Feb. A Merry Heart Does Good Like Medicine (Prov 17:22)

Ron's K1600 GTL is all repaired and ready to ride

28 Feb:  We arrived in Pensacola, FL, and this short month ended happily.  We experienced more rain today but it wasn’t as severe as yesterday.  After checking into our hotel, we fed our hungry bodies at Ruby Tuesday’s, then turned the rental car into Enterprise.  Adventure Motorsports was immediately next door, so we walked over to reclaim our abandoned the bike; the poor thing has languished this past month after replacing the broken drive shaft and replacing the damaged swing arm.  Ron was delighted to discover that he still knows how to ride.

There were times we couldn't see taillights of the truck ahead

27 Feb:  Jan prepared delicious steel cut oatmeal for our breakfast.  After hugs and goodbyes to dear friends, we immediately stopped for lunch at Ruby Tuesday’s, always a good idea.  It was a relief that northbound I-75 wasn’t as crowded as the southbound trip had been a month ago.  However, an hour north of Sarasota torrential rains fell, reducing visibility to nil and appearing to be exceedingly treacherous at times.  After the rain, the sun came out and shone directly into our eyes as we approached Tallahassee.  The Quincy, Florida Hampton Inn was not great and neither was the nearest Jason’s Deli.

Ron is just ALL heart

26 Feb:  Did you notice we are three days behind in blogging?  Pat and Larry treated us to an egg white veggie frittata at the Skillet before we took off for Venice, FL (sixty miles up I-75) to lunch with Drew and BD, always a fun duo!  Late afternoon we arrived in Sarasota, FL to overnight with Jan and Dorothy.  They live close by to a Jason’s Deli, so we treated them to our newest favorite wide-spread restaurant chain.  Cynthia marveled at their lovely home, especially the tranquil view of the pond and golf course outside their patio wall of windows.  We were a bit surprised to find them still in Sarasota because they had been considering a move back up closer to New England.  They have been unable to find an attractive city with comparably pleasant weather in any of the northern locales that they have considered.  They may decide to move to another community within Sarasota.





25 Feb:  We said our final goodbyes over our last Pritikin breakfast and collected a box lunch for our ride.  The car rental arrived late, but we thoroughly enjoyed the ride on the Tamiami Trail (old US 41) west from Doral, FL, stopping for our Pritikin box lunch at the Oasis Visitor Center at the entry to the Big Cypress Preserve.  Cynthia captured a photo and video of the alligators but didn’t get one of Ron walking across the river on the backs of the alligators.  Because of our late start, we were late arriving at our new friends lovely home in Naples.  We met Pat at Pritikin, and her husband, Larry is battling Alzheimers.  Pat had prevailed upon Ron to visit so that she could have company on a motorcycle ride, using one of their five, beautiful Harleys.  Ron was happy to comply, but Pat had been on a long ride with a daughter the day before, so was not interested in an afternoon ride today.  Pat is originally from LeMars, Iowa, and Cynthia once lived in LeMars, so they had many things and people to discuss!  Dinner was at the Dock Seafood Restaurant with other Iowans including Dave and Annie, Jeff and ??.  The meal was delicious and surprisingly Pritikin perfect.  A fun time was had by all of the survivors. We spent the night in Naples with Pat and Larry.

24 Feb, Early AM labs are way too early! We needed more sleep.  The good part as getting breakfast early.  And Cynthia was elated to have lost three pounds! The Sunday brunch was divine, especially the pumpkin pancakes.  Ron's blood pressure was quite low before and after cardio.  The jigsaw puzzle is most compelling!  Cynthia packed while Ron puzzled.  And tomorrow we leave our favorite place!


23 Feb, We were too busy to blog!  Whew!  Observe what keeps Ron so busy to the left.

22 Feb, Cynthia's sister Merrilee’s surgery was successful!  I enjoyed a visit with Jim Cummings, friend of Ambassador Andrew Young, about how MLK,Jr and he met.  "About 1952, 22 year old Andy was in divinity school, traveling in the south, unable to stay in hotels because of segregation, so he stayed in a church.  A young 25 or 26 year old speaker named Martin Luther King, Jr came to speak. Andy was the mesmerized by King and they became fast friends.  King shared the hope that segregation would end. At first, Andy didn’t believe it was possible, but they soon recognized the power of God at work."

21 Feb, Happy Birthday Sister Merrilee! Lookee at Ron doing cardio!

Ron is the Entertainment!

20 Feb, Wednesday, another day of yoga, cardio, weight training or core strengthening, plus  lectures and eating three meals, three snacks and long walks.

19 Feb, Tuesday, Cynthia had early morning labs. Ron is captivated by a another jigsaw puzzle, this one is all blue.  We continue to get healthier!

18 Feb:  The Smooch Duo is starting the fourth and last week at Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami, FL - we are thinking of ways we can return here, sooner than soon,  But, too soon we leave for Philadelphia.  A couple of celebrities are here... Don Francisco, TV fame, has been here the past three weeks.   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Francisco_(television_host)  Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta, arrived Sunday.  We will travel north, slowly visiting friends en route.

17 Feb:  Sunday Offering From Cynthia's FB Post:

Practicing The Presence Of God Today

How are you transforming your life?  A pastor gave me a book that changed my life. It was called The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.

This small book is about a monk who decided that the presence of God shouldn’t be reserved for church services or prayer times. It was about all of life.

Whether he was washing dishes, going for a walk, or performing other duties, he was focused on communicating with God.

Transforming your life ...

The key, he said, was to turn daily activities into prayer. I know what you’re thinking: “Well, that’s great for a monk! But my life is too complicated, too busy, too intense.”

4 Helps For Practicing the Presence of God

Practicing the presence of God is about turning all of your life experience into a prayer. Nothing you face in life is exempt from surrender to Jesus.

Every victory, every trial, every annoyance, every disagreement. Turn it around. Bring it into the presence of God.

Here’s how:

1. Begin Your Day With Intentionality – It’s been proven that your morning routine sets the tone for the rest of the day. Rather than being stressed and rushing around, begin your day with God. Start with a prayer, “God, this day is from you and for you. Use me to bring glory to Your name.”

It’s amazing how this perspective can set the tone for a God-centered day.

2. Turn Complaints Into Cries Of Praise – When you find yourself complaining, train yourself to praise instead. Rather than focusing on what’s wrong with your situation, find something you can be grateful for. Truth is, a thousand eternities wouldn’t be sufficient to express our gratefulness to God. His worth far surpasses our ability to praise Him.

Time is short. Stop complaining.

3. Turn Suffering Into Surrender – There’s nothing that rocks the boat more than a prolonged season of intense suffering. When I walked through my 15 months of physical illness, I wasted a lot of time being angry that could have been spent communicating with God. Eventually, I pressed into a deeper place of worship.

Suffering will always be a part of your life on earth. Draw closer to Jesus.

4. Turn the Mundane Into A Holy Moment – There are mindless moments to your day. Boring tasks at work. Routines you could perform with your eyes closed. Rather than just “getting it done,” invite God into your experience.

Practicing the presence of God can become a habit for you. It just takes some intentionality.

16 Feb, Saturday is usually a slower day at Pritikin.  Today was no exception.   We slowed down the pace of our exercise, but not eating... We leave here in a week, then we are faced with daily foraging to stay  Pritikin perfect.  No fat, added sodium, or sugar is allowed.  As long as we can find veggies, fruit, beans, legumes, and oatmeal, we are happy. Mid afternoon, we walked to the Runners Store to buy new Hoka's for Cynthia; the new Gaviote are doing the job.  By evening we totaled walking  7 miles.

15 Feb,  Medical Records phoned Thursday to report the loss of Cynthia’s blood drawn on Tuesday, saying they needed extra blood for the Vit D test .  But the lab tech confessed Quest Labs lost the blood.  We can only believe that a thirsty vampire sneaked into the lab and guzzled it down.   Poor girlie had to fast once again, arise at the ungodly hour of six AM to do another draw.  Thankfully,  the results were back in time for the rescheduled appointment with Dr. Fruge who gave her a gold star for such outstanding blood.  Cynthia lost two pounds.  Ron's weight is the same as when we arrived three weeks ago.  His heart is staying in sinus rhythm.

14 Feb, Happy Valentines Day to our families and friends.  Someone sneaked into our room to hide a valentine in plain view.   Thank God, thank God,  for our life together!



Read Cynthia’s blog on Love:  https://www.treesfrompeopleseeds.com/2019/02/52-ancestor-challenge-2019-week-7-love.html   Dinner tonight was romantic with wine and Roses. We walked through the golf course jogging trail after dinner. Zzzzzzzzzzz!

13 Feb, Cute baby Hudson with his momma:



12 Feb, Hey, Peter, Ron won the chess game! Cynthia has labs.

11 Feb:  We can’t keeo up with our hectic schedules and the blog until after 25 February.

10 Feb, Sunday:  Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami.  Goodbye to Peter, who flies back to England tonight.  We expect to hear from him with an inquiry about the winner of a chess game Monday evening.  Well, Ron went back to play chess after our evening walk but the other chess player had gone to bed.

9 Feb, Saturday, means saying goodbye to many new friends who are leaving Pritikin.  We meet the loveliest people here.

Dean and Ron Always Smiling

8 Feb, Happy Birthday Daughter Roxanne, pictured with son Jon.   We had such joy hosting Ron’s brother Dean and family to dinner at Pritikin; they were in Miami for a cruise and sight seeing.

Son Jon and Daughter Roxanne

How fun is that?


7 Feb, Another day filled with medical appointments, exercise, yoga, eating eating eating and lots of socialization.  Another lecture by Dr. Fruge on preventing heart attacks was excellent.  Ron’s cardiologist said he is doing great, weight is good, and the T3 and T4 are normal.   Cynthia’s medical report earned a gold star!  Yay! WooooHooo!  We walked 6.61 miles

6 Feb,  Breakfast topic was the SOTU, who liked it and who didn't.  We didn't watch it because we don't watch TV, nor do we want politics in our heads.  Here are photos of better things to fill our heads -

Ron receiving Swedish American Council Award 2015

6

Ron in VA after hiking Sept 2007 

Our wedding photo displayed in the Swedish Museum in front of Ron's books

5 Feb, Ron had a blood draw to test his T3 and T4 at 7"15.  Cynthia's blood draw was at 7:30 AM.  Ron was wired to the heart monitor first hour followed by yoga and then weight training.  Cynthia did yoga first followed by cardio for two sessions.  Dr. Arvon offered three lectures on emotional care, relationships and stress management.  She uses us as examples of a loving relationship.  We walked after the evening lecture achieving 5.5 miles for the day.  There are lots of Texans here along with a Spanish channel TV star named Don Francisco,  a cookbook author from NY, called the BreadLady who looks like Roseanne Barr.

4 Feb, Blogging is challenging with a Pritikin schedule.   Life is good at Pritikin.  The food is awesome, our weight is maintained; the lectures are always inspiring.  Mondays are quiet days because so many new guests arrive and we don't have exercise classes as usual.


3 Feb, Sunday:

Proverbs 17:22 New King James Version (NKJV)

22 A merry heart [a]does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

Ron’s lost a pound; his weight is 174, so, obviously he needs to eat more.  Cynthia’s weight hasn’t changed.  Fascinating to see 91-year-old Dr. Laszlo zoom up the stairs.  The staff’s energy level  is inspiring.  So exciting to talk to so many motorcycle enthusiasts; Ron said, “motorcycling is my home, I just wish I could invite my friends into my home.”

2 Feb, Cynthia’s daughter Julie arrived in snowy Denver to meet Hudson, Brett’s baby.   We are in chilly but soon hot Miami at Pritikin; we don’t miss a lecture despite having heard them before.  We walked to CVS to buy valentines and MSM.  Venezuelan protestors could be heard calling for Maduro’s resignation.



1 Feb:  Our schedules give us nary a moment to blog.  Our days are filled with 3 or 4 lectures a day, yoga, cardio, core and weights plus eating three incredible meals.  Ron learned the hard way not to eat until he is full at breakfast since yoga comes next.  Yoga on a full stomach is not a pretty sight.  There are several motorcyclists here, providing lively conversation.  Ron is the story teller.  They all agree Ron is unique.  So does Cynthia.  Feb is for healthy hearts and for happy lovers.  And here we are,  happy and so much in love.

2019 January Joy

31 Jan, We walked into an empty dining hall for breakfast.  Ron said, OMG, we’re the only ones that survived.

Ron rocks out to Rock & Roll on the ARC trainer

30 Jan, lots to blog about today and no time.

29 Jan:  3 lectures, 3 exercise classes, 3 meals.  Ron is hilarious during cardio, rocking out on the arc trainer.  Not such good news from several sources, our friend, the bio mechanical specialist, lost his wife to cancer last year.  Tony A. called to report June passed away two days ago, Dr. Scheib, Ron’s cardiologist passed away.  We are sooo busy we aren’t finding time to post.

bad posture causes low back pain

28 Jan:  It is hard to keep our eyes open after a rather sleepless night because we had to do blood work at 6 AM this morning.  But we woke up in time!  Cynthia was proud to have passed the stress test on the treadmill by going for the full nine minute at the maximum speed and incline.  We were happy with our weight and blood pressure results.  Ron attended two lectures; Cynthia managed only one because of medical appointments.  The online renewal of Ron's FL drivers license was a success.  (But now, six weeks later, the new license has not arrived.)  The rental car  bill was successfully corrected.  The food is just so delicious our stomachs hurt.

pumpkin pancakes, delicious

27 Jan, Sunday:  Once we are oriented I will begin posting photos and recipes.  Great day... the food is a joy.  We are super full.  The pumpkin pancakes are yummy.

26 Jan, Miami, FL now recovered. The part hasn’t arrived yet but we have arrived at the Pritikin Longevity Center thoroughly enjoying the food.  The rain has been constant apart from intermittent breaks.

25 Jan.  Long day’s  successful drive to Miami.

24 Jan:  Ron awakened feeling clear headed.  Wonderful !!  The swing arm has not yet arrived.  It is likely being shipped from Germany.  We immediately decided to rent a car and drive to Miami.  It was a delight to discover a Ruby Tuesday’s Restaurant which was worth the delay.  Our stop for the night was a Comfort Suites in Lake City, FL.

23 Jan:  The bike's extended warranty will cover the costs of the repairs; it should  have been  ready this afternoon, but a part has not arrived.  Supposedly the CA company had it in stock.  We are awaiting wellness to arrive.  Ron still has an elevated temp, but Cynthia's is normal.  Neither of us feel like dancing yet.  We took the hotel shuttle to Jason's Deli for the usual and crawled back into bed.  Turns out the fraudulent AX charge was the failure of the Marriott Hotel to cancel rooms.  We had the confirmation  cancellation numbers so they refunded the credit card, but unfortunately, this is after the card was cancelled.  Cynthia spent the afternoon updating the credit card data and going through the end of the year summary.  Likely we check out tomorrow.

22 Jan:  We have been sleeping through the day and night.  Parts are ordered but not all have arrived. A possible fraudulent charge was noted on our AX bill;  they cancelled the card and are sending a new card to our hotel.

21 Jan, updated. We are two sick puppies.  Bad colds

20 Jan:  They say that the drive shaft and swing arm need to be replaced because a rubber seal vanished and those parts are badly damaged and unusable.

So here we sit for a couple of days while the parts are on order and the shop is closed until Tuesday.  Looks like we are likely to arrive in Miami a day or two late.

19 Jan, Pensacola, FL - Hilton Garden Inn.  The motorcycle shop says that the drive shaft and swing arm can be replaced for about $5,000 so that we can resume our trip to Pritikin.  They have ordered the parts delivered (10% premium for rush delivery) from Pennsylvania and California, so we can hope that those parts suppliers will be working on Martin Luther King day so that the bike might be fixed and ready to ride late Wednesday.   Cynthia has been in bed with a cold all day but we did get her up to walk to Jason's Deli for dinner and then onto Publix to invest in cough drops and cough syrup. ZZZZ

18 Jan:  The plan was to drive from Baton Rouge to Pensacola by evening.  The forecast of rain all day Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday changed our original plan to stay for a day in Baton Rouge.  We are very happy that we saw Pat yesterday evening.  We left Baton Rouge at 11:30 on I-12 East and rode about 100 miles to stop for a fine lunch at Don's Seafood in Covington, Louisiana.  We resumed on I-10 East until exiting at Mississippi 607 and then turned onto US 90 into spooky, dense fog that shrouded the view.  We couldn’t see the water at all even though it was not distant.  Gradually the fog lifted as we rode along the Gulf Coast through Gulfport and Biloxi.  The white beach stretches on through many communities; many palatial antebellum mansions grace the opposite side of US 90.  Nice, huh?  The trillions of stoplights were not nice.  Turning north, we returned to I-10.  And then kaboom!  25 miles east of Mobile, Alabama the road surface seemed to get uncommonly rough.  Ron pulled over on the shoulder of I-10 and inspected the tires and brakes.  When we resumed riding, there was quite a loud clanging after shifting into 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th gears.  So we limped along on the shoulder to the next exit, Highway 39 to Pascagoula.  Ron phoned BMW Roadside Assistance, enjoying a pleasant chat with the representative, who assured us that a tow truck would pick us up soon to take us to the BMW dealer in Pensacola.  Ron called Adventure Motorsports of Northwest Florida (850-466-5324) and spoke with Darien to let them know the bike would arrive tonight.  And we waited.  And we waited some more.  After 2.5 hours Ron phoned Roadside Assistance and learned nothing had even been done on our ticket.  An hour later the bike was loaded on the truck, we were loaded inside and off we went, leaving our helmets behind.  Thankfully, the driver remembered the helmets, so we turned around and retrieved them successfully.  Dropping the bike off for service was simple enough.  But, this the first time we have ever gone to a hotel in a tow truck.  Cynthia hopes it is the last time, too, but Ron always suggests that you be careful what you wish for - it may come true in a way you didn't want - and Ron wants to keep riding for a long, long time.    

17 Jan:  Lets’s ride!  Will we  be on the road by ten AM?  Maybe.  Nope!  At 11:30 noontime, we rode off with another load of Ron’s treasures to the storage unit, dropped off our condo keys, returned the rental car and dropped off paper to be recycled at our church.  It was 12:30 (past noon) when we hit TX 105 eastbound to US 327 north, to US 96 north, to FM 2246 east, to TX 62 south, to TX 12, crossing into Louisiana  on LA 12 which merged with LA 190 (For Wynn).  Cynthia did not need her heated gear until five PM when we both agreed we needed warmth.   Ron is a chronic hypothermic who rarely wears gloves, but he donned his balaclava.  That was a six-hour ride on back roads, allowing for stops.  Great ride!  Pat met us in Baton Rouge for dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn.

16 Jan:  Errands today include dry cleaners, alterations pickup, bank, post office and dermatologist.  The bike isn’t packed either.  It is cold with rain forecast so tomorrow is the day we begin riding towards Miami.  I hope  we make it to FL before the bitter freeze hits.  Jon wrapped the pipes on the beach house.

15 Jan:  Each day of running errands, cleaning out the storage unit,  is like the previous day! Today, we moved a chair out of the storage unit to be picked up for consignment.  We continue with our frantic pace exceot today we had to include a trip for Cynthia to see Dr. Siddiqui at the medical center in Houston.  It was a most successful visit with a good report.  Sunglasses that were sent to be polarized are back in time for our ride to Miami.  Fiber DLish Bars arrived! A very successful but busy day was had by all of the survivors.  Ron completed a Swedish Colonial Society package that has consumed him for two months.

14 Jan:  Happy Birthday to my oldest friend Ann J., my playmate at age 4!  On this day we are off and running again, returning items to the storage unit and packing our gear to depart Wednesday.

13 Jan, Sunday:  From Cynthia’s weekly FB Post:

 Sunday Offering:

Grace Lutheran Church of Conroe, Texas is the most delightful place to worship because children are seamlessly incorporated into almost all aspects of the service. Their involvement is thoughtfully planned. Then comes an occasional surprise. Today, an adorable, curly-haired, three year old decided to roll  around on the floor and explore the bottom of the pastors alb during the Greeting.   When the pastor moved into the Chancel the little tot followed her. And with amazing graciousness, Pastor Diane Roth took her hand allowing the little one to sit behind the pulpit with her during the lessons. Quietly, she sat until time for the children’s sermon. 

Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
Matt.19:14 RSV

Julie and Jon, Cynthia's kids

Jon, Lauren and Kiira

Dinner at Perry's.  And a fun time was had by all

12 Jan:  The plan is to catch up on sleep, walk, and celebrate with the family at a party at Perrys Steakhouse.  Most everyone was there except for Paul’s family, on vacation in Mexico, and Roxanne’s sons out of state.  We certainly had a great evening.

11 Jan:   Carlos met us at the storage unit to pick up the four bar stools his mom bought from us.  Slowly, ever so slowly, we are making progress emptying out the storage unit.  We walked to the caddy shack for lunch.  Cynthia went on to get a pedi, mani and load the car with a large pastel portrait, a watercolor and a pencil rendering she gifted to Julie.  Tonight we met Cheri and Sam for dinner to discuss investing in Cheri’s medical device that will end incontinence in women, Floelle, Inc.  it will be a miracle for millions of women.  We are eager for the return of our quiet lifestyle once we leave Texas next week.

10 Jan:  In 40 degree temps Ron rode the bike to West Side Honda to have new tires put on the bike.  He forgot his cell phone at home on the kitchen counter.  Hence, he could not call to find out where to join Cynthia and Julie for lunch.  Cynthia had a girlie appointment with Bambi and enjoyed a delightful lunch with daughter Julie at Salata.  We managed a four mile walk;  and Ron was in bed by 7:00 PM.

9 Jan:  We passed our good tooth brushing test at the dentist today.  Dr. Anderson is such a good dentist and a great guy.   After baked sweet potato, baked potato and humongous salads at Jason’s Deli, Cynthia had a doctor appointment with Cheri.  We returned batteries, stopped at Riverbridge Consignment, another stop at alterations, then Wally World for groceries!

8 Jan:  We ate a lot today. Burp!  Ron is elbow deep in cutting identifying information from paper for recycling.  Cynthia is buried in writing essays.  We surfaced to complete two good walks totaling seven miles.  And we are happy that the furniture in the storage unit is gradually being given away or sold.

7 Jan:  it is really January!!!! ??  It is!  And it was a good day for running errands; we did run to the post office to mail Cynthia's class newsletter, fax our medical records to the Pritikin Longevity Center, stop at the bank, the storage unit, the pharmacy, Walmart, and we lunched at the Magnolia Diner.  It looked like it would rain,  but we managed a four mile walk without getting a raindrop on our heads.

6 Jan:  I am tired, so tired I have been writing Dec, instead of January on this blog! The combinef children and adult worship service is always delightful.  We had brunch at the Yacht Club before we attended granddaughter Zoe’s high school graduation party, a BBQ at her home.  After returning home we picked up our pastor and her husband for a most enjoyable dinner at Pappadeaux. The salmon was yummy!

5 Jan:  Pleasant weather made running errands most enjoyable.  The 2019  RX were dropped off at the pharmacy,  and we are back to our hectic schedule, but we did have a five mile walk late afternoon.  The absence of deer made us wonder if Santa was recruiting.   But eventually the cutest little fawns, maybe triplets, apoeared withbtheir momma, along with many others.

4 Jan:  7:40 A.M. right on the money, we walked down 15 flights of stairs and six blocks to the doctor.  It is always good to get a professional opinion we are still alive.   The view from our room of the Houston skyline at sunset was spectacular.  We arrived back in Walden about 3:30 PM.   Cynthia dropped Ron off at Jon’s to get the bike out of his garage and run errands.  Now we are on the third floor of the unit.  It will take getting used to climbing that extra floor.  Cynthia spent the evening hand addressing her class newsletters.  Ron is back at work wired to 57 Chevy Radio Rock and Roll while working on the current SCS project.

Houston skyline from our hotel room

3 Jan:  YUP!  Three, Tres, and now we are on a roll into January at the Houston Medical Center going through our annual medical checkups.  Have you noticed the scales at the doctors offices are set extra high to frighten us into losing weight? Yup! Trust me on this one.  Cynthia had a morning hair appointment with her long time hairdresser, Sasha, who encouraged Ron to let the sides of his hair grow out last November.   He did.  Cynthia accidentally told Sasha the hair was dutifully grown out, and Ron was actually willing to let him cut his hair this time, if Sasha offered again.   Of course, Sasha agreed to do it.   Now, Ron has a professional hair cut to last for the next 30 years.   Lunch at the hotel was delicious, baked potatoes for Ron,  and a soybean veggie patty for Cynthia.   The rain stopped allowing us walk in subzero temperatures for the afternoon medical appointment.  We walked fast and stayed warm. Cynthia’s jacket is battery operated for warmth.  Tonight,  we fast for early morning labs.

2 Jan:  TWO! DOS! TOE! Second.  And so begins the second day of this new year. We are filled with hope, enthusiasm, and joy in our life together as we turn the page into 2019.  Mostly it is a joy to feel so healthy.  Being deeply in love is an amazing thing.  It is life transforming.  The housekeeper arrives,  so we finish our packing and depart promptly an hour late.  It was fun talking to Louise.   The moderate rain did not prevent the mandatory stop at recycling.  Our trip into the Houston medical center allowed for a pit stop at Pappadeaux on the 610 south loop for salmon. Our home for three days is the Hilton Medical Center.

1 Jan:  ONE! UNO! EIN! FIRST! This is the first day of 2019, it is the first day of January!   

Sad to say, we left the outside door closed and were able to sleep through the midnight crescendo.  Yes I took my 3rd 4-mile walk of the day around 9:45 to 11 PM last night, and the crazies were setting off so much fireworks on the beach that I decided it was safer to walk a block inland.  Besides the ear-shattering BANG fireworks, there were some spectacular flowering varieties and one amazing multi-colored fountain 40 feet high.

We both woke up and consider this a wonderfully promising start to the New Year.  Let's hope that trend continues for the entire year.

December in Texas

31 Dec, Our sunset beach walk brought to mind lyrics from the Star Spangled Banner, “And the bombs bursting in air...” because fireworks are bursting in air!  Music is playing loudly, with revelers gathered ‘round bonfires on the beach.  The magnificent sunset is wildly orchestrated in shades of red, crimson, rose, scarlet, fuschia, Orange, pink, lavender, purple, and blue.  The photo is but a glimmer of the sunset’s surreal splendor. Ron took his third 4 mile walk at 9:45 amidst a volley of fireworks deemed not safe to walk close, so he walked a block inland.  Another breathtaking ending to yet a new beginning.  Thank God!


. 

30 Dec,  A rainy day means no beach walk!  It IS a dreary, rainy day forcing us to stay indoors with our Macs!  The SCS Cox Family Group Records was almost ready to send when an error was discovered.  Back to the drawing board and it is done!    Cynthia saw a hilarious video on FB of  a couple who had been married for 70 years. sharing advice.  She said, "He's always after my body."  He said, "Wouldn't anyone want this gal?"  She said, "I haven't ever been attracted to another man." He said, "I haven't been attracted to another man either."  Their advice was to be nice to each other.   The rain has now decreased to spritzels allowing for a walk.  Cynthia opted not to have wet shoes in cold temps. Cynthia stayed warm indoors writing a YDNA analysis and sharing a new year's memory with grandchildren on the ranch;

I remember New ear’s Eve 1993 :  After dinner I turned  the clock ahead every fifteen minutes. At MIDNIGHT we donned our party h ats, rattled noisemakers and joyously celebrated New Year 1994!  And the grandparents got to sleep by real time ten-thirty. The grandchildren were so excited to tell their parents they got to stay up to midnight.  Some of them remember! 


29 Dec.  Beach life means slow,  lazy mornings!  We are enjoying  another day without racing the clock or running to meetings or appointments.  All we do is enjoy eating  walking on the beach and working on our Macs.   Cynthia is writing  the Lea YDNA analysis chapter  for the James Lea book, while Ron is working on projects for the Swedish Colonial Society.  The temperature is 51 degrees with a real feel of 45; that being the case, we bundled up for the post morning beach walk at 1:22 P.M, only to get on the road and discover raindrops keep falling on our heads.  Hey that's catchy, someone should write a song about that!  We boogied back into the beach house to check the weather. Sure nuff.  Rain is forecast for the next hour. And it drizzled all the day long!  We dined out at Ocean Grille on Mahi Mahi that included three grilled shrimp for Cynthia.  Ron walked tonight despite the cold but no one was home to phone.

December 2018 in Texas.  A fun time was had by all of the survivors.  The record of this happy month was accidentally deleted by someone whose name will remain confidential,  and the computer hero in our family said, "Yup!, It's gone!"  If you didn't look at it before it was accidentally deleted, too bad.  We did have fun! Cynthia will try to recreate it with photos.

28 Dec,  Ron awoke about 2:30 AM to telephone Fidelity to transfer funds from one of those over 70 1/2 IRA's. Mission accomplished.  Ron listens to 57 Chevy radio station using headphones while working on the computer until an Elvis song comes on and hands it to Cynthia.  Once in a while we rock out dancing to our favorite Rock and Roll.  We are Rock and Roll fools.  Cynthia was happy because she helped an adoptee find her living birth mother and deceased birth father.

27 Dec, Woo Hoo!  We walked nearly 8 miles today!  YES! The sunset stroll was splendid. The extremely high tide washed out Karen's sand Christmas tree so she created ski boots when those were washed out, too.   Wifi is poor with high holiday volume of residents in their vacation homes.  Verizon signal is also weak on the island.



26 Dec, We rode to Galveston via ferry in the rain, ate a delicious meal at Gaido's Seafood Restaurant before shopping at Wally World to load up on supplies for the next week.

25 Dec, Merry Christmas!  We awoke early to ride in dense fog leaving Bolivar Island, for the two and a half hour ride into Houston, to spend Christmas with Roxanne, Kiira and Jon.  She prepared an elegant and delicious meal.



24 Dec, A quiet day at the beach with two walks.  A lovely lady named Karen from Annapolis, MD made a delightful sand Christmas tree with ornaments, and a sand sled with a Santa suit hanging on a line on the beach.

23 Dec, Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere but here.  And Christmas for some folks means stress, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, and a reminder of loss and grief.  Cynthia likes this letter Ron wrote to a friend yesterday who is grieving at Christmas:

You might enjoy a philosophy of mine about my several great, irreplaceable friends who have passed on.  (Peter Craig is one of those.  A couple of MIT classmates and a former roommate are more.)  It is my obligation to enjoy my life that much more to make up for their inability to enjoy theirs any longer.  One way I do this is by refusing to take any obligations more seriously than my obligation to enjoy life - all day, every day.

The only way to compensate for loss of irreplaceable friends is to make new ones.  Consider Cynthia and I a couple of new friends who will do what we can to make your life and holidays happier.  Family is still family; disconnects will reconnect in time.

I was a life-long bachelor when I met Cynthia, and all of my friends and family were shocked when I married for the first time at age 64.  To this day I tell everyone that I had the perfect life as a bachelor; plenty of money to live the life I enjoyed, lots of travel by motorcycle all over the country, lots of genealogical puzzles to keep me thinking, lots of good friends, hiking, camping, athletics, and on and on.

Leave it to God to improve upon perfection by giving me Cynthia, and at church a few weeks ago I discovered why God has inflicted me upon her: it is to restore her spirit so that she can again be a little dynamo spreading God's "Good News" to the world.  Not a bad commission, and the pay is wonderful.

As a bachelor, my mother was the keystone in my life, and after she passed away, I simply stopped celebrating any holidays, including my own birthday.  Without mom, there was no purpose to holidays.  To me they became just another day in the year, but since all my days are good and enjoyable, it was not a bad change.  I became (and still am) ironically unmoved by the passions that holidays evoke in most people.  Daily life, on the other hand, is wonderful.  Only recently do I have two occasions to celebrate, our marriage date (my birthday, May 12th) and Cynthia's birthday, the month of July!

And of course, we celebrate every day of life and each other.

Formerly I was an athlete, played basketball with the "kids" until age 56, ran to stay in shape, and hiked in the mountains energetically.  Now my bad knee prohibits anything beyond a walk.  So I Thank God for whatever still works, even if imperfectly.  Cynthia and I still walk miles daily and hike in the mountains as our travels and bodies permit.  Life is still good despite the changes.  RSB

22 Dec, We slept, exhausted from two months of running places every day. Son Jon:



21 Dec, We slept, exhausted from two months of running places every day.
20 Dec, We slept, exhausted from two months of running places every day.
19 Dec, We slept, exhausted from two months of running places every day.
18 Dec, We slept, exhausted from two months of running places every day.

We rode the ferry to Galveston to shop at Wally World because the food prices are so high on the Island. Being especially hungry we ate at Gaido's Seafood Restaurant first.  Eat first, then shop.



17 Dec, We slept, exhausted from two months of running places every day.
Life on the Beach in a two unit with stellar Texas flag!



16 Dec,  We slept, exhausted from two months of running places every day.

Ron Beatty's Sometimes Annual Christmas Letter: 

P.O. Box 598

Hempstead, TX 77445

    Finally, after all those long, long annual letters, this is a short one and surprisingly early.  If you'd like the normal lengthy annual letter, I would be surprised and delighted to send it.

    Cynthia and I are still alive and doing well.  Yes, we still travel by motorcycle most of the year throughout the continental U.S.  Cynthia loves watching the "kaleidoscope of change" that one sees while motorcycling.  Just now we are again at the vacation rental owned by Cynthia's son Jon at Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula east of Galveston, TX, following grandson Eric's wedding in November and our recent efforts to help fund country clubs and yachts for lots of doctors.

My heart has remained mostly trouble-free ever since the multiple procedures in 2016, 5 stents, an ablation and pacemaker installed in 2017.  Thank God.  We continue to thank God as we count our blessings.  Cynthia is my wonderfulest blessing, and she counts me high on her list too.

     2018 was great; in April we discovered Greer Lodge in Greer, Arizona (click here), a new beautiful place where we can walk to daily hikes in the mountains.  Sedona remains Cynthia's favorite place (click here), and we spent a month there.  In Pagosa Springs, Colorado we saw as many as thirteen deer with velvet on antlers during our daily walks around the neighborhood. (Google: Pagosa Springs, CO photos.)  Our one "adventure" of the year was fishtailing alarmingly in foot-deep silty dirt on New Mexico state highway 126 between Cuba and Los Alamos.  Yes, 14 miles of dirt road on a New Mexico official state highway.  Cynthia now dictates, "NO more dirt."

The highlight of the year for Cynthia was meeting a new great grandson and great granddaughters.

     After our first visit to the Pritikin LongevityCenter in April of 2017, Cynthia said, "I could live here !!"  Our month-long stay at the Pritikin in November of 2017 transformed my creaky old body into a more youthful feeling creaky old body.  On our daily walks, we now pay attention to pelvic tilt, tight core, and scapular retraction, and it is transforming.  For the last year, we both have awakened and gone through nearly every day nearly pain-free !!  Cynthia's back and foot pain and sciatica are also quiescent.  It is a miracle !!

We intend to spend the month of February 2019 at Pritikin (in Miami).  Besides poshaccommodations and golf resort scenery (click here), a Pritikin experience means exercising a lot, eating a salt-free, plant-based diet, and going to four lectures per day.  We are becoming good little longevities, God willing.

We are both feeling so good that we cannot believe it.  As usual, you can see pictures and daily descriptions on our blog.  (Google: Where is Ron  - and our blog shows up first, WhereIsRonNow.blogspot.com).   Lupe has our blog set as "home page" for her browser.

Escape winter !!  Come visit us at the Pritikin this February to see what we mean when we say, "adopting a Pritikin lifestyle is the best thing we could ever do to enjoy our aging bodies." 

We wish you the very best, with love from Ron & Cynthia.

--
15 Dec, We arrived on Bolivar Island in the dark; our packing and multiple stops took up the day.

IRS Notes;
13 Dec, Dr. Stavinhoa
12 Dec, Cheri with Dr. Sims
11 Dec, Dr. Beim in Brenham
5 Dec, Cheri with Dr. Sims
3 Dec, Dr. Sims, Dr. Stavinhoa

November at the Lake

30 Nov, Nice to sleep in except we were wide awake by five AM. We have the same routine. After the hike we boogied to the storage unit to organize.   Great day. Mammogram is normal. Good bye November.

29 Nov, How can two retired people be so busy?  We stretched, oatmealed, hiked... Ron’s strategy of strength training and cardio on a,ternate days is paying benefits.   Recycling followed workouts, then James Lea book, then recycling, etc. and the Christmas letter was written   Cynthia and her adult children were joined by their dad for a lively, fun dinner to celebrate Julie’s birthday.

28 Nov, Also, Texas accidentally has a New England leaf peeping season.  In early November we had a couple of hard freezes just when Texans are supposed to be enjoying 75 degree temperatures. Repeating November 18th: Thanks to the freezes we are enjoying Autumn dressed to the nines in her fall finery using every Crayola in the box. Breathtaking shades of red, crimson, burgundy, gold, bronze and greens are gorgeous to behold.  Despite our crazy busy schedules we managed to hike twice today accumulating a total of eight miles.  WOW! Are we proud.  Ron completed a full round of routines at the Fitness Center, too.  The large community of deer must be happy, too, because they are bouncing and bounding along the trail. for of aware we are not deer until we get too close.

Also, dear reader: do you wonder why you have to read about our trips to doctors and pharmacies? We keep this record for the IRS! And we do most of our medical trips annually while in Texas.  Another boring day of a medical trip to Dr. Sims in the Woodlands.


27 Nov, was a very long day.  We enjoyed a pleasant lunch in Chappell Hill with Carol S., and her sister visiting from Hawaii.  Following lunch, Cynthia had an appointment in Brenham with the ophthalmologist.   She has dry macular degeneration which is showing regressive changes.  But such is life.  Enjoy life as it comes.

26 Nov, Our rental car exchange created a most interesting vignette. We rent a car when home in Texas. This current rental, a Nissan SUV, produced interminable growling and complaining from one member of this duo (not naming any names) who says the vehicle is unworthy of a Premium price.  Three weeks into the rental, the maintainance lights flashed for tires, oil and filter. “Gladly,” she declared, “I will bring the vehicle back, but I want a different car!”  Imagine Ron waiting patiently in the rental Nissan MENDING his socks when her exuberant voice exclaims, “Its a luxury car.”   Enterprise exchanged the manual operating Nissan for an Infinity with buttons.  Two different world views.  One of us mends socks; the unnamed one likes electric buttons, auto heat, GPS and comfort.  Imagine that!  We do have a mixed marriage:  One prefers Old-Fashioned Oatmeal while the best oatmeal really is Quick Cooking Oatmeal.

25 Nov,  Brunch with son Jon, Merry and Bill (Ron’s longtime friends from Florida) at the Yacht Club was delightful.  Bill and Merry told us about their terrific trip taking Bill's mom and stepdad on the grand tour of Europe for three weeks.  Bill's mom is 90 and his stepdad is a youthful 93.  Later, Cynthia took a long winter’s nap before we walked. The visual effects of gorgeous fall colors are exciting to see.  It is a rarity in Texas because a hard frost rarely comes when there are still leaves on the trees.

24 Nov, Montgomery, Texas - a stellar day!  The weather is perfect; the recent hard freezes dressed autumn to rival New England using every Crayola in the box. The brilliant shades of crimson, orange, and gold dance and shimmer in the sunlight.   By the time of our late afternoon walk, the light changes caused the colors to pop.  Lots of deer frolicking along the trail increased the day's delight.  We agreed it was a fun day.  Grandson Steven arrived at our storage unit mid morning to move furniture Cynthia is gifting Steven's sister, the bride-to-be. The back of Steven's pickup was loaded!  It was fun chatting over lunch at Magnolia Diner with Steven about potential plans to enter law school and the political fray.

23 Nov, Happy Stay at Home and Do Not Do Black Friday!  Well. we almost stayed at home.  We worked on our projects before going to dinner and Wally World.  The James Lea book is back on the front burner; it is not likely to reach the publisher this winter but progress is being made.  Our front bedroom is a sea of files, cardboard and plastic boxes going to recycling,  a shredder, and to a fellow who will take about a hundred hanging files with file folders. Thirty years of financial, ministry building and other project records are being examined and sorted carefully by Ron the Recycling Man.



22 Nov,  Happy Thanksgiving!  We are deeply thankful for you, our family and friends.  We are both thankful and doing marvelously well despite the multitude of setbacks that life deals to us always.  (We just notice the unfairness more as we age.)  We still walk industriously every day and do our morning exercises together and consequently our bodies feel very good in most respects most of the time. We still eat Pritikin, i.e. tons of veggies and no oil no butter, no fat, no cheese, no salt, so I'm feeling fine. 

I continue to work on the computer doing genealogy projects interminably.  Cynthia tolerates my messes very well, poor dear.  She is in constant e-communication with half of the universe, an interesting by-product of retirement for a introverted minister who does not hear well.  (Cynthia approved this message.)  Brother Dean and kids raced in a 5K despite cold and wind.  No surprise that he won first place in his age group. Benjamin and Sarah ran together. Gobble Gobble!

21 Nov, Happy Birthday daughter Julie!  We drove to the Woodlands for Cynthia’s Ob-gyn appointment and on to the Toasted Yolk for lunch, witnessing a nasty accident on the way home.  Cynthia ordered a case of fat free-salt free pretzels from Walmart because the store is perpetually out of stock. No other stores carry them.  The case is huge.  Ron will have pretzels for three or four months!


20 Nov, Yes! Another day, more doctors.  Ron rides shotgun as Cynthia’s extra pair of ears; her hearing aids aren’t enough listening to mumbling doctors.  The mammogram results aren’t back yet, but the oncologist was joyful Cynthia has reached the milestone of being seven years cancer free.  Yes, we are thankful.  Next year she does not need to see the oncologist, just the PA.   Eating at Jason's Deli in the Woodlands is our reward.  After pigging out we saw Cherie , the PA  in Dr. Sims office, for a treatment.   Ron hauled lots of paper to our church recycling bin.   Now back to work on various computer projects!

19 Nov: Another day, another trip to the Woodlands.   It was time for Cynthia’s annual trip to MD Anderson for a mammogram.  Afterwards we tried to stop at Staples only to be  greatly surprised to discover Staples no longer exists within 29 miles of us.  This means we will use the nearby UPS, not Staples, to shred paper that cannot go to recycling.  The Toasted Yolk fed us nicely after our non-stop at Staples.  And we walked! The rain spurted a bit, just long enough to make a mess on the trail,  Ron, the hiker man got into trail maintenance mode.  Large groups of curious deer cluster along the trail, very young fawns, does, young bucks, a large buck with six antlers delight us with their antics.  But it is too late and my eyes won’t stay awake.

Ron and Cynthia seated for the wedding

18 Nov, Montgomery, Texas.  Exhausted.  Five hour drive home in a heavy rain the last hour, but grandson Eric's wedding was beautiful.  We need sleep!  But Ron is busy going through years of Cynthia’s boxes of records to take to recycling or shred.

17 Nov, Fort Worth, Texas.  We have had mornings below freezing in Texas already, and one morning I saw ephemeral snowflakes amidst raindrops.  Oh, and ice on the windshield, frost on the rooftops, etc.

We have seen a host of doctors already and attended grandson Eric's wedding this afternoon, a lovely outdoor wedding in a pleasant climate, 72 degrees.  More doctors until the 3rd of December at least.  Cynthia wore her newest cute shoes with high heels (as recommended by a California sister) and suffered mightly.  I had to hold her up while she muttered " I shoulda worn my hiking tennies."

The poor motorcycle hasn't moved in two weeks although it has been washed a time or two whenever it rained to provide rinse water.

Cynthia with sons and daughters

Bride and groom flanked by Mom and Uncle Jon

16 Nov:  Errands were run to Lakeside Pharmacy, our storage unit, and Ron waited patiently for Cynthia while she was girlicured with pedi/mani for the grandson Eric’s wedding to Emily tomorrow night in Fort Worth.  At tonight’s rehearsal dinner: daughter Julie (mother of groom), Eric  (groom), Emily the bride, and son Jon, brother of julie.

15 Nov:  Our deepest sympathy to our niece-in-law, Denise, in the loss of her mother.  On the road going to Brenham to see the audiologist, Ron noticed that there are fall colors creeping into the trees this fall in Texas.  We cannot begin to explain how unusual this is.  Cynthia’s appointment with the audiologist took an hour, followed by a stop at Home Depot to get a water ph test strip.  From there we enjoyed lunch at the Toasted Yolk with our former landscape contractor and her mom, who coincidentally arrived at the same time.  We shopped at Wally World, stopped at the storage unit, tried another Walmart for salt free, fat free pretzels, dropped off a rent check at the Management Company and managed a 5 mile walk.   We deserved that great dinner tonight at the Yacht Club!

great grandson Hudson with part of Papa

14 Nov, Yet another long, exhausting day at the Woodlands for medical appointments with Cherie and getting labs.  Usually this is all accomplished in the month of January, but this year we are going to Miami late January.  We really enjoy the sweet potato at Jason’s Deli. Our newest great grandson is beyond cuteness.

13 Nov:  Snow in Houston brought a lot of big smiles this morning!  The smile froze into a loud YUK:  A colonoscopy and endoscopy! Yes, YUK! After the three hour ride round trip to NW  Memorial Herman Hospital,  a baked sweet potato at Jasons Deli was a just reward.  The cell phone is still deader than dead.

12 Nov, August heat is gone for awhile!  Brrrr!  Bundled up, we walked a ways before receiving a phone call to go to Lakeside pharmacy to pick up the prep for tomorrow’s medical test.  After the pharmacy stop, we shipped a bunch of 3.5 floppy discs to a business in California that will recycle them; Cynthia shipped the Brooks genealogy to the public library in Troy, Alabama for their loose paper files.  Ron’s phone is dead!

11 Nov, The cross generational worship at our church is delightful.  How fun to see the children assume  roles as readers,  and participating with the pastor in Offering the benediction.  The antics of a set of two year old twins during the children's sermon makes all of the adults smile.  Son Jon, Granddaughter Lauren and her beau, Tyler, joined us for brunch at the Yacht Club.  We miss Yassar, the Maitre D' at the club.  The rains they came, soaking Ron and his cell phone.  Will it work in the morning?

Zoe, the equestrian

Zoe the princess (in middle)

SmoochSmooch and Smooch behaving properly

10 Nov:  We are counting our blessings!  Thanks for son Jon, daughter Julie and Granddaughter Rachel joining us to see Granddaughter Zoe’s performance in the Little Mermaid.  Zoe, a senior in HS, has won many local and state accolades in musical drama. She graduates mid-December,  planning a spring semester break to travel before she begins college in late August. Zoe is also an accomplished equestrian.

9 Nov:  Progress is being made on several DNA projects, plus going through boxes in the storage unit.  These are humungous boxes filled with years of records that go to recycling.  Ron is preparing a zillion pierces of paper, tax records, some from forty years ago to go to the dump, the dump, the dump, dump, dump.  Lunch was a great treat at the Toasted Yolk.  A delightful customer said she enjoyed watching us.  Ron told her the story how we became Smooch and Smooch Smooch.  She was enthralled to know Ron hiked the Appalachian Trail, and also that Cynthia was vacationing in a Vietnam during some of that hike.  She explained that she has never had a vacation because she is a caregiver for everybody in her family.  Cynthia blessed her.  She cried.  Life is good, love shared is the joy of life.

8 Nov: Awake, exercises done, oatmealed and we were in the car for a long drive to the Galleria area and medical center by 7:30 AM, for  appointments that took up the entire day!  Ron made Cynthia’s hairdresser laugh until his belly shook and he had  tears in in his eyes.  It was fun to have fresh Atlantic salmon at Pappadeaux for lunch.  Now that darkness falls upon the earth like a trapdoor by five thirty, it was too late to get in the day’s walk.  Granddaughter Zoe called with joyful news of her acceptance to her number one college choice.

7 Nov, Cynthia is en route to College Station to visit daughter Julie, granddaughter Corrie and her two babies.  Ron is hardly working.  He is good at this job.  Today we are thankful for family.

6 Nov, And thank God the mid-term election is over; no political ads tomorrow.  Cynthia had a girl day at Bambi's and Ron went along to keep her company.  Eating at Jason's Deli is a treat.

5 Nov, Thank God!  Just Thank God.  We woke up!  We are healthy!  We are incredibly happy!  Thank God.  This was another one of those days to run a million kazillion errands.  Cynthia had a medical appointment in the Woodlands at one PM; afterwards, we treated ourselves to a monster-sized baked sweet potato at Jason's Deli.  Cynthia eats a quarter of her potato, so Ron ate his baked potato and three quarters of Cynthia's sweet potato.

4 Nov, Sunday Offering from Cynthia:  

 I decided to post positive thoughts this month to combat the negativity and cruelty so highly visible in the media and on social networks. Each day I will thank God for something positive on our blog and Facebook. 

 I am thankful for my baptism into the mystical body of Christ on this, All Saints Day.  I lit a candle in memory of my father who died on All Saints Day, 1977.  As I lit the candle I reflected on a memory of that day as I grasped the deep meaning of the mystery of the Communion of Saints.  In Christ Jesus we are  connected to those who have gone before us.  At the same time, we are connected to our community. 

“The first service one owes to others in a community involves listening to them. Just as our love for God begins with listening to God’s Word, the beginning of love for others is learning to listen to them. God’s love for us is shown by the fact that God not only gives God’s Word but also lends us God’s ear. . . . We do God’s work for our brothers and sisters when we learn to listen to them."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

3 Nov, After running morning errands, we walked four miles, once home again, we settled into doing DNA projects on our Macs. Triangulation on GEDmatch.com is a terrific tool, but how to research 500 close matches?

2 Nov. Thank you, Lord, for this gorgeous day beside the lake.  After a four mile walk, we inspected the disaster in the storage unit: Jon moved boxes and boxes of stuff from Cynthia’s former home into our storage unit.  She had forgotten about the boxes.  Now we have to figure out how to dispose of the stuff.   We can’t start a bonfire.   We hauled our personal items to the condo, like shirts.  After wearing the same shirt for the past seven months, Ron wore through the back of this favorite shirt; but the front has lots of wear left in it.  He located a favorite long sleeved shirt from the 60’s  or 70’s that must have been a cast off  from a Haight-Ashbury Hippie.  But Cynthia loves the  blue that matches his eyes.  Tonight’s sunset was a show stopper,  with many shades of blue, lavender, peach, and Rose to delight us on our evening walk to the fitness center.  The deer are out and about, but the numbers seem smaller.



1 Nov. Lake Conroe, Texas. After seven months on wheels, we are back at the condo.  Jon moved a bunch of Cynthia’s boxes that were in his storage unit into ours.  It is packed full.  We shopped for groceries and walked to the fitness center knocking out 12,000 steps.  Good night