May Means Ron’s Birthday

31 May:  Mayday, Mayday!  We are running out of May days!  But, after all, tomorrow IS another month.  After breakfast, Cynthia hoofed it to Chestnut Hill Jewelers to make a deal.  She sold her pair of unmatched two gold earrings for $75.00 and bought a very inexpensive pair of earrings to replace the ones she lost.  (Silly Ron preferred the unmatched pair.)  The Smooches ate lunch at McMenamins before walking into Chestnut Hill for Ron to take a passport photo, but CVS didn't offer the striped shirt and number that he requested.  Then on to the Post Office to mail cards and return.  Cynthia is rich in steps today - - - really steppin' out.  Ron is eating frozen pineapple and mango to keep his strength up this afternoon.  Receipts tell Ron that other people joined us for dinner at Scoogi's, my guess is John and Jim.

30 May:  The rain yesterday means that Cynthia doesn't need to water her plants this morning.  We were a bit warm throughout the night, but slept well and woke up too early.  Ron is already feeling sluggish with a full stomach after breakfast.  He might have to return to the house for additional pineapple and mango sugar to perk up his personality.  First, however, there is an e-mail to send and a letter full of postcards to address.  All Done and Ron is feeling much more energetic - so much so that he prepared a forWeb version of another package.

29 May:  Another tomorrow, but we will have to await tomorrow for another day.  Eureka !!  Receipts tell Ron that we went to McMenamin's for lunch with Kim and ? today.  (Ron really needs to blog lunches while still incoherent.)  Ron has completed the Cock package that has consumed all his time for the last six weeks (823 pages.)  Only 8 more packages for the Swedish Colonial Society left to complete.  Then there is the James Lea document for Cynthia before he can resume working on the Rambo Family Tree.  There are just too many fun things to do.  Cynthia is discovering that the Forefathers Profiles require much more data entry and attention than she imagined.  Isn't it nice that we can stay our of mischief so easily?  It will be quite a respite to enjoy a hiking vacation in Vermont for the rest of the summer, and we are discussing a return to the Pritikin in September (for the cheaper rates, dontcha know.)  The rain this afternoon was intense and a tornado touched down in Berks County (nearby).  Fortunately it had stopped by 7:20 when we walked home for dinner oatmeals.  Little Miss Smoochie had spirited the flowers up to the bed and sat awaiting Cynthia with the "Let Me Count the Ways I Love You" card in hand.

28 May:  Only three more shopping days left until June Day.  Oh my gosh, I forgot to celebrate May Day.  (Editorial comment from the pulpit: Isn't Ron hilariously funny?  The tree depicted on 24 May is a Korean Dogwood, according to Nancy Drew who does DNA.)  Up early, well rested, and back to working on the new components of the package, tossing out superfluities and redacting others.  Fortunately John was here today at lunchtime, so we were enabled to walk to McMenamin's so that Ron could drink lunch - and behold, he is finally sober enough to type legibly.  Getting close to completion, but heavy thunderstorms are also forecast, and it is now 7 PM, quitting time.  Somehow the heavy thunderstorms never materialized although Pastor David said that it rained heavily during the night.

27 May:  We rested well last night and woke up refreshed and cheerful.  (Thank God we both usually wake up cheerfully.)  Ron spent ten minutes meditating about how peaceful and beautiful the campus is on a holiday before asking Michael let us into the Archives.  Ron is now back to work.  Thank goodness for time to recover after a "day of rest," spent washing windows.  Now he is editing the "final" component of the Cox package and listening to "oldies" on his headphones.  Oops, more components showed up.  Nephew Eric's RPM Coins web page (click here) is reported to have problems (easily fixed by da Geek squadette.)  Communication with cousin Angi continues to be entertaining, and she is typing tons of Dehaven information.  (We need a name, Angi, for Dorothy Bertine's Dehaven book so that I can get the word out via this blog.)  The daily walk to and from Fresh Market for salad lunch was refreshing, although Ron (clippers in hand) never caught up to Cynthia after returning to change shirts and retrieve his hat.  This evening's walk was glorious; the flowers are smelling amazingly fragrant throughout the campus.  (So we walked in circles for nearly an hour this evening.)

26 May, Sunday:  Tomorrow, rapidly approaching (just like yesterday).
Ron is funny!  RON is Funny! RON IS FUNNY!  (Editorial comment from someone other than Ron.)  We churched in the morning and enjoyed the pulpit supply minister wonderfully well.  Fresh Market lettuce lunch next, followed by a quick trip to Walmart (where Ron forgot to buy fat-free, salt-free pretzels.)  Then Ron washed windows until the rain diverted his attention to the Family Tree Maker file that Cynthia improved.  After cessation of rain, window washing resumed until after dark.  Monday morning light reveals that the windows are still streaky but much, much improved.  Two more dining room windows will be Ron's focus next Sunday.  Washing windows is a lot more work when they've accumulated crud for at least ten years and all of the sliding parts are corroded or sticky.

Impatiens.  Up close and personal.

25 May:  Tomorrow, rapidly approaching yesterday, collided with today, today. 
Ron is funny!  
Today Michael had to unlock the Brossman Center for us to be the only other souls on campus.  Ron will be compelled to invent things to say to make the text extend for the entire length of the picture beside it - - - and we made progress in that dimension.

24 May:  Nina F. from Santa Fe, NM, wrote this marvelous poem for our marriage in May 2011:  

Unto her –

This tree has marvelously snow white, squarish blossoms.
(Google doesn't find good pictures, but Cynthia says it is a dogwood.)

his eyes –
If water
was a flame –
lift and chase
the sparkle
in her veins –
Not a rock
is he –
Or a stone –
But a canyon
with a thousand
depths –
The red core’s
heart –
The lips
that taste
the marrow
in her bones.

These lilac colored flowers have a sweet fragrance.

and Cynthia blogged before I looked at my computer this morning.  Another lovely Philadelphia Friday morning, and we are at the Archives working early.  Fortunately, John showed up and we were able to "drink lunch" late at McMenamin's.  Ron has returned to sobriety and is wrapping up the Catherine Cox package at long last, perhaps tomorrow.  After a few hints for a few days, Cynthia posted photos of her new flowers and the beautiful dogwood tree recently blossoming snow white.  

Cynthia's new planted row of impatiens.

23 May:  Yes, we are still in Philadelphia at the Lutheran Seminary in Mt. Airy, still enjoying accommodation on-campus with Pastor David.  And Ron is again in the basement working on the Catherine Cox package for John Tepe.  Typical walk to Fresh Market for lunch and an additional walk at 7 PM to sniff the flowers and round out the mandatory 10,000 steps.  Ron intended to get to bed early, but it was again 10:30 by the time he hit the sack.

22 May:  Ron is again in the basement working on the Catherine Cox package, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Kim-Eric and an excuse to "drink lunch" at McMenamin's.  Cynthia is again slaving away in the Lull Lounge, adding source citations to every iota of information from The 1693 Census of the Swedes on the Delaware.  Hefeweizen for lunch was delicious; Kim and Prof. Larry also joined us today.  By 5 PM Ron had sobered enough to resume work.  Ron was delighted to see Eric there again (Eric was the hard-working busboy at McMenamin's from 2011-2015.)  7:20 we went for a lovely walk around the neighborhood after which Cynthia watered her flowers, we ate a couple bags of popcorn and suddenly it was bedtime again.  We enjoyed wonderful sleep and woke up refreshed.

21 May:  Today was chilly again this morning.  Will the weather ever make up its mind?  Err, forget that the weather has no mind.  Mid-day the weather was perfect, warm enough with a cool breeze.  The new scale declared Ron to weigh a mere 171 lbs - too little, so he needs to start eating more, poor boy.  Today we again ate leftover salads for lunch, but we have finished them now.  Ron is enjoying the frozen pineapple and mango that Walmart sells - his ice cream substitute.  The leftover salads removed the incentive to walk to Fresh Market for lunch.  In the evening we invited John and Jim to Scoogi's for dinner.  Afterward, we agreed that Scoogi's is still our favorite restaurant hereabouts (click here), in large part because it is quiet and relaxed.  The good food doesn't hurt, and Jim & John thoroughly enjoyed their desserts.  So we are under-walked today.

20 May:  Another day at the Archives.  Ron bailed out of the house early, when Cynthia began cleaning up a storm.  Blogging done, back to the Cock package.  The new flowers that Cynthia planted beside the entry sidewalk are looking quite bright and cheerful today.  Cynthia declared it too hot to walk to Fresh Market mid-day, so we ate leftover salads for lunch and walked to the Trolley Car Diner for dinner of an egg white omelet.

19 May, Sunday:  What a change, straight from winter into the heat of mid-summer in two days.  We enjoyed our walk to church in the morning and Ron exulted in the trimmed trees along the way.  Immediately after eating lunch salads at Fresh Market, we rode the motorcycle to Walmart where Ron bought a new bathroom scale.  The good news is that he weighs only 172.8 Monday morning.  (Don't ask Cynthia about the bad news - Ron is in enough trouble already.)

18 May:  Cynthia is still coughing and drowsy after using nighttime cough medicine last night - - and here it is noontime, time to walk to Fresh Market, but we have too much salad in the refrig, so we will buy bananas and blueberries instead of fresh salad.

Thanks to Britt A. for the photos taken at the Council meeting on 16 May (moved to that date below): another photo is the twos of us, the Rector blessing our marriage, and the news article published in the Swedish Colonial News in 2011. 

Happily Forever After

17 May:  Settendemai, (17 May) the Norwegian Fourth of July!  Ron was delighted to skip out for lunch with John P. at noon, but drank a light lunch since evening celebrations were on the schedule.  After a long day's work in the Archives, we Swedes (plus Norske) had a marvelous dinner party at Jansen (click here) to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary and Ron's birthday (Da Annibursary.)  Friends Jim and Joni drove from Maryland, John and Emily came from Delaware, Herb and Zofia came from New Jersey,  Mark brought Sally from Berwyn, Ed and Wu Jen live closer?, John P. came from up north in Philly, and Kim-Eric and Ruth drove from Exeter, PA.  Ron and Cynthia were given a couple of greeting cards (one hand-made by Sally's computer printer and the other signed by everyone present) and a lovely flower basket (thanks Wu Jen.)  It was a lovely dinner!!!!  We are thankful to our friends for celebrating with us!!!!  

   16 May: Ron continues working on the Peter Larsson Cock package, and occasionally decrypts another cryptic source citation.
Cynthia has entered reports from Peter Craig concerning the colonial Schaggen, Stille and Yocum's lineages into Family Tree Maker.  The rain has made many local flowers breathtaking.  Bev W. gave us a ride to the Swedish Colonial Society councilors meeting at Gloria Dei "Old Swedes" Church near Penn's Landing.  Ron and Cynthia were the Fika (lunch) hosts.  This catered, Pritikin-perfect lunch was so tasty and appealing that Cynthia received effusive thanks.  Better yet, the Rector of Gloria Dei blessed our marriage which was officiated by her predecessor at Gloria Dei eight wonderful years ago. 

The Rector of Gloria Dei blessed our marriage.

After all normal business reports were given, we delivered brief reports about our activities  Everyone was so pleased that we eventually stopped talking that we received a round of applause.  The 3 PM ride back to the Archives took more than two hours, thanks to big city rush hour, a bit stressful for Bev.  Thanks Bev.



15 May:  The disadvantage of blogging three days later is that we have forgotten if there was any notable news other than noting that the rain has ceased and the sun is shining.  Cynthia mulched the flower beds before coming to the Archives.  The afternoon was spent at the Augustana meeting with Sally in a nice nook inside the Krauth Library.  The library is unique; the art glass floors came from Harvard's library in the mid-twenties.  Archivist Lisa also come to the meeting along with (?) the librarian(?).

New Sweden's "Royal Couple," pictured on 12 May 2011.

14 May:  Another day just like the other day!  The rain has been horrific for three days.  But, thank God for the rain; the flowers blossom and bloom!  While going through receipts a month later, Ron discovered that we went to McMenamins with Kim and John today.  (Kim drinks one Victory  and John orders iced tea.)  Apparently drinking lunch is incompatible with blogging.

13 May:  Another day in the archives from dawn to dusk!  And after a week not blogging, no other memories.  It could be that this was the day we ventured out to walk to Fresh Market despite morning rain - which seemingly had ended, but resumed as soon as we started walking.  Since the color radar had indicated cessation, we kept walking and got soaked.  Cynthia began to wonder if wet feet and that soaking might be giving her a cold.

12 May, Sunday:  Hooray, hooray for the 12th of May, its Ron's annibirsary!  We celebrated the big birthday and our anniversary by driving to worship (in the rain), walking (in the rain) to Fresh Market, and working on our computers (while it rained outside).  Our friend Jane B. from Kensett, Iowa wished us a happy trifecta for celebrating anniversary, birthday and Mother's Day!  Thank you, Jane!

May 12 2011-- A toast to living happily ever after! 

Rose Miller Vold and Cynthia (note hairdo, another girl day)

11 May:  Up early, we raced off to Wally World to buy groceries, exchange clippers, and get petro.  That speedy start seemed well advised to avoid the rains forecast for later in the day - which rains never arrived.  The day continued one race after another.  Cynthia prepared sweet corn and baked sweet potatoes, which we shared with Pastor David for dinner.  Isn't she sweet?   Children and grandchildren sent her skin cream that has worked so marvelously that she doesn't look a day older than this photo at age one with her mother.

10 May: Cynthia had a girl day, a pedi, mani and girlicure day, plus a haircut, too.  Joel, Susan, and Jean C. joined us for dinner at Jansen's to celebrate Ron's birthday and our anniversary a couple days early.  Everyone enjoyed pleasant conversation, great food, and great company.

9 May:  We missed blogging a day; maybe we missed out on this whole day?

8 May:  another smooch day, and another day at the Archives.  Ron continues to make incremental progress with the Catherine Cock package.  In heavy rain last night Ron noticed that a downspout is overflowing, not draining.  Cynthia seemingly hasn't regained her energy since mulching a couple of days ago.  Ron took Cynthia to dinner at Jansen, a date night to celebrate our big upcoming anniversary #8!  

7 May:  Smooch.  And so begins another day at the Archives.  Today we didn't walk to Fresh Market but instead ate leftover salads at home.  We did walk to the garden store where Cynthia bought some plantings.  Nice day and warm in the sunshine.  In the evening we treated Pastor David to dinner at the Trolley Car Diner.  Ron has refused to order there since getting indifferent responses from server and cashier the last time he ordered no oil and received an omelet floating in oil.  The "trail maintenance" clipping trees along the sidewalk is progressing nicely although that added activity delays Ron's arrival where ever we walk.

6 May, Monday!  The (female) Tasmanian devil worked hard cleaning, doing laundry, and put out two bags of mulch before ten AM!  Apparently she exhausted herself.  Ron solved several cryptic source citation questions, worked on two family group sheet packages.  We spent another very long day in the Archives, walked to Fresh Market for lunch, got in our ten thousand steps by three thirty.  Ron carries clippers to trim low hanging branches while we walk, so he arrives at Fresh Market somewhat later than Cynthia.  The evening walk was indeed pleasant and fragrant. The lilacs and Lily of the Valley fleurs are marvelous.  The day never quite warmed up enough but was much better than the last few.

5 May, Sunday, Cinco de Mayo:  What does this mean?  FB posted a meme with a jar of Mayo in a stainless steel sink.  So look up Cinco de Mayo, it means more than tacos.  The BBC reported global Christian genocide; Lord have mercy.  It is raining in Philly and so we rode to church with Pr. David, treated him to lunch at Fresh Market, and rode home with him also.  23 people were in worship, but despite the small crowd, we sang loud.  Ron is proud of himself for donning his rain gear and washing the motorcycle in the rain.  It came pretty clean quickly.  The remainder of the day was spent on computer work.  Unfortunately, Reunion GEDCOMs and Family Tree Maker GEDCOMs are not perfectly compatible.  Several glitches will require Ron to massage the GEDCOM text files to effect a seamless transfer.  These will be most easily done with XYWrite, although Ron may decide to attempt the changes with Unix utilities that are available on the Mac.  The day stayed cool, and Cynthia became cold.  Ron still puzzles that her metabolism is so different from his.

May the 4th be with you!  (Lutherans response, “And also with you!”)

3 May:  Another repetition of Archives, Fresh Market, evening walk, and sleep.  However, winter returned for another visit.

Another photo from Longwood Gardens last Monday

2 May:  Another normal day at the Archives, with a break for lunch at Fresh Market.  Nice warm 80-degree warmth.

1 May 2019, 12 days to Ron’s big birthday!  YAY!  Celebrate his day by sending an email to rsbeatty@gmail.com.  Ron already started celebrating by drinking lunch with Kim at McMenamins.  (Why big birthday ??)