La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
This is turning out to be a social week. It seems to be either feast or famine. We enjoy the feast every now and again. We even went out for dinner on our own last night. Tonight is dinner with two friends visiting from England. Tomorrow we’re meeting local acquaintances for coffee. Thursday is dinner with Tynan and Elena. We haven’t had dinner together in ages and are really looking forward to that. Saturday, we’ll celebrate American Thanksgiving with Luke, Beckett, and their parents, Kathleen and Pedro. Luke just turned 7. Don’t tell anyone, but I bought gifts. Beckett, at only 3, still gets something on Luke’s day.
We had rain yesterday. It was steady and lasted an hour or so. I had already had my long walk in the sunshine several hours before. Today was an exceptional day at the gym. The sciatica is quieting down again. I increased all my weights without a problem.
The Kid Brother and I are back in business. We had video chats two Tuesdays in a row. His bowling league started up again several weeks ago. So, the first thing he says is “I got scores for you!” I maintain an Excel spreadsheet. His high game so far this season is 149. Unfortunately, his low game is 75. He has, however, bowled over 200 in past years. No matter his scores, he loves it. He started bowling when he was 5. When I would go with my friends, my mother made me take him along. We’d let him roll a couple of balls using both hands. The balls with a star on them were lightweight. We didn’t pay for him to bowl (he wasn’t old enough anyway). His ball would sometimes stop rolling before reaching the pins. We would then roll balls to knock his all the way down. The manager caught us one time and kicked us out. Fortunately, we weren’t banned for life. My friends were awfully good sports about it.
At the end of this post is a letter The Kid Brother wrote all by himself in 1999. Some of the details: We had just moved to San Francisco; his average at bowling on 19 December 1998 was 159; it was cold and there was snow in New York; there’s something about football, and a triple threat; he bought a new Zenith TV; SG’s mother, Alice, was with us for 2 months; he was going to visit us soon and see the two cats. And, of course, Love Charles Block.
.
Esto se está convirtiendo en una semana social. Parece ser fiesta o hambre. Disfrutamos de la fiesta de vez en cuando. Incluso salimos a cenar solos anoche. Esta noche es una cena con dos amigos que visitan desde Inglaterra. Mañana nos encontraremos con conocidos locales para tomar un café. El jueves es la cena con Tynan y Elena. No hemos cenado juntos en mucho tiempo y estamos deseando que llegue. El sábado celebraremos el Día de Acción de Gracias estadounidense con Luke, Beckett y sus padres, Kathleen y Pedro. Luke acaba de cumplir 7 años. No se lo digas a nadie, pero compré regalos. Beckett, con solo 3 años, todavía recibe algo en el día de Luke.
Ayer llovió. Fue constante y duró una hora más o menos. Ya había dado mi largo paseo bajo el sol varias horas antes. Hoy ha sido un día excepcional en el gimnasio. La ciática se está calmando de nuevo. Aumenté todos mis pesos sin ningún problema.
El Hermanito y yo estamos de vuelta en el negocio. Tuvimos chats de video dos martes seguidos. Su liga de bolos comenzó de nuevo hace varias semanas. Entonces, lo primero que dice es “¡Tengo puntajes para ti!” Su juego más alto en lo que va de la temporada es 149. Desafortunadamente, su juego más bajo es 75. Sin embargo, ha lanzado más de 200 en los últimos años. No importa sus puntuaciones, le encanta. Comenzó a jugar bolos cuando tenía 5 años. Cuando iba con mis amigos, mi madre me obligaba a llevarlo. Le dejaríamos rodar un par de pelotas con ambas manos. Las bolas con una estrella en ellas eran livianas. No le pagamos para que jugara a los bolos (no tenía la edad suficiente de todos modos). Su bola a veces dejaba de rodar antes de llegar a los bolos. Luego haríamos rodar bolas para derribar las suyas hasta el fondo. El gerente nos atrapó una vez y nos echó. Afortunadamente, no fuimos baneados de por vida. Mis amigos eran muy buenos deportistas al respecto.
Al final de esta publicación hay una carta que The Kid Brother escribió por sí mismo en 1999. Algunos de los detalles: Acabábamos de mudarnos a San Francisco; su promedio en los bolos el 19 de diciembre de 1998 fue de 159; hacía frío y había nieve en Nueva York; hay algo en el fútbol, y una triple amenaza; compró un televisor Zenith nuevo; La madre de SG, Alice, estuvo con nosotros durante 2 meses; él iba a visitarnos pronto y ver los dos gatos. Y, por supuesto, Love Charles Block.
• Mis raviolis de calabaza, cebolla y provolone.
• San Geraldo se mete en la rutina de los restaurantes. Sus dos bolas estándar de helado de chocolate.
• Me gusta cambiar las cosas. mi tarta de queso Exquisito.
That letter’s a keeper.
Thanks for sharing.
Tom
Tom:
Thanks. I’ve got a few letters saved. My mother bought him stamps once and for a time he was addressing envelopes and writing to us himself. It didn’t last long, but it sure was fun.
Glad to hear the Kid Brother’s phone is up and running again!
Debra:
So are we.
Well, I’d say it was quite uncharitable of that manager to throw you out for letting the KB roll a few balls. What’s the harm in that?! Doesn’t he know that’s a future customer?!
Love the letter! I can’t remember — does KB ever communicate with you now in writing, via e-mail or text? Or is it all phone conversations?
Steve:
I think it was more us rolling a few more balls at the other ball. And we weren’t so gentle. Those lanes are still there, too. They were old when we went there. Chuck never writes now. I’m afraid of what might happen if he had email given that he can’t read much. So it’s just phone and, thankfully, video.
I don’t know if I would like pumpkin pasta, but two years ago I was in Lambertville eating dinner one night at a place called The Inn at the hawk, and they had the best hands down butternut squash ravioli I have ever had!
Mistress Borghese:
My guess is that if you liked butternut squash ravioli, you’d like pumpkin ravioli.
I’m glad you and Chuck can communicate again. I’ll send him a Christmas card soon. Enjoy your friends!
Love,
Janie
janiejunebug:
It makes such a huge difference being able to see each other. But it was so frustrating to not even be able to reach him for weeks.
There are several different names for ravioli (your photo), depending on the region of Italy. But sorry to say “cannelloni” isn’t one of them. Thank you, Mitch, for allowing me to do my small part for Italian culture.
Frank:
Argh. That caption started as a caption for SG’s meal. It then sort of changed to my meal, but I didn’t bother completing it because I couldn’t remember how the dish was described, so I was going to look it up. Like I said, argh! Thanks for pointing it out. It’s been corrected.
I’m glad that phone communication has been restored with your brother. Do you also write letters and/or face-time with Chuck?
It’s interesting how different cultures have made pasta “pockets” their own: Italians make square ravioli, Ukrainians make crescent-shaped perogies, and Mennonites make triangle-shaped ones. Regardless of their fillings and sauces, they’re all delicious!
Not to mention Chinese dim-sum and Japanese gyoza… Jx
Jon:
Oh, dim sum. Haven’t had that in more than 10 years!
Tundra Bunny:
I send Chuck a post card once a week with a simple greeting since his reading ability is so limited. When everything is working, we have a video chat on WhatsApp every week. That’s what we’re finally back to. My dish was ravioli (I had a dummy caption that I left… Dummy that I am). It’s been corrected. SG had cannelloni with spinach and ricotta. SO good.
Food, glorious food! Jx
PS Love that letter from KB. Hope you have it framed?
Jon:
That’s a fun idea t frame that letter. I have others, too. That’s the longest he wrote.
Oh, my dear gourd, I can’t stand pumpkin! Sorry, Scoot. I had to let that out.
Deedles:
Well, at least you let it out without eating any yourself!
What a treasure that letter is.
I like the ‘Bergen photo’. This guy was sleeping at the museum?
That cheesecake looks good!
Jim:
The cheesecake was truly exceptional. Not something I’ll have again for a long time to come. Are you talking about the red-haired realistic-looking guy from one of my Bergen Museum of Natural History posts?
I am. Wasn’t sure what he was doing there. Now I get it! Thanks.
Jim:
The museum had a number of those exhibits. Impossible to tell they weren’t real. My other photos were blurry because I was moving too fast with the kids. It was a bit scary.
Love Charles Block, and by that I mean I love Charles Block.
Bob:
Yeah, as you can tell, I do too.
The Kid Brother’s letter brings back memories of brand names of years past. I don’t think they make or sell Zenith televisions anymore.
Kirk:
I wondered about Zenith. I don’t know what he has now.
What are those berry/seed things on the pasta? It all looks scrumptious.
Walt the Fourth:
Pumpkin seeds. It was scrumptious. That restaurant never fails. They’re closed for 12 days for vacation starting today. I don’t know what we’ll do.
Closed for 12 days, should reopen just in time. You kept the right memories. The cheese cake looks yummy.
David:
Yes, I insisted they reopen before you get here.