There Will Be More Howlin' in Howland in April

Dan and Laura Sweeney are expecting in April 2009. It is a total surprise to everyone, especially Dan and Laura. I'm hoping for a boy, (I have three great-nieces.) but as long as it's healthy, it will be fine. I saw Laura over the weekend, and I wouldn't have suspected anything unusual. Of course, details will follow when they happen.

Celebrities in My Midst

Yesterday, Bob and I saw Robin Swoboda as she was taping an episode of That's Life to air soon on WJW Fox 8 in Cleveland, OH. She was at Westfield Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted, OH (West of Cleveland). They were taping at the west end of the mall in front of Macy's. Since Bob and I were walking out of camera range, you won't see us on TV. I believe the show streams at http://www.myfoxcleveland.com, but I don't know all the details at this time. Robin has national exposure working with Ahmad Rashad and Gayle King on short lived programs (Weekly Syndication and NBC Daytime, respectively). She was one of the squares on Hollywood Squares for a week on the John Davidson version that aired from 1986 to 1989 in Syndication. She is a real character and a local institution.

Bob and I saw an even bigger celebrity on MLK Day this year. Angela Bassett was in town to honor Martin Luther King Jr. I'll admit that I wouldn't have recognized her if I didn't know that she was going to be a part of the ceremony, which was held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. I would have recognized the MC (Leon Bibb, WEWS (Channel 5) News Anchor) when I heard his voice as he has worked in town for over 30 years (http://www.newsnet5.com should have his biography.) He is another Cleveland Institution. I am also blessed that we have the Rock Hall in Cleveland, although I don't think it's worth the inflated admission price which I have never paid. (I paid $2 for the first anniversary celebration and nothing for the rest of my visits which number between 10-15 since 1996. This discount rate is due to anniversary celebrations and participation in the MLK Day Free or Reduced Rate program.) There are other "celebrities" that I have met over the years, but I'll save them for another post.

Happy 90th, Mrs. Sweeney

We celebrated Dan Sweeney Sr.'s mother's 90th birthday today on the grounds of Kent State University. It is really tomorrow, but logistics caused it to be celebrated today. We had appetizers (Mostly Cheese and Crackers, I enjoyed the Smoked Gouda (Thanks, Amy!). Cookies and mini prosciutto sandwiches (Thanks, Patty!) finished the list. The entrees consisted of roast/baked ham, and chicken (off the bone). Various vegetables and a tossed salad topped the main course. A nice cake was a real topper. Soda, beer, and bottled water were among the beverages. The spread was nice. Thankfully, I didn't overeat.

Presents were not opened due to logistics. It sounds a lot like the Kendal party, (See May 25th entry.) despite the 88 year age difference. Both parties requested no gifts, but people do not follow the rules in general (Bob and I just gave a nice card for Mrs. Sweeney. Kendal received a post-party gift card from us that was just "acknowledged" almost two weeks ago. Even Amy Marie "acknowledged" the gifts earlier than this.). In general, too many people and not a lot of space equals no presents opened at the party (Although Kendal was "smart enough" to open a few presents at her party.).

The cast of characters is too large to mention at this time. Who was not there is something that we won't discuss because controversy is something we try to avoid on this blog.

The celebration climaxed with a Mass for Mrs. Sweeney's deceased relatives. It was a typical Sunday Mass until the priest acknowledged Mrs. Sweeney's birthday. It was priceless. Unfortunately, most of the party guests missed it due to other commitments, and not knowing about it until arriving at the event. (For the record, the Mass was held at Kent State's chapel which is adjacent to the Newman Catholic Center where the party was held. It is only about 45 miles or about an hour away from my home. I rode with Maggie and Mike both ways.) In general, I am glad that I was able to make the celebration of Mrs. Sweeney's 90 years of life.

There Will Be Another Wedding in the Family

We had a family dinner at Mavis Winkle's in Independence, OH (http://www.maviswinkles.com) last night. The participants were Patty, Maggie, her husband Mike, Kathleen, Bob, Tim, Lois, Mandy, and myself. The occasion was to celebrate that Patty was in town to babysit her granddaughter, to visit the family, and to celebrate her mother-in-law's 90th birthday. (There will be details on this celebration later in the week.)

I took advantage of the opportunity to see Mandy in person to ask permission to post this announcement:

SHE'S GETTING MARRIED!

The lucky groom is a man named Paul Carpenter. (Last name was added to this post on 10-1-'08.) He is a mechanic at Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted (Ohio). (They also sell Porsches, Saabs, and Lotuses on the campus.) He lives in Barberton, OH (Near Akron). Beyond that, there is little to report as I have only met him once. Let us hope that they enjoy a long and happy marriage.

The dinner itself was a great opportunity to catch up with family that we don't see frequently. Speaking of family not seen frequently, Patty and I had a nice visit with our Aunt Rita (My late mother's sister). I took them to Bob Evans in Westlake, OH. (http://www. bobevans.com) for lunch. We then took her to a Rite Aid near her home (Also in Westlake) to buy a card for the 90th birthday party mentioned earlier. I personally think she paid too much, but she was happy. Unfortunately, she will not be attending the party, but I'm grateful that she is still the fun aunt that I have the pleasure of knowing all my life.

The next report may include family events, both sad and happy.

TV Blogs and Eat 'n' Park

I was on the web site for WISH. I looked at some of the blogs on the site. I then remembered that WKYC had a great blog that I hadn't checked awhile. I could have gone to my blog or even www.wkyc.com, but I chose to come here and post instead. (Of course, the WISH web site is linked here as well.)

While I'm here, I have remembered many times that I didn't include Eat 'n' Park's Web Site in my last post. Now, finally, here it is:

www.eatnpark.com (By the way, Bob and I ate at the Parma branch tonight. I had salmon, and Bob had chopped steak. I thought it was up to the usual standards. We then went to Dunkin Donuts-Baskin Robbins across the street for BOGO Sundaes. We enjoyed our sundaes very much. It was a climax for Bob's vacation. Other than the tour that commemorated Cleveland's streetcar lines (Before my time), it was mostly shopping trips and eating out a lot f0r this vacation. Maybe, I'll tell you more in the future.