This is how it is and it’s not even Halloween yet…

Yow, a lo-ong time has passed since I last posted. What was that I was saying about being better at posting more often?! Well anyway, here I am again… Wonder what I should talk about?

First, if the person who wrote asking me about Fred Pizzuto is out there somewhere, please write again and let me know how I can get in touch with you. I have no clue what your email address is but I would most certainly love to correspond with you about the wonderful, fantastic, wild n’ crazy percussionist, Fred Pizzuto. The Rock and I often wonder how ole Fred is doing. We hope he is well and still ‘percussing’ with the best of ‘em.

Second, if Lawrence Lormand is out there I want you to know, per your comments on an earlier entry on this blog’ that the ending of the “Pop” goes the mainspring story… mentioning the late John DeLorean is pretty much complete ( archived under April 2005) as is. After the relief van was delivered to the posh house on Rattlesnake Road the wild bunch (sugar-fueled kids) and I proceeded to the camp and it turned into “just another day in the life of this bus driving secretary. Mr. Lormand asked if I had any more John DeLorean stories to tell but no, alas, there are none. I did see John occasionally when picking up or dropping off the kiddos but other than a cordial hello we didn’t really have much in the way of conversation. He seemed like a nice family man and was very quiet and polite. He made some ‘kick-arse’ cars though. I always felt bad about what happened to him. I cannot help but believe he was set up and I’m glad that there is still interest in his dreamchild, the DMC-12.

There is a company, The DeLorean Motor Company, a newer company which purchased the name and logo and has taken up ‘the cause’ and is currently engaged in uniting the dreamers amongst us with the dream.

This year has flown by at an unprecented rate and I am hard put to slow it down. A very large chunk of the year was taken up by illness. I even ended up in the emergency room reenacting that famous scene from The Exorcist sans the rotating head. Gosh was I sick! I spent four days in the hospital and was attended to by a doctor who I call “Dr. Hollywood” because he is much too handsome for real life. I have been ‘scoped’ from both ends and am now taking a medication which has pretty much ended my misery. I had gotten to a point where hunger pangs were less painful than eating. I have made changes in my lifestyle and am starting to enjoy life again.

Older Sonny is still in the hospital and has spent the better part of two years in hospital. We visit him about twice a week and thank goodness it’s a lovely drive in all seasons because it takes an hour and 20 minutes one way. It takes quite a bit of time during our week. Although he has priviledges he doesn’t want to leave the unit and it has been a struggle just to get him to walk around. Lately we have encouraged him to take a short ride with us and we’ve finally been successful in getting him into the car, although he still won’t get out of the car if we stop somewhere. He’s still losing weight but is starting to eat a little more without such an effort as before. Progress is slow but we haven’t lost hope.

I have started reading aloud when we go up, after we talk for awhile and we’ve all been enjoying that. I’ve read a couple of new books by members of the 82^nd airborne paratroopers who were the subjects of the film Band Of Brothers on HBO. Fascinating books by some pretty special guys who, during the Second World War, had a good deal to do with preserving our country’s freedom. They were definitely heroes even though they didn’t think so. We owe those guys a real debt of gratitude.

Younger sonny has a shift on the local college radio station once again. We listened to him tonight and he was very entertaining. I think he was really enjoying himself. At one time the whole family was on the college radio station. When we had to leave town for a funeral the station had to fill more than 20 or so hours during the interim. Fifteen of those hours were mine alone since I had 4 separate shows of my own. I’m glad at least one of us has gone back since it’s so much fun. Younger sonny is a natural on the air.

Beautiful daughter, all the way over on the other side of the country, is most likely under the impression that the rest of the family has disappeared into a black hole since she has heard nary a word from any of us in an eon. What a family we are… Earlier this year sweet little granddaughter organized a fund-raising campaign of her own called African Nets for Nothing But Nets, a grassroots organization for saving lives by purchasing mosquito bed nets (through donations) to prevent malaria in families living in Africa. She has raised $1,375 so far, which is 20% of her goal of $5,000 for African Nets. She is aware of the dangers of malaria since her mom had it while working in the Peace Corps in Ghana some years ago.

On a sad note, our family doctor is dying. This is extra sad for us because he has become a good friend over the years. We were in his office earlier today and his nurse told me the cancer docs have said he probably has about 15 to 18 months left since the cancer has spread from his prostate to his bones and beyond. This cancerous assault is a travesty since he is a good man who has devoted his life to serving and saving others. He is my age and much too young to die. He is also a brittle diabetic which makes the treatment more difficult and he had polio as a child. He doesn’t complain though and continues to work. I can’t imagine going to a different doctor. We have come to rely on his jokes and relaxed manner. We always talk and catch up on family matters (his and ours) and he never hedges if he has something to say. He’s very straightforward. Doggone it...

It’s fall again and I feel blessed to live here in New England where Ma Nature knocks herself out every year to drape the landscape in the most beautiful array of colors that was ever on an artist’s pallette. Tomorrow we will go apple picking at an orchard which sits atop a hill that overlooks a huge expanse of mountains and valleys and rivers. Sunsets from there not only take your breath away but they leave you giddy. I think my favorite fragrance is that of an apple orchard on a sunny day. I’m already looking forward to that first juicy crunch…