A thank you to all for letting me grieve about Katie (and some news from Dorchester's busy streets)

It’s so peaceful here. Me, my folding chair, and my niece having our weekly bull session. I, of course, do all the talking. I give her updates on the family, reminiscences about funny past memories with her and tears. Lots of those. But it has helped a lot to get through these past 13 months. I have been told by many I needed to talk to “somebody” to help get me past my grief. But I knew I didn’t need any psychiatrist, or counselor, or specialist. As I wrote in the last couple of lines of the first column after Katie’s sudden death, “All I need is to be alone with my thoughts, my niece and maybe a couple of butterflies,” and I was right, it has helped me immensely. That and the love of family and friends.

So as I stated earlier, I do all the talking and as in life, she doesn’t judge me or others, doesn’t have a mean word to say about anybody. I come here nearly every week, sometimes twice, because I know that it helps me cope and I know, unfortunately, that it is the closest I’m ever going to be to her again. The butterflies abandoned us through the winter months, but they’re back again and act as sort of a comfort and constant reminder that somehow she is still right here with me.

Finally, I would like to thank this newspaper and you the reader for allowing me to put thoughts and feelings down on paper for all to see. I would be remiss in not thanking you personally for your kind words and compassion. Dorchester truly is a special place. Thank you for being there for me, for us, for Katie.

August 1, 4:10 p.m.

Of all the different ways to get yourself locked up for possessing illegal drugs, this is a new one on me. Officers were called by an alert passerby for a report of a child locked inside a parked vehicle on a sweltering afternoon in the CVS parking lot on Morrissey Boulevard. On arrival, the Boston Fire Department had forced open a door and removed the months-old baby from the back seat and handed him over to EMS to be evaluated. The officers spoke to the caller, who estimated the child had been inside the car for at least 20 minutes and, by the way, even with the commotion surrounding the vehicle, the driver had yet to make himself/herself known. The officers finally located the operator shopping inside the store, oblivious to the drama taking place just outside the doors. The operator (not a parent) was informed of the child’s plight and a quick check was made on this pillar of society, which revealed two warrants. A vehicle inventory search revealed five suboxone pills stashed in a cigarette box on the console. This boob was charged with possession of a Class B substance and reckless endangerment of a child.

August 9, 12:54 a.m.

Stupid people say stupid things. God love them, heck I love them, the stupider the better. Officers responded to an Olney Street address for a report of a loud party in a vacant apartment. Once on scene the officers observed dozens of people coming and going and banging around the property. Of course, none of them knew who was running the party. Inside the second floor apartment there was plenty of booze, music, and dancing going on. There was no furniture to speak of, but they did have a DJ with plenty of stereo equipment. The officers stopped the music, cleared out the partygoers, and located the two men who had hired the DJ. The urban entrepreneurs explained that they used to reside at the address but had moved out weeks ago and since no one else had yet moved into the place, they decided it was the perfect place to throw a late night summer bash. To further bury themselves, they incredibly stated that they charged “two dollars for females to get in and three dollars for males.” So it was a sort of ‘Ladies Night” on Olney Street! Bringing back the 70s; I like that. They were even siphoning the electricity from a home next door. The 18 and 23-year-old Dorchester captains of industry were arrested and charged with B&E nighttime and having an unlicensed after hours party.

June 5, 10 a.m.

The call was for a man exposing himself outside of 1 Worrell Street. Officers spoke to the victim, who stated that he, his wife and their two- and three-year-old daughters were walking by when they all observed a man in his 40s urinating on the side of the building in broad daylight. A quick description was given out and an officer performing a paid detail on Victory Road spotted the moron, captured him and after an identification arrested the 46-year-old nimrod. Oh, did I mention the building the suspect was watering down was the Murphy Elementary School and school was in session.

July 23, 9:11 p.m.

Officers responded for an alarm sounding at the Woodrow Wilson School on Croftland Avenue and observed a yellow bike abandoned outside a side entrance door. Suddenly the side door burst open and a 12-year-old carrying a hole puncher, two empty bottles, and a bag of silica sand attempted to flee the scene. He was quickly apprehended. Inside the school the cafeteria was in disarray and on the second floor hallway lay a big, fresh pile of brown DNA (you figure it out). The little stinker was arrested for B&E nighttime. Calling Dr. Freud.