Two Cats in the House

On this penultimate day of the year, I thought it would be nice to share a photo of our sweet kitties.

Lew took this picture today and texted it to Dick and Carole (our breakfast buddies) and me.

Jerry and Marilyn are patiently (?) waiting for dinner!

"Yo! Dude! Put the phone down!"
(caption credit: Carole)

Tournament Results

Dad and I just watched Zach's team's final game in the holiday tournament. They won tonight, and they finished the tournament with a 2-2 record. Very respectable!

We now have a weeklong break before the team starts regular conference play. We'll watch as many of their basketball games as we can. (If a game is being streamed online, I will find it.... 😁)

Let's go, Rockets! 🏀

Dad 652: Baby Boston

(An early-in-the-day edition of Derf! Enjoy! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! A somewhat cloudy day today. Acceptable, however. We'll take it.

 

Well, the family increased within this past week. Our granddaughter Kelsey gave birth to our great-granddaughter last Thursday. She has been named Boston Louise. She has the title of "World's Most Beautiful Baby." A great addition to the family. Now Bode has a little sister.

 

Last night Tracy and I watched Boston's dad Zachariah's basketball team play its first game in a tournament in Bloomington, Illinois. We will watch the remaining games over the next couple days. I'm sure Zach will be glad to get the tournament over in order to be home with Bode and Boston. The next game is at noon today. We'll be watching.

 

That is about all the news we can take for now.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Tournament

Tonight at 10:30 Dad and I (and maybe Lew) will be watching the Rockets play in their first game of a four-day basketball tournament.

Dad has been relaxing in anticipation of the late night.

I've had tummy issues today, but I should be okay to watch.

Lew will probably be asleep by the time the game starts. 😴

Best wishes, Coach Zach! Play hard and have fun, Rockets! Your Maine fans will be watching.

(P.S. Game time tomorrow depends on the outcome of tonight's game.)

Christmas Wrap

We had a nice Christmas.

Despite encountering a blocked road (downed telephone poles), we managed to get everywhere on time.

There was wonderful food to be had all day. I ate too much, of course, but it was worth it.

We watched football.

I started a jigsaw puzzle.

I did some reading.

Blessed!

Have a Merry Christmas!

We survived the high winds of yesterday.  Our power blipped a couple times and we did lose cable TV and internet service for a few hours.  But we were fortunate.  Some households lost power for several hours and I'm not sure whether all service has been restored yet.

Lew and I went to a Christmas Eve service at our church today. We will spend tomorrow morning with Matt, Emily, Eli, and Adam. Then — after a quick visit with my mother — we will lunch at Debbie's house.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

JOY TO THE WORLD!  🌟

Welcome, Baby!

This morning a beautiful little girl was born!  She is the little sister of Bode, the daughter of Kelsey and Zach, the granddaughter of Kim and Joe, and the great-granddaughter of my parents. She is my great-niece and already very much loved!

Welcome to the world, Boston Louise!

Sweet little Boston Louise!

My sister Kim with her new granddaughter.
Looks like it was love at first sight!

Dad 651: My Big "Win"

(Dad writes today! If only his "win" was real.... LOL! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Once again, we have a very sunny day with cool temps.

 

I can't believe I'm doing this writing so early in the morning. I planned on doing this for many months and finally doing it. Best to write in the morning as I am trying to leave to see Lou in the afternoon.

 

I must now complete my Christmas plans. Because I'm lazy, I plan on giving money to most relatives for an easy plan. Will do after my blog post.

 

Well, I've had a busy week. Went to Subaru dealership for my last service before turning in my lease this coming spring. I guess it's about time to limit my driving. I don't want to be a statistic.

 

A phone call last night at 2:54 AM caught me by surprise. Since Lou is in a nursing home, a phone call at this time usually is not great. (Although we are waiting for some good news: the birth of a great granddaughter, Boston Louise.) Well, listen to this. The phone call was from Publishers Clearing House. I "won" $4.7 million and a new Mercedes (my choice of color). Since this summer, I've "won" approximately $60-70 million plus the vehicle. Look for me in town in a new Mercedes. Ha ha!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

And That's A Wrap!

Today was our annual Christmas present wrapping day. I am in charge of putting gifts in gift bags. Lew wraps whatever isn't going in a gift bag.

Our cats may have mixed emotions about wrapping day. They enjoy trying to "help" us, but then they realize they can't get into the guest bedroom. We keep the door shut because I don't want them destroying our nicely prepared gifts. Just a few days, kitties, and you'll have full access once again!

And that's a wrap for this blog post, too.

🎄🎁🎄

The Final Day (times 2)

The six of us went to the diner one last time for breakfast today. Two days in a row, but circumstances called for it. We will miss our neighborhood diner. It is now closed for good.

After breakfast I went to visit Mom at the nursing home to watch the championship game of the FIFA World Cup with her. The game was tied after regulation time and again after extra time, so it came down to penalty kicks. Congratulations to Argentina! The defending champion, France, had to settle for second place.

Next on the to-do list: Find new breakfast place.

The Final Saturday

Went to the diner for breakfast this morning. Same attendees as Thursday night. We even sat at the same table as Thursday.

I had two pumpkin pancakes and a side of corned beef hash. Both so yummy.

😭

The Final Thursday

Ate at the diner tonight. There were six of us: Debbie, Glen, Zack, Dad, Lew, and me. (Zack is home from college until mid-January.)

A couple things that indicate the diner is almost closed:

• They didn't decorate for Christmas like they usually do.
• There are no more dinner rolls!

😭

Dad 650: Weather, World, Win

(Dad writes today. It is his 650th post. Another milestone! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Not too bad a day in the Northeast. Temps a little above freezing. Another very low amount of snow last night. (Twice this week!) The coast is not receiving the amount of snow that the north and west are receiving. Planning on another storm in a couple days. The coast will not get a great amount of snow, but the prediction is a foot or more for up in the state. Better there than here! I would like for winter to be over, but that won't happen anytime soon.

 

Watching news as I write this. My own opinion of this world is that we are in a serious mess. Not just our country but it seems trouble is everywhere. Scams are being used in the financial world. Drone strikes are many. Throw the leaders out and I believe it will be possible to regain some type of improvement. It doesn't look like this will happen soon enough for most people. Well, we'll deal with what we have. Pray for improvement!

 

Congratulations to Zach for his basketball win yesterday.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

A Win for the Rockets

Dad, Lew, and I watched Zachariah's basketball team win tonight. The boys played well, and I'm sure it was due to Zach's excellent coaching. 😊

Congratulations, Zach! And keep up the great work, Rockets!

The Final Monday

Dad, Lew, and I went to the diner for dinner tonight. (Debbie and Glen usually go with Dad on Mondays, but they were not able to this week.)

The diner's last day is this coming Sunday, so today was its last Monday of operation. The countdown has begun....

😭

Offside

Today I learned more about soccer, courtesy of my father. We were watching the last part of the England/France game while visiting Mom, and I asked him what an "offside" is. (I knew it had something to do with a player being in a certain position on the field, but that was the extent of my knowledge.)

My still-somewhat-limited understanding of "offside" is as follows: While on offense at your opponent's end of the field, make sure there is a defensive player (in addition to the goalie) between the goal and you before your teammate kicks the ball to you. Otherwise you are offside. The purpose of the offside rule is to keep a player from hanging around the goal waiting for a long pass from a teammate, which probably would result in an easy goal. (But after watching some of the World Cup, I think more goals would be a good thing. LOL!)

Please do not quote me on the offside rule. Ask my dad instead.

The "Other" Football

Today Lew and I watched some World Cup Soccer.

We don't understand much about the game of soccer, other than that the teams are trying to kick the ball into the goal (to score for themselves, not the opposing team). Usually, there are very few goals scored per game — from what I can tell anyway.

There is an interesting concept called "stoppage time." The clock never stops during the game, so the officials add time to the end of each half.  The time added depends on how often play stopped during the half due to injuries (which are commonly just a player flopping to the ground) or how long a team celebrated a goal scored (said celebration might include a player ripping his shirt off). The amount of stoppage time seems arbitrary, so it is unclear to us how the players can know how much time is left.

We did learn something interesting during the Netherlands vs. Argentina game today. (Spoiler alert: Argentina won.) When one team has a "free kick" — not to be confused with a "penalty kick" — the defending team will form a wall by having several players stand side-by-side. Another player will LIE DOWN ON THE GROUND in back of the wall. This confused both Lew and me, so I had to do an internet search. Apparently the wall of players will jump when the kick is made; the player lying on the ground is keeping the kicker from kicking the ball under the jumping wall. Hopefully his teammates don't land on him. (The "hopefully" comment is my own; I didn't see anything mentioning that in my internet search.)

Will Lew and I watch more World Cup Soccer? Maybe, but not if real Football games are on!

⚽ < 🏈

Dad 649: Sad Eating News

(Dad writes today! Also, I am feeling much better. ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another sunny day in the Northeast. Temps in high 40s or low 50s. No snow in our area yet, but it is possible within the next week. I'm comfortable with bare ground. Let us have a "no snow" season. Nice, but won't happen. Just heard cold temps expected for this weekend but no snow.

 

Well, about three to four years ago, Lew would go up to our local diner one night a week and bring back delicious meals for Lou and me. (Lou has been living at the nursing home now and it will be three years in February.) For the last couple of years I have been going to the diner on Monday and Thursday nights. Monday with Glen and Deb (and Josh and Zack, if home) and Thursday (or Friday) with Lew and Tracy. These nights at the diner will come to an end as of December 18th. (We will still go out to eat on these nights, but at other locations.) Our diner is becoming a Mexican food restaurant, and Mexican food is not for me! This is a sad situation for us, but we will survive and eat enough.

 

That is my sad news regarding our eating arrangements.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Two Weeks In a Row

The weekly installment of Derf has been postponed until tomorrow. (It was postponed by a day last week, too!)

I am a bit under the weather today, so Dad's postponement of his weekly post is okay by me.

Thank you for checking in!

The Diner is Closing!!!

The diner that we like to eat at is closing as of December 18th! We are sad for the employees, whom we will miss very much.

Apparently a Mexican food restaurant will be opening up in the same location. But it just won't be the same.

We already know of other places to eat dinner, but we will have to totally rethink where to eat out for breakfast.

So sad!

😢😢😢

Ear, Nose, and Throat (cont.)

After a couple days of feeling okay midweek, I again was stricken with whatever this illness is. (Cold? Flu?)

Something IS going around. In fact, a local high school closed early yesterday because over 40 percent of the teachers and students were out ill with the flu!

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for them, as well as for me.

Dad 648: Teeth and Toes

(As promised, Dad writes today! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Well, at least today the rain from yesterday is gone and the sun is out. Temp is only 39° with windy conditions. Do have a chance of snow. Won't happen! Maybe in the hills up country.

 

My dentist appointment went well yesterday. Only one cavity in a tooth that is not fillable. The tooth will be watched. Not willing to put on a crown. Will pull later if necessary.

 

Now on an as-needed basis to see foot doctor if I have problems. So a good report here also.

 

Lou (Mary Lou) and I visit together on a daily basis. We sit there like the old people that we are. We don't say much and I try to get caught up with my sleep. This is what I wanted to do during this time of our lives. However, I wanted to be at home with her. But we will manage.

 

Trying to watch all of Zachariah's Rock Falls basketball games from Illinois. Keeps us busy. Thanks for technology.

 

That's it for today!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!