The Oneth of June - Rolling North Towards Vermont.

This fun photo was taken 3 Jun 2022.

12 Jun:  Cynthia is scheduled to return before noon. Yippee.!!

11 Jun:  

10 Jun:  

9 Jun:  The very sad news is that Cynthia's flight was canceled at 11 PM after she spent the entire day waiting hopefully.  Poor dear slept only about five hours last night.  Ron went to the office with Jim to insure that his mother's WiFi could be restored, thereby enabling her medical alert device to work.  Once Jim's confidence in that outcome was firm, we enjoyed a long, gorgeous motorcycle ride over the hills and through the woods in central Maryland.  Ron's motorcycling confidence and skills are still shaky, but Jim was willing to wait at every STOP sign until Ron finally caught up.  A very good time was had by all the survivors.  Dinner at the Mt. Airy tavern with Jim and Joni was delightful, especially since we were assured that Cynthia had finally made it to Texas and was being ferried to Oscar's Bistro by her son Jon.

8 Jun:  Cynthia will get on the airplane at BWI at 11:30 and arrive safely in Houston by late afternoon, God willing.  Ron will ride to Silver Spring, Maryland to see if he can find old friends at home.  Later in the afternoon, he will ride out to Mt. Airy to visit with Jim and Joni for a few days.  The day did not go as planned for either of us.  Cynthia was still sitting in the airport at 7:30 PM due to airplane problems.  Ron found Nick at home and talked for an hour while we waited for John to return with Faith.  Dale and Harry have both passed away.  Irma said that Jerry might have some variety of mental health issues relating to aging.  John was quite animated and appeared to be healthy although quite thin.  All in all good visits with Nick and John and later with Jim and Joni at dinner.

7 Jun:  The plan is to arise whenever we wake up, pack and ride across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (click here) and up I-97 to the Baltimore-Washington airport Country Inn and Suites hotel.  On the way out of town, we again ate yummy salads at the Seedbol (click here).  It was a long, slow, hot ride in a lot of traffic.  Even crossing the four mile  long bay bridge was slow at 40 mph, but at least there were no cross winds.  Upon arrival at our hotel, Ron laid down in bed while making several unsuccessful phone calls.  Dean called back an hour later to report that he was feeling fine despite the long afternoon yesterday.  Janina was the one who suffered in the heat yesterday.   Cynthia adds:  Thanksgiving is on my mind!  Not turkey and dressing, but thanks be to God for so many blessings, like surviving a motorcycle ride that started on 10 March in Texas, leading to Miami for seven weeks at Pritikin, traveling the Atlantic seaboard islands north to Rehoboth Beach, DE, and the ride today to Baltimore MD.  I could complain about the horrendous bumper-to-bumper traffic, endless traffic lights, getting cut off by drivers changing lanes, and the 86-degree temperature.  BUT, life is so good, that I should be whipped if I complain!  I am so very thankful for Ron's MIT mind that safely navigates our journeys and has traversed over a million miles without a significant motorcycle accident.  We have arrived safely at the Baltimore airport for my quick trip to Texas tomorrow.  And I am very thankful for Jon, who will pick me up in my car filled with fuel!  Most of all, thank God, our strength, shield and buckler!

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore, my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song. (Psalm 28:7)

6 Jun:  Will Dean be recovered enough to see us today, or will we have the same question tomorow?  Aha! Dean was indeed well enough to see us!  We had a great, but hot, visit on their patio, and we stopped for a huge bowl of delicious vegetables at the Seedbol restaurant on the way home.  Today we finally repeated the pacemaker test as ordered by Dr. Dougherty.

5 Jun:  We fell asleep before 9 PM, but awakened when Ron got up to brush his teeth, and didn't get back to sleep until midnight-thirty.  Yay for traveling with our own oatmeal.  We enjoyed the hotel’s cooked oatmeal but we were slow to pack and got under way by 11:30.  It was a bit hot but not windy, so the ride was pleasant through the bucolic fields of the Eastern Shore.  The route towards the hotel changed quite significantly from the route towards Dean's house.  We rode north on US 13 for 40 miles into Maryland, R on US 113 N to a R on DE 90 E (interestingly narrow and seemingly remote) to a L onto MD 528 through Ocean City, Maryland, then along the dunes -> DE 1 another 20 miles into Rehoboth Beach.  We had a few good ocean views, mostly from bridges.  It was a very nice and pleasant ride.  We ate immediately, immediately next door at the Rehoboth Tap House.  Their salads were very good.  Ron then rode to the Grocery Outlet for bananas, blueberries and raspberries.  No surprise that he recognized all the businesses near the condo we rented two years ago.

4 Jun:  Breakfast at this Hilton Garden Inn in Kill Devil Hills was the worst.  Despite having a full house, there were very few breakfasters, the menu was very limited, and the chef was unwilling to hear of modifications.  Cynthia became very frustrated with the whole ordeal; Ron quickly decided to eat oatmeal in the room.  The ride went quite smoothly, north on US 158 with far less traffic than yesterday, R on NC 168 -> VA 168, R on VA 168 business (to avoid $1 toll), R on I-64 towards Va Beach, R on VA 13 Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel (click here).  That is one long, long bridge with two tunnels for ship channels and a pair of high bridges for another ship channel.  I've been amazed before that all this was done by local residents without help from state or federal funding.  Apparently the $16 toll per vehicle is enough.  The rest of the trip was usually through flat farmlands of the Eastern Shore.  We found cheap rates for a Hampton Inn in Exmore, Virginia.  There were good reviews for the Exmore Grill, but I disagree with the reviewers; the vegetables came straight from a can, the rubbery pancakes from a stale box, and only the egg white omelets were reasonable albeit very thin.

3 Jun:  Today we pack up and roll north on two ferries!  We were out the door, packed and rolling by 11:15, stopped at Sub Tropics (click here) for a veggie sub to eat on the ferry, and negotiated winds, bridges and traffic through Morehead City until we found ourselves on a highway practically deserted.  The rest of the day was on roads less traveled, except when we got off the ferry at Ocracoke Island.  Gosh talk about crowds of tourists.!!  The Hilton Garden Inn at Kitty Hawk is now huge, and our room has only a sliver of an ocean view.  At least we were able to walk out onto the Kitty Hawk pier while the waves were smashing violently onto the sands below.  We both agreed that we like visiting in the off season much, much better than when everyone else is here.  Somehow it doesn't seem like motorcycle riding when you spend 3 and 1/2 hours on ferries.  On the other hand, the several high bridges were remarkable, especially the one that began oriented due west into the setting sun and gradually curved around to the northeast.  Thankfully winds were light.  Traffic in Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills was maddening including one idiot who nearly succeeded in hitting us after first shoving his way perpendicular into the lane next to us.  Route US 70 N to NC 12 N (2 1/4 hour toll ferry to Ocracoke Island, 1 hour ferry north from island), to US 158 in Nags Head with crazy busy traffic.

2 Jun:  On this day, we pack, we walk, and we secure reservations on the Cedar Island Ferry for tomorrow.  We walked further on the beach than normal, then to the sub shop to eat.  Cynthia is beyond elated because she is sleeping and walking without hip pain.  For dinner we ate salads at Roma's pizzeria before walking the very windy beach.  Ron continues working on Volume IV.  4.80 Miles

1 Jun:  On this momentous occasion, the halfway mark of 2026, it is 9:40 AM, and we are thinking about getting up.  The June blog now has a title.  Ron has three important jobs.  At four PM, Ron has accomplished everything on his list.  The doctor's office said his Pacemaker is in the Yellow range, no emergency, just caution, and it is time for increased testing.  We walked the beach hoping to eat lunch at an outdoor restaurant, but it is closed on Monday and Tuesday.  Cynthia walked to Circle K and spent $3.09 on an XL cup of coffee for tomorrow and Wednesday.  We are expecting great-grandchild #14 in November; Eric and Emily already have a two-year-old little girl.  We had reservations at the Island Grille again.  The surf was glorious on our second beach walk tonight, and we had fun dodging the high tide until Ron got caught.  4.68 Miles

MAY BIRSARY: Together Is the Best Place To Be

Birthday Boy with the ramainder of birthday cake

31 May, Did you notice?  Today is the last day of May; but for some of us it is Trinity Sunday!  We worshipped at Shepherd of the Sea Lutheran Church, a six-minute walk from our lodging. We liked the warm, friendly, small congregation that used traditional worship liturgy.  Cynthia noted that her AMD vision is becoming more blurry. With our clothes changed, we walked the beach, we enjoyed the dock swing, and we rocked in the pier chairs, and we admired the intracoastal waterway leading to the pier. Ron is editing Volume IV. Cynthia is pondering what to title the June blog. We walked the beach a second time, dodging high tide except for one wet foot. 4.24 Miles. What do I name the June blog? Tomorrow, tomorrow, it's almost tomorrow! 

30 May:  This is a SLOW SLOW SLOW DAY.  At high noon, we are low energy.  For the other partner in this enterprise, it was a lovely day to luxuriate in bed until noon.  Then we walked to the Sub Tropics (click here) for a foot-long veggie sub, which was very good, and a medium walk on the beach. We ate lunch at the Corner Diner, enjoying a large serving of grilled flounder and veggies.. There is so much flounder we brought a Togo box home. We walked the beach a second time, despite a windy chill, dodging the high tide. We took the boardwalk up from the beach at the Island Grille, rembering our walks from times past on the beach to get to the restaurant. 3.6 miles. After the morning beach walk, the observer, who will remain anonymous, noticed the energetic  partner:

29 May:  And it is another day we are excited to wake up, although we were quite late, arising at 10:00 am, and ever so thankful for a long, refreshing night of sleep.  Now that breakfast is done, Cynthia's exercises and a walk are the next order of business.  We walked along the beach to the fishing pier (free for pedestrians), and espied enough bikinis to keep Ron happy.  On our return along the beach, Ron spotted a pod of dolphin, certainly four that were highy visible, maybe six or eight all together, but no more bikinis.  Ron walked to Food Lion for fresh fruit, etc.  Our highly anticipated dinner at the Island Grille (click here) did not disappoint, a delicious meal of salads and blackened flounder.  Afterwards, we walked in the direction of the Sands Resort Condominiums but were stymied by dead ends.  Backtracking, we stopped to chat for a few minutes with Joe and Elaine, a very entertaining couple with backgrounds at BC (Boston College), Georgetown, Duke, and military brathood.  The index for Volume IV is completed; the book totals 512 pages.  Editing the last few chapters is the next step.  We walked 4.19

28 May:  Yes! Joy Oh Joy!  We walked 2.2 miles to the Food Lion and back for nominally fresh fruit, and Cynthia chose instant coffee to avoid coffee grounds.  It was pure joy to not have any hip pain.  Our lodging includes a microwave, a bar refrigerator, and a coffee maker, so our cooking choices are limited.  (Ron notes that we avoid cooking to avoid dishes.)  We do great, cooking oatmeal with fresh fruit in the mornings.  For lunch, Cynthia ate an apple, a few grapes, spinach, broccoli and a baked sweet potato.  We ate snapper for dinner this evening at Amos Mosquito.  Ron is very happy to report that the indexing is going much faster than he imagined possible.  4.81 miles walking... 12,604 steps. 

27 May:  We have reservations for a room with a King sized bed at the Caribbe Inn (click here), which is supposed to be a rather unusual small hotel, nicely kept and run by a delightful couple, Mike and Sarah.  What a big surprise!!  They were able to give us the King bed room for seven nights at $115 per night.  It is a small room with older appointments, but perfect for us.  Oh Joy, Oh Joy.  Maybe Ron will finish the index for volume 4.  Dinner tonight was at the Island Grille, a hot spot for locals because the food is the best.  We remember this restaurant, not vividly, although Cynthia does remember walking a dark alley with power lines everywhere.  Once she saw the building, memory returned of delightful evenings with the solo waitress.  The yellowfin tuna was the best ever eaten.  Cynthia is also happy because her hip pain is mostly gone until she lies down for any length of time.  Once up, and after getting synovial fluid moving in the joints, she is good for the day.  The key to happiness is having a grateful attitude.

26 May:  We are up, and Ron called the library to discover that their copy of Van Stille's manuscript is older than Ron's, so we don't need to stop there.  We also don't need to go to the LDS Family History Library since they are only open from 10 am to 2 pm on Tuesdays but close during any week with a holiday.  Consequently, we can go straight to Ruby Tuesday for lunch before heading north up the Atlantic Coast.  Who knows how far we will get this afternoon.  Cynthia would like to find a simple beach cottage for ten days to finish the index on volume Four and to walk.  Ron wanted to find a nice room with an ocean view for $125 per night.  We settled on a Doubletree hotel room at twice that cost but located the Caribbe Inn where we can walk daily for three nights at $125 per night.  Unless they have a cancelation, we will have to leave and take a couple of ferries to Ocracoke Island (click here) and beyond.

25 May:  Ron joined Hans on his typical morning walk through town looking for loose change that falls from the sky every night.  Cynthia and Audrey surprised us by honking instead of running us over after they visited the church where Audrey and Hans worship.  Right at the crack of noon, we were on the bike going north on US 701 towards Tater, North Carolina where we ran into a miles long traffic jam and wet roads.  Ron opted to get off the bypass and take the business route through town, which went quickly.  We continued east on US 76 and found even wetter roads as we arrived in Wilmington, NC by two PM.  Fortunately the rain had stopped but our GPS misdirected us, so we had to scout around to find the Hilton Garden Inn hidden a mile away behind other buildings.  We searched on-line and found a Ruby Tuesdays only six miles from the hotel.  By three PM we were happily seated and eating lots of salad.

24 May, Sunday:  Rain is forecast and the skies turned greyer and greyer as we approached Hans and Audrey's house.  As we rode through Loris, a few small raindrops hit us and wet Ron's glasses, but we pulled into the driveway dry and happy.  Audrey welcomed Cynthia into the house and suggested that Ron park in the barn.  Before he got back to the bike, the heavens opened up, and a deluge poured out on Ron, who was immediately drenched, but did manage to ride the bike into the barn quickly.  Audrey found him a towel, and we sat on the patio enjoying the rainfall while we waited for Hans to return home from a trip to Lowes.  Despite short notice, Audrey was able to find salad fixing (including home grown lettuce) and noodles to fix us appropriate to our diets.

23 May:  After so many days without ice cream of any flavor, Ron decided to walk to Trader Joe's for sorbet.  It was good but not impressive.  Immediately afterward, Clark and Elizabeth again picked us up in the Tesla so that Cynthia could again have a front row seat to see what self driving entails.  (You just select a destination from prompts and punch a button to make the car take you there.)  Lunch with Mary, Clark, Elizabeth, Cheryl, Tom, and Dick at Ruby Tuesday's Restaurant in Lexington reminded us all of the good old days.  We have all survived despite the outrageous slings and arrows of Old Man Time, so we thank God for survival.  Clark continued to give Cynthia Tesla driving lessons on the way back to our Hilton Garden Inn.

22 May:  Elizabeth, Clark and Dick joined us for breakfast.  Ron walked to Walmart for vitamins and berries

21 May:  We rode from Athens to Columbia, South Carolina following old route 378, stopped in McCormick, SC for lunch, and were quite surprised by a sudden, quick, brief rainstorm at St. Peters Drive in Lexington.  We ducked underneath a big tree and walked to a store in the light rain that followed and waited for half an hour for the rain to quit, then continued on to the Hilton Garden Inn in Irmo.  Clark, Elizabeth, Dick, Mary and Cheryl joined us for dinner at Ruby Tuesday in Lexington.  Thanks to Clark and Elizabeth for driving us.  Ron rode shotgun on the way there and insisted that Cynthia ride up front on the return to see how self-driving works.

20 May:  Athens, GA .. a quiet morning with a delicious spinach and salmon salad at Hilltop House and a lovely afternoon visit with cousins Sharon and Quint.

19 May:  Angi and Michael hosted us for a delicious dinner last night.  Today we rode to Athens, GA.

18 May:  Oh, my!  Cynthia got three hours of sleep when we arose to meet Danielle, Camille and their dad for breakfast at 6:30 AM.  Our time together was all too brief, but wonderful.  From there, we returned to our hotel to take care of things, packed up, and rode to Sandy Springs, GA, to make the statement, "Together is the best place to be" in Ruby Tuesday's restaurant.  We ate way too much.  Now we will overnight at Michael and Angi's. 6497 days.

17 May, Sunday:  We have been together 6496 days, Or 17 years, 9 months, 14 days, excluding the end date.  Or 213 months, 14 days, excluding the end date. Almost 24/7.  After leaving the security of Pritikin menus and fitness trainers a week ago, we are on our own, scavenging for food as we travel north.  We spent two wonderful days celebrating Ron’s 79th birthday and our fifteenth wedding anniversary on Hutchison Island, one of Florida’s barrier islands.  The mother sea turtles are nesting, so we had to be careful walking the beach and close our drapes at night because they need darkness.  It was astonishing to see five huge pelicans with vast wing spans hovering in an updraft of wind, like drones.  We visited the effervescent former Pritikin Medical Director, whose passionate interest in longevity is at the cellular and molecular level now.  The three of us dialogued about how to bring about change, to wake people up to make better food choices to allow enjoyment of longevity.  We visited a cousin and his wife, who surprised us by praying for the President.  That was a very pleasant thing to hear instead of the raging hate.  She made wonderful whole wheat sourdough bread.  We visited a 93 year old cousin who was praying he would see us once again before he died.  He was so happy to see us.  And now we have arrived in Perry, Georgia to visit my two grand nieces, Danielle and Camille at 6:30 AM tomorrow for breakfast.  The best news is that I am walking great without pain!  The platelet rich plasma therapy in my torn hip tendons worked.

16 May:  "Together is the best place to be" according to the tee shirt at Surcheros (click here).  And together we enjoyed a fun afternoon with our distant cousin Don in Brunswick, GA; great conversation about genealogy, cemeteries, DNA, hobbies and AI before we boogied out to lunch.  Don drove us several miles into town in the comfort of his Cadillac, which car he doesn't drive often.  Afterwards we drove to the cemetery to visit Doris' grave; she passed last Christmas Eve.  We said our goodbyes (with hugs) and returned to the Comfort Inn for the night.

The intrepid travelers, seated, belted, and ready to ride.

15 May:  We had a lovely breakfast with three other pastors.  One pastor is Cynthia's longtime friend from Iowa, a medical doctor and missionary.  The other two missionary pastors are parents of the current pastor in charge of college age youth at a local congregation.  Steve and Melanie ride their Honda Goldwing on trips with a minimum distance of 1000 miles (to get out of Florida or Nebraska).  After breakfast we rode north on the barrier islands on A1A.  The best scenery was on Flagler Beach where we had great views of the breakers for miles and saw several flights of pelicans floating on updrafts over the dunes almost motionless as they sped towards us.  Closer to Jacksonville, we rode west on FL 206 to I-95 and then to Brunswick, GA.  Our stop at the Georgia Welcome Center proved helpful in getting reservations for the night, plus we met the most delightful young woman whose dad had her on a motorcycle while she was still in diapers.  We are so very thankful for this pleasant day.  No matter what life brings, choose to have a gratitude attitude.  I think of Corrie Ten Boom in a Nazi concentration camp thanking God for the lice, or St Paul, imprisoned and beaten.  I choose to have a merry heart.   

14 May:  We spent a very lovely day with cousin Monte and Ellen in Port Orange, FL enjoying the most delicious and nutritious food. Mmmm!  Ellen's whole wheat sour dough bread is divine!  They grow many of their own veggies.

13 May:  The ride through the Barrier Islands was lovely; we arrived at Monte and Ellen's spacious home for a two night visit.

Ron, final gasps of a wave that threatened him

12 May:  Ron's birthday and our anniversary... the ANNABIRSARY!

Ron and Cynthia photo taken by Dr. Fruge

11 May:  We left Pritikin early enough to take the scenic route by Lake Ocachobee en route to Jupiter, FL to visit Dr. Fruge.  She is doing a million things now besides having a concierge wellness practice that goes so far as FaceTime exercise sessions with her patients.  We finally said our goodbyes around 5 PM, rode across the inlet and onto barrier islands for a while before coming onto the mainland for several miles following A1A back onto the barrier islands to the Nicholson Shore Resort for our anniversary.

10 May, Sunday: HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

9 May:  We celebrated Ron's birthday at Pritikin!

8 May:  We had doctor appointments with gold star lab results.

7 May:  Oh my gracious.  We walked a total of 5.33 miles throughout the day.  That is too much.  Ron did extreme cardio!  Cynthia had a fitness class with a personal trainer and we had three lectures.  Ron knows the topics so well he could give the lectures.  Cynthia is organizing her saddlebag for Monday's departure.  She is hopeful for a pleasant Mothers Day by packing early. 

6 May:  Another good day in paradise.  Ron had help from two other Pritikin guests to finish the jigsaw puzzle in record time.  He did his cardio after dinner in two installments, 20-minute interval workout followed immediately by a 22-minute steady state.  One would think that his legs are getting much, much stronger.

5 May:  Pritkin celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a festive, colorful dinner with mahi and bison tacos; we wondered where the mariachi band was.  We did a lot of exercise today; Cynthia had a fitness class and Ron is always moving.  The PGA temporary units are being torn down.  Cynthia is looking forward to the next part of the travel but she is also sad to be leaving this healthy and safe place for her torn tendons and back issues.  Ron is close to completion of this 1000-piece puzzle.

4 May:  Moving Day.  Our villa is going to be remodeled, so we are being moved next door to the Gary Player villa.  We packed everything before breakfast.  Our new unit is much smaller.  Both of us have been doing workouts.  The puzzle is proceeding quickly, 1000 pieces.

3 May, Sunday:  We have never been more well-protected.  The President arrived last night; security outside was extremely tight.  Our morning walk was pleasant despite the crowds.  We saw endless numbers of Secret Service police.  Cynthia is hopeful to get LDL below 70 by eliminating fruit after lunch and not eating fruit first or alone.  "Fruit needs Friends."  Ron started the new puzzle.

2 May:  It was wonderful to sleep late.  Ron participated in the Stretch Class before we watched part of the PGA tour and continued our jaunt through the golf grounds for exercise.  Then chaos erupted when Cynthia could not find her purse.  She thought she hung it on a hook in the restroom.  We searched everywhere before assuming it was gone. The faith-filled PGA sentry told Ron that Cynthia would find it.  And just like that, Sophia, the wait staff manager, motioned Cynthia to the patio where the purse was sitting on a lounge chair.  Cynthia hugged the manager and the sentry. 

1 May:  Wishing everyone May baskets of bountiful blessings.  We are at Pritikin for eleven more days.  Ruthie gave Ron a new puzzle to do

April in Miami

30 Apr: This has been a great month! We lovee Pritikin and what it does for us. Our days are so crazy busy that we forget to blog. Tonight, we met with Frank for several hours and with that good understanding of Cynthia’s spine and tendon issues we have a plan for pain management and healing. ZZzzzz Good night. 

29 Apr: Ron is delighted that he lost two pounds despite eating huge quantities of food! He is working out on the arc trainer and walking, too.  Cynthia had an excellent fitness session and iced her shoulder. We received tickets for the PGA event on May 2. Today is day 20 post PRP. 

28 Apr: We walked a lot, almost five miles. The PGA opens tomorrow. We'd see mighty impressed with the village of temporary A/C rooms set up on the edge of the golf course. 

27 Apr: Cynthia and Ron are approaching their 15th wedding anniversary, and she received this message from Ron, a copy of a post from 25 Dec 2016 filled with love. Aaahhhhhh! “ From Ron's Christmas card: To me beloved wee-fee, "I couldn't be happier - than with you. I love how lovely you are-- appearance, heart, and soul.  I love how happy we are together-- and wouldn't change a thing about you-- even if I could. Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas and many, many more. Love, Smooch. ”

26 Apr: Sunday. We did indeed have a marvelous day. 

25 Apr: Today, we are saying goodbye to Karl, Rosemary, and Didme. Wah!   The cooking class was delicious, chocolate cheesecake!

24 Apr: Some of the loveliest people are here this week!  We walked to the golf instructor's school this morning,  then walked again tonight. In between walking, we had three classes and greatly enjoyed our fellow Ptitikin participants. Everyone got a big hoot of Ron's explanation about doing exercises before we get out of bed. He showed them the exercises and got a huge round of applause!  

23 Apr: Cynthia's LDL increased a bit, and HDL decreased this week. 

22 Apr: Corrie's birthday. 

21 Apr: Cynthia had early morning labs: she lost a pound, but her BP is slightly elevated. We met a delightful man named Daniel, an MD from north of Miami.  He and Ron are out walking. Three weeks are left before we begin our journey north.  We had a lovely day; a special time sitting in the patio with a gentle breeze, grateful to be here. Ron did Tai Chi.

20 Apr: Ron successfully completed the pacemaker test. Cynthia started personal fitness training again.  The hip pain is considerably lessened. 

19 Apr, Sunday:  Ron’s Pacemaker test is due today.  We had a very lovely conversation with Karl-Erik, a psych professor, at lunch.  He is such a nice guy, and the lunch was marvelous.  We also met a lovely Turkish woman.  Such fun. We especially enjoyed the salmon-stuffed mushroom and the warm berry pie.  We are fed a tremendous variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and I OVERATE. 

18 Apr:  Our days are busy!  Ron had two tough workouts on the Arc Trainer and is enjoying humongous salads for lunch.  Cynthia is in the inflammation stage of PRP, which means it is normal to be sore.  This process is slow; it will take 3-six month to strengthen the gluteal tendons.  But she is an adult and can do tough things.  

17 Apr:  Cynthia had platelet-rich plasma therapy one week ago today; she is doing swimmingly great, but she must continue to rest and do easy movements.  Ron completed two puzzles and is amazing folks by lifting one off the table and returning it to the table intact. 

16 April… I accidentally deleted the entire month of April posts. Yikes.  We are so crazy busy, all is well.

10  Apr:  We hired a driver to take us to Fort Lauderdale for Platelet Rich Plasma therapy for Cynthia's torn gluteus medius and minimus tendons.  The prescription is rest for two weeks.  

1 Apr:  Our Pritikin days are very busy, so the blogging is quite limited.  Ron checked today and discovered that we first visited Pritikin in April of 2017 and again in September.  Ditto for 2019.  We skipped 2021 because of East Coast Covid over-reaction and visited again once in 2022 and once in 2024.  So this is now our 7th time to enjoy the health education, food and company at the Pritikin Longevity Center.  My cardioversion was in Philadelphia 2015 and caused my heart to stop for 15 seconds.

Two Rolling Stones En Route to Pritikin

Ron & Cynthia at the Oscars, a great SUNDAY OFFERING

31 March is end with a new beginning tomorrow! We had a fabulous day today beginning with Cynthia’s labs at seven AM, Cardio, Strength, and fitness classes. Our luncheon was Mindful Eating, Blood Sugar Control, and a lecture with Frank that lasted all afternoon. 4.55 Miles

30 Mar: It rained most of the the day. Cynthia shipped her right hearing aid back to Texas to get a new receiver wire on it. Ron continues to make great progress on his puzzle, and we are forging ahead increasing more muscle mass. With the rain today, we had only one outdoor walk.

29 Mar: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…? Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

— 1 Corinthians 6:19–20

Do you not know that diseases are preventable? Listen to the verse, it is especially inspiring because it frames your body not just as something physical, but as something sacred—worthy of respect, care, and PROTECTION. Listen to this scripture and keep it in your hearts. Most people don't really hear the advice to take care of their bodies until the doctor gives a warning. Honor God by taking care of your precious body so your doctor gives you gold stars on your labs like Ron. 5.53 Miles. Pastor Cynthia Forde

28 Mar: With three exercise sessions, a lecture, two walks, and three meals, Cynthia is busy pondering the impossibility of people realizing they can prevent disease.  zzzzzz Good night!  4.37 Miles. 

27 Mar: Ron is making progress on the puzzle; Cynthia is making great progress on exhaustion after four fitness exercise classes today.  We had a great lecture on osteoporosis.  The food is fabulous. The sunset was glorious. 3.67 miles.  

  

26 Mar: Cynthia had three fitness classes today, plus lab results which were excellent except for a recent spike in blood sugar  NO MORE I CE CREAM! We are fed so much delicious food!  2.45 miles 

25 Mar: Morning comes too soon!  After Core strength classes and cardio5, Ron had an appt with his cardiologist and received gold stars on his labs.  We had our Dexa scan labs and analysis; learning we have work to do this coming year!  Cynthia lost a pound of muscle because of inactivity this past year.  Cindy and Greg,  friends from the Florida Keys, were scheduled to visit us here this afternoon, but we didn't hear from them. And Ron is making progress on a challenging puzzle   3.0 miles 

24 Mar: And all too soon it was morning! Immediately after breakfast, we had strength training followed by forty-five minutes of cardio with Ron rocking out to old rock songs, getting his heart rate up to 138, and delighting the rest of the class.  3.6 Miles 

23 Mar: Immediately this morning was lab check time. Our results are returned on Thursday. Included in the lab check is the fitness check. Cynthia logged twelve plus minutes on the treadmill. Athlete Ron did eight minutes because of his knee injury.  We both passed all the other fitness tests, and we are logged into the same level fitness classes.  We spent an hour with the nutrition counselor learning about Pritikin's reversal to the early stringent, medical program, reducing cholesterol dramatically, and getting folks off blood pressure meds. They take your BP meds away the first day. This is not a spa.   No cheese at all, no desserts, but they do have NICE CREAM. The plant based buffets are fabulous.  Ron is very interested  we had a good walk despite the intense sun.  3.81 miles 

 22 Mar: The ride through the Everglades was most enjoyable, especially stopping to see the alligators.  We arrived in time for a late lunch and spotted friends we have met here before.  

21 Mar: We had a great restful sleep! The hotel has Original oatmeal. Yay.  We might go for a hike. And we might not go for a hike. We opted to work on our electronics.  Ahi Tuna Dinner tonight at Cynthia's classmate Annie's was fabulous. We overate big time.  

20 Mar:  The morning was spent with Drew and BD; we left about 2:30 and arrived at our Naples, FL hotel at 4:30, immediately ready for a lovely snooze.  Waking up hungry, we discovered there are no restaurants that can feed us. We played the game Frogger walking in the dark for 25 minutes to a Super Walmart with no sidewalks and a street under construction. Cynthia watched for alligators after seeing the alligator pit near Drew's house.  Ron had a heavy bag with apples, yogurt, bananas, raspberries, and blueberries, and still managed to hold Cynthia's hand returning through the construction site the way we came. We won! The traffic didn't kill us after all.  Saturday we will have dinner with Cynthia's Northwood classmate Annie 

19 Mar: Ron and Drew flew to a fly-in brunch; Drew is Ron's MIT alum and a pilot.  BD and I walked and talked.  BD showed us the alligator nesting area near her home. When the guys returned, we walked to the famous Venice Beach and Pier, just in time to watch a fisherman catch a bull shark with a rope and hoist the floundering shark up and over the railing.  Drew made fabulous Turkey chili for dinner with Chardonnay.   

18 Mar: Arrived in Venice, FL for two nights  

17 Mar: The temperature at check-out time is forty-five degrees that translates to thirty-five degrees on the motorcycle. We have a three- hour ride to Crystal River where we visited Ron's old friends from years ago.  Cynthia was bundled up in all of her heated gear and three pairs of gloves  She lost two right-hand gloves while trying to adjust her the heat The ride was pleasant because of little traffic and smooth roads  We are half a whole wheat Subway sandwich gutted, toasted and filled with veggies for lunch: Cynthia ate a hot Spinach salad with mahi mahi while Ron ate a redfish sandwich and baked potato for dinner.  He greatly surprised Cynthia with a Hampton Inn stay for the night at Brooksville, FL. Yay! They have real, hot oatmeal for breakfast.  

16 Mar: It is raining in Panama City Beach.  We have 127 miles to ride to Perry, Fl, but it is raining there, too  Hmmm!  We waited until the rain stopped ar eleven AM and rode to Mexico Beach to see the remarkable reconstruction from this community devastated by a hurrucane.  We stopped on Port St Joe's peninsula, Hunt's Oyster and Seafood Bar, for hot Seafood Gumboj (to warm Cynthia's frozen fingers), and red snapper. It was very cold riding!  We stopped for the night close to Perry, Florida. 

15 Mar: At noon, we had lunch at Ruby Tuesday's to get our veggies and took off for Panama City Beach by one PM  Ron stopped several times so Cynthia could walk for five minutes.  The Comfort Suutes hotel is surorusingly nice after the last one.  Ron thought it would be fun to get lost walking the 1.25 mile to Uncle Ernie's Seafood Restaurant.  We made it just fine, but Cynthia accidentally ordered Grouper Imperial AND lobster tail.  The food was delicious  and we made it back to the hotel without  getting lost, too  4.04 miles 

14 Mar: Oh, joy! Oh, what fun! We slept late and walked to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch.  The crows were making lots of noise in a nearby tree, Cynthia learned how to pronounce cacophony correctly.  Ron knows everything. We are at work on our electronics; Ron will shop for necessary fruit for our morning cereal and we will go for a long walk in the Mississippi sunshine  

13 Mar: We spent a lovely morning with Pat, walking for thirty minutes, and packing to begin the second leg of the ride to Miami.  The ride along the Mississippi Gulf Coast is always a delight, but today, more so, because the traffic was not too heavy. Many of the once palatial coastal homes were destroyed in the hurricanes a few years ago; some have been rebuilt, but the developer's touch is evident with many rental units having taken their place. Biloxi is now more commercialized. Ron found a wonderful seafood restaurant that has been in business for a hundred years, and we ate Cajun seafood gumbo, red rice and beans, and parsley potatoes with grilled redfish.  Cynthia ate three hush puppies.  Arf!  We walked on the white sand beach and marveled at the vastness of the Gulf Coast waters sparkling like a trillion diamonds in the sunlight. We are lodged in Pascagoula near a Ruby Tuesday restaurant!  We walked a total of 4.48 miles... 11,729 steps.  

12 Mar:  Our travel this year is "play it by ear."   In January, the electrophysiologist told Ron his pacemaker has six months of battery left, which is an approximation.  Once the battery number is up we get a different notification which will be more precise. Therefore, we are traveling as long as we can until we get a phone call. Also, our plans for hiking in Vermont are questionable; the inn is up for sale,  and they no longer have long-term guests. They will only be open four nights a week.  Today, Pat drove us to an audiologist who repaired Cynthia's hearing aid, then to the post office and we treated her to lunch at Jason's Deli.  Ron loves Jason's Deli and the free ice cream cones.  We walked for thirty minutes.  

11 Mar: Baton Rouge, LA  Cynthia is relearning how to pronounce Louisiana, New Orleans, Atchafalya and Avoiyelles from a life-long Louisianan.  It is vastly different from the Texas drawl Cynthia is accustomed to.  Ron is helping Pat with her Stille ancestral line,  while Cynthia walked for forty minutes. We will do another overnight.  2.32 miles. 

10 Mar:  At 6:52 AM, Cynthia woke Ron from a deep sleep!  He was not happy; we must be out of the condo by eleven. Now, the day begins as usual, but two very tired Smooches are up to exercise, eat, and load the bike for the first leg of the ride to Miami.  We left Montgomery at eleven-thirty AM. We arrived in Baton Rouge to lodge with a cousin eight hours later.   2.54 miles. 
 
9 Mar: We worked, we packed, we shipped the box to Pritikin, and we unloaded more stuff at the storage locker.   I deleted my earlier post so I don't recall what I wrote.  

8 Mar:  After worship, we had a lovely salmon brunch at The Oscar's, followed by a brief walk until it rained, and then we must begin the big push to be able to leave on Tuesday.  Except, a nap was important, and the MIT review arrived with articles about AI and the NGS journal carried interesting articles, too. We did indeed manage a walk and a quarter (rain). So here we are at dinner time, and we begin our work. Cynthia spotted Ron's handiwork on her bathroom mirror yesterday, and today it was posted on the coffee table! Note the ice cream spoon addition from Cynthia!  3.66 Miles  (almost 10,000 steps, getting back there!) 

7 Mar: Unfortunately, we didn't sleep much last night.  Ron was obsessing about the TSA agents working without pay; Cynthia was experiencing continual back pain.  Thunderstorms are forecast for late today.  We started out for our walk experiencing tiny sprinkles, but thinking it was ok to continue, we did just that, until big raindrops fell causing us to turn into the parking garage.  The rain stopped,  allowing us to continue walking the Breakwater.  It is a lovely walk, with four or five Great Blue Heron, a good-sized flotilla of ducklings, and several large ducks of another type.  Today, several yellow pollen patches lined the inner banks.  And just as we returned, so did the rain. Ron decided to nap, and Cynthia thought that was an excellent idea, too. It was very pleasant listening to the thunder and rainstorm, but we did not fall asleep.  2.15 Miles. 

6 Mar:  Ron awakened at 6 am, quietly did his exercises on the bed in the spare bedroom (still clean from Marvin & Carolyn's visit two weeks ago) and ate breakfast before 7:40 when he awakened Cynthia.  At 8 AM he was out the door and on the bike towards Woodlands BMW for the warranty replacement of the driveshaft.  And this will need to be done every 36,000 miles.  (Yes, we have that many miles on this bike already !!)  BMW was all done by 10:30, so Ron stopped at Jason's Deli for salad bar (and free ice cream cones) on his way home.  Now he has returned to preparations prior to leaving in four days, early next Tuesday, starting with entering receipts and routes into his spreadsheet.   Cynthia had the car washed and filled with fuel, went to the bank to reorder check blanks, picked up the comforter from the dry cleaners, and prescriptions from the pharmacy. Despite the morning activity, we managed two thirty minute walks today!  We thinks there is an afternoon nap in our futures. Naps are good medicine.  3.64 Miles 

5 Mar:  We drove the car to the storage locker and unloaded much of Cynthia's stuff and then to Oscar's to have dinner with Larry & Dawn.  Another mandatory stop at Walmart for walnuts and Vitamin A (for the eyes, as recommended by cousin Dorothy).  Oscar treated us well as usual, feeding us salmon, salads and rice.  Larry and Dawn evidently also really enjoyed their meals. 2.43 Miles. 

4 Mar:  MEDICAL, ENT at 10:30 AM.  This was Ron's opportunity to go through all his piles of paper looking to separate 1) things to go with 2) things to go to storage, 3) recycling, and 4) etc.  He had good success with a pile of papers to photograph, receipts to enter into his spreadsheet, and recycling.  Since the next four days are supposed to be cloudy and rainy, when will he find bright enough light to photograph documents? 3.37 Miles. 

3 Mar:  MEDICAL.  Cynthia has a doctor's appointment at nine-fifteen with an ENT and the wellness doctor at noon.  We will meet Samantha and her family at three-thirty.  Well, the doors were locked for my ENT appointment.  I called, and they said the appointment was in College Station.  I was very annoyed they failed to tell me that when I made the appointment.  Thankfully, a different ENT near Jon’s house worked me in tomorrow.  We had great fun with Samantha and Adam, and their two precious boys.  More fun, Cynthia’s nephew called tonight, and we enjoyed a great visit about their son interviewing colleges for next fall.  We hope to connect as we travel the next few months. 1.21 Miles. 

2 Mar:  MEDICAL  We rode the motorcycle to the medical center in the Woodlands for Cynthia to get trigger point epidural injections.   Next we dropped off recycling at Target and ate lunch at Jason’s Deli.  The TP injections felt great for six hours until the lidocaine wore off.   1.51 Miles. 

1 Mar, Sunday:  After worship, Jon joined us at Oscar’s Restaurant; we ate poached salmon and plates of vegetables.  We came home to nap, but we didn't fall asleep.  1,83 Miles. 

February, nose to grindstone!

Dale, Ron (as Adonis), and Aldona

The photo to the left is from Dean & Janina's wedding. Cynthia agrees Ron was an Adonis, but he is even more so now! 

28 Feb: Bill and Merry are joining us for lunch tomorrow at the Magnolia Diner.  Ron received his second Shingles vaccination. 

27 Feb: The temperature is increasingly warmer. Ron studied Bruce Lee’s life history and shared it with Cynthia the entire length of the Point Trail.  It was an incredible day!  Cynthia had a haircut, mailed three Lea volumes to the Caswell County Library in Yancyville, picked up a proxy paper for Ron. Ron is about one hundred pages from the end of editing the index for Volume Four.  2.57 miles 

26 Feb: It is hard to catch up on the blog when we are so crazy busy we forget.  3.41 Miles 

25 Feb:  Cynthia wrote letters to grandchildren and packed. 1.06 Miles

24 Feb: (looking ahead) 10:00 appt with Dr. C., in the Woodlands followed by an appointment with ENT for new domes on Cynthia's hearing aids. After the drive to the recycling center, we will have lunch at Jason's Deli.  2.28 Miles 

23 Feb: We slept a lot. Cynthia's bronchitis is healing. Ron has the recycling ready to go to the recycling center. 2.54 Miles 

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22 Feb:  lunch with Zoe and Jack, Fyn, Paul, and Cheryl. They served a Spinach salad with spaghetti squash made like lasagne without oil and served a delicious bean sauce on the spaghetti squash. Paul brought his home made sour dough bread. Yummy. 

It was delightful to see Zoe and Jack's new home. 

21 Feb: Ron's cousins enjoyed the visit.  We don't cook, but they enjoyed going with us to the Yacht Club for a delicious meal by candlelight. We don't use or keep sugar or cream, but they enjoyed coffee plain. 1, 74 Miles. 

20 Feb: Ron’s cousins arrive from Iowa. 1.81 Miles 

19 Feb.  We had a good night’s sleep, and the sore throat has improved.  Congestion and cough, not!  I am so thankful I went to urgent care. Ron is busy at his Mac, with his exercises to do.  It is noon, and Cynthia completed her therapy exercises. What can I eat? A protein and veggie smoothie might be good.  Walking will wait a couple days. 

18 Feb: Ron was off early to get the motorcycle serviced. Cynthia will finish cleaning, get the emissions checked on the car, pay the tax assessor, go to the bank, vote, stop at the storage unit, and pick up an RX.  Except! Her phone got a pop-up hoax, which is a little bit like a virus. Thanks to Chat GPT she deleted it. Of course, then everything had to be reset. Almost home, she realized she should have gone to Urgent Care when she was nearby and returned. She has bronchitis with two new prescriptions to take. We are tired.ZZzzzzzz

17 Feb: The grass is greening, pear trees are blossoming, and children are riding bikes on the sidewalks.  Spring is in our steps. We have completed walk #1. Ron spent the day organizing his things Cynthia is helping by staying out of the way. She finished answering Lauren’s twenty questions and gave her two of her children’s favorite recipes for a cookbook Lauren is compiling as a family gift. It is difficult to type so much!  Ron said reading and writing help prevent dementia. Whew.  2.70 Miles 

16 Feb: How beautiful is the morning! 70 degrees. We exercised, ate, and took walk #1. Ron is typing receipts into his spreadsheet with much house cleaning awaiting. Cynthia is experimenting with making her lunch in a blender. Today, she added two kiwi fruits with skins, Isopure protein powder, broccoli, spinach, and a cup of yogurt.  Not many people would like this, but it was a great way to ingest a lot of iron and Vitamin C.  After walk #2, we reached a total of 3.56 Miles. 

15 Feb: The sermon on the Transfiguration was marvelous. We had salmon at lunch at The Oscars followed by a great walk.  3.67 miles and almost 10,000 steps. Yay for us. 

14 Feb:  Happy Valentine’s Day!  Lovely roses, a Valentine's card, and we had a great walk together to the trail!  Cynthia is ecstatic that she walked for an entire 30 minutes without suffering during the walk or afterward.  2.58 miles 

13 Feb:  Walk # 1 is over, so is lunch.  Ron is cleaning, organizing, and recycling, and we completed walk #2.  2.77 miles.  

12  Feb Oh, boy!  We are going to have guests.  Ron started the recycling project by burying compost last night after his usual 4-mile walk.  This particular compost burial was to fill in a hole on the breakwater path where Cynthia has hurt her back after the grass grows high enough to obscure the hole.  We won't know if the hole is filed until the dirt settles next year.  Ron has been so busy reading through Volume 4 to create the index that he hasn't updated the blog much at all.  His first necessity is to list the favorite flavors at Blue Bell on the 10th.

11 Feb:  Cynthia and granddaughter Lauren started a conversation that could become a book.  Lauren opened the conversation by sending Cynthia 20 questions.  The first one took her days to answer because it opened the door to a difficult time in her life.  Lauren will respond and also answer the question.

10 Feb:  Ever since Dr. Beim told Cynthia that he wanted to see her again in three weeks, we have been looking forward to our last trip this year to Brenham because the Blue Bell Cremery tasting room is located conventiently near Dr. Beim's office.  After our medical appointment in Brenham with Dr. Beim we hustled posthaste over to the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory. Mmmmmm!  We were more relaxed and less frenic than during our earlier visits, so we only ate 11 scoops of ice cream.  Ron's favorites were the pistacho, peachy peach, butter pecan, mocha almond fudge, and happy tracks; Cynthia's were the butter pecan and cherry vanilla (although she complained that cherry vanilla is supposed to be white instead of pink).  Neither of us was impressed by the black cherry or the oatmeal creame pie.  Afterwards, Cynthia opined that the ice cream and tasting room were too cold and that she actually liked eating Kroger's Premium Selection Amaretto Cherry Cordial at home better.

9 Feb:  We are two tired puppies after riding the bike to a financial appointment, followed by Jason’s Deli and two walks.  Addictive behaviors die hard; Ron has been an ice-cream-aholic all his life and has had the habit locked down for 16 years, but ever since he splurged following his cataract surgery, his passion has been reignited.  He even enjoys the FREE soft serve cones at Jasons Deli and consumes four fairly large cones with his salads; he has even stopped ordering a baked potato to insure that he has room for all four cones.  3.59 miles.

8 Feb: We were delighted when a woman told us after worship how much she enjoyed watching our relationship. 2.85 miles

7 Feb:  The weather is marvelous. We worked on computer tasks all day, took a nap, and we took two walks.  Cynthia received many responses to the grandchildren's Valentine's Cards.  Charlotte's dancing was a delight. 

6 Feb:  Last night we both slept well for an uninterrupted 9 hours.  What a relief.  Cynthia's epidural has kicked in and she is now full of p___ and vinegar. (Who me!?  We walked twice today for a total of 2.96 miles. Woo! Hoo!)

5 Feb:  Cynthia had a Women’s Wellness Dr. Appt; afterward, we had oil and filters changed (the Lexus Wellness session), followed by a delicious salmon dinner at the Pizza Shack before picking up meds at the pharmacy.  Ron is helping Cynthia transfer data onto a spreadsheet in preparation for Monday’s meeting with a fiduciary.

4 Feb:  We drove into The Woodlands today in chilly, windy weather to Texas ENT Specialists for Cynthia to get new earpieces (ear molds) for her hearing aids.  It was a fun visit with an eccentric Mom.  On the way to the Woodlands, we noticed a new Jason's Deli that we had never noticed before, just next to the Target and Research Forest Drive on 2854 (Honea Egypt Road).  It was a good restaurant.

3 Feb:  Hi Barb,  Yes, we are neglecting the blog because Ron has nose to the grindstone trying to get Volume 4 ready to go to the publisher.  He is now working on the index, which means he has to read all 400 pages looking for oversights, omissions, errors, typos, and other less-than-perfect details.  Thanks for worrying about us.  See Vol. II above

2 Feb:  MEDICAL:  Cynthia had an epidural in her SI joint.  Ron had an echocardiogram that apparently indicates to the technicians that he is still alive.  Let's hope the doctor agrees.  The assessment on his MyMedical chart at UT Health agrees.  So far, so good.

1 Feb, Sunday:  We enjoyed worship at Grace Lutheran and lunch at The Oscars.  Oscar is so good; he ordered salmon especially for us.

2026 We Turn 18 Again Beginning in January!

Ron in treehouse preparing to zip-line down

31 Jan:  The chilliness in the condo warrants a heating pad on Cynthia's lap.  We are ready for our second walk of the day going a little further each day.  Cynthia is planning a party next week and writing letters to great-grandchildren using one finger.  You can tell that Ron has been obsessed with Volume IV of James Lea, James Lea, James Lea because all of the posts for January are extremely brief.  Ron is NEVER that brief, but he does become pre-occupied to the point that entire days and months disappear in the fog of obsession.  Cynthia placed photos of a couple of the James Lea, James Lea, James Lea books on this page, but they don't stand still when Ron tries to put a label on them.

30 Jan:  Great-granddaughter Charlotte successfully competed and won the yellow belt in Taekwondo.  We successfully slept, oatmealed, exercised, and walked.  Ron walked twice. 

Volume I, Lea genealogy

Volume III, the DNA study

29  Jan:  Here we are just bouncing to the end of January achieving goals.  We exercised and walked twice.  Cynthia had a pedi/mani and returned items at UPS.  Ron has moved on to Hico, the last Watershed before editing and creating the index for Volume Four. Yay.  It certainly will be a treat for this to be off to the publisher when we leave for Pritikin so we can focus on eating and exercise.  3.15 Miles! HOORAY

28 Jan:  Buy four AA batteries Cynthia;  she did!  She also bought a small adult blood pressure cuff, but it must have been child size, so it was returned.  We walked twice and did upper-body workouts at the fitness center.  And on this day we continued our great progress with being eighteen again.  We exercise a lot, we eat a lot, and we laugh a lot!  2.56 Miles

27 Jan:  We had a fabulous day, or was that yesterday?  Cynthia is elated to feel so great.  We did our morning stretches, she did the physical therapist's workout, and we did an upper-body workout at the fitness center, followed by a 15-minute walk on the trail.  How exciting is this?  The best part of workouts and walking is the exhilaration.  Ron is making great progress with Volume Four.  Cynthia worked with DNA correspondence.  Lauren sent Grandmother a list of questions with answers that might make another book.  It is a joy to have so many grandchildren.  Ron is walking the trail earlier tonight.  2.31 Miles

26 Jan:  The day was quiet doing the usual with the grandchildren correspondence, exercises, and seeing the gastroenterologist.  Does Broccoli give indigestion?

25 Jan:  Thankful.  That's the word for our awakening to electrical power and to no snow.  We ate, exercised, and walked twice.  Cynthia is deeply thankful for walking without pain.  Ron is almost finished with North Hico.  2.0 Miles. TWO MILES T.W.O. 2 MILES.

24 Jan:  Ok, historic storm is forecast: we are ready as we can be.  The car is filled with fuel, Cynthia has containers filled with water in the bathtub, but it is futile to fill the tub or sinks because they won’t stay filled.  Extra food is in the refrigerator and cabinets.  We did laundry.  Cynthia is very proud that Ron has started recycling; this takes weeks to do before we leave for Miami on 10 March.  Thank God for heat and power, but, Cynthia would have preferred to go to a lovely hotel with a backup generator.

23 Jan:  Cynthia was bound and determined to be prepared for the worst possible hurricane, tornado, blizzard, and the Great Flood by shopping and shopping again.  We mailed the Lea books to the NGSQ for a critique/review.  Ron finished South Hico Watershed in Volume Four; the remaining are North Hico, Hico, and the Index.  The book size was trimmed back to 500 pages.

22 Jan:  We must have been busy.  Maybe we will remember what we did on this day

21 Jan:  Dr C’s consultation in the Woodlands for the epidural in the SI joint, is now scheduled for 2 Feb along with Ron’s echocardiogram at two PM.

20 Jan:  Oh!Oh!  We saw the ophthalmologist in Brenham.  There is a Blue Bell Creamery right there.  Then we drove to Hempstead to talk to the CPA about taxes.

19 Jan:  Cynthia awoke at 7 to discover Ron sitting at his computer at five AM still working on Volume Four.  The sun is shining and bright, high temp of 63.  Cynthia is always chilly so she ate oatmeal for lunch, too.

1/18 Sunday  Worship followed by salmon lunch at Oscar’s, pick up packages at Jon’s, and stop at the storage unit to pick up sweatshirts and knitted caps.

1/17  Cynthia housecleaned, did laundry, finished recording receipts to go to the CPA, and she did her therapy exercises.  Ron is working on James Lea, Volume Four, with three more watersheds for inclusion.  Next, he wants to create a website for the Leas.  We walked for eleven minutes.  Cynthia called the Inn at Long Trail for summer reservations.  It is so cold in Texas that we went to bed to get warm.

1/16  Cynthia is celebrating her graduation from Physical Therapy.  Everyone is pleased that she is finally starting to strive to be an achiever.  She needs more degrees!  She is happy not have pain.

1/15  A day of Rest  nite nite

14 Jan:  Cynthia is doing taxes; Ron is writing correspondence.

13 Jan:  Allergy Medical Appt @ 10:00 AM, followed by appointment with podiatrist at 1:45.

12 Jan:  Physical Therapy and home again, home again.

11 Jan:  Turn the Page.  An important part of the Forde Family has passed from this place to life beyond.  Now we turn the page.  Cynthia has PT at eleven.

10 Jan:  Happy Birthday Paul!  We arose at six AM to ride with Jon to the Klein Funeral Home in Houston for the Memorial Service for Stan F.. Scott’s service was held there in 1998.  Following Stan’s service, too, we traveled to the graveside service at Scott’s Grove, our family cemetery.  We had a lovely lunch catered by Waller County Catering.  Friends were in attendance from forty years ago.  Most of our great-grandkids were there.

9 Jan:  The plan for January and February is two-fold: Cynthia wants to finally spend time with the grandchildren, and we will get the taxes done in addition to physical therapy twice a week.  YES, we are thankful for our marvelous life together.

8 Jan:  We enjoyed a lovely, late sleep followed by Cynthia's housecleaning, doing laundry, washing dishes, and floors.  Ron decided it would be good to do the first of three ten- minute walks so we escaped the kitchen for ten minutes.  Cynthia is worn out, Ron went for a walk after working on Volume Four.  The already published James Lea volumes 1-3 were ordered for Barb, libraries, and archives today.

7 Jan:  Today was another early “Rise and Shine” day for Ron’s electrophysiologist appointment six blocks away.  This guarantees a mile of walking.  He has everyone laughing hard at his stories.  Cynthia had a physical therapist appointment, we picked up a RX and returned a pair of shoes to Amazon, returning to the condo by 4:30 PM.  Cynthia walked 2.82 Miles

6 Jan:  Cynthia’s hair appointment with Sasha was at eleven AM.  Sasha has been her hairstylist for 45 years, and he really enjoys Ron!  We ate lunch at Jason’s Deli; Ron slept all afternoon.  We walked to Salata before he returned to work on Volume Four.  Now he is getting in the four-mile walk around Rice University.  Cynthia’s lab results are good.  Cynthia walked 2.65 miles

5 Jan:  Our cardiologist appointments were at 7:45 AM.  Cynthia was delighted to be able to walk the six-block distance from our hotel to the doctor’s office.  We wished him a Happy New Year after our great appointment and he said, “Let’s plan on another twenty years.”   We napped, looked at the news, and walked to Salata for dinner.  Cynthia walked 2.51 Miles.

4 Jan:  Charlotte turned four years old, awakening to find 100 balloons in her room.  After worship, we ate at Oscar’s and rode to the TX Medical Center for three days.  Our cardiologist might put us in the bad patient jail because we have eaten contraband.  Cynthia walked 1.53 Miles

3 Jan:  Today:  We listened to the President's report about capturing Maduro.  At three PM we will do an upper body workout at the Fitness Center.  We exercised and we ate!

2 Jan 222… 6.!  TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX!  Now what???  Aha! We rode the motorcycle to UPS to return a package.  Cynthia also mailed a package to Cousins Quint and Sharon.  We ate a late lunch at Oscar’s, and we increased our walking to twelve minutes.  Ron is working on Volume Four.  Cynthia is organizing tax info.  DNA will be set aside for taxes this month.

1 Jan 2026:  We celebrated New Year’s (Christmas) with the Forde family at granddaughter Corrie’s; her backyard is filled with tree houses, playhouses, zip liners, rope swings, live chickens and goats, and thrilled all ten great grandchildren.  The BBQ lunch was delicious.  Except we ate contraband fat and sugar.

December Joy in Texas

31  Dec:  Cynthia had a PT appointment, we picked up the potato salad for tomorrow; we walked in Walmart and we walked for ten minutes towards the point. It is encouraging to move into 2026 walking outside again!  1.23 Miles     HAPPY NEW YEAR!

30 Dec: We are having lunch with Steven at the Pizza Shack. The sun is bright, but it is very chilly. 

29 Dec: Ron is making progress responding to DNA questions and Volume Four. After lunch, we will go to the fitness center for a thirty minute upper body work out, then back to work on our Mac’s.  That was the plan. Instead, we took a nap. Cynthia is making great progress falling asleep. ZZzzzzzzzzzzz  

28 Dec: Worship at Grace Lutheran 

27 Dec: We took a good break in our busy lives to go to the Fitness Center doing upper body workout. Except… it has been so long, Cynthia forgot her weight lifting reps. 

26 Trump declared Dec. 26 a National Holiday. Cynthia is. taking advantage of the extra holiday by sleeping late, doing her exercises, eating a great bowl of oatmeal with berries, and then going to Walmart and walk holding onto a cart for thirty minutes before responding to a trillion zillion messages. 

25 Dec: Merry Christmas! We ask God’s blessings on all as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ!  

24 Dec: Our day was unbelievably quiet in every way.  Cynthia is responding with one finger typing to a trillion messages while Ron is clicking his Mac keys. 

23 Dec:  A dear friend of Ron’s had a stroke and is in a nursing home. Thanks to Diane H for taking this photo of Ann holding up a Christmas message to us, 

22 Dec: Physical Therapy at 9:30. Several Lea books were mailed to libraries.  Ron is doing a phenomenal job on Volume Four. 

21 Dec: Jon joined us at church. This is our first time back at church this fall because Cynthia could not walk. . We had lunch at The Oscars Bistro.

20 Dec: Ron is working non stop on Volume Four. 

19 Dec. Medical: Dr Lotze at 8:30 and Dr Conley at 10:30. Ron named our new game, “Guess the word that Cynthia can’t think of.”  We had lunch at Jason’s Deli and napped this afternoon before Ron started working again on Volume Four. 

17 Dec: Physical therapy. Our family is grieving and Cynthia is pastor, mother and grandmother. 

16 Dec: Cynthia had a periodontal appointment this morning, and a retina specialist appointment this afternoon with good news that her AMD is early/intermediate. He said her eyes are healthy. We ate at Jason’s Deli and did not get home until late. We have only two more Dr appointments this year! 

15 Dec: Cynthia’s former spouse passed away today. This is a very difficult time for the whole family. 

14 Dec: Soon, it will be Christmas and this link to our Christmas card is to wish you the merriest Christmas ever!https://jlcards.com/FE7Hk0

13 Dec: Today, we have lunch with Bill and Merry at eleven.  We just don’t know where we agreed to meet.  Ron may send Christmas cards, Cynthia may send E-cards. Writing and Typing is too tough. 

12 Dec: We had the quietest day with a lovely nap, and Ron is making great progress on Volume Four.  Granddaughter Samantha sent a cute video of Noah singing at his Christmas Concert. 

11 Dec: We drove to the Opthalmologist in Brenham, Texas which meant a stop at Blue Bell Ice Cream Creamery followed by a nap for our too-much-over-full-tummies. The hip world turned once again.  This is a copy of the message I sent my children: Monday I had a spine epidural to test how much pain is coming from my spinal L4 and L5 root.  It is three days later so about 50% of the pain is spinal.  Tuesday, I met with the hip ortho who surprised us by saying the hip has some wear, but I do not need a hip replacement.  Instead,  The main source of my pain is a dysfunctional sacroiliac joint.  He encouraged us by saying with eight weeks of physical and steroids in my SI joint plus a new anti-inflammatory medication for the SI joint.  So good news all around!  Ron had an eye appointment to check follow up after his May cataract surgery so we pigged out at the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory. 

You are dearly loved!. 

You are dearly loved!

10 Dec: We get to sleep in tomorrow!  Yaay  And we did!  Pharmacy 

9 Dec:  And here we are ready for the medical center run to see a hip orthopedist this time. The visit was good with surprising news. The clinical exam shows Cynthia’s hip to be ok, mild arthritis, the doctor was not alarmed by the tears in the labrum or the over extension of the femur. He reported the pain seems to be coming from the spine, and a dysfunctional SI Joint. He recommends physical therapy and an anti-inflammatory. We stopped at Jason’s Deli for dinner as part of our date night. Good night!

8 Dec: Physical Therapy begins at 9:30, we will eat someplace at noon,  drive to Memorial Hermann Hospital for a spinal epidural.  Worn out, we arrived home and napped for two hours.

7 Dec: The day flew by since ours didn’t start until noon-thirty. Ron is focused on Volume Four of James Lea. Cynthia is showered and ever so hopeful Ron will give her his dirty laundry to wash before midnight. 

6 Dec: The sun is shining,  boats are moving onto the lake, and it doesn’t look anything like Christmas in Texas, but, that is a happening in the heart. 

5 Dec: This is a good day, Cynthia stopped all meds except ongoing ones. Nothing helps mechanical pain, surprisingly, she has less pain.  So much joy is boring to our readers! Ron returned from his walk and that is a joyful sound!  He said we don’t act like adults. 👩 

4 Dec: We have nothing on our schedule until Monday next but sleep! That’s a very joyful thought!  Ron is making marvelous progress on Volume 4. We need to send Barb her books. 

3 Dec:  And off we go to physical therapy, always comforting and healing. We stopped at UPS to print out medical forms and dropped off two pairs of pants to be hemmed. Cynthia slept all afternoon. Zzzzzz

2 Dec:  Sleeping until noon translates into joy  We are happily eating lunch at one-thirty. Ron worked on Sudokus, and he walked at five PM. Cynthia is frustrated by inactivity. But movement causes pain. Reading, normally a great joy, is curtailed by vision. Having a good attitude is transforming the tough times into joy filled times. 

1 Dec:  JOY! Oh, what joy!  We are ready to do physical therapy!  Cynthia learned her left hip has so many problems that it is better to replace it.  She has an appointment next Tuesday with an orthopedist.