Loud

Some nights I give a brilliant but raucous performance with a variety of vocalizing.  Last evening, waking at 1:30 am, I noticed she was gone moving to the second bedroom.  Looked out, I saw my clothes for tomorrow on the kitchen chair, shoes beneath.   This morning after she was ready to speak, she said I was snoring, gagging, moaning and calling out providing a stellar show.  I don't know,  woke up, refreshed, clear thinking after 7+ hours of sleep.  Kitchen guy coming over to do the final measurements on the cabinets and help us with detrmininbation of plumbing and electrical placement. 

The claim of immunity from prosecution  by the former will be put to the test by SCOTUS, largely appointed by him.  This action may further delay any decision till maybe after the November election.  His goal of course is to get elected while all is still in a state of flux and then claim immunity as President.  With all this In play, I fear for our republic.

thats it

all for now

stay safe

Birthday Summation

So we celebrated Katey's 38th birthday yesterday.  She has grown into a remarkable young woman.  I am very proud of her and her accomplishments.  This was never a person that waited.  After the our first child was born, all the rest were scheduled C-Sections.  So doctors traced the timetable for each pregnancy and announced the day the child would be born.  With her, we went to Hutzel Hospital for a regular checkup near the end of the gestation period.  The doctor came out and said that today, in fact right now she was going to greet the world.  But, but we said we had all the child care for the boys all planned out and grand parents would be there in a week.  All the planning was for naught, because today was the day.  We farmed out the boys to neighbors and it worked out with Nanny and Poppy arriving a week later.  No waiting for her.

The day went well with a lunch at Renshaw's, a bird feeding expedition for she and Judy at Kensington.  I baked a cake, with moderate success.  The appearance of the final product was not stellar.  Envision a brown mound with candles. But the flavor was good.  We had lots of laughs at Andrew and Stephanie's mostly at my expense for the cake.  So this crowd is loud with Katey, Andrew and Judy leading the charge.  My new daughter in law and me mostly listened and nodded.  I think she is getting used to us. 

Miss Sweetums has to be in the middle of everything

Thats it

all for now stay safe 

A Hero of mine

 Jack McCoy made his final exit from the courtroom in last night's episode of Law and Order.  This character emerged when I was 44 in 1994.  I have been watching the various iterations of this program since its beginning.  Sam Waterston's portrayal of McCoy has always showed the truth sometimes in less than ideal circumstances.  The endings to these stories are becoming more and more disquieting and the viewer sometimes wonders. Has justice really been served?

His presence on this show was as an old friend that came to visit once a week to tell us a story.  As he went from the dark haired firebrand to white haired one with a quiver to his voice and a thinning face, we are presented with a microcosm on aging played out on the TV screen.   A rapier sharp mind and a diminishing body.  I will miss this guy as much as Lennie Briscoe, the smart aleck detective.  

As an actor,Sam  has portrayed a variety of characters from the boss in The Newsroom, to Saul in Frankie and Grace.  I always loved his Studebaker and his sensitive mannerisms. The truth, the absolute truth always rang thru these parts.  For me, the finest example of series drama was The Newsroom, coming out in 2012, still magnificent. If you can find it,  gift yourself with its viewing.

Not much else to write about today.  It's cold but sunny and we have decided on a painter (and wall fixer).  Shannon will be coming tonight and Judy is fetching the mail.

all for now

stay safe

Mixed results

 

It's been a day with mixed results.  The tree guys finished up the job at the new house.  We got the door wall (a Michigan term) lock fixed.  Had a wonderful luncheon with Janine and Rose at the Oak Parker,  a little eatery tucked away next to an oil change shop.  We always discuss the latest Britbox shows.  Judy and I are fans of their approach to drama and characters.   Everyone is not lovely and it looks like they wore the clothes from home to perform.  But food  wise this joint is a  little pricey but food was terrific.  Spoke with my sister with updates to our lives and she too is doing home renovations at their home in Clyde Ohio.  Sadly learned that my Uncle Leonard had a stroke but is somewhat functional.  He is 92, the same age as Dorothy

was when she had her stroke in 2016.  Spoke to him a few days ago.  Will be spending some weeks in rehab.  Len is a sturdy soul and quite a disciplined athlete for the later part of his life.  This attitude should help him in his journey toward recovery.  

Monday's are Shannon's singing days at New Gateways.  This is her with the mic for today's performance in the hallway.  Looks pretty natural in this pose.

We have cabinets picked out thru Lowes and are bringing out one of their installers to make sure our measurements are accurate.  It would be bad to purchase things that  don't fit. There is still lots to do.  The most difficult Is to create a sequence of events as they need to happen.  The AT&T problem of earlier today really slowed our progress.  

Evening writing tonight.  Completely bored with post national news TV.

Sorry very ramb-bly today.

all for now

stay safe

 

Tree

Lots going on at the new address. Finding places for more stuff.  The City of Southfield is picking up whatever we put out.  We are working to make our space livable.  Still in the decision making process with respect to kitchen, flooring and other things.  Tore down the old ceiling tile in the laundry room and basically shut down the basement bathroom for renovations.  

The biggest even though was the removal of the offending tree in the back yard.  It dropped major branches in a previous storm.  They went thru the roof and it was replaced.  To eliminate the possibility of a reoccurrence, we had it removed over the past couple of days.  Luckily the crew from SavATree in Troy was blessed with cooperative weather an all went off without a hitch.

They meticulously dismantled it piece by piece and ground up all but the largest pieces.  It was a big day for contractors and quotes, on flooring, plumbing, and a repair to the ductwork.  

Thats it

all for now

stay safe

Health!

Health is a relative and fleeting thing.  One moment you are fine, walking around and enjoying life.  You go in for a test prescribed by your trusted doctor, concerned but not gravely.  You emerge  from the process with some medical protocols resting.  Then you have a stroke.  Life has changed, probably permanently.  Your damage is permanent.  Things will never be the same. Thats it. 

Me and Bill under the clock with the group. We look like the Smith Brothers on the box of cough drops.

My mother, at nearly 92 went in to hospital with what was most likely congestive heart failure having  difficulty breathing.  She improved somewhat, lucid, talking and joking with us.  Her doctor that was the head of the cardiology department,  decided he needed to remove some blockages in her heart.  He pushed matters too far, and a massive stroke ensued.  Mom decided she did not want to live with the restrictions the condition of her body put her in.  She opted for hospice care and in two weeks, she was gone.  His actions robbed her of at least some life.  

Medical procedures have inherent risks attached to them.  We all have horror stories of things gone wrong.  For most things, physicians cannot fix you.  Realize that truth. They can fix a broken arm or stitch you up if you get cut. Matters of wellness are your job.  Take responsibility for your own health.  Don't eat like a teenager.  Go for a walk.  Read a book or maybe  put your thoughts down on paper.  At some point some great-great grandchild might want to know who you were.  

Shannon is here, watching Lion King and asking numerous questions like always.

all for now

stay safe

Thus far this week

So it's about 2:30 in the morning and I cannot sleep, nothing works, change position, get a drink of ice tea, nothing.  Four am arrives, and I do double my usual stretching routine to defeat the reoccurring sciatica pain.  Do the daily blood and not too bad considering I ate a big messy burger and fries late.  This is me and Marie on our early AM Valentines date at Bread 
(Crispellies)  bakery near the school.  Eli had an early band practice and we had about 40 minutes to kill.  I had a spectacular cheese danish and she had a blueberry muffin and we had a splendid time,  a small gift to me.  This is also Miss Sweetums affixed to my lap on the same day, always lovable. 

 Judy is taking a friend to Beaumont for a procedure this morning and has left already.  Nice lady, our exercise instructor at the residence.  Hopefully all will go well and she will be back soon.

Cognitive tests, indeed, I have had one myself, most recently for my physical.  Drew a clock with the time at 2:40 and remembered three words.  Both of the candidates should be subject to these tests in my opinion.  With the advanced ages, I am concerned for our country and its futures.  

Few plans today. gonna do some cooking using the frozen shrimp in something.

Cool this morning

stay warm and safe

all for now

Washing Machine - just fascinating

 

  It was do or die today for the washing machine.  The first part that was replaced was not the answer.  This great guy from Berkley Appliance  had another idea that it was the switch that controlled the water flow.  It was replaced today and voila! and all was well.  The disposal and the dishwasher needed to be replaced, but the stove and the refrigerator are still operational. 

In an effort to find space in the garage,  I sorted out some stuff and put it on shelves.  In doing that, the fishing poles had to be moved.  The gloves I was wearing got hooked and then I got hooked requiring mop up and band aid and a loss of patience on my part but little blood loss.

I have been playing word games for a while.  It is a great time waster.  Done terrible at Words with Friends, did pretty good with Word Maker.  My friend Kathy consistently annihilates me but I keep playing seeing this a s learning experience.  The other game which is akin to a crossword puzzle.  But at the level I am at things are getting harder.

I am contemplating ending this blog and starting to compile the collection into some kind of volume.  Started this effort in 2016 a month after I retired.  It might be time to move on.

Thats it.

All for now

stay safe

Carwash in the driveway

Did my first driveway carwash in about 3 years this past Thursday.  It was in the fifties and the sun was filtering thru the clouds.  The former owner left behind an expandable hose that worked just fine.  The new house provided the worksite.  Can't say I felt like a kid again but did feel accomplished.

The vehicle was pretty revolting both inside and out with the seasons leavings and as a bonus, I found my favorite reading glasses under the front drivers seat.  

Judy is continuing to create the perfect display of hand tools from three collections, mine, Andrew's and Stephanie's.  The kids rooms are completed and spots are being located for the large collection of stuff that has been amassed.  We measured the downstairs space to determine the cost of flooring.  Starting to move toward creating our own space.

Friend Janine took this photo at sunrise last Thursday and captured the perfect moment.  I had to share it. 

So the president is forgetful.  There is no denying this fact.  With all his short comings, he is still a better choice.  Frankly, all that stuff in his garage from 10 years ago is probably out dated and has been superseded.  

So yesterday Eli took his inaugural bike ride around the neighborhood.  Visited one of his classmates that also lives there.  She twisted her ankle or something like it and had to go to urgent care with her mom.  We met them all.  The mom was a sweetheart and I hope she is all right.  

Thats it,  it's a Shannon overnite tonight and we will be watching B and the B first thing tomorrow.   Re: Super Bowl 58 - I really don't care who wins!

stay safe

all for now

 

Dishwasher Event

Laundry and breakfast are complete.  Temps are supposed to be moderate.  We are taking Harry for a visit to the vet this morning for his annual appraisal and shots.  These are grasses at the zoo in season some time last year.

A father and son team came to deliver and install the new dishwasher at the residence.  It became evident that the unit being removed was installed by amateurs.  These guys struggled to extricate the machine from its location.  But, they got is done.  The sparkling new machine was moved in and it was slightly too large to fit.  To their great credit they managed to install the machine correctly.  The countertop had to be momentarily be lifted to accomplish this.  I cannot say enough about the hard work they put in to get this up and running.  This guy may be a candidate to install our downstairs kitchen when we are ready.  

Also today, the new register covers and cold air returns will be installed by Royal Oak Heating and Cooling.  These seemingly simple devices have proved to be our biggest challenge.  We removed the old, paint filled, banged up ones and cast them off.  We thought the new ones from Ace Hardware would fit perfectly measuring the outside dimensions but not the inside.  Wrong! The inside dimensions are the defining factor.  Anyway, patience is shot and we bit the bullet and the "professionals"are doing the job.  Sometimes it's just what you have to do.

Always loved red.  Red shirts, jackets and others are my go to color.  Got a new red sweatshirt from Amazon.  Wanted to wash it before wearing to wash out the sizing.  Even though colors are more color fast than before , I reluctantly threw it in with today's laundry with that little voice in the back of my head telling me it was a bad idea.  The result was not as dire as I imagined.  Only one item came back pinky,  a tee shirt of mine.

Terribly exciting today I know. 

thats it

all for now 

stay safe

Thinking back

 

Thinking back to one year ago.  It was our third day in Carrabelle and it was the first time I recalled being awakened by the crow of a rooster at about 5 in the morning.  That sound did not bother me and on succeeding days, I looked forward to it.  

Today Judy is working on Shannon's beauty treatment and Lion King just finished.  Not doing any work on the house today.  I am going go focus on food prep.  Have lots of ingredients and just have to put them together.

We worked on the house yesterday organizing the tools and painting supplies.  The is existing pegboard in one room of the basement and we affixed screwdrivers, hammers and paint brushes.  Judy is the master of this kind of thing.  She groups like items togeher and has a logic to every step.  Harry her father had a garage the looked like the tool department at Sears.  All the wrenches were in the proper order.  One could see the line and the balance of the display.  It was truly a thing of beauty and nothing like my father's tool collection tossed in boxes and into drawers. Harry's hoses were even perfect unlike my tangled mess.

In one of my classic moves yesterday, I bashed my head on a shelf ringing my chimes and putting a nice hole in my scalp.  Felt stupid.  My talents are falling short in tool work. Lack of vision, balance and reduced dexterity all play a role.  Also, really out of practice.   

We have a blue skies morning today.  The sun is shining in Berkley

all for now

stay safe

Some improvement

Got my results from bloodwork which showed some improvement in my health status.  Like the commercials say, "My A1C was down" and I was pleased, like a not guilty verdict at my trial.  I always sweat out this aspect of the exam.  Physicals are not what they used to be.  It was basically an interview with blood pressure and a couple of finger readers.  I have had some time to think about this.  The compensation from Medicare must not cover the expense of the full exam.  Really not impressed.  Went to the Beaumont Lab for the blood draw which went smoothly.  Will keep kicking for a while longer, just not as high.  More and more I feel discounted and dismissed because of my age.  I think these healthcare professionals are saying "What's the point, he's old anyway".  We must all take care of our well being and take responsibility for our health.  Doctors aren't really going to help us.  Stop eating like a teenager and go for a walk!

Continuing to work in this house with the old registers and old ductwork that the new products don't fit and a washer with mystery problems.  Have had good technician looking at it and I believe it will be solved. 

Looking outside, the snow is nearly gone and the pavement is dry.  Kids are back with their mom so we have less to do for a couple of days.  

Had to include this photo of my beautiful  great nieces.  Went to a HS scheduling presentation with Eli a few days ago.  Material was well said and understandable for the incoming freshmen class next fall.  But I did not hear the counselors or the asst principal say "We want your children to feel happy here and feel safe".  Thats just an observation