There are many things coming up in my life that I am looking forward to. One is the birth of my first great-grandson, Scotty who is due in October. Another is my 90th birthday which is in February of 2024. We are planning a party here in New Jersey for that. Not sure of the exact date of the party or the location yet. My granddaughter keeps asking me for the details on that, and I keep telling her I have plenty of time to figure that out but since I am inclined to leave things until the last minute, perhaps she is right to keep bugging me about it. I know it won’t be in the backyard, since February isn’t a good time for a picnic. Another thing coming up is our yearly High School Reunion, which again will be at The Riverside at 1 PM on Saturday, August 26.  

Minor things that will be happening before that are when my neighbor, Kris will be getting her female puppy as soon as it is weaned in August. Shauna says she can hardly wait for that event. Kris was devastated when she lost Gracie, her Golden Retriever. For awhile she couldn’t even think about another dog but now she is ready. She has a Memorial Garden on her property where the ashes of all the pets she lost are buried. I once had a therapist who had a dog who died, and she told me that she was so upset about it that she cannot face that pain again so has never gotten another pet.  She said she knows she should rescue another dog or cat but just can’t. I wound up comforting her instead of the other way around and told her that it was alright to take that path, if that was the way she felt.  

 I will be going to lunch with my friend, Joan where we will have our favorite food - lobster tail. 

That will take place on August 2nd. I will be going to the country again with her to hear the Callicoon Center Band play again on a Wednesday night at 8 PM. We will only stay a few days as Joan has a cat named, Lilly, who doesn’t like to be left alone too long. A neighbor goes there to feed her, but Lilly makes her wishes known that it’s not the same as having Joan there every day.  

I recently walked over to the high school here in River Edge and heard the West Point Band  play on a Sunday night, and they sounded almost as good as the Callicoon Center Band. 

My friend Howard Aaron, who lives in Callicoon Center, is always pointing out new restaurants to me or ones he has recently discovered. The last time I was in the country, he suggested we go to the Eldred Preserve for Happy Hour and then dinner, and I agreed because he had treated me to two pancake breakfasts over the years so I could finally pay him back by picking up the check at this one. It’s the Homestead restaurant and since he was also picking me up and driving  me home I felt it was a good trade. On the way home he was in the midst of telling me about a bear and her two cubs that crossed the road in front of him, when he said, “There she is again.” It was again about 7 PM so I guess that’s her routine.  He pulled his car over and took some pictures. They were down in a gully. I’ve never seen a bear in the wild before and have been hoping to do so for years. What a treat that I wasn’t expecting! I think Howard was taking some chances getting that close to a mother bear with cubs, but I guess he made sure he didn’t get too close.

Since then Howard has given me a heads up on some other restaurants in the area. They are: The Blue Fox Motel in Narrowsburg, and the Salsa Shack on Rt. 97  in Hancock- outdoor eating - Mexican food, only 20 minutes north of Callicoon - no frills but fabulous food! Bring your own bottle. 

In a few weeks I will be getting Howard and a friend of mine, Barbara Matter together in New York City. I wrote about her and her husband in a previous column. She kept her apartment on the East side of Manhattan.  Howard has an apartment on the West side of Manhattan with a view of the Hudson River. I have never been there but have seen pictures. Since Howard and Barbara both sell Real Estate in Manhattan I feel they would have a lot to talk about. I have ulterior motives because Barbara and I keep saying over the phone that we have to find a way to reconnect. I recently called Barbara and since I was using my cell phone, so she couldn’t see who was calling, I told her she wouldn’t know but she said, “Give me a moment” and even though we hadn’t spoken in years, she said, “Is it June Donohue?” She amazed both of us by her correct guess. After we get together, I will write a column about our reunion.