48!!!

Yes, it is in the 40s this morning.
As I glance out the window at the green lawn and it actually has nice grass in it  I marvel that this late in the season, September 27th, the lawns look nice.
Some more progress in preparations for our trip south.  I did a tiny bit of work on the bathroom mirrors that I framed as I

13 of Grandma Saunders 14 granddaughters taken in 1993

Let's get Er done!!!

I feel like I have some Get Up And Go this morning!

As I write the indoor-outdoor shows that it is 57!  A far cry from what it was 48 hours ago.  I think mother nature finally decided she would act her age.  We have gotten just short of .75" of rain over the last 36 hours and it was needed so that is nice.  I did get the lawn winterized and Travis will do a couple of things in October so we are good to go.
Terry and I accomplished some things yesterday in terms of getting ready to leave.  The north 2nd floor bedroom had been in disarray since day one of summer so that was cleaned up.  Terry did much in terms of getting other things ready.  We will have company for lunch tomorrow and that will be it as far as social before we leave on Sunday.  We have not seen Barb and Terry all summer so it should be a fun time.
I had the truck in yesterday and it came back in great shape.  The heater and radiator hoses were replaced, they were original!!!  The oil pan gasket, which was also original and in terrible shape, was replaced so now there should be no oil leaks.  The price was steep but only half of what I was quoted at the first place.  When I picked it up at the service place the guy said, "Where did you get that bad dog?  That truck is in great shape.  We do not see trucks that age with so few miles in that kind of shape!"  Of course he said that after giving me a bill for several hundred dollars.  At the age of 25 years to have 74,000+ miles is nice.  Of course I need to do upkeep on it pretty much every year but then I am 70 and I need upkeep too!!!  Travis is coming over this morning and he will follow me to Prior Lake where it will be stored for the winter.  I am hoping he has a little time as I need to do a couple of short things on the way home.
I have come to the conclusion that I am beyond hope in some ways.  As one goes upstairs you are in the sun room which has two windows facing south.  ALL summer it has been a MESS from all the work but when I cleaned it up last week it seemed to make the world better.  Then the north bedroom was even worse from all the work.  I cleaned it up yesterday and what do you know the world is even better yet!!!  Like I said I may be way way beyond hope in some areas but if you happen to meet my Terry please do not bring up the subject.
I forgot to mention that in the cab of the truck is Mark's, Terry's son, Christmas present as I finished it in the wood shop and Terry wrapped it.  Mark will put the truck in the shed for us.  Merry Christmas!!!
I seemed to have gotten a bit of renewed energy over the last several days.  It may be because I do my best work when there is a goal close at hand that has to be met but maybe, just maybe, my body decided to wake up a bit.  If my body decides it is better the world will be even better yet!  We will see as time goes on.  BUT I still went to bed before 10 last night--I could get better at that.
Terry and I watched a movie, What Happened to Monday, last night on netflix.  Different but interesting.
The FP is gone and I will sign off.

Is fall here?

A sign of fall, buttercup squash outstanding in their field

So the garden is history and I think Terry and I have some ideas to make it better next year.  This year the vines from the squash took over as if they were bandits.  That made it almost impossible to find the cucumbers which only showed themselves when they were big enough to be used as bombs against North Korea!  The vines also choked out tomato plants to the extent that the tomatoes were beaten into submission and only showed their smiling faces occasionally.
Today we have the third to last of our social things before we head south.  A friend, who loves and follows God in a wonderful way, turns 50 so we will join in his birthday party today.  Tomorrow I will have breakfast with a friend and then on Wednesday we will entertain  friends from Florida who used to live in Hudson WI and have spent the last month around the Twin Cities.  After that it is nose to the grindstone as we pack and get things ready.  I am afraid by the time we leave my nose may only be a stub.  Most of the outdoor things are finished.  My wood shop is closed, the camper and Terry's car are stored and in the next 2 days we will take care of the pick up so that is in storage.  The AC unit in our bedroom will come out tomorrow after our 88 degree day today!  We will be leaving many projects undone but what can I say, that is kind of the story of my life.  Joe H will put in the 4 new window inserts next month (the last of 18) so I need to do ZERO storms this year.  First time ever!!!  Well I will need to pay for them so maybe I should keep my joy down a tad.
I put winter fertilizer on the lawn yesterday while it was 90+ outside but starting tomorrow our high temps will be in the 60s so I think I am fine.  Travis will do a bit during October so the lawn is good for the winter.  I have a couple of minor patches on the west foundation to do but that is about a 25 minute job so will take care of that Monday.  One does not want to allow any tiny hole for those mice to get in.  After a HUGE mouse problem perhaps 25 years ago this old house has been relatively free of those little creatures.
I sent out a note to tennis guys yesterday so that kind of got my juices flowing.  I project that when we arrive in FL it will take a WHILE to get into tennis shape after not playing and putting on some pounds. I hate to use the word diet so I will just say I need to cut back on food a bit.  I have found that doing that is much more of a challenge after 70 than it was before.  I could be temped to complain but getting up each morning is a blessing that I am so so thankful for.
We had a fun lunch with the Winds yesterday.  We have been able to go out with them a few times this summer which has been fun.  I will go to my last men's group Wednesday.  They decided that because my birthday is in January they will send me off with an early birthday wish.  I was blessed by that.  We will go to a brewery that I have not been to and Mike S. says it is great.
Enough for now as I finished my FP hours ago.

Change of plans

So we have a change of plans.  A visit to the garage let me know that the oil leak is not such a minor thing!!!  The gasket on the oil pan needs to be replaced and that is kind of a major thing, in my opinion. Because I would never sell something I know has issues that need to be fixed I decided to fix it to the tune of $800 or so.  With that said John decided it is not in his budget so it stays in St. Paul for the winter--stored indoors.  I have mixed feelings.  I want and I think I need to get some things out of my life but to tell the truth I have fond feelings and memories of this pick up.  So for now it stays and I am not happy but I am not sad either.  Not sure where that leaves me???
I made progress today towards an October 1st departure.  Travis came over and helped put the camper in the garage.  He also was a huge HELP in taking some things out of the pick up and into the house.  Then I filled the STS with gas, Terry helped me wash it and into the garage it went with the battery out and a cover on.  Then I was able to get ALL things out of the garage that should not freeze as they spend the winter in the house.  So most of the outdoor things are finished, not all but most.  My goal is to have things kind of in place by the end of the week so next week can consist of packing and making sure everything is ready to go.  I will store the pickup on Tuesday after it is fixed on Monday so that should be taken care of.  Travis will do several things on the lawn after we leave.
As we wind down our time in MN for this year I am looking at: Terry and I visit the Vernon's Thursday, I get together with Larry on Friday, we go out for lunch with the Winds on Saturday, we visit the Altendorfs on Sunday for Michael's 50th, Monday I have breakfast with Gary, Tuesday is FREE, Domino's come over on Wednesday and I have MG in the evening and then I Saturday I will have breakfast with Cynthia, I think, so that is it.  A whirlwind of activity before we leave.  On our way to Naples we will stop in Madison, South Bend, two stops in GA and then on to Naples.  We are hoping we can bathe, wash dishes and use the bathroom when we get to Naples.  As of now things are not so great.
We had a great time with Norma and Wayne yesterday.  They are such special people and it is always fun to spent time with them.  Norma worked with Terry in the MN senate in the early 90s. 
Enough for this afternoon.  As one would know the FP is history.

On the down side of September

There is no importance to the pictures except it is amazing to me that someone would have something like that.  The second picture is the GARAGE!!!  How about that for a man cave or whatever one wants to call it.  The first picture is of the house from the street.  About all I can say is WOW.
As I sit and sip my FP we have a nice light rain which will be great for the lawn. 
Things continue to progress at a crawl here BUT they do progress which is good.  Terry and I made a decision as to when we will leave for Naples and it will be sooner than we had planned.  Even tho the house in Naples is good we want to get down to see for ourselves.
Today, as it rains a bit, I will spend most of my time in the shop doing one last project and forgo a bike ride because of the rain.
Oh my, the FP is gone so it is only a short note today.

Great news for sure

It does not seem like 8 years but then it seems more than that as today in 2009 Gail died.  It was 12:20 in the afternoon and most family were there to say good-bye.  Much has changed since that day but as I have said so often the only sure thing in life is change.  Gail's life was way way too short but her love of family and her caring spirit lives on in many.
I can't tell how happy I was to talk to our home watch person and find out that our home is intact with no visual damage.  The power came on Tuesday evening which meant the AC was working and all was well at 732 Wiggins Bay DR.  That is NOT to say the area was great.  Our home watch person said she had to park outside the gate and walk in as the road was not open yet.  Even the screen on the cage over the pool was intact after 140 mph winds.  That is amazing.  Thank you Lord.
Terry and I are going out to eat with friends tonight.  We are going to Murray's in downtown Minneapolis.  We seldom go out to eat and NEVER to downtown anywhere BUT I have heard many many times about Murray's butter-knife steak which they are famous for.  Sid Hartman, on WCCO radio gives out gifts for that when he interviews someone famous.  I went on line this morning to see what the scoop is and WOW, one had better bring maybe TWO credit cards!!!  I knew that would be the case and of course we are not going to order something so terribly expensive.  On game days, which today is, they have a burger, fries and beer for $12.  However the butter-knife steak comes in at $105👎and then if you want a special wine to go with that you could order the $1200 bottle.  Yes I did type the number correctly!  Oh I forgot to mention that the butter-knife steak is for 2.  It will be fun.  I am not one to go around dropping names of places I have been but I have, for a long time, wanted to see what Murray's was like so tonight we will see!
I mowed the lawn yesterday and I have to say that never, in the last 40 years, has the lawn looked quit like this in mid September.  Is it lush, green and perfect?  No, but it does look nice if you don't walk around and examine every little bit.  It is fun as I have worked a lot on it for the last several years and it is fun to see the fruits of ones labor.  My desire for a nice lawn perhaps comes from growing up on the farm where Mom did not have a great yard.  I remember the day Dad came home with a lawn mower and Mom was so excited.  Before that we just mowed around the yard with the Ford tractor.  I am guessing that must have been about 1953 or so, not sure but I remember Dad taking it out of the back seat of the car and I was so excited.
We had a fun time yesterday as the Bindes are in town for a Dr. apt for Dale today.  Al/Deb, Dale/Deb Terry and I and Dale/Deb's daughter Danette met at Tavern on Grand for lunch.  It was good to catch up on family and get the scoop on Dale's health.  He is dealing with a kidney, which will be removed next week, and a huge lung issue.  We hope and pray for the best. Also talked a bit about Grandma Saunders as she is just not doing well in many respects.  I remember when Dad was not doing so well and some of the things he said or did were not so nice.  That same thing is happening with Grandma and Deb B. has to deal with much of it.  Well I guess nobody was promised a bed of roses from life to death so it is what it is.
Enough for now as I need to get out on the bike.

Nature has its struggles

Our driveway after Irma. Not bad after a prediction of 12-15 feet turned into 2-3 feet

Yesterday I posted several pictures of fall colors on trees and then mother nature goes and has a high temp of 85!  I think someone or something is confused.  We turned our AC on in the bedroom last night for the first time in about 2 weeks.
I rode 8.0 miles this morning.  I had to carry my bike the last 20 feet so it would not go to 8.01!  Here are some things I noticed:

• My favorite hardware store is now a piano store
• I used to take my car to Novaks repair and now in its place is a new building with 2 cafes
• I rode through the parking lot of Highland Junior, where I taught for 29 years, and a teacher was going into the building.  He slide his card to get in, I am sure that is a safety thing
• The Kinko's store that I spent a lot of money in is now a FedEx store
• The dry cleaners on Snelling is now a bakery place
• The old building on Grand where there was a tiny cafe is now grass
• The soccer store on Snelling is now a salon
• The site of the old Walgreen's on Snelling is now a BMO bank
• Half a block of homes disappeared on Snelling and in their place is a huge apt complex
• The store I used to get film and copies is now an ice cream store
• St. Paul drug still has a fountain counter with shakes and cones
• Of course that is just a tiny bit of the changes over the last 10 years

I read an article in the paper about Tony Sannah's apt building.  Tony was a soccer teammate of John, Travis and Aaron at SPA.  Tony went on to play professional at the highest level and it seems he was able to make a lot of money which he is now spending in St Paul.  Anyway he owns a 15 unit apt building on Grand Ave and he had applied for some kind of variance which was turned down. The article went on to say the building is managed by his mother who stated that all the apt are full and there is a long waiting list!  I rode over there this morning just to see the building and what do you know, there is an "apartment for rent" sign out front.  That waiting list must have shrunk fast!
It looks like another very very nice day with temps reaching mid 80s again.  By Friday it is supposed to be back to normal which sees temps in the mid 70s.
I had to reheat my FP when I got back from my ride and now it is finished as I am.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

Anyone ready for fall?

The GOOD:  There appears to be no external damage to our home in Florida and for sure there is no water damage from the storm surge.  The report was for a surge of 12-15 feet but in reality it was only 2-3 feet----GOOD  Also under the good I finally figured out why out cooler in the camper has not worked very well for some time.  It needed a new AC/DC plug in.  I got the new one yesterday and presto it works great again.
The BAD:  There is no electric service and it could be a LONG time in coming.  With temps in the 80s that could very well mean mold AND with no electricity nobody can get into the house as both front and back have storm shutters that go up and down electrically!  Also under the bad I could list my orders from Amazon.  For the third time in a month my order is coming from China!  I may be here in 4 weeks.  Maybe I should not complain as long as things are not coming from North Korea!
The UGLY:  I finally got out on my bike again yesterday and after a 5 mile ride I was tired because I have put on weight, some!
There it is, the story of my life at this time.
FP all gone and Terry has THREE apt today so will be gone most of the time.  The wood shop work will be on hold.  I actually am struggling with this darn work that needs to be done around here.  Yesterday I found myself having a great time doing some wood projects but in reality I should have been upstairs working on trim.  Maybe tomorrow--that should be fine for a retired guy who feels he deserves some fun!!!
I saw on the news yesterday that Polaris has brought back the Indian motorcycle and I thought of brother Dave.  I may have to get me one of those, just kidding kind of!  Not sure a 70 year old guy, who really has not ridden a cycle for 50 years, should get a 700 pound bike BUT maybe they make ones that would look like my Harley Sprint 250--careful Carmen not to think too much!

Wait and see

On our way to the wedding last weekend we stopped in Austin Mn to visit the spam museum. It is a fun interesting place to visit and it is FREE.  Spam goes way way back to WWII when they fed many troops with it.  I purchased a can in their store and for the last 2 days have enjoyed a english muffin/cheese/egg/spam sandwich for breakfast.  It was fine but I will not be buying a supply of spam anytime soon.
The wait and see refers to Irma on its way to FL.  It looks like our home may be in the middle of trouble but will have to wait another 24 hours to see.  They are saying probably 12 foot water in Naples which could easily mean water in our home. 
Of course a person can do nothing except wait and see.  We have no idea if it means an early trip to FL or not.
I have not been on my bike for some time as the mornings have been chilly to say the least.  Maybe this weekend as we are supposed to see low 80s for a few days.  I was going to take out the AC units but thought better of it and will wait a week or so.
Enough!  The FP is almost to cool to drink so will heat it up and get to work.

A bit of fall in the air

Brian and Tammy Johnston

I know the picture is a great example of terrible photography.  I should have had them sit with a dark background.
There is a very real sense of fall in the air this morning.  The sun is lazy in coming up as it was totally dark at 6:15 and the temp is 52!  It usually does not get that low in Naples in January and February!
Perhaps I can use it as an excuse to start the day a bit later BUT then if I do that I will find another excuse later on and later on and later on and soon it will be time to pack up and head to FL and the work will be staring me in the face next sprint again.
We received about .2 inches of rain yesterday so that will help the garden but I would say it is on the down slope with the tomatoes almost finished, the squash seem to be mature and the cucumbers almost at the end.  Next year we need to do something different as the vines ignored my fence as they grew all over the place.
No, I am now finished with the FP and I really need to get on the bike for a while.  Poor Bentley has been sitting in the den for about a week or more just waiting for some attention. (Bentley is my "oh so nice bike")
As I drank the last of my FP this morning I thought about it over the last 3 mornings when I enjoyed it sitting by the camper.  I think it is great at home but maybe greater when one is camping!
Okay it is time to quit stalling and get going. 

Home again

No pictures at this time.  We are home again after spending Friday until today near Ames Iowa.  Terry's son Brian married Tammy Saturday at Ledges State Park near Ames. We camped in the park for 3 nights.  It is a very nice park.  We were in the non-electric sites and it was kind of a throw back to the "good old days" as most people had tents and there were kids all over the place!  We arrived home about 1 PM today.  I had a fun time at the Minnesota welcome center as I sold one of my books to the gal behind the counter.  It was a fun weekend.  We were able to spend many hours with Brian and Tammy which was a real treat.  Brian is a great guy and he is very lucky to have found such a super gal as Tammy.
I need to look at work things and decide which are important.  We have about 7 weeks before we head south.  MUCH has to be done before then and many decisions have to be made.
I have gotten caught up with some wood projects and the bathroom trim has suffered so I had better get on the ball and make sure I do the right things!!!
We are now looking at September 4th and there are actually signs of fall in the air, kind of scary!
Enough for now and I probably will add some tomorrow AM.