THE LAST DAY OF SUMMER

Received my monthly pay from Uncle Sam. Josh was tied up all day with Chase at Bentley so payment will be tomorrow. . I sat in the sunshine for one hour.The sun seemed weaker. Before that at the suggestion of Josh I took all of my 'Regal Mail" to the West Brookfield Art and Frame Gallery. It will be two weeks for completion  of matting and framing & be "one of a kind.!" Watched the Tigers defeat the Yankees. Spoke with sister Jan as I sat in the breezeway. Had a prepared salad & chicken for supper. .... and the days grow short when you reach September!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

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A TRANSITIONAL WEDNESDAY

 This day began with rain and no hopes of clearing. I went about getting my newspapers  sitting in my breezeway. The rain stopped and I decided to go to Hannaford NB for food. It worked and I noticed blue sky and clearing in the West!I got my mail including The Spencer New Leader. The Red Sox came on at 4:10 PM and fell to Houston. It was 7-0 Houston when I gave up.  Chase called inviting me to "come over."  He wanted to see me before heading to Bentley University in the morning with Josh, Heidi and Evie.It was a nice meeting with Chase playing two of his electric guitars. My visit was reminiscent of my leaving for St. Louis in a Greyhound from Worcester in 1962!I wished the family well and came home to watch the news and game shows. Tomorrow I pay my rent to Josh.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A GOOD TUESDAY

 After the usual routine of getting up, having a big breakfast and getting the newspapers I got a call from the Worcester VA Mr. Ghione.We spoke at length about my medication quetiapine fumarate and other topics. Mr. Ghione was intrigued about my Buckingham Palace Royal Mail. He even said "I want to see you in person." Later in the day I had a lengthy phone conversation with Bill Gross from Vancouver, Washington. Bill and I go back to St. Louis University and we talk every month. Next came a call from Jeff Nickerson regarding the matting and framing of my "Royal Mail." Jeff suggester going to Michael's in Sturbridge. Maybe I'll have Josh take me here? Gotta get some large mailing envelopes from the PO. It's hard to believe the month of August is almost office! Sox ere trailing 2-0 when I turned off the game.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A GOOD MONDAY

This was a Monday of getting things done. I went through all of my mail including a letter from Buckingham Palace.. For some reason I am the only to get excited!I will get these collectibles matted & framed. The Red Sox are leading the Astros 4-3  in  the fifth.  Enjoyed some Jolly Time popcorn while watching the game. 

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A LETTER FROM THE KING OF ENGLAND

 Today I received correspondence from Buckingham Palace!

"Personal & confidenial

Dear Mr. Potvin, The King asked me to thank you  for your letter of support, with which you enclosed some stamps from your collection for His Majesty to see.

Your thoughtful gesture was greatly appreciated, and I am returning the stamps to you for safekeeping with a card from Their Majesties. The King would have me share his sincere thanks for your sentiments, and convey to you his warmest good wishes.

Yours sincerely,

Signed

Correspondence Secretary

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

CAUGHT IN THE RAIN WITH MY TOP DOWN

 The clouds didn't look like rain. I drove the Allante' to Ron & Chrissies and was sitting in  rocking chair enjoying a can of A&W Root beer when I noticed it was raining! I scooted to my car and drove home in the rain. I noticed the rain had stopped by the time I drove back into my garage. The Allante' was all wet so I grabbed a towel and wiped the car down! Earlier in the day  I got over $100 in groceries. I did get a Cracker Barrel gift card for Ben & Allison to commemorate their 11th  anniversary and will mail it tomorrow. Yes, the Sox lost to LA.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

THE RED SOX DEEFEAT THE DODGERS 8-5

 This Saturday got better by the hour. The white tents were set up as I went for the newspaper. Cloudy skies opened up enough for me to sit in the sunshine for about one half hour. I arrived at Birch Hill at 3:00 and was greeted by Evvie and Josh. Many friends and family came in.It was a different celebration and I had the Red Sox/LA Dodgers on my mind. I went home early to see the Red Sox defeat Los Angeles 8-5. Once again Justin Turner was my favorite with a homer. Got to go to Hannaford NB tomorrow for food and a gift card for Ben & Allison..11 years married on August 31st.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A "CLEAN SHEETS" FRIDAY

I did 5 days of replacing pills in my cady. I spoke to Que at the Worcester VA telling her I was out of my insulin and other pills.  Que called back with instructions. I stripped my bed of  dirty sheets and delivered them to Birch Hill. Later in the afternoon I attended the Legion for potato skins. Josh came by giving me the key to my back door a signal my bed was made with clean sheets.Watched Jimmy Sturr on RFD TV. No television of the Sox who are leading LA 3-0.This day was productive!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

THE AMAZING BOSTON RED SOX

 The Sox lost the first two games to the Houston Astros and came back to win the next two. Today I watched the Sox set a team record getting 24 hits and 17 runs. Now they return to Boston to face Mookie Betts and the LA Angles. Should be exciting! Now at 8:27 PM my Rain Station has .05 inches and counting. The weather has changed and the forecast is for rain the next two days. I have run out of Lantus insulin and must contact Que at the VA. Found my bag of clean laundry as I went to my car. Enjoyed popcorn, celery & peanut butter and two mandarin for snacks. Listened to JFK's "We choose to go to the moon" this morning on my speaker.This Thursday was special!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A SUNSHINE WEDNESDAY IN AUGUST

I did a repeat in sitting in the sunshine for another hour! The sky was virtually cloudless and I couldn't resist. Earlier I traveled to Hannaford to replenish my Greek Yogurt and get a gift card for Josh who turns 49 in a couple of days. At his request I delivered my bag of dirty laundry to Birch Hill Road. I will not view the debate nor will I watch the Sox. Am working on a review of the Assassination of JFK... 60years later.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

 

MY TUESDAY OF SUNSHINE

The skies were blue and the temperature cool. Josh advised me to sit in the sunshine for Vitamin D. I did for one hour.. the longest in months. The highlight for the day was Jeopardy. My boy Matt Amodio made the contest interesting.Matt didn't win but made the contest interesting.No news on the Sox at Houston.The Sox lost last night. 

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

 

RED SOX LEAD 3-1 IN THE FIRST INNING!

 The Red Sox have made a statement by seeing Adam Duval hit a 3 run homer in the first inning!What a nice way to let the Astros the Sox are in town The Astros scored 1 run.. This Monday saw me shopping at Hannafords NB. My main purchase was greeting cards for Evie, Josh and Ben & Allison. I received a nice Thank You from grand daughter Maddie. There wasn't any Lobster Bisque so I got Seafood Chowder and Bologna! Josh & Chase went to Fenway for a concert.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

THE RED SOX SWEEP THE YANKEES!

It was nip and tuck as the Yankees kept coming back against the Sox.Justin Turner and Raefel Devers homered but the ace in this game was Kenley Jansen the 35 year old relief pitcher who was faced with Aaron Judge. Number 99 struck out! Another key play of the game was an overruled call at home in favor of the Sox. It was a wonderful victory for the Boston Red Sox. Now the Sox go to Houston. In other matters my hair was cut and the lawn mowed by Josh-the Barber. Thank you, son!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

 

A CLOUDY COLD SATURDAY IN AUGUST

 I got off to a slow start this Saturday. Josh didn't mow the lawn nor did he give me a haircut. The highlight of this day came in New York with the Red Sox delivering a humble blow to the Yankees winning 8-1. Another grand slam set the pace and Devers got a homer. Aaron Judge got a home run for the Yankees. Maybe a sweep is in order?! I received an invitation to Birch Hill to hear the BeeGees and sit by a campfire.It seemed cold so I wore my black jacket. A good Saturday despite the weather.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

MY BEST DAY OF THE WEEK - FRIDAY

The day started with thunder & lightening which cleared the air. It was sunny so I took the Allante' to Hannaford NB for $60 worth of food. The usual fit the bill with Lobster Bisque. I had some comments on my "patriotic" outfit. It was baseball all afternoon with the Cubs and Kansas City.KC won! Went to the Legion  at 5:00. Jeff Nickerson and his wit made the visit good. The Red Sox made their presence known at Yankee Stadium.The Sox were leading 7-1  after five innings!!!Spoke to Josh earlier who promised "to mow my lawn and hair tomorrow!" The sun setting sky was pink for the moment. This was the best day of the week!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

THE "COMEBACK" SOX.. ALMOST

Weight 158-.lbs. This Thursday saw more of the same: cloudy. I enjoyed Lobster Bisque for lunch then to Cherry Vanilla ice cream for a snack then to pop corn for supper. The Red Sox game versus Washington Nationals came on at 4:00 pm.The NESN transmission of the game faulted twice.I missed the grand slam home run and other. For a minute I felt the Sox would be the "Come Back" but no dice. Now it goes to Yankee Stadium for tomorrow's game with the "Bronx Bombers." It will be anybody's game.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A BETTER WEDNESDAY

 My morning was cut out unpacking my clean laundry and replenishing my pill cady.,My mail at the post office cave me a  white Vietnam Veteran hat with Embroidered Three Ribbons and map. I've been waiting to order one and Son Ben assisted me in placing the order. The spiffy white cap costs $22.50 plus shipping and handling $5.75. It is the BEST VN hat I've ever owned! Interested  folks can find it at VetFriends.com. The Sox  are trailing the Nationals 2-0 after 5 innings. My Wednesday was complete!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A NEW DAY - A NEW BLOG

There's an obituary worth repeating.It is about a blogger who died at 109! Dagny Carlsson started blogging at age 99 after taking a computer course. Her obituary is full of wisdom. "I'm proud of the truth in the proverb you're never too old to learn.." Further "I get self-fulfillment when I write." There's inspiration in Dagny's obituary and I want to share it with my readers!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A MID-AUGUST MONDAY

I look forward to getting my mail at Box 11! The highlight of this Monday was a Forbes magazine and a Spectrum bill for $194.77 which I paid. Internet charges are $79.99. I am solicited by DISH but I just haven't made the move. I am not comfortable in paying this.Any suggestions?? I am moved by the tragedy in Maui. It was a hot Monday with rain in the forecast. No baseball tonight.Tomorrow it will be in Washington.D.C Food shopping in NB Tuesday.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A DIFFERENT SUNDAY

My Sunday was different.From the usual routine came a disappointing discovery of the Red Sox not being televised on NESN! I followed the score by reading it on the Internet. The good news is the Sox won 6-3 over Detroit. Later in the afternoon Josh came by and took my dirty laundry. He invited me over to Birch Hill and when I drove by his Dodge Ram was missing.  When driving my Ronnie & Chrissies their car was missing from the garage. In turn I watched more baseball. and listened to Golden Oldies. Sixty Minutes was delayed an hour because of the Pro-Golf final. Earlier we had a downpour and my Rain Station didn't work maybe because of  of pine needles from a tree? The bottom line is my Sunday proved to be challenging but good!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

DOC WIGHT - A SPECIAL FRIEND

I have fond memories of a friend of yesteryear, North Brookfield's Clarence W. Wight. Doc Wight had his office on the second floor of the Adam Block NB. I was his Sunday Telegram paperboy for 20 cents. It seems each Sunday Doc's face was all lathered when I called on him. He had in his office two large prints of a lion and tiger and his back room was his library. Seated in his Morris chair he would read National Geographic and was well versed on topics such as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Doc Wight came to NB in the depth of the Great Depression at about age 57 from Maine. Doc Wight and Mrs. Wight bought a home on Elm Street.He called it "Birch Tree Farm." I was friends with Doc Wight until the end. His life ended in his 96th year. In storm and gale Doc Wight  was one unforgetable character in my life!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A LEGION FRIDAY

This Friday saw me travel to NB for food. I spent $70 and stocked up with the usual. Saw Darrel Hyder my former printer while at Hannaford. I spent the afternoon watching former George W. Bush  deliver his Inaugural speech of 2002. Enjoyed my time at the American Legion visiting with Carol Slater and Jeff Nickerson. Son Josh didn't come but did play remote songs on the Juke Box.Billy Joel's Piano Man and others. Did watch Jimmy Sturr's polka show on RFD-TV. The Sox are leading the Detroit tigers 4-2 in the 5th inning. The days are getting shorter!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A QUIET THURSDAY

Weight 159.4 lbs The President was in Salt Lake City today. I watched his entire speech on the PACT ACT  It is interesting to see all of the Secret Service surrounding him.  Received a nice note from Steve Reardon about "One Lucky Soldier." My Rain Station has been busy tonight. We have received .1.06 inches of rain so far. The Sox are leading Kansas City 1-0 after 4 innings. Earlier I enjoyed a batch of popcorn!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN.

 

A COMPLETE WEDNESDAY

This Wednesday was good. I connected with the Windsor Historical Society and was referred to a person who was on vacation for 2 or three weeks. Next was the detail of filling a week's supply  of pillls in my cady. Josh came by with some clean clothes forgotten the other day. I stumbled upon some Presidential speeches on CSPAN. FDR, Truman and Eisenhower showed their Inaugural speeches an other. A good refresher for me.SOX  are leading Kansas City 4-2 in the fifth!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

 

MY QUIET TUESDAY

 This Tuesday saw son Ben & Family head out for home in Belmont, NC. They stopped by to say goodbye. My next task is to resurrect a brochure I published for The Town of Windsor, CT back in 1978. I was a CETA employee working for the Town Manager Al Ilg. I worked closely with Rocco Pasante in seeing it published.Now I must contact the Windsor Historical Society 860-688-3813 in the hopes they have a copy. We had a downpour about 5:00 pm measuring .23 inches on my Rain Station.  The Sox are trailing Kansas City 3-0 in the fifth inning.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

MY MONDAY WITH SON BEN

 Nationalgrid bill $93.59. It was a good Monday with son Ben visiting with Fenway. We watched the second dvd of the Eagles in Melbourne. Next Ben guided me in ordering a white Vietnam veteran ball cap. I have had a curiosity about the Quabbin water level so we headed west.On the way we stopped at Jeninens in Ware for a $5 soft-serve cone. On the way back Ben got my newspapers and mail at the Post Office. Later I went to Hannaford NB for some food..under $40. Tonight the Red Sox are wearing their spiffy yellow jerseys and are leading 1-0 against Kansas City.It is more like it! My Monday was perfect!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

WE ARE FAMILY

 It is wonderful to have family together again. Son Ben came over at 11:00 to watch the Eagles dvd Part one. I still hadn't seen Allison or daughter Savannah. We agreed to meet on Birch Hill at 4:00 and it didn't happen until 5:00. We were all hugs and kisses and Evie was soul mate with Savvy. Heidi came in and  the conversation grew about raising children. Josh played albums of our favorite i.e. Segar, Cash. the Eagles & more. Fenway the doggie got lots of attention. A campfire brought everyone together. Family is everything and mine is the best!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

VISITORS FROM THE CAROLINAS

The first order for this Saturday was for air be inserted in all tires of my Honda.Josh took care of this.I had expected to hear from Ben who was 2 hours late. Chase and Fenway arrived at mid-afternoon. Fenway is a dog! We had a nice visit as the Red Sox went down to defeat to Toronto.. Ben will return tomorrow AM to watch the Eagles from Australia.It was good seeing Ben again.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

 

SPIC-N-SPAN JOSH

 Weight 160 lbs.Today's focus was to get the Poodle cleaned for Son Ben's coming tomorrow noon. When Josh takes over you can be sure it will be done right. Additionally, dirty clothing was taken by Josh. The reward was a visit to the American Legion with Josh. We relaxed with music playing and a meal. I enjoyed a fish sandwich and Josh had two hot dogs and potato chips.I was all excited with Toronto coming to town only to see back-to-back homers by Toronto in the first. Toronto leads 4-2 at the end of the fourth.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

A THURSDAY OF FOOD &BASEBALL

 This Thursday was different. The cool clear weather has left Massachusetts and now we are in for a change. After the usual routine of a big breakfast and exercise I spent $75 on food and supplies. Looking for a new scoop as my handle broke. Then I tuned into the Blue Jays and Orioles. Baltimore won. Next the Yankees are playing Houston. Josh advises of my new story on the New Leader. Will read about it tomorrow..

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

THE COLLAPSE SOX

My new "hey dude" patriotic shoes are a hit. Upon leaving the WB post office two people expressed their approval! Today was bright and cool. I was all excited to see a Sox victory over Seattle last night and hoped for another victory. Not so. The Sox went ahead 3-0 and ended up losing 6-3.The Sox come back for a 10 game home stand.Go Sox!

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN

 

A COOL TUESDAY

Today was continued cool. My main focus this morning was filling pills in the cady. I replenished 8 days keeping me on top of things. I tried to call in refills without success. Tomorrow I'll try again.  It was a day of snacks.From pudding to popcorn and olives and bread & butter chips I didn't overeat. And lobster bisque for lunch.No ice cream today! I did have a full breakfast to begin my day.

ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN