Sunday, November 1, 2009

Another Safe, Triply Made

We made the trip to East Tennessee to honor and bury our brother, Jim. This was the second trip to Tennessee in October. The first was to see Jim alive; a trip that I knew was to see Jim alive for the last time. The trip down was long and hard due to a never-ending rain, a rain that finally ceased as I pulled into the driveway at Jim’s home in Elizabethton. The rain was unfortunate since it partially obscured the magnificent fall colors we saw throughout the trip through the Shawnee, Hoosier, Daniel Boone, and Cherokee national forests. The heavy rains in October did not lessen the brilliance of the colors since the reduced sunlight (due to cloudy days) contributes to the signal for the colors to begin emerging. The heavy rains also contributed to a major earth slide that closed the interstate from N. Carolina to Tennessee. We had a good visit with Aunt Wanda and Uncle Albert. Albert is not real good. He takes dialysis three times a week. We saw a lot of first cousins. I especially enjoyed talking with Janice and Brenda, my dad’s sisters’ daughters. Brenda is on chemo due to breast cancer, a cancer that appears to be controlled. We went to the funeral home early Wednesday to have a private viewing. The funeral director, a young woman originally From Jacksonville, IL, is Catholic and knows Donna, Jimmy, and knew Jim. She was very kind and professional while frequently lightening the mood. The Knights of Columbus, of which Jim was a fourth order member, provided honor sentry duty over the casket. Jim had a military ceremony at gravesite. He served in both the army and the navy. They even had a real bugler playing taps. The day was cool but brilliantly sunny. The service was long. The Ladies Guild at the church provided lunch. Most of the food was homemade with great variety. Someone provided a sweet potato casserole that was so good I had seconds. We left for home after the dinner and after saying many goodbyes. We once again encountered rain during about half the trip. We got home about 10:30 and went right to bed. I checked the rain gauge and it showed over four inches of rain. We are getting flooding on the rivers in the area. Must have been weird for you not having to move the clock back one hour. The extra sleep here was nice. That’s all from home alone. dad

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Frost


I woke up 5 AM this morning, Oct 18 to see the thermometer reading 31 degrees. Sure enough, frost all around. Just bone more lawn mowing (and leaf mulching.

Headed to Auburn this morning. Looking forward to seeing the Townsend’s of Auburn, I'm sure that Brandon and Brooke won't hang around long. They always have something going on. And that's OK, its tough being teenagers so the more good times they have, so much the better.

My boss at work bought me a coconut cream pie for my birthday. They made me tell my age and were surprised. They all said they thought I was around 61. Bless 'em!

The light in the kitchen went totally out. When the house was built, they used non-union electricians. I have worked on four lights in this house and every one of those did not have electrical boxes installed. Those are required by code. I'm surprised it passed inspection. But then again, as dishonest as the contractors were, I am not so surprised.
Anyway, that condition made the job tougher to complete. Your mom wants to replace the light in the bathroom. I know that that has a similar condition.

We drove down Hartman lane yesterday and so a small doe lying dead right by the Richland Creek Bridge. It was removed later in the day. We got an estimate on fixing the dent in the side of the Sable…$300…not bad so we are getting it fixed.

That’s all from Home Alone.

Love to all,

Dad

Sunday, October 11, 2009

My Truck


I miss my truck. We go shopping and Grandma ends up buyimg something that is too big for the car.

Went to Highland for the art show. Beautiful weather this weekend. That is better after getting 3 inches of rain on Friday.

Had frost on the roof tops overnight. The new furnace has started kicking in.

We are going to take a ride up along the Great River Road to Grafton today...the fall colors are beginning to peak. Next weekend we will go to Auburn. I look forward to going to Lincoln gardens and the walk along the lake.

I got a new monitor for the computer, a 22 inch wide one from your mom. Thats my birthday gift. On the way home we saw a herd of six deer down by the bridge over Richland Creek. Shoo! Scram!

Dad

Sunday, October 4, 2009

October

This is the best time of year. Lots of festivals, the fields are being cleared, and the deer are running.

It is 41 degrees here this morning. Turned the new heat pump to winter and it does the job. I am thinking about replacing the water heater. It is making rumbling noises. A newer, more energy efficient one is what I am thinking.

Took the Taurus in for new dashboard lights. The car was pretty dark at night. They also changed critical fluids. I have to drive a school bus for a week to pay for those items.

Did I mention that a deer hit the Sable at the end of my Tennessee trip? It left a tuft of hair in the chrome strip and a diner plate dent in the door on the passenger’s side.

I gutted him and put him in the trunk and took him to Jim’s house; venison for everybody.

We went to Papa Vitoes last night. Big crowd there and the pizza was very good.

Finally got the pedestal sink installed in the lower bathroom. Due to plumbing issues, the sink is not square in the wall. Mom was not a happy camper.

I have tickets to the Cardinal final game today. Two tickets but don’t have anyone who can go with me. So I’ll go alone.

That’s all from home alone.

Dad

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Sixteen Candles




Sixteen Candles
The beautiful weather continues. WE drove up to Auburn yesterday and enjoyed the views of the lush fields and woods along the way. My favorite area is north of Lebanon where the countryside is rolling and the grain fields seem alive as the wind ripples the tops like the surface of a body of water.
The blacktop road to past Divernon is like a green hallway. The corn is seven feet tall and closes in on the sides like the walls of a green painted hallway, then abruptly opens up with a view of the distant horizon while the clear air acts as a magnifying glass. There is beauty in the Land of Lincoln.

We spent the day with the Townsend’s. Brandon got his spanking new Illinois drivers license and was quite a happy young man.

We watched a video of Brandon performing with four other young men and one young lady as they competed in the Macoupin County fair talent contest. They came in third. Brandon has become an accomplished drummer. Needless to say, several of his gifts were drummer related.

Their home had the rich fragrance of freshly baked caked. Dawn put the frosting on as we observed her and then Brooke got to lick the spoon.

Brandon’s choice for dinner was a trip to the newly opened Golden Corral. That was the first trip to a Golden Corral for him and for his girl friend, Nicole. The food was excellent and we all made three trips back for seconds and thirds.

Back at the house, we waited for Brandon to return with Brooke and Nicole. He, of course, drove. He decided to get gas for the car and that turned out to be a small adventure involving Muslims, gasoline spills, and “drummer” shoes that now smelled of gasoline.

We had cake and coffee (there is always room) and said our goodbyes.

The drive home was begun in deep twilight and as I pulled onto the Divernon blacktop, we could see a myriad of fireflies. I turned the headlights off, drove slowly and we marveled at the light show being performed along both side of the road and deep into the cornrows.

That’s all from HOME ALONE

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Detailing

Yesterday I cleaned up both cars. The Sable was a disaster. Reminded me of the days when we had a station wagon (now know as an SUV) and three kids. The Taurus was much easier work: except for ancient coffee and coke stains.

The Taurus has developed a leak in the exhaust system. It sounds like a well-tuned Harley. Cool. I have never had exhaust work on the Taurus but now that it is a teenager, it becomes more demanding of its needs. I hope it never needs braces.

We went shopping for groceries and various things for the house. First phase remodeling is about done. Which is both good (yes!) and bad. A completed job, in a woman’s mind, spawns ideas for new jobs. It is better to delay completing any home project as long as possible.

The weather is fantastic and is predicted to continue for a while. Everything continues to be green outside. Unfortunately, the weeds are exuberantly happy. And the moles and voles have developed a real urban neighborhood in the backyard. I need a dog. You would think the coyotes would be supping out back…or maybe those feral cats?

I am still working industriously on the bus routes. I have created 15 special needs routes. There are two new schools in the district. One older school not previously served by busses, has had its boundaries expanded so now we bus some of those kids. O’Fallon has added sidewalks in several areas and now kids who were bussed before, have to walk up to 1 ½ miles. Parents are complaining about that…I anticipate traffic jams at the schools as parents bring the little angels to school. I guess the parents would welcome higher taxes so the kids can ride the bus. One of the complaints I get is about timing. Parents would like the bus schedule to coincide with their work schedules. Fortunately, most people understand.

We will be going north next weekend to help celebrate Brandon’s birthday number XVI
Time has flown by – and will go by even faster from now on. Cie le vie.

Time to get ready for church. I plan to go on West Main. Several buildings have been torn down including the old Tribout building. The murals are gone.

That’s about it for now from HOME ALONE.

Dad

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Little Firecracker

5 years old !!!

This is the birthday of our nation and of our youngest granddaughter.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOPHIA! (…………….xxx…………..)
I woke up to the sound of rain on the roof. It has been dry and cool for the past week; beautiful weather.

The VP fair is underway and the big parade kicks off at 10:00. Looks like it will be a wet one. Too bad since it usually is a great parade.

I like to walk the fairgrounds and see all the sights. May not happen today.

Jason and Rebecca are planning to come up from Louisville late today and go directly down to the landing to view the fireworks. Hope it works out for them.

The rain just got more intense. I mowed the lawns yesterday (here and at the school and at the church). I was surprised to see how dry the ground was already though we have had record rainfall the month of June. Many farm fields are way behind in germinating the crops. But this rain should be beneficial for the farmers.

Bill and Dawn and family will be down tomorrow. I am going to do pork steaks on the grill and also hamburgers, sweet corn, and etc. I am looking forward to it.

Been real busy at work. The boss went to Florida for a week. My associate, Kelly, and I were in-charge. Unfortunately Kelly’s husband had a heart attack and subsequently had a three way by pass. I have been getting a lot of questions about my surgery. Everyone is surprised how healthy I appear to be.

Needless to say, I have been real busy. I am developing bus routes for the fall; the most difficult and time-consuming routes are the special needs routes. The parents and schools are really pushing me to get this done, as are the drivers who will be picking their routes.

Been looking at all the pictures on Facebook. I wish we could have made it to the islands. I am glad that family is making the most of the trip.

That’s about it from HOME ALONE.

Dad

Saturday, June 20, 2009

The Summer Solstice

Disambiguation is Here

Longest day of the year eve…?

The sun is scheduled (as if we arranged it) to be at its northernmost transit in the sky at 05:45 Greenwich mean time on June 21. Here in south central Illinois, local time is 5 hours earlier than Greenwich time so the disambiguation occurs at 12:45 AM here in Illinois or 45 minutes after midnight. I am curious; was today the longest day or will tomorrow be the longest day?

I returned from Missoula, Montana this past Thursday.

Missoula Montana is at 3,200 feet elevation, and is flat as a pancake...not one hill in the town. However snow capped mountains surround it and you can be up on a mountain overlooking the city (population 83,000) within 20 minutes. It is an old, well laid out town that is bisected throughout with bike trails. It has a nice river walk and kayaking on the river is a favorite past time, as is all the outdoors stuff.
The downtown is clean and the architecture is, well, eclectic. The University of Monatana is located in Missoula. There are not nearly as many dogs as I saw in Edmonds, WA.

My host, Jennifer Keith of First Student, was an excellent host who loves to show off her town. She is also well traveled including many post Katrina trips to New Orleans.

Jennifer and her husnband, Dean, treated me and another traveler to an excellent steak dinner at the Lolo Creek Steakhouse on Lewis and Clark Rd in Lolo , Montana. The cooking was done on a large open pit, wood-burning grill. We were surrounded by stuffed wildlife including grizzlies (University of Montana mascot), badgers, elk, and moutain lions.

After the meal, Jennifer and Dean introduced me to geo-caching. They led me to the first hidden object ( which I found with the first clue under a metal sign for the steakhouse) , and then I was on my own. They were impressed about how quickly I figured out the clues for four sections of walking.

At home, the temperature at Lambert was 20 degrees higher than in Missoula. The house interior temp wa 87 due to an air conditioner being on the fritz. I did not sleep well that night. The following day, I got a tech out to diagnose the problem. Not a cheap fix; needs a new a/c unit.

Knowing this will take a while, I bought and installed a small a/c in the bedroom window. It was comfortable except for another passing storm that dumped a ½ inch of rain on an alresdy soggy back yard. We received 4 ½ inches of rain over the last week. Not adding the two inches the previous week. It has been a very wet Spring. Which, as I mentioned earlier, will end in abour four hours.

I mowed the lawns early, but it was still a chore being hotter by the minute. Can't use the riding mower since it would tear up mud.

That’s about it from Home Alone

Love to family and friends and you Dads, have a great day.
Papa

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Sure Didn't Look Like Kansas







Well, here we are, Home Alone again.

We felt so sad as the plane sped away from our middle child and her small family. Savannah made the trip back to Seattle with us. She had visited here for about three weeks. We will miss her

The week was full of things to do. The house the Millers live in is situated on a hillside with a grand view of Puget Sound. The air cleared enough at times that we could see some of the snow capped Olympic Mountains. We mad a trip to Hurricane Ridge on Mt. Olympus. Unfortunately, as Traci drove through clouds, the clouds were rising. When we topped the ridge, we got a glimpse of the snow-capped peaks, and then the clouds closed them off.

There were several snow fields remaining from the winter and as we tramped through them. We couldn’t resist having snow ball fights…in June! Lots of deer wandering around munching the new spring buds. Some came as close as 20 feet.

We should have gone up the ridge before we had lunch, but that too turned out good. We happened on a burger joint (with the help of Carmen, the English speaking GPS device) that was clean with great burgers and hotdogs. The grandma loved the hotdog. Said it was to die for.

All the day trips tend to be a little long. Several involved the use of the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston. The ride is smooth and just a half hour long. As we were hurrying back to the car, a boat hitch left in the bumper of a pickup truck snagged me. I went down, taking Sophie with me. She was unhurt, but I took a large piece pf skin off the side of my hand. It was bloody and painful. I couldn’t believe how people can leave those things, unused, on the hitch.

We visited the Seattle Aquarium, a nice place along the waterfront.

After the visit, we took a two and a half hour tour of Puget Sound. The tour included locking through the locks separating the lake and the Sound. The lake is fresh water; the Sound is salt and is affected by the tides, thus the purpose of the locks.

An interesting feature along the Lake was the number of houses actually built and floating on the lake. We saw the house where Tom Hanks lived as the character in Sleepless in Seattle.

On Sunday, Jim, Shane and I went to a Seattle Mariners game. Nice stadium and Jim had gotten very good seats in the second deck.

The weather was good, so we spent an afternoon on the beach at low tide. The kids love to explore what the departing water leaves behind. We saw many jellyfish, starfish, sea anemones, and buried crabs. The kids love it and we also enjoyed the experience.

Another side Trip was touring a Navy destroyer, USS Turner Joy, which is on permanent display in Bremerton Washington. It is maintained in excellent condition and most areas of the ship are accessible to visitors.

The mothball fleet used to be there in Bremerton but all that is left are three decommissioned attack carriers, They have outlived their service time and will be eventually be disposed of by the wreckers and salvage people or, perhaps as was done with USS Oriskany, be sunk for artificial reefs and scuba touring.

This was a wonderful trip but too short.

I leave for Missoula, Montana tomorrow for some training. Unfortunately, my sister Kathy and some family got into St. Louis tonight. They will leave next Wednesday so I won’t get to visit with them.

Darn.

That’s all from Home Alone

Monday, May 25, 2009

Flat Tire

It is a quiet, rainy Memorial Day morning. We have no big plans for the day except containing to finish the re-model job.

I installed the new toilet yesterday. The job went very smoothly for which I was appreciative, my back is bothering me again so lifting and guiding the toilet was a trial.

I had to set the toilet twice since the wax ring shipped with the toilet (all the way from Foshan City in China) was not high enough so a trip to Home depot was in order.
After that, all went smoothly. I checked this morning and saw no leaks so that project goes into the finished pile.

I am not going to attempt installing the pedestal sink. All that I have heard makes it out of my league.

We bought a new stove and dishwasher, both of which I will install. We are going to gas after 40 years of all electric stoves. I have to run a gas line, but that is easy work; shouldn’t take more than the standard three trips to Home Depot.

I worked at the bus lot on Saturday. We have lost three drivers, one due to involving her self in a rear end collision with the bus, and two ladies who failed the physicals. All of them had more than 35 years school bus experience. So the load shifts even farther to me. And this is at a time of budget crunches so there is no “paid” overtime. First Student, an English owned company, is the worst managed company in this country. It’s amazing it can stay in business.

Jason came up for overnight on Wednesday. It was 9:00 PM when he called and said he was on the side of I-64 with a flat tire. He had no flashlight and had never changed attire before. I, knowing how dangerous this can b alongside an interstate in the dark and tiring to change the tire, it made me shudder with fear. Jason was on the shoulder just past mile marker 45 (as it turned out) so I headed that way. I had to go past him for five miles then loop back. A state trooper had pulled up behind him at that time with all lights flashing. Unfortunately he did not remain since I was on the way. Those lights would have mad me feel a lot safer.

Anyway, Jason had the doughnut tire out and the jack and was ready to go. Thank god the flat was on the passenger side, the other side would have been scary as all get out. We were safely back at home at 10:45.

Jason had bought the tires at Sears with road hazard protection so he got that changed the next day and was able to take Savannah out for pizza in St. Louis.

Savannah is camped out at Laura’s; I plan on taking the two to City Museum sometime next week, after Laura is out of school. We may take Savannah up to spend time with Brook and company at some point in this visit. Plans are still tentative.

We understand the need for allowing Savannah as much social time with girls her age. We will let her have as much of that time as we can.

That is all from Home Alone ( Jim, you are such a good Dad)

Dad



Sunday, May 10, 2009

Poles








Things are coming to a head here at Home Alone:
The flooring will be installed on Wednesday. I have to pull the dishwasher. Also need to make sure all the stapes are pounded down (from the old flooring)

I dug holes for three new posts ..

Hole #2 (center) was the record holder for the hardest clay I have ever encountered. I thought I had hit bedrock.

I'll let them set up in the mortar then start adding the boards. I made one span an even 8’ so I can take it down to pass a pickup through.

I borrowed Mike Melanovich's truck to bring the new sink and toilet home. He is really nice about letting me borrow it. Lee always sez I should ask him, but then I have to work on his schedule; not something I am willing to do.

Took your Mom to the casino today, then I left and walked around downtown for an hour and a half. Cloudy here and cool so it was pleasant

Yesterday I did all the mowing of our yard and the schoolyard.
The backyard here is still wet from all the rain, but it was getting out of control (grass wise).

Randy, the guy next door, came to tell me the house next to him had been repossessed. He went on to say that the backyard at the house was a mess. Randy said he had called the realtor to complain. We went over to see, and it was a jungle. So to protect the neigborhood, we decided to mow. I unhitched the riding mower (that is one good mower!) and went over and knocked the weeds and grass down. Randy did the edging with his weed eater. Randy and I had just finished when a truck pulled up from Bosslers Landscaping (Andy Bossler was the former husband and owner(?) of the house so the realtor called him and he sent his crew over. Too late!

Anyhow, we did no harm.
Thats all from Home Alone
Love you all
Dad








Sunday, May 3, 2009

The Loo







Sunday night and I am weary. I mowed the lawns yesterday after painting the kitchen and pantry area. Today, I finished tearing out some of the old floor and painted the bathroom and the hallway.

I pulled the toilet and sink/vanity out. The plumbing is stubbed into the wall and I was afraid of breaking a pipe in the wall so called a plumber to cut the pipes and seal them until I can get the new fixtures in. I asked him to give me a quote on installing the new toilet and pedestal sink. It floored me when the quote was $700.

Your mom said “SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS?!?! YOU can do it”. So I went on line to check it out. How hard can it be?

Well, the toilet would not be a problem; I have done that before. But, the pedestal sink is not as easy as I thought. Or your mom thought. The sink has to be rigidly mounted INTO the wall, the pedestal has to be attached or cemented to the new flooring, and the old faucet (the brown one we got a couple of years ago for $150 will be reused. The info I found on the web says it is a moderately difficult job for TWO people and can USUALLY be done in a day. I think I can understand why the plumber’s quote was $700.

The old toilet I moved, with the help of gravity and friction, to the basement. That is one heavy piece of work. Then using the same two helpers, I took the vanity sink to the basement. No way can I ever take it back up the stairs by myself. We are giving them to Bill and Dawn for their basement.

The old flooring in the kitchen was under the dishwasher. I wasn’t satisfied with what remained so I pulled the dishwasher out. I write the date of purchase on most things and I was surprised to see that I installed the dishwasher in 1996. Is been a good one. I had to clean out under the sink to get the feed hose loose. I noticed that the garbage disposal was marked that I installed it in 2000. Warranty expired two years ago.

I found a bonanza of stuff under the sink. Traci really loaded up things when you left. Some interesting items have surfaced in the freezers. Who eats turkey salami?

We went to Outback’s Steak House last night with Dick and Jeannie to celebrate her birthday. I tried lamb chops for the first time. They were quite good. We then went to their house. We will not have people over until I get the loo up and running.

I planted flowers for your mom today (did I mention that I am tired?) and am now thinking of bed, since it is almost 10:00. I have been taking two Tylenol PM tablets hoping that thepain in my shoulder will not awaken me. It is a a major nuisance and doesn’t make any sense since I have really tested it the past two weeks with all the work I have done in the house. None of that bothers me, not even the painting. Yet I sleep on the right side and the pain comes back.

X-rays were negative and nothing changes. Any ideas, Jim?
Thats about it from Home Alone.
Dad

Saturday, April 25, 2009
















We have experienced some beautiful sunsets this spring. Then we were treated with a breathtakingly beautiful sunrise on Friday Morning.
The weather today was quite warm (85) with a steady wind. I mowed the lawn this morning and joined another guy at the church to mow the lawn over there.

I continued tearing things out at the house. Pulled the toilet and sink in the downstairs bathroom and that completed the easy parts…tearing things out.
I took the floors down to the sub floor in the kitchen, old laundry area and pantry, the hallway, bathroom and closet. I created a big pile of discarded material.

I did the first hamburgers of the season on the grill this evening. Your mom fixed a nice salad and we used a tomato we bought in Louisville during our visit there.

Rebecca and Jason have a nice, comfortable home in a very nice area.

We discovered an excellent Irish pub/restaurant for dinner on Saturday night. We all had something different, and shared a taste of everything. I had lamb in a spicy roll, creamy mashed potatoes ( they called them ‘champ’) and enjoyed the meal on a veranda overlooking the street. There was a steady stream of people walking by on their way to a big fireworks display, Derby week was being kicked off in anticipation of the Kentucky Derby.

It rained all the night and day but it was nice during our Saturday visit. Jason wanted to show us a lot of things, but time and weather kind of intervened.

The picture of the stone building is at a location called Reservoir Park, one of the main water supply locations in Louisville. The walk around the reservoir is one mile and I guess a number of people like to walk there.

I hope all is well in my band of gypsies.

We really enjoy the frequent letters and pictures.

Love you all,
Dad (………………………………………………………………………… x )





Sunday, April 5, 2009

Glad You Arrived Safely

It is 8:00 on a Sunday morning. We will be getting ready to go to church in a little while.

It is raining this morning. We are in an unsettled period; weather doesn’t know if it wants to go ahead and Spring or go back to winter. In any case, the redbuds have bloomed, everything is sporting its bright green colors and the air smells fresh and clean. Of course the air is full of pollen and makes some people miserable.

The Edmonds area has a lot of webcams trained on ferry landings on the net. I recognized two of them from our trip up there. Really looking forwrd to visiting up there.

I cleaned the yard yesterday of old growth and broken branches. We are still getting fall out from the ice storm of two years ago.

We are going down to Louisville for our first visit in a couple of weeks. We will go down early on a Saturday and be back on Sunday night.

We received an invite to Rebecca’s brothers wedding occurring in June. That will be in the Pittsburgh area. We would go to it but we will be in Edmonds, WA at that time. It is not uncommon in the summertime for conflicts to arrive.

The Stolles have invited us to visit them at their summer palace on the lake. We will likely do that. Aunt Kathy and Uncle Hank will be in St Louis in late June for their annual convention (Telephone Association) so we will get to see them at that time.

Hank’s brother in-law, Bill, died last week in South Carolina at his retirement home.. Burial will be in Arkansas. Kathy and Hank were in Nashville since Tammy was scheduled for additional surgery. They were planning on going on east to see brother Jim and family, but not now. I bet Jim is very disappointed.

That’s about it from Home Alone. By the way I mailed a box of stuff that was in the way here and your mom has sent some B’Day gifts to the boy to the 821 addresses. I hope that is right.

Love to all,
Dad

Monday, March 30, 2009

1, 422 miles



Good news over the weekend; Missouri lost. Ha! How do they get Mizzou out of Missouri? And why are they called tigers when the closest tigers are 8,220 miles away (zoos do not count)?

Typical Mizzouzeans likely don’t know..

Speaking of distance, I see my grandbabies are 100 miles closer tonight, thank you; only 1,422 miles away. But when all is said and done, the distance will be 2, 179 miles, or one day 7 hours by car (or 28 days, 11 hours on foot).

Ok here we are, one day after our last snowfall. We had 3 inches on the ground at 7:00 AM on Sunday morning. Zero inches by noon. 63 degrees today with rain expected three days this week.

We want out to the 54th St Bar & Grill on Saturday night with our normal group. Played cards of course afterwards. I need to learn some new games. Keep an eye out for some, ok?

Well, we went floor shopping. Again. Brought home a couple of samples. Again. I told your mom “THIS IS IT. NO MORE SAMPLES. WE DO IT NOW!! “ Drew a bit of a crowd at Lowes. I measured the area that we will do. Looks like about 530 sq ft. x $$$$$
Not counting my labor (where are my sons when I need them?) (Your mom just said to say, “come home”.)

Busy, busy at my job. We have hired several new people including a real nice woman who just moved here from Massachusetts. Bad for her that she got stuck with a real bummer of a route. The previous driver pretty much allowed the bus to become a zoo; I have to ride it in the morning. It has taken me about three weeks in the past, to fix a bad bus. Why can’t the parents do this?

The area of the floor to be done is everything that is not carpeted. Your mom wants to put a pedestal sink in the half bath, removing the existing cabinet. We no longer need to store a toilet ring, so we can sacrifice space.

Lee just called. He says to tell you he misses seeing your once in a while. He is on face book but not that active.

I would like to see the route you are taking from AZ. You see many Illinois plates out there?

That’s about it from HOME ALONE.

Love,
Dad and Mom


Across

2. how fish walk
4. cactus land
9. small creek
10. not pants
13. grandma
14. reclusive cat
16. home sweet home
17. good dog
18. daddy
20. sunrise
21. beautiful red head
23. walking
24. favorite color
25. movie thing

Down

1. little girl
2. rhymes with mom
3. another uncle
5. not becky
6. favorite food
7. home teacher
8. favorite channel
9. drummer
11. uncle
12. kids area
15. school
19. imaginary fighter
22. Moms mom


Sunday, March 22, 2009

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS

Springfield Illinois

We went to St Henry’s Catholic Church on W. Main in Belleville for fish and beer on Friday night.

Art and Margaret were there along with the whole Sorgea tribe. We got to see, and hold Nate and Jack, Cindy and Brian’s 7 month old twin boys. That was a treat.

The hall was packed, the food was excellent, and it was a good time. Afterwards we went to the Sorgeas for cards and talk. Your mom and Jeannie planned to go to an estate sale the next morning.

Estate sales are always interesting. The opportunity to prowl through a house, touching all types of items and observing how the former, now likely deceased, owners lived out their existence. It is at once repellent yet fascinating; like coming up on a car wreck. One hates to see it but still slows down to look.

We traveled up to Springfield yesterday afternoon. We planned on your mom staying at the hospital with Dawn while I attended Dan and Denise’s delayed wedding reception at the Springfield Boathouse. While we were en-route, Bill called to say that Dawn was going to be discharged along about 6:00 PM; that would be during the reception. Naturally Bill was torn between the reception and bringing Dawn home. Dawn, knowing she would not be at the reception, had written a toast to Denise and Dan, which Bill was to deliver. Bill commented that some people are willing to be hospitalized just to avoid public speaking.

I was going to attend the reception but had to stay so we could take Dawn home. She was in pain but she is a real trooper with a great attitude. We were on the way home to Auburn and planned on stopping at the Walgreen’s in Chatham to get Dawn’s prescriptions filled. Unfortunately, the pharmacy closed 20 minutes before we got there. So we had to back haul into Springfield to get the prescriptions filled.

Bill and Brooke got home about 20 minutes after we got there. Brook had on a royal blue dress that was very pretty on her. I took a picture but won’t post it. That’s up to her and her parents to do.

When we drove to the hospital, we went up 6th street. It has been a year since I drove that way. The presidential library draws throngs of visitors (over a million the first year), so Springfield has responded with many new restaurants and shops down town. Plus the fact that our senator is now our President spiked interest in Springfield.

As we drove north on 6th street, I could see a building in the distance seemingly in the middle of the road. I couldn’t figure it out until we got closer. The Springfield Clinic has expanded to the west while building 5 stories up and crossing over and above 6th street. . Very impressive.

It still is cool here with temps in the forties. But Spring has sprung so it is looking promising. I got out and started cleaning the yard. The moles and voles continue doing their dirty work. I hate moles and voles.

I mailed the last package of mail, mostly junk ( to me) using parcel post. It went out last Thursday. Two more letters went out yesterday. That will be the last for Arizona. I will not send to Washington until you have taken up residence.

That’s all from HOME ALONE.

Love, Dad

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Assumption




















































It is Sunday morning here at Home Alone; I’ve awakened earlier than I wanted to so decided to catch up on the blog.

We have been anxious to see Dawn and see how she is recovering, Her birthday was just last week, and we also wanted to celebrate that with her.

Brandon and Brooke have a busy social calendar so we see them on the fly.

Brandon’s high school band was marching in the Springfield St Patrick’s day parade so we did not see a lot of him. Then, later on and after we had returned from Assumption, we had cake. Brandon’s girl friend came over for a few minutes then they left for her home. She is a plump blonde, very nice, senior girl.

Your mom and I were at their house at 10:00 and immediately left to take Brooke to meet her school bus which was loading the 7th grade volleyball team for their trip to the ISEA volleyball finals in Assumption, IL, over past Taylorville.

Brooke did not play (the world is full of coaches who play only a few and let the rest sit) but we still enjoyed the games. Brooke’s team, the Trojans, won their first match two games to none. But unfortunately in the second round they lost in two games to an undefeated team from Chillicothe.

Weather was cool, but clear. The area over by Assumption is wide open with level farm fields visible to the horizon. That is one of the nice things about Central Illinois; no mountains to block the view.

Bill is working in Bloomington for at least the next three months. He gets hotel, car, and per-diem with this job. It takes him about 1-½ hours to get home. Brookes team returns to Assumption for the third place game on Tuesday. I don’t know if Bill will make that game. Dawn shouldn’t be driving yet, so she may let Brandon drive over with her in the front seat. But that can be a challenging drive for a novice since the roads are county roads for about thirty miles with limited shoulders and few lane markings.

Dad














Sunday, March 8, 2009

One more picture

Daylight Savings Time






































Your mom was cleaning out her chest of drawers and came across some old photos. I scanned them in and thought I would share them with the Millers.

Today we had planned on going to see Dawn and family but your mom was still fighting off that touch of stomach distress; and the predicted bad storm was scheduled for about twelve o’clock CDT. All we got, thankfully, was a hard shower followed by a steady strong wind until sunset. Never the less, we cancelled the Auburn trip.

We went over to St Louis yesterday. The Missouri Valley tournament was in full swing as was the annual Home & Garden show at the Dome. I remembered dragging Traci to the show the first year we were here and before the house was built. I don’t remember her enjoying the show. This year’s show was a good show with large crowds. Weather was mild so I did a lot of walking. Dumped your mom at the casino where she won $125.

Well it is now daylight savings time again. The only reason for the change is that someone probably complained about something so Congress, with little or no study or thought, whipped it ahead one month and shoved it back in the fall by one month. Might as well make it year around. What difference would it make? It starts on March 8 and ends on November 1, eight months of CDST; kind of leaves CST as a weak sister.

I see by the Methodist Church in Shiloh web site that Pastor David is on Formational and Spiritual Growth leave. That is so sad. Then today some nut from Troy walked into the Baptist Church in Maryville and shot the pastor dead during the service.

I was hoping that you would be leaving the proximity of drug war violence behind you when you go to Washington. But from what I am hearing on the news, Vancouver B.C. is struggling with drug gang violence as bad as along the Mexico border. Drug users, who buy the stuff, should share in the responsibility for this situation.

I just received a Facebook message fro Ricquel over in Northern Missouri. She is very anxious to keep the family relationships alive. And so am I.

Well that is about it from Home Alone.
Love you all this much (……………………………………….. :)

Monday, March 2, 2009

"I Am An Arab"

The kids on my bus range from kindergartners to 5th graders. I love them all,but I do have to scold them once in while. But even after that, they soon forget and become chatty again.

One boy, a boy with coal black hair and olive skin complexion moved up behind me and was talking. The noise on a school bus, can be impressive and Imust have said something that triggered the boy to announce that "I am an Arab". "That's nice", I said, "what country are you from; Egypt, Pakistan, Arabia?" He replied, "no I'm from this country." "OK". I said, "then your family is from one of those countries?" The boy said, "no, but they were married in Quatar." The girl next to him then asked, "I thought you said they were married in Troy?"

Well, I thought it was funny.

Lee called a little while ago to invite me to coffee. We went to Denny's for coffe and some apple pie. The waitress was a pleasnt young woman with a lot of travel under her belt. From S. Dakota via Alaska and Germany. Very easy conversationalist.

I am reading a book I bought at a furniture store in West County (Valley Park). The store rambles through four buildings and on two levels. All the furniture displays were arranged with dozens of books of various vintage and condition, all for one dollar. I noticed a hardbound book, The Caine Mutiny, and bought it. I always liked the movie starring Humphrey Bogart, snd having nothing to read at home, I bought it and am appreciating how closedly the movie followed the book.

Well that is about it from Home Alone,

Love to all, Dad

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Last Saturday in February


Last Saturday in February

Well, it is supposed to snow tonight. However, the forecast for next weekend is for temps in the mid sixties, Therefore I am not going to shovel any snow that has no intention of hanging around, So there.

We got the new recliner last Thursday.

I have already napped in it so it appears to be functional.

We went shopping for an end table so I can have something to put the remotes on. Naturally, we did not find anything. These projects take your mom several months to complete. I suggested using one of the old milk cans that have been stored in the garage for 19 years but she says no to that idea.

Your mom received a $25 gift certificate from the LumiÄ—re Place Casino . Playing with their money, she won $250.

I explored all corners of the facility. We had gone over there during the Mardi Gras festivities on the landing. All parking spaces, and I mean ALL were $20 each. That is the typical Missouri rip-off so we went back to Illinois to the Queen. Parking is free there so a lot of smart people were beating Missouri at their game by parking in Illinois and taking the metro across to the landing.

There is a Bank Of America ATM on the landing. I went to use it but it was locked out. A young guy at the LumiÄ—re told me they did that so people were forced to use the casino’s ATMs and pay a usage fee of $4 a transaction.

If Missouri can find a way to shaft a visitor, they will leap at the chance,

But, and I say this very reluctantly, the LumiÄ—re is a first class facility.

We enjoyed the company of the Jacksons and the Sorgeas last night. Unfortunately, I had been up since 5:00 AM and after eating pizza and a couple of drinks, I was so tired my head rolled a couple of times. I am working some long hours. Next time we have company, I am going to find a way to get a nap (in the new chair) before I try to be my usual charming self.

Just finished talking to Jason and Rebecca. We told Jason to pick a best time for us to come down. We can go down early on a Saturday, and return on Sunday night.

We will go up and see Dawn and Bill and kids next weekend. Hopefully by then, Dawnwill be up to having company. Bill starts a temporary assignment with a bank in Bloomington next Tuesday so he will be gone all week. Fortunately that is not a terribly long way from Auburn.

Savannahs Valentine card came back again. Nothing wrong with it but the USPS is not staffed with intuitive people. I placed the stamp over the previous postmark. I guess that confused them badly. I will place it in an envelope and hide it with other items. Maybe it can then sneak its way to Chandler. I hope.

Love to all from Home Alone,
Dad

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Mardi Gras

Saturday morning is here, it is February, the worst month of the year, and the news from everywhere is not good.

Fortunately it is not a leap year so the month is not extended by one day.

It is Mardi Gras Night in Soulard. It is snowing as I type, the forecast is suitable for February, and the news is full of beads, warnings about indecent exposure, and drinking. Sounds like fun.

We went to Mardi Gras in Soulard several years ago. The Grand Marshall of the parade was Tiny Tim, a grotesque character from The Tonight Show fame.

The crowd pressed in so close to the parade entries (seeking beads) that it could barely move. We managed to escape at the end of the parade so did not observe a lot of the wackiness (or wickedness). Darn.

I have been busy at work. We are still way short of drivers, so I cannot take time off. Dawn has her surgery on Monday, and your mom will be going up to Springfield to give moral support to Bill and Dawn.. Jason and Rebecca will be returning from skiing the same day so I am hopeful that all goes well for all of us.

I have been up for two hours and the temp outside was 44 degrees when I got up. It is now 35 degrees. It got very windy for about five minutes and is now calm.

The new recliner should come in this week. I hope so. The old one went to Louisville so I have to watch TV setting Indian fashion on the floor.

I found out why Savannah did not get her Valentine; grandma did not put a stamp on the envelope. It has now been re-stamped and will leave the blue mailbox on Lebanon Ave. at about 1:25 PM today.

Well that is about it from Home Alone – love you all.

Dad

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Friday the Thirteenth

Tim McNitt Called last night. he is leaving a couple of tickets to the boatshow at the dome box office. He will not be there when I can go so I don't know if I will go.

The cardiologists office called today. I knew I had a stress test due sometime, and it is tommorrow. Wish me luck.

Your mom got her stiches out today . All is ok so far.

I have a badly draining sinus situation. It happens.

All is swell yjay will end well. Talk to you in the evening tommorrow, Friday the Thirteenth

The dad

Monday, February 9, 2009

Savannahs Blog

I just finished reading Savannah's blog. Printed it out for her grandma to read and enjoy.

Very nice and newsy !!

Papa

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Writers Block

Home Alone

It is Sunday night, your mom is on the phone with Sally (I guess they forgot to say something over the past two days in Peoria and here I am, trying to be a literary giant, but failing miserably due to writers block (which afflicts even the most verbose writers from time to time), a condition which (hopefully) will be short-lived if transient, which it commonly is unless there are interruptions due to outside events or, more commonly, an incidence of attention span disorder (ADD), which has been known to crop up at the most inopportune times, especially when I am talking to someone and something else distracts me or attracts my attention, then I have to consider this outside event, failing, then, to pay close attention to whatever it was I was doing or whatever the other person was attempting to accomplish by having intercourse with me ( not sexual but communication) and therein often needing to repeat what they said, sometimes with exasperation, especially if it was your mother, then I reel off a list of things she said, often doing it in reverse order and that, of course, makes her mad, so she stalks off and I get to figure out dinner all by myself which is OK since then I can make salmon patties and asparagus from the can plus some white onion and maybe, if I am really ticked off, some corn bread so I can have cornbread and milk later with some more white onion all of which causes me to lose sleep because of esophageal reflux, brought on in part because my ingrate son-in-law no longer provides me with drugs.

New pictures on Facebook ;check it out.

Love you all,
Dad

Sunday, February 1, 2009

OOPS

The previous post had one small, insignificant error. SORRY!

Super Bowl Sunday

Sunday Morning - Super Bowl XXIVCMCXXI.
And all quiet on the Eastern Front

Your mom and I got married on Super Bowl Sunday I. What were we thinking?

Super Bowl I Jan. 15, 1967Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, California
MVP:
Bart Starr, QB, Green Bay
Kansas City Chiefs 10 Green Bay Packers 35

Everybody watches for the commercials. I like to see who they pick to butcher the National Anthem

Very quiet yesterday, punctuated by a trip to Targets and Walgreen’s to get a brace for your Mom’s hand,
Your mom wants a printer to make photos of her choice. The printer I have now continues to streak photos. I have been all over the documentation that came with it and followed all instructions on HP’s website but to no avail. It dawned on me yesterday that I had used a re-filled cartridge at Walgreen’s and the problems may have started back the, I know I discarded the cartridges after having poor results and frequent errors, but it looks like whatever happened became permanent. I have installed new cartridges several times (those things are as expensive as non-generic drugs) but streaking continues.

Black and white is ok, so I will keep this printer on the main computer for general use.

I made a trip to Circuit City to see what kinds of deals I could pick up off their bones. It was a madhouse over there and, even though they had a lot of going out of business sales on printers, the display items had screws in various doors on the printers, so I could not examine them. So I went to Best Buy and bought new HP printer.

I put that one on the old Compaq computer and your mom was quite happy with the results. The first picture printed was an old one of Savannah as a five year old.
Made me sad to think of her growing up so fast.

We will be going over to Rick’s visitation on Monday, staying overnight for the funeral on Tuesday. Your Aunt Kathy and Uncle hank are making the trip also.

That ice storm (you should be seeing lot about that on the news) in Southern IL, MO, Ark, and worst of all, KY, continues to be exceedingly deadly. As far as I know, Jason and Rebecca still have power, although people all around them have lost power. Fortunately, some melting is now occurring. Ice loaded trees and limbs are extremely heavy, and increase the risks to utility workers.

Jason has a large limb suspend overhead in his back yard and lying across utility wires. If those wires go down, I expect he will lose power.

That’s about it from Home Alone.
Love to all,
Dad

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Snow day...again















The snowplow has been through just once. It plowed the middle of the street leaving a car eating drift in front of my driveway. That means I have to shovel 7 inches of snow x 7 feet. Factor in that it will be hard as concrete and it reminds me I have never made friends with the teenage boys in the neighborhood.
Its getting light out now; I think I will go out and get started shoveling. Yes, I will be careful. Small shovel loads, frequent, rests, and avoid thinking about the forecast for the rest of the week. If I am lucky, I’ll find the newspaper.




Yesterday someone drove through the snow in my yard and the neighbors yard, knocking down my mailbox. The timing and other clues led me to believe it was the paper delivery guy, although the circulation supervisor called the driver and asked him out right if he did it, a real skillful questioning tactic. He denied the incident, but later on two guys in coats and ties came by and set the mailbox up. I did not see them, but Amy next door did see them doing the repair. Maybe the paper guy remembered I gave him a nice check at Christmas time.
It is 7:30 AM now, so I am going to suspend this for now…back in a little while with pictures of the snow. I hope it doesn’t get windy and start drifting the snow.
8:20 I am taking a break. Driveway is 1/3 cleared.



I just looked at Jason’s album on Facebook. An ice storm is always more impressive than a snowstorm.
It is now 9:00 and time to shovel.
10:00 and all done. No wind on a bright sunny day under a pale blue sky and I feel good. Breakfasted on oatmeal, whole-wheat toast, and coffee.
I am going to take your mom to work since the roads still have a lot of slushy snow, especially at intersections. I will probably have to guide some tailgaters to safety, but I am always honored that they put so much faith in me.
That’s about it from Home Alone.

Dad

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Eagles and Such

























































We have cherished the time we have been with Savannah this week.
We picked her up at Grandma Millers house on Thursday night. The four of us went to the Olive Garden restaurant to observe Judy and my 41st wedding anniversary.

Savannah had the morning of Friday all alone in the house. She enjoyed a few hours of solitude. Naturally, she watched movies.

In the afternoon, Grandma took her shopping. We went to Cutters for dinner but couldn’t get in; it was packed. The Illinois ban on smoking in indoor areas seems to be a plus for all but 17 percent of adult Illinoisans.

We opted to go to Papa Vitoes for pizza. Then home to watch a movie about a girl playing soccer on a boys’ team, ‘Gracie’. We enjoyed that (along with popcorn). Today (Saturday) I suggested we go up along the Mississippi to watch the Eagles fishing along the river. We first tried to go out on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, but that is a fairly long walk against a biting wind (17 degrees air temp) so we gave up on that after about 20 minutes.

The second choice was the Great River Road up towards Alton and across the Clark Bridge into Missouri. We only saw a couple of Eagles so decide to go on up to Grafton, Illinois. The sandstone bluffs along the Mississippi River, which was choked in many areas with ice, were impressive in the winter sun under a beautiful, clear blue sky.

We frequently encountered areas where cars had pulled over onto the bike paths so as to watch and photograph eagles perched in trees on top of the rocky bluffs.

In Grafton, we had lunch at the Mississippi Half Step restaurant (http://www.mississippihalfstep.com/restaurant.htm ) . We have dined there before and it has nice atmosphere and good food at reasonable prices.

After eating, the next stop was in two of the touristy stores to browse among the antique and crafty items for sale.

Before heading home, we made several stops along the river to take photos (several of which are in this post). In addition to the eagles, we saw groups of deer at three different locations. The pelican migration has not started yet but we saw one early bird coming in for a landing. As usual in the locks area, and around the dams, the gulls were too numerous to risk us looking up at the sky.

Savannah and I went to the theater off Hartman Lane to see the movie ‘Bride Wars’ , rated PG,. It was funny and entertaining. Grandma stayed home to do laundry and to get Savannah's things together.











Well that’s all from Home Alone.

Love to all,

Dad

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Not So Alone For A Few Days:


Not So Alone For A Few Days:

Friday morning dawned very cold and clear. Temperature was –4 degrees as I left Belleville for Peoria, a 3.5-hour trip. There has been very little snow here but north of Springfield I began to see snow on the fields. By the time I arrived in Peoria, many cars at the airport were covered in snow, and the aisles were piled up with snow by the plows. The temperature, as I arrived at the airport, was –17 degrees. Peoria had experienced a record low temp of –21.

The Plane was on time and I was admittedly a little emotional when I saw my girl.

We had a long wait at the baggage claim and the area was very cold due to the doors opening and closing. The bite of the wind on Savannahs face caught her by surprise. I did bring her an Illini coat to wear and a scarf so she was safe for the walk to the car.

She chose to eat at Steak and Shake in Peoria. She seems to have grown some and is very pretty.

When we arrived at the house, she walked all around, touching things and told me she just wanted to know it was all still the same.

The soccer game was fun. The coaches and the players greeted Savannah warmly. She played a total of 30 minutes, had three assists, and two shots on goal. She worked up a good sweat.

We stopped at PapaVitos in O'Fallon for pizza. They have added an enclosed atrium, so it is much roomier.

Her grandma took her shopping yesterday for a new coat and then off to Laura’s. She was truly looking forward to her reunion.

While she is visiting, we had the Jacksons over for cards a chili. I made the chili, but I have to go easy on the heat since your mom cannot tolerate it too spicy.

Tomorrow is King’s birthday so there is no school here on Monday. The inauguration is on Tuesday and I am looking forward to watching the events on the TV.

I watche dth Cardinals game tody. Everyone in this arae is pulling for Kurt Warner. And now he goes the next step to the Super Bowl. Good for him.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Counting Down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 !!



Yesterday we went shopping (again) for a recliner. Carroll House Furniture was the choice since we had never been there before. The store in Maryland Heights was the choice for shopping. Finding it was easy since Emily, our GPS unit was very explicit with directions. She is very patient and doesn’t seem to mind when I disregard a turn or two.

We found a chair! With free delivery even, so I do not have to buy a truck after all. Delivery in 6 to 8 weeks (other than the floor model, they did not have one in stock) which works out ok since we will need that much time to get all the Christmas decorations into the basement.

I treated your mom to the quarterly visit to the Ameristar Casino. No winnings, of course, but got an opportunity to fill my lungs with side smoke. We could go to the Casino Queen that (thankfully) is smoke free but it has few amenities such as a sports bar. At the Ameristar Sports Bar, I get to find a low level table below most of the smoke, eat wings, and watch football.

We were home bound at 10:00 when we ran into a huge traffic jam due to a wreck at the entrance to the express lanes. All traffic turned out to be exiting at the Good Fellow exit. What a mess. I had Emily on, and she frantically tried to get me to go back to I-70. I turned the temperature reading (on the dashboard) off (28 degrees), and selected “compass reading”. I am not familiar with that area of north St. Louis, so I figured the SE on the compass reading would get me to the Arch. The roads in that area were very good so we cruised along for about 10 miles, enjoying the view of all the businesses with iron bars on the windows and doors.

Near down town, Emily wanted me to get back on I-70 but I deferred and turned at Washington St. That area is starting to bloom with a score of new restaurants, and bars. There are a number of occupied lofts in the area so there is a rising vibrancy to the street.

Choosing to cross the Mississippi via the Eads Bridge, we noticed that the Casino Queen boat is gone. I miss that since it was a colorful part of the East River Front.

We got home in time to watch Saturday Night Live. They are having as much fun with Rod Blagojevich as with Sarah Palen. If you missed it, they likely will have it on their website.

Well that’s all from Home alone,

Love to all,

Dad

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Icy Morning

Icy Morning – no kidding (%^&$(###!!)

After glancing outside at 5:00 AM and seeing that it looked wet on the sidewalk and street, I went out for the paper, it having been tossed on the lawn by our dependable and on time newspaper guy.

After stepping quickly onto the sidewalk, I want down like a dropped hockey puck and slid out of control for several feet. I could not stand so I rolled over into the grass (which was crinkly with ice)stood up, grabbed the newspaper, and gingerly walked on the grass to the safety of the porch.

My arm and shoulder was hurting along with my leg and hip, but I was totally ambulatory (and verrrry lucky). I scrapped my hip and caused the skin to lift and bleed in a patch about an inch square. Repeat, I was verrrrrrrry lucky.

I turned on the computer to check school closings and there were just four (including Edwardsville and Triad), which was odd since those schools do not normally lead the pack in closing.

I went ahead and got ready for work, then checked the computer again. By 5:45 all the schools were closed. We have a snow tree at work, a calling list to alert people, so I called my required members and alerted them not to come to work.

Your mom is doing well. She cannot do a few things with her right hand such as opening a coke bottle, but was active taking down decorations and boxing them. The tree is stripped of ornaments so I will get that down today.

With all the hiking and climbing you guys are doing, I would expect there is not much fat on the Millers. Looking forward (understatement) to seeing our girl. We plan on nothing special other than going with the flow. Oh, there will be bacon and American fries, that is understood.

Well that is all from Home Alone and Banged Up.

Dad

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Two Oh Oh Nine

Here we are in 2009. The Langoliers have taken care of 2008.

I had a discussion with a couple of people at the party last night about the double ought used throughout this decade (the party was dragging a little). We will be relieved to see 2010 pop up because to say 2010 (or 2011, etc.) will be much more concise than saying, for example, two thousand and nine. Twenty ten or two thousand and nine, what do you think? Or care?

It was very cold at night these past few days; high teens, then upper 50’s in daytime. Bizarre weather even for Illinois. Your mother loved the leather seats when we first bought the Sable. Now she wants a remote starter so the car is warmer and the seats are more comfortable. I think not.

I had a boss back when I was selling funeral insurance at a time when the funeral industry got a lot of publicity about devious practices. I spoke to him about the bad publicity. His reply was that “no publicity in business is bad”. That being the case, Illinois has certainly received a lot of good publicity lately.

The party last night was fun. Jeannie and Dick put out a lot of food. They love to host. There was a new couple there last night visiting from South Carolina. Formerly were New Yorkers (upstate) and were nice to get to know.

I have completed a list of new years resolutions for your mother. As usual, she tosses them into the trash.

I am taking on a new assignment at work. That’s in addition to all else that I do. It is not a wise thing to do when one makes one self an integral part of a machine. I wanted to take yesterday and tomorrow off but it isn’t working out.

We are so looking forward to being with our girl. I hope the time goes by slowly during her visit. It has always amazed me how easily and deeply we love our grandchildren.

Today is football-watching day. I suppose your mom will start having me go up and down the stairs to get boxes for all her decorations and I will miss critical events. Three Big Ten teams are in different bowls.

We watched the Illini beat Purdue last Tuesday in overtime at Purdue for the conference opener. The Illini are for real this year. We would like to get the Big Ten Network so we can watch more games, but Charter refuses to carry it. Charter is in trouble financially, so if this message ends abruptly, it is likely that they have gone under.

Time to wrap this up. Love you one and all,
Dad