Kurt's Marker

The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland recently built a new facility behind their former building. They included a beautiful walkway outside made up of memorial markers. Because we adopted Kurt (as well as Marilyn) from the Animal Refuge League, Lew and I purchased a marker when they were raising the funds for it.

We finally went by to see the walkway yesterday. When we found Kurt's marker, we looked at it for several minutes and got quite teary-eyed.

He really was a sweet kitty.

Dad 412: A Fall in Spring

(Short posts during this week of my vacation. Even Dad was brief!  ~  Tracy)

Derf Here! Enjoying another beautiful summer day. I think the season is upon us. We will take it! Oh yes!

I fell yesterday while climbing four steps at porch front. I have been extremely careful but I think my back foot caught on the step. I proceeded to grab a rail. I pulled the rail off the siding and was on my back on the porch. Now my right leg and left shoulder are hurting. If it doesn't get better I will have it looked at by a professional.

That is all I feel like writing today. Sooo....

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Yard Sale Fun

We had a very successful yard sale! We got rid of lots of stuff, made some money, and shared some laughs....

Glen's roadside advertising.

Debbie decided to keep Glen. 😉

The chalkboard?  SOLD!

Yard Sale Day One

Our breakfast buddies and their daughter, along with my sister Debbie, Lew and I, had a successful first day of our sale.

We worked hard, and we are all tired and achy. But we are looking forward to day two tomorrow!

Nine Days

The next time I go to work will be on June 4th. Do you know what that means?

I’M ON VACATION! Woohoo!

We are kicking off my vacation with the yard sale tomorrow and Sunday. We are hoping to sell a lot of junk... I mean, treasures!

Dad 411: Not Really Selling the Yard

(Rain, please stay away this weekend. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Enjoying an honest-to-goodness summer day. Wish it would last through the weekend.

 

Getting ready for a yard sale this weekend. Well, Lew and Tracy are getting ready. Also have two or three others participating. Daughter Deb is even in on it. The only trouble is we are expecting some showers throughout the weekend. We'll see.

 

Got the lawn mowed today and Lew finished washing the deck and putting sealer on it. Projects are getting done as we march to the summer. We are ready.

 

My colonoscopy went well and everything points to me never needing another one. Only one polyp and the results will be confirmed in a week. Doctor said he sees no need for another procedure. Great news!

 

Must go and cook a chicken so Spouse and I can eat for a few days. Looking forward to the yard sale. Keep in touch next week for another update. Sooo...

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

The Kimbrel "Kurse"

Lew thought that he and I might be bad luck for Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel.

We don't often see the end of night games because they get over kind of late. (Zzzzzzz.....)

But when we do manage to stay awake — like tonight — it seems like Kimbrel always makes the 9th inning more exciting than it needs to be.

With only a two-run lead, he loaded the bases. I decided to floss my teeth.

Fortunately he got a nice ground-ball out to end the game... ahhhhhh, two-run lead intact and a nice win for starting pitcher Chris Sale.

Two things I learned tonight:

1. If there is a Kimbrel "Kurse" at least Lew and I are not it.
2. Kimbrel is spelled with only one "L."  (Who knew?)

Baseball Sign

I love a good sign. Lew and I went to Eli's baseball game on Saturday, and this is the sign we saw:

A little more about the baseball game....

Eli is in the Instructional League. It's coach-pitch. (The "pitcher" happens to be Matt!)
They play three innings.
Everyone bats in each inning; nobody makes an out; they clear the bases after the last kid hits.
When on defense, the entire team is in the field. They try to make plays, but nobody makes an out (even if they make an out).

Eli likes to slide into the bases. He was even sliding into first base, but they have taught him to run through that base. I guess that's the "Instructional" part!

Lew's Logbook: Bird Feeder

(Lew writes today. Enjoy! ~ Tracy)

Both of our cats enjoy sitting on a table looking out a window in our living room.  I thought that it might be a good idea to put a bird feeder outside of that window so the cats could be entertained.  

I’ve never used a bird feeder before so I was a little surprised to learn that it could take two or three weeks for birds to find and trust the new food source.  

It was day three that I saw my first feeders.  I was very excited.  For those of you who don’t know, our property borders a nature preserve so I am not surprised that our feeder was found quickly.  

All of this got me to thinking about my current life status.  Is it a good thing to get excited about birds finding and using my bird feeder?  I’m going to say "yes" because I have noticed that the older I get the more I enjoy life’s simple pleasures.  

We’ve often heard that we should “stop and smell the roses”.  Well, I stop to watch the bird feeder.  I think it’s the same idea.

My Eye Appointment

Three days ago (Tuesday) I had my bi-annual eye checkup. My right eye got a little worse. My left eye did, too, but not as much as my right. 

My left eye has been working harder to compensate for my weaker right eye, which explains the headaches I've been having recently. So until my new glasses come, I will be more careful about the time I spend at the computer.

I also found out that I have cataracts! They are in the beginning stages, so I'm still a few years out from having to do anything about them. My doctor told me I was young to get cataracts... I feel so special.

I will be sure to post a photo of me modeling my new glasses when they come in. It will be a few weeks, because they have to be ordered from Timbuktu. (Not really Timbuktu, but it seems like it.)

Dad 410: The Grass Is Not Greener

(Sounds like Dad has a fun weekend ahead. Bahahahaha! Enjoy his post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Spring weather is gradually getting here. Not quite warm enough every day. Please let the heat come to us. We want warmth.

 

Glen took our Subaru to the dealership and got an inspection sticker. We had it serviced with an oil change, etc. Only 2,400 miles on it in the first year.

 

Managed to get the lawn mowed over the weekend. The lawn looks sick but looks better after mowing. Looking for a way to bring grassless spots to grow grass again.

 

Bought what I needed for my prep for Monday's colonoscopy. Really looking forward to my third and hopefully last procedure.

 

Tune in next week for follow-up news.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

This and That

We are having a yard sale over Memorial Day weekend. Our breakfast buddies and their extended family have some items to sell, so we should have some good stuff available.

Lew and I would like to get rid of some items, too. I've been thinking, "There's still plenty of time to go through and gather things." But then I look at the calendar and realize there is only one weekend between now and the yard sale.

Uh-oh. I better get moving.

I am not quite in panic mode, however, and I don't think I will panic....

Why not?

Three words: Labor Day weekend!

It May Have Been Spinach

Star Parker was the guest speaker at the banquet last night. She was great! Lew and I have seen her on TV, so it was fun to see her in person.

As wonderful as Star was, the best line of the night was uttered by Lew once we got home:

"There was green stuff in my chicken. I don't like anything green in my chicken."

😏

Banquet Time

Lew and I are heading off to the annual banquet for our local crisis pregnancy center.

Life is a gift... no matter how small!

Dad 409: Inspections and Inelections

(I made up the word "inelection" – at least I don't think it's a word! Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Spring weather is gradually coming to the Northeast. Today is only in the 50s, however. Please warm up! Thanks!

 

Truck is back at the shop for inspection, check a gas smell, oil change and full service, and to check why the temperature gauge stopped working for one day only.

 

Must now get Subaru in for inspection sticker and oil change and full service. Have had the car for one year in June and have a whopping 2,400 miles on it. Probably could drive the whole lease agreement without service (7,000 miles). Always service in spring and fall regardless of miles traveled.

 

Three of seven local school board members were recalled in a vote yesterday. Margin was two to one. More later about this as town decides what to do.

 

That's about it, sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

My Fashion Sense

Last night Lew and I participated in an event. We arrived early along with the folks in charge.

One of the gals running the event had on an interesting outfit. She was wearing a dress that was long in the front and short in the back. She was wearing a long vest over the dress. As I looked at this outfit, I thought that it was a new fashion trend that I definitely would not pursue myself. I didn’t care for how it looked.

After she sat down, I noticed she was feeling the back of her legs. She stood up again, and her dress was now long in the back, too. It was a fabric miracle!

Turns out the dress had slits in both sides, and the back had gotten caught up in her underwear! (The vest covered up this situation, so she was never exposed.) We all had a good laugh when she explained what had happened.

I was glad she got her dress back in order. But I was even more excited to learn that my fashion sense is better than I thought.

Lew's Logbook: Opening Day

(Play ball!  Enjoy Lew's post. ~ Tracy)

Opening day for Westbrook Little League.  

Below is a picture of two of the best players in the league. Adam has got his game face on (he’s playing with a broken arm) and Eli is just happy to be there.  

Em is the assistant coach for Adam’s team and Matt is the coach of Eli’s. It’s a family affair.  

Tracy and I were there to cheer them on and I think we really made a difference.  😊

Music to My Ears

My new iPhone has enough memory to hold all of the music I have on iTunes. It's one of the reasons I selected the phone.

And because my one-year-old Subaru Outback has Bluetooth audio capabilities, I am able to listen to my music as I am driving to/from work. It's much better than listening to the radio.

Modern technology.... Sometimes I could leave it, but in this case I'll take it!

Dad 408: An Accomplished Day

(I have a headache... what fun! Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! My truck thermometer said 96°. Our Subaru registered 82°. Today was a summer day. Actually I complained to Lew about the heat. He loved it!

 

Many accomplishments were made today at the homestead. Here are a few:

 

I went to the bank, Rite Aid, and the 'store' (Hannaford) before noon time. While I was traveling about, Lew was actually working. He leveled our parking driveway extension. He removed my cement base made years ago for our clothes line (not an easy task). Also finished up somewhat of a cleanup of down wooden pieces (parts of trees, branches, etc.).

 

Then it was lunchtime and time to watch the Red Sox/Royals game as they played a rare midweek afternoon game. Sox won as Betts hit three homeruns and Martinez hit a two-run homer.

 

Last big project accomplished: we took the plow off the truck. (We're hoping no more snow!) Then Lew scraped off all the past plate years and then we did our trailer license plate (good for two years).

 

Done for today, sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Happy Birthday to ME!

When I walked into the office today, my office-mate wished me a "Happy Birthday" right away.  No secrets at work, ha ha!

She bought some popsicles (Outshine Kids fruit & veggie bars, to be exact) and we all celebrated my birthday after the lunch hour.  The popsicles were yummy, and I enjoyed telling everybody how old I was....

I did so by putting up both hands, all fingers extended, and saying, "I'm this many." Most people responded, "You're ten?" so I had to explain the 5-5 part. (I think they really understood what I was doing, but it was more fun for them to pretend they didn't.)

Lew made a delightful salad with steak for my birthday dinner. More yumminess.

Things will be back to normal tomorrow....  It will not be my birthday.