Are You Masking Up?

At the risk of starting some serious controversy, I'm just wondering how fellow bloggers are reacting to the new realities of masking up and/or wearing gloves. I expect and respect that your opinions can and may differ.

Please don’t misunderstand or leave nasty comments (which will be deleted). The opinions expressed here are part of a personal rant for lack of a better term. 

Note this excludes wearing a mask when inside a store; mandatory in some places.
I'm just wondering if fellow bloggers are masking up and/or wearing plastic gloves when being outdoors and not in close proximity to others. 

Also, medical professionals working in the field, care givers or others in similar positions are excluded from any of these opinions. 

Internet source

Constantly seeing masked faces everywhere is a bit unsettling (at least for me). Oddly, it brought back memories of a long-ago TV western series, The Lone Ranger, which starred Clayton Moore as Ranger John Reid. This show, which ran from 1949-1952 and 1953-1957 during my (ahem) younger days, was one of the most popular TV westerns back then. Reid always wore a mask, although his was much was different than current ones and covered mainly his eyes. Anyone else remember this show without revealing that we are both of "a certain age"?

Yes, we dutifully don face masks when entering grocery store trips, these trips are done much less often than before. And, I mask up in the local post office when I walk there to send cards and notes which friends have said they enjoy getting. Interestingly enough a Canadian friend emailed a late thank you for her birthday card. She told me that she had just opened the card after it was in a period of quarantine. I should add that April has recently undergone cancer surgery and is now undergoing radiation treatments. Her actions were understandable and necessary precautions due to a possibly comprised immune system.

I get it. People with underlying health issues, seniors and so many others need to be diligent even to the point of being over-cautious, better safe than sorry in those cases.

However, I've seen many folks masked and gloved when walking outdoors for fresh air. After being cooped inside, it would seem that being unmasked/ungloved would be welcomed. Unfortunately, I've also seen what happens when folks remove them.

Photos taken on a recent downtown walk

Surprisingly, many medical experts and healthcare providers agree that gloves don't give added protection against the risk of coming into contact with germs. And, gloves won't lower the risk of contracting COVID-19 as it doesn't transmit through skin contact on hands, but when bacteria enters the system through mucous membranes or via respiratory droplets in close proximity. 

For example, If you wear gloves while shopping, then itch your nose or rub your eyes, it defeats the purpose. Anything gloves touch can get infected especially your face. Experts say that washing hands and using hand sanitizer after touching things, is more effective and accomplished the same thing. 

Before anyone jumps up, I'm not saying that folks with medical issues who want to be outdoors shouldn't take precautions. They should for their own safety and peace of mind. 

That said, we ventured out to a park area near our apt last Saturday on a gloriously warm and sunny day. We saw and spoke to several people, all mask-less like ourselves while all social distancing. It was really great not only to have human interaction, but to see a face.

We saw folks, much younger than ourselves who passed by wearing masks. No photos were taken as that would've been inappropriate even though it was outdoors in a public space. It wouldn't be right to single anyone out for taking what they feel are necessary precautions just to get a photo opp and I wouldn't do that.

Again, just wondering if you've seen people wearing a mask while driving, even when they are the sole vehicle occupant. Is this really necessary?

Some experts claim it can create other dangers, like reducing the field of vision or oxygen levels. Last weekend, a NJ driver involved in a single-car crash is thought to have passed out behind the wheel due to insufficient oxygen intake/excessive carbon dioxide due to wearing an N-95 mask too long. The car was heavily damaged after hitting a utility pole; the driver was unhurt.

Like many others, I follow multiple news reports, but only once a day. Here's a few things I recently found out from various sources including The New York Times and The New England Journal of Medicine:

• It's not advised to wash produce and fruit with soap. Ingesting soap can trigger nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or forms of gastrointestinal distress that could mimic symptoms of COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that all you need to do is gently rub the produce while rinsing with running water. 
• It’s not necessary to change clothes/take a shower when coming in from shopping.
• It's OK to wash clothes with regular detergents and then place in a dryer.
• It's OK to read a paper or open a package or mail. Be sure to wash your hands after. (Some sources advise to let mail and packages sit for 24 hours before handling.)
• It's not necessary to wipe your shoes after coming inside.
• It's safe to go outside mask-less if not in a very crowded place. (There's so few of those around now anyway.)
• Wearing gloves to the supermarket isn't needed, if you don't touch your face and wash your hands immediately after you return home.

OK, this rant is over and Thanks for "listening." Right now, everyone has his/her gripes. Just wondering if anyone wants to express his/her own in the comments below. 
Go ahead, no judgements here. We're all social distancing friends.

Grenville and I are doing well, maintaining our social distancing even in a large apt complex, wearing masks as appropriate and, most importantly, washing our hands often.

We're watching a lot of classic B&W movies, especially the film noir genre. You may be able to find some of these streaming online. Here's some Alfred Hitchcock good ones to see: Strangers on a Train, Shadow of a Doubt, Notorious, Suspicion, The 39 Steps and The Maltese Falcon. 

More good films: Orson Welles's The Stranger and the classic Citizen Kane. Humphrey Bogart is excellent in The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, and Deadline U.S.A. A couple of our all time favorite actors, Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, are in several of the above-mentioned films. These films and others like them are binge-worthy.

We've watched many documentaries films and more through the free streaming service, Kanopy, available from our local library (mentioned in a previous post). It has a wealth of these and The Great Courses too. We've managed to avoid binge-worthy Netflix dramas.

Reaching out to a minimum of 3 others daily is helpful to you and others according to a recent article. I've been upping that total by calls, emails, texts and sending notes and cards. (Thankful that USPS employees remain working, especially now.)

Floor signage at the post office and 2 supermarkets

Like many others, we miss basic human interactions: to visit, give a hug, shake a hand, see a smile, kiss a loved one, spend time together, say goodbye (sadly). We realize that many precautions are necessary. One day we can all do these again and more.

Wash your hands, maintain social distancing, wear masks in enclosed spaces.

Most importantly, be well and stay as safe as possible. 

Clearing the River View

Like so many other folks, we've been walking more, during the day and then after dinner in the early evening hours. Last week on a windless night, just after sunset, here's a view of the former textile mill that houses our apt. This photo was taken from the Main Street bridge. That white dot in the Nashua River is the site of one of the two river fountains that hopefully will be re-started in the coming weeks.

Most likely, you've noticed the river bank work and equipment on the right.

There's been an ongoing river bank cleanup over the past couple of months. It started in late March with the posting of several signs.

As stated, the purposes of this project are to provide open views, more safety and better access. Before this project started, many invasive and non-native plants had obscured or narrowed the river walkways.

The project is part of the Nashua Riverfront Development Plan and recommendations include connected walkways, landscaping, enhanced access to the waterfront, historical and natural resource protection, lighting, alternative parking solutions and amenities. There's also the potential for new construction and ongoing maintenance.

This project has been removing clearing the river banks in a multi-phase project. First most of the overgrowth was cut down and that also involved trimming cutting down many trees, a few too in the opinion of some folks.

The plan represents a vision for dramatically improving the way the Nashua River  Downtown riverfront looks and to make it not only an asset for the city, but and a destination for others to visit.

• Create a continuous riverwalk that connects downtown Nashua and surrounding neighborhoods with improved connections to Main Street.
• Manage invasive specie and maintain riverfront vegetation.
• Create visual and physical opportunities to access the river with a priority on a new dock structure and fountains.
• Preserve existing and add new green space within the river corridor. 
• Create opportunities for recreation in, on and around the river.

Sure, these projected improvements will take time, perhaps years. We're looking forward to seeing them develop (especially from our 5th floor viewpoint) and ultimately hope to enjoy them. However, we miss these seasonal views from our window, taken during the nearly 4 years we've lived in Nashua.

No question about it, the best season for a spectacular window view was autumn. It will be quite a while until we see anything to match these fall colors.

The river front clean-up is continuing despite shutdowns in many other parts of the city, and we have (a lot of) time to wait, especially now.

Friday Funnies

Truly social distancing with inanimate objects (unlike some humans have not been doing).

We hope that everyone is doing well in these very unusual times on non-contact. Get out and go for a walk if you can. This shot was taken during one of our recent walks around the neighborhood.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

How to Watch for FREE

Spoiler Alert: I make no claims as to the usability and content of the streaming sites mentioned here. I’ve used Hoopla and Kanopy which offer Free streaming through my library and no ads and have tried a few sites as noted below. (No links in this post, you can search online for the sites.)

Budgets are being stretched more than ever now, but did you know that you can stream FREE movie and TV entertainment ? 

Now that we have unlimited home time, I've been online quite a bit a lot and have learned a lot too. Like others, we have paid subscriptions to streaming services, Netflix, Acorn TV and Amazon Prime, but who doesn't like something that's totally Free?  And, there's plenty of other things to spend $$ on these days — hand sanitizer, gloves, masks to help keep us safe in this current COVID-19 crisis.

That's right, there's no $$ needed and, better yet, some sites don't even require a sign-in account. There are no-cost, totally Free alternatives, that offer legal movies and TV shows that you can watch on smart TVs, media streamers and mobile devices.

OK, you may forego original, exclusive content that paid services provide and ads may come with many of these viewing choices. After all, commercials are how these services pay their costs. On the plus side, ads will let you get some popcorn and snacks. 

Hoopla and Kanopy are two streaming services that let me stream free with my library card through the Nashua Public Library. Your local library may offer a similar service.

Hoopla bills its digital media services as having your public library at your fingertips, anytime and anywhere. Usage requires a library card, then you can borrow movies and TV shows to watch on a computer, tablet, cell phone or TV, also music, books, audiobooks and comics. There’s a lot of titles.  After borrowing a title, I have 72 hours/3 days to watch. The library sets the number of monthly borrows; mine has a limit of 4. Hoopla's mobile apps have a download option for offline viewing.

Kanopy is another streaming service available to holders of a public library card. This commercial-free service, which started in Australia, has a large catalog of ad-free critically acclaimed movies, documentaries, indie films, award-winning foreign films, TV shows, and choices for younger viewers. Its library includes titles from the esteemed Criterion Collection. A new Kanopy Kids section allows unlimited plays. Like Hoopla, there's a monthly limit, which my library sets at 10 and my  watch list carries over to the next month. The monthly viewing allowance resets at the start of each month. Check the website to see if your library offers Kanopy.

The Internet Archive is home to all things in the public domain, including a lot of great vintage feature-length movies. Public domain basically means old and/or mostly black-and-white, which makes this site ideal to find classic films, such as His Girl Friday, The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers and Suddenly. There's no cost to use the service, no account is needed, but creating one lets you mark favorites. The library contains classic full-length films, to daily alternative news broadcasts, cartoons and concerts uploaded by Archive users. Some videos are available for free download. I've been watching episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, a show from the mid-1950s.

Tubi features thousands of free commercial movies and hours of streaming video content

from the libraries of Warner Brothers, Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM and more than 20,000 titles. There's no subscription fees, but commercials are included. You can watch movies and television shows anywhere, including classic TV shows (Bonanza, Dick Van Dyke, Family Affair, Father Knows Best, Unsolved Mysteries are a few. The drawback is that not all seasons are available. Other fun categories include: Not on Netflix, Only Free on Tubi, Highly Rated on Rotten Tomatoes, and Movie Night. You can stream Tubi online or on Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Xfinity X1, Xbox, Samsung Smart TVs, Sony Smart TVs, PlayStation. To make a watch list, you need to create an account, but it's not needed to just stream. I watched a movie online last week with only 1 commercial break in the 90-minute film, but unsure if this holds true for all.

Crackle is available in the U.S. and Australia. This ad-supported video entertainment network includes full length movies, TV shows and original programming. Some titles include Catch & Release, Friends With Money, The Jane Austen Book Club, Julie & and Julia. It's available on several platforms, including connected TVs, mobile devices, video game consoles and online. I've watched a few episodes of a 1960s TV show, Fantasy Island on this site.

Pluto TV is owned by Viacom and has more than 100 live and original channels, including Paramount Movie Channel, CNN, NBC News, and on-demand movies in partnership with TV networks, movie studios, publishers and digital media companies. It’s available online and on Roku, Apple TV, iPhones, Android TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Sony, Samsung and Vizio smart TVs. I checked it out briefly and didn't like that movies and shows were shown at scheduled times like TV viewing.

Watchyour.tv will appeal to fans of classic TV shows and movies. This free, ad-supported service is from TVS Television Network, which claims to be the fourth oldest commercial TV network in the country. The site is organized by "networks" based on interests and genres, such as sports, movies, entertainment, and kids and family, and subcategories. You can watch older movies and classic TV shows, including Andy Griffith, Bonanza, My Favorite Martian, and The Beverly Hillbillies. It’s available on many devices including iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, Amazon Fire TV, Roku players and televisions, Apple TVs, and Android TVs. The format is similar to Pluto TV. I checked out this, but disliked it for the same reason as Pluto TV.

Vudu requires no contract or subscription to watch movies and TV shows with limited commercials. Users can choose from thousands of free movies, like Maid in Manhattan, Three Men and a Baby and Gravity, to watch on a mobile device, TV and computer. Like some other sites, you need to create an account to watch a Free with Ads film. I didn't create a sign-on to try this site.

Popcornflix bills itself as being created for people who want to watch Great Movies. Free. These films include Stuck in Love and Paris, Je T’Aime which are available on this streaming service, supported on Apple TV, Roku, Google Play, Xbox, Amazon and iOS devices. Users don’t need to register or create an account. Just select a movie or show and hit play to watch on the ad-supported site. I started a 90-minute movie and 3 short ads came on after the first 15 minutes, under 2 minutes total. The same ads reran after another 15 minutes. Since I didn't watch the entire film, unsure if these same ads continued throughout. 

Roku Channel is where TV and movie goers can enjoy an “always-changing selection of free movies, shows, live news, kids’ TV and more.” Apart from free films on the weekly watch list, Roku offers live television streaming like ABC News and Cheddar News. Stream on Roku with devices that connect to a TV or on Roku TVs that have the streaming experience already built in. If you want to watch from a laptop, you need to create an account to watch online.

IMDb TV (Internet Movie Database), which began as a movie database once called Freedive, allows U.S. users to watch TV shows and movies for free on IMDb and Fire TV devices. The database is owned and operated by IMDb.com, an Amazon subsidiary. IMDb TV videos include ads that run before and/or during playback and can’t be skipped. You must create a sign-on via Facebook, Google, Amazon or IMDb to view. I didn't create a sign-on to try this site.

YouTube is a great site for free movies and TV shows with no sign-on required. The site also provides show and movies which users can purchase to view. This week, we've watched Alfred Hitchcock classic movies in glorious B&W: Strangers on a Train, Rebecca, and Shadow of a Doubt. It's so true that sadly they don't make films like these now! 

Here We Snow Again

The calendar date was past mid-April this weekend, an early Spring was forecast, but yesterday morning, Old Man Winter had other plans for the second time in a week.

A couple of days ago, I posted about a short-lived snowfall❄️. That one was much more scenic and brighter then this latest one — both during and afterwards.

This was the scene early Saturday morning as snow was falling for about 2 hours. It was very overcast. A light rainfall preceded the snow and rain continued after the snow stopped. It was a dismal and dreary day, definitely a good one to be indoors.

This is an attempted panoramic of the entire scene from our window.  In this image, it looks like the Nashua River is curved, but it's not at our viewpoint.

Not only was this wintry weather short-lived, but today’s high temps will be in the low 60s. Rain is forecast for several days afterwards with temps in the 50s.

Thanks to those who commented earlier about our great window views. We really enjoy it as regular readers likely know by now. These views were what attracted us to this mill apt when we planned to relocate to Nashua, NH. And, we're fortunate in being on the "river side"  as the view on the "city side" is mainly the surface parking area.

How about for you — has Spring arrived with nicer weather and blooms?

Friday Funnies

In trying to think of a photo caption, these thoughts came to mind . . .

Locking in meter time
Pole lockdown
Where's the bike — apparently even kryptonite (Superman's nemesis) didn't hold it

What caption thoughts are in your mind? Please add them in the comments. We can surely use more silly fun now.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone.

Stay Safe & Be Well

Say It Isn't . . .

SNOW ! ❄️☃️🌨

But it was earlier this morning as seen in these scenes taken from our apt window. Thankfully, this was a very brief snow event and by 8 a.m. it was quickly melting away.

Yet, the snow event didn't deter this sculler who we've seen on the Nashua River several mornings a week in recent weeks.

Today, there was a noticeable difference in that he was wearing a face mask — true social distancing.

As stated above this was a short-lived wintry scene. Here's the view an hour after the first photos were taken. 

Spring 🌸🥀 we hope it gets here soon 🌺🌼

Who's the Cutest?

SPOILER ALERT: It's been awhile since I've posted photos of the youngest family members on both sides of our family. This post resolves that issue, so proceed at your own risk.

Great nieces, Autumn Rose and Savannah Marie, were born 2 weeks apart last October and these cousins are nearing 6 months of age this month. Their moms are my brother's two daughters, Julie and Jamie. The cutie below is Autumn Rose, the older GN.

GN Savannah is shown below with her maternal grandfather. She and her parents recently relocated to FL, unfortunately no one is getting any beach time now.

We received new photos of both great nieces over the Easter holiday weekend. Savannah and mom Jamie are on the left; Autumn and mom Julie are on the right.

That's all for the baby cuteness overload for now folks (till next time).

Easter/Passover Wishes

There's no doubt that this will be a very different Passover and Easter holiday for so many people worldwide.

Individuals and families will self-celebrate observe religious traditions in their own homes. 

They won't be able to attend houses of worship. Nearly all synagogues and churches are remain closed. However, many are streaming services online.

And like many other fellow bloggers, we will observe Easter in the privacy of our apt away from family. As much as they'll be missed, we take comfort in knowing that they are safe as we are too.

Sure, we'll miss the traditions of egg hunts and egg coloring shared with grandchildren in years past. Instead, we'll rely on memories of these fun times.

Since we won't be seeing the grandkids to distribute Easter treats, we sent them some, not in the traditional basket, but in a box. Thankfully, the USPS remains operational and postal employees continue doing a wonderful job under stressful conditions. We appreciate them.

We remember when our Easter holiday was celebrated with new clothes and treats. Here's a trip down memory lane with vintage holiday pics from our family albums. Dorothy/Beatrice is shown with her mom and younger brother, Anthony on the left and in the center. That's Patrick/Grenville with his parents and a very large bunny on the right.

While we didn't color eggs with the grandkids this weekend, we had fun doing it at home and shared a video chat with them. 

We hope that you and those you love are safe and happy, and that you get some special treats too. Through a video chat session today, we were able to see and talk to family members in several states to share Easter greetings. Did you do the same?

Chag Sameach and Happy Easter to Everyone

Nothing Funny Today

Normally, a Friday post will have be humorous with a photo included, but not today. 

It's Good Friday which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Considering the current state of the world's health, this day is even more solemn this year for all. 
(Comments are off today)

Early morning view of downtown Nashua, NH

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

Be kind to one another

This 'n That Updates

This post has updates on previous blog posts, because I had the time (don't we all now) and wanted to share.

I'm late in posting this very happy news that fellow blogger Laurie, who in late February posted a blog farewell, has returned with her same blog title. You can find at Where the Spruce Trees Grow. Welcome back Laurie, you were missed. Drop in for a visit. Laurie blogs with the same spirit of doggedness and expressiveness that I and so many others admire. She shares her daily struggles with grace and candor and her positive outlook is always inspiring to myself and other bloggers. Welcome back Laurie, you were missed.

Update: After preparing this post a few days ago, I checked Laurie's blog and, sadly, it's no longer available to read posts or leave comments. You can read her explanation at the above link. Unfortunately, part of the reason is due to culprits who we all dislike.

In mid-March, I posted a goodbye to Picasa, Google's photo editor, which though no longer supported, was still functional on my desktop iMac computer. An operating system upgrade in late 2019 would only support 64-bit software apps. Since Picasa outdated was a 32-bit app, it wouldn't work after the OS upgrade. I needed a replacement 64-bit photo editor, and preferably a no-cost version (free is always good).

In that earlier post, I listed several free photo editing apps, some of which were Windows or Mac specific and/or platform specific (tablet, phone or desktop). I posted about downloading a couple and since then, I've been two of these: Fotor and PhotoScape X. While they share some capabilities, overall Fotor is more limited; however it's a quick and easy collage maker and editor. 

I'm a big huge fan of photo collages which let me show multiple photos in a single image. To that end, I've been using both applications to create collages used in this and recent blog posts. PhotoScape X lets me create "funkier" collages in terms of shapes and editing images within each collage cell. That was done for each of these individual images within this collage. Effects were applied to the individual collage cells. Sometimes Most times it's just fun to play with these effects and shapes.

Without repeating comments made earlier, Photoscape X has been the more versatile app for me, as it provides have more image control. Each of these apps offers a paid/pro version but I continue to use free versions of both. They've been working very well.

Has anyone tried these or any other free photo editing software cited in that earlier post? If so, please share your thoughts in comments.

Masked and Ready

Whoops, Sorry for a double post today, folks. I was going to delay posting the previous one until a day or so after this one, but mistakenly left it set to publish. As a couple of fellow bloggers had already "found" it and commented, I decided to let it stay posted.

Ongoing COVID-19 virus precautions have included hand washing thorough, social distancing, avoiding contact with others. The US Centers for Disease Control now strongly urges that Americans wear face masks when out in public to slow the spread of corona virus. Even if the President disagrees, we do not and are ready.

Health officials emphasize they do not want folks rushing out to buy medical and surgical masks, but to make them instead. These were homemade by us this weekend. No, we're not going near any banks.

US Surgeon General Dr Jerome Adams posted a YouTube video showing how to do that with items folks already have, like scarves, bandanas, hand towels or an old t-shirt. (These instructions are from the CDC. There are many others online showing homemade mask options, especially in YouTube.)

Dr Adams said the face coverings should be worn in public places, like grocery stores, where social distancing can be difficult, but not as a substitute for social distancing.

Earlier, Dr Adams urged people to stop buying masks stating that doing so wouldn't help against the spread of the coronavirus, but take away important resources from health care professionals. Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS!  Dr. Adams tweeted. They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus." (The ALL CAPS were his.) 

This plea followed numerous reports of panicked consumers rushing to buy masks online. The surge that has led to price gouging and counterfeit products. 

Dr Adams said the best way to self-protect is to wash hands regularly, and advised those who are feeling ill to stay home.

This was an easy project to complete as we used bandanas and rubber bands we already had in the apt. A big plus is that these masks can be laundered for re-use, not discarded.

Have you made any reusable face masks? If so, please share in the comments.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

When in need, people come through for each other, especially neighbors now that the COVID-19 virus has reached pandemic status and, sadly, claimed many lives.

In the past, when natural disasters and other misfortunes struck, assistance was through monetary donations to organizations.

That's changed in the past month. 

People are out of work, school children are home, restaurants, local businesses, libraries, churches, senior centers and more are shuttered. Families and individuals are struggling to buy food and/or basic necessities. Some items are increasingly hard to find and, when they can be found, it might require travel to several stores.

That's WHY it was especially heartwarming to see how residents at our mill apartments responded after another resident suggested a community food bank within the building. The management office staff not only supported this idea, but even started it off with some contributions. 

In the course of an overnight, food items and toiletry item were being donated by residents to help other residents. (The wall signage is in English and Spanish.) There's also a supply of water and snacks for delivery folks provided by management personnel. 

This Community Pantry is set up in the package delivery room of the mill apartments. It's only accessible to residents to either drop off or pick up needed items.

As many readers of this blog know, some may not, we currently reside in a mill apartment in Nashua, NH. The historic 1823 building, once a bustling textile mill, is a 5-story apartment community with 326 units. The total number of residents living here is just over 900. YIKES ! That's a LOT of folks all in one location and nearly double the total population of the VA Eastern Shore town we previously lived in.


To their credit, residents have been diligent about remaining in their apartments except for necessary outings to food shop and some to jobs that require staffing. All facilities (gym, pool, function room) and the management office are closed. However, maintenance and other requests can be made by phone calls as staff remain on-site.

It takes a community to come together. The one we live in has certainly done just that.

Have you seen or participated in any community come-togethers where you live?

Happy Birthday Bro

Today is my little brother's birthday, only he's not so little anymore. Still, he will always be my younger brother and (unfortunately) I am will always be his older sister. He's my only sibling and 3 years younger than myself and we're both in the seniors age group now. 

We're Adults! How Did That Happen? When Can We Make it Stop?

Tony (he prefers this now to Anthony) lives in our native NJ and is a husband, father and grandfather. This year, there will be no family gathered to sing Happy Birthday, except by calls or online videos. But, I recall years ago when the entire family came together to celebrate these important milestones and everyone lived fairly close to one another. 

Since his birthday is close to Easter, he sometimes had to co-celebrate with the Easter 

holiday. This year, he lucked out and got his very own day as Easter is next weekend.

Happy Birthday, Tony. You will always be my younger and much-loved little brother.