December 31, 2014
“Wow, have we gotten to the end of the year already?”
“Yeah, stuff keeps going on faster and faster. Today, I went to New Year’s Eve Mass and just couldn`t get it out of my head how quickly we get from Labor Day to New Year`s Day, and then how slow it drags through the winter. A lot of stuff has happened since early last November. Let me see if I can high spot it all briefly and the give you a heads up on what is coming up over the hill.
Did bridge at the Victor library again. Had a very good partner and I didn`t disappoint her. We both bid and played some rather interesting hands. Didn`t win though. Came in either second or third, but I thought we did well.
First off, as you know, I have been taking Anne to lunch, more or less regularly, every Friday or Saturday. We went again on Saturday the 15th, because of my bridge date on Friday. Again, she seems more engaged and less anxious. She does have some residual side effects from her medicines, but her attitude seems more settled. Did my last two sessions of Bible class on the 15th and the 22nd. They were the first half of a more advanced version. The second half will resume in January 2015. I see so many connections with our life together that I am beginning to believe that we all, in our own way, can find ourselves in that whole story. In fact, those connections are motivating me as I continue to develop my thoughts around the website that Patty is organizing for me.
You remember me telling you last May about my Bible class teacher, Kathy McAlarney, and how her husband`s ashes are buried next to yours (and soon to be mine). Well, guess what? I had a chance to convey to her that we had that connection, and that she, too, would have the privilege of having her ashes ultimately rest next to ours. She received the news well, and we became even more closely connected.
On the 16th, the band did its Fall Concert at the old St. Agnes school auditorium. It went well, but I was somewhat embarrassed when I learned the next day at my last Osher class, that one of my fellow students and his wife attended and enjoyed it very much. He is a big fan and has attended previous concerts, including Christmas 2013, and the Spring Eastman Theatre concert. His name is Harold Stock, and he grew up in our old Hastings Avenue neighborhood in Buffalo. He lived there when we lived there. Wow!, so many connections.
Well the embarrassing part of it was I didn`t know he and his wife were in the audience, and since the concert featured two of our bands, and I was in the one that performed first, I ducked out after we did our part, and went home. I had other things to do, including more writing. Well, when I got to my Osher class the next day, Harold came up to me and said: “What happened to you yesterday? My wife and I were waiting to talk to you, and when we went to look for you afterward, you were gone.” I never knew he was there, or I would never have gone. I apologized and assured him that I would be there after our Christmas concert. I did, and they were there, and we had a nice visit afterward. That concert was on Sunday, December 14th. Again, at St. Agnes. Happily I was able to visit with Harold and his wife Sherry afterwards. She was a bit younger than he, and quite attractive. I said to him: “Now I know why you look so young. You married a young woman.” We all laughed. He actually does look quite young. He is a Korean War veteran, and probably only a few years younger than me.
Patty and Jim had Thanksgiving again this year. Jim seems to be getting on well. Still in the early stages of diagnosis and awaiting test results before proceeding with any kind of long term treatments. Mike, Michelle and the kids showed up, along with the Smiths, the Connelly’s, and Margaret Fagan. A good time was had by all, and we were blessed with relatively good weather. Coming and going not a problem.
Just before Thanksgiving, South Buffalo and Orchard Park got buried under, in some places, seven feet of snow. Luckily for Patty and Jim, and for me, we did not get more than a few inches. But I got a chance to see the leftover amounts when the Fagan`s invited me to attend the Cleveland-Buffalo football game on the 30th. As usual, a treat to go and be there with the Fagan family. Always lots of laughs. I never get tired of telling them about the time you told Jerry Tunkey how cute the Bill`s costumes were. Such memories…
Patty and Annie were going to go with me to the premiere showing of the New Horizons Band documentary on December 3rd at the Little Theatre. Patty had to cancel, but I took Anne. I think she enjoyed it. The showing filled the theatre and we were served Champagne and cookies. Most of my appearances in the documentary wound up on the cutting room floor, but there was one fairly long sequence showing me helping a 5th grader (his name was Irving) at Rochester School 22 to learn the Euphonium (small Tuba). Actually, he was playing the one I donated it to the school. You might remember we bought it off a Garage Sale card table for $25.00 on our way home from church one day. Patty, while not being able to go to the premiere, watched it on WXXI the next day, and saw that segment and, also, the set of Joe`s drums the Fagan`s donated to the school.
On the 7th, I took Phil Berk to the GCADA annual Christmas party. It was at the old Spring House on Monroe Avenue. Dave Crumb, again did the selecting, and it worked out well. We sat at a table with Dick and Joan Randles, Paula and Chris Sophocledes, and Nan and Bob Keller. When it was over, Phil had heard that there was an old unrestored historical Erie Canal Lock in the woods behind the Spring House. So, you guessed it, we went back into the woods to find it. It had just started to turn cold, and as it had been quite warm earlier I was wearing a very light topcoat. When Phil and I finished our exploration and we went to leave, I couldn`t start my car. The battery was completely dead. Luckily there were still a few employees left in the Spring House and we were able to get inside where it was warm and call AAA.
It took them quite a while, so Phil decided he would walk home. It was about 8 or 10 blocks, but he wanted to get home before dark. OK, so I waited. AAA came a very short time after he left and so when I got the car started I went looking for Phil to pick him up and drive him home the rest of the way. His route was straight up Monroe Avenue to 12 corners, and just shortly beyond. So I started out. No Phil, anywhere along the route. I figured he must have hitchhiked and when I got home I called him. Well it turned out that he got hit by a car at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Clover Street. Some guy was making a right turn and didn`t see him, and fortunately only gave him a slight bump. No bruises or other damage. It turned out that he was going in the same direction as Phil, so he took him home. No lawyers were called and everything worked out alright, but I had some anxieties, and was glad to hear that everything was OK. Always some kind of adventure.
As I said earlier the New Horizons Band had its Christmas concert on the 14th, and all went well. We did not play any German Military marches this time (see letters at end). I think I made my point with our conductors after last year`s concert. I didn`t, however, play in Tuba Christmas on the 21st. Two reasons. First, it`s a lot of work lugging all my gear to the crowded Hochstein Music Center. It was a lot easier when it was held at Midtown in the old days. I am going to contact them soon, and suggest they explore the St. Agnes auditorium. It works for the New Horizons Band, and is now an active component of the University of Rochester`s many venues. Good parking, and easy to get to. The other reason was that I had too many ideas about the website project to take all the time and effort required.
Somewhere in all the Christmas flurry, Patty was able to come to our house and get down to do some important aspects of involved with establishing our new website. One of the most important was the establishment of our domain name. I don`t know how it happened, but we were able to purchase a most suitable name: relighting.us. It was available, and easily adapted to using it at the name of the project itself. We did and in the process, were able to create some understandable references to what we are trying to accomplish. I have included a draft of a proposed advertising bookmark at the end.
We had our family Christmas here, with the traditional roast beef dinner and all the fixings, including some of Patty`s delicious Christmas cookies. Anus flavored as well. Happily, Annie was with us this time and we all missed you at the table. But we knew you were there with us in spirit. Interestingly enough Kathy McAlarney stopped by our rock and decorated it for Christmas. It is a page that follows. Finally, I have decided to include in this narrative and all of those to follow a small picture of you as you engage in your end of this conversation. It is below: That`s all for now. Talk to you in 2015.”