Half Over (or Half To Go)

Today is June 30th. The year is half over already.

Should we be sad about that? (A la "glass half empty.") Or should we be excited that we still have half the year to go? ("Glass half full.")

Given how 2020 has been "ho hum" so far (just kidding), I'm not sure which camp I fall into.

One day at a time....

Update

I have no idea whether it hailed or not last night! But I do know it rained and rained and rained. I woke up about 2:30am and it was pouring. It was loud!

Yesterday my computer went through an update. It took f-o-r-e-v-e-r. You know how the screen will show the percentage completion? It was like an hour between 10% and 15%.

I kept checking back to see the percentage, so imagine my excitement when I saw the following message on my screen (yes, I took a picture of it):

Actually, I wasn't as excited as much as I was amused. When I read the screen I wondered, "Is this a subliminal message? Do I have to change my will? Who is 'us'?"

Well, "us" did manage to finish updating my computer.... And I will leave it to "us" to complete any future updates, too!

Hail, Hail!

"Severe weather" warnings are scrolling across our T.V. screen. The warnings are accompanied by that annoying beep.

Dad's car was outside, but he put it in the garage because it might hail.

It's not doing anything yet, but the sky does look ominous.

Ken's Place is still busy, despite the potential weather. People want their seafood.

As for us, we had ice cream for dinner.

Will it hail or not? Check back tomorrow for the answer to this crucial question! (Hopefully I will remember to give the answer.)

Saturday Supper

I need to try to get back into posting on the blog more often, even if I don't say very much.  (You can interpret the last part of that sentence however you wish!)

I will be keeping this post short. Lew is making our usual Saturday supper of beans, hot dogs, brown bread, and cole slaw, so I don't want to be late for dinner!

Happy Anniversary today to sister Kim and brother-in-law Joe!
A belated Happy Birthday to niece Kaelen, who celebrated her birthday a couple days ago!

So many exclamation points in this post!  😁

Dad 520: An Outdoor Visit

(I am looking forward to the day when we can finally visit Mom in her room. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another fine summer day enjoyed by the Northeast. A foggy start for the last three days, but the fog will be gone tomorrow. Probably some thunder showers also in our future. We need the rain.

 

Well, I saw Mary Lou yesterday as we sat outside in the courtyard. Of course we had a table between us so we were not close to having contact with each other. The first time we were not looking at each other through the window since March 13th. Still looking through the window twice a day.

 

Hope to receive an air conditioner for Spouse tomorrow. The workers will install it for her.

 

It is about time we should be able to see our loved ones face to face. Not seeing my wife of 60 years is getting rather annoying. Our governor knows best. HA! HA! HA!

 

Tune in next time for an update on our COVID-19 living arrangements.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

The "Crona" Ten

I count myself among those who have put on a few pounds during the pandemic. It's hard not to eat yummy food at a time like this.

So imagine my reaction when I saw the following advertisement:

"Need a mood boost? Swimsuits on sale!"

Swimsuits? Definitely not a mood boost during the "Crona."

😀

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

We had quite the crowd here at the house today:  Dad, Debbie, Glen, Josh, Zack, Matt, Emily, Eli, Adam, Mike (Em's dad), Riean (Em's brother), Wayne, Rylie, Lew, and me!

Here's a nice three-generation photo of Dad, Debbie, and her boys.
(My role in the picture: photographer!)

Zack, Debbie, Dad, and Josh.

Lew's Logbook: One of My Favorite Things

(Dad and Lew are keeping my blog alive. Enjoy Lew's post! ~ Tracy)

One of my favorite things is eating breakfast.

I can cook up a mean breakfast, but I much prefer to have one served to me in a restaurant. It is one of life’s simple pleasures that I have missed during this “Crona” event.

Last night my father-in-law and I picked up Tracy at work (normally he wouldn’t have gone but I had a bad leg cramp and thought it wise not to drive) and on the way home we decided to pick something up for dinner. We stopped at the diner that we frequent and, low and behold, we were able to go in, sit down and be served. We had to wear masks to the table and I had to give them my name and phone number but all else was pretty much normal. It was a pleasant experience.

Back to breakfast.... This diner serves a very nice breakfast. My favorite combo is the 2 egg, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, ham, homefries, pancake and toast. (Yes, I do like breakfast.) I am looking forward to going there once or twice this week. We’re not back to normal, but this development is a big step in the right direction.

Oh, and BTW, I even have a picture of said meal.

Dad 519: Got Power?

(Lew and Dad are keeping busy. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Enjoying another fantastic day here in the Northeast. Looking forward to the same over the next week.

 

I have an appointment to see Mary Lou outside face-to-face (6 feet apart) next Tuesday. First time since March 13th. We meet through window visits once or twice a day. Perhaps in the next few months our super smart governor will allow us to visit rooms that our loved ones occupy. Power! Power! Power!

 

Lew and I have been working to get power in the shed. Actually Lew is doing most of the work. Hope to have it done by next week.

 

Also we are keeping the lower 40 mowed. I just ride around for a couple hours on the John Deere, while Lew does the walking mowing and trim. So again Lew does most of the work. There is less one can do as age creeps on us. But not everything about getting older is bad: Others do the heavy lifting. Tune in next week.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Appointments

Two appointments I had scheduled in April were cancelled due to the pandemic: 1) my six-month dental cleaning, and 2) a haircut.

My dental office is now open again. The letter they sent said they would be contacting patients to reschedule. So I wait. I am attempting to be a "patient" patient.

The gal who cuts my hair was going to return to work at the beginning of June, but then she decided to take the summer off! She told me that one of her colleagues would be happy to cut my hair. It does need something done to it soon. I look like a ragamuffin.

I should have scheduled an eye doctor appointment for May, but I didn't even get the expected "Time for your eye appointment" letter! I think the office is open now, though, so I need to call and get that scheduled. Hopefully I won't need new glasses (I don't think I do), because my glasses are always so very, very, very expensive.

I guess I should make some phone calls tomorrow!

🦷💇👓

Lew's Logbook: Daisy Visits

(I have competition for Lew's affection.... Enjoy his post! ~ Tracy)

I have a new friend. She comes to visit me on several mornings during the week and gets very excited when she sees me. That’s because I make sure that I always have peanut butter treats in my pocket.

Her name is Daisy and she is a 6-month-old Labradoodle. Our friends just got her a few months ago.  They live within walking distance of our house, so some mornings we get a text that they are coming to visit.

It’s a very nice way to start the day.

Daisy at her home.

Happy 60th Anniversary!

Dad shared in his post yesterday that today marks 60 years of wedded bliss for him and Mom!

The activities director at the center helped Mom make a poster for her window today. It was a nice surprise for Dad when he went to visit her! I stopped by after work to take some photos:

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! I love you both so very much!

Dad 518: Sixty Years

(Dad shows his subtle wit in his comment about the government, ha ha! Enjoy his post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! A cloudy, dry day was enjoyed by all the northeast personnel today. Actually the weather has been quite nice for a long time. More, please!

 

Out in our driveway is a brand new Subaru Forester with 13 miles on it. It will be another lease for me. I returned my previous lease after three years with only 9,500 miles. I hope this Forester treats me as well as my returned lease. We'll see.

 

I visit Mary Lou (Spouse) twice every day. I go up and look for her through her window. Sometimes she is in the room and sometimes not. She has a couple friends that meet in their wheelchairs in the hall and travel (with masks) around the halls.

 

Tomorrow I was hoping to visit Mary Lou in her room. You see, this is a very special day in our lives. It will be our 60th anniversary. But there will be no personal visitation. Not happy at all, but the government knows what is best for us. I have a plan that would allow visitation with no risks, but the answer is NO!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Milestones

Dad, Lew, and I watched Josh's virtual graduation ceremony from Maine Maritime Academy yesterday morning. Congratulations, Josh! We are so proud of you!

For the first time in over two months, our church met in person this morning! We had to socialize in the parking lot after the service, but nobody seemed to mind. Lew and I really enjoyed seeing everybody.

Last Sunday, May 31st, marked my one-year anniversary at work. Although I started on April 10, 2019, I was a temp-to-hire and became a permanent hire on May 31, 2019. It doesn't seem like a whole year could have gone by already. Time flies!

A Red Door, A Yummy Treat

By popular demand, here is a photo of the garage door, newly-painted red:

I may have exaggerated the current demand for the above photo, but I anticipate that the demand would have grown in intensity over the next few days. So I have nipped that in the bud.

Below is one photo that you haven't asked for. Lew made an impulse purchase at the grocery store this week — an end cap item. He bought a whole bag of these. Here's my hand holding one, right before I ate it. I needed four bites!

MEGA MARSHMALLOW!

Dad 517: Work! BINGO!

(We did have a downpour tonight, but it didn't last very long. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Recent weather has been quite good and today is no different. Next week supposed to be fine also.

 

Lew painted our garage entrance door to match the door on his new shed. It came out well and looks sharp. He also has been busy removing stones along the driveway. He works on projects on a daily basis. Work! Work! Work!

 

Still visiting Spouse on a daily basis. Show up outside her window every afternoon for a few minutes. If the window is open we can talk. If not we are not clever enough to use our phones. We are not good with tech business.

 

Spouse says she wins at bingo. Yesterday she showed me three pair of socks that she won. Looked very nice. Was wearing a pair today!

 

Be very glad when we, once again, can sit side by side for the afternoons. Let's open up our country again.

 

Done for today.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Seeing Red

Lew shaved his goatee off about a week ago.

I didn't notice.

Lew put mulch under the two little trees (more like bushes) in front of our house.

I didn't notice.

While I was talking (hands-free) with Lew on my drive home from work, he told me that I may notice a project he completed today.  I asked him whether it was inside or outside. "Outside."

When I drove in the driveway, Dad was just walking out of the garage door — a door that was NOT red this morning.

I noticed.

It also helped that Dad was pointing at the door.

 But I did notice on my own, honest!

(I do not have a photo of the newly-painted door, but perhaps it will appear on the blog in a future post.)