September 30, 2015. Harper, Texas. The Eclipse.

Everything was perfect.  The stars were out as was the moon.   Ken and I were watching from the second floor porch of the Top House, so it was a fine place to watch the magic unfold.  We already could see the pink/orange moon.  The chairs were perfectly set to sit and watch the action.  But then the clouds began drifting across the moon so during the time period of the actual eclipse, we were blocked from seeing the moon disappear and then return.  We were able to see it come and go so we were pleased.

I lost faith so came in to bed but Ken stayed much longer so was able to see more of the spectacle, especially the color and around the rim of the moon.  This all happened on September 27.  Our cleaning man, Jason had borrowed a big lens for his camera so he and friends went to an open field to take pictures.  All was well with the camera settings in order, when bit by bit the clouds kept drifting by so they experienced the same thing as us.  He finally called his wife to say that the pictures were a bust and he was coming home.  But at least he tried.  He will be around for the next blood moon with an eclipse, which will be in 2038.  Hope the sky is clear that night.

September 29, 2015. Harper, Texas. Gloria.

Gloria is so clever at making homes look better.    Our Franklin Street House was a wonderful house.  Gloria set the furniture in place and hung the pictures and it was a perfect place to live and to entertain.  But when we got ready to sell the house, Gloria came over and spent the day making the house right for prospective purchasers.  The house sold the next weekend even though the arrangement of the furniture was impossible  But it looked pretty so the house sold.  It also helped with our separation from the house.   Gloria has a part of her brain that works well but in my brain does not exist.   Perhaps it had something to do with my Salvation Army upbringing.  I have known Gloria for over 40 years and have admired her talent all those years.  And I have been the beneficiary of her efforts in my various homes.  She fixes our homes so they look good but not fancy.

Right now, she and Gary are at our new home in Mississippi.  I would love to be a fly on the wall as she organizes our stuff.  Her task is to acquire furniture for the living room, plus a sofa bed for Ken's office.  She will also fill in pieces we were lacking.  The guest room, "Wendy's Room",  is short a bed side table and comfortable chairs.   Her judgement is good and her taste is better than mine so I am comfortable giving her carte blanche.  I feel sure she will set pictures around on the shelves, along with our collection of crystal and small boxes.  Ken and I will have a major surprise when we arrive on October 19.   I can't wait to see the finished product.  Ken and I appreciate her coming to lend her expertise and her time.  And I hope she is enjoying our new house too.  Hats off to Gloria and Gary.

September 28, 2015. Harper, Texas. Christmas in September.

David drives in like Santa Clause, bringing bags of goodies.    It feels just like Christmas morning opening all the bags to see what is inside.  He brought milk and salad goods, chicken and grapes, oranges too.  And lots of other things useful and nourishing.   I never wanted to be a burden to my children but here we are, with David driving from San Antonio,  bringing us groceries and visiting with  us for part of the weekend and spending time to sit around and chat.  He is a busy man and his weekends are precious but he came and smoked chickens and sausage for dinner and cooked breakfast for us, all to be sure that we are doing all right.  You must admit, he is a fine fellow  and a wonderful son.  We love him dearly and we did enjoy his visit.   Christmas in September was great fun.

September 27, 2015. Harper, Texas. Steve.

Soon,  Steve will arrive at the Top House carrying a platter of brisket for our dinner.  Yesterday he phoned to ask if we would be at home, as he was intending to smoke meat today and he wanted to being us dinner.  He will arrive in his old truck, wearing old jeans and a T shirt and carrying a can of beer.   In all the years we have known him I have never seen him without his can of beer.   It is part of his official uniform.   Every time we see him he looks to have acquired more gray hair.   He is always polite and gracious and very country.  He calls me either Maam or Mrs. Dickie,  never Ruth.

Steve looks after our cattle.  He lives along 385 which is not far away.  He takes the calves to auction when asked and checks on the cattle when we are not here.   He selected our new bull.  And he is a jack of all trade.  He likes to be busy and he is a hard worker.  When we first met him, he was working for the Texas Department of Transportation but he wanted to quit.  But the Muckleroys and us convinced him to stay working with them, because of their pension.  He listened to us and stayed working but he prefers to be on his own.  "They do not work hard enough", says Steve.  When you drive into his property you find multiple pieces of equipment in the midst of being repaired.  He will also be working on his house.  There are always another project.

We will enjoy his brisket tonight  but most of all we enjoy having Steve live just down the road and looking  after the cattle.  He is a one in a million.

September 26, 2015. Harper, Texas. Moose.

Moose is a good dog,  especially at the ranch.  He loves to run alongside the Gator when David drives around the pastures.   He trembles with excitement when David gets into his Gator and watches for David to point the direction.    When the run is over and the Gator is turned off, Moose lies down and never budges.  He is a happy dog and a tired dog, therefore a good dog.

Moose is a Weimereiner.   He was named after Moose Harbor in Nova Scotia.  David and Suzanne and the girls were visiting and while there, decided to get another dog, so they selected Moose for his name.  Moose Harbor is a natural deep water harbor just along Shore Road from our house.  They got him as a puppy, shortly after returning home.  He has turned out to be a wonderful dog.  As a pup, he would put his head on your leg to be petted and keep his head there until you stopped.  He was endearing and I was attached to him even though I did not see him very often.

David took him dove hunting last week.  Moose retrieved the doves well, until he decided that enough was enough and he went and lay down under the truck.  David called for Moose to get to work but nothing happened.  David laughed and retrieved his own doves.  Moose is smart too and loves to please.  Mostly he is obedient and responds to voice commands except of course when he has had enough work for the moment.  Moose is a pleasure to have at the ranch and I am always pleased to see him arrive with David.

September 25, 2015. Harper, Texas. Our Life.

Ken and I live an odd life.   But it is a pleasant one.   This afternoon, we both went out to get some exercise.  In the past, we might play tennis or walk a few miles or work out at the gym, but not now.  Ken drove the Gator to the ranch house and walked around the circle and checked on the water tank.  He also turned on the windmill which is not an easy task these days.    Then he drove the Gator up the hill to have dinner.

I went outside to walk.  I walk beside the fence in the Top House.  Walking on the road in the walker is difficult due to the stones,  so I stay close to the railing and walk around and around the yard for 15 minutes.   If I lose my balance I just grab the railing.  So far I have not been required to use it which makes me think I might walk on the road without the walker.  Perhaps tomorrow I can ask David to walk with me.  No point in Ken and I walking together.  If I grab for Ken to catch my balance we would both go down in a heap on the ground which would not be good.  So we are cautious.

The rest of the day we worked in the house, Ken on the new computer and me reading.  All day we stayed at home, seeing no one else than each other.  And we talked.  Our life is certainly different from anything we have ever experienced in the past, but it suits us just fine right now!!

September 24, 2015. Harper, Texas. Our Clever Cows.

Ken went to use the Gator this morning.  His intention was to drive the pastures and end up at the ranch house where he would get some exercise puttering around the water trough.   But there was no key in the ignition which puzzled him, as the key never leaves the machine.  And the seat had been ripped.  We live on the top of the hill and no one just wanders by to cause any damage so he had to concede that the cattle had ripped the seat and removed the key.

First Ken searched the bowl in the house, thinking that perhaps he had taken the key into the house.  No such luck.  I felt sure that the cows would have swallowed the key but Ken started looking around the Gator and sure enough, found it.   It had been chewed, but spit out. And it still worked.

He used duct tape to repair the rip in the seat so now all is well with the Gator.  Ken had left the Gator outside the fence at the Top House.  When we arrived home after dining at the Muckleroy's home, I asked Ken if he wanted to bring the Gator into the yard, but he thought he was too tired, which turned out to be a mistake.   Those cows were clever to remove the key from the ignition.   It must not have been easy, which was why the horns ripped the seat.  It was a good lesson to us.

September 23, 2015. Harper, Texas. The Wine Bar.

On the side of the building was written wine, cigars, bread, olives, cheese.  Ken commented that three out of five should suit him so when we noted the open sign, we went in for lunch.  We were the only patrons.  It turns out that we had stumbled into a wine tasting place.  We sat at a long narrow table and chatted with the two working ladies.  And we inspected their menu.  The place is charming.  Ken had read about the place long ago but as we seldom come to Fredericksburg after dark we had never gone to taste their wine.  They had been in business with the same owner for almost 20 years.  They have a room with a door with leather chairs for drinking and smoking cigars and there was another bigger room with comfortable leather chairs to taste wine and eat snacks.

We chose to dine in the main room at the long narrow table.  We ordered pate, olives, two types of cheese, fruit,  prosuito and bread.   The food was delightful and delicious,  and we have a box to snack on tomorrow.  Our lunch was the highlight of the day.  Ken and I differ on the name but I think it was called Evelyn's.  It was fun and festive and turned an ordinary doctor visit day into an event.  Our life is such that you just never know what is just around the corner.  One thing we know for sure and that is the little wine place is located on San Antonio Road.  Who could forget that.

September 22, 2015. Harper, Texas. The Birds.

Ken thinks they were cattle egrets,  sitting on the side of the big tank.  This is the first time he has seen these white birds on the ranch.  I was not with him  but he described the birds to me and looked them up in the Sibley, and he is almost sure that was what they were.  Once again, we wish we had a birder by our side.  He slowly walked over to take a picture but they flew off over to the cattle trough and proceeded to sit on the side and drink, which made for a pretty scene, but too far away for a picture.

The other bird he spotted the same day was a Vermillion Flycatcher, which must be one of the brightest birds in the world.  From time to time, a flock of them comes to the ranch and stays for a week or so, then they fly off to points north.  They are so bright.  I love it when they visit.  We have never seen them at the Top House, just by the fire pit.  It is a great spot to sit and listen and look.  Sometimes, you even see a bird.

The Painted Bunting is the prettiest bird in Texas but I have seen it only in pictures.  Once we think we saw one when we were in the valley but it was a brief look and no one else more informed was with us.  But I keep looking.    Every so often, an unusual bird will fly by.   Those white birds fit the description here at the ranch.

September 21, 2015. Harper, Texas. Baseball & Football

Watching College football is always such a lark.  You never know what will happen next.  Ian commented this summer that the football games he enjoys the most are the college games so I started to pay closer attention to the games to figure out what is so appealing to him.  Saturday evening I watched four college football games, switching from one channel to another at every commercial.  I had a blast.  Fortunately I was by myself.  Ken had gone upstairs to the computer after dinner so I had the clicker to myself.  I enjoyed all games but the oddest things happen.  The poor kicker for Texas.  He missed the point after to tie the game so they lost.  But Stanford won, beating USC.  And all the other Texas teams won.  Mississippi beat Alabama.  Joy reigns.

There are about two weeks before the playoffs in baseball so every game is important to those teams trying to be the wild card.  I enjoy watching baseball.  The players are skillful in many different ways that it is a pleasure to see them play.  But I especially enjoy the games during the playoffs and to the lead up to the playoffs.  Tonight there was great tension in the game between the Yankees and the Blue Jays, because the Jays are 3.5 games ahead of the Yankees in their division  so the game was important.  Fortunately, the Toronto team won.  And the Nationals are in the race too.  I never watch baseball games during the regular season, except when Don was watching the Blue Jays in Nova Scotia.  But during the playoffs, I watch every game and drive Ken nuts.  He played little softball while I played all through junior high,  high school and Teacher's College.  And when I taught physical education in Toronto, I always coached the softball team, so I know the ins and outs of baseball and the skills that are required.  I will be in hog heaven for the next month watching both baseball and football.

September 20. 2015. Harper, Texas. The New Phone.

After Ken thought he lost his phone, he ordered a new one on the internet.  We knew he would buy an iPhone because it is easy to sinc all the other Apple things together.  His old phone did not have that capability because it was not an Apple product.  We had seen Walts new phone which was the bigger size phone called the 6 so Ken ordered one.  It was waiting at the post office in Harper the day after we arrived.  Ken spend time setting it up especially as the phone came with no instructions.  Ken was successful.   He could make out going phone calls.  And I was happy too.

He switched his service to AT&T because the Verizon service at the ranch is terrible.  Some times I can make a call and some times I can not and the signal is so weak my phone never rings.  The caller goes directly to voice mail which I am not able to pick up.  The AT&T service is much better here so he switched.  He was assured on line that the change over would be handled by them.  But after several days when his phone never rang I knew something was the matter so I finally called AT&T.  After an hour on the phone, the problem was fixed.  The technical folks at AT&T were polite and helpful but holding onto the phone is not easy.  The Verizon folks had not released his old phone so any call to him was going to his old phone.   Christina warned us that we would need a few phone calls to get everything straight and she was right.  Dealing with technical issues is time consuming.

Now all is in order.  Anyone calling Ken will actually be able to reach him on the phone and I use his phone to use outgoing calls.  Now he thinks we should switch my system to AT&T too.  I suspect he prefers to use my own device!!

September 19, 2015. Harper, Texas. Our Windmill.

Our windmill is a wonderful piece of business, straight out of the 19th century.    When we first saw the windmill from the road, Ken knew we were going to buy the land, because he knew I love windmills, at least the old ones.    The windmills were adapted from the dutch windmills.  The main American invention was of an automatic move of the blades when the wind changed.  It opened up the plains.  The Dutch windmills required a person to manually rotate the blades when the wind shifted, but not the new American Aeromotor Windmills.

Our windmill pumps water into a large tank, which goes by gravity to a small tank to provide water for the cattle, all done without electricity.   When we purchased the ranch, the windmill was not in working order but fortunately there are still people who can make the repairs.  And every so often it must be serviced.  People tell us that we should scrap the old system and install an electric pump, but we resist.  We like the sound of the windmill rattling around as the water is being pumped.

Yesterday I checked to see if the fish were still in the big tank, which was full and overflowing.  But I could find no fish.  Perhaps they stay at the bottom or perhaps they are not there.  But our windmill keeps working day and night except when we turn it off, either because the tank is overflowing or because the noise is irritating to friends staying in the ranch house.  Easy for us.  We are out of range of the noise.  But I love the simplicity of the whole system and will keep it going as long as possible.  We both love our windmill.

September 18, 2015. 2015. Harper, Texas. The Longhorn Cafe.

Harper is a tiny town in the Hill Country of Texas.  The Longhorn Cafe is the only eatery in town.  In years past, the food was not good but people went there because it was there.  A few years ago, a new owner took over operations.  He also owned a successful restaurant in Kerrville.  His experienced hand shows in the operating of The Longhorn Cafe.   Today, when we walked in for lunch at 12:30, the place was full.

Ken and I wanted to take Joyce and Robbie out for lunch but trying to figure out the where and when was not easy to negotiate via e mail or the phone, so this morning I suggested that we all go to lunch for a planning session at The Longhorn Cafe.  Robbie drove.    We all four agreed so off we went.   Interesting aside was that even though we made our decision shortly before lunch, they both managed to change clothes into proper attire while Ken and I were still wearing work clothes.  No one minded.  They are always better dressed than us.  We just laugh.

Joyce wanted us to select the restaurant, but we do not eat out much anymore, which is why we needed to talk.  I outlined a bunch of places and asked suggestions.  Then Ken asked about barbecue.  Neither of them had barbecue for months so they seemed most interested.  The decision was to drive to Junction for barbecue, using the back roads and go tomorrow.  Meeting adjourned.

Our lunch was excellent for what it was.  Every day they have a special. which we all four ordered.  Shrimp, catfish, vegetables and a roll.  Delicious and our main meal.  Being spontaneous is a good thing.

September 17, 2015. Harper, Texas. Anniversaries.

Last Friday evening, Ken and I ate dinner with Joyce and Robbie, celebrating their 61st wedding anniversary.  It did not seem fair because Joyce did the cooking but we ate in style.  Steak, baked potato and salad.  Key lime pie for dessert.  Now 61 years is a long time to be married but they enjoy each other and their life together, which is a great blessing.  Robbie comes from three generations of people who have lived to 100 or more so he is hoping to be able to celebrate their 80th anniversary.  I hope to celebrate with them on their 62nd next year.

Being married a long time has complications.  Dave and Irene will celebrate their 62nd anniversary in October.  I was a thin when I was15 year old,  way back then.  Funny thing though.  Both Dave and Irene are both thin now to celebrate their 62nd and have been thin all their lives.  When they were discussing their anniversary party, they decided to have a dinner at their home, which they will have catered.  The only problem is that the caterer will only do it for ten and so many of their long time friends have died so that they are not sure they can come up with 10 friends who are able to eat a three course meal.  I just laughed.  and suggested that they book the caterer and invite their friends.   Just pay the caterer for ten.  Invite friends and if the numbers are smaller, keep the food for the future meals.  Freeze the food.  And enjoy the celebration.

Getting old is complicated.  Ken says it is an adventure.  You never know what has happened to you over night.  But celebrating anniversaries is a pleasure.

September 16, 2015. Harper, Texas. Our New Bull.

He looks like a bull and he acts like a bull  but the proof of a pudding is in the eating.  With a new bull, the proof of a good bull is with the new calves, and for that we must wait.  So far, our new bull is doing his job.  The cows hang around together with the bull and wander around the pastures together.  His job, in addition to siring the new calves,  is to protect the cows so no bull will jump the fence.

The time had come for us to retire our old bull.   Big Tex, named by the girls, was an excellent bull.  He looked great and he produced wonderful calves, which we sold at auction.  But he was feisty and Steve, who looks after the cattle, did not really like Big Tex.  And after several years of new calves, inbreeding would become a problem, so Big Tex went to the auction.   We sold three of our cows to Robbie.  Now we have five cows, one older cow and the rest less than two years old.

Our new bull is not as pretty as the old one because he is several shades of dark.  And he is quite short.  He is also only one year old so he will grow.  He is active and energetic which is good.   His horns are already three feet wide so we give him a wide birth.  We are happy with our new bull, selected by Steve at an auction.  We have been told that bulls do not always take their task seriously and get down to the business of producing calves.  Our friend Alan, our farmer friend in Pennsylvania,  said that if you buy a bull and he refuses to do his job, there is not a thing in the world you can do about it except turn him into ground beef and buy another bull.  Fortunately, our bulls have always performed.  We hope our new bull turns out to be a good bull.  His name will come when the girls arrive to name him.  In the meantime, we are happy to have a bull at the ranch.

September 15, 2015. Harper, Texas. Living in Texas.

When my Mother visited us in Galveston, she never quite got over waiting for the tap water to turn cold.  I would laugh and ask her her to use ice.  "The tap will never turn to cold" I would say.    When we returned to Texas from Nova Scotia in September this year, I caught myself waiting for the water to get cold before I would take a drink, when I realized I was acting just like my Mother.    Our water in Western Head are on wells, so the water quickly turns cold.  That is one difference in living in Texas.  You use a lot of ice.

A nice lady held the door open for me at the eye doctor on Monday.  She was old, and little and well dressed.  And of course she was friendly.  I thanked her for helping me with the door and I commented on the weather, saying that it was a beautiful day.  She looked at me oddly and said "But don't you think it is a bit chilly".   I quickly agreed that it was true but the day was pleasant.  The temperature was 70 degrees.  And that is another difference living in Texas...the heat.  When you have spent the summer at 100 degrees, I guess 70 does feel a bit chilly.

Our life at the ranch is quiet.  And the weather is beautiful, especially in late afternoon.  Restaurants are cheap as are groceries.  And the view from our Top House goes on for ever.  But we have no Atlantic Ocean to watch.  But we still love living in Texas.  The people are friendly and hard working.  But there are differences!!

September 14, 2015. Harper, Texas. Doctor Visits.

The eye doctor was not pleased.  "The pressure in your eyes are too high to tolerate", says he.  Despite my best efforts with the drops, the glaucoma is getting worse.  Surgery is not an option due to my immune system but he suggests laser surgery.  I had it done 7 years ago and now we will try it again.  I have an appointment with a laser man in Kerrville.

On the other hand, the oncologist was delighted with me.  He thought I looked spectacularly well.  He is the one who thought that I was putting myself at risk by going to Canada where no oncologist would follow my treatment.  But he figured out a solution.  He agrees now that the whole process was a success and his system worked to perfection.  He received the blood work from the Liverpool Hospital  within 24 or 48 hours of when the blood was drawn.  And he said that my blood continued to improve. He is pleased with my figures today.  The white cells are close to being within the normal range while my platelets are normal.   The red cells are still very low.

He suggested that the next scans be done in Mississippi as he said there is value in comparing the old from the new.  Until we have scans, we will not know whether or not the cancer in the bones is growing or decreasing.  Today there was no fluid in my chest.  But from the way I look, he thinks the new chemotherapy, Ibrance is working.   He said that I look much better than the first time I saw him in May.

Hats off to kindly friends and family, good food, and sea air.  And you can never discount the value of a happy heart!!

September 13, 2015. Fredericksburg, Texas. Our favorite motel.

When I checked into our favorite small motel, the young lady reminded me that check out was 11:00, but if we needed to stay later just let them know.   And that is why we keep coming back.  They are nice to us.

Tomorrow I have two doctor appointments, so to avoid a rush in the morning, we have come into Fredericksburg today.   The day was lovely for a drive so we left at 2:00 and with Ken doing the driving, we ambled our way into town.   The town was busy with the place full of shoppers and tourists but we came straight to the motel for a nap and to watch football.

Feeling lazy, we ordered pizza and a salad delivered to the room so we have been wearing our night shirts all afternoon and lazing around the room, reading and watching Baltimore lose their game.

Tomorrow I see the eye doctor first thing in the morning.   He was very upset with my eyes the last time so we will see what he thinks about me now.    The chemotherapy is effecting my glaucoma. And he thinks I need surgery but my immune system and platelets will not allow it, so we must muddle through.   Then in the afternoon I see the oncologist, the one who thought I was putting myself at risk to go to Canada where no oncologist would treat me.   But I will be interested to see what he says now.   Most people think I look much better .    And the system he developed has worked well.   So all is well...maybe.

Odd that I enjoy staying in a motel room.   But here we are, happy as clams in Fredericksburg.

September 12, 2015. Harper, Texas. My Fancy Phone.

At the moment, my fancy phone will only allow me to make a phone call.  For some reason that I do not understand, my phone will not ring, nor can I make a text message or receive one.   I have pushed lots of buttons but nothing seems to work.  Clearly I need one of the grandchildren to fix my phone.  In the olden days, when I worked, whenever I could not make a machine behave,  I could ask Regina for help and my problem was solved quickly.  But right now I am stuck.  I can not even pick up my voice mails.  My friend Clausen has commented that he will never be able to totally retire.  When one of his essential machines will not work properly, he makes a visit to the IS department and they fix it.  "I would be lost without them", says he.  I know how he feels.

Ken does not use an iPhone so he is no help.  Actually he lost his phone at the cottage the second week in Nova Scotia, so he has ordered a new bigger iPhone.  The new phone was ordered on line and is waiting for him at the post office to be picked up.  Last evening while going through his back pack he found his phone in the side pocket.  And it still works.  But when he called my phone it went directly into voice mail.  It is pathetic but true.  I must make a visit to a phone store where some one looking 16 years old will push the buttons and in three minutes all will be well with my phone.  Pathetic but true!!

September 11, 2015. Harper, Texas. A Warm Welcome.

The welcome was fit for a King and Queen.   We arrived in San Antonio Wednesday evening at 9:15.  David offered to pick us up but as the plane was going to be late, I suggested we would take a cab, which we did.  Our attendants rolled us o the taxi stand and we were in the cab immediately.  I called Suzanne and David to tell them we were on the way.

When we arrived at their home, which was a 15 minute drive,  all six family members were out at the curb to greet us, along with our two walkers.  The girls carried out bags to our room, then all six of us sat in the living room for a chat.  It was delightful and a perfect welcome to Texas.

This morning, David went to the grocery store for us and after lunch together, he loaded our groceries in the truck and we drove to the ranch.  Ninety minutes later we were at the ranch and a lovely welcome  was ready for us.   Just as we were opening the gate, Robbie came in his golf cart to welcome us home to the ranch.  Perfect timing for another warm welcome.

September 10, 2015. San Antonio, Texas. Wheel Chair War.

For awhile I thought it might get nasty.  Certainly it was interesting.   My observation has been that the number of people using wheelchairs in airports has increased dramatically, or perhaps now that I must use a wheel chair, I only notice.  The airlines accommodate the handicapped.  They provide the chair plus an attendant to push you from place to place.  The airports are well organized to look after those who can not walk.  The attendants use iPads to communicate as to their location and for their instructions.  The attendants are polite and helpful and most were not born in the US.  They are paid minimum wage plus tips.  They are extremely helpful.

Our attendants rolled us up to security.  We were put into a long line of other wheelchairs all waiting to clear the security check.  A lady in a wheelchair three ahead of us started to complain loudly about the long line.  "Wheelchair people should have priority", she said in her loud New Jersey accent and she called over the boss, who was wearing a jacket.  He apologized for the wait but he told her that she already had priority being in their own line.  Muttering from the lady.

After a few minutes wait she again called the boss over and complained that regular people were also in line.   The boss explained that the other folks were all with a person in a wheelchair.   "They should go through the regular line", said she.  "They are slowing us down".  More muttering.

 While our line was slowly moving forward,  a wheelchair rolled beside us in an empty line.    That was too much for the disgruntled lady.  She loudly called to the attendant to get to the back of the line and then loudly called the boss.  "It is not fair.  They are jumping in line ahead of us", said the lady.  I thought it might get really nasty.  The attendant in the wrong line stopped in her track.  Once the nasty lady got ahead, the other attendants let the chair into our proper line.  I did laugh.  The moment I saw the attendant wheel down the empty line I knew we were going to have trouble.   It could have been a real wheelchair war, but the attendants were polite.

September 9, 2015. Newark, N.J. Our New System.

Our system works well for us.  In fact, we actually enjoy ourselves.  When we must take two flights to our destination, we stay overnight at a airport hotel and take the second flight the next day.  That is why we are staying in the Airport Marriott Hotel in Newark.  I don't know why, but I always enjoy a night or two at a nice hotel.  For some reason, I feel as if I am totally off duty, which is interesting because I don't do much at home anymore.  But here at this lovely hotel, I read and watch TV and do nothing else except of course, talk to Ken.

Our room is on the 10th floor, which is on the Concierge Level.  Just down the hall is a lounge serving hors d'oeuvres from 5 to 7, breakfast from 6:30 to 10 and water, sodas and fruit all day long.  We just walk down the hall to eat and the food provided is ample for us old folks.

Our last night in Liverpool was a delight too.  Walt picked us up to have dinner with them at their lovely home.    He thought I would want to put the truck in the garage before dark and he was right.   Mary cooked her usual wonderful dinner;  tonight was pasta with shrimp and peas.   We are fortunate with our good friends.   They are not only kind and loving but also are good cooks.  Our last supper prepared us up for our journey to Texas.

The flight has been changed.  We now arrive after 9:00 pm which is why I am doing my wee blog now.  By the time we get to David and Suzanne and visit with the girls for a bit, I will be bleary.   At the moment, I am enjoying the planes arrive and leave right out our big window.  Our new system is a good one.

September 8, 2015. Newark, N.J. The U.S. Open.

Television has enhanced my life, especially now that my activities are restricted.  Last week for three straight nights, PBS filmed the sea life at Monterey Bay, complete with oodles of humpback whales, sea lions, otters and one very large great blue whale.  The films were taken from the air,  boat and kayak.  The programs were fascinating and well worth watching.  And of course I still enjoy Antiques Roadshow on Monday evenings.  In addition, this summer, every day at 6:00, I watched the 30 minute Antiques Roadshow from Britain, which is charming.   They were first.  Their programs are filmed outside  historic buildings and gardens.  And they film rain or shine.

The most fun on the TV has been the tournaments, both tennis and golf.  Right now I am enjoying the US Open and tonight will watch Serena and Venus playing against each other.  Seems a shame.  In years past, Dave and Irene visited us in Maryland to watch all the games on TV.  And on Monday, Labor Day, the families from the office came to enjoy our backyard for a potluck and a swim, with Irene a big help as usual.  They are happy memories of past US Opens where we always kept the games on TV.

Since we are in Newark, we have seen signs everywhere advertising the tournament.  But we will enjoy the games on TV.   I always wonder why Tsonga is not a better player than he is.  Does he not practice enough? Or is he bored?  He seems to have all the tools to be in the top 10 but he is 23 in the world, and seeded 19 in this tournament.   I know he has been often injured and during the match today the trainer visited him once court side.  Interesting question.   My habit is to watch in bits and pieces and furiously switch channels. Fun indeed, watching the US Open.

September 7, 2015. Western Head, N.S. Betty and Vinal.

The surprise was delightful.  Betty and Vinal brought dinner to us at the cottage.  I knew they were coming for a visit in the afternoon but when they arrived, I discovered that they had bags of food, all made by Betty.  This was especially pleasant after our awful lunch.

Our afternoon at the cottage was pleasant with Betty and Vinal.  I had just awaken from a rest when they arrived.  A cup of tea on the deck was perfect.    Then we sat down by the water waiting for the ducks to visit but no ducks arrived.  Nor did we hear any loons.  As it was the last day of the year to be at the cottage, I wanted to hear the loons.  I am told that the loons are most active with their calling in mating season.

Betty is a good cook.   Last evening for dinner she cooked savoy cabbage with chicken, served as a soup.   It was delicious.  In fact Ken ate three helpings.  We ate plain crackers with the soup.  For desert she had baked cinnamon bread loaf, also a first for me but equally as tasty.

We have now left the cottage in Vinals care.  He will take in the dock and the raft as well as the outside furniture. And he will stay at the cottage a time or two in the Fall.   Betty and Vinal are good friends and help us with our life.  Mostly I do not like surprises but yesterday our surprise dinner hit the spot, thanks to Betty's cooking and our friends visit..

September 6, 2015. Western Head, N.S. Heather and Ross.

They have a cottage right across the road from us but they are not on the water, so they use the public beach just two lots down to swim and boat.  Right at the beginning, we told them to use our beach and our dock, and our boat ramp.   They live in Milton and come to their large cottage for weekends, bringing family and grandchildren along, so they have enjoyed our waterfront.  We are not at the cottage often so having people around is a good thing, so it helps us too.

This morning, Heather and Ross came over to say hello and to chat.   They both were born and raised in Nova Scotia and have lived in Liverpool or Milton all their lives so they both have wonderful accents.  I love to keep them talking.  We caught up with all the activities of the cottage life.  In the past, they have not allowed their grandchildren to use our little beach if we were staying in the cottage.  Today, I assured them that the children were welcome to swim whether or not we were there.   We had told them before but today was the first time they understood that we really meant it, so the children swam while we talked.

One of the things we talked about was coconut cream pie.  Heather had just baked a pie.  When she found that we liked it, she went home and returned with two large pieces of pie, each a quarter of the pie each.   After they left, Ken and I ate a horrible lunch of leftovers which I found in the freezer of the cottage fridge.  Ken ate three bites.  But we both ate the huge piece of pie each.  Today we just got lucky.

September 5, 2015. Western Head, N.S. Grand Children.

Gill is a scientist and knows much about genetics.  She was always keen on having grandchildren.  She bought crib quilts and she made rocking horses, all for her grandchildren.   And she was always enthusiastic and interested in the other Gull Bay Group grandchildren.  She always took our granddaughters on a special excursion, which they loved, but it did not take the place of her own.  She was talking about her grandchildren long before her boys were even married.

Tonight we had dinner at Mary and Clif's home to welcome Gill's son and his wife and daughter to Nova Scotia once again.  It was a happy occasion.  Sierra is a happy little girl just over 18 months old. We did laugh.  Our granddaughter Kate is in college with Sarah just one year behind, while Sierra is yet to go to nursery school.  But Gill is younger than us even though her boys were just a few years younger than our boys.  No matter the time or the age, we all celebrated the joy of Gill's granddaughter visiting us all in Nova Scotia.   I just wish Gills husband Alan had been with us to join in the event, but he died of a brain tumor in 1981.  He would have loved to be part of the action.   But it was a joyous occasion celebrating the next generation of another of the Gull Bay Group.  

Sept Flowers Ocean House

September 4, 2015. Western Head, N.S. Pedicure.

A pedicure is not only a pedicure, at least not in Nova Scotia.  It is also a conversation with a nice young lady,  along with a wonderful foot and leg massage.   April Williams is the daughter of our builder George.  She owns a hair salon.   She cuts my hair, at least she used to cut my hair in the years when I had hair.  Last summer she took on Carla, who does manicures,  pedicures and massages.   In fact, that part of her business has become so popular that April built an addition to the salon.  Over the years, it has been fun watching April's success.

This summer, Carla has accommodated me be having me come for a pedicure at the end of the day, thus making it easier for me to stay away from people who might have colds or other infections.  I had a pedicure when we first arrived and booked another just before we were to leave.  This afternoon at 5:15 was my time and date.   Carla is a single lady who moved here from Alberta two hers ago.  She wanted to live close to the sea but she fell in love with a lovely Victorian house in town and bought it, just like that.   The real estate market was still good in Alberta so she went home,  sold her house and moved to Liverpool.

One of our conversations had to do with company.  She has a lot of friends and relatives who come to visit.  Her home is beautiful and the town is charming so everyone wants to visit.  She enjoys the company.  I asker her if she ever had difficult house guests.  She said only one, who was negative about everything, including the size of the house, which was too big for a single lady while the town was too small.   She said that in all the years that she has had house guests, there were only two who she would never invite again.  Pretty good ratio.  The other thing she does is to fuss over her guests, making a cooked breakfast each morning they are there.    I never fuss so perhaps my guests are silent with their complaints.   On the other hand, I am probably twice her age and have had only one guest who was difficult.

Interesting conversation today with Carla.  We talked about boundaries too.  I must wait until next year to continue.

September 3, 2015. Western Head, N.S. Temperature.

The other day in town I overheard two men discussing the weather.  One man said to the other, "It is so hot and humid in town that I can not stay here any more.  I must go home to Western Head."  I smiled to myself.  The temperature in the town of Liverpool was 78 degrees.  Today has been the warmest day of the year.  Even sitting on the deck looking out at sea was warm, even though the breeze kept us comfortable.   The temperature might have gotten to 80 today, which in Nova Scotia is very hot.

A comfortable temperature is relative.   Ian swelters at 75 and really does not enjoy hot weather.  He especially hates high humidity.   But he thrives on cold, having worked  and survived in the arctic.   On the other hand, he enjoyed the Mexican temperatures of 75 and 80, especially when by the Pacific.

Right now in San Antonio the temperature is 99.  Fortunately, the weather will cool before we arrive.  But if it is very hot, I will just stay indoors in the air-conditioned house.  Both Ken and I have gotten used to hot weather and we really don't much enjoy very cold or very hot weather..   Today was the first day when I left off wearing my cool socks.  I have gotten used to the chilly air!!

September 2, 2015. Western Head, N.S. Bit By Bit.

As I get older, I have noticed that I must deal with tasks bit by bit.  My habit of planning ahead has stood me in good stead.   While Rita and Ian were still here they helped me move the tables in the garage into their winter position.   Now the garage is ready to bring in the truck just before we leave.  The chairs are also stacked so the garage is ready for winter.

I moved the frozen food still left in the freezer into the garage refrigerator, so it is now unplugged.  Rita wiped the freezer down.  Today I moved the frozen food from the garage refrigerator into the freezer in the main house, so I unplugged that garage fridge too.   For the past few weeks, we have not bought anything at the store.  Instead we used up the frozen food in our own house.  The only things left in the garage fridge itself were a few bottles of beer and four bottles of white wine, which I have moved over to the wine storage shelves.

This afternoon, Walt went and unplugged the fridge in the guest house and he locked the door.  The deck furniture must come indoors from both the guest house and the main house.  I should have attended to the guest house deck furniture before now, but I forgot about it.  We are still using the furniture from the deck of our house so it must stay in place for the moment.  But I have discovered that if I do things bit by bit, I can get the tasks accomplished.    We must make one more trip to the cottage to bring back the bedding and towels.  Then we can fly to Texas, bit by bit.

September 1, 2015. Western Head, N.S. The Pond.

This summer, the lilies in the pond have been beautiful.  Almost every day another blossom opens up.  Sitting by the pond has also been delightful too.  Almost every evening I sit by the pond and enjoy it's charm.  Everything by the pond has come together to make it a cool evening spot to have a glass of water.

The fish are trained to come immediately to the surface to get their food.  It is surprising how much pleasure we get by watching their antics as they scoot around the pond.  Walt put the fish in the pond a week before we arrived.  When we got here,  they were still frightened and hid in the plantings, but Mary Frances trained them to come to the surface to eat.  She fed them small amounts several times a day and they got used to her voice.  Now they immediately come to eat when they hear voices.  Hurrah to Mary Frances.

Right now the foliage around the pond is lovely but at the beginning of the summer the weeds were abundant and the bushes had overgrown their space.  Rita took on the project.  Now there are no weeds in sight, and with Ken's direction, she severely cut back the shrubs and trees.  Now the area around the pons is neat and today and the foliage has been well shaped.   The whole area is pleasing to the eye.   Hate off to Rita.

Every afternoon, when I have finished my walk, I sit by the pond and enjoy myself drinking my glass of water.  The area was quite ugly when we purchased our home but now it is a small place of beauty.  Now we hope the 6 fish survive the winter and will be ready for summer 2016.