Snow, Football, and Puzzling

We survived Saturday's blizzard. About a foot of snow, I believe. We never lost power or cable TV, so we were happy about that. 😁

We just had another great weekend of NFL playoff games! The Super Bowl is now set, and it should be great fun to watch. I think I am pulling for the Bengals. But I would be okay with a Rams win, too, because Lew and I both like yelling, "Cooper Kupp!"  He's such a great player.

I just finished another jigsaw puzzle (a gift from sister Kim). It was quite enjoyable to do, and the subject matter is one of my all-time favorite things!

"Chocolate" ~ jigsaw puzzle by Eurographics

Bring On the Blizzard!

I know it doesn't work this way, but maybe my "welcoming" of the blizzard will make it go elsewhere tomorrow. However, after looking at some weather forecasts, I am not hopeful. We're going to get lots and lots of snow.

I just visited with Mom and told her I probably won't be able to visit her tomorrow because of the expected bad travel conditions. She understood and said she'll watch the storm through her window.

We've got plenty of everything we'll need to make it through the blizzard. So bring it on! (Or not.)

Dad 604: House Warming

(Dad writes today! I am not pleased with the weekend weather forecast. ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another sunny, cool day in the Northeast. Temps around zero or below at night, but has risen to about 20° today. Supposed to be fair and cold the next two days. Then on Saturday we are scheduled for a storm of 10 to 20 inches of new snow. Good weekend to hunker down and watch some football.

 

Well, I had my pinky toe on my left foot removed last Friday. Went back for a checkup on Monday. Still bleeding, but looks good. Will go back tomorrow. Will redo the bandages and continue to heal. Only three toes left!

 

Oil company started to fill Lew and Tracy's tank last Friday. There was no whistle, so they only put in six gallons of fuel. Today a new part was put in so the whistle should work. At the time of repair, our repair guy said my K-1 tank for my monitor heater was below half full. The tank was filled just last week! Was told to screw off the top of the gauge and push the float down. Lew did that and it popped up to almost full.

 

Must go up and see Lou now.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

A Return to Normalcy (?)

Because of COVID restrictions at the nursing home, I haven't been able to have indoor visits with my mother for two weeks. Dad was allowed in last week because he had already had COVID. I wasn't allowed because, to my knowledge, I haven't had COVID. (I'm still trying to figure out if that decision makes any sense.)

Today I was finally allowed back in. Mom was really glad to see me, and I was glad to see her. It's nice to be back to "normal."  It will be even better when we aren't required to wear masks in order to enter the building.

COVID, COVID, go away.... Come again NEVER!

Football!

The Bills/Chiefs game just ended. Unbelievable game! I was just on Facebook and my Kansas friends are thrilled (and relieved) the Chiefs pulled it out.

 

The other three games this weekend ended in an exciting fashion as well, with the visiting team kicking a game-winning field goal as time expired. So amazing that this happened in all three of those games.

 

Tom Brady (the GOAT) almost pulled out a win but fell short. So I no longer have a dog in this hunt. I'm sure I'll end up rooting for somebody next week (maybe the "hottie" Jimmy G), but it will be low stress.

 

It was a fun football weekend!

Toe Update

​Dad had his "toe-ectomy" today. He now is down to three toes, all on his left foot.

Many thanks to Lew for driving Dad to and from today's procedure, as well as for coining the term "toe-ectomy." 😁

Dad 603: Quarantine Completed!

(Dad writes today! ~ Tracy)

Derf Here! Another bright, cold winter day in the Northeast. Temps have climbed into the thirties. Single digits almost every night, then up to the twenties and thirties for the afternoon. Lucky for us, the snow is not a factor. I'm sure we'll get snow in the next six to eight weeks. But I'm not asking for it, believe me!

I've completed my COVID quarantine and am ready to get surgery in two days to remove the small toe on my left foot. I was able to see Lou yesterday in her room for the first time in a couple weeks, and we had a good visit. I'm looking forward to visiting her again today shortly.

Waiting for a 4:00PM presidential news conference. I believe he will have to answer follow-up questions. It will be interesting. I will let you know next week what I think of the president's conference.

So much for today!

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Two Hobbies Collide

Sister Debbie gave me two LEGO jigsaw puzzles for Christmas.

I just completed one of them and it was not as easy as it first appears. It was really fun to do!

Below is my completed 1000-piece puzzle "Paint Party" by LEGO, followed by a close-up shot of one of the beautiful "paint" colors.

A Weekend of Football

​Five NFL wild card games played and one more to go tonight.

My musings on the outcomes in decreasing order of my level of caring:

1. Patriots stunk it up. The silver lining is that I can watch the remainder of the playoffs relatively stress-free!

2. Tom Brady = the GOAT. And gotta love Gronk. (Oh, their team is the Buccaneers, if that matters! 😂)

3. Cowboys had a chance at the end. I'm guessing some  of my family members were disappointed with the outcome, but I'm okay with Jimmy Garoppolo winning. He's a former Patriot, plus – more importantly – he's a hottie! 😍

4. Steelers fans in the family; many Chiefs fans in my circle of friends from my Kansas days. The win by the Chiefs was inevitable.

5. Found myself rooting for the Bengals, so was glad they pulled it out.

6. I don't even remember which teams are playing tonight. 😂

Mosaic Display

I wrote a post earlier in the month about the LEGO mosaic I made.

Since then I have completed one for Lew as well.  I repurposed a couple frames and hung them up today!

Dad 602: Quarantine

(Dad writes today. But first, a quick-follow up on Monday's post: I ended up rooting for Georgia – the eventual champion – because they had a cute bulldog as mascot! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! In the midst of a cold spell, we try and stay warm. Freezing temperatures are with us about every day. We've been plowed out three times so far this season, but snow is certainly not affecting us negatively so far. We'll see!

 

One week ago I was waiting to have a toe amputated. However, before having the surgery, I needed a Covid check. I got tested and was positive. This put a lot of stops into my plans. I have completed my five-day quarantine and can go about within the general population. This Saturday I'll complete the 10 days required by the nursing home and hopefully will be back to my normal visits with Mary Lou, which have been on hold. My surgery is rescheduled for January 21. Hopefully all will continue to go well. Please, no more positive tests! Stay tuned.

 

Enough for today.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Keeping On Keeping On

I had to get a follow-up COVID test today (the five-days-after-exposure rule), and it came back negative. So I am still able to visit with Mom as long as I continue to wear all of the PPE they request: N95 mask, face shield, gown, and gloves. It is really uncomfortable to wear, but I will persevere.

Dad still has a few days to go before he will be allowed back in to visit Mom. I've been calling him from the Center every day so that he and Mom can chat for a bit. Mom and I also had a video chat with Kim today.

After today's visit with Mom, I went to the back of the Center where her window is in order to fill her birdfeeders. They were getting low, and I didn't want to do it tomorrow since it's supposed to be only six degrees outside!

We are all set to watch the National Championship for college football tonight. I hope it's a good, close game. At the moment I don't care who wins, but I often find myself rooting for a team once the game begins. We'll see!

Household Update

Yesterday we had a snowstorm, so I didn't go up to the Center to see Mom. I had told her on Thursday that I probably wouldn't come if it was snowing. I said, "Watch the snow out your window and think of me watching the same snow!"

It was just as well to have a day "off" since I was tired and my arm was sore from getting the Covid booster shot. Not as tired today and my arm is feeling pretty normal.

Since Dad can't visit Mom in person, I am staying a little longer than normal during my visits with her. She and I had a nice time today. Before I left for home, I made sure her TV was on the station for today's NFL games. She liked the idea of watching some football.

Dad has cold-like symptoms but said he is feeling better than he did yesterday. He was even feeling well enough to go to the grocery store today... except I wouldn't let him since he's supposed to be staying home.

Lew went to the grocery store to shop for all of us.  😊

A "Positive" Wrinkle

Dad's pre-surgery COVID test came back positive. UGH!  His toe surgery got rescheduled to the 21st. The worst part is that he can't visit Mom for 10 days.

I had a rapid test today, which fortunately came back negative. So the nursing home is allowing me to visit with Mom. But because Mom has been around Dad, she is stuck in her room for the next 10 days. I also have to wear more PPE when I visit her. I've had to wear the normal mask anyway, but now I have to wear a face shield and a gown.

How do I look?  😮

 

Dad 601: Another Toe to Go

(Dad writes today. He warned me to watch for ice when I left the house earlier; he will always be my Dad! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! A real lousy day in the Northeast. It's foggy and a little rainy. The rain might have stopped now. Temps seem to be rising a little above freezing, so it should not be as icy throughout the rest of the day. Just another rotten day!

 

Well, I'm about to have another toe amputated. This means I will have only three toes remaining on my left foot. (I already have no toes on my right foot.) So the last couple days I've been doing different preps necessary to get ready for surgery.

 

Of course I had a front driver-side tire with a leak. We put air in it twice and finally got it fixed today. Did it at Glen's Subaru shop.

 

Waiting to see if I tested negative for Covid. If my test is positive, there will be no surgery on Friday. Haven't had any problems before.

 

I've been busy the last two days getting all things done for surgery. Hope all goes well.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

My Mosaic

Lew gave me a Lego Mosaic set for Christmas. (He may have had some help selecting it!)

I uploaded my photo to the Lego Mosaic site, then it gave me the pattern to follow.

I followed the pattern and....  Voila!  It was fun.

Hello, 2022

I know I'm a day late in wishing it, but... Happy New Year!

Lew and I actually made it to midnight to see the New Year in. But I think we were both asleep about five minutes later. We aren't exactly night owls!

I went up to the nursing home late morning yesterday to watch the Rose Parade with Mom. We played a game and did puzzles while glancing at the parade.

Debbie gave Mom the game for Christmas. It is based on the rubbery fidget toys that have bubbles that you pop back and forth. The game is played by rolling two dice and then popping that many bubbles on your side of the "board" (which is designed for two players). Mom and I decided that if you roll doubles then you get to roll again.

To start off one of the games we played today, Mom rolled double sixes. I commented that I needed to roll doubles, too... especially since Mom usually wins and the game had already started badly for me.  I then proceeded to roll double ones. Not exactly double sixes! I looked at Mom and started to giggle.... She was giggling, too! For that blessed moment, she was "pre-stroke" Mom. (I wish I could articulate it better, because it was amazing. 💗)

Thanks be to God for His many blessings!