On The Sly

I am just back from a wonderful weekend of New York Giants' football with my brother Goose. Now, unless you spend a few days alone with a guy like Goose, you can't really come to appreciate all the finer things of life.

Months ago Goose told me that he had scored some tickets for the Giants vs. Tampa Bay football game at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. It's odd to begin with that a team from New York plays its home games in New Jersey. But Goose said he'd handle all the arrangements, making it easy on me, because it's "Nothing but the best for my brother."

Our trip to a Giants' football game has become an annual event and it always proves interesting. So, Goose made the hotel accommodations and ordered the AAA Trip-Tick to ensure we wouldn't get lost. He set up a room at the Sheraton right across from Giants Stadium, because it's "Nothing but the best for my brother."

Our weekend began in the rain on Saturday morning. Driving down the Northway while sheets of rain pelted my windshield, Goose and I occupied our time by talking about the game and listening to some great oldies CDs that Goose had brought, because it's "Nothing but the best for my brother."

After we hit Albany the rain stopped and we coasted into East Rutherford, New Jersey, our trip complete in five hours. It was four o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and the wind was just beginning to whip up. As conventioneers left the hotel and hats were sailing, Goose entered the hotel to register for our room. He had chosen quite the ritzy hotel and I told him so when he hopped back in my car with the room key. "Nothing but the best for my brother, " he reminded me for the twenty-fifth time.

As nice as the room was we were a bit disappointed that Sheraton had up-scaled their hotel lobby by closing the sports bar and replacing it with a coffee shop and Yahoo Free-Internet room. Nice for me to keep track of my eBay business, but not good for a couple of guys from Plattsburgh who aren't used to paying $8 for a bloody mary or $5 for a beer at the hotel's up-scale restaurant.

On the restaurant menu we found turkey wings for an appetizer and $12 hamburgers for our entree. Have you ever had turkey wings? These were gigantic, crispy and made for a great appetizer while we waited for our expensive burgers and sipped our expensive beverages.

Goose and I turned out the lights early with plans to be early tailgaters at the Meadowlands. We even got an extra hour's sleep since this was the Saturday night to turn our clocks back. Goose even took credit for that, because it's "Nothing but the best for my brother."

By Sunday morning the wind was howling, sometimes with gusts up to 60 miles an hour. We knew the passing game would be shut down and Tiki Barber would get plenty of carries. With game time at 1pm, at 10am we took the 3-minute drive from the hotel across the road to the Meadowlands parking lot. I parked next to a car with Pennsylvania license plates and no sooner were we out of the car than a guy came over and introduced himself and his son to us. They were from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

I put a hoodie on over my hoodie and grabbed a pair of gloves from the trunk of my car. Goose bundled up as well, as we were ready to down a few cold ones to warm up. Soon, the Pennsylvania kid starts complaining that they didn't bring gloves and they were having trouble holding their Coors Light bottles.

This is when Goose went into action. He dug around in his bag full of game goodies and came up with the old raggedy pair of gloves that he used for fishing back in the 1980s. He offered them to the guy with the cold hands and next thing I know Goose is handing me a cold bottle of brew. He managed to trade this old raggedy pair of gloves for a couple bottles of Coors Light. While I laughed about his business skills, Goose reminded me, "Nothing but the best for my brother."

Eventually we did go inside the stadium and watch Giants' football. Sitting with our friends George, Nate and a couple of their friends from Clifton Park, we had a great view of the field and sat in an area where the wind wasn't that bad. The Giants rolled up a 17-3 win, meaning in the last two years Goose and I have seen the Giants win by a total score of 53-3. You wanna know why? "Cuz there's nothing but the best for my brother!"

If you ever want to have an interesting, fun-filled weekend and be entertained by Goose's one-liners let me know. He can put out humorous zingers left and right. As he's told me many times, "Foxy, they just come to me." I'm ready to become his agent and take his show on the road.

And I'll be a good agent for him -- after all, Nothing but the best for my brother!

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 5:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

My fruitless search for a photograph of the grandstand at the old Bailey Avenue football and baseball field has at least turned up some other interesting tidbits. My friend Jim Carr has some photos of his grandfather's bandwagon, a vehicle that I just barely remember from my childhood.

According to Jim, back in the 1950s his grandfather Bill Carr, a retired New York Telephone Company employee who lived on Bailey Avenue, became the caretaker of the Bailey Avenue Park. Carr took his job seriously and built a two-wheeled bandstand to announce upcoming events at the park.

Hitched to the back of his car, he would pull the bandwagon all around the city. The backwagon had billboards on it and speakers attached to the top, and Bill would inform Plattsburgh's residents about games or other community events. He'd play music, usually marching music, and I can guess that the traveling bandwagon was quite an attraction ... and would be popular today as well. Maybe this is something I can look into as something to keep me busy next summer!

The bandwagon, judging from the pictures Jim has, seemed to about six feet long. In one of the pictures the signs read "BASEBALL TODAY, PLATTSBURGH VS. CHATEAUGAY, 2:30 FAIRGROUNDS AT PLATTSBURG." A second photo has the bandwagon signs: "REGISTER TODAY, LAST DAY, VOTE FOR BOUYEA FOR MAYOR, ROBERT S. LONG FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY." It's probably too late for Kevin Duniho and Donny K to look into this for this year's election, but there will be another mayor's contest next year.

Jim remembers riding along with his grandfather, along with his brother Bill or their cousin Ed Lavigne. If you see Jim ask him to show you those photos. They are interesting indeed. But don't lose them. I may need to check them out before I build my bandwagon next summer.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

In Part One I listed my choices of all-time favorite television characters from number 10 to number 6. Those choices were:
#10 - tie - Granny and Elly May on "The Beverly Hillbillies"
#9 - Maynard G. Krebs on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis"
#8 - Warren Ferguson on "The Andy Griffith Show"
#7 - Lucy Ricardo on "I Love Lucy"
#6 - Norm Peterson on "Cheers"

Many bloggers followed with their picks and the selections were quite varied. Here are my Top Five choices:

#5 - Ralph Kramden on "The Honeymooners" - Oh, Jackie Gleason was a master at losing his temper and showing his soft side in the same show. One minute he'd be sending Alice "to the moon" and minutes later he'd be saying, "Baby, you're the greatest!" He and his buddy Ed Norton may be the funniest duet ever.

#4 - Floyd Lawson on "The Andy Griffith Show" - Nobody mentioned this character, but his mannerisms made me laugh. Gomer and Goober and Otis and Howard Sprague got more time in front of the camera, but I loved the scenes with Floyd, the town's barber. Played by Howard McNear, the character Floyd fumbled with his long black comb and spoke in a way that kept me laughing.

#3 - George Costanza on "Seinfeld" - Do you know somebody like George? I just can't picture Jason Alexander playing anyone else. And maybe that's the problem with his career. His other ventures after "Seinfeld" just haven't panned out. He will always be George to us. George, the character whose description defies words. A liar, a cheater, an unsuccessful lover, he reminds us of the worst in all of us, but in a laughable way.

#2 - Kramer on "Seinfeld" - Kramer often stole the show on "Seinfeld," but I'm sure Jerry never cared. He just laughed all the way to the bank. Michael Richard's character, Cosmo Kramer, became larger than life. Whether it was coming into Jerry's apartment or raiding Jerry's refrigerator, Kramer did it with a flair. Sometimes while teaching eighth graders, I'd catch myself doing a "Kramerism" because I'd seen an episode the night before. You seldom saw the inside of Kramer's apartment, but you did in one of my favorite episodes, when Kramer set up his living room like the set of a TV talk-show host. Now there's an idea for "Fox on the Run."

And, Foxy's Number One choice for his all-time favorite televsion character:

Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show" - I guess you can figure out that "The Andy Griffith Show" is my all-time favorite TV show. Andy played the straight man to Don Knott's Barney character and it was a winning recipe. Barney was the toughest, best-looking, coolest, bravest lawman going ... in his own mind. Everyone else, including the viewers, knew better. Juanita at the diner, Thelma Lou and visiting starlets were putty in his hands -- my kind of hero. My all-time favorite Barney achievement was when he rescued Andy and Helen from the cave, even though they had already rescued themselves. But, meanwhile, Barney had organized the entire town in a rescue effort. So, Andy and Helen had to return to the cave, and Barney ends up the town's hero, a deserving fate for my all-time favorite character.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

I'd like a dime for every hour I've sat in front of the television, including those days before color television and the remote control. I'm even a "rabbit-ears" survivor. Not that I think that time was wasted, though. In addition to providing entertainment while I enjoyed some great snacks and beverages, I was introduced to many memorable characters through the years. Some characters are so memorable that it almost seems as though they really existed. Here's my list, in reverse order, of my all-time favorite TV characters. Who would you have on your list?

#10. It's a tie! Elly May and Granny from "The Beverly Hillbillies." Very different characters, but one made me laugh and the other made me drool. No, Granny didn't make me drool. Irene Ryan was the perfect selection to play the role of Granny, and Donna Douglas as Elly May ... oh, those shirts!

#9. Maynard G. Krebs from "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." The true star of the show Bob Denver as beatnik Maynard G. Krebs showed us what cool really was. So much so that I started using my middle initial on all my school papers.

#8. Warren Ferguson from "The Andy Griffith Show." The replacement for Barney Fife as Mayberry's deputy Warren drove Andy and the show's viewers crazy. Played by Jack Burns, who was part of a comedy duet, the character Warren Ferguson only appeared in 1965 and 1966. But some of those episodes are so memorable, like when he arrested Aunt Bea and her friends for gambling because of their church raffle.

#7. Lucy Ricardo from "I Love Lucy." Probably the funniest female ever on televison, everybody loved Lucy. Of course, Lucille Ball played Lucy Ricardo on a show that mixed fiction with non-fiction. After all, she really was married to Desi, who played the role of Ricky Ricardo. And there really was a Copacabana Club in New York City. From one scheme to the next Lucy kept me laughing, whether she was selling frozen beef steaks in the butcher shop or stomping grapes. After Lucy and Desi broke up, Lucy had some spin-off shows, but they never came close to the comedy of "I Love Lucy."

#6. Norm Peterson on "Cheers." From 1982-1993 many of us made "Cheers" our weekly stop. We wanted to go to Cheers. We wanted to be one of their regulars. Some of us actually visited Boston so we could go to the pub the show was based on. Nobody loved beer more than Norm. I know a few North Country guys who remind me of Norm, but George Wendt's portrayal of Norm was incredible. It probably wasn't real beer he was consuming during the filming, but sometimes I wondered.

Next blog: My picks of TV characters #5 to #1. Any guesses of who will be on my list?

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 8:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

For a baseball fan there is nothing greater than the fun and pageantry of the World Series. Last night's Game One in Detroit was interesting on several levels. First, it was great to see Michigan's musical hero, rock and roll Hall of Famer Bob Segar, at the game and singing "America." For all his career Segar avoided television and now, late in his career, with a new CD on the market, he's been on Leno, Letterman, and even Game One of the World Series. I hope he hasn't stooped to The View or Martha Stewart Show, though.

"America" is a fitting song since baseball is America's game with players of all shapes and sizes taking to the field. But did you notice those lineups? Nearly half the starters were born outside of the United States! The Cardinals have Albert Pujols and Juan Encarnacion from the Dominican Republic, Yadier Molina from Puerto Rico and So Taguchi from Japan. The Tigers have Placido Polanco and Ramon Santiago from the Dominican Republic, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen from Venezuela and Ivan Rodriquez from Puerto Rico.

As I watched the game I couldn't help but feel good that players such as Verlander, Granderson, Monroe, Inge and Thames were getting national exposure while the Fat Cats like Sheffield, Giambi and Bonds were sitting in their living rooms, just like me, watching the game. We also get a chance to watch the future Hall of Famer, Ivan Rodriguez, play in a World Series one more time.

Both teams have guys who are hungry to win and there will be some exciting plays and exciting games. Even though I'm a National League fan I really don't care who wins this year's World Series. After all, the Tigers are the team that won my heart by overwhelming the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs.

One last thought: the Foxy Gagnon Bad Hair Day Award goes to -- a tie -- the Tigers' Magglio Ordonez and the Cardinals' Ronnie Belliard, who looks like a reincarnation of Oscar Gamble.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 5:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

1. Many readers may recall Al Ryan, a native Rouses Pointer, who brought the Florida Nationals amateur baseball team to the North Country for several summers. He recently sent me an e-mail informing me of a "Clinton County chatroom" on the web. Al hopes it will provide an interesting meeting place to refresh memories and get reacquainted with old friends. It was created only about a week ago, but has already provided some interesting topics. It can be found at www.starchat.net/connect.htm. It may take a little searching initially, but look for clinton-county-ny to get to the right room. Good luck and I may see you there. Maybe Al will even comment here and clarify.

2. Recently while enjoying a cold beverage and a bag of salt and pepper potato chips, I was joined by longtime friend John Pelkey. John had spent the day working on his new home on Cumberland Head and figured he deserved a cold beverage, too. I told him about this blog and how one of his old favorite stops, the Korina, had been mentioned. John might be the only one in the world who knows where the name "Korina" came from. Before I spill the beans, does anyone know that trivia question?

3. My search for a photograph of the grandstand at the old Bailey Avenue baseball diamond has ended without success. Nothing in the Press Republican archives and even Ed Lavigne, who was the public-address announcer from that grandstand for many years, was unable to find a photo.

4. One of my neighbors brought me a little bottle of British Sterling men's cologne. Boy, did that bring back the memories. That was one of my high school favorites, not that it lured many ladies my way. But it was my "smell good" of choice when I headed out for a high school dance. The same neighbor told me that his older brother loved Canoe, which I don't recall. My dad's choice was Old Spice. I remember Hai-Karate. According to the commercials, you had to fight the girls off with a little dose of that stuff. Yah, right! I bought a case of that in college. Went home alone every night! I had a frat brother who used Polo, one of the most dangerous colognes going. Too much of that and you announce your arrival before you are even in the front door. One of the popular new colognes for men is Tag. I've tried it. I think it works!

5. Some people have asked about one of my first blogs titled "A Tale of a Tail" (Dec 13, 2005). My endeavor to grow a ponytail has been frustrating. I thought that all you do is not get a haircut for a few months and then slap a rubber band around the extra growth and you have a ponytail. Not so easy. Something most guys don't know about is split ends. When my hairdresser (I can't believe I said that!) saw my hair a few weeks ago, she said that some of it had to be cut because of split ends. So off came some of the hair that seemed to take months to grow. Also, my so-called ponytail still curls up like fourth-grade girl's ponytail. It's been almost a year in the making and I still don't have the ponytail I want. Some people have told me to "just give up, Foxy!" For now I'm taking the advice of my closest advisor, and she says, "Don't cut it, Foxy!"

6. I'm back at work this week. Working everyday, I mean. After a year and a month of retirement from teaching, I'm back at Stafford Middle School as a substitute teacher in the English department. That means setting the alarm clock at bedtime. That means falling asleep before the musical guests on Letterman. That means showering at 7am. That means no nine-o'clock in the morning breakfast. That means no one-in-the-afternoon nap. That means no hanging out at the post office talking with friends. Life sure is different when you have to work!

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

If it happens one time, it might be called an accident or a coincidence and you can feel confident that it will never happen again. But if it happens a second time it might be something more -- maybe a conspiracy or a movement or a revolution or a planned event!

I write this blog as a warning to my friends and neighbors, lest this happen to you, if it hasn't already!

Last year at this time, mid-October, Halloween time, I noticed several businesses offering free candy to customers. You know, by the door or cash register, little penny-candy types of things like bubble gum, Hershey's kisses, Kraft caramels and Tootsie Rolls. Ah, irresistable Tootsie Rolls. Since I was a kid I couldn't resist those little babies. What in the world are they made of?

Did you know these little tasty treats have been around since 1896? They were made by a guy named Leo Hirshfield in New York City. 62 million Tootsie Rolls are made every day. And almost as many are eaten. But it only takes one, as I've found out, to cost me a bundle.

Last year as I was leaving Charter Communications, following my weekly stop to sign up videotapes for the public-access channel, I noticed a bowl of candy. I saw some Tootsie Rolls smiling at me, and felt I deserved a treat, so I grabbed two. As I hopped into my car and put it in reverse, I unwrapped a little treat and tossed it into my mouth. The chocolate taste made me smile. My first bite made me frown. Chewing the Tootsie Roll with my bottom right molar I heard and felt a crunching sound.

I knew what had happened. This tasty chewy treat had pulled one of my fillings right out of its socket. I angrily threw the Tootsie Roll into my litter bag and headed for the telephone to call my friendly dentist. Days later my tooth was back in order, but my budget wasn't. This one bite of Tootsie Roll had cost me $95.

I stayed away from those sweet Tootsie Rolls for a year ... until last weekend. As I watched the Plattsburgh High School Homecoming Day parade I waved to former students who were perched on their class floats. Suddenly a wave of candy came my way. I don't know what class threw the candy at me, but I stuck out my hand and while the lollipops, gum and Hershey's kisses went one way, a Tootsie Roll landed smack dab in the middle of my right hand.

In a moment of weakness, forgetting my lessons of the past, I unwrapped this little Tootsie Roll and popped it into my mouth. And it happened again. Crunch, grind, ouch ... the filling was pulled out of the same socket as last year.

Thanks to this one fateful Tootsie Roll I now have an appointment next week to get my tooth repaired and pay my friendly dentist another $95. Two Tootsie Rolls. $190.

This has me thinking! Are local dentists paying local businesses to pass out free Tootsie Rolls to the retired gentlemen of our city? Is there some nationwide conspiracy going on here? Is this a topic for NBC Dateline? Am I the only one to be taken in by the Tootsie Roll scam?

Just a warning! Be careful of free candy offers around our city. Do we really know who put that candy there? Do you really want to eat that Tootsie Roll?

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Yesterday Joe Torre announced that he would be back as the manager of the New York Yankees in 2007. I, for one, was shocked. Why in the world would he want to return to such a pathetic situation for another year?

Up until a few years ago I have always respected Torre as, first, a player and then as a manager. He was always able to avoid controversy, knew what to say to the media and he enjoyed success as the leader on the bench. However, with his failures over the last several years well documented, now was the time for George Steinbrenner to pull the plug on the leader of the worst team money can buy.

In a time when several teams on the major league level have rosters of minor league players and with the institution of the "wild card team," making the playoffs is no longer a big deal. And for a team of All-Stars like the Yankees, making the playoffs should be automatic. But Torre couldn't get his team of fat cats past the little Detroit Tigers, who were the laughing stock of the American League over the last two months of the season.

Through it all, whether winning or losing, whether scoring 17 runs against the Kansas City Royals or whether nearly getting a no-hitter thrown against them by the unknown Daniel Cabrera, Torre sat placidly in the dugout sucking his candies. When it was time to motivate, when it time to chide a player for not hustling, when it was time to encourage Robbie Cano after another error at second base, there sat Joe, staring into space, sucking his candy.

His post-game interview with Kim Jones on the YES Network became a recording, "We'll have to just put this behind us and play better tomorrow." Whether it was Jaret Wright being yanked in the third inning or another throwing error by A-Rod.

I wasn't surprised when the Tigers kicked the Yankees out of the playoffs. Anyone who follows the Yankees knows they consistently struggle to hit good pitching. They love to fatten up their stats against the minor league pitchers, but go down swinging against the toughies.

And everyone can say, "That's not Torre's fault." But the manager sets the tone in the clubhouse, on the bench and on the field. Watch Jim Leyland, the Tigers' manager, at work. Do you see him sitting down? His youngsters are hungry and so is he. He talks to players during the game, he yells, he moves around the bench, he shows emotion. I never once saw Leyland sucking a candy.

Even the great Yogi Berra and the great Casey Stengel moved on from their jobs as the Yankees' manager. Now was the time for Joe Torre, who, no doubt, will become a Hall of Famer. But no matter how many millions Uncle Georgie has spent over the past six years the Yankees haven't won the big prize. They are relegated to the old Dodgers' slogan, "Wait'll next year!"

It looks to me that without a motivator, a cheerleader, a manager more demanding, the Yankees' 2007 season will be a repeat of the past six, no matter what millionaire ballplayer they sign. Joe should have retired and started writing his next book or his Hall of Fame induction speech. I can't believe he'll be back as the Yankees' manager. Say it ain't so, Joe!

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 5:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

While I was helping my "Aunt Theresa" Venne clear out boxes of memorabilia collected by her late husband "Uncle Bob" Venne, I came upon a brochure titled CLIFF HAVEN ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN. Now this might be something even our oldest of readers may not know about.

Between the 1890s and the 1940s the area now known as "Cliff Haven" was home to a nationally-heralded Catholic Summer School of America. Families from all around the country visited the area for the summer and participated in the summer program.

The school was actually chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York. Religious instruction, guidance and recreational activities were provided throughout the day. Camp Lavelle, for boys 7 to 16 years of age, was part of the summer school program. Sessions ran from July 1st until August 31st, and families could stay for one week or the entire session. In 1935 one week cost $12 and the entire summer session fee was $100.

Guests were housed in cottages on the grounds along Lake Champlain. To call them cottages, however, might be a misnomer. They were actually two-or-three story homes which housed as many as fifty guests. They were owned by people from Rochester or Philadelphia or Buffalo or New York City, for example, and were rented through the owners, not via the Diocese of Ogdensburg.

I wonder if any of those beautiful original cottages remain at Cliff Haven today. It seems as though following World War II the Catholic Summer School ceased operations.

I listed the CLIFF HAVEN ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN brochure for auction on eBay, and it drew a winning bid of nearly $300! The new owner of the book, who lives in New York City, wrote to me that she had attended Cliff Haven for 17 summers.

Has anyone ever heard of this Catholic Summer School of America?

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I left town for a few days to get away from "Life's Little Mysteries," like my dishwasher and telephone problems. A night at the Saratoga Casino and Racetrack with Erik and his wife Sarah was a great getaway, even though I headed back north this morning a lot lighter in the wallet.

I could tell you the story of my meal at Red Robin Restaurant, gourmet hamburger heaven, but I have more important issues right now. As I was driving up the Northway this morning, I knew when I hit Plattsburgh I would have to take on the telephone giant, Verizon.

So, I dialed the same customer service phone number that I had a few days ago, expecting another thirty minutes of stress and mayhem. What a surprise. No longer than one minute into the automated messages I heard, "If at anytime you would like to speak with a Verizon representative, just speak the word 'agent'."

Aha! The magic word! Without taking a breath I screamed "agent" into the telephone. With that simple word, all automated messages ceased and a phone rang. It was quickly answered by a pleasant human voice who expressed concern about my problem. She checked this and checked that in my account and came up with the solution that "it's Verizon's problem and we will have it rectified by 5pm today."

With a smile on my face I decided to push my luck. I asked about a refund for the five days that I couldn't call my many friends in Keeseville and Peru and Jay. This knowledgable lady transferred my call to "billing."

In less than thirty seconds I was speaking to another human voice in the billing department. I explained what my problem has been for the past five-to-seven days, and the customer service representative said she would have "no problem giving you credit for a week that you did not have all of your services, Mr. Gagnon."

I think she may have heard me dancing around the kitchen in happiness, especially when a pan fell from the kitchen shelf. I told her how happy I was to speak to human beings today at Verizon. She replied, "I'm happy to hear that you don't like the automated system." She explained that she has spent a long career as a customer service rep in various fields and she understands the importance of the human voice. Now this is my kind of girl! After a week of frustration and anger at Verizon, here was a Verizon angel sitting on my shoulder.

The customer service rep and I had an interesting conversation and I eventually told her about my blog of a few days ago attacking Verizon. She promised to check it out, along with my new blog today! This Verizon angel, Tooshdia Brandon, lifted my spirits and brightened my day. She gave me an entirely new attitude about Verizon. She must be a "head honcho" in the company, because she even gave me extra credit on my bill before she said goodbye.

Tooshdia said, "I am Verizon's face, I am Verizon's voice, I am Verizon." I vote for her! Because of Tooshdia I am not switching my telephone service. Because of Tooshdia I'll have a sunny disposition for the rest of the day, and even into the weekend!

As long as I can call Keeseville after five o'clock today!

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Life sure has a way of kicking you in the butt just as a warning to not get too confident that you've got the world on a string. Things have been going along pretty well these days, what with a retirement check at the end of the month, people spending lots of money at eBay on "foxg" items, and plenty of fun activites and fun friends to keep me busy.

But not so fast. All I want to do is make a phone call to Keeseville. Or to Jay. Or to my son in the Albany area. Not gonna happen! I spent the weekend trying to reach a family in Keeseville. Every phone call resulted in a busy signal. From Friday morning till Sunday night their phone rang busy, no matter what time of day I called. Finally by Monday morning I was suspicious. So I tried a few other Keeseville phone numbers at random from the phone book. Those families were also busy on the phone. Sure are a lot of talkative people in Keeseville.

For some mysterious reason I can call all the Plattsburgh and Peru phone numbers I want and make a connection. But other phone numbers ring busy. So this sounds like something Verizon should look into. Have you ever tried reaching a human being at Verizon? I spent thirty minutes yesterday listening to automated messages, and speaking my problem to a machine. I found out that the machine does not understand curse words! Finally I got through to the Customer Service Office, but the taped response was, "Our office is closed. Our business hours are from 8am until 5pm." I looked at the clock. It was 10:30am. Verizon can't even tell time!

I never did get through to a human being at Verizon. I just set that problem aside for another day. My solution to calling someone in Keeseville was to call my brother and ask him to call the Keeseville number and tell that family to call me. I finally connected with that Keeseville family on Monday in the afternoon.

And now I've got my dishwasher to contend with. What normal man of the house can fix a dishwasher problem? My problem is that water is leaking out of the front of the dishwasher when it goes into the rinse cycle. Not just a few drops. I mean what amounts to gallons of water leaking out onto my kitchen floor. But it happens only sometimes. What is the deal with this mystery dishwasher? So far my solution has been to kneel in front of the dishwasher and stare at the water dripping out, hoping that it will stop. It doesn't.

I'm also smart enough to put towels in front of it to soak up the water before it travels across my kitchen floor and out the back door. This is causing extra use of my washer and dryer, so I figure a problem will pop up there some time soon.

Just a couple of life's little aggravations to deal with. I don't really need to call Keeseville that often, and I can always wash dishes in the sink. My sink works fine ... so far! Sure wish I could tell Verizon my problems. Maybe their customer service rep has a dishwasher. Maybe I should just use paper plates and plastic forks. Maybe I can just drive to Keeseville. Maybe next week things will go a little smoother.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I guess not everyone is into nostalgia. As much as I enjoy remembering the good ol' days in some of my blogs, and as much as some readers enjoy adding their memories to the story, some people just can't connect.

A few days ago I walked into a local business and one of the female employees approached me and said with a smile, "Oh, Foxy, I always read your blogs. But you have to write about something I know about." I could tell by looking at her that she was younger than I. She obviously never sat on a barstool at the Rainbow or dined at the Cadillac Club or the Gran-Vue. She obviously never bought a hat at Herman's or a suit for her husband at Jerry Donnelly Ltd.

"I never heard of any of those places you write about," she added. "Write about something new."

I guess I just find it hard to feel nostalgic about something I did last year. I can tell stories galore about shopping at Woolworth's and Fishman's downtown with my Mom when I was a kid, but I have a hard time digging up memories about last year.

"I wasn't living in the North Country until ten years ago," she continued. "Write about some places that I go to." I looked at her and wondered where that might be. If I were in my thirties instead of nearing sixty, where would I go?

It occured to me then that some day forty years from now, she might be writing a blog at the www.pressrepublican.com website. And she'll be writing nostalgically about the Naked Turtle and Ground Round and Irises and the year they knocked down Dairy Queen to build a Starbucks. She'll remember the good ol' days of dancing with her friends at Tabu Night Club and how popular kareoke was.

Maybe she'll think back with a grin about the time there was a Farmer's Market on the riverbank of Durkee Street and how gas prices were only around $3 a gallon. She'll write about local North Country personalities in those days like Gordie Little (and the youngsters in 2046 will say, "Who's he?"), Ducky Drake, Jack Stewart, Johnny Seiden, Amy Valentine, Pete Whitbeck, Gena Rosenbaum and those wild brothers, Foxy and Goose.

So, for those readers who can't connect to my memories of the 1950s and 1960s, this one's for you: Ah, it was great sitting on that back deck of the Naked Turtle last summer. It was midnight and the breeze off Lake Champlain felt great. The band Glass Onion had the place rocking. Seems like it was only last month, not last year.

And the next day I met some friends at Ponderosa, where we loaded our plates with wings and things and ate till we couldn't eat any more. And, for dessert, ice cream with all the added sweets you want! That's what I call a meal.

Yes, 1960 was a great year for me, but, now that she made me think about it, I guess last year was pretty good, too. I guess in a certain way I'll always remember the Summer of 2005.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)