Friday the 13th

Wasn't that a movie. Well it did get a little cool last night down to 58, but it bounced back to a bright sunny day with a high around 78. Had a lot of stuff to do on the computer and getting emails out. So I had my bike ride this morning and worked on the water filter. Discovered it had never been changed and that was the source of the smelly water. Took that filter off and then spent the next hour cleaning the housing. Blackish looking gunt covered everything. Didn't get to Sonic today, maybe tomorrow. Anyhow the filter took longer than I thought, which is normal. Finally got it on without leaking, found the filter co. web site and discovered the max time a filter should be on there is 6 months, no wonder it was black and smelly. It has been there 5 or 6 years. So that is done, just keeping an eye on it in case it starts to leak. Looks good however. Went over to the club house to get water and the unit is still broken. Tonight we went to the Shrimp Shack, it was goooood. Tomorrow is painting day.
ciao

Greetings from South Florida

Made it down in record speed. 2 hours and 5 minutes. Nice tailwind all the way down. I saw we were doing 571 MPH for a while. Well got here early and the flight was smooth. I noticed that at 8:45 PM, the stores at the airport were rollong up their sidewalks. That surprised me somewhat just coming from Buenos Aires, Houston and even Philly were stores were open well into the night. This morning got up, had breakfast, read the newspaper, open and repaired the window covers ( this is huricane county) and then went for a bike ride. Then I checked the washing machine (broken motor brace I think) needs a washer repair man for that. Checked the filter under the sink and realized it hasn't been changed in years and years (plan to change that tomorrow). Checked the TV in the dining room (my old set) and moved the internal switch to receive cable tv and now it works too. Measured the opening for an lcd hd tv, going looking for that tomorrow. Checked the florescent lights and they are working now. Looked up replacement chairs for the kitchen chairs, think I may have found them. (some assembly required). Watched the race on my old tv while I did my email and then we all went to Perkins for dinner. No wonder I'm tired. But at least it is warm here.
ciao

Well we are back

I left off with the overnight bus trip from Necochea to Buenos Aires. The trip wasn't bad and the seats reclined flat so you could sleep. Sleeping flat on a bus over the roads in Argentina gives a little thrill, but we got there OK with some sleep. They give you a goody box when you board the bus which is nice. I had a little trouble with my seat so my daughter traded seats with me, now she is behind me. A nice Argentin lady showed everyone how to use the seat adjustments and then went back to her seat. There were only 6 flat folding seats on the bottom and the regular reclining seats were on the second deck. So we had a section to ourselves almost. Thursday we arrived in Buenos Aires and took a taxi to our bed and breakfast (which I stayed at last year) and were able to get to our room at 7 AM. We all took naps before our trip to Colonia. The boat is very nice and we were in first class both ways. Colonia is very nice. Our trip back was delayed by over an hour for reasons unknown so we didn;t get back to Buenos Aires until 10 PM. Took a car to the restaurant and because of the crowd we didn't eat until 11:15. By the time we got to bed it was 2 AM. On Friday we had out walking tour of Buenos Aires with Jessica who was very good. Saw all the sights and rode the oldest subway in the Southern Hemisphere. Built by the British and out of wood. Then had a great dinner at 3:00 PM at this BA restaurant and were taken to the airport by Lincoln Town Car ( basically a limo) that my daughter arranged. Got to the airport and said our tearful goodbys and went to the Continental ticket counter via their version of the TSA. I had three bags to check and was prepared to pay the extra bag fee when the agent said that I was in Elite status (remember Continental just joined Star Alliance of which I am an Elite member) and I was in first class from Houston to Phila portion of the flight so all the bags went for free and the airline had paid my Argentine departure tax. Not bad. Went right to the gate and after a little time and another inspection of the carry-on bags got on the airplane. Got to Houston at 6:30 AM and made a mad dask for customs and imigration. Got thru imigration without any problem, but then at the baggage carosel my third bag was missing. Were after a few moments of panic I went and found someone had taken it off the carosel and seeing it wasn't his just left it there. So off to customs, virtually no stop there and gave the agent the bags for the next leg of our flight when we discovered it was on the other side of the airport. So another run but we spotted a Contenental Golf cart (ok a big cart ) and flagged down the driver. We quickly told her our plight and she took us to the gate. Having first class tickets may have helped. So we get to the gate and go around the crowd to the elite line and get on the plane with 10 minutes to spare. Nice flight and when we get to Philly all our luggage made it too. My sis in law picked us up and everything going good until we got a flat tire(it was only flat on the bottom) So AAA was called and in about 45 minutes were on our way home. The greeting by Midnight was to say the least very noisy. He sat on my lap and recounted every detail of his week.
But we are back, now off to Florida
Ciao

I Just wanted to get a Mate set

Well today we went shopping in Necochea. I just wanted to get a Mate set for enjoying what could be called the national drink of Argentina. Of course the wife had other ideas so we have helped the enconomy of Argentina. I guess the family is going to get Argentine presents at Christmas. Well it is almost 8:45 and almost time to go to dinner. Normally we go at 9 but we have packing to do tonight as tomorrow night we leave Necochea to head to Buenos Aires on the Night bus. The night bus is kinda like a bedroom on wheels thathave fully reclining seats and a hostess. Then on Thursday it is off to Urgway (sp) for a tour of Colonia (we go on a fast ferry) and then back to Buenos Aires for Dinner (10 pm) and our bed and breakfast. Friday is a walking tour of Buenos Aires and Friday night we leave for home (another overnight flight of about 10.5 hours to Houston and then another 3.5 hours toPhila'
I;m tired
Ciao

Here we are in Argentina

Well we made it down here to Argentina after the long flight and the long drive down here. No real problems except the plane parked at the A terminal and my daughter went to the b terminal. Where most of the international flights go. No big deal except it took a little time to find each other. We are in the same Hotel as last year. I had a small problem with my diet or actually me not eating caused my blood sugar level to drop. But I ate a brownie from the airplane and I came back to normal. Just seeing the sights and visiting with the family. Everyone looks the same and all. Well it is past bedtime and time for bed.
Ciao

My Oldest Daughter turns 21

Not bad since last year was her 30th birthday. But I have determined that the only way I can keep my age at 39 is to deduct 10 years from Katie's age. Of course I have to do some creative work with my youngest daughter, so she has to be 17 and of course that fouls up the age of my granddaughter so we have to make her 2. OK that works, never thought I would have to resort to age modification but you have to do what you have to do. Midnight of course is only 4, just out of a kitten stage. But cats age at different rates.
I have a problem with birthdays. Actually not with getting older but more in the nature of remembering family birthdays. I had my sister birthday off by 20 days and my aunt off by a month. Only way I remember my brothers birthday is because it is the same as mine. This isn't a sign of old age, I never can remember important dates. Our anniversay is the same date as my wife's niece birthday, so whenever I hear that her birthday is coming up I remember that so is my anniversary. I arranged to have my daughters birthday all occur on the 5th of the month so all I have to remember is the month. Well the mail has come so I need to run down and see the mailman.
Ciao

Time Flys

Well September is all but gone, where did the days go? Somebody told me that the older you get the more time moves faster. When I was a kid I always thought time went very slow. In Particular in some of my high school and college classes. A minute seemed to last for hours. Kinda like in football when the final two minutes takes at least 15 minutes. Then I look back at the calendar. I mark things on the calendar so I don't forget the events. Going back to July was my week and a half with the Air Force Regional Staff College. Then in August was the trip out West to stay at the time share and drive around for a couple of weeks. Then came September and the National Conference in San Antonio. Then came meetings and doctor appointments and now we are in October. Besides the usual events normally scheduled during the month, I have to go to Pittsburgh for a conference and then the week after that is the much delayed and eagerly looked forward to trip to Argentina. Haven't seen my oldest daughter for 9 months, so I can't wait to get there. My wife is going also so she will be able to experience Argentina. Seven days after coming back from Argentina I'm off to Florida for 10 days. In December, my wife and I are flying down to Florida so she can enjoy the warmth of South Florida in the middle of Winter. We will be back by the 8th and no more traveling until March with my usual drive down to Florida. 3+ years into my retirement and still not bored. Tired but not bored. Did the laundry today with the expert assistance of Midnight who help sort the clothes for the washer. Yesterday I walked down to the bank and store, not bad of a walk, but my foot started bothering me again. Well my Spanish has hit a a roadblock or a mind block, I get on the Rosetta Stone software and going well and then just have a mind blank. On the flight to San Antonio I listened to my Coffee Break Spanish lessons. The Rosetta Stone and the coffee break spanish use completely different methods. Maybe in a few years I'll learn enough. My reading skills are improving but I use association rather than translation. Well it is past my bedtime.
Ciao

Where did the month go

Just noticed that September is half over. Talk about time flying. When I was younger, the days would seem like weeks, now they seem like hours. Maybe it has something to do with being busy all the time. I guess I could slow down. Naw, Having to much fun. I'm still trying to figure how to get to Florida before the end of the year. Midnight keeps wanting to be petted. If he sees me getting up he rushes over to be petted or brushed. Since it is getting cooler here he doesn't seem to be losing as much fur. The painters are here again to finish up on the metal parts of the front porch. Again more spanish. I need to really get busy on learning Spanish, 5 weeks to go. Hopefully my daughter has made the arrangements at the Hotel and the driver. I read her blog about the happenings down in Argentina. It seems an Argentine tennis player won the US Open yesterday. His English is much better than my Spanish. Well time to go.
Ciao

back to the old grind

well I'm back in PA. No more traveling until Oct when I have a conference in Pittsburg and of course the trip to Argentina. Finally getting to the laundry, it seems at times that I'm taking in laundry from the neighbors. I used to do it every two weeks and I would have 4 loads, now it is usually 8 loads. Midnight likes to help, but his sorting abilities are limited. The trip from San Antonio was OK, the usual atc headaches at Philly. I was on a 767 and we went to 39000 feet right off for a total of 8 minutes and then we started back down. Short trip of 54 minutes. When I got to philly they said our bags would be at "A" baggage area, after waiting about 30 minutes they changed it to "B" so out we all go to B. Someday they will get it right at Philly. I have my 45th class reunion on Sat. Mostly of people that don't look anything like they did 45 years ago. Well time to get to the laundry.
Ciao

SA Airport

Well here I am Sitting in a rocking chair at San Antonio Airport. They have rockers all over the place, so I'm sitting in one watching the airplanes take off and land. Not much activity right now. I had a Breakfast Burrito here at the airport from the local MacDonalds here at the airport. Not a busy airport. The shuttle got me here from the hotel very quickly. Trying to find the ticket counter was a little trying since their signage is strange to say the least. Of course this gives me good practice for Buenos Aires since everything is in Spanish and English. One thing is strange, they have music playing over their speaker system, but everytime there is a flight announcement the volume of the music goes up and blocks the announcement. Getting check-in was simple since I was the only person checking in. And then you take your checked bag over to the TSA to be run thru the xray. Then I finally got checked at the carry-on, no line there. My ham radio confused them, so they did it three times before OKing it. So now I wait for my 1:15 flight. It is 11:00 right now. The conference wasn't bad and the area is nice. There seems to be a lot to do around here. I used skype the other day to see Deb and midnight. He wasn't very happy to see me on the screen of the computer and not in person. Oh well that is technology for you. ciao

More to tell you

Back from dinner at Tony Romo's (dallas quarterback) I had the ribs and they were very good. Baked potatoe was good also . Then over to the Daily Queen for a hot fudge Sundae. It has been raining for a little bit. But it has made the visibility a lot better. The city lights are very nice. Well that's about it for now. Ciao

Been Busy

Sorry I haven't finished the last entry. Been Real busy. On Thursday we went over to the alamo and toured the site (one block from my room)(I overlook it) Very interesting then we walked to the mall (part of the Hotel) and decided to see the IMAX movie about the Alamo history. Not well acted but interesting to see the Texas viewpoint. If you are from Mexico, I wouldn't recommend it. Thursday night they bused us 45 minutes away to a ranch for a texas bar-b-que, good food and they were teaching people Texas line dancing. It was a fun night. Today is the business meetings and I have been going to them. Time to go.
Ciao

Greetings from San Antonio

Where? OK i'm in San Antonio in the Marriott Rivercenter for a conference. I had a great flight down. Left at 4:40 AM from home, Midnight was very confused, but since Deb wasn't coming he seemed OK. Deb dropped me off at 5:15 and since there was no line for first Actually no line for any class. I spent more time BSing with the agents, I went upstairs and of course there was no line at either TSA spots so I was at the gate by 5:25 and of course it was the farest gate possible. The plane was there (757) and so I had an hour before boarding so I got a egg MacMuffin from the local eatrey there. It was a egg McMuffin on a hoagie role with coffee was less than $6. I couldn't eat it all. Well to be continued, Dinner on the riverwalk calls.
Ciao

Greetings fron the North Rim

Today is deb's birthday. Another nice day at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Sitting here with a nice breeze coming from the canyon. There are several small forest fires to our east in the next side canyon over, but the wind is blowing the smoke away from us, Been visited by a couple of chipmunks who wanted a look inside our cabin. Went on a small hike but at 8200 ft elevation Deb is having a hard time. So I went on alone. The ranger led talks were interesting, but last night;s was over the head of a lot of people there. It was about Paleo ecology of the Kaibad plateau. Today it was straight geology. Tomorrow we head for Bryce NP for 2 days and then back to Las Vegas. Been gone too long, then I have to get ready to go to San Antonio the week after.
well time to get off this and enjoy nature.
Ciao

Another day

Well I have been trying to take it easy on my foot and not do any strenous hikes. I might go up to emerald springs just across the river. It is an easy hike, just waiting for it to get shady over there. The temp suppose to be about 100, but the humdity is like 17% with a nice breeze blowing. Today we went on a Ranger guided tour of the area which was nice. Just saw on channel 6 news that the temp was 93 with high humidity at home. Checked my weather station and it says the same thing. I hope Midnight is enjoying the air conditioning. I left it at 76 for him. My friend Henry Beck died last night (he was 95) and had been sick for a while. My brother called me this morning as we were eating breakfast. Last year he called to tell me my Aunt died at 103 while we were having breakfast at Yellowstone. Not a good sign. Anyhow tomorrow we leave here to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for two days. Have to go out the famous tunnel that was cut thru a mile of rock. Zion is celebrating 100 years as a monument/park so they have a lot of activities here. I doubt if I will have an internet connection at the North Rim or at Bryce. This was a pleasant suprise that I had it here in Zion. (I used my broadband connection for the first day until I found and realized that the green blinking light behind the desk was not for the phone). Big hint was the antenna sticking out it. So much for being in the middle of no where. I hope my broadband makes it, but the closest cell tower is on the other side of the grand canyon (10 miles away). Well we will see. I will take some pictures and post them if I get the time. Been really busy every day. Had to buy jackets because the temp at night at both Bryce and the North rim is in the 40's. Hope it doesn't snow again. That's it for now
Ciao

So that's how it works

Our rental car a toyota Hybrid Prius seemed to have a problem. We couldn't figure out how to lock it. I would hit the lock key on the remote and we would hear the locks engage, but when I go to check the doors they would unlock. After 6 days of trying to figure it out, I read an interesting thing in the owners manual. The car has what toyota calls a smart key. Actually to start the car you insert the square key that looks like a a key fob without the key into a slot and then put your foot on the brake and push a start button. You hear nothing except you see the instrument panel lights up and the word ready appears. It is a learning curve. Back to the locks. It seems that whenever the key is within 10 feet of the car in certain directions, placing your hand on the door handle or the trunk automatically unlocks the doors. Also you actually don;t need to put the key in the ignition, just have it with you. Ain't technology grand. Tomorrow we leave out time share for Zion NP,
Ciao

Taking a vacation from the vacation

Decided to take a vacation from our vacation time share in Vegas and went to Kingman AZ to have lunch at the Kingman Airport. Kingman airport is a small airport, well it was actually a military base during the 2nd world war where they trained pilots for the military. Most of that is gone replaced by a large industry area. A large business there is the storage of commercial airplanes (big jets) waiting to be brought back or sold for parts. But in the small terminal (they have a small regional carrier there now) is the Airport Cafe which is a ma and pa operation of about ten tables (some with reserved signs on them for the regulars) where they serve excellent food that is really home cooked. I had French Dip and deb had a cheeseburger, both were great. It is where pilots fly thier expensive airplanes to have a hundred dollar hamburger. Anyhow we left there and spent sometime taking pictures of the airplanes and their tail numbers so I can look up their history later. Then off to Laughlin, Nv to stay at the Riverside Hotel. Got my usual room on the 26th floor overlooking the Colorado River and of course the airport. Had a good prime rib dinner, did a little gambling, Deb came out ahead. And then today we came back to Vegas via California. Las Vegas is getting ready for Fall as they are expecting highs tomorrow of only 95 and lows around 75. Where is my jacket. They are also making US95 a four lane highway which is like making a local street into a superhighway. I guess they got the money.
Ciao

The scene of the crime

Well today we drove out to Red Rocks State Park to re-visit the scene of the crime or in other words where we got married. Right now they are re-building the whole visitor center. I wanted to see the area that the turtles live, but the area was fenced off. The ranger said that they were moved during the construction. Right now we are watching a thunderstorm that is about 50 miles away. Just to the North of Mt Charleston. We are up on the 8th floor so we have a good view of the strip and the mountains. Went to the movies yesterday and paid our $3 dollar admission and saw Harry Potter movie and then the movie Julia and Julie which wasn't bad, can see some awards there and then we saw the latest Ice Age in 3d which was very good. All for $3. The weather has been very good, today 105, but breaking news on TV, Fall is coming this weekend. The temp is going down to the mid 90's this weekend. Well down to Laughlin tomorrow and Kingman AZ for lunch at the airport.
ciao

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas

Well here we are in Las Vegas. Great weather, 103 with 8% humidty. The trip here wasn't bad. At the airport in Philly, Deb ran into Lois Jean (she was coming back from a cruise and going back to Western PA. Had a big Tstrom before we left which caused us to be 15th in line for takeoff. Nice flight, had Salmon in Pasta for dinner, excellent dinner for an airline. Got into LAS early and got our bags with no problem. The bus ride to the car rental took 30 minutes (the ride is only 5 min) anyhow got to the Hertz counter and it took over 1 hour to get the car. Then we went to get the car and it wasn't there, so the agent gave us a discount and another car. We have a Toyota Prius Hybred which is really different (It is kinda like turning on a tv, no engine sound). It is fun to seek up on people because they don't here you and all of a sudden a car is there. Got to out time share aand in our room by 2 AM PDT(5 AM EDT) So about all we did was go to bed. I hope midnight is OK, he was very upset with us leaving and then a thunderstorm hit that night. Well off to eat.
Ciao

What's With All the Dr. visits

I just thought with my vacation just days away why am I scheduled for all these dr visits. The stress test resulted in another trip to the dr for a nuclear stress test next monday. I went to the eye dr on wed and was told I have a cataract in my right eye so I have to go back in 6 months to have it rechecked (it was a 2 out of 4) but the dr couldn't figure out why my vision was 20/20. Both in close and far vision. And then next week I have a dental appointment which will be more bad news no doubt. I really hate dental visits. I would be visting my foot dr for her to look at my left foot but she is away on vacation this week. I don't like getting old. Anyhow the Las Vegas trip is all planned. Got the car rental last night (50 % off for prepaying) and got the Luxor for the last 2 nights in Vegas. They had a special on for $42.50 a night. I guess vegas is feeling the pinch in the economy also. So everything is arranged for that trip and all the places to stay are reserved. One week at out time share in Vegas and then 3 days at Zion NP in a cabin, 2 nights at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in a cabin and 2 nights at Bryce Canyon in a Motel room in the park and then 2 nights at the Luxor. During the week at our time share we usually go over to Kingman AZ to have lunch at a little cafe at the airport. ( a real mom and pop operation). Been going there for years. Then we will run down to Laughlin and stay at the Riverside Casino. Been going there for 17 years. Midnight is getting concerned that we are going somewhere. He really doesn't like it when we leave him. Well that's it for now. Still looking for a new car, just found out that Deb's car doesn't make the CARS program for either the 3500 or 4500 dollar credit. That figures.
Ciao

Stress Test

Well my doctor could not find anything to yell at me about so he decided to have me take a stress test. I went on wednesday and they couldn't get a good reading so he decided to stop the test. He said my heart was strong at rest but he was afraid he couldn't get a good reading after the treadmill workout. Something about he couldn't get a good window because my ribs a too close together or something like that. So now I have to go to the hospital and get injected with a isotope and have a big machine take pictures. Something like 4 hours. Tonight my blood pressure was 117 over 73 which is about normal. My doctor likes to be careful, so i guess I'll have to do it. That is Aug 3. The yearly eye doctor checkup is Wednesday and the dentist is Aug 5. And the foot doctor is when I get back. Gee I have alot of doctors for someone in good health. I'm getting off Actos so maybe I can lose weight easier. Tomorrow would have been the day we left for Argentina now it is Oct. Well better weather in October. The Las Vegas trip and the West is all done and the San Antonio trip in Sept is all set also. As is the Argentina trip in October. However I still have to fit a trip to Florida in there somehow. I need to retire. Wait I am retired.......OK I need to go back to work so I have some free time. On second thought I'll stay retired. I need to spend sometime with the calendar and make sure it is up to date. Midnight still looks at my suitcase like I'm leaving any second. He gets very upset when we leave on trips. I just remembered that I have a trip to Pittsburg coming up in Sept also. Got a Dell mini for when I don't need a big laptop, works well.
Well back to studying Spanish.
Ciao

Here I am at MacGuire AFB

Well I'm doing my thing here at MacGuire AFB in New Jersey. My thing is that I'm on staff for the NorthEast Region Staff College. Got here last Friday and I leave next Saturday. BOQ here is really nice. Building was just open less than 6 months ago. Big room with a HD LCD TV, microwave oven, refrig, nice desk and ceiling fan. Very nice. Just got the internet fixed after a big storm hit the base on Saturday night. AC went out for a day and half the base had no power. But everything is ok now. The place is really like a hotel with a 2 story atrium and a starbucks coffee shop in the lobby with a small restaurant. They deliever a USA Today to my room. Not bad. They gave me a minivan to drive around in also. I have been real busy this week. We eat lunch over at Ft. Dix and dinner we go out around here. We went back to a German restaurant and had another good meal there. We have breakfast at the Golf club because it is real close to the training building which used to be the old dental clinic. It is right next door to the new dental clinic. Well I better get off this and call home and get my uniform ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the school picnic and Thursday is the dining out (a formal dinner for military) That is it for now
Ciao

Well, at least the deck is painted

Went to the doctor for my every 4 month check-up. He changed some of my drugs, mainly actos because it put wweight on me no matter what I did. and took me off Lipitor to another drug that works better or the HDL and LDL. But he said I was in great health and then scheduled me for a stress test. He said he needed something to yell at me about because everything else was normal. A1C was at 6.8 and my PSA was back to being normal at 1.3. Got back from the doctor at 9 am only to find spanish painters on the back deck to paint. I thought I would have some more time before they came, but they were there and so I had to move things inside rather quickly. In particular my daughters rocking chairs. I listened to their spanish for a while, picked up a few words and decided to get back to cleaning. Another two bags went out. Midnight heard all the noise and went to his secret hiding place for most of the day. They were done in about 3 hours. Midnight came out afterwards to tell me all about it. He really likes to be brushed, he comes out and sits there looking at you and his brush until I get the idea he wants me to brush him. I looked it up on a cat site which said cats tend to like it in the summer time to get rid of excess hair. I guess that's what happen to my hair, I brushed it too much. And here I thought my hair loss was from having two daughters.
Ciao for now

Speaking Spanish

Well I'm still working on learning Spanish, this is going to be a long trip. Just when I'm moving along in the lessons a word comes up that I can't pronounce or even spell. The word is newspaper in English, in Spanish it is periodical or something like that. I'm sure I will not ask for a newspaper in Argentina, but the program insists I learn it. Right now the painters are here painting the front of the place and the front porch. They are speaking Spanish (I think) I was tempted to ask them if they ever used the Spanish word for newspapers. Of course I can only pick out every 5th word so my translation skills are lacking. However my skills on word recognition are getting good. I now can recognize carro, leche, hombre, mujere, gato (which is very important), perro, and many others. I just can't say it. My daughter (oldest) sent me a notice from the state department warning about the 800 cases of swine flu in Argentina and that we may have to wear masks and have our temperatures checked. Just another worry.
My sister-in-law called and complained about me not writing in my blog lately. Actually she wanted to talk to her sister, who is still teaching this week. Plus she wanted everyone to come down and see her clean house (which may stay that way for only a short time if she is anything like her sister). Midnight has taken off for whereabouts unknown (he is in his secret hiding place in the closet)(but it is a secret) because the painters are outside and he wanted to protect the house by hiding. Well back to cleaning and throwing things out.
Ciao

A nice day

No rain and AC is on. Arrangements for the travel season is beginning to come together. Was able with much calling and checking the internet to get the 2 days at Bryce Canyon. So the hotels are all set other than LV for the last night, but that is an easy task and of course the air reservations, just waiting until the new usairways cc switches from bofa to Barclays. Should be completed by next week. Argentina trip is mostly set, just waiting on confirmation. And the trip to San Antonio is set but not completed, just trying to decide whether to fly to Florida afterwards or to make a another trip down in Oct. Progress on the cleanup is sometimes slowed down as Midnight has gotten into the habit of either examing at close range everything going into the trash bag or deciding to flop down next to me and demand to be brushed for at least 10 minutes. He still has a lot of hair even through I brushed off enough to make another cat. But he does love it. Doing laundary and getting stuff together for my 10 days with the air force over at McGuire AFB. Seems to becoming another busy summer. My 45th anniversary of my high school graduation is in Sept. And October is starting to be booked up also. Good thing I'm retired. Well off to cook dinner.
Ciao

8 Bags of trash gone

Well today was a busy day, cleaned off the back deck and eight bags of trash went to the dumpster. Actually, 3 bags were handed directly to the trash man. Now I'm battling the moss on the back deck. It grows faster than the grass. So tomorrow I hit it with the Chlorox mixture. On Tuesday we had a terrific thunderstorm in the morning. The weather station here recorded 1.2 inches of rain in 30 minutes. The rate was 6.05 inches per hour. Of course when the thunder and lightning hit midnight took to his secret hiding place. He doesn't like thunder at all. If he sees a flash he becomes alert waiting for the bang and then he takes off. Looking for a new vehicle for the wife. But that's about it from the wet SE PA.
Ciao

And yet I still have more stuff to toss

I have come to the conclusion that junk creates junk. I have been tossing old stuff and junk for weeks and I seem to uncover more stuff everyday. Junk must be an alien force that tele-ports other people junk to my place. Anyhow I am making progress if I don't count the 5 attics of my wife's stuff at her parents house. None of which is allowed to come here. textbooks from 20 years need not be saved, they are out of date and useless. Looking forward to our trip to Argentina. Only a month a half away. We all now have our travel documents. Well back to cleaning and looking for Midnight. He is in his hiding place because I said it looks like a thunderstorm is coming. Thunderstorm and Veterniam are in his vocabulary. I think I mispelled Vet, Oh well see first post.
Later

Still Raining almost time to build the ark

Yes another rainy day, but a promise tomorrow will be Sunny. As a treat went to the Mexican restaurant for my favorite enchillada supreme dinner. Cheered up a lousy day. Midnight is trying to sit on my wife's shoulder as she is trying to talk on the phone. He still thinks he is a small animal. Did you ever notice that rain tends to bring out the worst drivers. I think they wait by their door waiting for the drops to occur. These are the same people that drive real fast right after the first snowfall. Was going to BJ's today to pick up supplies but the rain changed our minds. There is always tomorrow. Well that's it for now. I haven't heard from my sis-in-law so I guess the laptop is working. I had to write to Dell to see if they knew a reason for her "D: drive to fill up. No answer yet.
Ciao

Rainy day again

So another rainy day, the temperature has been cool and so far (June 4) I haven't turned on the air conditioning. I'm very happy about that and I'll be very happy when my electric bill comes. Backed up all five computers yesterday and regular maintence took most of the day. I had the laptops on the floor and midnight came in and starting typing to his other cat friends. I think he was really just looking at the screen saver but he seem entertained for awhile. Went out to lunch with some friends from the college and got all the latest information. Not seeing your friends from work is a downside of retirement. Don't get me wrong, there are many things I don't miss even through I enjoyed working at the college for the 30 some years, but seeing your friends on a daily basis is always good. I have been looking to get the wife a new vehicle soon, the old one is really starting to show it's age. Leaning toward the Ford Fusion, but all makes other the GM and Chrysler are possible. Well back to my other project.
Later

Happy June 1

Can't believe it is June already. I worked on my sis in law laptop, 5 months old and running real slow. She had virtually every program in the start-up menu which was one problem. It didn't want to find and connect automatically to network without extra coaching. Had a major battle with two firewalls fighting with each other for control of the machine. And her D drive (backup) was filled. Well I dumped a lot of programs off of the start-up menu. Returned the pecking order to the "log onto the internet" list. Defraged all the drives, I did this only last month. Killed one firewall. Backed-up the computer onto my external drive and turned off the computer back-up system till I can figure out why it is completely filled. Well tomorrow I need to get a haircut and finish up the travel plans for the summer.
Well Dinner is ready
ciao

Planning

Well, yesterday I finished getting the reservations for our summer trips. 3 nights in Zion NP and 2 days at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I haven't been back to the North Rim for several years. I suppose the only thing changed was the company the runs the lodge. People always ask me why I like going back to the same spot for vacations. Nothing really changes with the rocks or the mountains or valleys. but actually I go for the scenery and to get a rest from the hustle and bustle of the city. I would actually be living in the Mountains of Arizona if I hadn't got married. Had it all planned out. But change happens. My oldest daughter was asked why she wanted to move to Argentina by concerned friends and family members. Like she was moving to an Indian reservation in the Amazon rain forest. I found Argentina similiar to here except they speak Spanish and drive like they were participating in a demolition derby. Very nice area and they have HBO. Anyhow people asked me why I wanted to move to the mountains of Arizona and away from civilization as they know it. My answer was to go to an area that is quiet and peaceful and I sometimes added to get away from people like you. Sometimes I'm not very diplomatic, but I got to a point that I don't care what people think of me. I'm try always to be nice to people but sometimes I realize animals are alot better to talk to (even the wild ones)
Later

My new tree

About 9 months ago the tree outside was cut down due to the tree dying from root strangulation. I hated to see it go, it was well over 60 ft (20meters) tall and always provided really nice shade. It was one of the original trees in the development. Well today they replaced it with a new tree so hopefully it will grow and provide the nice shade. I guess it will take awhile to get to 60 feet tall. But I can wait. As I was going to the store, I got a stabbing pain in my left foot (that is the leg that goes numb due to my sciata nerve) so I looked it up on webmd and it stated that it was just a nerve problem and to sit down and rest or stand up and walk whichever hurts the least. Now I know why it is a free service. Planning to make another meat loaf this afternoon using a different formula. Maybe this one will come out better. Midnight came in to offer his two cents, He said Meoow, and walked away. Loosely translated that meant hello and is it treat time yet.
Memorial Day as come and gone, I watched the National Memorial Day Program on PBS, it was nice, but sometimes I feel it is like preaching to the choir. There are still too many people that don't realize what they enjoy in life is due to the sacrifices of others. OK enough preaching for now. I noticed Katie got back from her trip up to Buenos Aires, I expect to see pictures any day.
I better go put my leg up to rest it for awhile.

and the Wet/dry vac works

Well today being a nice day in the neighborhood I decided to get the new wet/dry vacuum out and start cleaning the back deck of the winters deposits. It became a larger effort due to the leaves (there is no tree other than evergreens within 500 ft) on the deck (I'm 4 stories up in the back) (where the leaves are coming from is unknown) and a number of packing peanuts that came from a box that had opened by itself in a wind storm. I'm making good headway in getting it clean. I need to finish so I can have room for the grill. On another note, my sister-in-law complained about my allowing my wife to go to graduation with wrinkles on her gown. First, I tried for hours trying to get the old steamer to work, unlike my sis-in-law has kept everything she ever owned even if it doesn't work, I threw out the steamer. I have two steam irons and somehow they are not where I left them but the search will continue. And finally I'm a great believer that one should take responsibility for getting their own clothes ready. I already do all the wash. Next subject.
I see my sis-in-law also refused to do things the way she was told and refused assistance from younger people when she dumped the boxes on moving day. As a person gets older, wisdom dictates one should listen to the doctor and be grateful someone wants to help. Lessons learned.
I got an email from Katie telling me she is taking the night bus to Buenos Aires tonight and coming back Monday. The night bus is very similiar to the Night Bus in the Harry Potter series. There is a hostess who serves food and the seats recline so you can sleep. It beats driving yourself. I almost asked if she was going up to BA for the memorial day holiday, but better sense struck first. I discovered today that Midnight likes Dutch Potato Salad. We are trying to schedule him for his trip to the VET for a check-up. He does not like the VET, any VET. We have to spell it because he understands when we say the name of he who shall not be named.
That's it from Sunny Pennsylvania where the temp is 82 with 44% humidity.

And it works

Well the new battery came on Tuesday by Fedex and I installed it and this time I did the "proper" conditioning of the battery. 4 cycles of fulling charging and discharging it. Now I have somewhere around 4 1/2 to 5 hours of battery life instead of the 2 minutes. But I did get 2 1/2 years on the old battery. But when it dies it dies quickly. Deb has completed the paperwork for the passport and paid extra to get faster processing, so it looks like there will be two for Argentina. tonight Deb has to go to her college graduation. Faculty members are required to attend. Tried to get her gown un-wrinkled but my old steamer died and is now tossed out. I don't mess with steam. well lunch has arrived. Later

And then the battery died

Well it has been over 2 years and I guess I can't expect the laptop's battery to last forever. But I needed it to be ok and it just went into the great land of dead batteries with a statement saying "Warning, Warning Will Robinson your battery is dying" and then it went into hibernation never to be charged again. So I got on line Sunday and saw that Dell wanted $180 for a new battery and from the reviews I read, the battery was a piece of cr_p. So I found a company called laptopbatteries.com or something like that and they wanted just 88 dollars. So I ordered on line on Sunday, they shipped it Monday and it came today (Tuesday). I installed it and now it is on its first charge cycle of 4. I'm hoping for the best. My old laptop is over 5 years old and is still running on its original battery. Went to the store and got corn (10 ears for 2). My wife's sister came over to help input grades on Sunday and I worked on her laptop, she has in 6 months caused the machine to run very slow, mostly to her opening every program on the computer at startup. So after doing some cleaning up it is now running faster, but still has a way to go. with summer coming along here, midnight is happy to be brushed. He has developed a method by walking up to you and sitting down and giving a quiet meow and then looking at you with a sad look almost saying "please brush me". His cousin came over on Sunday to clip his nails and he was not very happy at all about that. Well that is it for now.

Hola y Bienvenido a mi español lección para el día de hoy

En realidad esto no será todo en español, sólo lo suficiente para confundir a Robin. Ella dijo en Facebook que yo era un buen cocinero, pero sugirió que cocinar sano que yo normalmente. Mi cocina es mucho mejor que la suya porque su comida es tan malo que no comer la caja llegó pulg. OK, de vuelta a Inglés. So anyhow, bright and sunny (partly) day here in EG. Temp is 78 with 68% humidity at 11 am. Has been a busy week for me, I thought I had nothing much other than the talk I gave to the Brookhaven AARP. They love me there, second time there and they want me back in November to talk about Argentina. I really need to complete the schedule for our trips this summer. My Spanish is slowly improving as my english is declining. I have been cleaning everyday and I still can't see alot of improvement. Midnight sitting on my lap as I try to go through papers tends to slow me down a great deal. He is in the "I want to be brushed everyday for 2 hours" mood. I sit down and he does all but hand me the brush. But he likes it. The Mac and cheese I made Wednesday was very good. Baked a little less time as Deb doesn't like a hard crust. Still no movement on Debs passport. Later

Try Try again

Well my cooking skills worked on Wednesday when I attempted to make the Mac and Cheese made famous by my daughter and her Mother. Actually this is the third attempt. The first in Florida met with an overdone mac and cheese, as mentioned in previous post due to the oven not being well calibrated. The 2nd about 2 weeks ago when I misread the pasta as rotini instead of rigatoni, (need new glasses) came out alright but more like Kraft Mac and Cheese than what it was suppose to be. But yesterday success came to East Goshen and a really good mac and cheese was produced. Even Midnight enjoyed a piece of it (very small).
I thought I wouldn't have anything scheduled this week, but reviewing my emails I discovered a meeting last night and another meeting Sat morning in which I'm giving a presentation. Well it is good to keep busy. Thank heaven for the DVR, it is working overtime. At least it has twin DVR so I can get all the programs I like to watch.
This being the tenth day of rain, had .53 inchs yesterday and since midnight another .53. So far this week the unit has recorded over 3 inches and more to come tonight, friday and sat. 30 more days and I'll consider building the ark. Well the sun just came out, temp at 10:45 is 69 degrees F with 85% Humidity. And the grass is growing at a fast rate, looking to see if the grass cutters are coming today.
Well that should be all the news for now, must make some phone calls.
Ciao

Back home again in cold PA

Well I didn't write on sat or sun, I was a little busy driving from fort myers, fl to Benson, NC, a little over 733 miles in a little less than 12 hours. Had a nice mexican dinner on Sat night at the restaurant right next to the motel. Hit the bed early and sunday drove from there to home. I got off 95 in emporia, VA. Just over the NC VA line. No way do I want to do Richmond, washington and BAltimore. So down to Norfolk and a pleasant drive across the Bay bridge tunnel. No traffic and just cruising along and a nice view of the ocean. I stopped at the fishing pier about 4 miles out and walked out. Talked to a few fishermen who were out there. Temp was 42 with a wind of about 30 mph. I didn't stay long there. Merged back in with 95 at wilmington DE and that road was packed. Very happy, that I didn't take 95 all the way. 6 miles was more than enough. Got home, watched tv (big screen) and went to bed. Midnight gave me a greeting as I came home as " where the H--- have you been" and walked away. Now he is sitting next to me sleeping. So that is it, hopefully it will get warmer.

Busy Thursday, Packing today

Well Thursday was a very busy day, got up early, went to Perkins for breakfast, got there at 7:55. At 8 in walked 65 + people for breakfast. It was some group with their last get together for the year. I got my order in first so it wasn't a problem, came back and did email, watched regis and then did my bike ride all before 10:30. There are many friendly people here who like to talk. A lot of young people around here visiting their grandparents. Nice views. Anyhow, after 1 I decided to put the new outdoor carpet on the steps. The old carpet was pretty worn down. Anyhow since I have never done this before or even close to it, I read all the instructions several times. And with the able assistance of my Dad-in-law we proceeded. Lessons learned, do it by yourself and don't listen to advice. Get better equipment, wear old clothes and gloves. Do not assume a brick is standard or a brick wall or step is straight. Better yet, hire someone who knows what he is doing. O Daniel. Anyhow it came out OK, not great, but OK. I ran out of glue for the carpet for the 2nd step so we just cut the carpet using a better method. This is where I discovered the bricks were not uniform. And we used soap to mark the cutting line. See previous remarks concerning equipment. So after throwing my shirt into the wash, I changed into another shirt and off we went to Shrimp Shack for dinner. That was really good and no Key Lime Pie. So came back did another bike ride (3 for today). So I was ready for bed. And now I'm packed to leave for Home tomorrow, leaving 85 and sunny for 32 and rainy.
O well, that's it from Florida unless my in-laws hide my keys like they have threaten to do. Leaving at 5 AM, ciao

Home Maintenance Day

Since I'm getting over this cold (hopefully) I seem to have loads of energy. So today I painted the bricks around the house. Some places were in great need and now it looks good. Another project done. Worked on the bikes today, seems one of they makes a odd sound so in comes WD-40 to the rescue. Noise gone, but for how long. News on the stove front, found out the oven is not at the right temperature so it wasn't completely my fault for the Mac and cheese not coming out right. And that is my story and I'm sticking to it. My mother-in-law made choco chip cookies today (that's how we found out about the oven being wrong). The neighbor next door left today with her dog and the other internet connection. But I found a third that seems to hold up well. I still have my aircard from verizon and that works great. I have a conference call at 9 tonight, so I'll be using my magic jack for that. Other project was lubing the porch windows so they slide up and down without pulling your back out of shape. The neighbor that left with her dog was flying home to WI. She has a little cage that goes under the seat. The dog went in it like it was his second home. Midnight take notice.
That's it from Lee County, Florida.

What cold

Something is strange, had a cold (bad) bought cold medicine, did not take the cold medicine, cold disappeared. It must be Florida. Had a good night's sleep got up at 7:30, took out the trash, ate breakfast, put in a load of wash, did all my email, watched Regis and put in another load of wash and went out for my bike ride and it wasn't even 10. Don't know where all the energy came from. Anyhow lunch time came and I needed to go to Sonic for my ft long Coney Island hot dog with Chilli, mustard and onions. Very good. My dad-in-law came with me for a cup of coffee, he just had finished breakfast (they don't get up at 7:30 normally more like 10) I tried to talk him into a coney Island hot dog. He was surprised when I parked in a stall and ordered from there. He thought it was a drive thru type thing. He liked the girl coming out with our order. I told him they used to use roller skates. Then off to Lowes for the carpet for the steps and bulbs for my bathroom. Went to the Bear Rock Grill for dinner. And that was the day. It is getting a little cold tonight, down to the upper 40's but it goes to mid 70's in the daytime and sunny. My daughter complainedthat I don't make comments on her blog so off I go to spend some time there. That's it from down south.

Got the medicine and the cold vanished

OK, I wrote up at 5:30AM coughing, running nose and sore throat. Not having gone to get the night time cold medicine, I decided to use the Day Quill Cold medicine. This is the one that states does not cause drowiness. So I took it and within 30 minutes was sound asleep, so much for not being non-drowsy. Any how had breakfast and thenthe whole group went to Walmart. I got my cold and flu medicine in liquid form and at the insistance of the wife I got a new bluetooth so I can drive handsfree. See previous episodes for the reason I had to get another bluetooth unit. Then I picked up the correct av adapters to finish off the connections to both TV's from the DVD players. Dad-in-law got the wrong ones even after I drew a picture of it with labels, (2 female RCA plugs to a male RCA plug), but all is well on that front. I also got something for my eyes because they are watering up and drying up so much down here. Paid for that and then had to get a birthday card for mom-in-law since number 2 daughter of theirs didn't get it mailed. Actually I think it was a misunderstanding. She said she asked me to get one and I forgot. Actually she only got 2 cards today, one from hubby and one from us. Still waiting on phone calls, (hint).
So I got the paint i needed to paint the bricks again, that will be tomorrow's project along with laundry. Went for a ride when we got back and then hit the computer trying to get a hold on several projects that I'm working on.
We then packed up and went to Rib City for Ribs. We all ordered the same thing. Slab of ribs, cole slaw and baked beans. All the plates were cleaned off completely and the meal was enjoyed by all. Wasn't sure how Dad in law would like it but he didn't leave but a small crumb (from the Texas toast) on his plate.
Got back and the rainstorm that has been promised for a week finally arrived and now it is getting cool.
That's it from the southwest Florida.

Still got the cold

Well the cold is still with me. Sore throat, watery eyes and sneezing. Wonderful. Anyhow the in-laws decided to get up early (7:30) and go to Perkins. This was a major accomplishment because they don't normally get up that early. And my father-in-law doesn't like Perkins for reasons unknown. Anyhow it was a good breakfast and he enjoyed his omlete. Came back and took my ride on the bicycle. Went out on 41 (actually the sidewalk and rode about a mile out there and then came back to the community. Watched the NASCAR race and then made the Mac and cheese for dinner along with the ham. Well let's just say that it was a good effort for the first time making it. I took notes on what I should do next time. Following the directions more closely would be one improvement. But we ate it and no one got sick which is always good. Going to Walmart to get cough medice tomorrow.

And now I have a cold

Yes, doesn't everyone go to Florida and catch a cold. Of course to the scientist that state a cold is actually caught 2 weeks before the actual cold is notice, thanks to whomever gave this to me. Anyhow I went out for my usual ride this morning. But before that I made another of my version of an egg Mcmuffin. After setting off the smoke alarm I enjoyed a semi burnt breakfast. Of course no one heard it other than me and the neighbors. The in-laws slept thru it. Anyhow on my ride I stopped at the half way point to swing on the swing by the lake. I was joined by a gentleman from Ohio who was out for his morning walk. He seemed to be on the large size so I was a little concerned on the weight limitations of the chain on the swing. It held the weight. We were joined a little while later by Lizzy and her master. Both were from Indiana and Lizzy (being a white fur doggy) was quite friendly. We all talked about Golf (well not Lizzy) and after a while we all headed out in different directions. Got back in time to say goodbye to Tim across the street, he is headed back to Canada to do his taxes. I guess they have the same tax dates as we in the lower 48. Came back in and discovered that Comcast Email was down. It came back up around 7 tonight. I then decided to tackle the big problem of getting the computer I brought down from PA back up and running. The computer was down here last year and developed a lack of memory so I took it North last year. Well it took the better part of the day and some well placed words of wisdom but I finally was able to get it back up and running using Windows 98. This is my old computer that I had "upgraded" to ME. Which was the worst operating system ever created by Microsoft and/or man. So with the help of my laptop and several websites I have it up and running. But now it is looking for Windows 98 SE. Well next time down I'll bring that program with me. Anyhow I then decided to install the Microsoft pilot programs for my father-in-law. The computer looked at them and said they were too old to operate on the machine. One needed to operate in DOS only and not windows and the otherneeded support drivers to work. Normally that is a simple download, but since we don't have internet here that too will have to wait for another day. But at least it is working.
Tomorrow we are having ham and the Mac and Cheese, hopefully I'll do my daughter proud and it will come out fine. And I already checked the smoke detector.
I see my sis-in-law bought a bike, maybe she should of gotten a three wheel bike. Anyhow bikes don't do any good if there sit in a garage or storage bin.
Well I guess that is about it for now

Warm and hotter

Actually it wasn't all that bad today. Went out for my morning ride after Regis and Kelly's host chat (o it is Friday no Regis) so I was out for an hour, talked with a few people and a Gecko or two and enjoyed the ride. Came back abd reassembled the computer down here. Got it all together with little problem. I had a new Windows 98 disk to put in and everything was going along until it encountered what was left of ME. Yes that famous operating system that was the worst OS ever made. The install saw that and refused to go any further until removed. OK not a problem, I rushed over to my laptop to research what to do and it said to reformat the hard drive. Good, that is what i intended to do all along. Went to the machine and gave the command to reformat and of course it couldn't find it. By this time the thought of launching the old computer thru a window (not Microsoft) came to mind. Hence, we all decided to go to dinner and as they say "Tommorrow is another Day". Came back from DQ and took a second ride, cut it a little short because of the threat of rain, that is all it was just a threat. My cold has started to move from my throat to my sinuses, but I'm still battling it. Time to eat my Ice Cream. My oldest daughter put a recipe on her blog site, I think I might try it. My in-laws think I'm a great cook. This may convince them otherwise.
Later

Hot and Humid

Well Florida does get hot and humid, but that is normally in July and August. Of course it is nice to be warm when the North is cold, however I believe West Chester is around 60 today. Got up early on Wednesday and went to Perkins for breakfast just beating in the senior circuit who arrives end mass at 8:15. Then ran over to Walmart to pick up a few supplies and food. While there, I picked up a dc car charger for my cell phone. Yes the one that got misplaced before I left. Got back and went riding (bike) for a few hours and noticed that I was getting red. Not being an American Indian I realized that yes I should have put on sun block before going out since I'm still a paleface from up North. Went over to the clubhouse to get water (6 gallons) for drinking, not sure why, everybody else says the water is fine, but the in-laws like the water from the pure water dispenser.
Saw the resident alligator again in the lake by the gate and found a white (ok off white) frog hanging onto the back of the chair. Had a brief conversation with the frog and then I left. Today it was quite humid, so I decided that today was an inside day. OK I did go out for my hour bike ride early in the morning. So after going thru my email, I decided it was time to fix all the TV sets and correct the wiring to the DVD and the VCR and rewire the cable connection to the TV in the living/dining room. Evidently my father-in-law got the connections all screwed up so after a while of trying to figure it out, I just started over. Now everything is working, so they are a 2 tv family again.
Yet to go is the painting, the new outside steps that need to have a carpet installed and bracing the railing on the side door. All in all I've been busy.
Time for Survior, ciao

Here I am In Florida

Here I sit on the porch in Sunny and warm Fort Myers where the temperature is a balmy 85 degrees wondering why I took so long coming down here. Anyhow yesterdays trip was uneventful, left Walterboro SC at 7:05 and got here at 3:10. Had to make my traditional stop at the Florida Welcome Center to get my glass of OJ and check on rt 301 which I take. It is a well known shortcut from Jacksonville to Tampa. I95 and I4 are just too busy with the people going to D-land and all the other stuff in Orlando. Everything seems to be fine down here and the folks are in good spirits and were eager to see me arrive. My mother-in-law even made a pot roast instead of us going out. It was really good and appreciated. I allowed myself to sleep in till 7 ish and had breakfast and watched Regis for the first 20 minutes and then out on the bike to explore. Everyone is friendly here and always wave or say hello. Our neighbor has a great wireless connection and so I use his. He is leaving to go back to Canada this weekend so I'll have to switch to one of the other wireless routers around here. At least 10. Somehow I forgot to bring a camera, brought the charger but not the camera. Duh. My memory is failing or someone has hidden things on me. For example, a few months ago I found the charger for my bluetooth, but I couldn't find the bluetooth. Then I found the bluetooth and now I can't find the charger. It is a plot to drive me bananas.
Later

On My Way

Well, here I am on my way to Florida. Not by Flying but by driving. Right now I'm in Walterboro South Carolina. I left a little after 5 AM and got here by 3:15 PM. The trip wasn't bad, just a little boring. Listened to cd and XM radio. Had rain until Just North of Richmond VA when the sun came out and the temp got to 79. Right now it is 70, :) Tomorrow I'll go the rest of the way to fort myers, after stopping for my glass of OJ at the Florida welcome center. On Sat my lodge had its annual Pancake day as its money maker. It was a nice event but a lot of work. Then I came home really tired and had to pack. I didn't get a lot of sleep so tonight the bed is a welcome event. Thank heaven for WAWA coffee, I got a 24 oz french vanilla in Kenneth Sq. and finished it in NC. Gave it to the girl at Mickey D's in NC when I got lunch. She actually said they have good coffee at WAWA. Well bedtime. One note, midnight was very upset with me when I started packing.

And then I heard a pop in my knee

Been busy cleaning and sorting old material that should have been tossed long ago. I started to sit on the floor with my legs under me when I heard a popping sound coming from my left knee. Evidently I pulled something in my knee. It didn't really hurt then, but then I started getting this nagging pain above my knee. Then it just felt like someone sticking a pin (well a whole group of pins) into the area above my knee. When I took a shower it felt like pins hitting my skin there. Really weird, so lots of advil and a knee brace and it feels a little better today. Really sucks getting old. I'm taking the Truck (SUV station wagon depending who you are) to get inspected and the oil change on Monday in prepartion of my trip to Florida.
I just read from daughters blog about the dead pig on the table. When I was a little kid I used to enjoy picking out the chicken (from the chicken yard) for dinner that night. Everything was always fresh, but that is the advantage of having a farmer for a grandfather.
I guess that is all the news that is fit to print.

Back here up North

I need to add the comment to my sis in law blog. It is her fault for her trip to Florida becoming a disaster in travel. I put her on the most reliable plane with the most reliable engines ever built. The flight has a 90 to 100 % on time record. I firmly believe that she has bad spirits around her. Do not fly with that person. There are stories I could tell you, but I'm saving them for a major motion picture soon to be produced.
While my wife was away, midnight was very good. Never waking me up until 8 and then being very polite about it. A gentle paw with a quiet meow would be all that I would get. There were complaints about the food, but he knows I'll ignore him.
I noticed my daughter is posting her pics so I guess I better figure out how to do that. She requested a gas station in Argentina and of course I have several pictures.
Still trying to get my travel plans finalized. Looks like I'll be traveling in July, Aug, Sept again. I just saw on the news that a person has been banned by the airlines from ever flying with them again. Hmmm, I wonder.
Ciao

Sunny and warm, right now it is 72

Ok, the snow is gone and it is 72 right now at 10:45. No I'm not in Florida. Still in Pennsylvania. Either way it is warm. I'm going to Florida on Mar 29, driving down and then be back up by April 15. Midnight is taking a nap on Deb's computer chair. Hard morning I guess. Last night he was sleeping on the chair and in the dark i didn't know he was there. Black cats in a dark room on a black chair is not a good idea. I keep reminding him to keep his eyes open so he can be seen. Maybe I'll get a little flashing light and put it on him.

Why am I not in Florida?

We are going to have anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow, I just got tickets for my wife and her sister to go to Florida in 2 weeks. So here I sit, freezing, staring at snow coming down, remembering my daughter is now in warm Buenos Aires, and here I sit. It isn't a job, I'm retired. It is all those groups I belong to. Well, I better get back to doing my taxes so I can be really depressed. Ciao

Well she is over Florida

My daughter left tonight for Argentina. Right now she is over Florida, I listened to JFK tower and watched her on Radar. I have a program that lets me track aircraft. She had a little problem with an overweight carryon, but other than that everything seems to be going ok. She was texting me while waiting for her plane. I did that for about 2 rounds before I just called her. I still don't know why people rather text instead of just talking. Wait till they get old and can't see the letters or remember how it works in the first place. Just checked at 1:00 Am she is just east of Kennedy Space flight center doing 454 kts at 32000 ft, with 5 hours and 34 minutes to go. They just turned to a more southly heading. Well I better go to bed. It is going to snow 5 to 10 inches Sunday night into Monday. Why am I not in Florida. And of course I have a Dr appointment for 8:15 on Monday.

Well she left me

Sounds drastic doesn't it, Well my oldest daughter is packed and on her way to Argentina. Today has been a bad day. Did you ever have a day when things just didn't go the way you exactly wanted. It is just an uneasy feeling a person gets. My daughter is leaving the home nest, (OK she left years ago) but having her with me for the last few months has been really nice. And letting her go has been difficult for me.(not like I had any control over them for years(fathers never feel they lost control over their kids)). I can't really complain over their independent action, I was never one to be told anything. Not that I'm not happy with her choice and I have met her whole new family in Argentina and feel that they will take care of her. It is just that she will be so far away and I just can't hop in the car and see her in a hour and a half. (OK make that 50 minutes, I drive fast). Well it is going to take a while to get used to it. Of course I have skpe and magic jack so communication won't be a problem. Well more to come on the subject later. One advantage is that I got to take both my daughters and my grand daughter and of course my wife out to dinner at a really good Mexican restaurant. (Not TexMex). We haven't done that for a long while (all of us getting together at the same time). On another matter. I noticed my sister-in-law has been writing in her blog again( after i proded her about not writing for a month). She is good at it and it seems to allow her to relax and she is good at writing about things. She retired from her work a few years ago and then felt obligated to get a part time job in a gym. She evidently forgot the meaning of retirement is not to start working a new job. I didn't retire to change job titles. Anyhow she quit the job on Thursday (good for her) (she would have been better at being a greeter at WalMart, she tends to be good with people. Anyhow, retirement means that you can now go and do things that interest you and enjoy it. Working as a volunteer in some work or going on trips or doing something. Since I have been retired (2 1/2 years now) I have found lots of things to keep me really busy. And I still get my traveling done. I do watch certain programs but on my schedule with my DVR's (2) i reschedule tv when I have the time to watch.
So any how I'm glad Robin got untied from the job, now go out and do something.
Like writing, I'm not an expert in writing, but I know what sounds good.
I better stop, don't want her heas to get too big.
Tomorrow is laundry day, I enjoy that, I don't know why, but I do.
Checking the weather, I see they (the weathermen) are calling for a mixed event for Sat night and Sunday. As a formal teacher of meteorology, that means the weatherman don't know exactly what is going to happen, just that something is going to happen. Not an exact science.
Midnight wasn't very happy with all his sisters and niece coming into the house today. He gave a glance and then departed for the nether regions until his relatives all left.
Well I probably forgot things I wanted to say, but there is always next time.
._._._

I'm missing a blog

Somehow i lost a blog entry. I remember writing it, but I can't find it. A little like getting up to do something and then not remembering why you got up. I would be worried about that if it wasn't for the fact that I been doing that since I was a little kid. Doctors say it is because my mind (yes I have one) works on many levels (I counted five once in a test) and I just replaced the thought with another one of more importance. When I was teaching I usually operated on 3 or 4 levels. Anyhow I just remembered why I started this blog. Midnight has been helping me watch TV, he tolerates my programs but if I let him alone with the remote control he would change the channel. On my older set, I would come home and find the TV on. At first, I thought I was getting forgetful, but after it occurred several times I realized it was Midnight turning it on. As you probably remember, my oldest daughter is leaving the country and moving to Argentina leaving her elderly, disabled father to fend for himself in this cruel world. An example of this cruelty, she forced me to make her
(actually her Mothers) Mac and cheese dish. Actually I thought it was very good, no one has gotten sick yet. My lack of cooking ability goes back to my high school days when I took Home Economics, which taught us how to cook besides other things. I was actually really good in that class getting all A's in it. Then came the luncheon for the Prinicpal of the School. Well I made shrimp salad (my speciality at the time) and the Principal ate it and got sick and was out of school for a week. Well that experienced scarred me for life. Never again could I cook. Everytime I tried to cook, a disaster occurred. I decided to cook a hot dog one day. Simple thing, just put water in a pot and throw in the hot dog. Well I got a phone call from Mary (my future wife and my daughters Mother) and she and I were talking and talking and then I heard the fire trucks coming and remembered the hot dog. Well the fire trucks weren't coming to my house but the pan could never be used again. So as you can see I have a history of lack of cooking skills. Also as part of the problem, as a science teacher, I only knew the metric system and could not figure out the english cooking measurements.
On another note, my oldest daughter is leaving in 3 days, having her with me for the last few months has been nice. I guess we got reconnected only things. I'm sure she now knows that I have gone off the deep end with my animal sounds that I make all the time. Maybe that's why she wants to leave her aged,elderly father for the high life in Argentina. Either way the time together is getting less and less and soon she will begin her next part of her life. I try to look at the plus side of this, but I think she knows that I will miss her very much. And hopefully I can visit her once a year.
Well that's it for now

snow is gone

Well it didn't last long, so that's a good thing. My oldest daughter, (the one who is abandoning her old elderly father to live the high life in Argentina) wrote in her blog about things you need and things you don't need. That got me thinking. Why do people buy things. Well I buy things because of need and I love electronic gadgets. When I was a little kid I convinced my twin brother and my parents that I should have my own room. Hence my brother moved into the back room and I got the middle room. We used to share the middle room which was smaller than the back bedroom. So why didn't I take the bigger room. Well I knew that it was the coldest room in the house. Well over a period of time, I bought my own TV for my room (I tend to save for things), bought my own reel to reel tape recorder (a Webcor) and when the telephone man came to do some work on my parents phone in their bedroom I was able to convince my mother that I really needed a phone in my room. When I got my Ham radio license I got my Ham radio equipment in my room. Hence sending me to my room when on very rare occasions when I was bad was not all that bad. Sunday night I always watched What's My Line while laying in bed. I also hooked up headphones so I could watch TV without anyone knowing it. I also bought an air conditioner for my room. And so I got use to having my own list of necessities. I guess that is why I like things. like a 21 inch LCD monitor for the computer (my eyes aren't as good as they used to be)(That's what I tell people). A 52 inch LCD High Definition TV, (same reason as the 21 inch computer monitor). 1500 cable channels (not sure why I have so many, haven't looked at half of them). and a high speed internet connection (20 down, 5 up). I had originally intended to move to the Mountains of Arizona before I met my wife 5 years ago. I had intended to move there the day I retired. So back to the neccessities of life. If I had moved there would I have all the neccessities that I have now. I like the outdoors and I like hiking in the mountains, so I wonder if I would really need all those neccessities I have now........wish I knew the answer to that, but then is it really that important. And finally, my sister-in-law still hasn't written anything in her blog. Maybe she forgot how to turn on the computer.
That's it for now

Viewpoints

Just looked out the window and it is snowing, I mentioned before my dislike for snow. Strange that I used to live in Colorado and when I was teaching, Snow could lead to a snowday. Still remember the school closing number (470). I guess the reason I don't like snow is the shoveling and the fact that people don't remember how to drive in snow and run into things. Had a friend who grew up in Southern Florida, he never saw snow so one winter he drove up to Pennsylvania and stayed around until it snowed. He went out to drive in it and promptly totaled his car. As far as I know he has never returned to the cold North. Midnight came by to see what I was doing and left to go back to watch TV. I have to place the control so he doesn't change the channel. I noticed my sister-in-law who yelled at me for not keeping up with my blog hasn't written anything in a long while. Time to heckle. My oldest daughter leaves in two weeks, she makes a really good Mac and Cheese (almost as good as her mother's) so I need to have her make some Mac and cheese for me before she leaves. We have made all the arrangements to keep in touch (Skype and Majic Jack) but it is not the same thing as actually seeing her in person. Not sure if she understands that. But she gets her independence and her spirit from me. I never liked being in one place and life is too short to wish you had done something. It would have been nice if it was South Jersey she was moving to instead of Argentina, but whatever makes her happy is the most important thing. Besides I went down to Argentina to investigate where and with whom she was going. Her new family passed with flying colors. I feel very secure with them. Argentina is nice also except for the drivers and the fact that you can't get a few important items. On another note, as you know Midnight is a black cat, he has the habit of sleeping on black chairs or anything dark. I almost sat on him again today, maybe I showl put a light on his head so I can see him.
Well I wrote enough.

It's Feb already

I'm Back. When I told my friends I was going to retire some of them said I would be bored in a year. Well It is 2 1/2 years and I'm not bored yet. So there. Anyhow that's my excuse for not writing. My sister in law is in Florida. It was 37 degrees there last night. She went down there to get warm. I guess she didn't go far enough South. Midnight, the namesake of this story has been busy sleeping and stalking imaginary creatures. He actually found and tracked a bug last night. He kinda of lays down and points at it. He used to bat it with his paw when he was younger. Now he sits and stares until he gets all attention. It showed here on Tuesday (about 4 inches). When I lived in Colorado that amount would be called a light dusting. I'm starting to plan a trip to Argentina to visit my oldest daughter. Of course she is still here until Feb 28, but I think there is a law that you must see you daughter at least every 6 months or you lose your status as a dad. Same Idea as passports and all. Hopefully she will be able to come home at Christmas and renew my status as Dad. Last Christmas she was in Argentina, Christmas didn't seem like Christmas last year. Maybe I shouldn't say that since she may read this and it sounded mushy.
Anyhow, midnight just came in and meowed at me and turned around and left. Not sure what he wanted. Usually he comes in to get petted and then he leaves. I guess he saw I was typing.
I was thinking that I heard once that as you get older you learn more and become wiser. But I also read that as you get older you tend to forget more. Maybe if you don't learn to much you will have less to forget.
Now I know where I went wrong. Actually I like learning and teaching. I guess that is why I went into education. I like reading, my eyes tend to not allow as much as I would like but I have a magnifying glass so I can read the fine print. Just seems the fine print is getting smaller everyday.
Well time to go and making chicken noises at my daughter. Maybe she will think I'm going wacko and decide not to go to Argentina and stay here to take care of me in my old age.
Naw, she is to smart. She will see right through my plan. Well it is fun to annoy her.
OK I wrote enough.

Ok I haven't been on for a while. Things get busy and time flies. My sister-in-law sends a nasty gram if I don't write. So I figured for family harmony that I should write. She is thinking about not going down to Florida, which would be a mistake. She will have new door and locks on the house and there is nothing to take. If you live in fear of terrorist, then the terrorist win. Anyhow things are moving along. I have a luncheon for retired employees of my college on Monday, It is always nice to see the people there and in particular how old they got. LOL . Minight has been quiet lately (he isn't a snow cat) He likes warm weather. He has been demanding different food lately. Those demands have fallen upon dead ears. So he can Meow all day long (of course he still gets his treats if he does something cute) I have a cold right now, I hate colds, it makes me feel tired with no energy. Now it is snowing and the temp is going down to zero by next week. Well I guess I'll watch the snow fall.