Sunday Notes

I am up early again and have the coffee, my sister Wendy who is not the country boy early riser, says I am spoiling her, that she loves waking up to the smell of coffee, I am indulging myself in an east coast pleasure, With coffee each morning I have two small Tastee-Kake Butterscotch Krumpets, they are real small and won’t hurt my sugar intake. When we were kids my Mother tasted one and then duplicated the taste of the icing, which to me is what makes them special. Alas her secret recipe died with her, I wonder if Donna could do that, she is a better baker than Mom was.
I do have one thing that is going to take awhile to get used to. I know it has been 10 months since we lost my brother Rick, I can’t hardly believe a tough guy like me could still be in the grieving process and not moving on with life. But I find myself in a very awkward position, everywhere I go here in Scranton & Dunmore people will look at me, especially relatives and say, Oh my God you look just like Rick, You guys should have been twins. I find my self choking up and being very sensitive to this. First of all I already have a twin brother, who won’t even talk to me. From our teen years we were diametric opposites, I used to call him Serious Bill, as a teen, I guess as opposed to my Full of hell, have a good time, damn the torpedoes full speed ahead attitude, that I still have. Rick was much the same way and he loved cars & trucks like I did so naturally we were very close. I feel sorry now for the many trips to PA with Donna over the years where she stayed home with Mom while Rick and I dashed out to hang at the garage or with his friends, I know she expected it, but she was like a service widow on some of those trips, Thanks for putting up with it Hon, It meant a lot to Rick & I.
On a positive note on my way home from my cousin Sam’s house, I made a stop to see someone I hadn’t seen in 45 years.When I was a freshman, sophomore and junior in high school I went steady with a girl named Elaine Hoffman. They lived on the opposite end of Myrtle street from my Grandmother Genett. Elaine & I met in Band class. During the end of our junior year, out of the blue her Dad & Mom decided for whatever reason we were too serious and ended the relationship. I left the Scranton area when I went into the Navy and in all my trips I never saw her again. Well yesterday as I drove down the street I saw the house had a sign on the front that said Hoffman, I saw a lady working in the front yard so I thought what the heck, so I stopped the truck, I walked over and even after all these years I knew in my heart who it was. I said Elaine, and she looked up with a who the hell are you look, I said” do you know who I am,” and she said no, I smiled and said think back about 45 years, Does the name Sam ring a bell, then it was like a light bulb being lit, she said I can’t believe it Sam Weibel, I said yes, after hugs she said oh I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you, I said well I'm not the skinny young guy you knew, I’m and old retired guy now, Being the lady she is she said no you are a lot more handsome now than when we were kids, we sat on the front porch and she wanted to know how life went and I told her about my pretty bride Donna and the four boys, and  of having great jobs all my life from the Navy until now. I even turned down a beer, And she said surely you still drink beer and I said oh yes, but usually at home and always after 5, ( Miller time) she laughed and said well you had enough as a teenager to last a lifetime. Alas Elaine never married and has no children. She said both her parents are now deceased and she thought her Dad regretted breaking us up later in life because he said I had been quite the hero in my Navy days, and the talk of the bar at times. I told her I was no hero but I loved flying and it was a great job for a young man, the same with police work. I finally said I had to get home to see Wendy and maybe I would stop again and talk before going home to MO I must say it was nice to see her, but I felt bad that she hadn’t drawn a better hand of cards in life as I am sure she would have made a great mom.
When I was driving back to Wendy’s I thought how lucky I was that God had given me the life I have had so far. I Thank Him each day for allowing me to have the time I have with my family.
My sister and I will be taking a drive today to the cemetery to visit my Dad & Moms  graves and also Ricks. Then maybe I can deal with this grief problem.
Hey Donna, give Andy & Rigg’s a hug and get one back from me. Maybe even let Rigg’s give you a good face lick like he does me. It might make him feel better. We send our love from PA.
Everyone be safe out there. Sam & Donna.