February 2008

CAN’T YOU FEEL THE LOVE?

Our Valentine’s Party was held at Peg-a-la’s house this year. We had another pizza party. Peg provided dough & red sauce; we provided toppings. There were many different things to choose from. We had veggies, mushrooms, chicken, bacon, pepperoni, olives, and tons of cheese. Patt & Debi decided they would get all their toppings ready for when it was their turn. After they got all their stuff together & were waiting, they wound up eating most of their toppings. “Who needs carbs?” they asked. Most of us made semi-round crusts, but Missy & Phyllis got creative. Missy made a heart-shaped crust (see photo). Phyllis made a rectangular crust. All the pizzas were super-yummy! Nice work ladies. We also had lots of chocolate. I guess V-day is “chocolate time”. Phyllis made chocolate truffles & the most awesome chocolate covered cherries ever. Everyone was so hopped up on sugar that we all had sugar rushes and started acting a bit crazy.

Marge was responsible for the Mystery Box this month. I was the winner! The box had a photo theme. There were various sized frames, a photo album & disposable camera. Marge even managed to re-use some of the Mystery paper. There’s only 1 piece left now. Hopefully I’ll be able to use it again for the March Mystery.

Once again, there was lots of good music playing. We “brought sexy back”, rocked out old school with “White Lines” & “Jungle Love”. Patt & I busted into the dance made famous by Morris Day & the Time in “Purple Rain”. See, this is what I learned from my aunt…“classical” music taste & kick ass dance moves!

It was well noted that Kate G. was being a big klutz. From the time she walked in the door, she was dropping stuff & the trend kept going all night. Hopefully Peg won’t have too many chips to clean up on Sunday!

While we were playing, Debi noticed her pile of change was getting smaller. That’s when she realized that she was using change on her card instead of chips. As Patt is laughing at Debi, she almost ate what she thought was a piece of candy. It was a nickel! Good thing she started laughing & not “eating”.

At the end of the night, Peg wasn’t feeling very well. She just got back from Florida earlier in the week, and then had to run around to get things ready for our party. She was just plain exhausted. So, she decided to go lay down. While she lay down, everyone pitched in & cleaned up. We even left her a little “get well” napkin. I spoke to Peg the next morning & she wanted to apologize to everyone for punking out. She also wanted to thank everyone for helping to clean up before we left.

MARCH POKENO

We will be having our March Pokeno party at Phyllis’ house on Saturday, March 16th. Since it’s the day before St. Patty’s, this will be an “Irish” themed party. Be sure to wear your green underpants! Or just be sure to wear some green clothing. The menu so far is spiral ham, potatoes, and Peg’s famous Mac & Cheese.

ANIMALS ALL AROUND

Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home? Peg has some ladybugs in her house. That’s cool, they’re well mannered. They’re also supposed to bring good luck. Anyway, one of the bugs landed on Phyllis’ cup, and then made its way over to Missy’s side of the table. I’m not totally sure what happened, but I think Missy tried to pet it or something, and thought she squashed it. After a few minutes, we noticed the ladybug was crawling around again, so it either survived the squish, or its come back as some sort of mutant zombie ladybug. Check Peg’s head for gnaw marks next time you see her. If she starts to lunge at you saying anything about “brains…..” run quickly in the opposite direction.

Seahorse Assault! As usual, Peg had her “mystic seahorse” handy to help her during the evening. Kate G. hadn’t been doing very well, so the seahorse paid her a visit. Next thing you know, Kate hits 2 in a row. That’s when Phyllis spotted the seahorse. She snatched it from Kate & Peg, sat on it and moved her butt around. Then she handed it back to Peg. Peg accused Phyllis of assaulting her seahorse. Phyllis said, “No! He tapped my ass!!!” Hmm…who do you think was really the victim here? Take a moment to discuss amongst yourselves.

GROUNDHOG’S DAY

Feel like you’ve done that before? Well, the little rodent in a top hat saw his shadow this year. They say that means there will be 6 more weeks of winter. I know none of us are good with numbers, but if you do the math, either way spring will be here in 6 weeks or we suffer another 6 chilly weeks of winter. Think about it…

BEAUTY TIP

During the winter months, you’ll notice that your hair is probably feeling a bit dried, fried and over-all, not well. Try this all-natural super-deep conditioning treatment below:

1. Mash up an avocado with 1 tablespoon of olive oil & 1 teaspoon of baking powder (NOT baking soda…yuck).
2. Mix until very well combined & then work mixture through your hair.
3. Go surf the internet, or otherwise occupy yourself for 15 minutes and then wash it out. Voila! Soft hair once again.

January 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hopefully by now, you’re fully recovered from your New Year’s partying. I spent the evening (as usual) in Mt. Holly with Kate G, Phyllis & the men. Marge partied with Jacob. Peg had dinner with her neighbor. Debi spent her evening knitting a scarf (more about that later). Missy drank away 2007 (can’t say I blame her), then banged pots & pans with the kids at midnight.

This month our party was held @ Kate’s house. Everything looked very festive. As usual, there was a lot of good food to eat. We had meatballs/sausages, mozzarella chunks, 4 different kinds of quesadillas, munchkins, veggies, chocolate fondue w/ fruit & other fun dippers. We also had champagne & hot spiced cider to drink. There was also a good disco/dance mix CD on. The music was so good in fact that we couldn’t stop chair dancing. At one point, Peg was dancing/singing & got so distracted that she missed 2 cards. Speaking of distracted, Missy cleared her card when Kate hit for Postage. She said, “I’m too busy eating!” Kate finally won Postage (for real) after miscalling it & getting fined twice!

We used our “Cucumbers are better than men” cards tonight. Some were so funny that they were distracting the callers. Peg used her “Mystic Seahorse” to cut the cards. During the first 2 rounds, we had 5 people win Pokeno at the same time. Hooray!!! I can really use the 15 cents!

Before the party even started, there was some drama. Patt went into the guest room to drop off her coat. She stepped over the doggie gate on her way in, but on the way out, she forgot it was there & proceeded to smash her shins and fall over forward. While she was trying not to fall, she wrenched her back & neck. This sounds like a job for “Super Masseuse” (that’s Peg). So, while she’s all busted up trying to evaluate her injuries, Debi is hysterically laughing at her! We hooked Patt up with the “boo-boo piggy” (see photo) to ice her injury. Good thing we were minus one girl so she could use that stool to prop up her leg during the evening. Things just went downhill from there. To start off our evening, we all had noise makers. Patt had one of those twirly ones. While she was twirling, she threw out her wrist. Later on, she started hacking. Debi started laughing at her again & asked if we should call 911. But, I do have to say that Patt was a real trooper! She managed to stay & play until the end of the night. Note to Peg – be sure to remove any hazards from your house before we play next month.

Debi was responsible for Mystery Box this month. Marge won this time. Inside the box was big mug with spiced rum drink mix, party poppers, windshield deicer, a photo snow globe & the scarf she was knitting on New Year’s Eve. Some of the gifts in the box were wrapped so tightly that it took Marge a few minutes to open everything. The scarf was a big hit. The ladies were jealous. In fact, Missy was so jealous that she kept trying to figure out ways to steal the scarf all night. After that didn’t work, Missy started begging Debi to make scarves for the rest of us. So, if Debi does 1 scarf every New Year, we’ll all have our scarves by 2015! Also, in a follow up from last month’s mystery, Debi said that her wreath from Peg is still holding up nicely. So nicely in fact, that’s she’s going to take off the stockings & put hearts all over it for Valentine’s Day! Wow, it’s a gift that just keeps on giving 

Phyllis was sending out good thoughts to the seahorse earlier in the day. She said, “Oh mystic seahorse, please give me all their money!” She even held onto the seahorse for a little bit. She did manage to hit one big pot late in the evening, but I don’t really think that “praying” to the seahorse works. Also in Phyllis news, it was noted that for the first time ever, she was actually calling too fast. We had to tell her to slow down! Can you believe it? Even Roger was surprised.

Speaking of Roger…. He took the kids to the Fun Plex so we could fully enjoy our ladies’ night. But, then he came home. He put Isaac to bed and came downstairs to say hello. He went behind the bar to get a drink. When he bent over to get extra shot glasses, he knocked the light up fish off the wall, onto the floor, smashing it into about 5 pieces. It was so smashed that he immediately brought a shot glass over to Kate & told her she would need a shot before she was allowed to see the remnants of the fish. Roger did attempt to fix it, but by the end of the night, the poor fish was still in pieces all over the couch (see photo).

FEBRUARY POKENO

Our super lovey-dovey Pokeno Valentine’s Party will be held at Peg’s house, Saturday 2/16 @ 6:00. Phyllis says, “I don’t care when the party is….but I gotta be there!” So nice to see some enthusiasm! We’re decided to do the Pizza Party thing again. Peg will provide the dough/oven/pizza cooker rock thingy. You ladies are responsible for bringing the toppings. Bring whatever your favorite topping is…even if your fave topping is fungus…yuck!

HOW ABOUT A RELAXING BIRTHDAY?

I’d like to send a big shout out to PJ who had a birthday last week. Of course, she was forced to wear the official birthday girl crown. Yes, even the senior citizens of the bunch will have to wear it… Anyway, I decided to share this story with the rest of you who didn’t already hear it (Peg & Marge…you can skip onto the next topic if you’d like).

I sent an e-card to Patt on her b-day wishing her a day full of relaxation & chilling out (you’ll see the irony in a minute). Then, I get an e-mail note from her. She proceeds to tell me how on b-day eve, she & the hubby were chilling out by the fireplace. As they’re admiring the crackling glow, they realize there is a fire brewing in the chimney part. They run to get the fire extinguisher and manage to douse the flames. This is too much excitement in one evening for the elderly, so they decided to go to bed.

Next morning, Patt woke up ready for her day of relaxation. Hubby was going to work & (bonus) taking the kid! As she came downstairs, she noticed that the entire first floor of the house is filled with smoke. After further investigation, it turned out that after they put out the fire the night before, all the residual junk backed up & turned their house into something similar to an open-pit BBQ. Some more extinguishing & a chimney sweep later…the fire place is under control. Now there’s the little matter of cleaning up the family room that is now completely covered in a nice, thick layer of black soot (so much for relaxing).

After hubby & son left, Patt threw open all the windows, cranked up the new Alicia Keys album (which she says is good cleaning music) and proceeded to scrub like she’s never scrubbed before. Even with all this insanity, she says she had a nice birthday. Here’s hoping next year will be better 

REMINDERS & AN ANNOUNCEMENT

Reminder #1: A flush is 5 of the same suit, not 4! Kate G. has been thinking she had a flush on 4 all this time!!! If it wasn’t for Peg paying extra-close attention, Kate would’ve probably continued to call flush on 4. So, we made Kate pay a hefty fine. Hopefully she has learned from this mistake. If not, she’ll be forced to stand in the corner & write a 500 word essay.

Reminder #2: If you’re going to make homemade mozzarella sticks, be sure to cut them into squares (or smaller), not rectangles! The squares will cook faster & be meltier!

Announcement: In case you didn’t know, Missy & family finally found a house! They moved a few days before Christmas into a nice little duplex. Everyone is still getting settled. Joe is excited to have his very own “big boy” room away from his annoying little brothers.

ATTENTION CAT LOVERS!

To you cat-loving ladies out there, I thought I should pass along some interesting info. For Christmas, Russell got their cats some of that Chia Cat Grass stuff. It grew in about 2 weeks. Then he clipped some off to give to the cats. One didn’t like it at all, but the other one absolutely loved it! I guess it all depends on your particular cat. But, those of you who are cat owners have at least 2, so I say fork out the $17 (unless you’re broke like me) and give it a try. Meow! (That was your cat saying, “thank you” for being such an awesome human)

DID YOU KNOW?

Here are a few morsels of knowledge just in case you ever wind up on Jeopardy…

January is “National Hot Tea Month”. All tea (except for herbal & flavored varieties) comes from the leaves of a warm-weather evergreen. According to the Tea Association of the USA (who knew such a place existed?), tea is a $2.10 billion industry in the US, as well as the second most popular beverage worldwide…after water.

January is also “Chicken Noodle Soup Month”. More than 350 million cans of chicken noodle soup are sold each year, with January being the top selling month. I guess this explains why they jack up the prices so much right now! I guess everyone is supposed to be sick this month…eating soup & drinking tea.

The first college bowl game took place on New Year’s Day 1902. The president of the Tournament of Roses Festival suggested a post-season football game to boost attendance at the parade. And thus, keeping most men recliner-bound every New Year’s since.

Christmas 2007

HAPPY FESTIVUS!

Another Christmas party has come & gone. It seems that everyone had a good time & got a super swell gift from their Secret Santa. Kate G. & Peg both got creative with their gifts. Kate wrapped her relaxation kit for Patt in a decorative Santa hand towel. Peg (who was my Santa) attached my list with “order completed” & special card from “Santa”. Phyllis came dressed as one of Santa's elves. Complete with red shirt, green pants & elf hat. It was an early party, starting at 3, most out by 7:30 & a few stragglers until 9.

I had my house overly decorated for the party. I even endured endless taunting the night before from my husband & his friend in order to provide a festive atmosphere for you ladies. One thing that everyone loved was....my balls!!! My lovely Christmas balls hanging from the Dining Room chandelier. However, it was noted that they did get in the way at times.

Everyone (except for Missy...imagine) showed up on time, at the same time for the party. Wow! That sure knocked me for a loop. I thought for sure that I had at least another 30 minutes to kill before y'all got here. Apparently not. But everyone still managed to get themselves situated nicely.

Peg was responsible for December's Mystery Box. Just like in November, there was much ado over the Box. Last month, Debi was the winner, but decided to pass. She was very upset with her decision after she saw that cute ass chipmunk. So, again, she picks the winning card this month. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do, but after remembering how cool the last Mystery was (& how she passed it up), she decided to go for it. Boy was she glad she didn't make that mistake twice! Peg made a beautiful fresh pine wreath with silk flowers, beads & little stockings. She even included a wreath hanger. She hung it on the inside of the door so we could all enjoy while we played.

Another “to do” during the evening was over the chocolate covered pretzels. Kate L. had donated them in the center cup. Marge won center, but didn't want them. So we “let it ride” until the next round. Before the next round, Patt got center & thought she could take the pretzels. We explained that it had to go until next round (that's been a long standing rule). Next round comes & Kate L. wins center. She donated the pretzels, so she didn't want to take them. At this point, Patt offers Kate cash for the pretzels! We tell her that's not allowed either! You must win fair & square, there's no bribery in Pokeno! Next round comes & Phyllis wins center. In a true “Spirit of Sharing” holiday moment, Phyllis gave her pretzels to Patt to enjoy. Aww, can't you just feel the Christmas love?

Phyllis announced herself as official Pokeno “Treasurer” during last month's game. She tells us that when she went to the bank to get dimes, the teller asked what she was going to do with them. Phyllis' response was, “I'm taking them over for the guys at the Cave!” Nice! In other Phyllis news, it was noted later in the evening, that if she says something, it's probably dirty.

JANUARY POKENO

We will be ringing in 2008 in style at the Geib's party lounge. Kate will be hostessing a “Happy Belated New Year” party on Saturday, 1/12 @ 6:00 pm. This will be a finger food/appetizers type of event, so plan your dishes accordingly. And, don't worry, we'll be sure to wrap up the game before midnight!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announcement #1: Happy b-day to Patt on January 5th. She might be turning the big 3-0 this year...again. She can look forward to wearing the special birthday tiara during our January game.

Announcement #2: As a whole, we suck at Math. Most can't even add much less try to use division (especially after a few drinks). I'll start carrying a calculator in the Pokeno bag from now on so we can continue to use our brains as little as possible while we're playing. I say they deserve a rest once a month!

Announcement #3: If you're playing a card after a break & you think maybe it's not yours, check to see if it's upside down. Chances are...when you flip it over, it's still your card.

SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC STUDY

During the evening, we posed the question, does the “Mystic Seahorse” really work? Does it really in fact contain mystical properties to help your game? We decided to put the seahorse to the test & see if it would work. Peg rubbed the seahorse on Phyllis' card. Phyllis wasn't having much luck all evening. At the end of the round, Phyllis' proclaimed, “it took a shit on my card!” meaning....it didn't work. I guess that's what makes the seahorse so mystical. It only works it's mojo when it feels like it. But, on the very next round, Phyllis did get Pokeno.

Until next time ladies, remember that phone sex lines charge $2.98 per minute with a 10 minute minimum. Save yourself the (almost) $30 and do like everyone else does...get your porn on line for free! See y'all next year!

NOVEMBER 2007

BEEP BEEP UH HUH!

Back w/ another edition of the Pokeno Rag. This one is all about our super swell party at Peg's house. We played fireside and had SO much “Comfort Food” that some were ready to burst & others just got gassy.

On the menu this month was Mac & Cheese, Creamy Tomato Soup, Spinach & Cheese bowls, chocolate covered pretzels (which we almost didn't get because a drunk driver drove through the store that day), Cherry Cheesecake, Bread Pudding, and Apple Crisp w/ ice cream.

Peg also had a nice selection of appetizers to keep us busy while we waited for all the people who were running late. Missy completely forgot about Pokeno. John reminded her at 5:30 while she was in the middle of making dinner. She told John hopefully the steak won't burn & ran out the door to join us. Then, Patt called and said that her & Debi were lost. Apparently, they were in Westville & couldn't find 130. But, the worst of them was poor Kate. She called to tell me she was in Delaware. That's right....Delaware. She was having so much fun driving on 295, that she continued right past Peg's exit & right onto the Delaware Memorial Bridge! Peg stayed on the phone with Kate to guide her back step by step. When Kate came in, I immediately provided her with a shot. She needed it for sure! After everyone arrived safe & sound, we finally started playing.

It was noted this month that Kate likes to hold up the cards while she is calling. This way, everyone can see the card in case they can't hear it. Which really comes in handy when the caller says “stymond”. Huh? Oh, that's a diamond... Kate also noted that showing off the cards would be much more fun if there were pictures of naked men on them.

During game play, Peg had a really good mix of dance music on. Then “Kiss” by Prince came on. Of course Patt (being such a huge fan) was the first to jump up and start dancing. Next thing you know, the rest of the table jumps up to dance & play at the same time. This was very fun. So much fun in fact that we did this a few more times throughout the evening. It's so nice to see everyone having a good time. So please, if you feel the need to get up & bust a move, go right ahead! Another fun thing to do while playing is to sing songs. Missy & Phyllis broke into a wonderful rendition of the classic “There's A Stranger In My House”.

While we were playing, I reached over to cut the cards & proceeded to knock over Peg's cup of wine. It wasn't too much of a mess, but I did manage to completely saturate the “Mystic Seahorse”. Unfortunately, due to this incident, the “Mystic Seahorse” is now in rehab, fighting off those damn paparazzi. Here's hoping he has a relaxing stay & full recovery. He's expected to be released in time for our next Pokeno party.

NOVEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS & REMINDERS

Phyllis was responsible for the November Mystery Box. She even managed to find question mark wrapping paper for it! We drew cards to see who the winner was. First time, it was Debi. Since she just provided the mystery in October, she was given the option to pass...which she did. So, we picked again & this time, Peg was the winner. After Peg opened the box, Debi was very upset that she decided to pass up the prize. Phyllis hand-painted a watercolor picture of a cute ass little chipmunk in a log (or some type of nature setting). Everyone thought it was just adorable & were surprised to know that Phyllis had this secret talent. Now Peg will be responsible for the Christmas Party Mystery Box. I wonder what it will be...ohhhh....the suspense......

I started a new thing for the “birthday girl” of the month. Phyllis' birthday was just the other day, so she got to wear the birthday crown (see photo) for the evening. In the event that there are 2 (or more) b-days within that month, y'all can take turns wearing it. Another notable November b-day is Kate L. who turned 21. She celebrated by going to Atlantic City & not getting carded anywhere.

Reminder #1: You only get to cut the cards when it's your turn.

Reminder #2: Gardasil. I'm not sure of the spelling, and I'm not sure what it's supposed to do. But I can tell you that it is definitely NOT vagina cream.

HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY POKENO CHRISTMAS PARTY

Our annual Pokeno Christmas party will be held this year at my house. It will be held on SUNDAY, 12/16 @ 3:00. Please remember to bring your Pokeno Pollyanna gift for the December party. Hopefully you remembered who you have & what you're supposed to buying. If not, just bring $20 in a card & wait to see who's left without a gift.

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

Since this Pokeno was just a few days after Thanksgiving, I figured it would be a good question to pose to everyone. I'm thankful for good friends & good times; Marge = family & friends; Phyllis = her “foxy bitches”; Patt = her health; Debi = 4-day weekend with time to chill; Kate = novelty playing cards; Peg = her home because it's a place she can share with her wonderful friends :)

So, on that note, I'm outta here. Until next time ladies, keep on livin' la vida loca....ay!

October 2007

xWHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP IT'S BEEN...

It has been well over 3 years since I last sat down to write one of these. I decided that maybe I should start it up again in a 21^st Century way. For those of you who are new & have never seen a “Rag” before, this is just a little something I started back in the early days of Pokeno to keep everyone up to date on different things in our lives & stuff that happens at the games (kinda like a diary). I hope you enjoy :)

Lots of stuff has happened over the last 3 years to the original Pokeno crew. Missy had another boy (Nicky) in March 2005. In September 2006, the Raffaele family moved out to Nevada for a job opportunity. Once the real estate market took a crap, John was out of a job & an opportunity opened up here in Jersey. They all came back a few weeks ago. Marge had a stroke last September and was in the hospital for a week while they did some artery cleaning. I had Jacob in February 2005, married Ian & bought a house. Peg is now a massage therapist full time.

Stacy decided about 2 ½ years ago that since Joey was “dying” (needed a liver transplant), she HAD to have Pokeno at her house. She immediately got bossy to the point that it really sucked & people didn't want to come play anymore (that's pretty sad after playing for 10 years). When it got close to baby delivery time, I suggested that we should temporarily move Pokeno to Missy's house so we would be closer to home in case one of us went into labor. Stacy totally freaked out and decided that Pokeno was canceled. We haven't seen or heard from her since.

The summer before the Raffalele's went to Nevada, we decided to get together & play a game before they left. That winter we decided to start up a whole new version of the P.B.I. Now our group includes Kate G., Phyllis, Patt, Debi & Kate L. We play once a month now instead of once a week. We rotate houses so everyone gets a turn at hostessing. And, so far, every party has had a theme. We had a fireside/make-your-own pizza party at Peg's, a luau at the Geib's Tiki Bar (everyone got lei-ed), a 28^th of July party that was hosted by Marge at my house (last minute), a pool party at Phyllis', and a hippie love-in at Marge's. Most recently was our Halloween party at Phyllis'. See below for a full recap on that super fun party. This new version of Pokeno is very relaxed. Everyone brings a dish, we play cards, eat, drink & be merry.

OCTOBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

We're still doing “Mystery Box”. I started it again at Phyllis' pool party. I gave away a “Friends” photo frame. Kate L. won that. She brought a Yankee candle set for the September party. Debi was the winner that time. She brought a gift set of pampering products (I think) which Phyllis won. Phyllis will be responsible for the November Mystery.

I know you probably don't want to think about the upcoming holiday season just yet, but unfortunately, Christmas will be here before you know it. The Christmas party will be held at my house this year. We're going to have it on a Sunday afternoon in December. Date & time will follow soon. We picked our Secret Santa's at the beginning of our Halloween party. This way, you know who your person is & you don't have to run around last minute for another gift. Remember there is a $20 limit & don't forget to bring your present to the December party.

Last announcement is that the Geib family got a puppy. It's a present for Isaac's 6^th birthday. A tiny little shit-zu puppy. Super cute, even when it's pooping on the floor right next to you :)

HALLOWEEN PARTY 2007

Since Halloween is Phyllis' favorite holiday, we knew the Halloween party had to be there. Phyllis did not disappoint! Her hubby Mark specially carved a “Foxy Bitches” pumpkin for us, there was a whole haunted village set up, spooky music, everything down to the china cabinet was decked out for the festivities. Then they tell us, “Oh, this is only half. We still have more stuff to put out!” Wow! It was really great. I think that all future Halloween parties should be hosted at the Heimerl's house.

Everyone was a good sport & got dressed up. There was a “Dirty Dorothy” (Peg); an “Alice in Wonderland” (Kate L.); a “Chip Monk” (Marge); a trashed celebrity (Angi); a football player (Patt); June Cleaver (Debi); an 80's chick (Kate G.); and our hostess with the mostess “Spiderella” (Phyllis).

The food was spectacular as well. Have I mentioned how good the food is now? Back in the original Pokeno days, we would walk down to the corner store & load up on as much candy as we could carry, plus a few 40's of Root Beer. Occasionally we would order a pizza. The only time we had really good food was on a birthday night. Now, it's good food all the time! Anyway, we had grilled sandwiches, oven-roasted potatoes, a Frankenstein cake, mummy dogs, pasta salad, fruit salad, and some other stuff that I forgot about by now. I definitely remember that everything was most tasty!

Ok, so that's all I have to write this time. I hope you enjoyed this new version of the "Rag". I'll be doing a posting here once a month. Until next time, keep saving up your dimes...