We step into the storied lives of Ryan's beloved grandparents, John and Patricia Blough. Their voices carry the weight of history and the tenderness of a love that's weathered time. From Grandpap John's tales soaring through the Air Force skies to Grandma Patricia's recount of their home's transformation, this episode is a tapestry of Pittsburgh's past and the intimate milestones of the Blough/Kernan family's legacy.
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We step into the storied lives of Ryan's beloved grandparents, John and Patricia Blough. Their voices carry the weight of history and the tenderness of a love that's weathered time. From Grandpap John's tales soaring through the Air Force skies to Grandma Patricia's recount of their home's transformation, this episode is a tapestry of Pittsburgh's past and the intimate milestones of the Blough/Kernan family's legacy.
IG: @mocktailsormessy | TikTok: @mockmess
Watch | YouTube Mocktails Or Messy
Listen | Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
This is Ryan Frankofsky, and. Kelly Misgorski and you are listening to Mocktails are Messy. We have in the clubhouse right now or I guess I should say the studio two of my favorite Pittsburghers. It is Mr John Blau and Patricia Blau. Welcome, grandpap John and Grandma Patricia. How are you today? Do you feel nervous?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, I feel special.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh, my bad, I always felt like you guys were like a Hollywood couple. Yeah, you know, it just felt like I was always with this celebrity grandparents that were always like very well known in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3:Certainly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, proud of it. It's been what? Five years since you've seen Kelly.
Speaker 4:I guess the last was the bowling situation over at Harmer right.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, he remembers a lot of things.
Speaker 2:You remember that because you were talking to my husband. Yeah, because they get along. They do they have a lot in common. They do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, every time I come home, grandpap's like I don't really care about Ryan Frankowski, but can you tell me about your friend who's the pilot that's in the Marine Corps? What's his rank? Again, right?
Speaker 4:I apologize.
Speaker 1:Oh, no, no, no, I'm just kidding with you, grandpap. We love it, we love it.
Speaker 2:My husband's always asking about you.
Speaker 1:Why aircraft Like? Why are you so interested?
Speaker 4:Well, I guess the two older brothers were both in the Air Force. One was a pilot and one was a gunner. In World War II I went into the Air Force for four years and after I come out I took lessons and became a private pilot, that's right, oh, I didn't know that about you, mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how did.
Speaker 2:I not know that.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, you learn something new every day. I'm learning.
Speaker 3:right now I'm learning.
Speaker 1:And I got to give a shout-out to Grandma Patrixie wearing her Penn State colors. We are Penn State. Tell us about your Penn State, mom and dad. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, it was unusual for a woman to be in college, and that's where they met.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:And they fell in love, of course.
Speaker 4:I think she graduated in 28. Yeah.
Speaker 3:She was one of the few women that attended college. She graduated in 1928. And my dad was in the field of agriculture, but she horticulture. She didn't. She couldn't picture herself being a farmer's wife no, she was too fabulous for that right so I guess she probably talked him into coming to Pittsburgh or Bradford.
Speaker 4:When they graduated, they ended up down south somewhere farming and that wasn't her. No, she wasn't a southern belle. They come back and that's when he got into the real estate and hardware Hardware. Yeah.
Speaker 3:And then someone talked him into putting a case of beer on the floor Fridays Fridays At a hardware store Friends of theirs.
Speaker 4:Fridays that owned Duquesne Brewery lived in Highland Park and he stopped at a hardware one night and talked her dad into putting some cases on the floor. Well, they took off so good that he got rid of the hardware in the real estate. Oh really.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so good that he got rid of the hardware and the real estate. Oh, really yeah. I don't know what his family thought about it, because he had a brother a priest and a sister a nun, but it was very profitable.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, it's lived us a great life. Grandma, tell me a little bit about your story. You're kind of this legacy You're sitting right now. It was the cottage and then you broke ground and now you're living in this beautiful monstrosity on the river right?
Speaker 3:yeah, it's wonderful. You know I accepted it. Didn't appreciate it as much as other people do, but it is a beautiful setting yeah, yeah, she had a lot of input in the designs.
Speaker 4:Oh, I did not.
Speaker 3:I always said the queen's not moving in until the castle is ready.
Speaker 2:Yes queen, yes queen.
Speaker 3:So I have no input as far as how nice everything is.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, so it used to be your summer home in Oakmont.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:And then how did it evolve into your current home, Like it's a craftsmanship, beautiful piece of property on the Allegheny.
Speaker 3:Well, first of all we lived in Morningside and my parents owned a beer distributing and they felt they could never get away on a vacation. So he had a friend, mr Fitzgerald, who had a cottage right on the river and he said is there any place that we could rent, because it's hard to get away on a vacation? He said no, there's no place to rent, but there's a nice piece of property right next door. I'll help you throw up a shack. So from what I hear, you know, all my dad's friends had. He had a friend that was a plumber, a friend that was a carpenter, a friend that was an electrician. So I guess every weekend they got together, maybe with their iron city, but they got together with their tools and threw up this cottage.
Speaker 4:Oh, wow.
Speaker 3:So it was a summer place and then I guess the beer distributing got very popular and, you know, a nice money-making business. So they decided to buy a beautiful home in Morningside and then still left the cottage as a summer home. Eventually it became their permanent home and then back to Morningside and then always never give up the place in Oakmont because it was my dad's ideal, setting Right on the river lots of ground to plant his flowers and vegetables and asparagus and grapes, and so it was. It was wonderful. Yeah, I appreciate my parents efforts, you know, to make life so, so nice yeah, it is beautiful.
Speaker 1:Well, grandpap said, when he first locked eyes with you, he knew it was love at first sight.
Speaker 4:Oh wow, that is so cute, do you remember your first date, my classmate talked me into coming over there one night and they all come out of this pharmacy which had a soda fountain, and I said who is that young lady?
Speaker 3:He walked me home from the drugstore.
Speaker 4:In those days it was okay to hang out at the drugstore.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was a way of life. Yeah, there weren't too many drugs or anything. But I asked him to my prom. He said he would go and then he said, well, he didn't have a car. Well, most teenagers didn't have a car.
Speaker 4:No, not like today, he's a middle child of 11.
Speaker 3:He didn't even have a suit. So Wow, wow, and then the worst part was he said he couldn't dance and I said to my friends oh, I wish he would have said no.
Speaker 1:Because you needed a dancer, because he can't dance, but now he's, he's good. Yeah, did you teach him how to dance?
Speaker 3:Well, we took some lessons at the Orpheus Singing Society in Homewood for a dollar a lesson East Liberty.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, Homewood. They were at Homewood then. A dollar a lesson.
Speaker 3:And he learned everything except the jitterbug. But I told him he can jitterbug, he just needs an Iron City. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:You don't drink anything but Iron City and Yingling.
Speaker 4:What was the drink that I always drank? Whiskey, soda and ginger ale. Oh, it's like a religious name Presbyterian. Presbyterian when I come out of the service and you're a Catholic, I was big on drinking Presbyterians, which was and a lot of people have never heard of them. They don't believe it, but if you look it up it has a history. Yeah, but then somehow I got into the beer.
Speaker 1:You were trying to pace yourself. You don't want to be too tipsy, right? No?
Speaker 4:Well.
Speaker 3:He never gets tipsy.
Speaker 1:No, I've never had to drive home. I know he's always been the designated driver he just always handles his alcohol really well. Yeah, that's great Beer doesn't bother you, no, no, I think liquor's quicker, liquor's quicker. The mindset behind the podcast and the mission statement is to normalize non-drinkers with drinkers because, you know, sometimes I might want to have like a non-alcoholic beer, but I don't want you guys to know that I'm not drinking because I still want to know that that can looks like it's a can of beer, yeah, yeah the athletica non-alcoholic golden beer to compliment Grandpa John's favorite beer, iron City, because of Pittsburgh and also Grandma she's always.
Speaker 2:Me and Pat are drinking the Smirnoff Ice Zero Sugar.
Speaker 1:How do you like that?
Speaker 2:It's pretty sweet. We had a Cosmopolitan before we came here oh, you guys are getting messy, I'll say, I did enjoy that a little bit more, but this is good yeah, I did so.
Speaker 3:Thank you for introducing me to that you learned something today I did thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, grandma, what? How did you start your cosmopolitan evolvement?
Speaker 3:well, I, I, my daughter, your mother, she likes them. Yes.
Speaker 1:And you know what I love about grandma Pat? She is not fussy about anything. She doesn't care about clothes or drinks, but you look fabulous always and you're always a good time. But you really don't care about like a particular beverage or a particular outfit.
Speaker 3:Right, anything goes.
Speaker 1:Oh, what is that insinuating?
Speaker 3:Well, sometimes when you're with some of my friends and relatives, you just don't fit in if you don't have a glass in your hand.
Speaker 1:I know. Cheers to that.
Speaker 2:That's part of our mission. Yes, Exactly. Interesting to hear you say that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I'm really glad you brought that up because I know the other night we went to the yacht club. You know these fancy people. They belong to the Oakmont Yacht Club.
Speaker 3:Oh my goodness, I always thought it was high class, but it's my class.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly Cheers to that. Yes, it's very just. It's a casual fun. I love that.
Speaker 4:We belong to five clubs. I can't claim any of them on my income tax.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God, and I know that you were a little bit upset about this new dog park for $200,000 going up $30,000. What $30,000. What, oh, my God.
Speaker 4:See, our streets are a total embarrassment and they're worrying about putting in a doggy park.
Speaker 1:Wow, I'm glad that we're on our way out. Grandpa, Cheers to that. Where are we going? Oh, we're going to go downtown. Where do you guys like to go out?
Speaker 4:We just go to our local clubs.
Speaker 1:Want to give us a rundown? Where are the hot spots?
Speaker 4:The ones that have the dances are usually the Eagles in Verona and the Italian Club in Sharpsburg. Oh, that sounds pretty fun, do?
Speaker 1:they have a group or a DJ. You guys are very social. That's what I like about you. Most people are justflix and chilling on the weekends. No, you don't. I don't think you turn on the tv at all not much. I've been checking the weather and the water rising I know, I know. What do you think about these rivers that are over flooded? It's a little scary yeah, and I'm.
Speaker 3:I'm not a good swimmer man, when did?
Speaker 4:how many million did the government give us for the bathtub?
Speaker 3:oh, the bathtub, yeah, it's in the paper.
Speaker 4:There's my headlines you know what the bathtub is no what happened? That's the parkway that gets flooded at the wharf every storm we have oh yeah, right now it's underwater, they're going to, I guess, going to increase I don't know if it's the height of the wall or to try to prevent that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this one's for John. Could you tell us about the Korean War?
Speaker 1:Well, it was a great experience. Do you have any Korean girlfriends?
Speaker 4:No, a lot of Korean babies oh.
Speaker 1:She didn't know that until today.
Speaker 4:Yeah, she said she might learn something new today I graduated in 51 and uh, they were, they were starting to draft. A lot of my friends were drafted because, down in the list, rather than get drafted, I listed in the air force. Okay which was a four-year obligation. Most of my friends were all out in two years, but it was a great experience, you know, being over in the Far East or in a Korean situation. It was very interesting and educational.
Speaker 2:Is that just part of your personality, that you were just so proactive about it and you just put yourself out there instead of waiting to get enlisted, or well, I was interested in in flying.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I was hoping. I was hoping to get into flight school okay, gotcha grandma.
Speaker 1:Whenever grandpap was at war, what were you up to?
Speaker 3:I was single then. Oh yeah, a lot of running around yeah yeah, checking out all the morningside guys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the.
Speaker 3:Barnesville guys.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh, you were a pretty big hit, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we do have some questions from our fans for you both. People that no longer have their grandparents around do like a speed round where you just give like a brief answer. What is the strangest fad that you remember?
Speaker 1:Like a trend.
Speaker 4:Well, when I went to Central Catholic, the big thing was the ducks.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 4:The hairdos the guys used to come in with, and then the brothers would send them home and say don't come back until you got a haircut.
Speaker 2:What did this haircut look like?
Speaker 4:It was big long hair in the back and it would be wavy. They called them ducks.
Speaker 1:Oh, maybe it was a mullet. Was it kind of like a mullet?
Speaker 2:That's probably what we call it today. Yeah, that's funny that you called it the ducks, because it looks like a duck tail DAs, they called them.
Speaker 4:Oh.
Speaker 2:DAs. I love that. Was it a huge taboo to have sex before marriage?
Speaker 3:Oh, oh, I would never think of it. No.
Speaker 2:Okay, good. Catholic girl, never, you were both Catholic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they were part of the reason why we were so strict.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:If you want to get on religion now, there is a God.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely, we would love to hear that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'm from Penheos and one of my classmates when I was a sophomore talked me into coming over to Morningside. Yeah, and I actually had to take a trolley over there one night. And that's when all these young ladies come out of the drugstore. And I said to Ray, who was my friend and classmate I said who is that young lady? He said that is Frank's sister. Now Frank is her brother, but he was in our class too. Yeah, so that's how I met her. Now, can you believe it? I was a nomad from Penn Hills and there is a God.
Speaker 1:Yes, there is, wow, there is. He was just a normal guy from Penn Hills.
Speaker 2:And he snagged this beauty. I know, oh yeah, there's a God.
Speaker 1:This little Hollywood starlet. Oh yes, I really do feel like Grandma Pat definitely need to be in LA Hollywood.
Speaker 3:Never too late.
Speaker 1:I know they're making big money in their 80s.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Okay, John. How did you propose to Pat?
Speaker 4:I think I was going to Pitt and I come over one night and propose yeah, you were living upstairs in the apartment above the beer store.
Speaker 3:Oh, okay, and.
Speaker 4:I came over one night when I was going to Pitt and proposed oh, oh, when I was going to Pittman, proposed oh.
Speaker 2:Oh, now Pat. How do you remember this? I love how she says oh, oh.
Speaker 3:You're acting like. You heard this for the first time. I knew I'd find a lot of information out by doing this.
Speaker 1:Yes, what is?
Speaker 2:your recollection.
Speaker 4:Or did I give you a ring one Christmas or something?
Speaker 3:It's gone, oh what?
Speaker 2:happened to the ring?
Speaker 3:The diamond fell out and then my aunt.
Speaker 4:No, it wasn't a cheap ring. No, you had a nice rock.
Speaker 3:My aunt gave me a diamond because she felt bad. I lost this diamond and then now there's just this little silver band. Oh my God, but you're wearing the band still yeah that is so sentimental, yeah, beautiful.
Speaker 1:Did you lose it from your messy days drinking?
Speaker 3:Oh, I didn't drink then.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's right, she was under 21. Nothing more than prune juice. Cheers, I love prune juice.
Speaker 2:This is like kind of a heavy one, but people want to know are you scared of death? I'm not, You're not.
Speaker 4:Okay, I just never give it a thought, really.
Speaker 1:Yeah, until today yeah.
Speaker 2:This is probably. This is the heaviest one. What about you, pat Well?
Speaker 3:I just feel I'm so fortunate to have such a good life, a good husband, a great family, and both of you husband, a great family, and both of you that I thought, well, if it happens, it happens, but it's ultimate, it's going to happen.
Speaker 1:Exactly, Exactly. And I mean you guys are really impressive Like 88 years young, you don't look a day over 58.
Speaker 2:What 88 and 92?, 91.
Speaker 1:What's your secret, do you? You think to staying so young? Oh Alright, oh, she's pointing at it. I thought she was reaching for something.
Speaker 4:I was going to say it's a cereal in the mornings.
Speaker 1:Tony the tiger. Oh my God, how did you know that? Okay, tell us your morning routine with the food.
Speaker 4:Well, I have what? Four or five different cereals and I alternate them every day.
Speaker 3:They're all categorized All categorized yeah. And of course.
Speaker 4:I mix raisins, blueberries and blueberries and grapes with them every morning. Wow, and then, of course, I have to have my coffee.
Speaker 2:Puts a creamer in it. Oh, he does.
Speaker 1:What about your morning routine, Grandma?
Speaker 3:My morning routine is just a cup of coffee with him, and some kind of sweet, no black coffee.
Speaker 1:That's how I am.
Speaker 3:And then something a donut or pastry or field cookie or leftover pie or something you got the sweet tooth.
Speaker 2:Sweet tooth. Now do you both have an exercise routine?
Speaker 4:No, no, you both are so mobile Dancing Okay.
Speaker 1:Just dancing.
Speaker 2:Don't discount dancing.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, that's cardiovascular exercise.
Speaker 3:I did belong to an athletic club, but then the COVID came and that stopped. And so I should go back, but I never have.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 3:I will, I will.
Speaker 1:Well, we're going to take you to Orange Theory. Do a little workout.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:You me, kelly Lynn, I even think Grandpap you would like it. There's a lot of pretty girls with the legs. I get a lot of exercise.
Speaker 2:So we hear that you are a leg guy.
Speaker 4:Oh, I'm a leg man, Okay, so Grandma can you show off those legs, oh check them out. Watch your dreams.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, you do have the nice legs.
Speaker 2:I know you do have the nice legs.
Speaker 1:I know you should have seen her in this little short mini. I mean, I know it's not appropriate to say that your grandma's sexy, but she is a sexy little thing. Yeah, she is. And you know, grandpa, you definitely I got to say those photos of you back at your wedding days. We gotta bust out the album, the wedding album.
Speaker 4:It was a handsome devil.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, you still are a handsome devil. You know what it is? I think it's just your young wife is always outshining everybody. Yeah, because, even Kelly, today we were having a little happy hour. You're like Pat, how are you so witty? Because, even Kelly, today we were having a little happy hour.
Speaker 2:You're like Pat, how are you so witty? I know I'm like I can't keep up. You had to keep helping me out. I said I feel like a dumb blonde, like I can't keep up with all this wit.
Speaker 1:Oh, you're not a dumb blonde with big tits.
Speaker 3:No, not at all he loves blondes, I know.
Speaker 2:I remember when you first came over to my house in high school she had this white T-shirt on and Grandpap was like hubba-da, hubba-da.
Speaker 1:I wish you had taken a picture. I know we should have done that. I know I don't think the T-shirt was fitting right.
Speaker 2:Next question from our fans what was your favorite age?
Speaker 4:Age, I guess, when I got married.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, what about you, pat? What was your favorite age?
Speaker 3:Great age yeah, I have no idea.
Speaker 4:Maybe when I was sweet 16. She had a lot of boyfriends. When I was away four years I never thought she'd wait.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, yeah, you know what I remember. You said that she had a lot of boyfriends.
Speaker 3:They're all dead now.
Speaker 2:Well, you picked the right one.
Speaker 1:I know and I feel for these couples that might lose their spouse and become a widow or a widower. I think that you guys keep each other young together when it comes to the dancing.
Speaker 3:Well, this one friend I won't mention his name, but he was a millionaire. I went out with him one night, went downtown, I guess to a movie or something, and I was looking as we'd go by by each store. I was looking in the mirror to see the window. In the window reflection he, he was too short for me oh, oh, I identify with that, yeah well, especially because you want to wear heels.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah what was the biggest challenge that you both have had in your life together?
Speaker 4:I guess when we lost our son.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Are you okay?
Speaker 2:with elaborating a little bit and talking about that, I know he developed a brain tumor.
Speaker 4:Inoperable brain tumor and I think it was a result of him playing football and Jack, he went into the military. The Army command was in the reserves, Very active and he was a health nut. He football and Jack, he went into the military. The Army command was in the reserves very active and he was a health nut, he would run every morning. The tragedy was he would run every morning and come down and take a swim in a river in front of our place.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 4:And I even told him one time, jack, I said you shouldn't do that alone. So here what happened. Evidently he had a reaction when, when he was swimming and drums, so that was the worst thing. Yeah, yeah, he was real close to her mother yeah, oh yeah, very good to her.
Speaker 1:that grandma you said that it was hard to talk about, but now it kind of feels better to talk about. To remember uncle Jack yeah, because he was such an amazing son, grandson and even me as a nephew. He was so good to us. He took us water skiing every weekend on the Allegheny River. I always wanted to be like Uncle Jack you know the most fit the biggest ladies man. You are, you know, the most fit, the biggest ladies man.
Speaker 2:You are.
Speaker 1:But on a lighter note, you have this growing family that keeps on getting bigger with grandchildren and great-grandchildren, so it seems to be constantly evolving. Explain, like the second batch, like you really did have, like almost like you were done raising your first batch of children.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I have children in six years. Oh, wow, oh my gosh and 10 years later I got the shock.
Speaker 4:Yeah, four, and then 10 years later another one.
Speaker 2:Oh, my gosh girl, I know.
Speaker 4:But it was a great gift.
Speaker 1:He renewed all our fantasies in life yes, uncle jeff was 13 years younger than my mother. So so yeah, grandma, you were 38 when you had uncle jeff 36 36. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to age you I thought I was an old lady having a baby.
Speaker 3:Not now, not now.
Speaker 2:Everybody's doing it in their 40s now yeah, do you have any advice for new mothers?
Speaker 1:Probably to drink.
Speaker 3:Just have a good husband that does everything.
Speaker 4:That's a compliment.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, between diapers and washing walls. He really helped with all of that. Oh yeah, oh wow. You know what? He's the middle child of 11, so he remembers probably changing his little sisters and brothers babysitting them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, I remember growing up and my mom was in a training program in Philly and then even getting her master's, and we would spend a lot of nights at your house and grandpap was like all right, we're doing homework, all right, it's time for bath. All right, it's time for bedtime. Turn the TV. I mean, you were really like a drill sergeant, but in a nice way.
Speaker 2:So you've been married for 70 years, is that correct?
Speaker 3:No, no, only 66.
Speaker 1:Okay, 66. You said 70.
Speaker 2:Oh, you guys have known each other for 70 years, okay, I mean so almost you have been together.
Speaker 4:He was only 14 when I met her yeah, 14?.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you guys got married pretty young. How old I was 21 oh, wow, so you were 24, I believe yeah we've been together for so long.
Speaker 2:What is your advice for a long, happy marriage?
Speaker 1:do things together, be patient be patient, yeah yeah, because you don't see a lot of marriages last. Oh, so many.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we belong to a lot of organizations and we meet so many people that have been going. One divorce, two divorces.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:And then I think, just being socially active, I mean he belongs. He's not an animal lover, but he belongs to the elks, the moose, the eagles.
Speaker 4:I think one of my big pluses. When I became treasurer of the VFW, the Veterans Organization, I was very active up there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's where we had a lot of good times, yeah.
Speaker 4:And of course you never saw me. I was treasurer and was gone on Mondays and then I did all the decorating and I used to do all the books. Oh yeah, all the books.
Speaker 3:Now they pay someone to do it.
Speaker 4:They have a CPA, come in now.
Speaker 2:How long did you do that?
Speaker 4:22 years.
Speaker 2:Whoa.
Speaker 3:He was the granddad that would always help us with homework when our parents couldn't figure it out or the grandma couldn't figure it out either.
Speaker 1:Her best response is well, I don't know.
Speaker 3:I don't know.
Speaker 1:I don't know, ask your grandfather, he knows he was. You know you were so intellectual. I felt like I could go to any project, any exam. You would figure it out. You'd tell me the answers, you'd give me the solutions. You'd even do some of my projects for me. Did?
Speaker 2:I.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was always nice to have him in my back pocket in school.
Speaker 2:Is that?
Speaker 1:why you passed. That's why I passed engineering. Everybody didn't think I could handle the engineering, but I said I got grandpa.
Speaker 2:You had grandpa, I did.
Speaker 1:I had him on speed dial Okay.
Speaker 2:So this is like a fun round we're going to tell you today's slang and you're going to guess what you think it means. Oh gee, what was that?
Speaker 1:Today's slang. We're going to give you today's Slang.
Speaker 2:Yes, and then just guess what you think it means. So what is a clap back? No idea, Okay, it's a comeback.
Speaker 1:It's a comeback, it's just new slang, yes, new slang Now just throw out. I don't even know if they know what comeback means oh, go ahead oh, you know, like a comeback is like, you know, when somebody says like a diss or like they insult you, and then you kind of come back with a response very quick okay.
Speaker 2:so this next one, like just throw out anything that you think it might be. It's okay if you're wrong. We kind of expect that. What do you think a flex is Like a flex?
Speaker 3:I have no idea.
Speaker 4:I think, it's you have the ability to I don't know challenge. In other words, you say something and it's flexible.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:That might be close.
Speaker 2:That's very close. So it's showing off an accomplishment. Oh, okay, so that's very close. Now this one. I didn't even know what this meant, chuggy.
Speaker 1:Chuggy, chuggy, chuggy.
Speaker 4:Chugie Chugie. I can't recognize that.
Speaker 3:Chugie, I can't recognize that Chugie, chugie, chugie.
Speaker 2:It means uncool or untrendy.
Speaker 4:And what's it word again?
Speaker 2:Chugie, chugie.
Speaker 1:Chugie yeah.
Speaker 2:Now, this is a very popular one these days. Did Jackie get that?
Speaker 1:one. Jackie didn't get that one. She probably would know that actually Jackie.
Speaker 2:Now this one's popular and I'll give you a hint it's related to dating Ghosted, ghosted.
Speaker 3:Ghosted.
Speaker 1:What do you think ghosted means?
Speaker 2:So you're dating someone, someone, and they ghost you, they leave you. Yes, you got it. So it's a romantic partner who withdraws suddenly and there's no way to reconnect with them. They just they're gone. Yeah, gone like a ghost.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've definitely done that a couple times.
Speaker 2:Now, this is my favorite one. This is the last one. What does it mean to glow up? So not grow up, but glow up.
Speaker 3:Glow up.
Speaker 4:Be excited about some situation.
Speaker 2:I like that. It's like growing up, but as you age you only become more fabulous. Oh.
Speaker 1:That's what glowing up means. I've noticed a lot of that's an incentive.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I've noticed a lot of mothers nowadays will have a glow up. They'll actually look hotter than their daughters. Don't be doing that to Ava now.
Speaker 2:Well, she's already doing that to Lynn.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:They're both equally hot.
Speaker 3:Wait a minute, who's Ava?
Speaker 1:Oh, that's her daughter.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:What is one thing you want people to remember about Pat and John and what would you want your legacy to be? A term of endearment, a quote, a phrase that you could kind of use on your brand as Pat and John, patrixie and Johnny boy, what would it be? What would that?
Speaker 4:phrase be Do you have something that you live by? Your mantra? I love everyone and I always want to be with people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love everyone and I always want to be with people. That's the social guy that you are.
Speaker 4:Yeah, all I'm doing now is playing cards.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly. I know who would ever think Grandpa would get involved with the card ladies.
Speaker 2:Yeah, now. Are you the same way, pat? Are you the same way? Do you love everybody and do you always want to be with people, or?
Speaker 3:is he the social butterfly I love being with people. Okay, I belong to four card clubs. I think Wow, and it's really nice. Of course I love playing cards. During COVID, when there was not much else to do, I taught him, and now he's now about 8.30 in the evening he'll say well, I think there's time for a couple games.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:How do you find these clubs?
Speaker 3:You know it just dates back to, I guess, when me and my friends were in our early 20s and home, you know, probably each had one or two children and just figured out a time to get together was have a card club.
Speaker 4:So I've been in this one for— Maureen one of them started a in this one for maureen. One of them started a card. Yeah, maureen started one card, so I know the one we've been.
Speaker 1:I've been at least 60 years yeah wow and I gotta say you guys have always been dressed impeccably. Do you have like a tailor, a stylist?
Speaker 3:oh, I have a daughter who has, who buys me nice gifts, both daughters.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Colleen and Lynn.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I get lots of hand-me-dones from them, and I'm allergic to going to malls, you know.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, we're going to drag you there. I get upset when I go to malls. Oh my gosh, we're going to drag you there. I get upset when I go to malls.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. She's allergic. She starts getting in rashes and hives.
Speaker 2:What do you think gets you in a pickle?
Speaker 1:She just hates it. She thinks it's a waste of time. She's like I'd rather be sitting at the bar playing cards.
Speaker 3:And if you should see my wardrobe now, with having company coming in this weekend family. I had to move all my clothes from one place to another.
Speaker 1:I should have put half of them in the Goodwill box, but that takes too much time want to get your opinion on this new generation and like their special requests, such as avocado ice cream or doggy daycare, or I just want to get your opinion like what do you think is like happening with this culture and society?
Speaker 2:I mean, you could be very blunt yeah, what do you think about the new generation?
Speaker 1:you live a low life even though you look pretty fabulous. I think that you kind of have a good, strong opinion on how crazy these people are with their specific requests.
Speaker 3:Oh, certainly I don't.
Speaker 4:I'm not so concerned about the way they dress and the way they treat their bodies today. I just can't believe what's going on. There's no sense of values anymore. It's frightening. I like the cut-out jeans, the tattoos.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I had to throw all my skirts away.
Speaker 4:I hope this gentleman doesn't have any tattoos.
Speaker 2:You threw them all away. What?
Speaker 3:Nobody wears. As you can see, nobody wears skirts anymore.
Speaker 4:I know. I mean that's another thing.
Speaker 1:It really upsets me this well, I do feel like I kind of acquired that through you. I love to dress up, I love to wear suits, and I do notice a lot of our peers will just show up in jogging pants and a ball cap.
Speaker 4:But you know, it's not only the youth. I'm amazed at the adults. Oh yeah, the way they dress now and they're uh yeah, it's can't accept it.
Speaker 1:You know what you would fit in more in Europe.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Europe, they still like to look nice and snazzy he fits in with us.
Speaker 2:Listen, we would never get a tattoo because you don't put a bumper sticker on a Porsche, right?
Speaker 1:Yes, that's what it is. Cheers, cheers to not getting tattoos.
Speaker 3:No tattoos.
Speaker 1:We might have to edit it out, because I know some people love their tats.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we don't want to offend anybody, yeah.
Speaker 4:But you know, it might be on another. In fact, now you bring it up there, we went in a paper today. He had them all over his body.
Speaker 1:I hope Peter doesn't have any tattoos. I hope not. I hope Peter doesn't have any tattoos?
Speaker 4:I hope not.
Speaker 1:I said that earlier. I hope this gentleman doesn't?
Speaker 4:He's so gross. Let's see.
Speaker 3:Can he take off his jacket?
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:Granny wants to see you. He doesn't have any. We're safe, we're safe, thank God.
Speaker 4:Thank God, because he'd never produced this thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how do you feel about people that swing both ways? But I'm just curious what your thoughts are on that.
Speaker 3:It's hard to explain.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's a difficult.
Speaker 1:You don't have to answer. It's hard to say it in a politically.
Speaker 4:I just feel that you know, keep it to themselves.
Speaker 1:Right, hey, that's why I'm glad that we're on our way out.
Speaker 3:Yeah, where are?
Speaker 1:we going? Oh, we're going to the Regina Lena in Sharpsburg. You can find us there 8 pm on a Saturday. You know what? Graham Pebb? He's definitely been a big fan of all my friends I mean Kelly Ryan, even Grandma. But been a big fan of all my friends I mean Kelly Ryan, even Grandma, but I don't think she remembers names. You would always have the parties and you would say open early, open late. Come to Gert's and grab a plate. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, kelly, you know that Gert was her mother. Oh, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:Was it Gertrude Gertrude?
Speaker 1:yeah.
Speaker 2:That's my grandmother's name Is that right there were so many my mother had two friends. They call her Trudy now.
Speaker 3:And I found out later that my mother's name was really Mary Gertrude. But I found that out later because she went by Gertrude.
Speaker 2:She actually went by Gertrude because a lot of Gertrudes did not like their names yeah, so that's hilarious that she went by the middle name, which was Gertrude. Yeah, because Mary is such a classic name.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But she didn't name me Gertrude. Thank, God. She named you Patricia.
Speaker 1:Or Patrixie as I call her, when she gets a little messy. I'll never forget the Easter we had in Allentown, pennsylvania. It was with my Uncle Bill and Aunt Irene, and we had rosé wine all day from probably 11 am till probably 4 pm.
Speaker 2:Rosé all day.
Speaker 1:Rosé all day and Grandma fell asleep in her chicken burger.
Speaker 3:Me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what.
Speaker 4:Wait, like face down burger me, yeah, like monster-in-law that year we went up to her uncle Mike for dinner.
Speaker 1:Yes, the roast rose.
Speaker 4:But what was that? Was that Greek wine or something that we were?
Speaker 1:oh yes, we had the ouzo.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it was potent, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:They were giving us shots of ouzo. And you know me, grandpa, he's a tank, he can handle a lot. Now, me and Grandma, we're lightweights.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know See. I don't remember that incident at all.
Speaker 1:Did that really happen? That really did. It was like monster in law, like when Jane Fonda falls asleep in her food. Oh my gosh. I mean I don't mean to throw you out there on blast, but you were funny.
Speaker 3:Oh, wow, wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:We'll have to try that again.
Speaker 2:John didn't tell you, he didn't tell you.
Speaker 1:Oh, I think Grandpap he's such a great husband. He doesn't frown upon any messy behavior. His wife does. He cleans up the mess. He doesn't talk about it the next day.
Speaker 2:Sounds like my husband. Yes.
Speaker 1:That's why you get along with Rye and Ms Gorski, yeah that's why they're friends. Yes, she definitely cracks the whip on him.
Speaker 3:Birds of a feather flock together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah in the, in the plane, in the air. But, um, yeah, grandma, um kelly is very close to her grandmother.
Speaker 3:So I think you know, just having this experience interviewing you guys, because I never had my grandparents had passed away when, by the time, I was born.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what about your grandparents?
Speaker 4:I remember my dad's mother for so many years and she passed. That's the only one. I can remember my mother's mother. I remember going to her. That's when they laid you out at home. I remember going down there. She was in the living room laid out. That's the only reminder I have of her. Yes, and then my grandpap. He worked for the Pittsburgh Railways. That's one of the trolleys.
Speaker 4:Wow, they had the big car barns down in the city. Yeah, that's one of the trolleys. Wow, they had a big car barns down in the city. Yeah, and he was lower. You're probably not familiar with the operation of the old electric trolleys. They go into the yard and to transfer the trolley to another line they had to reach in the back and pull that electric yes well, he was doing that and he got crushed between two crawlies oh my god I never knew him wow, that's really scary, really, yeah, and I never knew him okay, oh my god
Speaker 2:I do want to say thank you so much for tolerating all of these uncomfortable questions. Oh, that's okay, I think a lot of people yeah, I think a lot of people wish they had their grandparents around and they could ask these questions. So thank you for being so vulnerable. These are the best guests we've had well.
Speaker 1:Thank you guys for coming on. Mocktails are messy thank you for listening to mocktails are messy with patrick c blau and John Blau, the old mansons I know. And then what's your sign off? You said something about you love to be around people and be immersed in socialization.
Speaker 4:I love everyone and I always want to be with people.
Speaker 1:All right, thank you guys for watching. Mocktails are Messy. This is Ryan Frankofsky and Kelly Mizgorski, and thank you, pat and John Blau. Grandma and grandpa, we really appreciate you and you will be getting a large check in the mail.
Speaker 4:Just give me an iron city.
Speaker 1:Okay, bye-bye, that was so nice.