Marching toward better vision (we hope

We are in Texas until Ron's cataract surgery is finished.

Ron's defense

13 Mar:  Cynthia didn't sleep well for the third night in a row.  We had a nice walk, beginning about noon (warm), and were able to take an hour nap after that.  Retirement is great !!  It s amazing how little we can get done in a delightful retirement.   

12 Mar:  Our walk started at 11:30 AM with wind and ended warm.  4.64 miles.  Other than that we accomplished nothing.  Lazy day.  Cynthia delivered a three minute reflection on John 6 at the Lenten service tonight.  Jon drove us because our car is being worked on.  4.64 miles

11 Mar:  70 degrees, sunshine, a great breeze and low humidity created a great day in Texas.  And wow!  We reached the lake to discover two college girls sunbathing.  Ron enjoyed seeing a bikini.  Our evening walk to the point was delightful.  As we approached, a huge flock of ducks (actually American Coots with their bright white beaks - click here) flowed into the water like a giant wave and several great blue herons kept watchful eyes on us.  It is wonderful fun to hear Ron belly laughing watching old Red Skelton shows (click here).  7.05 miles, 17,206 steps

10 Mar:  On this gorgeous, sunshiny day, we walked 7.14 miles in two trips.  Ron continues compulsively attending his financial accounts.  Cynthia is preparing a three-minute reflection on John 6:51, (Jesus is Living Bread) for the first Wednesday in Lent.

9 Mar, Sunday:  We need to get up in the dark to get to church in time.  Oops!  We were unable to sleep last night and finally fell asleep when we should have been arising for church.  It was so bad that we didn't fully wake up until after noon.

8 Mar:  Cynthia was on a tear, cleaning house with smelly cleaners that forced Ron to finish breakfast outside.  Cynthia walked to the fitness center; Ron walked to the lake and back doing his usual trail maintenance.  All is good.  5.02 Miles. 11,933 steps for Cynthia 

7 Mar:  7.0 Miles, 17,183 steps.  Ron was quite impressed by a ninety-year-old man at the fitness center.  We intend to be that able when we get to 90 and beyond.  QQQ came up enough for Ron to squeak out of one option (gamble) with a profit of $64.

6 Mar:  7.17 Miles.  Cynthia gets close to closing all of her Apple watch fitness rings many days, but today we closed them all.  Yay !!  17,399 Steps

5 Mar:  4.93 Miles  Thankfully, after our AM walk, success was also achieved in the QQQ world. 

4 Mar:  Ron finished writing postcards and did get to the post office in time to buy postcard stamps, but his latest gamble in QQQ options tanked due to the fright over tariffs.  It took a while to understand that the Value Added Taxes imposed by most other countries in the world force Americans to pay towards the support of foreign governments. 4.68 Miles

Mardi Gras

Tina's Glass Valentine Tree

3 Mar:  Our string of afternoon naps came to an end.  Ron wrote postcards, planning to mail them but arrived at the post office too late to buy stamps.  We were delighted to get to bed reasonably early again this evening.  5.5 Miles 

2 Mar, Sunday:  Today we got up early enough to be ready when Jon showed up to give us a ride to church.  Afterwards we all enjoyed lunch at Oscar's Bistro (click here).  Ron spent an hour lining up which postcards he wanted to send to which people as a reply to Christmas cards, and then we laid down for a nice afternoon nap.  Retirement is wonderful.  4.6 Miles 

1 Mar:  Here we are, lying in bed thinking about exercising.  Here we are, sitting and eating after our 4.24-mile walk to the lake and back on this beautiful spring day in Texas.  Cynthia is doing circuits in the fitness center on T, Th, and Sat., half-way through the walk.  Here we are, sitting and staring at our electronics after a long afternoon nap. 

February in Sight, but cataracts unremoved

No, the snow man didn't last from January 20 until today, but Cynthia needed a photograph to brighten up the blog this month.

created by Charlotte, Lauren, & Tyler

28 Feb:  Ron did well with QQQ today.  He hopes that he is finally learning how to profit from options.  We enjoyed a lovely walk in mild weather today and met the most interesting 66-year-old marathon runner.  We also learned the names of John and Cathy the day before they are to return to Le Mars (click here) for a grandchild's birthday.  Two more projects completed this evening; plenty left for tomorrow, but it is time for bed in order to get a good sleep.  Yay - Yay -!!  5.01 Miles. 

27 Feb;  is another memorable day of zero accomplishments, but we had a marvelous time discussing AI, the markets and politics.  On the other hand, part of the beauty of this day is that we both have enjoyed a couple of good nights of sleep, and we got to bed promptly at 9 PM for yet another good sleep.  Isn't it amazing how precious sleep becomes as we age?  I would say that consciousness has a lot to do with sleep.  4.46 miles.

26 Feb:  Up "early" and out the door for a shorter-than-usual walk to the fitness center and back.  Reason being that Cynthia has TWO fingernails in desperate need of professional repair.  (There are some things Ron will never understand.)  After pedicure, her son Jon will bring her back to me and take her car to the mechanic for maintenance, convenient because he will pick up his '69 Cougar from the mechanic.  We were lucky and got in a second walk at 5 pm as it cooled down from the forecast high of 76 degrees.  Winter is over again here in Houston. 7.83 Miles.  We attended the Walden Community Improvement Meeting; what a show.!!  

25 Feb:  A beautiful day is forecast and has arrived.  We walked early in hopes of getting a second walk later today.  Pat (Hi Pat!) noticed that we mentioned her a couple of days ago, so we intend to keep her checking by continuing mentions.  Cynthia did a circuit on the machines at the fitness center under Ron's watchful eye, as supervised by the two ladies working at the gym.  Paul reintroduced himself to us; he is from NE Minnesota, up near Lindstrom.  This area is the first Swedish settlement in Minnesota.  I should thank him for setting me off in search of Pastor Ingqvist (click here).  Yahoo for us! 7.18 miles after two walks!  

24 Feb:  MEDICAL (45 Miles) Today we see the dentist in Montgomery again, to have him fix a sharp edge exposed by the cleaning last Wednesday.  Then we walked to the fitness center and back before going to another dentist on 336 NE for Cynthia's root canal.  WOW were those ever long needles on his syringes, and the dental probes were also amazingly long.  The dentist and his assistant had a great juggling act with her feeding him yet another instrument again and again and again.  No need for painkillers or antibiotics, so he says.  Nice guy with a winning smile, just like brother Dean.  Ron walked a second time at dusk, and it got very dark by the time he was returning.  Mark hailed as he was passing the Lodge, and we talked for fifteen minutes before he left on a 20-mile bicycle training ride after dark.  Ron is still finishing up other projects before commencing work on James Lea volume 2, appendices. 4.20 miles. 

23 Feb, Sunday:  Sundays we get up early to get to church on time.  After church we stopped at Oscar's for lunch wth Jon, and a good time was had by all.  It was already 3 pm before Ron headed out the door for his usual walk.  There were puddles on the pathway, but they were not as big as usual, but then again, the wet grass was also not as soggy as usual.  Apparently Ron's puddle filling has been at least a little bit successful.  We are in the deep freeze again with this second episode of winter.  Wednesday's high was 29 degrees.  We thought winter was over when we had highs above 80 degrees for the entire week of Feb 2-9.  This is the second installment of winter, but a warm up is forecast for tomorrow onwards.

22 Feb:  After a day indoors avoiding any possibility of rain, Ron decided to embrace the risk by walking at 5 PM.  Oops, no, there was a wet mist.

21 Feb:  Ron took another slow day to get through his exercises and eat, but there is no rush with temperatures outside in the 30s.  Isn't Texas supposed to be warm in the winter?

20 Feb:  Pat (at the fitness center) wanted to see her name on the blog; Hi Pat.  We went for our walk later in the day, hoping to be a bit warmer, and that sort of worked except that Cynthia no longer owns a pair of gloves that will keep her fingers warm.  We were quite surprised to see a younger woman and her daughter without particularly warm clothing in the parking lot.  She laughed and said they are from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  We were proud to make it all the way to the fitness center and back.

19 Feb:  Medical-Dental 12 Miles.  The new dentist gave us both good reviews, but the teeth cleaning lifted an edge of one of Ron's crowns so that his tongue is constantly drawn to that sharp edge and began bleeding - - - after we had left the dental office and eaten at Magnolia Diner.  The appointment schedule is full for the next several days, so we have to hope that Ron doesn't bleed to death before Monday.

18 Feb:  Cynthia is making good progress preparing Sunday Offerings for publication.  Ron continues to have fun learning more about those descendants of Peter Rambo of Mercer County.  5.20 Miles

17 Feb:  President’s Day.  4:45 Miles 

16 Feb, Sunday: Go To Meet-in Day,  Salmon dinner at The Oscar’s was marvelous.  How fun to meet Mark and his California Valley Girl beauty on the trail. 5.08 Miles. 

15 Feb: Sat:  Ron continues genealogy research on Peter Rambo descendants in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.  5.0 Miles

14 Feb:  Happy Valentine’s Day to the most incredible husband in the world.  And Happy Valentine’s Day to all of our friends!  4.32 Miles

13 Feb:  Another lazy, slow day starting out cold and foggy but becoming sunny after a few hours in the morning.   4.53 Miles 

12 Feb:  MEDICAL 12 Miles Dr Sharpless.  Cynthia is organizing her Sunday Offerings for publication.  We walked late afternoon for 4.81 miles.

11 Feb:  Solid fog out the window early this morning with a forecast of rain all day, so we didn't hurry to get out of bed, exercise or eat.  It has been another lazy day of accomplishing next to nothing and enjoying every minute of it.  The new microwave arrived; we made popcorn and are very excited.!!  1.11 miles! 

10 Feb:  We went for a walk late, after the heat dissipated somewhat.  It was very pleasant.  It was great fun to see Mark at the fitness Center. 4.91 Miles 

9 Feb, Sunday:  We attended the Walden Community Church (click here) and enjoyed seeing people we know there.  We decided to walk only to the fitness center and back after the heat diminished just before dark to take it easy on Cynthia's feet and my knees.  We met a couple from Iowa.  John and Cathy. 3.43 miles 

8 Feb:  Another awesome day!  We walked to the lake earlier, but not EARLY.  At three PM, we shopped Walmart for groceries.  On the way home, we stopped at the Cafe on the Green for salmon, but bummer, under new management,  they no longer serve salmon!  So we left, drove home and walked to the Yacht Club for delicious salmon and baked potato.  Feeling energized, we did the lake walk again and met the nicest guy named Shane, who described being in love with his wife: How great is that!  And we did great: 20, 751 steps, 8.73 miles.  Cynthia closed all of the rings on her Apple Watch.

7 Feb:  What a fabulous day, the sun is shining, and half of we are going walking after dark.

6 Feb:  MEDICAL, Ophthalmologist consult in Brenham, Texas 120 miles  Ron is pleased to think he is correct to stick with Dr. Beim, who is a self-professed perfectionist.  His first degree was in aeronautical engineering before he enrolled in medical school, so he is an engineer at heart and communicates with Ron on that frequency.  The downside is that Ron's surgeries will likely be scheduled after Dr Beim's second shoulder surgery.  Oh well, perfection takes a little longer.

5 Feb:  Ron enjoyed a relaxing day after finishing the latest genealogy addition from cousin Jessica.  We walked once to the lake with a reduced schedule of trail maintenance to continue Ron's physical recovery from over-indulgence on trail maintenance.  The stock market closed, so it is time to ride the motorcycle to get groceries, raspberries and frozen mixed veggies in particular.

4 Feb:  MEDICAL:  (40 miles) Woodforest CVS supposedly takes RX bottles to recycle.  Maybe not.  We dropped ours off, but Ron is uncertain the drop off isn’t specifically for medications.  From there, we went to the podiatrist, and then to Fleet Feet to get new shoes with a 10% doctors discount.  Finally, we enjoyed dinner at Jason’s Deli on 336 N.  There was still daylight time to walk.  Because we enjoyed a lovely visit with a couple at the lake, we walked home in the dark.  5.02 miles for the day.

3 Feb:  We slept crazy late, walked 4.05, miles and Cynthia baked salmon for our dinner.  Ron walked a second time after dark.

2 Feb, Sunday:  After worship. we ate lunch with Jon at Oscar’s Bistro.  4.6 miles

1 Feb:  We walked earlier today than usual because the forecast was for warm.  We were happy that it was quite warm enough without being too warm except in places.  Trail maintenance continues albeit at a slower pace, and we met a very friendly guy at the bench, Mike Butler.  Cynthia got away in the afternoon for her essential girliecures, but Ron kept typing genealogy.  We look forward because, "After All, Tomorrow is Another Day." 4.65 Miles

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025

31 Jan:  How did another day sneak by without us noticing?  This getting old stuff is rediculous, the things that happen when you aren't watching.  I guess I do remember that we rushed out the door after our walk to drive to Oscar's to eat, and were greatly surprised to find Jon there ahead of us, since he was hungry and decided to eat before dinner time crowds appeared.  Then we picked up packages for Cynthia from his house and grocery shopped before arriving back at the condo in the fading light of evening.

30 Jan:  Another month is rolling to an end, and we are happy to be alive, thankful to God for whatever still works, and very thankful for our life together.  Thunderstorms in the forecast and reports of nine stalled cars on I-45 convinced Cynthia to cancel her appointment with a foot doctor today, but we did walk and splashed through a rivulet from something burst somewhere.  4.51 Miles 

29 Jan:  MEDICAL ENT (40 miles) appointment for Cynthia's hearing aid adjustments after we dropped Ron's recycling in Spring.  The rain, foggy windshield, and cloudy skies made driving unpleasant until the return trip when Cynthia's iPhone connected to her hearing aids and she was able to hear the iPhone GPS instructions.  Ron walked in the evening with more trail maintenance, but his knees and hands are complaining that they are overworked, so he might have to take a break for a week. 

28 Jan:  Ron FINALLY managed to get the kitchen counters cleared so that Cynthia could wax ecstatic cleaning them.  Then we walked out the door before noon for our walk across the peninsula, hoping that Mauricio would be able to fix the microwave while we were absent.  No such luck, so our popcorn consumption habit is awaiting a new microwave to be ordered, delivered and installed.  Until then Ron will have to be content eating carrots.   We were delighted and surprised to run into Jon in Walmart.  4.39 miles 

27 Jan:  We walked together for 4.45 miles, and Ron walked again after dark night.  (Trail maintenance is much more difficult when you cannot see the trail.)    

26 Jan, Sunday:  We drove to church in light rain and were surprised to see a good attendance despite the rain.  After church, we enjoyed lunch with Bill and Merry at Oscar’s Bistro.  Ron told them he had the perfect life as a bachelor, but leave it to God to improve upon perfection.  Son Jon is mostly over his cold, but decided against subjecting us all to possibility of contagion.  The rain seems mostly over, but the fog is so thick that we cannot see the boats in the marina 200 yards away. 

25 Jan: Cloudy and cold, but we ventured forth to walk 4.96 miles.  Cynthia made oatmeal/banana cookies.  Ron walked a second time ar dark. 

24 Jan:  Friday, Today we woke up feeling wonderfully fine and well rested.  Hallelujah.!!  4.45 miles for the two of us, then Ron walked a second time while Cynthia watched the movie Bonhoeffer.

23 Jan:  After awakening, exercising and eating, we set out on our usual walk and then went grocery shopping, ate dinner at Magnolia Diner, and suddenly the day was over.  How does times fly so quickly?  At least tonight we got to bed a bit earlier (11 pm). . 4.54 miles 

22 Jan:  Jon said that he was happy to have his mom in his house, so we stayed until Oscar's opened at 11 am and went there for lunch.  Ron had enjoyed the flounder, vegetables and rice so much yesterday that he ordered the same meal again today.  W were honored that Oscar came out to deliver a plate of food and stopped to chat with us briefly.  He is a great chef.  Once back in our condo, we walked our usual and returned to our usual activities (genealogy for Ron).  Despite good intentions, we seldom get to bed early enough.  4.76 miles 

selfie, Jon, Mom, & Ron

21 Jan:  We awakened to a cold house, 53°, and no electricity, so after exercises, Cynthia called son Jon to come rescue us from the cold.  He did, and we discovered that many restaurants are closed, particularly the Magnolia Diner that we count on for our egg white veggie omelets made without oil.  The local ABC news channel is reporting NOTHING but the snow; kids are sledding, and highways are slushy and empty.  The official advice is stay home; stay off the roads.  We had a text message the electrical problem was resolved at our condo.  On the way home we stopped for lunch at Oscar’s new Bistro (click here). During lunch, we had a new txt message the electrical problem returned.  We are back at Jon’s house for the night.

20 Jan:  Our heat and the electric outlets on one side of the condo go on and off sporatically.  The power company is still working to fix it tonight at 8:31.  Cynthia made yummy chili and watched the Trump inauguration; indeed many of the speeches were very inspiring.  Ron walked twice today and thoroughly enjoyed snow flurries after dark.  As he returned home, the shrieks and noise of children playing in the snow warmed his heart.

19 Jan:  We enjoy watching the Trump rally.  For those of you that missed it, you failed to see the numerous women he placed in cabinet positions and the many "persons of color" similarly honored.  It was too windy for Cynthia to walk, so Ron had to walk twice. 

18 Jan:  Disappeared in the usual fog of genealogy.  But we walked 4.5 miles. 

17 Jan:  Despite our best intentions and commitments, we lounged inside all day without walking because the forecast was rain, which never actually materialized.  Maybe we will walk now at 4:40 pm.  Ron spent the day on genealogy again after first tending to QQQ and the LA fire briefing at https://www.youtube.com/@calfireimt2390.  Then, since Cynthia's sister, niece, daughter and granddaughter are all realizing a need for and are motivated to engage in better lifestyles, I looked for the Finnish studies we learned about at the Pritikin in 2021.  I discovered that I was searching for Dr. Pekka Puska and North Karelia, Finland.  I found a couple of wordy papers and a great hour-long video of Dr. Puska, but I needed a short summary and eventually stumbled across a fascinating fifteen-minute U-Tube video about Dr. Scharffenberg espousing much the same mantra in fifteen minutes.  It was time well spent, even if no one out there is ready to consider changing their diet and lifestyle.  Tonight, Cynthia encountered a fraudulent News Nation website, entered her credit card for a free subscription and stopped when a price appeared.  She received a fraud notice from Visa to phone them.  She had encountered a fraudulent website.  Thankfully, she escaped being a victim of fraud.  4.48 miles.

16 Jan:  Our 13th great-grand baby, a boy named Theo, was born last night to Samantha and Adam, joining three-year-old Noah in the family.  He is very big and so cute!  It was exciting to see Ron’s QQQ Call prove fruitful.  We are glued to our computers doing genealogy, but we walked 4.57 miles, doing trail maintenance en route.  Cynthia prepared salmon baked with blueberries and raspberries for dinner.  The spring flowers Ron bought made a festive date night.

15 Jan: MEDICAL. (40 miles) Cynthia had a 2:30 appointment with Allergy Dr. who refilled her nasal spray RX and said to come back next year.  Our day was so fine.  We enjoyed a lovely, pleasant walk with Ron doing trail maintenance. 4.76 miles.

14 Jan:  The LA fire is shifting.  It is three miles east from Cynthia’s nephew in Westwood and five miles from her niece in Montecito.  Today, we housecleaned. 4.54 miles

13 Jan:  was a great day!  The sun was shining, the weather comfortable for walking without jackets.  The warning dash lights in the car went out after getting air in the tires and the oil change completed.  We shopped for groceries, Ron watched a helpful video from the LA fire department, and we responded to genealogy email. 4.5 miles.

12 Jan:  Sunday… we worshipped at Grace Lutheran; friends were happy to see us again. Jon joined us for brunch at Magnolia Diner. After taking him home, we walked to the lake and back. We met the Iowa Couple, Chris and Connie, in the parking lot next door and enjoyed the chat. The deer were out and about in droves!  Ron is working on Rambo lineage.  Cynthia is writing the SCS committee report   4.5 miles

11 Jan:  We moved at a snail’s pace until afternoon working on genealogy.  Cynthia checked the LA fire frequently, concerned about her nephew who lives minutes from UCLA.  At two PM we walked 4.53 miles.  The temperature at 52 degrees felt warm because the sun was bright.

10 Jan:  Today dawned dry, cold and windy, so Ron is walking by himself again while Cynthia sits inside to allow her cough more time to disappear.  Ron bought a QQQ call option, but jumped the gun and bought while it was on the way down.  Instead of turning around, it went down further.

9 Jan:  It rained a lot today, so we only ventured out for groceries.  (Although Cynthia indulged in some sort of feminine facial enhancement. Cf: she dyed her eyebrows.)  Ron addressed the remaining cards he plans to mail out to friends tomorrow.  (The goal was to reduce his footprint in the storage locker.)  Now he is cleaning the kitchen a bit to assuage his weefee's ruffled feathers.  Tomorrow beckons as a day to straignten up the condo.

8 Jan:  Our appointment with the electrophysiologist, Dr. Dougherty, is today at one PM.  The wildfires in Pacific Palisades are too close for comfort for Cynthia’s nephew.  Both of his sons attended high school and junior high in Pacific Palisades.  The high school burned down. Robbie evacuated his in-laws from PP last night.  Ron is delighted to have discovered DNA that comes from a Peter Rambo born in 1751, thanks to new GEDmatch users. 

Houston sunset from the 17th floor

7 Jan:  We are excited today to see Sasha . . . and to eat at Jason's Deli (although Salata was a better choice and cheaper).  The Uber ride worked nicely.  Cynthia is very happy with today’s haircuts saying: “Ron is exceedingly handsome, and Sasha capitalizes on Ron’s good looks with a great haircut.”  We walked the Rice University perimeter once again, but our days mileage was only 4.5 because we did not have the long morning walk.  Our lab results are returned with excellent results.  Cynthia’s triglycerides were slightly elevated due to eating more bread than normal this past month.  Too bad! Dave’s thin-sliced sprouted grain bread is so good.  Ron is working on Rambo Genealogy with plans to begin the Lea appendices in a few days.  The photo is a view of downtown Houston from our 17th floor hotel room in the medical center at sunset. 

6 Jan:  BRRRRR! 30 degrees with a real feel of 16 really wasn’t terrible walking five city blocks to our medical appointment at 7:30 AM, but it seemed colder walking back to the hotel at 10:30.  The Dr agreed we are still alive.  He had no changes to our lifestyle, our weight, nutrition or exercise.  We will see him next year.  Back at the hotel, we ate oatmeal before walking 5.5 miles around the Rice campus perimeter until we reached a needed necessary room in Dr Gould’s office building. We next stopped at Salata Restaurant (click here) to enjoy a huge salad with salmon.  Cuddled up to watch Bill O'Reilly, we called this our date night.  Cynthia is not over her cough. 

5 Jan:  MEDICAL  (250.00) Jon gave us a ride to the medical center for a 3-day stay for annual checkups with the cardiologist on Monday and the electrophysiologist on Wednesday.  Hilton staff delivered a microwave to the room ASAP, so we are off to walk around Rice University on their delightful gravel path stepping around and sometimes in rain puddles.  We turned too early and wandered around lost on the university grounds for a while.  5.25 miles! Woohoo

4 Jan:  Ron Beatty: “Time is a luxury.  Why waste it in pursuit of "luxuries" that mean nothing?  Instead, enjoy experiencing the luxury of time (to do genealogy?.”   We have luxuriated until 3:30 PM.  Ron walked at 5:26.

3 Jan:  This new year Ron has taken to lying in bed for hours until his back warms up before beginning exercises.  It might not be most helpful and is certainly not productive, but he enjoys this little bit of luxury.  We had a nice walk to the lake, trail maintenance included, and drove to get groceries.  Ron finished transferring numbers from his account statements into his spreadsheets.  Next is to find all the numbers for QQQ transactions, and then we can wait for 1099s to arrive.

2 Jan:  Cynthia kicks in a New Year’s resolution to arise early, walk soon, and eat light.  Instead, she kicked that can down the road to begin the original resolution Jan. 3.  Ron went for a second walk after dark.

1 Jan. 2025:  Wishing all of our friends and family a happy, healthy, and WISE New Year.  Today’s weather is lovely.  We walked to the lake and met the three of the nicest young people who were preparing to grill a lunch.  It was great fun talking about hiking and national parks.  The young lady was named Marya.  I did not catch the names of the guys.  4.0 Miles