St. Patrick's Day

Bob and I started off March 17 at Parmatown Mall. We started off with lunch at Wendy's on Ridge Road. I had a Double Stack, a Sour Cream and Chive Baked Potato, and a Value Size Coke, which was free because I had purchased a coupon book whose proceeds benefit Northeast Ohio children who are waiting to be adopted. Bob had two small chilis (Cheaper than a Large), free Value Size Fries (Same Coupon Book), and a Value Size Coke. The restaurant did not have extremely long lines, although it was lunchtime (around Noon). The food was tasty, although Bob regrets the Chili Sauce that he put into one of his chilis, but the effect did not last long.

We did not spend much money on this trip. I bought $4.00 worth of Ohio's Classic Lotto and Mega Millions tickets. While I was buying the tickets, Bob saw a self-serve Lottery Machine (I have filled out my Classic Lotto form with my regular numbers, but not my Megamillions form yet. In addition, if I played Auto Lotto, I could have used the machine.) and decided to splurge on an Irish themed ticket for a dollar. We broke even. Since the machine did not have a redemption function, I went back to the Customer Service area where I had bought my tickets earlier to get my buck. In addition, I got a free refill on our eyeglass lens cleaner (My sister had bought a Lens Cleaner Kit years ago from Wal Mart. (Guess which sister: Kathleen, Patty, or Maggie?)). Although we did not spend a lot of money, we had fun.

On the way home, Bob and I stopped off at Honey Hut Ice Cream to celebrate its opening day. I had Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream in a cup. Bob had a scoop each of Coconut and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Ice Creams in a cup. Our ice creams were tasty. After a fifteen minute walk, we were home.

Before continuing with the rest of our day, I should educate my readers about Honey Hut. It is a Cleveland institution. It was started by my Godfather Frank Page over thirty years ago. It has been named one of the best Ice Creams in various publications over the years. We are privileged to have a number of locations all over the West Side of Greater Cleveland. In fact, we pass by two branches when we take the #20A bus to and from Parmatown. When you're in Cleveland between now and November, please patronize this establishment.

After resting for a few hours, Bob and I took the #35 bus to Broadview and Pleasant Valley Roads. I then called Maggie to pick us up, so we could eat corned beef and cabbage (and a whole lot of other things). The food was quite tasty. It was a quiet gathering. Maggie's husband Mike was the only other participant for this dinner. Eventually, Mike and Maggie took us home. It was a long day, but it was fulfilling.

Until next time, Go Cavs!

Happy Birthday, Patrick

My nephew Patrick turned 33 years old today. I hope that he is enjoying himself in Vancouver, BC where he is doing work for the Paralympics. It follows up his DJ work for Short Track Skating and Figure Skating for the recent Winter Olympics. This works out perfectly since I mailed his present this afternoon.

It was an adventure buying his present. I was at Discount Drug Mart on Fulton Road in Cleveland on Tuesday buying candy for Bob's meals for work. Near the candy, I saw a display of Gift Cards for other stores and services. When looking at the candy on sale, I noticed that only some of the candy had sales price signs. I went to find an ad to confirm what was on sale. The ad for the upcoming sale was already up, but the old ad was in a nearby trash can. In addition, as I was looking for other areas where the candy might have been, I found peanuts that were three cans for $5. It would have been better if I still had a dollar off coupon, but I still thought it was a good deal.

I went to pay for my items. I used my credit card because it was a "big" purchase. It was going smoothly until I tried to write my signature on the machine. As I was writing, the machine was unhinged from the screws holding it on the platform. Thankfully, the transaction was processed. (It was feared that everything would have to be rescanned.) The clerk told me to sign in the machine's box, but the box was not there, so I signed with a pen. In my rush, I almost forgot to take my gift card, but the clerk caught my mistake. (Before I forgot the Gift Card, I had to wait for the next customer to be done before I could claim my library bags. The clerk forgot about my bags, but I was also still a little frazzled from my experience.)

Fortunately, the greeting card purchase at Gabriel Brothers in Middleburg Hts. the day before was a lot smoother. There was no line, but I had to wait until some other work not related to a customer who was present at the time was completed before I was served. At least I wasn't trying to catch a bus towards home right after my purchase. The lines are usually a little longer at those times. There is usually some complication that bogs down the line. This has happened either to me or someone ahead of me in line. Even with some of the complications, I have found some bargains there over the years. It's not too far from my house, but it's not one of my regular shops. I usually go there if I'm either at the nearby Bakers Square or if I need Christmas Cards for the great-nieces. It's a short hike from the nearest bus stop, but exercise is good unless it is really cold on the day when I am shopping at Gabriel Brothers. I also shop at the nearby Priced Less Foods, but that's a story for another day.

Until next time, Happy Shopping!

Perhaps, Robert Is His Brother

In my post on March 6, I incorrectly referred to Bishop Roger Gries as Robert. It has been corrected in the original post. I e-mailed my Christmas Gift Exchange Group about this error. However, for those people not in the aforementioned group who also probably do not go back to previous posts on a regular basis, this notice is for you. (Obviously, I am referring to my other readers who found this blog without my direct assistance.) Hopefully, I have readers who learned about this blog through the Kendal-Hayden Blog.

In other words, I goofed, and I am letting all my readers know in a "simple" manner.

Until next time, continue to enjoy reading this blog.

An Evening with My Sister(s) (and My Great Nieces)

I spent the evening with my sister Patty, her son Dan Jr., his wife Laura, and their daughters Amy and Emily at Dan Jr. and Laura's house in Howland Township, OH (near Warren). (The previous sentence reminds me of a "formal" introduction from The Jetsons.) Also in attendance, were my sisters Kathleen and Maggie, Maggie's husband Mike, and my brother Bob. My brother Joe called during our visit. My brother Tim and his companion Lois were scheduled to appear, but they had not arrived by the time Bob, Maggie, Mike, and I left just before 7:00 P.M. It would have been nice to see them. It's been awhile.

We ate pizza from Salvatore's Italian Grill in Howland Township and a homemade salad. Our appetizers were Potato Chips and Sun Chips (Harvest Cheddar). For dessert, we had an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, a Pepperidge Farm Coconut Cake, Rice Krispie Treats (Traditional and Chocolate), and Girl Scout Cookies. The food was so delicious that we brought home leftovers.

In addition to the food, Amy Marie amused us with her charming personality. It's hard to forget that Amy Marie is three years old yet. She reminds me a lot of her father when he was growing up. Emily is so cute. She is only ten months old. The future appears to be so bright for both of them.

The adults told interesting stories that are best enjoyed by the guests who were there. It was a nice gathering. It's the first time in almost two years that we could all fit in the dining room. We had a few meals like this when Dan and Laura lived in Chardon.

The gathering, as far as we are concerned, was shorter than the Academy Awards. The telecast just ended as I write this. This blog entry seems like a "short feature" even though it took me a long time to write this. On that note, I bid adieu.

The Bishop Came to Visit, but I Didn't Meet Him.

Last Saturday, Bishop Roger Gries (I originally called him Robert when I published this post, but my sister Kathleen caught my mistake. I guess that I should have done a better job proofreading.) came to St. Leo Church to confirm fifty young people, who are about age 13 (I was 18 when I was confirmed because St. Leo Church confirmed high school juniors at the time. This was in November 1988.). It was a normal event without distractions. (Read last year's story for more details.). After Mass, Bishop Gries stayed to pose for pictures by the altar, so I didn't greet him like I greeted Bishop Lennon last year. (I also skipped greeting Father Lowe in the vestibule. Father Vesely does not go to the back of the church to greet people since he has difficulty walking. Father O'Donnell is on sick leave. This has not been formally announced to the parish.). Maybe next year, I will greet the bishop. Tune in next year to find out.

In other news, there is a new gas valve on our boiler. (Until Thursday, I thought we had a furnace in our house, but we never did. We always referred to the two "systems" as the furnace.) On Tuesday, Bob discovered that the pilot light had burned out. The next morning, I went to Marc's to get a multipurpose lighter. It did not do the job. We called our furnace person. He and a lady came out that afternoon. Once the man started working, the lady was not seen again in the house. After about an hour, the problem was fixed. Our heat returned to its desired status by that night. It's not good not to have heat when it's cold outside.

In closing, I forgot to mention Dan Jr.'s birthday on February 28. I expect to see him and his family tomorrow when I visit my sister (his mother) Patty at his house. Details will follow in my next post.