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.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Mr. Chicken and Friends
Due to my revising of this blog, I forgot to tell this story. The Mr. Chicken on Broadview Road (near Midtown) in Parma closed last night. Since I never set foot in the place before, I decided to order some food. I had a Grilled Chicken Sandwich, French Fries, and Pepsi. The fries were delicious since they were fresh. The sandwich was o.k. The bun was a little bland, but I would go back, especially since they passed out 20% off coupons that can be used at their other Parma stores (See http://www.mrchickencater.com/ for the locations and other information.). I also brought home Bob a Grilled Chicken Sandwich and some Potato Wedges (I had one when Bob came home from work.). I would have had Potato Wedges, too, but they are not available as part of a combo, although I confused the fries for the wedges when I ordered my food.
I was surprised when I arrived at the restaurant around 5:15 P.M. to find it without customers. They eventually did receive a nice stream of customers, but the line was not too unreasonable at any time. Most people took their food to go, but one other person joined me to dine in. It was an enjoyable experience.
Thankfully, Mr. Chicken will be coming back to the neighborhood soon. They want to find a nearby location. The current location will become a Walgreen's. There is a vacant corner lot that will hopefully help to make it a nice store. After 25 years as Mr. Chicken and many years as Minnie Pearl's Chicken, the building will be missed. It's been there as long as I can remember. It would have been a disappointment if I never visited.
I did say that I never entered the Mr. Chicken on Broadview Road until yesterday, but it wasn't my first experience at Mr. Chicken. I ate at the Pearl and Ridge Road location about five years ago. I had bought candy at the nearby Medic Drug (Coincidentally acquired by Walgreen's, the building is now Dollar General.). I had time to kill between buses, so I ate there. Since it was a Friday in Lent, I had fish. I think I had either a combo or a dinner. Whatever I had, I know that I received more food than I should have. I think I had Cole Slaw and a roll, in addition to my Potato Wedges and soda for the price of the lower combination (I don't remember all the parameters, but I remember that the food was tasty, but I burned my tongue on the Potato Wedges because they were too hot.).
For the record, I miss Medic Drug because they had good prices on candy occasionally. Tops Markets (Still in Erie, Buffalo, and Rochester) also was a good source of candy at three bars for a dollar. I am lucky to get candy bars for fifty cents apiece. Some stores charge a dollar for one bar. I miss the good old days.
In addition to the aforementioned experience, I visited the Mr. Chicken in Maple Heights a few years back. I did not eat there because it was take-out only. (I went somewhere else instead.) I remember that it was after my first experience because I assumed that all Mr. Chickens had seating. The trip was not a total loss because I visited Dunham Sports for Bob (The store went out of business. Southgate, which extends around the block, had a lot of vacancies the last time that I visited, sometime last year.). I guess store closings are a part of life.
Speaking of store closings, The KFC on Broadview Road (Near Pearl) in Cleveland went out of business within the last month. Since Bob and I rarely visit KFC these days, and there are other ones nearby, it is not as devastating. The building has also been there as long as I can remember. It spent almost 26 years as a KFC. (It was known as Kenny King's for years. (This is a reminder for people who still live or once lived in the Cleveland Area.)) Before that, it was an Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips. My now deceased parents enjoyed the building more as Arthur Treacher's. Bob and I eat more at Arthur Treacher's now, but we used to patronize KFC because it was near our barber at the time (By the way, his daughter-in-law's sister is C.S.I. New York's Melena Kanakeredes.)(Our current barber is across the street. That's another story for another time.). Once again, we will have the memories.
In closing, I will announce that the Big K-Mart on West 65th Street in Cleveland will close in May. I heard that Steelyard Commons finally doomed the K-Mart. Until Steelyard Commons (about 10-15 minutes away by car) opened, the K-Mart outlived all competition for almost 35 years. Bob and I have not visited this store for about 25 years. Our uncle and great aunt lived nearby, but since they died, we had no reason to visit the store. There are three other K-Marts in our area that we like better, so it's not a total loss for us. The memories are not as vivid, but we will always remember it.
It was fun going down Memory Lane, but I've written too much for one night, so I will say goodbye for now.
I was surprised when I arrived at the restaurant around 5:15 P.M. to find it without customers. They eventually did receive a nice stream of customers, but the line was not too unreasonable at any time. Most people took their food to go, but one other person joined me to dine in. It was an enjoyable experience.
Thankfully, Mr. Chicken will be coming back to the neighborhood soon. They want to find a nearby location. The current location will become a Walgreen's. There is a vacant corner lot that will hopefully help to make it a nice store. After 25 years as Mr. Chicken and many years as Minnie Pearl's Chicken, the building will be missed. It's been there as long as I can remember. It would have been a disappointment if I never visited.
I did say that I never entered the Mr. Chicken on Broadview Road until yesterday, but it wasn't my first experience at Mr. Chicken. I ate at the Pearl and Ridge Road location about five years ago. I had bought candy at the nearby Medic Drug (Coincidentally acquired by Walgreen's, the building is now Dollar General.). I had time to kill between buses, so I ate there. Since it was a Friday in Lent, I had fish. I think I had either a combo or a dinner. Whatever I had, I know that I received more food than I should have. I think I had Cole Slaw and a roll, in addition to my Potato Wedges and soda for the price of the lower combination (I don't remember all the parameters, but I remember that the food was tasty, but I burned my tongue on the Potato Wedges because they were too hot.).
For the record, I miss Medic Drug because they had good prices on candy occasionally. Tops Markets (Still in Erie, Buffalo, and Rochester) also was a good source of candy at three bars for a dollar. I am lucky to get candy bars for fifty cents apiece. Some stores charge a dollar for one bar. I miss the good old days.
In addition to the aforementioned experience, I visited the Mr. Chicken in Maple Heights a few years back. I did not eat there because it was take-out only. (I went somewhere else instead.) I remember that it was after my first experience because I assumed that all Mr. Chickens had seating. The trip was not a total loss because I visited Dunham Sports for Bob (The store went out of business. Southgate, which extends around the block, had a lot of vacancies the last time that I visited, sometime last year.). I guess store closings are a part of life.
Speaking of store closings, The KFC on Broadview Road (Near Pearl) in Cleveland went out of business within the last month. Since Bob and I rarely visit KFC these days, and there are other ones nearby, it is not as devastating. The building has also been there as long as I can remember. It spent almost 26 years as a KFC. (It was known as Kenny King's for years. (This is a reminder for people who still live or once lived in the Cleveland Area.)) Before that, it was an Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips. My now deceased parents enjoyed the building more as Arthur Treacher's. Bob and I eat more at Arthur Treacher's now, but we used to patronize KFC because it was near our barber at the time (By the way, his daughter-in-law's sister is C.S.I. New York's Melena Kanakeredes.)(Our current barber is across the street. That's another story for another time.). Once again, we will have the memories.
In closing, I will announce that the Big K-Mart on West 65th Street in Cleveland will close in May. I heard that Steelyard Commons finally doomed the K-Mart. Until Steelyard Commons (about 10-15 minutes away by car) opened, the K-Mart outlived all competition for almost 35 years. Bob and I have not visited this store for about 25 years. Our uncle and great aunt lived nearby, but since they died, we had no reason to visit the store. There are three other K-Marts in our area that we like better, so it's not a total loss for us. The memories are not as vivid, but we will always remember it.
It was fun going down Memory Lane, but I've written too much for one night, so I will say goodbye for now.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Redesign Notice Updated
I just noticed that my widgets are now on the right side. Since we read from left to right, it makes sense. Hopefully, if I make any more changes, it will improve the readability of this blog. I also noticed that spell check is not convenient in the new editing process. As a result, I went back to the Old Editor format (after I published this posting the first time), and Spell Check returned. I guess that what's new isn't always better. Oh well, that's life.
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