Snow, Snowball fights and Employment

The Weather Service predicted a huge storm to rival the one we had last Friday.
     Last Fridays storm saw a lot of rain and wind. It knocked trees down in Westchester, putting some neighborhoods in the dark still as of today. The Winds knocked over three tractor trailers on the new Tappan Zee bridge (It's not that other name of that forgotten politician). I crossed it south bound before the first one went over. I was in the south bound lane. The Wind hit my car rattling it and every time I looked down at the dashboard, I expected to look up and see myself in the next lane over. It took three tractor trailers flipping over before they closed the bridge to trucks about 11 AM. All Lanes were closed while they removed the Trucks that had flipped going in both directions. I left work at three figuring I'd be smart and go to the Bear Mountain Bridge. I got as far north as Ossining, on Route 9A. Just where it connects with the new part of the road, a tree had fallen and traffic stopped. I left that road convinced that I could find a way around the mess. Every road I went down either a tree or a burning transformer turned me around. I was to find myself back on the same road an hour and a half later. I waited in line again moving up slowly. When I realized my movement was cars turning around I too turned around figuring it would be better to sit on the bridge where I knew people were trying to open the road. I got to the Bridge about 4:30, flew across the bridge like nothing had happened and was home by five. That was the first storm a few days ago.

     Today’s Storm had been predicted for a few days. We prepared for it, getting gas and propane, picking up sticks and items that might get blown around in the storm. The Predictions of the amount of snow raised every day as the storm got nearer. Last Night predictions were about five inches to as much as fifteen.

Everyone figured it was going to be a snow day. They kept pushing back the starting time of the storm. First it was late Tuesday, then midnight Tuesday, then finally Wednesday morning. We didn’t get a call from the school until 5:30 AM Wednesday morning. My Work was closed and when I called to check to see if anyone was in the storm was still minimal. I stayed up stairs most of the day because Teri was on a conference call teaching people in Canada her job because they are closing the office she works in and she will lose her job at the end of the month.

     About four in the afternoon, I heard Elena shoveling the driveway. I thought that was very sweet of her. I got dressed and asked her if she wanted to use the snow blower.

     I don’t know if anyone remembers the TV show ‘Tool Time’ The Main character had a motto, ‘More Power’. That is me so when I bought the snow blower back in 94, I got a very big one and over the years the shifter has stuck in fifth gear. So if your not care full, it will drag you across the yard. I showed Elena all the ins and outs of the snow blower as Nastia throws snowballs at me. We snow blow the neighbors driveway before the unit quits on me. Tomorrow I’ll look at it.

     As I bought the blower back into the yard, Nastia was again throwing snowballs. I grabbed up a bunch of snow, about  8-10 inches across and tossed it at her. During the time it took me to gather up a big ball of snow and throw it at one of the girls, they're able to hit me with several. I chased Nastia into the back end of the Yard with the biggest one and sort of hit her with it. Misha, thinking she need to get in on the action followed, jumping on me and generally having a good time. After I threw the snow, I turned and chased Misha back toward the door. Getting to the back steps, exhausted and out of breath, I realized I’m getting to old for this s..t. (Thank You Danny Glover and Lethal Weapon)

     It was a fun day.

New Years

Nothing really happened this year. We went over to Eric and Lynn's again. Elena hung out with her boyfriend, Alex. His Father is a friend of Eric's. We all talked and drank a little. At Midnight we kissed and left after that because the girls had to work on New Years Day. Much fun was had by all.

My Daughter bought home a Baby this past weekend!!

Yes, My Daughter, Nastia bought home a plastic baby for her child development class. She got a black baby, named it Ezekiel. So over the weekend it would cry, fuss, need to be fed, changed and taken care of. This gave my  daughter the excuse to sit around all weekend and watch TV.
     When She tried to go out with her boyfriend to dinner on Saturday and yes she would have to take the baby, he refused. He didn't want to be see with the science experiment in public. They had dinner at our house and We went out to dinner at Brooksides, the old Pie Man. David hung around until about 10 pm , then left. Nastia was forced to sleep in the back bedroom in case the science experiment made noise. The high light of the weekend was when the Baby, named Ezekiel, by Nastia, because it was David's baby too (mental eye roll) , decided to cry out at 3:42 AM. I being not involved just smiled and rolled over and went back to sleep, my wife never heard it, as my daughter tended to the science experiment, I mean Ezekiel.
     You may detect a hint of disapproval in this blog. I don't like several things about this. I see my daughter so enamored with David that she is letting herself be used as a door mat that he can come in a wipe his feet on at anytime he wants and he doesn't even want to. He's not a bad kid, but they don't have much of an idea about what it takes to be in a relationship. It seems She is always chasing him to do something and if she didn't ask, they'd go no where. This Baby also brings up other things.
   Nastia bought it home without my knowing. I would not of stopped it, but I didn't appreciate the lack of a notice and I didn't appreciate the Baby here period. If You know, You know.

Christmas buying with the Girls

The Girls wanted to buy their mother an Apple Watch. We went about a week ago to the Apple store. It is a place I have come to hate. It is in some respects easy and to like, checking out after your purchase. And in other way it sucks. All there displays are meaningless to me. They show a bunch of Apple product. There is not description of the product, no features AND the big one NO PRICES.
     When You walk into the store a greeter greets you. I'll never get used to it, it just seems so phony. You look at the person and you know they would rather be doing just about anything else in the store then accosting customers as they walk in the door. This poor soul has an other job too which is a little bit helpful. They take your name and tell you how long the wait will be before you are helped. As I said earlier, there are displays of products but nothing to read so I scan the products, which mean nothing to me because they are just different colors and shapes and I am not current on the products, because I won't buy Apple's over priced, hyped products.
     We are helped after a little while and the sales person uses his phone to show off the products. He knows his stuff and lists the points of the watch and the differences of each along with the prices. Last Week We were in the store browsing, waiting to see if Teri's IPad would be able to be fixed. Later that day they saved it, so yesterday We were on a mission to purchase a watch. After the sales pitch and asking Elena to come back and make a decision with her sister, they decided to get their mom a series 1 Apple watch, the basic one. We didn't think she needed GPS or blue tooth at this time. Nastia paid for the watch, Elena would then go to the ATM and reimburse her. We got out of the store and went over to the Key Bank ATM and Elena withdrew the proper funds equal to half of the watches price. She gives her sister the money, which she immediately redeposits. They have both turned out to be really good savers. I'm so proud.
     Elena got back in the car and she didn't look very happy. I asked her if something was wrong? she said no. A little later, they are talking about the watch and I hear her say I just gave you one hundred and thirty dollars. I corrected her saying she paid for her half of the gift. I think she was mad at having to spend a good chunk of change. Again I am happy and proud.
     I don't want them to grow up and make who ever is on the twenty in ten years cry because they hold on to their twenties that tightly, but I do want them to be savers.

Sometimes You feel like your doing it right.

This is a quick story. Last night Elena had gone to bed. It was early, about 9 pm, but not unusual. She has to get up at 6 am every week day and when she works at night, it's a long day.
     Nastia, Teri and I are watching a show called Scorpion when we hear Elena come down stairs. It is unusual because once she is upstairs she doesn't come back down. Elena is behind me and I can't see her. Teri from the couch asks , 'What's wrong?"
     Through sobbing tears I hear something like, " Iv'e got to tell you something. It is not usual for her to cry and only occasionally will she sob so we were both immediately concerned. Teri gets up as the sobbing continues and I follow. We both get to her and are both hugging her. I'm afraid her cat is dead and she had something to do with it. Teri keeps asking what is wrong as Elena continues to sob into her chest. Our anxiety keeps raising until Elena manages to get out that she had tried smoking and had promised she never would. The level of tension and dread drop to humor and sweetness.
     It turns out someone at work wanted to giveaway a pack of cigarettes and she took them. She ended up getting rid of them, all except for two. she took a couple of drags from each, her words and didn't like them.And She had been upstairs for the last hour and a half thinking about it until she had to come down and confess her sin. She had a long time ago said she would never try cigarettes and thought people who smoked were stupid. I guess like all of us the curiosity was too much.
      Teri and I also found out that Nastia's boyfriend David had seen her smoking and I think that was how Nastia had known. Elena had told her to keep it a secret and this is the first one she has been able to keep. I guess, I'm happy? sorta, maybe? I...don't know?
     On Nights like this you feel like maybe everything you are trying to teach them that some of it is getting through. And maybe we shouldn't feel like we are failures sometime. I wish we could do better by them, but.....
     We sat down and talked it over with her and got more details out of her. The story had started that she bummed a cigarette from someone at work and took 'two drags' and didn't like it. The funny thing is her repeatedly insisting that she is not yet addicted to cigarettes. The full story,it turns out was a guy was getting rid of cigarettes at work. She took the pack tried two of them at different times and didn't like them. We didn't punish her because she came to us and told us. We let it go with promises of not doing it again. It might be brought up in the future jokingly, but I hope it is over. Cigarettes have not been kind to my family, my dad, my uncle Ken,, uncle Joe, grandfather at the least.
    The thing that bothers me the most is usually I can smell when someone has been around a smoker or smoking. I did smell smoke on her once, but I dismissed it because she doesn't smoke. I can be easily fooled too it seems.

Nastia at nineteen

It has a nice ring to it. Nastia at nineteen. I guess Nastiafest nineteen is out. Each birthday is a mile stone reached too soon for me. Every Parent says their kids grow up too soon and it is doubly true when you have only had your daughters eight years and one of them is graduating high school this year and the other next year.
     The Plan was simple for Nastia's birthday. She would go out to breakfast with David.Go and get her ears re-pierced at Clare's in the Mall, then go bowling with friend, come home for a dinner of Shrimp scampi. and a home made cheese cake for her birthday. I got to make dinner and the cheese cake.
   Nastia went off to breakfast with David at nine-thirty. We all met at the Mall to see Nastia get her ears pierced and it was a well attended show. The first time she got her ears pierced she hated it. Nastia doesn't like pain, still doesn't. But like all sequels the original was better.
     Nastia and Elena go off to bowl with a few of Nastia's friends. I go home.
At this point I think I have Saturday and Sunday confused. I know on one of the days I head to pick Elena up from work (I think that is Saturday the 2nd) but she is going to eat KFC with some friends from work. And Nastia had Saturday off so she went with her mother shopping. They are at  the Shop Rite in West Nyack when I get Elena is given the permission to eat at KFC. I'm on Sickeltown road just past West Nyack Road so I hang a left to go to Shop Rite to get stuff for Nastia's dinner and her cheese cake. I end up at the same grocery as Teri and Nastia. I take Nastia with me so Teri can shop for her gifts. I s get groceries with Nastia and after a few moments I notice I am tripping over Nastia every time I turn around. She has no concept of personal space, never has and I had forgotten about it until now. I try to tell her about personal space, but I think I hurt her feelings. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. We finish shopping and head home.
     She asked for a cheese cake. I remember the first time she ate cheese cake. She is a girl who doesn't like cheese and is lactose intolerant, so the first chees cake she ate I never told her it was cheese cake. I told her it was a raspberry (chees cake) cake and after she had a slice she said it was good.
     Her big interest in cheese cake didn't start until she dated David, who loves cheese cake. I think I see someone who is changing herself to get a boy to like her more? Davis likes White chocolate cheese cake. Guess what cheese cake I made Nastia for her birthday. No hurry, I'll just type slower and when your ready to tell me...Oh your ready, and your guess is right, it's white chocolate cheeses cake, but I added a swirl of raspberry to it and guess what David also likes that and so did my daughter.
     I also made Shrimp scampi for her for dinner. I don't know if David likes it,  I first learned to make it from my friend Fred and now that he is gone I have the same problem as Teri when she makes her mother's meatballs and says, everyone together, " there not as good as moma's", except I say it's not as good as Fred's.
    We had cheese cake afterwards. Nastia opened her presents and that was it until Nick and Amanda came over after they finished work.
   

Christmas is coming? again, so soon?

It seems like yesterday I was looking out a February window overlooking the north side of my house thinking it would soon be spring. It seems like late last night it was the end of the school term and I was thinking,Nastia only has one more year of school and we have to keep her focused on going to college. Then this morning it seemed school had just started and Elena had made her famous pronouncement about trying harder at school. In less then a day most of a year has gone by it seems. I'm going to be sixty in January, Nastia is going to be nineteen in a few days and this summer, which will most likely feel like tomorrow, Elena will turn eighteen,time is more then flying by.
     The Girls both have jobs and it really messes with dinner. Most nights one or both get out past eight at night. We still try to eat as a family, it's just not a full family at the table all the time.
     The Girls are savers it turns out to my deep pleasure. Both have saved small fortunes, for them, in a short amount of time. Both are aimed toward taking driving lessons to get a break on insurance and to get their license a little quicker then I can teach them. It's OK, teaching driving can be a scary profession.
     With both having job, they are both some what on their own buying Christmas presents. In the past I either gave them some money or just let them pick from gifts I bought Teri. Emotionally their are still younger then their age as they strive to make the giant leaps it takes to become responsible adults in this hash world. One has already learned,I hope, one of the tough life lessons of being an adult.
     I still feel they are very naive and I can still seem them going over to a van to seethe puppies in it. I hope it is just my fears of being a father and I am seeing them through tinted glass and they done really act as young as I think they do.
     Their behavior is a total 180' from when they got here. They still curse like truck drivers, but they can behave well in polite society if need be. I won't delude myself into thinking they would rather drink tea at a social, then climb trees and let all that excess energy out. They will always be a little Russian wild on the inside no matter how old they get.
    My favorite memories of this time and forgive me if I embellish the stories, cause I'm not going back to reread them, are the two times I made up stories about Christmas. The first one was Christmas eve night, I was downstairs. Teri and the girls were upstairs. I thought it was getting late so I rush upstairs all excited and tell them I just heard Santa's sleigh bells and they better get to bed before his passes our house.They both run to their beds after a quick good night.
     The second one I told them happened in the Nyack house. I was in the recliner I got from my mom after my Dad died or it was a rocker, I don't really remember ( Go look up the story, I think it would be told around December 2010). I'm under a blanket, the fireplace has gone to ashes and I have fallen asleep. I hear some fabric rubbing against itself. I half open a sleepy eye and see Santa. He quietly puts his white gloved hand to his lips for me to be quiet. I close my eye as he goes back to leaving Christmas presents. I told this story in response to the question have I ever seen Santa or something to that effect.
     Christmas is only twenty-five days away now.






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This maybe the last dress up Halloween

Everything ends, sometimes it's a pleasure when it ends, other times it's not and then their are the things that end or soon will end that make you sad, but your not entirely sorry to see them go. Trick or treating on Halloween is the number one on my list. It started out eight, nine years ago as a very fun idea. The Girls would dress up and we would go down to Nyack, Broadway and they could trick or treat while we walked along with them. As the Years have progressed the hills in Nyack and the enjoyment of the girls and myself and I think Teri have diminished considerably. I first noticed it a few years ago when the excitement didn't seem to be there as in years past. And even before this years costumes were purchased Nastia was saying she didn't want to dress up because she was getting to old. (all of 19) I told her she wasn't too old and she should hold on to this time for as long as she can. and in the future she will be going to parties on Halloween and dressing up so she still has a few years to go.
      The Nyack Halloween Parade has always been the first right of passage for the fall season. In recent Years I have gotten very tired of the people how attend and the people how insist on carrying political posters. Each year Teri and I would get a great spot to watch the parade from, right on the edge of the road and by the time the parade started we'd be five rows back and couldn't see the parade. For a few years we bought folding chairs and sat comfortably until the parade started and then stood up to try and see it.
      This Year the Girls were both working on the Saturday of the parade. Nastia was finished early enough to go to the parade on time. I went to pick up Elena from Shop Rite Pearl River. I bought with me a computer and showed her a video taken of them when they were at the beach for the first time. We got to Catherine Street and heard fire whistles going off which signed the start of the parade. We got down there and stood at the corner of South Franklin and Main until Teri said we should cross over Franklin and join the others in front of the bank. I didn't mind missing the beginning of the parade. It has gone down hill from the days of inventive costumes back twenty years ago. I think the closing of all the gay bars has taken away from the inventiveness of costumers. And of course there were the off color political jokes, that I wished would disappear. I come to these parades to get away from the stupidity of the world and our pumpkin head president.
     Near the end of the parade, I'd been there with the group about five minutes, Nastia had to go to the bathroom. I took her and we walked around the parade looking for a public bathroom. After a few minutes, We hiked up to Catherine street and she went into the bathroom in the house. I didn't mind missing the end of it. We motored out of Nyack shortly after that and got the girls a pizza and went to the Mall to see Bobby Slaton at Levity Live. They sat  the three of us, Teri, Nancy and myself in the front to stage left. There were two opening acts. The first one was ok. the second one was better. During the second comics act, my phone went off. I'd silenced it, but some how the alarm had gotten set and I heard the tones go off and I'm thinking what idiot left his phone on. I shut it off and he made some jokes about the gay ring tones and I mouths sorry to him and he let me be.
     Bobby Slaten came on after ten-thirty. He was on fire. He worked over this one table they sat right next to us in the center. It consisted of a black guy dating a white girl and two Jews with yashmaks on. The one closest to the stage got roasted unceasingly all night, poor guy. Bobby Slaten is Jewish and he made fun of all the non bacon eating, kosher keeping Jews, which this guy was. He was a good spot about it. And the show was very good. We got home a little after midnight. The Pizza the girls had was now where in sight. They did good

Donating Blood

I have donated blood since just after I turned eighteen. That doesn't mean I donated every chance I could. There were years were I didn't donate. I was asked when I  first donated why I was, because it was unusual for someone so young to do it.My reply was it just seemed right.
     All these years later, I got the idea that my daughters should donate blood. I talked with Nastia about it and she wasn't too keen about it because of the needles, plus she is less then 110 lbs, the minimum weight.
     To my surprise Elena was interested in giving blood. I found a blood drive this past September at the New City Library. Then something came up and I told Elena we would go another time. The next time was at St. Ann's School in Nyack in late September, on a Sunday. The three of us piled in to the car and went over to St Ann's. There were no signs a blood drive was happening. Driving away I saw signs for a blood drive at the Nyack Library. This time it was just Elena and I, Nastia decided to stay home. We went over, it was raining and we ran into the building, found were the blood drive was being held and went in. We registered and as I sat down I noticed there were no computers to register and no machine to give platelets.
     When We were called, I handed them my New York Blood drive card. They handed it back to me saying they were Red Cross and could take our blood, but couldn't give us credit for it. I felt bad later, but I told Elena that we were going. I wanted her to get credit for donating blood and if she racked up enough points she could get something off the web site. It was important. I wanted her to have credit for the blood donation. I wanted her to get a prize, some thing more then just the thought that she is helping someone with her blood. Something to encourage her to donate again.
     That was a month ago and at the end of last week Elena texted me a picture of a blood drive from 8 am to 2 pm, that was happening at North and she said she wanted to do it. I told her I would go and do it with her.
     On the Morning of the donation, I was tired and didn't think I wanted to do it. Teri and I talked about it and she reminded me it was Elena's first donation and I should be there. I agreed it was important and I drove Nastia over to the school and went in to find the donation location. I arrived at the front security desk and ask the security guard if the donation was open to the general public as well as the students. He didn't know, but after asking a few people, it was clear no one knew and everyone guessed it was open to the public. I walked down to the wrestling gym where Nastia and Elena both took wrestling oh those many years ago and the people who ran the blood drive were just finishing setting up. I stood out in the hallway with Nastia, Elena and their friend Jessica. Nastia hung around for a while trying to donate and I think she felt a little left out and she doesn't like that. I was the second person taken to donate and Elena, who had a 8 am appointment was probably the eighth. My Donation went quick. I have poor veins, so I have gotten used to the stick and search. I get stuck about where a vein has been found and they move the needle around until they hit the vein. Then it drains like a dam over flow and I'm out rather quickly. Elena sat down in the donation area after I was finished donating and was eating cookies and drinking warm apple juice.

It took a few minutes for the tech to get to her, there was a good crowd. The Tech was friendly and talked to her as he prepped her and when he stuck the needle in her arm she watch. She grimmest while he stuck her.
     Before He got to her I went over to talk to her and ask her if she wanted me to stay. When She replied no and I stayed, She then surprised me and said Why did you bother asking me, if it was a redundant question. (redundant-needing no answer) I was very surprised and pleased she was using one of my favorite words. I told her I was very impressed with the word. I left the area, because one of the techs had said I wasn't allowed there during donations. I told him I just wanted to check on my daughter, it was her first time and he left me alone.
     Elena came through it with flying colors. She didn't chicken out, faint or get sick. I texted her mother who said she was very proud of her daughter.

Making my Daughter cry.

Things sneak up on me, often. I have a conversation, this time with my wife, I get angry and take it out on someone else, this time Nastia, or as she is known at Bowling, Anna.
     There is some back story that will enlighten everyone to that cryptic first line. Elena got a job, as all you loyal readers know in Pearl River and Nastia, aka Anna on Wednesdays, has one in New City. We live in Congers which makes a weirdly shaped triangle. Teri has been in different degrees of flipping out over how can I get them to work on time when they are in two different directions. My response, I'll handle it, just pisses her off.
     Yesterday, Wednesday, hence the jokes about Nastia/Anna (yeah, my daughters would be saying, Jokes??) Elena had to be at work by 3:30, I had bowling and Nastia was at the Library, with the intention of walking to the Bowling Alley. Teri is at Work in Suffern. The Stage is set. At 5:10, I'm at the Bowling Alley, Nastia is walking over, Teri is still at work and Elena calls, she's done. I wasn't concerned because Teri had texted me the other day that she would pick up Elena but it would mean Elena would have to go to the Dentist with Teri.
    Elena calls me, I tell her I can't pick her up, call her mother. Teri calls me asking how am I going to pick Elena up and starts in how is this going to work? This is a good example of how it won't. I'm getting mad and I don't want to start a fight, but I have the text where she says she will pick up Elena. There is also the fact in her favor the Thruway is closed or backed up and she will be later for her Dentist appointment. She hates being late and will run the risk of driving like a crazy person not to be late. But, I have the text. No matter how you slice it Elena needs to be picked up by someone, but I have the text. I offer to call my mother, but I have the text. I call her and as soon as I make it clear this is a one shot deal, because my mom doesn't drive in the dark any more and can't do this on a regular basis, she is willing to pick Elena up, but I have the text.
     All of this back story comes into play  when I go inside the Bowling Alley and sit down to change my shoes and Nastia/Anna asks me about her sister and her tone, everyone who is a parent has heard it and everyone of you who were ever a teenager has denied using it, appears. I'm not a happy camper right now so I tell Nastia, who has asked a question putting responsibility for picking up her sister on my shoulders, BUT and lets all say it together; I HAVE THE TEXT. I tell Nastia not to talk to me because I'm in a bad mood. I think I'm doing the both of us a favor. I put my shoes on and get up to check where We are in the standings. They call practice where everyone gets to throw some balls down the alley for free. My Team mate, Gino and I practice. No Nastia/Anna, odd. Near the end of practice, I see Nastia/Anna and I ask her where she was? I see she has been crying, I get concerned. Did Someone die, did David break up with her? Is this all a dream and I'm dead??? no, I hurt her feelings when I told her not to talk to me. I thought I was doing her a favor and I have the text. No, I was not doing her a favor and I did hurt her feelings even if I had the text. I explain to her it was my fault, and it was and I am very sorry. She got this red nose and you can tell she was crying and I feel even worse as we start to bowl, but being Nastia/Anna by the middle of the first game she is laughing and dancing while she is up bowling and she even gets a spare after a gutter ball (sorta still a strike) then two more strikes after that for a high game of 130, her best yet. We end up taking all five points. We are heading for first.
     Even with the fact that I had the text, I let it all go, because at my age being right is meaningless if you reduce your daughter to tears.

The Girls get Jobs and learn about the social aspects of football*

* Or I think the game is over, cause people are leaving.
     It's a great day in a parents life when their children get jobs, because that is the day you can say to them, "You want a new phone, pay for it yourself."
     I don't mean that in a nasty way. I mean it in the way, you are learning new life lessons. You earn money, you need to budget for what you want. The good sign is both girls are savers. When Nastia had the job at AMC she had saved over a thousand dollars. It came in handy during the time she didn't have a job. Elena up until recently was a spender. It went in one pocket, and came out the other as fast as it could. Elena wants to get driving lessons and they cost about $500.00, she is saving for them. Nastia is saving for them too.
     Nastia got her job over at Stop and Shop in northern New City. She filled out an application on line and was invited in for an interview. Her Mother bought her over. Teri walked around the store while Nastia interviewed. I got a call from a very happy oldest daughter saying that she had gotten a job. Her starting salary is about $10.00 an hour.
     I don't get home until 3-3:30 during the week, so she told them she couldn't start work until 4 pm. Her first few weeks were twice, three time a week working. Recently she was bumped up to every day except Wednesday, her bowling night with me.
     Recently she made a mistake at her register. A Customer hands her a check for payment. These days check are rare, not like when I was younger. Before Debit cards and online banking I needed to reorder checks every six months or so, in addition to balancing the check book every month. Now a days I write one check a week for bowling because I don't carry cash. The Cashless society is coming.
  Nastias big mistake on the register that day, according to her was she asked the customer if she should give the check back to them and the person said yes. She had run the check through the register, but it didn't mean that the money had been taken from that persons account, so that person got $200.00 of free groceries. I hope they needed that money. Nastia was put on probation. The ramifications of that are if she messes up again, she can be fired. How She gets off of it she doesn't know.
     Nastia's second mistake was not telling her parents. Her excuse to me a few days later when I asked her was she was trying to act like an adult and deal with it. Understandable, but it cuts her off from her family and deeply hurt her mother. I was hurt in the beginning, but the more I thought about it after her and I talked, the more I understood.
     Elena in search of her first job had little success. She filled out online applications at every place she could think of. Every time someone saw a help wanted sigh, she'd apply. She even applied twice to some places. I make her sound like she filled out dozens and dozens. She didn't, there is only a finite list of places we will let her work and where we will drive her. The hours can't be too late, at least until she is driving and they can't be places I don't want her to work.
     Elena isn't without experience at working. She has mowed her aunts lawn for the past two years and starting the second made an improved effort to do a better job by raking up the cur grass. This was done without being asked and without any extra pay.
    On a Saturday, as We are heading for the movies about 6 pm or so Elena's phone rings and she says yes this is her and after a few moments of silence she says she can't talk right now, then she hangs up. Someone asks her who that was and she says it was Shop Rite in Pearl River wanting to know if she would be interested in a job there. Again Someone says call her back and tell her you do have a moment to talk ,which she does. She schedules an interview for the following Friday.     
       The day before She was to go for the job Teri asks me if I am going to go in with her. I say,"No, how would it look if a parent walked in with her, it would make her look weak and not very adult." Teri gets all bent out of shape and says she will go with Elena to the interview and walk in with her. I agree, she was the good luck charm with Nastia, maybe it will work with Elena.
     The Afternoon of the interview I get a call she has the job. She starts at $10.50 and if she stays for six months, I think it goes to $11.00. Being her first real job and being she is less then eighteen, she has to get her working papers. Back when I was a kid, (Yes, it's another one of those stories) you wanted working papers you went to the office, signed some papers, they handed them to you. Now You have to have a job first before you get them. Then You have to go for a physical, then You go back to the Guidance Office and hand in the papers. When the Principal gets a moment, he will sign them. WTF.
      Elena's interview was on a Friday,  on Monday she gets her papers, on Tuesday we go to an immediate medical care place for her physical. A cute female doctor walks in asks her how is she feeling, maybe does a listen to her heart, then signs the papers and charges us $65.00. I'm not mad at her, manner a fact I tell Elena on the way out, "Maybe I need a check up." She doesn't find any humor in it, wonder why?
     Elena calls her new boss to tell her she has completed her working papers and the boss gives her a date about two weeks in the future to come in, at three O'Clock. I tell Elena and teri I can't do it. Teri says she will work from home and take her over. It doesn't solve the problem, just makes it worse. Elena will tell them she can't come in until 4pm, like Nastia, lets see how that works out. Nastia at her interview told her boss she couldn't work Wednesdays, so it took about three weeks before they scheduled her for a Wednesday.

The Social Aspects of Football.
Several years ago I went with Nastia to the home coming game for the North Football team. I went to South and the thought of going to a High School football game seemed dumb. I'm not that into football any more and it was high school. And as Steely Dan once said, "And I'm never going back to my ole school." ( yea, it is a bit of a stretch.) , but I went. It was a Saturday afternoon that started out warm and as the wind picked up and the clouds rolled in it got chillier and chillier. Just about half time when I thought I couldn't stand it any more Nastia says she's had enough and wants to go home. I say, "Well, if You really want to go it is only half time." and We go.
     I thought high school football was over. Not by a long shot. Last Year Elena 's friend decided thy wanted to go to the home coming game at North. It was a Friday night at seven. We said they would be picked up at nine-thirty. Teri and I went out to dinner and at about nine-thirty picked up both girls, it was fine and easy. When We got there, we could see the girls wandering around near the concession stand in the close end zone. We called them over and asked if they were having fun, which they said yes to and who was winning, which they replied, I think we are.
     This Year, on a Friday night at seven they went to there first away game at South. Both had been there to practice driving, so they knew the grounds a little. They were going with their friend Ariana and her mother offered to drop off if We picked up. We accepted. They went to a football game, Teri and I went out to Dinner in New City to a sports bar. I could watch the Yankees play off game and not drink beer because I was driving, lots of fun.
    I wanted to pick the girls up at 9, Teri said I should wait until 9:30. I waited. About ten minutes after nine I get a phone call from Elena. She says, " I think the game is over, people are leaving."
Well I guess it was. My Daughters and their football knowledge, amazing.
   I get into my car as I tell them I will be there in fifteen minutes, which is what I figure it will take to get to South from here. I take Kings Highway, turn right on Old Mill Road, go around Lake Deforest. AsI head toward the four corners I see flashing lights, so I slow down. As I approach the corners there is a car across the way, off the road and one on my side, both flashing their light with nothing going on. I roll through the intersection and start up the hill. About half way to Demarest  Mill road I am stopped by traffic. I sit and sit. One, two , three minutes pass and We have not moved. Is there an accident? Could they be letting cars go from South? Can there really be that many cars at South. We move up and they are letting cars out of South and they just keep coming. Finally they let us move and I crawl up the road to South, make the turn and crawl toward the school. From a distance there are nothing but cars filling the road, coming and going. There was really that many cars at South. I am supposed to pick up the girls at the parking lot we first practiced driving in. I call Elena and tell her I am near the lot and they have to cross the road to get to the car, they do. Then I find out Jessica's mother again has taken Ariana home with her. This is twice and I feel like my kids are chopped liver, if you know what I mean. Too late to complain and maybe I should just let it go. The Girls are in the car, we slowly make our way deeper into the school's roads, around the closest traffic circle and slowly back out of the school, all the time listening to the war stories of the girls about this and that. One Day I'll look back fondly on an evening like this when they are no more.

About eight years ago

It's hard to believe about eight years ago two Russian speaking little girls of nine and ten became ours. I was reading about it this morning and when I was at work Teri texted me and reminded me of it too.

Eight years has flown by in a heart beat. It seems like yesterday I was telling my boss at Marcus Dairies that my Wife and I were adopting two Russian girls and I would need a month off to go get them and on top of that I'd only get a day or two notice when I would need to leave. He said he understood and when I gave him a twenty-four hour notice we were leaving He got angry.
    We left at night from Kennedy Airport. Teri and I had dinner at the airport We took a car service from the house to the Airport. I remember listening to the Yankee game on the radio knowing this would be the last game I'd hear for a month. The Yankees cooperated and won the game. The Driver gave us bottles of water to drink on the way to the Airport. The Day was warm, not hot and I remember falling asleep listening to the game feeling content.
    At the Airport We got on the line for Aeroflot, the Russian Airliner. For years it was the airline that represented the old Soviet Union. It was weird getting on that old symbol of communist supremacy. The Plane was a little surprising, it wasn't an old Soviet made jet, but a recent modern western airplane. I don't remember if it was Boeing or Air Bus I remember the map on the TV showing our location, how we went from Kennedy, north up the coast, then out to sea toward England and Europe. We traveled toward the sun and we watched it rise at a fast pace somewhere over Europe. The biggest regret the whole trip was the huge clouds that covered the world from England until we reached Russia, then they came back and as we descended toward Moscow, out of a puffy white cloud bank came the city. It was scary and exciting and the reason for our trip became very real and the thought there was no turning back now never entered my conscious mind, but I think it was back there somewhere.
     We waited to get off the plane until last and as we slowly rounded a corner We were met by a long line for customs. It went quick and we found our driver who hustled us into his car. He had the radio on and it played a strange blend of English and Russian music. Every so often I could close my eyes and forget I was in Russia until the announcer came on and spoke in Russian. Our Driver drove us on a trip to an out of the way place, down some Russian country lane that I was sure was going to be the place we were robbed of the few thousand dollars in my money belt, but We were safely deposited at the doorstep of a nice and quiet chalet type hotel surrounded by small houses on all four sides.

Someone didn't call the zoning board when that went up.
     Inside We were on our own again. We managed to get to our room and I remember being tired, but not sleepy. We stayed in our room for a while, then when it seemed late enough for dinner, we went down to the dining room. We had a pork dish, as we were to have several times while we were in Russia. Pork seems to be more prevalent in Russia then beef.
     The next Day we are up early and our driver takes us to the airport early so We could feel comfortable about not missing our plane. The six hours we spend at the airport are relaxing and the only stressful thing is trying to find the gate we are supposed to use for our flight. The gate turns out to be beyond a security check point that I had thought was just a gate. I don't remember how we figured it out, just luck I guess. One of the funnier, to me things that went on that day was me trying to buy something to eat. I went through a shop and found some candy that I didn't have to speak to have someone hand me. I just put in on the counter and handed him some money. I later realized I'd paid a small fortune for the candy, but it was worth it then.
     It was dark when the plane took off from Moscow and again We are chasing the sun and again the land below us is cloud covered most of the way. When I can see it, it's vast and unremarkable. Like when We flew to Vegas and the land just went on forever, with the occasional break from a road. We land in Kharbosky,

Over eight years I've forgotten how to spell it. It was lightly raining and in a picture I have rain is dripping off the wing of the plane. We exit the Plane and the day has turned sunny and pleasant. We quickly find our driver and I think our guide/interrupter, we gather up our belongings and head to the car. The Airport is smaller and less hectic, it's like small town America, it's nice. We get in the car and the prospect of a three hour drive seems like such a small price to pay on such a nice day.





 The Trip doesn't begin to drag until we reach the railroad crossing outside of Birobidjon.

A Train has stopped and closed the tracks to cars. We are not close to the train, but we can see what is going on. We wait quietly with the windows open enjoying what we can of our first day in the far east of Russia. After a while a car gets out of line and goes back the way we came. No One moves to fill his spot. Our Driver passes several cars and fills the spot. I think that if this was America there would of been people stopping that from happening. After a few moments we realize why no one moved, as we start swatting flies. Where We were originally we were out of range of the flies for some reason. The People who left couldn't stand the flies any longer I guess and left. So now We wait swatting hungry flies. How long We wait I don't remember, but after a while the train moves and we are able to finish out trip.

Somewhere before I think We pass the obelisk that proclaimed the area the Jewish Autonomous Region.
     We enter the Town, again it could be a town out of upstate New York. It is colorful and exciting. Because of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of Birobidjon, the
hotel is full so we were taken to an apartment, I think is owned by Nadejda , our fixer in town.  She is a large women, pleasant and business like. She tells our translator, also supplied by her how much money is needed and I excuse myself and go into the other room to remove several thousand dollars from the money belt everyone in the Apartment knows I am wearing. No One ever said how much she kept and how much she spread around to local officials, but when We needed something to move the adoption along We went first before the locals. Official papers were needed one day,We enter a crowded office, the first ones to be seen were us.
 

The Apartment I called in my blog back then, the projects. It was a third floor walk up with dark stairs that smelled of cat pee. Groups of cats hung out all around outside and there were several that Teri wanted to take home. There was this one old cat that reminded me of the old cat in the play 'Cats'. The Apartment had a small kitchen with a table where I enjoyed writing most mornings or on some very early mornings. One morning, I think we tried to make cheese omelets and we were moderately successful. That was after our trip to a local grocery store about the size of a large Deli back home. At the Grocery, We bought Cherry Juice and some Russian Vodka. Neither made it home with us.


     After our meeting We were brought to a place to eat.  I don't remember the name of the place, but it was close to the apartment. We were early and the restaurant was empty. Shot glasses on the table was our final culture shock of the day. At Home alcohol is so demonized, shot glasses on the table would never go or would never be used.  Our Guide, a young girl helped us order our food, she left, it was served a little while later. I had pork something or other. Teri had something different. and we enjoyed it.
     Our long day ended with a ride back to our new apartment. It was early evening in Birobidzhan, eight hours later in Moscow and fifteen hours later in New York or was it earlier? I still haven't figured it out. Wait it would be fifteen hours later in Birobidzhan. I was in the future when I was there.
     The next morning I awoke real early because my body had no idea what time it was. Two days ago it would have been evening, the day before. While in Moscow it would be late the previous night, while I was awake at 3 am or so in Birobidzhan.

     It was also the first time We would see the girls in over a year. It had been a long year. Teri's mom had died and Teri continued toward her goal of bringing the girls to America, I helped. I admit and have for several years, as far back as the trip, I followed and Teri lead. I did what she wanted when she wanted, but I'd been on board with the adoption since the phone call that summer afternoon in Stony Point, in that bad cell area when our social worker could not get hold of Teri and had to call me. I blogged about it, go look it up.
    I don't remember when our ride came or at what time, but I remember driving through the town getting on the road toward the orphanage and seeing the grain silos for the first time and telling myself I had to get a picture of them.Now for some reason I wish I'd had the chance to go explore them for a few minutes.

     We arrived in front of the orphanage and our hearts broke. The place just looked so cold and how could we have left the girls there for another year
   I walked inside slowly and a little scared. It'd been a year and I wasn't sure how the girls would react to our arrival. We went to the office and the girls were called down. When they entered the office, I wasn't sure they were our girls for a moment. They had changed,grown up some. They both had long hair.While in America they had talked about wanting long hair and Teri had told them to pull it back and no one would notice their hair was long. The number one memory of that day were the big white bows in their hair. Someone had tied to both of their heads. These little 45 lb girls had these big white bow stuck to their heads and the bows seemed bigger then their heads. Neither girl had glasses on and neither had warn them while in America. One day several days later Nastia would show up with these big clunky glasses on,same with Elena. Nastia had a cast on her arm having broken it a few weeks earlier. We took them out and I think our guide told us a good place to take them was a place called 'The Pit Stop' little did we know that we would spend the majority of our time in Birobidzhan there.
     I could go on and on and tell stories that I might of not written about or ones that I thought I didn't write about. Like the time We were driving to our Apartment or Hotel room and there were cows in the road and the Russian Army comes rambling down the road and had to wait for the cows to get out of the street before they could continue on. Or the time We met some Russian women outside the restaurant California and CJ held a conversation with them. During all our time there the people were always the friendliest. Never once did someone tell us to go home or give us attitude when We couldn't speak the language or did dumb things. The only time We had any problem was when one of our translators didn't like the fact that we wandered around while she was on duty. I was fifty-one at the time and she was maybe twenty. She may have been right that it was not safe for us to wander around, but We were restless and wanted to explore the town. The only other incident was when we learned the translator and the driver only worked until 6pm. We could not understand why We couldn't get rides from the restaurants to our Apartment or Hotel after dinner until someone explained it to us. We, I wasn't happy about it, but We managed I think and We didn't ask the driver to work to often after 6pm. In the end our first translator was quietly changed. I forget their names. The first one was a blond and the second one was a brunette. As I said I could go on and on and maybe I will some day.

9-11-17

I have maybe told this story before, but I always feel the need to tell it on 9-11.
     The Day was sunny and warm seventeen years ago. I don't remember what I was wearing, or even if I needed a jacket, but I remember it was a sunny day and I guess it was warm enough to not be remembered.
     I worked for Consolidated Dairies in a job that supplied me with a good salary, benefits and freedom to do pretty much what I wanted to do as long as I showed results and in 2001 the milk business was fun and easy. I headed down to Park Ridge New Jersey to a golf course run by a father and daughter who'd won a bid every few years to run it. I don't know if they had a problem or not. On my way back toward New York, driving on Livingston Ave,. Teri calls me and tells me a plane hit the World Trade Center. I remember back when a plane had hit the Empire State building and thought the same thing had happened. I make a remark to Teri in that vein and head for my Mother's house to see what is going on. When I put the TV on there is smoke pouring out of one tower and I am surprised at how bad it is. I'd expected it to be a small sightseeing plane or something. As I am watching, out of the corner of my eye the second plane hits and I can't believe what I'd just witnessed. Those things don't happen. I start thinking it must be terrorists doing it. I sit down on the couch and didn't get up for most of the rest of the day.
     The next thing I know and I don't remember how far after the first two planes hit reports start to filter into the newsroom about a plane hitting the Pentagon and a plane crashing into a field in Pennsylvania. It felt like we were under attack and we were.
     Several hours into the disaster one of the towers falls. I'm staring at the screen yelling at it, repeatedly asking, "What just happened!"
     The talking heads on the TV take a few moments to notice it and then make the statement, "It looks like The World Trade Center Tower number two has fallen." I commend them for their professionalism, but at a time like this a bland delivery of that line didn't seem to match what was needed. It didn't encompassed the gravity of the situation. Not since the war of 1812 had a war reached our shores. And not since the attack on Pearl Harbor had a nation been so appalled and enraged to go to war, but how should we fight and where? Those questions would be answered in the future and some of the answers would be wrong and we would have to fight battles that should have never been fought, but that was for later. Now one of the towers had fallen and the other they were talking that it might fall too. I'd seen the first go, I couldn't believe the second would go too, but then it went and the plume of smoke and dust it sent out was just like the first and for a moment the lower half of Manhattan disappeared again.
     Afterwards I remember a reporter slightly staggering around downtown saying I don't know if I am being picked up, but I will continue reporting, which he did. He went on and on about what was going on in downtown and there were picture after picture of dust encrusted men and women walking north toward safety.
     The Camera shot would change to somewhere on the west side of Manhattan, up town where the dust hadn't reached and police and firefighters were setting up for the big rescue from the world Trade Center. Hospitals all around were preparing to receive the expected hundreds of injured. I remember few if any people were pulled out from the  rubble.
     All of these years later I think people who witnessed things like the assassination of JFK or Robert Kennedy or Martin Luther King or the attack on Pearl Harbor most of felt the way I do each year. For People who were alive when it happened it will never be just history.

First Day of School and Nastia's last year.

It seems to sneak up on me every year, the first day of school. I know it is there and it is coming, but it always seems to get here quicker then I ever expect. It's like turning sixty, I knew it was coming, but I didn't think it would get here this quick.
     This is also Nastia's last year of school. She has this bright idea that once school is over life will be so much simpler. I've remaindered her that when she is out of school, after college she will not get summers off. There are no teacher conferences. It's work nine to five, five days a week, get two weeks vacation and some federal holidays and that's it. She doesn't hear me. I'd love to go back to school just for the sake of learning, it'd be fun.

Missed the annual 1st day of class picture

     The first day of school, like I said came quickly. The Summer heat never really kicked in like it should and the summer sort of started to petered out around the middle of July when We started getting 70 degree days. August didn't even live up to it's reputation. The mornings were cool, sometimes almost cold and the days usually only got up into the 70's.
     The First day of School was preceded by a rainy Tuesday, For all you Yankee fans the Yankees blew their game against Baltimore in the 9th when Manny Machatto hit a Dellin Betanaces slider for a walk off ninth inning home run, game over, Yankees lose. The Game started two and a half hours late because of rain and I'd gone to bed around 11:30. It finished around 1 AM.

How it rained that morning.

     That First day of School I've eluded to several times was as rainy as the day before, if not more. Around 4AM the dogs started barking and I figured I never get back to sleep. I must of because it seemed a minute later it was 5 AM and Teri got up to go to the bathroom. The dogs thought it was time to go outside and since Athena wouldn't go for anyone except Teri, she had to take them out. After settling back into bed, it seemed a minute later it was 6:03 and the alarm was about to go off. I got up and started to make my side of the bed, then the alarm went off.
     The Girls got up easily for the first morning of School. Nastia complained she had a first period study Hall and she wanted to go in later. Surprisingly Teri wasn't against it. Nastia ate freezer waffles and Elena ate oat meal.

Last Week of August at the Beach

     This is also a big year for Elena after our talk with Ms. Coakley. She started it in a bit of a cranky mood. When it was time to go Teri told them both to take an umbrella because even though it had stopped raining it would start up again. Teri said it looked like they took a small one. Neither of us watched them leave. A few moments later the sky opened up and I was even temped to get the car for them to wait in, then I thought they should of listened to their mother and who was I to interfere with an excellent object lesson. It's going to be a long year.

Early School meeting

It's almost school time. Nastia is in the homestretch, her last year and Elena is going into her last two years.
     Teri, Elena and I had a meeting today with Ms Coakley, Elena's guidance councilor. Last Year Elena got a slot for BOCES for this year and her schedule didn't reflect it.
    The Meeting was set for 9am. Teri is on vacation and she got up early like she has for the whole week she has been on vacation. All three of Us were ready at 8:45 and left to go to the school about 8 minutes away.
     We walked up to the doors, followed the directions and rang the bell on the far left and waited for someone to answer,no one did. Elena went over to the center doors and gave a pull, they opened. I guess the high tech security is not in use right now.
     We walked the halls towards the meeting room we usually meet to talk in . Teri asks if there is anyone in the office who could tell us were to go. Elena pips up that Ms. Coakley's office is in the annex. We go out the doors of the old Mansion, Elena looks over towards the Annex and says, " Yes, Ms. Coakley's there and points to her car, Teri asks, "You know her car?" sounded ominous.
     We arrive in her office and are greeted warmly. With the change in Elena's schedule and no notice last year about it and a few other over heard things, I was getting the feeling Ms. Coakley had given up  on Elena. If it had happened, I wouldn't stand for it, but I could under stand it. This Women has a lot of students to take care of and if one is refusing to be helped, how can you waste the limited time you have in a school year. Plus it's been two years of trying. I didn't notice, but I should of, but the confident, out going, sweet and funny young lady I knew was disappearing as we walked the halls of the school to Ms. Coakley's office. She was quiet and when We sat down in her office, I saw that defensive, slouching self-contained child with the hooligan front put up sitting next to her mother. I couldn't at the time understand why she had come out. The four of us where there to HELP (!)  her decide her future. I started talking wanting to tell Ms. Coakley in so many words that I felt Elena had turned a corner and not to give up on her. I told her how Elena had come to me on day during the summer saying that she was going to try to do well this year and We'd seen changes in her over the summer. The Girl who sat next to her mother in her slouch and defense manners denied every word I'd said. To Ms. Coakley's credit there was not one ounce of give up on display from her.
     When I was in school and yes I am so like her as her mother says. I did not receive an ounce of help from my guidance councilor. I feel now he was happy not to have the pleasure of seeing me more then once in my time there. I think it was my middle school councilor I remember most. I walk into his office to talk about my schedule for high school and I see this exhausted man leaning over with his elbows on his knees, like he had just gone ten rounds with Joe Frazier. I had been told by teachers what to expect as far as choices to be made for the following year. I only half listened, a trait I still exhibited to this day. I got it wrong and he exhaustively tells me the right way. During the whole time there I felt he would rather I not be there.
     He asks me about what language I want to take for 9th grade. I say German. He tells me it is a difficult language and I should take Spanish. I had never had anything in my life that reflected who my people were and I wanted something.
     Over the next half hour Teri, Ms. Coakley and myself try to impress on her this meeting is for her benefit and any decision she made would not be wrong. It would be her's.
     Some where near the end of the meeting Elena made a surprising decision. She was going to give up her slot in BOCES is year and concentrate on passing the four regents she has to take this year. There will be one in January, one in the spring, hopefully not during the time she has to take the two regularly scheduled ones for this year. Teri and I will try to help her, but it is something that needs to be approached carefully. I don't want to scare her off. The only upside, which might turn out to be a down side if I don't watch myself is her first regents exam is in history and I could take it now and get an 80 I feel. I jokingly told Elena that and she said I could help her study if I stayed with the material, no useless anecdotes. I'll try.

Grabin some at the Dutchess County Fair.

Today was the Dutchess County Fair. I bought the tickets on line on the 22nd and received an e-mail telling me I had five tickets and the extension is where they were.  I checked it out and they were there.
     ON the 28th, today I received an e-mail telling me the tickets were used. I thought someone had taken them and used them. When We got to the fair, they were fine. I don't know what the e-mail was all about.

     Every year We went a different way then the GPS told us to. And each year it seemed the route was way longer then it had to be. This Year We figured the best thing to do was follow the GPS. In the past I figured the traffic on the GPS would of made the trip longer then it had to be. This year the traffic made the trip longer then it had to be and everyone was in a crabby mood by the time We reached the fair.
     The plan was to get the girls up at 9:15, they eat and we leave by 9:45, pick up Nancy at 10am and get to the fair by noon. I got the girls up at 9AM, they ate and We left at 10:20, picked Nancy up at 10:30, took the slow direct route to the fair and got there at 12:45. Everyone was grumpy as we pulled into the north parking lot. We usually parked in the south independent parking lots and paid $10.00. Never knew the northern lots were free. They were nice and close to the gate and easy to get to the car to put things in. This year the free parking we didn't need to put anything in the car.

     We walked through the main gate and headed for the bathrooms, first things first. After that it was food and then finally after about two hours about 2pm or so it was time to enjoy the fair. This Year I gave up on Philadelphia Cheese steaks after two years of lousy food. So this year I got adventuresome and tried some BBQ'd spare ribs. The awning said it was award winning. and for fourteen dollars for half a rack (6 pieces)  it seemed reasonable, IT WASN'T. It was at best OK. There was a small piece at the bottom of the small pile that was soft and tasty. Maybe next year. We walked around the barns looking at the cows and every time the girls, Teri, Nastia and Elena saw a calf they were in love with it and wanted to take it home. On the outside of the barns the front end of the cows got to take in the sights and the sounds of the fair. Nastia and Elena would go up and pet the friendly faces of the cows. One Cow, a brown and white one, I think they are a Swiss something or other wanted to return the favor and starts to munch on Nastia's black loose shirt, Nastia laughing tries to pull away grabbing her shirt. I'm

 standing there with everyone else laughing, when I realize I should be taking a picture of this. By the time I get my camera up ,she is free.I tell her I missed it would she get the cow to do it again, Nastia ever the obedient daughter waves the tail of her shirt in front of the cows face trying to get her to do it again. I stop Nastia afraid the cow will do it a second time and Nastia will end up without a shirt.
  Around this time Elena wanted to get Nancy's attention and goes to grab at the tail of her shirt, but misses and gets the seat of her pants. So for the rest of the day Elena was accused of getting a free feel of her Aunt.

Elena and Nastia middle and right  of picture took a dozen to get this one.

    The Danger Girls made a subdued reappearance at the fair. They both had twenty-two tickets to spread around the rides and decide which ones to go on. I did notice a disturbing trend again at the fair. You buy tickets for 'the rides' and there are several rides that only accept cash. It was the same at Great Adventure a couple of years ago. I felt cheated there and a little cheated here. Unfortunately at Great Adventure they wanted to go on those rides, but we said no. Fortunately at the fair they said"oh five dollars, we can't go on that." The subdued appearance was good with me after the ride in Texas breaking apart at a fair in July. The Ride that was similar to the one that broke apart was a six ticket ride when they only had nine tickets left. If they went on it that would leave three tickets and no ride was three tickets. They hit the zipper,fireball and a few other rides and some of the new rides for this year. After the rides We met up with Teri and Nancy who were going through the craft buildings.
     We wandered around to the Apple Cider place, Teri had an Apple Cider shake; vanilla ice cream and apple cider, it was good. I had an apple cider donut, it was better last year. This was the third or fourth year we were at the fair, so about four-thirty we were done. We left and made our way to Olive Garden, bet you were expecting that other place, Cracker Barrel. The food was good and we ended up getting home after 10:30. It was a fun night.

I don't feel like an old Man

This is peripherally about the girls. It's more about how I am shocked sometimes about how old I am and how I don't feel it, and other times where I feel it shockingly.
     I have gone swimming once this year. It was early in the year and I didn't check out the bottom of the pool once the pool people had finished. The People who originally did the pool left it short of sand on the bottom. So as summer roars to an end I wanted to check it out. I know it sounds like a lame excuse to go for a swim, but that's me. I was going to go after mowing the lawn the other day, but it got late and I never did. Yesterday, I'm watching TV and Elena wants me to go swimming. I tell her no and she keeps bugging me. Finally she says I have until 4:30, then I have to go swimming. 4:30 comes. I'm sitting in the chair watching a Yankee game. I've done this many time this year, so off I go swimming.
     At the pool, I do the usual, you know test the water with a toe, this go over to the ladder and put a foot in then sit on the ladder with both feet in, extend both feet into the water until my hips touch it then I retreat cause it feels too cold for there.
     I retreat to the deck and I have my feet in the water when Nastia come outside. She said it was because she saw us in the pool. To me that says she wants to join in the fun, so I push her in the pool, shorts and all. She yells at me, saying she didn't come outside to get wet, I knew better. I help her climb the wall of the pool with a gentlemanly hand up and she is still upset about being thrown in, so I do it again. I help her out, again. She is still mad, so I pick her up, because her hair is still dry and I jump in with her in my arms. She comes to the surface and calls me a jerk, but stays in the pool with Elena and I for the next hour. After all of that I try to have a nice quiet float on the raft. I know better then to get up on it after throwing Nastia in the pool, so I lean my arms on it. Nastia and Elena spend a good portion of time trying to get on the raft and I flip them off. One time Nastia gets on the end of the raft straddling the end. I'm holding on to the other end. I look at her and say, "You should know better then that" and let go.
     After the raft flips over, I recover am empty raft and continue to lean on it. I do pick each one of the girls up and try to throw them into the air, into the water. I think with Nastia I still get some air underneath her. Elena, I don't think I was that lucky.
     At one point Elena gets me in a bear hug. The old Me would of broken it, no problem. The newer me had to wrestle her arms off me. I hate it when your kids stat to get stronger then you. I told her she would have to stop working out if this continued.
     It's like the time a few years ago we were playing wiffle ball at a BBQ, before Ruth moved to Florida. Sixteen year old Cory was catcher and I'm on third base. Someone gets a hit and I thought it would be funny if I gently tackled Cory as I race home. I go for a bear hug, a little low to lift him off his feet. The next thing I know is I'm looking up at Cory from the ground. It was funny then, even funnier now. Sucks getting old, but it can be fun.

Elena's 17th Birthday

I write this feeling a little melancholy, with tears in my eyes. Iv'e been looking at 'old' pictures of Yankee Stadium for the last hour and my eyes are tired from looking at the screen, hence the tears and I'm feeling a little sad because the pictures were taken, it seems a long ten years ago. It has nothing to do with the fact that my youngest daughter is now seventeen. I know all of you out there believe me. The problem here with me is they grew up real quick. It hasn't been ten years and soon they will be going to college or off to work. I used to laugh that I never changed a diaper, but by not having that experience and adopting them at eight and ten Iv'e missed half of their growing up. Teri and I have tried to make up for it and up until recently, maybe over done it. The hardest part is giving them more freedom, treating them a little more adult like.Letting them go to the Mall, talking about letting them take the bus somewhere, when you know if they get lost they would not be able to tell you where they are.We'd have to find them with the Apple find your phone app. It's a sweet/scary time when your youngest tells you a story about something that happened with a friend and she stands up to someone on a principle that you hope she learned from her parents.
     ELENA'S 17th BIRTHDAY

     It happens every summer, like it has for just seven short years, the annual Elena Birthday. There was some guilt back in 2008-9 when it took us a little over a year to get the paperwork finished. We had hoped to get to Russia, before Elena's birthday. We got there in September, missing it by a month. I think in the back of our minds we have alway felt a little guilty about that. Plus with the fact that Elena has need a little bit of extra help. Nastia always seemed the type of person who'd survive, Elena, as tough as she has become and earlier, she thought she was, I think the tides of western Russia would of drowned her.
     On her seventeenth birthday, my mom commented that she seems to be a bubbly, happy outgoing person. Not like the sullen, brooding person she once seemed, I have high hopes for her.
    At Home she was almost alway that first person. Out in the world she put up a wall and you had to prove yourself before she would let you in. Sometimes it was not an easy in, Iv'e got the e-mails from teachers to prove it.
   Over the summer, Elena out of the blue said to me that she was going to try these last two years to do better in school. Inside me I leaped for joy, outside I said good.

    Her Birthday started this year on Sunday the 6th. We invited Amanda and Nick to join Nancy and us for some dinner and a cake I made from blueberries Nastia and I picked from the blueberry patch  (it's a wonderful place, you should come and pick berries next year.) I'd put up netting this year so we got more berries then the birds, it was lots of fun. Sundays gathering was just a warm up, the real thing was to be on Thursday, her birthday. Elena loves wings and ribs and wanted some good wings. Teri said "Well Hooters in New Jersey has good wings" and yes it is called Hooters because the waitress' all wear tight shirts and short shorts.(The previous is for the edification of those in the future who don't know what hooters are.) and the wings, they were good. the location, questionable cleanliness.
     The Final part of her birthday was on Friday. She invited some friends over for a swim and pizza. The weather cooperated, but the water was too cold for swimming, so they went to the park for a while, them had some pizza, went swimming again then watched a little TV until Joshua's dad got home from work and picked him up.

This is one for the record books.

Things change. This is something I have acknowledged and for the most part, I hate. Some change is good and some change is just political correctness, which is bad. A Commercial for Ancestry dot com shows people who are descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence reciting the opening lines. I understand what point they are trying to make, but it is political correctness gone over board. If I was to judge the nation by that commercial I'd think 75% of the nation were women and 90% were minorities.
     That is not where I planned to start, here is. Things change, people change, things that were acceptable once, are now considered wrong or even offensive.
     I was listening to the 100th anniversary celebration of Baseball with Mike last week on our way to the Hall of Fame. Jimmy Stewart starts off introducing the history of Baseball. He does the first few decades and Curt Gowdy takes it starting with the forties. At one point they talk about Jackie Robinson being the first black ball player (Will my using black make future people uncomfortable?), but theinterviewer doesn't say black, he says "How does it feel to be the first ni--er in baseball."
      I gasp a little and look over at Mike and he goes, "Yeah, all those years ago we listened to this record and it never hit us"  I don't remember hearing that word and we did, it just didn't make an impression on us like it does now.
     This leads me to another story that always amazes me and who ever I tell it to. My Great Aunt Emilie was born in 1899. In the 70's I became interested in genealogy and she showed me the collection of family memorabilia several generations of Smiths and Hardens had. I saw fat books of small tin type pictures, now lost, of people Aunt Emilie knew a few. Charles Smith's civil War mess kit, also now lost, a letter from his wife he'd kept and draw on picturing the battle of Mobile Bay SC in which iron clad ships had engaged. There were many items to marvel at.
     A one point she opened a box and it contained several smaller boxes. She picks up one of the boxes, pulls off the lower half and out slides a straight razor. It was  one that maybe her father had used or maybe her grandfather. She looks at the razor for a moment and then to me and says "I'll have to go out tonight and bury this in the backyard so no 'Ni--ers get them." She never did and I have them, but this was a severty year old womenwho never cursed. When She was growing up the use of that word was acceptable. Things change, people sometimes change, others don't.

Job Interviews

Nastia went for a job interview the other day. The concept of not getting a job after an interview with me was an unknown until recently.
     I was given a job with my father delivering milk when I was a little kid. My Brothers and I kept our jobs with my Dad wither We deserved them or not for many years, even to the point when I wanted to leave and felt I couldn't.
    I became the owner of the business in 1989 when my Dad died. I sold the business in February 2000. I was offered a job with Consolidated and kept that job until 2005.My first and only interview during my first period of unemployment was with Marcus Dairy. I landed the job. I left that job returning to Consolidated Dairies in 2013. I felt my interview skills were pretty good at that point. The only problem was the world had changed and I hadn't.
     In 2014, Nastia went for a job interview at AMC, she got the job, it was too easy. She stayed at the job learning and growing as a person. Her final week on the job at AMC, she learned a valuable lesson, I hope.

     She had been warned about using bad language once before. The second time she was caught cursing out another employee who was harassing her, he liked her. She was fired and then compounded that by lying about the reason she was let go, which prompted her mother to go in and question why her daughter was let go. The resulting enlightenment was not pretty and the talking to Nastia received was surprisingly light.
     Now Jobless for over a year and broke this is her first interview and maybe she has learned the value of a job and won't loses them Willie nillie.