Tag Archives: Writing

Day 122 – Tuesday – Happy New Year

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I’m getting that out of the way up front, because I’m old and won’t be awake when the ball drops. Here in Tucson, they have a Taco Drop. I suspect that’s downtown where we won’t be going.

A lot of fireworks have been going off for the last couple of hours and I assume it will build to an astounding climax at the stroke of midnight. Can’t wait.

Max is really distressed by all the noise which enforces our belief that he was subjected to violence in his past. I offered him a trip outside, and he refused. So, he’s inside till it’s over.

Today was a busy one for me. My one and only task was to fix the bus door so it will open easily. I’ve done this in the past and it seemed to be fairly simple and I actually remembered how to do it. Unfortunately, my experience the first time involved only the bottom strike plate but this time I had to also include the top one. This was new territory for me.

To access the area I needed to adjust required me to remove the front panel and the piece of metal that holds it in place. Seems simple enough, right? It is, and I quickly got to the proper 7/16″ nut I needed to tighten. After doing so, I checked to ensure it still seemed to work like it should.

Then I shut the door. And then it wouldn’t open.

Diane was still inside but she couldn’t open it either.

With the door closed it was extremely difficult for me to access the inside portion of the door. Thankfully, I had the driver’s window open so could Max visit with the neighbors when they come and go. I got the ladder I purchased somewhere in California, after losing it in the Valley of the Rogue RV Park when I went over an exceptionally tall speed bump, and used it to climb in the window.

Getting in was easier than I thought it would be. I attacked the door with the screwdrivers I brought with me but they didn’t help. So I had to crawl back out the window to get different tools. That was the tough part. Getting out. I fit through the window OK but getting onto the ladder was tricky and I almost fell a couple of times. With more tools in hand, I went back in. I wasn’t as easy as the first time. The neighbors were keeping an eye on me in case an ambulance was necessary. I had to get in and out a few times and wound up with new hematomas on my arms and legs, but I didn’t fall.

Finally, I found a guy on Utube who had the same problem, but his door was open. Turns out there’s another 7/16″ nut on the top striker that needed a few turns, too. Getting to it was tricky because the window frame in the door had to be loosed to access it. Once there I was able to release the top latch and get the door opened.

Diane was happy because she could now go to the commissary and get us more food. That was important. Before she got back, I was able to get both nuts tightened and the door worked like brand new. I was very happy and enjoyed reinstalling the 35 screws that were still laying around. I found most of them and got most of empty holes filled and replaced some of them in the window frame with new shiny ones that I got from Harbor Freight last week for some reason. How handy was that?

Diane showed up shortly after my happy dance and I helped her restock the shelves with new food. By this time, I was pretty sore from all the banging around I did crawling in and out of the window and I’m sure I’ll find more bruises tomorrow. But it’s done. And it works.

Now we can go to bed because we watched the ball drop in New York. That makes it officially 2025.

Christmas is over and Diane’s snowmen have been packed away .

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Day 117 – Thursday – DVR & Toenails

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This morning, I apparently, magically, fixed a DVR issue with our Dish. As you may know, we’ve been binge watching NCIS and last night watched season 9 episode 22 from 2012. At that point in the menu NCIS stopped and gave us SWAT. Up to this point all the episodes have been in sequence so it was perfect for lazy people to keep up. We needed episode 24, but it wasn’t showing on until Saturday. At 0700. That meant it needed to be recorded.

Any attempts to set the DVR to perform that duty failed because the DVR was not recognized. We knew that was only partly true because we could till watch shows that have already been recorded, but we couldn’t set new recordings. That meant today my primary objective was to make it work again.

I’d already reset the receiver a couple of times, but the results didn’t change so I got on my phone and started a chat session with Dish. I like doing the chat instead of phone calls because I can understand the written word better than the spoken word. That’s not always true, but statistically I have better results with chatting.

I got someone on the line before I gave it one more try. By the time I was all signed in I discovered that somehow the problem went away last night, and it now works perfectly. I thanked the chat person and ended the session. Then I gave the remote to Diane who promptly called up the desired date/time/show and set it to record. She did this from her seat at the dining table, a full 25 feet from the TV! That’s another win for me because until a few days ago the Dish remote barely worked from 5 feet away. Amazing what new batteries can do in situations like that.

Now that the DVR works again, Diane can add to the library of Hallmark Christmas movies that have been recorded previously. She’s a happy camper and will probably be smiling throughout the day.

Pretty much as soon as Diane got up this morning, around 0900 or so, her feet have been marinating in a solution of hot water and Epson salts. The purpose for this was to make her toenails soft enough for me to shorten then with the new wire cutter she got me. She will disagree, of course, because it came wrapped in a container that clearly marked it as a nail cutter, or trimmer. But, they look almost exactly like a small version of the wire cutters I have in my tool bag. She won’t let me use them, however, even though they are easier to hold and manipulate.

The signal for me to start working my way down to the floor to work on her toes is when the water gets cold. It got cold somewhere around 1030 or so. By then I was poised to work on the toes. First, I had to get back on my feet and dump the water in the toilet. Then I had to reassume my nail cutting position near the sofa. Before I started I remarked that I probably should have pulled the trash can a little closer and she agreed. So, I got back up, got it, then back on the floor. I suspect you’ve realized that doing Diane’s toenails is physically demanding on old bones. That’s OK. We’re saving $50 and she’s getting them trimmed exactly the way she wants them, not the way a paid whittler would do it. I suppose I could ask her to pay me but it’s really not necessary because she slips me a few dollars every once in a while, just for fun. That works. I hardly ever use real money, but it’s nice to have a cushion in my wallet in case I fall down. Again. I don’t know why I consider that a proper cushion because I never fall backwards. It’s always forward. I’d be better off wrapping my hands and arms in large pool noodles. On my knees would be good, too. Sadly, that’s the kind of things I consider as I’m falling. It’s been a while, so maybe I’ve advanced beyond that stage of my life.

I finished Diane’s toes successfully without even once making her bleed or yelp in pain. Except the one time I ventured too close to an ingrown nail. Other than that one foo-pah, I did good. She said so. I would have taken a photo but she’s very serious about keeping her toes anonymous. Even so, I’ve secretly named each one of them.

The only other things that happened today was a trip to the commissary for Diane, and a trip to Harbor Freight for me. I needed long screws for a repair project I can’t discuss and waited for Diane to return before venturing out on my own. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do that but the commissary was fresh out of long screws. So, Diane drove me to HF. Max was delighted because he loves car rides. If we let him out of the bus and gave him the choice of running willy nilly all over the park, or going for a ride in the car, he takes the car every time.

By the time we returned home it was time to cook dinner, so my screw project was deferred to another day. It might have to wait until next year. I’ll explain once I’m done and have achieved success.

I broke out the handy-dandy George Forman cooker and paninied 4 hamburger patties. Two of them were for Pat and Laurie next door. They were very thankful that we included them in our meal planning. Diane brought home a platter of good-looking patties from the commissary, and we wanted to try them. They seemed to cook up OK, but Diane and I found them lacking in smash burger flavor, so we won’t get them again. Pat and Laurie thought they were really good which made me happy even though I’m sure they were just being nice. Still, we’ll take the win.

After supper Max got a long walk then we watched a Hallmark Christmas movie and called it a day. It was getting very cold outside, so we closed all the windows before retiring. Normally we leave at least one window open a little so the bus can breathe.

A gift from Pat, our neighbor, her task while recovering from COVID. It’s very pretty.

Now, I’ll stop.

Day 106 – Sunday – SaddleBrooke

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The trip to SaddleBrooke was about the same as us driving from St. Helens to Portland. About an hour long. But getting to the destination involved having a minor altercation with either a sheriff, or state trooper. Here’s what happened.

SaddleBrooke has about 3-4 exits off Oracle Rd. That’s a long road. According to Wikipedia, it’s over 293 miles long. Today it was used for an Arizona version of Oregon’s Hood to Coast. They used the northbound side of the road (our side) to accommodate hundreds of runners of all shapes and sizes that just happened to be the most dense in front of all the exits we needed to use. We only needed one, but they covered all of them. I tried to find out what the race was about but the internet was not forthcoming with info, so I have no idea. I do know that by running on our side of the road made it difficult to make a right turn which was necessary to get to SaddleBrooke. Two cars ahead of us were allowed to make a right turn but when we tried, the policeman made a scene by yelling into my ear, so we drove ahead. I’m pretty sure he saw our Oregon plates and didn’t deem us worthy of a right turn.

A little further up the road, away from the major intersections, we turned right, driving willy nilly through the cones (didn’t hit even one of them), and we found our way to the church almost on time. I think we were about 2 minutes late.

The church is non-denominational, but it was amazingly like all the Lutheran services I attended over the years. Very familiar. It was very interesting and there must have been a couple hundred people there. Impressive.

After the service, we rode with Patty and Gene to one of the eating establishments for breakfast. The food was awesome, and we had a great time visiting. Before going to their home for more visiting, Gene drove us all over SaddleBrooke and The Reserve to see incredible views of the Catalina Mountains. It’s my understanding that there is a SaddleBrooke one, two and three and each of them have resort quality facilities for entertainment and eating. Very magnificent.

Then we went to their home where we sat and visited for a long time. It was a lot of fun. Eventually we had to leave and go rescue Max from his isolation in the RV. He wasn’t alone the whole time because our neighbors planned to take him for a walk while we were out. He was ready to get out of the bus when we got there, though, because neither Diane nor I turned the heater off. Thankfully, it wasn’t a particularly hot day, but the heater kept it toasty for Max. I immediately took him for a walk around the park which pleased him.

Now we’re all relaxed and ready to call it a day, but it’s only 1830 so I’ve got to mess around for another couple of hours. Guess I’ll watch the Seahawks/Packers game for a while.

Here are some more photos from today that might please you.

Dr. Patty and Diane, two former Warren Girls.

Gene stopped so I could get a shot of the two large Cacti that are actually Verizon antennas.

This is part of the Catalina Mountain range that resembles Abe Lincoln. He’s lying on his back, head to the left and it looks like he’s got a huge growth on his chest.

Gene didn’t comment on the growth part, and I didn’t notice it when I took the photo. Looking at it now, though, it’s pretty evident, don’t you think?

Here’s a view of a street in SaddleBrooke.

Gene’s and Patty’s license plate.

Very patriotic.

It was a good day.

Day 105 -Saturday – Football, Maybe

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Saturdays are usually my day to watch NCAA football, but Oregon had time off after winning the Big 10 conference championship game. We won’t see them again until the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Until then I just kinda watch whoever shows up on the TV.

I actually started watching the Army vs. Navy game and saw Navy score first, but let it go when a movie came on that Diane had set to record. Since our Dish receiver only has one tuner we can’t record a show and watch a different channel. Diane was out at the time, replenishing our food and I know she would not have minded if I have cancelled the recording. It didn’t seem right, though, so I just let the system change channels. I heard later that Navy went on to win that game 31-13. How about that? The only other scores that sometimes interest me is when Notre Dame gets beat.

After Diane returned, we went off base and got the car washed because we’re going to church tomorrow in Saddle Brooke. This trip is so we can visit with pattyaz and her husband geneaz. With the use of very few brain cells I think most of you can interpret those names to be Patty and Gene. Patty is Diane’s legitimate cousin and, therefore, my cousin by marriage. Patty and I were also classmates all through high school in Scappoose. Unlike me, Patty paid attention in all her classes.

Because of our lack of activity this day, I don’t have any new photos, except for this stellar sunset. I’ll leave you with that.

Kinda nice, huh?

Day 73 – Tuesday – Tombstone, Arizona

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This morning, I woke up the first time at 0400, the second time at 0530, and the third time at 0645 or so. While lying there wondering if I could make myself get up before 0900, when breakfast was over, Diane told me I should get up and eat breakfast before it’s over at 0900. That was code for “get up and go eat breakfast.” It’s good to know the code.

So, I got up and took Max for a walk, stopped by the breakfast area and got Diane a cup of coffee, THEN I went to breakfast. I knew she was thinking that and inadvertently omitted those two critical instructions. There are times when I add things to the code and make mistakes but this time I was spot on.

I went back to the breakfast area and had a bowl of oatmeal and two, two pieces of overtoasted toast, the way I like it, and I was good to go for the rest of the day.

When I was done, Diane went down to get some yogurt and then we saddled up for a trip to Tombstone. It’s only a 25-minute drive but it takes you back 100 years in time. When we got there Diane found a shaded parking spot on 4th Street, across the street from Puny John’s BBQ and just down the street from the Visitor’s center.

Tombstone is not a dog friendly town, so we didn’t get to see much together. Max was relegated to tugging on a short leash and hanging with one of us while the other visited a store. I peeked into the OK Shootout ticket venue and thought Diane should go there. She did. Max and I spent some time on a main street bench to wait.

When Diane returned, she took control of Max and released me to go visit the Visitor’s Center. In the VC I talked with Kathy, the lady behind the counter, and learned that she used to live in Hermiston, OR, and Portland, OR and knows where Scappoose and St. Helens are. Small world stuffs. Also, her daughter lives in Forest Grove, OR and might be Les and Sophie’s neighbor. I didn’t get an address to confirm, so we’ll never know for sure.

We sat on that bench for a while and watched the participants in the 1100 OK Corral shootout gather in front of the store Diane visited. Sadly, more than one of them lit up cigarettes and the wind blew it right at us. We were block away and it was still nasty. Smoke is a deal killer for us, so we decided to call an end to this a visit and headed back to Sierra Vista.

There’s a statue in Tombstone that we encountered, and Max stopped, stared at it a bit, then started barking at it. Something new for him. He stopped quickly when I asked him to, then I took him to it and introduced him. After that he was fine.

We came away with some photos, and memories of the old buildings and Kathy in the Visitor’s Center. Max just got in his throne and went to sleep.

Upon arrival in Sierra Vista, we went to 143 Street Tacos for lunch. Diane surprised me by ordering a chicken burrito. When she got it, she understood my surprise because the burrito must have weighed in at around 3-4 lbs. It was enormous. She ate 1/3 of it which made me happy. I’m sure I will have to eat the rest of it one of these days. I had a beef burrito and ate almost all of it.

Before going back to the hotel Diane dropped by Best Buy and I got her a new iPad for her birthday. Her old one stayed in Tucson this trip and it was damaged from an incident with my knee, so now she has something new to play with for the next couple of days.

After eating those burritos, we were a little conflicted about dinner. Like, were we really hungry after all that?

We finally agreed that Diane should go to Safeway and pick up something that looked pleasing to her and to just surprise me because I’ll eat pretty much anything. Anytime.

When Diane was on the way home, she called me saying, “I’ll be there in 6 minutes. Bring a cart.” What this told me is that she went shopping hungry. That’s why we needed the cart.

Here’s what she brought back:
1. A Swanson dead chicken dinner for me.
2. A piece of dead fish and mac and cheese for her.
3. A tray of vegetables for me.
4. A container of green grapes.
5. A can of mixed nuts.
6. A loaf of bread.
7. A jar of chunky peanut butter.
8. A jar of strawberry jam.
9. A container of cinnamon cake.
10. A gallon of distilled water.
11. A 12-pack of bottled water.
12. A half pound of Butter.
13. A box of popcorn.
14. A box of Rice Krispy treats.

That’s why she needed the cart to get it up to the third floor.

The dead chicken dinner was good, and Diane liked her dead fish. I nibbled on the veggies while mine cooked in the micro. Max gave me a little help with the chicken and also with the veggies. He was bugging me about the chicken, but he had chicken in his bowl that’s been there most of the day. He could have eaten it any time. Instead, he conned me into feeding him bits of chicken. When that was all gone, he continued to give me his prairie dog look, so I started feeding him vegetables. He like carrots, and broccoli. I didn’t give him a tomato, but he probably would have eaten it, too.

I finally got him to leave me alone by moving his food bowl from the bathroom to the living area and insisted that he eat it. He did, in about 3 minutes. I figured he’d be looking for dessert after all that, but he settled down and is currently sleeping. He’s such a funny little guy.

I think that’s about it for tonight.

Day 63 – Saturday – Couch Potato vs. Thrift Stores

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You all have one guess as to who did what. Tic tock tic tock tic tock.

OK, time’s up. You’re all wrong. Diane was the couch potato today. I went thrift storing.

Diane stayed home and watched all the football games I was interested in while I went shopping and made an honest attempt to purchase things I know she would like. For instance, in one store I spent a couple of hours sitting on a couch going through a large box of Christmas cards, picking out the really cute ones I knew she’d like. I also found a couple of really nice shirts for her, and a really handy little cooler. I didn’t get anything for myself.

Diane’s main goal was to watch the Oregon vs. Michigan game so she could fill me in on what happened. Unfortunately, she fell asleep before half time so missed a pretty good game. Thankfully, it was set to record so I was able to watch it after I got home.

She didn’t even wake up when I returned and that was OK. She’s having difficulty sleeping about every other night. Usually, it’s because Max sleeps crossways on the bed. That never bothers me because I generally don’t sleep well anyway. That’s why I crave naps in the daylight hours but rarely get one.

After a brief respite upon returning home, I cooked dinner. Diane suggested hamburgers, our go to meal when in doubt. They were pretty good. We even had good fries using our handy dandy little air fryer.

After dinner I took Max for his evening walk, and he got to visit with Ally for a bit. They’re great friends.

Ally belongs to Dawn, the legs on the left below. The legs on the right belong to Linda.

We whiled away the evening watching fun things on TV. Then, all the sudden, it was bedtime again.

Day 62 – Friday – Retraced Our Steps a Little

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After breakfast Diane drove us back to the Last Outpost in Old Tucson to swap the shirt I mentioned yesterday. While she bartered with the store manager, Max and I wandered around the parking lot. The last time we were here I found a crisp $5 bill just lying there on the ground. That’s almost as good as finding a heads-up penny. We didn’t find any more during our walk. We were about halfway across the parking lot when Diane came out of the store. Since we were the only ones in the parking lot, I turned Max loose and told him to go get Mom.

He took off like the wind and got to her just in time for Diane to open the car door. He didn’t hesitate about jumping in. There was no way he was going to be left behind. That, and he loves to ride in the car.

Next, we drove to Mission San Xavier to get a refrigerator magnet, something we forgot to do during our last visit. I walked around the mountain adjacent to the mission while Diane bought me a tiny saguaro cactus. We hope it grows from its tiny state to a magnificent remembrance of this area.

Max and I climbed the hill adjacent to the Mission proper. It’s not very tall but gives one a nice view of the valley in all directions. This was the best view. The mission is like a massive jewel in the wilderness.

Looking the other way, you can see the “mountain” Max and I climbed.

Diane needs to print the AAA Trip Tiks she’s working on for our return trip to civilization, so we decided to get a small printer so she can study the routes. The first likely place to get one was the Base Exchange (BX). So, that’s where we went first. They had slim pickings and didn’t have the one I thought would be best. So, we drove to Costco and found just the right one.

I’m so happy Diane likes doing that because I’m much better at traveling as a silent observer instead of all that front end stuff necessary to make the trip pleasant. She’s a stellar planner and makes the trip easy on me since I’m the bus driver. We no longer feel the need to get from Point A to Point B the quickest way possible. Now we go from Point A to Point Z and visit all the places in between. It’s much more relaxing.

After Costco, we drove home in time for supper. Max didn’t care that he’d been home alone after lunch. He spied on our neighbors and ran to them and was rewarded with treats. Those are way better than supper. Our neighbors are Patricia and Laurie, Mother and Daughter. They dressed up for Halloween.

Awesome neighbors and they love Max, too.

We watched a little Dish TV then streamed “White Collar” on Netflix, but it wasn’t buffering well. Lots of pauses at night so we discussed, again, getting our own hotspot. I know I can get one from Verizon, but I’d like to do it through AT&T since we already have service with them. Should get a break because of that. Perhaps you remember I tried doing that in California, but it didn’t work out. I’m going to try again. I’m sure you will be holding your breath waiting for the results so I’ll report back as quickly as I can.

Now, my pillow is calling to me.

Day 60 – Thrift Storing

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It was chilly this morning. Like 48 degrees! That is legitimately chilly. Actually, it was cold. So, I got to wear long socks, long pants, and two hoodies when I took Max for his morning walk. That was at 0730. Couldn’t quite see my breath so I was bummed.

Ok, it was 48.7 degrees. Picky, picky.

Walking briskly warmed us up a little, but it was still cold.

I did my normal morning routine to get my breakfast which is mainly to be quiet like a mouse, but that never works out. Something always makes a racket which Diane can easily hear. Thankfully, she doesn’t complain about it. Honestly, I think she’s OK that I make a little noise because by doing so she is reassured that I’m alive and moving. Even then I think in the back of her mind she’s prepared to hear the heavy thud I’ll make when I land on the floor for any reason. So far, that hasn’t happened. I practice that move when Max and I are home alone. Yes, I practice falling in the RV as quietly as possible. That’s kind of lame, I know, but what the heck. Gives me something to do. What will most likely happen is I’ll fall off the stairs leaving the rig and I’ll land on the gravel. I doubt if she would hear that so now I need to train Max to start barking when I fall to get attention. I tried to teach him to run back in the RV to the bedroom to bark, but he wanted to stay with me. Teaching him to bark is a challenge because when he does it voluntarily, he gets scolded a little. So, the best bet is for me to just lay where I land and wait for someone to show up.

You know, I’ve fallen a few times walking Max and I’ve never been concerned about getting back up but after writing it out like that, it’s suddenly something that kind of bothers me. Like, how long would I have to lay there until someone shows up and rolls me over to get my face out of the rocks.

OK. Enough of that.

The 1st thrift store Diane found was really nice. Max got to in and look around too. He loves to shop, and he gets lots of attention.

While Diane was visiting the 2nd store Max, and I stayed in the car and did some research about lunch. The one I found, Frank’s, was right up our alley. Here’s his reader board out front:

Here’re the t-shirts worn by the waiters and cooks:

I totally understand the T-shirt because it’s a pretty small place so they don’t want folks hanging around too long after they’re done eating.

Here’s what we ate. Diane had taquitos and I had a chicken fried steak:

After lunch we travelled to the 3rd stop on Diane’s list, but it wasn’t there. We took that as a hint that we’d apparently hit our thrift store limit for the day. So, we went back home. On the way, we stopped for this photo op that we’d seen on the way to lunch.

Kind of difficult to fathom that one, isn’t it? Makes one wonder a little about the history of Jerrie Blvd, right?

As soon as we got home, I immediately took Max for a well-earned walk. On the way back we saw a new neighbor pull in.

That’s the biggest Class C rig I’ve ever seen. It’s a Newmar from Alaska. He was parking the trailer that he apparently carries his car on. I’ll be curious to see what it is.

Now I’m going to rest before watching game 5 of the World Series.

Day 58 – Monday – Max Gets a Bath

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In our shower is a large skylight and on the inside of the bathroom door there is a large mirror. Normally we keep the bathroom door open at night to ensure one of doesn’t wander into the living area in the middle of the night to urinate. That’s never happened, but there’s always that chance.

During the night, having the door open isn’t a problem but when the sun comes up it gets pretty bright in the bathroom. The light is magnified by the mirror on the bathroom door and shines right into my bride’s eyes.

The logical thing to do is shut it in the morning, right? Well, doing that doesn’t work because I’m always the first one up and doing what I have to do in the morning results in kitchen noises that are annoying.

So, it’s either leave the door shut and not make a sound or leave it open and let the mirror shine in Diane’s eyes. I’m toast either way, so I opt to leave it open because there’s absolutely no way I can get the coffee going or make my breakfast without making noise.

So, to remedy the problem I figured I can cover the skylight with a precision-cut piece of foam that can be removed when we want light to shine in. Looked good in my head, and Diane agreed, so we toddled Walmart so see about that foam.

But first, I broke out the vacuum cleaner hair device and used the roto zip attachment to grind down Max’s toenails. He didn’t mind at all which surprised us.

Before you knew what was happening, it was done.

Walmart didn’t have any foam.

So, we stopped at Arby’s because it was time for lunch, and we were hungry. Since we had Max with us, we chose to eat in the car, in a shady parking lot. I suppose we could have taken Max in but eating in the car seemed to be the more prudent choice. Max always gets treats from strangers when he tags along so we weren’t worried about him being hungry.

After lunch, we wandered over to Lowe’s and they had the foam I was looking for. We got it and headed back home.

Diane dropped me and Max at our front door then took another trip to the commissary to make sure we wouldn’t go hungry during the week. She always likes to stay a little ahead of the game when it comes to food because you never know when famine will strike.

Now all that’s left on the list is to give Max his bath. He’s about 1.5 weeks late on that event.

I have to report that my little arms and back are beat up and sore after the contortions I put them through installing that new faucet the other day. I have a couple of new hematomas and a variety of nicks and dings in addition to muscle fatigue. But, I can still kneel down and get back up. It hurts a bit, but I can do it.

The day ran out while watching the Dodgers win the 3rd game against the Yankees. One more to go. Because of that, Max didn’t get his bath tonight as planned. I did, however, get rid of his eye boogers. He seemed to be happy about that.

Now I must take my shower and retire for the evening.

Twenty-Third Day – Monday

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Today there is a definite change in the weather with fog all over the place. It was pretty dense until noon when it warmed up and lifted so we could actually see all the way across the harbor. I should have taken a photo, I know, but I forgot to stuff my phone in my pocket before taking Max out on a marathon walk down the beach. It wasn’t really on the beach but it’s a path through the sand next to the water so that counts. We walked 1.67 miles. I know that’s true because I counted my steps. There were 4200 of them and I measured my step at about 2 feet. Close enough. Max took many more steps than I did mainly because he doesn’t walk in a straight line. He’s very much a zig-zag walker.

As I sit here, the breeze is blowing gently, and Diane spied the USS Michael Monsoor (DD-1001) returning to port. She missed it last week when it went out and was bummed.

She enjoys watching the ships come and go without having to be concerned that I’m on one of them. It does, however, conjure up many memories of days gone by.

Diane is the only one who worked today. She did the laundry. I helped a little, but I’m not allowed to do laundry unsupervised because of previous infractions involving one of Diane’s favorite sweaters. It was pretty bad. I had no idea an entire sweater would fit in the lint trap of a dryer. Lesson learned.

She also vacuumed up a mess of Max hair that he isn’t shy about sharing. I think we should save it and make him a pillow, or four. From the amount of hair, he loses one has to wonder how he isn’t bald.

The day ended with me watching the Monday Night Football game between Cincinatti and Washington and Diane watching The Voice. Now I know why we have 2 TV’s. I heard her laughing in the bedroom so The Voice must have been pretty good. I probably should have watched that, but I couldn’t change the channel. Diane took my remote with her.

Actually, that’s a blatant lie. I had the remote. I just don’t know how to use it. Diane always changes the channels. I just call out the numbers.

Time to quit.