Cloudlessness

This morning at 6:07 I asked Lew if he wanted to go for a walk.

He was still in bed and somewhat sleepy.

Nevertheless, we were out the door 15 minutes later.

It was such a lovely morning, I took a picture of the sky.

I think my photo could be an award-winner!

Dad 312: Doggie Day Care Is Open!

(It's Wednesday. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! A typical summer day. A cloudy start to the day. A summer thunder shower. Now the sun is out and it is beautiful. Next few days are supposed to be without rain. We do need some more rain, though.

 

Our Illinois family (Joe, Kim, and Cocoa) arrived last Friday and we are in the middle of doggie day care. Cocoa has behaved exceptionally well so far. We're enjoying Joe and Kim as well.

 

Yesterday niece Kathy and her husband, Gordon, arrived from Indianapolis. Very good to see them. It has been a while. So sister Deb has family joining her at the cottages. She likes company.

 

All family members are happy about our visitors except for the family felines, Jerry and Marilyn. While Cocoa is in doggie day care the cats cannot visit us. They are not happy. It won't be long before they will be in charge of the house again.

 

Only about one month left before our trip to Kelsey's wedding. Whoopie!!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

My Cousin Is Here!

Shortly after dinner tonight Aunt Debbie stopped by the house. She had two people with her: my cousin Kathy and her husband, Gordon!

Kathy and Gordon live in Indianapolis, so it is a real treat to see them. They will be here for just over a week, and the only thing Kathy has planned so far is to spend time with her Kindle. (Reading is how I like to spend my vacations, too.) They will also spend time visiting with family, of course. :)

Hooray! My cousin Kathy is here!

Keeping My Day Job

Debbie and Glen held an open house yesterday afternoon to celebrate Josh's high school graduation. There were lots of family, friends, food, and "fotos."

My favorite "foto" display was on the side of the garage. Debbie had hung Josh's annual school pictures all in a row – in chronological order, of course.

I decided to try out the panoramic setting on my iPhone and take a picture of said display. Here is my first attempt:

Please note that the side of the garage is a straight wall – not curved like in my photo! I had stood in one place while panning, so I then tried walking while panning:

It came out more true-to-life than the first one, but it's not perfect....

I don't see a photography career in my future!

Tapped Out

Today is Saturday, so I asked Lew if he was going to write a post for the blog.

He got out his laptop, and I came upstairs to do a few things on my computer while waiting for him to finish writing.

He just yelled, "Tracy!"

Me:  "What?"  (or make that, "WHAT?"  — we were yelling across floors after all.)

Lew: "I GOT NOTHIN'!"

So, that's that.

Believe me, I understand what it's like to have nothing to say.... Regular readers of my blog would probably claim I have nothing to say most of the time!  Ha ha!

Lew and I did go to a lovely wedding earlier today, so I think we both spent our daily allowance of creative communication while socializing with "old" friends. Old friends are the best.  :)

May God bless Stephanie and David as they begin their married life!

My Sister Is Here!

Kim, Joe, and Cocoa arrived about half an hour ago for a much anticipated visit.

There is one member of the household that is a bit confused: Jerry really wants to go next-door, but we don't want him to beat up Cocoa.  ;) 

Hooray! My sister Kim is here!

My Aunt Is Here!

As I was waiting to turn left into my driveway after work tonight, I saw that the oncoming car was slowing down and pulling over to the side of the road.

I waited to see what the car would do.

When the car began to turn into my driveway, it clicked: Aunt Debbie!

We got out of our cars, I gave her a hug, and she told me my hair was getting gray.

Tee hee!!!!!

She actually said "Hi" and "Good to see you" and other terms of greeting first. But I enjoyed telling my parents that her first words were about my hair.  :)

Hooray! My Aunt Debbie is here!

Dad 311: Visiting Season

(Typing this a few hours after Dad wrote it, but the sun is still out! I love this time of year. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Summer is here. On the first full day of summer (today), we did have a midday shower but the sun shines brightly now. And the windows are open. Life is good.

 

All kinds of relatives will be visiting soon....

Tomorrow sister Deb arrives from Florida by way of Tennessee, Indiana, and Pittsburgh. Just talked to her as she called from New York. She stops at the same place every year.

Kim and Joe will arrive on Friday. Cocoa will be here with them. They will spend around two weeks with us.

 

Next Tuesday brings niece Kathy and her husband, Gordon, to the beach for one week.

 

We will all be together in Illinois the first weekend in August for granddaughter Kelsey's wedding.

 

We look forward to an exciting summer!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Lunch

I usually eat lunch at my desk when I'm at work.

This is my view when I start my lunch break:

My salad is in the Tupperware container.

My rice cake (white cheddar) is in the Crayola Snack Packer.

And that is a Braeburn apple.

Today I took the cover off of my salad so I could take a "before" photo.

Before.

To "pack" my salad at home, I squirt some ranch dressing in the bottom, then I put in the heavier items — like cherry tomatoes and green peppers — and then I top it off with the greens.

At the start of my lunch break, I toss my salad. I do this by turning the container over (with the lid still on) and shaking it. It is very important to accompany this part of the process by singing:

Shake... shake...
Shake... shake...
Shake my salad...
Shake my SALAD...

Below is the "after" photo of my salad — before I ate it. Yum!

After.

Happy Summer!

Today . . . 

The sun was shining.
The air is warm.
My freezer has ice cream in it.

Welcome, Summer!

Lew's Logbook: Kitty at My Feet

(It's Saturday, so it's Lew's turn to write. Enjoy! ~ Tracy)

If you have ever had cats, you know how hard it is to move when your cat is curled up next to you.

There is something very comforting about a soft, furry, warm kitty.

Sometimes this can be a dilemma because you really need to get up.

But sometimes, like now, you’re sitting in your recliner watching the U.S. Open and don’t need to go anywhere.

Relax, Jerry... we’re going to be here for a while.

My Sci-Fi Adventure

Despite my best efforts at tightening connections, reviewing settings, replacing cords, and laying on of hands, my work computer monitors have been flickering intermittently. It's mostly the left one, but there have been times when they both will "go dark" and then come back on. (One time after this happened, I lost my task bar!)

Our IT vendor wanted me to run a series of tests that are done over the Internet. So while I ate my lunch yesterday, I watched my monitors do all sorts of crazy things. At one point I felt like I was watching a spaceship battle! Here's a still shot:

After the test was finished, I got the results: "No issues found." I did not find this helpful, because there were definitely problems.

So my IT guy called the computer manufacturer (the name of which rhymes with the opposite of Heaven). After getting off the phone with them, he e-mailed me that a technician would come to my office and replace the motherboard in what is my very-new computer.

My initial thought was, "Will the mothership be bringing it?" (I had spaceships on my mind for some reason.)

Today a human (?) named Ryan came and replaced the motherboard. As he was leaving I asked if he was returning to the mothership.

He laughed....

I guess I'll never know.

(By the way, I had no monitor problems after Ryan left, so hopefully the problem is solved. And Ryan is definitely human, but speculating otherwise makes for a better story!)

Curb Appeal

Lew is basically done sprucing up the ramp.

I think it looks great!

Dad 310: Cars, Mowers, Plumbers, and Football

(A busy week for my father. Enjoy his post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Probably the best day of this spring is upon us. A lot like summer. We're ready.

 

A busy week with a lot of tasks to be completed. Many different activities going on.

 

Josh will play in the annual Lobster Bowl football game in July. Sponsored by Kora Shriners. All seniors representing all different schools. Congratulations, Josh!

 

Lew is remodeling our handicap ramp and will have it painted tomorrow.

 

I renewed my driver's license and registered the car.

 

Having my car serviced and stickered. Must buy two new tires in order to get a sticker.

 

Our riding mower is back in the shop as it would run for about 30 minutes and then stop. After a while it would run again. Gas problem. Maybe just the gas cap!

 

Still waiting for new toilet. Plumber has it in his truck. I want it in my bathroom!

 

Illinois family has music camp this week. Next week they visit us. Looking forward to it.

 

Enough.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Back in the Saddle

I made it through a whole day of work today, and I even performed my civic duty. To bed early tonight!

A Down Day

I always feel guilty when I stay home from work.

But some days both I and my workplace are better off if I don't show up at the office.

Today was one of those days.

I had a headache, so I took a nice long nap midday. (Jerry thought it was wonderful to have me home; he curled up for a nap, too.)

Tomorrow I conquer the world... or at least the projects on my desk.

Lew's Logbook: Still Got Nothing

(Happy 56th Anniversary to my parents, a.k.a. Derf and Spouse! Lew writes today about an anniversary of his own. ~ Tracy)

In National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, cousin Eddy tells all that his daughter Ruby Sue’s eyes went cross when she fell into a well and then straightened out when she got kicked by a mule (this was just after he warned all of his son Rocky’s lip fungus).

The reason this came to mind is because it was two years ago in June that I had a bad cold and lost my sense of smell and taste, apparently forever.

This past week I had another bad cold that I’m just getting over. I was musing “wouldn’t it be something if I my sense of smell and taste came back after another bad cold."

I still got nothing.

Maybe I should try getting kicked by a mule.

Week End

Lew has been fighting a cold.

I have been working hard at my job.

How to spend Friday night after such a week?

You can't beat the combination of pizza and Netflix!

Congratulations, Josh! (Again!)

I left work early to go to Josh's playoff baseball game today. 

Scarborough won, 4-0. Hooray!

Josh was the first baseman today, and he was very busy. He stretched for balls, he jumped for balls.... He was poetry in motion.

Next game is Saturday. Time and opponent to be determined.

Go, Scarborough!

Dad 309: Congratulations, Josh!

(Dad checks in with a brief post today. Enjoy!  ~  Tracy)

Derf Here! Another beautiful spring day.

Forgot to write my post earlier today so it will be done quickly and will be very short.

Week started with whole family attending Josh's graduation. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Congrats to Josh and the class of 2016. Just a note: Aunt Kim watched Josh's graduation as it was streamed. Amazing!

Tomorrow we will attend a state playoff game in baseball as Gorham comes to Scarborough. Hope to win and play again Saturday.

I should have done a better job tonight and will try better next week. Tune in to see. I've got several projects on tap.

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Crushed Rock and Lattice

Lew has been busy!

Before:

After (although still a work in progress):

Congratulations, Josh!

We attended Josh's high school graduation last night.

I took an 11-second video as he marched in. Below is a frame from that video. (You can see a smiling Papa and Grandma in the leftmost part of the picture, although they are a little blurry.)

Congratulations, Josh!

Lew's Logbook: I Wasn't Gonna Go

There are a limited number of tickets available for Scarborough High School’s graduation ceremony.

My nephew Josh is graduating and his mom had enough tickets for the grandparents and Tracy.

A couple days ago I was informed that Debbie had managed to get two more tickets, so now I’m in.

Sometime today Tracy said something about going to graduation tomorrow night.

I said, “It’s tomorrow night?”

She said, “YES! You didn’t know that?”

“No, I didn’t know that because I wasn’t gonna go...."

But now I am.  :)

(PostScript by Tracy: I'm glad you are going, Lew! And remember... it's tomorrow night!!)

Lew Sews

Here are two text messages I received from Lew today, along with accompanying photos:

Mouse on life support.

Surgery was a success!

Do you think our kitties might be a little bit spoiled? Ha ha!

Meow!

We Interrupt This Blog....

Today's post has been preempted by lack of interest.... The lack of interest is on my part, hopefully not that of my readers!

All of my creative juices were poured out at work today. It was a good day, but it was long and crazy. ("Crazy" seems to be the operative word this week.) I've got nothing left....  But that's what a good night's sleep is for!

Nite-Nite!!!

Dad 308: Busy, Busy, Busy!

(No wonder Dad needed a nap! Enjoy his post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Enjoying another beautiful sunny day. What a week!

 

Watched Josh pitch a shutout Saturday. Won 1-0. Watched Josh drive in the winning run on Tuesday. Won 4-3. Finished regular season at 13-3. Now the playoffs! Good luck to the team.

 

Spouse was able to see both games. Took Spouse to hairdresser today. Cindy did a masterful job on Spouse's silver hair. On the way home from hair appointment we stopped by KFC for the rest-of-the-day eats.

 

Lew installed the house's air conditioners today. Of course he had serious help from Jerry. It is great to have helpers.

 

Next big thing we hope to accomplish is the graduation of Josh.

 

So you see we have been busy as we try to get ready for our August wedding trip to Illinois. Please keep up the prayers for Spouse (Mary Lou) as we hope she rehabs to make this trip. It is looking good.

 

This seems to be enough for today. I also had an afternoon nap today. Does it get any better? So....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!