Mar 28 - Apr 3

Ok, do I write about missing cans of Clam Chowder? Or, do I write about how Cooper has learned to pretend to pee in order to get a treat? Or do I write about a terrible story. Sorry folks, I am going for the tragic story.  This is not for the faint of heart, and you may want to have a glass of wine if you read it.

A family friend is staying at our family’s house in Tuscany. While he is there he decided to check out the memorial at a small town nearby called Santa Ana. During World War II, when the Italians surrendered to the Allies, the German Army felt betrayed and started taking retributions against the Italian civilians. They went into this little community of Santa Ana where the Catholic Church held Sunday Mass. The men were mainly at war and so the only people attending Mass were mainly women and children. The German soldiers went in on a Sunday morning and massacred the entire community. Since my father was there and working for the American army, I have always known about this atrocity. However, I didn’t know there is a picture on the wall of the memorial of most of the people who were killed. The friend sent us the picture and it is so sad, because the photo includes the photos of all these children and many of them were part of large families. I know this is old news, and if anyone wants I can show them the photo, but it just reminds me of how terrible war is and it just makes me feel for those poor people in Ukraine.

Mar 21 - 27

Have you ever seen the movie “A Dogs Purpose”? It is about a dog who lives many lives over a period of decades. The movie infers that dogs are reincarnated with the same personality. Well folks, I kind of wonder if that isn’t true.

On Thursday we had an appointment for Cooper to get neutered. My wife reminded me that she would bring him in and I would pick him up. This conversation occurred with Cooper in the room. That night before the procedure he whined all night long. He has never done that and when he did in the past he just wanted attention. That night he would just sit and look at us with real sad eyes and just whimper. I am guessing he just had grand plans for his lineage.

Mar 14 - 20

Ok so my oldest daughter who lives in the Bay Area, just had a baby girl Thursday. She worked for me from the time she was 13 until she graduated from Sac State, so she knows the restaurant business. And yes, I am double Nonno. 

So she calls me on the way home from the Kaiser hospital in Oakland today. She says,

“Dad, Dad, Dad, you need to raise your prices” (I am not going to yet). "I just got lunch for myself on the way home from the hospital. Do you know what I paid for a Japanese take-out order, $70 for just me. Two rolls, a salad and a drink, $70 bucks, can you believe that?” 

I asked, “how is the baby?”

“Baby is fine. Can you believe $70 for lunch for one person?”  

“And you said the baby is fine right?"

“Yea, baby is right here in the car. She is fine. $70, I just can’t believe that”.

Mar 7 - 13

Years ago I operated Walt’s 24 Hour Restaurant in the building we now use for FlapJacks. One of the things I miss most from Walt’s was the dinners we served every night and especially the baked potatoes. So I decided to make some bake potatoes at home. I bought the potatoes, butter, sour cream and spring onions to chop up for chives. I wrapped them in aluminum foil like we use to do, and threw them in the oven. I chopped up the onions and reached in the fridge for the sour cream. I had bought one of those big tubs to make sure we had enough. Of, course to my amazement but probably not yours, the entire tub was empty. So I confronted my son and told him I was pretty upset, and his point was that if the sour cream was so important to me, why didn’t I just tell him beforehand that the sour cream was so important and why I didn’t just tell him not to eat the sour cream.