September 11, 2001 is a day I will never forget!  It is a day forever imprinted on my heart and mind.   September 11, 2001 is a day each of us has a special reason why this day will forever be remembered.  September 11, 2001 is a day we will not only forever remember the vicious attack on our country, but also a day to honor those who lost there lives.  It is a day for us to reflect on the memories, and thoughts which went through our mines as the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded 20 years ago. I have shared what I remember most about 9/11 before, and have made a commitment to share this memory each and every year on September 11, so today I am fulfilling that commitment once again with this blog.Below is my special memory of that day, it is an event which hit close to home, and wil... 09/11/2021

Rocky Dickerson is hosting the "July Active Rain Challenge - Savory Stories", and asks us to write a post about our favorite July recipes.  I am not much of a cook, in fact I would be a lot lighter if I had to depend on eating my own cooking.  However, I do grill, and my wife and I grill as often as possible during the Spring, Summer, and Fall months.  Grilled food tastes so much better than any other food in my opinion, and is something even I can't mess up.  BUT even with grilling my skills are very limited, so I will post about a quick simple meal my wife and I do several times during the Summer.  It is hot dogs, but not just any hot dog, they are "Big Bites" which I get at a little Italian Market I stop at each week called Lino's.To start with I simply fire up my gas grill until it ... 07/28/2021

Happy 4th of July 2021 to all my ActiveRain friends.  Tomorrow is the 4th of July and my wife and I will be spending a quiet and relaxing.  No partying, no picnicking, just relaxing.  Normally we go to RI for a cookout with family, but this year no cookout was organized.  So we are just going to put some ribs on the grill, and enjoy a day of doing nothing.Hopefully all of you will have a happy 4th of July, and get to spend quality time with your family and friends, or just sit back and relax like my wife and I are doing this year.   Whatever you do, I hope you do it in a safe way.  We want the 4th of July to be a day of celebration, and not a day of regrets.Happy 4th of July 2021!!!   07/03/2021

Our first post pandemic family vacation is in the can.  It was worth the wait.  Last week the weather was perfect on the Connecticut Shore and we all shared nice beach house.George Souto , we never got to any of the restaurants because we brought so much food and ate at the house.  We had the pleasure of boating on Long Island Sound.  Here is Max the co captain of the ship.Max really enjoyed it although his mother was getting sea sick in the high winds.This was a wonderful week of time with our grandson.  Grandpa had a chance to read him books.And he shared kisses with grandma. 06/22/2021

FHA just issued Mortgagee Letter 2021-13 revising the FHA policy on student loans.  Prior to Mortgagee Letter 2021-13, FHA required the monthly payments on student loans which were not in repayment or showed a "0" monthly payment on credit reports, to be established at 1% of the outstanding balance.  This policy has had a huge negative impact on the ability of borrowers with students to qualify for a mortgage.  1% of the outstanding balance is far more than student loan monthly payments which are income based, and even larger than student loan monthly payments which are not income base.The new FHA policy for establishing the monthly payment for student loans have been revised as follows:If the payment is less than the monthly payment reported on the Borrower’s credit report, must obtain... 06/22/2021

Tomorrow is Father's Day 2021 and it will be a good one.  It will start off with going to church, followed by going to lunch at one of my favorite sea food restaurants with my youngest son and his wife.  Later tomorrow evening I will get to FaceTime with my oldest son, and gorgeous granddaughter.  It is not the same as being together, but it is the next best thing.I hope the rest of the fathers reading this blog get to spend their Father's Day 2021 in their own special way.  Enjoy it, and appreciate the blessings you are so fortunate to have.  06/19/2021

I could add this to what I wrote last week.  I mentioned that we would be taking a family vacation of the eastern shore of Connecticut.We arrived today in a great beach house with lots of room.  This best part of this is just spending time together.As you can see grandson Max is enjoying it already. We have some beach time planned.  And next we will be boating on the Long Island Sound.  George Souto gave me some names of restaurants although we also brought plenty of food.  06/15/2021

What has changed in my business post pandemic?  My business has expanded geographically because of the the pandemic.  Zoom and technology has really helped me.  But you really don't want to hear any more about Zoom do you?This Monday I did have my first post pandemic facilitation in a conference room--no masks.  Everyone was vaccinated.  I certainly felt great speaking openly without a mask and we had some great discussions.  This Friday I will be doing a group planning session at breakfast at a diner.  Speaking of eating.  Phyllis and I have eaten out twice in the last week.  This was the first time since before the pandemic.We have wonderful plans for the 4th of July.  Each year except last summer we hosted a 4th of July picnic with our neighbor friends.  We missed not doing it last s... 06/08/2021

Patricia Feager is hosting a ActiveRain Contests this month titled "ActiceRain May Contest - Life is a Story".  A popular entry seems to be telling our life story, or at least a part of it.  It has been a long time since I blogged anything about my past, so this seemed like a good time to share some of my life story with you.I was born in Portugal on a small Island in the Azores called Santa Maria.  To the left is the house I was born in.  Back then you were born in houses not hospitals, and a mid-wife performed the delivery. My Family came to the US in 1960 when I was eight years old.  We were able to come to the US, because the US Government made it possible for people who were born in Faial, the Island my father was born on to be able to immigrate to the US, because of a Volcano that... 05/31/2021

Today is 2021 Memorial Day In Middletown, CT.  Memorial Day is a day our Country has set aside to honor the fallen men and women who have served in our Armed Forces, and put their lives on the line to ensure the freedoms we have.Memorial Day has also become a time in past years, where families get together for picnics and family fun. These gatherings were limited last year, and the customary local parades were canceled because of the COVID-19 Virus.  However, this year all the customary activities will be going on again, and hopefully there will be a lot of participation.My message this year is one I request every year.  Whatever you do today I hope a part of your day is spent on reflecting upon the meaning of this day, and those who we honor.   05/31/2021

Middletown Connecticut can be identified by five major sections, South Farms, Westfield, Westlake, Downtown, and the Northend. With the most rural, and diverse sections being the  South Farm sections of town.   South Farms, In Middletown, CT is the most centrally located to major through-ways, shopping areas, as well as Downtown.South Farms is bordered by RT 9, and RT 155.  While this section of town has a very country atmosphere, you can be Downtown, grocery shopping, taking in a movie, or having your favorite fast food within 5 minutes.While South Farms is the home to several small farms which are still run by families who first started them, such as the Harvey, Lee, Graves, Harris, and Brock families.  South Farms is also the home of three Planned Residential Communities with cluster... 04/29/2021

Wesleyan Hills Planned Residential Community In Middletown, CT was one of five Planned Residential Communities that were built in Middletown, Connecticut during the 70's and 80's.  Of the five Planned Residential Communities Wesleyan Hills, Cedar Village, Sand Hill Road, Knox Boulevard, and The Farms, Wesleyan Hills was the largest and best planned of the five.Wesleyan Hills Planned Residential Community is comprised of over 560 units, which are almost split equally between single family homes and condominiums.  Wesleyan Hills is divided into sections that are identified by colors, and within each section all the street begin with the section color. The Blue, Yellow, and Green sections are composed of moderately priced houses that are affordable to "First Time Homebuyers", and well as t... 04/27/2021

Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut has played an important role in the development of the Connecticut River, the City of Middletown, and the State of Connecticut, from the early days of Indian settlements, to the present day.Settled by the English and early Pilgrims, Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut quickly developed into an important port along the river.  Shipbuilding began almost as soon as the first settlers arrived. Shipbuilding and steamboat construction became a major industry. Many of our fighting ships in the Revolutionary and Civil wars were launched from Harborpark.  Harborpark became the home base during the Revolutionary War for many colonial warships,  including the first commissioned warship in the newly established United States Navy.After the Revolutionary War, ... 04/22/2021

Happy Easter Sunday 2021.  Tomorrow is a special day my family and I look forward to each year.  The day starts out with all of us going to Church.  Once Church Services, and Bible Class are over we all head to my house for a special lunch/dinner. However, the family time will be a little bit different again this year since my oldest son Matthew, his wife Ashley, and my gorgeous granddaughter Elizabeth are now living in Seattle, WA.  So after dinner we will do FaceTime with them, and watch my granddaughter Elizabeth open up the gifts and candy we sent her. I always enjoy the special meal my wife so lovingly puts together, but it is the time we spend together as a family that truly makes this day an extra special day for me.  Even though the family together time this year will be via Fa... 04/03/2021

Happy St Patrick's Day 2021.  I hope all of you have a special day, and have an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends.  Hope everyone keeps safe and do not partake of TO MUCH GREEN of anything!!! 03/17/2021

Happy Presidents Day 2021!!! Today is Presidents Day, and for most workers in the U.S. and a day off from work.  Presidents Day was not always known as Presidents Day, in fact up until 1968 there was no Presidents Day.Presidents Day was originally known as Washington's Birthday, and established in 1885 by President Chester Arthur.  Later many states decided that Abraham Lincoln was equally a great President, and started to celebrate his birthday as well.In 1968 Congress decided that both days should be combined into one Holiday, celebrated on the third Monday of February, and call it Presidents Day.  Today few remember the two separate celebrations in honor of Washington and Lincoln, and think that it is in honor of all Presidents, and special Sales Promotions.Today will be a work day f... 02/15/2021

Happy Valentine's Day 2021 To All My ActiveRain Friends!!!  This is wishing all my friends here on ActiveRain a Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow.  I hope everyone takes the time today to tell everyone who is special to you how you feel about them, and spent quality time with them.Tomorrow my wife and I will start the day by going to church, then I we will have a special lunch at one of our local restaurants.  After 46 years of marriage it is not about what her and I do to celebrate Valentine's Day, it is about celebrating and enjoying the day together we enjoy that is most important to us.   Happy Valentine's Day 2021!  02/13/2021

Martin Luther King, Jr. Deserves Our Respect And Honor.  Martin Luther King, Jr. deserves this honor and much, much more.  Some may argue that his dream has not been fulfilled, but I would argue otherwise.  However, this is not the blog to make that argument, this blog is to honor a man who saw beyond color, and focused on equality for all.Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream not for himself but for all mankind.  A dream of equality, freedom, and justice.  Nothing Martin Luther King, Jr. did centered on himself, it all centered on others.  His life was one of service to others unconditionally.As a young boy from a different country, Martin Luther King, Jr. taught me a major life lesson, one that I learned very early in my life.  He taught me not only to dream, but to fully expect the dre... 01/18/2021

  I just want to take this opportunity to say Happy New Year 2021 to all my friends here on ActiveRain.  I have been blessed to know several of you for many years, and have been blessed with new ActiveRain friends this year as well.  I am all set to kick off 2021, and leave 2020 behind.  I have completed all of my licensing requirements for the six states I am licensed in (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Florida), and all the licenses have been renewed for 2021.  After all the challenges COVID-19 has brought this year, I am looking forward to a banner year in 2021, and hope the same for everyone of you. Life is to short to waist a precious minute of it.  Be thankful for what you have, and enjoy every minute of it. I look forward to reading each and ... 01/01/2021

Life has been very busy lately, so I have not had much time to participate in the recent ActiveRain challenges/contests.  But this month's challenge hosted by Anna Banana Kruchten and Carol Williams brings back some great holiday memories, so I am carving out time to participate in their challenge "Holiday Fun and Cheer December Challenge". This special memory below is my third entry in this challangeThis particular memory is a Special Christmas Memories From My Childhood, and it also gives insight into my past. As many of you know I was born in the Azores, Portugal on a small island called Santa Maria. A Christmas tradition my parents had when we lived in Portugal was to wake me, my brother, and sisters up on mid-night Christmas Night. Mid-night on Christmas Night is when Santa Clause ... 12/28/2020