Monday October 30, 2017

Monday October 30, 2017

Blog started at Panera 1000

It was dark and cold this morning the temp was in mid 30s.  Light rain when first went out.

I will be glad when we go off DST.  Sunrise is 0815 so I have about two hours to fill before I leave home.  I don’t like to ride my bike or walk in darkness.  Today I did my calisthenics at home.  It was raining when I left home so walked to Panera.

The rain and cold is to continue with a slight possibility of snow.  I am not ready to start my winter routine.  In fact I have not yet figured out my new winter routine.  

Read the News App on the iPad and came away discouraged by the dark and gloomy reports.

I am getting tired of all the sexual allegation news, especially after being quiet for decades.    The allegations are serious but let the courts sort this out.  

The PR power company’s contract with Whitefish Energy is getting confusing.  One article says lineman are getting $400 per hour and another says it is per day.  I also understand that US Power Companies did not want to work in PR because the PR power company was bankrupt and they did not think they would get paid.  Is the USA going to pay for this work?  

A church George Washington attended is removing a plague honoring him because he owned slaves.  Are we going to remove his accomplishments from history books?  

The mood in the country is so bitter and acrimonious and has split the country.  Whether it is in the NFL or politics I don’t see a moderating group on the horizon.  

It was raining on my walk home.  This afternoon I spent some time getting out winter coats and pants to take to the dry cleaner.  The cleaner said I can pick up tomorrow.  Does a cleaner who provides 24 hour service do a good job?

Our next door neighbor has some battery operated candles.  The batteries were shot.  She asked that I help get the candles working.  I had to drive to Ace to get batteries.  Put in the batteries and the candles are now working. 

Finished the afternoon with a walk around the block.  First time since late August that I had seen a Robin.  Was it lost? It started to rain hard halfway through my walk.  I was soaked when I got home.

Light dinner tonight.  We watched news until 2000.  At 2000 on all weekdays we take a cheese break.  It is also time for Nancy’s pill.  After the cheese we usually switch to either Netflix or Acorn.  Last night we watched another episode of “Wanted” on Netflix.  After watching “Wanted” Nancy headed to bed.  I watched an episode of “The Tudors” before turning in.

Sunday October 29, 2017

Sunday October 29, 2017

Blog time 1755 sitting at dining room table.

Alarm goes off at 0630, temp in low 40s with mist.

I had breakfast and then we headed out to the Y for our Sunday routine.  As soon as we got home we changed clothes and headed to Trinity Lutheran.  Today was Reformation Sunday.  500 years since Martin Luther tacked up his 95 thesis on the church in Wittenberg, Germany.  Pastor Bob’s Homily dealt with Luther’s impact on the church.

After church we headed to Meijer’s for supplies.  Gas was $2.47 today.

Walked around the block before lunch.  Lunch followed by nap.  After nap we took Ms P on walk.  First time she has been walked in a 10 days.

Tomorrow is the Township’s yard waste collection day.  All the flower pots on deck were emptied into yard waste bags.  

Spent some time checking out my three bikes.  Pumped up tires and took short ride on each bike.  In several weeks I will have to put the studded tires on one bike.  I still have not determined which bike will get the tires.

Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for dinner.  We also had muffins.  Scrambled eggs are a great Sunday evening meal.  As a youth our family would visit my Grandparents on their Hubbard Lake farm.  We would stay for dinner and Grandma Scott would always fix eggs followed by dessert.  Great memories.

Finished reading the GRP and watched 60 Minutes before switching to Netflix.  We watched another episode of Wanted.  

Saturday October 28, 2017

Saturday October 28, 2017

Blog time 1150 at Cascade Library

It was cold this morning, 35 with threatening rain.  The weather folks say it will rain all day.

We walked to Panera for breakfast.  A very cold walk but no rain.  Panera was not busy this morning.  We encountered a light rain on our walk home.

Nancy started the laundry and I headed out to buy a bag of cypress mulch.  Nancy wants the mulch to cover her rose bushes for the winter.  No luck at Lowe’s.  FruitBasket Flowerland did have mulch at a reasonable price.  Only bought one bag.

Nancy was doing her daily stretching exercises when I got home.  She had already completed two loads of laundry.

I grabbed my iPad and walked to the Cascade Library.  The library has a nice reading room.  Usually the reading room is nearly empty.  This morning I got the last chair. Must be because of the rain.

Lunch and then I headed downstairs.  Spent several hour messing around.  I paid bills, checked and answered emails and worked on family history.  Also rearranged all my winter clothes.  I enjoy a nice rainy day.  It gives me time to do thing I put off because I would rather be outside.  Winter is a time to rest and recuperate from summer and fall outdoor activities.

For dinner we headed to Russ’s.  I had a hot turkey sandwich and Nancy a bowl of chicken rice soup.  We were the youngest couple in Russ’s.

Debbie FaceTimed us this evening, we spent some time catching up.  Earlier in the week Missy sent a photo of AJ wearing a Alpena High Wildcat shirt to school.  The shirt looks great on AJ.

Watched a show on Netflix before turning in.

Friday October 27, 2017

Friday October 27, 2017

Blog time 1045 at Panera

Finally I got up at a reasonable time, 0630.  Rain is predicted for later this morning but the temperature is 20 degrees warmer than yesterday, 51 vs 31.  Sunrise not until 0810 and since I don’t like to ride the bike when dark I did all the calisthenics at home.  It was dark and gloomy when I left this morning at 0830.  Had all the bike lights on.  Took the hilly route to Panera, total distance was 8.5 miles.

Encountered no rain on my ride but I just looked out the window and it is raining hard.  GR has had over 9 inches of rain in Oct.  The rain has helped in stripping trees of their leaves.  The bright reds have finally come out on some trees.  Probably next week most trees will be bare.

What is happening in Catalonia? The Catalan Parliament declares independence.  Most EU countries would not recognize the new country.  Is this just a negotiating tactic?  Risky move!

Trump administration releases most of JFK documents but not all.  Why not all the documents it has been 54 years?  

Kim came and cleaned today.  The house looks great.

Before lunch Nancy and I drove to Fidelity so I could open an account.  Stopped at Meijer’s to get grapes and crackers.

I did take a short nap.  For dinner we headed to Brann’s.  I had their lobster bisque and Nancy a ham sandwich.

We watched an episode of Wanted on Netflix before turning in.  

Thursday October 26, 2017

Thursday October 26, 2017

Blog time 1220 at Panera.

Boy did we sleep in today.  It was almost 0800 when we got up.  Was it jet lag or the fact that sunrise is not until 0810?  

The ground was white this morning.  Our temperature was 31 at 0800 but should rise quickly because of the bright sun.

I was 60 minutes behind schedule so I took a mile off my ride to the Y.  Wore mittens but my hands still got cold this morning.  My left eye, shingles eye, is very sensitive to cold.  Might need to wear goggles when temp below freezing.

Read the Alpena and London papers, I found interesting;

Steve Bannon is suppose to have middle of the road Republicans up for re-election in 18 quaking.  But I think all Mr Bannon needs is a shave and haircut.  Extreme right wing candidates would not get my vote.

Whitefish Power based in the hometown of the Interior Secretary has been getting a lot of flack from their 300M contract for fixing Puerto Rico power transmission lines.  I read an article and it said that linemen were getting $350 per hour.  I thought that rate was outrageous.  However, this morning I read an article in ENR and they said Whitefish got the job because of their low rates and they did not requiring upfront money.  Also the linemen rate was per day and not per hour, BIG DIFFERENCE.  Did the report in the yesterday’s news article just make a mistake on the rate or was it deliberate?  I think the news media has such a hatred for PONTUS that their reporting is skewed.

Elon Musk’s Tesla Power installed solar panels to a hospital in PR in less than 3 weeks.  The hospital is now fully operational.  Quite an achievement.

Cataract surgery increase life expectancy for women.  Good news!

Christian Pastor in China is arrested for having a service in public.  Religious freedom does not exist in China.  Same can be said of Saudi Arabia.  Religious freedom should be a right in all nations.  

I had a quick lunch and then took the Taurus to the Ford Dealer.  Nancy noted the low tire pressure warning light was on yesterday.  I did put air in the tire but the light was still on today.  The Ford Mechanic checked the left rear tire and noted a steel spike was embedded in the tire.

It took two hours to fix the tire.  While waiting I checked out the new cars.  I really like the 2017 Taurus.  Will have to talk to Nancy to replace our 2009 Taurus.  Also finished reading the WSJ.

Since we bought the tires at Ford there was no charge for the repair.  I thought that was generous.

At home I took a quick walk around the block.  Nancy fixed a beef pot pie for dinner.  It was tasty.  Read the GRP and then we watched a new show on Netflix, Wanted.  In fact we liked the first episode so we watched a second.

Wednesday October 25, 2017

Wednesday October 25, 2017

Sitting at Panera in GR

We both slept in until 0715.  Brenna left early for her job.  The house sitter was a great idea and we will try to hire Brenna on future trips.

We finished unpacking and getting settled in.  Nancy is working at the Gardens this afternoon followed by a dinner at the Gardens for volunteers.

I have a 1300 Doctor’s appointment.  I will have to do laundry this afternoon.

I biked straight to Panera this morning.  Temperature was 41 but with sun and blue sky.

Quick read of the papers, most of the news is a lot of gloom and doom.  Are most citizens as disappointed with our Federal elected representatives as I am?

Quick lunch and then I headed to my ENT Doctor.  Dr Sprik checked out my nose and throat and said everything was ok for an old guy.

Stopped at the bank and Meijer’s on way home.  I did my Wednesday afternoon chore of laundry and taking out trash.

I tried taking a short nap with little success.  Is it jet lag?

I finished my outdoor activity by walking to the mailbox to mail a payment to my MG Doc.

Nancy is at an awards dinner at the Gardens so I had a light dinner.  Watched the news and caught up on reading the GRP.  I read three issues in 10 minutes which tells you how bad the GRP is.

Nancy got home about 2000.  She got an award for 2,500 hours of work at the Gardens.  I am proud of her volunteer work.

Nancy had a low tire pressure warning light go off on the Taurus.  I took the car to D&W to fill up the tires.  The light still won’t go off.  I will take in tomorrow.

Watched an episode of Doc Martin before turning in.

Tuesday October 24, 2017

Tuesday October 24, 2017

Blog being written at Panera in GR, 1010

Tuesday is our travel day back to GR.  Our flight does not leave San Jose until 1400, so I had time to walk to Starbucks and do some reading.  I am amazed at the business the Starbucks I visit does in the morning.  Nobody sits down they just grab their brew and go.   One of my retirement pleasures is the opportunity to visit a coffee shop and sit down and read the current news.  I do all the reading on my iPad.  Most coffee shops have an internet connection.

The infighting in the GOP is embarrassing.  Is the party going to implode?

Bright blue sky and warm temps in San Jose.  High today in mid 8ps.  Rain and mid 40s in GR.

We arrived at the San Jose before noon.  We had our boarding passes on our iPhones so no need to check in.  Debbie’s got our Global Express numbers on our boarding passes so we breezed through the TSA precheck line with no problems.

Flight to GR went without a hitch.  Stopped in Minneapolis for an hour before getting on the plane to GR.  I wish we had a nonstop flight from GR to CA.  

Got home about midnight.  Brenna, our house sitter, said Ms P was great.  She spent the night.  We headed straight to bed.  Flying is tiring on our old bodies.

Monday October 23, 2017

Monday October 23, 2017; sitting in Starbucks, San Jose 0845

Left Debbie’s in total darkness but now 0845 we have bright sun and temp of 62 heading to 86.  Last full day in CA.  Nothing planned yet.  

Checked news and found nothing so far I want to comment on.

Ran some errands with Debbie before lunch, Trader Joe’s and bike store. 

I spent some time after lunch installing lights and a mirror on Debbie’s bike.  The temperature did reach 86 this afternoon.  I finished the afternoon with a walk through Willow Glen.  Showered, shaved and packed.

For dinner we drove to Cupertino.  We ate in a huge new development at a restaurant called the Lazy Dog.  I had a chicken pot pie.  It was great, Debbie and Nancy each had a sandwich.

Watched some Netflix before turning in.  Tomorrow we head back to GR.  It has been a great but short vacation.

Sunday October 22, 2017

Sunday morning sitting in a San Jose, CA Starbucks, 0800

Today the warmup starts, high today will be in mid 70s.  Of course it is sunny.  Left for Starbucks this morning this before sunrise.  The stars were bright.  Pleasant walk but have to watch out for lawn sprinklers.

Scanned the news and found:

Abe wins in Japan so maybe Japan will change constitution to allow the military become more than a self defense force.

Astro’s beat Yankees, yea and UM loses, bummer.

Spanish government takes over Catalonia.

JFK assignation files to be released.

The death of a Soldier/Sailor should not be politicized.

Great to see five former presidents together for hurricane relief.  Civility is good.

Enough of Harvey Weinstein.  Admit it the guy is just a super jerk.

Italy’s north regions of Lombardy and Veneto want more autonomy.  Not quite as bad as Scotland and Catalonia.  Is Europe imploding?

Xi Jinping consolidates power in China.

This morning we piled in Debbie’s Honda and headed to the City by the Bay, San Francisco.  Great day for a drive, bright blue sunny sky.  

One thing I think California can be proud of is their success in eliminating air pollution.  The ugly haze blocking out the sun has been mostly eliminated.  Tough car emission rules help.  The switch to electric cars is under way.  I have never seen so many electric vehicles.  Apple has a large recharging parking lot.  I think most auto companies have an electric car.  Chevy leads the way for USA manufacturers.

We parked at Union Square.  Downtown SF was loaded with tourists.  The line for open topped tour buses was long as was the line for a cable car ride.  Nancy and Debbie went shopping in Chinatown and I walked the cable car line to the waterfront.  I always forget how steep the hills in SF are.  Noted several new skyscrapers since our last visit.  I thought I had good walking shoes but going up and down the hills started some chafing on the toes.  I got back at our rendezvous spot early so I had a hot dog from a sidewalk vendor.  Great hot dog.

We got home about 1500.  Quick lunch and then a short nap.  Finished the afternoon with a short walk along the Los Gatos Creek Trail.  The trail was loaded with walkers and bikers.

Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs for dinner.  We watched 60 Minutes and a Midsomer Murders on Netflix before turning in.

Saturday October 21, 2017

Blog time 0800 sitting at Starbucks in San Jose.

Another cool day in CA in fact it is warmer in GR.  Big warmup tomorrow.

It is Saturday but Starbucks still has a big line of folks buying coffee and heading out to work.

Blog resumes Sunday at 0700;  Saturday morning we traveled to a big outlet mall in Milpitas.  I enjoyed the drive looking how things have changed since the 60s.  The change is amazing.  The Mall was crowded, great for people watching.  I even bought an insulated tee at Columbia.  

We stopped at Trader Joe’s on way home.  Bought yogurt and other food stuff.  I took a three mile walk before shaving and showering.

Saturday evening we drove to downtown Redwood City where the weather is best by government test.  Nancy and I lived in Redwood City from June 65 to September 67.  Debbie was born in Redwood City.  The old downtown has been made into a pedestrian friendly area with plenty of bars and restaurants.  We ate at a Mexican Restaurant.  The food was good.  After dinner we walked around downtown.  Pleasant evening for a walk.  The sidewalks were crowded which made the walk even more pleasant.

I did read the papers today but don’t want to ruin a pleasant day with all the gloomy news.  

Friday October 20, 2017

Friday October 20, 2017, 0800 sitting in Starbucks in San Jose;

I will head back to Debbie’s as soon as I scan the headlines.  We have nothing scheduled for today.  As they say we will play it by ear, what ever that means.

The Starbucks near Debbie’s does a great business.  I counted a line of 20 folks waiting for coffee.  Everyone just grabs their coffee and heads out.  Five small tables and I am the only one sitting down.

This morning Debbie drove us to Santana Row to visit a big Orvis store.  Bummer the store was closed.  We walked around Santana Row.  It is a high end community of restaurants, apartment and stores.  Great place to visit but expensive.  

 Next Debbie drove us to Cupertino to see the new Apple headquarters.  It is a huge circular building with a lot of glass.  Impressive!  I don’t think it is ready for full occupancy.

We had lunch at the employees cafeteria on the main campus, 1 Infinite Loop.  The cafeteria is huge with seating both inside and out.  I had a pizza and Debbie and Nancy a salad.  It is a great place to people watch.  Tees and jeans are the uniform of the day.  When I started my business I read “Dress for Success”.  Not required at Apple.

On way home we made a quick stop at Costco so both Debbie and Nancy could by a sweater.

I was dropped off at Debbie’s while they headed to the Dollar store.  Debbie has a new bike but does not have a tire pump.  I walked to a nearby bike store and bought a pump and water bottle cage.  Dropped the bike stuff at home and then took a walk on the nearby Los Gatos Creek Trail.  As the name suggests the trail follows the creek.  Great trail and I guess it runs for miles.

We all spent some down time reading before dinner.  The Stock Market keeps going up and Congress is still doing nothing.  The Czech Republic might have an anti-immigration Government after the upcoming election.  China is putting emphasis on state supported industry and not the private sector.  Kind of a back to Mao movement.  Spain is playing hardball with Catalonia.  And that is what I gleaned from the papers.

We talked about dinner and Nancy said she wasn’t hungry so Debbie and I drove to a small Italian restaurant for spaghetti and meatballs.  I also had a glass of wine.  Good food.

At home we started watching TV but I immediately fell asleep.  Busy but very enjoyable day.

Thursday October 19, 2017

Thursday October 19:

This blog is being written on Friday at a Starbucks in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose, CA

Thursday travel day;  the alarm goes off at 0400.  Taxi arrives at exactly 0530.  The only problem we had in GR was going through security.  Nancy and I have Global Entry cards so we got in the precheck line.  Our entry was refused so we had to go the back of the other line.  Apparently when getting our online tickets from Delta we forgot to input our GE numbers.

Flight to Minneapolis/St Paul went without a hitch.  Same for our flight to San Jose.  The SJ flight was over three hours which exceeds my comfort level.  On future flights I want to spend the kid’s inheritance and fly business class.

Debbie was waiting for us in SJ.  Great to see her.  Stopped at Debbie’s to drop off our bags.  I think Debbie’s house is perfect for her.  

Lunch at local Deli.  Nancy had an egg salad sandwich and I had a bowl of pea soup.  Both items were great.

We stopped at Costco for some supplies.  If you want to see how diverse the USA is you should visit a CA Costco.  I would recommend it for POTUS.   It might change his mind on immigration.

Speaking of diversity it is now 0754 and Starbucks has a long line of folks getting their sissy coffees before heading to work.  I bet 40% of customers are Asian or Latino.

I did take a walk around Willow Glen.  The circular route is 2.5 miles.

For dinner we went to a small Restaurant in Campbell.  Both Debbie and I had a burger.  Nancy had a soda, I think.  Campbell is a cute town.  The walks were crowded with folks.

Tried to watch TV but kept falling asleep so headed to bed.

As a boy I would never believe that I could leave MI in the morning and be in CA before noon.

Wednesday October 18, 2017

Blog time 1045 at Panera

Today is my easy Wednesday, no Y.  However, because it does not get light until 0800 I killed time by doing calisthenics at 50%.

Pumped up bike tires and headed out in bright sun and cool temp, 49.  Short ride to Panera.  

Nancy this morning headed to MVP and then to a visit with our dermatologist.  This afternoon she is working at Gardens.

This morning’s Alpena News reported that the library had found asbestos in their ceiling.  Asbestos was used extensively as a fire retardant and insulation before it was banned.  Asbestos shingles and insulation were common.  Folks who every day worked with asbestos have developed serious respiratory problems.  However, causal contact is not a great risk.  Contractors who remove asbestos have to be certified and they have little competition so costs are great.  The library’s budget for renovation took a big hit.  I think a lot of the asbestos alarm is over blown.

The fires in CA are horrendous.  Last night we talked to a couple who lived in Santa Rosa, CA and they said many of their friends have lost everything.

The fires in Portugal are also devastating.  Speaking of fires my Grandmother Hughes use to tell me of the fires that burned Alpena to the ground.  Alpena had many sawmills and most structures were wood.

The NHS in the UK has proposed to delay surgery for folks who smoke or are over weight.  Is this fair?

On way home stopped at bank to get more two dollar bills.  I think we should get rid of the $1 bill and use the $2 instead.  Also ditch the penny.  

First time I ever saw a two dollar bill was in 1962 on Midway Island.  The Navy paid in cash so we would stand in the pay line once a month and get our pay.  The paymaster had a huge stack of bills including the two dollar.  Ensign Scott’s monthly pay in 1962 was about $222.  As a civilian I made twice that amount.

Will anyone ever be able disable POTUS’s Twitter account.  He is so thin skinned that he has to lash out at every small slight.  It is a major distraction.  Let’s get on with infrastructure and tax reform.

This afternoon did a load of laundry, took out the trash and finished packing.  Called taxi and scheduled a 0530 pickup.

Light dinner and watched the news and some TV before turning in.