Christmas 2022

Reminder to self:  send trail maintenance to Green Mountain Club, work on Duncan's package, add info from Dawn Harvey.  It is also time for asset reallocation.

View from our condo balcony

We are in a rental condo at The Point on the Walden peninsula, Lake Conroe, Montgomery Texas.

31 Dec:  Does it seem to you like we are approaching the end of something?  Hmmm! I bet it’s the end of the month. Or maybe the year?  We have walked 139 miles so far this month.  Ron finished logging his receipts and preparing recycling.  He is pleased to have received many responses to his annual letter, mailed and e-mailed in the last four days.  Tomorrow is tomorrow !!

30 Dec:  Not up early, but oatmealed, exercised, and happy.  Late morning Cynthia went by herself to the doctor's office to pick up a prescription and then stopped at the storage unit.  Ron stayed home to clean the kitchen.  We walked twice for a total of 7.5 miles.
Wow !! It is truly a surprise that I feel so strongly motivated by an article that will outrage liberals, but I do feel the need to post this exposé showing how much socialism has infiltrated America.  It also explains why we now have such a labor shortage, so much inflation, and the election results.  https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Paying-Americans-Not-to-Work.pdf

29 Dec:  The rain came early, but dried up by 10:30 AM.  Ron printed his Christmas letter, mailed more cards, shopped for groceries, and we walked twice,  7.5 miles, 17,816 steps.  Cynthia is icing her sore tootsies while the salmon (Mmmmm) is baking.  Rain returned after dark and came down in torrents accompanied by lotsa lightning until after midnight, when Ron finally retired.

Cynthia (in red) and Ron

Emily, Eric, Cynthia (the short one) and Ron

28 Dec: On this leisurely day, we walked to the Cafe on the Green to meet daughter Julie, grandson Eric, and his lovely bride, Emily, for lunch.  Ron mailed Christmas cards in the afternoon, and we did a second walk, giving us a whopping 8.39-mile day, and 20, 000 steps. Yay for us!

27 Dec:  The sun is up, and so are we.  Now exercised, oatmealed, and happy, we will go for a long walk in the early afternoon.  Ron took care of his MRD for this year and is still working on Christmas cards (Yes, for this year.)  He has the letter ready to e-mail, but the list of recipients is still a work in progress.  The cards are nearly all addressed, but only a few have written messages.  As usual for Ron, these projects just drag on and on for almost ever.  After two walks totaling 7.92 miles, we reached a total of 18,891 steps!  Yay for us! 

26 Dec:  And just like that, Christmas is over?  Or, it is only 365 shopping days away?  The church celebrates the Season of Christmas for twelve days.  Norwegians celebrate twenty days of Julbukking. Yay for us.  We walked 7.27 miles, totaling 17,641 steps. 

25 Dec, Sunday:  Merry Christmas !  and God bless you.  Nothing more needs to be said.  We enjoyed a short church service.  (Most of the congregation attended Christmas eve services last night, but we don't drive in the dark.)  6.8 miles today.

24 Dec:  We walked at three PM, 37 degrees.  On the return from the lake, it was likely below 32 because the puddles were freezing. Four-mile walk.  Ron pruned the Christmas letter down to one page.

O Holy Night,

For those who have lost loved ones,

For those who have never known what it is to be loved,

For those who have lost faith,

For those clergy who are struggling to believe,

For those who are weary,

For those whose homes are divided by hate,

This is a Holy Night,

Fall on your knees,

This Holy Night of hope is given for you.

23 Dec:  Will we have electric power? Heat? Water?  Eight AM, no heat, no refrigerator.  On the bright side, we have lights, and water, and thank God the microwave makes oatmeal and heats hot coffee.  It is an electric issue for the whole building that will be rectified by noon.  At ten AM it is a real feel of seven degrees outside; no walking for us today.  At 9:30 PM, still no heat and no power to the refrigerator, but it is a comfortable 66 degrees inside.  At 9:31 the fans started blowing heat into the living room.  Praise God !!  And, as a bonus, it is forecast to warm up by Sunday afternoon.  Ron has worked on James Lea non-stop for a couple of days and was delighted to finally find the right words to express a strongly held opinion.  Maybe tomorrow he will get Christmas cards into the mail and his annual letter posted online and e-mailed.  Zero miles today. 

22 Dec:  Ron is sending at least a few Christmas greetings ahead of Christmas this year.  At eleven AM we walked 4.75 miles at 53 degrees.  By six PM the temp dropped to 29 degrees with a real feel of 10, thanks to 20 MPH winds.  By ten PM real feel of -6.  Walden has been having rolling blackouts.  We experienced one of them at six PM.  Thankfully, the salmon had finished baking.

21 Dec:  We slept late!  Cynthia had labs nearby at one PM.  After returning from the doctor’s office, we worked on the book, walked four miles, and researched Walter G. Rambo.  Ron sent an annual Christmas letter to his MIT friends, and Cynthia is writing email Christmas notes. 

20 Dec:  Cynthia has an appointment with the retina specialist to take a test they forgot to do on Friday. We will also stock up on groceries for the big freeze anticipated Thursday. Oh, my! The traffic was abysmal.  The drive to the retina specialist, to Aldis to two Walmarts, to Kroger’s, came to total stops often and took nearly two hours.  Once we arrived home, we ate and then walked to the lake and back.  The Dr. phoned while we were on the trail with excellent news, the macular degeneration is stable. Yea!  Cynthia will have an eye exam in January to see if her prescription can be tweaked.  Great news!  4.75 miles!

19 Dec:  Ron has maintained his target weight of 175.4 this morning, the third day in a row  (mostly because he cannot find his favorite Snyders sourdough hard pretzels at a price he is willing to pay).  Heavy cold rain is falling now at 1 PM and is forecast to continue until dark, so we should make good progress with housecleaning and with editing the James Lea book.  Conversations of interest… Ron asked: "Do you know why a hubsand’s work (the dishes) is never done?"  Cynthia replied, "Because it takes him so long to do it."  Ron said, "No, it’s because he doesn’t do it."  Cynthia said, "I can’t lift the heavy mattress to get the fitted sheet corners tucked in."  Ron said, "Let’s go make the bed.  Don’t we get to cuddle first?" 

Silent children, teens reading

18 Dec, Sunday:  Church service today included an unusual, silent children's skit.  The young kids came out dressed in costume, including three adorable little angels, and simply posed silently.  Teenagers read from the pulpit.  Then everyone went back to their seats.  After worship, we enjoyed brunch at the yacht club with Merry and Bill, a fun time that didn’t conclude until 2:30 PM.  Afterward we walked to the lake and back in the cold.  Four miles. 

17 Dec:  Life is good! Ron weighed 175.8 this morning, which allows him to buy pretzels again.  (This is noteworthy because the pretzels help him sleep longer through the night - we still have no explanation for that phenomenon.)  At high noon the temperature reached a balmy 52 degrees. We walked four miles to the lake and back in the warm sunshine.  After attending a Christmas party at the yacht club, we walked to Walden Road and back despite the cold.  This coming week the temperatures will dip to frigid degrees by Friday when the temperature is forecast to stay below freezing all day.  Seven miles total.

16 Dec:  Cynthia had an appointment with the retina specialist who said her macular degeneration is stable.  We shopped, got fuel, and walked to the lake, and back after the rain stopped.  We enjoyed baked salmon for dinner.  Four miles.

15 Dec:  It was a delightfully cool day for our first walk in the early afternoon.  Eureka, success.  Ron's search for photos came to an early and successful end around dusk this afternoon.  Now for a second walk before cornbread for dinner.  Seven miles total

14 Dec:  We awoke to an amazing skyscape, a surreal blue was mirrored in the lake beneath our balcony.  By ten AM, a cloudy gray enters our view. We walked to the fitness center, and home in time for Cynthia’s doctor's appointment.  Now it’s time to do a longer walk. Yay for us! 7 miles today!  16,691 steps.

13 Dec:  Good grief !!  We have now passed the halfway mark in December, halfway to Christmas. Today we were on the road at about nine-thirty for the trip to Hempstead and Brenham, Texas.  We have stops at the bank, post office, CPA, and social security office before Ron sees the ophthalmologist.  This is a very busy day.  Woo Hoo! Have a successful day!  but no walking.

12 Dec:  At 2 in the afternoon our walk is still awaiting . . . and we did walk, although there was an unnoticeably slight mist.

Cynthia holding Charlotte

11 Dec, Sunday:  After church, we enjoyed a lovely brunch with Jon's family (except Rachel and Blaire, who are sick) at the Yacht Club. One-year-old Charlotte was the center of attention (imagine that) and enjoyed playing peek-a-boo with great grandmother and flirting with Ron.  Lauren seemed very relieved to have four other adults focused on Charlotte.  Jon picked up the tab and said it was his Christmas gift to us.  (He stole our line.)  It was just the right number of people and the right composition for a delightful Sunday brunch.  At 3 pm Ron and Cynthia walked the usual 4 miles past the fitness center to the Lake and back.

10 Dec:  Other than a 4-mile walk, we spent the entire day in the condo, especially since the rain started at about 5 pm.  Ron wrote an annual letter in preparation for mailing several cards and letters.

9 Dec:  A landmark weigh-in at 175.6, so Ron again bought pretzels and snacked.  We plan a busy day, first closing up DNA notes and files, second finances including writing checks to pay for the motorcycle, third shipping Cynthia's old heated gear to a delighted new recipient.  Ron is finally positioned to resume working on James Lea - tomorrow - or maybe the next day.

View straight down from our balcony

8 Dec:  O Christmas Tree, whose lovely branches be beneath our balcony!  We walked our normal four-mile round trip early, before the day heated up, but still returned sweaty.  Ron's weight is down to 176.4, well on its way toward 175.  His frozen mango snacking solution is excellent and is his ice cream substitute.  Ron continues working on his financial e-mails and spreadsheet.  The light at the end of the tunnel has dawned.  We drove out to haul boxes back from the storage locker and to get Ron a flu shot at Walmart (along with bananas, etc).  After a second walk, after dark, we totaled  7.29 miles.  Yay for us!

7 Dec:  Good grief !!  The high for the day is forecast to be 81 degrees, and the same for tomorrow.  We can go swimming!  Ron's weight is down a pound, to 178, on its way towards his target of 175. Snacking on frozen mango is a great solution.  We again slept well and walked our normal four-mile round trip to the new benches beside the lake.  All right !! A second walk this evening increased our mileage to 7 miles; this includes all of Cynthia's walking throughout the day.  Finally, a successful day of "activity" as measured by her AppleWatch.  Ron uses other measures to determine successful activity.

6 Dec:  We did our usual exercise, oatmeal, and fruit routine.  At about noon we walked four miles to the lake and back, stopping at the fitness center both ways.  Ron continued making notes about his DNA pursuits until his Safari stopped responding; then he had to close all his windows and shut down Safari, which terminated his note-taking. Now he is free to retrieve all his financial statements to see how badly his portfolio has been affected by the last year of market volatility and inflation.  Wish me luck.

5 Dec:  It is wonderful to be reunited.  Ron and his beloved bride enjoyed a good, long night of sleep in Montgomery, Texas!  Yaay!  We had to leave the condo at 9:20 to attend and join other retired pastors for the bishop’s Christmas Hymn Sing, followed by a social hour with snacks including pineapple, broccoli, and other foodstuffs we could actually eat.  Cynthia drove her new, used Lexas to and from without undue discomfort.

4 Dec, Sunday:  RON IS A CHRONIC HYPOTHERMIC. He left Illinois three days ago, riding towards Texas in temps of 35 degrees, with 20-30 MPH winds. (35 degrees at 60 MPH is the equivalent of 25 degrees.) The motorcycle handlebars and seats are heated, and he is bundled and swathed in layers. He says everything is good, except that high winds are scary on elevated roadways and bridges.  Ron enjoyed a good morning of conversation with cousin Rex and Danielle and left the afternoon to wander about in the vicinity of Dallas hunting for I-45 south.  He was about to stop and dig out his GPS when he discovered I-45 in Wilmer, TX, and arrived home to his bride in Montgomery as darkness was falling!

CYNTHIA DOES NOT DO COLD.  I arrived in Texas a month ago, and await his arrival on Monday by making veggie/lentil soup, (warming) sourdough bread, and cookies for dessert.  I found recipes online for no added sodium, no added fat, and no added sugar.  Here is the cookie recipe:

Purée two bananas whip in one cup of dry oatmeal Add 1/4 cup of walnut pieces A dash of vanilla
Drop bite-size dollops onto a paper plate Microwave two minutes Eat or freeze

Recipe from my friend Annie Stevens!

3 Dec:  Today's question is whether Ron can make the 316 miles to Rockwall, Texas to visit cousin Rex?  If not, where will he come to rest?  Spin that bottle again.  Cynthia spent her day walking and cooking soup!  Ron arrived in Rockwall, Texas by 5:30 PM!  Hint, this is only 3 hours and 6 minutes away from Cynthia.  Cousin Rex and Danielle were delightful, and we enjoyed conversing all evening into the night.  Ron was quite surprised to discover that Rex's kids are mostly grown, with one graduated and two in their final years of high school.  Kayla, the graduate, was in and out; Kylie was out until late; and the younger Rex was sleeping after an eventful day when he successfully tried out to become a left-handed pitcher for a national youth baseball team.

2 Dec:  Ron rode about twenty miles to visit Clarence in Kansas City, Kansas, arriving about eleven AM.  We had a marvelous couple of hours conversing until Ron decided that he had better get on the road and make miles south in the warm and windy weather since the winds are forecast to be much worse tomorrow with freezing temperatures.  Spin the bottle: where or when he goes, nobody knows.  The distance from KC to Dallas, TX is over 500 miles.  Ron covered 200 miles in windy weather (gusts to 35 mph were forecast) and came to rest in a fleabag motel in Miami, Oklahoma.  Cynthia awakened at five AM in Texas and loved the voicemail Ron left at 11:00 PM last night!  She is oatmealed but is still sleepy.  Should she arise and exercise, or go back to sleep?  But arise!  At 8:45, she has an appointment with the allergist.  By three PM, the homemade vegetable broth is finished cooking and is refrigerated until Sunday; then it will be time to cook the lentils and veggies in the broth.  Reminder to self, buy sourdough bread.  Cynthia’s blood pressure elevated to unacceptable levels by eight PM, so her son Jon took her to St Luke’s to investigate; after multiple scans and EKG with all “excellent” results except for low saline and low heart rate, it was determined she needed IV saline fluids.  Home by 2:30 AM, she slept beautifully, awakening on Dec. 3.

1 Dec:  Hello December!  Ron began the ride to Kansas City at 11:30 am in 36-degree temperatures.  It was a cold ride.  In Missouri, soon after crossing the Mississippi, the thermometer rose a whole degree and then a second degree.  After six, not five, cold hours, Ron arrived in Excelsior Springs at Joan's house.  Les came by an hour later and stayed until almost 9 pm.  Ron and Joan continued discussing the peculiar world that houses us all for another hour before Ron excused himself to ride another half hour to a SafeStay hotel in Kearney, MO.  The headlight on the new bike lit up the roadway quite well so that Ron was comfortable riding at night despite the possibility of deer & other fauna on the roadway.  Cynthia found a recipe for lentil soup with homemade vegetable broth which she will prepare for Dec. 6th.  Together by Dec. 6!  Let Christmas begin!

The time between Dec. 1, 2022, 8:30:00 AM and Dec. 6, 2022, 5:30:00 
5 days, 9 hours, 0 minutes, and 0 seconds
5.375 days
129 hours
464,400 seconds

Novembrrrrr! Too Far Apart

 Reminder to self:  send trail maintenance to Green Mountain Club, work on Duncan's package, add info from Dawn Harvey.  It is also time for asset reallocation, MRD, and AuthorHouse direct deposit.

Hudson sent Ron a picture.

30 Nov:  Wednesday: Ron leaves Illinois tomorrow morning.  Woo Hoo!  2:30 AM, and Cynthia is wide-eyed awake in Texas, unable to go back to sleep.  Yuk!  Sciatica is surfacing due to sitting in condo. But, this is an exciting day, she is having lunch with a cousin from Minnesota.  Ron slept well, woke up early, exercised (with interruption by a SmoochSmooch phone call), ate oatmeal, and made more DNA notes as he closed some of the 40 windows open on his computer.  10 am and the temperature has risen to 33 degrees with 16 mph winds, Brrrh.  Time to get dressed to motorcycle the 20 frigid miles to visit Don & Ann for the day.  Ron especially enjoyed his visit today because he beat Don at chess twice.  Then Diane came to play Liverpool rummy and won the second game.  (Diane's husband rides a K1600GTL and a R1150RT - but he wasn't there.  Diane was a nearby neighbor in Trenton but was born the year before Ron left for college.)  We finished barely in time for Ron to return to Carlyle before dark. Good-bye November! 

29 Nov:  Tuesday in a Texas Town, Cynthia was up at the crack of early, oatmealed by 6:30, and prepared for a day of exercise.  Well, at least a long walk to the lake was planned, but that did not work out because of rain and trillion percent humidity.  Ron rode to Edwardsville, arriving at the crack of 11 am to meet Maxine at Denny's.  Maxine had a rough year last year with interminable dentistry, a stroke with miraculously great recovery, perhaps entirely due to hubby Doug's immediate call to fetch an ambulance, a couple of falls, and atrial fibrulation.  Wow, lets hope this coming year is much, much better.   From there Ron went to Office Max, Batteries Plus, Walmart, recycling, Target, Hallmark, GNC, the credit union, Bussey Bank, and then to Connie's house.  Surprise: She was home.  We walked and talked for a pleasant hour before it was time to leave

28 Nov:  In Texas, a “boil-water” warning was issued to Harris and Montgomery Counties because three water treatment plants had low pressure readings.  Walmart sold out of bottled water within an hour, and Cynthia will boil water.  She arose at three AM!  Yuk.  After falling back asleep at seven to eight thirty, she is ready to walk to the lake.  She walked three miles and used machines in fitness center. Ron played Liverpool Rummy with Ann and Don.  Today was a miracle, he won two of three games!  

27 Nov, Sunday:  The rain on the lake stopped early, and after the pavement dried, Ron rode over to spend the day with Don & Ann.   Due to the late start, we only played one game of Liverpool rummy. Meanwhile, in TX, Cynthia worshipped at Grace Lutheran, and stopped to visit baby Charlotte at Jon’s (She is so cute). Now, she will walk to the Lake Conroe. 

26 Nov:  Ron packed the bike and rode to Edwardsville to pay his storage locker rent with a credit card.  Then he visited "his infamous storage unit" but, after pulling a few things out, decided that it would take too long and be too dusty and dirty to get the items he wanted.  Connie was not at home, so Ron left a note on her door and hurried over to Nephew Eric's for a second Turkey dinner with Eric’s family.  He left at 4:15 and discovered (again) that it takes longer to ride to Carlyle, meaning that he arrived at the Mariner's Village after 20 miles of riding in the dark.  Cynthia (in Texas) is mighty pleased to think about Ron’s return.  She walked three miles this morning and used circuit machine in the fitness center.  She spent the afternoon with Jon and Tina while they babysat baby Charlotte. 

25 Nov:  Ron is en route to breakfast at Denny’s Restaurant in Litchfield with Bill and Carol.  His clothes are sparkling clean, free from mud and stick tights, for another feast day tomorrow at nephew Eric’s.  In Texas, it is drizzly, and Cynthia is crazy bored.  Instead of exercise, she spent the afternoon with Jon and Tina.  Thanks to Jon, the car windows are sparking and clear.  And Jon figured that the orange light on the dash indicates low tire pressure.  

One granddaughter, one grandmother

24 Nov:  Thanksgiving is the Word of the day, and We are thankful!  Grateful for the gift of life, we thank God for families, health, and our friends!  Happy Thanksgiving.  Cynthia drove into Houston for dinner with son Paul’s family, running into fierce driving rain on a few occasions. The food was fabulous. The ride home was unnerving as she left their Houston subdivision and maneuvered onto the widest, busiest freeway in the world: Interstate Ten .  Once she was a few miles north, the rain slowed its intensity.   In Illinois, Carol spent the day cooking and Ron contributed by staying out the of the kitchen.  Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, beans and peas were delicious, especially when followed by wonderful pumpkin pie.  Thank you Sistah Carol and Bill.  After dinner settled a bit, Ron again walked to the mailbox, a mile in the dark on Carol's driveway each way.

23 Nov:  Oatmealed and exercised in Texas, Cynthia is ready for a quieter day than yesterday.  The Feb. trip with children to Palm Desert was cancelled due to 92-year-old uncle Bob’s broken femur, and refunds are forthcoming.  In Illinois, Ron is off to Mudslide Hill to tackle bush honeysuckle; with any luck he will survive.  The day was going well for all until after dinner, when Carol discovered that she had forgotten the persimmon nut bread in the oven and it smelled a bit burned . Ron reminded everyone that he thoroughly enjoys being the devourer of kitchen ctostrophes.  (The nut bread was actually delicious.)  Ron showered and washed clothes to prepare for Thanksgiving day.  First written I love you of the day was won by Cynthia in Texas! and she walked 4.42 miles. 

22 Nov:  It is 6:32 AM in Montgomery, Texas, and Cynthia is oatmealed and ready to roll.  It is time to exercise.  After walking four miles, she went to her hand doctor in the Woodlands.  He is going to fit her with a brace to immobilize the ring finger and hope that the saggital band will relax back into its proper place.  Meanwhile, in Illinois, Ron pulled bush honeysuckle plants despite getting lost trying to find Mudslide Hill and getting his clothing full of sticktights again. 

21 Nov:  The temperatures in Texas are forecast to be miserably cold and wet.  (It is a good day to use the fitness center… Cynthia walked 2.2 miles on a treadmill.)  Ron pulled 120 more bush honeysuckle plants and walked two miles at night.  Someone, somewhere, should have a wealth-generating idea for this invasive plant with a sweet name.

20 Nov:  No plans yet.  We will see what Carol & Bill suggest.  We drove into town for groceries and lunch at Dennys.  Then Ron resumed his attacks on bush honeysuckle and DNA.  Cynthia went to worship, shopped at Walmart, and wrote this

SUNDAY OFFERING

 

She looked up at me with a shy, uncertain smile.  She, In her seventies, her feet shuffling, is pushing a Walmart cart next to her spouse, whose hands are on the cart handle beside hers.  They are dressed for worship.  Of course, it is Sunday.  What is wrong with this picture (my curious mind wants to know)?  The scenario repeats itself three times in the same Walmart; three couples are dressed in Sunday best.  In each case, it is the husband patiently guiding his wife.  She clutches the cart handle like it is a life preserver.  Yes, it is. And I recognize that she Is his life, and he Is taking his beloved bride, with memory or stroke issues, for a walk in the warmth of this Walmart store.  Be thankful for those who walk beside you; be good to each other.  Amen.

19 Nov:  I love you, my beloved SmoochSmooch (and get points for the first I love you of the day).  What more could anyone ask for than being loved?  Ron is off to an early start with his packing to leave but is still eating oatmeal at 9:30.  The motorcycle was loaded and moving by 11:30.  It wasn't that cold, and the wind was much less of a nuisance than feared.  After arrival in Mt. Olive, Ron was soon hunting bush honeysuckle.  After a delicious salmon & rice dinner, Ron walked to the mailbox & back (a mile each way).  Early to bed tonight.

18 Nov:  Cynthia has an 8:45 appointment with the allergist for testing and hopes that the years of allergy drops have boosted her system so that there is no more need for daily sublingual drops.   Ron was quite amazed at noon, as he rode the motorcycle in 30-degree weather, to see another motorcyclist going in the opposite direction.  The next amazement was when he actually went out on the last hand and won a game of Liverpool rummy.   He stayed up way too late and walked the length of the dam at midnight, surprised again, this time by a roller skater.  It was actually much warmer, merely because the winds had died.  Birds were floating on the lake, but they were too far away to decide if they were seagulls or something else.

And the artistic shoreline rocks remain

17 Nov:  Cynthia is oatmealed, exercised, and Smooched!  At 10:30, she went to the bank, and Ron continued working on James Lea, putting October photographs into their proper places.  And that's our final offer.  Cynthia hiked 4.25 miles, and added another mile running errands.  Ron rode over to play chess in 38-degree chilly weather and lost the Liverpool rummy game by one card when Ann drew the card she needed before Ron drew the card he needed.  The return to Mariner's Village was not much warmer than the morning ride, but Ron decided to walk across 3/4 of the dam to get one iota of exercise.

Our bench multiplied…and received dry footing.

16 Nov:  We again moved forward to the sixteenth!  Cynthia met with Wartburg Seminary reps at nine AM at Grace Lutheran Church.  They updated her on the seminary, asked for donations, and got her "No" answer - the economy is too uncertain.  At four PM, Doctor's Appointment…Dr. Moran gave her a cortisone injection in the bursa.  Ron had his usual luck with Don, Ann, and Liverpool rummy.  Ann now takes a nap mid-afternoon, leaving Ron and Don to play chess, with the usual outcome of Don winning.

15 Nov:  NO !! Today is now.  Wet pavement convinced Ron to stay indoors until 2pm when the pavement looked dry enough to walk over the hills and through the woods to grandmother's house, , , (oops, the Christmas carol overcame me) to cross over the suspension bridge and come back across the dam.  It was warmer, with no rain in the forecast or on the color radar as Ron walked.  Now he is back to work on DNA, thinking that next time, he needs to read his sister's notes before he does much.

14 Nov:  That’s today.  Ron is awake, exercised, and oatmealed an hour before the temperature rises above freezing.  And tonight in Texas, reflecting on today, Cynthia worked hard; she returned packages and continued work on tax files while the sky was leaking ferociously or just spitting.  It is interesting to see Texas male behavior, “Can I help you, ma'am?”  Or the cop who pulled her over today… Jesting about whether I had twenty warrants or a trunk full of drugs.  In response to my question, “Whaat did I do?” “Ma’am, you ran a red light.”  “I can’t make a right turn on a red light?” “Yes, ma'am, but you gotta stop first and then turn.”  “Ohhh!”  No ticket, no warning!  Nice guys in Texas  

13 Nov, Sunday:  After a visit to the Springfield coin show with nephew Eric, Ron relocated to Lake Carlyle to be able to visit his friends Don & Ann.  Lucky Ron, the weather was a balmy 36 degrees when his motorcycle started rolling out of Carol's mile-long driveway.  It dropped 34 degrees south of Greenville as the winter wonderland appeared, with snow covering the adjacent fields.  Ron loved having a white Christmas, even a few days early.  His fingers did not freeze off despite his refusal to wear more effective gloves or to turn on his heated handgrips.  When Ron called to confirm plans for tomorrow, Don expressed no desire to come out to play in the snow.  Cynthia worshipped at Grace Lutheran and attended the catered congregational dinner.  Of course, she could not eat the lasagna, pasta, dinner rolls, delicious-looking carrot cake, and other desserts!  But the spinach and zucchini were tasty!  She spent two hours working on tax files.

Ron's bike looked like this before Cynthia

12 Nov: Cynthia's days in Texas are slowly continuing towards December.  It is 37 degrees at 7 AM.  Cynthia planned to clean up fallen branches at the family cemetery, but yesterday's heavy rain would make the ground too muddy.  The summer drought took a terrible toll on the trees, and dead branches were everywhere.  The company is sending men and a container to haul them away.  Cynthia will walk at ten AM when it is warmer.  At sistah Carol's in rural Illinois near Mt. Olive, the thermometer plummeted so that the forecast high is 39 lovely degrees warm as Ron heads out the door to pull bigger bush honeysuckle plants.  What an incredible change from the 70+ degrees yesterday, and a strong wind makes it much colder.  He has already finished a couple of harder sudokus.  Carol has a nice-smelling soup/ stew/ sauce simmering for lunch.  (She and Bill went to the splitter shed with a bigger chainsaw for the bigger trunk they dragged in yesterday.  They hauled in a second trunk today and cut off lots of 18" rounds for splitting another day.)  Down yonder again in Texas, Cynthia walked a total of 5.3 miles!  Part of that mileage was because she forgot her cell phone at the yacht club and walked back to get it. 

Storm damage at Scott's Grove

11 Nov:  Ron was back in the bush honeysuckle patch after breakfast at Denny’s in Litchfield with Carol and Bill.  Cynthia and Jon attended a funeral for an Elk Horn, Iowa, family friend, and her visit to Scott's grave was a disappointment since recent storm damage made the grave site unapproachable.  Cynthia is frustrated that the stock market keeps getting worser and worser.

10 Nov:  Texas is cooling off, not a lot, but every little bit helps. Cynthia (successfully) drove to Hempstead to meet with the CPA, and she had a lovely lunch with her friend, Carol.  Ron (successfully) kept stickers out of his clothing because he showered, washed his clothes, and stayed out of the woods.  He and Carol did DNA, he worked on James Lea, and he walked four miles.   Bill is feeling much improved.

9 Nov:  Ron harvested bush honeysuckle.  The harvest is great; now we need to sell the harvest!  Meanwhile, in a Texas town, someone is exercised and oatmealed.  Today’s appointment with the retina specialist had to be canceled because it was in the downtown medical center, a location booked by accident.  (Cynthia goofed.)  By the time she realized her mistake and canceled the appointment, it was too late, too hot to walk in the sultry afternoon temperatures.

8 Nov:  Ron, Carol, and Bill ate heartily at Denny's in Litchfield.  (Thanks you Jeri.)  Well, at least Ron ate a whole lotta food.  He laid down to rest his stomach for an hour before heading out to harvest, came back, ate, lay down, pulled more bush honeysuckle, and lay down.  In Texas, Cynthia walked after a great night sleep!  She danced for six minutes first and then walked 4.4 miles!  She is convinced that she won the power ball billions, but something is wrong with Powerball computers.  Afterward she cleaned and reorganized the storage unit. 

7 Nov:  Ron continued harvesting bush honeysuckle, all work, and no play until Sudokus in the evening.  Cynthia had an appointment with a new gastroenterologist in the Woodlands.  She spends an inordinate amount of time blocking text, email, and phone calls from people who want political contributions.  

Merrilee is remembered on All Saints Sunday

6 Nov:  Ron harvested 101 bush honeysuckle.  (If anyone has a good use for honeysuckle, we have a great supply to sell !!)  Ron wasn’t wildly excited to hear about the movie Cynthia watched, despite the oddity of her viewing any movie.  The best part of the movie was the faith aspect; plus, it was a true story near Sunbury in Colonial Pennsylvania.  Cynthia worshipped at Grace Lutheran on All Saints Sunday, lighting a candle for sister Merrilee. 

5 Nov:  Cynthia walked to Lake Conroe and return 4.0 miles, and discovered a new stone platform for our bench.  Instead of one, two new benches will be added.  This was a long walk after not exercising for many weeks!   Zzzzz.  In Illinois, Ron pulled bush honeysuckle three times, then puzzled over DNA with Carol. 

4 Nov:  At Lake Carlyle, Ron is packing to move to Sistah Carols; in Texas, Cynthia saw the allergist.  She is very happy with the accidentally purchased car!  Bummer, her vision has worsened. Macular degeneration is not fun.  But thank God for the vision today!  The ride to Carol's was windy for the one stretch of 15 miles east of Greenville, but the new route through Alhambra was very pleasant. 

3 Nov:  Ron will arrive at Don's by 10 am.  Any bets?  It was closer to 10:23, and the project was trimming two small hedges and digging out one small, dead tree.  Then we spent the afternoon playing Liverpool rummy again.  And Cynthia had her annual dental appointment.

2 Nov:  Ron worked on James Lea this morning for the first time in a month.  Then Don called and invited him over to help with a project, but by the time Ron arrived, Don was no longer in the mood to work, so we agreed that Ron would arrive earlier tomorrow.  Then we played Liverpool Rummy for the rest of the day, and Ron enjoyed getting the most points every game.  (The object is to get the fewest points.)  In Texas, Cynthia had her first annual Dr. appointment.  Cynthia voted!

1 Nov:  Cynthia’s new Uber friend picked her up at 10:25 this morning and took her to the St. Louis airport for her flight to Houston.  She was coughing a bit more this morning, and Ron has only one itchy spot today.  The package is ready to ship, and Ron is ready to roll, so we will update you again later.  After shipping Cynthia's box to Texas at the local NAPA auto parts store, Ron rode 20 miles to visit Don and Ann for the afternoon, then stayed up past midnight working on James Lea.

Octobrrrr and more brrr

new motorcycle covered with Minnesota snow, 14 Oct 2022

31 Oct:  Cynthia’s flight from St. Louis to Houston International Airport is tomorrow!  Her cough is almost gone, and Ron hasn’t itched since 8 PM Sunday night.  This is Reformation Day.  But it is also a meloncholy day since the Smooches will be apart for an entire month starting tomorrow.  Ron is altogether too curious to check out the "Haunted Trail" before the ghouls dismantle it.  Now that the welts on his feet have stopped itching, he can put on shoes and go for it.  Nope, instead he fell asleep early (after staying up until 1 AM last night).

30 Oct, Sunday:  Cynthia flies out to Houston in two more days.  Rain, rain, rain today !  But that is really no problem for us since we haven't ventured outside for a walk since the 21st.

29 Oct:  Tomorrow is no longer another day, it’s today!  It is also the last day of Cynthia’s antibiotics.  Ron’s itching is not quite so pervasive.  We enjoyed a pleasant dinner next door at Los Amigos with nephew Eric and his family.  Erika is enjoying law school and finding it not too difficult.  Kyle is enjoying college and finding it not too difficult.  Eric is looking forward to retirement in April.  And Denise was sitting too far away from Ron for him to hear much of her conversation with Cynthia.

28 Oct:  Thank God that the itching is subsiding, and Ron again gargled warm salt water, so his sore throat isn't insufferable.  Bob's BMW found a GPS to send to Ron since his bike sold quickly for more than they expected.  Now Ron can return the Garmin purchased in Cedar Falls to Walmart.  Next task is to find the mounting hardware or at least a charging cable for the new one.

27 Oct:  Cynthia won’t bet on weller for a few days!  She has two more days of antibiotics, still coughing relentlessly, and she may be facing a month yet of “productive coughing!”  Ron’s hives are fading somewhat.  Good boy, he is taking the Benadryl, but he awoke with a nasty sore throat.  Ron baked a sweet potato in the microwave, mixed up a protein drink, and heated salmon and black beans for a deluxe gourmet dinner.  He then gargled salt water to kill whatever is in his throat.  At bedtime, Cynthia discovered that she too has welts developing apace all over her body.  This is such a mystery to us now.  How can it be?  Neither of us liked what the other had so we changed ailments.

26 Oct:  So who wants to bet whether we will be weller or not?  No bets, and we are only a little bit weller.  Ron rode the motorcycle to Walmart for Benadryl, frozen mango, and hearing aid batteries.  We haven't walked in a week.

25 Oct:  If we had known how miserable we would be after arriving here, we woulda taken our time to enjoy the colder Northern weather longer.  No one would have predicted that our lives would be focused so much on coughing, coughing, and itching.  We look forward to the day, perhaps weeks away, when we are still living but no longer coughing or itching.  Ron has eaten his oatmeal and frozen pineapple and is getting ready for another long, hot soak in the tub.  Cynthia was doing so well last night and this morning until 10 am when she exhausted herself with another coughing "spell."  This is our fifth day of being able to do little more than cough, cough, and itch.  Sistah Carol is worser still, and now Bill is also ailing.- ouch, ouch.

A celebration of Life was held today hosted by Cynthia’s sister Bonnie, for their sister, Merrilee Reid who died a year ago from Covid Pneumonia.  Cynthia and her children will visit the last week of February.  

24 Oct:  Another day another dollar, but looks like we are unlikely to go anywhere to spend that dollar.  Ron has decided to spend a half hour today day soaking in a super hot tub of water to try to drown all his new found "friends."  Cynthia is relieved to be coughing so much less today.  We switched rooms to eliminate that as a source of Ron's continuing "new" bites.  They are finally less irritating after the soaking.  Sistah Carol is worser.

23 Oct, Sunday:  After suffering together through the morning, Ron and Cynthia decided it was time to take Cynthia 10 miles west to the emergency room of St. Joseph Hospital in Breese, where we received prompt attention by their very pleasant staff.  Cynthia's X-ray showed a possible pneumonia in a small corner of one lung, so she is now on a second course of a different antibiotic.  Albuterol inhalation reduced her wheeziness, so we received a prescription for that too.  The result is that Cynthia was more comfortable later in the day and slept well at night.  While at the drug store, Ron bought a ChiggereX cream that seems to be effective to reduce his itch although the count of his red lumps has increased to perhaps a hundred.  Sistah Carol reported a sore throat - ouch.

 22 Oct:  Only 9 fun-filled days left in Illinois for poor sick WeeFee and itchy Ron.  Rubbing alcohol seems to be helping Ron's very itchy bites.  Hot water soaks also seem to help.  Oops, both turn out to be bad ideas.

21 Oct:  We exercised, ate oatmeal, and napped.  Ron snores to the tune of Amazing Grace.  In addition to additional groceries, Ron bought more cough syrup and cough drops.  He then walked 4 miles while talking with friends via cell phone.  Somewhere along the way he suffered thirty insect bites that itch terribly and were swollen large and red by bedtime.  

20 Oct:  We relocated from Litchfield to Lake Carlyle for the duration of our stay together before Cynthia flies back to Texas (and warmer weather) on the 1st of November.  Cynthia’s bronchitis needs to go away!  Poor girlie has had several rough days.  route: IL 16 E to Hillsboro, IL, 127 S through Greenville to Carlyle.

19 Oct:  Carol and Bill picked us up from the hotel to have breakfast at Denney’s followed by a ride to her tree farm.  As this is written, Cynthia and Bill are about asleep.   Carol and Ron rode in the "side by side" out to and halfway down mud slide hill, now nearly completely grass covered.

18 Oct:  The ride from Keokuk, Iowa to Hampton Inn, Litchfield to visit Sistah Dear was very rough.  Illinois needs better roads.  Carol and Bill joined us to enjoy frozen salads at Ruby Tuesday followed by a trip to Urgent Care.  Cynthia has bronchitis and is now treated with a ZPak, Afrin nose spray, Robitussin diabetic cough syrup, Halls sugar free cough drops, and Tylenol.  route US 218 S to US 136 E crossing Mississippi River on "new" bridge to R on IL 96 S, but missed turn for county road 1120 (at 2 miles) and instead turned on County 900 E to R on Illinois 94 S through several turns to L on US 24 E to R on IL 99 S in Mt. Sterling 15 miles to L on IL 104 into Moredosia to R on US 67 S 60 miles to Jerseyville, L on IL 16 E was terrible road surface for 20 miles until crossing IL 159. 

17 Oct:  We continued down US 218 S to turn on Salem Road then IA 16 E to IA 1 S into Keosauqua in even more bitterly cold weather and visited several of Ron's cousins: Rex & Susie, then Marvin & Doris and Ken joined us for lunch at the Riverview Restaurant.  We left before dark and spent the night in a Hampton Inn in Keokuk, Iowa.  Ron exchanged the Garmin Drive 52 GPS for the next more expensive model; the Drive 52 is not satisfactory for adding waypoints or seeing the entire route.  route: S on Iowa 1 to L on IA 2 E to R on US 218 S into Keokuk. 

16 Oct:  We checked out of the hotel in Eagan to visit Greg in Hastings at 10:30 am (no detour today), then on towards Keosauqua on a bitterly cold day.  Cynthia’s foot warmers were burning her feet but withdrawing heat from the jacket, and her gloves did not heat at all.  Compounding these problems, the rain pants caused her to slip and slide all over the new seat cushion.  The good news is the seat cushion is comfy to sit on provided Cynthia can stay seated on the bike instead of sliding off the bike into the ditch.  We stopped for lunch at a Subway just south of Waterloo, Iowa and made it to Cedar Rapids, Iowa before dark - 250 miles.  route: Pleasant Drive S to 160th Street W to Jorgen Ave S, Northfield Blvd S to US 52 S through Rochester, MN to US 63 S to Waterloo, Iowa, L on US 218/ I-380 S to US 218 S.  

Ron, Lance and Shelley

15 Oct:  We packed everything onto the motorcycle and departed at 1 pm to ride to Eagan, Minnesota, where we are staying one night at the Hampton Inn.  Since we were able to check in before 2 pm, Ron was able to continue to Hastings to visit Greg and Donna.  But, since we had dinner reservations for Axels in Mendota, he left after visiting  for about an hour and a half.  Lance & Shelley picked us up at the hotel at 5 pm, and dinner lived up to our expectations.  Sister-in-law Carolyn joined us, participated enthusiastically in the conversations, and contributed to the good times had by all.  Route: Minnesota highway 55 E to I-494 S and E to exit 71, Pilot Knob Road S 1/2 mile to L on Lone Oak Blvd E to Eagandale place and the Hampton Inn.  Then Lone Oak Blvd E to MN 55 E, detour S on US 52 to L on 160th Street E to MN 55 E to General Sieben Drive to 1st avenue to the Benedictine Living Community - Regina.

Baby Charley

14 Oct:  Ron brushed 1/2" of snow off his new motorcycle and rode with certain trepidation in 36 degree temperature over into Minneapolis to visit sister-in-law Carolyn.  The roads were only damp and not slick.  Carolyn's new pet is a whippet, Amy, who is just so very curious and so very energetic that she sniffed Ron thoroughly, played chase excitedly, and needed to go outside every half hour to see if the weather was warmer yet.  None of the three cats came downstairs during Ron's visit.  Route: Minnesota highway 55 E to I-494 S to MN 62 E (Crosstown Highway) to 28th street exit.

Smooch, SmoochSmooch and Hudson waiting

13 Oct:  Today Hudson went to school and the house was bizarrely quiet.  Even Holden slept most of the day.  Cynthia asked for a (motorcycle) ride over to a nail salon for a manicure; Ron shopped at Aldi again and picked up one item at Target.  Cynthia is delighted with her new whoopie cushion !!  At 6 pm, Brett and Jenn drove us in two cars over to the Cov Restaurant (click here) in Wayzata, Minnesota with two great grandsons, where all the adults ate too much excellent food!  The baby is sleeping, but Hudson is wide awake. 

12 Oct:  Happy Birthday Zoe!  We spent this rainy day indoors, although the noise level in a household with an active 4-year-old boy overwhelmed Cynthia.  Lord knows why she didn't remove her hearing aides.  Ron finally finished the PDF for Nimrod Taylor and posted it to therambofamilytree.blogspot.com (click here).

11 Oct:  Ron rode to Aldi for groceries: blueberries, bananas, and grapes.  Besides those staples, he got sourdough bread, sweet potatoes, asparagus, frozen broccoli florets, frozen mango, oatmeal, and pretzels.  Now we are venturing out into the wind for the last 80 degree walk of the year, which was really quite pleasant.

Ron, Holden and Hudson in a pile

Great-grandmother holding Holden

10 Oct:  Ron decided to spare Cynthia the lumps and bumps of old roads and uncharacter-istically chose to ride to Medina on I-35 N to I-494 W (which was bumpy at first), to MN 55 W to Arrowhead Drive, which has changed with a new intersection and two new streets before arriving at Bluebell Trail.  This was supposed to be one of the warmer days this week, but it still wasn't overly warm for motorcycling.  Hudson gave us a suitably warm greeting, and the dogs were also happy to see us.  Great grandmother was estatic to hold baby Holden.

9 Oct, Sunday:  We visited with Dick and Jane after breakfast until noon.  Dick is a former traveler and motorcyclist, so he and Ron always find something to talk about.  Cynthia and Jane have known each other for more than twenty five years, so they also find things to discuss.  At 1 PM we rode into town to pick up healthy cookies to give to Ann and Dale.  The visit there was enhanced by 7-year-old Cole, Bria who is younger, their mother Melissa, and Ann's daughter Tanna.  Cole was riding Dale's oversized three-wheeled bicycle around and around in the parking lot.  Ann looked  surprisingly good for the medical traumas she has experienced recently, and after we left, she went right back into the hospital.  At 3:30 we left them to visit Penny briefly (Hi and Goodbye), then rode to Mason City to visit Ray & Mary and Dick & Fran.  We enjoyed polite conversation with everyone participating until Ray and Ron drove off for a to-go dinner from Applebys.  Then the "boys" sat in the kitchen and the "girls" sat in the dining room and enjoyed more spirited conversations.  A fine, fun time was had by all, with the consequence that Ron and Cynthia rode the motorcycle home in the dark.  Fortunately we did not run into any errant livestock.

Here is Cynthia’s recap of the ride from Ohio to Northwood:  

“Mother Nature is resplendent in her fall finery, dressed in every Color in the Crayola box.  We hiked the sugar maple tree forest near Middletown, Ohio and learned the tree sap spigots are turned on to flow mid Feb.  It takes 50 gals of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup.  Syrup in the stores does not compare to the real syrup taste on blueberry pancakes with walnuts.  Do not add butter!  Lunch at an Amish restaurant worked for us, lots of fresh vegetables.  But check the labels on the decorative goods they sell… all trinkets made in China. 

The ride from Ohio to the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana was beautiful.  The trees are amazingly huge.  The library had a fascinating Abraham Lincoln exhibit.

The ride across Indiana and Illinois from Fort Wayne to Dubuque, Iowa was equally lovely.  It is harvest time.  Crossing the Wabash River, crossing the Illinois River on the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge (click here), the Mississippi River Bridge at Savanna, and the ride along the River, through the hills leading to Dubuque, Iowa at dusk. 

Not nice was the confusing signage on US 52 leading to Dubuque, and then discovering the Hampton Inn was full, and Dubuque does not have hotels sprinkled along the highway.  

Today, we took the scenic tour of eastern Iowa criss-crossing the River northwest to Decorah, Iowa, then west to Northwood, my hometown, and site of my class reunion.”

8 Oct:  Northwood, Iowa.  Ron's pacemaker report WAS sent today, thanks to Cynthia reading this blog.  Today's big events were a tour of the new high school with Annie & Dave and a cadre of classmates.  The 4 million dollar new gym is truly magnificent, and it is open to the public (by membership) when the school is not using it.  The class reunion dinner at the Woodfire Grill was great food and a wonderful time visiting with everyone.  Thirteen people attended: Cynthia and I, Annie & Dave, Vic & Nola, Laverne & Shelly, Jerry & Betty, Ray, Sue, Myra.  Unfortunately not everyone was able to hear and not everyone was able to speak clearly.  While this diminished the ability to communicate, everyone felt included and appreciated.  Warm fuzzies all around.

7 Oct:  Our long day yesterday left us a short day today to get to Northwood - - -  except that Iowa route 3 was "closed to through traffic" when we got there.  So we had to backtrack and guess our way back to US route 20 which took us to our intended US route 52.  The positive spin is that the scenery was outstanding all day long, but especially on our intended route and backtrack.  We stopped in Decorah, Iowa for a Subway sandwich and were shocked to see that a lovely blue sky full of patchy white clouds had turned dark and ominous, threatening rain, during that lunch break.  The other shock was that the temperature had become suddenly cold.  Regardless of threat of rain, we arrived in Northwood dry and chilled.  Dave and Pat joined us at the Diamond Jo Worth Casino (click here) near Northwood (actually adjacent to the property that Cynthia's grandparents had owned).  Dave and Pat were positive and upbeat as always, despite telling stories of hospital visits and back pain that have plagued them in the past year.  Thank God we didn't have similarly distressing stories to exchange.  Route: US 20 W to US 52 N (through Guttenberg with a great view of the Mississippi River) to R on IA 51 N to L on IA 9 W through Decorah to R on Walnut (after Riceville, no signage) N to L on 430 (no signage) to L on US 218 W into St. Ansgar to R on IA 105 E to Northwood.  Note to self: avoid Iowa route 105 east of Northwood; it was very lumpy and bumpy.  Iowa 9 was not great either. 

6 Oct:  Our intention was to be on the road leaving Fort Wayne by eight AM to ride 250 miles to someplace for an overnight.  Even though we failed to leave that early, we were pleased to be on the road at 9:30.  US 24 W was bumpy enough that Ron decided to try I-39 N, which might be my favorite interstate highway, smooth and not full of traffic.  After riding over a million pavement joints, especially on US 52 in Illinois, we crossed the Mississippi at Savanna onto smooth Iowa pavement and wound our way through the flooded lowlands towards Debuque.  It is very amusing that we were heading due south passing road signs proclaiming "North on US 52."  And we surprised ourselves by arriving in Dubuque, Iowa at seven PM as daylight dimmed.  Wow!  Mother Nature is resplendent, dressed in fall finery, using every color in the Crayola box.  Peculiar that no signs indicated that Debuque is NOT actually on US 52, but rather a few miles east of it, so again we wandered around looking for any hotel and eventually stopped to hunt for hotels on the GPS and discovered that Debuque was 5 miles east on US 20.  Another peculiarity was that the town of Bellevue, Iowa is on a bluff with great views of the river but no hotels whatsoever.  Someone is missing a great opportunity to make good money.  Route: US 24 W to El Paso, Illinois, then R on I-39 N to L on US 52 W.  And that was close to a 400 mile day.

5 Oct:  Fort Wayne, Indiana.  We spent the day in the Allen County Public Library researching genealogy.  Ron's new camera captured over 200 pages of various books.  Ron bought an el cheapo Garmin GPS as a preferable alternative to the BMW app on Cynthia's phone.  He can return it to Walmart within 14 days if it proves unsatisfactory.

4 Oct:  Ron figured out a good, simple route to Fort Wayne, Indiana, but the chosen road had low posted speed limits and slow drivers on the road this morning at noon.  Route Ohio route 306 South to Streetsboro, R on OH 303 W through Hudson to L on OH 606 S to R on OH 3 S, L on US 42 S to R on US 224 W to Van Wert, R on US 30 W to Fort Wayne - - - where the BMW route guidance failed miserably leaving us wandering all over town until Ron decided to ride by "dead reckoning" towards the sunset in the southwest to find the hotel.  That also failed because he neglected to turn south when he encountered I-69 but we eventually arrived after 20 additional miles of wandering.

3 Oct: Walt drove us past Burton to Middlefield, Ohio for lunch at Mary Yoder's Amish Kitchen (click here), then we hiked in the Sugarbush Creek Farm (click here) and learned of Ohio's forest of sugar maple trees.  It takes fifty gallons of sugar tree sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.  Then we went for a nice walk in the Swine Creek Park (much more attractive than it sounds).

2 Oct, Sunday:  Novelty, Ohio visiting Pam and Walt.  Walt drove us to Burton, Ohio for a walking tour of Century Village Museum (click here) and to Punderson, OH for a walk on the boardwalk at the Punderson State Park including the Manor (click here).  Cynthia made wonderfully delicious baked salmon and sweet potatoes for dinner, and Ron again spent the evening watching sports on TV with Walter.

1 Oct:  Wish us luck with the weather.  And we thank everyone who did wish us good luck with the weather.  It rained before dawn, but was dry when we awakened at 5:30 am.  We hustled through our packing and breakfast and left about 7:30 despite the lightest rain, just beginning.  Although we had our doubts for the first twenty miles, our strategy was vindicated by drier and drier conditions.  Contrary to Ron's normal routing, this time, since time was of the essence, so we took Interstate 70 to I-76 to the Ohio Turnpike to I-80 and then wandered around since exit 193 seemed stuck and the exit 187 was closed.  The BMW GPS was worthless.  We stopped in Bainbridge at the Buckeye Chocolate Cafe to call Walt and discovered that the cafe could feed us salads.  While Ron was grocery shopping next door at Grand Union, Walt joined us and then led us to the Arborwear warehouse which is filled with displays and products for sale.  We then went back to Walt and Pam's house, settled in to their guest apartment, and spent the afternoon and evening watching sports on TV with Walter.

1 October,  In Memory of Merrilee, Cynthia’s sister, who passed away from Covid pneumonia a year ago this day. She was a vital force and is missed.