Monday September 30, 2013

This morning is one of my early mornings. I arrived at the MAC at 0600. I am always surprised that the parking lot is full. In fact a lot of folks have finished their workout by 0600. I did my swim and calisthenics and then pedaled to the Starbucks in Gaslight Village. Todays WSJ continued reporting on the health care exchanges. Republicans are complaining about all the glitches in the computer programs that run the exchanges. I think that this should be expected on a task this large and complex. It is just a matter of time before the bugs are worked out. The Affordable Care Law is the law and Republicans should live with it. The law can be modified later. I got home at 1100. It was too early for lunch so I took Ms P on her mile walk. After lunch I did take a quick nap. It is now 1639 and my next project this afternoon is password protection. The new Apple operating systems has several unique features. I have under the weather icon the cities of GR, LA, Cupertino, Alpena and Edinburgh, Scotland. The new system gives the time of sunrise and sunset. Did you know that the sunset time in LA is 1836, Cupertino 1851, GR 1923, Alpena 1915. I think the reason the sunset time in GR is greater than LA is because GR sits on the far west side of the time zone. The sunset for NYC is 1838 or 45' before GR. Who really cares except a retired engineer? My phone keeps sending me Breaking News messages. President Obama is going to speak to the nation at 1645. I bought a jar of herring in wine sauce at Costco. Nancy can't stand the smell but I really like herring. Must be a guy thing. Herring is popular in northern Europe where the fish is plentiful. Speaking of food, tonight we will have a light dinner and then watch some TV before heading upstairs. I got my 30 in today did you? FYI Nancy is feeling much better. She took several classes at the MAC today.

Sunday September 29, 2013

We had a shower move through early this morning. No thunder or lightning so Ms P slept through it. Up at 0655 and got ready for our swim at the MAC. Nancy is feeling better so she will try swimming. I felt good this morning and thought I would break the 40 minute barrier. I did not. We did our weekly trip to Meijer's for supplies. Our larder must be full because we did not buy much. Nancy fixed her world famous scrambled eggs this morning. I read several sections of the GRP before taking my Sunday nap. After the nap I retired to the office and checked on our accounts and cleaned out my in basket. The weather has been so nice lately that I have not spent any time in the office. I had to read several weeks worth of mail. The sun came out this afternoon so I took Ms P on her mile walk. Nancy and I think that this morning's rain has brought out the colors on the trees. I do not know if this really is true. Nancy is fixing her world famous hamburg/bake bean casserole for dinner. We will watch some news and 60 Minutes before heading upstairs. I down loaded Apple's new operating system to my MacBook Air and my iPhone. All the geeks at the MAC say it is a good improvement. My next project is to find a full proof way to save my pass words. Any suggestions?

Saturday September 28, 2013

After the excitement of last night we all slept in. I got up at 0830. Nancy was feeling better this morning. I did have breakfast at Bill's. I had their super breakfast instead of oatmeal this morning. When I got home I ran several errands. I bought Ms P some dry dog food. I bought myself a pair of pants at Fitzgerald's. The pants I like have a pocket for the iPhone and have more room in the thigh and seat. All my bike riding has made the butt and thighs bigger. These pants are a cross between jeans and khakis. They fit well. I also stopped at G.B. Rosso's to buy three bottles of red wine. I have been drinking more wine lately. Usually a glass with dinner. The great weather continues. I put on bike shorts and headed to Millennium Park. I took the single speed road bike. I rode 21 miles in 1h41'. I got home at 1600 and after a quick shower Nancy and I headed to Rose's. We arrived about 1630 so we did not have to wait. We sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather and food. Not much on TV tonight so we will head up early. I am slowly getting through my book about the Vikings in Britain around the year 1,000. September 28, 1938: Ossineke, MI, seventy five years ago today Great grandfather Sanborn wrote that the weather was clear and warm. He commentated that the news from Europe was better. A good part of the afternoon was spent husking corn.

Friday September 27, 2013

My day started at 0530 when I took off for the MAC, dodging errant lawn sprinklers. I was in the pool at 0600. I had coffee today at Kava House. Nancy was a little under the weather so she stayed home. Today is grass cutting day. While I cut the grass and threw the ball for Ms P, Nancy cut back some flowers. I hope that today is the last time this year that I have to trim the grass. Growing season should end about the second week in Oct. It was warm today with the temperature near 80. In fact it was so nice that we sat outside at GL Shipping. A lot of folks were also outside enjoying the nice weather. I went for a walk at 0730 and when I got home Nancy had just finished checking her blood pressure. She looked flushed and the BP was very high. We took no chances and headed to Emergency at Blodgett. The folk in Emergency were very good at getting Nancy checked in and they immediately started taking all kinds of tests. We both thought that her problem was blood pressure related because of the severe chest pain she was having. However, after all the tests it was determined that the problem was not heart related. Nancy has been having some knee and foot pain. She has been taking Motrin. The Motrin has been attacking her stomach causing an acid reflex attack. The Doctor took her off Motrin. She was also given a prescription for medicine to help combat the acid reflex. The good news is that Nancy's problems are not heart related. Of course the bad news is pain from the acid reflex. Getting old sucks!

Thursday September 26, 2013

Today was another great fall day in Michigan. The days are getting shorter. This morning I had to turn my bike lights when I left at 0730. Nancy and I both went swimming this morning. I have reached a plateau in both my weight and swimming time. I cannot get below 160# for my weight or 40' for my swim. I get very close but cannot break these barriers. I had a quick coffee at the Breton Village Starbucks. I was home by 1145. At noon Nancy and I headed downtown to the Women's City Club. Luckily we had reservations for lunch because we got the last table. The lunch was great. The City Club is also an Art Prize Venue. We looked at all the exhibits. We then walked downtown and visited three more venues. Once again downtown was crowded. We spent three hours downtown. It was a great afternoon. Since we had lunch at the City Club we did not go to GL Shipping this evening. Nancy fixed me a fried egg sandwich and bowl of soup. We both had a glass of wine. Nancy talked to AJ and Lucas this evening. She always has a bright smile when she talks to the Grandkids. The new TV season has changed our viewing schedule. I have difficulty staying awake past 2200.

Wednesday September 25, 2013

Today was Michigan at its best. Bright sun, great color and temperatures in the high 60s. I started the day pedaling to Bill's for their oatmeal breakfast. The WSJ had several articles on the new insurance exchanges that are open for enrollment on October 1. The law is so complicated that I think when it all shakes out the result will be far different from what was intended. When I got home I loaded the road bike on the C2 and headed to Montcalm County. The trail is called the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail. It runs from Greenville and heads northeast towards Alma on an old railroad bed. I started in Sydney and ended up in Edmore. I rode 25 miles in two hours. I ran into two hard core bikers who were riding from Alma to Stanton a distance of 30 miles. They average 16 mph. With my single speed I average 12 mph. Today is Nancy's easy day also. She is on the Volunteer Committee for the new japanese Gardens. They had a morning meeting. The Japanese Garden is scheduled to open in 2015. Nancy also had to work at the front desk. They had over 2,000 visitors this afternoon. We had a light dinner and watched the news. No new shows tonight so we headed upstairs at 2100.

Tuesday September 24, 2013

I am a little late writing this blog. It is now 2220 and I am watching Person of Interest. The day started cool and clear but warmed up in a hurry. Another beautiful fall day. I put on layers for my bike ride to the MAC. Two people in every lane for about ten minutes and then I had the pool to myself. After the MAC I ended up at the Kava House. Free refill Tuesday! I read the WSJ but I can not remember an article worth talking about. I am tired of reading about the problems in the EU. When I got home I had a quick lunch and took Ms P on our mile walk. We were just about home when Nancy drove by saying she said she was on her way to the Dollar Store and Costco. I told her that I wanted to go. Our first stop was the Dollar Store. I bought a hair brush. Yes folks a hair brush. I am getting tired of shaving my head so I am letting my hair grow. Costco was not very crowded. Nancy bought some lotion and I bought some long underwear. Cold weather is coming. In fact yesterday I put all my shorts in storage. I ran one more errand. I had to pick up a prescription at Meijer's. I finished the beans and rice this evening. We watched the news and then the season openers for NCIS and NCIS LA. They changed Person of Interest from Thursday to Tuesday at 2200. I don't like shows that start that late. I have trouble staying awake past 2100. Anyway tomorrow is my easy day.