Retirement 2020

My official retirement date is Friday, May 22, 2020, but today... Tuesday, May 19th my grades are in and my office cleared out so I am beginning my Retirement days a few days early.

People have been asking... so what are you going to do? I have had a lot of thoughts... travel, of course, I have books to read and closets to clean out, things to cook but there is more roaming the inter most parts of my heart.

One such thought is to write again. So I thought... I wonder if my blog is still active? With blogging, I write for me, not like on Facebook, where you write, but you sensor your writings, because of the many who will read and feel compelled to respond.

Here on the blog, I write for me, not really concerned what others think... Everyone is welcome to read and respond, but I write this page for me.

I am looking forward to Retirement, I am not sure where this road will lead, but I am traveling this path with great enthusiasm.

I am back... stay tuned.

Good-Bye 2011

The moments are clicking away and 2011 will soon be a memory. As I reflect on 2011, it has had, as most years, a lot of ups and downs.

Of course, I am most grateful and thankful for the healthy delivery of our grandson Nathan. He has brought a huge amount of love and happiness to our lives. He is not only beautiful, he is healthy and happy as well, and for this we are grateful.

I am thankful for the loving relationship my daughter and son-in-law share and the fact that they understand our need to see our grandson often.

And I am thankful that Tony and I shared our 40th wedding anniversary this year. I love him more everyday. I look forward to wonderful things to happen in 2012. With health and happiness for all.

Happy New Year All.

I'm back

The time has come for me to return to that I love and enjoy... blogging. So, I am back.

test

This is a test because even though I want to start blogging again... blogger.com will not let me.

OK... it is the browser not the blogger. my apologies blogster.

Year End Goal...

I reached my year end goal, since September 25th I have lost 21 lbs YEAH me!!!! My goal was 20 lbs. I am ready for the next 15 that I plan to lose before the baby arrives in April and right now I am motivated.

How do I feel, well for my age I feel great. My knees are happier and my overall heath is definitely better. Yesterday I was at target buying groceries for the new year event and when I got to the register I noticed that I forgot my wallet in the car, I said I will be right back and jogged yes, jogged out to the car (and back) and was not even out of breath. I cannot remember the last time I jogged anywhere it has been over 5 years for sure, probably longer.

I am happy with my progress and look forward to losing the next 15 lbs. As soon as the holidays are over I am ready to hit it.

Online again

I have taken a month off after blogging for the whole month of November. I am ready to begin again.

I plan to blog regularly again, that is I guess, my first resolution for the year. Well not so much a resolution as a commitment.

I like having a record of eventful things in my life and the blog is a great way to look back. So... I will give it a go.

I did it....

i took the challenge and I did it. I blog posted for an entire month. YEAH ME!!!!
When I do this I realize that blogging is agood thing and creates a good record of our life.

I will continue to blog, just not everyday.

Times have changed

Well things were so different when folks my age had their kids. We didn't know the sex of the baby, or other then the measurement of the baby (in general)not much was checked.

These days they not only check the size of the baby, but the heart, limbs, may of the organs, fingers and toes and of course the gender.

So our baby, received the going over yesterday and now... we know it is a boy and all is well (thank God) and he was given his name. Now we talk directly to Nathanial.

We look forward to your arrival.

Half way Point...

Today marks the 20th week in Andrea's pregnancy, which means... we are half way there. This is one of the most exciting things I have been a part of for a long, long time.

I am so thankful that all is going well for her and the baby.I look forward to helping out anyway I can.

We are Blessed.

Thanksgiving Day....

So many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day. But I think I am very thankful this year to be able to be with Chris and Andrea and Nate and Tony and share good food, love, health and a strong sense of family.

The String Test...

An Italian thing that I have heard about and later performed was the string test to see if the baby you were carrying was a boy or a girl. And I need to go on record and say, personally, I never saw this test fail (it may have, but nothing I ever witnessed). It has been accurate every time I have witnessed or performed the gender test.

Here is how it works... when you are in at least the second trimester, you have the mother lay on her back and a steady handed friend or family member take the mothers wedding ring and long piece of string at least 12 inches (after folded in half) you put the string through the wedding ring. You lay the ring on the mothers stomach and then you slowly raise the ring off of the mothers stomach, hold the string steady and soon the ring will either begin to move in a circle or back and forth.

If in a circle, it is a girl and if the ring moves back and forth it is a boy.

We did the string gender test last night on Andrea and I did it several times and ... it moved back and forth all three times. And today... it was verified by the Ultrasound. It is a boy.

It's a Boy

So many many things to be thankful for this year, but most of all our new little one.

We had the privilege of going to the ultrasound with Chris and Andrea today and the baby is beautiful and well and ... it's a boy!!!!!!

Thank you Lord.

Miss mom...

My mother has been gone for almost two years and I miss her. But as the holidays draw close I miss her even more. She would ALWAYS voluntary to sit up with me as I stuffed the bird and started the holiday process. That would have been a sacrifice for her because she was usually in bed (and asleep) by 7:30 or 8:00pm in the winter time.

I would always say... No that is OK, I will need you more in the morning. And she would go off to bed.

In the morning the house was full of the aroma of roasted turkey and I would hear her shuffling down the stairs. And then she would say... Oh it smells so good down here, you did a good job Lucy. I would offer to make her breakfast, but she would decline and wait for me to begin the carving and arranging of the meat on the platter. She would sit there and pick through the carcass and the skin as I piled the waste to one side. I would say, Mom eat the good stuff, to which she would reply...its all good stuff.

Happy memories, Miss you mom.

Thanksgiving Dinner...

This year I will NOT be cooking the Thanksgiving dinner. Well, I will be assisting but I will not be in charge.

I started thinking back and I took over doing the holiday cooking about the time my father got sick (with cancer) and I cannot think of one holiday that i did not cook the dinner for everyone. If i am correct... that would be nearly 30 years.

I love cooking the dinner for Thanksgiving and Christmas... and New Years, so I have enjoyed every holiday, but the kids have not been able to come up the last few years, so this year we are going there.

Over the years Andrea has been my wing man (well wing women) with regard to cooking the dinner(s), so this Thanksgiving she will be cooking and I will be her wing man... and happy to do it.

Once in a Blue Moon...

I read today that the Blue Moon syndrome happened Sunday November 21; hence once in a Blue Moon... is now.

Occasionally, there will come a year when there are 13 full moons during a year, not the usual 12. The almanac explanation continued:

And with that extra full moon, it also meant that one of the four seasons would contain four full moons instead of the usual three.

"There are seven Blue Moons in a Lunar Cycle of nineteen years," continued the almanac, ending on the comment that, "In olden times the almanac makers had much difficulty calculating the occurrence of the Blue Moon and this uncertainty gave rise to the expression 'Once in a Blue Moon.'"

Return Policy (2)

OK This return was more amazing then the other one. I had a pair of pants from JC Penney's. I have had these pants in my personal possession for the last two years, but they are older than that... they were a pair that My mother bought a few years before she passed away. They were in a Penney's bag and the tags were still on them and... they were a common brand that they still carry.

Well I explained the situation to the clerk and with NO hesitation she said, would you like that credited to your account or would you like a gift card. In my head I heard... what no argument.

I love everyone's new return policy.

Return Policy....

I had a pleasant surprise this week. Two returns that went so smooth that I could not believe it.

First, I recently purchase a pair of shoes at Macy's. They hurt my heels so I packed them up and went off to Macy's. The clerk stopped helping someone else find shoes and said... let me do this return real quick and then I will find your shoes.

And it was just that quick... 30 (maybe 45) seconds and I was on my way. He didn't even want a reason.

Netti Pot...

OK Netti Pot a strange tool, but it does work or so they say. I was told to wash out my sinuses 2 to 3 times a day. That sounds excessive to me, but then again, I do have the sinus infection.

And no fancy mix, doctor told me to use baking soda dissolved in some temped water. It is a strange feeling, I never liked water up my nose, but if it helps, I am on it.

Sinus Infection....

I have been without a Migraine headache since October 4th, count them 47 days. YEAH!!!! I cannot remember when that has happened.

I thought I was getting one last week, I had a blinding pain across my forehead, but it was another re-occurring ailment... sinus infection.

With the dirt air and the change in weather sinus infections are becoming an annual thing for me. Oh boy.