Coastal
Post Online
June, 2003
Moo Town News
Sixty Years of Nonsense
By Judy Borello
On Thursday, May 15th, the
bartenders at the Old Western Saloon threw a party for me on my 60th birthday
and a lot of people showed up that I hadn't seen for a long time.
Overwhelmed with sentiment, I
choked back the tears, seeing people swim in front of my eyes who shared a lot
of my life at the Old Western Saloon and all around the town.
There was Dick and Jackie
McFarland, two wonderful people with big hearts who got me through some of the
roughest times of my life.
Terry Thornton, a very special
friend who I've known for over 35 years, and Chris Helfer who once worked at
the Saloon and whose sense of humor never let us down.
Tom Kent, who hadn't darkened
the Saloon's swinging doors for over 20 years, and what a pleasure it was to
see him as I remembered collecting his tab under the name Tom Tree over two
decades ago.
There were so many sunny faces
there -- Jay Kinney, Al Poncia, Don Deane, Mike Coleman, Joel Langdon, Chris
Giacomini, and the list goes on. A special thanks to John Cozie for singing me
a special birthday tune and to all my special friends who made it happen: Marty
Medin, "Yummy," daughter Michele, D.J.K., cleaning lady and bartender
Linda Sturdivant, Chris Kennedy, Carson, and the "Rolling Black Outs"
who played the blues all night long. Thank you each and every one of you for
making a wonderful happening that I will remember all the rest of my life.
And that just started my weekend
of fun and frolicking. Son Thor took the whole family to the San Jose
Performing Arts Center to see "Mama Mia" with music from ABBA (one of
my favorite groups). I cut my teeth on "Dancing Queen" because I was
a late bloomer.
Daughter Michele and her fiancˇ
Ted Pelton took me to see "Beach Blanket Babylon" in San Francisco on
Green St. in a cozy little theater where you vividly see everything that goes
on. Where have I been? This show has gone on for over 25 years and I'm a native
San Franciscan and I never heard of it. It was splendid and spectacular-the
music, the singers, the costumes and the humor. They constantly update it to
keep up with the times and I'm recommending it as a must-see for all you who
love excellent entertainment.
Prior to my birthday, my son
Thor and I flew to Coeur D'Alene, Idaho to attend a Lockheed-Martin and Boeing
conference. This was the most beautiful place I'd ever seen with the lake 125
miles long and mountains on the side. I felt like a Viking passing through the
fjords of Norway.
Alas, when I was six months at
the Kentfield Rehab, I picked up a bacteria called C-Dif, short for a
scientific name I can't pronounce, let alone spell. Well, it reoccurred for the fourth time in my sojourn in Idaho.
The ramifications of this bacterial infection, not to sound over-coarse and
gross, makes you feel like a septic tank on two legs.
We drove back and when I got to
Sacramento I made an immediate phone call to Dr. Michael Whitt and he responded
by sending a prescription to a pharmacy there. Thank God, relief was on the
way. If it wasn't for Dr. Whitt's quick response, I would never have been able
to enjoy my 60th birthday and the two shows. To be honest, I would have spent
those four days a potted plant in the bathroom singing, "Oh Woe is
Me." Thank you Dr. Whitt!
P.S. Thanks to everyone who attended
my 60th and the presents were most appreciated, especially the card from Gene
Bonini who accused me of lying about my age and it was true-I'd been fibbing
about my age for so long I'd forgotten how old I really was.
A woman's perogative.