Good morning everyone, today is February 13, 2020. I hope all is well with everyone today. Again it is very early 4:30 and I am up doing my routine to get ready to take on the day. I have cleansed , shaved and exercised already. I learned from my grandmother get up early and do all that has to be done so you have the whole day to pursue what you want. So this is what I do many times Amanda says dad stop sit down I tell I will later about 8:30 at night I throw myself into my chair with a glass of wine to relax for the evening.
Now I have been discussing Valentine’s Day because it appears tomorrow and we have been talking about love and friendship. Last night at dinner Marylou, Amanda and I were talking, I have always encouraged conversation during dinner and many times is gets lively esp now that Dario is using his voice,usually Rocco is pretty subdued. But last night we were discussing friendship and how important it is, and how we make commitments to each other that make lasting relationships. But the conversation turned to a place I’m not happy with. As a person I will give of myself in many ways, and be available for anyone who meds me friend or family if this is rebuked or mistrusted time and again eventually after an extreme amount of time I shut off. The sad part is it never turns on again, I still wish you well but our paths will never pass again and that has only happened a few times in my life. It is something in my personality I do not like but my father and from what I have heard my grandfather were the same way.
Now talking about good things last night I got to thinking of all the people who came before us , how many of them came from arranged marriages back in Italy, but I’m sure it was the same in every culture and nationality. Today we fall madly in love right away and live an entirely different life from our predecessors. Imagine sometimes they barely met before they married and it was very common for sisters to marry brothers, my grandmother had that her two older sister married two brothers. Yet these people formed a love that we marvel at today, they had children many children, decided to leave family and friends to create a new life in a different country together, and ensure a new way of life, what fortitude they must have had and love to do something I don’t know if I could do it.
One story that always calls to me was Marylou’s grandmother, now when I first married I would be home by 3:30 and Marylou’s aunt would be there we lived in the same house, everyday she would have coffee ready for me and we would sit and talk til others started to come home. In these times she taught and told me much of the family history and me being me entered it and have never forgotten them. Marylou’s grandmother was an only child when her husband suggested America she refused to go and leave her parents,but he was to go and eventually come back,but time went on and he was not returning and one day she got a letter from her mother in law telling her she should come to America and get her husband , that’s what she did but she never intended to stay, he sent her a second class ticket for her and the baby so she never had to deal with Ellis island. Her trip was miserable she was sick the entire time, some woman took care of the baby she didn’t even know, this in itself shows the fortitude of the Visco women that anyone should touch their children when she arrived she set out to get him to return to Italy but soon found out she was pregnant and then 6 more times and by that time shehad adapted to American living, and never returned and all her trousseau remained in Italy. But the love they shared was more important than anything. Every afternoon about a half hour before he returned from work she would leave the little ones with an older child and go to her bedroom and freshen up for his return, she wanted to always look her best for him.
As artistic director for two art company I am proud to say one show I directed touched my heart and taught me moree than any other Fiddler on the Roof. I first saw that on Broadway when I was about 11 years old and from then on it has always sparked such interest for me. Just about everything in the show is what I believe. The opening number Tradition is my thinking, Sunris Sunset, has me in tears always. The storyline of a changing world has always appealed to me. The two main characters are a true love story of the time wheather you see it that way or not. I always tried to dipict them as that even thriough their bickering. But the song Do you love me. Represents all of our lives then and today. When they are forced to leave their home they do it together, and the love of all his children culminate as they walk off together. I guess that’s what love really is not grandiose showings but just everyday life.
Well I have succeeded in staying too long at the fair again and I apologize again but this subject is hard for me to stop talking about. Now the blog site is up and working, I have posted the song Do you love me on it, please stop by and read them. I think we will enjoy using the site. I will give you the name again Refections of a life and family at WordPress it is easy to navigate even I can do it. Leave me a comment if you want to let me know what you think of it.
Today is Saturday so enjoy it, we have more snow coming so enjoy what we can. Remember find something to make you smile. Til Tomorrow!

Do You Love Me?

Fiddler on the Roof

Song by Len Cariou and Sara Kestelman

Lyrics

Golde…”Do you love me?Do I what?Do you love me?Do I love you?
With our daughters getting married
And this trouble in the town
You’re upset, you’re worn out
Go inside, go lie down!
Maybe it’s indigestion”Golde I’m asking you a question…”Do you love me?You’re a fool”I know…”But do you love me?Do I love you?
For twenty-five years I’ve washed your clothes
Cooked your meals, cleaned your house
Given you children, milked the cow
After twenty-five years, why talk about love right now?Golde, The first time I met you
Was on our wedding day
I was scaredI was shyI was nervousSo was IBut my father and my mother
Said we’d learn to love each other
And now I’m asking, Golde
Do you love me?I’m your wife”I know…”
But do you love me?Do I love him?
For twenty-five years I’ve lived with him
Fought with him, starved with him
Twenty-five years my bed is his
If that’s not love, what is?Then you love me?I suppose I doAnd I suppose I love you tooIt doesn’t change a thing
But even so
After twenty-five years
It’s nice to know

Good morning everyone, today is Friday February 12, 2021. Well we have made another week. Each week will bring us closer to spring thank god. This weekend is another reason to celebrate Valentine’s Day is Sunday. So we really get to enjoy ourselves. Valentine’s Day dates back to Roman times where in the middle of February they celebrated the coming of spring, they had the right idea. Being Valentine’s Day I decided to write about love and friendship for the next couple of days because that is what will be happening this weekend. When I was a brand new teacher I was put in a room with a very seasoned teacher who was ready to retire to team teach. I always felt great respect for older people I felt I could enjoy always learn from their experience that’s why I believe in listening to people, and using that knowledge to create my own values and way of thinking. Now this woman was married for a long time and her children were actually older than me and I was to be married in a few weeks. One day during our prep we got to talking about the wedding, and she said I have some advice for you. She said when you get married love your wife more than anything else in the world she will be your source of energy for the rest of your life make nothing or anybody more important than her.she said you will have children and love them more than life, but don’t ever put them ahead of your wife. Because someday your children will pursue their own lives and that’s the way it should be. Now I thought this advice was strange but it struck a cord in me and when I think back these45 years I actually followed that advice. When I was sick and at times felt I would not make it all I had to do was look across the room and my sense of strength came back. I create a real
argument in my house when I say I must die before you, it has to be that way because I have no life or reason to live without you. Is that selfish, I don’t know is that love I don’t know that either all I do know I’d that is the way I feel. When you marry the Bible says a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife and they shall become one flesh. I thank god everyday for this gift he has given me, I feel I am a lucky man. Since the beginning of time theater and Hollywood have capitalized on the perfect love story. The one that has always stuck with me and it is based on reality and has been remade many times and it is not the central theme in the latest version the Titanic when the Strauss refuse to enter the lifeboats without each other. I think that as a director that would be a scene I would love to recreate, there are others of course.
Now I have really overstayed my welcome this morning, there is just a lot I would like to share with you. But our main goal today again enjoy the day, always be looking for something to bring you some kind of happiness. Til Tomorrow if you’ll still have me after today.

Good morning everyone today is Thursday February 11,2021. I looked out the window and everything is white again. I guess this is the pattern we will have to live with for awhile , snow every other day. It is not to my liking w what can we do, we deal with it the way we deal with everything else. I hope this winter morning finds everyone well and strong. Keep in mind Valentine’s Day is on the way. Like I said February is a month where we celebrate so much it makes it more bearable to go through the winter. Many of you may think nothing of Valentine’s Day or feel it is too commercial or say I have no Valentine so it means nothing to me. That all may be true for some but it is not the truth Valentine’s Day is a day to acknowledge love for someone, and we all have someone we love or care about it may not be a partner or a child or grandchild or anybody it maybe the most important person of all yourself. Yes wheather we believe it or not we love ourselves most of all because if we didn’t we would not be able to show any emotion or love for anyone or anything else. So treat yourself, get candy and flowers and take of yourself that day it will make you happier and enjoy your life better.
With the threat of snow looming all week I went to the mall yesterday to Godiva to buy my valentine presents, I shopped around awhile and made my purchases. I asked the clerk when are you closing she said the end of the month, Amanda and the kids were with me as we were leaving there was a sign Closing does not mean goodbye, we will be on line. As I left I had a tear in my eye Amanda said dad what’s wrong with you, it means that much to you. I said no it’s stupid your right. As we walked away I glanced one more time at the name and in my mind I saw a young man sitting in a lobby holding a small gold box a small token of love for his future bride. I found Godiva when it first came to the United States early in the 70’s and made that my go to gift for Marylou ever since. So no it’s not the most important thing in my life but it is part of my life that is vanishing more and more everyday. So I guess maybe it is important to me. I know I can buy at shop rite or king on line but it will never be the same as going to the brick and mortar store to choose what you want. That is what I like to do choose what I want not a packaged product delivered in the mail. I know I read we seem to be getting a handle on COVID, and many people feel we will get back to normal and I agree with that. However, I feel that normal is never going to be the way it was before. I think that way of life has died killed by COVID. Yes everything will begin again and life will go on it always has and will but the people are gong to be different. I feel the closeness will just not be there. I maybe wrong and I hope I am but I don’t think so. That’s why we have to make our lives enjoyable and important to us.
Has anyone checked out the new blog site it is coming along you can now write to me on it and the posts are all there. I think it will be fun for us all when it is all done. Reflections of life and family on WordPress.
Now remember dress warmly and be careful. Enjoy a great day. Til Tomorrow!

Good morning everyone, I hope everyone is well. I see more and more people are getting the vaccine, I am scheduled for the end of the month but I must confess I am doing this under the advice of all my doctors and under much duress. I am a little frieghtened. I guess I will heave it in gods hands. He has taken care of me through more than this.
Before COVID I considered myself an avid reader since this all began I have not been able to read a novel but I have been able to read a cookbook and taught myself how to cook quite well if I say so myself. I never realized what you could learn from a cookbook other than recipes there is a lot of history and background around the food we eat.
Yesterday I set out to make lunch for Marylou and Amanda because she was testing all morning so I set out very early to get the best ingredients. Now I know why my grandmother would wake me at 5 in the morning to be one of the first in line at the peddler. It wasn’t so we could get White Castle burgers for breakfast. You now the saying the early bird gets the worm well that is true if you wait everything is picked over . Now I made a salad from Naples it is a very old recipe from a book I found about lost and forgotten foods of the south of Italy. It contained endive, celery, anchovies, if you prepare them correctly you lose all that fishy taste, gaeta olives tuna and tomatoes and fisselli a form of dried bread that needs to be wet to be eaten. The salad was excellent. I didn’t just write this to give you a recipe or show that I can cook even though I did. I wanted to show the realization I have come to about the food we eat. The amount of preservatives we eat is astounding, no wonder there is so much illness in America. A plain cheese or bread is made with only a few ingredients but if you buy it packaged the list of ingredients is an arm’s length. I used to laugh when I heard someone say that is a beautiful piece of fruit or vegetable but the other day I found beautiful potatoes and can’t wait to use them. When shopping start to look at what is in things, some of it I believe is making us sick, I won’t even get into the amount of sodium that is in everything.well I preached about that enough today.
It is Wednesday day already hump day and the weather is supposed to be good today so let’s get out and enjoy some air, open our lungs a little.
One little thing we have started doing is having fresh flowers around it adds some brightness and the are nice to see. So enjoy the day Til Tomorrow!

Good morning everyone, today is Friday February 5, 2021. Well another week coming to a close, and what a week it has been with the weather. But we have something to look forward to this weekend The Super Bowl, as you know I am not a big sports fan but even I get into this. I think it is the party atmosphere . I have been having a party every year for over 20 years it is always something I like to plan. Especially the refreshment aspect. So this year we will see Brady and Mahoney battle it out, young and seasoned who will win we shall see Sunday.
Now this time of year many people choose to go south for a needed vacation well they did before COVID. This has always been like a right of passage for people. My parents would go to Florida every year for two weeks sometime between New Years and valentine day because in business that is the slowest time of year. Even my father in law a true workaholic would take a few days off. It was therapeutic for my mothers lungs to be in a warmer climate during January. I didn’t mind because my aunt would watch me during the day and then go home after dinner with my grandmother. The benefit was I could go home for lunch because she lived close to the school.she made the best tuna sandwiches. In those days anyone who went to Florida would immediately send crates of oranges home. As soon as they arrived my aunt would squeeze us fresh orange juice even today that is a special treat. Along with the oranges came a box of coconut patties, a square of coconut encased in dark chocolate, it was not a regular coconut patty these were indicative to Florida . I don’t think this is the case anymore, today we can get oranges any time of year so they are not the special treat they were sixty years ago. Today even the patties are rare with all the candy produced. Again they were fun times in a simpler world
Travel became commonplace before COVID and everyone did it all the time. However, I never did get to go south in the winter something always got in the way maybe it’s just not meant to be. But there is always a glimmer of hope yesterday I was in a store waiting in a long line to check out. You know you wait for the robot voice to say register four please and you proceed to register four but while I was waiting I was looking at all the merchandise leading up and there it was one box of authentic coconut patties from Florida. I couldn’t believe it I grabbed them right away. Last night I enjoyed one with my glass of wine. It brought back many memories and I enjoyed every one. I will savor these for awhile an imagine I am on Collins Ave, and South Beach every night.
Now enjoy your day, there is a threat of some snow but nothing major. Start to plan what you will eat during the super owl, to enjoy the day.
To let you know I am actively working on a blog. It looks beautiful where I’m at is trying to transfer you all to it. I don’t want to lose anybody. I think we can have a lot of fun with it. I will keep you posted. Have a great day. Til Tomorrow!

Good morning everyone, today is Saturday February 6, 2021. Well we have made it to another weekend, a little bit of a tough week with all the snow but we prevailed and we made it through. From all the pictures I have seen it looks like young and old enjoyed the snow together. In the way we live today that’s the way it should be together, on second thought that’s the way it should always have been and I pray it always will be enjoying life together.
Tomorrow we will get to celebrate again The Super Bowl, the first event of 2021, now you might say who cares I don’t even like football, and that could very well be true, I myself do not really like football and I rarely watch the game maybe a quarter or two. But today it has become an important part of our society a way for people to get together to enjoy life. So what could be bad about that. True this year the parties may be smaller, but no matter the size of your group you are all there to have some kind of fun, so eat, drink and be merry because this year we all have earned the right to enjoy ourselves any way we can as long as we are not hurting anyone.I myself am looking I forward to the wings, and we ordered short rib sliders they sound amazing. I will make spinach artichoke dip. I found a recipe that says it takes all the bad recipes for it and makes it differently we shall see. I hope when I finally get the blog going I can share many more things like recipes with you.
Today like every Saturday I will try to find something pleasant to do, I have not thought that far ahead yet, one thing I would like to do is go to Montclair to a tiny French bakery and get a couple of baguettes for the dip . The mere aroma wafting though the door transports me to Paris and all the boulangeries I frequented, there is nothing like the smell of fresh bread. They sell out quickly so wish me luck.
Have a great day, enjoy something, Til Tomorrow!

Good morning everyone on this exciting day February 7,2021 Super Bowl Sunday. I think I’m more excited this year due to the COVID situation and our ability to celebrate something. The game has come a long way from the first one played in 1967. I remember how the Green Bay packers dominated then and in subsequent years, and I’m not a football fan. Today the Super Bowl has become an American holiday and we do look forward to it no matter if you are a fan or not. My friend once was telling me his cousin got married on the first Super Bowl Sunday. As the bride she became so upset because most of the men had transistor radios at that time and earphones and listened to the game rather than dancing or doing anything else. Today you probably wouldn’t book that day at all.
Well yesterday I did make it to Montclair and got to the bakery I was able to secure two baguettes, so have no fear the artichoke dip will have bread. So with the baguettes under my arm and a cafe au lair I began to stroll down the street and window shop, using my imagination as only I can do, I felt like I was in Paris on the Champs de Eysee, if only for a half hour. The trouble with window shopping is it becomes indoor shopping and I found myself buying a great sweater.
It is very early this morning and I have been watching out the window, I like to see the world awaken the lights go and it is a sign of life,a sign of the vibrancy of living.
Today let’s all try to enjoy life the greatest gift we’ve ever been given. Maybe eat or drink something you have never had before, have fun we all deserve that especially now
So enjoy your day no matter how spend it. til Tomorrow!

Good morning everyone, today is Monday February 8, 2021. The start of another week, they seem to be ruling on at tremendous speed. Warmer weather will be here before we know it. I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and the Super Bowl. I had a good time. This weekend brought me a gift I thought I would never see again. I have mentioned before that Marylou was involved with something called facing history and through that I became involved it is a course of study to understand the past.. through this we became involved with Holocaust studies and met some of the most amazing people in my life. On one excursion we went to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, when you leave you are given a card with the biography of a person and told wheather they survived or not. Our friend Harry received a card of a person he believed he knew, on investigation it was true he did know the person and she was alive and living in the area. Marylou helped him plan a reunion and they met again at Oliver St. School after 60 some years. I always felt that was a gift they both received from god.
Friday I was in the doctors office and I’m still play and trying to figure out the new phone when I came across a page of messages I never saw.there was one from early December so I opened it and the message read I have been looking for you I am your cousin. I did not recognize the name and everyone tells me don’t open things you don’t know the could be spam. But the message kept bothering me and I finally decide to answer it. I asked who are you and how are you my cousin. The reply came very quickly she is my cousin daughter of my mothers sister. I could not believe it. I have not seen or heard from anyone in my maternal family since I lost my mother and grandmother in nearly50 years now. My god I was in shock as she explained about her family. This was a gift to me from god not only did I find one cousin I found 6. Now they say your cousins are your first best friends and that is true, especially back then when we were all offsprings from recent immigrants. We were each other’s lives that’s who we saw and played with, aunts were like second mother’s to us.
What causes a separation , god only knows people move, marry and life just takes us all in different directions and before you know it 50 years have gone by. But no matter what we are still of the original tree planted hundreds of years ago in Italy and nothing can change that. COVID has changed me in ways I don’t even realize sometimes I think I am like a different person. The gift god gave me Friday is immeasurable to me, it made me realize out there is a family, a legacy we share. So I thank god for technology and the internet. Now I know how Happy Harry must have felt when he found his childhood friend it gives meaning to your past ,your history and you know how important that is to me. I have said a lot today thank you for listening.
It is very cold today so either stay right where you are and enjoy the comfort of your home or bundle and keep warm if you venture out. I’m not sur of my vision for the day yet but whatever you decide enjoy your day, Til Tomorrow!