MERRY CHRISTMAS

Never A Christmas Morning,
Never The Old Year Ends,
But Someone Thinks Of Someone,
Old Days, Old Times, Old Friends.


Merry Christmas to all my friends, old and new!!

While I'm Thinking About It

Every time I write a post, I keep reminding you all that I haven't been blogging much. I also haven't been keeping up on most of the blogs that I used to follow.
Last evening,I had a few minutes to catch up on some I used to read faithfully every day.
The funny thing about the blogging community is that sooner or later, we pour our hearts out writing about our feelings. Then complete strangers comment. You go back and forth talking about things you care about. Sooner or later, you become "friends" with these fellow bloggers. I always laugh that these people know more about me than my family. You know whats going on with them at work, their religious values, kid problems, family outings etc. Right Judi?

Eventually things they say come up in conversations with family or friends. Maybe someone will ask how long you've know a certain person you were talking about. I always have to stop and laugh at myself when I say "well I've never actually met them."

Anyway, I say this because while catching up on my favorites last night, I came across this post . Although it was written on Nov. 1, I just came across it now. Amy over at Callapitter says it so much better than I ever could.

The haunting thing about this is the title of her last post. I hope I don't die waiting for health care reform to happen.

She did die. Without the health insurance that surely would have saved her. Leaving a husband and two young sons behind. It's not a woman in some political commercial. Or some story a politician is citing as an example. Or a person from some far away place that makes you doubt it's real. It's a real person. A Pittsburgher. A young mother who traveled in the same blogger circles as me.

Sorry to be a bummer. This really makes me sad. I wish I would have seen this sooner.

Give Thanks.........Or Not

Sorry I've been largely absent on this here blog for a while. Maybe that will be my upcoming New Years resolution. Can you believe we have to start thinking of that shit already??????

I bet you all were "Giving Thanks" this year that I've been quieter than usual..... Well, just because I haven't posted my opinions of late doesn't mean I don't have them...........so here goes........

Starting off with my ol' friend the Pope. He says that condom use is ok in certain circumstances, such as male prostitutes because basically they are having sex with other men so you aren't stopping conception anyway. THIS is exactly why people think Catholics are crazy.

Papa, Papa, Papa (as the little nuns were screaming at St. Peter's while they were trying to knock us over to get a first row view of the Pope) Do you really think you are going to be a deciding factor in anything a male prostitute does?

I can picture it now. Some strung out junkie, just turning tricks to get more heroin, says to the john, "Oh no, we can't use a condom. It's against my religion."

Really Papa, I don't think your opinions are that important in a male prostitute's life. They should be, but they aren't.....

Next up, the old standby, politics. I know, I know, quit groaning. I'll never shut up......

So after the Republicans won control of the house, the President invites them all over to the White House to discuss the future of the country. They ALL declined. All of them?????? You mean not one of them could make it?????? They ALL had scheduling conflicts??????? And they are getting paid to govern?????? They haven't done a damn thing is two years. Wish I had that job.

If the President calls you, you come. Period. Cancel the meetings. He's the boss. When they are the boss (God forbid!) they can command the same respect.

I think he's just too good for them. As the article goes on to say, they had a televised meeting last year. The President stood at a podium. They sat in the audience and had to raise their hand (gasp) and the President would answer their questions. Obama effectively answered their questions. They later stated that the President used that session to embarrass them and command the room. As well he should have............

How about this TSA whole body search fuss? Seriously folks, if they want to scan me, go right ahead. I guarantee you, it's going to be harder on whoever has to see my naked ass than on me walking through a scanner for 10 seconds. And to the Mensa's who are telling people to "say no." Wow, you can stand in line for four hours instead of the customary two during the busiest travel weekend of the year. Wow, that will show them. Them, being people who are scanning who have to be there anyway and are getting paid to be there..........

Which brings us to this week being Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays. Although since my mom passed away, its bittersweet.

We all go our separate ways now, but when I was growing up, Thanksgiving was always at our house and Christmas was always at the Devinneys. I could probably write a best seller on those two dinners alone!

My mother would get out the "good dishes." I think she got them with green stamps. She would set the table the day before, while Christmas music blared in the background to get her in the mood to clean. Things were the same year after year. Aunt Babe made the cole slaw. Mary Alice brought the relish tray. And cousin #2 Georgie ate it all. Of all 30 or so of us, I think he was the only one who liked olives and radishes. Come to think of it, I think he was the only one who ate the beets also. And the green beans. Maybe he just didn't like the turkey. I'll have to check on that!

As we got a little older, you knew wedding bells were in the air when one of us brought a boyfriend or girlfriend to Thanksgiving dinner. The engagement ring usually was given that Christmas.

When we kids started having kids, we just kept adding a card table. When there was no more room in the dining room, we just started setting up additional tables in the living room of my mom's tiny house.

We were young and we had no idea that when we were cramming around that table holding our hands up high in the air when Aunt Babe screamed "WHO WANTS PUMPKIN PIE?" that they would be some of the best moments of our lives.

Oh.......just maybe we did. The grandkids and great nieces and nephews still tell me how much they loved sharing holidays meals and were thankful that we did it as many years as we did until logistically, it just couldn't be done anymore. We only had one bathroom!!

These two crazy sisters raised their kids to enjoy each other. So much so, that all these years later, we still consider ourselves not just cousins, but friends. As my sister in law once proclaimed bitterly "Not everyone has a peachy keen family like yours!

And for that......this Thanksgiving I am especially thankful to Harriet and Babe! Thanks for making our crazy family "peachy keen!"



So folks, that's my take on things this week. Like it or not.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

*The picture above of my mother and Aunt Babe was taken on Thanksgiving 1974. The only workspace they had to feed thirty people was the kitchen table. Notice the towel rack right on the wall, And the sink with the pipes, my mothers apron,come to think of it, I don't remember having cabinets in the kitchen and can't remember where we kept the every day dishes. (we never had to do the dishes, Thank God!!) The "good" ones were kept in the China Cabinet.....my mother would kill me if she knew I sent this picture of her dirty kitchen all over the Internet!!

A MILLION THANKS!!!!

The years between 18 and 21 were probably the best, most fun years of my life.
As my mother said to me, "College was the most expensive good time you'll ever have!"
I think about this as I look at this picture of my father when he was that age. When I was 18, my biggest problem was planning how to sneak a keg past Sr. Elizabeth while she stood guard at the front desk of Baldwin Hall. While my father at that age was loading bombs and unloading dead bodies onto planes in Africa and Italy. He was a baby for cryin' out loud.
I'm thinking he paid a much steeper price during his college years.
So when he should have been whooping it up, he was seeing what he prayed his kids and grandkids would never have to see. Hell, he was praying that he even lived to see kids and grandkids.
And while I was saying my tearful summer good bye's to Judo and Keto. He had to say permanent good byes to childhood friends and neighbors like the Owens and Stutzman boys.
I can't imagine. I really can't.
I am forever grateful to him and the millions of other servicemen who gave up the best years of their lives so that nuts like me could whoop it up!!!!!!!


* Here is a story of the day my father came home from WWII

* Here is a story about my Uncle who barely survived the war.

*St. Mary's Church in Lawrenceville lost the most parishioners in the diocese during WWII. The Stutzman boy was a friend of my fathers. He was a little older than my dad. He was shot down on Christmas Eve over Italy in 1942. Every year Christmas Eve mass was said in his honor. (Until they closed the church five years ago) He worked for the Pirates before the war. He let my father and other neighborhood kids be bat boys. It was something my father talked about for the rest of his life. This man did something in his short life that made life long memories for a bunch of poor kids from the hood!

Days Like This

My friends in bloggerland (i.e. Judi!)have been after me to post some pictures of my nephews wedding. I've been talking (obsessing) about this wedding for over a year.

First, a little summary.
As you all know, my sister (The Madonna) moved to DC in 1969 or 70. She eventually married, had children, and grew a life in Maryland. One would assume our family would have eventually grown apart with the miles and years. That's other families, ours.....well, we like to talk on the phone. Alot.

Every day of my life, I still talk to my sister. When my mother was alive, she also talked to my sister every day. Most days more than once. My sister would tell her something. Mum would call me. I would call my sister to confirm. And there started the cycle. Most days it was nothing more exciting than what we all were having for dinner.

Anyway, I'm telling you all this to show we are a close family. To say the least.

Fast forward 31 years. My nephew and godson Jeffrey, meets a nice girl at work in Maryland and falls in love. Head over heals in love. Bonus.......she's from Pittsburgh.

Since Jeff and Kristy reside in Maryland, I become their Pittsburgh wedding consultant. Can I just say that I had a blast doing that!!!!!! Since I have boys, I don't think I will have another opportunity to be such an active participant in someones wedding other than my own. Kristy and I spent days, hours, weekends together planning this wedding. One day we had breakfast, lunch and dinner on the run while looking at wedding venues. A big plus was that we have the same taste. E.X.P.E.N.S.I.V.E.

One of the things we wanted was to showcase Pittsburgh because most of those attending the wedding had never been to Pittsburgh. Can I just say that they were completely in awe of the city. I really mean it. They LOVED every minute of it.

Here a sample of the fruits of our labor.

Kristy and Jeff David
October 9, 2009The ceremony: Heinz Chapel.

After the ceremony we all followed a bagpiper down the streets of Oakland to the reception.



The Venue: The Foyer of Carnegie Music Hall at the Museum in Oakland.By far the most beautiful place in the city to have a wedding.


The Bridal dance is done when everyone else (except wedding party) is up on the balcony for cocktails. The bride and groom are dancing in an empty ballroom. It give me goose bumps just writing about it. It reminds me of Cinderella. No one else in the world but the two of them!
This picture is sort of dark but shows everyone up in the balcony watching Jeff and Kristy.

The Cake

The Flowers

The Dancing


We had such a good time. Music was by the Dave Parker Band. Unbelievable. Everyone danced from beginning to end. Especially the rock star groomsmen!!!!(Pictured here with my niece Queen Elisabeth, who looks like she might have a gown malfunction in this picture) Can't believe they had last call at 1:30 a.m.


This is Kristy dancing with my father. (Who drank his FIRST drink EVER. He had a half glass of champagne. In all of his 86 years he never touched a drop of alcohol.)






We had the rehearsal dinner at the Roberto Clemente Museum in Engine House 25 in Lawrenceville. If you ever have a chance, check it out. Everyone loved it.

Our family and Kristy's had the time of our lives. Every last minute was perfect.

I pray they have many, many years of happiness!

If anyone needs a wedding planner, I'm available!

*Needless to say every time I have a "few" I tell Kristy that she was sent to Jeff by my mother. I know this in my heart of hearts because from the minute Jeffrey Andrew was born, she decided he was going to marry a "nice Pittsburgh girl!"

And THAT she is!! And she's so lucky to have found my Jeffrey Andrew David!

The Gift's That Keep On Giving

We think this country is in trouble now???? You ain't seen nothing yet if a few of these people get elected into office.

From Christine O'Donnell in Delaware

Sharon Angle telling Hispanic high school students they looked a little more Asian?

Not to mention Sara Palin endorsing a candidate for Pennsylvania that's actually running in West Virginia.

All I have to say is, can we just get a few smart people elected??? I don't care if they are Democratic or Republican, just as long as they are smarter than me! Really, is that too much to ask?

Everything I'm reading says Republicans are not going to give an inch if they take control of the Senate and the House. That's unfortunate. Isn't that what politics is? A game of compromises?

Either party that wins, it still does not do ordinary people like me any good. The very rich and the very poor are all taken care of. And people in the middle constantly get screwed. I think that is what bothers me the most. People in the middle falling for the far right bull shit. As a former long time Republican, I fell for it. Big time. Until my life situation changed and I saw a whole other side. There is just as much corporate welfare out there as there is poor people taking advantage of the system.

Seriously though, I'm betting(hoping) that when/if the Republicans gain the majority, a few of those ideas that they wouldn't even consider the past two years will be put back into action as ideas of their own and in two years they will be all "Look at what WE did!!

And that's ok with me. As long as we are done with the goofy commercials and I can watch TV again!!!

*One more thing, then I'll shut up about it. Why is no one mentioning that most people's Federal Taxes are actually LOWER in the two years since Obama became President.