Tuesday July 23, 2013

I went outside briefly at 0500 and it had just started to rain. No thunder just a nice gentle rain. I checked at 0800 as I was getting ready to go to MAC and the sky was blue. Today I did the tri and luckily I did not have to share a lane. Because I have a 1300 Doctor's appointment I stopped at the Starbucks in Breton Village. I was just starting to read the WSJ when Ed Namey walked by. He stopped and we talked for 30 minutes. Ed spent most of his career in the airline business. He is disappointed that the airlines are adding more seats to their planes. Ed is over 6' tall. The Nameys have children in Virginia and CA so they travel to these destinations at least 4 times a year. The airlines have forced him to upgrade in order to have some comfort. I am lucky that I am short and so I do not have the discomfort taller folks have. Did you know that in 1960 I was considered an average America male? My height, 5'7", suit and shoe size, 40/9.5, were average. Now I am considered short. It must be the diet? I left D&W at noon and headed straight home. After a quick lunch I headed to the Doctor. I thought I had a deep groin muscle pull. The Doctor confirmed my suspicions. He recommended not rowing or running for several weeks. I told him I would keep riding my bike but only for my trips to the MAC. I will start swimming 5 days a week for my aerobic exercise. Stay tuned! I am so tired of all the royal baby news. My views are shared by a lot of guys at the MAC. I really don't care what they call the little guy. Nancy just called me to dinner. She has fixed me a pork chop.

Monday July 22, 2013

We had a big thunderstorm roll through last night. I was surprised but the storm did not seem to bother Ms P. She has only been gone one night but I miss Nancy. She is at the merchandise show in Chicago. I got up at 0655 this morning. Today I changed my schedule. I did my entire workout at the MAC. I thought it might shorten the routine. It did by 30 minutes. I ran 2.5 miles outside today with no pain. After the MAC I pedaled to the Kava House. I sat outside. I think I like Starbuck in EGR better than the Kava House because the inside lighting is better and the chairs are more comfortable. I read most of the WSJ but did not find any article that I want to comment on. Tomorrow is garbage day so I had to put the container at the curb. After lunch I took a quick nap. I spent most afternoon working on the computer. After using Windows for so many years I am having some problems adjusting to my MacBook. Tonight I will have a light dinner and then walk over to a new frozen yogurt place in Eastown. I pick up Nancy at the train station at 2240. We had perfect summer weather today with a high of 82. Eighty two is perfect for summer. I just finished filling out my Absent Voter's Ballot. I will mail it when I walk to the yogurt shop tonight. I have a 100% voting record. Lately my winning percentage has been less that 50%.

Sunday July 21, 2013

Weekend update: Saturday morning, it was a little cooler this morning. I pedaled to Bill's for my oatmeal breakfast. I could not get my Kindle to open so no WSJ. Usually Saturday breakfast lasts 90 minutes. Today with no Kindle it lasted 20. After breakfast I pedaled around Reeds Lake. East Grand Rapids has put new bituminous on the road around the lake. It makes for a smooth ride. As soon as I got home I turned on the MacBook and tried to get a phone number to report my Kindle problem. Amazon's web page said if we wanted to get the phone number go to their "Contact us" page. I thought it was impossible to find a number. I finally googled Kindle and got a phone number. I was told all I had to do was hold the on button for a count of 50. It worked. It was 88 when I started cutting the grass. Lawn experts say that you should alternate cutting directions. I usually don't do this but today I did alternate. It took about 30 minutes longer than normal. Ms P was out with me and she was very active chasing the ball. I finished the lawn cutting at 1630. After a shower I took a short nap. Nancy and I had dinner at Forest Hill Inn. I had a wet burrito. Nancy headed upstairs at 2100. I stayed down and watch a Bourne Identity rerun. I took Ms P out at 2100 and was surprised that she could hardly walk. We had to carry her upstairs. We gave her some anti inflammation medicine. Sunday July 21: All our alarms go off at 0630. Nancy is going to a buyer's show in Chicago today. She is taking the train to Chicago. I took Ms P out and she appears back to normal. The train leaves at 0740. We were early but a large crowded was already waiting. I swam my 1,500 yards today. My time was 43'20". I did go to Meijer's today. Gas was $3.87. I bought apples and yogurt. Because I will not have Nancy's world famous eggs today I decided that I would violate my diet. I bought some chocolate covered donuts. I took a short nap. I thought Ms P was feeling better so I walked her around the nap. With all my bike riding I need another high visibility tee shirt. I drove to Gazelle Sport and bought a shirt. I took a 2.25 mile walk when I got home. It is now 1936 and I am sitting at the kitchen table writing this blog and watching 60 minutes. Is it a generational thing because every time I pass a Cartridge World store I think they sell bullets. Do you? Tonight I will finish reading the GRP (paper edition) and watch some TV before heading upstairs. I will also give Nancy a call to see how things are going.

Friday July 19, 2013

Today the weather folks predict rain. The rain will bring us cooler weather. We had a thunder shower come through about 1400 but it did not provide any heat relief. This morning I did all my calisthenics at home. I have either a groin muscle pull or a hernia so I did not do any rowing or running today. I will see the doctor on Tuesday. I got the single speed out and pedaled to Starbucks in Gas Light. I read the WSJ. The articles about Detroit I find interesting. I just hope the bankruptcy does not impact the bond rating of GR or other Mi cities that have kept their financial house in order. I also don't think Detroit should be bailed out. It is a Detroit problem and they should pay for their mismanagement. At 1100 I got on the single speed and headed to the MAC. I needed some aerobics so I swam 1,000 yards. Kim, cleaning lady, came this morning and she was finishing up at 1330. I took a short nap and then caught up on some mail. Tonight Nancy and I had dinner at Houligan's. This food was good but overpriced. Houligan's was not very crowded. I did watch the evening news. About 1930 I thought it was about time that Ms P got out of the house. It was still 90 but the humidity had gone down. We just walked around the block. Not much on TV so we will head upstairs early. I am reading a good book about an archer in the English army around 1300. Maybe I can finish this weekend. Have a good weekend!

Thursday July 18, 2013

Today is our son Stephen's 40th birthday. I remember his birth date well. It was a beautiful July day in 73. Early morning and Nancy said her water broke. We drove to the hospital and within 30 minutes Nancy was wheeled out and she said it was a little boy. In 1973 Fathers did not take part in the birth. We sat in the lounge and read year old copies of SI. I then drove home and told Nana, Debbie and Missy that they had a grandson/brother. In the afternoon I took a box of cigars to the Kentwood Landfill and passed them out to all the haulers. Oh the things we remember. Today is suppose to be the last day of our heat wave. It is now 1800 and the temperature is 95. This being Thursday I did my tri. Unlike Tuesday today I did not have to share a lane. I stopped at Starbucks in Gas Light for my morning coffee and newspaper. I love using my Starbucks app on the iPhone. Big article on Detroit's money woes in the WSJ. Bankruptcy will probably be declared this week. We have been watering our lawn every two days. Despite all the water the heat appears to have stunted the grass. I might wait to Saturday to cut the grass. Because of Nancy's recent foot surgery she has to have some special inserts made. She had a 1600 appointment with the insert folks. We drove to their shop and then we decided to have an early dinner and drove the Great Lakes Shipping. Nancy's medicine for her foot requires she stay out of the sun so we sat inside. We worked last night at the Harry Connick Jr concert. The amphitheater has a capacity of 1,900 but we were told 2,100 tickets were sold. Everyone showed up. I have never seen so many folks in the amphitheater. After the sun went down it was a perfect night for a concert. The show lasted for two hours and I think the folks got a bargain. We will read the GRP and watch some TV before heading upstairs. I like "Burn Notice" on USA. It is a new season. I am also watching the Tour de France. The scenery is really great. Rural France is beautiful. I see that some politicians want to pull out of the winter olympics. This is payback to Putin for harboring Snowden. Dumb idea. Really! Really Dumb. Tonight I will finish the rhubarb sauce. Life is good!

Wednesday July 17, 2013

Maybe it is the heat but both Nancy and I slept in today. I finally got up at 0730. Today is my easy day so I pedaled to Bill's for an oatmeal breakfast. After breakfast I pedaled around Reeds Lake. I was surprised at the number of folks biking and running around the lake. At 1000 the temperature was in the 90s. It is now 1615 and the temperature is 93. Ms P is not taking the heat well. Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon. We are also working at the Harry Connick concert tonight. I drove Nancy to the Gardens and after her shift she will walk over to our work station. We begin work at 1700 and should be done by 1945. The concert starts at 1930. It is sold out. The Amphitheater holds 1,900 folks. On this date in 1938, Ossineke, Michigan. It was a Sunday and GGF Sanborn spent the AM at home. Hazel called GGF and asked that he work in the post office all next week because she is attending a school convention in Tawas. In the afternoon GGF attended the Ossineke vs Herron baseball game, score unknown. I think this is a pretty active life for an 83 year old man. Yesterday he worked in his garden. His car a Zepher broke down so he fixed it.

Tuesday July 16, 2013

Another 90 degree day is upon us. Our AC keeps chugging along. I am surprised hearing folks at the MAC saying they will not go outside. I say embrace the weather. I rode the single speed to the MAC. I really like the single speed for riding around town because it is so simple. Just get on and pedal. No thinking required. I am surprised at the number of young folks that think my bike is cool. GR has a lot of single speed riders. Everyone must be on vacation because traffic was very light this morning. I had to share a lane for most of my swim this morning. My swim times have slowly been getting faster. The 1,000 yard time today was 28'30". This is a slow time for hard core swimmers but it is good for me. The Kava House was not very crowded today. I sat outside and read the WSJ. Most folks stayed in the AC section. Most public places keep their AC set too low. I had a quick lunch and then took a short nap. Tonight Nancy and I are heading to the Gardens to work a concert. I probably will be taking tickets. It will be interesting to see if the heat keeps folks away. On a hot summer night I would want to sit outside and listen to the music. Stay tuned. I was glad to see that my sister had the bad wound on her leg checked out. She facebooked (is this a word) a picture and it looked bad. About four friends told her to get it checked out. Speaking of wounds Nancy today scheduled her first physical therapy session for her foot and ankle rehab. I got my 30' in today did you?