May 29-31

Visited with Jenny on Wednesday for our midweek lunch date, on Thursday evening we were at the rink for the start and finish of week #6. Winners on this night were the Knights over the Owls, the Tradesmen over the Express, the Hammerheads over Risky Business and the Misfits over the Pub Dawgs. Each team has three games remaining including those outstanding makeup games on June 3. On Friday night we were at the ballpark, the Barnstormers hosted the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the opener of a three-game series. The Stormers went up 1-0 on a Joe Terdoslavich solo home run in the fourth, the Crabs tied it in the sixth and added two in the seventh to go ahead 3-1. K.C. Hobson went yard in the bottom of the inning to make it a one-run game but the Stormers could come no closer as SM held on for the 3-2 verdict. Barnstormer starting pitcher Buddy Baumann took the loss and there are some things about him you need to know: (a) he has MLB experience with San Diego and the New York Mets, (b) his given first name is George, and (c) he spells his surname with an extra "n' and is of no relation to Yours Truly. The clubs meet again on Saturday and Sunday. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 27-28

Monday was Memorial Day which I've always considered the unofficial start of summer (although one could argue that we no longer have seasons, we just have weather). On Tuesday there were storms in the forecast but all day long we got nothing, at 5:00 I went to the rink to make ready for the evening's dek hockey schedule. Don was on his way home from work, he called at 5:15 to ask what was happening at the rink. When I told him it wasn't raining he could hardly believe it, he said it was pouring where he was. According to the radar it was all around us but not at the rink, I told him when and if it started there I would call him back. Around 5:45 it began to rain, by 5:46 it was coming down in buckets and by 5:47 I was on the phone with him to postpone the evening. We all knew something was likely but the general school of thought is play on until it actually hits us. It would have been nice had it occurred an hour early and removed all controversy but at least it didn't wait until we were actually playing. I locked up what little was open and headed home, on the way it began to hail (!!!), when I arrived I waited in the car for a moment or two until it let up. The games were reset for Monday June 3 which gives everybody a three-game week. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 20-26

Monday morning: my mother had a scheduled appointment with her family doctor, they said all appears to be going well although it will be a long road back from what my mother has been through. On Tuesday at the rink we played night #9 of dek hockey with the Express victorious over the Misfits, the Knights over the Pub Dawgs, the Hammerheads over the Owls and Risky Business over the Tradesmen. Jenny and her mother were in Willow Street on Wednesday morning for an appointment of their own, the access van brought them there and I met them for lunch afterward. In the evening I was at the ballpark, the Barnstormers hosted the New Britain Bees in the middle game of a three-game set. The Stormers have struggled in the season's early going and this night was another example. In the home second Joe Terdodlavich reached on a base hit, Anderson De La Rosa followed with a two-run home run onto the pavilion porch in right field to give the Stormers a 2-0 lead. From there it was all Bees. NB posted three in the fourth, two in the fifth and added a single in the sixth to win going away 6-2. Jared Lakind started for the Barnstormers and suffered the loss. On Thursday we finished up the fifth week of dek hockey at Reservoir Park, winners included the Hammerheads over the Pub Dawgs, the Tradesmen over the Owls, the Express over Risky Business and the Misfits over the Knights. The weekend proper was quiet save for a haircut appointment on Friday and Saturday lunch with Jenny. The Barnstormers were in York but until my mother's status becomes more stable I simply don't wish to travel too far from home. When I'm with Jenny at her place I'm about fourteen miles out of town which is stretching it about as far as I'm content to for now. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 17-19

Friday night at the ballpark for the first time since opening weekend, the Barnstormers hosted the Somerset Patriots for the first of a four-game series. The Atlantic League began in 1998 with six teams and expanded to eight in 2000, the Patriots (based in Bridgewater, New Jersey) are the last "original six" franchise still active. On this night Somerset scored three in the fourth and one in the sixth, the only runs for the Stormers came on a Caleb Gindl two-run home run in the seventh. Jake McCasland started and took the 4-2 loss. On Saturday Jenny and her mother were in town for the first time since my mother came home, she had talked about coming downstairs and sitting there for a while but didn't feel up to it. In a way I don't like leaving her at home alone when I leave the house but as long as I make sure she has whatever she might need in terms of nourishment everything should be OK because whatever else she might require is upstairs within reach. At the ballpark in the evening the Stormers finally broke out offensively as they built a big lead through four innings and won going away 10-3. In the third Caleb Gindl tripled and scored on Joe Terdoslavich's RBI single, in the fourth Anderson De La Rosa doubled and moved to third on an infield hit by Darian Sandford. Ex-bigleaguer Michael Martinez (who played for the Phillies from 2011 to 2013) drew a walk, ball four was a wild pitch allowing De La Rosa to score making it 2-0. Dan Gamache's RBI hit plated Sandford, a sac fly by Gindl scored Martinez to up the lead to four. Terdoslavich reached on a base hit and Josh Bell walked to load the bases, K.C. Hobson followed with a grand slam onto the pavilion in right field to break it open at 8-0. The Patriots chipped away with two in the fifth and a single run in the seventh but Caleb Gindl's two-run shot in the eighth put the cap on the win, starting pitcher Kyle Davies (ex-MLBer with Atlanta and Kansas City) worked seven innings for the win. When we arrived at Jenny's house she called my mother to let her know I was on my way back, when I got home everything was in good order. Sunday was my typical "personal" day at home, at the ballpark they played a doubleheader necessitated by a earlier rainout in Bridgewater. The good times did not last for the Stormers as the Pats took both ends and left town with three wins on the weekend. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 15-16

Wednesday morning: had my mother at the hospital for her procedure, she was scheduled for 11:00 but didn't get in until almost noon. They said it wasn't a long operation (only about twenty minutes or so) and since I was required to stay in the building I went to the cafeteria and got some lunch. I wasn't more than finished eating when the beeper they gave me sounded, I went back to the endoscopy department where she was in recovery. The doctor was very satisfied with how things turned out, the most important point is that she does not need a feeding tube which was a major concern going in. With it all we were back home by 2:00, I suggested she lay down and sleep off the anesthesia but she said she felt fine. I went out to run some quick errands, when I returned she was sitting in her chair asleep. I had nothing going on in the evening which was for the best since leaving her alone for an extended period on this day probably wouldn't have been a great idea. Jenny and I did lunch on Thursday since we missed out on the day before, in the evening we finished up week #4 of dek hockey at the rink. This night featured the rematches from opening night in April, winners were the Tradesmen over the Hammerheads, the Knights over the Express, the Misfits over the Owls and Risky Business over the Pub Dawgs. Take care, thanks for reading

May 13-14

Since my mother came home from The Hotel we're developing a routine that permits me to return to a degree of normalcy where the morning errand runs are concerned. We had a call from The Hotel over the weekend, a piece of mail for her was delivered there, on Monday I stopped by to get it. While I was at the receptionist area one of the young ladies on the care staff saw me, she literally RAN over to me to ask how my mother was doing. On Tuesday morning we were at the health campus for her gastric appointment and if you smelled smoke between 10:15 and 10:45 the odds are very good that it was ME. When we arrived (in plenty of time for her 10:00 appointment) I let her out at the main doors and told her to sit and relax until I parked the car. She said she needed to use the Room, when I came in after parking I couldn't find her anywhere. I went to the gastric doctor's office, got her checked in and told them we'd be back as soon as I found her. She was downstairs in a different office, when we went back upstairs we were told that since we were ten minutes past our scheduled time they would have to reschedule her appointment. I explained that we were in the building but they said office policy required we be physically present. I told them that MY policy was that my mother had an appointment TODAY, she was here TODAY and she was going to be seen TODAY. These throat difficulties have been going on since March, her throat doctor wanted her in there ASAP, we waited three weeks to get in on this day and we were sure as hell not coming back another time when we were there NOW. After a while they came back and said a doctor other than who she was scheduled to see had an opening at 11:00, that was acceptable to me because in my opinion they are all qualified professionals (or at least should be). He recommended she have an endoscopy and by the strangest of coincidences he had a open spot available for the very next day. It is short notice to be sure but the next available time isn't until July and we're certainly not waiting that long, she goes in on Wednesday morning at 11:00. In the evening we were at the rink as dek hockey season reached its midpoint. Winners included Risky Business over the Owls, the Express over the Pub Dawgs, the Misfits over the Hammerheads and the Tradesmen over the Knights. Each club has played seven games with seven to go, the second half starts on Thursday. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 6-12

The week past was rather mundane, the only evening activity was dek hockey on Tuesday and Thursday. The Barnstormers were at home for a morning-evening doubleheader on Tuesday and a morning game on Wednesday but none of those fit into my schedule. On Tuesday night we played at Reservoir Park, winners were the Tradesmen over the Express, the Misfits over the Pub Dawgs, the Knights over the Owls and the Hammerheads over Risky Business via shootout. Jenny and I had lunch on Wednesday, on Thursday morning my mother came down the steps for the first time since she came home from The Hotel. She had a heart doctor appointment at the same place I have my annual checkup, they want to see her again in June. In the evening we completed week #3 at the rink, this night's winners were the Tradesmen over the Pub Dawgs, the Misfits over Risky Business, the Knights over the Hammerheads and the Express over the Owls in the OT shootout. Through three weeks we've played twenty-four total games, six of them have required the SO to determine a winner. Saturday lunch with Jenny was the highlight of the weekend, the ballclub in York was at home but until my mother's situation is more clearly defined I don't know that I'll be west of the river much if at all. If I'm at dek hockey or the Barnstormers that's one thing because if any emergency develops I can be home in ten minutes, a thirty-mile trip to York is another thing entirely. She sees a gastric specialist on the 14th, we should learn a lot more then. Take care, thanks for reading.

May 1-5

Wednesday lunch with Jenny in Quarryville, in the evening we were back at McCaskey for the final home game of the season. Beforehand we had the usual senior recognition as Alex Dominguez, Dylan Esh, Mason Lee, Hunter Lloyd, Evan Proulx, Noah Raymond, Nate Santiago and Seth Winters were honored as members of the Class of 2019 (all eight of them are attending institutions of higher learning in the fall, so much for the perception many people have that McCaskey kids are "dumb"). Manheim Township provided the opposition on this night, through four innings there was no score. MT broke the ice with a single run in the fifth, it stayed 1-0 until the bottom of the sixth. Alex Dominguez drew a walk and advanced to second on a groundout, Hunter Lloyd's base hit plated Alex to tie the score. Mason Lee's RBI hit brought Lloyd home to make it 2-1, Evan Proulx followed with a single advancing Lee to third. A wild pitch allowed Mason to scamper home to put JPM up by two, Nate Santiago's RBI double scored Proulx to cap the four-run uprising. I was singularly very happy to see Nate come through with a big hit, he is such a nice kid and this season was a struggle for him so it was nice to see him go out on a high note. Dylan Esh got the start and went all the way on the complete-game win, the club finishes its home season at 6-3 (schedule quirk: only nine home games versus eleven away but we get a full ten at home in 2020). On Thursday we wrapped up week #2 of dek hockey at Reservoir Park, winners included the Owls over the Pub Dawgs, the Express over the Hammerheads, the Tradesmen over the Misfits and Risky Business over the Knights via shootout. The weekend was quiet except for Saturday lunch with Jenny, the Barnstormers were on the road and there was little else happening. The "mother-is-home" project is going reasonably well, she is able to get up by herself in the morning and rise and sit in her chair without help (which is more than she could do before her stay at The Hotel). The only real issue is needing assistance getting into bed at night. she has to get comfortable in an exact spot on the mattress and and needs help with the blankets (she tends to feel very cold because she is so lean right now). She has a heart doctor appointment on the 9th and she sees a gastroenterologist (did I spell that right?) on the 14th. Take care, thanks for reading.