Dad 534: Presidential Debate 2020

(Last night's debate kept me wide awake. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! A beautiful afternoon with a lot of bright sun. This after a night of rain. We are thankful for the rain but we need some more. We are dry.

 

I watched the long-awaited presidential debate last night. I will probably watch the next two debates. Hope that the debates are controlled a little better and not as mixed up as last night. Not a very good reference for a high end production! Quite the opposite. I can't remember any other time on television that I heard a president called "not smart," a "clown," and being told to "shut up." Not a very classy show. Hopefully the next debates are a little better controlled. New rules are now being made. Tune in after the next debate. I'll have more gems!

 

Tomorrow we start a new month. The last full month before voting. I'll be picking up a couple ballots in the next two weeks so Mary Lou and I can vote. Will be glad to get this done.

 

Enough for today.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Got Debate?

Lew and I are going to watch the presidential debate tonight. I don't think it will change our minds about which candidate we will vote for, but it should be interesting to watch. Plus, it's probably best to watch for one's self — as opposed to just listening to media personalities and reading Facebook/Twitter comments about it. (See yesterday's blog post for some additional thoughts I have on this! 😆)

I have to go to work in the morning, so I wish the debate started earlier. But perhaps it will put me to sleep early anyway!  Ha ha!

Experts...?

I will be so glad when the election is over.

I can barely look at Facebook. I've hidden a lot of people the past few days. It amazes me how so many people are suddenly experts on a variety of issues. And it's obvious they've only read headlines. Ugh!

Is anyone still interested in learning the truth? We would all get along much better, I think.

And that is my rant for today. (Pretty wimpy, though, as far as rants go!)

An Understatement

Yesterday I cleaned some things off my desk at home. Among the items was the 2020 calendar pictured below.

It went straight to the recycle bin! 

Lew's Logbook: Diner Attendance

 (Lew writes today. "Crona" is a la Bob Marley. Enjoy! ~ Tracy)

The little diner at the top of our road, Blast From The Past Too, opened up as soon as they could when Crona restrictions were relaxed.  We were getting take-out for a while until one night we realized that they were letting customers in, albeit with some funky rules.  (Some places have not reopened yet.)  Anyway, they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food is quite good (it is diner food). 

My weekly “old guys breakfast” has resumed and we are going to BFTPT every week. Our breakfast place before Crona probably will not ever be the same.  It was a breakfast buffet and I don’t see those coming back.  

Tracy and I have also resumed our regular weekly breakfast with another couple and guess where we go.  

At least every other week I have breakfast with my brother and, again, it is at BFTPT.  

Tracy’s dad (Derf) enjoys going up to the diner once a week for dinner so there I go again.  

This week I was hitting on all cylinders.  Tuesday with my old guys, Friday morning with my brother, Friday night with Tracy and Derf, and Saturday morning with our friends.  Four times to BFTPT this week....

I need to see if they are looking for any investors.

Where's Marilyn?

Back by popular demand (and because I can't think of anything else to write) is another installment of "Where's Marilyn?"  Find the kitty in the picture below. She's still making it easy for you!  😸

Technology Issues

I am having trouble posting tonight.... my computer is probably updating, ugh.... so tune in tomorrow.

Technology is very fickle!

Dad 533: Another Outdoor Visit

(Sorry no post last night – had a headache. Feeling better. Dad gets the blog going again with today's post. ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another beautiful day (75+ degrees) here in the Northeast. Summer is slipping away. Not really ready for what is coming next. Can't avoid it, though.

 

Lew scraped and painted the wood that surrounds our porch. Looks good.

 

Had my meeting with Mary Lou outside at the center today. Still have to stay at least six feet apart. Meetings sure are not very exciting. Must get back to visiting within the rooms. Hope so soon!

 

Don't feel like writing anything else, so I am now done for today. I'll try harder next week.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Today at the Birdbath

No social distancing going on here! 😄

(Photo credit: Lew)

"Motion" Sickness

Have you ever had motion sickness when not moving?

About 30+ years ago I went to an amusement park with Suzy, Barry (her husband), and a bunch of teenagers that were in Barry's church youth group. While there, Suzy and I went to see a film that was basically a bunch of cars and other types of things going around corners really fast... stuff like that. It made me ill. We were staying overnight in a motel afterwards. Let's just say that I was really glad all of the teenage girls wanted to stay in one room together, leaving Suzy and I to have a room to ourselves. Teenage girls would not have enjoyed being my roommate that night, but Suzy put up with it.

A similar thing happened to me when Lew and I went to see the third Jason Bourne movie in the the theater. There was a really choppy scene of a car chase. I couldn't even watch the last half hour of the movie, because just looking at the screen was making me feel even more sick. I kept my eyes closed while Lew finished watching. I think we made it home before I had to... well, you know.

Today presented another challenge, but I have learned from my past experiences. On our way home from church, Lew wanted to take our vehicle through the touchless car wash. You stay in your vehicle (windows up, or course). 

About half-way through the wash I asked Lew, "Are we on some sort of belt that is moving us along?" He told me we weren't moving; it was the car wash apparatus that was moving down the sides of our vehicle — from the front to the back to the front to the back to the front to the back....

I shut my eyes! 😎

A Bad-Eyesight Event

I have terrible vision. You know the big "E" at the eye doctor's office? Without corrective lenses, I can't even see it, let alone tell it's an "E."

While taking a shower today, I was about to wash my hair when I saw a blurry dark spot in the corner of the shower. I figured it was a piece of a washcloth or something like that. But then it moved.... Or at least I thought it did.

So I crouched down to get a closer look and saw it was a giant stink bug.

Instead of following through on my first instinct, which was to scream, I decided to take care of the situation. That stink bug didn't stand a chance against the bottom of my shampoo bottle!

Too Late: The Sequel

Stayed up too late once again. This time it was because of the news that Ruth Bader Ginsburg had passed away. Lew and I watched some of the coverage on Fox News Channel.

The next few weeks could prove to be interesting... well, they already were going to be interesting, but the possibility of a Supreme Court Justice nomination adds to the drama.

But for tonight at least, both sides of the aisle were respectful as they reflected on Justice Ginsburg and her accomplishments.

So, 2020, what are you going to bring us next?

Too Late

It is not a good idea to play a quick game on your phone when you are trying to get to bed at a decent hour.

The quick game turned out not to be so quick.... The good news is that I set a new record, ha ha!

So glad tomorrow is Friday.

Good night!

Dad 532: Two Updates

(Dad writes today. Enjoy! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another late summer, fallish day. Fall is definitely in the air. We have had some nice weather. We need some rain. It is very dry here.

 

Deb and Glen were up and gave us an update on Josh. He is on board his ship and still waiting for his ship's load of crude oil. He received his first paycheck and seemed quite happy. He goes to the gym daily and then to bed watching TV in his single room. He is thinking of staying on the ship for up to 120 days. The people are trying to get Josh up to second engineer in a shorter time than usual. He seems to be receptive to the idea.

 

Mary Lou seems to be getting along with her friends as they travel about the nursing home. She is quite vocal about getting home. We are talking about her coming home at some point. We would like to be able to visit with her inside the nursing home facility first, but Covid-19 restrictions are still keeping us from doing that. It has been a long, sad half-year. Not what we wanted to be doing at this time in our life.

 

Done for today.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Appointment Tomorrow

I was scheduled to get a haircut in late March, but then the lockdown happened. My hairdresser called to cancel my appointment. She couldn't reschedule it, because nobody knew when things would open back up.

When hair salons were allowed to open again in Maine, my hairdresser texted me that she would be back at work the first week of June.

Not too long after that, she texted that she was going to take the summer off. She also said that any of her co-workers would be happy to cut my hair in the meantime. 

I decided to wait.

Last week I sent her a text asking when she was coming back to work. She's taking a few more weeks off and will start working again at the end of October!

I thought I would continue to wait until she got back, but today I realized I absolutely must get a haircut. I haven't had it cut since February, and it is starting to show signs of my neglect. (Actually, it's not "starting" to; it already was looking pretty bad... but I've been in denial, ha ha!)

My appointment is for 11:30am tomorrow. The place is not too far from where I work, so I'll just use my lunch break to get this very necessary task done!

Shots

Lew mentioned around 3:15pm today that he was going to the pharmacy to get a shot. I was working from home, so I took a break and tagged along with him.

I got a flu shot, so I am now sporting a red Walgreens band-aid that says "Flu Fighter."

Lew got two shots, flu and tetanus. (I am hoping he will do a blog post about the tetanus shot.) The pharmacist said it was fine to do the shots in the same arm, so that's what happened. Lew now has two red band-aids, one right above the other.

My arm is only slightly sore from the shot, but Lew is commenting quite a bit about how much his arm hurts. I am sympathetic, since he did get two shots in one day. He's a trooper! So brave. 😁

37 Years

The title of this post represents how many years I have been a Triple A member.

If you belong to this automobile association, then I'm sure you have also gotten their mailings about buying life insurance.

Below is a snip from the mailing I received from them this past week:

Bahahahahahaha! It's not the first time I have been mistaken for a guy based on my first name.

So, YES, my "information differs from above." But I'm not buying the insurance, so I guess it doesn't really matter. 😄

Pie Night

It was delayed nearly six months due to the pandemic, but Lew and I finally had "Pie Night" with two other couples from our church.

Our hostess had a lovely table set for us. Each couple brought a pie, and the pies were pretty much demolished by the time our evening ended.

We brought a homemade apple pie, which Lew had sub-contracted out to his brother.

Our hostess made a raspberry pie.

The other couple brought a chocolate cream pie; they (i.e. the wife) even made the crust.

All three pies were delicious. 

It was unanimous that this event must be repeated!

A Movie Recommendation

Glen and Debbie told us about a movie available on Amazon Prime. Friends of theirs had told them about it. And now I am telling you. 😊

The movie is "The Peanut Butter Falcon." Lew and I watched it tonight.

It is a sweet story about a young man with Down Syndrome who wants to be a wrestler. It is also about another young man who needs redemption.

There is some bad, irreverent language in the movie, so I wouldn't recommend it for children. It's a shame, though, because I think kids would like the story. It has some good life lessons, too.

The Downside of Long Weekends

As nice as it is to have a long weekend, it makes the work week that much more difficult. But I guess it depends on what kind of job one has. I have one where it is much more difficult. Trying to get the same amount of stuff done, but in less time. I have to prioritize, because some things will just have to wait.

This is probably not my first post about this very thing. The struggle is real, my readers!

Dad 531: An Outdoor Visit

(Dad writes today. Thank you for reading this blog! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Not a summer day with the fog and all. Comfortable temperatures for the day. Need some rain and maybe will get some tomorrow. Hope so!

 

Checked with my foot doctor today and had a good report. Next session will be in another few weeks. Five to be exact.

 

Met with Mary Lou outside today at the nursing home. No touchy-feely. Must stay six feet away. Also wore masks. Still not able to meet her in her room. She doesn't quite understand what is going on. Hope to get a chance soon to visit her in her room, and we'll be able to have talk time. Let's get back to prior to COVID-19.

 

Sure will be glad to get past November 3rd. Guess why I say that.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

I Hate Wearing a Mask

School started today. On my way to work, I saw children waiting for their bus. The children were all wearing masks, which made me sad for them.

I have been wearing a cloth mask, but I ditched it today. I will keep another cloth mask in my purse (just to be ready if I unexpectedly need one), but otherwise I am going to wear disposable masks. The H.R. gal at work told me there is something psychologically pleasing about throwing the mask in the garbage. I have to agree.

Yes, I am so very tired of the whole mask thing.

A Long Weekend Win

 On Friday I posted about my plans for the Labor Day weekend. And how did I do?

Reading. I read Agatha Christie's mystery Death on the Nile in its entirety. Really good.

Writing. I e-mailed the governor and my state senator requesting they open up nursing homes for family visits.

Arithmetic. I got caught up on paying bills and recording items in my checkbook.

And did I get any R&R? Of course!

😀

Where's Marilyn?

Lew and I have our own version of "Where's Waldo?"

Every night before turning in, we locate both of our cats. We do this is to make sure they aren't locked up in a closet or on my parents' side of the house. (Both of these things have happened before.)

We also make sure we know where the cats are when we leave the house for any length of time.

Cats can find interesting and amazing hiding places, but sometimes they are out in the open.

Earlier today I was looking for Marilyn. Would you like to try finding her? She's starting you off with an easy one! 😸

We Are the Champions

Lew and I spent some time with friends this evening. Dinner, a game, ice cream sundaes, the Kentucky Derby, some 80s/90s trivia.... We had a fun time.

The game was Codenames. It was the guys vs. the gals: Peter, Paul, and Lew vs. Anne-Marie, Ellen, and me. Lew and I gave the clues to our teammates.

It was the girls' night! I had a really nice clue that cleaned up a lot of the board for us, while Lew learned that Peter and Paul never played marbles when they were children!

I am going to bask in this victory for a while... at least until the next rematch.

We are the champions!

Hooray for Long Weekends

I have a three-day weekend because of the Labor Day holiday on Monday.

I plan to do the three Rs:

• Reading. Hopefully lots of reading. Maybe an Agatha Christie mystery.
• Writing. I'm going to write a letter to send to lawmakers. Time to open the nursing homes back up for family to visit. Enough is enough.
• Arithmetic. Pay a few bills and get my checkbook caught up.

Actually I'm going to do the five Rs... the three above and some much-needed R&R!

Nickels and Dimes

The cable bill we got this week was about $5 more than last month's.

I compared the line items and saw two increases.

Our plan went up by $1.50.  

Our "Broadcast TV Surcharge" went up by about $3.

In case you are wondering about the surcharge, the small print on the bill says this:

The Broadcast TV Surcharge is a fee reflecting charges assessed to <cable company> by the owners of local broadcast and local "network-affiliated" TV stations.

Whatever.

Cable companies.... The masters of nickel-and-diming!

Dad 530: Rain, Restrictions, Renewal

(Still raining tonight, but summer should be back tomorrow. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Not a great summer day. A slight rain this afternoon. Will not see Mary Lou this evening as it is raining right now.

 

Received some news this week that is in the good column. Next week we will be able to have outdoor visits with our family members that are in nursing homes; visits will be for 1/2 hour every two weeks. Wow! Once again I say open up 100% of the country and take care of the virus. Keep your masks handy!

 

If all goes well I will renew my driver's license tomorrow. It was due in July but I had to get an appointment to renew it due to COVID-19. Want to get rid of my glasses restriction. Had cataracts removed and put in new lenses. Will keep my motorcycle permission and CDL (Commercial Driver's License).

 

Tired of writing. So....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

 

A Lights-Out Fail

I shouldn't be writing this post because I am breaking my new rule of "lights out" by 9:30 p.m.

I started writing this post at 9:30 p.m.

I started writing so late because I was talking with my sister Kim. 

When I told her, "I still need to write my blog post," she said she is a little behind on reading the blog. 

I told her I had been posting every day for almost a week and a half, so she has more catching up to do than she thought.

Happy reading, Kim.... And I am blaming you for my "lights out" failure!  😏😁