Blog time 1110 at Panera:
It was raining this morning when I first went out. I decided no Y today.
Calisthenics and a row followed by a shower before breakfast. I called my Neurologist and asked for guidance on the steroid pills. They are not working and I would be happy if he told me to stop.
Nancy headed out at 0830 to take Ms P to the Vet.
It had stopped raining when I head out so I got on the bike and pedaled to Panera. I read the London papers and Alpena News and found no article I want to comment on.
This is the last day of February and according to the Channel 8 weather man this is our warmest February on record. In 2015 we had the coldest February on record.
What is going on, United is lowering rates for the summer, and Fidelity is lowering brokerage fees. Is it competition? I just wish United would give us more leg room. I think Index funds are hurting brokers.
I am at odds with POTUS over immigration and his defense budget. I have always been pro immigration and think we should allow folks in who can fill an open position, be it farm workers or software engineers. The fight with Mexico is not in our best interest. I am also a free trader.
Tonight we get to listen to the President. I think most Federal agencies are bloated. We spend more on Defense than any other country. We spend $595B while China spends $214B. Russia only spends $91B. Remember Ike's warning about theMilitary/Industrial complex. Ike was great.
POTUS also has to develop a thicker skin. All the attacks on folks who criticize him is unseemly.
After Panera I rode my bike around the neighborhood to check things out. It was mild, high 40s, with just a light mist. Good bike weather for the end of February.
Nancy said the Vet gave Ms P a good checkup. It appears she has back problems. She is on strong medication. No walks for a week. Missy told us that because of Ms P's dachshund lineage she would be prone to back trouble.
Nancy, Ms P and Bob can now be called "the lame, the halt and the blind".
Before lunch I took a two mile walk. After lunch I sat in living room and finished reading the papers on my iPad. I also read an article in Nat Geo on Vikings. It was interesting. I have read several books by Bernard Cornwell about the Vikings in Britain. I am also watching a Netflix series on Vikings in Britain based on a Cornwell book.
Nancy is fixing a chicken breast with dressing and sweet potato for dinner. We will watch the news and finish reading today's GRP. Maybe some TV before the President's speech.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Monday February 27, 2017
Blog time: 1140 at Panera
Temperatures in 20s this morning but with sun the temps will rise to low 50s later.
This morning I changed my bike route to the Y. The new route includes several steep hills. I think with all the hill climbing I can eliminate my indoor mile run. It was a great day for a bike ride. Birds chirping, no wind and bright sun made the ride enjoyable. I was surprised at how easy it is to can climb these hills. Can it be the steroids?
Nancy and I did not watch the Academy Awards last night but today's news outlets are talking about the major gaffe on best picture. Everyone should read Piers Morgan article in today's Daily Mall. He really savaged the Awards and the self serving ad by the NYT. NYT talks about truth as if they have exclusive rights.
Most folks don't like to be lectured to by folks in an industry that embellished the truth to make movies more marketable. Warren Beaty and Meryl Streep should chill out.
Warren Buffet was on CNBC this morning spouting his folksy advice. Did you know that in 2007 Mr Buffet bet a hedge fund manager a million bucks that he would make more money if he invested in passive index funds than the aggressive hedge fund investor. It looks Buffet will win major league. I bet most stock brokers and investment folks are nervous.
This afternoon I have a optometrist appointment so I left Panera early. Quick lunch and then Nancy drove me to the eye doctor. He gave me a thorough checkup. I explained all my eye problems.
He can fix my double vision with glasses but this would not be permanent. He said the cataracts in my left eye need surgery. He recommend I have the surgery. I agreed and the Doc will set up an appointment.
On our way home we stopped at a Veterinarian's office not far from the condo. We found that the office is a family run operation. We set up an appointment for tomorrow.
Our present Vet's office is far from the condo and they were recently purchased by VCA, a national firm. I was not impressed with with our last visit. We are ready for a change.
Finished my outdoor activities with a two mile walk.
Light dinner tonight and then some streaming TV. I really don't know what streaming TV is but it sounds good.
Temperatures in 20s this morning but with sun the temps will rise to low 50s later.
This morning I changed my bike route to the Y. The new route includes several steep hills. I think with all the hill climbing I can eliminate my indoor mile run. It was a great day for a bike ride. Birds chirping, no wind and bright sun made the ride enjoyable. I was surprised at how easy it is to can climb these hills. Can it be the steroids?
Nancy and I did not watch the Academy Awards last night but today's news outlets are talking about the major gaffe on best picture. Everyone should read Piers Morgan article in today's Daily Mall. He really savaged the Awards and the self serving ad by the NYT. NYT talks about truth as if they have exclusive rights.
Most folks don't like to be lectured to by folks in an industry that embellished the truth to make movies more marketable. Warren Beaty and Meryl Streep should chill out.
Warren Buffet was on CNBC this morning spouting his folksy advice. Did you know that in 2007 Mr Buffet bet a hedge fund manager a million bucks that he would make more money if he invested in passive index funds than the aggressive hedge fund investor. It looks Buffet will win major league. I bet most stock brokers and investment folks are nervous.
This afternoon I have a optometrist appointment so I left Panera early. Quick lunch and then Nancy drove me to the eye doctor. He gave me a thorough checkup. I explained all my eye problems.
He can fix my double vision with glasses but this would not be permanent. He said the cataracts in my left eye need surgery. He recommend I have the surgery. I agreed and the Doc will set up an appointment.
On our way home we stopped at a Veterinarian's office not far from the condo. We found that the office is a family run operation. We set up an appointment for tomorrow.
Our present Vet's office is far from the condo and they were recently purchased by VCA, a national firm. I was not impressed with with our last visit. We are ready for a change.
Finished my outdoor activities with a two mile walk.
Light dinner tonight and then some streaming TV. I really don't know what streaming TV is but it sounds good.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Sunday February 26, 2017
Blog time: 1250 sitting at dining room table.
Winter continues with temps in the high teens this morning. This morning we attended the 0900 service at Trinity Lutheran.
Before going I had a quick breakfast. The steroid pills require food in the stomach. Wednesday I will call Doctor and ask to be taken off steroids. They are not correcting the double vision.
Pastor Bob gave a great Homily this morning. What is the difference between a Homily and Sermon?
After church we headed to Meijer's for supplies. We also filled up the Escape. Gas was $2.33.
Ms P is a little under the weather so I took a solo two mile walk.
It is now 1300 so I will take a break for lunch and nap. Stay tuned.
After the nap I got on my bike and checked out some hills on Thornapple Drive south of Tahoe Drive. The hills looked imposing but despite their steepness they are short so I was surprised how easily I was able to climb them. Several hills on Ada Dr and Cascade Rd are not as steep but they are very long making the climb very difficult. I guess "looks can be deceiving" is an apt description for these hills.
After the ride I headed downstairs to check my bank accounts and pay some bills. I also synced my iPhone and iPad to the laptop.
Nancy is fixing soup and a Hamburg for dinner. Sounds good.
The days are getting longer. We now have 11h08' of daylight.
Will watch 60 Minutes and finish reading the GRP this evening. I have not seen any movies up for an award tonight so will not watch. Besides I don't want to watch some overpaid actor spouting off about what is bad about the USA. Lectures I don't need.
Winter continues with temps in the high teens this morning. This morning we attended the 0900 service at Trinity Lutheran.
Before going I had a quick breakfast. The steroid pills require food in the stomach. Wednesday I will call Doctor and ask to be taken off steroids. They are not correcting the double vision.
Pastor Bob gave a great Homily this morning. What is the difference between a Homily and Sermon?
After church we headed to Meijer's for supplies. We also filled up the Escape. Gas was $2.33.
Ms P is a little under the weather so I took a solo two mile walk.
It is now 1300 so I will take a break for lunch and nap. Stay tuned.
After the nap I got on my bike and checked out some hills on Thornapple Drive south of Tahoe Drive. The hills looked imposing but despite their steepness they are short so I was surprised how easily I was able to climb them. Several hills on Ada Dr and Cascade Rd are not as steep but they are very long making the climb very difficult. I guess "looks can be deceiving" is an apt description for these hills.
After the ride I headed downstairs to check my bank accounts and pay some bills. I also synced my iPhone and iPad to the laptop.
Nancy is fixing soup and a Hamburg for dinner. Sounds good.
The days are getting longer. We now have 11h08' of daylight.
Will watch 60 Minutes and finish reading the GRP this evening. I have not seen any movies up for an award tonight so will not watch. Besides I don't want to watch some overpaid actor spouting off about what is bad about the USA. Lectures I don't need.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Saturday February 25, 2017
Blog time 1915 sitting in den at home:
Winter has come back with a bang. Temperature in mid 20s this morning with high winds.
We have had light snow all day and now have a thin blanket of white over everything.
We slept in this morning and then headed out to the Gathering Place for breakfast. We had fried eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee. A good cold winter's morning fare.
After breakfast we drove to Lake Odessa to attend an antique sale in their downtown antique mall. This is an annual event held the last weekend in February. It is called their "CABIN FEVER SALE". Good name.
The mall is in a large old building in downtown Lake Odessa. Wooden floors and narrow stairways to shops in the basement and second floor. The place was jammed. Most folks must have Cabin Fever.
We bought a Nancy Drew book and a magazine stand for our downstairs bath. The prices were reasonable. I was looking for a Red Ryder BB gun like the one I had in my youth. They had several but the models were from the 60s. The butts were plastic instead of wood. Plastic is no good.
We spent over two hours walking around the mall. It was like a trip down memory lane.
At home I tried to take Ms P on a walk but she balked because of the cold wind. Instead I took a solo 2.5 mile walk.
We spent the rest of our afternoon sitting in our den reading. No TV. It was great. I read the paper but being Saturday I have no serious comments.
For dinner we drove to Brann's. Brann's was crowded mainly because of the UM BB game. UM upset Purdue. I had a bowl of lobster bisque and Nancy had a turkey sandwich. We also had wine. This was our Cabin Fever celebration.
Today is Nancy's sister Peg's birthday. Nancy gave her a call. Happy Birthday Peg.
Winter has come back with a bang. Temperature in mid 20s this morning with high winds.
We have had light snow all day and now have a thin blanket of white over everything.
We slept in this morning and then headed out to the Gathering Place for breakfast. We had fried eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee. A good cold winter's morning fare.
After breakfast we drove to Lake Odessa to attend an antique sale in their downtown antique mall. This is an annual event held the last weekend in February. It is called their "CABIN FEVER SALE". Good name.
The mall is in a large old building in downtown Lake Odessa. Wooden floors and narrow stairways to shops in the basement and second floor. The place was jammed. Most folks must have Cabin Fever.
We bought a Nancy Drew book and a magazine stand for our downstairs bath. The prices were reasonable. I was looking for a Red Ryder BB gun like the one I had in my youth. They had several but the models were from the 60s. The butts were plastic instead of wood. Plastic is no good.
We spent over two hours walking around the mall. It was like a trip down memory lane.
At home I tried to take Ms P on a walk but she balked because of the cold wind. Instead I took a solo 2.5 mile walk.
We spent the rest of our afternoon sitting in our den reading. No TV. It was great. I read the paper but being Saturday I have no serious comments.
For dinner we drove to Brann's. Brann's was crowded mainly because of the UM BB game. UM upset Purdue. I had a bowl of lobster bisque and Nancy had a turkey sandwich. We also had wine. This was our Cabin Fever celebration.
Today is Nancy's sister Peg's birthday. Nancy gave her a call. Happy Birthday Peg.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Friday February 24, 2017
Blog time 1110 at Panera: What a difference a day makes. We had thunder storms with high winds, 26 mph, early this morning. The temp also dropped to mid 30s.
The rain should continue until late afternoon. Snow predicted for tonight.
Because of the rain and high winds I decided no bike or Y today. I did the calisthenics at home and for aerobics I rowed 10 minutes. I like the row because it elevates the heart rate.
After breakfast I put on my raincoat and walked to Panera. I encountered just a mild mist.
Panera was very crowded today. It looks like some older women are using Panera as a gathering place.
I have been on a double dose of steroids for a week now with no improvements. A downside of double vision is my inability to cut my toenails. Nancy said I might have to visit a shop that give pedicures. Maybe I will have to change my thinking that only sissies get a pedicure.
Today the London papers took a break from reporting on the antics of our POTUS. They did report on the UK Labor party suffering some serious losses in yesterdays by-election. I don't know what a by-election is or if I spelled it right.
Despite all the negative news about what is happening around the nation the Stock Market keeps moving ahead. It is up today.
It was still raining when I left Panera at 1200. I walked to Meijer's to pick up a prescription. I took a long route home in order to get my 30 minutes in.
After a quick lunch we got in the car and headed to GR Lightning. When changing a light bulb on our hall chandelier I broke one section of the three glass sections surrounding the bulbs. We took our purchase order and the nice lady ordered a new section. We were surprised that the replacement cost was only $16 so we ordered another.
No walk today for Ms P because of the rain. It is now 2000 and the rain has stopped. However, early tomorrow morning it will start snowing.
Nancy fixed ham and bean soup for dinner. We had it with a fresh baked baguette. Great meal for a dreary February night.
Tomorrow morning we a going to an antique fair in Lake Odessa.
It looks like a Netflix evening.
The rain should continue until late afternoon. Snow predicted for tonight.
Because of the rain and high winds I decided no bike or Y today. I did the calisthenics at home and for aerobics I rowed 10 minutes. I like the row because it elevates the heart rate.
After breakfast I put on my raincoat and walked to Panera. I encountered just a mild mist.
Panera was very crowded today. It looks like some older women are using Panera as a gathering place.
I have been on a double dose of steroids for a week now with no improvements. A downside of double vision is my inability to cut my toenails. Nancy said I might have to visit a shop that give pedicures. Maybe I will have to change my thinking that only sissies get a pedicure.
Today the London papers took a break from reporting on the antics of our POTUS. They did report on the UK Labor party suffering some serious losses in yesterdays by-election. I don't know what a by-election is or if I spelled it right.
Despite all the negative news about what is happening around the nation the Stock Market keeps moving ahead. It is up today.
It was still raining when I left Panera at 1200. I walked to Meijer's to pick up a prescription. I took a long route home in order to get my 30 minutes in.
After a quick lunch we got in the car and headed to GR Lightning. When changing a light bulb on our hall chandelier I broke one section of the three glass sections surrounding the bulbs. We took our purchase order and the nice lady ordered a new section. We were surprised that the replacement cost was only $16 so we ordered another.
No walk today for Ms P because of the rain. It is now 2000 and the rain has stopped. However, early tomorrow morning it will start snowing.
Nancy fixed ham and bean soup for dinner. We had it with a fresh baked baguette. Great meal for a dreary February night.
Tomorrow morning we a going to an antique fair in Lake Odessa.
It looks like a Netflix evening.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Thursday February 23, 2017
Blog time 1155 at Panera:
Yes folks another nice day with above normal temps. Highs today will be in mid 50s.
The London papers had many stories about Storm Doris that battered the UK with 100 mph winds. The UK has been on the metric system for years but still use English units like mph and degrees F.
UK is finding out that leaving the EU is going to be difficult. Bad feelings between the two parties will probably exist for years. As the song said "Breaking Up is Hard to Do".
Today I started my normal warm weather bike ride to the Y, 7.5 miles. I am thinking of not running a mile when I take this route.
This afternoon Nancy and I are going to Sam's Club and Costco for supplies.
Interesting Opinion piece in the WSJ regarding the President's order to send immigrants without papers back to Mexico. This is a massive undertaking that will require a huge investment in money and manpower. The last thing we need to do is increase an already incompetent Federal bureaucracy and spend scarce tax dollars. I would send back the really bad guys but folks that want to work should be allowed to stay, especially families. There are many things that we could do to get these folks citizenship without deporting them. We need these workers.
After a quick lunch Nancy and I got in the Escape and headed to Sam's Club. We bought cheese and batteries. Next stop was Costco. Wine, Cheerios, and dog treats were purchased.
Dublin cheese at Sam's Club cost the same as at Costco. Same as gas $2.29.
At home took Ms P on a 1.5 mile walk.
Our TV keeps shutting down. We get a message saying we need different cables other than the HDM. Called Direct TV and they sent us new connection cables. This afternoon I swapped the cables. Big problem, no volume with the new cables. We are back to normal. When the screen goes blank we will continue to shut the TV down for several seconds. Turn the TV back on and every thing is ok.
We had dinner tonight at Shepard's Grill. I had a corn beef Rueben and Nancy a bowl of soup.
This and that: Because of the boot Nancy is wearing on her broken foot she got a handicap parking permit. Only problem is that when we go to Sam's Club, Costco or Meijer's every handicap space is occupied.
I am watching a Minnesota vs Purdue Women's BB game. Both teams are making three pointers with ease. Women's BB has made great strides in the last 25 years. The ball handling and passing is great.
Yes folks another nice day with above normal temps. Highs today will be in mid 50s.
The London papers had many stories about Storm Doris that battered the UK with 100 mph winds. The UK has been on the metric system for years but still use English units like mph and degrees F.
UK is finding out that leaving the EU is going to be difficult. Bad feelings between the two parties will probably exist for years. As the song said "Breaking Up is Hard to Do".
Today I started my normal warm weather bike ride to the Y, 7.5 miles. I am thinking of not running a mile when I take this route.
This afternoon Nancy and I are going to Sam's Club and Costco for supplies.
Interesting Opinion piece in the WSJ regarding the President's order to send immigrants without papers back to Mexico. This is a massive undertaking that will require a huge investment in money and manpower. The last thing we need to do is increase an already incompetent Federal bureaucracy and spend scarce tax dollars. I would send back the really bad guys but folks that want to work should be allowed to stay, especially families. There are many things that we could do to get these folks citizenship without deporting them. We need these workers.
After a quick lunch Nancy and I got in the Escape and headed to Sam's Club. We bought cheese and batteries. Next stop was Costco. Wine, Cheerios, and dog treats were purchased.
Dublin cheese at Sam's Club cost the same as at Costco. Same as gas $2.29.
At home took Ms P on a 1.5 mile walk.
Our TV keeps shutting down. We get a message saying we need different cables other than the HDM. Called Direct TV and they sent us new connection cables. This afternoon I swapped the cables. Big problem, no volume with the new cables. We are back to normal. When the screen goes blank we will continue to shut the TV down for several seconds. Turn the TV back on and every thing is ok.
We had dinner tonight at Shepard's Grill. I had a corn beef Rueben and Nancy a bowl of soup.
This and that: Because of the boot Nancy is wearing on her broken foot she got a handicap parking permit. Only problem is that when we go to Sam's Club, Costco or Meijer's every handicap space is occupied.
I am watching a Minnesota vs Purdue Women's BB game. Both teams are making three pointers with ease. Women's BB has made great strides in the last 25 years. The ball handling and passing is great.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Wednesday February 22, 2017
Blog time 1015 at Panera:
Another Easy Wednesday. It was foggy and warm when I stepped out first thing this morning.
I did some relaxed calisthenics at home before biking to Panera. I had my usual oatmeal, banana and toast breakfast.
Read the London papers. The Daily Mail has been running old photo albums from the US. Today they showed postcard photos from Nevada in the 1930s. They also had a series of photos taken in the 1930s of Greyhound Bus stations in the US South. Very interesting.
Germany, France and the Netherlands have elections this year. The elections are not unlike what we experienced in the US. Several parties are very anti-immigration.
Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon. She expects to be busy because the Butterfly Exhibit opened this week.
Blog continues at 1730, sitting in living room and drinking tonic water.
I read the WSJ but did not find anything I want to comment on. I like their Page One, World News and Opinion sections. I just skim the business sections and have no interest in what they call "Life and Arts" and "Greater New York" sections.
After Panera I rode to the Jewelry store on East Paris Ave. I had bike trails all the way. I left my Rolex off to get it cleaned. The watch has great value to me. Nancy gave it to me in 1965.
Checked out bikes at the bike store in the same compound as the jewelry store. This bike store is a branch of Ada Bike. They had a good selection of 29ers at reasonable prices. The store in Ada has 29s but they are pricey. I need a softer ride.
My total bike mileage today was 15. Absolutely great day for a ride.
Took Ms P on a long walk and then gathered up the trash and recyclables. We had a lot of corrugated cardboard to dispose of. Also did a load of laundry.
Did not have lunch until nearly 1430. Showered and took a quick nap.
It is now 1745 and the temperature is 64. Yes folks 64 on Feb 22. Nancy said the Gardens was busy today with folks looking at the Butterflies. She said they also had a lot of walkers.
Today is President George Washington's Birthday. In grade school each February we would spend time studying our first president. I hope they continue this practice.
Light dinner tonight and then some streaming.
The nice weather continues through tomorrow and Friday, snow on Saturday.
Another Easy Wednesday. It was foggy and warm when I stepped out first thing this morning.
I did some relaxed calisthenics at home before biking to Panera. I had my usual oatmeal, banana and toast breakfast.
Read the London papers. The Daily Mail has been running old photo albums from the US. Today they showed postcard photos from Nevada in the 1930s. They also had a series of photos taken in the 1930s of Greyhound Bus stations in the US South. Very interesting.
Germany, France and the Netherlands have elections this year. The elections are not unlike what we experienced in the US. Several parties are very anti-immigration.
Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon. She expects to be busy because the Butterfly Exhibit opened this week.
Blog continues at 1730, sitting in living room and drinking tonic water.
I read the WSJ but did not find anything I want to comment on. I like their Page One, World News and Opinion sections. I just skim the business sections and have no interest in what they call "Life and Arts" and "Greater New York" sections.
After Panera I rode to the Jewelry store on East Paris Ave. I had bike trails all the way. I left my Rolex off to get it cleaned. The watch has great value to me. Nancy gave it to me in 1965.
Checked out bikes at the bike store in the same compound as the jewelry store. This bike store is a branch of Ada Bike. They had a good selection of 29ers at reasonable prices. The store in Ada has 29s but they are pricey. I need a softer ride.
My total bike mileage today was 15. Absolutely great day for a ride.
Took Ms P on a long walk and then gathered up the trash and recyclables. We had a lot of corrugated cardboard to dispose of. Also did a load of laundry.
Did not have lunch until nearly 1430. Showered and took a quick nap.
It is now 1745 and the temperature is 64. Yes folks 64 on Feb 22. Nancy said the Gardens was busy today with folks looking at the Butterflies. She said they also had a lot of walkers.
Today is President George Washington's Birthday. In grade school each February we would spend time studying our first president. I hope they continue this practice.
Light dinner tonight and then some streaming.
The nice weather continues through tomorrow and Friday, snow on Saturday.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Tuesday February 21, 2017
Blog time 1020 at Panera:
The weather folks said it will rain most of the morning. They were right.
I changed my schedule because I don't ride my bike in the rain. Did my entire exercise routine at home.
Nancy had a tough night because of nerve pain in her foot. She was tired and needed a pick me up.
The solution was to get in the Escape and head to Panera. We had a nice breakfast and a chance to relax.
Nancy headed out to go shopping and I remained to read the papers.
The London papers did not contain any earth shattering news. They did report on riots in Sweden by young immigrants. Was this the incident POTUS talked about?
Since Friday I have been taking a double dose of steroid pills. It has not, to date, corrected my double vision. I worry about the side effects of prolonged use of steroids. Stay tuned.
I get confused when folks talk about no taxes on exports but taxes on imports. Now POTUS says we have not calculated the balance of trade correctly. Most economists disagree with POTUS. I think I will side with the economists.
Will we ever see an infrastructure program. Nobody has mentioned just raising the gas tax. A gas tax is a utility fee. If folks don't like the tax they should buy an electric car. That would make the Greenies happy.
WSJ had an article on my congressman, Justin Amash. It was a favorable article. Rep Amash a republican has strong libertarian leanings. He is not my type of representative because he is inflexible. Compromise is necessary in a democracy.
Ist was still sprinkling when I left Panera. At home I grabbed my favorite leather vest and walked to a nearby tailor shop. I needed a button put on the vest. The nice young lady put it on for no charge.
Stopped at bank and got some cash. Took Ms P on a short walk.
Quick lunch and then headed downstairs. I did chores. Ironed a pair of pants, put bachelor buttons for suspenders on some pants. The downstairs alarm on the slider keeps giving me an error message. I talked to the alarm company and was told how to fix my problem. After much fiddling I finally got it to work. After all my work I found out I had the unit upside down. I never said I was smart.
One month from today we will have 12 hours of daylight. Today we have 10h53'.
Nancy is fixing spaghetti for dinner. Will read the GRP, watch news and then NCIS and Bull. Tuesday is the only night we watch network TV.
I got my 30 minutes in today I hope you did too.
The weather folks said it will rain most of the morning. They were right.
I changed my schedule because I don't ride my bike in the rain. Did my entire exercise routine at home.
Nancy had a tough night because of nerve pain in her foot. She was tired and needed a pick me up.
The solution was to get in the Escape and head to Panera. We had a nice breakfast and a chance to relax.
Nancy headed out to go shopping and I remained to read the papers.
The London papers did not contain any earth shattering news. They did report on riots in Sweden by young immigrants. Was this the incident POTUS talked about?
Since Friday I have been taking a double dose of steroid pills. It has not, to date, corrected my double vision. I worry about the side effects of prolonged use of steroids. Stay tuned.
I get confused when folks talk about no taxes on exports but taxes on imports. Now POTUS says we have not calculated the balance of trade correctly. Most economists disagree with POTUS. I think I will side with the economists.
Will we ever see an infrastructure program. Nobody has mentioned just raising the gas tax. A gas tax is a utility fee. If folks don't like the tax they should buy an electric car. That would make the Greenies happy.
WSJ had an article on my congressman, Justin Amash. It was a favorable article. Rep Amash a republican has strong libertarian leanings. He is not my type of representative because he is inflexible. Compromise is necessary in a democracy.
Ist was still sprinkling when I left Panera. At home I grabbed my favorite leather vest and walked to a nearby tailor shop. I needed a button put on the vest. The nice young lady put it on for no charge.
Stopped at bank and got some cash. Took Ms P on a short walk.
Quick lunch and then headed downstairs. I did chores. Ironed a pair of pants, put bachelor buttons for suspenders on some pants. The downstairs alarm on the slider keeps giving me an error message. I talked to the alarm company and was told how to fix my problem. After much fiddling I finally got it to work. After all my work I found out I had the unit upside down. I never said I was smart.
One month from today we will have 12 hours of daylight. Today we have 10h53'.
Nancy is fixing spaghetti for dinner. Will read the GRP, watch news and then NCIS and Bull. Tuesday is the only night we watch network TV.
I got my 30 minutes in today I hope you did too.
Monday, February 20, 2017
Monday February 20, 2017
Blog time: 1130 at Panera.
Happy President's Day, in my youth President' Day was called Washington' Birthday and celebrated on February 22. In 1971 the holiday was changed to a three day holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. It was also renamed President's Day.
Another unseasonably warm sunny February day. It was in the mid 30s when I left and it is now 47 heading to a high of 59. We won't get back to normal February weather until Saturday when the low will be 24. I just checked. Average daily low for this time of year is in the low 20s.
I still have my steel studded tires on my bike. They are noisy and impede making quick turns. I am reluctant to remove them because winter is still not over.
A lot of school age kids at the Y so I assume some schools have the day off.
President Trump continues to make outlandish statements. The press has a hissy fit. Then the VP or Sec Defense or State calms everyone down. When will the press quit taking the bait?
Read the London papers this morning. BRexit is getting nasty in the UK and EU. Can UK just walk away?
Because the stock market was closed today the WSJ was a limited edition. Nothing to comment on.
The warm weather has the bird singing and the animals moving. Yesterday on my walk I watched a herd of six deer feeding alongside Tahoe Drive. Are they getting salt residue from snow removal operations?
As soon as I got home took Ms P on a long walk followed by a quick lunch. Spent some time trying to fix our alarm system. No luck. I guess I will have to have a service tech come out to the house.
Rode my bike to Meijer's to buy some cheese and a lottery ticket.
On February 22, 1961 brand new civil engineer RH Scott wrote his mother from Detroit. I had the day off because it was Washington's Birthday. It was a Wednesday. I had my first job as a civil engineer and worked in downtown Detroit. My pay was $510 per month. I did not have a car so I walked downtown every work day a distance of three miles.
I wrote the letter as I was waiting for my frozen tamales to get hot. Having the day off I walked to the downtown library only to find it closed. I told Mom I just made it home before it started raining. I spent the rest of my day off reading Time and the Detroit News. Exciting day for a 22 year old bachelor.
We will have a light dinner. No paper tonight so after the news we will watch some Netflix.
Happy President's Day, in my youth President' Day was called Washington' Birthday and celebrated on February 22. In 1971 the holiday was changed to a three day holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. It was also renamed President's Day.
Another unseasonably warm sunny February day. It was in the mid 30s when I left and it is now 47 heading to a high of 59. We won't get back to normal February weather until Saturday when the low will be 24. I just checked. Average daily low for this time of year is in the low 20s.
I still have my steel studded tires on my bike. They are noisy and impede making quick turns. I am reluctant to remove them because winter is still not over.
A lot of school age kids at the Y so I assume some schools have the day off.
President Trump continues to make outlandish statements. The press has a hissy fit. Then the VP or Sec Defense or State calms everyone down. When will the press quit taking the bait?
Read the London papers this morning. BRexit is getting nasty in the UK and EU. Can UK just walk away?
Because the stock market was closed today the WSJ was a limited edition. Nothing to comment on.
The warm weather has the bird singing and the animals moving. Yesterday on my walk I watched a herd of six deer feeding alongside Tahoe Drive. Are they getting salt residue from snow removal operations?
As soon as I got home took Ms P on a long walk followed by a quick lunch. Spent some time trying to fix our alarm system. No luck. I guess I will have to have a service tech come out to the house.
Rode my bike to Meijer's to buy some cheese and a lottery ticket.
On February 22, 1961 brand new civil engineer RH Scott wrote his mother from Detroit. I had the day off because it was Washington's Birthday. It was a Wednesday. I had my first job as a civil engineer and worked in downtown Detroit. My pay was $510 per month. I did not have a car so I walked downtown every work day a distance of three miles.
I wrote the letter as I was waiting for my frozen tamales to get hot. Having the day off I walked to the downtown library only to find it closed. I told Mom I just made it home before it started raining. I spent the rest of my day off reading Time and the Detroit News. Exciting day for a 22 year old bachelor.
We will have a light dinner. No paper tonight so after the news we will watch some Netflix.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Sunday February 19, 2017
Blog time: 1740 sitting in living room drinking wine.
Another great day in GR. High temp 62 with blue skies and sun.
We slept in this morning. I had a quick breakfast and then we headed out to the 0900 service at Trinity Lutheran. It is nice that a lot of folks remember our names. Pastor gave a good Homily this morning. Trinity Lutheran is not hell fire and brimstone but preaches peace, love, charity and getting along with all folks. The country needs this attitude.
We stopped at Meijer's to get some supplies. At home I took the Taurus and filled it up. Gas remains at $2.26.
Took Ms P on a long walk and then had lunch. It being Sunday I took a short nap.
Finished my outdoor activities with a three mile walk. I overdressed so had to shower when I got home.
Nancy is fixing burgers for dinner tonight. We will watch 60 Minutes and finish reading the GRP before switching to Netflix/Acorn.
Another great day in GR. High temp 62 with blue skies and sun.
We slept in this morning. I had a quick breakfast and then we headed out to the 0900 service at Trinity Lutheran. It is nice that a lot of folks remember our names. Pastor gave a good Homily this morning. Trinity Lutheran is not hell fire and brimstone but preaches peace, love, charity and getting along with all folks. The country needs this attitude.
We stopped at Meijer's to get some supplies. At home I took the Taurus and filled it up. Gas remains at $2.26.
Took Ms P on a long walk and then had lunch. It being Sunday I took a short nap.
Finished my outdoor activities with a three mile walk. I overdressed so had to shower when I got home.
Nancy is fixing burgers for dinner tonight. We will watch 60 Minutes and finish reading the GRP before switching to Netflix/Acorn.
Saturday February 18, 2017
Blog time: 1915 sitting in den writing blog.
Just got back from dinner at Shepard's Grill, my favorite neighborhood pub. I had a bowl of clam chowder and Nancy had a slider.
We have had a beautiful spring like day. Temps in mid 50s with clear blue sky and sun.
Checked the temperature in San Jose, LA and Tucson. GR was within two degrees. Good grief we are still in February.
Started our day off by driving to Panera for breakfast. We had our standard Saturday fare.
We did stop at Meijer's on our way home to get gas in the Escape. Gas was $2.26.
As soon as I got home I put on my biking clothes and headed out on a 14 mile ride. My longest ride of the year. The trails were crowded with folks getting out and enjoying the unseasonable warm weather.
At home I took Ms P on her walk. Even Ms P was enjoying the warm weather. She sniffed at every bush along the walk. It took us 45 minutes to walk 1.2 miles.
I took a shower and had a quick lunch.
Sat down with my iPad to read the papers and immediately fell asleep. Nancy said I slept for well over an hour.
I did finally read the papers. I liked Peggy Noonan's WSJ column today. She is as perplexed with our President as I am.
Several qualified folks have turned down the NSA job mainly because they cannot pick their staff. I agree. I want my own staff.
I am for a carbon tax but really don't understand the proposed border adjustment import tax.
Tonight I will watch a Netflix show. Nancy headed to bed early because her brace is causing some knee pain. Also she has a good book.
Had a nice FaceTime conversation with Debbie tonight.
Watched Frontier on Netflix.
Tomorrow's weather is suppose to be as good as today's.
Just got back from dinner at Shepard's Grill, my favorite neighborhood pub. I had a bowl of clam chowder and Nancy had a slider.
We have had a beautiful spring like day. Temps in mid 50s with clear blue sky and sun.
Checked the temperature in San Jose, LA and Tucson. GR was within two degrees. Good grief we are still in February.
Started our day off by driving to Panera for breakfast. We had our standard Saturday fare.
We did stop at Meijer's on our way home to get gas in the Escape. Gas was $2.26.
As soon as I got home I put on my biking clothes and headed out on a 14 mile ride. My longest ride of the year. The trails were crowded with folks getting out and enjoying the unseasonable warm weather.
At home I took Ms P on her walk. Even Ms P was enjoying the warm weather. She sniffed at every bush along the walk. It took us 45 minutes to walk 1.2 miles.
I took a shower and had a quick lunch.
Sat down with my iPad to read the papers and immediately fell asleep. Nancy said I slept for well over an hour.
I did finally read the papers. I liked Peggy Noonan's WSJ column today. She is as perplexed with our President as I am.
Several qualified folks have turned down the NSA job mainly because they cannot pick their staff. I agree. I want my own staff.
I am for a carbon tax but really don't understand the proposed border adjustment import tax.
Tonight I will watch a Netflix show. Nancy headed to bed early because her brace is causing some knee pain. Also she has a good book.
Had a nice FaceTime conversation with Debbie tonight.
Watched Frontier on Netflix.
Tomorrow's weather is suppose to be as good as today's.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Friday February 17, 2017
Blog time 1150 at Panera:
Temps got below freezing last night. It was 30 when I got on the bike and headed to the Y.
Last night will be the last with freezing temps for the next week. Daily high temps will be in the 50s. Good grief and it is still February.
The London papers bring a different slant to events in the US. However, after yesterdays press conference the consensus is that POTUS is unstable. However he is meeting with the press and taking all questions, something President Obama never did.
The EU chair says that European NATO countries must not cave in to US demands that they pay more for defense. They say it would hurt their budgets. So the US must bear most of the cost. I say scale back and let the chips fall. We cannot defend Europe alone.
I also found out that a Spanish princess was found innocent of fraud. Tony Blair says it is not to late to repeal BRexist, fat chance. The royal family of Luxembourg is getting a divorce. The Pope said ban cell phones at the dinner table. The Pope is the only sane one in the crowd.
Everyday at the Y I talk to a UM alum and his wife also a UM grad. He graduated in 1954 so I assumed he was 84. He started a conversation today telling me abut UM's big BB victory over UW. I asked him his home town and it was Beria, OH. He did not start UM after HS because of WW II. He was in the Navy for both WW II and Korea. He is not 84 but 91. Spry and alert at 91, my role model.
Blog resumes at 1955:
Quick lunch and then we headed out to Rivertown Crossing Mall. Nancy visited Yonkers and I spent some time at Dick's Sporting Goods and Eddie Bauer. Nothing purchased.
At home I took Ms P on a long walk. Get day for a walk, sunny with 50 degree temperature.
Nancy fixed tamales for dinner tonight. Love tamales!
We are presently watching Jeopardy. It looks like a Netflix evening.
Temps got below freezing last night. It was 30 when I got on the bike and headed to the Y.
Last night will be the last with freezing temps for the next week. Daily high temps will be in the 50s. Good grief and it is still February.
The London papers bring a different slant to events in the US. However, after yesterdays press conference the consensus is that POTUS is unstable. However he is meeting with the press and taking all questions, something President Obama never did.
The EU chair says that European NATO countries must not cave in to US demands that they pay more for defense. They say it would hurt their budgets. So the US must bear most of the cost. I say scale back and let the chips fall. We cannot defend Europe alone.
I also found out that a Spanish princess was found innocent of fraud. Tony Blair says it is not to late to repeal BRexist, fat chance. The royal family of Luxembourg is getting a divorce. The Pope said ban cell phones at the dinner table. The Pope is the only sane one in the crowd.
Everyday at the Y I talk to a UM alum and his wife also a UM grad. He graduated in 1954 so I assumed he was 84. He started a conversation today telling me abut UM's big BB victory over UW. I asked him his home town and it was Beria, OH. He did not start UM after HS because of WW II. He was in the Navy for both WW II and Korea. He is not 84 but 91. Spry and alert at 91, my role model.
Blog resumes at 1955:
Quick lunch and then we headed out to Rivertown Crossing Mall. Nancy visited Yonkers and I spent some time at Dick's Sporting Goods and Eddie Bauer. Nothing purchased.
At home I took Ms P on a long walk. Get day for a walk, sunny with 50 degree temperature.
Nancy fixed tamales for dinner tonight. Love tamales!
We are presently watching Jeopardy. It looks like a Netflix evening.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Thursday February 16, 2017
Blog time: 1135 at Panera
Winter is still here, it was 22 and sunny when I got on the bike and headed to the Y. I wore my special Costco snow pants. They are fleece lined and warm in fact sitting in Panera I find them too warm.
With the present cold spell the song birds seem to have gone into hiding. Not much wildlife on my bike ride. The ride I selected to the Y is five miles. This is the max I want to ride when the temp is below 25. My hands and feet get real cold about five miles.
Slow news day in my home town, Alpena. I check the sports page to see how the BB, hockey and wrestling teams are doing. In my day the AHS did not have girls sports, boy's wrestling or hockey. The only winter sport was boy's BB. Actually I am wrong we did have a coed Gymnastics team. Only several schools in MI offered gymnastics. Our team won the state in 1956.
I loved playing hockey but played with City league teams. We played outdoors. On a nice cold winter I would play every day from Thanksgiving to St Pats Day.
After Friday home BB games AHS had a dance. Do high schools still have dances after BB games? Loved to dance.
The UK papers are still reporting on US politics. Several articles on our Secretaries of State and Defense meeting with folks in Europe. They are the voice of reason. Trump was smart enough to appoint two Adults.
Really did not find anything of interest in the WSJ.
It was 10 degrees warmer when I got on my bike for the ride home. As soon as I got home took Ms P on a pleasant walk.
Nancy had more dental work done today and she is still not done. She is being proactive, her words, so more crowns will be replaced.
Spent some time ironing several khaki pants. Then I cleared my in basket and read three months of SI. Speaking of SI I got this year's swim suit issue in the mail today.
Tonight we are having soup at Russ's. Russ's has the best chicken rice soup.
After dinner will read the GRP and watch Big Bang Theory followed by a Netflix or Acorn show.
I got my 30' in today!
Winter is still here, it was 22 and sunny when I got on the bike and headed to the Y. I wore my special Costco snow pants. They are fleece lined and warm in fact sitting in Panera I find them too warm.
With the present cold spell the song birds seem to have gone into hiding. Not much wildlife on my bike ride. The ride I selected to the Y is five miles. This is the max I want to ride when the temp is below 25. My hands and feet get real cold about five miles.
Slow news day in my home town, Alpena. I check the sports page to see how the BB, hockey and wrestling teams are doing. In my day the AHS did not have girls sports, boy's wrestling or hockey. The only winter sport was boy's BB. Actually I am wrong we did have a coed Gymnastics team. Only several schools in MI offered gymnastics. Our team won the state in 1956.
I loved playing hockey but played with City league teams. We played outdoors. On a nice cold winter I would play every day from Thanksgiving to St Pats Day.
After Friday home BB games AHS had a dance. Do high schools still have dances after BB games? Loved to dance.
The UK papers are still reporting on US politics. Several articles on our Secretaries of State and Defense meeting with folks in Europe. They are the voice of reason. Trump was smart enough to appoint two Adults.
Really did not find anything of interest in the WSJ.
It was 10 degrees warmer when I got on my bike for the ride home. As soon as I got home took Ms P on a pleasant walk.
Nancy had more dental work done today and she is still not done. She is being proactive, her words, so more crowns will be replaced.
Spent some time ironing several khaki pants. Then I cleared my in basket and read three months of SI. Speaking of SI I got this year's swim suit issue in the mail today.
Tonight we are having soup at Russ's. Russ's has the best chicken rice soup.
After dinner will read the GRP and watch Big Bang Theory followed by a Netflix or Acorn show.
I got my 30' in today!
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Wednesday February 15, 2017
Blog time: 1150 at Panera
Breakfast Club Wednesday, up at 0530 and got ready for drive to BC. The temperature got below freezing last night. Light snow on my drive to BC. Took surface street because of the double vision. The most difficult part of driving is making turns on multi lane roads.
A lot of new members at today's meeting. Also the age of the members is showing. I counted 5 members who have started using a cane since the first of the year.
I stopped at the car wash after BC. This was the Escape's first wash. Looks good.
I was going to leave my Rolex off at the watch store but they were closed. It has been almost ten years since it has been cleaned. I can't believe that the watch is over 50 years old. Nancy got it for me Christmas 1965.
Drove to Y and did a modified workout, 60%. I then headed to Panera.
The London papers had several stories about the contact between the Trump folks and Russian intelligence. The Telegraph even had a picture and story of Dan Rather saying that the Russian story is the biggest scandal since Watergate. I have never been a fan of Rather. He always thinks he is bigger than the story.
I think I have a sinus infection so I called my ENT Doctor. The earliest I can get in is March 1. What do really sick folks do?
Blog continues, 1730 sitting in living room drinking wine.
Drove home from Panera and first thing I took Ms P on her walk. It was also my first outdoor activity of the day. Need to get my 30' in.
Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon.
Today was my Rope Yarn Wednesday. In addition to getting the car washed, I put out the trash and did a load of laundry. Since Nancy cannot workout because of her broken foot she has been spending a lot of time cleaning out closets, etc. As a result we had a lot of trash today.
Called my Ocular Neurologist today and asked what Plan B was? I have been on steroids for a month and nothing has changed. Maybe I should just accept the double vision and get on with it.
I did take a short nap. After the nap I bundled up for a two mile walk. For the first time in ages my mile time was less than 20 minutes.
It has been a cold blustery day. High temp of 27 with winds of 15 mph. Friday's high will be 52. Yo-yo temperatures cannot be healthy.
Several members at BC think the news media and Federal Bureaucrats are out to get POTUS. What do you think?
Light dinner tonight and then some Netflix/Amazon or Acorn shows. We seldom watch conventional TV.
Breakfast Club Wednesday, up at 0530 and got ready for drive to BC. The temperature got below freezing last night. Light snow on my drive to BC. Took surface street because of the double vision. The most difficult part of driving is making turns on multi lane roads.
A lot of new members at today's meeting. Also the age of the members is showing. I counted 5 members who have started using a cane since the first of the year.
I stopped at the car wash after BC. This was the Escape's first wash. Looks good.
I was going to leave my Rolex off at the watch store but they were closed. It has been almost ten years since it has been cleaned. I can't believe that the watch is over 50 years old. Nancy got it for me Christmas 1965.
Drove to Y and did a modified workout, 60%. I then headed to Panera.
The London papers had several stories about the contact between the Trump folks and Russian intelligence. The Telegraph even had a picture and story of Dan Rather saying that the Russian story is the biggest scandal since Watergate. I have never been a fan of Rather. He always thinks he is bigger than the story.
I think I have a sinus infection so I called my ENT Doctor. The earliest I can get in is March 1. What do really sick folks do?
Blog continues, 1730 sitting in living room drinking wine.
Drove home from Panera and first thing I took Ms P on her walk. It was also my first outdoor activity of the day. Need to get my 30' in.
Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon.
Today was my Rope Yarn Wednesday. In addition to getting the car washed, I put out the trash and did a load of laundry. Since Nancy cannot workout because of her broken foot she has been spending a lot of time cleaning out closets, etc. As a result we had a lot of trash today.
Called my Ocular Neurologist today and asked what Plan B was? I have been on steroids for a month and nothing has changed. Maybe I should just accept the double vision and get on with it.
I did take a short nap. After the nap I bundled up for a two mile walk. For the first time in ages my mile time was less than 20 minutes.
It has been a cold blustery day. High temp of 27 with winds of 15 mph. Friday's high will be 52. Yo-yo temperatures cannot be healthy.
Several members at BC think the news media and Federal Bureaucrats are out to get POTUS. What do you think?
Light dinner tonight and then some Netflix/Amazon or Acorn shows. We seldom watch conventional TV.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Tuesday February 14, 2017
Blog time: 1130 at Panera
Happy Valentines Day! Read the London papers this morning and did not know that Valentines Day was a big deal in the UK.
Another sunny morning with temps in the mid 30s. The west winds, 19 mph, made my bike ride to the Y difficult. However, the ride home will be easy.
It was a slow news day in the UK. BRexit dominates their news. They still love to report on the follies of our President.
The status quo in Europe appears to becoming unglued. Major elections in Germany and France this year. PM Merkel, of Germany, appears to be in trouble. The populist unrest is not unlike what happened in the US.
I am a big proponent of vaccinations for children. I feel so strong about this that I told my employees that if they didn't get their kids vaccinated I would fire them. I really don't think that I could. But all employees knew it was a good thing to do. I lived through the polio epidemic and know the fear that spreads through a community when outbreaks occur.
I was dismayed when I read that in Italy the vaccination rate has significantly gone down. I think this is bad for Italian children.
I was glad to see General Flynn resign. He was too hard core for me.
We have a busy afternoon. Must go to Costco to replenish my eye drop supply. At 1430 we are meeting with Pastor Bob at Trinity Lutheran.
After lunch we headed to Trinity Church for our meeting with Pastor Bob. It was a good meeting, we got all our questions answered. I was impressed with the Church's philosophy.
After our meeting we headed to Costco. I purchased my eye drops. Nancy bought a gift card. Costco was nearly empty.
Ms P and I took a nice walk. The nice weather will continue through the weekend.
Nancy fixed pork with apples and rice for dinner. It was great.
Veronica, Lucas and Alessandra FaceTimed us tonight wishing us a Happy Valentines Day.
Speaking of Valentines Days I remember 1964. Their were six single LTjgs in my outfit in Vietnam. None of us got a Valentine from young women we knew in the States but we all got a Valentine from Mom. Mom's rock.
Happy Valentines Day! Read the London papers this morning and did not know that Valentines Day was a big deal in the UK.
Another sunny morning with temps in the mid 30s. The west winds, 19 mph, made my bike ride to the Y difficult. However, the ride home will be easy.
It was a slow news day in the UK. BRexit dominates their news. They still love to report on the follies of our President.
The status quo in Europe appears to becoming unglued. Major elections in Germany and France this year. PM Merkel, of Germany, appears to be in trouble. The populist unrest is not unlike what happened in the US.
I am a big proponent of vaccinations for children. I feel so strong about this that I told my employees that if they didn't get their kids vaccinated I would fire them. I really don't think that I could. But all employees knew it was a good thing to do. I lived through the polio epidemic and know the fear that spreads through a community when outbreaks occur.
I was dismayed when I read that in Italy the vaccination rate has significantly gone down. I think this is bad for Italian children.
I was glad to see General Flynn resign. He was too hard core for me.
We have a busy afternoon. Must go to Costco to replenish my eye drop supply. At 1430 we are meeting with Pastor Bob at Trinity Lutheran.
After lunch we headed to Trinity Church for our meeting with Pastor Bob. It was a good meeting, we got all our questions answered. I was impressed with the Church's philosophy.
After our meeting we headed to Costco. I purchased my eye drops. Nancy bought a gift card. Costco was nearly empty.
Ms P and I took a nice walk. The nice weather will continue through the weekend.
Nancy fixed pork with apples and rice for dinner. It was great.
Veronica, Lucas and Alessandra FaceTimed us tonight wishing us a Happy Valentines Day.
Speaking of Valentines Days I remember 1964. Their were six single LTjgs in my outfit in Vietnam. None of us got a Valentine from young women we knew in the States but we all got a Valentine from Mom. Mom's rock.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Monday February 13, 2017
Blog time: 1130 at Panera
Holy global warming: it was sunny with temps in the high 20s when I left for the Y.
I got out my bike, pumped up the tires and headed out to the Y. The walks were clear. My double vision was not a problem. I think it is because of the slow speed. Took my short ride to the Y, 5 miles. It was great being on the bike. The bike because of the gearing has a great advantage over walking. Plus it is easier on the joints. First bike ride of 2017.
POTUS seems to get into the news in the UK. The UK Commons Speaker might lose his job after demanding that POTUS not be allowed to visit the UK.
More UK news, Stories about Meryl Streep and Alex Baldwin trashing the President made front pages. These folks might be good at their trade but I resent them speaking for me or any US citizen. Face it folks Trump did win and he must be given some respect.
Out with Political Correctness, Yale is renaming one of their colleges that is named for John C Calhoun, a Yale graduate. Calhoun was a slave owner, Senator, VP from SC. Why doesn't Yale change its name because they were dumb enough to admit him? Why not ban German Cars because these companies supported Hitler's regime? Forgiveness is a human virtue. Apparently the elites at Yale don't think so.
Two people POTUS could do without are General Flynn and Advisor Miller.
I think the world would be a better if Twitter went out of business. I keep hearing of their financial problems and they cannot find a buyer.
I took my normal bike ride home. Made a swing through the Ridges Apartment complex and the Gatehouse condo association.
Nancy had lunch at the Omelette Shop. This was her monthly get together with the Blodgett Gift Shop women.
Quick lunch and then took Ms P on her walk. Dropped her off and then walked to Walmart to get a gift for my Valentine.
I took a short nap. It is now 1800 and it is still light outside. The days are getting longer.
I forgot yesterday to give a shout out on the birthday of my favorite POTUS, Abe Lincoln. I think Lincoln has to be one of the greatest. I would love to have lunch with him.
Light dinner, we are now watching the PBS news. Presently they are talking about the Orville Dam problems in CA. CA can't get a break: major drought followed by record flooding. Bottom line don't mess with Mother Nature.
Holy global warming: it was sunny with temps in the high 20s when I left for the Y.
I got out my bike, pumped up the tires and headed out to the Y. The walks were clear. My double vision was not a problem. I think it is because of the slow speed. Took my short ride to the Y, 5 miles. It was great being on the bike. The bike because of the gearing has a great advantage over walking. Plus it is easier on the joints. First bike ride of 2017.
POTUS seems to get into the news in the UK. The UK Commons Speaker might lose his job after demanding that POTUS not be allowed to visit the UK.
More UK news, Stories about Meryl Streep and Alex Baldwin trashing the President made front pages. These folks might be good at their trade but I resent them speaking for me or any US citizen. Face it folks Trump did win and he must be given some respect.
Out with Political Correctness, Yale is renaming one of their colleges that is named for John C Calhoun, a Yale graduate. Calhoun was a slave owner, Senator, VP from SC. Why doesn't Yale change its name because they were dumb enough to admit him? Why not ban German Cars because these companies supported Hitler's regime? Forgiveness is a human virtue. Apparently the elites at Yale don't think so.
Two people POTUS could do without are General Flynn and Advisor Miller.
I think the world would be a better if Twitter went out of business. I keep hearing of their financial problems and they cannot find a buyer.
I took my normal bike ride home. Made a swing through the Ridges Apartment complex and the Gatehouse condo association.
Nancy had lunch at the Omelette Shop. This was her monthly get together with the Blodgett Gift Shop women.
Quick lunch and then took Ms P on her walk. Dropped her off and then walked to Walmart to get a gift for my Valentine.
I took a short nap. It is now 1800 and it is still light outside. The days are getting longer.
I forgot yesterday to give a shout out on the birthday of my favorite POTUS, Abe Lincoln. I think Lincoln has to be one of the greatest. I would love to have lunch with him.
Light dinner, we are now watching the PBS news. Presently they are talking about the Orville Dam problems in CA. CA can't get a break: major drought followed by record flooding. Bottom line don't mess with Mother Nature.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Sunday February 12, 2017
Blog time 1800 sitting in living room drinking wine:
We really slept in today, 0730. Nancy's foot prevents swimming. I did spend 10 minutes on the rowing machine. I use the machine to elevate my heart rate. The experts say us old folks should elevate our heart rates every day. Ten minutes is enough.
Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs this morning. Lately we have been having our meals with straw/blue and black berries. The fresh berries are from Peru. I hope POTUS does not stop the importation of fruit.
We attended the 1000 service at Trinity Lutheran. Immediately after the service we helped set up the tables in the Community room. Today church members are packing 19,000 meals for kids. Each package consists of soy meal, spices, beans and rice. Each package is sealed. The meal is prepared by placing the mix in boiling water. I was impressed with the program and can see where it would be a life saver after a natural disaster in places like Haiti. We spent two hours filling packages. Over 100 folks helped.
We stopped at Meijer's and bought some supplies.
Quick lunch and then I took Ms P on a long walk. The wind was fierce, weather folks said it was above 40 mph. Luckily the temp was in the high 30s.
I took my mandatory Sunday nap late today.
Nancy fixed soup and hot dogs for dinner. It was tasty.
We are now watching 60 Minutes. We will finish reading the GRP and then a Netflix/Acorn show.
We really slept in today, 0730. Nancy's foot prevents swimming. I did spend 10 minutes on the rowing machine. I use the machine to elevate my heart rate. The experts say us old folks should elevate our heart rates every day. Ten minutes is enough.
Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs this morning. Lately we have been having our meals with straw/blue and black berries. The fresh berries are from Peru. I hope POTUS does not stop the importation of fruit.
We attended the 1000 service at Trinity Lutheran. Immediately after the service we helped set up the tables in the Community room. Today church members are packing 19,000 meals for kids. Each package consists of soy meal, spices, beans and rice. Each package is sealed. The meal is prepared by placing the mix in boiling water. I was impressed with the program and can see where it would be a life saver after a natural disaster in places like Haiti. We spent two hours filling packages. Over 100 folks helped.
We stopped at Meijer's and bought some supplies.
Quick lunch and then I took Ms P on a long walk. The wind was fierce, weather folks said it was above 40 mph. Luckily the temp was in the high 30s.
I took my mandatory Sunday nap late today.
Nancy fixed soup and hot dogs for dinner. It was tasty.
We are now watching 60 Minutes. We will finish reading the GRP and then a Netflix/Acorn show.
Saturday February 11, 2017
Blog time 1110 at Cascade Library:
We really slept in this morning. With the longer days I think we have some snow birds returning.
For the past several morning I think a Robin has been tweeting near our back deck.
The mild weather continues. This morning the temp was in the mid 30s.
For breakfast this morning we drove to Panera. We selected Panera over several other local restaurants. The place was empty.
At home I grabbed my iPad and walked to the Cascade Library.
Checked the London papers and was surprised at the big story warning seniors about their sudden cold spell. Good grief the temperature is going to plunge to the mid teens accompanied by several inches of snow. Stay inside you old folks.
I think most folks in GR reading this story would laugh. Mid teens is the average low temp for Jan/Feb.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is visiting the UK and he said the country will be just fine after BRexit. He did announce that Apple is expanding their London office.
The Telegraph announced that the Trump press secretary is on his way out. How do they know before the USA papers?
Russia is said to be considering turning over the traitor Snowden to US. I hope so and he should then spend the rest of his life in a Federal lock up.
After lunch I walked to Meijer's to pick up a prescription.
On the way I did pass about five robins. I think their brain got the wrong signal because we have more snow and low temps ahead.
For dinner tonight Nancy took me to Shariz, a local Persian restaurant. I had an excellent lamb shank and Nancy had a very good chicken dish. It was a very pleasant evening. Thank you Nancy.
Debbie FaceTimed us tonight. We got caught up. Finished watching a The Bletchley Circle show on Netflix.
We really slept in this morning. With the longer days I think we have some snow birds returning.
For the past several morning I think a Robin has been tweeting near our back deck.
The mild weather continues. This morning the temp was in the mid 30s.
For breakfast this morning we drove to Panera. We selected Panera over several other local restaurants. The place was empty.
At home I grabbed my iPad and walked to the Cascade Library.
Checked the London papers and was surprised at the big story warning seniors about their sudden cold spell. Good grief the temperature is going to plunge to the mid teens accompanied by several inches of snow. Stay inside you old folks.
I think most folks in GR reading this story would laugh. Mid teens is the average low temp for Jan/Feb.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is visiting the UK and he said the country will be just fine after BRexit. He did announce that Apple is expanding their London office.
The Telegraph announced that the Trump press secretary is on his way out. How do they know before the USA papers?
Russia is said to be considering turning over the traitor Snowden to US. I hope so and he should then spend the rest of his life in a Federal lock up.
After lunch I walked to Meijer's to pick up a prescription.
On the way I did pass about five robins. I think their brain got the wrong signal because we have more snow and low temps ahead.
For dinner tonight Nancy took me to Shariz, a local Persian restaurant. I had an excellent lamb shank and Nancy had a very good chicken dish. It was a very pleasant evening. Thank you Nancy.
Debbie FaceTimed us tonight. We got caught up. Finished watching a The Bletchley Circle show on Netflix.
Friday, February 10, 2017
Friday February 10, 2017
Blog time 1145 at Panera:
It was cold when I left for the Y this morning, 18, but had a tail wind. On these cold winter mornings I have 15 pounds of clothes on. I know because I weighted myself.
Full routine at the Y. My time in the mile was 11' 15". That is certified slow.
The Alpena News this morning reported that a cousin, Ann Saretsky passed. Ann was the daughter of my Grandmother Scott's sister. You can figure out the whether Ann is a 2nd cousin or first cousin once removed. Notified my Sister and we are sending flowers.
Today' Daily Mail had an article on a recent BBC program. The BBC toured the EU and asked plain folks about BRexit. Surprising the majority of EU folks said BRexit was ok. Is the EU about to implode? I don't think so.
Big problems in Northern Europe because of a drought in Spain. Spain's lettuce crop is severely damaged by drought. Spain provides northern Europe with lettuce during winter months. The price of lettuce, if you can get it, has gone through the roof.
Prior to big advances in transportation and imports from SA, most lettuce available in northern states during winter was green house grown. The Kalamazoo area had the largest square footage of green houses in the US. The cost of gas and imports from SA drove them out of business.
On the walk home I encountered Nancy. She was heading to the eye doctor to pick up glasses. Nancy now has glasses for night time driving.
Speaking of eyes my double vision continues. I think corrective lenses are needed. I have an appointment later this month.
Grabbed Ms P as soon as I got home. We went on a long walk.
I had a quick lunch and then Nancy and I headed to Costco. I was surprised that Costco was not very crowded on a Friday afternoon. The only purchase we made were dried prunes. I call them prunes but the bag said plums. They taste the same.
Took a short nap. It is now 1750 and we still have daylight. Today we have 10h 23' of daylight heading to 12 h on March 21 and 15h on June 21.
Valentine's Day next week so tomorrow night Nancy is taking me out for dinner. We are going to a Persian Restaurant for a lamb shank.
Nancy is fixing beans and rice for dinner. I love bean and rice. Simple is good.
Veronica sent Nancy an email updating the Grandkids activities. We liked the update, way to go Veronica.
It was cold when I left for the Y this morning, 18, but had a tail wind. On these cold winter mornings I have 15 pounds of clothes on. I know because I weighted myself.
Full routine at the Y. My time in the mile was 11' 15". That is certified slow.
The Alpena News this morning reported that a cousin, Ann Saretsky passed. Ann was the daughter of my Grandmother Scott's sister. You can figure out the whether Ann is a 2nd cousin or first cousin once removed. Notified my Sister and we are sending flowers.
Today' Daily Mail had an article on a recent BBC program. The BBC toured the EU and asked plain folks about BRexit. Surprising the majority of EU folks said BRexit was ok. Is the EU about to implode? I don't think so.
Big problems in Northern Europe because of a drought in Spain. Spain's lettuce crop is severely damaged by drought. Spain provides northern Europe with lettuce during winter months. The price of lettuce, if you can get it, has gone through the roof.
Prior to big advances in transportation and imports from SA, most lettuce available in northern states during winter was green house grown. The Kalamazoo area had the largest square footage of green houses in the US. The cost of gas and imports from SA drove them out of business.
On the walk home I encountered Nancy. She was heading to the eye doctor to pick up glasses. Nancy now has glasses for night time driving.
Speaking of eyes my double vision continues. I think corrective lenses are needed. I have an appointment later this month.
Grabbed Ms P as soon as I got home. We went on a long walk.
I had a quick lunch and then Nancy and I headed to Costco. I was surprised that Costco was not very crowded on a Friday afternoon. The only purchase we made were dried prunes. I call them prunes but the bag said plums. They taste the same.
Took a short nap. It is now 1750 and we still have daylight. Today we have 10h 23' of daylight heading to 12 h on March 21 and 15h on June 21.
Valentine's Day next week so tomorrow night Nancy is taking me out for dinner. We are going to a Persian Restaurant for a lamb shank.
Nancy is fixing beans and rice for dinner. I love bean and rice. Simple is good.
Veronica sent Nancy an email updating the Grandkids activities. We liked the update, way to go Veronica.
Thursday February 9, 2017
Blog time 1045 at Panera:
BRR! It was cold this morning, 14, with wind chills below 0. I did the entire routine at home.
After completion of my exercise routine I showered and had a quick breakfast. No Y today it is too cold to walk.
I did, however, bundle up and walked to Panera. Panera is halfway between the Condo and Y. I can endure a 20 minute walk but not a 40 minute.
Panera was really crowded this morning. I had trouble finding a table. Some folks complain that Panera is too warm, I like it warm.
Checked the News App on the ipad and the Alpena News and found nothing that I want to comment on. Maybe folks have the winter blahs.
Nancy is still adjusting to wearing her boot. She is frustrated by the no exercise rule.
This evening we are going out with Kathi Kothe to dinner at the renovated Brandywine. It has a new name and menu. I had lunch every day at the old Brandywine for about four years. Our office on Lake Drive was about 200 yards away.
I read the WSJ and I think they also have the winter blahs. I had the wind at my back on the walk home so it was tolerable.
I have come to the conclusion that the magnets in my Apple Watch screw up the operation of my Rolex. If I wear both watches the Rolex periodically stops working. I like the Rolex because Nancy bought it for me over 50 years ago. Great sentimental value.
Someone has to close down the POTUS twitter account. Today he blasted Sen McCann and called him a loser. This is totally out of line. McCann is a true hero and should not be belittled for speaking his mind. POTUS said his heroes don't get shot down. Does he know that George HW Bush was shot down in the Pacific during WW 2? No one call him a loser.
Our financial guru called this afternoon and recommended I sell my 60 shares in Cummins. It has gone up 300% since my purchase. I said ok. I am not a very good stock picker but Cummins was the exception. If I had to do it over we would not own individual stocks. Index funds are the way to go for us amateurs.
On this cold winter's afternoon I was going through my archives and found a letter Ensign Scott wrote to his Mother from Midway Island. I must have had some time on my hands or was lonely because it was a long letter. Like my blog I noted that my letters had trouble with homophones. Like site vs cite, road vs rode, etc.
I told her for the seventh time that my social life on Midway was nonexistent. Big surprise on an Island with 3,000 sailors and not one single women. Not even Navy Waves. The newspaper was the Star and Strips. The Navy Exchange sold the Asian editions of Time and Newsweek.
We had about 200 young Seabees on the island. Lately I had been helping some Surveyors getting ready for the 3rd Class Surveyors exam. The training manuals were quite good.
A big complaint of the young officers was the desire of the senior officers to build a golf driving range. A new range would be expensive and basically be used by the senior officers. Good grief our basketball court was in disrepair and the Enlisted barracks badly needed renovations. I think my comments were echoed by young Ensigns throughout the Navy.
Back to today, The weather will keep on its yo-yo pattern. High today 17 but tomorrow is will be 39. The big fluctuations are not healthy.
After dinner tonight we will watch some Netflix. I heard that when a big snow storm hits the East coast Netflix's stock price goes up.
I got my thirty minutes outside today, did you?
BRR! It was cold this morning, 14, with wind chills below 0. I did the entire routine at home.
After completion of my exercise routine I showered and had a quick breakfast. No Y today it is too cold to walk.
I did, however, bundle up and walked to Panera. Panera is halfway between the Condo and Y. I can endure a 20 minute walk but not a 40 minute.
Panera was really crowded this morning. I had trouble finding a table. Some folks complain that Panera is too warm, I like it warm.
Checked the News App on the ipad and the Alpena News and found nothing that I want to comment on. Maybe folks have the winter blahs.
Nancy is still adjusting to wearing her boot. She is frustrated by the no exercise rule.
This evening we are going out with Kathi Kothe to dinner at the renovated Brandywine. It has a new name and menu. I had lunch every day at the old Brandywine for about four years. Our office on Lake Drive was about 200 yards away.
I read the WSJ and I think they also have the winter blahs. I had the wind at my back on the walk home so it was tolerable.
I have come to the conclusion that the magnets in my Apple Watch screw up the operation of my Rolex. If I wear both watches the Rolex periodically stops working. I like the Rolex because Nancy bought it for me over 50 years ago. Great sentimental value.
Someone has to close down the POTUS twitter account. Today he blasted Sen McCann and called him a loser. This is totally out of line. McCann is a true hero and should not be belittled for speaking his mind. POTUS said his heroes don't get shot down. Does he know that George HW Bush was shot down in the Pacific during WW 2? No one call him a loser.
Our financial guru called this afternoon and recommended I sell my 60 shares in Cummins. It has gone up 300% since my purchase. I said ok. I am not a very good stock picker but Cummins was the exception. If I had to do it over we would not own individual stocks. Index funds are the way to go for us amateurs.
On this cold winter's afternoon I was going through my archives and found a letter Ensign Scott wrote to his Mother from Midway Island. I must have had some time on my hands or was lonely because it was a long letter. Like my blog I noted that my letters had trouble with homophones. Like site vs cite, road vs rode, etc.
I told her for the seventh time that my social life on Midway was nonexistent. Big surprise on an Island with 3,000 sailors and not one single women. Not even Navy Waves. The newspaper was the Star and Strips. The Navy Exchange sold the Asian editions of Time and Newsweek.
We had about 200 young Seabees on the island. Lately I had been helping some Surveyors getting ready for the 3rd Class Surveyors exam. The training manuals were quite good.
A big complaint of the young officers was the desire of the senior officers to build a golf driving range. A new range would be expensive and basically be used by the senior officers. Good grief our basketball court was in disrepair and the Enlisted barracks badly needed renovations. I think my comments were echoed by young Ensigns throughout the Navy.
Back to today, The weather will keep on its yo-yo pattern. High today 17 but tomorrow is will be 39. The big fluctuations are not healthy.
After dinner tonight we will watch some Netflix. I heard that when a big snow storm hits the East coast Netflix's stock price goes up.
I got my thirty minutes outside today, did you?
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Wednesday February 8, 2017
Blog time: 0915 at Panera
Easy Wednesday and I am enjoying it. Slept in until 0700, dressed and walked to Panera. Winter returns with this morning temps in mid 20s.
Had a full breakfast, oatmeal, toast, banana and coffee, at Panera.
This morning the Daily Mail was in fine fiddle with stories and photos about topless beaches in Argentina, a women removing a tennis ball from a python, DJ cuts finger off man and posts photos on Snapchat, and cameraman attacked by leaping frog. Love the UK press.
They also had some serious stories about the progress of BRexit, slow, and the threat of Scotland leaving. I did not know that fracking is being done in UK. Of course the frackers have to deal with nasty protesters.
I also must give a shoutout to the Alpena News. Their coverage of local governments and local sports is great. They put the GRP to shame.
At 1015 I packed up and headed to the Y. Today I went swimming. I swam 1,000 yards. I got the last available lane but when I left the pool was empty. Timing is everything.
The wind had died down so the walk home was pleasant. Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon and she had already left when I got home.
I started a load of laundry as soon as a got home. Then I grabbed Ms P and we took a 1.5 mile walk. I thought the Golf cart path looked clear. We started walking and soon found out that a thin layer of black ice covered the path. Ms P does not do well walking on ice.
Took out the trash and recyclables before lunch. I ate a light lunch because tonight is Nancy's Book Club. Tom Moleski and I were going out for pizza.
Quick nap and changed clothes for pizza night. Nancy was home by 1600. She said we had a message on the machine. It was Tom Moleski saying he was under the weather and so no pizza night.
I decided to stay home. I finished reading the WSJ.
Former Secretaries of Defense and Treasury George Shultz and James Baker wrote an Opinion Piece in the WSJ. I think this article is a MUST READ!! It outlines their plan to attack Global Warming. The mainstay of their plan is a CARBON TAX. It involves a simple tax. No bulky Federal regulations or bureaucratic meddling.
THEIR PROPOSAL IS THE MOST COMMON SENSE IDEA I HAVE SEEN. I hope folks listen to these two distinguished gentlemen. Mr Shultz is 96 and Mr Baker is 86. SENIORS ROCK!
My double vision continues, tomorrow I will call the Doctor and see what Plan B is.
Light dinner and some news before watching a Netflix Nature show on my iPad. I can see ok on the iPad.
Easy Wednesday and I am enjoying it. Slept in until 0700, dressed and walked to Panera. Winter returns with this morning temps in mid 20s.
Had a full breakfast, oatmeal, toast, banana and coffee, at Panera.
This morning the Daily Mail was in fine fiddle with stories and photos about topless beaches in Argentina, a women removing a tennis ball from a python, DJ cuts finger off man and posts photos on Snapchat, and cameraman attacked by leaping frog. Love the UK press.
They also had some serious stories about the progress of BRexit, slow, and the threat of Scotland leaving. I did not know that fracking is being done in UK. Of course the frackers have to deal with nasty protesters.
I also must give a shoutout to the Alpena News. Their coverage of local governments and local sports is great. They put the GRP to shame.
At 1015 I packed up and headed to the Y. Today I went swimming. I swam 1,000 yards. I got the last available lane but when I left the pool was empty. Timing is everything.
The wind had died down so the walk home was pleasant. Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon and she had already left when I got home.
I started a load of laundry as soon as a got home. Then I grabbed Ms P and we took a 1.5 mile walk. I thought the Golf cart path looked clear. We started walking and soon found out that a thin layer of black ice covered the path. Ms P does not do well walking on ice.
Took out the trash and recyclables before lunch. I ate a light lunch because tonight is Nancy's Book Club. Tom Moleski and I were going out for pizza.
Quick nap and changed clothes for pizza night. Nancy was home by 1600. She said we had a message on the machine. It was Tom Moleski saying he was under the weather and so no pizza night.
I decided to stay home. I finished reading the WSJ.
Former Secretaries of Defense and Treasury George Shultz and James Baker wrote an Opinion Piece in the WSJ. I think this article is a MUST READ!! It outlines their plan to attack Global Warming. The mainstay of their plan is a CARBON TAX. It involves a simple tax. No bulky Federal regulations or bureaucratic meddling.
THEIR PROPOSAL IS THE MOST COMMON SENSE IDEA I HAVE SEEN. I hope folks listen to these two distinguished gentlemen. Mr Shultz is 96 and Mr Baker is 86. SENIORS ROCK!
My double vision continues, tomorrow I will call the Doctor and see what Plan B is.
Light dinner and some news before watching a Netflix Nature show on my iPad. I can see ok on the iPad.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Tuesday February 7, 2017
Blog time 1135 at Panera:
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday I walked to the Y in bright sun and a temperature of 19. Today I walked in rain with the temperature at 34. I prefer bright sun.
As I mentioned yesterday Nancy has a broken bone in her foot. She will have to wear a boot for 30 days. She is just getting the hang of putting the boot on and off.
I think the New Year's resolution folks have finally stopped with their exercise regimen. The Y was not crowded.
The Panera I go to has been open just a little over a year. Their business continues to grow. Today they are having open interviews for cooks, drivers, counter staff, etc. They have a hard time keeping a full complement.
The London papers contained several interesting articles: a respected EU polling company surveyed 10,000 citizens in 10 EU countries on whether they want immigration from Muslim countries curtailed. The average response was 52% in support of the ban. Poland had the highest at 75% and the UK the lowest at 47%. The survey was done before POTUS issued his ban.
France has a big election coming up. The leading candidates are having problems. One candidate is accused of giving his wife a well paying job. She performed little work. The other a married leading candidate is accused of having a gay affair. Politicians are the same everywhere.
I think POTUS should rethink the H-1B program. I think the number should be doubled. We need talented people. This morning the CEO of a paint company was talking about the difficulty getting PHD Chemists. They need this talent.
Greece and it finances are back in the news. Several years ago pressure from the EU made Greece hire a statistician to review their financial reports. The statistician was an American, Andreas Georgiou, and his review indicated that Greece's deficit was larger than reported. His finding showed Greece's financial problems were more serious than reported. His report created an uproar. Folks in power said Georgiou was a pawn for the EU. Greece is under pressure from the EU to get it's financial house in order.
It was still raining when I left Panera. I had a quick lunch and then we all got in the Escape and headed to Sam's Club. Our only purchase was a bucket of Pinconning soft cheese.
I spent about an hour reading back issues of SI. Also did some banking.
Nancy is fixing a pasta/chicken dish for dinner. We will read the GRP and watch CBS before turning in.
All the local news outlets are running stories on Betsy DeVos's narrow confirmation as Education Secretary. Except for the Education community I think most folks in West MI are glad she was confirmed.
Winter returns later tonight. The high tomorrow will be 29.
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday I walked to the Y in bright sun and a temperature of 19. Today I walked in rain with the temperature at 34. I prefer bright sun.
As I mentioned yesterday Nancy has a broken bone in her foot. She will have to wear a boot for 30 days. She is just getting the hang of putting the boot on and off.
I think the New Year's resolution folks have finally stopped with their exercise regimen. The Y was not crowded.
The Panera I go to has been open just a little over a year. Their business continues to grow. Today they are having open interviews for cooks, drivers, counter staff, etc. They have a hard time keeping a full complement.
The London papers contained several interesting articles: a respected EU polling company surveyed 10,000 citizens in 10 EU countries on whether they want immigration from Muslim countries curtailed. The average response was 52% in support of the ban. Poland had the highest at 75% and the UK the lowest at 47%. The survey was done before POTUS issued his ban.
France has a big election coming up. The leading candidates are having problems. One candidate is accused of giving his wife a well paying job. She performed little work. The other a married leading candidate is accused of having a gay affair. Politicians are the same everywhere.
I think POTUS should rethink the H-1B program. I think the number should be doubled. We need talented people. This morning the CEO of a paint company was talking about the difficulty getting PHD Chemists. They need this talent.
Greece and it finances are back in the news. Several years ago pressure from the EU made Greece hire a statistician to review their financial reports. The statistician was an American, Andreas Georgiou, and his review indicated that Greece's deficit was larger than reported. His finding showed Greece's financial problems were more serious than reported. His report created an uproar. Folks in power said Georgiou was a pawn for the EU. Greece is under pressure from the EU to get it's financial house in order.
It was still raining when I left Panera. I had a quick lunch and then we all got in the Escape and headed to Sam's Club. Our only purchase was a bucket of Pinconning soft cheese.
I spent about an hour reading back issues of SI. Also did some banking.
Nancy is fixing a pasta/chicken dish for dinner. We will read the GRP and watch CBS before turning in.
All the local news outlets are running stories on Betsy DeVos's narrow confirmation as Education Secretary. Except for the Education community I think most folks in West MI are glad she was confirmed.
Winter returns later tonight. The high tomorrow will be 29.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Monday February 6, 2017
Blog time: 1130 sitting at Panera
How about that Super Bowl. I stayed up until the end and was as surprised as most on the outcome. Tom Brady should retire because he will never top last night's performance.
It was cold, 19, this morning but no wind. I decided to walk to the Y.
Nancy also headed out to a class at MVP. Later this morning she has a doctor's appointment to discuss her recent bone scan.
My walk was in bright sunshine. Sun on the white snow is a great sight.
Did all my routine, showered and headed out to Panera. The sun was still out and the temp had risen to 31.
The double vision still persists. I am experimenting with different glasses. I have one pair of glasses with one lens for vision and another for reading. It use to work when I wore one contact for distance and the other for reading. It does not work with the double vision.
The best thing I have found is to put a patch over one eye. This is the safest way to drive. I bought an eye patch but it does not work well over glasses. I found that using a magnetic money clip and putting it over a len works fine.
Checked the London papers but they didn't have any hard news. They did have some great trashy stories.
The WSJ did not have any articles I want to comment on.
As soon as I got home took Ms P on a long walk. Pleasant walk with bright sun. The sun had some warmth to it.
Nancy's bone scan indicates that she has a broken bone in her foot. The Doctor fitted her with a boot. She must wear the boot for a month.
Nancy also visited the Dentist to get her temporary crown fixed.
We want to put a TV in our living room. Our plan is to move the TV out of the bedroom.
We have an existing cable chord in the living room. I traced the living room chord and found it ended near our Direct TV box. I spent several hours trying to disconnect the bedroom cable chord to the Direct TV box and connect the LR chord in its place. I thought I had it all figured out but no luck. I guess I need help.
I called my Sister this afternoon and spent some time catching up.
I did iron several pair of khaki's. We have a great iron that lets a klutz like me put a great crease in my khakis.
Light dinner tonight, presently we are watching the news on PBS. It looks like a Netflix evening.
How about that Super Bowl. I stayed up until the end and was as surprised as most on the outcome. Tom Brady should retire because he will never top last night's performance.
It was cold, 19, this morning but no wind. I decided to walk to the Y.
Nancy also headed out to a class at MVP. Later this morning she has a doctor's appointment to discuss her recent bone scan.
My walk was in bright sunshine. Sun on the white snow is a great sight.
Did all my routine, showered and headed out to Panera. The sun was still out and the temp had risen to 31.
The double vision still persists. I am experimenting with different glasses. I have one pair of glasses with one lens for vision and another for reading. It use to work when I wore one contact for distance and the other for reading. It does not work with the double vision.
The best thing I have found is to put a patch over one eye. This is the safest way to drive. I bought an eye patch but it does not work well over glasses. I found that using a magnetic money clip and putting it over a len works fine.
Checked the London papers but they didn't have any hard news. They did have some great trashy stories.
The WSJ did not have any articles I want to comment on.
As soon as I got home took Ms P on a long walk. Pleasant walk with bright sun. The sun had some warmth to it.
Nancy's bone scan indicates that she has a broken bone in her foot. The Doctor fitted her with a boot. She must wear the boot for a month.
Nancy also visited the Dentist to get her temporary crown fixed.
We want to put a TV in our living room. Our plan is to move the TV out of the bedroom.
We have an existing cable chord in the living room. I traced the living room chord and found it ended near our Direct TV box. I spent several hours trying to disconnect the bedroom cable chord to the Direct TV box and connect the LR chord in its place. I thought I had it all figured out but no luck. I guess I need help.
I called my Sister this afternoon and spent some time catching up.
I did iron several pair of khaki's. We have a great iron that lets a klutz like me put a great crease in my khakis.
Light dinner tonight, presently we are watching the news on PBS. It looks like a Netflix evening.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Sunday February 5, 2017
Blog time: 1800 sitting in living room drinking wine
Return to normal Sunday, up at 0630 and get ready for our Sunday swim.
The pool was crowded but we each got a lane. After the swim we stopped at home to drop off our wet swim gear.
Today we attended the 1000 service at Trinity Lutheran.
Stopped a Meijer's for supplies and gas.
Nancy fixed her world famous poached eggs for breakfast. I had mine with a waffle.
Took Ms P on a long walk. Read a few sections of the GRP before a nap.
Finished my outside activities with a 2.5 mile walk.
Nancy fixed ham and bean soup for dinner. It was great.
We are now watching the Super Bowl. I have watched all 51.
Return to normal Sunday, up at 0630 and get ready for our Sunday swim.
The pool was crowded but we each got a lane. After the swim we stopped at home to drop off our wet swim gear.
Today we attended the 1000 service at Trinity Lutheran.
Stopped a Meijer's for supplies and gas.
Nancy fixed her world famous poached eggs for breakfast. I had mine with a waffle.
Took Ms P on a long walk. Read a few sections of the GRP before a nap.
Finished my outside activities with a 2.5 mile walk.
Nancy fixed ham and bean soup for dinner. It was great.
We are now watching the Super Bowl. I have watched all 51.
Saturday February 4, 2017
Blog time 1045 sitting in Cascade Library
Happy Birthday Akerke Scott! Today is grand daughter Akerke's ninth birthday. Have a great birthday AJ.
We slept in today until 0700. We noted the days are getting longer because we had bright sunshine when left at 0800 for Panera. The temperature was eight degrees so Nancy drove the Taurus.
We had our standard Saturday morning fare. Panera was not crowded. Most neighborhood folks are in FL.
After breakfast we stopped at Meijer's and filled up the Taurus. Gas was $2.29 per gallon.
When I left home at 1000 to walk to the library the temperature had risen to 20. Bright sun can do that.
Not much in the London papers except reports on a big march in London protesting President Trump's EO on immigration. With all the problems the UK has what are they doing protesting an action 3,000 miles away.
In today's WSJ Peggy Noonan had a great opinion piece on the President. It was not favorable. I agree the President has got to quit acting like a spoiled rich kid. The bragging about his rating on the Apprentice vs Arnold's is low brow.
We drove to Rose's on Reeds Lake for an early dinner. We sat on the glassed in patio and watched folks ice fishing on Reeds Lake.
I told Nancy that ice fishing is a major outdoor activity in Alpena. My Uncle Bill Hughes use to regularly go ice fishing after he retired from the Cement Plant. He would put his gear in a bucket and walk to the Thunder Bay River. Uncle Bill would drill a hole through the ice and drop a line in. He sat on his overturned bucket and fished until he had enough perch for dinner.
Speaking of cold winter Saturdays until I was 12 I would spend Saturday afternoons at the Lyric Theater. My buddies and I would attend the double feature which usually featured a western followed by a Charlie Chan of Boston Blackie detective show. Admission cost $0.12.
Saturday dinner in February always consisted of Boston Baked Beans and fresh baked homemade bread. My Grandmother Hughes alway baked a loaf every Saturday during the winter.
Continuing on my Saturdays in February theme. After my bath, yes folks only once a week, I would go to bed early and listen to Hawaii Calls on my bedroom radio. Hawaii Calls was broadcast from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel along Waikiki beach in Honolulu. I would dream of warm weather and nice sand beaches while it snowed outside.
In 1962 Ensign Scott spent a few days R&R along Waikiki beach. One of my fellow officers fixed me up with a Navy nurse and I insisted we have dinner at the Royal Hawaiian. It was expensive but was everything I dreamed of as an eleven year old boy.
We finished the evening watching a NCIS rerun. Today was a nice February day. Once again Happy Birthday AJ.
Happy Birthday Akerke Scott! Today is grand daughter Akerke's ninth birthday. Have a great birthday AJ.
We slept in today until 0700. We noted the days are getting longer because we had bright sunshine when left at 0800 for Panera. The temperature was eight degrees so Nancy drove the Taurus.
We had our standard Saturday morning fare. Panera was not crowded. Most neighborhood folks are in FL.
After breakfast we stopped at Meijer's and filled up the Taurus. Gas was $2.29 per gallon.
When I left home at 1000 to walk to the library the temperature had risen to 20. Bright sun can do that.
Not much in the London papers except reports on a big march in London protesting President Trump's EO on immigration. With all the problems the UK has what are they doing protesting an action 3,000 miles away.
In today's WSJ Peggy Noonan had a great opinion piece on the President. It was not favorable. I agree the President has got to quit acting like a spoiled rich kid. The bragging about his rating on the Apprentice vs Arnold's is low brow.
We drove to Rose's on Reeds Lake for an early dinner. We sat on the glassed in patio and watched folks ice fishing on Reeds Lake.
I told Nancy that ice fishing is a major outdoor activity in Alpena. My Uncle Bill Hughes use to regularly go ice fishing after he retired from the Cement Plant. He would put his gear in a bucket and walk to the Thunder Bay River. Uncle Bill would drill a hole through the ice and drop a line in. He sat on his overturned bucket and fished until he had enough perch for dinner.
Speaking of cold winter Saturdays until I was 12 I would spend Saturday afternoons at the Lyric Theater. My buddies and I would attend the double feature which usually featured a western followed by a Charlie Chan of Boston Blackie detective show. Admission cost $0.12.
Saturday dinner in February always consisted of Boston Baked Beans and fresh baked homemade bread. My Grandmother Hughes alway baked a loaf every Saturday during the winter.
Continuing on my Saturdays in February theme. After my bath, yes folks only once a week, I would go to bed early and listen to Hawaii Calls on my bedroom radio. Hawaii Calls was broadcast from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel along Waikiki beach in Honolulu. I would dream of warm weather and nice sand beaches while it snowed outside.
In 1962 Ensign Scott spent a few days R&R along Waikiki beach. One of my fellow officers fixed me up with a Navy nurse and I insisted we have dinner at the Royal Hawaiian. It was expensive but was everything I dreamed of as an eleven year old boy.
We finished the evening watching a NCIS rerun. Today was a nice February day. Once again Happy Birthday AJ.
Friday, February 3, 2017
Friday February 3, 2017
Blog time 1045 at Panera:
Brr! Another cold morning with temps in the teens and wind chill near zero. Becoming more prudent in my in my old age. I decided to do the exercise routine at home and forego the two mile walk to the Y.
After my row I showered, shaved, dressed in warm clothes and had breakfast. Nancy got home from her class at 0930 just as I was leaving for my walk to Panera.
Checked the London papers and today was kind of a fluff day for them. They do enjoy mocking President Trump. I think the POTUS might be his own worst enemy.
As soon I finish reading the papers I will walk home. Nancy and I have errands to run this afternoon. Breton Village will be our first stop. Nancy will visit Talbots's and I head to Orvis. I have an Orvis gift card that Debbie gave me for Christmas and it is burning a hole in my pocket.
The double vision continues. The steroids so far have not helped. Only in an emergency will I drive.
At Orvis I bought a shirt jacket. Nancy came up empty at Talbots's.
Next stop was Trader Joe's. Bought some Two Buck Chuck, tamales, eggs and soup. Trader Joe's was very busy.
I took a short nap. Light dinner and then Nancy and I headed to the GR Art Museum for their exhibit of local collectibles. The exhibit was well attended.
It is now 2140 and we just finished watching Scandal on Netflix. Nancy liked it, I did not.
Another cold night but tomorrow like today will be sunny. Sunny is good.
Brr! Another cold morning with temps in the teens and wind chill near zero. Becoming more prudent in my in my old age. I decided to do the exercise routine at home and forego the two mile walk to the Y.
After my row I showered, shaved, dressed in warm clothes and had breakfast. Nancy got home from her class at 0930 just as I was leaving for my walk to Panera.
Checked the London papers and today was kind of a fluff day for them. They do enjoy mocking President Trump. I think the POTUS might be his own worst enemy.
As soon I finish reading the papers I will walk home. Nancy and I have errands to run this afternoon. Breton Village will be our first stop. Nancy will visit Talbots's and I head to Orvis. I have an Orvis gift card that Debbie gave me for Christmas and it is burning a hole in my pocket.
The double vision continues. The steroids so far have not helped. Only in an emergency will I drive.
At Orvis I bought a shirt jacket. Nancy came up empty at Talbots's.
Next stop was Trader Joe's. Bought some Two Buck Chuck, tamales, eggs and soup. Trader Joe's was very busy.
I took a short nap. Light dinner and then Nancy and I headed to the GR Art Museum for their exhibit of local collectibles. The exhibit was well attended.
It is now 2140 and we just finished watching Scandal on Netflix. Nancy liked it, I did not.
Another cold night but tomorrow like today will be sunny. Sunny is good.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Thursday February 2, 2017
Blog time 1035 sitting in Panera
Yes folks today is Groundhog Day, what a useless day. We always have six more weeks of winter no matter the sun. Six weeks puts us near St Patrick's Day. St Pats day has alway been my end of winter day.
In GR the hog did see his shadow. The temp was in the mid teens this morning but the 15mph wind put the wind chill in single digits. Single digit wind chill means that I do my routine at home and then walk to Panera. If I walked to the Y which is an extra mile I would end up with some serious frost bite. I think part of my double vision problem was caused by walking into to the wind on a bitterly cold December day. It felt like I froze my eye.
Nancy left early this morning for her Thursday swim. After the swim she is heading to the dentist for some crown work.
Kim came this morning to clean the condo.
Each morning after I check my emails I go to the News app on my iPad. Check the headlines in the UK papers. Lately I have complained about the nasty reporting by many US newspaper reporters. After reading the UK papers I think we are amateurs. The UK reporters cover up their nastiness with humor.
Our President is having problems dealing with our allies. He and German PM Merkel have not started off on the right foot especially as regard immigration.
Apparently our President hung up on a the PM of Australia. President Obama had an agreement with the Australian PM to accept about 1,500 immigrants. Trump said we don't want them and hung up. Apparently our President did not go to Sunday School.
The US has been criticized for our immigration ban. Australia has also been severely criticized for their handling. The Aussies put immigrants into offshore detention centers where conditions are less than perfect.
Tech companies have a great need for engineers. They claim a limited supply of US engineers and use the H-1B program to get engineers from other countries. The problem is the H-1B program has a cap which is much to low. The Tech companies want the cap significantly increased. Trump thinks the Tech companies are using foreign workers because they are cheaper than US engineers. I don't know if this is true? I recently read that the majority of students in US public colleges studying electrical and computer engineering are foreign born. Why aren't US students going into these fields? Are public universities recruiting foreign engineers because they pay higher fees than US students?
Whatever the answer we need talent for our industries. The politicians should make sure that this void is filled. Success is based on talent.
Foreign students in engineering schools is nothing new. In my structural engineering classes at UM the majority of students were foreigners. I remember in one class of 30 that there were only two US citizens.
The Ukraine is back in the news. Will the return to hostilities test President Trump?
Iran is also doing some testing with its recent missile launch? The world is a dangerous place and the USA will constantly be tested. I hope their are some cool heads on the President's foreign policy team.
The walk home was not bad because I had the wind at my back. As soon as I got home I dropped my backpack and took a walk around the block.
After lunch I headed down to my office. Turned on the heater and fired up my laptop. I am trying to import my DNA data from 23&me into my family tree data base, My Heritage. I called and a young lady in Manila told me I could not. I emailed 23&me and they said I could. Go figure!
I spent about an hour catching up on back issues of SI and ENR. I still get a print copy of SI but I changed the ENR to a digital issue.
With her dental work Nancy can not chew so we are going to Panera this evening for a bowl of soup. Soup sounds good on a cold winter's day, doesn't it?
I did get my 30 minutes outside today.
As a boy one of my favorite pastimes was reading comic books. I saved all the old comics. When my pile got big enough I would trade them. I have great memories of trading comics on a cold winter day. After dinner I would sit by the hot air register in the living room and spend several hours reading comics. Life was good for a ten year old boy.
Nancy and I are having problems finding a Netflix show that we both would like. Maybe we should split up, Nancy will watch her favorite shows and I will watch Frontier or Victory at Sea on my iPad. Of course if new seasons of Doc Martin or Death in Paradise are released we go back to joint watching.
The cold weather continues with temps in the mid teens overnight. It looks like that I will forego my walk to the Y and do my routine at home.
Yes folks today is Groundhog Day, what a useless day. We always have six more weeks of winter no matter the sun. Six weeks puts us near St Patrick's Day. St Pats day has alway been my end of winter day.
In GR the hog did see his shadow. The temp was in the mid teens this morning but the 15mph wind put the wind chill in single digits. Single digit wind chill means that I do my routine at home and then walk to Panera. If I walked to the Y which is an extra mile I would end up with some serious frost bite. I think part of my double vision problem was caused by walking into to the wind on a bitterly cold December day. It felt like I froze my eye.
Nancy left early this morning for her Thursday swim. After the swim she is heading to the dentist for some crown work.
Kim came this morning to clean the condo.
Each morning after I check my emails I go to the News app on my iPad. Check the headlines in the UK papers. Lately I have complained about the nasty reporting by many US newspaper reporters. After reading the UK papers I think we are amateurs. The UK reporters cover up their nastiness with humor.
Our President is having problems dealing with our allies. He and German PM Merkel have not started off on the right foot especially as regard immigration.
Apparently our President hung up on a the PM of Australia. President Obama had an agreement with the Australian PM to accept about 1,500 immigrants. Trump said we don't want them and hung up. Apparently our President did not go to Sunday School.
The US has been criticized for our immigration ban. Australia has also been severely criticized for their handling. The Aussies put immigrants into offshore detention centers where conditions are less than perfect.
Tech companies have a great need for engineers. They claim a limited supply of US engineers and use the H-1B program to get engineers from other countries. The problem is the H-1B program has a cap which is much to low. The Tech companies want the cap significantly increased. Trump thinks the Tech companies are using foreign workers because they are cheaper than US engineers. I don't know if this is true? I recently read that the majority of students in US public colleges studying electrical and computer engineering are foreign born. Why aren't US students going into these fields? Are public universities recruiting foreign engineers because they pay higher fees than US students?
Whatever the answer we need talent for our industries. The politicians should make sure that this void is filled. Success is based on talent.
Foreign students in engineering schools is nothing new. In my structural engineering classes at UM the majority of students were foreigners. I remember in one class of 30 that there were only two US citizens.
The Ukraine is back in the news. Will the return to hostilities test President Trump?
Iran is also doing some testing with its recent missile launch? The world is a dangerous place and the USA will constantly be tested. I hope their are some cool heads on the President's foreign policy team.
The walk home was not bad because I had the wind at my back. As soon as I got home I dropped my backpack and took a walk around the block.
After lunch I headed down to my office. Turned on the heater and fired up my laptop. I am trying to import my DNA data from 23&me into my family tree data base, My Heritage. I called and a young lady in Manila told me I could not. I emailed 23&me and they said I could. Go figure!
I spent about an hour catching up on back issues of SI and ENR. I still get a print copy of SI but I changed the ENR to a digital issue.
With her dental work Nancy can not chew so we are going to Panera this evening for a bowl of soup. Soup sounds good on a cold winter's day, doesn't it?
I did get my 30 minutes outside today.
As a boy one of my favorite pastimes was reading comic books. I saved all the old comics. When my pile got big enough I would trade them. I have great memories of trading comics on a cold winter day. After dinner I would sit by the hot air register in the living room and spend several hours reading comics. Life was good for a ten year old boy.
Nancy and I are having problems finding a Netflix show that we both would like. Maybe we should split up, Nancy will watch her favorite shows and I will watch Frontier or Victory at Sea on my iPad. Of course if new seasons of Doc Martin or Death in Paradise are released we go back to joint watching.
The cold weather continues with temps in the mid teens overnight. It looks like that I will forego my walk to the Y and do my routine at home.
Wednesday February 1, 2017
Blog time 1939, sitting in den
Breakfast Club Wednesday. Up at 0530 because I need an early start. For the first time since January 5 I will be driving. Today I took surface streets. Most streets were snow covered from last night's snow. But I did not have any problems.
Despite the weather we had a good turnout. The speaker was an astronomy professional who talked about this summers special solar eclipse. The eclipse will be visible in the Midwest. The best viewing will be in NE and WY.
Drove straight home after BC, parked the Escape and walked to Panera.
The London papers today are concentrating on the UK Parliament trying to get BRexit special legislation passed.
The head of the Labor Party in the UK wants to ban President Trump from visiting because of his recent immigration EO. PM May said the invitation to the President still stands. Good move PM May
1030 left Panera and walked to the Y. Today I swam 1,000 yards.
Nancy worked at the Gardens this afternoon.
Spent the early afternoon taking out the trash, doing laundry, paying bills and eating lunch.
Finished with a short nap.
Dinner and then some Netflix before turning in.
Breakfast Club Wednesday. Up at 0530 because I need an early start. For the first time since January 5 I will be driving. Today I took surface streets. Most streets were snow covered from last night's snow. But I did not have any problems.
Despite the weather we had a good turnout. The speaker was an astronomy professional who talked about this summers special solar eclipse. The eclipse will be visible in the Midwest. The best viewing will be in NE and WY.
Drove straight home after BC, parked the Escape and walked to Panera.
The London papers today are concentrating on the UK Parliament trying to get BRexit special legislation passed.
The head of the Labor Party in the UK wants to ban President Trump from visiting because of his recent immigration EO. PM May said the invitation to the President still stands. Good move PM May
1030 left Panera and walked to the Y. Today I swam 1,000 yards.
Nancy worked at the Gardens this afternoon.
Spent the early afternoon taking out the trash, doing laundry, paying bills and eating lunch.
Finished with a short nap.
Dinner and then some Netflix before turning in.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Tuesday January 31, 2017
Blog time 1045 at Panera
We had several inches of snow overnight. The Condo contractor had our drive and walks shoveled by 0700.
Nancy headed out early for her Tuesday swim at MVP. First time in pool in several weeks.
I did all my routine at home today. After the workout, I showered and ate a quick breakfast.
This morning we are defrosting our freezer. Nancy got home about 0900 and we started emptying the freezer. We put the frozen food in baskets and set them outside. They will be outside for about four hours. Must check periodically to make sure some critter does not find the food.
The ice buildup should be melted in several hours. Nancy was surprised at how little ice buildup there was. The freezer at Mackinaw would have serious buildup.
Speaking of freezers in my youth household freezers did not exist. We rented a locker at a store that specialized in storage of frozen food. The store was called Alpena Sharp Freeze. The lockers were in a big insulated room with a constant temperature of about 10.
My Grandfather raised beef cattle so periodically we were given half a cow. My mother would go to the Sharp Freeze and oversee the butchering of the cow. The butcher was Star Glomski. Mother would get T bone steaks, roast beef cuts, other special cuts and the rest would be ground up. The cuts would be wrapped in brown freezer paper, labeled and placed in the locker.
Whenever we needed some beef Mother would tell me to go the sharp freeze and get some ground beef or steaks. I would get the key from the store clerk and enter the coldest room in the world. I hated going into the freezer room. And that folks was the way it was in the 40s and early 50s.
The morning business shows were fixated on the poor showing of Under Armor. They did not meet expectations and you would have thought it was the end of the world. Good grief who worries about sweat pants?
Also this morning several folks defended Trump's Immigration EO. Their defense actually made sense.
Last day of January and the snow removal folks have their act together. Tahoe Drive was plowed as were all the sidewalks in our neighborhood.
The London papers are all about BRexit and Trump. Problems in the Middle East and the EU take a back seat.
I think President Trump was right to fire the Acting AG. The AG works for the President and should not try to bypass his orders. If you don't agree resign or be fired.
Senator John McCain and I are on the same wave length.
I am not on the same wave length as former President Obama. His tweeting about the actions of the current President are out of line. HIs predecessors went out of their way to not comment on current events.
When I got home I thought I would spend some time helping Nancy put the food back in the freezer. Surprise she had already put the food back.
Quick lunch and then took Ms P on her walk. It was snowing and blowing and we walked at a fast pace. Dropped Ms P off and then continued my walk. My super-duper Apple Watch said I walked a total of 6.2 miles today.
I did take a short nap. It is now 1800 and I am sitting in the living room drinking wine and continue writing this blog.
Nancy is fixing soup and a fruit dish for dinner.
This evening will watch the news and read the GRP. On TV will watch the only network shows that we watch NCIS and Bull. Surprise the President bumped our favorite shows off air by taking time to announce his Supreme Court appointee.
We had several inches of snow overnight. The Condo contractor had our drive and walks shoveled by 0700.
Nancy headed out early for her Tuesday swim at MVP. First time in pool in several weeks.
I did all my routine at home today. After the workout, I showered and ate a quick breakfast.
This morning we are defrosting our freezer. Nancy got home about 0900 and we started emptying the freezer. We put the frozen food in baskets and set them outside. They will be outside for about four hours. Must check periodically to make sure some critter does not find the food.
The ice buildup should be melted in several hours. Nancy was surprised at how little ice buildup there was. The freezer at Mackinaw would have serious buildup.
Speaking of freezers in my youth household freezers did not exist. We rented a locker at a store that specialized in storage of frozen food. The store was called Alpena Sharp Freeze. The lockers were in a big insulated room with a constant temperature of about 10.
My Grandfather raised beef cattle so periodically we were given half a cow. My mother would go to the Sharp Freeze and oversee the butchering of the cow. The butcher was Star Glomski. Mother would get T bone steaks, roast beef cuts, other special cuts and the rest would be ground up. The cuts would be wrapped in brown freezer paper, labeled and placed in the locker.
Whenever we needed some beef Mother would tell me to go the sharp freeze and get some ground beef or steaks. I would get the key from the store clerk and enter the coldest room in the world. I hated going into the freezer room. And that folks was the way it was in the 40s and early 50s.
The morning business shows were fixated on the poor showing of Under Armor. They did not meet expectations and you would have thought it was the end of the world. Good grief who worries about sweat pants?
Also this morning several folks defended Trump's Immigration EO. Their defense actually made sense.
Last day of January and the snow removal folks have their act together. Tahoe Drive was plowed as were all the sidewalks in our neighborhood.
The London papers are all about BRexit and Trump. Problems in the Middle East and the EU take a back seat.
I think President Trump was right to fire the Acting AG. The AG works for the President and should not try to bypass his orders. If you don't agree resign or be fired.
Senator John McCain and I are on the same wave length.
I am not on the same wave length as former President Obama. His tweeting about the actions of the current President are out of line. HIs predecessors went out of their way to not comment on current events.
When I got home I thought I would spend some time helping Nancy put the food back in the freezer. Surprise she had already put the food back.
Quick lunch and then took Ms P on her walk. It was snowing and blowing and we walked at a fast pace. Dropped Ms P off and then continued my walk. My super-duper Apple Watch said I walked a total of 6.2 miles today.
I did take a short nap. It is now 1800 and I am sitting in the living room drinking wine and continue writing this blog.
Nancy is fixing soup and a fruit dish for dinner.
This evening will watch the news and read the GRP. On TV will watch the only network shows that we watch NCIS and Bull. Surprise the President bumped our favorite shows off air by taking time to announce his Supreme Court appointee.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
