Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #52 – Helping Out & Celebrating Christmas with Family!

 

Sunday, December 22^nd., 2024……  We slept in late again! Cathye went off to church after we walked and fed the dogs and I went and got us breakfast. I worked on the blog and posted it. Then settled in and watched some football games. I had already watched my Broncos play on Thursday Night Football (they got beat – bummer!) but I always like sports on Sundays. The Rams and the Seahawks both had games and I follow both teams. Later, we went off to our beginner’s class. They are pretty close to graduating but still need some floor time. I enjoy seeing the students, especially those that are enthusiastic about their new found activity! Afterward, we all went over to Ixtapa for dinner. We get out of class at 8:00pm so we don’t like to eat that late, but Ixtapa has great food and we both had full dinners. We would pay for that later when acid reflux hit us both! Next week we will go easy!  

Monday, December 23^rd., 2024…… HAPPY BIRTHDAT TERISA! Today was busy!  First thing after walking and feeding the dogs was to call Cathye's daughter, and sing Happy Birthday to her! We skipped the gym this morning because we needed to be in Sweet Home at 10:00am to help pack food/gift packages for local residents. We drove over and went to The Point for breakfast and just had enough time to make it there by 10. We do this every year so we have it down pretty well now. This morning there were 10 of us working on fourteen boxes. Depending on the family’s size, their boxes were loaded with food for Christmas dinner. Some got hams, some got turkeys, all got potatoes, gravy, cranberries, corn or green beans, cake or brownie mix, and small gifts (like potholders, oven gloves, etc.). Those with children also get a gift.  Cathye and I each did 2 boxes and volunteered to deliver them on our way home. We chose those on the way back. It is always very rewarding to see the folks who get these boxes. Most are really happy to see us. Others may be embarrassed because things aren’t going well for them at this time. But we offer them some cheer and hope we can give them a positive holiday.

Once we were done with that, we came back home and then left again pretty quickly. This time we were headed to Costco!  Yeah, we know – the busiest time of the year! We parked way out this time and headed in. I told Cat that this crowd in the store would be like any day at a Costco in SoCal! We were impressed because they had all of the checkouts going and each had their own box person. We had zero wait time and were out of there pretty quickly!  Why did we have to go today you ask? Of course we needed some staples like coffee and creamer but we really wanted to go get the hams we are serving at our Club’s New Year’s Eve dance. I was afraid the holiday rush would deplete the supply. But they had plenty! Once we got back, we unloaded everything and relaxed for a bit. Later, I watched Monday Night Football in my room, and then went in and we got a few of our taped shows watched before hitting the spa and then calling it a night.     

Tuesday, December 24^th., 2024……  Christmas Eve! We slept in this morning. Rains all this week in the forecast. We dodged the showers when we were out with the girls though. We fed them and did some housecleaning. Tomorrow we have Corey and family, Jamie, Penny, Cherrelyn coming for Christmas dinner. We chose to have a later meal because Cherrelyn is planning on driving up to Washington to spend the day with her son before coming here. The turkey was taken out of the freezer and put in the garage fridge but tonight we will take it out and put it in the sink to finish. Cathye took off later in the morning to go deliver some gifts to her friends. Penny came by to see if we need more dessert. Nope – we bought one of those huge apple pies from Costco!  The plan tonight was to go to mass at my church either at 5:00pm or at 11:00pm. But as we got close, we decided that we were lazy – I know on Christmas eve of all times! – so we would just stay in and relax. So, later, we cut cards to see who was going out to pick up pizza while the other fed the dogs. I went out. Our pizza place of choice was closing so I went over to Dominoes and got their manager’s special. We watched tv and since neither of us was sleepy, we stayed up until 11:30pm.      

Wednesday, December 25^th., 2024……  MERRY CHRISTMAS!  I was up early and let Cat sleep in. I had coffee going and showered and walked the girls even before she got up! But once she got going, we got busy. We had food to get out and prepped for our dinner later this evening. Dinner tonight will be after 5:00pm because Cherrelyn will be back from her son’s by then. Penny came by early and we three opened gifts. A lot of fun!  Penny went home and Cathye got the turkey going. Later, she went over to pick up Jamie. The kids got here from Corey’s mom’s. They had opened gifts from there and then came here for gifts and dinner. Cherrelyn got here and we sat down and ate. It was a great meal!  Later, we headed off to the living room and went around the room opening gifts. Then it was time for a snowball fight! Yes, we had snowballs. 40 of them!  The pics below show some of the fun. You have to look closely to see them in the air.

After that, we all went back into the dining room. Next up was a white elephant gift exchange. I had seen one on Facebook where they read a letter that had the words RIGHT and LEFT significantly listed. Everyone starts off with their gift in front of them at the table. Whenever the words LEFT or RIGHT were read, you passed your gift accordingly. Here’s an example:  from what I read entitled Suing Santa:  Once upon a time, there was a lawyer named Bob RIGHT. His son’s name was Bill RIGHT, and together, father and son started their own law firm named RIGHT, RIGHT and Associates. RIGHT, RIGHT & Associates was famous for lawsuits that LEFT people penniless. They LEFT the Tooth Fairy penniless for insufficient funds, they LEFT the Easter Bunny penniless when they sued him for the rancid eggs he LEFT in a child’s basket….  They went on to sue Santa.  There were two pages of this and I think the gifts made it around the table more than once. It was really fun!  So much fun, we forgot to take pics!  After everyone LEFT (no pun intended!), we cleaned up and relaxed for the evening. Long day!  

Thursday, December 26^th., 2024…… Another ‘sleep late’ day!  No gym today… We walked and fed the dogs, then headed off to get breakfast at Kristi’s before going straight from there to make our 10:00am appointment for our haircuts. There was nothing else on the agenda for today so we relaxed and enjoyed the quiet. I still have to gather up the items we have for our New Year’s dance but everything is ready (I think!).  I brought all of those out to the truck where they can all be stored together in the enclosed truck bed. I did notice that the back glass on the cartopper doesn’t want to stay up. I will need to get it in to Corvallis, to the place where Cathye bought it years ago. I think it just needs new hydraulic door closers.   

Friday, December 27^th., 2024……  We decided to concentrate on getting some of the Christmas things put away today. Cathye likes to leave things out way too long but this year she is thinking that she wants to get things back to normal again. I am all for that! My job was to get my Christmas village re-boxed and back in the totes. She decided to take down the table decorations and dining room glasses and such. Then she found the boxes for the tree ornaments. We only did a little today. There is so much!   

Saturday, December 28^th., 2024…… We were up early this morning and walked and fed the dogs, then went out to breakfast. I thought we would got to Corvallis to Truck Pros to get the struts replaced, but I saw from their website that they were not open on Saturdays. But we decided to make the drive to Corvallis anyway and go to Sharon’s for breakfast. Cathye had never been. She liked it, so we will add it to our list of breakfast places. No dances for us this weekend so we pretty much just worked around the house. I discovered some items I needed to work on for New Years and then I put away some more of the Christmas village items. We also got the tree down and boxed up. I said previously that we’d probably get a new one - but for now, this one goes back in storage! The weather here is nothing but rain!  The ditches are filling and some of the low-lying fields around here are flooded. Of course the French drains everyone has are doing their jobs, routing water off their property. It all goes to Oak Creek so it’s almost running over the road!  We get a break on Monday and Tuesday but the rest of the week still has rain in the forecast. But today the sun is out and it’s so nice! Leftovers and tv and bed.

Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #51 – A Cracked Windshield, More Cruise Planning, & Parties!

 

Sunday, December 15^th., 2024……  I was up and going with the dogs this morning. I had until 9:00am so I was in no hurry. Penny will be coming over to go out to breakfast. She heard of a place in Corvallis that is supposed to have good gravy. I vaguely know about that place and know where it is but never have been there. I texted Cat to let her know that I would be out and about later and to take her time checking out and heading back home. She texted back that she was up and would be leaving shortly. Penny came by and we drove to Sharon’s Café, in Corvallis. The place is a ma and pa place (which I like!) and we got seated and ordered coffee and breakfast. I wanted to try their gravy so I had it on my potatoes along with eggs and bacon and toast. It was pretty good. I will be bringing Cathye back here. While we were eating, she tested and said to call her so she could talk on the car’s blue tooth. After we left, I called her and we talked for a few minutes. Once we got home, I called her again and she was about 30 minutes away. She wanted to talk to me before she got home because she had a ’booboo’ on the car. She said a rock hit the windshield yesterday and this morning it is a 5-inch crack in the glass! When she got back, I unloaded the car for her and then checked out the glass….

Yep, it will need to be replaced soon. Oh, well… I’ll call my insurance tomorrow. She unpacked and we spent the rest of the morning resting and watching tv. Until later, when we went to our Sunday class. After class, we went to GameTime with the group. After that, it was spa and bed.    

Monday, December 16^th., 2024…… Nothing on our agenda today. We did our normal Monday routine – walk and feed the dogs, gym, and breakfast at Kevin’s. Rain has been off and on these past few days. The temps are warmer – for us anyway! Today’s high would be 52°.  Still overcast but we have sunshine and clear skies predicted for this week. I spent some time working on the blog and catching up on my taped Mecum auction. I also worked on updating our spreadsheet for the cruise. We are flying in to Auckland 2 days prior to the cruise (so we can acclimate). We leave PDX at 4:00pm on Monday 2/24, leave SFO at 7:50pm. Because of the time zones, we get to Auckland on Wednesday 2/26 at 5:50am.  We have a zoom meeting later this week and I have some questions, especially about our hotel in Auckland. I found and printed our reservation confirmation for 2/26 and 2/27 but we need to know what their check-in policy will be. We know we have a driver picking us up for transfer from the airport to the hotel, but we don’t think we can check in that early. We need to know if we can at least drop luggage there until we can check in. I’m guessing there are others in this situation but we don’t have that info. Last time on the zoom call, we learned that there are folks coming in early like us, others that are stopping in Hawaii for a few days and some flying in last minute to check in.  I’m guessing that as we get closer, we will need to call the hotel directly. That brings up another point. We need to sign up for international calls with Verizon. Lots of things to do!  

Tuesday, December 17^th., 2024……  We slept in this morning. It’s still dark now at 7:30am and with our blinds down, it’s like night in our room, so we don’t want to get up!  But no rain today!  The sun is shining! After walking and feeding the dogs, we went to work cleaning house. Cat is having her annual girl’s Christmas party tomorrow, so we did a deep clean this time. Corey asked to come over to do some work for some extra cash. We had him rake all the leaves out front. We don’t have large trees, but the ones we have are dropping like crazy and the driveway and beds on each side are pretty thick. He took the truckster out there and got several loads which Cat had him deposit on her raised bed in the backyard. She says that will insulate everything in there for the winter. Once we were done with the cleaning, Cathye was pooped out, so I went to the class today by myself. After that, we ate and rested for the evening. Spa and bed.

Wednesday, December 18^th., 2024…… Today was our zoom call and also Cat’s Christmas party for the girls. I was going to the Club meeting, so the girls would have the house. Our call was at 4:00pm which worked out because my meeting was at 6:00pm and Cat’s party was at 5:30pm. On the call, we got most of our questions answered. We knew about the weight limits for the cruise (none) but since we are flying, we have a 50 lb. limit before overage costs hit. We also knew that we were only allowed 44 lbs. for the land tour after the cruise. So, because we don’t have to dress for any of the dancing on the trip, and we will do laundry on the ship, we plan to be under the 44 lb. limit for the entire trip. Boy, it was fun hearing from the others about luggage. When we went to Alaska on the cruise, we drove directly to Seattle to board the ship, so we didn’t have weight limits and we packed everything we wanted. But, we weighed them anyway at home and both were under the 50 lb. number. Lindsey also talked about vaccinations (none needed), medications, flexible flights, dining for the group, and adaptor/converters for our devises. Aside from getting the adaptors, I think we are more prepared than most of our fellow travelers. We have to have visas – actually they are called ETA’s (electronic travel authority) for both New Zealand and Australia. We have done those and have documents printed. After the meeting, I emailed Lindsey copies of what we have just to verify that we have all we need. After we were wrapping up the meeting, Cathye’s girls starting arriving. A bit later, I headed off to my meeting. We go to Sum Yan where they let us use their banquet room. Of course we eat there! The meeting was lightly attended so it went pretty quickly. I reported out about the progress on the New Year’s dance. We are 90% ready! I still have some orders for decorations and party favors coming in from Amazon but for the most part we are ready. As for us personally, we need to go to Costco to pick up the hams. But with all we have going on the rest of the week, we probably won’t be able to go until next Tuesday!  I got back from the meeting and sat with the girls for a few minutes before they started to wrap up.

It was a busy day. Another one tomorrow.     

Thursday, December 19^th., 2024…… As I said, today was busy as well. We had the groomers for the pups and then massages for us. We went together to drop off the dogs, then came back to clean up from last night. We went back to pick them up, then I headed off to my appointment. Emily schedules 15 minutes in between our massages, so when I was getting dressed, Cat showed up. I left and came home to the dogs. After her massage, Cat always stops in next door and picks up Thai for dinner. It’s always good!  

Friday, December 20^th., 2024……  We had the kids coming tonight. They will be here at 3:00pm. Cathye bought family tickets for Glow, which is a Christmas light exhibit at the fairgrounds in Eugene. We had never been before but heard it was pretty good. And since the great grandkids said they wanted ‘an adventure’ for Christmas, this was perfect!  Cathye bought them grinch coverups and gave them to them and we were off. We had a time slot starting at 4:00pm. We would decide to either eat there, or wait and go somewhere afterward. We got vip parking right outside the door. I brought Cat’s walker for her to use because we didn’t know how much walking was involved. Vikki is at 16 weeks now, and, with twins, has gained so she would take it easy. Plus, she wasn’t feeling well. Cat snapped a pic of them in the car with Vikki bundled up and relaxing….

When we got inside, we got some hot chocolate and started in. I think we all enjoyed the whole experience, especially the kids because they had tons of interactive exhibits, but it wasn’t as large as we expected it to be. We saw and played and then rested

 

and then left. The decision was to head to The Olive Garden for dinner, which was maybe 10 minutes away. We got there before the crowd and had a really nice dinner. The kids had never been before so they especially liked ordering from the adult menus! Not the cheapest meal but it was all for them as a gift, so we were happy for that. They will be coming over on Christmas day but not until after dinner, so this was it for them from us!  Vikki left the table a few times, to go out for a smoke we guess, and had one while the rest of us were loading into the car. Once we got home, they loaded up Vikki in their car and they headed home. They are now back living in Salem so they had a little drive. Vikki said she was ok but just tired. Cat and I watched tv but both of us had a hard time keeping our eyes open, so, at 9:30pm, we headed off to bed!   

Saturday, December 21^st., 2024…… Today was the day we were going to take in the car for a scheduled windshield replacement. But, Cat heard from her niece (Heather) that she and Charley were coming down to spend time with her dad, and would Cat be home? So, I went to Keiser by myself. I had been there before when we replaced the windshield on Cat’s Tacoma a few years ago, so I knew where to go.  I had a 2:00pm appointment today, and Keiser is just above Salem, about 50 miles away, so I left about 12:30pm. I was early and just as I was getting there, I got a text asking me if I could come in early. I was there around 1:40pm so they took me right in. I waited in the lounge and they finished just before 3:00pm. When I got back home, everyone was still here. I think Cat said they were staying with her dad until Monday. A bit later, they left to go to one of Heather’s friend’s house for dinner, and we had leftovers from Olive Garden and settled in for the evening. Cathye asked when I got home if I wanted to go out tonight to the Club visitation in McMinnville, but after driving 100 miles (and I would have to backtrack and go past Salem another 50 miles), I said ‘no thanks, I’ll pass’. Plus, it was raining up north.  So, we stayed home and relaxed for the evening. Tv and spa and then bed.   

Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #50 – A Big Dance & Another Trip for Family

 

Sunday, December 8^th., 2024……  We slept in this morning. Cathye was going to church but we had to be at the senior center at 12:30 to help set up for the dance. We had a pile of clothes in the car as well. When the door was opened, the folks showed up!  We had the racks out and assembled and the clothes were brought in. There is a ton of clothes that have been coming and going for a while now. In addition to great prices on used clothes, our Club has been giving away outfits to new dancers for many years now. After everything was set up, we took our places behind the sign-in table. At these dances, everyone pays ($6.00). But new dancers – even from other Clubs – each get a ticket good for two outfits for free. Even with all of the giveaways, I think we were told later that we made over $200.00 in clothing sales today!  We had a big dance. Marianne relieved me at the split-the-pot desk so I could dance and she and Cathye worked the folks as they came in. And boy, did they come in! We’re not sure why, but we had the biggest dance of the season today! There were 118 dancers signed in. All of the students in the various classes around the area were asked to pose for a group pic...

Everyone was asked to bring either a toy or a gift for a senior and we filled up the space under the Christmas tree!  Marianne did an excellent job selling tickets and we had $192.00 total for split-the-pot. One person won the $96.00 but graciously turned it back in to the Club for the Toys for Tots program. Later, after the money was shut down, Cathye slipped out and went home to feed the dogs and then came back for cleanup when the dance ended at 5:00pm. After that, we all went over to Ixtapa for dinner. The day was fun but tiring!  Since we were in charge of the treasury, we brought the money box home. Barb will pick it up tomorrow morning.   

Monday, December 9^th., 2024…… I guess it’s the gloomy weather but we slept in again today!  We went to the gym and then to breakfast and got back before Barb came by. She had heard about the numbers from yesterday and was excited. Penny came by after that to visit. Cathye worked on her bills and I finished up this blog to post today. We printed up a mailing label for her sleep test watch and got that in the mail and we were done for the day. I watched a race and then later, we settled in for tv and then spa and then bed.  

Tuesday, December 10^th., 2024…… Just had class on the agenda for today. I took a rubber ball and tested if I could throw it up and over the ducting in the senior center main room. No problem. I should be able to get that done again with a fishing line on it so I can get the mirror ball up there for the ball drop at the New Year’s party. No worries. I got the shipment of no-hands badges today. I had only placed the order a few days ago. Great service! They look great! I got enough for each person to get one. The 8 winners get gold badges. 

The New Year’s party is shaping up. I still need to pick up a few decorations especially for the ‘photo op’ area. We found a good location in the room with a nice backdrop but I want to zhuzh it up a bit looking with decorations.   

Wednesday, December 11^th., 2024…… The weather is a bit warmer this week. That’s because we have rain in the forecast. That keeps a layer in the lower atmosphere and keeps it a bit warmer. We went to Kristi’s for lunch this afternoon after running some errands and shopping at Walmart for stuff while she’s gone. We did laundry today and cat got most of her stuff packed. Since she’s in the car, she can take coats and extras for Terisa.

Thursday, December 12^th., 2024…… I was up early but let Cat sleep in. She got up and showered and dressed and then was ready to head up to Portland. Her daughter Terisa’s flight was due in at 11:15am.  So, Cat left around 9:00am to allow for traffic. She texted around 11:15 saying she was still stuck in stop-and-go traffic on the I-205, about 20 minutes from the airport. She texted later saying ‘she had her girl and they were on the move’. She had booked a room at the Embassy Suites Airport for 3 nights. I’m not sure when they got checked in but they have a suite with two queens and a sitting room couch that makes into a bed. 

That works because Josh would be coming in later to spend the night. The plan today was to rest until they went off to the Oregon Zoo to see the lights. We took the grandkids last year and she wanted to show it to Terisa. Cathye was able to get a scooter so she could get around with everyone. They went to Ramen House for dinner. My fav! Here are pics from the night.

 

Friday, December 13^th., 2024……  I was up early. I had a job to do today. I had volunteered to take one of our square dance friends in today to the hospital in Stayton for her endoscopy. I ate and had coffee and picked her up at 9:00am. She is just a minute or so from us. I got her to the surgical check-in desk in plenty of time. She had told me her procedure was at 10:45am and they said it would be around 2:00pm before she would be released. So, I planned on driving the 20 minutes to Salem to kill some time. I knew about The Party Store in Salem so I headed over there. I had stopped in at a smaller store in Albany yesterday but they didn’t have too much that I was interested in. I hit Hobby Lobby on the way home and found a few things but still wanted to see what Party City had. They have a huge store! But still, not too much in the way of black and silver decorations. Plus, what they did have was just too much for the Club to buy. Cat and I have already purchased a lot of things that we are donating (they can go into the Club supply for future events) but there are dollar stores here that hopefully will have more as they close out Christmas and bring in New Year’s decorations. So, we’ll wait…

Anyway, on the way back (around 12:00pm) I got a call that she was about 20 minutes from being released. That was a few hours early, but fine with me! I got her and we headed home. She was hungry and sleepy so I just dropped her off to rest. I went home and spent the day relaxing and watching tv.  

As for Cathye’s day, she said she was up and going and called me after they had breakfast. The plan today was to head downtown to the Pioneer Square Mall. I thought they would just drive there, but since Josh was with them, they hopped on the Max train and got off right across the street from the mall. After a day of just roaming around and shopping and snacking (donut shop!), they jumped back on the train and headed back to the hotel. A bit later, Josh drove them to his house where his roommate was making dinner for them all. She said it was really good and now has a new recipe for me! Later, they left and drove back to the hotel for the night.  

Saturday, December 14^th., 2024…… We always like to stay at the Embassy Suites when we can because they have a great (free) breakfast for guests. She said this one was especially good so they went down again this morning. The plan for today was to go to one of Terisa’s friend’s kids wrestling match this morning but she said someone was sick so they didn’t go. So, they were just going to lounge around the hotel today and relax and rest. She said she was planning on getting up tomorrow morning to take Terisa to the airport for her 5:00am flight – but – the hotel has a shuttle which means Cat can sleep in. Also, turns out Josh is heading to New Hampshire tomorrow. I’m not sure if they are going to the same airport in NH or what his flight time is, but he is staying with them there tonight so they can shuttle together. Perfect!   As for me, I was up with the dogs and fed them, then headed out to get coffee and a chorizo breakfast burrito. Penny came by a little alter and we made arrangements to go together to breakfast tomorrow. She heard about a place in Corvallis that sounds like a ma and pa place (which I love!) so we are going there. I watched tv for the afternoon and went through my just received order from my WellCare Spendables insurance. I had a bunch of money to spend on health related/medical supplies before the year ends. Part of that shipment came in today. Cathye wants me to do the same for her account but that has to wait until she gets back. Later, I went over to pick up Lynn to go to the Squarenaders dance in Sweet Home. It’s their Christmas dance and our Clubs support each other. This gives me a chance to visit with those guys plus Lynn and I can dance together. Of course I will have to take the heat about going out while my wife is out of town! All in good fun though.  

The dance was great but not too well attended. This club is just restarting because they have low member numbers. But as they get going and with The Lebanon Club’s support, they are getting there!  Cathye texted later and said she had a nice relaxing day. Josh was there and they have settled in for the evening. I’m guessing she will be up early tomorrow morning to see them off, but will go back to sleep before going to breakfast and then checking out to head home. Weather is rainy but we’re used to that!

Oregon Living 2024 – Blog #49 – A Busy Week!

 

Sunday, December 1^st., 2024……  Since we didn’t get home until 11:45 last night, we slept in a bit this morning. In fact, I was up and showered and going and walked and fed the dogs before Cathye even got out of bed! She really needs her sleep! Cathye had planned on going to church today so we would not be going back up to Salem this afternoon to support our new class at their first beginner’s level dance today. But she woke up feeling jittery and just wanted to veg for the day. But later, she was up and dressed and began working on putting up Christmas decorations. I worked in the garage a while, getting the Thanksgiving boxes put back and saw some other Christmas boxes and bags that I missed before. My job today was to get the lights and the stuffies up in the alcove. This year they are in a tote but I think that since we have a lot of room in that alcove space, we will just bag them and store them up there out of sight. Anyway, we got all of them up and the lights going,

then rested for a bit. Later, it was time to leave to meet up with the class after their day dance. I heard they had a fun time and got to experience what a dance is like. I remember Cat, Lynn, and Judy when they went to their first dance! Afterward, we went with the group to the bowling alley for snacks and drinks before heading back home after a long day! 

Monday, December 2^nd., 2024…… Today is Cat’s pulmonary appointment. We went over to Albany and met with the Dr.  He reviewed her chart and said that her breathing tests showed nothing to be concerned about and that her issues were most likely from lack of sleep. So, we will discuss that further when we meet with her sleep study doctor tomorrow. He did, however, mention that he saw in her chart that the cardiologist’s report showed some level of leakage in one of her valves. We did not know that and since her cardiologist has pretty much released her, there is no further action. The pulmonologist scheduled another echo for January.

We have another New Year’s Committee meeting tonight, so we needed to get more work done on the Christmas decorations and straighten up the place and add seating to get ready. It took most of the day but we got it done. Cat even managed to make a peach cobbler for dessert for the group. We covered a lot and had a good meeting. Since we are chairmen, I am able to contribute some fun skits and dances from our old days with the Rustlers in SoCal. We will have father time and baby new year as well as a no hands tip during the night. I still have to figure out a clever way for a ‘ball drop’ from our hall. We have to be careful though. The Senior Center doesn’t allow us to do too many things in the way of decorations that use tape, etc. And no helium balloons are allowed. But there is some nice ducting that runs above the room and I have it in my head that I can throw a ball, attached to fishing line over it to then tie on the ‘ball’ and bring up on the line to hang there until the ball drop. I even went online and found 32” silver mirror inflatable balloons (no helium), which will be perfect.

Tuesday, December 3^rd., 2024…… Today we both have appointments. We left for Albany for Cat’s sleep study appointment. Her Dr. (she calls him Dr. Gorgeous!) said that her sleep issues are not in any way related to her lack of energy and shortness of breath. So, we are going to try to get the echo moved up sooner so they can check that to compare. Not the best thing to hear, but at least we think we know her issue because that valve most certainly can be causing her shortness of breath and exhaustion.  After leaving the sleep clinic (and Cathye’s heartrate returning to normal after seeing her sexy dr.!) we went over to Wisecracks for breakfast before returning home. We went to the square dance workshop and then I took Cathye home before I left for my appointment. Today it was a follow up meeting with my cardiologist. I had had one earlier but that one was for my ablation and was with the ‘electrician’. Today it was with the ‘plumber’. The meeting went well. I have been doing well and there is no further action. Just a follow up again in a year.  

Wednesday, December 4^th., 2024…… A quiet day for us. No appointments and nothing on the agenda for today. So, we rested and relaxed and only did a few chores. I needed to go find a number stencil kit so I could paint 2024 on my father time sash. Cathye went to the store and picked up stuff for dinner and also for her annual ‘girl’s Christmas party’ next week. I did some checks on the irrigation system, making sure the lines were shut down and the spigots were covered. The temps these past few days have been below 32°, so we want to be proactive. Tv, spa and bed.  

Thursday, December 5^th., 2024…… The plan this morning was to go to the gym and then to breakfast. BUT – we were startled by the doorbell at 7:15am!  It was our neighbor to the west (up on So. Main). She wanted to tell us that we have a water leak at the well pump (which is in the upper corner close to her property).  We thanked her and I immediately got dressed and went out to check. Yep, it was definitely broken - Again!   I looked back on my phone and found pics when Russ and I repaired it in July of last year. It held for 17 months! Cathye called her plumber friend and left a message. He didn’t call back so I went online and went searching. After a few calls, I found a company who could send someone out in a couple of hours. I had already shut off the pump which meant we wouldn’t have water until it was fixed. The guy came out and I took him out to see where the leak was. He said he would go get some schedule 80 pipe (we had used the same as before which was schedule 40) and that should fix it. It took a few hours for him to leave and get back but when I went out a little after that, he already had it repaired. We would need to wait until 4:30pm so the glue sets up before turning it back on. At 4:30 I had Cat standing by the panel while I watched the pump. She turned it on and we are good to go! He recommended that we get some kind of heater on the pipes and suggested that an electrician can add a light or an outlet for a heated cord to plug into, to help with freeze and thaw. I plan to build a doghouse for there and I am looking into that. So far, I haven’t received a bill but he said he would be billing for 2 hours (@ $200. per hour) plus parts so I’m looking at probably $450.00 for the work today. Too bad but I’m glad to have it fixed and water running again! This will be the 4^th time I have repaired that same pipe since I have lived here! Didn’t think I would need to heat the pipes but if that’s what’s needed…

Later, we went out to eat. I chose Bigfoot Grill and we split a large ribeye. Yummy!  While we were eating, we had a visit from the big guy!...

 

Tv and bed. We skipped the spa tonight.

Friday, December 6^th., 2024……  The weather is still pretty cold. Today it was 34° when we walked the dogs. Nothing else going today. I went out to paint the sash. I taped up everything and sprayed the first coat. I went out later and added more paint. Long story short – the material absorbed the paint and spread and smeared so that one was ruined. Good thing I have 5 extra!  Plan B is to get stick-on numbers which I ordered today.  The weather is supposed to be a bit warmer these next few days. Rain is coming. Later in the evening, Cathye logged into her sleep watch device and set it up for her overnight sleep study. I had done this a year or so ago so it was easy to set up. She went to sleep with the monitor recording her. 

Saturday, December 7^th., 2024……  A sad day. We had a memorial service to go to this afternoon. I mentioned this in a past blog, but we lost one of our little square dance buddies. Our beginners class this year has some youngsters. And 12-year-old Jaren was one of those kids. He was the son of our friends Shawn and Sarah. They lost Jaren to a mysterious issue from getting hurt while playing in the school yard, which turned out to be a blood clot which was not diagnosed. After many trips to the er, they ended up losing him. It was hard to see the family and especially Sarah, who was so distraught. It upset Cathye, so we left as soon as the service was over.  Later, we went over to Grace’s house to pick  up clothes for the vintage clothes sale tomorrow at the beginner’s dance. We are going early to set up the racks and the clothes, then working the door, so we will have a busy day. So far, the rain is light. Hopefully tomorrow we will have a window to get things in and set up. Tv and spa and then bed.