The First Grandson!

Please say hello to our first grandson,
Jeffrey Joseph!

Jeffrey was born on October 24, 2014 at 2:55 PM. He is named
after his two Grandfathers.

Jeffrey's sister, Jenna, was playing outside Mommy's room at the
hospital. Mommy and Daddy are exhausted...but happy!

Jeffrey's Grandmom
is glad he's here!

Jeffrey will be well taken care of by his sisters, Jenna is on
his left and Jackie is holding him.

Aunt Karen came all the way from
Philadelphia to meet her new nephew!

My son and his son...what a sight!

Grandpop is a lucky guy!

   

Welcome Jeffrey Joseph with all our love!

The Curmudgeon at the Food and Wine Festival

Living is defined as being alive, not dead, active and thriving.

Social means friendly, sociable and fond of the company of others.  

If one puts these words together he forms the phrase Living Social.  

If one wants fun things to do in or near his city, he can get discounts at an online marketplace with just that name:  Living Social.  Emails have been creeping into our inbox for years from this sender.  I should have known with words like alive, thriving, friendly, sociable and fun, that these emails were directed to the other half of this union.  The only word I identify with is discounts: those things sold at a reduced price or the deduction of a certain amount from monetary charges.  My better half found discount tickets on Living Social for the Philadelphia Food and Wine Festival in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

Tasty is defined as having a pleasant, distinct flavor.

A tidbit is a small morsel of tasty food.  

These words can be used side by side to form the phrase tasty tidbit.  

I like the word tasty, and the selections from the varied vendors did not disappoint.  Salmon in sauce, pieces of tender meat slow-cooked in barbecue sauce, pumpkin theme soups as well as some mean clam chowder...there were too many to list them all.  I'm not as fond of the word tidbit.  Sometimes it takes me only one sampling of an unfamiliar taste to know I don't want any more.  Sometimes it takes two or three tries, or even a whole plateful for me to say Wow, that was good!  I could have returned to the line of hungry and curious Festival patrons and gotten another tiny tasty tidbit, but if I'm gonna wait, I wanna eat BIG!

Real means not artificial.  

Wine is defined as the fermented juice from a fruit. 

A drinker is someone who drinks....anything:  water, milk, beer, coffee.  

You can form a phrase, real wine drinker, from these three words.  

I've heard some folks say, "I'm not a milk drinker because I'm lactose intolerant."  I've heard others say, "I'm a coffee drinker...can't get through the day without it!"  During a visit to a table of fine wines, a connoisseur described the dry and bold samples available for tasting. I'm only an occasional partaker of wine, and when I indulge, I want mine light and sweet.  I asked, "Do you have a sweet wine?"  to which she replied, "Are you kidding?  Not here, real wine drinkers drink dry wine!"  to which I replied, "I guess I'm an artificial wine drinker then." I smilingly thanked her,  walked away, and once again I used my most cherished defense mechanisms: the ones where I mentally gesture her and call her a bad name.  Then I proceeded to the next station...and the next...and I eventually found some sweet wine.  I was drinking real fermented juice from a fruit, therefore I considered myself a real wine drinker.  Take that dry and bold snob!

Celebrity is synonymous with a well known person.  Chef means the same as someone who cooks.  Celebrity chef is the result of creating a phrase using these two words.  Throughout the excursion, there were announcements of events in an area with a kitchen on a stage. I heard the speaker reveal that in just a few moments, 'Kenny G' would be showing us some of his cooking expertise.  I was curious.  I have inconsistently enjoyed some of his tunes.  Would he be playing some soft jazz on his saxophone while he cooked?  Would he be playing while someone else cooked?  Did he ever get a haircut?  All my inquiries were discarded when I realized that my old ears deceived me, and the celebrity chef was a man named 'Eddie G.'  It could have happened to anyone with all the noise and reverberation!  Poor Eddie G was attempting to put his own spin on a Philly cheese steak with a comic celebrity chef named Mark DeCarlo at his side.  Mr. DeCarlo's microphone was loud and clear, and Eddie's was low and muffled.  The result was an unpleasant attempt at comedy overshadowing the task at hand.  It was not easy to listen to...I think some soothing smooth saxophone support for Eddie G from the famous Kenny G in the background would have made the demonstration more enjoyable.

One of the definitions of the multi-meaning word change is to vary.  Scene in our lives is our location.  A change of scene is sometimes a good thing.  The Food and Wine Festival certainly provided us with a needed change of scene.  I was glad for the discount from Living Social.  The excursion was worth what we paid, and not twice what we paid, as the original price would suggest.  The event was scheduled to last four hours.  That's a lot of tasty tidbits and sweet wine.  I suggest not eating too much at home to fully enjoy the unusual and varied selections.  Would I have enjoyed a trip to one of our favorite Italian eateries, and not waiting in line for a sample, as much?  Most definitely.  Did I think the Food and Wine Festival was worth trying?  Again, most definitely.  Would I try it again?  That's up to my better half...and Living Social!

Am I Alone?

Am I alone?

 I was young.  
Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water played countless times on the record player.  There were soothing voices, irresistible harmonies, a piano and an acoustic guitar strummed to perfection.

  I am older.  
I can't pinpoint the root of sad today.

Mid-October changes, outside cooling and dying.  Waking today and coming downstairs, doing my normal scanning of what music to enjoy on my Ipod.  Knowing it's a down day and the only tunes that resonate what I'm feeling are those of Simon and Garfunkel.  Time hurrying, social status and injustice, war, introspect, yearning, reflection.  
I am sad.....

Am I alone?

I was young.  
The Christmas season began the day after Thanksgiving and ended in early January.

I am older.  
The 'holiday' season begins right now.  Radio stations are threatening me by saying they'll begin playing 'holiday' music in just a couple of weeks.  Walmart's ready!  Their seasonal section is loaded with shiny ornaments.  Some retailers will be available for Thanksgiving Day shoppers.  As usual, I'm not feeling it.  
I am sad.....

Am I alone?

I was young.  
I remember a carefree time when local news was on each of the three major networks at noon and six in the evening and eleven at night.  As a child, I didn't need to see it all day long.

I am older.  
There are full-time news networks, and the local news broadcasts with 'the big stories' can never be too far away.  Hours filled with beheading, disease, and abuse anytime I want it.  A celebrity dies or gets married, the focus is temporarily shifted, and every angle of the fallen star's life event is reported, analyzed, and reacted to until we say, "More? Really?"  The overexposed story of the idol becomes yesterday's headline and the violence and horror move to the forefront again.  Is anything good happening in this world?  
I am sad......

Am I alone?

I was young.  
A trip to Philadelphia meant viewing the sights from the back seat, counting the '59 Chevys, looking for City Hall and the car crusher and waiting patiently for that hug from Grandmom.

I am older.  
A trip to Philadelphia this week on a gloomy, rainy Monday meant viewing drivers texting on the highway, and a young man on the street profanely fighting with the voice on the other end of his mobile phone connection. Narrow car-cluttered streets with vehicles that were parked everywhere and those that weren't parked had impatient drivers at their wheels.  
I am sad......

Am I alone?

I was young.  
Entertainment was belly-laughing to the point of tears for the whole family, subtle was the key to good humor,  a good voice or good beat and heavenly harmony ruled the music, violence and murder were off camera on the television and in the movies.

I am older. 
 It's a 'Let's see who can shock the most' era with in-your-face confrontation, betrayal, violence, and profanity.  Belly laughs have been replaced.  Saturday Night Live, once a favorite and formerly subtly risque, is now intentionally and intermittently vulgar. This week, thanks to On-Demand, I previewed Gotham, a new series that is the prequel to Batman. The beatings and shootings that were right on camera affected me.  It's to the point where, though the acting and production were top notch, I will not be tuning in anytime soon because I can't handle the deliberate, unforgiving on camera violence anymore.  
I am sad..... 

Am I alone?

I was young.  
It was the John F. Kennedy era.  When he was assassinated, I was led to believe that he could do no wrong.  I was seven and believed it.

I am older. 
I need to see that there is a leader somewhere out there with just a lick of my interest at heart.  My children are starting their young adult lives with expectation and hope...and ill-deserved debt and frustration.  It's election time again and the ads fill the television and radio, and the candidate's phone calls come in.  I don't believe anyone anymore.  Is it wrong for me to hope for some 'for the people' leadership to benefit my family, especially my hard-working children? 
I am sad.......

Am I alone?
I was young.  
I was taught to read and write in first grade, and when I was home I read and wrote...and played outside. My homework was a priority and screen time, though black and white and only 15 inches on the diagonal, was a privilege.  When a teacher was teaching, I didn't even think of leaving my seat to get a drink or use the restroom.  When my homework wasn't done, or when something needed to be signed by a parent, it was signed or I felt anxious as a result of my irresponsibility.
I am older.
I see screen time taking over our youth, trumping homework and outside play.  I see respect for learning diminishing.  I see a lackadaisical attitude toward authority, responsibility, and success.
I am sad....

Am I alone?
I am older.
I feel out of place in a world of less rules, more electronic stimulation, less respect, more defiance, less accountability, more entitlement, less regard for authority, more responsibility, less affordability.
I was young.
It was simple.  I looked at the world through rose-colored glasses. I was naive.  I saw the good in people until someone showed me the bad.  I thought that my folks and their folks would live forever.  I liked approval.  I sought the biggest laughs, the most poignant drama, and the most feel-good music.  I want it simple again.
 I am sad.....
Am I alone?