Marching off to Sedona again

Reminder to self:  work on Duncan's package, and add info from Dawn Harvey. 

Ron Beatty is Smooch with SmoochSmooch

31 Mar:  Good-bye March!  The sun is shining and the Smooches will hike at one PM (after QQQ watching ends).  Out in the real world, the darkness of hatred prevails at the worst level since the Civil War.  This will not end well for any of us.  Oh well, the sun is still shining, the forecast is a high of 58 degrees, and it is a great day to hike the Slim Shady Trail.  It is rougher and rockier with more ups and downs.  We really enjoyed meeting Bill and Liz, a delightful couple who hike!  Liz even runs six miles a morning, in addition to hiking.  Our enjoyment was wonderful, our accomplishment satisfying, and the mileage was 6.08. 

30 Mar:  The world turns, we are awake, exercised and fed.  QQQ is again misbehaving.  The cloudy skies mean hiking will be more comfortable today although the forecast high is 50 degrees !!.  Oops, No, Cynthia stuck her nose out the door, collected a few snowflakes, and decided that she should keep her respiratory system warmer.  She is approaching eight weeks of wearing a brace on her right hand to hopefully heal strained sagittal bands.  This process takes six months, God willing.  Ron is ever helpful, opening jars, etc.  Writing and typing are nearly impossible.  Ron continues clipping tree debris into fire starter.  Zero miles.

29 Mar:  We checked the markets, exercised and ate.  QQQ is not behaving as forecast, so Ron is a bit stymied today.  The forecast is 65 degrees warm.  Our time would have been better spent hiking early since the sun is intense.  Oh well, off we go.  Wish us luck. Luck held!  The clouds accumulated, the temperature dropped, and the wind was welcome at first but cooled us a bit too much later.  We recorded 5.44 miles.  It was fun to visit again this year with neighbor John who lives up the street, and to meet another neighbor, Laura, with her Sheltie. 

28 Mar: Amazing that we bound out of bed at 6:30 AM to follow the DOW ticker three hours ahead of us on Wall Street.  This was a successful QQQ day, with another potential success a few days ahead.  Looks like Ron has completed all other projects, so James Lea is about to again gain ascendancy.  Yay!  Ron has rested for a month from his work on James Lea.  5.31 miles

27 Mar:  And Ron is back to watching QQQ obsessively since it dropped this morning to 308, but we will wait a day or two hoping for better results. (That was a big mistake.)  The box of clothing that Cynthia shipped from Texas arrived.  Ron spent two hours outside clipping the downed branches into kindling.  Now we are waiting for Cynthia to be ready to hike.  This time we will remember to take water, carrots and an apple.  Ron's calf muscles have been sore for three days now.  They apparently are unused to the hills. We didn’t begin hiking until 2:00 PM and reversed our hike around the Big Park Loop achieving 5.88 miles today. We meet the nicest folks on the trail.  A gray haired lady moved here a few years ago full time; when she said she was a Norwegian from MN, Cynthia said they were likely cousins because she is related to half of the Norwegians in MN.  The lady clinched it when she said her grandmother owned a farm near DesMoines.  There’s the proof! 

26 Mar, Sunday:  Another early morning for the ride to worship at Christ Lutheran Sedona at 8:30.  This is an exceptional congregation.  After we returned home and fed our faces, we hiked 5.79 miles.  It is fun to see the water glistening as "streams" "flow" down the cliffs.  Now we rest, although Ron decided to bake a sweet potato and clip some more of the tree debris in the yard just before dark.

25 Mar:  We awakened to vivid sunshine for the first time in our first week in Sedona.  Cynthia is ready to walk after she finishes coffee, so we plan to have a good time.  We are 1.25 miles from the Bell Rock Trailhead with five hills to climb on the way back.  The hills are minimal when we are energetic as we start, but they constitute quite the challenge when we return.  Our total mileage today was 5.97 after hiking the Big Park Loop with lots of ups and downs, zigs and zags and bicyclists to avoid.  Cynthia's goal is 4 to 7 miles a day for the next thirty days.   As Ron was clipping tree branches into stackable sizes, he was amazed to watch a bobcat walk past within ten feet of him.  The cat seemed entirely unconcerned and totally uninterested in Ron.  This is not a big cat, not even as big as an Australian Shepherd.  I've seen Maine coon cats that look larger with all of their hair.  This bobcat is a short hair, and the tail is a bob.

24 Mar:  Ron is ensconced at home watching for a good time to sell his latest QQQ option (No such luck today.)  After exercise, oatmeal and mending, he took a break at 11 AM  to ride back to Clarks, hoping to find their raspberries on sale at 2/$4 and was delighted to purchase 4 big clamshells.  He also found the Ezekiel flaxseed bread that Cynthia now enjoys.  He began trimming the tree debris in the yard, and Cynthia insisted that we visit a pharmacy in Sedona.  The ride was pleasant enough except for the long line of slow traffic for a mile.  The red rocks were not as vivid under these cloudy skies (that we seldom see here). 

Ron with his little stream

23 Mar:  The sun is shining!  A friend emailed Cynthia the news that parts of Sedona are being evacuated due to flooding.  We are high and dry in the Village of Oak Creek, and Ron bought a lot of groceries yesterday in Cottonwood.  We expect more rain or snow by tonight.  Ron wanted to hike to see water flowing in any of the arroyos, and we did see a nice little stream after passing the Bell Rock Trailhead.  The trail was mostly dry, but there was a bit of mud and occasional puddles.  Our hike was  3.87 miles.  At dusk two white-tailed deer visited the arroyo behind the house.

22 Mar:  Housebound in the rain another day!  This is our second day to arise at 6:30 AM to watch QQQ soon after the New York Stock Exchange opens.  We saw wildlife in the backyard, not javelinas or deer, but couple of cute bunnies.  When QQQ rose to 313+, Ron bought a 312 put and was very surprised to be able to sell that at a significant profit at 3:59 EDT, a mere minute before the market closed.  Then Ron rode to Walmart in Cottonwood to stock up on groceries.  In Cornville Oak Creek had flooded fields and the roadway providing very unusual scenery for Arizona.

21 Mar:  Wow !!  Whoever woulda thunk that it would rain without ceasing ALL DAY.!!  Housebound in Sedona!  The rain is forecast to stop late tomorrow afternoon.  Maybe we will ride 50 miles to Cottonwood for cheaper groceries.  In a week the desert should be blooming beautifully. 

20 Mar:  Our final leg to Sedona was on AZ 260 winding around the Mogollon Rim of Arizona (fun to see on Google Earth) to I-17 N to AZ 179 N into the Village of Oak Creek. 80 miles.  Our first 70 miles through the National Forest were chilly at 39 degrees and again featured lots and lots of snowfields surrounding us.  It was a relief to descend off the rim into warmer temperatures at Camp Verde.  After we turned onto Highway 179 - - - Wow, Beaver Creek was a rushing torrent that we have never before seen.  Access is at the Ranger Station via the Woods Canyon Trailhead (click here).  Apparently the rain today is melting a snowpack somewhere up high.  Interesting to know that Dry Beaver Creek merges with Wet Beaver Creek near the Indian ruins at Montezuma Well and the developed community of Rimrock.  On a more mundane note, we shopped at Clark's (expensive) Grocery for things we will need in the next day or two until the rains stop.  So strange to be trapped indoors in Sedona because of "continuing" rain for 36 hours per forecast.

19 Mar, Sunday:  We plan to ride 97 miles to Payson, AZ this morning, leaving at 11 am.  And we did get started at 11, but it was a tough ride with winds shoving us around and temperatures still cold at close to 40 degrees.  The winds were forecast at 10 mph and turned into 18 mph with gusts to 37 mph as we rode.  After we arrived Ron updated the blog and we walked around the neighborhood to Walmart to purchase popcorn.  (And it is now time to pop more popcorn).  The forecast for midweek promises rain and snow, so Monday we move on to our Vacation Rental in the Village of Oak Creek.  Our route was N on AZ 260 towards Show Low, L on Woolford Rd (at Speedway gas station) -> S. Central Ave 1 mi to L on Whipple Drive .8 mi to L on Duece of Clubs 1 block to R on Clark/ AZ 260 (again) 88 miles to Payson, L on US 87 1 block to Comfort Inn.

18 Mar:  If the roads are reputed to be dry by noon, we will ride to Show Low, Arizona today, God willing.  And God was indeed willing!  The route was US 60 W, 200 miles.  It is surreal to see snow in the New Mexico desert.  We were less cold, especially after we crossed the Continental Divide.  Perhaps the mango and blueberry pie at Pie Town, NM warmed us up.  It is surreal that we ate pie!  But in our defense, we did eat egg white veggie omelets first.  We arrived in Pinetop, AZ, seven miles from Show Low.  It boasts four restaurants that claim to be fine dining.  Ron walked 1.2 miles to Safeway for bananas, blueberries, and pretzels.  There are several hiking trails, but we didn't check them out.  Cynthia's new BMW passenger seat will arrive in Pagosa Springs, CO about the third week of July.  Yay!!!!!!  

Lots of snow in the desert, something seldom seen

Our new motorcycle close to snow

17 Mar:  Happy St. Patrick's Day!  With the luck of the Irish, we will arrive in Magdalena, NM, dry and not frozen to death, by late afternoon.  No such luck, we arrived in Socorro, NM after riding 164 miles in sometimes freezing temperatures, often with marvelous views of snow covering the roadside, nearby mountains, and desert.  One noteworthy view was of snow spotting the face of a red rock cliff immediately beside the road.  It was 38 degrees when we left Roswell, dropping to 30 degrees after Ron opted to suffer the rough road through Lincoln and Capitan instead of taking smoother pavement into cloud-enshrouded and snow-covered Ruidoso.  Poor Cynthia's back was already suffering from the miscue Thursday when Ron rode off a curb leaving a gas station.  Strangely, the road was smoother between Lincoln and Capitan than before Lincoln or after Capitan.  When we saw a snow plow heading east, Ron thought, Uh Oh, and indeed we soon found ourselves on roads where the fine rock had been spread to melt snow.  Fortunately, there had been enough traffic to create "lanes" free from the rock.  The roads were still damp in places and the temperature was below freezing, so we went slowly down mountain curves.  Although it had snowed earlier all along the way, it did not snow on us.  When it is 30 outside, subtract at least ten degrees on a motorcycle at 65 MPH.  All of Cynthia's clothing is heated, so she was warm, except for her feet.  Our seats are heated, and so are the grips on the handlebars.  Fortunately, Ron had put on gloves when we stopped in Lincoln, but his face was very cold.  The snow-covered roadsides and mountains were gorgeous, and as we neared Socorro, the fog-enshrouded mountain was surreal.  The temperature was below 35 degrees all day until 30 miles from Socorro when it slowly rose to a balmy 42 degrees.  Tomorrow we ride to Springerville, AZ, God willing.  Today's route was simplicity itself: US 380 W to I-25 N to US 60 into Socorro and the Comfort Inn, 164 miles today.

Smooch and SmoochSmooch were younger once

16 Mar:  The forecast winds were daunting, 24+ with gusts to 40 mph, so we opted to sit in Roswell for a respite.  No regular oatmeal; good thing we carry our own.  QQQ is on the rise.  By mid-afternoon, it is 306.  How high will it go today?  Ron is an investor with risk-taking genes, and he opted to sell his 304 option at a loss near the high for the day.  Cynthia lost a quarter once and will never again gamble.  Ron found Mom's Oatmeal on his shopping expedition.  The choice for the rest of our trip is to ride in the cold or ride in the wind.  If we wait for warmer weather, the winds begin to blow much harder.

daughter Julie and her Lamar

15 Mar:  Leaving Lamesa, Ron stopped for fuel and, while watching traffic, mistook a curb for a ramp, dropped off that curb and the jolt jolted Cynthia's back pain so much that she cried tears.  The route from Lamesa, Texas to Roswell, New Mexico was quite pleasant with only moderate winds (as opposed to the horrendous winds two years ago - cf. this blog March 4-5, 2021).  The Texas town of Brownfield is named for its peculiarly orange-brown soil, obvious in numerous newly-plowed fields.  We arrived in Roswell before our room was ready and had to wait fifteen minutes to check-in.  Then we immediately headed back south to the Cattle Baron Restaurant for salad bars, a baked sweet potato, and salmon, prepared deliciously.  This route was even simpler: R on TX 137 to Brownfield, L on US 380 to Roswell.  171 miles today.

14 Mar:  We were up way too early and left Fredericksburg on highway 87 toward Lamesa, TX.  The interesting observation about today's scenery was that Spring regressed as we continued north and west until we found ourselves again surrounded by the dull, drab colors of winter.  En route, we passed trees with new spring-green leaves and others covered with bright magenta buds.  At the last minute, Ron decided to bypass San Angelo on loop 306 that he remembered from looking at the maps.  Loop 306 is a misnomer; it bypasses 1/3 of the city, then disappears.  Apparently, you need to know to take the US 277 for the other 2/3rds of the loop.  After a very frustrating experience with the industrial outskirts of San Angelo and TX 208, we emerged on FM 2105 at US 87 and Pepe's Diner which had great food for us.  We arrived in Lamesa and checked in to the Shiloh Inn at about 4 pm.  Ron then walked to one grocery store and rode to two more in search of pretzels, blueberries, and bananas.  Our route was much simpler: L on US 87 NW through Mason (40 miles) to L on TX 29 W (US 377) 30 miles to R on US 83 N (24 miles) to L on US 87 N (don't fall for Loop 306 bullshit at San Angelo) to Lamesa, TX.  284 miles today.

13 Mar:  We checked out early AM and began our journey to Sedona, AZ by staying overnight in Fredricksburg, Texas after an enjoyable dinner with Casey and Lucinda, Cynthia's clergy colleagues.  We had hoped to arrive by two PM, but due to all of Ron's last-minute "necessities," we didn't get out of Montgomery until 10:30 and arrived at 3:15.  The bluebonnets were again spectacular, and one particular roadside was covered in combination with orange Indian paintbrush too.  Also spectacular was one huge field full of yellow flowers.  Ron always enjoys great conversation with Casey and never pays any attention to the conversation on the feminine side of the table.  Blogging will continue on the journey as we are able.  Our route was TX 105 W to Brenham, R on Blue Bell Road (2 miles) to L on TX 36 S (1 mile) to R on US 290 W through Ledbetter & Giddings (45 miles) to L on TX 21 W through Bastrop (12 miles) to R on toll road TX 71 W (30 miles) to US 290 W (again) to Fredericksburg (60 miles), L on TX 16 to EconoLodge (never again - mice).  217 miles today.

12 Mar, Sunday:  We worked hard all day and made two trips to the storage locker.  This will be a hard work day!  We pack, move boxes to the storage unit, clean the condo, and drop off the car so Jon can car-sit.  At 6:00 we are pleased with our progress.

Cynthia w/ granddaughter Zoe

Fyn in foreground

11 Mar:  Tomorrow... Ron is being left without adult supervision for the third day in a row.  Cynthia had fun at Zoe’s wedding shower, a high tea with a Bridgerton theme.  It was off-the-charts elegant with fashionistas in hats, etc.  Zoe looked like a fairy tale princess.  A most hilarious moment was reading eight-year-old Fyn’s messages to her sister, the bride-to-be, “Don't worry about me.  I will be fine. It is ok !!”

daughters Roxanne & Julie, daughter-in-law Tina

10 Mar:  Ron is spending another day watching hopefully for a QQQ recovery, despite the forecast.  He is finally ready to begin the final packing the two boxes full of papers that came home in December.  Precious little has been discarded/ recycled.  Cooler today at 66 degrees now but 80% humidity here in Montgomery/ Houston.  Cynthia had a girl's day with a pedi/many.  Her haircut is now very short for hiking. 

9 Mar:  Cynthia is spending the day with her grandchildren in Bryan, Texas.  Oh, Goodie, the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush are blooming in abundance en route to Bryan.  Ron spent the day putting his new AeroFlow nicknacks on the motorcycle, although he mounted the AeroWings in reverse and cannot remove them until the adhesive is totally cured on Sunday afternoon.

8 Mar:  Another day almost like yesterday except we walked 8.72 miles. Yay for us!  Cynthia moved more items to the storage unit.  Ron is always crazy busy, and Cynthia's right-hand doesn't work in a brace.

7 Mar:  The second best part of today was getting in our walk early while it was only 70 degrees.  Of course, the best part was waking up! With Ron's very necessary help, Cynthia moved packed containers from the condo into the storage unit.  Ron is achieving great progress for our departure.  We had a second walk at 6:30 PM totaling 7 miles.  

6 Mar:  Ron is back to watching QQQ again, intermixed with straightening up his messes and cleaning the kitchen.  (He should have sold for a small loss when it hit 303.76 instead of waiting for 304 and a tiny profit.  20/20 hindsight.)  Cynthia already did the laundry before leaving to see Gina about the brace holding her fingers from bending.  We are hopeful that the sagittal bands are healing, God willing.  Cynthia scored points for the first "I love you" of the day, but Ron gets points for writing it on the blog for all the world to see.

5 Mar, Sunday:  We awakened, exercised, ate, and are ready to go to church with minutes to spare.  Ron is mending the zippers on his pants today.  We ate a second breakfast of egg white omelets at Magnolia Diner - our romantic date for the month.  Cynthia wants to wait until late to walk, but Ron might go twice again today..  (His weight has crept up to 176.2 this morning.  Blood pressure 87/57 pulse 61.) today's blood pressure is an improvement over the recent 60/36 on 23 Feb. 

4 Mar:  Ron walked twice and talked with friends to and from the lake.  He spent the afternoon clipping and filing his toenails - how did that ever become so difficult and so time-consuming?  Cynthia packed and fed her face an egg white omelet with broccoli florets. Yuk.  (She forgot to buy  a bag of mixed veggies for her omelet.)  Ron ate cornbread with salmon out of a can.  Somehow Cynthia objects to that smell but doesn't mind the smell of salmon she cooks.  Nephew Eric is having trouble with his RPM coins website again.  Somehow it looks like Dreamhost is messing up his HTML as part of their conversion.

3 Mar:  The morning started early since Cynthia had a fasting blood draw an hour away.  She made it on time, but Ron stayed behind to tend his options garden and sold at 10:55 EST for another profit.!!  Cynthia's Dr appointment at noon went well.  Lab tests are excellent.  Ron walked late after finding and recording Medicare statements. (Obviously an obsessive-compulsive disorder.)

Ron Beatty is Smooch with SmoochSmooch

2 Mar:  We are thankful for a beautiful life.  Cynthia is packing in earnest.  Ron is not, yet, but he did check his options first thing and bought another one.  We walked the usual before noon, and Ron started mending his jacket and was watching his options intently after 2 PM when his contracts became "in the money." he even sold two of them for a profit.  Eureka !!  In the evening, we enjoyed a good meal at the Cosy Grape in Montgomery with Jon & Tina, old friends Jan & Jim, and new friends Bill & Tina.  A fine time was had by all (even though Ron could not stop smiling despite the wonderment of our new friends).  Cynthia had called ahead to find that the restaurant was entirely unable to cook anything without oil, so Ron took his own baked sweet potato to the restaurant.

1 Mar:  Cynthia is off to discuss spiritual direction with Pastor Diane.  Ron is slaving away with his various projects, having made yet another foray into the dangerous world of options.  We will walk later today as it is forecast (correctly) to be another hot one.  At about 2 pm, when it was obvious that his options were not going to pay off today, Ron called the Woodlands BMW to see if they could tune the suspension for a gentler ride for his beloved's tush, and the service scheduler said to bring it in anytime, so Ron rode the bike there promptly, and they did indeed adjust the suspension immediately (from Road and Auto to Dynamic and Min).  Our exercise walk totaled 2.5 miles, but Cynthia achieved four miles with another walk. 

FEB Winter Returns to Texas

  Reminder to self:  work on Duncan's package, add info from Dawn Harvey. 

View from our condo balcony

Yes, this is that same photo, but we don't have a snow-covered scene to put here yet.

Yes the same reminders, but Ron is the patient sort.

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

28 Feb:  The end is here (of February).  Now we (hi Ron) need to think of a March blog title by morning.  Our morning walk was late but done by one-thirty.  Ron's big jobs for the day (that he actually did) are to cook the package of lentils and sew a bit on his shirt.  Cynthia cooked her delicious salmon recipe for dinner, and we are back at work.  Ron finished documenting the family of Lawrence "Larry" Lea and then called Paul about QQQ options.  Cynthia organized clothing to be shipped to Sedona, to be shipped to California, to go back into the storage unit, or into the travel bag, finding all this most awkward with her right hand in a brace.  4 miles.  Ron walked to the lake and back after dark 

  

27 Feb:  We arose in time to walk almost to the lake before we needed to turn around in order to get to Cynthia's appointment for her splint that keeps her fingers "immobile" while the sagittal bands heal (we hope).  The ride there on the motorcycle went smoothly, and we arrived half an hour early.  Gina is a fun girl and quite talented at making splints.  On the way home we stopped for salads at Jason's Deli and at Walmart for frozen mango.  Our evening walk, plus walking through the day brought us a total of 7 miles. 

26 Feb:  We slept beautifully at Julie's, arose, exercised as usual, made oatmeal in a foreign environment (Julie's clean kitchen), and are excited to see what the day brings (besides more sherbert).  We enjoyed a lazy morning of casual conversation and more sherbert until noon, when we left and stopped at Jason's Deli for huge salads.  In the evening we walked to the point and to Walden road and turned in early for a good night of sleep.

25 Feb: We are ready for something different!  After we exercise. oatmeal, and walk, Ron will load the car with recycling, and pack overnight bags for a slumber party at our daughter Julie's.  We had a wonderful time visiting with Julie until Lamar arrived to cook salmon and sweet potatoes for dinner, delicious.  Afterwards, we gathered around Julie's custom-made lazy susan with our Christmas present, a 200-piece jigsaw puzzle of our favorite picture of our wedding.  It was a delightful evening, but I was shocked to hear that the time had fled and it was after 11 pm.  At that late hour Julie reminded Ron that she had purchased sherbert especially for him, so he ate half of the container labeled lime.

24 Feb:  Is already gone, and Ron failed to update the blog yesterday too.  However, everything stays the same: up, exercise, eat, walk, work on James Lea, eat more, walk more, sleep.  Repeat.  Great-granddaughter Abigayle sent a precious letter.  Ron never dreamed he would have grandchildren much less have great-grandchildren!  6.52 miles. FUN FUN FUN

23 Feb:  See 24 Feb.  7.62 miles

22 Feb:  Retirement is wonderful.  We can awaken after sunrise, exercise, eat oatmeal and stresslessly mess with our computers until motivated to get out the door for a walk.  By all means, give it a try as soon as you are able.

21 Feb:  was a hot Tuesday in Texas.  Ron is enjoying making plans for DTYD at MIT in mid-April 2024.  Cynthia is delighted to attend.  After lunch today, Ron walked to the lake while Cynthia stayed out of the sun in the fitness center.  We walked again after dinner, her miles totaling 3.75 miles.   James Lea is progressing slowly as Ron finds more and more on Find-A-Grave.

20 Feb:  Cynthia's sagittal bands on her right hand are now immobilized in a brace for a few months.  Normal right-hand tasks are challenging.  Cynthia's sagittal bands have stretched and weakened during her 18+ years on the planet.  It might take 3-6 months of wearing the brace to heal.  Is this better than surgery?  We will see.  Ron will have many extra tasks to do, like cooking, washing Cynthia's hair, and typing. 

19 Feb:  Jon, Tina, Rachel, Ryan, and Blaire met us for brunch after worship, but the Yacht Club had a really horrible singing guitar player making an intolerably loud noise.  Ron asked to have the volume reduced, watched as the performer tweaked his amplifier minutely, told the management that he was leaving, and walked out.  Cynthia phoned him when the "music" finally stopped.  We won't go back to this convenient fine dining location that we have patronized frequently for ten years.  

18 Feb:  Good golly it will be cold, 36 degrees overnight!  We didn't get a lot done today, in part because Ron was up until 2 AM last night. Ron did a bit more editing, having found amazing things thanks to Ancestry and Find-A-Grave.  He walked to the lake and back while Cynthia hit the machines at the fitness center again.  Ron is all excited to think of motivating a DTYD reunion at MIT in 2024.  Cynthia's walking totaled 3 miles

17 Feb:  The housecleaning frenzy is afoot.  One bathroom and one bedroom are very clean, the carpets are vacuumed, the laundry is done, and her clothes are organized for shipping or storage unit.  Ron even cleaned the kitchen a bit.  Ron took a break from editing to walk four miles, plus we walked together in the evening.  Cynthia totaled 3.75 miles

16 Feb:  QQQ finally did what Ron needed to see to purchase a call option.  Now let's see if he loses this money too.  Ron walked all alone in the afternoon while Cynthia ran errands and then spent time at the fitness center.  We walked together in the dark.  Cynthia’s total mileage was five. 

15 Feb:  Cynthia arose at the crack of light to launch herself and Lexus in the direction of her annual dermatologist appointment two hours away in the center of Houston’s insane traffic.  Ron was without adult supervision sand didn't even get into trouble, thanks to James Lea.  Cynthia successfully traveled the crowded freeways of Houston even though she had to take her least favorite route.  It is not surprising that it takes an entire day to travel downtown.  The dermatologist/ esthetician applied a chemical scrub that leaves Cynthia looking like a spousal abuse victim.  She is forbidden to go into the sunlight or sweat for a week.  Ron walked solo this evening.  How did these two days sneak past us?  One was misnumbering our calendar.

14 Feb:  Happy Valentines Day to my beloved, brilliant, handsome, witty, fun-filled Smooch.  You are a gift from God.  I love you♥️  And Smooch got points for the first "I love you" of the day, although he didn't have a cute little heart emoji.  15 Valentine's Days together!  The new AeroFlow windscreen arrived, so Ron will have reading to do before installing it with all the various little glue thingees.  7 Miles hoop de doo!

Two diary entries:  hers:  “Dear Diary: told him I love him several times, I prepared a fabulous meal, and he just lay awake for hours.  Maybe there's someone else he is thinking about.”  and His diary: “Dang, I can't figure out why the motorcycle won't start.”

13 Feb:  Tomorrow, another God-given day to enjoy.  We arose at 4:14, as in the AM!  (Ouch sayeth the retirees.)  Cynthia took the car to be serviced at 8:30 AM.  The mechanic is an inexpensive, experienced Lexus mechanic.  Jon drove Cynthia from and to the mchanic's shop morning and afternoon.  It was an amazing experience for her, driving home and seeing through a sparkling clean windshield!  On our sunset walk we found Coach in his truck at the marina watching the birds.  Mileage on our walks totaled 7.62 miles. 

12 Feb, Sunday:  And we awaken to another bright, beautiful day in Houston.  Ron is rehearsing his proselytic passion, phraseology to motivate retirees to replace the morning commute with a daily exercise routine in order to keep the body functioning as well as possible as long as possible.  Otherwise decay soon eliminates the ability to pursue other interests.  Ask those active elders you know how much time they spend sitting.  You will learn that they don't spend much time sitting.  Enough for today.  We enjoyed church.  (Cynthia really likes the hearing earbuds tuned to the sound system.  She actually heard the sermon for the second Sunday in a row.!!)  Then we ate a light lunch at home and walked to the fitness center, to the lake and back, passing a noisy gaggle of aggressive geese twice.  We are now preparing for bed after our second outing of the day. 7.64 miles

11 Feb:  The forecast is for cold weather.  This translates to sleep.  And we were indeed still in bed, Cynthia asleep, when Ron's pill alarm started ringing at 9 AM.  We upped, exercised, ate, and walked.  It wasn't bad until we turned around into the wind.  Even then it was a nice day for a walk. Salmon is baking for dinner which will be followed by the second walk of the day.  Seven Miles 

10 Feb:  After the usual and an earlier walk than usual, we drove to the bank first to wire money to England for DNA analysis, then to the Hodge Podge Lodge for a late lunch with Larry & Dawn at 1:30.  Ron had been watching QQQ for an opportunity to buy a call, but didn't see it.  We walked a second time into a cold windy evening with a great sunset.  Seven miles 

9 Feb:  Cynthia bounced out of the condo early to get a dress fitted for granddaughter Zoe’s June wedding and to do her girlicure thing.  Ron was spared the girlicure thing because he was too slow to get going by 9 AM.  We walked four miles, followed by work on James Lea. 

8 Feb:  Cynthia had an appointment with the ENT doctor and audiologist in the morning, followed by a car inspection, getting the safety tag, and lunch at Magnolia Diner.  We were so busy, we might have walked and forgotten.  One of Ron's pills was stuck in his throat for an hour.  The ENT said that there are two sphincters that keep stomach acid in the stomach and some pills are rough enough and light enough that the sphincter doesn't fully relax to let the pill through, then spasms and won't release after the pill is stuck halfway through.  It was very unpleasant.

7 Feb:  Another glorious day for an early walk.  (We were more than halfway there by noon under threat of rain and a few light sprinkles.)  The sun breaks through the clouds, and we haven’t had the forecast of severe thunderstorms ... Yet. Maybe we will get a second walk today? We did!  And we have a total of 7.2 miles!  Ron has resumed working on James Lea after a few days of cleaning and straightening his messes.  (My beloved certainly puts up with a lot.)

6 Feb:  Ron was delighted to sleep 7 hours uninterrupted last night.  We walked to the lake early and expect to walk again before dark because the next two days are forecast to be stormy.   Ron is continuing to get paper off the floor and prepared for recycling.  Things are looking better.  7.6 miles, 18,066 steps.  Cynthia's daily goal is to close all of the Fitness rings on the iPhone. 

5 Feb, Sunday:  Rested, exercised, and oatmealed, we went off to worship on this glorious sunny day!  After lunch, we walked, and we were surprised by the warmth.  Almost six miles - Yay!

4 Feb:  Ron awakened at 2:23 and was not yet back to sleep by 3:45, so he is blogging before resuming James Lea.  Tomorrow is forecast to be a beautiful "warm" and sunny day, and Sunday should be even better.  No surprise that we were not early to rise this morning, but we did walk twice on this lovely, sunny, and cool day.  Yay for us: we walked 8.23 miles in two trips.  And the condo is CLEAN.

3 Feb:  So what does Friday bring for us.?  Let's thank God in advance. We walked our usual four miles to the lake at noon and drove to Walmart for groceries before joining Pastor Diane and John for dinner at the yacht club at five PM.  Ron thoroughly enjoyed talking with John about Cream and other rock and roll bands we have seen (Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead).  John remembers the first concert he ever attended.  Ron was probably too stoned to remember.  (I'll have to ask a roommate.)  Unfortunately, we found Friday night "happy hour" at the Yacht Club unpleasantly loud and noisy.

Cynthia's newest role model

 2 Feb:  After another wonderfully leisurely retirement morning, we were out of bed and breakfasted before 10 AM.  Ron called the credit union to make sure he had money in his account.  We looked at the 11 Bankstons on the chart of all mankind and decided that we need another 30 Bankston males to test their Big Y DNA.  Cynthia immediately signed up three more participants, and now we are down to 27 more needed.  The morning rain finally stopped about noon, and Ron walked the usual four miles.  Cynthia, being the adventurous one, considered a morning ride (see photo).  She spent the afternoon on the phone with FTDNA, and did not get lunch until four-thirty!  Ron is still following QQQ and is tempted to buy a put today but Paul advised against it.  Organizing piles of papers is Ron's priority today.

Feb 1:  Good morning from the shores of Lake Conroe, Texas.  The temperature at eleven AM is 32 degrees, and it is raining, not snowing.  We enjoyed sleeping late and resuming our projects.  After lunch,  Cynthia drove to the fitness center and worked out.  (All the guys go home for lunch and leave the equipment free.)  Ron, the chronic hypothermic, walked the usual to the other point.  The excitement was seeing ten fire trucks at the apartments a block from ours; we were told that a water heater caught fire.  We are elated that Dr. Gleeson said our "Leas of Caswell County DNA Project" is the most comprehensive FTDNA Big Y Project he has seen.  He is a renowned genetic genealogist from the UK.  (He is indeed a medical doctor.  He simply decided that genealogy is just more fun.)  

Happy New Year for the 76th time

 Reminder to self:  work on Duncan's package, add info from Dawn Harvey. 

View from our condo balcony

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

31 Jan:  This mornings treat was a Zoom meeting with Maurice, genetic genealogist from the U.K.  Cynthia's cramming for DNA exam paid off.  No rain in the forecast, so the plan is to walk at noon soon.  Too cold for Cynthia, so Ron walked solo coldo and quickly.

30 Jan:  Yikes, the day flew by into the night.  We walked our usual 5 miles despite 41 degree temperature … four to the lake and back, plus an additional mile while running errands (we ate omelets at Magnolia Diner) and grocery shopping.  Cynthia baked berry covered salmon for dinner, and Ron popped popcorn as usual.  Then we cuddled up together to read through Maurice's DNA report together, looking for questions and confusions.

29 Jan:  Rain is forecast for the next few days, including today.  We managed to get from condo to car to church to car dry.  At times on the drive homeward, the downpour was heavy.  After feeding our faces, we are ensconced with our Macs, DNA, and the Lea book.  Cynthia made ice cream we can eat by using the blender, almond milk and frozen bits of banana and strawberries.  Ron made hot air popcorn that always warms up our chilled bodies.  Ron walked at six PM and only needed waders in a couple of places.  Cynthia is engrossed in a DNA Project. 

28 Jan:  We enjoyed sleeping late, exercised, and got oatmealed.   It is a rainy day, so we will be condo-bound, cleaning and glued to our Macs.   Ron started his morning doing dishes and housecleaning/ straightening his messes.  Cynthia started laundry including the sheets. The condo is clean!  Rain ended around 3 PM so we got in a good walk totaling almost four miles, tippy toeing around soggy spots.  

27 Jan:  Cynthia had fasting labs to check her thyroid meds today, followed by omelets at Magnolia Diner; we mailed tax records to the CPA, then shopped at Walmart and walked four miles.  In case our readers wonder about our posts, we use this blog for our IRS diary, etc.  Ron walked a second trip to the lake to talk with Donna and discovered that she is doing fine; Greg's passing was inevitable although an unexpected shock yesterday. 

26 Jan:  Ron is hoping that Paul's forecast for QQQ will miraculously come true at the last minute.  (No such luck.)  Hi Cynthia, you have homework to do: complete steps 1,2,3 on Jan 24th below.  SmoochSmoochSmooch, I love you. (First written I love you of the day.)  Goodnight.  We spent all morning reviewing Maurice’s DNA update analysis, a delightful day, followed by a 4 mile roundtrip walk to the lake.  Donna G. phoned with sad news that college freshman roommate Greg passed away this afternoon.  

the usual Houston traffic on I-10, twenty six lanes wide

25 Jan:  Cynthia woke up early, exercised, ate and drove Ron to Sasha's with instructions that he was to keep quiet until Sasha finished fixing Cynthia's hair color. (Last week Ron distracted Sasha so that he made her hair highlights too dark.)  We were rewarded by a dazzling smile from dee Weefee with the correctly colored hair.  Whew.  Then we ate huge salads at Jason's Deli, yum, and drove a few miles to the Medical Center for Ron’s appointment at two PM with Dr. Dougherty, his electrophysiologist.  Cynthia does not like driving to the medical center.  Streets and buildings have changed so that nothing is familiar any more.  Medical Center parking was frustrating; first we circled the block once (at a crawl) to find the entrance; we had not parked in this building before; Cynthia couldn't reach the ticket box, so Ron walked around the car to push the correct button to get two tickets.  Ron passed all his tests today; he is alive!  EKG good, pacemaker good for three more years, resident fellow interrogation good, and Dr. Dougherty quite happy with everything.  Ron likes having her professional opinion that he is alive!  At 3:30 in the afternoon the traffic was horrendous on the return trip with a trillion zillion cars rushing to get home.  (See photo above.)  We survived.  Fortunately it was a sunny day, and the sun was not blinding us today.  Ron immediately popped popcorn for his beloved and walked his 4 miles to the lake and return.  While talking to Paul, Ron learned of all the mistakes he made on this venture into the options markets.  OOfta.  Instead of going to bed at a reasonable time, it is now 2:17 PM.  Goodnight.

24 Jan:  The forecast for heavy rain proved true; the sky is black.  We exercised and are hunkered down with projects.  Today's continuing rain forecast is proving true, so Ron, at Cynthia's urging, has documented his Green Mountain Club trail maintenance for 2022.  Cynthia has an appointment with her audiologist at 4:30 - - - - because every time her IPhone is upgraded, it loses contact with the hearing aids and it needs to be reset.  Lets see, that sequence was 1, 2, 3, and wait a couple of minutes.  Then open and close the battery doors on the hearing aids and repeat steps 1 & 3.  Then turn the cell phone off to reset everything, open and close the battery doors, and try steps 1,2,3 again.  Part one of the IRS accounting is complete. 

23 Jan:  This is the start of another jam-packed week of activity beginning with Cynthia’s Routine Upper GI exam, which means we woke up before six AM and left the condo at 7:00 AM for Hermann Memorial Hospital in the Woodlands.  The plan was for Cynthia to drive the car, but at 7:25 AM on Texas 105, the blinding sun sits right on the roadway dead ahead.  How do the regular commuters survive?  After ten minutes of this Cynthia's nerves were so badly frayed that she chickened out and asked Ron to drive.  He was not happy with the situation either, but we arrived alive at the hospital after wandering around lost in the neighborhood of the hospital for ten minutes.  Then there was no direct access from the parking garage into the hospital.  What kind of fools build mazes like this anyway?  The good news is that her Barrett's esophagus is non-cancerous and looks nice and healthy (according to the doctor).  We gorged ourselves overfull of salads and potato at Jason's Deli before returning to the condo.  Ron walked across the peninsula to the lake and back before sunset.

22 Jan, Sunday:  Again, already ??  We are off to worship on this sunny, but chilly day.  We walked 5.7 miles.  Ron ate some of the lentils for dinner with popcorn and pretzels.  Early to bed tonight, the alarm is set for 5:30 AM.  No food for Cynthia after midnight.

21 Jan:  Ron promises to finish cleaning the kitchen and commense going through the papers cluttering the couch.  It is supposed to be a rainy day, and Cynthia is nearly desperate at the thought of no Splenda.  We made a trip to UPS to pick up a print job, and we shopped for Splenda at ALDI.  Walmart has the cheapest price for the 200 packs.  Deep into the dark night we pounded away working on our projects.  The kitchen is cleaner. 

20 Jan:  The days are getting longer as our time here is getting shorter.  We have so much to do before March first.  Ron spent the day doing James Lea wild goose chases until the sky stopped leaking so he could walk to the lake and back with a half hour break to chat with Coach at the fitness center.  He did only the tiniest bit of cleaning or straightening today, but he did cook the lentils using the chili fluid.  It is edible, and Cynthia thought it delicious.  She is knee deep in accounting and IRS tax prep.  Ron's put option reversed course and is worthless today.  ( I should have asked for you to wish me GOOD luck.)

19 Jan:  And today, during our morning walk, we saw NO deer, but we did watch an eagle soar up to his nest and land.  Isn't it peculiar that we have to reside amidst all these people to see wildlife?  7.2 miles.

18 Jan:  Another wonderful, God given day to enjoy.  We wish all of our friends and family a great Wednesday.  The kitchen is getting cleaner!  Ron just cannot prevent himself from working on James Lea whenever he is supposed to be doing housework.

17 Jan:  We walked to the lake, rode to the storage unit and mailed letters today.  Ron is still cleaning the kitchen, a never-ending job.  We ran the errands and walked again, totaling 7.56 miles. WooHoo!  (WooHoo! indicates that Cynthia is feeling better now.)  We stayed up late discussing the ten e-mails sent she me to answer my request for two references for James Lea.  Turns out we need to go to the Conroe library to consult their excellent genealogy collection one of these days (after Ron finishes cleaning the kitchen).  Goodnight.  The put executed early and was in the money by market close today.

16 Jan:  Ron cleaned the kitchen.  We walked to the end of the breakwater this AM with plans to walk again later today.  Cynthia’s cough is greatly improved.  Ron walked twice. 4.7 miles for Cynthia; a thousand trillion zillions for Ron who wins!  Today Ron placed an order for his first stock option, a put on QQQ for 280.  Wish me luck.

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15 Jan, Sunday:  Life is good.  We are off to worship, then brunch with daughters Roxanne and Julie (with her Lamar).  Brunch lasted from 11:30 to 2:30 and was lovely and fun for all.  Ron walked at five-thirty. 

14 Jan:  Cynthia made an executive decision to go to urgent care to ward off the possibility of an upper respiratory infection turning into bronchitis.  The Covid test was negative, and it is not bronchitis.  She is on a Z-Pak.  Feeling good, she is not walking outdoors yet today. 

13 Jan:  Cynthia received word her 92 year old brother in law passed away last night.  He enjoyed a long, successful life.  Cynthia needs to be outa the house early for an appointment to see about new glasses.  Ron hasn't been getting out of bed that early (9 AM) and did not today either.  He wasn't feeling well rested.  Cynthia has hope for improved glasses, one for reading, one for distance.  Ron cleaned the kitchen somewhat.  Stay tuned for tomorrow's report.  Cynthia's cough is progressing, but she has new nose spray to help and did not walk in the wind and cold today.  Ron walked briskly at 5:30, returned by 6:20 and did not find it windy at all.  Cynthia cooked salmon w/ berries, and it was delicious.  9 PM pill alarm.  Goodnight.

12 Jan:  Today Cynthia is bothered by an increase in coughing.  Let's hope it is merely a brief visitation. It is 11:14, so Ron needs to put on his other shoe so we can walk.  It is now later, we walked twice, noon and sunset, grocery shopped (and brought home lots of food), and Cynthia whipped up frozen banana & strawberry "ice cream," then she cooked chili.  Ron decided it is time to stop working on James Lea until he gets the kitchen and apartment cleaned and organized.  Goodnight.  7.23 miles total.

11 Jan:  We seem to be over the blahs that affected us yesterday and enjoyed our morning walk in the morning today.  Ron continues proofreading transcriptions in the James Lea book.  Cynthia is researching the James Sargent family for the book.  We walked again at sunset, ate a baked sweet potato, and stayed up later than intended again.  Goodnight.

10 Jan:  We spent the morning playing catch up on our computers before realizing it was time to eat lunch, and just like that it was two PM, late for our morning walk.  It was warm in the sunshine for the four-mile walk across the Peninsula to the lake and back.  Ron popped some corn and continued cleaning the kitchen once we got home.  Ron's labs were perfect!  Cynthia's were almost perfect.  She needs to drink more water, but apart from that, great labs.  

Cynthia and Sasha playing grown up

9 Jan:  We walked 12 minutes from the hotel to the cardiologist's office at 8:35 this morning to be treated with good news all around.  Cynthia is always greatly amused watching everyone respond to Ron’s warmth and good humor.  After labs, Cynthia scarfed down a banana and whole wheat bread before we walked briskly back to the hotel to pack up and hurry to see Sasha at 12:30 PM, Cynthia's hairdresser since 1981.  Immediately afterward we ate huge salads and a huge baked potato at Jason’s Deli before getting onto Beltway Eight in 4:30 rush hour to ride endlessly to get back to Montgomery, arriving at Walmart by 5:08.  The traffic was horrendous, stop-and-go traffic for a mile in places and cars blowing by at 80 and 90 MPH in other places.  After grabbing our necessary bananas and frozen mango, we asked about Covid boosters, and the pharmacist was available to jab us immediately.  We are boostered. 

8 Jan, Sunday:  The clock feels like it is racing.  We have a lot to do, like walk twice today, and ride to the medical center downtown to stay overnight before our annual checkup with the cardiologist.  We are his favorite patients to see first thing every year because we do what he tells us to do, i.e. eat no added fat, sodium, or sugar.  Ouch, Cynthia ate a piece of birthday cake yesterday!  But this is the only cake she has eaten in twelve months or more, and she is confident it won’t affect her labs. 

Charlotte at 1

7 Jan:  We PARTYed, with a ride home afterwards courtesy of son Jon from Zoe's engagement party and Charlotte's first birthday party, a Winter “One”derland, with a snow blower to boot.   Jon posted a zillion photos somewhere.  Cousins Noah and Blaire (and a couple more toddlers) shared some of the adult adulations.  We had a marvelous time, talking with the other old foggies at both parties.  (We especially enjoyed Jack's parents and Tyler's grandparents.)

6 Jan:  Yesterday evening we again got to bed later than desired, but this morning out of bed earlier, fed earlier, walked earlier, and dry cleaning fetched before mid-afternoon.  We enjoyed popcorn prior to our second walk for the day.  7.72 total miles!  9:20 PM and Ron's brain is shutting down.  Goodnight.

5 Jan:  Another successful day of sleeping late and walking earlier than yesterday.  We finished with walk #1 at 1:30 PM, and Ron promised to clean the kitchen soon.  After running errands, we did walk #2 totaling 7.37 miles, and 17,545 steps.  Cynthia baked a lovely piece of salmon, AND, Ron did indeed clean the kitchen.  (Will miracles never cease?)

4th Jan:  Due to yesterday's success with sleeping late and walking, we get tired, fall asleep, and then sleep in late.  Cynthia and Ron rode the bike to the doctor's office to get a prescription, to Jon’s to get mail, and to Walmart to return broken lightbulbs.  We then walked a total of 5.2 miles, starting at 3 PM, then ate a baked sweet potato and microwaved popcorn.  Cynthia is working on her class newsletter.  Ron continues making progress with the James Lea book. 

3th of Jan:  More fun with words for the 3rth time.!!  It was a fabulous, great weather day for walking.  Cynthia recorded 8.64 miles total from two shifts of walking, with 20,795 steps, after which she needed to ice her feet.  All of this walking is excellent for continued good health, but it consumes so much time.  In between walking trips, we shopped for groceries.

2th of Jan:  It is forecast to be a rainy day!  But the color radar shows no rain until noon, and the rain is supposed to pop up in scattered places, primarily right here.  Being ever hopeful, we started walking at ten minutes to eleven.  By 11:03 faint raindrops started, and we turned back, arriving home at 11:21.  No rain, and the sun came out, so Ron walked afternoon, returning with a drenched shirt from the heat and humidity.  About ten minutes after he returned, the forecast downpour poured down.  After our respective "dinners," we enjoyed a glass of champagne apiece.

1 Jan 2023, Sunday:  Cynthia already posted January under a different name.  I wonder whose name will survive the battle.  Cynthia asks, Hey, Ron, do you wonder where we will be in  2023?  Right now, she knows where Ron is.  Ron is back to work on James Lea and is enjoying it.  And, in the usual two sessions, we walked 7.44 miles, 17, 926 steps!  Yay for us.  The wonder of 2023 is that God has allowed us to live this long in such good health.  Thank God.
Where we will be, God only knows.  Where we think we might be is in Sedona, then Santa Fe, then Pagosa Springs, then Butte, Montana or maybe the Olympic Penninsula of Washington/ Oregon - - - unless we stay right here in the Houston area or somewhere else in the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod.  If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.

Christmas 2022

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

View from our condo balcony

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

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

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

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

Cynthia (in red) and Ron

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

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

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

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

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

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

O Holy Night,

For those who have lost loved ones,

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

For those who have lost faith,

For those clergy who are struggling to believe,

For those who are weary,

For those whose homes are divided by hate,

This is a Holy Night,

Fall on your knees,

This Holy Night of hope is given for you.

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

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

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

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

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

Silent children, teens reading

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cynthia holding Charlotte

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

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

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

View straight down from our balcony

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recipe from my friend Annie Stevens!

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

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

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

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