It now resides with son George R. Elliston 2nd. Here it is shown reversed to read.

 

Saturday, June 12, 2004 7:21 AM 48 Deg at LVIA and 47.8 in the bus stop.
It looks as though it is going to be a beautiful day, today.  I shall soon be heading for the park bench with my coffee. This morning the blood glucose is 127 and the weight 201.
We went for our walk this morning and it was a glorious walk it.  Dr Nicholson beeped at us on his way to make his rounds at the hospital. It is simply a wonderful day to be alive.
This is the Lehigh Gap Historical Society’s big Heritage day for their festival in the Borough Park. They have been scurrying about since last year planning for these festivities.                                   
 
  
    We were down this morning looking around. They had a very good display of memorabilia from many places. I took some pictures and have most of them in here.
    This afternoon I went to PMPA for a swim. I promised Queen faithfully if it was too cold, I would get out. It was far from that. The water temperature was 74 degrees. Golly, today I had my act all together and it went as smooth as glass. It was marvelous. I had my first 20 continuous laps with no problems and could have done more. Tommy came up for a swim after he got back from Portland Pa on another day of archaeological Indian relic digging.        I realize that these pictures may seem out of place here but we parked in the Pencor parking lot. It brought back many memories for me. This is some of my “personal heritage”. Ha!!
 When I was still working at The Palmerton Printing Company, in the late 1930s and early 1940’s, many moons ago, one of my less savory jobs was the re-melting and re-casting of the type metal into ingots. The Palmer Water Co. owned this building. It had a connecting breezeway or open carport between the two buildings. The breezeway was about at the end of the fence shown above. Herb Kudlich and Lester White had their offices in there.
Herb’s office building has been torn down. The Palmer Land Company was located there. It was attached to the Printing Company building but had no direct access for either one.
Herb had a big German shepherd named Wolf. He was usually outside Herb’s office. That was until he spotted Stanley Borger, the mailman. Then Wolf would follow Stanley over most of his mail route. He carried Columbia Avenue and a lot more. There were no Grumman mail trucks in those days. In those days, mail was delivered twice a day.
Next to the Palmer Water Co. building shown was a little red shanty about  where the dumpster ends toward the alley. I spent  a lot of time there with my back to that wall sitting in the little red wagon that we used to haul the type metal back and forth into Printing Office at the front of the building.
I was out there summer and winter, waiting for the type metal to melt, skim the dross, add plus metal, wait for the cast to set, or wait for the molds to dry out after a cast. It had to be done when the “Hell box” at the base of the composing room got full, every couple of months. Spring and fall weren’t bad, but in summer with the hot caster inside, it was like a furnace but in the winter you roasted your face and froze your as*. I don’t really miss that job one bit.


Sunday, June 13, 2004 7:12 AM 52 Deg at LVIA and 53.7 in the bus stop.
    It is a bright sunny, cool, day this morning. I am heading out with my 8 o’clock coffee. I had a cup of coffee and when Queen got up, we went for our morning’s walk. Here are more of yesterday’s pictures. Today the blood glucose was133 and the weight 200.  
    Now at 11: 22 AM it is cloudy and looks like it could rain soon. With an air temperature of 66 degrees and no sunshine, I doubt if a swim is in the cards today. We aren’t doing much of anything today. Tommy was over and we decided not to try for a swim.
    After an afternoon rest I sat up on the park bench for a while enjoying the afternoon. There is quite a southerly breeze but no sunshine. I decided to forgo the pool today.
    I just set my Incredimail to download my Yahoo mail also. Now I don’t have to go back and forth since I don’t use the Yahoo all that often but do occasionally check it. Requests for information about this page often arrive there after Patty wrote her article about me I gave her that e-mail address.
Tonight for supper we had a rare cookout. We got a small chuck steak. Chuck is not renowned for tenderness but tonight’s was quite good. Then we had hobo potatoes with portabella mushrooms and Vidalia onion cut up and cooked in foil on the grill. She also had fresh green beans, cottage cheese, and grape tomatoes. Coffee and a shared ice-cream bar up in the tent followed this meal. It was excellent.
 

Monday, June 14, 2004 7:28 AM 64Deg at LVIA and 62.7 in the bus stop
    This morning the blood glucose was an unbelievable 88 and the weight 200. It looks as though it could rain or shower at any time this morning. Yesterday afternoon when Tommy was over he said today they would be putting a new roof on the Hager store building weather permitting. So far, I don’t know. It hasn’t rained here yet.
    Today is the dreaded sheet day, so Queen had a big wash. That is always a pain. I stripped my bed and changed it just after I got up this morning.
    I see that Microsoft has released a new batch of critical updates that I am downloading for my XP. Making sure you are properly updated with the latest fixes is important.    We watered some of the plants because it hasn’t rained yet and they looked dry. This afternoon I went for my swim about 4:15 pm just as the sun was coming out. It has been cloudy all day. However, the 69-degree water was too cold for any extended swimming. I swam 10 laps and quit. Tommy arrived just as I finished. He had been roofing all day and he was really tired. Well, that water refreshed him in a hurry.

I got this from neighbor, Mike:
“Two bored casino dealers are waiting at the crap table. A very attractive blonde woman arrived and bet twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) on a single roll of the dice. She said, "I hope you don't mind, but I feel much luckier when I'm completely nude." With that, she stripped from the neck down, rolled the dice and yelled, "Come on, baby, Mama needs new clothes!" As the dice came to a stop she jumped up and down and squealed..."YES! YES! I WON, I WON!" She hugged each of the dealers and then picked up her winnings and her clothes and quickly departed. The dealers stared at each other dumbfounded. Finally, one of them asked, "What did she roll?" The other answered, "I don't know – I thought you were watching."
MORAL: Not all blondes are dumb,,,,,, but all men are men.

Tonight, being washday we dined in God’s restaurant with Queen’s spaghetti. As usual it was superb.

 Tonight I got this from friend Russ Howell in Texas:
“A lady goes to the bar on a cruise ship and orders a Scotch with two drops of water. As the bartender gives her the drink, she says, "I'm on this cruise to celebrate my 80th birthday and it's today."
The bartender says, "Well, since it's your birthday, I'll buy you a drink. In fact, this one is on me."
As the woman finishes her drink, the woman to her right says, "I would like to buy you a drink too."
The old woman says, "Thank you. Bartender, I want a Scotch with two drops of water."
"Coming up." says the bartender.
As she finishes that drink, the man to her left says, "I would like to buy you one, too." The old woman says, "Thank you."
"Bartender, I want another Scotch with two drops of water."
"Coming right up." the bartender says.
As he gives her the drink he says, "Ma'am, I'm dying of curiosity. Why the Scotch with only two drops of water?"
The old woman replies, "Sonny, when you're my age, you've learned how to hold your liquor. Water, however, is a whole other issue."


Tuesday, June 15, 2004 7:25 AM 68 deg at LVIA and 67.9 in the bus stop.
    This morning the blood glucose is 124 and the weight 199.It had rained  sometime last night. It looks showery at any time. I guess Tommy still is in the roofing business today.
    I want to feed the tomatoes after breakfast. The grass is too wet to cut right now. I took the car and went over to the Hager Furniture store and took these pictures. In the picture it appears as though he is in shorts but he isn’t. He is prepared properly for the job kneepads and all. It seemed to be getting hotter by the minute.     I took up a few of the round stepping blocks now unused Queen had installed under her wash line and started to replace them in front of the “tent” area. I put one in but by 11 am it was getting too hot and so I quit.        <Later>  I went to the pool for my swim. Today every lap was hard work. My arms hurt so I only swam 10 laps. The water had warmed up from 69 deg yesterday to 76 today. It was very comfortable but the old geezer just didn’t have it today. However it was refreshingly cool.
    Tonight we had Tommy over to a dinner of stew and biscuits. Queen figured a home cooked meal would go well tonight after a hard day on that roof. It was hot as blazes up there. Tomorrow should finish the job for them.
 

Wednesday, June 16, 2004. 7:31 AM 70 Deg at LVIA and 68.3 in the bus stop.
    The blood glucose was 132 and the weight 201 this morning. It feels like another hot day on hand. I turned on the air conditioner here in the family room. I will be heading out to the park bench to check for myself.
After Queen got up we went on an abbreviated walk. We walked up to First Street  crossed the street, and down to our place and quit. It is just too humid for Queen.     
  It turned out quite well. I have since planted grass and covered it with  burlap and thoroughly watered it. Hopefully in about a week we should see some growth there.
Believe me I won’t be doing too much more physical work today. The grass still needs cutting but I am not sure it will be done today.
Yesterday I called the technical people who make my blood glucose meter and she walked me thought the proper re-installation of the software enabling me to record all that stuff here on the computer. Somehow it had gotten corrupted and thus had to be replaced. She had me go into the registry here on the computer. That is a place I fear to tread but all is well, now. I also got the auto download feature for my digital camera working thanks to Grandson Andy’s good instructions.
Here is an interesting site. It will provide the sunrise and sunset times for anywhere in the world. http://www.sunrisesunset.com/ 
This afternoon about 1 pm the man from Bath Fitters arrived and gave us an estimate on re-doing the bathtub area upstairs. It sounded good and will make a big improvement.   Later this afternoon I went to the pool and had my swim. George Ashman and Tommy were already there. I started my swim and this time I stopped at 10 laps and rested before doing the last 10. It went very well with the resting. Golly another concession to getting older. Ha!!! Tommy got done with the roofing job about 3 pm and got home early. He too enjoyed the swimming.
I got home near 5PM and bless her heart Queen had supper almost ready. She had a chicken thigh each, half of a large baked potato, string beans, and cauliflower,applesauce and cottage cheese complimented the meal. Then we had coffee and a shared ice cream bar up in the tent. It was great to just sit and rock and talk together.
This place is a favorite spot for both of us. Poor Butternut would love to be up with us but the electronic fence deters him from going that close to the signal wire. Tomorrow morning he has a date with his Vet Dr. Squires .
 

Thursday, June 17, 2004 7:15 AM 72 deg at LVIA and 74.1 in the bus stop
       I was up at the park bench drinking my 8 O’clock coffee and noticed that the plants needed watering. Since the hose was up there due to keeping the burlap moist I proceeded to take care of that chore. The grass still needs cutting but it can wait.
       This morning the blood glucose was 138 and the weight 201. I was tired last night but I had a very good night and slept well. Perhaps the 20-lap swim helped!!
      This morning after breakfast I went back to the park bench and decided that since the sun was not out and it wasn’t too hot I would start cutting the grass. After about 4 breaks I finished up about 9 AM in plenty of time to take the dog to the Vets at 10 AM.
     <11AM> We just returned from taking Butternut to the veterinarian. He just loves her. WOW, she should love him too!! My God it was over $200.  Butternut had his nails cut, got all his shots, and passed all his tests. He actually lost about 4 or 5 pounds. She said he could use some dental work but with an estimate of over $250 without any possible extractions and the fact that he is in no discomfort I think he is just going to continue having bad breath. Geez!!
      It was a very hot trip going out there today. The car air conditioning was a boon and godsend.

This from friend and neighbor, Mike:
The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.
The New York Times is read by people who think they run the country.
The Washington Post is read by people who think they ought to be running the country.
USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country,
but find it too difficult to read the Washington Post.
The Los Angeles Times is read by people who would love to run the country,
if they could spare the time away from their therapists.
The Boston Globe is read by people whose ancestors used to run the country.
The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running
the country, but are certain that they are up to no good.
The New York Post is read by people who don't care who's running the country,
as long as they do something scandalous and entertaining.
The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who don't believe in countries,
and think that everyone should be running in for run-ins.
The Miami Herald is read by people who are running other countries.
The National Inquirer is run by people who think that Elvis is running the country.

 I just got this from friend Russ in Texas:
“After starting a new diet, I altered my drive to work to avoid
passing my favorite bakery.  I accidentally drove by the bakery
this morning and there in the window were a host of goodies.
I felt this was no accident, so I prayed, "Lord, it's up to you....
if you want me to have any of those delicious goodies, create a
parking place for me directly in front of the bakery."
And sure enough, He answered my prayer......
on the Eighth time around the block, there it was!"
       
I am not quite that bad but I do understand very well the temptation!!! I just got back from Rite Aid and IGA and it is mighty uncomfortable outside.
    This afternoon I was resting when I heard a loud clap of thunder. I figured there goes the swimming! But in about a half an hour the sun was out. I called and found out they were open. When I got up there there weren’t five cars in the parking lot. That was fine with me. Larry said after that first clap of thunder the place cleared out. So, I got to swim anyway I had to rest at 10 laps and then continued on until I was on my 16th lap. Then I got chased out due to more thunder. Oh Well. I got a better swim that I thought I was going to get. The swimming is gradually going better as long as I rest after 10 laps. Golly!!!!

This is a humorous blog I saw on the Internet. I am not the only crazy one. This one is much more professionally done than mine. http://www.trixieupdate.com/ 
Tonight it really poured rain. Thunder and lightning was in abundance. We got a lot of muddy water coming down the sidewalk because of the excavation and new construction taking place here all day at the former Duris lot. There are two bulldozers, one larger and a small Bobcat, working all day at that site.
Tonight when I was out in the dark I saw fireflies for the first time out here.The Chinese chestnut tree in the yard of neighbor Jean and Mike is now flowering and really stinks to high heaven as Chestnut trees do.


 Friday, June 18, 2004 7:04 AM 68 deg at LVIA and 70.1 in the bus stop
    This morning the blood glucose was 146 and the weight 202. It rained hard last evening. So after last night’s rain I went out with the dog and took this shot of water glistening on the pine needles.     This morning we did our shopping early. We were in Aldi’s at 9 AM, opening time, than on to Giant. We finished up at IGA and were home by 10:30 AM. This has to be a new worlds record for us. Ha!!.
         Before we went in IGA we stopped in and saw the girls at the Times News. Poor Sharon had to cover the Northern Lehigh graduation last night. It had to be moved into the gym because of the downpour. She said she knew they were all in trouble when she entered the gym and they were handing out free bottled water. She said it must have been 120 degrees in there.
Patty said Dr. Nicholson would be going on vacation soon. Perhaps he can take a cup of coffee sit on the dock by a lake and feed the geese and ducks in the early morning. Queen and I certainly wish him a good one. We will bet he needs it. He is a good man!!!

Speaking of downpours last night a lot of mud from the new house up the street washed down the sidewalk and gutters. It rained like Hell.
    This morning the place looked like this.      This afternoon at 12PM I took Queen’s advice and went to the Memorial Park for my swim. I was able to get in my 20 laps with no problem well before the place filled up with kids. Then it was home for lunch.
Well it is time to send this to the proofreader for her inspection.

Please love one another. Mom and Bob {Queen and Bobby]


 "Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first”, Ronald Reagan