Measuring Time

My Hubby is a good friend to folks.  He has a guy he has known for several decades.  They both worked for Litton.  Larry, like Hubby, is an amateur radio (ham) operator.  Those two have a schedule to talk via Skype every Friday morning.  I awoke before Hubby this Friday.  It was slightly past the scheduled time for him to check in with Larry.  Being the good wife I shook him until he awoke.  He looked me as if I were from another planet.  "It's Thursday, not Friday", he said in a bleary, barely conscience manner.  Oops!  Sorry.  Back to sleep with you!

That is how it goes some days.  Retirement with no real commitments frequently leaves me to seek a calendar.  Or the cell phone to confirm the day of the week.  Fourteen years + a bit I have been retired.  Hubby has been retired almost 19 years.  This week I realized we have lived in this apartment longer than we did in the house we had built back in 1969.

Hubby standing by the future fireplace.

We moved into that house Labor Day weekend, 1969.  As there was more room in our home than Mom's we started hosting Christmas gathering of the Rogers' bunch.  That fireplace chimney never did draw the smoke out of the house unless the fire was roaring!

Hubby and Son, February, 1975

We left that home in Collinwood Acres, McKinney, TX, in the fall of 1975. 

A view of the back of our Aurora house.

Moved to Aurora, Missouri and remained in that home until February, 1993.  That fireplace was a bit iffy, too.  Did not draw well and water sometimes came down the flu.

Moving day, October, 2013

We moved closer to our work and remained in that home until October 31, 2013.  That fireplace was a real nightmare.  Constant water leaks from day one.  There was a warranty but Hubby said it would not be nice to complain.  It would be okay.  We had it recapped, retucked and sealed.  Last we heard, it had leaked on the now owners.  Ugh.

And now we live in an apartment

These particular apartments do not have fireplaces.  We are just as happy to not have that issue.

Measuring time at our ages becomes more of a look into the past often than just the day to day of things.  Sure, tomorrow we will be meeting Son and his family along with Barlow's family for a bit of Father's Day celebrations.  We know to meet around 3:45 at the theater.  Dinner at the Roaring Fork at 6:45.  As our fathers died in 2004 and 2005 each before the respective year's Father's Day it has been quite some time to celebrate that day with even a call to them.  

On the Father's Day weekend may any who read this bit of a post have to opportunity to hug their day either in person of by phone.  If that is no longer possible, as with us, remember a special time with them and send the joy out to the universe.

Peace,

Janice

Friends and Acquaintances

 Over the past few years since our move to Texas I have chosen to spend my time following grandkids to various activities.  I almost rejoined my sorority but my mother kept getting ill or needing help.  Or Grand kids were in some sort of activity. So I did not rejoin my sorority.  In 2019 my friend put my name in for an opportunity to join PEO.  My voice loss and impending surgery put that on hold.  Then Covid-19 so I just gave up.  Recently with the vaccines we feel more at ease being in public.  

Me circa 1949 with 'Indoor plumbing'

This morning Hubby and I were invited to breakfast by one of Hubby's ham radio buds and his wife.  This was only the second time I had visited with Marietta.  Such a pleasant lady that shared a farm life similar to mine.  Fathers that farmed on shares with the land owners.  No indoor plumbing till our tween and teen years was another shared experience.  

In speaking of the area in Kentucky, where she lived as a child, she mentioned there were race horse farms.  Some of the folks on those farms she said were really just plain folks though quite wealthy.  Others not so kind.  One of the folks was a very close friends.  They owned the farm where Secretariat was stabled after retired to sire. Claiborne Farm was the name of that stable.  Those two items really perked up my ears.

My Sister # 4 worked for a few years as a assistant to an older businessman in Dallas.  That businessman shared office suites with another well known businessman, Buddy Fogelson.  Mr. Fogelson many business ventures included thoroughbred horse breeding and racing.  His wife would stop by the office and always stopped by to see her fellow ginger, my sister.

You may have heard of Mrs. Buddy Fogelson under another name, Greer Garson.  Yes, the British actress. Mrs. Fogelson found out my sister was planning a family trip to Kentucky. Mrs. Fogelson arranged for my sister to be able to visit the farm where some of their thoroughbreds were being stabled, Claiborne Farm.

My Mom and Dad were on that trip so they along with Sister #4 and her hubby saw Secretariat.  Of course they, also, visited some of the Fogelson horses, too.  And by a few degrees of connection, Marietta and I had one more thing in common.

How pleasant to learn how small a world can be.  Two kids from different states finding common life experiences.  Sort of like gingers connecting just because of hair color.  BTW, that cute little boy standing next to Sister #4 on her wedding day, my one and only baby.  

That's about all the news from Central Texas.  It has stopped raining and now getting hot as blue blazes.  Y'all all stay safe out there.  Get your jabs and have lunch with some old and new friends.

Peace,

Janice

June 8, 2021 Voice, Stretching, Keys, and Jeep

ggggggggFor several months my voice box was been attacked by stomach acids.  Once my hiatal surgery healed the ENT and I waited for some time to give the larynx to heal.  My voice became stronger but still very raspy accompanied by a constant minor throat soreness.  Finally stopping the excessive coughing did not reduced the throat irritation.  After forgetting to do my nasal inhalers and asthma inhaler one day, I noticed my voice was slightly stronger the next day.  In addition the raspiness was less.  Those medications have been left on the counter for 4 days.  Each day my voice is less raspy, stronger, and throat less irritated.  Think the meds will stay on the shelf unless something changes in a negative way.

Every Tuesday morning we go to Stretch Lab.  Hubby and I get pulled, twisted, stretched, and generally wrung like a rag.  These are not us in any of the photos.  Those are some of the positions into which our 74 and 80 year old bodies are stretched.  Well, attempt to be stretched.  We are improving as there is a monthly evaluation.  We have felt an improvement in balance and flexibility.  I can squat and hold the position long enough to get items from a bottom shelf.  Standing up from the squat is normal, not requiring a hand hold or anything.  

Notice the little cubby holes in the bench?  That is where our personal items are stored during the workout.  Items like purse, cell phone, water bottles, keys, etc.    It is helpful to remember any items placed in the cubby holes.

Items such as keys.  Keys that allow entrance into our apartment.  Keys that you do not realize you do no have with you until you reach the front door of one's apartment.  Keys that require hiking back out to the south parking garage as our garage is closed for painting.  Keys were not found in the car so a drive back to Stretch Lab to retrieve.  Since it is less than a mile between us and Stretch Lab, no big deal.  

Keys retrieved successfully and now we needed lunch.  We ask google to guide us to the nearest Panera Bread.  Google had its mind messed up as it wanted to take us in the wrong direction.  We made it to the bread place.  Chicken salad sandwich to split and a couple of cinnamon crunch bagels.  We were ready to be home in our recliners for the afternoon.

Now for the Jeep part of our day.  In February during the ice storm time frame some one decided the Jeep was a place to live for a few days.  The doors had not been put on but a cloth cover was over the entire Jeep.  The glove box had been cleaned out including the owners manual.  The GPS had been torn from its holder.  Hubby was very frustrated.  If the doors had been on that would not have happened.  Doors were immediately reinstalled.

As we went to the car this morning on the way to Stretch Lab I noticed the side window of the soft top was partially unzipped.  No time to check what had been done until we returned from our stretch appointment.  Not only had the side window been opened and some things disturbed, the back window was unzipped.  Stored in the back was a hitch mount canvas storage bag full of straps, chains, jumper cables, and other things we do not remember.  This bag is what we would pack camping and travel items in when on vacations.  The bag and contents now belong to someone else.  Ugh.  We will access if we need to replace that as we are not tent camping these days.

Hubby and his beloved Jeep

Our parking garage is not secure.  Our assigned parking place is on the first floor parking.  This is now the third vandalism on our vehicles.  One was a broken window on the CMax, two times the Jeep has been entered with out permission.  With the Jeep having a soft top, entry can be made by simply loosening the velcro cover and unzip the zip closure.   Today we made the decision to request a second assigned parking place on a higher floor of the garage.  Our hope is this will discourage someone messing with Hubby's Jeep.  One can only hope.  

Our lost, well used bag : (

 

The positive for the day is we are ok and #1 Sister is managing her chemo and now radiation fairly well.  Sister #2 is doing well following her AFib event.  Generally speaking is life is good.  So, y'all all take care and stay safe.

Janice

Sunday, June 6, 2021

This time last year I was recuperating from hiatal hernia surgery.  Only soft foods.  Eat extremely small bites and do it slowly.   The state was slowly reopening from the first lockdown.  Retail stores and restaurants were getting up to speed on curbside pickups.  Shortages meant one requested bread but you really did not know if you would any.  Eggs were almost as scarce as toilet paper.  Drug companies were doing everything in their power to create vaccines.  Daily news conferences with then President Trump did not bring any comfort.  Travel was so reduced gasoline prices dropped to the lowest in decades.

Today our state is wide open.  Some establishments still require masks but there is no state wide mandate.  44% of Texans have had at least one dose of the vaccine.  That is about 12.8 million folks vaccinated.  The rush to get your shots has dwindled in the US.  Different states are offering lotteries of up to a million dollars when you get vaccinated.   Everything from free college tuition chances to free beer at ballparks are being offered to encourage fence sitters to get the shots.  Whatever it takes is fine by me.  Life is, however, not back to pre virus life.  Businesses are rethinking the need for large brick and mortar locations for office jobs.   

Beyond the current life with Covid 19 this particular date has greater significance.  Over the last 24 hours just over 9,200 world wide have died of Covid-19.  D-Day, June 6, 1944.  Losses for the Allies including MIA was around 10,000.  D-Day was just an infant step toward bringing down Hitler and his Nazi regime.  While the initial But it was the step that led to so many others.  While the D-Day objective to reach the city of Caen was not achieved on that day, foot and toeholds were gained on the various beaches.  Caen was liberated by mid July.  Paris was liberated in late August.  That was 250KM, 155 miles covered by Allied forces.

The young man in these photos was part of the second wave of soldiers to storm Omaha Beach.  He is my Uncle Bud.  He survived D Day and the remainder of the war.  He would share is wartime stories in his later years with his four daughters and one son.  

Uncle Bud's profession was a house painter.  He could easily walk on stilts in order to paint ceilings, etc. In addition, Uncle Bud could 'throw his voice'.  That capability would cause many of the fellow painters to be the butt of jokes.  A favorite joke was to throw his voice behind the wall one of the guys was painting.  The voice would ask for help to get out of the wall.  That left many a wide eyed, spooked painter.

On this 77th anniversary of the Normandy D Day.  I pay tribute to my Uncle Bud.  Painter, jokester, and horse trader supreme.

Y'all take care.

Janice

June 3, 2021 You Light Up My Life

 My last post spoke of all the finagling Hubby and I did to bring back the pussywillow branches.  Project almost complete.  It did require the purchase of another roll of brown floral tape.  Here is the lighted branches in a spring arrangement.  Even have a bird's nest in the middle of the branches. 

I have to reglue a few of the balls as the fall off when I move them.  I want to add some fern to the back, also.  As these are spring flowers I will change our as the seasons change.  Over all I am really pleased with the result.  My hands are surely sore from all the winding of the tape onto the stems.  But that is good exercise for the stiff fingers.  

That is one project down and now on to the next one.  It occurs to me I probably need to make a list of all the unfinished projects.  Then there are the gotta go back and repair previous projects.  Then there are the new things like my birthday puzzle to assemble.  That gift was from last December and I haven't even touched that.  Before I do may more fine motor skill activities I will let Mr. Arthur Ritis settle down a bit.

Thanks for stopping by for a chat.

Take care

Janice