Happy New Year!

Mainely Tracy will be on a "bloggy break" until Tuesday, January 3, 2017.

 

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

The Kaelen Surprise

Kaelen learned at the last minute that she needed to use some vacation time before the end of the year. So around noon on Monday (12/26), Kim and Kaelen were on the phone discussing the various flights coming into Portland, Maine later that day.

 

With her new brother-in-law (Zach) as chauffeur, Kaelen made it to the airport in time to begin a journey that would get her to Portland at 10:30pm.

 

We decided to keep her visit a secret in order to surprise her grandparents (a.k.a. my parents). Kim and Kaelen even synchronized their footsteps when they got to the house Monday night – just in case my parents might still be awake.... The surprise was intact.

 

On Tuesday morning, my dad was outside clearing some snow off of the deck. When he came inside, he saw a young lady sitting on his couch. He thought, "She looks a lot like my granddaughter Kaelen." He quickly realized that his eyes weren't fooling him.

 

Mom was still in bed, so Kaelen went in and surprised her, too.

 

This year's best gifts came in airplanes!

Dad 338: The Best Presents Come In Airplanes

(We are having some great family time. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Enjoying a pretty nice winter day today. Storm tomorrow. Only about three inches here. Over one foot inland. Good for the ski areas. That is where the snow should stay.

 

Lew drove me to the radio store to pick up my truck. Reason is that only one of four speakers was working. Now all four are new and work.

 

I played Scrooge in the fourth grade. It was great casting. I'm not a great fan of the materialistic aspect of Christmas. I can't say I like getting gifts. But I tolerate it.

 

As I am fairly old and sentimental now, presents aren't how I judge my Christmas. I did, however, get some great gifts this year. Very clever choices.

 

Spouse and I were glad to have all our daughters and sons-in-law together. Also our two grandsons. Still lacked our granddaughters from Illinois. So we were totally surprised when granddaughter Kaelen showed up on Tuesday morning. A perfect start to our last week of 2016!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

My Sisters :)

I thought Debbie needed a party hat for Christmas.

And the queen of every home should have her own crown.

Jerry says, "I'm bonding with Auntie Kim!"

And Kim says, "Jerry loves his Auntie!"

It Feels Like the Day After Christmas

Kim and Joe arrived as scheduled yesterday afternoon, and we all had a delightful meal at Debbie and Glen's house. It was a wonderful Christmas day. We were all pretty tired by early evening.

Today was a good day to sleep in and have a lazy morning. Lew made blueberry pancakes for Kim, Joe, and me. The Keurig got a workout.

I commented, "Ahhh... it feels like the day after Christmas."

Joe said, "That's because it is."  :)

I'm going to go eat chocolate now!

Joy to the World!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Cookies, Cocoa, and Cats

Tonight was our 5th Annual Christmas Cookie & Cocoa Night with Pastor Dave and his family. Pastor Dave's parents, sister, and niece are here from Indianapolis, so they came over, too — a bonus!

The secret to a successful Christmas Cookie & Cocoa Night is to keep it simple:

The other secret is to be sensitive to how your guests feel about your pets. If your guests enjoy watching your cat play with a plastic frog on the dining room table, then let your cat play with a plastic frog on the dining room table.

Jerry was the life of the party. (Marilyn got a lot of attention, too.)

The evening was a success!  I think we'll do it again next year.  :)

Pending E-mail

My e-mail program at work has a "Pending" folder.

I created this folder myself.

Sometimes I get or send e-mails which require a follow-up. For many of these e-mails, there is already a system in place that will ensure a follow-up. But if not, then I move the e-mail to my "Pending" folder.

Some of my colleagues use the "Task" e-mail feature. I tried that for about half a day, and I didn't like it. My "Pending" folder system works well for me.

I usually have several e-mails in my "Pending" folder. After some extra effort today, I was able to get that number down to one.

One pending e-mail.... And that should be taken care of tomorrow.  Hooray!

But, e-mail is like laundry.... It really never ends....

Smile!

Dad 337: Waiting for Christmas

(The guest room is ready! Enjoy Dad's post!  ~ Tracy)

Derf Here! Another beautiful day in the Northeast. Temperature in the forties today. A few days ago we arose to below zero temperatures and never reached freezing all day. Supposed to snow and rain tomorrow. Scheduled a haircut for Spouse tomorrow two weeks ago. Chose the worst day of the week. We'll make it. We're tough Mainiacs!

Finished all our Christmas presents today. All that was necessary was to fill envelopes. Still must write a couple notes to friends. No hurry, though.

I've been without a car radio that would light up for about a year now. Finally replaced it last Friday at a place Lew told me about. I now have a small stick-on clock to use elsewhere. Radio doesn't work any better but I can see what's going on now.

Must now take my pickup to the radio repair store to replace speakers. Only one rear speaker behind the driver works. I guess this is a common problem for Chevy pickups. Next Wednesday I get new speakers.

Waiting on Kim and Joe to arrive on Christmas day. Best present of all — family home for the holiday season!

Wishing all a very Merry Christmas!

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Why It's Good to Have an Empty Shelf

O Christmas Tree

The children did a little Christmas presentation in church yesterday. It was organized by none other than my sister Debbie.

Some of the kids had speaking lines; they all participated in decorating a tree up front.

Great job, Debbie and kids!

Lew's Logbook: Plow Practice

(Lew writes tonight from snow-covered Southern Maine. Enjoy his post! ~ Tracy)

They say that practice makes perfect.

Have you ever heard the term “quick-release plow”? Well, they’re not so quick-release.

Fred and I put the plow on his truck near the end of November. It was a bit of a task but we got it done and thought we were all set…Not.

The truck had a problem with the starter so it had to go to the shop. We took the plow off…not that easy.

Truck repaired, put the plow back on (sigh). All set…Not.

Truck has an electrical problem with the heater fan. We had to take the plow off again but tried a new technique. Not too bad.

Truck repaired again and when Fred brings it home he is able to drive right into the connect slots on the plow. We didn’t try to finish the connection until the next morning because it was getting dark.

Next morning we go out to set the connecting pins. As I walk out the door Fred yells up the driveway, “You’re not gonna believe this.” He had the plow pins all set.

We definitely have learned something, but I hope that we don’t have any more practice this year.

Ye Olde Bold Cold

The topic at work today was how cold it is.

Lew gave me a ride to work, and the display in his car read 1-degree.  (We were clinging to that one little degree!)

It's so cold outside that it's also cold inside.

I thought about writing a poem about the cold weather, but instead I'll just share some words that rhyme with cold:

bold
bowled
cajoled
doled
foaled
fold
gold
hold
holed
mold
old
polled
rolled
sold
soled
told
tolled
ye olde

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......!

I'm Floored!

Our new living room floor was installed over the past couple days. I'm relieved it's finally done.

A little history....

We first had carpeting — very nice, expensive carpeting — but the cats went pee-pee on it. So we ripped it up.

We then had a floating floor in the form of vinyl tiles. Any expanding/contracting of the floor was to occur against the wall, underneath the quarter-round. Instead, the expanding/contracting took place between some of the tiles. After the flooring contractor came back twice to try to remedy the situation, we decided it was time to acknowledge defeat.

So now we have sheet vinyl, which (as it turns out) is also a floating floor. The size of our living room required two pieces. The seam is supposed to be invisible, which I'm sure it would be in a brand-spankin'-new house. But, according to Lew, the seam in our house can be seen from the Space Station.

We really do like our new floor... seam and all!

Dad 336: Projects and PATriotS

(So happy our "new" new floor is in. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Two beautiful winter days enjoyed by all after a taste of winter snow on Monday. Bitter cold predicted for the next few days. I hate winter and even pre-winter!!

 

Kind of a busy week. Did a little plowing on Monday and my truck heater blower didn't work. The engine light reappeared. The truck is back in the shop. It does start great now with a new starter and battery. Hope to get it back by tomorrow. The blower did work on the way to the shop.

 

GO PATS!

 

Last two days spent with Lew and Tracy getting a new solid living room floor as opposed to the floating floor that was new. What a difference.

 

GO PATS!

 

Deb's project of drilling through 100+ Christmas bulb bases is completed. She now can have her kids at church make simple little necklaces. Of course, there are now 100+ bulbs that no longer light up.

 

GO PATS!

 

Josh is home from Maine Maritime for about a month. Glen is nursing an operation on his knee. He is, however, in the Massachusetts dealership limping around.

 

The above ought to be enough for this week. Sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Dinner Party, Anyone?

Lew rearranged the furniture in our dining room.  I'm not sure how I feel about it....

Ha ha! It's not permanent.

We're getting our living room floor replaced again.  Hopefully the third time's a charm.

The furniture should all be back in place tomorrow night.  :)

Rock, Don't Talk

We all have said things we wish we hadn't said. (Sorry, but I'm not sharing any examples!)

A week ago in church, our pastor mentioned a monk who kept a rock in his mouth for three years so that he would learn silence.

Pastor Dave invited us all to take a rock after the service was over. He had a whole box to choose from, and he did advise that we wash them first.

I selected a rock that is smaller than my foot, so it probably would fit in my mouth. (Ha ha!) But I think I'll just keep it as a symbol.... I can always use a reminder to keep my mouth shut.

Lew's Logbook: What a Year!

(Lew writes today. Enjoy!  ~ Tracy)

The year is drawing to a close and what a year it has been....

Tracy and I bought a winter home in the Bahamas. Please feel free to drop by any time.

I received a call from President-Elect Trump this week. He thanked me for my support and invited us to Trump Tower for a Christmas Party. (He really is a nice guy.) We want to hang out with the family so we politely declined.

And finally, Tracy has been tapped by the Maine Republican Party to run for Congress in 2018. Given her easy-going nature and political acumen, she should breeze to an easy victory.

Hope your year has been as equally exciting.

#fakenews

Obeying Orders

I made it back to work yesterday, but I think I overdid it.  I went to bed at 6:00 with a migraine.

I got up this morning — no headache — but definitely not feeling great.  I told myself, "Snap out of it!" and had Lew drive me to work.

When I walked into my supervisor's office, she said, "Tracy, you look like _______.  GO HOME." (The blank starts with "h" not "s" in case you were wondering.)

I proceeded to tell her how far behind I am on everything, and she said it can all wait.

So I called Lew to come back and get me. (I worked a whole 35 minutes!)

When we got home I went back to bed and didn't get up until it was time to try eating some lunch.

So far my lunch has stayed down, for which I am grateful.

I think a weekend of rest is just what the doctor would have ordered.  I know my supervisor did!

Dad 335: Truck Trouble

(Day two for me recuperating at home. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! In the middle of a few days of somewhat inclement weather. It is that time of the year. Nothing unusual.

 

Well I just returned from Christmas shopping. I was gone less than one hour. I know what I want – go in the two stores and I'm out very quickly. Now I just have to package all our gifts for the day.

 

Monday I had a six-week appointment with my podiatrist for what he calls an "oil change and check up." I started my truck and brought it up next to our house. (I like to run it now and then, just to run it a little.) However, when I started for the doctor's office, my truck wouldn't even turn over. So I went in the car.

 

When I arrived home I called AAA. Still didn't get it to turn over. Glen came up in the evening and Lew, Glen and I had no luck again. I made arrangements to get it to Glen's shop on Tuesday.

 

Didn't need a tow as for some strange reason it turned over and started on its own. Got it repaired – new starter and put a new battery in it. Truck is back – plow is back on – Thanks, Lew – and it's parked in the yard where it belongs.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Flu Bug

Left work early yesterday.

 

Didn't go at all today.

 

Tomorrow is looking iffy.

 

Not sure if it's the flu, but it's something like that.

 

'Tis the season! Sigh....

Eli versus Tia

Saturday morning I got a chance to hang out with Eli and Adam a bit.

While Adam prepared for our tea party, Eli and I played four games of Hangman.

First round:  I picked the word "CAT."  With only one leg to go before "Hangman!" I gave Eli some helpful hints.  Winner: Eli.

Second round: I got to pick the word again. I went with "MAN" this time. When Eli asked for hints, I just couldn't help myself.  Winner: Eli.

Third round: I thought "TOY" would be a good word. I still gave hints. Winner: Eli.

Fourth round:  Eli wanted to have a chance to pick a word. I asked him if he knew how to spell any (he's five) and he said, "Yes!"  We started with four blank letters, but he added another one when he realized he was going to have one letter left over.  I ended up hanging.  Eli's word:  ELMNY. (Definition: What Eli used to call Elmo.)

So Eli was the big winner, four rounds to zero.  But I think I may lodge a protest with the National Hangman Federation.

Lew's Logbook: Breakfast Hobby

(It's Saturday! Enjoy Lew's post! ~ Tracy)

Stupid stuff I do....

I love breakfast.
I don’t mean a bowl of cereal and a piece of toast.
I mean eggs, bacon, home fries, bagel or muffin and about 3 cups of coffee.

Every week I have two regular breakfast dates.
One on Saturday that Tracy and I have been doing for years, and one on Tuesday with three other retired guys.
Many weeks I have a third breakfast with my brother or another friend.

There are regular places that we go but occasionally we try a new place.

I have started taking pictures of my breakfasts.
Everyone needs a hobby.
Mine involves ingesting carbohydrates.
Example below:

It's Package Delivery Season!

For the most part, I hate shopping in stores. But I love online shopping....

There are no salespeople to avoid. You don't have to wait for other shoppers to get out of the way. You don't have to drive from place to place.

You just sit at your computer and search for what you want.

I started my Christmas shopping a couple weeks ago. I do a little at a time, so we'll be getting a delivery almost every day for a while.

I already told Lew he is not allowed to open any Amazon boxes when they arrive. What I didn't tell him: Some of the stuff is really for me.  (Is that wrong?)

Lew's Christmas Lights

It stopped raining, so I finally took a couple pictures of Lew's lights!

They're purr-ty!