Dad 729: Three Minutes

(Dad writes today. We had to replace our water pressure booster pump. It took a couple months to find someone to install it for us! ~ Tracy)

Derf Here! Another summer day for our pleasure in the Northeast.

Today's post will be short. I told my editor that I would have something by 4:00 P.M. I've wasted the whole day and it is now 3:59 P.M.

Lew just went to the Dairy Corner, so I now have an ice cream treat in my refrigerator. I will eat it over the next few days. It is delicious!

And our water pressure is great!

Everything else seems to be going normally. Check again next week for anything new.

It is now 4:02 P.M.

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Baseball's Best

The team from Lake Mary, Florida won the Little League Baseball World Series today! Lew and I were rooting for them. The players had lots of personality and were fun to watch. Congratulations to a great bunch of kids!

What sports do I watch now? I will have to be content with Indiana Fever games (Caitlin Clark!) and NFL football, which is coming right up.

Health update: I'm feeling much better and hope to make it to work tomorrow. Lew is still suffering, but he caught it a couple days after I did. Hoping he gets well over the next couple days.

Sharing

It usually is good to share what you have with others.

I have shared my cold/flu illness with Lew.

He is grateful.

My unselfishness knows no bounds.

😳

Dad 728: Gotta Laugh

(Dad writes today. Happy Birthday to Lew. Ahchoo! ~ Tracy)

Derf Here! Fairly nice day. Temp around 70 degrees at noontime. Summer is closing out on us. Hard to believe, but we'll take it.

All our visitors are back home in Illinois. Bode and Zach are back in school as school is restarting throughout the USA.

Not much going on. I'm watching the DNC Convention as I need some laughs. It is working.

Short today as Tracy has a cold. Trying to make it easy for her.

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

A New Pizza Experience

After an early departure this past Tuesday, Kim, Joe, Kaelen, and Cocoa arrived home early Wednesday evening. That's a long two days of driving!

Last Sunday I wrote about the Olympics. It was a great two weeks of sports. Now Lew and I have been watching the Little League Baseball World Series. I would love to go to Williamsport, PA some year to experience this event. It ends next Sunday.

We went out to lunch with Matt, Emily, Eli, and Adam after church today. We had such a nice time with them, and the food was especially scrumptious. I had a Loaded Mashed Potato pizza! It's made with pizza dough topped with a cheese blend, bacon, smoked cheddar, fresh jalapeños, scallions, and sour cream. (I had them hold the fresh jalapeños.)  We all went home with leftovers, so there is more yumminess to look forward to.

We are having a yard sale Labor Day weekend with our friends Carole and Donna, so I am starting to declutter. It's going a bit slow, but I will pick up the pace as the day draws nearer. My niece Kelsey wrote the best yard sale advertisement, which went something like this: "Come buy our stuff. We don't want it anymore!"

Dad 727: Maine to Illinois, Part 2

(Dad writes today! ~ Tracy)

Derf Here! Another nice summer day. It's like the last day of summer for me. I'll tell you why....

The rest of our summer Illinois visitors left yesterday for home. We are now empty of visitors. Last night they (Kim, Joe, Kaelen, and Cocoa) made it to a hotel around the Buffalo, NY area. They reached there around 6:00pm.

I will guess they are now in Illinois this afternoon as they travel toward home and receive an extra hour on the clock. (They gain an hour in their travel.) Hope to hear from them after their arrival home late this afternoon or early evening.

Had a good summer and now wait for next summer! Bring it on!

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Medals

I enjoyed the Olympics, especially since Team USA had great success!

Watching the women's soccer team win gold yesterday was nerve-wracking, but that didn't compare to the women's basketball gold medal game today. I expected Team USA to win by a comfortable margin and they won by only ONE point. I was happy they pulled it out, but my nerves were "shot" afterward.

I am not a huge fan of the events decided by judges, although I am certainly impressed by the athletes (for example, gymnasts and divers). I much prefer events that are more easily measured.... You get there first and you win. You score the most points or goals and you win. You throw it the greatest distance and you win. You jump the longest or highest and you win. 

These Olympics were not without controversy (are they ever?) but the athletes were fun to watch. Congratulations to them all for being Olympians. That alone is an outstanding accomplishment.

Dad 726: Maine to Illinois

(Dad writes today! Summer is winding down.... ~ Tracy)

Derf Here! Oh, yes. 'Tis another delightful day in the Northeast. The sun shineth, there is no wind, and the lawn is getting mowed by Lew and John Deere. It is a great day!

Well, our visiting Illinois crew is no longer at its full amount. Zachariah, Kelsey, Bode, and Boston left Scarborough today on their trip back home to Rock Falls. They will stay in Ohio tonight and will be home tomorrow. Miss you, but thanks for coming to Maine again. Great family!

I hope Joe and Kim had a great breakfast on their new stove at the camp this morning.

Everything seems to be normal. That's it for today.

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Remembering Mom

We had a lovely time last night as our family dined on brisket, corn on the cob, bread, watermelon, cookies, and chips 'n dip. (I may be missing something.) The meat and the corn came all the way from Illinois. Yum!

In attendance were Dad, Lew & I, Kim & Joe, Kaelen, Kelsey & Zach, Bode, Boston, Debbie & Glen, and Zack. We were short one member because Josh is working his 90-day shift on the ship. (We missed you, Josh!)

After the meal we had a brief time of remembering my mother.

Kelsey and Kaelen led by reading the obituary. I then read Mom & Dad's wedding invitation, after which I shared the Bible passage Mom and I often read together.  Said passage was Genesis 1, with Mom providing "good" after I read "and God saw that it was..." — my family performed Mom's part last night. I told everyone they were on Mom's heart until the end as I sang to her, "He's got Mary Lou's family in His hands."

After I finished the "planned" portion of the evening, the rest of the family shared (mostly funny!) stories about Mom. It was a nice time of remembrance.

We will always miss her.

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