January 10, 2021

 Sunday January 10, 2021

Blog time 1730 sitting in downstairs office.

I am finally back.  Our internet went down December 31 and just came back on January 7, 2021.

We could not image how important the internet is in our life.  No streaming service like Netflix.  No online shopping or banking and of course no email.  I have online subscriptions to the WSJ, Detroit News, Alpena News, and GRP and missed reading them.  We are tied to this electronic monster.

However, we did survive with some positive results.  I got caught up on my reading.  I read a year’s backlog of Time and Fortune magazine.  Cleaned out my office of old magazines and spent more time reading books.  We both exercised more.  I visited the Y every week day and Nancy usually walked 5 miles.

We were not entirely without internet.  Nancy and I would drive to Panera get a coffee and sit in their parking lot and use their internet to download our email.  Occasionally we would also drive to the Cascade Twp library and sit in the car and use their internet.  

A lot has happened during my sabbatical.  The Coronavirus got worse, our President self destructed and the nation is in a bad mood.  However, I am an optimist and know that cooler heads will prevail.  We must remember that Jesus preached that forgiving and forgetting should be a guiding principle in our lives.

During the absence winter has finally set in.  We had one measurable snow and a lot of gloomy days.  Morning temperatures were below freezing.  I could not ride my bike for about 4 days.

However, the past several days we have had sun.  Sun lifts our spirits.  The sidewalks have been cleared so I can ride my winter bike.  

Every afternoon I put our corn for the deer.  Usually three deer show up.  I also have several bird feeding stations.

Today we got up at 0700.  The temperature was 21.  I headed to Panera to get our morning coffee.  Fixed an oatmeal breakfast and then set up my iPad so we could watch the Trinity Lutheran streaming service.  

After church I read some of the GRP and then took a 2.5 mile walk.  Nancy also took a walk but it was 3.5 miles.  Nancy wins.

Tonight Nancy will fix her world famous scrambled eggs for dinner.  I will have mine with sausage.

Our evening activities will be to watch 60 Minutes and then an episode of either “Queen’s Gambit” or “Ray Donovan”.  

Usually Debbie and Missy FaceTime us every evening to check on our health.  Our course I will check our front yard at 2200.