us,Teri, Elena and myself get in Elena's car and go to Nyack. Elena experences what it is like driving with her mother when her mother is a passenger, it wasn't pretty. Elena drives too fast and uses her brakes too late and takes turns too quickly. That I already knew.Teri comments hit on all of those points as we drove to

get Nancy. Wepick up Nancy and go to the parking lot off South Franklin. Elena is making the turn onto South Franklin and Teri is saying why are you turning it's easier to turn at teh next corner. Elena turns at South Franklin, then turns on to the side street and into the parking lot. It is raining lightly as Elena picks out her perfect spot. It is away from other car in the far corner of the lot. I point out to Elena that if she wants to park further away from the restaurant there is one more row of empty parking spots. She gives me a light hearted smirk and turns off the car. No one brought more then a sweeter and the rain is cold. With our Covid masks on we arrive at the restaurant and are seated immediately. We are in a Covid safe booth in the corner, but several of the other tables seem less then Covid safe. I notice people in their twneties are at these tables. They are the quickest

raising group at this point in the pandamic for new cases. I order a waffle with bacon crisp. Elena orders pancakes and a strawberry milk shake. Teri and Nancy I don't remember. My waffle is great. The bacon is greasy and limp. It's awful. I should returned it, but I don't. Instead I wrap it in napkins to get rid of as much grease as possible and eat it. After brunch, I go back to my chocolate raviolis. At home a message from Nastia on the home phone tells us she has lost her phone at work. Teri and Nancy go to look for it. I go back to my chocolate raviolis. I'm short heavy cream, so off to the store. I think maybe I should go to Stop and Shop and help look for the phone, I don't. Teri and Nancy return from looking for Nastia's phone with no success. Teri tries to get onto Nastia's find my Iphone app. I'd tried earlier, but I didn't have her password. Teri works through the process of recovering the password for Nastia's account. When the account was first opened years ago Teri wrote down all the passwords, but someone has changed her password, swaring she didn't. Around four-thirty Teri locates the phone. It is infront of the store next to Stop and Shop. I drive over to Stop and Shop forgetting my jacket again. At Stop and Shop the rain is a little lighter then pouring. I get out of my car near where the signal is. Teri is on my phone guiding me as I squat down to look under cars. Rain spotting my glasses makes it next to impossible. I walk the grass islands hoping to see it stuck in a fern. I give up a few minutes before five when Nastia will get out. I'm cold and soaked so I grab my mask and head to Stop and Shop. I warm up and dry a little until Nastia is done when she joins me outside. It is raining still. I go through all the same spots I looked before. In front of the store next to Stop and Shop in disperation I tell Nastia to go into the store and ask if someone turned in a phone. I follow, I'm cold and soaked again. Inside the store Nastia asks the first person she sees and lo and behold they say, "why yes someone turned it in" Waves of relief wash over the both of us. While the manager goes to get teh phone Nastia makes the cynical comment that the person who found it most likely took her license and bank card. When the manager gives it to her everything is there. In the car I make her say out load that she is sorry for accusing the person who returned her phone for taking her

bank card and license. Back home, dinner interfers with the chocolate raviolis. It is after eight at night when the first batch goes into the oven. I forget to freeze the first batch so the chocolate filling leaks out. The oven is on too low of a temperature too. I fix both problems and the same happens to the second batch. At this point I really don't care. The second batch tastes better then the first. What a long day. /

Another Wednesday

It's another Wednesday, but it was also a beautiful spring day with temperatures around 70.Elena and Matt went to a

local park and found some Miller Dairies bottle caps. She bought some home and I added them to my collection of Ancestry stuff. My dad worked at Miller Dairies from around 1952-4 until they were sold and closed sometime around 1972. These caps went on top of glass bottles most likely during the fifties I'd think. Nastia spent Tuesday night at her friend's Jesse's house. She goes over there because she and Jesse can smoke pot over there. While she was over there, Jesse and her mother were told the both of them could go and get their Covid shots at CVS. Jesse's mother asked Nastia to watch the chicken on th estove and to turn it over in a few minutes. She was left to watch the chicken and Jesse's son who is handicapped. Now Nastia is afraid to get burned and hates to deal with hot things to the point of it almost being phobic.So of course when she is trying to turn the chicken Jesse's son is annoying her, something to do with a knife. I got to bowling about ten after five. Nastia and Elena were outside with Jesse waiting for me. Nastia climbs up on my car to say hello to me through the sun roof of my car. Elena says hello in the more tradation way by waiting for me to get out of my car. We are in sixth place and it doesn't look like we are going any where after two weeks ago. This week we played a team we could have and should have beaten. We lost the first game and won the second game, but lose total pins, worth a point by one pin.It looks like sixth place it is. A week or so ago I wanted Matt and Brandon to come over for dinner again. Matt was going to come over, but he couldn't make it for last night. So after bowling just Brandon was coming over. Nastia was supposed to be picked up from bowling by him, but when she called him he was just getting up. He works the over night shifts mostly. Nastia tells him to met her over at our house and Nastia comes home with me. Brandon being late gives us time to finish preparing the tacos. Nastia had cooked up the meat and grated the cheese. I cooked up a whole mess of corn shells and warmed up a whole mess of flour shells. Brandon had two tacos, I think. I wonder if he liked them? I won't say anything. He could have just been not hungry. Teri, Nastia, Brandon and myself sat around and talked until about 10:30. Elena went upstairs to shower and talk to Matt.The conversation is wide ranging. We talk about the hasidic's buying Nyack College and not following the rules they agreed to. I get to angry about that subject so while they talked about it I went into the kitchen and turned on the Yankee game. It is extra innings and Rob Manfred's little league rules are coming into play again to cause the Yankees to lose again.In extra innings starting this year both teams start the inning with a runner on second. I hate it. So I went from a topic I really get upset about to watching the Yankees lose by a rule I really hate. I return to the table and hear Nastia talking about hanging out in Brandon's bedroom. I remember what went on in my bedroom with my girlfriend and I hear Teri's voice raising saying something like, "You hang out in his bedroom??" Nastia replys, "Nothing happened, it's too early." yeah, it's too early until it's not, but she's twenty-two and in her shoes at twenty-two..... As it ticks past ten PM, I'm starting to realize I'm not going to be watching TV tonight. Elena and I cleaned up after dinner, so there is nothing to clean up. It is getting late and I have to shower and both Teri and I have work tomorrow. So when Brandon says it is about time for him to leave I wait for him to get up. He doesn't. About fifteen minutes later he says it again, so this time I stand up and so does he. Everyone else follows. Nastia walks Brandon out to his car. Teri heads upstairs and I go down stairs to shower. It was a good night and we'll have to do it again. /

Easter 2021

As Covid starts to fade, Easter this year is better. Elena has gotten both of her shots, Nastia,Teri, Nancy and I have gotten our first and are going for our second soon. Teri and I this week (Wednesday and Friday) And Nastia and Nancy, I think are next week. Dennis is doing better. The second surgery went well and they put a pace maker in to make sure his heart has no problems. He'll be on blood thinner for the rest of his life, but he will be alive, thank God. He was born with this heart problem and I'd heard it would be a problem, but I always thought it wouldn't be this week, if you know what I mean. Nastia asked me a question the other day: why don't we have large family dinners with the relatives? I guess she doesn't remember the Christmas dinners at Lynn and Eric's. I told her we used to, but back a few years ago it seemed simpler to just eat at home.I think it'd time to look into family gatherings again for the holidays. Nasita asked earlier in the week if she could go over to Brandon's after Easter dinner. We said no, but he is welcome over her. Around three in the afternoon Easter day Nastia brings him over and I begin to wonder if he is eating with us. He wasn't. Nastia had brought him over to socialize and it was nice. We spent about a half hour or so talking before he left. He is coming over for Tacos on Wednesday. Both boyfriends were coming, but Matt couldn't make it. There will be BBQ's and a pool this summer enough for everyone to get together. I'm feeling like we might have a life again sometime this summer. Easter dinner was a little later in the day then usual. Both girls worked. Elena until 3:30, Nastia until 5. Dinner was at six. Teri made the ham and the pineapple casserole (contact me I'll give you the recipe, it's real good.) Just before dinner, I stepped in and made the mac and cheese and helped Nastia make her muscles (from frozen, real hard!). I also did the asparagus. The trick to good asparagus is bring the water to a boil with two chicken boullion cubes in it. Put the cut asparagus (cut the woody ends off, leave the rest whole) into the water and turn it off. After making your mac and cheese stick a fork in some of the asparagus to see if they stick or slide off. If the majority side off, their done. In regular time that is about ten to fifteen minutes. We ate a little late about six-thirty. The food was great, the ham a little salty, but that is the luck of the draw with ham. We cleaned up. Nanacy went home too early. Teri and I would have liked her to stay a little longer to have some dessert, but she wanted to go home and take care of Neval, her dog. Elena went upstairs, Nastia spent some time with Teri and I watching a movie on Netflix called finding Ohana. It was fun to have her sit with us. I miss Elena being there.

Lynn posted this picture on facebook the other day. It has gone around the family. Someone is soo sweet and goofy in the picture. Maybe she'd had enough of people taking pictures or someone said give big smiles now and she didn't have the face big enough for that smile.

Wednesday bowling, Thursday 26 years of marriage.

Tuesday Elena got her second Covid shot. I think it was the Moderna vaccine. Wednesday she slept in until noon and then went over to her boyfriends. Nastia on Tuesday slept over her friend's CJ's house. On Wednesday she arrives late at bowling with her friend Jessie because someone forgot something, I didn't ask. We won five points at bowling Wednesday, but the team infront of us did the same and they are ten points in front of us and time is short. After losing five points the previous week I think we'll run out of time before moving much higher. Thursday was Teri and my twenty-sixth wedding anniversary. Just like some how I've become a sixty-three year old, somehow I've been married to Teri for twenty-six years. Oh so many years ago, when we had money Teri said for our twenty-five anniversary she wanted to go to Hawaii. After suffering through five or so lean years I don't ever imagine having enough money to go to Hawaii or to go back to Vegas and sit at a black jack table and lose a couple of hundred dollars like I've done in the past. It's sad, but having money, then not having it, then getting back to comfortable and then getting old while you weren't looking changes you're out look on life. I was watching a show on TV and one of the characters, a girl in her first or econd year of college suddenly out of the blue at least to me gets engaged to her boyfriend. I really didn't see it. I guess that is how it will happen when my daughter's run in one night and say they are getting married or maybe it will be I'm moving out with my boyfriend. Either way I can see something like that happening in the next four years as Teri and I try to focus on getting to sixty-six and a half to retire. In a perfect world I'd want them to move in upstairs and Teri and I would fix up our parlor and make it a bedroom or something like that. I'd like to stay local and try to keep the house for the forseeable future. I don't think Teri would be into that. Dinner for our twenty-sixth anniversary was at a place called Michael's on Main in New City. Teri and I first went there a few years ago for our anniversary and had a very nice dinner. Last year we did a Covid anniversery. Instead of going to Hawaii, we stayed home and did nothing. It was early Covid at the time and we were feeling that it would be over by summer at the latest. I guess we got the year wrong because it most likely won't be completely over by this summer. It might be tamped down enough to go to the beach by July. I called to make a reservation at the restaurant. They were not open at two-thirty. There hours, there Covid hours are four-thirty to nine-thirty except on the weekend where they are open a littler later. I left a message and didn't think that I had to return a phone call so when we show up there is no reservation. The maitre d politely explains this to us and he is almost apologizing. He's good at his job. We are lucky and he sits us at one of the last tables. He was so fluid that he is telling us next time to return their call and sitting us at our table. He depart important imformation and we absorbed it as we were being seated by the waitress. Michael's is a touch expensive, but we have a gift card and a Visa gift card so dinner will cost us out of pocket with tip thirty-four dollars. We order drinks, I get a beer, Nastia tea, Teri water. When it comes to Elena, the waitress says what can I get you sir, I say ma'am, miss and try to take her hat off to show the waitress. Elena

grabs the hat and keeps it on her head. Then in a I'm not insulted voice tells how she is alway mistaken for a boy and it doesn't bother her any more. Looking like a boy, I guess is her shield to be left alone and not picked on. The funny think is when she dresses like a girl she is a very beautiful girl. One day I hope she can leave her defenses behind and just be happy being herself, or I could just be wrong and she likes dressing like she does. Elena has pasta, leaving all of the onions and tomatoes. Nastia has shrimp and has issues taking the tails off. Teri has a steak special, a rib eye. I ask how big is the steak. AWhen I hear twenty eight ounces I figure I'll get the veal saltumbucca and Teri won't finish her steak and I'll have some of it. I got filled up on my dish, but I did eat a couple of corners off her steak, it was real good. I liked mine, but I should have gone for the steak, it was that good.

During dinner there is talk of Dairy Queen but everyone is full and we just head home. It was a good night. My mom framed Teri's picture. It came out great. /

It's Teri's birthday again*

* Yeah, I know to get to this age your have to have had a few before this. It's bright and early on a Friday morning, the start of Teri's vacation, for the next week and her birthday, today. Last year's birthday, from my point of view as a smashing success and would be tough to top. Last year was an eat at home early Covid-19 dinner party from Sangria's on Route 303. This year I'm following the same game plan except we are eating at Sangria. Later that night: Teri's gift, I have been planning since early January. I thought I had everything planned out perfect. In early January I showed Teri some pictures and asked her which ones she liked. I figured that doing it so far in advance she'd have no idea what her gift was come March. She looked at the pictures I'd collected off of my Google pictures account. There was a picture of the girls holding onto the edge of the pool wearing goggles, some of them at Disney World in Florida when we went over Christmas one year. There was also a family picture And then there was the picture I took at the BBQ we had Memorial day 2008 just before the girls came over. I'd taken a three shot group of pictures of her parents. One looked like Tony had just smacked June in the head. The one that Teri liked was the one where they have their heads together. I printed that out on my mother's computer a few days later and give it to Vernon.It was still before my birthday. Vernon asked when do I need it. I say by the beginnig of March, plenty of time to get it framed by my mom. Vernon goes to work. A month or so goes by and he offers to show me how it is

coming along. I say no, I want to see it only when it is done. Around the deadline day, he comes to me telling me he is having trouble with some of the lines, the picture is a little blurry. He needs more time, a week. A week later he says it was too small and he had to erase it and make it bigger and he is still having trouble with those blurry lines.I give him more time. Monday before Teri's birthday Vernon promises me he will have it done before, no by Teri's birthday. I can't help but laugh that the one time I plan her gift well in advance, a gift that is different and unique, and it's still going to be late and unfinished.

On the morning of Teri's birthday Vernon hands me a large piece of folded paper in a large plastic bag. I'm in the office and several people are there to see me open up the folded paper to see the picture for the first time. I try to gently take the paper out of the bag. My hands are shaking a little from a run in with the head chef who has gotten it in his head that he doesn't like me, but that is a story for another time I won't bother telling because it and him are unimportant in my life. I remove the paper and unfold it. The orginial photo falls out and what I see is impressive. It's a pencil drawing of June and Tony. I'm drawn to their eyes. Vernon has drawn their eyes and managed to put life in them, it's amazing. I love the drawing. Everyone around me is also amazed by his talent. I put it in the car wondering how am I going to wrap this thing. On my way home I get the largest gift bag in the dollar store and I gently. loosely roll the drawing into the bag. As soon as I get home I tell Teri she has to open it immediately. I don't want to risk anything happening to it.

like a spill or it gets folded. I position Nancy on Teri's side. Nastia is sitting and all we are waiting for is Elena who is getting dressed. As soon as people start to wander around she finally comes down. I get everyone back into position, I want Nancy to experence the opening at the same time as Teri. I took a video of it and I will try to post it here. The videos just don't stay posted, go look at some of my very early posts.I get the reaction I was hoping for and what I experenced. I drive to Sangria. It's a short trip and it's Teri's birthday so I ignore her advice on my driving. I will also ignore it when I drive home. Our Table is near the door to the out door dinning area. Just beyond the porch sized out door dinning area, they are building a huge extension to the outdoor dinning area.There is something about fresh wood the criscross pattern it makes that is strangely comforting. I notice two of the three six foot tall warmers are blazing away. It is windy, blowing out of the south right now. Later it is expected to blow out of the north west and the temperatures will f

all from the very mild current 60's to a more seasonable high 40's low 50's.. Right now it is comfortable and I have my sweater off. We order drinks. Teri orders a pitcher of sangria and three glasses. I see visions of eating chips off the table (call me I'll tell you about that night if I didn't blog about it) I order a diet coke. I want alcohol and Elena could drive, but I want Teri to be comfortable tonight, so I don't. Elena is five months away from

turning twenty-one so we are loose with her drinking. I'm not too happy with what I see sometimes. Tonight she is allowed to sneak sips from the sangria. She will get a little buzzed in that way someone who is not used to drinking gets. Near the end of the night I will temporarily cut her off.We order the food and Teri comments that we forgot to bring the gift cards we have for Sangria's. I look at Elena and she winks at me. I know why she winks, but I can't help but feel like I'm in a 1950's movie. While we wait for our food Teri opens all of the other gifts. There is the bottle of Rum Chaita from Nastia and Brandon. Teri gets to Elena's gift and opens up a gift card for Sangria's for $100.00. An excessive amount that pays for about half of dinner. Nancy will chip in an excessive amount like she always does when the bill comes.Dinner arrives and it is good. I ordered chicken in a cream sauce. Nastia fish and rice, Teri and Nancy's I don't remember, but Elena's I remember for two reasons. Usually I'd order enchaliadas or a combo plate and this time I didn't. Elena ordered burritoes and it arrives covered in melted cheese looking delicious and I wanted it. THe second reason she ordered guacamole and I told her she could have it if she didn't get filled up and not eat her dinner. She ate one of her burritoes, wrapping the rest for lunch on Saturday. I didn't say anything, why ruin the night over something she always does. By now the wind has moved to the north west and it has started to get cold at the table. Nastia puts her sweater on and soon asks for mine. It's cold, but not that bad. Several times I thought about asking to move, but I know Teri wouldn't like that. So with a chilly breeze blowing across the table occationally we or at least I eat quickly before the food can get cold. The night is over and there is talk of Dairy Queen or Cone Zone in West Nyack. Everyone is full and the break in tradation I started continues. There will be no ice cream tonight. Nancy is dropped off in Nyack and we head home. Teri telling me she doesn't like me going this way, there is a

speed trap this way, Whoa, your going to fast. As Tom at Marcus used to say, like water off a duck's back. I just let it stream off with not affect. It's been a really good birthday and I hope Teri enjoyed it as much as I did. By the way,Tho many chips were eaten this night, there were no chips eaten off the table by any one. Most of the Sangria was bought home. /