First Week of Fall

Monday

Yesterday was the first full day of Fall and we started off with a nice dinner with grilled Pork Chops

Got up this morning and called the water department to have them turn off my sprinkler meter and save a little money each month until spring.  The water season is over here, which I confirmed with my neighbor.  I checked this afternoon and its off.

UPS delivered 80 lbs of pellets for the grill this morning.  I got a good deal with free shipping last week so we should be set for a good long time.

We finally got some of the rain they have been promising, it rained for maybe a half hour.  I also heard from SnapPower about my GFCI guide lights not working and they asked for a few pictures, which I sent.

So hopefully they can recommend a fix.

I also emailed Ecobee as one of my sensors is draining batteries much quicker than it should.  Sounds like they are going to replace it.

It was a day of updates also.  I updated my Mac to the new Mojave OS, no issues it loaded and updated in less than an hour.  Also while that was going on I updated to the latest AppleTV OS also.

Looking forward to supper.  Bonnie did a roast in the instant pot.  It was delicious

Tuesday

Just a leisurely morning with a little bit of rain.  Then we were planning to go out for lunch.  At first we talked about Greek but then Mildreds posted their menu for the day and we quickly decided we would head there.  Mildreds is about 15 minutes away and is a Buffet and is quite reasonable, $15.10 for the two of us and that includes drinks.  Plus they gave me a to go cup of iced tea.

The fried chicken is already good, and the hamburger casserole delicious, even had some chicken fried steak, plus the fried okra.  We ran into some more rain on the way home.  Then it seemed to rain off and on the rest of the day.

The mailman brought some reading material today.  Need to check on the updates for this year.

Thats about it for today.  I will leave you with this thought of wisdom I saw online.

Wednesday

We had lots of rain overnight but my rain gauge showed just about .5 inches when I got up.  Then we had flash flood warnings and more rain we are up to 1.07 inches.

Stayed really overcast all day, we had lights on in the living room most of the day.  Mostly the blinds are closed all the time, today they were open to let in any light we could get.  Bonnie made a nice stew with the left-over beef roast, with potatoes and carrots it was delicious.

Then we headed for church for our small group study tonight was Chapter 5 of Daniel.  We had a good turnout and good discussions.

Now home for the first night of the new Survivor.

Thursday

Today is a day that will go into the history books.

I spent the day watching the Senate Judiciary Hearings for Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.  He had been accused of sexual assault when he was 17 by a woman who was 15 at the time.  She sounded credible but the 4 people she named as witnesses all said that the event she cited never happened.  It was a very divided committee.  Thats all I will say.  Judge Kavanaugh has denied this.  Time will tell if he is confirmed.

Bonnie made some delicious Jambalaya for supper.  That was about it for today.

Friday

No rain in the forecast for today, first time in awhile.  Not much in the plans for today.

Well Judge Kavanaugh's nomination was voted on in committee today and will be voted on by the whole Senate, maybe next week.  But they also requested and President Trump ordered the FBI to reopen the investigation and investigate the 3 current allegations against him.  The limit for the investigation is one week.

Other than that it was a pretty unremarkable day.  The weatherman is saying our 90 degree days are pretty much over for this year.  We shall see.

Saturday

Early Soccer game today 10am.  That was a good thing as the Alabama game vs LSU starts at 11.  Wow the other girls soccer team was aggressive and pretty physical. The ref called them on a lot of it.  Listening to their coach it was clear why they are that way.  Our girls played well and are showing steady improvement week after week. Plus I think they have a good time.  On defense.

On offense.

My view for most of the day thru an umbrella.

It was much cooler today for them and they did not look so worn out.

I have been noticing the cotton fields are getting really white.  I suspect the cotton harvest will be starting soon.

By the time we got home Alabama already had 21 points.  At the quarter it was 28-0 and at the half 49-0, 56-0 after 3 quarters.  Final score 56-14.  We played 3 quarterbacks today and most of the players on the roster got a chance to play today.

Well thats a wrap for this week.

Thanks For Checking In!

"Some people try to turn back their odometers, not me, I want people 
to know why I look this way, and some of the roads weren't paved"

Still Hot

Monday

Looks like summer is still in full force and it is to be another hot week.  We were busy yesterday, at least for us.  We started with attending the new members class. It was good and we learned a lot.  Once home we watched the service from Crossroads.  Then it was time to head for Johnson Elementary School over in Limestone County.  Our church had several teams playing in a kickball tournament there.  It sure was hot out but we watched a couple games before heading home.

Lesson learned when you are hungry eat real food not a bunch of M&M peanuts.  It was shortly after that I started feeling bad.  I tried to rest but a couple hours later I threw up for the first time in years.  It was almost instant relief.  I felt better and slept good.

Nothing on the agenda for today.  So I watched the Movie Secretariat and a few other shows.  Its a bit cloudy but still 89 out.  It actual sprinkled a little today, did not even register on the rain gauge.

Simple baked potato with BBQ Pork on it for supper.  I had a sandwich with some of the port for lunch and Robby stopped to get some pork for his lunch tomorrow.  We are getting a lot of use out of that Pork Shoulder.

The mail finally showed up late this afternoon, actually Robby brought it in.  Not sure if we will watch the Emmy's tonight or the recording tomorrow.

Tuesday

Typical Tuesday here so not a whole lot to report on.  The HOA grass behind the house got mowed this morning and it seemed to take them an extra long time.  Anyway thats what woke us up this morning.

90s again today and so we stayed home and in the AC.  I was supposed to take my GD to horseback riding but my son called when he got off work early so he took her.

I watched the Emmy's from last night and enjoyed parts of it.  A lot of the shows I have never heard of.  Then I worked on some bills and paperwork.

Bonnie made soup for lunch and then some more TV, seems to be a lot of that.  We also talk most days to my son on his way home and my daughter also.

FEDEX brought us a new remote from AT&T today not sure it works any better than the old one.  Then a WOW cable guys knocked on the door and I talked to him for a few minutes.  If AT&T raises our deal much we may switch.

Red beans and rice, some more pork (we are really enjoying it) and coleslaw.

Then we had our nightly FaceTime with GD Kaylee.  We finished off the evening with the finals of Americas Got Talent.  This came via Face Book today, see there is some good on FB.

Wednesday

Another hot day both the temperature and the stock market.  I went out late morning to get the mail and bring in the trash tote.  George our neighbor was out blowing the grass off his sidewalks and it was nice to get a chance to talk to him for a while.  We don't see the neighbors out much in the summer, everyone is inside beating the heat.

We did put in some more of the SnapPower Guidelight upstairs today,  That went well except I have not been able to get the ones to work on the GFCI outlets.

Then after supper we headed to our small group study at church.  We had a good turnout and we are enjoying the study of Daniel and getting to know a few of the folks better in a more intimate setting.

Then at home we watched the winner of Americas Got Talent.  Congratulations to Shin Lim.  His magic tricks with cards are amazing.

Thursday

Still Hot today.  Did not do much.  We got a couple deliveries from UPS.  Bonnie got her new 40oz water bottle and the stand for the Dyson cordless vacuum came.  Of course that required assembly but I think I have it all together now.

Then I braved the 95 degrees outside to grill a couple boneless pork chops for supper.  They came out good and Bonnie made mashed potatoes and we also had some coleslaw.  Then I headed down to the clubhouse for the quarterly HOA meeting.  About 50 people showed up and it was a pretty good meeting.  Lots of questions and the board gave some pretty good answers.

Back home its time to relax and enjoy some of the jello dessert Bonnie made.

Friday

Still Hot.  Not much going on today.  Bonnie went grocery shopping and I carried in the bags while she worked on putting it all away.  She had picked up a big tray of chicken thighs and wanted me to smoke and grill them.  So I seasoned them and let them sit while I fired up the pellet grill.  Then put them on the smoke for about an hour.  Thermoworks had a sale on the Chef Alarm a few weeks ago and I ordered one.  It does Bothe timing and also has a temperature probe.  Today I just used the timer.

After an hour the thighs were almost up to 165º.  So I turned up the heat, moved the heat shield off to the side and flipped over the thighs to crisp up the skin.  Looks like they turned out pretty good.

Bonnie also made us baked potatoes and corn, turned out to be a delicious meal.  I used Killer Hog BBQ rub and a little bit of there all purpose seasoning.

Saturday

First day of Fall and the temperature magically is lower.  Well not really.

Looks like we got a little rain last night and they say we will get more this afternoon, we could use some.  We were at Reagan's soccer game at 11:30am.  Temp was in the lower 80s but it was hot when the sun was shining, it was not bad when the clouds and the breeze came.  They played a good game and played great defense.  They scored 3 goals and the other team did not score.

On the way home I got some gas and we stopped at a fund raiser for the local Karate club and bought a couple hot dogs for lunch.

Now its time for the Alabama-Texas A&M game.  Roll Tide.  Final Score 45-23 Alabama.

Well thats a wrap for this week.

Thanks For Checking In!

"Some people try to turn back their odometers, not me, I want people 
to know why I look this way, and some of the roads weren't paved"

Florence

Monday

Looks like hurricane Florence will do major damage to the East coast if it continues on its current path and continues to increase in wind speed.  Coverage of Florence is dominating the news and weather.

First thing this morning UPS dropped off our new cordless Dyson V10 vacuum.  I brought it in and unpacked the box, lots of packing.  There are still some attachments in transit, it has lots of attachments.

Then we decided to head over to Isom's Orchard, they have fruit and veggies.  Bonnie got some Peaches, Apples, Tomatoes, and Okra.  They already have the Pumpkins out for Halloween.

Bonnie also picked us up an Apple Cider Slushy, delicious.

Then a quick stop at the Walmart neighborhood market for a few groceries.  Finally back home for the day.  No wait a minute, Bonnie got a text and took off to meet our GS and take him a pair of pants for work.

Hamburger helper, picked beets, and a muffin for supper.  Good day.

Tuesday

I remember this day in 2001 like it was this morning.

The postoffice delivered my new Apple TV today and I hooked it up and downloaded a bunch of apps.  Then UPS and the Big Brown Truck brought some more tools for the new Dyson vacuum.

Bonnie wanted hamburgers again for supper so I fired up the Charbox again and with the help of the Thermo Pen instant read thermometer grilled some near perfect burgers.  Heard a car horn and then two Granddaughters yelling Poppy as they headed home from Soccer practice.

After taking out the trash tote it was time or maximum relaxing and Americas Got Talent.

Wednesday

The heat is back it got up to 90 today.  UPS delivered our order of SnapPower Guide Lights today.  I installed one and had trouble with the GFCI one so will have to investigate that further.
Hot dogs for supper, Nathens, they were tasty and good.  Then I picked up the girls and ran them over to their church for their Wednesday activities.
Then I picked up Bonnie and we headed to our church for our group study of Daniel.  Back home and  I am about ready to head to bed.

Florence is still a major hurricane and should impact the East Coast tomorrow.

Thursday

We decided to smoke a pork butt around 11 today, could be a late supper as it should take around 8 hours.  All prepped with rub and onto the pellet smoker/grill.

The rub makes it "sweat" as it pulls out moisture.  After two hours.

It was nice and sunny when I started this, then it turned overcast.  When it was time to baste it was pouring, once it let up a little I went out and basted it.

Hopefully this will make a nice bark and it is giving it good color.  The internal temperature was at 145 after 5 hours.  So I put it in a pan and covered it with foil, increased the grill to 350 and now to wait until it gets up to 295 internal temp, then it should easily pull apart.

About 2 hours later it was done.

We let it cool for about 40 minutes and then pulled enough off it for supper.

We added some potatoes, carrots and corn relish, it was delicious according to Bonnie.  I enjoyed it also.

We watch the news and the weather about hurricane Florence, it is looking bad for the East Coast.

I shredded the rest of the pork and put some pieces for Bonnie in the refrigerator.Then we cleaned up the kitchen and ran the dish washer.

After the downpours we had today the rain gauge on shows .52 in of rain.  I cleaned up the grill and spread out the cover to dry overnight.  Time to relax now.

Friday

Got up this morning to learn that Florence made landfall near Wilmington.  While the wind died down a little still a lot of trees down.  The predicted rain and flooding is happening and a lot of people are stranded.  We watched some on the weather channel and will continue to check it throughout the day.

I checked the Garmin site for Honda and it looks like the map update is finally available to download.    So I plugged in a USB drive and about 1/2 hour later the map update was downloaded.  After Bonnie got up I went out and ran the update in my Honda Ridgeline and it worked perfectly and only took about twelve minutes.

Then it was time to install some of the guide lights for Bonnie.  I put in 4 more and we have five more and some will go upstairs.  They install quickly as the prongs on the sides make contact with the terminal screws.

They look pretty much like the original.  Thats a combo light sensor and switch that adjusts the bright ness in the lower left.

And they look pretty good at night, here are a couple of them.

Saturday

Looks like a hot one today.  Florence continues to dump rain and some wind on the East coast.

Bonnie went with me to Reagan's soccer game today as she was personally invited last night by Reagan.  They are playing pretty good.  Most of the game was played in the other teams half of the field and we scored several goals.  But the other team has one very good player and she scored all the goals for the other team and more than we scored, all on breakaways.  We had umbrellas to sit under and there was a good breeze so it was not too bad.

I watched some college football this afternoon, mostly SEC teams.  Then I grilled some chicken breast for supper and Bonnie made her delicious coleslaw.  Then we settled in to watch the Alabama-Ole Miss game.  Once again we have scored over 50 points and its just minutes into the 2nd half.

Hopefully we will end up with the win.  Tomorrow is our new members class at church where we have an opportunity to ask questions about the church, looking forward to it.

Well thats a wrap for this week.

Thanks For Checking In!

"Some people try to turn back their odometers, not me, I want people 
to know why I look this way, and some of the roads weren't paved"

Road Trip Part 3

Sunday we attended our former church.  We were "Under the Tent" until thunder storms threatened and then we quickly moved inside.  It was great to say hello to everyone and catch up with what is going on.  They have done a little remodeling in the sanctuary and it looks really good.

Monday

Labor Day is always the Maynard Family reunion.  So we headed down to Hogan's Deli and picked up some Macaroni Salad as our contribution.  The gathering was much smaller than in the old days but still a good showing and a good number of generations.  We did a lot of visiting and exchanged lots of hugs.  The kids still enjoy searching for frogs and salamanders.  Alexus even got to ride the ATV as much as she wanted.  The food as always was good and plentiful.  We had a very brief rain shower, just enough to raise the humidity even more.  Soon it was time to say our goodbyes.

I needed to pull the ATV trailer home to Holland so Dana hooked it up and off we went.  Then we stayed a visited with them and girls.  Kaylee had already left to get back to school as she has an early class in the morning, and lots of medication cards to prepare for her clinicals.

Then as we got to Carol's, Sharon from across the street was bringing out their trash totes and we stopped and chatted with her for quite a while.  Then I got a text from Elizabeth, seems that Dana's phone got left in our truck, so they came up and picked it up.  More goodbyes.  We cleaned up the dishes and ran the dish washer.  Now to get some rest as we set the alarm for 7:00am and will head South shortly there after.

Tuesday

Tuesday we were up at 7 and packed up and headed South.  We were planning to head to Paris, TN to see Bonnie's cousin.  I had sent a couple emails updating our schedule but had not heard back.  I finally tried messenger and got a reply.  Seems that they did not get my emails and Lydia, who recently retired from teaching, was called back to teach for 8 weeks while a teacher is on maturity leave.  So we adjusted and just planned to get home a couple days early.  We spent the night near Cincinnati at a new Hampton Inn.  We had a very nice room and enjoyed dinner at a nearby Olive Garden.  Then it was early to bed.

Wednesday

This morning after breakfast we loaded up and headed South again.  Traffic was moving good but wow so many trucks.  We stopped at a rest stop just before Louisville.  As we pulled out the built in Navigation system flashed a message that I65 was closed and it changed our route.  So we followed it and it added a little time to our trip but no traffic back ups.  About 30 minutes later we were back on I65 and moving along nicely.  Finally Alabama.

No problems at all today and we arrived home shortly after 3.  We had stopped at the Post Office and also picked up some milk etc at the Walmart Neighborhood Market.

Then after a little rest we headed up to church for our Small Group Study of the book of Daniel.  Then back home and a short visit from our Alabama family.  Now to get some sleep.

Thursday

Well I must have been tired, I slept over 10 hours last night and good to be back in my own bed as I did not have a sore back when I got up.

I did some unpacking and organizing and settling back into the house.  I check my Rxs and called in a couple refills I needed.  I had already done Bonnies the other day.  A couple hours later I got a text that all the Rxs were ready.

Bonnie had started the wash and mentioned that we should get our Flu shots when we pick up the meds from CVS.  So thats what we did.  We got our shots, it only took a few extra minutes.  While we were there we got word that my BIL had cut his thumb.  He and my sister were cutting corn off the cob to make corn relish.  My sister gave me some while we were visiting.  They ended up in the ER to get the cut to quit bleeding and it took some type of foam to finally stop the bleeding.  But he is on the mend now.

And plenty of the finished product.

After CVS we headed to the Post Office to mail out a package.  That accomplished we headed home for the evening.  Eggs and hash for supper.  Then back to catching up on all the shows that are recorded.

Ready for another good nights sleep.

Friday

Another good nights sleep today but I was up before 8 and Bonnie was up not too much later.  After breakfast she headed out to the grocery store.  I did some more catching up on the recorded programs.  The post office delivered my next years supply of low dose aspirin so I went out and got it and the mail from the mail box.  I noticed some of the grass was still wet from last nights watering.

Once Bonnie was home we carried in the groceries and then it was back to the recorded programs.  For supper I fired up the char-box and grilled a couple of burgers.

Bonnie fixed some beans, added some chips and slices of tomatoes and it all was delicious.

Thats about it for today, we are getting back into our routine.

Saturday

It was already hot when I got up this morning.  Had my breakfast and watched a recorded program before Robby called.  He was on the way to pick me up for Reagan's soccer game.  I grabbed my chair and umbrella and he was here to get me.

It was even hotter on the field.  Thankfully it was somewhat overcast and there was a breeze.  The umbrellas sure helped when the sun was out.

Reagan had a good day but the ref even called a time out to have the girls take a water break.  I can already see a big difference in the skills the girls are gaining.

Reagan still had horseback riding to go to today.  Saturdays are very busy.  Back home in time for lunch and the Alabama Game.

Roll Tide! and they did.

Well thats a wrap for this week.

Thanks For Checking In!

"Some people try to turn back their odometers, not me, I want people 
to know why I look this way, and some of the roads weren't paved"

Road Trip Part 2

Monday

Well a few words about Sunday.  GD Kaylee moved back into her college room and Bailey her dog moved upstairs into her parents room and her spot (for now), she seems happy there.

We were talking about old pictures and Joe sent me a picture of the tomatoes the kids and I grew in Chicago.  The kids sold them for 10 cents apiece.

Molly and I had breakfast and then she seemed intent on helping me with my email.  First there were some kisses.

Then while I finished up the mail, Molly was exhausted and she took a nap.

Today Joe had a dentist appointment and then Bonnie, Sharon and I headed back to the Outlet Mall.  I needed to exchange one pair of my new Croc shoes.  We confused the clerk but in the end I got a wider pair of shoes, that I actually wore home, and we did not have to pay any more.  Then to Haines to bet some short socks, Joe calls them girls socks.  Then the girls checked out one or two more stores and got Joe a couple of shirts.

Then late this afternoon we headed out for dinner at The Trappe Tavern.  I was surprised how busy they were for a Monday.  Bonnie and Joe had Prime Rib and Sharon and I had the fresh salmon.  It was all very good and we had to let that settle at home before we had some ice cream.

Tuesday

Today was a rest up day, as we will be traveling North to the Buffalo area tomorrow.  Plus it was hot and very humid outside here.  Heat index was 100+.  We had grilled pork chops for dinner with Mac and cheese.  Plus green beans and fresh apple sauce.

Then after supper we got out the Dominos out.

Time for a few rousing games of Mexican Train.

I even managed to win the final game.  Then we sorted out the dominos as we had noticed a couple of duplicates.  Thats about it for tonight.

Wednesday

So this morning we said our goodbyes to my sister and BIL and of course Molly.

It was a rather sad time for all of us.  My sister sent me a photo later in the day.  Molly was watching for us to come back.  I think we may have spoiled her a little.

Traffic was rather light and there was hardly any construction.  Seems they are doing most of it at night or on the weekends.  We did have one frightful experience.  We were following a motorcycle, I believe it was a Honda Gold Wing.  A lady in a mini van pulled out of a side road and pretty much T-Boned them.  The motorcycle and the the two riders, an older man and woman, went airborne and tumbled end over end landing on the far side of the road.  We stopped and Bonnie went over to help the lady, others also stopped and were attending to the man.  911 was called right away but we were quite a ways out of the nearest town.  I had to move the car out of the way as some PA state workers from a nearby field office made me move.  The ambulances and State troopers started showing up about 15 minutes later and took charge.  A Dr who was a cardiologist also stopped to lend a hand.  The injured were transported and we understand they were med flighted.  Bonnie gave her info one of the troopers and we were released to go.  Quite an experience.

Next stop was Bradford to see our GD at college.  We got a tour of her room and then took her to supper.  Her favorite, a BLT sub at subway.  We went to the one in Walmart and then she and Bonnie shopped for "snacks".  We said our goodbyes until Friday when she is home for the weekend.

Next stop was Tim Hortons for an Iced Capp with Hazelnut, my favorite summertime drink.  Of course its midnight and I seem to be wide awake.

Then a quick stop and visit at our daughters to see our other two GDs, SIL and GS.  Of course we also got lots of kisses from Bailey our Grand Dog.  She seemed happy to see us and then laid down.

Then finally up to Bonnies sisters where we are staying until next Tuesday.

Guess I better go lay down and try to sleep.

Thursday

Well the Tim Horton's coffee I had to have when we got into Arcade yesterday kept me up until 1am. But I was up by 8:30 this morning.  Had my coffee and cereal and then caught up on email.  We are back to using our hot spots on phones and iPad as there is not internet provider out here.  But that is working fine.  Bonnie talked to her other sister and went down to see her around lunch time for a few hours.

Then we went down to Elizabeths for Pizza and Wings.  It was nice to have real pizza and wings again.  Plus we have enough left over to have for lunch tomorrow.  Bailey waiting patiently for the last piece of crust and to lick my fingers.

Dana and I were hoping to put a brake controller in their Kia Sorento but it proved to be a little more complicated and would require more time than we had tonight.

Just before dark we headed back up to Carols and had a nice visit and relaxed a bit.  Only in the 60s here so much cooler than back home in Alabama.

Friday

We hung around the house today until Carol got home.  Then we were headed to the Holland Hotel for a fish fry.  Our GD Alexus is the Hostess on Friday nights.  Well the Fish Fry turned out to be really good and it was topped off with home made pies.  Here in Buffalo the portions are man-sized and you can get gravy on the side for your fries.

I took one look and said there is no way I can finish all that.  But I did!

I did split a piece of pie with Carol.  You have to cut back somewhere.

Back at the house our niece Kate and her husband stopped in and Jeff a neighbor came over and we had a nice visit.

I did remember to get a picture of Carol and Bonnie before we all said good night.

Saturday

We set the alarm for 8 this morning and we were up and out the door pretty quick.  We were headed to breakfast at our daughter and SIL.  They cooked and the whole family ate together.  They had a long planned outing with a friend to ATV in Pennsylvania.  But we spent the day with the kids.  However Bonnie snuck out to spend a little time shopping at the thrift store with her sister Donna.

First up was Alexus, Kaylee and Bailey and I headed to Big Lots to exchange a broken shelf that we were going to put together.  No problem with the exchange and back home we got started.  I read the directions and Alexus did the assembly.

We finished that project and it was time for Kaylee, Bailey and I to head to Amherst to pick up Alyssa.  NY State requires all new drivers to take a 5-hour pre licensing course.

We got there early and had time to get a snack at McDonalds, Kaylee treated.

Then we picked up Alyssa and headed home.  Once we got home I headed up to Alexus's room to help her put her new desk together.  Both the desk and shelves were birthday presents.  We completed that and you can see the desk and the shelf in this picture.

Then the kids all got together and cooked supper.  Hot Dogs and Brats, Beans, summer squash with a few sliced jalapeños (which was really good), and tuna mac salad.  Then after supper they all clean up the kitchen and did the dishes.

Then we played a game with them and had a good time.

We headed home just after 8 as I wanted to watch the Alabama game.  So far so good end of the 3rd quarter and its 44-7 Alabama.

Well thats a wrap for this week.

Thanks For Checking In!

"Some people try to turn back their odometers, not me, I want people 
to know why I look this way, and some of the roads weren't paved"