Bucky named February "Death Month"since it was in February that both of her parents died,
but this year I think we could call it "B Month". Over three weeks ago Laura got a brown recluse spider bite on her elbow and this past week two of Paul's boys had to get rabies shot because of a bat in their house - B for bug and bat. Other than that, it has been a regular month, almost completely snowless and ten degrees warmer than usual. What we don't have to pay for the fuel for the furnace, we are not putting it into the cars, as gas climbs up over $4.00 today when I drove through Red Hook.

My sisters and brother visited this week, and Diane brought me a slip of paper she had found. It was from the Covered Wagon Inn, the restauant I used after my wedding. The slip of paper had four items listed and noted 60 people for the date of July 8, 1961 - 51 years ago this July. Anyway, here are the 4 items: Wine toast - $18.00, Beer - $28.00, Cake - $24.00 and finally, the chicken dinner $153.00. The total was $223 and apparently, my father had made a deposit of $20. So, 51 years ago the total for the wedding food and drink were $203.00. I remember we had a piano player that charged $25.00. And that was it. My dress cost $35.00 and I borrowed a neighbor's daughter's veil. So there you go...A wedding for 60 people under $300.00. We had guests at the Bird's Nest last year that left their restaurant receipt for 4 people that came to more than that. The cake must have been special, it cost almost as much as the beer.

I could go back 51 years and say that gas was only 19 cents a gallon then, but now I am just getting silly.

Today at church was one of my favorite gospels. It's the one where so many people have come to see and hear Jesus that they crowd around the house he is staying in. There is a paralyzed man that his friends are trying to get near Jesus, but the crowds are so thick that they go to desperate measures. They take off the roof of the house and lower the man's body near Jesus. Then Jesus forgives his sins and cures him, but my favorite part is all ready over. THEY TOOK THE ROOF OFF THE HOUSE.

Now see, that's what makes a good story. A little detail, but it tells so much. A good story teller knows this technique, put in all the little details that will make the whole picture clearer. Bucky was good at that. She could tell a story, add names and faces to the characters and little details. One I will never forget was her friend Gertie who had a tape worm removed. Now that is a story in itself, but Bucky knew how to enrich it. They kept the tapeworm, put it on the mantle and it stretched from one side to the other! Now that's visual. And you want more. Why keep it? And why for heavens' sake put it in the living room on the mantle?

Now back to today's gospel...what happened after? Did Jesus say, "Hey who is going to fix this roof?" Did the man just get up and leave, or did his friends lift him back out of the roof? What kind of roof was it? Maybe straw? Did it have a skylight in it? I doubt that, but anyway, the priest didn't even talk about the gospel today. He's still on Obama health issues and why we are losing our first amendment. I would rather hear about taking the roof off.

Yesterday at 4 minutes to 5 o'clock in the afternoon was the full moon of February, named in the Farmer's Almanac as the "full snow moon", oddly enough there isn't a flake of snow anywhere. But the full moon made me think of Bucky and her ritual of the full moon. Bucky loved to listen to the radio, the talk shows where people would call in with unusual and somewhat interesting information (kind of like the Almanac). Anyway one night Bucky heard the following: Do this at the exact time of the full moon, and you will get rich: Empty your purse or wallet, go out into the street in the light of the full moon and say the following three times: Moon, moon beautiful full moon, fill my empty purse.

I did this a couple of times with Bucky, standing on Falconer Street, and Timmy and I tried it again last night. I did hear of it working one time. My sister Maureen did it with a friend and her friend's husband won the lottery. I think Maureen said they later were divorced. Anyway, I have a feeling it still might work, so today I get the lottery ticket.

Another thing I learned from the Almanac is that Friday is St. Blaise's Day. Bucky told us that St. Blaise is the Saint of Sore Throats, having saved a boy who had a fishbone in his throat. Anyway, our church used to have a short ceremony on this day where you would get your throat blessed. My kids were always getting sore throats, so I said, Come on we are going to St. Blaise's day. Paul was skeptical, "what do I have to do?" "Nothing, I told him, "the priest will just put two candles around your throat and say a short prayer." Paul looked horrified. "Are they lit?" That would certainly make it more exciting. Well, off to get that lottery ticket. I'll let you know.