The Lever on 8-oh!

When the 80th birthday rolls around, it feels like there is a silent switch in the system. Things change. The outlook on life, future, and past takes a different tone. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a bad thing. It is a reality that isn't fully structured. Your peers are leaving this good earth, and that is a little hard to ignore. And the ones who are still near and dear sometimes are not able to join you in the same activities they did in their younger years. We are all headed in the same direction, and there is no getting around that, but after 80, it looks a lot closer. Not something you give much thought to till you are there.

When I sat down at my computer with the idea of a blog entry, I wrote "Writer's Block". And the story above is what happened when I let the writer in me take over. I know there are those who do not want to even think about it. If that is you, then you probably are not going to get this far.

There are two things I hope I never lose: JOY and a sense of humor.

Time Flies more than Crawls

 When I get a 2-mile walk in, do some yard work, play an hour's worth of pool, fix meals, buy groceries, think of and prepare meals, something gets left out. And that something tends to be computer-related, such as getting ready for Iowa trivia, reading bits and pieces of the "wonderful" happenings of our torn and battered US of A, handling text messages and emails, etc.

Today, after returning from the 2-mile walk, I got lots done. I have a guy who loves to clean windows. Shocking, I know! Not only does he clean them, he does it for a very reasonable price. We all know the people who get ready for the cleaning lady. Hey, I was one of those! It forces a person to take care of the clutter you know the cleaning person would not know what to do with or where to put it. Same story with the windows, I do the sills and leave the heavy stuff for him. Today I did my sills! So I will give him a call and move onto the next project.

I feel like I am getting more-than-normal but necessary things done this season. I am assuming it has to do with not having any major projects in the works. I am anxious to get to the point where I am looking for something to do. I do not feel like it is very far away. I have set the date for Iowa trivia, Thursday, May 15th @ 6:30 pm. Everyone is welcome.

 I have set the date for the Zimmerle Cousin Reunion on June 14th. Everyone is welcome to that too, but better to let me know you are coming on that one.

Keri and I were talking about spaghetti recipes and I sent her one of mine that has inspired me to make it soon. Here it is:

Recent Photos

 I am enjoying my view as I sit at my computer. I am not as quick as I used to be. I still enjoy the challenge of getting a good shot.

                             Out on a Limb 1

 Out on a Limb 2

                           

                         Grosbeak 1

Get this show on the road...

 Whatever day I choose for a Zimmerle Cousins Reunion is not going to work for someone, so I picked a day...and it is Saturday, June 14th! Yeah! Food will be provided, and at this point, we do not know what it might be.

We will be getting together just like when we were babies and the magnificent 7, Mae, Ray, Phil, Herold, Vivian, Jack, and Fern, gathered at Grandma Z's humble abode for Sunday dinner.  Oh, the stories that could be told!

You will not want to miss it if it is as much fun as last year.

Please let me know if you can attend.

Settled in

 We have been home for over a week and are settled in. There are a few things we need to get done, mostly outdoor things. We have had some nice days, but they seem random to me. It will all get done in good time.

This week's theme is "Doctor Appointments." There were three, and the last one is tomorrow.  They are mostly getting the medical stuff that happened in Texas in the records for Iowa, so everyone is on the same page.

I haven't started Pool Hall Trivia yet, but I plan to do so later this month. Butch and I are playing pool nearly every day at 4:00. Drop in for a visit. We can easily make it a billiards/happy hour combo.

Laura, our daughter-in-law, had knee replacement surgery yesterday, and anyone who has had that knows it is a tough row to hoe for a couple of weeks and no darn fun for longer than that. We hope it is smooth sailing and she can get back to her regular routine as soon as possible.

I want to set a date for the Zimmerle Cousins reunion, and I am leaning towards Saturday, June 7th. That was my sister Myrla's birthday, and close to the same date as last year. If I receive no opposition within the next week, we will make it official!

Iowa Homecoming

 We are tucked into our Summer home with Winter temperatures (low 40s). The trip was smooth except for an uptick in road construction. It seems they were fixing things everywhere we wanted to go!

In getting caught up on my computer, I came across this cartoon, and it was appropriate after our long drive home!

We are very happy with our T-Mobile internet connection. It served us well for our 6 months in Texas, and when I turned it on here, it found a tower immediately and hooked up with a strong connection. We also have a strong connection in the pool hall, all this with not one booster! I could have hooked up along the way if I had wanted to take the time, but I didn't.

It will take us a while to settle in, as it always does in both directions. More so as the years add up.

4 days before takeoff

 We are slowly working toward the big day when we get in the car and head North. Sunday and Monday will be the most active days for getting ready. We do have a head start. This morning I did a heavy cleaning of the bathroom. We currently have designated areas for things that are going in the car. We have done it enough in the past to have a routine of sorts. It doesn't pay to get too serious too soon.  Digging through things after packing only creates more chaos.

We are both doing okay healthwise. We have been tracking our blood pressure and recording it. Both of us are in the healthy range. We have been walking about a mile for the past couple of days. Just that has been helpful in many ways, both mental and physical. I miss Renie and our 2-mile walks, but hope to pick it back up with Keri when we get settled in Iowa.

I had no idea that low magnesium could be so important. After the IV in ER and taking a supplement each evening, many things have straightened out for me, some of which have been a bother for years. I am now only getting up once or twice through the night. Asleep two hours followed by awake two hours isn't happening so far. I am liking this new way of sleeping.

Last night we went with Bill and Sandi to the Eldorado for supper. It had been a while since we had done that, and it was really good! Butch and I shared Chicken Fajita ala Plancha and we brought home enough for supper tonight. Bill had Chicken-fried steak and raved about it. Sandi had Liver and Onions and declared it delicious as well. We always follow up with a stop at the Dairy Queen for mini blizzards, making it an all-around good time!

Miscellaneous Photos

 "Bootsie" is a cat belonging to Paul and Sally Kelleher. Bootsie is a fat cat weighing in at 18 lbs. 

She is a special friend of Butch's.

Butch and I used to go to a place above the Canada Store called "Garcias". It is now under new management, and didn't compare, so we no longer go there. But we have been to Arturo's with Marlene and Bernard years ago, and it was their favorite place to eat when in Progresso. Butch had a hankering for Panchos so we decided to try them at Arturo's. It will be our place to go in the future because their Panchos were the very best!

We have both had trouble lately with a lack of appetite and feeling full after a few bites. As you can see, we managed to eat most of the plate and they were delicious!

More flood pics.

In the midst of it...

Neighbor Sandi took a good video of the storm. I hope it works for you to see it. Her chicken looks more like a duck! Fortunately, we remained high and dry.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-wTeyDRMtjxDcAbkju4AV4kcy5g3aVtW/view?usp=sharing

 The storm