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| Cynthia walked to this view point on Nov 9 |
30 Nov: The End marks a beginning, well, maybe. Ron rode early AM to Edwardsville, but he hit rain at Lebanon, unable to return to Carlyle and pack his belongings to bring them back to Trenton. He is in Trenton to again spend the night. God willing, Friday AM he will check out of the hotel in Carlyle, return to say goodbye to Ann, and MAYBE he will begin the very cold ride to Texas. Ann will go into assisted living very close to her son, but lots of paper work needs to be done. It is a very rainy, all-day-rainy-day in Texas where one of us needs to walk at least five miles Thankfully, at eleven AM, the rain turned into a fine mist, allowing a one-hour boogie almost to the lake and back. She stopped short of walking the last stretch through the wet grass. By evening, feeling house bound and bored, she walked circles in the condo for twenty minutes. 5.68 Miles
29 Nov: Wed: Ron returned to visit Ann in Trenton, rode to pick up his Mac near Scott Air Force Base, where Computer Geek only charged $49.00 because he could not fix it. He spent the night at Don’s house but, following an hour walk, he returned to find Ann had fallen, unable to get up. A neighbor was called, and the two of them maneuvered her into position to get on her feet. 5.02 Miles
28 Nov: Tues: Ron’s friend Don in Trenton passed away this AM. Ron spent the day with Don’s invalid wife, other friends were there for support, too. Cynthia’s D-I-L’s mother suffered a fatal heart attack this afternoon. Prayers go up for those who are mourning. 15,329 steps 6.30 Miles
27 Nov: Mon: Cold in Texas! 5.0 Miles
26 Nov: Sunday: It is bitterly cold in Illinois. Ron rode in 32 degree temperature from Trenton to Carlyle. Cynthia is presiding at Grace Lutheran Church in Montgomery, Texas. Samantha, Adam, Noah, Steven, and Jon are worshipping at Grace, followed by a brunch at the Yacht Club. Two-year-old Noah was ill en route to the church, upchucking all over his clothes. His dad wrapped him in his own shirt and stayed in the car with him so Samantha and Steven were able to come into the church. It is a chilly 55 degrees in Texas. Cynthia only walked 3.0 miles, and none of it walking outdoors.
25 Nov: Ron will return to Carlyle, stopping at the computer geek near Scott Air Force Base to retrieve his Mac. He plans to stay the week in Carlyle, visiting Don and Ann for card game fun. Cynthia is out for her walk to the lake. 5.0 Miles
24 Nov: Carol prepared a Friday Thanksgiving feast for Ron and Bill! Jon, Lauren, Tyler and Charlotte had a Friday Thanksgiving at the Cafe on the Green; all of us were entertained by Charlotte. Cynthia had two walks totaling EIGHT MILES, 8.17 Miles
23 Nov: Happy Thanksgiving! Cynthia is eternally thankful to God for Ron, for our relationship together even when apart for a month. We are thankful for siblings, four adult children, eleven grandchildren, and almost ten great grandchildren (8 are four years old and under). She is very thankful her hand is healing nicely, but she is cautious moving the right hand certain ways. It is raining in Texas at seven AM until ten AM, at forty four degrees. Ron, his sister Carol, and his nephew Eric, are identifying as Christmas tree ornaments. 2.0 Miles
22 Nov: Today is day 10 of a 21 day 10,000 step challenge, and on this day, she achieved 6.0 miles. Yaaay! It is a BRRRRRR day! Cynthia had a haircut, picked up packages at Jon’s, plus printed sermon and order of worship. It was time to eat salmon. Ron is delighted to get out of the house and into the woods again. Bush honeysuckle (click here) are terrified.!! Haha! Yes!
21 Nov: Having soaked his feet and shoes yesterday, Ron decided to spend the day inside today reading The Pritikin Edge from cover to cover. It never ceases to amaze him that Americans are so much in denial of the future that awaits them as they sit hours daily indulging their every dietary whim. Brrrr! It is chilly in Illinois! Snow is forecast for Sunday near Trenton. It is even chilly in Texas! Cynthia treated herself to a VIP Pedicure that included a fabulous foot massage. Today’s 12,319 steps are nine to ten thousand less than our daily steps in Colorado through July and August. But, between being busy, a lot of rain, and now cold, it is good to be thankful NO MATTER WHAT! 5.04 miles
20 Nov: In eleven days Smooch leaves for Texas. Cynthia met with the pastor at Grace to review logistics for presiding at worship next Sunday. After that she had the rear brake pads replaced. In Illinois, it rained in the morning and again afternoon and into the night. Ron pulled only 12 bush honeysuckle while getting his shoes and socks entirely soaked in the water on wet leaves. Ron’s Mac cannot be repaired. He will go Mac shopping in Texas
19 Nov, Sunday: Worship in Texas included a festive hymn sing followed by a meal with a huge dessert bar. Cynthia ate a 2”square of quiche and fresh fruit, thereby avoiding all of the tempting home made desserts. On day 7 of the 21 day challenge, doing the exact same route to the lake and home to the condo, there is 500 step difference. 500 fewer steps. How can this be? Wearing the Apple Watch on the left hand instead of the right? 5.0 miles. Ron spent the day in Illionis pulling bush honeysuckle.
18 Nov: Early AM chaos reigned in Texas with a text message that a document needed to be scanned and resent. Instructions were included to scan with an iPhone or IPad, but neither worked. Cynthia explained to the sender she needed to EAT instead of trying to locate a scanning app. Cynthia does not have scan capability on either of her apple products. She drove to Jon’s and he scanned it using Turbo Scan, a download, and he showed her how to use this genius hack. She raced home to discover she had missed yesterday’s eye appointment, and now her phone is installing updates, so she missed calling Ron. Calm comes after coffee. 6.0 miles in Texas. In Illinois, Ron enjoyed a full day of pulling bush honelsuckle.
17 Nov: Day 5 of Cynthia's 21 Day 10,000 Step Challenge. Ron awakened at his sister's place in rural Mt. Olive, Illinois, and is preparing to wage war on bush honeysuckle again. He has nearly healed from his battle wounds of last week. Oh boy, oh boy, Carol, Bill and Ron drove into town for dinner at Ruby Tuesday, and Ron was able to buy frozen mango and blueberries as well as sourdough hard pretzels. Now it is time for his daily walk to the mailbox - a mile each way. Cynthia forgot a three PM eye appointment. 6.75 miles in Texas.
16 Nov: Ron returned to his sister’s tree farm near Litchfield, Illinois. His Mac has a “short” in it that the Geek cannot find. Ugh. Sad. The good news is the hard drive is not the culprit. (Give Thanks No Matter What.) During her afternoon walk, Cynthia took a video of a huge Great Blue Heron that allowed her to get very close to him. 16, 800 steps. 7.0 miles.
15 Nov: Ssshhhhh! Cynthia is planning a quiet day to complete a sermon. Ron won a game of Liverpool Rummy. (This is a miracle !!) Before dark, he put shoe glue on the soles of his Hoka shoes. Cynthia hiked 6.15 miles, 15,243 steps
14 Nov: Ann won two afternoon card games. Ron and Don played a game of chess but quit when Don insisted on the tournament "touch-move rule." Cynthia is crazy busy in Texas, preparing a sermon for 26 Nov and running errands. This is the second day of her 10,000 steps a day, 21 day challenge, and she aced the goal again. 5.0 miles
13 Nov: Good Morning Lake Carlyle from South WET Texas. At 5:00 AM, it is again raining, with the forecast of 100% wet stuff all day! Cynthia has an appointment with the audiologist at nine AM, followed by a trip to our Hempstead CPA, and lastly, the Grease Monkey to change oil in the car. In Illinois, Ron and partner drew wonderful cards for pinochle, and he had a very good time. Diane is such a good sport and energetic participant. 5.0 miles
12 Nov, Sunday: On this today, Ron relocated to Lake Carlyle for several days - until Thursday. Liverpool Rummy or pinochle. Ron arrived at Lake Carlyle after helping load firewood at his sister’s tree farm, then lost a couple card games to Ann and Don in Trenton. Cynthia attended worship at Grace Lutheran followed by a fellowship meal that included her first-ever piece of lasagna. It became a popular treat a long time after she stopped eating pastas. She is not sure why it is a treat to anyone. Only 1.5 miles accrued-because it rained all the day long.
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| Charlotte, Tyler, Cynthia & Lauren |
11 Nov: Ron's last consecutive opportunity to pull bush honeysuckle is TODAY! Cynthia baptized Sweet Charlotte at her home. It was a lovely day, a wonderful ceremony, with such a loving family surrounding her. 
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| Jon, Cynthia and friend from Elkhorn |
10 Nov: TODAY. a day for more pulling of bush honeysuckle, that terribly invasive species. So far, Ron's body is not complaining, and he is sleeping quite well and waking well rested. That is such a relief.!! Ron's day proceeded as planned with bush honeysuckle until Carol & Bill arrived in the "side by side" to ask if he wanted to ride in the pickup with Mom's dining room table to go into his storage locker - which is where we went, then to Culvers for a sandwich (Ron had a small salad) and then to Dairy Queen for frozen custard - Ron ate a whole quart for only 12 grams of fat. Boy oh boy, did we celebrate Dad's birthday.!! Ron pulled a bit more bush honeysuckle and poached some from the neighbor. Carol cooked excellent salmon meal at 4:40. The rain in Texas started early, drizzle continues in the afternoon. The carpet cleaners arrived at eleven to clean the area rug spot where Cynthia spilled her Smoothie. She had dinner with her son Jon and a classmate from Iowa. Tomorrow she is presiding over the baptism of two-year-old great-granddaughter, Charlotte, who has a three-second-attention-span, max. 2.0 Miles
9 Nov: Another great, God-given day for pulling bush honeysuckle (184 today). Thank God. (It never hurts to thank the creator.) Cynthia, in Texas, arose at five AM eager to expend energy before rain late afternoon. She hoofed it out the door at 8:20 AM making the distance to the lake, stopping at the Fitness Center to say hi to the delightful attendant. On the way back, the older man with running difficulty challenged her to a race. Of course, she agreed and kept up with his pace by fast walking and running. That lasted only three blocks when he won because she tired out. She fell asleep at high noon until two PM when the rain started. 3.90 miles. Uffda Rain forecast for the next six days. Thank God no matter what!
8 Nov: Cynthia had an appointment with the foot and ankle specialist at ten AM, but the appointment was made in Colorado and showed up on her calendar as eleven MST. Therefore, she was unknowingly an hour late and unable to be seen. But, she did get an injection for bursitis from the orthopod. Ron spent the day getting up close and personal with one hundred eighty nine bush honeysuckle plants. Hmm, why are we seeing no mileages? Ron is walking the mile to the mailbox and back every evening. Ok. Cynthia got the point; once the temperature dropped to 77 degrees at seven PM (dark-thirty), she walked through lit parking lots for fifteen minutes. Thanks to a busy day with a lot of steps, she accrued 2.5 miles. It will be cooling off beginning tomorrow so she can walk before dark.
7 Nov: Ron took his computer to I Fix Gadget (click here) near Scott AFB because the owner is confident that he can repair the broken Mac. Let’s pray! On the way he stopped in Edwardsville to drop off recycling and deposit a check at the Credit Union. Suzanne was there this time, and we enjoyed a quick half hour catch up. Ron arrived home in time for a delicious stir fry dinner with rice. In Texas, Cynthia picked up a RX and drove to the Woodlands o see Dr. Dice, the hand specialist. She bought a Juice Smoothie at a health food bar, brought it home and promptly dropped it on the clean carpet in the living room.
6 Nov: Ron slept very well and quite long, from 9 PM to 1:30am to 4am to 7am, and he feels really, really good. After exercising and eating, he bounced out of the house to do battle with bush honeysuckle. The bush honeysuckle that he eliminated last year has regenerated, so we think that the bush honeysuckle is winning. It was alarming to see that the poison ivy still has green leaves. Carol fed Bill and Ron yummy bean soup for lunch. Ron decided after pulling 108 plants that he had better give his back a rest. Cynthia had a busy day planned, helping Jon with some needed paperwork and seeing a couple of doctors, the allergist and the ENT.
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| Cynthia's daughters are taller |
5 Nov, Sunday: Fall back! The blog posts will be brief until Ron’s Mac is repaired. Cynthia still types slowly with one finger to protect her sagittal bands. She is off to worship, then an afternoon baby shower for Miss Becks, due Dec. 11th. Ron enjoyed a good night of sleep, but wore out early from pulling bush honeysuckle. Apparently moving 20 boxes weighing 30 to 50 pounds each was a bit too much.
4 Nov: Phooey! Ron cannot update the blog because his Mac died. He reports in our early AM phone call that he slept wonderfully well in his sleeping bag outside. Ron, Maxine and her husband Doug enjoyed breakfast at Denny’s at 9:00 AM. Maxine survived a stroke and appears fully capable, thanks to good doctors at Barnes hospital who inserted a tube into her arm all the way to the stroke site in her brain to syphon out the blood. Ron then spent a few hours digging through his storage locker in search of his 55-year-old orange Burton Third Bomber basketball jersey; he thrashed through four boxes and trunks full of shirts without finding it. He searched until exhausted at four PM, then rode to Sistah Carol’s for a couple of weeks to pull bush honeysuckle. Meanwhile, in Texas, Cynthia had a haircut followed by a manicure in preparation for Rachel’s baby shower tomorrow. She met son Jon for dinner at the Cafe on the Green. The TX weather turned TX hoT.
3 Nov: Ron rode from Carlyle Lake in Illinois to Gateway BMW Motorcycles of I-64 in Chesterfield (St. Louis) to give his motorcycle the 12,000 mile service. It is about an hour and a half ride to get there taking a slightly less traveled route over the Jefferson Barracks Bridge. We've had the bike just over one year. As usual, he was late leaving and arrived for the appointment an hour late. The folks at the shop were marvelous. Rachel is quite the motorcycle addict, Shannon is very, very expert at diagnosis, and Mark is a white haired wonderful mechanic. Ron borrowed a demo bike to ride ten miles to visit his aunt Margaret in St. Louis Ooops! Ron’s 2011 Mac has died. deader than a doornail. He may need to buy a new computer, but first he is going to take it to "I fix gadgets" near Scott Air Force Base. Thank God the critical files are all backed up (we hope). Just befpore dark, he rode to Edwardsville to search his jam-packed storage locker for his orange MIT Bomber basketball jersey. Cynthia had a Dr appointment and walked 3.0 miles
2 Nov: Ron is pleased that his Van Buren Telephone Co. material arrived, plus numerous envelopes of Sudokus from Oke and the Stalcops. Ron’s mail has not been opened since last March. Thanks to Cynthia's "heads-up" early morning call, Ron had great success with QQQ this morning. Now it is time for him to exercise and walk across the dam. Then he spent the day with Don and Ann and Diane playing cards with much gusto. After Diane left, Don beat Ron at one game of chess and made a significant oversight in the second. It looked like Ron was going to win that one until he blundered into a stalemate. In the meantime, Cynthia, after exercise and oatmeal is enjoying morning coffee looking at Lake Conroe in the newly remodeled condo. We lease the condo for our four-month stay in Texas. It overlooks the marina on the lake; we can walk next door to the yacht club, and the golf course and the fitness center (with swimming pools and tennis courts) are nearby. The sun is shining. Her heart is happy. Hmm, but I don't see any mileage. (I love you.) 2.5 miles! I love you, too.
1 Nov: Cynthia flew back to Houston, thereby avoiding a potentially cold ride on the first of December (and frozen "hairdo-by-helmet.") Will Cynthia continue posting daily mileages here? YES, Cynthia’s flight was fine. TSA precheck makes boarding a plane pleasant again. Son Jon picked her up at IAH with her car shiny bright, filled with fuel, and a happy guy to have his mom home. They picked up boxes she shipped home, plus boxes from the storage unit. Then Jon helped her get the boxes up to the condo. She did not get many miles: 3.0.
