<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
   <channel>
      <title>Dad&apos;s Journal</title>
      <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/</link>
      <description></description>
      <language>en</language>
      <copyright>Copyright 2009</copyright>
      <lastBuildDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:27:20 +0000</lastBuildDate>
      <generator>http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/</generator>
      <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs> 

            <item>
         <title>Saturday 3 January 2009</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 6:52am       Temp: mid 20’s     sleep 6+40      mostly sunny     overnight @ Indiana.

Early morning, Kathy does her daily grocery shopping to keep the Foote cupboards stocked, but this time, she also bought some supplies for us to take on our travels. 

I call the campground in Bushnell, Florida & pay our electric bill for the month of December; then sign up for another week of camping. 

We visit the Foote Castle just before noontime; here is the scoop as we walk inside: Nick was spending time with Jerry; Eriko was on the 3rd floor playing with Matthew on the Mega train track; Nathan was roaming freely & most likely getting into things that he shouldn’t be; Kevin was well into dinner preparation, Sloppy Joes simmering, potato wedges seasoned & ready to go into the oven; & Andrew was down for his late morning nap with Melissa alongside.  

By the time dinner was ready, everyone was up & at em except Jerry, who had fallen fast asleep & was taking his mid day nap. 

Today’s early dinner: Kevin’s rendition of Sloppy Joes & oven baked potato wedges & a big mixed salad by Kathy. 

The remainder of the day was deja vu: playing with the boys & playing with the boys. Nick, by the way, has been our most outstanding fellow for entertaining & amusing the young guys & us adults for that matter. He is clever, quick witted, tells some fantastic stories that you couldn’t possibly duplicate, etc, etcetera. He is, without a doubt, the most sought after performer! 
                              
We return to our motel around 10:15pm & do some light organizing in prep for travel.  

                                                          Lights out: 12:04am  

]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2009/01/saturday_3_january_2009.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2009/01/saturday_3_january_2009.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:27:20 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Friday 2 January 2009</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 7:02am     Temp 29      sleep 7+33     light snow     overnight @ Indiana, PA. 

This morning, the tough lady Kathy volunteered to de-snow the Suzuki & buy us a carton of Quaker Oats that we have been having with our breakfast each morning. The motel supply ran out & another shipment won’t be soon enough. 

Today’s challenge @ the Foote Castle: take more pictures of grandkids. Kathy has not been happy with my meager selection of: “suitable for framing” grandkid photos. I explained several times that they are too active most of the time to do justice; but 1st, dinner: partial leftovers from (5) meals & a fresh mixed salad. A happy sight: space in the refrigerator is increasing as the amount of leftovers is decreasing. 

After dinner, Kathy turns photographer; later I check her progress & it is “yuk” which she knew. We’ll keep trying!

Nap time for me mid afternoon; my 2nd nap since I can’t remember when. 

After the boys are all snuggled in their beds, save for Jerry who is still on Seattle time, I set up our laptop computer to absorb some more tutoring from Nick on organizing our photos. Windows XP for Dummies is good but the copyright is 2004; a lot of upgrades have been downloaded since then. Kathy & Eriko tried several game ideas to keep Jerry occupied & away from the computer; success!

Then it’s more photo attempts with little satisfaction. 

We leave around 10:25pm for our motel. 

                                                      Lights out: 12:12am 

]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2009/01/friday_2_january_2009.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2009/01/friday_2_january_2009.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:59:59 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Thursday 1 January 2009</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 7:47am     Temp 34      sleep 7+39      mostly sunny      overnight @ Indiana, PA. 

K & I attend 9:30am Mass @ St. Bernard’s Catholic Church across town. Before Mass begins, we look for the Foote Family as they planned to meet us here. During Mass, we could hear little voices from the back of the church but due to the large church & a good attendance, we couldn’t see them. Kathy was certain  it was the boys but when I heard those  little voices making motor noises in representing cars, trucks, etc, I knew for sure….it wasn’t the Foote children….their motor noises are different. We found out later, the Footes attended the 7:00 am Mass. 

Back @ our motel, we change clothes & Kathy goes grocery shopping while I stay in our room & answer some e-mail. 

When Kathy returns, we motor to the Foote Castle just in time for a dinner of: spiral cut ham, green beans, homemade whole wheat rolls & a Waldorf salad.   

Katrina & Karina are leaving shortly after dinner & there is a sudden rush to do the final packing & locating everything they had brought with them; plus another rush to stash up on some healthy food to take with & sweet goodies to munch on along the way. We say our goodbyes for now & wish them an uneventful bon voyage. Later Kevin reports that they had less than (10) min left to check in @ the airport. 

Evening time…my voice was back to a whisper. I did however, join in with Eriko, Jerry & Nick in playing a game of: “Trouble;” Nick was the trouble maker who won the game! 

                                                       Lights out: 11:29pm   
]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2009/01/thursday_1_january_2009.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2009/01/thursday_1_january_2009.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:57:19 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Wednesday 31 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 5:37am     Temp 29     sleep 5+05     snow…wind     overnight @ Indiana, PA. 

I awoke minutes before a streak of lighting flashed into our room, followed by a bolt of thunder; as I gazed out our window & saw what appeared to be a light blizzard, I thought to myself: “well I’ll be darned!” I think we just experienced what they call: “Thunder Snow.” I thought it was a little early to wake Kathy up, but she was awakened by the thunder. We have things to do & places to go today, so she moved along swiftly. 

After coffee & our small breakfast, we motor to Nicktown; Nicktown being about (600) ft higher in elevation, was truly having blizzard like conditions. We aim our Suzuki toward the community center, tramp thru the small but growing snow drifts & prepare to enter the social room & join the KK meeting. But….wait a minute; the lights are out & the door is locked. What’s going on? Most of the cars outside represent the people we know who should be inside. Kathy knocks on the door but no response. 

Ah ha, these guys tried to trick us into thinking: nobody’s home. They saw us coming, turned out the lights & locked the door. No late Christmas gifts for them! Although my voice was reduced to a scratchy whisper, we enjoyed more good talk & much laughter for the next (1.5) hrs. Then we had to scoot to the doctor’s office in Carrollton, not taking the time to pick up our mail.  

Kathy talked to Michelle & asked to have the doctor take a look @ my condition to see if an antibiotic might help; Kathy’s thyroid medicine didn’t need any changing & the doc wrote an Amoxicillin prescription for me to treat what is diagnosed as a “sinus infection.”  

From here, we motor to the care center in Hastings; visiting both 1st cousins Richard & Bernie. Richard, who looks great, talks wonderfully, has that wry sense of humor, etc, still has those fragile bones that keep him in a wheelchair. 

Bernie, on the other hand, has made a miraculous recovery, graduated to a powered wheelchair, & talks much better, but still does not have control of his lower body. We say our goodbyes for now & hope they are both in better condition when we return in April. 

Another stop in Nicktown to pick up our mail; bad timing, the P.O. is closed for lunch. 

Back to our hotel, change clothes & then get our prescriptions filled. While the pharmacy is doing that, we make some prints from the memory stick of the latest grandkids & family pictures.

Dinner @ the Foote Castle; leftovers. K & I select turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberries & salad. 

After dinner: Nick & I got in a broad discussion, comparing each of our lives & how & when we did what. When did we start saving for the kids college; how did we invest; how much to save for retirement, etc, etc. I don’t remember how long this intense conversation lasted but I do remember Nick getting closer & closer due to my whisper. It was amazingly interesting to do these comparisons & I am thankful that he brought up the idea.  

Just as we were getting things organized to leave for our motel, the adults & Jerry were setting up to watch the movie: “Cars” on Katrina’s computer. 

Back to our motel @ 10:40pm; Kathy was asleep by 11:05pm. 

                                                         Lights out: 12:08am  

]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2009/01/wednesday_31_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2009/01/wednesday_31_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:24:15 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Tuesday 30 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 7:41am     temp high 20’s     sleep     7+29      overcast      overnight @ Indiana, PA.

K & I travel to Barnesboro mid morning to have my tooth repaired & a missing filling replaced @ the dentist’s office. (35) min later, the job was finished & I was most impressed by Dr. Peter & his able assistant. I couldn’t tell the difference from the one injured tooth to another. 

En Route to the Foote Castle, we make a quick stop to visit Lou Ann & Herk in Kirschtown; as we were about to leave, Lou Ann’s older sister, Rita, & her son-in-law arrived from Johnstown, so we had to spend a little time talking with them. Rita is (90) yrs of age & will be staying with Lou Ann & Herk for a couple of days; in Feb, she will travel to Texas to stay with her daughter, Judy, for a few months. Also, Lou Ann gave me another large bag of “butter nuts.” 

We return to the Castle in time for dinner: Kevin’s special hamburgers (melted cheese inside) & all the condiments + salad. We especially liked this meal. 

Mid afternoon, Nick, Jerry & I go to the 3rd floor where Nick continues his super Brio track layout. I was honored to be selected amongst the many others for this private invitation. Nick & Jerry work well together; Jerry happily pushes his train around, up & over the bridges, down thru the tunnels, across the plains, etc while Nick continues using the newest & latest box of more Brio track & accessories, striving to keep this mega train layout from stagnation & falling into ruination. My job: backup Jerry as a test engineer by using another train & rolling down & over the other tracks….watching closely for any flaws or flimsy construction that might lead to a derailment. 

We were having great fun until I excused myself to go downstairs to get some medicine that my nurse suggested I take @ a certain hr. Jerry told be to be careful going down the steps & I thanked him. I wasn’t on the 1st floor very long but when I returned, Jerry was absent from the Mega Train Layout area. “Where is Jerry” I ask Nick? “He went looking for you” Nick replies. Turns out, Jerry got distracted in the dining room & was heavily engaged in the consumption of cookies. Could this be a start of the downfall of the Mega Brio Track system? Only time will tell! 

About 3:30 the whole group departed for some fun in the pool at the Comfort Inn; I chose not to go in the water due to my cold & even escaped to our motel for a short while. But, I did stay to see the troops get wet, the girls slowly creeping their way in, while the guys showed off their canon ball approach; the room was very warm & steamy, but the pool water was cold. Melissa elected to sit on the pool steps, only feet & lower legs in the water, the whole time while supporting Nathan’s walking back & forth on the step in the water. Jerry & Andrew were in & out of the water several times as they would get cold & warm up, but they had a laughing, great time. Kathy reports that all had a fun time; Nick, Katrina, & Kevin had a wild game of monkey in the middle while taking turns holding Andrew & Matthew.  Karina, who bragged about her swimming ability & talked often about her desire to go swimming, actually swam very little, instead spending most of her time standing in the water talking with Melissa. Katrina said Karina is a swimmer, but there were too many people in the pool. Back to the Foote castle @ 5:30.    

Evening time for us adults was reduced to a gab session which I had little to contribute as my voice was again, down to a whisper. We return to our motel by 11:20pm. 

                                                       Lights out: 12:22am 

                                                           
]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2009/01/tuesday_30_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2009/01/tuesday_30_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:35:09 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Monday 29 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 6:46am      Temp 29     sleep 6+53      mostly sunny      overnight @ Indiana, PA. 

Getting out of bed this morning was routine for me; I expected a few sore muscles or sore spots from skating last evening, but all is well….except my darn cold. Why even tough Kathy walked around as though she was a mere 66 yr old. 

We arrive @ the Foote Castle just before noon time; not much activity going on that I could see; Jerry came around the corner from the playroom to greet us & Karina was laying on the sofa telling us she was hurting from the roller skating. 

Before dinner, KT gave Matthew, Andrew & Jerry each a personalized carrying case for their Matchbox cars, trucks, etc & a new car to start off each collection; you should-a been there! Those (3) guys were mesmerized just by the thought of having a special box for their very own cars & trucks. Matthew especially appeared to be caught off guard; he quickly began to gather some of his infrequently played with cars & trucks to fill his storage box! Jerry, of course, had only a few cars that he brought from home, so all he could do was watch.  Andrew kept his cool; he analyzed the situation carefully & moved cautiously toward his huge Matchbox collection. KT hit a winning target with those guys. 

She also gave the girls each a braided scarf of various yarns & ribbons in their favored colors that she made; lovely. KT also brought her annual gift of chocolate covered pretzels & other homemade candies + a first time gift of "Apple Pie in a Jar,"  all the ingredients + love  for a pie minus the crust.  She  & Zack & some friends picked a couple hundred pounds of apples last Fall which they turned into cider, sauce & pie in a jar.

Dinner: chicken& green beans in stewed tomatoes, oven roasted red potatoes, & salad.

My sister Corinne arrived promptly @ 3:00pm for a holiday visit; she was a cheerful addition to our group. Everyone had a chance to talk with her covering many subjects & she handled her questions well. I was especially proud to have her presence on the occasion of this occasion. The only downside to all of this: I couldn’t participate! My voice was down to a whisper & I had things I wanted to say. 

Next, the furniture movers took over & opened a wide area for our family picture taking. KT had to deal with (5) cameras & we think she did a great job. Both shots from my Sony came out very good. We adults all wore our special sweatshirts.    

KT’s stay with us was about to end; a good visit, but much too short.  She said her farewells &, at 4:00, Zack & she left for the PITT airport. 

Early evening, Katrina & Karina requested an Indiana Mall visit so Kathy & I agreed to provide the transportation. About this same time, I decided to call it a day @ the Foote Castle; we dropped the girls off @ the Mall & I dropped myself off @ our motel for the night. Kathy elected to meet up with the girls, help them with their shopping & transport them back to the Castle later. 

@ the motel room, I did some word Skyping with Ray in Washington State until his boss came home & he signed off; then I transitioned to a few other computer exercises. 

Zack returned to the Foote Castle @ 8:30 from his airport trip after gassing up the car & missing only one turn. Kathy had a chance to talk with Zack some more & to bid him farewell as he was due to fly out of Latrobe @ 6:30 am tomorrow.

She returned to the motel @ 10:30.

                                                         Lights out: 12:12am 

]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/monday_29_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/monday_29_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:53:48 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Sunday 28 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 6:45am    Temp 64    sleep 6+06    wind, rain…then sun    overnight @ Indiana, PA. 

K & I attend 10:00am Mass @ St. Thomas More Church with the Foote Family. Afterward, we go back to our motel, change clothes & join the rest of the group @ the Castle. 
My bug is taking more of a grip on me everyday & today I am losing my voice; I continue to strive, with caution, to avoid passing the bug to someone I like. 

Dinner: pulled BBQ pork sandwiches, twice baked potatoes, leftover green beans & salad. 

Around 6:00pm, (9) of us leave the Foote Family to go rolling skating @ the Indiana Roller Rink; a short but quieter evening for the Footes. Most of us had not skated for yrs, especially K & I. It brought back memories of 1959, when we went roller skating in Chicago on one of our earlier dates; holding hands & rolling along together. It was great fun & our children & their mates took full advantage of that rink most of the time save for a much needed break now & then. Jerry was the only youngster with us & he tried his best to skate alone….a “no-go” but with Nick & Eriko’s help Jerry did circle the rink  several times. I had (3) falls & (1) collision; not my fault & Zack was my witness. Kathy & Katrina physically supported Karina on many turns around the rink; this was Karina’s first attempt at skating.

We got back to the Foote Castle around 9:00pm; time for chatting with popcorn. Super server Jerry gave us unsurpassed service & kept us fed with pretend foods throughout our evening. The superb cook behind the new play kitchen (Nick) did wonders with combinations of different selections & little delicacies; all wooden of course; who could possibly ask for anything more. 

                                                        Lights out: 11:58pm 

      
]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/sunday_28_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/sunday_28_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:57:00 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Saturday 27 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 8:10am      Temp 56      sleep 9+03       overcast     overnight @ Indiana, PA

Mid morning, Kathy makes the traditional grocery run to Wal-Mart; after she returns, another grocery list came thru but we elect to speed straight to the Castle & later, walk to the Giant Eagle for exercise & to bring back those extra bags of goodies. 

We weren’t in the Castle very long before K & I picked up (2) more healthy hiker volunteers to join us in “the walk:” Katrina & Karina. Giant Eagle is very conveniently located for the Foote Family; Kevin can easily run on foot over to the store, make a few purchases & be back within (15) min. Well, the (4) of us agreed that the long way around would be more interesting & healthier; besides, Kevin had coffee beans on his list also & Kathy had a plan.

Our trek took us thru the neighborhood of older, rather large homes on Grant Ave, past the construction on new dorms & continuing up the slope of the IUP campus (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) on one side & the brand new dorms on the other side. On the down slope of Grant Ave, Kathy guides us into a building where the Fullington Bus Line  stops with service to downtown Pittsburgh & Pittsburgh Airport. Down the long hall to the end is: “The Commonplace Coffeehouse” where Kathy bought a bag of roasted coffee beans from the Sumatra area of Indonesia for Kevin & Katrina bought drinks for herself & Karina. 
From here, we switch over to the north side of the campus & follow the sidewalk back to Giant Eagle. 

Our sight-seeing walk took a little longer than we expected & lunch was over when we returned; today’s dinner was “everybody do their own thing” with leftovers so K & I ate some pizza, green beans, etc.

Zack was already en route to Pittsburgh Airport to pick up KT whose flight last night was cancelled out of Chicago-Midway. Today she departs out of O’Hara.

Meanwhile, we say our goodbyes to Jason & Billie Anne who are returning to Washington, D.C. They are a very nice couple & a nice addition to our group. 

Meanwhile #2, someone noticed how nice the weather has become today; so the boys challenge their sense of balance, equilibrium, steadiness, etc while climbing up & on the huge tree stump graveyard leftover from the felled tree of last summer. The boys did well & no one, to my knowledge, got a scratch. Of course, little Nathan had a big hand helping him throughout the course. The “house for sale” next door was also an attraction that we all looked over closely on the outside & where the boys played in the leaves before going back to the Castle. 

The evening passed quickly & then we hear Zack & Katie arriving @ the back door. She promptly briefs us on her experiences of last night & a few more on today’s flight. After Z & KT fill their bodies with nourishment & reclaim their casualness, they both join Eriko & me in playing the new game of: “Blockus.” I like this game a lot but every game I’ve played when Eriko is also playing, has seen her victory; my section of property was partially responsible for the sponsorship….without my approval. 

                                                          Lights out: 12:39am    

]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/saturday_27_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/saturday_27_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:51:18 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Friday 26 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 6:40am    Temp 30’s    sleep 6+20    more clouds than sun    overnight @ Indiana, PA.

To fill the request of (2) phone calls from the Foote’s, Kathy goes grocery shopping @ the nearby Wal-Mart for (1.5) hrs. After she returns, another grocery order came thru & this time, we fill that order en route to the Foote Castle. Luckily we have (3) grocery stores along the way to the Castle, with Wal-Mart being just across the parking lot from our motel. 

@ Wal-Mart, I bought myself a mask to wear & hopefully prevent others from catching my cold bug. This has been our 1st holiday reunion that nobody arrived really sick; Katrina thought that she would be….but it didn’t happen. Zack thought on several occasions that he was sick, but he doesn’t act it. So hi-hi oh silver, the masked man rides again; I think someone from Florida passed their bug my way & I don't like it! Plus it's tough wearing a mask all day; I volunteered to sit in a special out of the way corner & eat, drink water or blow my nose, etc. 

When Andrew & Nathan came down stairs from their morning nap, they couldn’t take their big eyes off of me for the longest time & I was comfortable staring @ them.  

Early dinner: Tacos with seasoned chicken & hamburger meat, plus all the other fixings that make tacos & a fresh fruit salad.   
  
  
The healthy group voted for something different to do today: “Bowling.” @ 1st, I wasn’t going to attend….but when I saw the large building & the many lanes; I took my mask off & settled right in. We had (4) lanes total; (2) for the children with gutter guards & (2) regular for us adults. The kids were assisted by adults in bringing their balls to a moveable ramp at the fowl line; once the ball was set on the ramp, the youngster would give it a push &, with patience & tenacity, one could actually watch the slow ball knock the pins down. Our (2) hrs went fast & a good time was had by all.

Back @ the Castle, Melissa & Kevin shifted into 3rd gear to get the kids in bed & on time & without a shower; a rare incidence. 

Jason, Billie Anne, Katrina & Kathy played a card game called: “Spoons” & they giggled a lot. 

Later, I myself sat on the warm radiator without my mask & played a game of “Loaded Questions” with the spoon team + Melissa, Kevin, Eriko & Zack. 
                                                      
                                                         Lights out: 11:17pm 

]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/friday_26_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/friday_26_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:15:40 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Thursday 25 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 7:25am       Temp 29      sleep 6+59      mostly sunny      overnight @ Indiana, PA. 

K & I attend 9:30am Mass with the Footes + Katrina & Karina @ Saint Thomas More Church. The boys were a little sleepy but mostly pretty good in church. After Mass, K & I returned to our motel, changed clothes & then visited the Foote Castle & family for most of the day. 

Interesting enough, all the presents were under the Christmas tree save for one big thing covered with a green sheet in the playroom (a wooden kitchen); none of the boys bothered those gifts & they had to wait until after 2:00pm to begin the gift opening ceremony. Jerry was sleeping in the living room when we arrived from our motel & continued to sleep until the opening ceremony. Nathan fell asleep on the way home from church & continued sleeping upstairs in the bedroom; Andrew took a very short nap in church, but awoke before they left church. Melissa gave Andrew & Matthew a snack & we waited for the sleeping Nathan & Jerry to wake. 

Nathan awoke from his nap around 2:00pm but Jerry was still asleep on the living room couch. Nick let Melissa know that it was OK for the opening activities to begin even though Jerry was sleeping & thus, the distribution system began. Karina read the name on the gift & the boys took turns carrying it to the proper receiver. Melissa estimated that it would take another (2) hrs for the boys to open everything; I didn’t time it but it sure seemed a lot faster. 

Then the kitchen crew came alive: Kevin was in charge of the turkey & potatoes; Melissa made the rolls & green bean casserole; Kathy contributed the salad & gravy. And the dishes & pans continued to mount!! 

Dinner: turkey; apple, bread stuffing; mashed white potatoes; gravy; sweet potatoes; green bean casserole, not the usual mushroom soup/onion variety, much better; Melissa’s homemade rolls & salad.

Wrapping paper flew & mounted as gifts were opened. There were too many gifts to mention but from a causal observer’s standpoint, those young guys sure were excited to get new & different toys; just watching those youngsters open their presents & seeing the looks & smiles on their faces, brought joy to us adults for this Christmas season. 

                                                    Lights out: 12:14am 
]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/thursday_25_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/thursday_25_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2008 14:31:50 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Wednesday 24 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 7:05am      Temp 40’s     sleep 7+13      steady rain      overnight @ Indiana, PA. 

Kathy goes shopping @ Wal-Mart for (1.5) hrs to help keep the Foote cupboards stocked thru the holiday season, & we make another stop @ Giant Eagle grocery store en route to the Foote Castle. We bring the groceries into the kitchen…..but wait; there is a mistake; Kathy bought non-fat milk in lieu of 1% milk. She volunteers to drive back to Giant Eagle, exchange the non-fat milk & get a couple of other things Kevin needed. Plus, Melissa realized she needed more insulin to cover Christmas day. Kathy got the needed items, but it would take (45) min to fill the insulin prescription so she elected to bring the groceries to the Foote castle & return for the 3rd time to pick up the insulin.

During Kathy’s round trips to Giant Eagle, the family fan was brought to my attention for another repair, the 3rd time. This time, Kevin finds some real grease to use on the sleeve bearings; now we’ll see how long this fix will last. 

Last night I downloaded my memory stick of pictures onto the hard drive; usually when I transfer those pictures, the memory stick automatically deletes all, but this time it didn’t delete any. So within minutes, Nick refreshed my memory on how to delete the memory stick; it’s great having smart kids. 

Early dinner: Kevin makes (6) whole wheat pizzas for our meal: plain pepperoni; spicy pepperoni; pepperoni with pineapple; plain cheese; ham with pineapple; onions, mushrooms & olives; & a special pizza for Karina with lactose free cheese & pepperoni. Kevin’s pizzas are pretty darn good, we have to admit. 

About 4:30pm, Kevin’s sister, Billie Anne & her husband, Jason arrives from Washington, D.C. Last May, our family all witnessed their marriage in Virginia. 

Late evening, we adults sit around & gab into the wee hrs. 

                                                          Lights out: 12:26am       
                                                    



]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/wednesday_24_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/wednesday_24_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2008 16:29:47 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Tuesday 23 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 6:22am     Temp 10      sleep 6+15      overcast     overnight @ Indiana, PA. 

We were notified that both Katrina & little “sister” Karina landed in Latrobe around 2:00am; Zack picked them up & had them @ the Foote Castle about 3:00am. It was quite the different experience for both girls. 

K & I drive to Nicktown & join the KK for a good (1.5) hrs of good talk. Then we drive to Barnesboro for our 10:30am dental appointment. Kathy had no glitches with her check-up; I on the other hand, had a chipped front tooth & lost a filling. Dentist Peter assures an easy fix on both for next week.  

Then we drive over to Hastings, PA (20) min, so Kathy can give a blood sample in prep for her Dr’s app’t coming up next week. From here, we drive to Ebensburg & visit my brother & his wife. 

Some time ago, I convinced Don to get Skype on his computer so today, Don & I download all the necessary stuff to make it happen. Josie helps out by offering some healthy treats & a glass of wine to keep our brains functioning properly. The video worked well but we couldn’t get the audio, since my time was running out to report in @ the Foote Castle I left my brother with the direction to call Logitech & talk to the experts. 

Back @ the Castle, Melissa reports that their family fan has acted up again so for the 2nd time I take the unit down to the workshop, oil the sleeve bearings as before & the unit works great. I am suspicious however, that the oil I use is too thin & during a night of fanning, the thin oil evaporates & leaves those sleeve bearings dry. Luckily, their guarantee is still in effect. 

My brother calls from Ebensburg. He talked with the Logitech experts about his camera & audio; they pointed him in the right direction to register his unit &, “bingo”, everything works as advertised. 

K & I missed lunch & dinner today so we both scrounge around the refrigerator for leftovers; spaghetti with meat sauce is it & that’s good enough for us & taste good too. 

Evening time: Zack, Kathy, Katrina & I play a game of “Blockus”; a very close game but Zack came out the winner. We like playing this game. 

K & I return to our motel @ 11:10pm; I stay awake a bit longer & download some pictures to my hard drive from the memory stick. 
 
                                                             Lights out: 11:52pm 
]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/tuesday_23_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/tuesday_23_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:06:09 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Monday 22 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 6:54am     Temp 5 degrees      sleep 6+58     overnight @ Indiana, PA. 

After breakfast, K & I walk the Indiana Mall for (53) min of exercise. Then call my brother Don & arrange a visit for tomorrow to get his Skype on line. En route to the Foote Castle, we stop @ SoHo (Small office & Home office) & send a Christmas package via FedEx to a special girl, our Goddaughter Monica in the Northwest. 

When we arrive, Nick is doing his 1st (30) min tutoring with Matthew; today it is a game of chess. 

Early dinner: beef roast, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, salad & rolls. Afterward, we all hustle & do a fast clean-up of the dining room, kitchen & getting those boys dressed for the cold outdoors. Today is Indiana Mall day: (2) vehicles & lots of big smiles; the boys love going to the Mall. 

@ the Mall, our job as adults is simply: keep a good eye on the boys as they play on the electric car/motorcycle/rollercoaster/van, etc., no money is spent; it’s a make believe thing as we rock the vehicles & help make the motor sounds. Melissa & Eriko were the only (2) that shopped a little. We were @ the Mall for a good (2) hrs. 

Back @ the Foote Castle, to enhance the mood & temperature, Melissa gives the thumbs up for lighting the fireplace. Naturally all small boys are mesmerized with fire so we had then all looking thru the double wire metal gates for quite awhile & the rest of us, nearby enjoying the extra warmth.  

Evening time with boys in bed, except Jerry who fell asleep on the couch, we continue playing the board game of: “Loaded Questions.” After a full round of fun, we have a call from Katrina: the pilots are having difficulty starting the turboprop engines on their aircraft. They suspect cold turbines & low battery power. Numerous phone calls & text messages continue to flow back & forth. Again, Kevin is: “on call” for a pick-up @ the Latrobe airport if they do get those engines running. The saga continues….

We are back to our motel @ 11:30pm.                                                                 

                                                     Lights out: 12:07am     
]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/monday_22_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/monday_22_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:25:34 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Sunday 21 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 7:15am     Temp-30’s     sleep 6+14     light snow & wind    overnight @ Indiana, PA. 

We didn’t plan for iced up windows on our Suzuki this morning so it took us a good (10) min to scrape & defrost enough to get on the road & go to 10:00am Mass @ Saint Thomas More University Church. We were not the only ones; the Footes also spent time clearing the ice off their Mini Van windows. In fact, as Foote’s were driving into the parking lot, they came upon Kathy who was walking up to the church door & Melissa asked Kathy to save their usual front pew until they got there. Father Willy does a great job with his homilies & the choir members + musicians provide beautiful music throughout the service; this church is well attended by locals, students & visitors alike. 

After Mass, Kathy & I return to our motel, change clothes & zip over to the Foote Castle. 
Early dinner today: leftover stuffed peppers, breaded chicken, cheese corn soup & fresh salad. 

After dinner, another deja vu day: the routine continues with the computer tutoring with Matthew & Jerry + spending time with Andrew & Nathan. Andrew & Jerry sometimes play well together; a scream or cry is usually the alert that all is not well & mediation may be necessary. Little Nathan is everywhere; he is alert to cabinet doors left open, unfinished games in view, anything the other boys might be playing with, etc.

Kevin gave me a fixer-up job mid afternoon; the family fan of many yrs ceased up & the fan blade stopped. So, in lieu of doing kitchen clean-up work, I take the fan apart down in the basement workshop, clean & lubricate the sleeve bearings & reassemble. It seems to be OK now & has a (2) week guarantee.

Kathy, in the meantime, along with Eriko is still on kitchen clean-up; rinsing/washing dishes, pots, & pans; loading & unloading the dishwasher; sweeping the floor. Kathy also 
did a load of our dirty clothes, using the Foote’s machines.

Mid evening, Katrina calls: she & her little “sister,” Karina are due into Latrobe tonight around 10:30 pm. Now she informs us: the flight from Detroit has been canceled due to crew exhaustion. She & Karina are given a free room for the night & $20.00 for food. The next flight out will be tomorrow night…same time, same station. 

Meanwhile, late evening, Kevin does his training & walking with Kinley in the back yard & down the back streets. He was “on call” for the pickup @ Latrobe using their Mini Van but now, that’s canceled. 
                                              Light out: 11:56pm          
                                                    




]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/sunday_21_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/sunday_21_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:25:59 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
            <item>
         <title>Saturday 19 December 2008</title>
         <description><![CDATA[Awake: 6:16am     Temp: low 30’s     sleep 6+42     overcast      overnight @ Indiana, PA. 

After breakfast, K & I drove to Nicktown & visited the KK gang for over an hr. They gave us a nice warm welcome which we appreciated & try to return the same. Afterwards, we collected our mail from the post office & then made a quick trip to visit Lou Ann & Herk to give Lou Ann a ceramic collectable souvenir bell from Mississippi that she wanted; that was our exchange for her giving me a bag of butternuts. 

Next, we attended the Funeral Mass for Andy Kirsch in Nicktown, my 3rd cousin. I didn’t know Andy very well but I’ve heard from many sources that he was a very popular guy in high school. Unfortunately, he developed a rare form of stomach cancer which surgery, radiation & chemo could not cure; he suffered for over (2) years but didn’t complain & was an inspiration for everyone who knew him. He was a member of the Volunteer Fire Department of Nicktown & only (20) yrs of age. Since he was a fallen firemen, (2) fire companies stood as honor guards & Andy’s coffin (which was made by his father) was carried atop a fire engine from the funeral parlor to the church & from church to the cemetery.  Father Job gave a wonderful farewell homily. My sister Corinne + my brother Don & his wife Josie joined us in church. Afterward, we all went over to the grave for the final “rest in peace” prayer from Father Job. Then we joined the masses @ the Church Hall for a farewell luncheon in Andy’s honor.  It was our chance to meet & greet many cousins & friends & to give our condolences to Andy’s parents & grandparents & share some “Andy” stories.

Back in our hotel room, we change clothes & then spend the rest of the day @ the Foote Castle. I’ve noticed that Matthew has been hanging out more & more with Nick & Zack & thus penetrating the high tech computer world; Nick has educational games downloaded on his computer while Zack has mostly difficult & challenging games downloaded; so both Z & N use Nick's computer for the boys tutoring; So far,only Jerry & Matthew have been steady students. 

After all the young boys are in bed, we adults slowly & meticulously choose a board game to play: “Loaded Questions.” It was fun; however the late starting time was a disadvantage for us seniors who like to have more free time after the game is over & tonight, we had to stay up past midnight to get that free time in. 

                                                         Lights out: 12:59am    
]]></description>
         <link>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/saturday_19_december_2008.html</link>
         <guid>http://monte.kirsch.org/2008/12/saturday_19_december_2008.html</guid>
        
        
         <pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:46:14 +0000</pubDate>
      </item>
      
   </channel>
</rss>
