One step closer

Today's title has a double meaning.
My mom took a turn for the worse today, possible heart attack and/or stroke. We have to wait and see how much recovery she makes, if any.
Prior to that, we booked our ferry berth for our return to Skagway. We will depart Bellingham, WA on April 30 and arrive Skagway on May 3. We make stops at Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersberg, Juneau and Haines on the way. We will have an outside cabin. Outside means we have a window. We are happy that daylight will be long so we can see a lot of sights on the way. Having a cabin means we won't have to be over-ripe when we arrive, and when we sleep, it won't be on the open deck. Booking the ride on-line was pretty easy after doing some basic research into schedules and fares. Because we depart in April, the driver goes free. That saves nearly $4oo.

The calendar says it is winter, but...

We have this informal gathering for coffee on the first Friday of each month. It is attended by fellow retirees from Amphi. You show up at AJ's sometime between 8 and 9 and stay until some other errand calls you away. Since the first Friday was a holiday (yes, we observe holidays) we met on the 8th. There were only three of us this time, we are all busy after all, and we had a pleasant visit in the morning sun on the patio. We were vaguely aware (gloating) that much of the nation was huddled under snowy, windy, sub-freezing conditions, but didn't let it stop us.
One day last week, I think it was Thursday, I went jeeping. It is some hunting season, I think doves, so the roads are spotted with vehicles left by these intrepid sportsmen as they tromp through the brush hoping to scare up some game. I never did hear any shots, so maybe they weren't doing too well.
The only animals I saw were rabbits, but I did get to cross a stream, actually drove in water for half a mile, so it was a satisfactory outing for me. I was happy to find a drivable way around a barrier and onto a trail I had previously been unable to access. I have to say the desert looks drought-stricken, which may also account for the lack of doves. The water I drove in has been there in an otherwise dry wash every time I have been there, in every season. The biggest surprise is that nobody has tapped or trapped it for use.
On this outing I twice had to turn around at obstacles I might have been able to overcome if Don had been there to direct me through. Sometimes you just can't see from the driver's seat well enough.
I subbed Monday and Tuesday. I still really enjoy the students, especially since I don't have any of the related duties and responsibilities of teaching. Monday I was in fifth grade social studies and every class had lively discussions about the Olympics. It was fun. Tuesday I was in Middle School in a class of students labeled as "underachievers." What they actually are, are students with room temperature IQ's for whom school holds no interest other than as a place to socialize. There is no love of learning, no curiosity, no desire. Most of them are perfectly nice, though some are trouble makers, and days in that class are fine, but not as much fun as more animated groups.
I managed to get in a little bit (stress little bit) of yard cleanup. Today the plan is to attack the inside of the house. There is a vacuum cleaner somewhere around here and I intend to activate it.
Peggie has finished one of the round robin quilts and is working on the second. For a few weeks she is partially limited by some treatment she is getting for pain in her left foot. That should be over soon.
We also had dinner with our former neighbors and some other retired teachers. One couple has been to China and Spain teaching English. That sounds like a good future adventure. We will look into the possibilities when we are finished with Alaska.
I just can't believe some people are afraid they will be bored in retirement.

Just because

This entry is just because it has been awhile and I don't want to dissuade anyone from staying with us.
We are busy being retired. Today has been really busy. I got out of the house bright and early (around 11:00) and went to the library to drop off and pick up some books. (duh) Then headed to the barber college for a haircut, then on to the grocery store. All of us old people go on Wed. because they honor last weeks sales and begin this weeks sales, as well. I am also cooking a pot of (fresh from Willcox) pinto beans with the Christmas ham bone. On my way to pick up the mail, I had the obligatory chat about nothing-in-particular with the neighbors.
While I am doing all of this, Peggie is finishing up her part of Allison's quilt so she can send it off and get started on Janie's.
We had a very relaxing holiday period. Casey was here for a few days, but doesn't get a full break now that she is more employee than student. We got the tree down on New Year's Day, and the house is back to normal. We were able to skype with Greg and family in Japan a couple of times, but they are back in NY now. Just in time for the deep freeze.
I went to the doctor Monday for a physical that is required to keep my CDL for Alaska. Last year it was that physical that told me my blood pressure was too high. Now it is fine. I will have my regular physical later this month just to be sure everything else is fine, also. Sitting in the waiting room at the clinic was different than regular waiting rooms. A big part of their business is workmen's comp related. People really like to talk (complain) about how their companies are trying to cheat them. Most waiting rooms are quiet. In this one everyone talks in normal voices and don't worry who overhears.
Since Thanksgiving I have read Stephen King's Dark Tower series. It took him twenty some years to complete it. Reading it all at once, it was evident how much he has improved as a writer. The first one was noticeably inferior to the later additions.
Also, for those of you who grew up in the fifties, I recommend Bill Bryson's memoir "The life and times of the thunderbolt kid." I think that is the title. Do a search for Bill Bryson and you can find it. That's what I did.
It is time to go taste the beans and get something out of the dryer. Thank goodness for electronic beeps. Otherwise, I don't know how I could get everything done in one day. Busy, busy.

Happy Birthday Peggie

Okay, so this post is a day late, but what's one day in 59 years?
Casey baked the traditional potato cake to celebrate, after she and Peggie got back from trying to take advantage of all those poor retail stores that have to put everything on deep discount just to make a meager living. They both showed reasonable restraint and were able to carry everything in just one trip from the car.
Casey packed up her new Honda Fit and went back to Tempe today. So, for us, that ends the Christmas season. We will take the tree down and put away decorations for another year.
We had used one of Peggie's sewing tables for gift wrapping, so Peggie is anxious to get it all cleared away so she can quilt. She and three friends from Skagway are doing a Round Robin project and Peggie has a block (actually several blocks) to complete so she can send it on to the next-in-line. Eventually they will each have a quilt with contributions from all the others.
I wonder if they will all be done before it is time to go back.
Greg, Tomoko, and Ariana are in Japan. They will celebrate New Year's with Baba and Jiji (Baba and Jiji are grandma and grandpa in Japanese) and will also visit Nagasaki while they are there.

Merry Christmas

It is Christmas Eve.
Yesterday, Peggie and I made a quick run up to Cottonwood to deliver some small things for the Gooslin and Taylor children. Mail is cheaper, but wouldn't get there in time. And we wanted to see Mom. It was a pleasant day for a drive. The storm had passed through the day before, so there was snow on the higher spots, but the road was clear and traffic was relatively light. Casey came home a little after we did, and will stay until Tuesday.
This is supposed to be "the happiest time of the year," but I attended a funeral service for a former student last Friday, and Tuesday we went to Willcox for a service for Becky's brother.
We logged over six hundred miles in two days. Good thing we have so much free time.
Tomorrow we will open presents here, then go to Smythe's for dinner. So it will be somewhat more relaxing than some of our past holidays with a houseful of people. And the Wildcats won both games this week with baskets at the buzzer. Very exciting!
We hope all of you have a very Merry Chrismas, and a safe New Year.
Speaking of which, I am on a campaign to get people to stop saying "Two thousand" now that we are out of single digits. It is "twenty-ten," please.

Going back.

Looks like we are going back to Skagway.
We had a hard time deciding. Vacillated. One day aye, next day nay. Good reasons to go, good reasons not to.
When Janie said she couldn't go back, I thought we were done, too. Janie was half the fun of being there. Don and Karin won't be there, either.
Then Trish called Peggie. During the course of the conversation we swayed and landed on returning. The decision felt right as soon as we made it. By the time she hung up, I was excited again.
Now, days later, it stills feels right. It will be a different experience in some ways. We are not taking our trailer. Trish has an apartment in town we can stay in. So, we can take the Jeep on the ferry, instead of driving all the way. The cruise ship schedule will be different, so we will both be able to have more time off. The apartment is on 7th. We will never have to walk more than five blocks to anything we need to get to.
Okay, that is it for now. Stay tuned.

Ka-BOOM

Sunday evening, November 29:

House-rattling BOOM tinkling glass flash of light. (I can't type BOOM big enough so picture it ten times bigger)

I was on the top of the stairs so I saw the flash of light and knew where, but not what. Peggie was in the office and knew nothing. My instinctive thought was gunshot, maybe shotgun, right in the yard. Peggie thought plane crash. Our neighbor thought incoming artillery.

What it was was lightning.

The mesquite tree that has been on the corner of the house for 22 years exploded. The sap must have instantly boiled when the bolt hit. One whole branch fell on the neighbors' house and the trunk (it was 7' in circumference) was split right to the ground. The metal strips that are glued to our windows to break them into smaller-looking panes fell off. That was the tinkling sound, the glass stayed in one piece. The nearest windows in the house next door also lost the metal strips. Two of the bird houses that sat on the window sill fell off onto the chair where I might have been sitting if I was reading or watching TV. An hour later a picture fell off the wall. The rest of them were all croooked, but we hadn't noticed. The EM blast knocked out two radio-frequency remotes. The cable which supplies us with TV, DSL, and phone was fried. The door jam into the garage came loose, and the curtain hangers in the garage came out of the wall and ceiling. Peggie's heart raced for two hours. We figured out what it was within minutes, but the initial fear took a while to subside.

There was no fire, but we could smell burning still after an hour, so I dialed 911 on my cell phone. The first operator said, "That's the sheriff's department," and transferred the call before I could argue. I gave the next operator my address and she said, "What city?" and I said, "Tucson, but really we are in the county." She said, "Pima County?" "Yes." "Well, this is Pinal County, I'll transfer you." The next operator transfered me to the fire department who agreed to come check it out as a non-emergency, meaning no lights or sirens. Good thing it wasn't an emergency since it took several minutes to get through the system. Apparently my cell phone went through a tower in Pinal County. Who knew?

We also contacted Comcast to come out for the cable, the insurance company, and a tree company. The cable people were out Monday morning. The tree people couldn't get here until Tuesday. The insurance people said to send them pictures, and handled it on the phone.

The tree was a total loss. They had to grind it up and haul it away.

Now we have a big empty spot in the yard and in the sky. The neighbors all came out because of the tree guys. They all remember the explosion, but hadn't known what it was. The cable guy took pictures because he had been working in the neighborhood and heard the explosion, too.

I bet the insurance company is talking about us. After thirty-some years of coverage, we've had two truck windows, the trailer siding, and a lightning-struck tree in a six week period. I wonder how much the premiums will increase.