KateP's musings

Today is the last day of the Big E.  I passed up going this year. I didn't get invites to go any way.  Most weekends I have had other things to do and didn't want to go during the week. I understand that. Actor and rapper Ice T will be performing there today.  I would have loved to hear and see him. I am hoping that I can read people's blogs who have gone and what they thought. I did ask my friends and colleagues who did go over the last couple of weeks how they felt about and they enjoyed themselves for what they went for. I don't know if there any more harvest fairs in the new England area to me the end of the Big E means it's now on to Christmas. Okay so the repair guy came and said that I had the settings wrong and it's ok now.  Charged for service call. After he left I got ready for Canvassing.  I was delayed getting there because I had stopped at neighbors to give lawn signs and chatting with Darcy’s parents who came for a visit. I arr...

Earlier today I saw semi truck with an Ad about the Big E.  The annual Eastern States Exposition held in West Springfield Mass.  I also had seen a FB alert that said The BIG E posted something (I don’t know about what I will check in a moment).  It prompted me to go check the site for the Fair.  It is usually the last half of September and this year  It starts on September 14 and ends September 30, 2018.  While I was on the site I noticed it has dates for the 2019, and 2020 seasons.  I haven’t seen that before.  At least I didn’t think I have before.  Usually they post future dates once the the fair is over for the season. Anyway the schedule looks interesting.   I am hoping to make it this year.  It's been a couple of years since I last went.  It of course depends on prices, time and my own schedule.  The prices went up to $15 adults.  Maybe I won’t be going this year after all.  Its like I said in ...

I recently went to the Balloon Festival in Goshen.   The BAlloon Festival is held in Goshen every year on the Goshen fairgrounds.  THere is also a food truck festival and arts and crafts festival as well..  Tickets were $14.00 for adults and kids under 5 got in for free.  For those who are 55 or have Handicap ID’s got in for $8. It started on Friday at 2 and ran until ten or 11 first night but the hours for the rest of the weekend were 11 to 10 on Saturday and 11 to 8 on Sunday.  They had balloon rides and tethered rides as well (for those of us afraid to go flying).  WHen I told my sibs about it they both asked me if I was going to go up in one.  The only answer  I gave was not sure.  It depended on if the rides were extra or not. I was under the impression Dave was out of town but I got a message from him saying I could meet them up there.  So when they left they called me (I had been ready since 10:30) I headed out the door to ...

Yesterday morning The Eastern States Expo began its 21 day annual event.   It has been going on for 99 years now and according to the reports from the local TV station they have new vendors, new foods, and are dealing quite well with the some traffic challenges.   They have also the standby vendors.   I don’t remember the first time I went but I have been there several times through the years and it was mostly with my friend Dave.   Some days were pure rain, sunshine, most times very long days as we never got home before midnight.   I remember seeing the Mandrell sisters, Trisha Yearwood, John Tesh, and probably a lot more.   There were some unforgettable acts too.   None that come to mine.   According to the Big E Website attendance Records were broken at 73,213 yesterday.   I am not sure what todays will be.   You can find the daily schedule on their website.   I am not sure when or if I will be going this year.   It d...

August 17, 2013 Dear Friends: It is an absolutely beautiful day.  The sun is shining and the temperatures are I think in the high 70’s.  It is low tide right now.   This morning I walked to and from the center of town.  It is a 2 mile round trip.  I took my time and managed to run into people from the DTC.  I went to our tent and chatted while they set up.  Then I talked with JanetM about who else? Mom.  Then it was time for me to sit at my post across the street. The second tent from the DTC was providing “a service” of sorts.  Voter Registration and the updated information on the redistricting information.  We provided locations of the new voting locations. When I got back from the festival I relaxed both packy spent time downstairs while preston was up here.  I had decided to get lunch and go to the store for grandma and pop.  I got back here around 2.   Nancy had called asking for some things they left behin...

August 16, 2013 Dear Friends: Its Friday and there is a lot going on today and the entire weekend.  This weekend I will be pet sitting for some friends and attending the Milford Oyster festival.  IF Oysters are not your thing (and no it isn’t just Oysters there) you can check out these alternatives .  There are festivals all over.  I always think that I want to attend these thing and then remember the expense, travel,health and then I sit down and say no. Work went well I mail volume seemed really low for Friday and of course I had a HIPAA Training class justa about the time mail was scheduled to arrive (Weeeeeeee). Ironically  I was back from training before the mail came.   Before i left for Nancy & Patrick’s house I stopped and got my prescriptions that i placed earlier this week. Chairman V has been asking me to send out emails asking for volunteers for the last few days for setup and cleanup and during the day as well.   I h...

Today was supposed to be the Mardi Gra Carnival at the nursing home but because of the GI outbreak/quarantine it was decided that we would put it off. I called Thursday or Friday and left two dates for Natalie to pick and then we would have it one of those two dates. She wasn’t in so I have to get back to her on Monday. I was kind of glad the carnival was cancelled because I still had the ‘non-priority mail’ to still do. I have to remember to keep the dates clear so that I can be at this carnival. I hope she picks the one in March. The sun was starting to come out as I left the office. The temperature had risen a little bit. By the time I got home the clouds were gone and it was getting warmer. It is now 51 degrees out. I got a chance to see my little girl Lilly this afternoon. She is completely healed from her procedure. D didn’t want her to jump much during her recovery because the sutures were inside and if they should rupture she could have had internal bleeding and di...

It is six in the evening. I have been home a while. We just finished dinner and it was pretty good. Mom made spaghetti and clams. It was exactly what I asked for and it was satisfying. While we were watching the news the weather report came on. It seems we are getting more “wintery weather”. Rain and snow mixed in during the night. There are high winds expected as well. As usual they are recommending people take care and don’t go out if you don’t have to. I don’t need to be asked twice. I heard from Dave today I finally got a hold of him. He was telling me Lyman Orchards in Middlebury is having a mini-winter carnival this weekend. He was wondering if we could do it on Sunday. We talked about it and I would like to go. The time frame would have to depend on the status of the quarantine at the Nursing home. Once we established that I would call him and let him know we started catching up. He has been working. He went to dinner at Savin Rock Roasting Company in West Haven. He...

There are three festivals going on in the area. They are The Walnut Beach festival, The Woodmont Day, and the Savin Rock Festival. The Walnut Beach one is tomorrow and the Woodmont Day and Savin Rock Festival is today. I am going to the Savin Rock Festival to hear Gayle’s friend Eugene play with the 5 Satins . The Woodmont Day festival is basically one huge block party. Streets around the park are closed off to most vehicle traffic and there are games, rides, and food. I have been to it over the years both as a participant and volunteer. It was fun. Before I do that though I need to work and hopefully get stuff done at home. I have already cleared the area for the guys to install new electrical stuff. I probably will be online through out the morning.

All Week long I had thought the Pirate Festival that I had received an invitation to was for this week. I found out it is next month. It is on June 12, 2010. However, I may have a conflict with that day. I think Jolyn’s sun’s Graduation party is the same day at her church. After a few phone calls to Liz I told her I would stop by and see her and the kids for a bit. After work I left there and headed to her house. The traffic was pretty slow going. When I told her this she started accusing me of having no patience. I told her I was fine (she thought I was giving the finger to traffic). That really annoyed me because she was wrong and I told her so. She smugly laughed. This is what really annoys the daylights out of me. She is so quick to judge either the family or people she feels have victimized her that she doesn’t realize she comes off really arrogant. Luckily my annoyance didn’t last long because the kids were playing and making me laugh. Unfortunately the next door ne...

Good Morning everyone! It is almost 7 am and I am up early. Yesterday was a great day. According to the New Haven Register it was phenomenal. There were a lot of people in the booth by the time I got there and we got a lot done by the time I left. I didn’t go straight home I ended up sitting with Tessa and the other Democratic Tent up on the green. I was there for two hours then I headed home. During that time I made calls to Dave to let him know where I would be and for how long. I wasn’t sure. AT one point he was having breakfast at a restaurant by City Hall and then just around 11 he came by the Tent on the Green. I also ran into some other people I knew and one of them was Dottie B. It was okay. AT one point she was making comments I thought were digs to the club and Telka. Tessa was telling her about the club. We both told her we were in the same club. Anyway it seems as if Dottie joined the Milford Woman’s Club I found myself saying one of the women I met there w...

Today is going to be a busy day for me. Today is the Annual Milford Oyster Festival. I will be working with the DTC this morning prepping the food for cooking. We have a tent that sells food. We usually do hot dogs and hamburgers, and gyros and fried dough. This year though no Gyros it is too much to keep an eye on. After I do my stint there I am going to be walking with Jim Amann our candidate for Governor of Connecticut. Once that is done I will be coming home and getting ready for Bryan’s Birthday party. It is at 2 pm but I still need to get a card for him. I will be giving him money for his birthday. Then I will leave here by 1:30 or so and get to their home in North Haven. Mom will hopefully join me there. The reason I said “Mom will hopefully join me there” is because she is still not feeling well. I am going to give her myself number when I get to the tent so that she if she needs me for something she can have someone call me. Today is also Dave’s Birthday he is 46...

Good morning. It is after 8 and I haven’t done very much. I will be leaving shortly for bingo and church. I gave Mom the biweekly shared expenses check and so that‘s paid. The next time I pay her again will be the first weekend of October. I have been updating my calendars and noticed I missed a few things for additional purposes. I will have to check other sites as well. I want to make sure I have everything I am supposed to. I just checked my emails and so far one person has responded to my weekly newsletter. It was Marie C. She is from my pen pal lists. I think we may be on several lists together but not really sure. My pal from Alaska got snow! Well it is now after 1:30 and I have been home now for about an hour. Bingo went well. I chatted and served coffee while Virgie got the residents. She managed to bring 21 residents in. We played until 11:15 and it was great. The residents were cooperative and playful. Half way through the games this mo...

Man I am exhausted! I was up by 5 and Mom was a short time later. We started getting ready for the Oyster festival and we left in separate cars. I got to Mike and Tessa’s Office by 6:30 or so. After they were setting up the tent for Voter Registration we headed down to the food court. The sun was just starting to burn through the fog. There wasn’t much activity and we were early. Mom arrived a short time later then as it got closer to 7 more and more people came and we began the food preparation. There was a significant less food vendors this year and I am not sure I can explain why. I think one of the reasons had to do with finances. I was very impressed at the way the tent was set up. It didn’t seem to have the clutter and tight spots it did last year. My first job was helping shuck the corn. After that I helped with cutting the tomatoes. Mom left around 9 and I left a short time later. Everyone was doing something and we had one of our first visits from the health depa...

Well it is finally Friday and the end of the week. I got up with a little headache but didn’t take anything until I got to work. I put some clothes in the dryer, had my breakfast, and showered and dressed and updated my checkbook. New England’s Biggest Fair starts in a few hours. The Eastern State’s Exposition AKA The Big E covers all six states and is 2 weeks and three weekend’s long of the best exhibits, games, midway, food and entertainment. I usually go with Dave but because of past experiences I decided I wouldn’t go with him but with a co-worker. That all changed because of my financial status right now it doesn’t look like I won’t be going this year. There is a couple from Waterbury that won a chance to get married on the midway and I think that is supposed to be tomorrow. The main concert they were selling tickets for (Ludacris) was cancelled because of low sales. There are two other concerts they are selling tickets for during this time. I personally don’t think they should b...

Well my day started out around quarter of 6. Mom got up too. We got ready for our day at the Oyster Festival. We had to be there by 7. I think I left around 6:30 quarter of 7. I parked the car at the office and headed down to the food court. I arrived t here to find no one at our tent. We were stationed near the end of the Food Court area. After a while people began arriving. others had to deal with their tents filled with water. THe storm that passed through during the night was pretty strong. When more and more people started to come we started setting up the food preparations. Mom came after a while. For the next two or three hours we cut the vegetables and stuff like that. Around 10 I headed up to the other booth in front of New Standard Institute to man the booth there. I was there for a while I had to put on my jacket because it was very windy and chilly until mid day. Kerri came alittle after ten after some activities she participated in and we walked around fo...