Charlie's Visit

We had the pleasure of entertaining our nephew Charlie this past week. He traveled from Jacksonville for a week of vacation here in the greater Philadelphia area. It was a week filled with Broadway, history (in Phila. how could it not be), cheesesteaks, a trip to the Pocono's and a visit to his cousins in NJ. I think one of the highlights for Charlie and for me was touring back stage of Wicked at the Gershwin theater in NY. Thanks to my friend Gaby and her connections we were able to tour the stage an hour before showtime and were able to stand in Glinda's bubble, which if you have seen the show know is an amazing stage prop/mechanism. Gaby, Charlie and me then made our way to the famed Palace theater where we saw the new musical Legally Blonde based on the movie of the same name. It was loads of fun and lots of catchy songs. The movie is quite funny and so is the play. maybe not great theater but definitely entertaining and worth the trip.

Anyway Charlie left this morning and now our lives return to the normal with work, but it was great fun and we can't wait for his next visit.

Molly's Bat-Mitzvah

We just returned from our Niece Molly's Bat-Mitzvah in Atlanta. It was a lovely time. She did an amazing job with her ceremony and her readings and was a superb hostess for her party afterward. We were also honored to have attended Molly's Grandparents 50Th wedding anniversary party the next day. My sister Sue organized both parties splendidly. It was nice to see all of the family and friends again. We don't have any pictures back yet but Stacey's friend Scott took a Polaroid for us So I'm posting that in the meanwhile.

Fergie feat Charlotte Church - 9 to 5 - www.FergieBR.com

Fergie feat Charlotte Church - 9 to 5 - www.FergieBR.com

I haven't posted in a while but was browsing Youtube and this entertained me a melding an old song with current stars.

the wedding

Sister Denise and Bob were married on Saturday afternoon. They were married with a small group of immediate family and close friends by their side. I had the honor of giving my sister away along side her son Jeff. Sister Sue was Matron of Honor and our niece Sarah was Maid of Honor. Afterward we had a small reception with cocktails and a bite to eat. The DJ played Venus by Bananarama (my request) because Denise's dress had a Grecian feel to it. She looked like "the goddess on the mountain top" to quote from the song and to calm her nerves before we walked down the aisle we all started to sing the song to her. Anyway here are some pictures.

The Oscars

So my friend Patrick aka Shirl hosted an Oscar party last evening. We arrived back from Albany (That trip will discussed in a later blog) in just enough time to drive straight to the party. The party was held in Shirl's swanky center city high rise apartment with hordeuvres and wine on the menu. Pretty much everyone was in agreement that Ellen Degeneres did a fine job as host. Al Gore kind of stole the evening however with his documentary winning an award as well as his Presentation with Leonardo Dicaprio. It was pretty funny. The Dancers were ok. It seemed though that a lot of time was wasted for a telecast that is notoriously overlong. Anyhow Helen Mirren looked gorgeous as did Kate Winslet. Gwyneth Paltrow annoys me to no end Ironically enough though I like Blythe Danner. It's the same with the Douglas' I like Kirk but Michael creeps me out. Any way enough of that.

A remembrance

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Mary Tyler Moore first theme song 1970

My Sister Denise recently gave me the Mary Tyler Moore show First season on DVD for my birthday and I was ecstatic. It was one of the favorite shows in the Merrill household. The gift was also so appropriate since Mary and I share a birthday. She has always been one of my favorite celebrities. As I watch the shows now I can so appreciate the subtle humor of them and at times slapstick aspects of some of the episodes. It really was a monumental show and above is a treat for all of us who enjoyed the show.

brrrr it's cold!

Winter has finally arrived in Philadelphia. Temps today are only supposed to reach 26 degrees F. and no end in sight. Not a lot of snow but the cold temperatures are enough. Fractured ankle update: Ned is walking with just the brace now. Physical therapy continues. He is also back on the road.

Just a message to friends and family: The King Tut exhibit has made it's last stop in the U.S. here in Philadelphia. It is here until September 30 so if anyone wants to go let us know we can put you up for a night or two. Here is the link http://www.KingTut.org

Was watching Meerkat manor on the Animal Planet yesterday when all of a sudden our little Giacomo jumped up on to the dresser and began to try and go after the meerkats. When the show went to commercial he tried looking for the meerkats behind the T.V. it was quite funny and an excuse to post a picture of our sweet little kitties.

Just back from Atlanta

I spent three days in Atlanta first visiting my sister Sue and her family. I was able to see Sue, Mitch and all four of the children. Got a lesson in what it's like to be a seventh grader these days thanks to our niece Molly and spent time with Stacey and her friends as they prepare to graduate High School and head off to college. My nephews are both doing well. I watched a fencing practice, saw Zack's special make up effects on various zombie actors/live models and macabre masks he has created and visited the new night club Toby is helping to get ready to open as the entertainment manager/ D.J. I saw another snapshot into the busy world of parents with kids who have so many activities and have to be at many different events at the same time.



Next it was on to one of my favorite people's 70th birthday party. Mrs. Donahue was feted with a wonderful party given by her 5 daughters one of whom is my dear friend Susan. I was able to see All of Susan's family who have been so kind to me over the years. While its always nice to be home again I wish I had more time to spend with everyone. I must call Marianne and see how the rest of the weekend went.

ned's shopping list

Good news. Ned can start bearing weight on his fractured ankle. Now he has to go for 6 weeks of physical therapy. Next week he may be able to drive again. The brace must stay on whenever he walks until the end of February.

Now onto Ned's Shopping list:

1. Ho Ho's or devil dogs


2. cans of diet Pepsi


3. cans of Diet Mt. Dew


4. Pop tarts


5. peanut butter and Jelly

He asked for all of the essentials.

off to see my Sister and her family in Atlanta tomorrow. Luckily Ned will have the basic food groups to keep him sated.

I don't know why but I'm very sad with the death of Yvonne DeCarlo. Maybe it's her beauty, maybe it's her role as Lily Munster, maybe it's the way she said Moses in the Ten Commandments or maybe it's just the great Hollywood name she adopted "Yvonne De Carlo". Whatever the reason she was a great Hollywood Icon who was a film star, T.V. star and even a Broadway star who sang Sondheim's I'm still here. She seemed to have had a pretty full and eventful life. We love you Lily/Yvonne.

It's been a long time

So I haven't posted in a very a long time and no doubt by this time no one even checks in to see if the site has been updated. Anyhow I am going to update today. First off Ned fractured his ankle and required a surgical placement of a very large screw in order to repair it.

It has been a month since the injury (gotten while playing Hockey) and he still can't weight bear. needless to say it made for a very different holiday season. We missed a trip to Albany to see my family. Luckily many met in the Poconos to ring in the New Year. It was a combo family get together that was great fun. Denise and Bob became engaged on New Years at about 1205 am.We also posed for a group shot on the stairs of the Poconos home. 14 of us in all. It was great fun. Thanks to everyone who came and to our friends who spent my birthday with me as well. Here are a couple of more pictures.

So I'm a total loser!

Ok I haven't updated the blog in quite some time. All I can say is that we have really spent a good amount of time in the Pocono's. The house looks great. We have a lot to do with the landscaping and I'm sure the neighbors are thrilled by that. We just returned from Ned's sister's house. We were supposed to go to the U.S. Open tennis tournament for our annual day but it poured all day and was a complete wash out. We did however go for a nice early birthday dinner for Ned at Beni Hana and watched a movie on DVD "All of Me" with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin. It was pretty funny. It was my choice as well so I was glad everyone enjoted it.

The Summer has included a week with the Lafer's in NYC, Phila, the Pocono's, Long Island and NJ. We went to our niece and nephew's Bnai Mitzvah during the week. I went to the Saratoga racetrack last week with my sister for her birthday and it was great fun. In the past one of us has been a big winner. Well as big as you can be when you place a dollar bet to show on a horse. Unfortunately this week neither of one really but we did have a great time.

My obsession this summer has been www.youtube.com if I ever figure out how to make links it will be one of my links. Let's just say I've been able to see Julie Andrews and the muppets, Lena Horne and the muppets, Cher, Tina Turner and Kate Smith perform a Beatles medley(OK that was kind of tragic) but still it made me happy and love the seventies even more. So for a good time visit the web site. You can see so many performances from Broadway, to concerts, to T.V. to people lip synching in their home. It's fun.

well that's all for now. Here is a photo of the summer.

The home is a home

So it has been a busy week and a half. Last week we got the certificate of occupancy and have been together and individually driving up to the Pocono's to get the house settled in. It looks great. Much more to be done inside and outside but after yesterday it is a comfortable place to put your feet up and relax.

Ned leaves tonight on a bus bound for Toronto as Philadelphia area champions for hockey North America. I will be joining him tomorrow via airplane. Though I am sure the nine hour bus ride is going to be great fun, it's best left to the team. Anyway here are some pictures of the just about finished product.

"HOME" stretch

So we are getting close to the completion of the mountain retreat. We have running water, flushing toilets and a first floor deck. Certificate of occupancy my be gotten within 3 weeks. It's amazing. The house was being cleaned while we were there Saturday. Can't wait to entertain everyone up there.

Ned's a hockey champion!

Ned's Hockey North America league team "The Moose" won the division championship Saturday night with Ned on defense. It was runaway game for them with a final score of 5 to 0. It is the first win for the team and Ned's 4th as a player in this league congratulations to him and his teammates.

Shirl's day in the country

Our good friend Shirl aka Patrick took a ride with us up to the house to deliver ceiling fans and see the progress since last week. It was a lovely sunny day. On the cool side but not freezing. We now have the fireplace hearth and stone work, kitchen cabinets are installed and the stairwell banister is done. All in all it was a busy week. To the right a photo of Shirl and me and below a couple of other new pictures.

Finally an extra shift!

Ok so the ongoing joke around here is that I am going to work extra shifts to pay for the Pocono house. Well it's a joke for me anyway. Ned I think, has been waiting for me to really work some extra shifts, silly man. This week I finally really did work an extra 12 hour shift. I got lots of time and a half and night shift differential as it is known in nurse speak. After a 2 hour nap this morning we drove to the Poconos to see how our home also known as the reason we now have to work long hours was coming along. I can honestly say we both were impressed and happy to see the progress and the look coming together. As you recall the house color was a disappointment. It has started to grow on me but Ned is still having a hard time with it. The trip today, though made him feel good again about the project. Dare I say even giddy. Walls are all done and painted, cabinets are in the house ready to be installed, wood base boards and trim are all installed. Many, many tasks completed. Here are new pictures.