A Grand Milestone

On this rainy Sunday afternoon, I am celebrating a major milestone:  This is the 1,000th post on Mainely Tracy!

Regular readers know that I have not personally written every single post.  My father (a.k.a. Derf) has written 116 of them.  And a few have been credited to Eli and Pepper.

How am I celebrating?  With a lazy afternoon... complete with NFL football and hot chocolate.

Thank you for reading my blog!

The Best Thing About Fall

I suppose some people think the best thing about fall is football season. Although I do enjoy watching football, I am not one of those people.

What about the start of school? When I was a small child, I really liked school.  But as I got older, I decided it was just "okay."

The foliage? The crisp air? Apple picking?

Nope. None of the above.

The best thing about fall by far is the return of the pumpkin muffin at my favorite breakfast joint!

Cat Feng Shui

Lew and I have been losing control of our home.  Since we got Jerry about four months ago, we have had to "kitty-proof" our house quite a bit.  With the arrival of Kurt, our living room has been looking like a cat amusement park.

I finally realized that we need to be more intentional when rearranging things.  After all, we live here, too!

So today I did some work in the living room and in the guest room.  Although I considered the cats' needs, I mostly paid attention to what will work for us -- "us" being the humans.

We are now back in control.

Our Household's Day

Lew went to work.

My mother did laundry.

Jerry and Kurt napped away the afternoon.

I'm not sure what my father accomplished, but he usually has something going on.

I sold three pieces of jewelry (with Lew's permission) back to Maine Gold & Silver.  I never wear the pieces, and they were just taking up space in my drawer.  I got more money than I expected.  :)

I have a meeting at church tonight.

Lew and Dad will get to watch the football game, because Time Warner's digital subscribers now get the NFL Network.  (Finally!)

Dad 116: Fall Ball

(I am hereby prohibiting any future references to the Boston Red Sox on this blog... for the remainder of this season anyway. So get your fill from Dad's post today. Enjoy! -- Tracy)

Derf here! From a fall day in the Northeast. Kind of cloudy. Few showers this morning. Overall the weather to date has been quite favorable.

"Favorable" is not a word I can use for our own Boston Red Sox. The year has been a disaster, and only one home game remains. (The "All Fenway Park" team will be announced before the game. Last night there were several members of the World Series championship team of 2004.) They do have a lot of "fixin" to do before even thinking about playoff baseball. I'll continue to watch the rest of their games and hope they can destroy the New York Yankees in the year's final games. I can hope, can't I?

Josh's football team didn't fare well last Friday as he was injured in the first half. Somehow he strained a back muscle causing him to miss the second half. Zack's team won 8-6 as a defensive player intercepted a pass for a touchdown. Extra point was good. Difference in game was that Zack's team was able to stop opponent's try for their extra point. A fun game to watch. Only Josh plays this week. I'll keep you posted.

I'm back on the elliptical machine. Not up to my 45 minutes yet. Don't know if I'll ever get to that number again. Working on it as I am about up to 20-25 minutes. It is not easy growing old! But, I will continue to do so. Do I have a choice? I think not.

Word is out that possibly the regular NFL officials will return for week four of the football season. I think the final straw was the end of the Seattle vs. Green Bay game when a missed pass interference call allowed the perpetrator to somehow score a touchdown. It seems that a valid interception was ruled a catch for the offensive team. One will never see a more confused call in professional athletics. You can quote me on that.

Just received a call from Mike Huckabee asking for donations to Akin for Senate. He made the horrible comments about rape. I can accept his apology but I think he should have dropped out of the race and allowed someone else to run for the Senate seat. Sorry, Mike! Disappointed in you backing this man.

Will November ever get here? Getting tired of listening to political ads. Should not allow campaigning. Just look at the candidates' records of failures and accomplishments. Think of the money saved.

Sorry to hear Andy Williams passed on. Was a good role model and had a marvelous career. Dead at 84. R.I.P.

Must go do my elliptical exercises. Soooo....

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Our House Is a Very, Very, Very Fine House

I am happy to report that Kurt and Jerry now coexist all of the time!  This actually started on Sunday, but I thought I'd give it a couple days before announcing it to the world.

Jerry wants to play most of the time.  Kurt is a little more moderate.  So there is sometimes hissing, but nothing serious (most importantly, no injuries).... Kurt is just laying down the law.  He pretty much does everything on his own terms.

Yesterday I bought them these cute little tent-type things to nap in.  (They were buy one, get one free!)  This afternoon Jerry took a nap in my recliner, and Kurt slept in a cardboard box.

We love our kitties!

Memorization Challenge

Pastor David is preaching this fall on the Sermon on the Mount.

His wife, Laura, is going to memorize it.  That's three whole chapters, Matthew 5 - 7.

And today I told her that I would memorize it, too.

It's harder for me to memorize now than it was, say, 30 years ago, so I guess I better get started!

Ogletree!

"Throw it to Ogletree!"

Thus I spent my early afternoon, listening to Lew yell this at Tony Romo.

For those that don't know, Tony Romo is the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

And Ogletree? He is a wide receiver for the Cowboys.

And why does Lew care so much about Kevin Ogletree? Two words: Fantasy Football.

Apparently Ogletree only earned eight points for Lew's team, The Beach Bums. So watch out Ogletree -- Lew's going to bench you if you don't pick it up!

Who Would'a Thunk It?

I was a senior in high school before I owned my first handheld calculator.  (Oh, and wasn't it the rage!)

Fast forward 30+ years and grade school kids are walking around with cell phones.

I joke about how teenagers might as well have their phones surgically attached to their hands.  But I have to admit:  I am not much better.

Lew took a motorcycle ride out to see his mother today.  When I was walking through our bedroom, I saw his cell phone on my bureau.  Oh, no!  He had forgotten it!  I immediately called to let Verlie know so that she could tell him the minute he arrived at her house.  I soon got a call from Lew (using his mom's phone)... during his ride, he remembered that he had left his phone on my bureau.

So we were making phone calls just to talk about his forgotten phone.  And we managed to get through the afternoon somehow!

Getting to Know You

Kurt has lived with us for a week now.

He and Jerry have had a few brief encounters, but for the most part we have kept them apart.  They have played with their paws quite a bit under the door.

Today I decided to release Kurt from his guestroom captivity about 4:00 PM.

There was a lot of stalking, pouncing, and tousling going on.  But I didn't hear hissing or crying.  So my question was:  Are they fighting or are they playing?

From my Internet research (and we all know that one can believe everything that's on the Internet), I have determined that Kurt and Jerry were indeed playing.

I'm still not ready to keep them together 100% of the time.  And I definitely won't leave them alone together until I'm convinced that they will get along.

But still... progress!

So Sorry, Miss Veterinarian

Today I took Kurt to the vet's office so that they could get him established as a new patient.  He needed a shot, and we also wanted to get him micro-chipped.

My sweet kitty Kurt was not pleased about being in the cat carrier.  He was happy to get out of it at the vet's office, and he enjoyed inspecting the examination room while we waited for the veterinarian to come in.

When the doctor came in, she "oohed" and "aahed" over Kurt and leaned over to pick him up off the floor.  At the same time, her assistant was ruffling some paperwork.  Kurt was not pleased about this combination of events.

He clawed the vet's arm and drew blood.  She needed two band-aids.

The least that Kurt could have done was to kiss her and make it better.  But he wouldn't.

Poor kitty.

But mostly, poor Miss Vet!

Dad 115: Josh's Baseball Award

(Congratulations to my nephew Josh! Enjoy Dad's post. -- Tracy)

Derf Here! From the soon-to-be sunny Northeast! September weather has been sensational so far. We had a little, brief showery evening and night with some strong winds. South of us in Kennebunk a tree fell on a house injuring a lady as she just went to bed. The storm has passed and the weather is improving as the weekly report looks good. Getting ready for the "leaf peepers" as reports have said the colors are appearing up in the mountains of New Hampshire and Maine. Shortly the leaves will leave the trees and we'll be waiting for winter. Ugh! Weatherman just said cold night tonight. Maybe a frost around!

Well, attended Josh's and Zack's football games last week. We'll leave it at that. 'Nuff said! Get the point? Hope for better results this week. Keep you posted.

A few weeks ago I mentioned Josh receiving a baseball award for his eighth-grade team. The award is named for a long time local baseball coach. The award is for ability, sportsmanship, and just being a contributing team member. You get the idea. Well finally, Josh got to receive his award a couple weeks ago. At the time pictures were not available, but we now have a picture with coach Phil Martin. We've known Phil and his family for 40 years. Our kids went to school together. Also worked as a soccer official with Phil for several years. Umpired several of his baseball games in my earlier years. Great to see Josh get such a prestigious award named for a dedicated coach. Congratulations again Josh! Enjoy the photo.

Well, the Red Sox are eliminated from the playoffs. They are now on a roll. Won two in a row. Seem to be spoiling Tampa Bay hopes. Maybe, just maybe, if we're lucky, they can knock the Yankees down a bit. Probably won't happen, but I can still hope.

The Patriots started the season off well as they lost their second game. Had a chance to win, but didn't deserve it. I was hoping for an undefeated season. Wait till next year. Tough game this week against the Ravens. My prediction is another loss. Congratulations to the family members in Indianapolis as the Colts and Andrew Luck won a game. Way to go!

I'm back on the elliptical machine this week as I must again get serious about getting fit. So much for getting old and out of shape. Both seem to come easy!

Enough for now! Soooo!

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Things I Learned Today

If you leave a full glass of iced tea on the stand next to where you are sitting, do not ignore it.  If you do, it will end up all over your living room carpet when a cat decides to play with it.

Do not assume that a cat is mad at you if he ignores you.  He may just have a "mid-afternoon mellowness" mood.  (Meow-yawn....)

You (or your spouse) can create a delicious dinner by mixing together the leftover steak and the leftover salad.  Yum!

The Holy Trinity of Fast Food

Pie.
Fry.
Ice Cream.

Lew and I just taught Pastor Dave and his family how to properly experience the above trifecta.

We'll never get tired of it!

The Silent Treatment

I think that Kurt is mad at me!

He is such a sweet kitty.  He loves to give kisses, and he had been doing so since we got him on Friday.

But today, he began to ignore me.

Could it be because I won't let him out of the room he's confined to?  All of "the cat experts" say to keep the new cat in a room by himself for at least a week before trying to introduce him to an existing resident cat (in this case, Jerry).

Well, the silent treatment is NOT going to work on me!  I will not let Kurt decide things around here....

That's Jerry's job!

(Postscript:  I'm sorry, my sweet Kurt.  But you WILL have the run of the house soon enough!)

Time With Young Friends

I spent seven hours with some delightful people today -- two siblings, a girl almost 12 years old and a boy almost two.

Big sister was very, very helpful in taking care of little brother.  She also beat me in every game we played together.  (I won only the very last one.   I think she let me!)

Little brother was so cuddly at times.  At other times?  Quite active.  Very, very active.  :)

I enjoyed our time together very much.

And now I am tuckered out!

Introducing Kurt

While out running errands this afternoon (after a yummy lunch with Carole), I called Lew with a request.  I saw something that I wanted, but I knew that I needed to check with him first.

He was pretty skeptical at first and tried to talk me out of it.

Still, I persisted.

We ended our phone call with his request to text him a picture.

Here is the picture that I then took and sent:

Lew's response:  "Go ahead."

And I proceeded to adopt Kurt from the Animal Refuge League.  :)

There is a backstory to this:

Lew and I went to Pet Quarters a few weeks ago to get some supplies for Jerry.  On our way out, we stopped to look at the cats that were available for adoption.  (The Animal Refuge League has about three at Pet Quarters at a time.)  Kurt was there, and I fell in love with him.  But I knew that we couldn't get another cat.  I thought about him about a week ago or so -- wishing that I had brought him home.  Oh, well.

Today I stopped at Pet Quarters to get some food for Jerry, and I went to look at the cats.  And Kurt was still there!  He is such a friendly cat that the Pet Quarter employees were surprised that he hadn't been adopted yet.  I said it was because he was supposed to be with me all along!

Kurt is being confined to one room for now, as he needs to get used to us.  And he is quite wary of Jerry, who very much wants to be his friend!  Give him time, Jerry, give him time....

The Plight of the Banana Peel

(There is a good report on Suzy's progress -- see Barry's post titled 13th September -- so I thought I'd do a light-hearted post today.)

I eat a banana just about every morning.  The peel gets tossed into the garbage can.  I have discarded of banana peels in this manner for my entire life.

Every once in a while, the banana peels attract a fruit fly or two.  Never too many.  This has not been a problem until recently....

Because now we have a cat.

Jerry saw a fruit fly a few days ago, and he now thinks the fruit fly has taken up permanent residence near the kitchen garbage can.  He has knocked the can over at least three times over the past couple days while searching for the fruit fly.

My remedy has consisted of two "fixes":
1)  I turned the garbage can around so that it is harder for Jerry to knock it over.  Of course, it is also harder for us to throw things into it.  But one must make sacrifices.
2)  I now throw my banana peel into a brown paper lunch bag.  I then use this same bag to clean out Jerry's pooperia (a.k.a. litter box).  The bag then goes directly into the garbage bin that is kept outside.

So far, so good....

Jerry is keeping us safe from the fruit fly.

Dad 114: Planes, Race Cars, and Suzy

(Be sure to follow the blog, Update on Suzy. Enjoy Dad's post. -- Tracy)

Derf Here! From the great northeast corner of these United States. The day's weather is "as good as it gets." Just a gorgeous pre-fall day. I plan on enjoying this great weather week, as predicted by the experts.

Another week has passed and another football game for Josh and Zack. Josh's team, winless last year as eighth-graders, won their second game of the year. Zack's team, undefeated the last two years, continued its winning ways as sixth-graders. Will be attending Josh's game tomorrow and Zack's on Saturday. I'll keep you posted.

Spent Saturday afternoon with Lew, Glen, Josh, and Zack at Sanford Airport for a fantastic show of model planes flying and model car races. The pilots put on quite a show with their skills as they put their planes through various maneuvers. Also saw two full-size planes exhibit flying skills. Having seen several air shows at Owls Head, I enjoyed the model air show more than the regular size airplanes' performance. Both were very entertaining.

Glen was at the show Thursday through Sunday. He took the motor home and stayed on site for the duration. He entered the model car races and did quite well. He performed so well he earned a spot in the final two races, which had professional drivers. He moved up from the B group to A. A remarkable feat. He did not win anything, but was ninth out of 22 drivers. I think that is accurate. Josh and Zack rode down Saturday with Lew and I and stayed on with Glen in the motor home. I traveled back on Sunday. It was an enjoyable weekend. Should mention Josh celebrated his 14th birthday on Sunday past. Happy Birthday, Josh! Cake and ice cream to follow. I'll be there!

I haven't been very active on the computer for the past two months. Am now getting back to my pre-summer routine. So, watch out, I'M BACK! Let this be a warning to you.

I'll close with a prayer request for a dear family friend. When daughter Tracy attended Colby College she roomed with Jen Armstrong and Suzy Seymour. (Suzy is the daughter of Ted and Anne Seymour. Ted and Anne were at Gordon College while I was there many years ago.) Tracy and Suzy became good friends. We got to know Suzy at this time. Suzy has had a phenomenal life. She is married to pastor Barry Gaeddert and they serve in the UK. About two years ago Suzy was operated on for a brain tumor. The tumor returned and she was operated on yesterday. I ask your prayers for this vibrant young lady who has so much to offer this world. Please add Suzy to your prayers. Also pray for Barry and their two sons, Zachary and Micah.

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Suzy is Post-Surgery

On this solemn day of remembrance in the United States, I was thinking more about something happening today in England.  Suzy went into surgery around 9:00 a.m. her time (4:00 a.m. my time).  It's interesting... I woke up right around then and fell back asleep after praying for her.  (Was the timing a coincidence?  I think not!)

According to Barry's blog post, Suzy was in surgery for almost five hours.  Please continue to pray for her as she recovers from surgery and faces the next step(s) of her treatment.

And please keep up with Suzy's journey through the blog Update on Suzy.  (I always have a link to this on the right of my page.)  You will be blessed.

Thank you for your prayers!

Suzy Preps for Surgery

As I write this, Suzy is going to -- or may already be at -- the hospital where she is to have surgery tomorrow.  (Her surgery was originally scheduled for last Thursday, but got postponed.  In case you missed the details, please see my earlier post titled Prayers for Suzy.)

I had the opportunity to talk with Suzy for about an hour on the phone on Saturday night.  Despite the fact that she is all the way across the Atlantic Ocean (and has a brain tumor to boot), Suzy called me!  It was so wonderful to talk with her and reminisce about "the good old days."

Please pray for my sweet friend.  I love her dearly!

Fantasy Football

For the first time, Lew is participating in a Fantasy Football league. Pastor Dave is the Commissioner of the league. Matt and Glen are also playing.

Out of ten people in the league, Lew is currently on track to come in tenth this week. (Saying "tenth" sounds better than saying "last.")

Lew told me earlier that he learned some things today (strategy, etc.), so I expect that he will do better next week.

Go Patriots!

Just Look For the Red Helmet

I went to Zack's 6th-grade football game this morning.  His team won by a final score of 40-0.  They play eight-minute quarters.  Josh was running the scoreboard, and by the fourth quarter the referees were telling him to keep the clock running.

Zack played really well, of course.  :)

He is easy to spot on the field because he is one of the biggest kids out there.  Plus he's the only one with a red helmet....  His head is so big (in size, not in ego) that he has to use a helmet from the high school team!

Our Snack

Lew and I watched an episode of "Inspector Lewis" that has been on our DVR for a few weeks.  (We really enjoy the Masterpiece Mystery programs on PBS.)

It was about 9:15 when I said, "I'm hungry."

Lew said that he was as well.

I continued, "What should we eat?"

"Fruit."

"Fruit?"

"Yes, fruit," Lew replied.  "We have some grapes."

So we ate grapes.  It wasn't quite what I had in mind.  But I guess it really was too late for chocolate.  (Too late for chocolate?  Did I just say that?!)

Holding On....

We are not quite ready to let go of summer just yet!  Our friends Bill and Stacey came over tonight and we went out for Pie and Fry.  That, of course, was followed up by ice cream from the Dairy Corner.  (I had Red Velvet Cake ice cream.... YUM.)

There is one summer thing that we are ready to release:  baseball.  Mercifully, the Red Sox did not play today....  But then again, they haven't really played this entire season.

Go Patriots!

Dad 113: Planes, Race Cars, and Motor Homes

(I remember the crash Dad mentions.  That was still a fun day.  Enjoy his post!  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  Writing this while looking out at my weather vane pointing to the west.  Usually a good sign.  Hope the rain will stop a little later today.  The experts say it will clear up in the afternoon hours.  Will they be correct?  Only "The Shadow" knows.

Was able to see a couple football games last weekend.  Zack's team won 12-0.  Josh's freshman team, along with the junior varsity team, alternated playing time against another school's J.V. team.  Won 14-6.  It was a good weekend for football.  We'll see if this coming weekend works out as well.  I'm back in football mode!  Yes, I'm ready!

This weekend is supposed to be spent at the Sanford airport watching model planes and race cars perform.  Plans were for taking motor home for this 4-day event.  Glen, Josh, and Zack hope to race their cars.  There is a fly in the ointment, however.  The weather looks fairly good for Thursday with possible thunder showers on Friday and Saturday.  Sunday has rain predicted.  Sorry for the predicted weather as world champion performers will be on hand to show off their skills with their models.  This is supposedly an international event.  Looking forward to whatever performances we have.  Hope the weather cooperates.  Please!

We attended an air show with models a few years ago and were quite impressed with the skill of the remote operators.  Planes, while flying, looked like real 747's.  Saw one crash!  Operator was not happy.  I'm sure his wife wasn't either.  You see, these model planes sell for the price of a "good" used car.  That is what the owner of one said on T.V. promo.  He did not want his wife to find out the cost, either.  Hope she doesn't see promo.  For his sake!

Started my motor home generator yesterday after a summer of non-use.  Switched over to generator power and all seemed to be going well.  Was inside and saw that refrigerator door was closed.  The unit was off and I leave the doors open.  As I opened the door a large "pop" went boom!  I can't believe this had anything to do with opening the door of the "shut-off" refrigerator.  I believe there was a short circuit somewhere in the electrical line.  So we do not have a working generator.  Probably wouldn't have used it anyway.  Just run off battery and propane.  I'll let you know how everything works out.

The rain has stopped and so will I!  The sun is peeking out!  Sooo....

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Rainy Days and Tuesdays

I had a "people-intensive" long weekend, so I slept quite late this morning. And the rain didn't exactly inspire me to jump out of bed.... Not to mention the cuddly kitty!

I did get a few projects done when I finally got up, although Jerry really lobbied hard for my undivided attention.

I changed out of my PJ's and bathrobe around 2:30. (Is that wrong?)

I'm not sure where the rest of the day went.... I do know that it's still raining!

The Best Lasagna Ever

A dozen of us went to Romeo's Pizza (Scarborough, ME) for lunch after church yesterday.

With apologies to my mother -- who makes a pretty "mean" lasagna (!) -- I must say that the cheese lasagna that I ate at Romeo's was the best lasagna that I've ever had.

When I said as much to the waiter, Lew questioned whether I really meant "the best"... or if I was just using that phrase to express my great enjoyment.

I assured Lew that I really meant "the best."

Our friend Bob also had the lasagna, and he agreed with my assessment.

I can't wait to go back for more!

The Search for Fifi Mouse

Jerry has a bunch of cat toys that he carries all over the house, but there is one toy that usually stays right in our bedroom:  Fifi Mouse.

We had not seen Fifi for a couple days, so last night I went on a flashlight search for Fifi throughout the entire house.  Jerry was at my side during the search.  Lew -- in disbelief that I would take the time to do this -- decided to read instead of assist us.

The first find of the night was two plastic balls (with bells inside) in back of the refrigerator.  Jerry supervised as I used the yardstick to retrieve them.

The next item recovered was behind the couch -- a yellow mouse.  (This mouse is one of the five that I wrote about in my June 3rd post, Five Small Mice.)  The yellow mouse is missing his tail, and he is quite dirty.  This means, of course, that he is Jerry's favorite.

Having failed in the search for Fifi, I returned to our bedroom.  Lew was reading, still shaking his head at me.  In a flash of inspiration, I lifted up the comforter at the foot of his side of the bed and then proudly announced, "I present to you.... Fifi Mouse!"

(I probably should have looked under the comforter in the first place, but where is the fun in that?!)

Jerry and Fifi Mouse, reunited at last!

The Great Adventure

Last night Lew and I went with 18 of our closest friends (!) to see Steven Curtis Chapman in concert at the Seaside Pavilion in Old Orchard Beach.

The last time I saw S.C.C. in concert was over 20 years ago in Wichita, Kansas.  I enjoyed seeing him then, and I enjoyed seeing him again last night.

I have some of his older CD's, but I think that I'm going to get some of his newer stuff through iTunes.  I heard many songs last night that I really enjoyed.

Vacation update:  Went out to breakfast with our breakfast buddies this morning, and then we went to see their new pool.  Didn't swim in it, though... too cold!  Went for a walk on the beach.  Ate a pizza.  Two more days, and then Lew has to go back to work.  (Say it isn't so!)