Friday December 27, 2013

Friday Steve and family are heading home today. It took them a lot of thought and time to get their car loaded. Steve helped Debbie install her bluray. She now has netflix. I had my coffee at Starbucks. I read the WSJ on my Kindle. Later in the day I download the WSJ to my new mini iPad. Speaking of electronics I downloaded before I left GR the James Bond movie, Skyfall. I watched it on my Apple Air. I like watching movies on the air. On the home front when we left GR on Sunday we had no power. Power came back on Monday. Our neighbors to the west, Borst, did not get power until Tuesday. Our alarm folks at EPS called early Monday and said the battery on the alarm system was depleted so the alarm was not working. On Thursday I called Jim Borst and asked if he would check the house especially the basement. I was worried about a frozen water pipe breaking. I thought the alarm was off. Jim opened the door and quess what? The alarm went off. It took Jim some time to disable the alarm. I got a call from EPS saying the alarm was on and they had called the police. I told them to cancel the call. Anyway we are back to normal with no damage to the house. After Steve and family left about noon Debbie fired up her netflix and they started watching "House of Cards". I took a walk and nap. We had an early dinner at Rock Bottom. Later, we all watched Hunger Games. After Hunger Games, Debbie and I watched "Orange is the New Black".

Thursday December 26, 2013

I have conquered jet lag. Up at 0630 and walked to Starbucks for coffee, oatmeal and the papers. Later I went on a walk around the Willow Glen neighborhood. I met the rest of the family at the city park on Willow. We spent about 90 minutes at the park. We all had lunch at Chili's. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing games. Except for me, I took a nap and then another walk around hood. Steve and Veronica had a night out. They had dinner and then attended at movie, Hustle. Debbie and I went to Panda Express and got takeout for the rest of us. The grandkids watched the movie, Bolt. Debbie made popcorn. I also watched the movie and liked it.

Wednesday December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas! At 0700 the Grandkids were still not awake so I walked over to Starbucks to get coffee for Nancy, Steve and myself. We started opening presents about 0800. Debbie got me a mini iPad and Nancy bought me tickets to Red Green who is coming to GR in April. Love Red Green. I got a lot of great gifts from all the family. After opening presents, Steve and family went to church. In the afternoon I took a 6 mile walk on the Los Gatos trail. We did not have a sit-down meal today, but everyone got enough to eat. In fact we snacked all day. I have known Nancy for 50 holiday seasons. The first season was in 1964. It has been a great run.

Tuesday December 24, 2013

Christmas Eve 2013: I got up at 0600 and walked to Starbucks for coffee and to read the WSJ and San Francisco Chronicle. I was surprised that a lot of folks coming in Starbucks were going to work. Quick in and out. I bought Steve and Nancy a coffee. The kids seemed tired from all the activity yesterday. Nancy was fixing cookies and Steve and Veronica were getting ready for the big day. Nancy and I went with Debbie to Trader Joe's for more supplies. I like TJ and wish we had one in GR. Everyone was busy so I took a nice walk to the Willow Glen shopping district. Total walk time about one hour. In the afternoon Steve's family and Debbie went to Tech Museum. Nancy and I stayed home. It was such a beautiful day, high 60s and sun, that I took a walk on the Los Gatos trail. It is a great trail but I thought it was narrow for all the traffic. The trail passes under all the cross roads so it is very safe. Debbie fixed a ham for dinner. We had ham, mashed potatoes, beans and rolls. Cookies for dessert. Nancy got hit with a fast acting stomach flu bug. She went to bed early. Steve's favorite Christmas movie "The Christmas Story" was on a 24 hour marathon. I watched the movie and I can relate to Ralph, the star. I wanted a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas when I was 8 or 9. In fact I did get a BB gun. When I went to bed about 2230 Nancy was feeling much better. Merry Christmas.

Monday December 23, 2013

I woke at 0500 PST. Jet lag. I dressed and walked to Starbucks. I purchased a coffee and oatmeal. I like this branch's oatmeal. Starbucks was busy with folks coming in to get a coffee before heading to work. I walked over to a local bike shop to see if they had a bike suitable for Debbie. It was 50 and sunny. They did. Lucas, Steve and I spent some time throwing the football around. In the afternoon we headed to downtown San Jose to attend Christmas in the Park. Nancy stayed home and made cookies. The park was jammed. Lucas and Alessandra rode on several rides. We had lunch at Johnny Rockets. The place was crowded and noisy. I called our neighbor Jim and he said the power was still out and it might be Thursday before it would be restored. He emailed me later that our power was on but his was not. I emailed him back and told him to stay in our house. He and his family were staying in a hotel. We all had a light dinner. When it got dark we took a walk around Debbie's neighborhood to look at all the outdoor Christmas displays. Several homes had gone all out. Nancy and I were really tired so we were in bed by 2030. I fired up the Kindle and immediately fell asleep. I woke up at midnight with the Kindle underneath me.

Sunday December 22, 2013

We slept in today. We had planned on going out to breakfast. I walked outside and found we had about 1 inch of ice over everything. We had also lost our power over night. We were able to peel off the ice on the driveway. We got in the Taurus and head to the Omelette Shop for breakfast. Breton Village had power. Apparently everyone without power headed to the Omelette Shop. The wait was 50 minutes so we stopped at D&W and bought some donuts. We heard that over 200,000 homes were without power. We are leaving for CA this afternoon. I talked to our neighbor, Jim Borst, and asked if he would check our house while we are gone. I worry about freezing pipes if the power is off too long. We checked on our flight status and everything was on time. I called a taxi and they said because of the weather expect a two hour delay. We drove to the airport and parked in the garage. It is more costly than a taxi but at least we got to the airport on time. Checkin was a breeze as was going through security. We were randomly selected for an easy pass through. The flight to Minn/St Paul was easy as was the flight to SFO. We got in on time and picked up the rental from Payless. We took the Bayshore to Debbie's home. We arrived at 2215 PST. Steve and family had arrived earlier and were already in bed. We went directly to bed.

Saturday December 21, 2013

First day of winter. One of my favorite days because the days will now get longer. Today we had 9 hours of daylight. In June we will have 15 hours. I prefer 15. We had a thin coat of ice on all our concrete. I salted the drive. Today I put on some steel ice grippers on my boots. They work great. I walked to Bill's for the oatmeal breakfast. I took a detour on my walk home to the post office. Later I drove Nancy to the MAC so she could empty her locker. A storm is moving in so we do not think we can go out tonight. We stopped at Breton Village and bought a pot pie and TV dinner. I spent most of the afternoon packing. Actually it did not take that long. We had an early dinner and then watched some news. It is now 2135 and I am watching the UM/Stanford BB game. Nancy went to bed early. Every radio station and retail store are playing Christmas songs. A lot of the songs have lyrics about snow, sleigh, and other cold weather items. When I was a boy most of the population lived in areas that had snow for Christmas. Now most of the population lives in warmer climes. Can young folks relate? A story of Christmas past. In 1957 I was on the UM wrestling team and the team was going to a Holiday tournament in Wiles Barre, PA. We were to leave on the 27th of DEC. I decided that it was too difficult to go home to Alpena for a day or two. I would have to take a bus. The bus trip was over 10 hours. UM closed most the the dorms over the holidays. They left East Quad open and I got a room. The first night it was so quiet that it was spooky. Finally I got so lonely that I got on a bus and headed home. I walked into the house about 2200 and my Mom and Dad were playing cards. My Mom looked at me and said what are you doing here. I told her I was not ready to spend Christmas away from family.

Friday December 20, 2013

The alarm goes off at 0455. I walked outside and nearly fell on my ass. The drive was iced over. Nancy had to be at St Mary's at 0645 for some X-rays. I got out a nearly empty bag of salt and had just enough to salt the top of the drive. I then filled a bucket with hot water and spread it on the steep portion of the drive. It worked. I applied five more bucket. The icing was really bad and all schools in the area were closed. I drove Nancy to St Mary's. The local roads were bad but the main roads had been salted. After the tests we drove home and got our gym bags. At the MAC I went swimming and did my calisthenics. Nancy took her body pump class. After I dropped Nancy off I headed to Rylee's to get a bag of salt. I bought one of their last 40# bags. I spent about an hour salting and scraping ice. I did take a short nap. Kim picked Ms P up about 1500. Ms P will spend the next two weeks with Kim. I finished writing checks to charities this afternoon. Nancy fixed hot dogs and soup for dinner. It was good. Not much on TV tonight but I did watch some of Woody Allen's "Bananas". It was funny.

Thursday December 19, 2013

I started the day shoveling. So what is new! Nancy and I left for the MAC around 0730 for our Thursday morning swim. After the MAC I walked over to Breton Village for my coffee. I took my time reading because Kim was cleaning the house. I got home about 1300 and had a quick lunch. Nancy is getting worried about the weather on Sunday so she wanted to see if we could change our departure to Saturday. We drove to the airport and were told that we had to check online. It does not look promising. When we got home Nancy checked with Delta and they said no problem changing to Saturday. It only costs an additional $400. We declined. We stopped at Costco so Nancy could pick up a prescription. I have never seen the store so crowded on a Thursday. Nancy and I had dinner at Leo's with Hal and Karen Horlings. We have never had a bad meal at Leo's. It is our favorite. On our drive home we noted that it had started to rain. If the rain freezes we are in for some deep trouble.

Wednesday December 18, 2013

We had an inch of snow over night. I had it all shoveled by 0530 and then went back to bed. Today is my easy day and I did not get up until 0730. I walked to Bill's for breakfast. I had their super breakfast. I just got started reading the WSJ when I got a call from the eye doctor saying my new glasses are in. I had to get to the Doctors by 1130. I walked home in record time. I bought new lenses for my wire rim glasses and a new pair of sport type glasses with transition lenses. I was surprised at the clarity of both new glasses. My eyes had really changed in a year. Nancy had a busy day today. She went to the MAC, had some lab work done, attended a meeting of the Meijer Japanese Garden committee and then worked at the Gardens in the afternoon. This afternoon I started doing our yearly gifts. In the past I have kept a record of our contributions using excel. This year I am using Apple's Numbers program. Nancy fixed French toast for dinner. It was a great meal for a cold winter day. I have been thinking about how to get our walk shoveled while were gone this winter. The neighbors I have used in the past are not going to be home. They recommended another neighbor with three sons. This evening I walked over and they were happy to shovel. This year I will do my Christmas Cards using e-mail. Is using the internet to send Season's Greetings tacky?

Tuesday December 17, 2013

The snow continues. I shoveled at 0500 and again at noon. I will shovel once again after the evening news. I am having a problem finding a place to put the snow. The snow banks are too high. Nancy and I drove together to the MAC this morning. I did my swim and calisthenics and then walked over to Starbucks in Breton Village for my coffee. The WSJ today had an interesting article about how childhood asthma and allergies might be eliminated if folks just had a dog. Interesting! Is nothing scared! I have been taking a multi vitamin for years. Now they are saying that they are useless. Whenever I read about a bankruptcy I am appalled how much the lawyers are milking this system. The Detroit bankruptcy is costing millions in attorney fees. Some fees are as high as $600 per hour. What man is worth $600 per hour. The Madoff attorney fees are over $100M. I once heard that attorneys are hired to resolve a dispute between two parties by depleting the resources of both parties. This afternoon I took the lights back to Rylee's that I purchased yesterday. A helpful employee explained to me the different colors that the lights come in. I got the right color. I also got some stop mail forms at the post office. After a short nap I started writing this blog. It is now 1744 and as soon as I finish I am heading downstairs for dinner. Nancy is fixing a chicken dish in the crock pot. It smells good. NCIS on TV tonight. We also got a paper copy of the GRP. Life is good.

Monday December 16, 2013

It was 3 degrees when I left for my walk to the MAC at 0530. No wind so the walk was not that bad. After the swim and calisthenics I walked over to Starbucks at Breton Village. Does anyone know all the ins and outs of the problems in the Ukraine. I think the Russians are playing a good game of hardball. What is John McCain doing in the Ukraine? I am happy that congress finally showed some sense when they approved the budget deal. It was so cold that I thought my body had burned many calories just keeping me warm. So I bought two donuts. For the first time in a week we had bright sunshine. In the afternoon I got in the C2 and ran some errands. My first stop was Rylee's to buy some fluorescence bulbs for my office fixture. I bought two bulbs. I was going to stop at the post office to get some stop mail forms while we are in CA. The parking lot was full so I stopped at a small fitness studio to see if they offered a Body Pump class. They said that they did indeed offer this class. Nancy likes Body Pump but the MVP club we joined does not offer this class. I brought all the info home. I put in the new bulbs and they are the wrong kind. They give off a yellow light and the original lights gave off a nice white light. I will exchange them tomorrow. Nancy had a doctor's appointment at 1700. Traffic on the East Beltline is terrible between 1600 and 1800. Nancy wanted me to drive and I complied. We had a light dinner and they watched the news. Right now we are watching Major Crimes on TNT. We like this show. Tomorrow we are expecting a warm up. I hope it does not get above 32.

Sunday December 15, 2013

Weekend Update: Snow, snow, temperatures between 19 and 21 all weekend. Friday the 13th. Too much snow on the roads so I walked to the MAC. I over dressed because I really worked up a sweat. I had to dry my shirt with a hair dryer. I was in the pool at 0630 and did my 1500 meters. The main conversation at the MAC is where are you going? They mean when the MAC closes on Jan 5. A lot of folks are emotional but Nancy and I are ready to move on. No big deal. After the MAC I walked to Macatawa Bank to make a deposit and then to Breton Village. I spent several hours looking at some plans. It started snowing hard in the afternoon. I had to shovel. Nancy and I took her friend Kathy out for dinner at the old Gibbons. Kathy was a realtor and we wanted some advice on selling our house and finding a condo or apartment. I was surprised that Kathy favored renting. I am leaning this way. After dinner we stopped by Kathy's house for dessert. It being the 13th I bought a lottery ticket. No luck. I won a jeep in 1956 with the number 13. About this day in December 1962 I left Midway Island about 1400 and headed to Hawaii. It was 70 when I left. I never left an airport until I arrived in Alpena. I flew from Hawaii to SFO and then to Chicago. From Chicago I took the milk run. We stopped in Benton Harbor, Kalamazoo, Detroit, Flint and finally Alpena. It was -17 when I got off the airplane in Alpena. My Mother and Dad were there to meet me. Saturday December 14: I shoveled first thing. Nancy went to water aerobics and I walked to Bill's. We had a bad storm out of the east. The walk home, 2.5 miles, was brutal because I walked into the wind. As soon as I got home I shoveled. I did take a short nap and then spent some time in the office. At 1600 I went out and shoveled again. We had dinner at Houlhan's with Ed and Mary Namey. After dinner we went to the Namey's for dessert. It was a pleasant evening. Sunday December 15: I took Ms P out at 0500 and shoveled the walk. Today is Nancy and Bob's last Sunday swim at the MAC. After the swim we headed to Meijer's. Gas was $3.09. We did not buy much. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. I took my Sunday nap and right now, 1714, I am writing this blog. As soon as I finish I will head outside and shovel. Tonight we will watch 60 Minutes, read the GRP. A very typical Sunday in GR.

Thursday December 12, 2013

The snow and cold continues. I shoveled at 0500. I rode to the MAC with Nancy. We both went swimming. After the MAC I walked over to Starbucks at Breton Village. I read the entire WSJ but cannot remember anything of interest. I walked home. When I got home I shoveled the walk. The snow is beginning to pile up. I took a short nap. After some work in my office I headed out and shoveled the walk. Third time today. We had dinner at GL Shipping this evening. Nancy just finished booking our flight to Miami for early February. We will stay two days in Miami and then join our tour to Panama. Not much on TV tonight so we will head up early to read. I got my 30' in today. I hope you did too.

Wednesday December 11, 2013

This morning I had Breakfast Club. I got up at 0600 and shoveled the walk. With all the snow we had over the last 24 hours I expected a small crowd. We had a big turnout. Today the was speaker was a local actress who told a Christmas Story. It was good. We also had a raffle and I won a $10 gift certificate. The food was especially good this morning, scrambled eggs, a hot sweet dish, biscuits and gravy and tons of bacon. I think most of the members are limited in their bacon consumption by their significant others. After BC I stopped at the Wealthy Street bakery for coffee and a scone. I really did not need a scone but it looked so good. I had to limit my reading time because of cold feet. When I got home I shoveled the walk again. Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon. Costco sells a great pair of a wool blend long underwear. I needed several more pairs so I headed to Costco. Gas at Costco today was $3.09. I not only bought two pair of long underwear but also a pair of winter boots. The boots were cheap and had a weather rating of -40. I took a short nap when I got home. After the nap I went out and shoveled the walk. It is now 1630 and I plan at 1700 to take a two mile walk in my new boots. Tonight we are eating light. Not much on TV so I will head upstairs early to read my new Elvis Cole mystery. The weather will remain below freezing for the next week. Snow is expected for the next five day. It looks like Christmas.

Tuesday December 10, 2013

We had a light snow over night. I shoveled at 0500 and then went back to bed. I overslept and did not get up until 0730. I had some big packages to mail today so I did not drive to the MAC. After my swim and calisthenics I headed to the post office. For security I put the packages in the trunk. When I went to open the trunk it was frozen. So I got back in the car and headed home. I got out my long extension chord and a hair blower. It worked. I drove back to the post office and mailed the packages. It was snowing hard so I decided to put money in the meter and have my coffee at the Kava House. I am having trouble keeping my feet warm. So before I could finish the WSJ I headed home to warm up the feet. I have never had this big a problem keeping my feet warm. I know that my Grandfather Hughes had the same problem. He would heat a brick in the fireplace and then put it in a steel cage and put the cage under the covers at the foot of the bed. My Grandmother told me that once he had set fire to the sheet. My Grandfather's problem was diabetes. In the early afternoon I shoveled the walk. We had about 1" since morning. I spent some time before heading down for dinner. Nancy fixed beans and rice. It was very good. After watching the news we all headed outside to shovel the walk. The snow keeps coming. I watched NCIS. I started to watch NCIS, LA but headed upstairs at 2130. NCIS, LA is phony macho.

Monday December 9, 2013

We had about 3 inches of snow on the ground at 0500. I shoveled the drive and walk. The snow was very light so shoveling was a breeze. I drove to the MAC. After the MAC I drove to Breton Village for a quick cup of coffee. I took the car into Grand Rapids Chemical to have a new coat of paint sealer put on. Because of the snow they had a lot of cancellations. They put 4 guys on my car and I was done in 40 minutes. When I got home I shoveled the walk, again. This afternoon I had an eye doctor appointment. My eyes are healthy but my prescription changed and so I had to get new glasses. When I got home I drove Nancy to Costco to pick up a prescription. We had a light dinner and then watched some TV. We are now watching "Major Crimes" on TNT. I like this show.

Sunday December 8, 2013

It was cold but clear when we headed to the MAC. We had the pool to ourselves. After our swim we headed to Meijer's for our week's supplies. Gas was $3.19. Nancy fixed her world famous poached for breakfast. I took my Sunday afternoon nap. After the nap I took Ms P on her mile walk. it was cold and I probably should have put at coat on the dog. Nancy's Book Club is having their Christmas Party at the Moleski's. All the book club members were at the party. It was a pot luck dinner. The food was very good. The party started at 1600 and it was just starting to snow. When we left at 2000 we had about 2 inches of snow. Before going to bed I shoveled the walk.

Saturday December 7, 2013

Pearl Harbor Day: I actually worked with Navy men who were at Pearl Harbor during the attack. Before the attack the USA was a country with an isolationist bent. After the attack we became an international world power. It was in the teens when I got on the bike and headed to Bill's. I had the oatmeal and after I headed straight home. Nancy went to water aerobics this morning. We both got home at 1000. We changed our clothes and headed to Park Church. We are attending a Memorial Service for Dan Hess who passed away on Thanksgiving Day. Dan and his family lived two doors from our house on Mackinaw. We hired the girls, Ann and Mary as baby sitters. Andy the youngest was a classmate of Debbie. Mary's husband, Dave Kutsche, is our doctor. It was a great service. Nancy and I stayed for lunch after the service. Andy Hess said that he really enjoyed the e-mail Missy had sent. This afternoon I ran several errands. I stopped at Rylee's to purchase a large box for Christmas presents. I also stopped at the UPS store to get some info on shipping packages. Nancy spent most of the afternoon making cookies. For dinner we headed to Great Lakes Shipping. GLS was really jammed and the wait was over 30 minutes. We ended up at Forest Hills Inn. It is now 2200 and I am watching the MSU/OSU game. I am cheering for MSU.

Friday December 6, 2013

Today starts a cold spell for GR. It was in the low 20s when I left for the MAC at 0530. I was in the pool at 0600 and had the pool to myself. I have a lunch appointment today so I had my coffee at Breton Village and did not have time to finish the WSJ. I got home at 1100 and got in the C2 and headed to Lowell. I had lunch with Jennifer at Keizer's in Lowell. Jennifer wanted to discuss a project. However, she had done some research and found the potential problem did not exist. We spent the lunch having a pleasant discussion of family and friends. On my way home I stopped at Gazelle to buy a swim nose plug. When I start swimming at the MVP pool I will need the plug because of the chlorine in the pool. Nancy and I had dinner at Panera Bread. I watched the movie Forrest Gump before heading upstairs.

Thursday December 5, 2013

Thursday was a normal winter day. Bike ride to MAC, swim and coffee. We did have a special event to attend in the evening. Nancy and I got all dressed up (I wore a tie) and headed to Meijer's Garden for their Christmas Gala. The Gardens was all lighted up for the Gala. Inside they had Christmas trees from around the world. Outside they must have decorated at least 75% of the trees with colorful lights. It was a remarkable sight. Several Choral group walked around the building singing carols. We had foods from around the world. Free wine and beer was also provided. Nancy was all dressed up and she looked nice. We had a great time. Meijer's Garden is a jewel.

Wednesday December 4, 2013

My easy day did not start well. First the toilet backed up and I had quite a cleanup job. A light bulb burned out in bedroom and I could not find a replacement. It was almost 0930 when I pulled into Bill's. I had their oatmeal and spent some time reading the WSJ. The problems between China and its neighbors along the East and South China Seas could become serious. China is starting to flex its muscle and as the largest country in the world it has plenty of muscle. They are also trying to dislodge the US dollars as the world's currency. If this is accomplished it will have a serious impact on our economy. After breakfast I stopped at Rylee's and bought some light bulbs. I took the long ride home. I pedaled around Reeds Lake. Nancy had to work at the Gardens this afternoon. My feet get cold when I spend over an hour on my bike. This afternoon I turned on my electric blanket took my book and spent about 30 minutes trying to get the feet warm. It worked. It has been a dark, gloomy day. Ms P and I were just finishing our walk when it started to rain. We are having a light dinner and then will watch some TV. TNT has a new series starting tonight so we might watch that. Despite the gloom I did get my 30 minutes in today.

Tuesday December 3, 2013

It was misting when I left for the MAC at 0730. I was smart enough to put on my rain suit. I decided to use the MAC until we leave for CA. We will start using the MVP on Jan 6. It was raining hard when I left for Starbucks in Breton Village. It was raining so hard that instead of taking my 7 miles ride home I took the shortest route. After lunch we got in the Taurus and checked out the route to a home in Ada. Nancy will be attending a luncheon at the home on Thursday. We also stopped at the Red Robin to get a gift certificate and then the Dollar Store for some Christmas Items. We finished all the Thanksgiving food this evening. Read the GRP and watched NCIS. I like NCIS but not NCIS, LA. It is to macho.

Monday December 2, 2013

Today I am making a test run to MVP. I do my calisthenics at home and then at about 0715 I head to MVP. I took the back roads. It is 5.1 miles. The pool was crowded but one lane was empty. It is a nice 25 meter pool with one major drawback. They use chlorine for the disinfectant. My nose was clogged up by 1300. I will have to wear a nose clip or mask that covers my nose. Bummer. MVP has had a major influx of new members from the MAC. I heard that 150 MAC members signed up last Friday. I had my coffee at Starbucks in Gaslight. I find the political situation in the Ukraine and Thailand interesting but confusing. I think the Ukraine's problems stem from Russia exerting a lot of muscle not to join the EU. Thailand's problems appears internal. My bike brakes were acting up so on my way home I stopped at GR Bike to have them make an adjustment. It took them about two minutes at no charge. It was nice and sunny when I got home so I finished raking the lawn. Tomorrow is the last day that GR will accept yard waste bags. I also ran the lawn mover until it ran out of gas. Lawn mowers should be stored with an empty gas tank. I had lunch about 1400. My feet get cold when riding my bike so I took a quick nap with the electric blanket on. I must start wearing rubber boots when I take the bike out. We had a light dinner. We will watch Major Crimes on TNT before heading upstairs.

Sunday December 1, 2013

It has warmed up some. When we left for the MAC the temperature was 35. I remember December 1 in 1964. I had just got out of the Navy. I had spent my 3 year tour in warm climates so I was worried about working outside. I was working for RS Scott Associates in Alpena. My first assignment was to be the on-site engineer for a bridge in Big Rapids over the Muskegon River. December 1 was my first day on the job and the temperature was 70. I thought I can live with this. Several days later the temperature plunged to the low 20s. We had a very cold winter and I had trouble getting warm. I wore so many layers that I could barely move. Working in the middle of the Muskegon in January with high winds and temperatures in the teens was not pleasant. I moved to CA in June. Nancy and I swam our normal laps this morning. We have only two morning Sunday swims at the MAC. In fact tomorrow I am swimming at MVP. After the MAC we headed to Meijer's. Gas was $3.19 per gallon. We did not purchase many items because we had a refer full of left overs. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. I took my Sunday nap and after the nap took Ms P on her mile walk. Her first mile walk in about a week. Nancy worked at the hospital this afternoon. I cleaned a lot of items out of my MAC locker. It is amazing what you accumulate in 20 years. No lockers are available at MVP so I arranged my backpack to take what I need for tomorrow. I watched a lot of great football on Saturday. I missed the end of the UM/OSU game because I had to take Debbie to the airport. I saw a lot of replays. I agree with the decision to go for two. I loved the end of the Auburn game. Sabin is not well liked in Michigan since he bailed out on MSU. Left overs tonight and then we will read the GRP before heading upstairs. I hope everyone got their 30 in today.

Saturday November 30, 2013

For the first time in several days the temperature goes above 32. This morning Nancy heads to the MAC for water aerobics. Debbie and I head to Bill's for their super special. After breakfast we drove around some condos just north of Lake Drive on the East Beltline. I had never driven around this development. I was impressed. However, we saw no "For Sale" signs. When we got home I got on my bike and pedaled to MVP. I wanted to know the mileage and time. I took the back streets and drove through Calvin College. It is 5.21 miles and it took me 34'. I watched some of the Ohio State/UM and then at 1500 we loaded up Debbie and her bags and headed to the airport. Nancy and I really enjoyed her visit. We had a good time. We are looking forward to spending Christmas with her in San Jose. Nancy and I took a big chunk out of our Thanksgiving left-overs. We watched the end of the Auburn/Alabama. It was exciting. We are now watching the Lincoln Lawyer on TNT.

Friday November 29, 2013

Friday is an early morning day. When I pulled into the lot at the MAC it was empty. I was in the pool by 0600. I headed straight home from the MAC. Debbie and I had breakfast at the Omelette Shop. After breakfast I dropped Debbie at the MAC. She and Nancy were going Black Friday shopping. Today Nancy and I made the big decision. We are joining MVP Sports Club. I signed up and paid our dues for the rest of 2013. We had dinner at the Cottage Bar. The Cottage Bar was on Debbie's wish list.

Thursday November 28, 2013

My 75th Thanksgiving. It was snowing when Ms P and I went out at 0500. I shoveled the drive and walk. I went back to bed and got up at 0730. I wanted a coffee so I decided to go to Starbuck in Gaslight. First I had to shovel the drive and walk. Starbucks was crowded because many runners stopped at the store after the Turkey Trot run. Nancy did a great job fixing Thanksgiving dinner. I stuffed the turkey. I watched some of the Lions game. We ate at 1400. I opened a new bottle of wine for dinner. Nancy did herself proud. We talked to all the Grandkids on FaceTime today. Steve's family is spending Thanksgiving in Az. Missy and AJ are having dinner with friends in LA. When I was a boy nearly all my family lived within 20 miles. Thanksgiving we held at my Grandfather Scott's farm. We had about 50 family members at the dinner. It was my favorite holiday.

Wednesday November 27, 2013

Today is an easy day for Bob and Nancy. I decided to not go to Breakfast Club. We took Debbie to breakfast at the Brandywine. It was very good. After breakfast we gave Debbie a tour of downtown GR. We stopped at the new Downtown Market. It is nice but the meats are very pricy. We headed home to refresh and then we all got in the Taurus and headed to Costco. Nancy and I thought Costco was crowded but Debbie said compared to San Jose it was empty. Location, Location! We also stopped at Staples to get some printer cartridges. I took a three mile walk in the afternoon. I forget how tough it is to walk on snow covered sidewalks. For dinner Debbie and I headed to Russ's for soup and a burger. Nancy wasn't hungry so she stayed home. I got my 30 in today. Did you?

Tuesday November 26, 2013

The snow remains. My steel studded bike tires worked great on my pedal to the MAC. I had the pool to myself this morning. I had coffee at Starbucks in Breton Village. I had to shovel in the afternoon. For dinner we ate at the Beltline Bar. Debbie said the burrito wss as good as she remembers. I get mad at the stores that are opening on Thanksgiving. We need this holiday. Don't shop at stores open on Thanksgiving. I am glad that congress is on their Thanksgiving holiday. We need a break from all the blather.

Monday November 25, 2013

Saturday November 23: It was 25 when I got on my bike and headed to Bill's. It was snowing when I left Bill's so I headed straight home. As soon as I got home I got my studded bike tires down from the garage rafters and headed to GR Bike to get them put on. Nancy picked me up and we headed to Breton Village to buy some Christmas Wreaths. It took several trips because we had to make some measurements to see what size wreath we needed. I picked up the bike later in the day. The steel studded bike tires are slightly larger so I have to expend a little extra effort. We stayed home Saturday night. Nancy fixed soup and sandwiches for dinner. Not much on TV but after Nancy had gone to bed I was surfing and found a Coen brothers movie called "The Big Lebowski. I really liked it. Sunday November 24: We got to the MAC at 0730 and were on our way to Meijer's by 0900. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. I took a quick nap because at 1530 I headed to the airport to pick up Debbie. She is spending Thanksgiving we us. Debbie's flight was early. She was surprised to see the snow on the ground. Nancy fixed sloppy joes for dinner. Every one was tired so we headed to bed early. Monday November 25: It was clear when I headed to the MAC at 0530. I had the pool to myself this morning. After the MAC I headed straight home because I am taking Debbie out for breakfast. We ate at the Omelette Shop in Breton Village. Debbie thought the food was good. My feet were very cold from my bike ride so I took a short nap to warm up. Nancy and Debbie had lunch at Arnie's. It started snowing about noon. We got about 1/4" and I had to get the snow shovels down from the garage rafters. Ms P came out while I was shoveling. She loves to play in the snow. Tonight we are going to Russ's for dinner.

Friday November 22, 2013

Ok here goes: The most asked question today is "Where were you when you found out President Kennedy was shot". My answer is: I was a LTjg in the Navy and was assigned to the "Deputy Officer of Construction, Southeast Asia". I was eating breakfast at the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, Vietnam a six story building that the US Military had taken over. It was 0435 and I was eating creamed chip beef on toast, SOS. An Army Major by the name of Nowak sat down at my table and said he had heard that the President had been shot. It was hard to believe. I left immediately for Tan Son Nhut airport to catch an Army plane to Soc Trang in the Mekong Delta. The plane crew confirmed that indeed the President was shot. It was a day that I will never forget. It was 45 degrees when I left at 0530 for the MAC. The weather folks said it was going to rain so I wore my rain suit. I swam 1650 yards in 42'. I had my coffee this morning at Breton Village. When I left for home the temperature had dropped to the mid 30s. I even saw a snow flake or two. Nancy and I got home at the same time. Kim was still cleaning so we got in the Taurus and headed to Costco. Yesterday we got an email saying the MAC would close on Jan 5. The talk this morning at the MAC was where are you going? One of the options is MVP health club on the corner of East Paris and Burton. It is about 2.5 mile further than the MAC but still the closest club to our house. We stopped by and got a tour. The place was crowded but I liked their 25 meter pool. The cost is about the same as the MAC. We might give it a try. Costco was very crowded. We bought wine, peanut butter, almonds and dinner for tonight. We are staying home and will watch some TV. Both Nancy and I have good books so we will head to bed early. Snow is expected for tomorrow.

Thursday November 21, 2013

Snow is predicted for this weekend but today it was very mild. Temps were in the mid 40s. It is now official the MAC's last day of operation is January 5. Nancy and Bob have to find a new club with swimming pool. I had coffee at the Starbucks in Breton Village. Before heading home I took off a layer so I wouldn't become overheated. Nancy attended a luncheon today. I had a quick lunch and then headed upstairs. I fired up my old computer and opened up Autocad. I was surprised at how much I retained. Nancy and I had dinner at Great Lakes Shipping. Not much on TV on Thursdays but we did get a paper copy of the GRP. It is now 2112 and as soon as I finish this blog we are heading upstairs. Nancy is reading a new John Grisham novel. She says it is good. I will download to my Kindle soon.

Wednesday November 20, 2013

Today is an easy day. I slept to 0730 and then got on my hybrid and pedaled to Bill's. This morning I had their Super: potatoes, eggs, sausage and toast. I also spent 60 minutes reading the WSJ. Syria, JP Morgan, China, and the dysfunctional congress take up a lot of space. It was cold, 27, when I left but the sun was rising fast. I rode around Reeds Lake twice. My total miles was 16. Nancy worked at the Gardens this afternoon. I spent most of the afternoon in my office. I was looking at a set of plans. I love my Apple Air but most of my engineering computations were done on a Windows based computer. I want to move files from the windows machine to the Apple. I will use my Apple free pass for a lesson on moving files. I think I have commented on my attention span or lack of, since I have quit working. I have reverted to my youth when I always I had trouble concentrating. Enough said! We had a light dinner and then watched some TV. Nancy headed to bed at 2100 and I should be upstairs by 2130. Keep getting your daily 30 minutes outside.

Tuesday November 19, 2013

Got up at 0445 and took Ms P out and then had breakfast. After breakfast I went back to bed until 0700. I put on layers this morning because it was 30 when I left. I was in the pool at 0815 and on my way to the Kava House at 1030. The major conversation at the MAC is what are you going to do when the MAC closes in eight weeks? My standard answer is that we have not made any decision yet. The temperature had increased about 10 degrees so I worked up a sweat on my way to the Kava House. I should have removed a layer and put it in my backpack. Jack Kirkwood, an old neighbor, stopped for coffee and a scone so we had a nice talk. I got home at 1330 and after a quick lunch I headed outside. I put the bag on the lawnmower and collected leaves. I got the entire lawn done in about two hours. Most of the leaves are gone so I hope this is my last yard cleanup for the year. After a quick shower I cleaned my desk. Nancy and I have to start thinking about where we want to live after we sell the house. CA or GR? I suggested Alpena but that did not fly. Nancy is fixing pork chops with stuffing for dinner tonight. Sounds good doesn't it. We got a paper copy of the GRP today. It is also a good TV night. Since tomorrow is my easy day I might try and stay up and watch "Person of Interest".

Monday November 18, 2013

It was real windy when I left for the MAC at 0530. Yesterdays rain and high winds had left many branches in the road. I had dodge them as I pedaled in the black morning. The temperature is suppose to drop all day. It is now 1700 and the temperature has dropped to 35 and it expected to drop to 28 before morning. I swam my metric mile, 1,500 meters, this morning. I was done with my workout by 0745. I had coffee at the Kava House. I read the WSJ and found nothing that excited or upset me. I do want to know how the bitcoin works. A bitcoin is now worth $750. I think the President has used the wrong approach to the problems with the ACA web site. Computer screwup happen all the time. Every one who has ever had a business has run into the project from Hell. The only way to get through these bad projects is to put your head down and bull your way through. Who remembers after the problem is solved? No one! He has made too many concessions and now the funding for the ACA is in jeopardy. No one ever asks me. I think most folk agree that everyone should be able to get health insurance at a reasonable price. Further most folks believe that in order to get the system to work every one, especially the healthy, should participate. Good drivers keep car insurance premiums down. When I got home from the Kava House I had a quick lunch. Nancy and I then got in the Taurus and made a dry run to a house along the Thornapple River. Nancy will attend a wine and cheese party at this house on Thursday. I took a quick nap and then started writing this blog. It is now 1722 and I am going to take Ms P on a short walk. We will have a light dinner and then spend a quiet evening at home.

Sunday November 17, 2013

Sunday, 1726: I am sitting at the kitchen table writing this blog in the dark. We had a big storm roll through about 1500. We immediately lost power. It was pitch black with thunder and lightning. The weather folks said the winds would reach 70 mph. I think we probably had 50mph winds. Ms P went bonkers so we put her thunder jacket on. It seemed to work. I just walked outside and the entire neighborhood is still without power. However, the storm has passed because I can see a nice sunset. When the power went out I poured Nancy and me a glass of wine. We sat in the back room and did some reading. Nancy on her ipad and me on my Kindle. Sunday morning started normally. We were up at 0655 and headed straight to the MAC. We were in the pool by 0800 and done by 0845. The weather was still mild, 60, and no rain in sight. We did not go to Meijer’s because we did not want to get caught in the storm. I bought our coffee at Kava House. I took Ms P on her mile walk before the rain starts. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. 1750 the power can on! Nancy is fixing soup and pulled beef sandwich for dinner. We will watch some news before heading upstairs. Saturday November 16: We slept in this morning. I got on the cruiser and headed to Bill’s for an oatmeal breakfast. After breakfast I came right home and walked over to GR Bike to pick up my hyrid. I have a new transmission and brakes. I pedaled around Reeds Lake. I spent a good part of the afternoon raking leaves. I did watch the end of the UM game. It was exciting. I drove Nancy to Coldwater Creek in Woodland Mall. We stayed home for dinner. I purchased a sub. I watched football before heading upstairs.

Friday November 15, 2013

November 15 is the first day of deer hunting season. This day was a big deal when I was in high school. My Dad shut his office. Boys got an excused day from school. My Dad would go to his hunting camp, Doctor's Club, for the first week. He always took a case of booze. Now that we have bow hunting season and muzzle loading season November 15 is not as important as back in the 50s. Today is an important day in the life of Nancy and Bob. When I got out of the pool I found out that the Mac is closing in January. It was not a surprise but we have been members since the late 80s. We have several options but nothing as convent as the MAC. When I got done with my workout I was sitting in the lounge getting ready to head to the Kava House when Nancy walked in. Nancy announced that last night she had an epiphany. It is time to sell the house and move on. I was surprised but totally agree. Do we want to rent or buy a condo? Anyone who wants something from the house should let us know soon. Today Bob and Nancy are moving forward. At the Kava House several MAC members walked in and we discussed our options. The consensus was that joining a Y was the best option. I took Ms P on her walk as soon as I got home. After a quick lunch I headed outside and raked leaves for an hour. Nancy and I had some errands to run so we left the house at 1700. We made our first stop and then had dinner at Panera. After dinner we stopped at WalMart and then Meijer's. It is now 2100 and I am watching the "Killing Kennedy" movie on NG.

Thursday November 14, 2013

The Scott family slept in this morning. Nancy and Bob were in the MAC's pool by 0800. After my calisthenics I got on my cruiser bike and headed to the Kava House. Lately, I have incorporated a ride around Reeds Lake on my way to the Kava House. When I get home I have 10 miles on my speedometer. I am getting tired of reading about the ACA. I wish cooler heads would just revise the law to make it simple and workable. Is it really that difficult? I got home at 1300 and after a quick lunch I headed upstairs to get some reading done. As soon as I sat down my neighbor, Bob Calloway, called and asked if I could come over and witness some legal documents. Bob and Edith have had some Power of Attorney" documents prepared and they needed a witness. I walked over to their house and met their attorney. Bob worked for GM for years and the UAW is providing an attorney to prepare the documents. That is a pretty good union benefit. I forgot to mention that Nancy had lunch today with a friend. The temperature early this morning was 35 but by 1600 it got to 45. It was very pleasant when I took Ms P on her walk. The leaves are almost off the trees. For dinner tonight Nancy and I headed to Great Lakes Shipping. Nancy had the prime rib sandwich and I had the French dip. It is now 2000 and as soon as I finish this blog I will go downstairs and read the GRP. The firearm deer season starts in 11 hours.

Wednesday November 13, 2013

It was 25 when I left for Breakfast Club this morning. The weather folks say it will be sunny, cold and windy all day. Breakfast Club was not well attended this morning. Our speaker was a BC member who for years was the in charge of the Planiternium at the museum. He talked about the new comet that will be visible in a couple of weeks. They say the population is aging and this morning I found proof that this is true. Of the eight folks that sat at my table four are above 86. The good news is that they are sharp and in good health. Keep working young folks so us old folks can live in the style we presently have. After BC I stopped at D&W to get leaf bags. When I got home I got out my cruiser bike. I pedaled to the Kava House for coffee and to read the WSJ. I rode around Reeds Lake on my way home. The ride was 10 miles. This afternoon Nancy had to work at the Gardens. I got out the rake and started raking up the leaves in our front yard. Ms P joined me. We were outside two hours. I took a quick shower and then a 40 minutes nap. Nancy has book club this evening. I am meeting Ed Namey for pizza and beer. I got my 30‘ in today did you?

Tuesday November 12, 2013

Today is Jury duty day. This morning is the coldest morning of the season. The temperature was 23 when I left at 0700. I did stop at the Kava House to pick up a small coffee. It was really cold walking across the Grand River. I think there were over 200 folks who reported for duty. We were given an introduction, roll was called and then we waited. The first selection of jurors was about 60 folks. We waited for a another selection but about 1030 we were told to go home and our jury duty was over. I drove to the MAC and got my swim and calisthenics done by 1230. I drove to Breton Village to check at Fitzgeralds to see if a pair of pants I ordered were in. They were not. I also grabbed a coffee at Starbucks. I took a short nap after lunch. The Vet yesterday said it was very important that I keep taking Ms P on her mile walk. So I did as the Vet said. It was really cold on our walk so I grabbed a scarf and headed out on a two mile walk. The sun was in the southern sky and did not have any warmth. The leaves are almost off all the trees. Tomorrow I will spend several hours raking. Tonight is a good TV night. We also get a paper copy of the GRP. Drinking wine watching TV and reading the paper is a good way to spend a cold night. Who says I cannot multi task? November 11 & 12, 1938, Ossineke, Mi: GGF Sanborn worked at the Post Office on the 11th. Maybe in 1938 the USA did not celebrate Veterans Day. On the 12th GGF worked part time at the Post Office and then hauled 4 loads of manure. Life was simple 75 years ago.

Monday November 11, 2013

Monday November 11, 2013: When I went out at 0500 the temperature was 45. Ms P has her annual physical today and I had to get a poop sample. Any neighbors who were awake probably were wondering what was he looking for with flash light at 0500. The weather folks said no rain until 1300 and then later in the day the rain will turn to snow. I did put rain pants in my backpack just in case. I got to the MAC at 0600 and to my surprise the pool was full. I had to share a lane. It was raining when I left so I put on my rain pants. I had coffee today at the Kava House. I got a free coffee because today is Veteran’s Day. I did not put on my water proof boots this morning so I sat with wet socks. After about 30 minutes sitting in wet socks I headed home. I took the socks off as soon as I got home and put them in the dryer. I spent the rest of the morning doing household chores. Nancy had a Hospital Gift Shop Board meeting this morning. She got home at 1230. I had a quick lunch and then headed upstairs to take a nap. However, I spent nap time reading the WSJ. I was catching up on some reading when Nancy called me down stairs. She said that she just got a call from our friend Carol Mastin. Carol said that Ken Hershberger had just commited suicide. Ken had just married Becky Verker a little over a year ago. Becky Verker’s son was a good friend of our son Steve. She had lost her husband, Bob, over ten years ago. Ken and Becky met at their 50th Butler, Pa High School reunion. Ken had moved to GR and was very active. Nancy and I attended their first anniversity and we had them over to our house for dinner. earlier this year. Ken spent time in Vietnam with the USAF and it was not a pleasant experience. Veterans Day might have triggered Ken’s actions. Our heart goes out the Becky, Brad and Bethny. The weather folks were right. It is now 1650 and the temperature has dropped to 34 and it is snowing. A reminder just popped up on my screen saying that Ms P’s physical is in 50 minutes. We will have a light dinner and then watch some TV before heading upstairs. No MAC tomorrow becuase I have jury duty. I got my 30 in today I hope you did too.

Sunday November 10, 2013

We got up at our usual Sunday time of 0655. We head right to the MAC and were in the pool by 0745. On our drive we noted a noise similar to the noise we had fixed on Thursday. When we were leaving the MAC I noted a branch hung up on the rear axle. After I removed it the noise was gone. Meijer's was very crowded this morning. I filled the Taurus up and gas was $3.17. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. I took my Sunday nap and after the nap I took Ms P on her walk. I then walked to the post office to mail a letter. Today was a beautiful fall day. Everyone was out raking leaves. In East GR all residents have to do is rake their leaves into the gutter and the City will pick them up. The huge pile of leaves in the street narrows the road to a single lane. Nancy is fixing pulled pork for dinner tonight. We will watch the news and then 60 Minutes before heading upstairs. Last night I mentioned I would go to bed and read my new book. I fired up the Kindle and immediately fell asleep. I woke up at 0200 and found I was sleeping on my Kindle. Not a word was read. I hope to do better tonight.

Saturday November 9, 2013

Saturday November 9, 2013: This was our sleep in morning. I did not get up until 0800. The sun was out so I had a nice ride to Bill’s. Bill’s was crowded with folks waiting to get a booth. I had their oatmeal breakfast. Guess what? When I was ready to get on my bike I had a flat. Third flat this week. Bummer! I walked home. As soon as I got home I got in the C2 and headed back to Bill’s. I loaded up the hybrid and took it to GR Bike in Gaslight Village. In addition to getting the tire fixed I decided to get a new 8 speed transmission and brakes. The bike will be ready next week. Nancy is working at the Holiday Gift show at the Gardens this afternoon. I decided to rake leaves. I filled six GR Yard waste bags. It took me about two hours. I then took Ms P on her daily walk. I watched the first half of the UM/Nebraska game. It is now 1730 and Nancy just got home. She was very tired so we ordered a pizza. As soon as I finish this blog I will pick it up. I started a new book last night and it might be very interesting. I will watch some football on TV before heading upstairs. I really like our new TV. The picture is very clear.

Friday November 8, 2013

Friday November 8, 2013: We have a busy Friday ahead of us. I get up at 0455 and get ready to pedal to the MAC. I grab my hybrid and much to my dismay I had a flat tire. The second one this week. I took off the headlight and put it on the cruiser bike and then head to the MAC. I entered the pool and 0600 and had the pool to myself until I was almost done. No time this morning for coffee and the WSJ. I head right home and change my clothes. Katie Conrad was Missy’s best friend in high school. Her mother passed away this week. At 1000 Nancy and I headed to the Funeral Home to pay our respects. We talked to Katie and her father. Katie’s brother is married to Julie Meridith. Julie’s father is a civil engineer who I met when he worked for the City of Grand Rapids. We talked to Julie and met her two young sons. When we got home I ran some errands. I stopped at Mr Thangh’s to pick up my pea coat. I bought Nancy a coffee at the Kava House. On my way to the Kent County Credit Union I stopped at the Freewheeler Bike store. I found a perfect bike for me. Luckily, the sales person was too nice. An agressive saleman could have sold me the bike. Is $2,500 too much for a bike? I had a quick lunch and then took a short nap. I took Ms P on her walk and then fixed the bike’s flat tire. Ended the afternoon with a two mile walk. Tonight Nancy and I are attending an “Exclusive Preview of the Holiday Gift Show” at Meijer’s Garden. (that is what the invite said). I finally finished my book last night. Now I have to decide what to read next. I am leaning toward a good mystery. It must also be short. Stay tuned.

Thursday November 7, 2013

Thursday November 7, 2013: Nancy and I got up at 0655. Today we have to take the Taurus for some brake work. We dropped the car off and then drove to the MAC. We both are swimming this morning. The pool was crowded but we did not have to share a lane. After the swim I did some calisthenics before showering. Nancy took the C2 to the hospital and I walked to Starbucks in Breton Village. As usual I read the WSJ and drank my coffee. After the coffee I walked home. I had a quick lunch and then took Ms P on her walk. It is now 1552 and I am waiting for the Ford dealer to call and say the car is done. We will have dinner tonight at Great Lakes Shipping. I will read the paper edition of the GRP before heading upstairs. I have one more chapter to read in my book and I hope to finish tonight. I got my 30’ in today.

Tuesday November 6, 2013

It rained all night and it was still raining hard when I got ready to go to breakfast. I got in the C2 and headed to a new breakfast place. it is called the Trailhead Cafe. It is run by the owners of GR Bike Company. I gave it a C-. The pancakes were small as were the eggs. It was overpriced. Bill's keeps looking good. It was still raining when I got home. I headed upstairs and started catching up on my magazines. I am now up to date with SI and ENR. I spent all afternoon reading. I read a fraternity magazine from Alpha Sigma Phi. I was a member. In the back of the was a list of Brothers who had passed away, William Rockershousen. Bill had a younger brother who was also a fraternity brother. Both Rockershousen brothers were on US Air Force scholarships. Bill was call "big rock" and his younger brother "little rock". They were notorious party animals. Both brothers were stationed in Vietnam in 1963. The last time I saw "Big Rock" was 50 years ago when he was leaving the Navy Exchange with a case of beer on his shoulder. Oh the things you find out on a rainy afternoon. The only exercise I got today was a two mile walk in the late afternoon. We had a light dinner and then watched the news. Right now we are watching a rerun of "Castle". Bed time is not far off.

Tuesday November 5, 2013

Today is my 1,616 blog. Wow! Ms P has not adjusted to EST. She was up at 0330 but I did not let her go outside. We went out at 0430. I was wide awake so I had breakfast and brushed my teeth before going back to bed. I finally got up at 0800. The weather also does not know it should be in its November node. It was in the mid 50s when I headed to the MAC. I was overdressed. I just checked my GGF Sanborn's Diary for this date in 1938 and they were also having a warm spell in Ossineke, MI. Today I broke the 40' barrier for my 1,500 yard swim. After the MAC I headed to the Kava House with a pit stop at GR Bike to buy a spare tube for my bike. As I was leaving the Kava House an old neighbor Jack Kirkwood dropped in. We had a nice talk. Jack was on his way to the barbers for a haircut. I had a quick lunch and then ran some errands. I stopped and bought swim goggles at MC. Several weeks ago I bought a new pair at the MAC but they turned up missing. I am looking for a light weight winter jacket. I decided to try Costco. They had a jacket that met my needs for only $22. I did not buy it because it did not fit right. I did buy 2 bottles of red wine. Gas at Costco was $3.13. Nancy has an appointment with our skin doctor this afternoon. She was gone when I got home. I took Ms P on her mile walk. For dinner Nancy is cooking a pot roast in the crock pot. It really smells good. Tonight is a good TV night. We also get a paper copy of the GRP. I like "Person of Interest" but I can not stay up past 2200. I will have to find out how to watch it on my computer. I hope everyone got their flu shot. Speaking of shots I have reading about the outbreak of polio in Syria. The war is preventing children from getting their shots. Polio is a terrible disease.

Monday November 4, 2013

Monday November 4, 2013: I got up at my normal time, 0455, and got ready to pedal to the MAC. Much to my surprise I had a flat tire. I switched to my fat tired bike and had to swap some lights. I am continuing to practice the free style stroke I read about in a book called “Total Immersion”. I think it is an improvement over the old way I swam but it does require practice. I had my coffee at Starbucks in Gaslight Village. During the summer I complained that the place was to cold because of an overactive AC. Now that heat is required the place is still too cold. I am going back to the Kava House. I got home about 1030 and started taking our yard waste bags to the curb. The bags were not full so I got out the leaf rake and raked the front yard. I had some errands to run so I loaded Ms P in the C2 and headed to Mr Thanh’s to get some work done on my pea cost that I bought at Costco. My second stop was at Robbins Lock shop to get key made for a Master padlock. I have about 10 of these locks but no key. I now can use the locks. After a quick lunch I took a 30‘ nap. I took Ms P on her mile walk. Nancy had a neighbor stop with their OHNA dues. I walked the money over to the treasurer’s house. I ran into a neighbor on a walk so I joined him for about a mile. Tonight we will have a light dinner. Not much on TV tonight except the news so it is early to bed.

Sunday November 3, 2013

Sunday November 3, 2013: Confusing morning because DST ends and the MAC opens an hour earlier. We ended up being at the MAC at 0700 EST. We swam our 1,500 yards and then headed to Meijer[s for our weekly supplies. Gas was $3.33 per gallon. The renovation of the Meijer’s we visit on Sundays is almost complete. They did a great job but the store is so big it is overwhelming. After Meijer’s Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. I read the funnies and then took my mandatory Sunday afternoon nap. After the nap I took Ms P on her miles walk. After Ms P’s walk I took a walk. I used the pedometer to determine the distance of a new route. It was exactly 2.0 miles. The leaves are falling fast. The red colors on the maples this year have been spectacular. It is now 1720 and very dark. Sunset today is at 1730. Nancy is fixing hot dogs with baked beans for dinner. We will watch the news and read the GRP before heading upstairs.

Saturday November 2, 2013

Saturday November 2, 2013: It was dark and rainy when I headed to Bill’s. I wore my rain suit. I had an oatmeal breakfast. It was so dark and gloomy outside that I took my time reading the WSJ. I rode around Reeds Lake on my way home. My speedometer said I rode 11 miles. When I got home I brought up my cruiser bike. With all the leaves on the roads I want a bigger tire on the road. The cruiser is also good in snow. I mentioned yesterday that my childhood friend Jack Gillard had died. I found the funeral home where Jack rested and was able to post memories of Jack on their web site. Nancy had to pick up a prescription at Costco. We got in the Taurus and our first stop was Woodlawn Mall. Nancy stopped at Coldwater Creek to pick out some pants. After Woodlawn we headed to Costco. Costco was very crowded. Nancy picked up her prescription and we bought eggs. When we got home I took Ms P on her walk. I then took a 3.5 mile walk. I watched the second half of the UM/MSU game. Bad move! For dinner tonight we cleaned out the fridge. It was good. We spent some time facetiming with Debbie tonight. It was great talking with her. Facetime is great. Nancy wanted to set the clocks back before going to bed. I want to set them in the morning. I won!

Friday November 1, 2013

It was dark and windy when I headed to the MAC at 0530. I got to the MAC at 0600 and the parking lot was full. After mu routine I headed to the Kava House. It was 0810 and I had to turn my bike lights on. Kim was cleaning the house this morning so I took my time reading the WSJ. I did have a realtor approach me at the Kava House and wanted to know if I wanted to sell our house. Our neighborhood is a hot market right now. Nancy and I have thought about selling but we are not quite ready. The WSJ had an article about a historical event that happened on this date in 1963. President Diem of South Vietnam was overthrown in a coup. It was a bloody event. I was there 50 years ago. LTJG, CEC, USN R.H. Scott was working at the Deputy Officer in Charge of Construction, South East Asia. Our main office was in Saigon. We noted something was wrong when Vietnamese soldiers started setting up machine guns on our street. The whole operation lasted about 24 hours. When I got home Kim was still cleaning. Nancy had made a beauty appointment for Ms P for noon. We got in the Taurus and headed to the beauty shop. Nancy picked her up at 1430 while I took a nap. At 1630 Nancy and I headed downtown to the Art Museum for an exhibit on American Landscape Artists. We met Mary and Ed Namey at the museum. After viewing the exhibit we walked over to GR Brewing for dinner. The food was good but it was very noisy.

Thursday October 31, 2013

It started raining after midnight and continued all day. It was raining at 0730 when I headed to the MAC. I put on my rain suit and turned on my bike lights and off I went. I will be glad when DST ends. It is pitch black at 0800. It was also warm, 61 degrees. I was sweating when I got to the MAC> Nancy was already in the pool when I arrived. The pool was full so I waited until Nancy finished and then took her lane. I swam my 1,500 yards in 40'04". It was raining hard when I left the MAC. I had my coffee at Breton Village's Starbucks. It was still raining hard when I left Breton Village. I headed straight home and was glad I had on my rain suit. My Sister emailed me this morning that my friend from the old neighborhood had died. Jack Gillard was a year younger and lived down the block. I played everyday with Jack and other friends in the hood. Jack was a book worm. He always had a book in his back pocket. In the spring of about 1952 Jack and I got on a Greyhound bus and headed to Saginaw. My Aunt Helen who lived in Alma picked us up. The purpose of our weekend trip was to spend time watching TV. Alpena did not have TV. My Aunt Helen and Uncle Harold were perfect hosts. We spent hours watching TV. On Sunday my Aunt drove us back to the Greyhound station in Saginaw for our trip home. It was a great adventure. I called Tom Collins in CA and told him the news. Tom was a also a playmate of Jacks. After lunch I checked my mail and then headed upstairs to take a nap. Today is Halloween. We bought two big bags of candy from Costco. Trick and Treat starts at 1800 and ends at 2000. I started handing out candy at 1745 and stopped at 1945. We had over 200 kids. Most of the kids were from outside the neighborhood. It is now 2142 and still raining.

Wednesday October 30, 2013

Breakfast Club Wednesday: Up at 0555 and get ready for the 0700 meeting. As usual the food was great especially the apple fritter. Today's speaker was head of the Red Cross in GR. His talk was interesting. After the meeting I headed to Starbucks in Gaslight to read the WSJ. An article on the rapid conversion of trucks to natural gas caught my interest. Last year I bought stock in Cummins Engines because they had developed an engine that runs on natural gas. I hope the stock goes up. On my way home I stopped at Bill and Paul's to look for a short, light winter coat. No luck. I think I will just buy a wool zip up sweater. Groskopf's had a small day pack that I would like for my bike rides. I bought it. Nancy worked at the Gardens this afternoon. I got out my hybrid bike and pedaled to Ada a distance of 18 miles. It was a great day for a ride. The temperature was in the high 50s. I took a quick shower and then started to take Ms P on her walk. She is still stiff from yesterdays ball chasing. We only walked around the block. I took a short nap. We had a light dinner and watched the news. We are now watching Nature on PBS. I got my 30 in today did you?

Tuesday October 29, 2013

Weekend Update: If I can remember! Saturday October 26: It was dark and gloomy with rain possible when I left for Bill's. I was glad I wore my rain suit because it started sprinkling. I had Bill's oatmeal breakfast special. After breakfast I pedaled around Reeds Lake. I spent most of the afternoon in my office reading "Total Immersion" a book on how to improve my swim technique. I did interrupt my reading to take a short nap. At 1700 Nancy and I got dressed and headed downtown. Tonight we are attending a concert performed by the GR Symphony. Before the concert we stopped at the Amway's Sports Bar and had a quick dinner. Downtown was very crowded. The first half of the concert was a Mozart piece featuring Harp and flute solos. The second half featured another Austrian whose name starts with S. Nancy was surprised that I really liked the concert. Sunday October 27: Up at 0700 and in the pool by 0800. We both swam our 1,500 yards. I practiced the "Total Immersion" strokes. I did lower my time by 30". We stopped at Meijer's for our weekly supplies. Gas was $3.25 per gallon. Nancy fixed her world famous poached eggs for breakfast. Nancy is having a colon scan tomorrow so she can not eat all day. I took my Sunday afternoon nap. I did watch the end of the Lions game. We watched 60' and read the GRP before heading upstairs. Monday October 28: Nancy had to be at the hospital by 0745. We made it and they immediately checked her in. I was impressed by their efficiency. Nancy's procedure was done by 0900. She was still feeling the effects of the knock out medicine. We did stop at the Kava House to buy a scone. Nancy headed upstairs and slept until noon. She was up and feeling much better. The Dr told her to take it easy today. At 1230 I headed to the MAC for a swim. After the MAC I headed to Best Buy and Costco to look at TV sets. Ours is going fast. I bought a 32" set at Costco. When I got home I took Ms P on her walk and then started installing the set. I was surprised but the new set fit our existing wall mount. I did have to make a run to Rylee's to buy some screws. Our set is fitted for the HMDI connection so I could throw all the color coded chords away. I had everything up and running but could not get a picture. I called Comcast and the nice lady had me running in 30". Tuesday October 29: Back to normal, both Nancy and Bob are going to the MAC. However, when I got to the MAC I found that the pool was closed. Bummer. I did some calisthenics and then headed to the Kava House. Nancy was still at the Gift Shop when I got home. I had a quick lunch and then headed upstairs to write this blog. It is now 1445 and the sun is out so I am going to cut the grass for the last time this year. I hope!

Friday October 25, 2013

Fall facts: The robins are gone. We had our first frost this morning. Leaves are falling fast. High temperature today was 45. Up at 0500 and in pool at 0615. Left MAC at 0800 and headed straight home. Today the OHNA planted 5 trees. We started at 0915 and were done by 1100. After changing clothes I headed to Kava House for coffee. Tree planting made me hungry so I had a cinnamon roll. The news media is really hung up on the health care web site. Who cares! Most folks know that most new software requires a break in period. After a quick lunch I took a short nap. For dinner tonight Nancy and I headed to Russ's for dinner. I had clam chowder in a bread bowl and cole slaw. Nancy had chicken rice soup and a salad. The chicken rice soup did not sit well with Nancy because she suffered a reaction. Not much on TV. I started watching Hawaii Five-0. I think this show is bad. I hate to see a man in a suit with stubble. They are not compatible.

Thursday October 24, 2013

I have a Grand Rapids Building Authority meeting at 0900. Got up at 0455 and drove to the MAC. In the pool at 0615 and left the MAC at 0800. The GRBA meeting lasted about 30 minutes. Stopped for coffee at Starbucks in Gaslight Village. Got home about 1100. Took Ms P on her walk. Nancy got home about noon. We immediately headed to Costco to get Halloween candy. Did I ever mention that I hated Halloween. I also bought a jar of pickled herring. I am hooked on herring. Nancy is a block captain for the OHNA. The OHNA published a Halloween newsletter and I delivered them. There are 21 neighbors in our block. Took a short nap after delivering the newsletter. Nancy and I had dinner at Great Lakes Shipping. Nancy had the bourbon chicken and I had a bowl of chili. We are now watching the World Series. At 2100 we will watch White Collar. Snow along Lake Michigan shore but no snow in GR. Frost expected tonight. Remember to get your 30 in each and every day.

Wednesday October 23, 2013

It got down into the 30s last night but no frost. Today is my easy day so I pedaled to Bill's for oatmeal. Bill's was nearly empty this morning. When I got home I got in the C2 and ran a banking errand. Despite the cold and wind I decided to take a bike ride. I loaded up the hybrid bike and headed to Millennium Park. The weather must have scared off a lot of folks because the lot was empty. The day was cold and windy but the trees were in full color. I rode 20 miles. I wore a windbreaker that did not breathe so I was covered in sweat. I have to get better at selecting layers. On my way home I stopped at Wealthy Street Bakery to buy a cookie. Nancy worked at the Gardens this afternoon. She got home about the same time I did. After a quick shower I took a 30' nap. We had a light dinner and watched the news. We spent some time looking at flights to Miami. We are going to Panama in February but we need to get to Miami first. I will be glad when DST ends. It is dark at 0800 and I need my bike lights. It might snow tonight. Happy thought.

Tuesday October 22, 2013

Up at 0715 and in the pool at 0815. A hardcore swimmer in the lane next to me pointed out a flaw in my swim stroke. Usually I don't take kindly to unsolicited advise. However, today I think he was right. I will attempt to make an adjustment. Had coffee today at the Kava House. Free refill Tuesday! Lately I have been reading the WSJ thoroughly. However, I think I am saturated with all the whining and complaining by folks who make and report the news. Maybe they should all take a time-out. After the MAC Nancy headed to the Gift Shop. She worked most of the day at the hospital. They should get such devotion from their paid staff. After a quick lunch I got in the C2 and headed to the Chevy store for an oil change. I also stopped at Fitzgerald's to purchase another pair of Kuhl pants. I love these pants. They are rugged, comfortable and have enough leg room so that I can pedal my bike unencumbered. It is really cold and windy today. I wore plenty of layers for my bike ride but I needed a wind breaker. I left it home. Ms P and I took our afternoon walk. Nancy fixed sloppy joes and soup for dinner. It was tasty. It is now 1948 and as soon as I finish I am heading downstairs to watch NCIS. Tuesday's are the only night for must see TV. I also have a paper GRP to read.

Monday October 21, 2013

Early morning Monday: I left at 0530 and the temperature was in the mid 50s. By noon the temperature was down to 43. We might get some frost this evening. The pool was empty when I jumped in at 0615 and it remained empty during my swim. Where have all the swimmers gone? I had coffee at Starbucks in Breton Village. Today I have to get home before 0915 because the OHNA is planting 15 trees. We started about 0945 and by noon we had all the trees planted. After lunch I took Ms P on her daily walk. It was windy and cold. Nancy had a dentist appointment this afternoon. Cleaning only. I did take a short nap. We had a light dinner and watched the news and then "The Big Bang Theory". Why do I like this show?

Sunday October 20, 2013

Weekend Update: Saturday October 19. I slept this morning. Had my breakfast at Bill's. It was misting so I wore my rain suit. After breakfast I pedaled arounds Reeds Lake. It is suppose to rain all day. Nancy and I made a Costco run. Costco was super busy. Nancy filled a prescription and I bought a bottle of wine, a wool zip neck undershirt and peanut butter. We had dinner at Russ's. I had clam chowder in a bread bowl. Nancy had the chicken noodle soup. Watched some TV before turning in. Sunday October 20: Up at 0655 and got ready to go for our swim at the MAC. Nancy and I had the pool to ourselves most of the swim. We made our weekly stop at Meijer's. Gas was $3.34 per gallon. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. This afternoon I volunteered to help plant 17 trees in the neighborhood. Today we will dig the holes and tomorrow we will plant trees. We started at 1300 and were done in an hour. I still had time for a short Sunday nap. Nancy spent about an hour facetiming with Lucas and Alessandra. She had a great time getting caught up on their busy lives. After the nap I took Ms P on her daily walk. The leaves are falling fast. I bet in one week most of the leaves will be gone. Nancy is fixing soup and sloppy joes for dinner. We will watch some TV and read the GRP before heading upstairs.

Friday October 18, 2013

Friday is an early morning day. I am now getting use to putting on multiple layers on these cool mornings. I completed my routine and was out the door by 0800. I had coffee at the Kava House. Today is the first day this week without rain. It is also grass cutting day. The grass keeps growing. I hope I only have one more cutting. The furnace inspector from the City of GR stopped by approved the installation. My tooth is still bothering me so I went to Wendy's for a bowl of chili. Watched some TV before heading to bed. I am writing this blog on Saturday. I should never delay writing this blog because I can not remember over night.

Thursday October 17, 2013

It rained all day today. I put on my rain suit for my ride to the MAC. I was in the pool at 0815. Nancy beat me by about 15 minutes. She is swimming Thursdays and Sundays. I swim five days a week. After the MAC I had my coffee at Starbucks in Breton Village. The sprinkler company is coming today to drain our system for the winter. I left Starbuck at 1200 and it was pouring down rain. I was glad for the rain suit. When I pulled in the drive the sprinkle man was already at our door. It took about 30 minutes to drain the system. Nancy had an appointment this afternoon with our skin doctor, Dr Mary Yurko. She removed a spot on Nancy's cheek. Nancy also attended a wine and cheese party this afternoon so we are not going out this evening. I cleaned up my office and read about 10 back issues of ENR. I did have a bowl of chili at Wendy's. We had a short break in the rain and I took Ms P on her mile walk. Today is the first day since having my tooth out that I could have booze. I poured a glass of wine. The tooth extraction has limited my eating to soft foods. An upside of the extraction is that for the first time in about 15 years my weight is below 160 pounds. This evening I read the GRP, watched the news and I even watched the Big Bang Theory. I am beginning to like this show. Yesterday was the first day that we turned the furnace on this fall. The new furnace warms the house up fast. The forecast is for snow next week.

Wednesday October 16, 2013

Today is Breakfast Club day. The alarm goes off at 0555. It was pitch black when I headed to the Women's Civic Club. We had a small turn out. It might because we had a retired Amway marketing guy telling us how great Amway's marketing methods are. The Speaker is also a Club member so he was given soft ball questions. My tooth extraction is still giving me some pain. I could only eat the soft scrambled eggs. After BC I stopped at Starbucks in Gaslight to have my coffee and read the WSJ. I read articles on the efforts of Portugal and Ireland to rein in their budget deficits. They are being forced by the EU to make some drastic budget cuts. However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. The USA on the other hand has taken a different approach by just printing money. No one knows which approach is best. It is my opinion that the European approach despite its initial hardships might be the best approach in the long run. Stay tuned. The weather folks said it would rain all day. It had not started when I got home so I took Ms P on her walk. Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon. It started to sprinkle about noon today. Fall weather is finally here. Morning temperatures are in the 40s. For the rest of the week the morning temperatures will be in the high 30s. I put the storm doors on our side and rear doors. I also took the downstairs screens off. I needed some exercise so I put on my rain suit and took a 4.5 miles walk. We will have a light dinner and watch some TV tonight. I might even watch some of the Tiger's game. The Dentist instructions were that I could not have any booze for 48 hours. I will drink up tomorrow.

Tuesday October 15, 2013

I got right up with the alarm at 0655. I did my routine at the MAC and then headed home. Today is my dental health day. Kim had dropped Ms P off and I think she was glad to see me. I changed from my bike riding clothes to civilian clothes. I drove to my dentist. Today I am having a lower molar removed. The problem is that the tooth to be extracted is part of a bridge. My dentist had to cut the bridge in half. It was pretty tough because it took him over 30 minutes to saw the bridge. After visiting my dentist I had an early afternoon appointment with an oral surgeon. He will extract the tooth and tell me if an implant is feasible. The tooth came out with some effort. In order to put an implant in the location of the molar they would have to remove a piece of my jaw and use this piece to build up an area suitable for the implant. I told the Doc that no thanks I will gum my food. On another health front Nancy had an appointment to have her goiter looked at. When I got home I took Ms P on a mile walk. After this walk I took a walk by myself. I read the recovery instructions from the Doc and he said soft food and no booze for 48 hours. Bummer! I was looking forward to a nice glass of single malt scotch. Tonight I not only have a paper copy of the GRP but it is also a good TV night. Both the NCIS shows are on.

Monday October 14, 2013

Today was a bright sunny day. It was cool, the temperature was in the 40s when I left for the MAC at 0530. It is now 1618 and temperature is 63. I got in the pool at 0615 and had the entire pool to myself for my entire 41' swim. Locker room talk centered on UM blowing the PSU game and the Tigers big loss in Boston. Read the WSJ and had coffee at the Kava House. The WSJ did not have any article that I would comment on. I got home about 1100. My first task was to move furniture and other obstacles that might be in the way of the furnace folks. The furnace folks started installing the new furnace at 1230 and were done by 1600. I think they did a good job. While they were working I took a mile walk. Ms P is still at Kim's so I made the walk in good time. Tonight we will have a light dinner. No paper GRP today. Will watch some TV before heading upstairs.

Sunday October 13, 2013

We stayed at the Holiday Inn, Express in Marshall. We had their breakfast and shortly after 0800 we headed home. Hal had learned overnight that his mother had passed. Our prayers go out to Hal and Karen. Not much traffic today so we got home near 1030. Hal and Karen immediately headed home. They will leave for Toronto before noon. We unpacked and then I took a 3.75 mile walk. It is about 20 degrees cooler today than yesterday. It is now 1755 and the temperature is 63. We will have a light dinner and read the GRP and watch 60 Minutes before heading upstairs.

Saturday October 12, 2013

We all got up early. Today we are going to Albion College to attend the 50th reunion for the Class of 1963. Nancy, Helen and Karen Horlings were members of this class. It was a beautiful fall day. At 0815 Hal and Karen Horlings arrived. We put their bags in the Taurus and headed to Albion. Helen and Don drove their own car. We got to Albion before they started registering attendees at 1030. We walked around campus and even watched the Homecoming Parade. The College set up a huge tent for lunch. They had a great lunch. It was great day to eat outside. The football game started at 1300. The Albion side of the field was full. Unfortunately the sun was very hot. The temperature reached 80 during the game. In fact it was too hot for Helen and Don and they sought shade before half time. Nancy and Karen left at half time. Hal and I watched the whole game. Albion played Trine. It was a great game with several long runs and pass plays. Albion won by 14 points. In addition to being Nancy's 50 reunion today is also Debbie's 25th reunion. Debbie could not make it. One of Nancy's High School classmates was Andy Hess. Andy and his family lived two doors from us. Andy's son played TE for Trine. He had a lot of playing time. The Class of 1963 had dinner at Win Shuler's in Marshall. Shuler's is a well known eating place in Mi. The Class of 63 had over 150 folks for dinner. There were 250 members in the Class. We had prime rib and it was great. The Class had a short program and provided prizes for the graduate who traveled the furthest. the graduate with the most kids, grandkids, great grandkids etc. One questions that I thought interesting was about the folks who had met their spouse at Albion. At lot of hands were raised. When they asked how many had their 50 Wedding Anniversary this year. About 20 hands were raised. On a sad note Hal Horlings was notified during dinner that his mother had taken ill. She lives near Toronto and is 92. We plan on leaving early tomorrow so Hal and Karen can drive to Toronto on Sunday.

Friday October 11, 2013

Today is an early rising day. Up at 0455 and headed out at 0530 for the MAC. It is pitch black but at 0530 traffic is very light. I did have one incidence. I forgot that East Grand Rapids allows residents to put their leaves in the gutter. The City picks up the leaves free of charge. As I was pedaling south on Breton I moved over to the gutter to let a car pass. I drove through a big pile of leaves. Luckily, the pile was small and only leaves. I remember as a boy, my friends and I would ride our bike to school and whenever we found a pile of leaves we would ride through it scattering leaves. It was great sport. One day grouchy old Mr Bertran got tired of our sport so he buried a concrete block in the pile. Bob Oliver hit the block and went over his handle bars. It cured us. It was standard practice to burn the leaves in the gutter. A lot of folks liked the smell of burning leaves but environmental laws stopped this practice. After the MAC I had coffee at the Kava House. Friday is grass cutting day. As soon as I got home I fired up the mower and started cutting grass. At 1300 the salesman from Jacobson's arrived and gave me a price for a new furnace. The price was reasonable so we purchased a new furnace. It will be installed Monday. At 1400 Kim came and picked up Ms P. She will keep Ms P until next Tuesday. I finished cutting about 1500. I took a quick shower. As I was drying off my sister, Helen, and Don arrived. I gave Don a beer and Helen and I had a glass of wine. Nancy fixed a nice dinner for all of us. We spent the evening talking.

Thursday October 10, 2013

R H Scott's Forest Gump moment: Tonight on the news I heard that Astronaut Scott Carpenter had passed away. Navy Commander Carpenter made one space flight in May of 1962. He orbited the earth 3 times. I immediately thought that Ensign R H Scott was involved in the pick up of the Mercury Space Capsule. I was wrong. Carpenter landed in the Atlantic. I did further research and found that in October 1962 another Mercury capsule was launched and this flight was commanded by Navy Pilot Wally Schirra. The Sigma 7 spacecraft orbited the earth 6 times. The landing was near perfect. Astronaut Schirra did not have to exit the capsule but instead the Aircraft Carrier Kearsarge hoisted the capsule up to the flight deck and then Schirra exited the capsule. The Kearsarge was near the US Navy Base at Midway Island. Midway dispatched a tug to the Kearsarge and the capsule was loaded on the tug. When the tug reached Midway, Ensign RH Scott and his crack Seabee Team using a mobile crane unloaded the capsule and put it on one of our low boys for transfer to a waiting aircraft. The unloading, moving and loading of the capsule went without a hitch. This was a big event on Midway. Our team of Seabees were dressed in their dress whites and really showed a lot of spit and polish in making this move. The island was loaded with news folks and some of the guys thought maybe we would make Life magazine. No such luck. Anyway I was there 51 years ago. Today was another nice fall day. The weather was perfect. I slept in until 0715. Nancy is still under the weather so she did not go to the MAC. I was in the pool at 0815. My swim time today was 1 minute slower that normal. I don't know why. After the MAC I headed to the Starbucks in Gaslight Village for my morning coffee. I could not dawdle because the furnace man is coming some time after noon. I was home at noon. I had a quick lunch and then got out the trimmer and started trimming the grass. I want to get this work done because tomorrow I have to cut the grass. I want to be done with my chores before my sister comes in the afternoon. I was almost done when the furnace man arrived. He checked out the furnace and informed me that we need a new furnace. The existing furnace is 23 years old. The furnace man detected high levels of CO. Not a good thing. The sales man is coming tomorrow. In the past 12 months we have replaced our washer, hot water heater and now our furnace. Nancy and I had dinner tonight at Great Lakes Shipping. Not much on TV so I am going to bed early. Tomorrow I get up at 0455 so I can get in the pool before the old folks. I also have to cut the grass and get ready for my Sister' visit.

Wednesday October 9, 2013

Today is my easy day. I love my easy days. I woke at 0730 and then pedaled to Bill's for their oatmeal breakfast Since it is my easy day I had time to read all sections of the WSJ. How about those folks in DC? The news media is having a feeding frenzy. The media is really the messenger of bad dope. Stick with the facts! Today is another perfect fall day. Bob Condon who lives down the street from us is selling his house. For the past two days he has had an estate sale. The street has been lined with cars. When I got home I loaded up my road bike and headed to Millennium Park. I rode 19 miles in 1h33'. The trail was crowded with old folks like me. Nancy worked at the Gardens this afternoon. Tonight she has book club. I am meeting Tom Moleski for beer and pizza. Nancy and I have been looking at possible tours for this winter. We found a tour of Panama and the Canal that looks good. The price is reasonable and it is only a week long. We would like to take another overseas trip next fall. Rural England, Ireland or France are on my list. I would like to rent a car but driving in England has me worried.

Tuesday October 8, 2013

The weather folks said it was going to be a beautiful fall day. They were right. It was perfect. I slept in until 0715 this morning. Nancy still has her sore throat so she is taking it easy today. I was in the pool at 0800 but as soon as I got a few laps in my goggles started leaking. I put on the goggles I bought in Aruba and they fogged up. Since my routine was out of kilter I tried using the training swim fins I bought many years ago. The fins caused more stress on my knees and ankles than I wanted so I stopped using them after 10 laps. I ended up swimming 33 laps (1650 yards) in record slow time. My calisthenics went off without a hitch. On my way out of the MAC I stopped at their little store and purchased a new pair of goggles. They are identical to the ones I have been using for about 5 years. I had my coffee this morning at the Starbucks in Gas Light. The man behind me in line was impressed with the Starbucks app on my iPhone. I showed him how to download the app. Who says old guys are not tech savvy. Speaking of Apple I think at least 80% of the phones and computers I see at Starbucks and the Kava House are Apples. Young folks love their Apples. The WSJ today was full of interesting articles. It took me extra long to read. I did not get home until 1300. I notice that I use "I" all the time in this blog. A recent article stated that folks that use "I" a lot have low self esteem. After lunch today I took Ms P on her mile walk. Nancy read an article stating that one of the best things you can do for an aging dog is to take it for a walk. She also read that older dogs can catch cold easily. A dog sweater is advised. I ran some errands this afternoon. I stopped by the MAC to put a jar of skin lotion in my locker. I also brought home my swim fins. I have to have a tooth extracted next Tuesday so I checked on the location of the oral surgeon's office. Don't want to be late. Nancy fixed a great dinner tonight. I call it a stir fry with pasta, chicken and green beans. It was very tasty. Tonight is a great TV night. At 2000 I will watch NCIS and then NCIS LA and finally Person of Interest. Tomorrow is my easy day so I can sleep in. I don't like to watch shows that start at 2200. I have trouble staying awake and it is hard to get up in the morning. I would like to watch 2200 TV shows on my Apple Air during the day. I think it can be done. Maybe someone can give me a clue? Remember 39 minutes outside every day!

Monday October 7, 2013

Fall weather is back. It was in the low 50s when I left at 0530. When I do the early morning swim I leave the MAC about 0815. A brief shower had passed through while I was inside the MAC. I wiped off my bike seat and headed to the Kava House. The WSJ today had several interesting articles. I always read about news from China. China is a major player in the world and what happens in China impacts the USA. I think our President made a major mistake by not going to the Asian trade conference. The WSJ's editorial today really savaged Bill deBlasio who is running for mayor of NYC. It appears the US Military is coming out with some rigid rules regarding tattoos. The end result is that the tattoo shops near military bases are very busy. If you get a tattoo before the rules are official you won't be disciplined. When I was in the Navy only a small percentage of sailors had tattoos. I don't know what the big attraction for a huge tattoo is? The Seal/Special Forces raids in Africa sent a message to the bad guys that you cannot hide. But will they deter other raids? It was raining when I left the Kava House. As soon as I got home I put my wet clothes in the dryer. We have to be careful this time of year because flu season is upon us. In fact Nancy woke up with a sore throat this morning. After lunch I took a quick nap. The sun was out when I got up so I took Ms P on her mile walk and then took another mile walk. The fall colors are in full bloom. The recent rains have caused the leaves to fall. Folks will soon be raking. This afternoon I voted and paid some bills. I also made an appointment to have our furnace checked out for winter. We are having a light dinner and then will watch some TV before heading upstairs.

Sunday October 6, 2013

It rained hard last night. The rain had stopped when we went to the MAC at 0730. After our swim we headed to Meijer's. Gas today was $3.21 per gallon. Since we had shopped at Meijer's yesterday we did not purchased many items. It started raining when we headed home. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for breakfast. I read a few sections of the GRP before taking my nap. The rain stopped about the same time I ended my nap. I took Ms P around the block and then Nancy and I gave her a bath. Nancy said she stunk but I could not tell. It is now 1653 and as soon as I finish this blog I will go on a two mile walk. Nancy is fixing a seafood salad for dinner. We will watch 60 minutes and read the GRP. I hope everyone got their 30 in today. I am hooked on herring in wine sauce. I find it a great snack. Nancy thinks it is gross. I read everything about the "Afffordable Care Act" and I think that the law might result in lower health care costs. I think businesses will stop their insurance plans and give employees a lump sum to buy health insurance on the exchanges. Folks will now know how much health care really costs. I hope it would end the wide disparity between regions. Why should a hernia operation in LA cost $10,000 and only $2,000 in MN? The Republicans should give it a chance. The colors in GR have been great. The recent rains have caused a lot of leaves to fall. We will be getting the rakes out soon. Have you noticed all the typos in the e-editions of newspaper and blogs? I don't think folks are proof reading their articles. They rely on spell check.

Saturday October 5, 2013

We had some major storms blow through last night. A lot of thunder and lightning with these storms. I slept in until 0800. It was not raining on my ride to Bill's but the humidity was 90%. I had oatmeal for breakfast. It was not raining when I left so I pedaled around Reeds Lake. The trail around the lake was really crowded. It was so humid that I had to take a shower when I got home. Nancy was out of eggs so we all got in the Taurus and headed to Costco. Costco was jammed. We purchased eggs, facial tissue, V8 juice a pizza and a hot dog. Meijer's was having a special on grapes so we headed to the nearby store in Cascade. Nancy thought their grapes were poor quality so we left and headed to the Meijer's on Kalamazoo and 28th. She bought a lot of grapes. As soon as we got home we started putting the furniture on the breezeway away for the winter. Yes folks colder weather is coming. I watched the first half of the UM game. I took a nap. For dinner Nancy fixed the pizza we bought at Costco. It is now 2100 and we are watching the OSU/N game. We have the windows open and the humidity is oppressive.

Friday October 4, 2013

October 4 is Luca Scott's eighth birthday. Happy Birthday Lucas! The weather folks said it would be raining hard by 1000. I packed my rain suit and headed to the MAC. I was in the pool by 0615. Today is my lawn cutting day. On lawn cutting days I do my routine at 80% to save energy. Since it was going to rain I did the routine at 100%. I left the MAC at 0830 and no rain in fact the sun was shining. I had coffee at the Kava House. The Fed shutdown still dominates the newspapers. I got home at 1100 and the sun was still shining. After a quick lunch I started cutting the grass. I was done by 1530. After the lawn cutting I took a quick shower and nap. For dinner tonight Nancy and I went to Forest Hills Inn. Not much on TV so I am typing the blog on my Apple Air while channel surfing.