Midnight

Midnight: noun, a 12 year old, black lab mix with the sweetest disposition a family could ever ask for. Loyal. Loving. Compassionate. Smart. Sweet (oh so sweet!) Beautiful. Funny. Furry. Fantastic. Fabulous. Adorable. Amiable. Angelic. Captivating. Charming. Cuddly (oh so cuddly!!) Fascinating. Friendly. Spoiled - oh so very spoiled...just like every dog should be!

When we got the call a little while ago that he had to be put down, my brother in law asked me if I wanted to say goodbye to him over the phone. I couldn't do it. I'm doing it here. Goodbye Midnight. I will miss everything about you. Especially your head pushing up my hand to scratch your behind. Our bed in the basement will be lonely without you. Your barking at the back door to come inside when you didn't want to be alone outside will ring in my heart forever. You managed to bring sunshine on even the darkest days. I hope you are at peace. I love you.

1983

How did I become older than my mom? As I was digging through a couple of boxes of old photographs, I came across one of my first born son, Joey, at the age of 5 months, with me sitting on the couch. Just for the heck of it, I put my glasses on, took another look. Nope - not me in the picture. My mom. Four years younger than I am now. How is this possible? The original was taken with a Polaroid. I just took a photo of the photo, so it's a bit blurry, much like the 26 1/2 years that have passed since that day.

wii fit

It's all the rage. Everyone has it. Everyone is talking about it. We have one too. We talk about it too. Apparently; however, I am not so much wii fit! According to "my fitness coach" my center of balance is way off. My BMI is way too high. My weight is 33 pounds more than it should be. It seems that I cannot walk in place and swing my arms at the same time, or walk on a tight rope, twirl a baton, keep up a hoola hoop, have a snowball fight, operate a segway, ski down a mountain, do a basic step aerobic, nor breathe properly. It's amazing that I can dress myself! But here's the thing - it is so competitive that it drives you to keep going. I'm feeling muscles in my body that I haven't felt since tryouts for kickline in 10th grade!! Maybe I'll lose some weight and get into shape, but I'll have to put the bag of potato chips down first!

36 years with you - 15 without

Happy birthday Dad...

Christmas Dinner

I've been trying for over a week to write a story about Christmas dinner. I sign on and stare at a blank page, all the words jumbled in my head and I can't seem to make a sentence. After the 4th try I gave up. Today as I sit here, (attempt #5) watching yet another snow storm, I realized it's because of the weather. Rage takes over every power of my being and I can't even think. I know I complain a lot about the cold. I know there's nothing I can do about it. I know people don't like to hear me whine about it. I can't stop myself. This is the 4th storm this winter and it's only January 2nd. This one was fore casted as "snow showers." The hubby used the snow blower a couple of hours ago and it's covered again. Some snow showers.

Anyhow - Christmas dinner was a lot of fun. Those of you who know me know that I really can't cook very well. One thing I can make; however, is a turkey. I attempted to step it up a notch with my son's recipe for apple cider gravy (which begins with cooking the turkey in the cider.) My momma in law always makes oyster dressing. We attempted the preparing of this feast together. I prepared the bird, she chopped her little fingers to the bone preparing the dressing. The only thing I did to help was break up the oysters. I held the legs of the bird wide open while she spooned in the stuffing. I felt like I was aiding in my granddaughter's birth again, only things were going in instead of coming out!! I happened to say this out loud and for some reason Momma found it hysterical. The kind of laughter that makes tears. The spoonfuls of dressing were landing everywhere but inside the bird. "F---it" I said, just pick it up with your hands. So she did - hand fulls of dressing literally being shoved in the bird. We laughed so hard our cheeks hurt. We were all looking forward to this meal, especially the oyster dressing. A couple of hours later the house began to smell delicious. I basted and basted and basted again. Dinner was finally ready. Probably one of the most scrumptious birds I ever made. The oyster dressing; however, tasted like apple cider. Momma didn't find this flavor appealing to her palate. We did however; laugh. A lot. So much work - all for naught. Time well spent together, though. This is probably one of those stories best read if you were there. Nonetheless I felt like telling it. It was good to see you laugh, Momma.

Football Conversation

In my dad's day, if he wanted to rag on a fan of a football team that he perceived to be less worthy of his appreciation than the team he currently routed for, he would pick up the telephone, nah, wait a minute, no he wouldn't. He would wait until he happened to see the person and strike up a conversation that would go on, perhaps for hours, because whatever his co-conversationalist would say, he would take the opposing view. I'm sure it made for an entertaining bantering of comparative verbiage! Here's how my husband did the same thing the other day, step-by-step, in a matter of seconds:

1: hit the rewind button on live tv during a football game.
2: hit the pause button on the tv to freeze frame a devastated fan with his hands on
his pouting face.
3: take a picture, with his cell phone of said fan.
4: post the picture, from the cell phone to his friend's facebook wall.
5: write a little quip under the picture about how said friend's team sucks.
6: keep checking his facebook page to see if there was a response.

I guess my dad took with him the art of face-to-face conversation when he left us. I miss them both. I can't help but wonder, is that why it's called "Facebook?"

Living in the (right lane) danger zone

At first glance I thought that Brookhaven Town did a fairly decent job of plowing the 27 inches of snow that fell over the weekend. That was until I really starting getting around today. Consider that the storm was three days ago already. Every where I went today the right turn lanes were what was used to store all the plowed snow. No warning, no signs indicating the lane is closed. One minute you're driving in your lane, the next minute the lane is gone. Poof. Vanished. A mound of snow twenty feet high takes its place. Oh and try to park the car in any shopping center three days before Christmas when more than half the spots are also used to store plowed snow. And before you go judging that I should be done shopping by now, I am. Just trying to get my nails done. It was awfully cold walking through mounds of snow with flip flops on!! Oh the things you Floridians take for granted, like getting a pedicure without getting frostbite!! Four more years :(

Over two feet

In case any of you don't know what "over two feet of snow" looks like, or have been in Florida so long, you don't remember, or have been in Florida not that long, but still don't remember, or have been in a different southern state, or just want to rub it in my face cause you know how much I HATE THIS,took a look at this:


























Now, do you feel sorry for me? I didn't think so.

Frozen puddles

Becky, a 24 year old woman from Medford, Long Island was missing for 4 days. The police found her body, after she had been stabbed, burning on the side of a road in Connecticut, not too far from Foxwoods Casino. Unfortunately, the news has stories like these more often than I would like to admit. This time; however, it is different. This time, my son, Justin, knew her. Many of his friends were her friends. Most of the young folks interviewed on the news, I remember from his school days. Justin hasn't been back to New York for about 2 1/2 years. What a horrible thing to come back for.

The puddles in the street have all frozen over. Much like the heart of Becky's murderer. The one that used to beat in Becky's mom, has probably melted for good. Rest in peace, Becky...

On my way to 52

Another birthday has come and nearly gone. For the past several years, in the days between June 5th and December 4th, I take great pleasure in the fact that I am "so much younger" than my five fellow "Commack Clan" members. It's nice to be the youngest of six. Until today. Today I am just as old as they are. Remember when you were younger and on your birthday were always asked how it felt to be that age? The answer was always the same: "no different than yesterday." Well, these past two birthdays, (the big 5-0 and now the big 5-1) definitely feel different. I am very well aware that 60 is only 9 years away. Or, as my brother said in a conversation this evening, "70 is only 19 years away." Thanks for that, bro.

Hey, I don't care. It's just a number. I'm a Gramz now (and I might add, the first of the Commack Clan to achieve this wonderful milestone). Besides, I have a husband that I robbed from the cradle who keeps me young at heart!! Let's hear it for Junior Gramps!!

Favorite Quotes

"An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day." - Irv Kupcinet

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up." - Jesse Jackson

And this priceless one:

"One original thought is worth a thousand mindless quotings." - Diogenes of Sinope

Talk about your generation gap...

The hubby and I are having a hard time keeping up with Nonna and Nanno. Originally from Sicily, Rose and Sal (my daughter in law's grand parents) are two extremly incredible people. Up at the crack of dawn, neither one of them stop. I mean truly, do not stop. Sal says if he sits down, his mind takes over and then things start to hurt. So he keeps moving. All day. Here's what he did today: He took a 5hour road trip (alone) from his house down near Miami up to Spring Hill to meet his great granddaughter, Juliana. He walked in, kissed her and held her for a couple of minutes, grabbed my husband and said "ok, let's go." Off to the store they went to pick up the glider rocking chair and ottoman for the nursery. They came back, put it together, and off to the supermarket they went to pick up some groceries for dinner. Drop off the food, and out to Home Depot they went to pick up the ceiling fan for the nursery. In the meanwhile, Rose, is in the kitchen making home made pasta and broccoli (and that was just the appetizer!!), then came the salad, and then came the most delicious pork chops I have ever eaten. Ever. I try to help with the clean up, but basically get tossed out of the kitchen. Yesterday we went shopping and she goes up and down the aisles of the store so quickly, I really can't catch up to her. This woman is 31 years older than I. I'm exhausted just writing about it.

I am so grateful that I have gotten to know Sal and Rose. They should do a stand up comedy act together - their stories would have people crying from laughing so hard. Too bad my dad wasn't able to meet them...

And now for the supporting information...

In today's world of instant gratification technology, as pleased as I was with myself in getting pictures of my granddaughter online so quickly, I now have come to realize that no information was published with the incredible photos. Here's the scoop:

The total time of prelabor and labor was 36 hours and 45 minutes.
Juliana Rose Wise entered the world at 4:45 p.m. on 11/10/09, weighing in at
8 pounds, 2 ounces, measuring 19 inches.

It was a mind-blowing, emotionally euphoric experience to help coach my daughter in law through labor and delivery and watch my son do the same. When Juliana arrived there were three other generations in the room to greet her.

Hubby and I are now officially Gramz (yes, with a Z) and Gramps, and are thrilled to be just that!! And I do believe I read somewhere that there is a Batty Uncle up in Boston! There's also GG Annie, Bisnonna and Bisnonno and so many more folks who's lives will be changed forever. Two words keep coming to mind: Surreal. Profound.

Congratulations Justin and Vanessa - your daughter is the combination of all that is good between you. I am so very proud of both of you.

Juliana's arrival

Just call me Gramz:

Click here to view these pictures larger

The fifth of the month

April 5, 1935
December 5, 1958
November 5, 2009??????????????????

How cool would that be?

TD Bank gives back to the community

Tonight the very generous folks at TD Bank in Westhampton Beach thought it would be nice to give back to the community by hosting a reception for the volunteers at Bide A Wee.

It was nice to be able to meet some of the other volunteers. Some were from Wantagh and some from Manhattan. There were scrumptious Hors d'oeuvres and soft drinks. There were a few very brief speeches about how wonderful the volunteers are and how non-profit organizations couldn't do what they do without the volunteers doing what they do...there was even a gift bag packed with lovely gifts (both for pet and pet owner).

But, best of all were the so sweet pets that attended the reception. I had no idea the dogs would be there, otherwise I would have brought the camera. I have to say, they were so well behaved and so friendly with one another. It was amazing that they all got along. I guess they all must have attended Bide-a-Wee's training classes on good manners with our ace trainer, Ritsa!! It's nice to see good people do good things. I believe the hubby and I are getting much more out of this volunteer thing than we ever thought we would. It's rewarding.

On a somber note, one of our "retirees" passed away last night. Rest in peace, Nalla - we loved you and you will be missed.

Today it hit me...

For 7 months now I've known I'm going to be a grandmother. I've been so excited about it for such a long time that I didn't realize how numb I truly was. But today it really hit me. Today when I woke up, I felt different. I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER!

I've had my cell phone attached to my hip for days. I keep picturing that call from my son. I try to imagine what he will say. I keep having flashes of images of what the birth might be like and those amazing minutes right after delivery when we all realize that it's not over, but it's just beginning. I can now picture the proud new mom and dad holding their daughter.

How does "Grams" sound? I think I like it.

From one end of Long Island to the other end and wait til you read the end

Thank goodness tomorrow is a holiday. There is no way I would be able to go to work. My feet hurt so much that I can barely stand. I checked on the list of personal day reasons and "blistered feet" is not on there. Here's where the pain came from: yesterday we went into the city. (the LIRR to Penn station). We walked from there to China town. (For those of you who don't know, that is about 40 blocks - 2.2 miles). We walked for well over an hour once we got there - and oh what a great time that was. I think anyone teaching a class in sociology or psychology should take the students on a field trip to NYC. Just have them sit on any street corner and watch. They will learn more than any text book could ever teach. I mean, you see it all - you really truly see it all. From the naked cowboy to his nearly naked and nearly 70 year old mom, to what had to be at least 40 cops arresting one guy for trying to sell him a knock off Rolex. Unbelievable. After we shopped til we dropped, we took the subway to Times Square. We walked from there to FAO Schwartz. That's another 18 blocks. After that was a quick bite. ($20 for a hamburger!!!!). We then walked all the way back to Penn Station (24 blocks). Once back at the station, the car was parked quite a distance away. Today, we were out the door at 8:00 a.m. to pick up a pup from Bide A Wee and bring him to the Riverhead Country Fair. We had to park well over a mile away. We were on our feet until after 1:00. I so wanted to walk around the fairgrounds afterwards, but literally could not. Me - had to turn down shopping. I'm still sick over it! I don't know how I made the mile trek back to the car, but I did. My feet feel like cinder blocks are attached to them. The bottoms of my toes are all blistered. Would I do it again? You bet!!!! Here are some pictures from both days:

Click here to view these pictures larger

To make the perfect ending for a perfect day, the last two pictures are of "Prince." We used to walk him often. He is an 18 month old great dane and lab mix. Definitely one of the volunteers' favorites. He was adopted in August and we were so happy for him, but really missed him. Well, lo and behold, there he was at the fair today, with his new mommy and daddy (NOT captured on camera). We were so happy and excited to see him, we had tears in our eyes. But look how happy is!!! Yeah, you know what? We do good work.

We interrupt this marriage to bring you football season...

In the off season, on the rare occasion that I go out on an afternoon weekend without my husband, I would have to answer a bunch of questions, the usual stuff - "Where are you going? Who are you going with? When will you be back?" Then my cell phone would ring: "Can you pick up some....." Not today though. Today, through the miraculous gift of the world wide web, my husband was able to watch his beloved Baltimore Ravens through the laptop, onto the big screen t.v. "I'm going out," I said. "Bye," he said. I came back three hours later. Cell phone untouched. He was in the same chair, same position. No questions asked. I wonder if he knew I was gone...

Baby Shower Weekend

What a weekend! Jammed packed with excitement. Here's a few pictures that captured the essence; but it's just a few. Still to come - the 3D sonogram that was attended by the whole gang(almost!)


The night before the shower, the whole family celebrated at a special dinner. It was really terrific to have everyone together.














Just a nice shot of the mom and dad to be.





















Great Grandma Annie, G-ma and Uncle Joey to be.











G-ma with Grandpa Herbie to be.

















Mom, Dad, Great Grandpa Sal and Great Grandma Rose to be.




















Oh how sweet, Justin's blanket, when he was born........














Daddy says she's going to be a Jets fan; but Grandpa Herbie is pushing the Baltimore Ravens already!!












Aunt Jani and Uncle Kenny come through with the Hello Kitty crib set!!



















Pass the hat around, starting with Uncle Joey.



















Don't worry Prada, Grandma still loves you!













Me and my boys.











This is the special poem I wrote and read for the occasion:

I hope you're ready
for the laughter and the tears
the hopes and the fears
the days, the months, the years
of commitment

I hope you're ready
for the nights you'll get no sleep
and the times you'll want to weep
and the memories that you'll keep
forever

I hope you're ready
for the 2 a.m. feedings
and the nursery rhyme readings
and the feeling of succeeding
which I know you'll achieve

I hope you're ready
for her hand around your finger
bedtime stories that will linger
becoming the world's best singer
all for her

I hope you're ready
for the scraping of her knees
and a playhouse in the trees
her begging please please please
can I have it?

I hope you're ready
for what is an additional
and yet a bit traditional
love that's unconditional
it's true

I hope you're ready
to have the drive and maturity
to teach goodness and purity
to be her strength and security
always

I hope you're ready
to give from your heart
right from the start
and promise never to part
ever

I hope you're ready
for the bliss and the pleasure
and that you will adore and treasure
this love you cannot measure
at all

I hope you're ready
for the pride which will bestow
for the joy you'll come to know
for your endless euphoric plateau
completely

I hope you're ready...
for the love of your life.