They would kill for warmth…

It’s the reality of our lives (or at least mine) that not everything is earthshaking.

That will have to wait for next week.

——————

October 23, 2013

Ellen/Reid: It’s getting colder now. The forecast guys are cautioning us fair weather Southerners to bundle up – temps with highs only in the 50s. You guys would kill for warmth like that. The tomato plant overstayed its usefulness and was tossed over the hedge on Saturday and a seasonal planting of lettuce was planted in its place. The basil is holding out to the first frost, and the oregano is still going strong.

iPhones aren’t so hot in the low light of evenings, but Emma still gets her point across about “Where are the doggies?”

Some pretty little pansies are now in the front porch flower boxes and if recent history is any indication, they’ll make it through the colder months in pretty good shape.

Bob Hall is scheduled to pick me up on Friday morning for the trip to the airport. He’s a good guy and always has a steady head on his shoulders. He’s one person you can have a civil talk with politics with without him going off on you. Betsy has decorated the 7” bear out front of her house like a mummy, and without fail virtually every parent will take their kid’s photos in front of it. Betsy’s good like that. Every season she dresses the bear in some other seasonal/holiday garb. Sort of a neighborhood tradition. She did kind of chide me for being a curmudgeon by turning off the lights on Halloween, not that any kids make a habit of coming all the way back to my place. I’d just eat all the candy anyway. One piece for them, two for me. Same as when you were little.

I don’t plan to watch much of the World Series. I want to turn on the tube but it comes on a little too late for me. No way in hell I can stay up for the later innings. That’s why they make newspapers so a person can read all about it the next morning. Your grandpa was a St. Louis Cardinals fan so I guess that’s who I’m rooting for although I don’t mind the Red Sox.

The hard drive in my MacBook Air went kaput and they installed a new one at no charge. But talking to the young techies is always a challenge. They can’t help but talk way over your head, and in my case that doesn’t take much. The downer about the whole thing is that I lost hundreds of Emma and trash pictures. That’s the irritating part. Now I have to double down on taking more pictures. In their defense they asked where I backed things up and I could just shake my head “no.” That ones on me. I should be more careful.

I’m having the retirement talk with John this week. I am highly dependent on his crystal ball since my financial guesses are just that, guesses. So we’ll see how things go. My guess is he’ll say I’m in okay shape – could always be better – and that I should stave off on Social security for a few more years so it has time to pile up. For damn sure I will never stay on the job until 66. Can’t imagine it.

My left wrist is pretty goofed up. I did something to it a couple of weeks ago when the bike almost tipped and it took everything I had to keep it upright. Would have been the first time the Heritage went on its side. I figure the wrist will take its time to heal. The doctor isn’t much of an option for me. One of those ‘take two aspirin and see me in the morning’ kind of visits. Of course, persisting in playing golf doesn’t help it much.

I’m listening to The Bryds Turn Turn Turn on YouTube right now as I’m writing this. Man, that sure is a trip in the way back machine. I remember that in high school, trying to dial it up on KOIL-AM an old AM radio station in Omaha (FM wasn’t on the automotive scene much back then). Mom and dad didn’t have much use for music, and we didn’t have much money for records, so your uncle and I took pot luck in trying to listen to hit tunes. Kind of the same way now for me.