Good early morning GH. At just past 2:30 AM in "The City," the current temperature is 54 degrees as we anticipate a high of 55 and rain. Getting Sugar the Weather Dog to go for a walk with me may be difficult. It may well be a short walk. Sunrise is at 7:27 AM under rainy skies.
Tuesday was a slow day. Mary worked some and I read some and we waited for the electricians to finish their work. They are not yet done. We took time to vote for the millage to help rebuild the aging infrastructure in our city. The millage passed. Onward to the future. Mary raked some leaves while I watched in an effort to get used to not using my right arm and to preserve my shoulder before surgery. Since the electricians were working, Mary couldn't get to her work in the afternoon.
Today the electricians will return to finish. I think I've had enough of people doing work on the house for a while, it just takes up too much of our time and disrupts too much of our regular activities. There are still a few things in need of doing. Does it ever end?
In addition, we plan to go over to Spring Lake to get some fabric for table napkins. I wonder if I can learn to do that type of sewing? I am willing to try as it shouldn't be beyond me, I hope. We may not get there since Mary is behind on her work. Sugar and I will go for a walk or two and then the day will be complete. Mary has a business trip later this week, while Sugar and I stay home. Somehow Sugar and I will survive.
Proof positive that if you stay up late enough or get up early enough that you will generally see a train go by. I just did at 3:20 AM.
That's about it for Tuesday and today. Ciao
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Good early morning GH. It is just past 3:30 AM in "The City" and the current temperature is 53 as we head for a high of 58 degrees. Sunrise will occur at 7:25 AM. On Wednesday the forecast calls for a 100% chance of precipitation. If that's the case, it should be a good day for baking.
I didn't get much accomplished on Monday. A walk with Mary and Sugar in the early afternoon and then a walk to our favorite watering hole for dinner. I am one of those people who likes to walk when the weather cooperates. So while it was windy, the temperature was pleasant enough. Since today promises to be more like an average November, I anticipate more walking.
We have the electrician coming in today to add a couple of outlets and to install the new ceiling fans. Probably about three or four hours of work for skilled people. For me, it would be several days and I wouldn't like the idea of going into the attic. Plus, the weight of the ceiling fans would be more than my aching shoulder could handle. So as Adam says, pay someone to do that which you can't.
That's much like the advice that Mary's mentor gives. She recommends that you waste no more than about five minutes of time before you call her for an answer to a conundrum. She also says that if what it costs to hire someone to do a particular job is less than you make in your business, hire someone. Sound advice from both parties. That's why we'll have someone installing the ceiling fans. We'll also have someone walking Sugar, and cleaning the house, and moving the snow during my convalescence. I can't do those things and Mary would be losing money in the process if she did. Adam put it this way, "Throw everything you have at it." So that's our plan.
Today with the electricians here, the house will be a bit busy. Sugar will have to be put into the downstairs hide-e-hole for her safety and that of the electricians. We'll walk, read, and once again try to play some music. I tried yesterday, but I found that my shoulder started aching almost immediately. That's a sure sign that scheduling the surgery sooner than later was good idea. Dang, I hate getting old.
That's about it for now. The Bears won last night and the Packers may have lost their QB for a few games. I like to see good games, not bad injuries. These are after all human beings, and they should be able to play not spend their time on the IR list. Tea time awaits. Ciao.
P.S. I'm still up at 4:30 AM and a train is just passing. Two locomotives, many box cars, covered hopper cars, and a few assorted tank cars. Still no caboose. Alas, they are history as are the men and women who used to ride along. Too much weight and extra salaries I guess.
When I was a young man, the railroads called having a fireman in the cab of the locomotive featherbedding. The dead-man switch in the cab and the advent of automatic brakes on the cars negated the need for anything but one person driving the train. Progress I guess, but sometimes I think that it was just another way to get rid of working people. Maybe that's one of the reasons why the railroads can move freight at such a low cost per mile. I still wonder what they are hiding in those closed cars and tanks. Just asking.
I didn't get much accomplished on Monday. A walk with Mary and Sugar in the early afternoon and then a walk to our favorite watering hole for dinner. I am one of those people who likes to walk when the weather cooperates. So while it was windy, the temperature was pleasant enough. Since today promises to be more like an average November, I anticipate more walking.
We have the electrician coming in today to add a couple of outlets and to install the new ceiling fans. Probably about three or four hours of work for skilled people. For me, it would be several days and I wouldn't like the idea of going into the attic. Plus, the weight of the ceiling fans would be more than my aching shoulder could handle. So as Adam says, pay someone to do that which you can't.
That's much like the advice that Mary's mentor gives. She recommends that you waste no more than about five minutes of time before you call her for an answer to a conundrum. She also says that if what it costs to hire someone to do a particular job is less than you make in your business, hire someone. Sound advice from both parties. That's why we'll have someone installing the ceiling fans. We'll also have someone walking Sugar, and cleaning the house, and moving the snow during my convalescence. I can't do those things and Mary would be losing money in the process if she did. Adam put it this way, "Throw everything you have at it." So that's our plan.
Today with the electricians here, the house will be a bit busy. Sugar will have to be put into the downstairs hide-e-hole for her safety and that of the electricians. We'll walk, read, and once again try to play some music. I tried yesterday, but I found that my shoulder started aching almost immediately. That's a sure sign that scheduling the surgery sooner than later was good idea. Dang, I hate getting old.
That's about it for now. The Bears won last night and the Packers may have lost their QB for a few games. I like to see good games, not bad injuries. These are after all human beings, and they should be able to play not spend their time on the IR list. Tea time awaits. Ciao.
P.S. I'm still up at 4:30 AM and a train is just passing. Two locomotives, many box cars, covered hopper cars, and a few assorted tank cars. Still no caboose. Alas, they are history as are the men and women who used to ride along. Too much weight and extra salaries I guess.
When I was a young man, the railroads called having a fireman in the cab of the locomotive featherbedding. The dead-man switch in the cab and the advent of automatic brakes on the cars negated the need for anything but one person driving the train. Progress I guess, but sometimes I think that it was just another way to get rid of working people. Maybe that's one of the reasons why the railroads can move freight at such a low cost per mile. I still wonder what they are hiding in those closed cars and tanks. Just asking.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Good early morning GH. It is just past 3:00 AM in "The City" and the current temperature is 41 degrees under cloudy skies as we head for a high of 55. Precipitation is not expected until Wednesday, and that's all I have to say about that.
Sunday was a lazy day for me. A walk with Mary and Sugar, a few meals, and then down time. I worked a crossword and then read my book. Very little televisions and no music. It may be my way of weaning myself from my desire to strum. Or, it could just be me being lazy. I did get the towel hook installed and the windows sealed, but that was a short activity and then it was time to be sedentary.
I did make breakfast on Sunday, but that was something that I haven't done in a long while, so I did. I could have made pumpkin bread, but I opted not to. I was trying to conserve my energy reserves. Sugar and I spent some lap time, and Mary worked. She is still wrestling with the book from the great abyss. Hopefully it is done soon.
Today I anticipate a rerun of Sunday. I may watch the Bears tonight, but I can just as easily skip it. Perhaps laundry, perhaps not, I'm ambivalent. There is a certain pleasure in doing nothing. Sugar will want to go for a walk, but that's a pleasure for me most days. I do have to contact the car dealer to make an appointment for later in the week to have our six-month checkup on the Soul. I opted to do it by an email request. I want to see how well that works.
So that's about it, A slow day followed by a slow day. No other activity on tap. Mary wants me to be careful of my shoulder, and she is right, I just don't like feeling less than helpful around here. I guess that it is an opportunity to practice my kitchen skills and read. Tea time awaits post Sunrise at 7:24 AM. Ciao.
Sunday was a lazy day for me. A walk with Mary and Sugar, a few meals, and then down time. I worked a crossword and then read my book. Very little televisions and no music. It may be my way of weaning myself from my desire to strum. Or, it could just be me being lazy. I did get the towel hook installed and the windows sealed, but that was a short activity and then it was time to be sedentary.
I did make breakfast on Sunday, but that was something that I haven't done in a long while, so I did. I could have made pumpkin bread, but I opted not to. I was trying to conserve my energy reserves. Sugar and I spent some lap time, and Mary worked. She is still wrestling with the book from the great abyss. Hopefully it is done soon.
Today I anticipate a rerun of Sunday. I may watch the Bears tonight, but I can just as easily skip it. Perhaps laundry, perhaps not, I'm ambivalent. There is a certain pleasure in doing nothing. Sugar will want to go for a walk, but that's a pleasure for me most days. I do have to contact the car dealer to make an appointment for later in the week to have our six-month checkup on the Soul. I opted to do it by an email request. I want to see how well that works.
So that's about it, A slow day followed by a slow day. No other activity on tap. Mary wants me to be careful of my shoulder, and she is right, I just don't like feeling less than helpful around here. I guess that it is an opportunity to practice my kitchen skills and read. Tea time awaits post Sunrise at 7:24 AM. Ciao.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Good morning GH. We have just passed 5:00 AM in "The City" and the current temperature is 40 degrees under partly cloudy skies as we head for a high of 49. No significant precipitation appears in the forecast until Wednesday.
Well we made it, another time change. We get an extra hour of sleep. Can't you tell? It took me some doing, but I got my watch reset for another five months give or take. It will take Sugar a few days to be able to adjust, but it is likely that she will now be more patient about her dinner, or not. That is unless she uses an entirely different time scheme that we don't understand. That is a strong possibility. She always marches to the beat of a different drummer. That's a lot like the boys in blue, who have yet to release their 2014 spring schedule. Most clubs do it right after the World Series, but not the boys in blue. Of course neither the Tigers nor my beloved Red Sox have released theirs either. I anticipate that each team will open training around February 22 or 23, 2014. I usually use the date that pitchers and catchers report as my unofficial first day of spring. That's about one week before.
I mostly spent my day reading, listening to the radio, and sharing excerpts from my reading with Mary. We both find the book fascinating. In order to save my knees a bit of wear and tear, Sugar and Mary walked without me on Saturday morning. My knees and I appreciate that. I realized that there are only so many miles in my creaky knees during my lifetime. Too many miles on cold gas station driveways and in garages and too many years on the concrete floors of schools I guess. The treatments help a lot, but they are not a miracle cure for arthritis. As the doctor who did my back surgery pointed out, he could fix the immediate problem, but he wasn't the cure for arthritis.
We finished out our day by watching the MSU Spartans defeat the Wolverines of Michigan 29 - 6 to capture the Paul Bunyan trophy. We started at our favorite watering hole and finished up at the post. The Huskies of Northern Illinois laid a big beating on UMass 63 - 19. They now have a perfect 9 - 0 record, just like the Buckeyes of Ohio State. Unfortunately for most other teams in the Big 10 this year, Ohio State is clearly the class of the Big 10 conference, following a 56 - 0 drubbing of the Boilermakers of Purdue. We also watched another showing of Midnight in Paris. I saw nuances that I hadn't seen before like I often do when watching the same movie more that once
Today, I will get that towel holder installed now that Mary has told me how it should be placed. I have to rely on her for that, because while I can tool whip things with the best of the DIYers, my artistic/decorating sense is somewhat lacking. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Beyond that, not much on the schedule. Mary doesn't want me to strain my shoulder before having it repaired. She feels, and probably rightly, that if I do just the wrong thing, I could end up with an emergency worst case surgical intervention instead of the easier scheduled one. That does limit my music.
So before the Sun rises at 7:23 AM, I'd best head back to the rack and catch a few more hours of sleep. Ciao.
Well we made it, another time change. We get an extra hour of sleep. Can't you tell? It took me some doing, but I got my watch reset for another five months give or take. It will take Sugar a few days to be able to adjust, but it is likely that she will now be more patient about her dinner, or not. That is unless she uses an entirely different time scheme that we don't understand. That is a strong possibility. She always marches to the beat of a different drummer. That's a lot like the boys in blue, who have yet to release their 2014 spring schedule. Most clubs do it right after the World Series, but not the boys in blue. Of course neither the Tigers nor my beloved Red Sox have released theirs either. I anticipate that each team will open training around February 22 or 23, 2014. I usually use the date that pitchers and catchers report as my unofficial first day of spring. That's about one week before.
I mostly spent my day reading, listening to the radio, and sharing excerpts from my reading with Mary. We both find the book fascinating. In order to save my knees a bit of wear and tear, Sugar and Mary walked without me on Saturday morning. My knees and I appreciate that. I realized that there are only so many miles in my creaky knees during my lifetime. Too many miles on cold gas station driveways and in garages and too many years on the concrete floors of schools I guess. The treatments help a lot, but they are not a miracle cure for arthritis. As the doctor who did my back surgery pointed out, he could fix the immediate problem, but he wasn't the cure for arthritis.
We finished out our day by watching the MSU Spartans defeat the Wolverines of Michigan 29 - 6 to capture the Paul Bunyan trophy. We started at our favorite watering hole and finished up at the post. The Huskies of Northern Illinois laid a big beating on UMass 63 - 19. They now have a perfect 9 - 0 record, just like the Buckeyes of Ohio State. Unfortunately for most other teams in the Big 10 this year, Ohio State is clearly the class of the Big 10 conference, following a 56 - 0 drubbing of the Boilermakers of Purdue. We also watched another showing of Midnight in Paris. I saw nuances that I hadn't seen before like I often do when watching the same movie more that once
Today, I will get that towel holder installed now that Mary has told me how it should be placed. I have to rely on her for that, because while I can tool whip things with the best of the DIYers, my artistic/decorating sense is somewhat lacking. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Beyond that, not much on the schedule. Mary doesn't want me to strain my shoulder before having it repaired. She feels, and probably rightly, that if I do just the wrong thing, I could end up with an emergency worst case surgical intervention instead of the easier scheduled one. That does limit my music.
So before the Sun rises at 7:23 AM, I'd best head back to the rack and catch a few more hours of sleep. Ciao.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Good morning GH. It is just past 2:00 AM in "The City" and the current temperature is 47 degrees under 80% rainy skies. The rain is expected to last into the early afternoon and be gone by Sunday. Our high today will be 48. No significant precipitation appears on the horizon until Thursday.
Friday was an easier day. Sugar had an uneventful appointment at her doctor's office and then we took her to the dog park for a bit of unfettered running. Sugar had a good time at the dog park and then spent the day resting up. It's hard to be a dog, It occurred to us that Sugar would need someone to walk with her while I couldn't and that set me to thinking. I asked Mary to call Sugar's doctor's office for a referral to a dog walker. It turns out that one of the young ladies who works there provides that service. The arrangements were made and that is one less thing on our list of things to do.
Mary did some work in the AM and early afternoon and then we set out for the post for a couple of quick ones. While we were there, Mary made arrangements for someone to do the housework while I am laid up after surgery. We picked up dinner and then came home. A couple of episodes of an old sitcom and then I was off to bed. I don't have the stamina that I used to have. Mary on the other hand stayed up and worked on her hook rug. She always seems to have extra energy, while I get tired.
That's about it for Friday. Cold and rainy and not much else to report. The city obsessively sent out the street cleaning crew to clear the curbs of leaves before winter. It seems to me that if they can do that with a machine they could just as easily vacuum up all the leaves. Oh well, there must be a reason.
This afternoon the Spartans and the Wolverines meet to establish the bragging rights over Michigan football prowess. That should be fun on a rainy afternoon. The Northern Illinois Huskies take their 8 - 0 record out for a spin to see how good they really are. At this point, they outrank both Michigan teams. The boys in blue seem to be narrowing down their list of managerial candidates, but given how they often do things and given the need for several teams to find a new manager, including the Tigers, they'd best get busy.
I have nothing special on tap for the day. Maybe a little football watching and I may hang that new towel holder in the upstairs bathroom, but that's about it. I think I will read more in any case. Yesterday I was short on energy, so I didn't play any music, I just listened. I hope to remedy that today, but like I've noted before, when I do, way shoulder aches very quickly.
Tea time arrives this AM about 9:00 AM and then Sugar and I will walk downtown and get a newspaper. After that I am in for the day. Second train passage between last night and this morning. Only two locomotives heading north, no cars. Ciao.
Friday was an easier day. Sugar had an uneventful appointment at her doctor's office and then we took her to the dog park for a bit of unfettered running. Sugar had a good time at the dog park and then spent the day resting up. It's hard to be a dog, It occurred to us that Sugar would need someone to walk with her while I couldn't and that set me to thinking. I asked Mary to call Sugar's doctor's office for a referral to a dog walker. It turns out that one of the young ladies who works there provides that service. The arrangements were made and that is one less thing on our list of things to do.
Mary did some work in the AM and early afternoon and then we set out for the post for a couple of quick ones. While we were there, Mary made arrangements for someone to do the housework while I am laid up after surgery. We picked up dinner and then came home. A couple of episodes of an old sitcom and then I was off to bed. I don't have the stamina that I used to have. Mary on the other hand stayed up and worked on her hook rug. She always seems to have extra energy, while I get tired.
That's about it for Friday. Cold and rainy and not much else to report. The city obsessively sent out the street cleaning crew to clear the curbs of leaves before winter. It seems to me that if they can do that with a machine they could just as easily vacuum up all the leaves. Oh well, there must be a reason.
This afternoon the Spartans and the Wolverines meet to establish the bragging rights over Michigan football prowess. That should be fun on a rainy afternoon. The Northern Illinois Huskies take their 8 - 0 record out for a spin to see how good they really are. At this point, they outrank both Michigan teams. The boys in blue seem to be narrowing down their list of managerial candidates, but given how they often do things and given the need for several teams to find a new manager, including the Tigers, they'd best get busy.
I have nothing special on tap for the day. Maybe a little football watching and I may hang that new towel holder in the upstairs bathroom, but that's about it. I think I will read more in any case. Yesterday I was short on energy, so I didn't play any music, I just listened. I hope to remedy that today, but like I've noted before, when I do, way shoulder aches very quickly.
Tea time arrives this AM about 9:00 AM and then Sugar and I will walk downtown and get a newspaper. After that I am in for the day. Second train passage between last night and this morning. Only two locomotives heading north, no cars. Ciao.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Good morning GH. We have just passed 2:30 AM in "The City," and the current temperature is 51 degrees under rainy skies. It appears that that may be the case for both today and Saturday too. Oh well, since I was able to wear shorts and my Red Sox regalia on Thursday, I"ll take it. However, we are under a wind advisory with gusts up to 50 MPH, and sustained winds up to 30 MPH until 8:00 AM.
Given the wind that is currently happening and predicted for the rest of this morning, I'll either have more leaves to rake or they will all be in someone else's yard. With any luck, the ones that were still in the trees will probably be down by morning. Here on the palatial estate, we always end up with more than I want. There is another plus to the winds. It is easier to see the trains as they pass by.
I had my orthopedist's appointment for my knees on Thursday morning. My knees feel better now. I also made an appointment for getting my aching shoulder repaired. As Adam said, "It sucks short term, but it is the best thing in the long term." I say sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. The alternative to fixing it now, doing nothing, might have led to a crisis that would be totally unpredictable and not at all welcome. As Mary said, no winter sports, but lots of spring, summer, and future fun. Too many bike crashes, too many turns of a wrench, and too many baseballs thrown, not to mention lots of strums on the guitar I guess. None of those things helped. I think that the only thing I could have done without were the bike crashes.
Today we have an appointment for Sugar to get her Bordatella booster at the veterinarian. No injections, just a snort up her nose. She won't like it, but it is a must if she is going to be boarded in the future. It is also the day for her flea and tick treatment and her heart-worm medications. On Thursday, Sugar made new friends downtown. The young ladies who work the drive-up window at one of the banks have seen us going by many times and wanted to say hello. For her cuteness, Sugar received a small biscuit and the young ladies got to see her up close and personal. A win-win for both parties.
We had a few young people for Halloween trick or treating. The rain probably kept the numbers down along with the city sponsored downtown trick or treating at the businesses. I think I have to wait for Thanksgiving before I can convert our decorative pumpkins into soup or some other foodstuff. I have plenty of possible recipes.
Otherwise, no editing today and no other activities planned. By late today or early tomorrow, my knees will have their usual post-treatment pains and that will limit me for a day or two. Then all will be well. Overall the treatments are worth the aches that come with them.
Looks like that's about it for now. The first train is just going by, a short one with one locomotive, but not much automobile traffic. The automobile traffic seems to come with Friday and Saturday nights, at least in the off-season. Tea time awaits the rising Sun at 8:20 AM. Then it is time for a trip to the veterinarian. Ciao.
Given the wind that is currently happening and predicted for the rest of this morning, I'll either have more leaves to rake or they will all be in someone else's yard. With any luck, the ones that were still in the trees will probably be down by morning. Here on the palatial estate, we always end up with more than I want. There is another plus to the winds. It is easier to see the trains as they pass by.
I had my orthopedist's appointment for my knees on Thursday morning. My knees feel better now. I also made an appointment for getting my aching shoulder repaired. As Adam said, "It sucks short term, but it is the best thing in the long term." I say sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. The alternative to fixing it now, doing nothing, might have led to a crisis that would be totally unpredictable and not at all welcome. As Mary said, no winter sports, but lots of spring, summer, and future fun. Too many bike crashes, too many turns of a wrench, and too many baseballs thrown, not to mention lots of strums on the guitar I guess. None of those things helped. I think that the only thing I could have done without were the bike crashes.
Today we have an appointment for Sugar to get her Bordatella booster at the veterinarian. No injections, just a snort up her nose. She won't like it, but it is a must if she is going to be boarded in the future. It is also the day for her flea and tick treatment and her heart-worm medications. On Thursday, Sugar made new friends downtown. The young ladies who work the drive-up window at one of the banks have seen us going by many times and wanted to say hello. For her cuteness, Sugar received a small biscuit and the young ladies got to see her up close and personal. A win-win for both parties.
We had a few young people for Halloween trick or treating. The rain probably kept the numbers down along with the city sponsored downtown trick or treating at the businesses. I think I have to wait for Thanksgiving before I can convert our decorative pumpkins into soup or some other foodstuff. I have plenty of possible recipes.
Otherwise, no editing today and no other activities planned. By late today or early tomorrow, my knees will have their usual post-treatment pains and that will limit me for a day or two. Then all will be well. Overall the treatments are worth the aches that come with them.
Looks like that's about it for now. The first train is just going by, a short one with one locomotive, but not much automobile traffic. The automobile traffic seems to come with Friday and Saturday nights, at least in the off-season. Tea time awaits the rising Sun at 8:20 AM. Then it is time for a trip to the veterinarian. Ciao.
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