Welcoming Our New Guest Writer!

My last email to you and Melinda was on Sat, 3/8/08, advising you not to get nostalgic about moving back to LI as there’s been lots of problems w/political corruption up here, especially in […], (w/new leadership, things are getting better). Then I told you about the problem w/a former employer. Two days later our NYS Governor resigned. Hope I didn’t freak anyone out w/that alluding coincidental story of the local LI politician/employer that fell from grace prior to the gov.

John and I actually could have met former Gov S, a few years ago as we won a Neighborhood Watch Award. He was in charge of the State Program. We were running the local watch about 4+ years ago in conjunction w/our local police precinct for 390 houses in our development. I’m glad now we couldn’t make the awards ceremony and had the award sent down to us by mail. We’re not involved w/it anymore, but it was interesting working w/the police dept.

Actually, I’d been reading rumors on our local internet political boards that someone big was going to be resigning, but I thought it would be more local. Now there’s more talk about LI becoming it’s own state w/the possibility of upstate Rockland and Westchester Ctys to be included w/LI’s Nassau and Suffolk Counties. My guess is our present Suffolk Cty Exec would like to be Gov someday of either NYS or LIS, if it happens. Though I’m not fond of politics, I think very highly of him. “His Mom brought him up right!” She’s a neighbor of mine, (for the past 18 yrs); real nice, very down to earth lady!

I don’t volunteer for political campaigns anymore, but he has my vote if he runs for gov in 2010. Political volunteering was fun back in 2000, but now that I know what it’s all about, glad to get back to sewing, gardening, crafts and minding my business! I’ve worked w/both Reps and Dems. Political party really doesn’t matter to some of these politicians, it’s a gray area. Politics is brutal and at times, downright scary. Melinda, you did the right thing going the stay-home Mom route. I was happy doing that too, but circumstances that can’t be helped, sometimes happen.

A study is being done by Dowling College in Oakdale to see if LI’s becoming the 51st state is feasible. Myself, I see it happening down the road. The right people are involved trying to make it happen. Everyone’s fed up w/LI being the “Cash Cow” for the rest of the state. Taxes are sky high and killing us! The going joke is, that us Long Islander’s will be moving out of state w/out even having to get up out of our EZ chairs. We’ll see what happens.

On a different note, I read w/amusement Ron’s Telephone Essay. I remember the black kitchen wall phone near your Mom’s sewing machine. Ron, you always were good w/electronics/science. I still remember the Panasonic tape recorder you bought w/money earned from your newspaper route. It was the first tape recorder I’d seen that turned itself off when it reached the end of the tape. I seem to remember you either paid and/or made $80 at the time from tips.

I also remember the time you brought home about 40 white rats from the high school animal room over Easter Vacation. God Bless your parents! I still remember all the squeaking coming from the upstairs hallway! What fun we all had that week playing w/them. I think you went back to school w/15 to 20 more as some had litters during the Easter vacation week.

I do hope to see all of you again and to meet your spouses, children and grandchildren! Please send my love to your Mom. She and your Dad were always so nice to me. With the four Charest Kids included, there were always 6 to 10 kids at your house and we weren’t always that quiet. 

Your Mom used to pick me up and drive me to school w/both of you. Every rainy day she’d greet me with, “It’s a nice day for ducks!” I was telling my daughter about her driving us just yesterday. Tell your Mom, I passed her kindness forward by driving my daughter and her friends all over too.