62 degrees, first thing.
Many teachers know very little - narrowly educated teachers produce narrowly educated students. Grace Coolidge's engagement ring has been stolen from an exhibit at the Vermont Historical Society. It was donated in 1982 by her son. Allied Signal is purchasing Moneywell, which is in trouble. There are so many mergers and acquisitions these days. Historians Mim and Wes Herwig of Randall, Vermont are pretty uppity, pushy people, great self-promoters. The Carriage House at Barney Estate parking lot holds approximately 65. Sampson's Funeral is located at 21 Tinkham Road.
Aired the house out, dined for breakfast on oatmeal and blueberries. I listened to Rock 102 this morning and Angelo Puppolo was on for about a half hour. He said the vote on whether to take Northgate will be the 16th, with the funding vote later. Hosts Bax and O'Brien asked excellent questions, laid back but deadly competent. I called Karen Powell to make sure she was listening. I also called Eamon but he was just about to head out for errands.
Out bright and early and got the paper out of the trash at the Breckwood Shops. I also found a red Big Y coin. I never get Big Y coins on my own because I don't buy enough. I buy only the specials because they overcharge on most brands and their own cheap brand items are inferior. Then into the copy shop and only the boss was there. He made 50 pieces of letterhead for me, but when I gave him a twenty he announced he had nothing in the cash register but twenties. That happens too often. I told him the twenty I was offering was legal tender for all debts, but he declined to get change or put it on account, so I told him I would come back and get my letterhead when I got around to it. I also put out several pieces of mail at Louis & Clark.
From there I got a steak, egg and cheese bagel for free with a coupon at McDonald's, where I read the paper. I saw that Eamon's friend the builder and auto repair guy Bertrand G. Talbot of Spears Road, has died at age 76. Next I went to the Jewish Community Center where the chubby receptionist was back and told me K.S. was in a meeting. I popped into the Holocaust Museum and had a good chat with Jane Trigere and her companion Lynn who run it. She asked about my attire and I told her I am a masculine oriented homosexual. She said her family was in the 5th Avenue fashion business and knew lots of gays. She showed me the library and I signed the register.
Next I headed down to Enfield, where barely over the line is a clean, well-lighted porn shop called Bookends. In fact, the outward appearance was so respectable I thought it was a bookstore. They have bondage equipment not available at any of the Springfield shops, including a wonderful biker jacket with "Loud, Fast and Out of Control" on the back. I bought a copy of the Gay Yellow Pages. Interesting that Springfield and Longmeadow can support a porn shop, but not a good used bookstore.
Down the road is Vibrations, which has a hippie look on the outside and in. It is a complete head shop with little brass, clay and stone pipes. They also have hookahs, bongs, incense and florescent posters. They also sell products for covering up your drug use in employer screening tests, such as Sweet Pee's Urine Test Spoiler and Tommy Chongs Urine Detoxification Products. I also swung by the Storr's Library, where they had a pile of things about Sacco and Vanzetti on their information table.
Today I was reading from the Oxford Companion to Edwardian Fiction, wrote two queer sonnets and several letters.
This is the third consecutive summer of below normal precipitation. The miserable truth is that my plants are wilting for lack of water. Had oatmeal and blackberries for breakfast. First thing I headed down to the Breckwood Shops to get a money order. Mrs. Allard was in line and greeted me cheerfully. She says she can smell the skunks at night that she thinks live under Elmer's shed.
From there I headed downtown to Jeff's Framing on East Columbus Avenue and left a $20 deposit on framing Bragg. Then to the Union-News, where I parked in the Visitor parking lot and left with a young woman receptionist my blunderbuss Letter to the Editor criticizing the paper for not doing more to promote recycling.
I've decided to stop going to Pizzeria Uno now that their half-off pizza offer ended in July. So I parked on Fairbanks and walked down to The Fort/Student Prince. They were doing a good business but it was not packed. I had their luncheon special with a $2.90 mug of beer. They only gave me a single butter pat for two slices of bread, served on a metal plate with their trademark lightly stenciled on it. The silverware was not marked. The chowder was wonderful with corn, potatoes, onions and just a trace of ham. The sauerkraut was distinctive. But the buttered noodles were dull and the pork chop was thin but otherwise okay. The Indian Pudding was a treat with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
At the end I asked Rudi in a grey vest where the name Student Prince came from and he knew all about Heidelberg and Tiffin and gave me a 60th anniversary newsletter they issued. It's a nice place, but I'll not be going back soon because it is too expensive. I'm sure my parents never dined there, they never dined out anywhere. On the way back I paused to get a lovely full-color poster for the Puerto Rican Festival from the window of a vacant storefront at the corner of White and Orange.
The Jewish Federation called while I was out. The mail brought a polite letter from WNEC's Caprio thanking me for my suggestions about their signs out front. The Reminder came late in the afternoon. Had Rice-a-Roni for supper. Eamon called and said he can't see me tomorrow because he is going to Bert Talbot's funeral at Liberty Methodist. The paper said Talbot will be buried at Oak Grove, but Eamon said the burial will actually be at Gate of Heaven. Eamon said the Whitcomb's of David Street "were very good to me" as a little boy of about four or five and took him to camp at Otis and Becket in the summertime. Pearl Whitcomb was Talbot's wife.
Eamon also informed me that there will be an anniversary mass for his mother at the nunnery on Wednesday. When I told him I went to The Fort he exclaimed, "I'm surprised they let you in the way you dress." Eamon then told me that Leonard Collamore is at his big house down on the Cape, which led to him talking about John R. Auchter, whom he first met way back when he was involved in the anti-fluoride Citizen's Rights Association. Eamon feels a little annoyed that he hasn't heard from Nader the Hatter in a while.
Lovely, cool weather.
The news said that Osama (bin Laden's first name) is now the most common name for baby male Arabs. George K. Charkoudian, an oral surgeon and orchard owner, has died in Wilbraham at age 62. His brother John once asked me if I'd give him a blowjob in the Classical High Men's Room. I declined.
Michael Matty is Vice President for Investments for D.J. St. Germaine Company. This summer, Club Metro in Northampton is running all ages dance parties every Wednesday and Saturday. The hippest county fair around is taking place under the guise of the Litchfield Jazz Festival at the Goshen Fair Grounds in Connecticut.
I see several cars parked in front of 100 Birchland a lot of the time. Blackberries are blooming, I'm still reading Edwardian fiction. Dined modestly on a can of Progresso Minestrone Soup and a cheese and ham hotpocket plus fruit. I think I have been gaining weight and that should not be. Spent half an hour researching Maria Giroux today and a half hour on Mother's estate. I took Sweet Pea and Honey Pot out and photographed them in front of my zinnias, which have done well.
I called Eamon and told him I was coming over, promising to tone down my attire a bit so as not to alarm his neighbors. First I went to CopyCat and then to Louis & Clark to mail Mother's death certificate to Banner and Monarch. I also got one of Devine's handouts from the free paper section. When I arrived at Eamon's, he had his rooster flag out. His forest green Cadillac with the leather seats was parked in his newly paved driveway. We looked at his garden and nothing is wilting, you can bet that Eamon has been good about watering. He gave me a bag of reading material and I gave him mine.
After I left Eamon's I headed up the hill to Kentucky Fried Chicken and had their thigh and leg meal with cole slaw, which was really good, sweet like Mother made it, not sour, with fried potato wedges and a biscuit, all for a whopping $4.02. I won't be going to KFC again soon, it is good but way too much. Then into Savers, which had some nice chairs, but I bought absolutely nothing. I was surprised they no longer offer a handout announcing their specials.
Mail came late today, not here until after 4pm. I got a charming letter from Catherine Fisher Schwartz at the Jewish Federation of Greater Springfield declining to offer me a certificate of good standing as an anti-Semite. She wrote, "I must tell you that we cannot and will not, under any circumstances, provide you with a certificate of antisemitism."
Called Oak Knoll and ordered several books. Then I called Merriam-Webster and was told their old PR lady had a baby and is now a full time mother. Alicia Bilco and Arther Bicknoll are her replacements. Next, I called Aunt Maria and she was in good spirits, everything seems okay.
I decided to call Peter Griffiths about my painting. He is a nicey-nicey individual like Guy McLain. Peter suggested that my painting sounds like one by Martin Johnson Meade and that I should contact an appraiser. I also left a recorded message for Maureen at the Advocate about the exploitation of poll workers. Then I called Nick Fyntrilakis and anonymously left this message on his tape: "A couple of years ago you were a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed college graduate. As of right now you have a lot of fence mending to do. Because of you all the poll workers had to take two hours of extra training and they didn't get paid for it."
Unknown called and wouldn't talk so I told him to get off the line.
I drove out early and made copies at CopyCat and put out mail to Timothy Hawley and Oak Knoll books. Then I headed downtown wearing my purple pants uniform and parked on Salem Street right by the church back door. As I walked down Mattoon Street, a black guy walking the other way said as he passed me, "Hey man, I like your style!" I had my leather cap on and saluted him as I said thanks. It's interesting that the public appearance I am rendering that is so unacceptable to some is just right for others. Stopped into Westfield Bank and after a 15 minute wait opened an account with Rick Zabielski. My reward for opening the account was a black umbrella and a letter opener. All was dark in Johnson's Bookstore.
Coming home I parked on White at Sumner and went into several antique shops. At Radzicki's I mentioned Mother's passing as he sold me a plated child's cup manufactured in Cromwell, Connecticut which has polished up nicely. Then out to the Acres, where I got fish and chips and a few other items at the Big Y, where I also swiped a Poetry Slam poster. Unfortunately, Pride's copying machine was not working, so I went over to Staples, where color copies are only 49 cents, much better than CopyCat, which is too expensive all around. The Springdale Plaza across from Eastfield Mall, including the cute little clock tower, is all reduced to rubble with a chain link fence around it. Only Bradlees remains. I liked Springdale and knocking over a perfectly good building that was renovated just a decade ago is ridiculous.
Called Traveler's local number but can't get anyone to answer. Eamon called and said he received his Emerald Charter Membership card from Elms and thinks it is pretty tacky. Deputy Chief Speallacy, his old chum from Cathedral, told him that between July 31 and August 3rd there have been 18 robberies in Springfield and nothing has appeared in the paper. Today the Fleet Bank on Island Pond Road was robbed again. On Strong Street a U-haul backed up and cleaned out a house while the owners were on vacation. The convenience store on Liberty got broken into and the thieves got away before police arrived.
Where are the police? Eamon said he sees them parked behind Liberty Plaza or on the street behind St. Mary's. Eamon claims Springfield has more police officers than New Orleans. He was talking with a former Court Officer named Foley who agreed with him that the city has gone to hell and that the Springfield Newspapers had a big part in it. After Eamon hung up, I received another voiceless, Unknown call.
Florence R. Giroux, formerly of Wilbraham, has died at the age of 81. I will send a letter of condolence on behalf of Aunt Maria and myself. Great letter in the Valley Advocate today from Mitch Ogulewicz attacking Francis Gagnon titled, Gagnon Reflex, that says of her, "Although she has done many wonderful things for the community, it is time for her to allow others to serve without her elitist and condescending attitude looking over their shoulders."
Nice day.
Had Cream of Wheat for breakfast and some roast beef for supper. I am getting fat. I am feeding myself too well and something must be done. Drove out early without realizing that yesterday I put a box of lawn clippings on the trunk and it fell into the road as I turned onto Catalpa Street. A jovial black man in a blue pick-up truck stopped to help me pick it up and I thanked him for his kindness. After I dropped off some reading material at Devine's, I continued on to Angelo's, where I got two packages of plums, three packages of native beets, a package of tomatoes and some lettuce.
I stopped at a tag sale and bought nothing, but on my way there I discovered a wonderful European style house with bay windows and a clay tiled roof, I'd say built around 1920, at the intersection of Marsden and Newhall. From there I went to Mrs. Staniski's, where I left some reading material and a small package of beets. She always has a lovely smile.
Next stop was to see Fred Whitney, who was just getting out of his car as I arrived and seemed pretty chipper. As usual he was dressed stodgily but was friendly and professional. He had a Santaniello for City Council sign out front. I told him about the poll worker meeting I attended and noted how everybody was so old. He said they used to make poll workers retire at 70, but then age discrimination laws came along. He blames the problem on the city, who won't pay the poll workers more money. I told him I'm in it more for the gossip than the money and he agreed that a lot of the others are as well.
I asked him about the GOP picnic and he seemed reluctant to tell me, perhaps because I promised to wear my orange costume It's August 20th at 5pm, the same place they had it last year. $12 per ticket. Whitney says it raises from $800 to $1000 to help candidates. He doesn't think they will serve corn on the cob this year, so I told him that the corn last year was the best part of the meal.
Then out to the Forest Park postal substation to mail Washington a painting registration form. Next up to White and Sumner to Forest Park Antiques on 429 White Street where Frank Wilson sold me a wonderful book on Victorian buildings. Also stopped at Radsicki's shop to ask about the iris painting and she wants $350, which seems excessive.
I swung by the Jewish Community Center on Dickinson and went into the Holocaust Museum. Lynn was there and told me that Director Jane Trigere had the day off. I left the Fritcher S&M book for her to give to Jane and said she can keep it for a couple of months and call me when she's through and I will come pick it up. I told Lynn to tell Jane my markings in it are purely analytic so don't be offended by them.
A beg letter came today from the Catholic Relief Services and misspelled my name as "Willer." Received a letter from Senator Robert Byrd thanking me for my comments on his book The Senate of the Roman Republic.
Eamon called and said he made a blueberry pie and his sister said it was very good. I suggested he should look into becoming a house boy. Eamon has written to Labbe of United Co-op where he has a lot of his money, complaining about the loan to the baseball stadium project. He received a reply from Jack Briggs which was very polite but also arrogant and condescending, implying they were merely following the will of the people, which is false. Eamon also complained that he got a form letter reply to the letter he sent to Senator Orrin Hatch.
Gas at Alden is $1.17 per gallon.
We are in danger of getting involved in a war Columbia that is none of our business. Riverside was the lead story on TV40 about how six people were injured on their Blizzard River ride, which has been closed down indefinitely. Christopher Roy is the General Manager of the Boston Road Staples. I read The Reader's Digest Treasures of America today.
Had scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. Shortly after 9am I drove down to Louis & Clark on Breckwood and put out my mail. Then over to West Springfield to the craft fair on the common. It rained on the way, but stopped by the time I parked on the edge of the common, which has a lovely grove of trees. The new shingles on the Day House look nice. It never started raining again, but the sun never did came out all day.
I got out and walked around and what a dud the fair was, with a lot of lower-end shlock and dull postcards. Some watering cans with a ribbon on the handle were among the stupidest things I saw selling for God knows what. Some of the merchandise was manufactured and not hand made at all. The only decent crafts were the miniatures made by Country Folk Art in Monson. They also had dollhouse furniture and accessories.
I very much approve of the student portraits installed in the old Third National Bank. I hope the students were given registration certificates thanking them for exhibiting. At Northampton every dealer had a pretty business card. At West Springfield too many of the vendors had no card at all or one that looked like it might have been designed by an insurance salesman - no creativity at all.
I located a fair official in the gazebo, JoAnn, and told her that their merchandise suggests that a bunch of little old ladies are in charge and they should be fired and told to go run a church fair. I said if they must stay on, then they should be made to drink at least three shots of vodka before they are allowed to choose any merchandise for the fair. I said they should draw the line and say this is neither arts nor crafts. She politely thanked me for my comments and I gave her my card, figuring she had a right to know who was speaking to her.
Got a letter from UMass Professor Todd Crossett saying that the bylaws of the Baseball Corporation states that it is a non-profit, but is able to form companies from which directors and politically connected individuals could make lots of money. I called Crossett at 736-5136 and left a message thanking him for his letter. Tried to reach Anne Richard but her recorded message says she is away on vacation until August 18th. I called Aunt Maria and she isn't going to church. She sounded less disoriented than usual.
Eamon called and said Nader the Hatter's sister has found a house for the old man somewhere in the Acres. He also told me someone told him the anti-trust suit against the acquisition of the Hartford Advocate has been dropped because of the expense. I told Eamon how disappointing the craft fair was, and he said his nephew Patrick the Park Commissioner and his wife were selling lawn ornaments and flags there. He also told me how Spellacy told him that there were two break-ins on Ashland Avenue in two days, but still nothing in the media about the crime wave.
Mild, even cool day.
Up at 5:30am, out at 6:20am. Went downtown and parked on Salem in front of the Pastor's office and walked down to the Sheraton in my lace boots and orange suit. The Masslive Community Connections forum at the Sheraton was most pleasant. Masslive's current headquarters is on West Street in Northampton. Tables were set up for 120, with about fifty empty seats, so maybe 75 were there counting the presenters. Most people were dressed informally, only a couple of minorities were present.
The food was wonderful and I ate my main meal of the day there. They had coffee, cereal in little boxes, nice big sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs and homefried potatoes. I took a table right by the podium and some of the speakers came along and sat there too. Don Muse was in a sports coat and chino pants. The marketing lady was stunningly dressed and the most articulate of the three. Trish is a young blonde woman with her hair close cropped except on top. I asked if she was gay and she said yes.
It ended promptly at 8am, after which I left off my art memo for Griffith with a woman in Kilroy House at the Quad. On my way home I stopped at Louis & Clark and got the newspaper out of the trash. Then to the Goodwill in the Acres, where I bought a few books from Pat. On Birchland Mr. Cohn was outside so I paused and he told me he and his wife had been to a family reunion in the Carolinas. His son Zachary is back from Europe and is hoping to open a used bookstore in the Berkshires. He offered to go inside and get me some old copies of The Economist, but I said not to bother.
Spent time reading The First Book of Ethics. The black General Manager of Riverside Park was on TV talking about the accident on their ride. The TV also reported that MassMutual is laying off via early retirements. MassMutual currently has 3,700 working in Springfield and 1,100 in Hartford. Skate Scene in Chicopee is closing, the TV showed kids skating around on an immense wooden floor. They hope to reopen at some point.
Called Mrs. Allard and told her about the break-ins on Ashland Avenue. Called Patty at Patty's Antiques and she is still having medical problems but is improving. Called Eamon and we had a good chat. He says Nader the Hatter is selling their "ark of a house" and Nader's sister has found a new house for the old man in the Acres.
Very mild, down to the 40's last night.
Paul Marshall Murray is a "Book Monger and Paper Americanist" who wants "anything printed, painted, lithographed, etched, engraved or photographed....and the elusive oddment." He operates out of Wilbraham.
When I drove out to get some Scotch tape at Breckwood, the entrance to WNEC's Gateway Village was being fooled with and there was only one lane open. When I got back there was a thin package from Oak Knoll on the door handle. My GOP picnic reservation form also came today.
Called Myers of Forest Park Antiques and gave him the address of Law Exchange. I then called ex-rep Whitney at 10:15am and he answered, as always, "Fred Whitney speaking." I told him about the Masslive forum and suggested he create websites for the local Republicans and his church. He said he doesn't have a computer and concluded with, "Thank you, Attorney Miller."
Eamon called and said he went out to breakfast this morning with Nader the Hatter and his father at Jake's Diner on the corner of Worthington and Main. He thinks it's a clean place, but his scrambled eggs were not done right. They were the only customers at 8am, there are usually lots of customers from the Federal Building across the street. Nader paid for everybody. Eamon says Nader's father has aged considerably since the last time he saw him, but then Nader's father is now 83.
While walking back to where he was parked on Bridge, Eamon ran into Dick Osgood, the former Sports Editor for the Springfield Newspapers, who greeted him cheerfully. Osgood managed the Sports Department very well, but Larry McDermott pushed him aside, even though he had been with the paper since 1959. "That Larry McDermott has hurt a lot of people at that paper," Osgood said, noting how Jack Tilotson, Advertising Manager, was transferred to Pittsfield, and Don Ebbeling was transferred to Greenfield and later died in a car accident on his way to work. Dick further claimed that personnel changes are "done behind closed doors, they don't give you a hearing or anything." Osgood called McDermott "a real lightweight" and said he can "look you right in your face and lie."
Eamon went on to talk about his time in the late 50's as a Health Inspector, working alongside Harry Morin, who had trained at the Chicago stockyards and always carried a gun. One complaint was from a woman who found a mouse tail in a brownie from Daun Brothers Bakery at the X. They closed them up for that. In 1959 they closed The Fort briefly over a salmonella outbreak in which 27 people got sick. His friend Leo Gorman, a liquor salesman, was one of those who became ill.
Royal Meat Market in the North End, a Jewish operation, got caught selling spoiled swordfish. Eamon told them to throw it out, but when he paid a surprise return visit three hours later, it was still on sale. They eventually relocated to Winchester Square. Schermerhorn's also got caught selling bad fish, and Kresge's and McClellan's were also cited for various violations. Mayor Tommy O'Connor's brother was head of the Dairy Division, checking all the milk sold in Springfield.
Then there was the Springfield Rendering Company, a butcher shop that had mostly Puerto Ricans doing the really dirty work, hitting the animals in the head with a sledge hammer to kill them and cutting them up with a chain saw. Once Eamon caught them preparing to kill a cow that was so sick it couldn't stand up. They fined the owners, but I say why was nothing done to the farmer who tried to sell it?
Cool and overcast, there is a total lunar eclipse across Europe today.
During this day I ate a porkchop, some beans and potatoes in milk and three plums. I spent part of the morning fiddling with stock transactions. Barbara Corgan from Fleet Bank on Mill Street called saying she is only the Assistant Manager and I should talk to the Manager Cory Casden about the interest on my account.
I then went downtown to Bank of Boston where the black lady asked where my orange suit was so I showed her that at least I was carrying my papers in an orange bag. I was waited on by Ann M. Gadziala, an impeccably professional, highly competent, sweet elderly lady, a holdover from years ago who could not be duplicated today. She even offered to validate my parking ticket.
I stopped briefly to say hi to Brenda Branchini at Eros on Court Square. All her stylists wear lingerie. From there I peeked into Subway at five of noon, and saw a black woman licking her finger so I decided not to get a sandwich there today and went instead to Picknelly's smorgasbord for $7. I had fried fish and filled up on so much salad that I had no room for fruit.
Mail was here at 1:15pm, which included a pretty postcard from Mt. Holyoke. Rhona called from California trying to sell me Verbal Advantage, a vocabulary building program, for $400. I explained that I am an English teacher and I have no use for it and shall not be ordering it. I was annoyed that she called just as the TV news had started. Someone attacked a Jewish Community Center in California and urged people to "kill all Jews." I thought it remarkable that they would quote this on the air, which was tactless and foolish. I'm not in favor of censorship, but why say something like that? They had Mark Dindas, the local JCC Director, on at one point.
I notice that U.S. Factory Outlet is airing TV commercials. This evening I spoke with John M. Lovejoy of Wilbraham, a former selectman in that town. He said he thinks Vermont is just as racist as any other part of the country. I told him I would send him my article on how the Springfield Library improperly discards books.
Eamon called and said he got a thank you note from Thomas Moriarty for donating $25 to the Irish Cultural Center at Elms College. We then talked about the story in the paper about re-accrediting Commerce. He says his sources in the school tell him they still have an absentee rate of nearly 40% and that 70% of the students are performing below grade level. He read me a 1994 letter he received from Carmella Gray Bennett, saying that even back then Commerce was deficient in nearly every area of student performance. There has been concerns about Central High as well, but their accreditation is not in danger.
Downpour at 2:30am with lightening and thunder. First significant rainfall in weeks.
There will be no end of violence
War is inevitable
Real men wear boots
Wars are always holy.
Red-blooded boys like to fight
Fighting is a manifestation of sexuality
Pain is good
NPR said only half of President Clinton's legal bills have been paid and contributions dropped off dramatically after the impeachment trial. Most of the contributions came from California. TV22 says the police in Cambridge are taught that pepper spray is less effective against Latinos because their diet is strong in hot food. People are supposedly coming from all over the world to the Gem and Mineral Show on the Big E grounds, second largest such show in the country.
Maureen Turner has an article this week in the Advocate questioning the non-profit status of the Springfield Baseball Corporation. Turner notes that board members include Michael Graney, Craig Brown, Rep. Cheryl Rivera and Peter Picknelly and that there are several related sub-corporations that can accept profits. She asks, "Why would an organization that claims no interest in making a buck write its by-laws to make sure that it can?"
Mo Turner reminds us once again that it is the Valley Advocate which has kept a free press alive in this Valley. For true investigative reporting you have to rely on the Advocate. The Union-News gives us some of the news, but the Advocate gives us the news behind the news.
Drove out about 8:30am and paid the bills at Breckwood. Then to Angelo's, where I arrived just as he was putting things out so I got lots of nice fruit. Continued down Boston Road to the Big Y for corn flakes and milk. Across the street I had a steak and cheese bagel at McDonald's with a coupon.
When I got back there were a lot of cars parked in front of 100 Birchland. Finished reading The Reader's Digest Treasures of America (1974). It is a lovely book but uneven, arranged as if you were riding along a highway, making it hard to look things up. Started reading about Edwardian fiction.
The mail was a tad late, both Kelly and I went out to our boxes at the same time. She was dressed in sandals and shorts and said hello cheerfully. Dined this evening on a pork chop and fried onions. Eamon called, but no sooner had we began talking than someone rapped on his door so he had to go. He soon called back, telling me that Nader the Hatter has gone to Florida for two weeks. Eamon then recalled how in the old days of Pynchon Park and the Springfield Cubs there were normally seven or eight hundred people at a game, a thousand maximum. He doesn't see why a new park would draw any larger crowds.
Extremely misty this morning, didn't burn off until 10am.
The population of India is now 1 billion, only China has more people. Stanley Park in Westfield is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. Parking fines will go up to $10 in Northampton beginning September 15th. The crabgrass is coming in. I cooked up the peppers and tomatoes I got at Angelo's. I also had a ham and cheese Hot Pocket and some snacks throughout the day. I cleaned house and did a load of wash. Reading Upton Sinclair on higher education, a powerful book that deserves to be read. Kelly drove by in her tan Caddy. She seems more chipper since changing husbands.
TV22 is running a telephone poll on the stadium, but there is no limit on how many times you can call. Eamon told me he voted ten times! I called, and the recording asks, "Do you support the Mayor's proposal to build a stadium in the North End of Springfield?" Each call costs sixty cents. They were careful to call it "an unscientific poll." I called twice and each time a recorded voice responded and said, "Your NO vote has been registered. Thank you for calling." I called Mark Wiernasz at 22, the News Editor, and told him I had voted twice. He said he will "look into it."
The regular guy delivered the mail about 1:30pm. A wrong number called looking for Lasha and banged down the phone with no apology. A black woman named Michelle called from 746-0525. I told her she was calling at a very inconvenient time and she banged down the phone in my ear. So I called the number back and it was Springfield Mortgage at 20 Maple Street. I told her to never call here again and once again she slammed down the phone in my ear. Called Aunt Maria to see if she was okay and she said, "Well, if I had any problems you'd know about it."
This evening at 7pm there was a meeting about the baseball stadium at Central High in the auditorium. I didn't go, I have liked staying home this week. WFCR and the newspaper said about 100 attended. Karen Powell appeared in the TV coverage at 11pm and did very well. Also shown were Gus Weissman, Leon Moultre and Andrew Cohn. TV22 called it "a skeptical crowd that got a little rowdy."
At one point Brian Santaniello asked for a show of hands and most there opposed the stadium. I called Karen and she said Russ Denver of the Chamber spoke at the end and everybody got up and left without listening to him. Karen said her husband Bob was once asked to join because of his auto repair business, but declined because he feels the Chamber of Commerce has no interest in small businesses. I suggested there should be a junior chamber for small businesses with lower rates. She said Mo Turner was there but she didn't see Tom Devine.
Karen said that Mayor Albano confronted her after the meeting, shouting, "You're the person who was against me on needle exchange and the Civic Center!" However, Karen says she can't recall being involved in any controversy involving the Civic Center. Karen told me that Albano seemed seriously upset.
Ryan Green of Gulfport, Mississippi was told to keep his Star of David out of sight under his shirt, lest it be taken as a gang symbol. Naturally, there is a lawsuit. Oscar Bail & Son Shoe Store is closing in Holyoke after 110 years. Larry Fishbein ran Market Place Antiques on Dickinson Street in Springfield in 1996.
Channel 57 PBS had a segment on Poetry Slams and it was wonderful. I say it's a development of Rap and a recreation of the essentially oral nature of poetry going back to Homer and the Bards. My Ode to Springfield was to be performed either by punk goths or a Little Lord Fauntleroy innocent. Tom Finneran was in town today to endorse Righty Keough and on TV40 I thought I saw Eamon leaning against a pillar of Our Lady of Hope basement. They showed Mayor Albano greeting Finneran with a hug.
Also on 40 was a piece about Stuart Hurwitz being the Director of the Civic Center. TV22 released the results of their stadium poll - 31% support it and 69% are opposed. That's better than a 2 to 1 margin. I called Terry at TV22 to get the number of votes cast and she said the newsroom is very busy just now and to call back later. So I called back after an hour and she said they are not releasing that information nor would she say whether the number of participants were in the hundreds or the thousands.
The mail brought a thank you note from Patricia T. Keiser of Wilbraham for the photo of the Grand Opening of the Goodwill in the Acres. According to the 1984 Suburban Directory, she was a clerk at Mary Wentworth's in East Longmeadow. I called Massachusetts College (formerly North Adams State) which is described on page 89 of the Berkshire Guide as "offering a quality liberal arts experience." Sue in Admissions answered and I asked her, "Do you offer a major in the Classics?" She sputtered something about fine and performing arts so I said, "I'll ask the question again, do you offer a major in the Classics?" No, we do not. "Do you teach Latin or Greek?" No, we do not. "Madam," I declared, "if you do not teach Latin or Greek than you are definitely not a quality liberal arts college." She hung up on me.
Spoke to Arthur Bicknell at Merriam-Webster and he said they have never registered their paintings with the Smithsonian inventory, so I told him I would drop off the forms and he thanked me. Eamon called and admitted that it was him I saw leaning against the pillar at Our Lady of Hope. He said he spoke to Speaker Finneran briefly and told him the government shouldn't be the source of funding for sports stadiums and ballparks. Eamon then told me that his brother Raymond told him there are 27 sump pumps going in Genera School running at all times and in 1990 he saw the actual bill for electricity, which showed they were paying about $8,000 per month to keep the pumps going.
A very mild, pleasant day.
The news said that increasingly families are having only one child because it's less of a drain on their time and money and they can do more for the kid. They claim experts say that only children are not maladjusted and in fact are more likely to be intelligent and more patient.
Dined on two peaches, scrambled eggs, cold beets and two baked potatoes. Looking at some papers I found under some clothes in the first floor closet, I came across an old letter from Baystate to Mother from Dr. John P. Santoro explaining the damage done to Father's face during resuscitation efforts. When Father died they stuck a tube in his mouth and left it until rigor-mortise set in and his face was disfigured so he looked bad in his coffin.
I was amazed to see the return in the mail of the Mapplethorpe book by the Jewish Community Center. I assume that means they would rather see no more of me. I also got a nice letter from President Carol Leary, who told me that the summer\fall edition of Bay Pathway will mention Mother's death.
On TV22 tonight they had Karen Powell on saying that the the Stadium poll results vindicated the critics. The station tried to contact Mayor Albano about the results but he was "unavailable for comment." In the past I've urged the Powell's to get to know Eamon, but they did not so Eamon called her himself and when I spoke to Karen briefly today she said she is glad to have gotten to know him.
Eamon himself called later and said he spoke to Mark Wiernasz at TV22, who told him he didn't know how many voted in the Stadium poll but it was "in the thousands." To Eamon that suggested there was only two or three thousand voters. He also told me that Mark had mentioned to him that I had called earlier on the same subject. Eamon said the poll shows that the arrogant and condescending letter from Jack Briggs was incorrect in his statement that the people of Springfield want to build a stadium
Overcast, sprinkled a bit.
The Peregrine Falcon has been removed from the endangered species list. Is it time to put human beings on the endangered list? In 2003 Rice will be a 100 year old farm and they said on TV they want to keep it going at least until then. The media said there has been Wilbraham Peach Festivals for fifteen years. Does that mean this is the 15th or the 16th?
Received a letter from Rosemary O'Donoghue, Director of the Writing and Reading program at WNEC, declining my offer to teach composition. Also got a check from Traveler's, but no explanation for the delay. I invested half an hour straightening it out and tied up my phone line, turning away Eamon and not calling others. I called Mo Turner and left a message that I have mailed her some material, including an envelope to give to Tom Vannah. I found a letter today among those I found in the closet dated October 20, 1941 from Clayton E. Dunham that includes "best wishes to John Wesley Miller III."
I have hardly gone out at all this week and staying home has been good. I called Eamon and told him I was bringing some stuff over. He said he wouldn't be home, but told me to look at his new fence. When I dropped off the stuff his car was in fact in his garage. I think he doesn't like to see me too often and that's okay. On my way out I dropped off some magazines at the Cohn's. Next I made copies at Breckwood and put out the mail with Joanne. Momma Debbie and a little blond girl were home when I left some material for Tom Devine with them.
I swung by Merriam-Webster and left the forms for Bicknell with a man named Robert, a mature white man in casual wear and mahogany tasseled shoes. Paused at the frame shop and took a picture of Jeff. Then I parked in the Visitor's Lot of the newspapers and left with a black lady named Sylvia some envelopes addressed to Starr and McDermott. At the Chamber of Commerce I dropped off items for Denver and Herrala. In the Monarch lobby I left a leaf for Picknelly with officer Dave. I also left something for the Mayor at City Hall with his black receptionist. Stopped by Attorney Berman and asked him what he thought of my orange suit as I gave him a copy of my Seminal Document on the History of Western Bullshit. He is always gracious.
Then over to Hurwitz and left an envelope with manager Jeff. Got the latest newsletter at Just Friends and then headed back to the car. The Republican picnic was today, I was hoping it would rain so I wouldn't have to go. I prepaid $12, but last year it only cost $10. I wore my full orange uniform, and got my iron collar on the first try. I wore my "We're Here/We're Queer/Get Used to It" button and also brought along my signed etching of Calvin Coolidge for people to see.
Same place, same set-up this year, no literature about candidates or anything else. The picnic was catered by Outlook Farm, with their small truck parked on the side. There was no corn, no clams, even for those who were willing to pay more. Beer was free, although they had a container for tips to which I made no contribution. They had rotini salad and cole slaw. No baked beans, but there were hot dogs in rolls with potato chips. I took two dogs and a bag of chips to go with my beer. They were grilling hamburgers but I had none. It was a rip-off.
I didn't count noses but saw no black ones. Iris Holland was not there this year. No Brian Lees. Fred Whitney was there, of course, jovial and with a big smile as usual. Brian Santaniello came over to admire the Coolidge portrait, and was polite even after I told him that Eamon thinks he's a toady who does everything Albano says. I heard one woman from Westfield say she thought Santaniello was a Democrat. I replied, "Madam, Springfield politics are more perverted than I am."
Mary Kaufman said she thought with my orange suit that I was an escaped convict! I told her I am in a pre-admission program. Chatted with Marshall Moriarty, he said he's an Amherst grad and currently practicing labor law. I told him that Amherst College has a major archive about the 60's counterculture. Paul Flannery of the City Committee spoke to me about the importance of Coolidge to the modern conservative movement. When I finished eating, I left and in all was only at the GOP picnic for about 45 minutes.
Overcast this morning, rain the rest of the day.
On the TV40 news this evening they showed Richard Garvey writing a check for $2,300 for a document signed by Calvin Coolidge that he got in an auction for the benefit of Memorial Hall. He is going to give it to the Coolidge Room in the Forbes Library. That suggests my etching with the president's signature is worth at least $3,500.
Rebecca Lobo was on Celebrity Jeopardy tonight, a local girl done good. Promise Keepers are meeting in Connecticut this weekend, their first meeting in Connecticut. Still reading about Edwardian fiction. The Reverend Gordon P. Scruton of Springfield has a letter in the paper today speaking against the attempted killings at the Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles.
I have a good crop of plums this year, half on the ground and half still in the tree. I will pick them tomorrow morning if it is dry. Dined today on wax beans, potatoes, ham sandwiches and melon. I drove out about 8am and made copies at Pride in the Acres. The blue awning decorations are up at the Goodwill, but I didn't go in.
Then to the Eastfield Mall, where the renovations on the cinemas are all done and looks real nice. The carpeting is down inside and there were men putting the finishing touches on the wall paint. Got a free calculator from the mall office and then joined a large crowd watching a magician extricate himself from a straight jacket. I dropped off a few things with Eamon, who told me he read that there are 45 restaurants in Northampton. Then down Liberty to the post office, followed by a return to the Point in order to get some lovely melon halves at Angelo's.
Banner check came in the mail, along with the Vermont paper and a statement from Bank of Boston. I called Aunt Maria and told her about the mention of Mother in the Baypath alumni magazine. She said she was "surprised" by that and reminded me that she doesn't want me to have anything to do with her funeral. She then went on to say other negative things so I wished her a nice day and terminated the call. I then called Jack Fritscher at International Leather and left a message asking for his flyer of videos and books and also asked him where the most sadistic monasteries are. See what kind of reply I get.
Overcast and temperature below normal.
In San Francisco, NORML is trying to get marijuana legalized, as is Governor Gary Johnson in New Mexico. Massachusetts is one of five states now declared Federal drought disaster areas for farmers. Today's paper has a full page ad of all the musical groups appearing at the Calvin in Northampton. Very impressive. The paper also had a very nasty editorial on the stadium, stating that the Citizen Action Network (CANE) should stand for Citizens Against Nearly Everything. There is also an article about Hurwitz taking control of the Civic Center.
Today I found, in some papers from his estate, Father's Firearm Identification card from 1976. I picked a quart of plums this morning, then mailed something at Louis & Clark to Carol A. Leary. I got today's Republican out of the trash can in front of Fred's Shoes. From there I dined at the McDonald's on Allen Street using a coupon for a steak, cheese and egg bagel and glanced at a Boston Herald that was laying around, then headed out to Wilbraham. I paused at the Acres Big Y and stole a Peach Festival poster they had taped to their front window. At the end of Tinkham Road there was a big sign directing everyone to the Wilbraham Peach Festival. The funeral home is putting up an out building, clear of the carport.
Arriving at the park, there was a sign saying Parking $2, but I got in free as the parking attendant in an orange shirt told me that parking is free for all who arrive before 10:30am. I went in full black with my purple jockey shorts. When I walked into the Festival, I found a large tent with a long line of at least 100 people waiting to get pancakes at the St. Cecilia's Pancake Breakfast. The peaches they were serving on the pancakes came out of large, restaurant size cans of Libby's Peaches. Mr. Peach was greeting the people waiting in line, and I asked him what he thought of them serving Libby's canned peaches instead of fresh. He sputtered and then walked away without commenting.
I walked around and there were lines of food booths in the back. United Church was serving peach ice cream, but they were not doing much business. The Rice's were just opening their stand, I chatted with them briefly and 2000 will be their 100th anniversary year. There were also schlock crafts booths, the best one had jewelry boxes in wild colors for $15.95. It was the best thing there but too expensive. There were a number of children's games and a space for performers. I saw only a preacher there using that performance space, preaching to an audience of one.
There was a nice display of antique farm machinery, which was the only thing really worth going to the Festival for, and after I looked that over well I left for home. When I got back, I had a Budget Gourmet Fried Rice Dish for dinner, which was quite good. Eamon called, and said he saw me on TV22 looking at the farm machinery and said he thought the outfit I was wearing "looked excellent." I suspect Eamon would like to dress more colorfully then he does but can't bring himself to do it. Eamon told me his nephew Gary Sullivan is now Director of Community Relations for the Fire Department. Eamon wondered what happened to the Fire Officer who used to do that? He also blasted the paper for its "one sided editorial" on the stadium and called the Hurwitz Civic Center article "a puff piece."
On the early TV22 News weatherman Adam Strempko said it was 57 degrees in 16 Acres according to their Weatherwatcher Les Maynard, but I can't find him in the phone book. Wilbraham had their Peach Festival fireworks last night. I see they have been putting new curbing all along the front of Western New England College this week.
Frank Faulkner, owner of Hungry Hill magazine, is a former city editor for The Springfield Newspapers. I came across an old notice today revealing that Birchland Avenue was paved by the city in 1958. I also found a Springfield Safe Deposit and Trust Company car fund receipt from 1949, plus a 1949 bill from Automobile Sales Company of 95 Liberty Street, whose motto was, "Service As You Need It." I also found a document for the 1953 Ford from the Arthur E. Center at 500 Columbus Avenue. The car documents were in Father's estate settlement papers.
First thing I drove downtown, where I never found a copy of today's paper in the trash cans on Main Street. Parked on Salem and got to the Westfield Bank just as they were opening. When I went inside, Jill Cameron greeted me as "Attorney Miller" and gave me their latest interest rate. Then to the Bank of Boston, where I was able to get Mrs. Cadsiala again and talked to her about a $25,000 certificate. I asked what interest they're paying and she said 5.75. I also stopped briefly at Hampden Bank.
When I was back on Main I stood for awhile and watched the city come to life. I saw Nader the Hatter's old client, the dapper, smart dressing black man walking along Main with his customary cane and an orange-brown outfit and Panama hat. So he's still around, I haven't seen him for ages.
I then headed to the Jewish Community Center to have lunch with Irving Cohn's group which he has been attending for 22 years. It consisted of 12 men in a small room where I counted 12 men. I could hear quite well. Mr. Cohn, who was dressed in grey sneakers, white shorts and a polo shirt, said that four regulars were missing. I toned down my act for him and wore my tweed sportscoat and a white nylon shirt with jeans.
The featured speaker was Paul Keller, who went with his wife on a week's tour of Poland, where his parents were from but he himself had never been before. Neither he (nor Mr. Cohn, who is of Polish ancestry) know Polish though both speak broken Yiddish. Paul Keller said he is 80 and his wife (who taught reading and English at Buckingham in the 60's) is 75. The luncheon was lovely: Tea, tossed salad in a cereal bowl with cheese and radishes in it with a scoop of tuna salad and French bread served right out of the oven, but without butter. Afterward I chatted with Mr. Cohn and his friends for a bit, Cohn is a somewhat learned man who had read widely and filled in several points regarding which Keller indicated he had no knowledge. I left and got home at 2:05pm.
The mail brought a Wisconsin Academy newsletter with a mention of Mary Gard on page 3. I took a nap, and when I woke up I put on my orange jumpsuit and iron collar to attend the Sacco-Vanzetti rally. The last time I went to one of these events it was several years ago at St. Mary's Parrish Hall. I left for St. Michael's at 4:45pm, arriving at the Bishop Marshall Center just after 5pm and went in. I made a $5 donation at the registration table and paid $3 for a booklet. They had t-shirts and buttons for sale but they were unexciting so I passed them up. At the back of the room they had long tables with food, including clam rolls, but I sampled only some nuts and dried fruit. There were also cookies, crackers and cheese.
TV 40 was already there, along with the paper's young, thin female photographer, but TV22 didn't arrive until Warren Tolman was in the middle of his speech. I gave my card to Monsignor Snolzyk and exchanged cordial greetings with Atty. J. Thompson. He was wearing a t-shirt as always, looking the same with a ponytail although he has gained weight. Michaelann Bewsee was there, but I saw no one else from ARISE.
Fran Gagnon and her husband were there. Beth Simon, who sometimes has letters in the paper, is a small, elderly woman who proudly pointed to her Gay Rights pin. She also praised my marijuana leaf button. The only person from the Law School was Professor Wolfe. I saw Mayor Albano talking and laughing with Cheryl Rivera and Frank Keough, but he didn't wave when he spotted me. Albano was no supporter of Rivera when she ran for the legislature, but they surely seem like chums now.
Albano spoke briefly at the beginning, then left before the speeches got underway. Tolman was wonderful, he and Scott Harshbarger should have been elected, I voted for them 1998. Award presenter Kathy Grady is very able, but she slipped in an anti-Protestant line. It is unfortunate that the Irish figure that people with English names are their enemies. The award was named after Rev. Ken Childs, who was a major anti-death penalty activist. The winners were Pat Bresnahan and Jim Curran for their production of They're Irish, They're Catholic, They're Guilty about Irish immigrants wrongly executed in Northampton. Some folk music was sung by Verne McArthur. Sister Carol Allen, chubby and vivacious in a butch haircut, was interesting and inspiring. As the program ended, they made a point of noting that there was much more food, but I exited directly, the first to do so.
When I got home I watched the news coverage on TV40, but there was little about the actual gathering. They interviewed Sen. Brian Lees, whom I didn't know was there, along with Cheryl Rivera, but nothing about the event itself or the participants, not even a shot of the audience. Later, Eamon called and told me he spoke with Donna from the paper and she sold him 28 weeks for $7.00, which is 25 cents per paper. I told Eamon about the rally, he said he hates to think of innocent people being executed and believes that life in prison without parole is a crueler and therefore better punishment.
Another lovely day, gas is $1.19 at Alden.
On TV57 a requester of funds raised the ethnic stereotype that "loyalty and respect" are things that Italians value highly. The implication was made that that Italian viewers should show loyalty and respect to public television by pledging.
Loyalty and respect are indeed very important (I'd call them part of common courtesy) but there are other things that are important too, and above all is professionalism. For the benefit of any Italians I'll say there's more to it than loyalty and respect - honesty, truthfulness, candor when necessary, tact when possible and professionalism all work together in an ongoing way as parameters of democratic dialogue.
Drove out just before 9am and my first stop was the Breckwood Shops to put out mail, then across the street to Dunkin Donuts for a Coolatta (raspberry and lemon) with a jelly donut on a 99 cent coupon. It was okay, but I wouldn't pay full price.
From there I headed to Doyle the Twig Painter's with a pile of copyright forms. I found the door standing open, the air conditioner dripping and he at his desk, his shirt off and his famous paintings on the wall. The gallery was crammed with the furniture he hauls out front when he works outside. He thanked me graciously for the forms and said he was working on a painting for a client who seemed to be throwing around money, which made him suspect he may be a drug dealer or in organized crime.
He said he left $300 as a down payment on two paintings. Doyle then heard nothing more from him and yesterday was told his client is in jail. Doyle asked what I thought he should do. I said if he ever gets out of jail and comes by Doyle should return the money saying the account has been dormant so he is returning the cash and then thank him for his interest in Doyle art. The Twig Painter said that was a good idea.
Then down to the WMTW Credit Union, where they are currently offering a 6 point yield on 60 months or more. Unfortunately Ann Rebello, the lady who waited on me, didn't know what to do so I gathered up my paperwork and departed. From there I went over to the Union-News and bought the Sunday and Monday papers because they have things I want to read in them. The Sunday paper as handed to me had no grocery store flyers in it.
I had intended today to be my next-to-last visit to Riverside for the season, but it turned out to be my last, as I was ejected for my purple shorts. I arrived sometime between 10 and 11am and got right in as there was no one in the season pass line. I noticed that attendants were giving what looked like coupons to people who paid, but as a season pass holder I got nothing. Right inside they had a hearse promoting Halloween events. I walked around and overheard a couple of teenagers talking about joining the National Guard but they were afraid of boot camp. I interjected and told them that it is just "a goofy summer camp" and only lasts three months.
The Blizzard River ride is still down. Time Warp had a long line. I walked over to the Water Park, which was jammed with people. As I was turning to leave, a tall park security guard approached me, promptly followed by a chubby man in a white polo shirt. He said he was Brian Kokotajlo (strange name) and ordered me to remove my purple shorts. He asked if there was anybody with me and I said no. He then asked to see my season pass and when I handed it to him he declared that he was confiscating it.
In retrospect, I was far too friendly and co-operative with a man whose intention was to ban me from the park simply because my attire didn't fit with the rest of the clientele. He mentioned having been told that they had "trouble with me before for wearing chains." I told him I was just about to leave and he said, "You're darn right you'll be leaving" then informed me I was trespassed from the park for a year. I asked what the charge was and he replied "disorderly conduct." I asked, "What did I do that was disorderly?" He didn't reply.
I asked for a refund for my pass and he curtly said no. I was then escorted through a back passage to the Security Office. The officer began fishing some forms out of the desk drawer and I asked if I was being arrested. He said no but demanded my ID. I gave it to him. I then asked again why I was being ejected and he replied, "Trespassing." I asked, "Which is it, disorderly conduct or trespassing?" He said nothing.
All this time another security guard was leaning on the doorway to the office. I asked him for a list of rules and regulations and was told they would be mailed to me. He seemed to hesitate when he realized I was an attorney and I told him I see a pattern of them making up rules just for me. "Aren't I entitled to a warning before I lose my pass?" No. Then he asked me, "What were you doing at the Water Park?" I replied that I was just looking around. "At all the children in their bathing suits?' he asked, implying I was a person who might molest them.
I was then escorted to the exit and drove myself home, having been told that if I was spotted in the park again anytime in the next year I would be arrested. I showed him the pink triangle I was wearing and told him I was leaving under protest and believed I was being harassed because I am gay. Naturally he denied that he was discriminating against me. However, it was clear that I was expelled and stripped of my pass by unwritten rules. In all I spent about a half hour in the Security Office.
The mail was here when I got home, unusually early. It included a note from Team Albano inviting me to join his signature drive to get on the ballot. After collecting signatures we are invited to go to An Elegant Affair at 1380 Main Street for "hamburgs, hot dogs, beer and soda." My phone ID showed that Chris Demetrios called three times, so I called back and got a recorded message saying that I had reached Cricket's Corner Salon Arts and Crafts. I called back later and a woman answered and I told her I had gotten several calls from her number. "I'm sorry," she replied, "It must have been one of the children." Afterwards I looked them up in the phone book and found no such place listed, although there is a Cricket's Corner Learning Center in Chicopee.
Dined on a Swanson Meat Loaf Dinner tonight. Eamon called and said ZPG has just released their rating of Kid Friendly Cities. All the top cities were out west, with Springfield rated 75th out of 112 cities for an overall grade of C-minus. In the Education category, Springfield got a D. TV22 and 40 had stories about it and Regina was on claiming that they used 1990 figures and things have improved since then. Eamon told me he found a 1983 $3 refund check from the Springfield Newspapers and he has no idea what it was for. I told him I'll give him $3 for it and he is saving it for me. Unknown called at 11:52pm.
Overcast and a shower at 2pm.
The Dow closed at 11,326 today, an all time high. When will the bubble burst? Yesterday the FED raised interest rates by a quarter point. TV22's Lydia K. was floating up the valley this evening on the Hood blip. The Congamond Lakes are being treated for algae. An oak on the Allard's treebelt at 1455 Wilbraham Road has died.
They unveiled the preliminary sketches for the new courthouse in the paper. William Matlock of Holyoke has a letter in the paper stating that the baseball stadium is a great idea, but they should find a different site, asking, "Is it really necessary to build this thing downtown?"
My white Delilah has been blooming for three days. I just discovered that my 1939 Methodist hymnal has a a bookplate for St. James Methodist Church on the bottom front cover. No relatives tried to visit me this summer.
Three peaches for breakfast, started mowing the lawn about 9am, having gotten up at 6:30am. Finished lawn at 10:50am. While I was out a big black fellow with a poly-sci degree from Syracuse came by asking the way to WNEC Law. Later, a man in a light tan car stopped to ask directions to Manny's. I took my Polish grammar book down to Mr. Cohn. Mrs. Cohn let me in, she doesn't smile at me anymore, still mad that I didn't write a recommendation for Myra. However, Mr. Cohn seemed delighted to see me and was very friendly. He offered me tea but I declined.
Then to Louis & Clark to put out the mail, which included a note to Reverend Scahill. Also a thank you note to Sandra Carlson of Evangelical Covenant Church. I got today's paper out of the trash can outside Louis & Clark. Next over to Angelo's and got tomatoes and peaches, but the man said they had no beans. I also got some butter and sugar corn. Then to Food Mart for milk and chicken noodle soup, but there were many good specials so I got a dozen eggs for 50 cents, three frozen pizzas for $6 and ended up spending over $20 dollars.
The mail came early today and included a nice note from Patrica T. Keiser thanking me for the pictures I gave her of the Goodwill Grand Opening. Linda Muehlig, Curator of Painting and Sculpture at Smith College Museum of Art, sent me a letter saying she couldn't identify the floral still life I sent her, but she said it appears to be by a local artist inspired by Martin Johnson Heade. Got the Valley Advocate while I was out and have read Maureen Turner's wonderful article on the ten reasons to oppose the baseball stadium. I left word on Maureen's answering machine, telling her that her article is splendid. Her tape said she is gone for the week so she must be on vacation. Only a week?
Eamon called and said he also mowed his lawn today. He started out recalling how he had belonged to Zeta Chi fraternity at Amherst College, but then seemed reluctant to talk much about it, saying only that "there were incidents." While at Amherst, Eamon said he worked at the Bosch running a tool crib. Eamon is mad that the paper wrote nothing about the ZPG study showing that Springfield is not a child-friendly city, despite the stories that appeared about it on the local TV stations. He also said he liked Turner's latest article, and said he hears the land taking vote will be postponed while Councilors Tim Rooke and Dan Kelly check out a stadium in Connecticut.
Eamon also told me he got a long letter from Paul Caron praising Righty Keough. Eamon advised me that it would be futile for me to apply for a job with the Springfield Public Schools, claiming that "all the teaching positions are political, you can't get hired without insider help." He says Nader the Hatter's sister is a secretary at SciTech, and Eamon hopes she can provide him with insider info about why their principal had to leave after just nine months. After Eamon hung up, a wrong number called asking, "Is Tom there?"
Overcast, some sprinkles.
A $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the return of Grace Coolidge's engagement ring. The diamond ring was stolen last month from an exhibit at the Vermont Historical Society. TV22 says only two City Councilors have said they will support the land taking for the stadium.
In my orange overall and boots, I drove over to the Breckwood Shops at 9am. An old man washing windows outside looked aghast and frowned at my orange duds. No Valley Advocates at Louis & Clark and no Springfield papers in the outside trash can. The trash cans at Breckwood have been looking rather tacky, but this morning they have all been replaced with new containers that look much better. Next stop was Pride in the Acres where I made copies for a nickle each. I also got a poster addressed to Springfield College students looking for a 2 bedroom furnished lakefront house in Ludlow.
Then to Fernbank where I arrived at 10:17am and stayed about ten minutes. Maynard Road is nicely paved up to King Drive and the foot of the hill. At Fernbank the tarp is still on the roof of the garage and everything is still closed up okay. There is lush vegetation everywhere with a sign for a dirt bike for sale over at Riley's. On the way back I saw that the Candaras Law Office right across from the Wilbraham Police Station is closed while on vacation.
I then went to the Eastfield Mall, and found workmen putting the finishing touches on things at the Cinema. They said there was a Grand Opening party last night. I paid to go inside to see the Witch movie, despite Sy Becker giving The Blair Witch Project only one star and calling it "the kind of rubbish they release every year at the end of August." The Eastfield Cinemas are lavish, it seems movie theaters are returning to their former sense of elegance. There were 25 patrons watching the movie with me.
The film itself was awful. Three students go out to document rumors about a witch in some isolated woods. In the end they arrive at a decaying house where we gather they are killed but aren't actually told so. An amateurish film, probably by a recent graduate and basically just a piece of junk. When it was over, several uniformed kids came in and swept up the popcorn and other litter before the next showing. The kids taking tickets were white, but the clean-up crew were all Latinos. I probably should have seen Universal Soldier or The Muse. As I left and was crossing the parking lot, two young guys rolled by in a little black car and honked and waved. Maybe they read the Advocate and know who the Orangeman is.
Dined on tomatoes on toast and a chicken leg. I called Westfield State, which has been advertising again on TV. I spoke to Maryann who put me in touch with Priscilla Haskins and I ashed whether they teach Latin. She replied that they teach "no foreign languages anymore, there wasn't sufficient interest in them." I called Eamon, who recalled visiting Liberty Methodist Church years ago and how he "loved the organ" and said the lady minister was a very good singer. I told him about going to Fernbank and he said what my camp needs is some "Jewish Lightning." Of course I would never think of burning it down, I only mention it because I had never heard that term for arson before.
Misty in the morning, then sunny, hot and humid.
The newspaper insists that the riverfront won't do for the stadium because it is inaccessible. They have made up their minds and won't budge. The Evangelical Covenant Church on the corner of Bradley and Plumtree Road has a banner up saying that they are showing the film Return of the Man From Snowy River.
I drove out at 9am and got today's paper out of the trash can in front of Louis & Clark at Breckwood. In my purple pants suit I drove out to Eastfield Mall and came through the Cinema where workers were holding the doors for those who entered. Sauntered through Eastfield and then left for Cat's Paw, where they had nothing new.
Then to Randall's where they had an enormous basket of shell beans at $1.49 per pound. I bought $2.03 worth, but the clerk only asked for two dollars. Then I drove over to Food Mart and bought an additional $10 worth of discounts like stuffing and pizza. In the front door of the newly closed Caldors is a Help Wanted sign for Spag's "Where Shopping is an Adventure." At the former Mikara's a dumpster is out front and there is a For Rent sign up. At the Sixteen Acres Library the Boston Road end has roofing system support beams all in place.
Mail was skimpy, brought by the regular Saturday man just before noon. It did include the Fall 1999/2000 program of the Tuesday Morning Music Club noting the death of Mother among a couple of others on the inside of the back cover. The DAR gave no recognition to Mother, though I suppose she was a bad girl because the resigned even though she gave them a farewell donation. That is discourteous, and I am thinking of writing them at some point.
I dined on some nice butter and sugar corn as well as some peaches and plums. Called Aunt Maria and told her I would be visiting sometime in the next few weeks. Does she need anything? No, but then she asked if I had any bottles of Mother's perfume. I told her Mother left about ten bottles behind and I would bring her one. I also told her to remember that she can call me anytime.
Lovely, mild day in the 70's.
The basic problem of students is reading skills. Back at Heidelberg I used to begin each course with a full hour lecture on how to study. Kids can't read and that's a big part of why they do poorly in college.
I spent today reading Susan C. Cloninger's Theories of Personality (1993). It is a history of psychology and a summary of the leading theorists. I didn't read all of it, but I read in every single chapter and marked the key passages. On page 113, Cloninger says straight out that the world is over-populated. I also listened a bit to the radio and heard Bruckner's Symphony #9 which seemed quite good.
I drove out around 8am and got a breakfast sandwich at Burger King with a coupon. It's a croissant with sausage and cheese on it. I read the paper while I was there. Earlier there was so much trash in the cans down at Breckwood that I couldn't find any newspapers.
I dined on half a Tony's pizza, fruit, corn flakes, a light eating day. The evening news had a story that there were eight fatalities in amusement parks this summer. Got a wrong number from a sophisticated sounding woman but she did not say she was sorry. Another wrong number came from Phillip C. Keegan at 783-7847, he apologized. Eamon called and I told him about the movie. He mentioned how he retired on 70% of his salary.
There was a big fire on Elm Street in Holyoke last night. Apparently two youths started the fire, which damaged the beautiful edifice of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The adjacent school had only slight damage. I recall that there was another Victorian French church, Precious Blood, which was demolished just a few years ago. The kids who started the fire should be put to work for the rest of their lives as slaves. Slavery should be permitted under certain circumstances, and I believe this is one.
Another lovely, mild day.
Walter Jackson Bate, the literary critic, has died in Boston. I have little bugs invading my breezeway. They crawl all over the walls near the floor. I traced them to a sack of Frank's All Season Wild Bird Food and dumped it in the trash. Hampden Savings is advertising their 5.5% rate in The Reminder. Anne Staniski Flentje got divorced in August 1987.
I drove out early and put out the mail at Louis & Clark. They had no Valley Advocates in their doorway nor Springfield papers in their trash. Then to Bank of Western Mass and deposited $7,600. Picked up some photos at Walmart on Boston Road, including ones of the Powell's at Northgate, Nader the Hatter and his father berrying and Pat Keiser at the opening of the Goodwill in the old Acres A&P.
Went to see Universal Soldier: The Return. It had good acting, good special effects and the word "fuck" was used only once by a computer. But it was wall to wall violence with more broken glass than I can ever recall seeing anywhere. Based on my wide reading in serious military books, the film is essentially garbage.
Came home by way of Evangelical Convent Church and they have sitting in their doorwell a new aluminum steeple in three parts. A Home Depot circular came in the mail. Also got an invitation from the Quality Paperback Book Club, who once gave me the bum's rush but now say they miss me and want me back. Nothing from the Giroux family thanking me for my condolence. Dined on Swedish meatballs and the rest of the peppers.
Spent the evening reading and getting the papers ready for recycling tomorrow. Eamon called and told me he was in Belchertown yesterday taking a real estate lady to dinner. He also stopped by Randall's for a blueberry pie and some cranberry nut bread. Not much business, so he asked the owner how things are going and he said they are having difficulties but things are getting better. Eamon recalled how he used to get wheat berry bread at Arnold's day old bakery shop behind Angelo's all the time. He also mentioned that Righty Keough's election night party was at the Van Horn Spa.
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