A Brief Update

Joe and Kaelen arrived home safely today. They must be glad the long car ride is over!

We had thunderstorms this afternoon. That took care of the recent heat wave.

Fans of Derf, please check back tomorrow for Dad\"s weekly post!

Another Wave

Not only are we having a wave of visitors, we are also having a heat wave.

From what I hear on the news, I gather it is pretty toasty in many parts of the country at the moment.

I am very thankful for working A/C in our bedroom, my vehicle, and workplace.

Keep cool, everyone!

Wave One

Wave One of our summer visitors came to an end this morning when Joe and Kaelen began their long drive back to Illinois. It is very warm out today, so I hope the A/C in their vehicle is in great working condition!

Kim decided to stay in Maine for a couple more weeks and has a flight booked for Illinois on July 13th. She has moved back into our guestroom for the remainder of her visit. Kim is "Wave Two" of our visitors, although I could also count her as "Wave Zero" since she bookended Joe's and Kaelen's visit.

Wave Three will be Kelsey, Zachariah, and Bode later in July. They are staying with Debbie and Glen while here.

We are so glad that all of our Illinois family will have visited at some point this summer. We are blessed!

Summary Saturday

I unintentionally took a break from writing blog posts for a week.  Did you miss me?

Some of the "happenings" since I last wrote:

Father's Day was last Sunday. Matt, Emily, Eli, and Adam brought Lew and I lunch from Amato's. Kim and Debbie planned a mid-day meal here at our house for my father, so we had quite the crowd! Glen brought his remote cars for Eli and Adam to play with. Eli and Adam also took turns driving the go-cart. Josh also took the go-cart for a spin. (The lawn will never be the same.) Everybody had loads of fun, It was great to have everyone here.

I took Monday off from work. Kaelen and I had a leisurely morning talking over cups of hot chocolate. Lew made a yummy breakfast for us! It was a lovely day.

Worked Tuesday through Friday. Worked hard. Got lots done. Decided I should take this Monday off, too.

We celebrated Kaelen's 30th birthday yesterday! A lovely meal down at Debbie's house followed by some nice family time on their patio.

Lew made breakfast for Kaelen and me again this morning. It was yummy again.

I went to visit with Mom a bit this afternoon. Kim and Debbie bought her some simple puzzles to do, and she loves doing them. She takes it very seriously.

The year is almost half over.... I can hardly believe it!

Dad 573: A Noisy Chevy

(I'm glad somebody in the family remembers I have a blog, because I sure don't sometimes! Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another great day in the Northeast. Air conditioner not needed. Keep it coming.

 

Kim, Kaelen, and I had a great afternoon visit with Mary Lou today. We just returned home, and Kim asked if I did my blog post. I forgot again, so here I am trying to get something done for Tracy to type in later.

 

Joe, Kim, and Kaelen went to see Joe's mother yesterday and they all had a very pleasant day. Joe's car, however, had a noise that he wanted checked before heading back to Illinois. Joe checked with Glen, who called the local Chevy dealership and got a service appointment for Joe. I got a call this morning and picked up Joe for a ride home. Just before noon we went back to pick up the car. A bracket connected to the exhaust had somehow come apart. Not knowing if the part could be found to replace it before the trip home, the bracket was welded. Joe will get it replaced back in Illinois under warranty. All is well with the result!

 

More news next week!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Kim Standing In

As I'm driving home from work, I usually call Lew. We talk just about my whole way home. (For those of you worried about my safety, it's hands-free phone usage!) Kim answered the phone when I called home yesterday. Lew and Kaelen had gone to pick up pizza, so Kim took on Lew's role of chatting with me as I made my way home. She did a nice job standing in for Lew.

Tonight we went to the diner for dinner. As he often does, Dad got a piece of chocolate cream pie to bring home. I usually carry the pie for him, but tonight Kim took on that role. She did a nice job standing in for me and giving me a break from such an arduous task (ha ha!).

We certainly have been keeping Kim busy!

😎😍

Dad 572: Company

(Derf on a Thursday! Enjoy! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! A day late and a dollar short! But what a beautiful day we are enjoying. The day couldn't be better. We'll take it. Chance of rain on Saturday but other than that it should be wonderful. We do need the rain, however.

 

Yesterday Joe and Kaelen arrived in Maine. They spent three days on the road traveling 400 miles a day so as not to put a whole lot of pressure on Joe's hip. He is due for a hip replacement in a few weeks. Their trip to Maine is cut short for his surgery prep. We wish him well as he tackles the replacement next month.

 

Joe spent the night here, then was picked up by his brother Steve at 8:30 AM. They are visiting their mother (Jackie) upstate near Bangor. He will return here Saturday for the rest of his Maine visit. Joe and Kim will stay in Old Orchard at a family cottage, thanks to cousin Robert. They may go to visit Jackie one day next week.

 

Kaelen and Kim spent quite a time with Mary Lou today. I visited her as well. It is great to be with her in her room.

 

Done for today!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Arrivals!

Joe and Kaelen arrived today! In all the excitement, we decided to postpone Derf's weekly post until tomorrow. Thanks for checking in!

Rocky

I stopped to visit Mom on my way home from work tonight.  We were quite entertained by all of the activity on the birdfeeder outside her window.

Funny looking bird, huh?! Kim has named this squirrel Rocky.

I frightened Rocky off the feeder by tapping on the window, but he got right back up again. I tapped again, and this time he stayed off for the rest of my visit.

The birdfeeder was eventually used appropriately!

Pie and Fry

After Lew and I got some culture at Adam's piano recital Saturday afternoon, we had a different sort of cultural experience in the evening.

We went to Old Orchard Beach with Kim, Debbie, Glen, and Josh to get pizza, Pier Fries, and to watch the sights.

The "sights" are the people.

People of all shapes, sizes, modes of dress (or undress), hairstyles, tattoos... you name it, we saw it. I'm always fascinated that people want to be seen in public like some of these people were seen in public!

Play It, Adam

Lew and I went to Adam's very first piano recital today!  He played two pieces:  Come Fly, and You've Got a Friend in Me (from the movie Toy Story).

He was very excited about playing! When he first got to the piano, he sat on his knees on the piano bench while arranging his music. I wondered if he was going to play that way, but he did end up sitting down. He did a very nice job on his pieces, and I could see that he was pleased. He told me afterward that he liked being in the recital.

We all went out for ice cream afterward to celebrate this momentous occasion. 😎

61 Years

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

We had a little party during the lunch hour today. 

The nursing home had a table outside for us to use. Kim and Debbie picked up pizza (gluten free for Mom) and Debbie brought Bundtlets for both Mom and Dad. I took an extra-long lunch break so I could be there. Lew and Josh also joined us.

It was the first time my parents and their three daughters were all together in the same place since before the pandemic. Lew took a picture of us!

Dad 571: Busy Morning, Lazy Afternoon

(Dad writes today. Enjoy his post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another very hot summer day. Around 90° for the last three days. Supposed to get a break from the high temps soon, so temps will be closer to the average for this time of year.

 

Had a busy morning today. Got up early, had breakfast, and was off on my errands. Went to the Subaru dealership and used their service lane to get our car serviced and our inspection sticker. Still have only about 4,500 miles on our Forester. Oh, also had tires rotated. Then it was off to the gas station for a fill-up. Then to the store for some groceries. Ready for lunch then.

 

After lunch spent some time with my bride of almost 61 years. Kind of a lazy afternoon. Spent three hours with Mary Lou today.

 

Upon returning home, Kim and I were greeted by Lew asking if we would like a burger with a side of potato salad. That will be our dinner tonight.

 

On Friday, we will have pizza with Mary Lou in celebration of our wedding anniversary. Stay tuned!!!

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Tracy's Day Off

I didn't exactly "skip" work today, because I did talk to my supervisor yesterday about taking the day off.

Lew and I went out to breakfast, after which we went to the pharmacy so that I could get the first dose of the shingles vaccine. (Second dose in a couple months.)

After a quick return home to take care of a few things, we were off again. I closed an account at a bank we don't really use anymore, bought some stamps at the post office, deposited the funds from the closed account at our regular bank, and renewed my library card.  Then we went to Market Basket, which I had not been to yet.  Lew wanted me to see it, and I think we should do all of our grocery shopping there!  It is a longer drive, though, but might be worth it.

I went with Dad to visit Mom and then switched off with Kim when she arrived to visit.

When I got home I took care of a few more items on my "to do" list, and I must say it has been a successful day in that regard.

"LEGO Masters" is on tonight!  😊

Yard Sale

I would say that today's yard sale was a success. So little was left over that we decided against "opening" tomorrow.  We'll have another sale on Labor Day weekend after we all have decluttered over the summer.

So I am getting a day of rest this weekend after all.

😎

Busy

What a crazy busy week this has been!  So glad to have a couple days of rest coming up.... But.... Oh, just remembered....

Yard sale this weekend.

So glad to have a couple days of rest coming up in another week!

😁

Dad 570: Visiting

(Dad writes today! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another decent summer day in the 70s. Not a great deal of sun. A little unsettled for the next couple days. Not real bad but could be better. And then the weekend in the high 80s to 90s. Hope to get our yard sale in this weekend.

 

Just got back from spending the afternoon with Mary Lou. Kim and Deb were also there and we got answers to some questions on washing clothes, etc. It was a good afternoon!

 

As mentioned above, Kim is visiting. She arrived here Sunday and saw her mom through the window that afternoon. Starting Monday she has been in every day with me to see Mary Lou. Really has enjoyed her visits. Spouse seems tired at times but manages to stay awake for our visits. She wants to miss nothing that is going on... and she doesn't!

 

Sister Deb had an eye appointment today for a problem. Hopefully we'll find out the seriousness when talking with her later on. Tune in next week for an update.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Kimmy!

Kim arrived on Sunday and has been able to visit Mom a couple times already. Mom was so glad to see her!  (We were glad to see Kim, too!)

I stopped in to see Mom on my way home from work today. She hadn't eaten much of her dinner, so I made her take more bites of it. She obeyed me.  😊

It rained the entire long weekend, but the sun reappeared today... just in time for me to go back to work. That's the way it goes....