A Long and Fun Day and it ain't over yet - Mom, The Demings, New Shoes

Here's my article on Weinrich's Bakery in my town of Willow Grove PA.

Fortuitously, I popped over to the bakery and saw this magnificent cake they were making for the closing ceremonies of the Willow Grove Naval Air Base.

The Lansdale branch of American Heritage Federal Credit Union

To remind myself of what to do I often send myself an email. This morning's read:

PAY BILLS - VISIT MOM AT NOON

I wait till the very last day before I pay all my bills. That's so my account will make pennies of interest, so I can buy penny candy and penny stamps.

Oh, I forgot.

Here, for your edification, is the breakdown of my $900-some bills:

Who else would tell you this stuff but Your Little Ruthie!

PECO (gas n electric)

AQUA (wawa - the single best line in The Miracle Worker. I always bawl during that scene, Patty. Hey, go off your meds like I did and see if you're cured like me. Check w/ your doc first)

MEDIGAP - picks up the slack for what Medicare doesn't pay

ABINGTON ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY - handsome Dr Mancini diagnosed me w/ arthritis in the neck. I saw Margaret Fitzpatrick,the great,who gave me neck-ercises, which I do many times a day and the neck is good. Function, not looks.

DOYLESTOWN HOSPITAL where I got my useless epidural for sciatica, which was so bad today I was forced to take a Percocet

VERIZON BILL FOR RUTH AND FOR NEW DIRECTIONS - The County picks up the tab, so I must take the bills over to the Giant Supermarket to make 15-cent copies of each

COMCAST, my Internet provider

PEERLESS AUTO INSURANCE

Since I can't do the math, I call up my bank and ask them to add up the sums for me.

For easy math, I submit it to the Goggle search engine and they do it for you.

Hope you know about this fantastic feature.

Mom has a beautiful living room. She's got two early paintings from my cousin Mark.

Another one of Mark's paintings, this one a take-off on a work of an early master. Due to taking Prograf, my hands constantly shake. The visiting nurse said I can do exercises that would help it.

After writing my poem about Aunt Ethel, I looked around the room for things that my aunt gave mom in her will. She had no children.

Like something you'd find in a museum. Aunt Ethel's.

Guess who's coming for lunch at Gram's?

Nicole surprised us all. Last nite she went to Mercury's Tattoo Parlor in Glenside. Her tattoo is Hebrew for GRACE! This terrific gal honors her husband's Jewish heritage.



I can't believe I forgot to take a photo of my handsome son, Dan, and his darling bride Nicole. Sometimes babies can mesmerize you.

Mom and I drove to Trevose Shoes on Brownsville Road in Trevose PA. She'd ordered a pair of comfortable shoes there so we picked em up and I bot a trio of comfies myself for quite a bundle. Don't worry I'll let you see my credit card statement when it comes.

Meal planning is essential when you have diabetes like I do. My visiting nurse, John, was subbing for Grace, and gave me some great food tips.

From now on, I'll only buy whole wheat pasta. They like you to keep a food diary but I'll tell YOU what I had for dinner:

Shrimp dipped in cocktail sauce I made w/ Heinz organic ketchup (who knew?) and Gold's beet horseradish.

Tomato products were forbidden when I only had two kidneys.

Steamed brussels sprouts w/ three red bliss potatoes.

Potatoes strictly forbidden, except when I went to Spain and had the most magnificent taters ever!!!

Salad with everything in it. Dressing of fresh lemon and olive oil.

Just walked Scott thru the backyard to the path where he'll walk up Davisville Road to the train station.

While everyone is getting ready for bed, Scott is minding the trains for SEPTA.

Coming home this morning, he was on a train where the electricity didn't work - no A/C and no lights. He didn't care. He was gonna sleep.

What was wrong w/ the train, I asked.

It's really old, he said. At least forty years.

Gee, imagine having an automobile that long.

Hey! I said. Maybe it was an old Budd train!

Could be, he said.

Budd was the chief supplier of SEPTA regional rail cars and many other trains across the US. Everything, however, has a lifespan, and Budd ain't no more.

My bank, which I wrote about above, was originally the credit union for Budd employees.