It’s been quite a week, honey bunch. A little o’ this, a little o’ that, and a bunch of everything else, effen yew git m’drift. Here in the Asylum by the Sea, or “God’s Li’l Acre” effen yew prefer, Iyam scribing this missive to yew whilst it is pouring outside, the remnant of some tropical storm or t’other, whilst a second one is traversing the seas, and it’s jest a question of which way it’s gonna turn and then hit. Our editor’s sister is now a resident of Nawth Car’lina, and seems to be in a direck path of the storm in the Atlantic. It’s been a years since she and her hubby traversed down there, lookin’ to git outta the cold and ice. They seem to have traded it in for torrential rain and blistering heat. Jest proves, no place is perfeck. Of course, we don’t mean that about our lit’le corner of the universe. It’s about as perfeck as it gets, don’tcha think?
Ole Neil Cavallaro must be pullin’ his locks outta his scalp with the way school has begun here in the area. Since the opening day of school two weeks ago, the kiddies have had more half days than full days cuz o’ the heat. Now, yew and I go back a way. This ain’t the hottest summer we’ve ever had, but it comes close. We ain’t seen heat like this in quite a while, and for the extended amount o’ time.
The past few years, we have had maybe five or six days of 90-plus degree weather. This year we’ve had the equivalent of one month, so far. It’s made the schools hothouses for the kiddies, who see the heat as more in keepin’ with growing tomatoes rather than young minds. At least they’re able to git the minimum number o’ hours in to keep the state happy; else-wise the kiddies would be starting to count up the extra days until school is out next summer.
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As yew probably hoid, a couple o’ festivals were this past weekend, and a couple more are on tap for the upcoming weeks. The WestFest was on the Green over the weekend, and so was the Italian Festival at the IA Club on Chase Lane. The WestFest is a combo event, sponsored by the city and the University of New Haven. That brought out quite a few people, and had a lot for people to do.
The IA Club, meanwhile, took over that festival that Gloria Biagetti and others used to run at lower Campbell Avenue for a few years. Things got a bit complicated, and the event was taken over by the IA to be hosted on its club grounds. It brought out its own clientele and things seem to have gone along swimmingly.
Now I see that the Irish-American club is scheduling its own festival, whilst the Congregational Church is continuing to host the Apple Festival. That has a special meaning this year cuz I see that the parish is hoping to raise the needed funds to fix the steeple. After so many years, it is in need of an overhaul to the tune o’ $250,000, which is a lot o’ greenbacks. Iyam sure that the church will be able to make sure the landmark is put back up to snuff, and will raise the necessary capital.
Then the Community House is sponsoring its own festival at the Boardwalk, its Rock and Stroll, at the end o’ the month, as well. Things never seem to die down early around here. The coming of fall jest means that things keep rolling along until it gits from sweater weather to parkas and galoshes.
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The wag was in t’other day, and he got into an interestin’ conversation with one or two people concerning the Haven projeck. Now, you know that Cobina is from Missouri when it comes to any projeck that involved “renewal” of the berg. We’ve seen too many times where the headlines splashed across this papyrus and others were jest vote-getters, with no possibility o’ ever getting finished.
Well, the wag was talkin’ to someone who is convinced that the Haven is, in fact, gonna be a reality and sez that the evidence is right before our eyes. Too much money was spent, says he, buying up the necessary property. With that piece of change as an outlay, there is gonna be a very good chance that the projeck will be completed.
That is a very compellin’ case, honey bunch, and Cobina certainly hopes it is true. But, and it’s only our scars from the past talkin’, we’re sure the projeck is gonna be completed in some form or t’other. What we ain’t sure of is what it’s gonna look like at the end. Until we really see plans that are ironclad, we’ll be a bit skeptical. It’s jest the voice of experience talkin’ to Cobina.
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Before we go on, we wanna send our best wishes to Dept. of Parks Director Bill Slater. “Slats” had a bit of a mishap whilst officiating a high school football contest, and had a very serious injury to his leg. By the time yew git this missive, he’ll have been outta surgery. Yup, that’s how serious the injury was.
Slats is one o’ the good guys in this berg. He jest does his job and stays outta the fray. He also loves to officiate football, so we hope he’s able to get himself shipshape and git back on the gridiron, toot sweet.
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I see the fracas betwixt Gripe Vine maven Eleanore Turkington and the city has taken yet another turn. The thoid floor of the Actors Colony has perty much determined that having jack of all trades Lou Esposito try to handle the complaints got from readers – and voters – is too much for him to handle. So, the powers that be have determined the complaints and gripes have to go through Michael DiMassa, who is now the day-to-day administrator in that office, and go to the respective council members.
In theory that’s supposed to be the way things work. But we’ve been to this dance before. The council people over the years have been about as effective getting things accomplished as Louie, witch is to say not very well.
We can remember many a council member complaining to this papyrus that they weren’t being listened to. Usually it has to do with party affiliation or –worse – which side of the Democratic Party one has to be leaning with.
It’ll be interesting to see jest what happens here. Effen the councilmen and women can git this done, all the better. But it makes them the bad cops in this scenario. Effen things don’t git done, it’s their heads, not necessarily the administration’s. Hmmmm.
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By the by, doncha jest love him? Aint Richard Blumenthal jest a credit to his calling? Wouldn’t his mom and dad be sooooo proud o’ him? Talk about embarrassing. The man really has no shame, and neither does his counterpart, the junior senator, another mental giant. We git what we vote for. Effen elections have consequences, the people of Connecticut are being reflected by ole Viet hero Blumenthal and that other paragon, Chris Murphy. What a tandem.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’l close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,