The Senator

The recently restored pipe organ had over 8000 pipes, all in wooden cabinetry - plus the bellows and 5-manual console. The carvings were wood, the doors were wood, the ceiling was wood, the pews were wood. (Yes, they had pews in the transept and choir, in the nave they had wooden chairs.) All that wood was old, very dry, and would ignite quickly, I’d imagine. I hope they can save and restore it, but I’m not optimistic. .

Screw Johnny Damon. Rocket Roger and Wade Boggs too. Clemens was famous for 2 things - his childish temper tantrums, and throwing high heat at batters heads. Boggs road off on a horse, looking like a horse’s ass. (As always, JMHO ?⚾️?) .

Not all of ‘em are gone, but yeah. I’m a couple years older - by ‘77 I was 18 and, at that time, legal - but we never had a problem getting served at Merlin’s when I was sixteen. Neighborhood bars could get away with sh*t that just wouldn’t fly elsewhere. You had a few bucks, you’d get served. When I go to The Market this week to buy our Easter ham, and fresh polish sausage from Lupa’s or Camelia’s (Redlinski fled to Cheektowaga years ago), some freshly ground horseradish, maybe some sponge candy and Crystal Beach suckers, I’ll scout the hood to see what’s left. .

Paying the bag man always sucks! You made out well. ? .

It had to be his son, Rudy Jr., ‘cause my dad is 92! .

My dad played amateur soccer with Ronnie’s brother Rudy Pikuzinski Sr. (Yes, that Pikuzinski soccer family.) Lottie is a trip, but makes a mean pierogi. Her family used to own this place, on Paderewski and Sears... .

I did not, we lived a bit further away, then moved to Lancaster when I was 7. But my mom was born and raised on Brownell and Broadway, down the street from St.John Kanty church, and my grandfather owned a few houses and a couple of neighborhood stores in that part of Buffalo. My mom used to tell me how she and her 3 sisters went to the market a couple times a week for fresh groceries (must have been before refrigerators!) We’d visit my gramp every week, so I was there quite a bit. My aunt worked at Sattlers, so we always went there to buy clothes for the new school year. I still go there - we took my dad to Polish Mass at Corpus Christi yesterday, then stopped at Broadway Market for pierogi, golumki, kielbasa, etc. Sometimes I venture down there to the R&L Lounge for Polish food and a little pivo (beer). Total dive, but Ronnie and Lottie are nice folks. Cryin’ shame what’s become of that part of Buffalo. .

It is the very heart of Polonia! Broadway Market, Sattlers, and Corpus Christi Church are my childhood memories, along with dozens of other places along Broadway and the smaller neighborhood streets. .

No, not a holiday - but it might have been when Mayor Kowal or Mayor Makowski ran things. These days, they celebrate it in July and have a small crummy parade down Harlem in Cheektowaga. A few old diehards do get together on March 2nd to lay a wreath in front of the Pulaski monument by Ellicott Square. .

Yeah, Pulaski day is March 2nd. Back then we celebrated it in March in Buffalo’s Polonia neighborhood, not July in Cheektowaga. .

My initial understanding is that they will pull every title they own from Netflix, HuLu, and Amazon, so - if true - we have that to look forward to. .

President Kennedy, 1962, Pulaski Parade, Buffalo... http://www.forgottenbuffalo.com/buffalospoloniahistory/pulaskiparade1962.html (Few realize that he left in quite a hurry, after learning about the missiles in Cuba.)

Not for nothing, but maybe they’d appreciate it if she visited someplace else ?

Nor I, but terrorists usually try for a huge human life toll. . If you’ve been here since before 2003, you can make that request. .

Only “kind of funny”? That’s freaking hysterical! .

Actually, I was quite a hit. Was there to study music theory and composition with Nadia Boulanger. Played a recital consisting of entirely French composers - Jean Phillipe Rameau, Francois Couperin, Maurice Ravel, Gabriel Faure, and Claude Debussy. What little they said afterwards that I could understand, I think was mostly nice. .

No. You see, I’ve never studied American history. Do we really owe him our independence? Were there actual heroics involved, or was he just a French dandy in a pretty uniform riding around on a horse? ? We also owe a huge debt to General Casimir Pulaski, who came from Poland to join the Continental army and laid down his life, but you don’t hear much about him. Whatever we ‘owe’ France, we paid back in spades at Normandy. .

And they should. If it weren’t for good Americans, they’d be speaking German. .

I found just the opposite to be true - some were kind, polite, gracious, but most were very abrupt and rude. I suppose it helps if you speak the language. I am not fluent at all, my French is very poor. I remember when they refused to join the coalition against Iraq in 2003 - I swore I’d never drive another Puegot, and never have. We were spilling bottles of Dom and fine French wine down storm sewers, and re-named French Fries...

2004 was magical - coming back against the dreaded Yankees, then sweeping St.Louis. There were septuagenarians and octogenarians walking the streets in the middle of the night, zombielike, grateful that they saw the Sox win a series while they were alive. 1986, I was the zombielike one wandering around, wondering how we blew that one... .

My apologies. I am also a Catholic, and an American. Civus Romanus? You are a citizen of Rome maybe? . Only the ones I’ve met. .

Well, I get the sentiment, but most Parisians hate America, and Americans. .

I thought that was Zebras ? .

I understand he was a ***** when he was young. (So was Jim Kelly.) I’m told that with age comes wisdom. At the least, most of us mellow with time, age, and life’s trials and tribulations. What I saw yesterday was a perfect gentleman. No more swearing, cussing, on course anger issues. He sat for several hours of interviews. It was touching to see him embrace his mom and children. I don’t know what more folks expect from him. Maybe Lindsay Vaughn doesn’t like him anymore, but I do. .