31 Dec, Sunday: Hmmm! 123123: 12/31/23, the last day of the year! Worship at 10:00 AM. Fifteen years ago, on New Year’s Eve, Ron responded to a friend's suggestion and proposed. Cynthia surprised both of us by saying, “Yes.” It has been a marvelous decision, a happy time, and a wonderful life. We are amazed at how fast the years have passed, but we echo each other’s: "Thank God!" 5.0 miles
30 Dec: We walked to the lake and worked on financial reports; Cynthia upgraded her junk report, and Ron worked on James Lea. Late afternoon, we walked once again to the point. 5.20 miles
29 Dec: Today, we were glued to our electronics; Ron analyzed financial records for IRS required RMD calculation, and Cynthia did DNA administrative duties. We walked five miles, followed by egg white omelets at Magnolia Diner, picked up packages at Jon’s and an RX at Walgreens, and shopped for groceries at Walmart. Tick! Tick! Tick! Yup! Here we go again, zooming through another December to the big countdown at midnight Sunday. 5.0 miles
28:Dec: The day was chilly but sunny; we delayed walking until one PM when the outdoor temp hit 52 degrees. Ron completed his RMD analysis up through November, and we had a lovely dinner with Pastor Diane & John, Bishop Mike & Susan at the Cafe on the Green. 5.0 Miles
27 Dec: Wednesday was a most enjoyable day to sleep late, catch up on projects, turn on the old Dell laptop, used to write five volumes of the Rambo Book, to see if it works; yes, it does. Ron is working on financials to complete the MRD before Dec. 31. Cynthia completed Ron’s medical paperwork for Pritikin; hers was done yesterday. Reviewing cardiac procedures since 2010, we are thankful for Medicare, plus excellent supplemental policies. Cynthia’s Plan J requires no co-pay; it is no longer available, and the government cannot take it away. Ron has supplement D via Mutual of Omaha, which offers great coverage in addition to Medicare. We walked 5.31 miles.
26 Dec: We walked five miles after early AM email distractions. Cynthia checked her blood pressure after the walk: 104/68. Then we walked five miles before jumping up on the motorcycle to shop for food. (Well, we don’t exactly jump up, but it sounds energetic.) Traffic was heavy, the stores were still crowded, and the restaurant was closed. Because she was starving, Cynthia ate a half bag of unwashed globe grapes in Walmart. Ron is industriously editing James Lea. 5.0 miles.
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| Fyn in England |
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| Zoe's husband Jack |
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| Jack, Paul, Zoe, Fyn, and Cheryl |
25 Dec, Sunday: Merry Monday, Merry Christmas! Son Paul and his family are in England visiting granddaughter daughter Zoe and her new husband, Jack. Zoe is at the U of York studying for a master's in Public History. Jack is playing soccer (see photo). They will FaceTime at noon CST. Thank God for the gift of family, phone calls, e-mails, plus our 5.0-mile walk to the lake and back, and we call it a day! ZZzz
24 Dec, Sunday: Brunch with Jon and Jim & Jan at the Yacht Club, followed by visiting 23-month-old Charlotte and her parents at one PM. We met Roxanne and Kiira, Julie, Lamar, and Jade for worship at four PM, then a Christmas celebration over dinner at the Salt Grass Restaurant.
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| Little Charlotte (upper right) |
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| Blaire and Becks |
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| Sister Bonnie and her family |
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| Ron and Cynthia after church |
23 Dec. We exercised, oatmealed, and walked; Ron did Sudokus and edited James Lea. Cynthia said this is Clean Condo Day! 5.0 miles
22 Dec: Ron is sending his Christmas cards today. Cynthia is not sending cards. 5.0 miles
21 Dec: Winter Solstice is upon us. So is writing Christmas cards, running errands, walking, and having a late lunch at Magnolia Diner. The hard drive did not successfully migrate everything to the new Mac, so we have many more things to accomplish before Feb. 10th. However, the past three days of work on James Lea's book were not saved when the Mac rebooted. Very sad! 8.31 miles 
20 Dec: Another five-mile day! Ron is hard at work on the Lea book Yaay!
19 Dec: IMAGINE! Yet another crazy busy day doing the usual, followed by a five-mile walk, then a trip to the Apple Store in the Woodlands for Apple School on the new Apple Watch #9. The traffic was horrendous, but we were only a few minutes late. We learned GPS and cellular on the Watch are the same as on the iPhone. We get complimented often because we hold hands, “So sweet,” a lady said in Walmart. The truth is Ron holds Cynthia’s hand to keep her from falling, shopping, or dawdling. Take your pick. And now we are tired, as usual! 5.51 miles
18 Dec: Computers and James Lea ruled the day! Ron worked on the book, and Cynthia spent half the day struggling with security issues on several websites. We enjoyed two walks, 6.12 miles
17 Dec, Sunday: Worship was wonderful with tiny angels dressed in white fluttery wings, Mary adoring, Joseph with arms raised, a heavenly choir, and bell ringers telling the story of Jesus’ birth. Midafternoon we walked 5.08 miles
16 Dec: We exercised, oatmealed, walked to the lake, and drove to Jason’s Deli for their salad bar and our bike. Ron ran errands; Cynthia stopped at the pharmacy and then went home to read a gifted book, From Bremerton to River City, written by a 95-year-old woman about the first North Iowa Band Festival in 1938. And we walked again. 7.15 miles
15 Dec: Another early AM, but an appointment with Cynthia’s retina specialist is scheduled for ten-fifteen. Good news all around. The retina specialist said everything looks good, and her AMD continues to be stable. We ate lunch at Jason’s Deli and walked to Eyeland to schedule an eye appointment for Ron’s RX glasses. Thankfully, they had an opening at two PM. He has prescribed transition lenses for reading and distance, using OSHA Safety design for use on the motorcycle. It will have a gradient design to turn into sunglasses in the bright sun. At 2:33, trouble started! Cynthia said, “I received a weather warning. Heavy rain is scheduled for 2:33. Oh, that’s Now.” And the forecast was right. But the optician was measuring Ron for new glasses. We finished, paid the bill, and wondered if we should sit at the optical company to wait for the rain to pass over or return to Jason’s Deli. Cynthia bolted towards food. By the time Ron arrived in the midst of the deluge, she was nearly finished eating avocado sourdough toast. The rain promised to pour indefinitely (eight PM). Cynthia texted Jon, who just had a flat tire and needed to get new ones a block away. He picked us up, we waited for new tires, and he brought us home. We will get the bike in the AM.
14 Dec: We left by nine-thirty for the ride to Hempstead for lunch with Carol S., stopping at the CPA, then onto Brenham for Ron’s eye appointment at 1:45 PM. It was a successful visit until we realized Ron’s eyes were still dilated as we returned for the ride home on the motorcycle. Thankfully, Ron did a great job, and we are still alive. We arrived home after dark; we had no walk today.
13 Dec: A busy day! Ron affixed the AZ motorcycle license tag for the next five years. 6.0 miles
12 Dec: Our walk to the lake at ten-thirty started out chilly but warmed up in the bright sunshine. Ron is in a HO HO HO mood, writing Christmas letters with a goal of ten a day until the end of the month. Cynthia is FA LA LA ing projects completed. Becks is amazingly alert for a newborn. Big sister Blaire is in love. 7.0 miles, all of Cynthia's fitness rings are closed.
11 Dec: After the morning EO routine (exercise/oatmeal), we walked almost to the lake but turned to boogie back for our dentist appointments at 2:00 PM. Our good reports were followed by a stop at Walmart to search for hard sourdough pretzels; they did not have them. Dinner at Jason’s Deli was filling, and the ride home was not quite as chilly. 5.0 miles
10 Dec: We worshipped at Grace Lutheran Church, followed by brunch at Magnolia Diner. Cynthia erred in trying to type a document on her Mac; her right-hand ring finger and middle finger sagittal bands do not allow her fingers to do 10-finger typing on a keyboard. She put the brace back on. 4.0 miles
9 Dec: Luxuriating on a Saturday with nothing on our schedules except a walk, a trip to Walmart, and a package pick up from Jon. Almost everything from the 2011 17” MacBookPro hard drive migrated successfully to the new 15” MacBook Air. As we travel, it will conveniently hook up to 48” TV screens with an HTML cable. We started our walk at 2:00 PM despite 80 degrees, plus high humidity, because of some cloud cover. It worked - - sort of. We returned home alive but sweaty after a five-mile jaunt to the lake. Cynthia prepared baked salmon using a new recipe. Ron made a baked sweet potato using the potato pocket that ElaRuth gave him years ago. 5.0 miles
8 Dec. The Bishop’s Clergy Christmas luncheon was at 11:30 AM, but we arrived late and ate lettuce. We don’t eat pasta in cream sauce or butter rolls, and Cynthia disciplined herself not to eat the yummy-looking homemade carrot cake. We left the luncheon a few minutes early to get to our appointment at the Apple Store to have Ron’s old Mac checked out, plus Cynthia’s 2019 Apple Watch needed to be checked. The battery did show deterioration; she was offered a $60.00 trade-in on a new Apple Watch and bought one that includes the GPS and the cellular on the 2019 Watch. Ron successfully removed the hard drive from the 2011 Mac with a delightful Apple Store assistant. We walked to Best Buy, nearby, and Ron bought an adapter, and their Geek Squad announced the hard drive was still good. It is being migrated to the new Mac as we sit here exhausted from the day. Riding on I-45, one of the most dangerous freeways in the US, in the dark is stressful to one of us, while the other said he was ready to do something different after arriving home. Today's walk: two miles.
7 Dec: After oatmeal and exercises, we were off to the Apple Store to buy a new MacBook for Ron. Thankfully, they had what he needed in stock: a 15-inch MacBook Air with 16 Gig memory and 1 Terabyte SSD hard drive. We stopped at Jason's Deli for large luncheon salads and a baked potato, and then Cynthia had an eye appointment next door, with very little change in her RX. We walked to the lake and home, totaling 6.6 miles for the day. Ron could not take the old MacBook Pro apart to get the hard drive out to attempt migration to the new computer. When we stop at the Apple store again tomorrow, he will take both MacBooks to see if their Genius bar can help. This is being typed on the new MacBook Air, and Ron is delighted with the keyboard. Cynthia is happy to be riding the motorcycle instead of driving. One of these days, her disinclination to present "hairdo by helmet" will overcome her reluctance to drive in Houston traffic.
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| Miss Blair & Baby Becks |
6 Dec: Our tenth great-grandchild, Becks, arrived late afternoon, 7.6 oz. Her parents and big sister are elated and exhausted. The Smooches slept late, luxuriating in the peace of togetherness. We will be much rejuvenated if we get another few nights of good sleep. After compulsory morning exercises and oatmeal, we walked to the lake and back, collected too much from the storage locker, and bought groceries (although Ron forgot the walnuts on his 4-item shopping list). Ron connected Cynthia’s Mac to the 48” TV screen for a monitor to read about new Macs. 5.0 miles
5 Dec: Ron said his goodbyes to Rex, Danielle and the dogs before continuing to Corsicana to research Albert Miller Lea, who died there. The local genealogy librarian was familiar with Albert Miller Lea but had no Bible record. However, there were a couple of good biographical sketches of him in their vertical files. Next time, Ron will dig out his camera to take photographs. He did promise the librarian to send a copy of the Lea book and articles from the Freeborn Standard next time he researches in Minnesota. And home on the range, Cynthia walked to the fitness center and back, brimming with excitement because Ron is due in Walden soon and very soon! The happy ending is that he arrived about 3:30, and the Smooches are very happily reunited. Route: back to TX 205 S 7 miles -> FM 148 S 2 mi to R on I-20 W 25 mi to L on I-45 S 45 mi to Corsicana (next time take photographs). I-45 S 113 mi to R on FM 1791 S 18 mi to L on TX 149 S 12 mi to L on FM 1097, R on ?? to E on TX 105 E to Walden Road.
4 Dec: The ride from Miami south to Rockwall, Texas, on US 69 was quite pleasant, with fall scenery and colors adding to the green grass and fields along the road. Ron spent the night with cousin Rex and his wife Danielle, and we all went to dinner at a great restaurant there. Their home is quite hectic with four large dogs and eleven !! puppies. Back home in Texas, Cynthia made chili to take to her granddaughter in Bryan, TX, for an all-gathering birthday party with Jesus in the morning. She was home by two. Two miles walking today ofr Cynthia. Ron's route: US 69 S to Whitewright, TX and R (straight) on TX 160 S 9 miles to TX 78 S 27 mi to L on TX 205 through Rockwall, TX 16 mi to L on FM 548 E 2.5 mi to R on Tejas Trail briefly to R on Hidden Pass that curves into Eagle Pass 1 mi to R on Cattlemans Trail to L on Dove Landing.
3 Dec, Sunday: Ron is visiting Clarence in Kansas City for a couple of hours or maybe sixty hours! Who knows! Cold and rain are forecast in one hour (at three PM) south of KC. His next stopping spot should be a little more than an hour south of KC UNLESS HE DECIDES TO GO ELSEWHERE. WHO knows? Aha! Ron made it to Miami, Oklahoma, by dark. He phoned from a Walgreens drugstore while searching for a hotel. The good news was that he was only two minutes from a hotel with a Subway restaurant nearby and checked in quickly. Meanwhile, at home on the range in Texas, Cynthia completed the final day of a 21-day, 10,000 steps-a-day challenge. 14,958 steps, 6.26 miles. She is a happier hiker with more steps daily, but walking on uneven ground in the dark (alone) is not a good choice. Route: I-35 S to I-70 W to 7th Street exit (U-turn to go N) to visit Clarence. 18th Street S to I-35 S to US 69 S to Miami, OK
2 Dec: Sat: Ron left Trenton, Illinois, mid-AM, for the arduous ride to Kansas City, MO, arriving in Excelsior Springs, MO (drenched) to visit his friend, Les. His wet shoes and socks sizzled on the heater. At about eight-thirty PM, he will ride to Kearney, MO, a suburb of KC, check in at the hotel, shop for food, and fall asleep. Kearney is about fifteen minutes west of Excelsior Springs. Ron has a detour, wet drizzle, or heavy humidity riding to Kearney. He arrived wet again at about nine PM. Tomorrow, he will visit Clarence in KC, and, God willing, he will leave for the next overnight before dark or rain. Cynthia walked 6.5 miles today (day 20 of 21). Route: US 50 W to Trenton, IL, R on IL 160 N to Highland, L on US 40 W to R on IL 4 N to L on I-70 W to I-270 W ;to MO 270 W to I-70 W 182 miles to R on MO 13 N (where the rain started) 25 mi to L on MO 10 W 17 mi through Excelsior Springs to US 69 N 2 mi to R on Italian Way to R on Salem Road to Les & Joan. back on US 69 N briefly to L on MO 92 W 7 mi to Kearney and SureStay Plus.
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| Hudson, Holden and Santa |
