Friday September 13 2013

It was cold this morning when I left for the MAC at 0530. The temperature was in the low 50s. I wore shorts which I regretted. Today was a swim day, in fact every day I go to the MAC is a swim day. Swimming has replaced both rowing and running in my routine. After the MAC I stopped at the Starbuck at Breton Village. Actually because it is Friday the 13th I wanted to buy a lottery ticket. Did you know that I won a Jeep in a lottery with the number 13? The year was 1956. I always buy a ticket on Friday the 13th. The first thing I did when I got home was to put on long pants. Today is grass cutting day. I started at 1200 and finished at 1530. Under perfect conditions it should take me 2 hours. However, I have to throw the ball to Ms P and also to talk to any neighbor who walks by. Today I talked to Al Bennett. Al recently had some major back surgery. The surgery went ok but Al had a serious reaction to the pain medication. Al has recovered and is now back to his normal routine. The back pain is gone. Nancy worked at the Blodgett Gift Shop this afternoon. For dinner tonight we went to Russ's. I had a club sandwich and Nancy had the chicken rice soup. We were the youngest folk there. There are frost warnings up for areas north of GR. Not much on TV so we will head to bed early for some serious reading. Of course we will put on an extra blanket tonight. Fall has arrived.

Thursday September 12, 2013

Our first chore this morning was to turn off the AC. Cooler weather is coming. Nancy and I left at the same time this morning, she drove and I pedaled to the MAC. It was a swim day for both of us. After the MAC I pedaled to Starbuck in Gaslight. I am getting smarter regarding the cranked up AC at this Starbucks. I put a sweatshirt in my backpack and put it on as soon as I have my coffee. I am tired already of Syria and the election in NYC. How about some immigration reform and a decent budget. It was nice and cool this afternoon so I made Ms P take a mile walk. My project this afternoon was to write some checks to charities that we give to annually. Being Thursday Nancy and I had dinner at GL Shipping. We sat inside because it was too cool and windy to sit outside. Nancy had an appointment with the eye doctor this morning. He told her that she will soon need cataract surgery. I am sure he will tell me the same thing in November. We got a paper copy of the GRP today so I will read it before turning in. The new TV season has not started yet so we will spend the evening reading. Reading is what my Grand parents did every evening. They also would listen to the radio. Radio listening and reading are compatible. Reading and TV watching are not compatible.

Wednesday September 11, 2013

Today is my easy day. I slept in until 0700 and had breakfast at Bill's. I was going to go on a long bike ride but as I was getting dressed a very quick shower blew through. I decided to take a shorter route. I got on the hybrid and pedaled to Ada and back a distance of 18 miles. Yesterday the temperature set a record but today the temps were in the mid 80s. It was quite comfortable. After my shower I took a short nap. I finished off the afternoon by running to the bank. Nancy worked at the Gardens this afternoon. She got out early because of a big private event. This evening Nancy and I headed downtown to the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). They had a sneak preview of the art prize exhibits on display at the GRAM. The GRAM was open only to members. We ran into a lot of our OHNA neighbors. I enjoyed the evening. Tonight a major cool front is suppose to move through. Tomorrow the AC come off.

Tuesday September 10, 2013

When I left for the MAC at 0730 the temperature was in the high 70s. When I left at 1000 it was nearing 90. It is now 1730 and the temperature is 91. This hot weather will not last, the high on Friday is suppose to be only 61. Did you know that the summer temperature in Edinburgh rarely gets above 70? I have Edinburgh's temperature on my iPhone. Speaking of iPhones today is the day that Apple introduces it new phone. I love my iphone and think it is an amazing piece of technology. Last night I got a call from a retired surveyor that I know. He had heard that I had a Gunther's Chain. A Gunther's Chain is an old measuring tool. It is 66 feet long (4 rods). The chain is made up of 100 eight inch long steel roads. It was the measuring devise used when Michigan was first surveyed. My Dad owned the chain and he gave it to me. I think only a few remain. Anyway the Surveyor wanted to show a group of students early surveying tools. The chain is on display at SCECO. I let him use it for his talk. Syria still dominates the news. Tonight the President will give his talk. He probably has rewritten the speech many times since Putin threw him a bone. Just who are the good guys in Syria? I got home from the Kava House at 1300. After a quick lunch I took a short nap. It is too hot to take Ms P on a walk. Maybe this evening? Nancy did not go to the MAC today because her knee was hurting her. She recently had the knee x-rayed and it appears she has a muscle tear or pull. You know you are getting old when you have trouble cutting your toenails. Nancy has a flexibility issue and I cannot see unless I am outside in bright natural light. This afternoon I cut Nancy's toenails and then went outside and cut mine. You probably did not want me to share this! Nancy is fixing sloppy Joes for dinner. Sound good! We will read the GRP and watch a rerun of NCIS before heading upstairs. I am now reading a Bernard Cornwell novel, "The Burning Land". Cornwell writes about old England about the time of the Viking attacks. This is my third Cornwell book. I could not get involved in reading Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Parker and Leonard wrote better dialogue.

Monday September 9, 2013

It was raining hard at 0530 so I drove to the MAC. I had the pool all to myself. It was still raining hard when I left so I stopped at Starbuck in Breton Village. When I got home I put a new tube in my road bike tire. I was pumping the tire up when it exploded. The tube was split. I loaded the bike on the C2 and headed to GR Bike. I had them fix the tire. I had them put a pair of new pedals on the bike. I like the shoe clips. Today is Doctor day for Nancy and Bob. Nancy is meeting with a specialist on goiters and I am meeting with my dentist. I have a major cavity under my bridge. So the bridge must be cut and the bad tooth removed. I will probably have to have an implant. Nancy's doctor told her that her biopsy on her goiter was ok, but he wants to do one more. Getting old is not for sissies. We will have a light dinner. We will watch the news and maybe I will take Ms P for a walk. After the rain this morning it really warmed up. It is now in the hight 80s. 90 is predicted for tomorrow. We have the AC on.

Sunday September 8, 2013

Today we are all going to Livonia for a vendor's show at the Embassy Suites. We left at 0730 and stopped to get coffee and bagels. I just got on the freeway when the "low tire pressure" light came on. I got off at Ionia and drove to a gas station to put air in the tires. The light remained on all the way to Livonia. Nancy spent about 3 hours visiting different vendors. She did make some purchases. After the show we stopped at Trader Joe's, also in Livonia. We bought a case of two buck Chuck and trail mix, soup, ginger snaps, and crackers. We also bought a jar of Sunflower butter. It tastes like old fashioned peanut butter. Nancy purchased some cookies for Mary Namey. We also stopped at the Tanger's Discount Mall in Howell. We just started looking around when I got a call from the Alarm folks saying our security alarm went off and what did I want to do about it. Stupid question! I told them to call the GR Police. We got in the car and headed home. About 50 miles from home the security firm called and said that the GR Police reported our house was secure. No breakin. Nancy fixed a nice potato salad with crab meat for dinner. We watched some tennis and 60 minutes before turning in.

Saturday September 7, 2013

Typical Saturday: Nancy drives to the MAC for water aerobics and I pedal to Bill's. I had their oatmeal. I headed right home after breakfast because I had an errand to run before Design Quest delivers our new back room chairs. I ran my errand and got home at 1130. Design Quest said they would deliver between 1200 and 1400. They arrived early. The chairs are super. I was going to take my road bike on a ride in Millennium Park but when I tried to fill up the front tire it went flat. I think the valve stem failed. I took the shoe clips off the road bike and put them on my hybrid. This is the first time I used shoe clips on the hybrid. It worked great. I rode 19 miles in 1h35'. Nancy fixed me a turkey sandwich for dinner. We also had boiled new potatoes. Right now I am watching the UM/Notre Dame game. It is almost 2200. I will head to bed because tomorrow Nancy and I are heading to Livonia for a show. Nancy wants to buy some goods for the Blodgett Gift Shop. On our way home we will stop at Trader Joe's and the Discount Mall in Howell. It will be long day.