2025!

 Since returning from my two-month trip to Tennesee/Carolinas, I have had an intense workout every other day.  I avoid it daily as I age; rest is essential.  My biking in December was 106 miles.  It was higher, but I have three club workouts for which I cannot load the miles into Strava automatically.   I rode the past three days, but the off day was easy with Shelley.

My mother's memory is stable, yet she is becoming more demanding.  Unfortunately, it is depressing to visit, knowing I am always getting closer to experiencing similar issues.  It helps me mentally focus on my health and lessen the potential for problems later.  Eating better and exercising significantly improve the aging body.

I had some fun with Mom and the photo booth app on the iPad.  Images below.

After traveling for 61 of the last 75 days, I am tired. Yet, being home in retirement during the winter is not enjoyable. I see all the activities I should complete at home and would rather avoid them. Things like minor house repairs and purging 60 years of possessions—even the pantry and garage—need a good cleaning and purge.

Over the new year, I started to think intensely about where life may have taken a wrong turn.  My relationship with Christopher is non-existent.  I reached out to him, yet like in the past, he emphasized we need to stay in contact; I never heard from him.  I wonder if I would have fought harder for other relationships if the people had avoided their hardships.  I regret not saying things when I had the chance, yet I regret saying things when I did.  I find that I get more intense thoughts about life as I age.  Fortunately, I can sort and control my emotions, yet I get a better understanding of the higher suicide rates in older adults.

I learned my boss is retiring at the end of the month.  He is only 55 years old, yet I was told after I left that all the crap I handled for decades was not on his lap and it was too much to handle.  He always hated conflict and complex issues, which I had no problem handling.  He is superior to me in intelligence, so we were a good team.  It is hard to hear that such a great organization has been dysfunctional for over 25 years, and people flee.  As of the first of the year, nearly 40 percent of all employees have less than 2 years tenure.  Such a sad state of events.

Slowly learning the new Zikon Z7iii.  There are basic similarities, yet setting precise variables for a picture takes time to make intuitive.  I have the time to head out for practice, but the temperatures are below zero!

Hope the new year has been good for you!  Carry on my Friends, Carry On!

And so it is Christmas!

  Shelley and I left early Sunday, December 22, and visited Lincoln to visit her father.  The drive was windy, yet there were no snow, ice, or rain issues.  We arrived, checked into the Staybridge Suites hotel at 2:00 PM, and unloaded before heading to Jon's.  We arrived at Jon's by 3:00, and Shelley and he went on a reminiscing drive. I went to Planet Fitness to work out.  

At 5:00, we were back, opened gifts, and set up his frame before heading to the dining room for dinner. I don't know the dinner cost, but the food was marginal. Shelley and I had fried chicken, and finding the meat under the breading was hard.

Afterward, Shelley, Helen, and Jon sang sane Christmas carols. I recorded the effort; I did not sing! It was late, and we were tired and had a long drive tomorrow, so we were back at the hotel and called it a night.

On Monday the 23rd, we were up about 5:00 AM and packed. We planned to have breakfast with Jon before heading to Arkansas.  The drive to Arkansas was simple, but it took longer than I had anticipated.  We arrived in Fayetteville at 4:30 PM and proceeded to Tim's Pizza to pick up pizza for dinner.  

The kids were so happy to see Grammy. They jumped into the car and onto Grammy's lap before we got to the driveway.  It started to rain, so we were confined indoors with Tickle Monster and other playing activities.  With the drive, we again tried to go to bed early and get a good night's sleep.

The following two days were spent playing, opening more gifts than we could have imagined, and, of course, eating. Taylor made brisket that was smoked to absolute perfection! So enjoyable.  Below are some images for the holidays.

Carry on my friends, carry on!

First big snow

Winter has arrived. I estimate we have 8 inches of very fluffy snow. My forecast only shows about 6/10th of an inch of moisture, and I thought it was no big deal.  Then, this morning, I was shocked at the depth of the snow.  Then I learned that the weather report I view lists moisture, which means anywhere from a 5:1 to a 15:1 snow-to-moisture ratio. There is a calculator to estimate snow from moisture, MNI Calculator (click to go to the site).  However, the forecast is 40 degrees over Christmas, so it may be short-lived.  

Being retired, I cleared the snow from the driveway, cleared the hydrant, cleared in front of the mailbox, and most of the sidewalk on my side of the block.  I have the time, so why not?  It is about 25 degrees, so the outside air is nice.

I have been riding Rouvy every other day since January 4. The eight rides were 131.4 miles with 3,043 feet of climb in 8 hours and 26 minutes. My longest ride was Lake Pukaki in New Zealand. It was 20 miles with a 710-foot climb at 1:16:41, with an average heart rate of 132 BPM. Unlike the outside, where there is a breeze to cool the body when riding Rouvy, I sweat profusely.   

I have the urge to ride today, but going to stick to every other day.  As I age, it is easier to burn out or get injured.  The best option is a good workout.  Due to the holiday and travel, I may have to spend two days in a row to keep at least a minimum schedule for every other day.

Happy Holiday all!  Carry on!

Information Please

I have heard many stories that make a point. The one below always reminds me how little things can make a huge impact! I hope you enjoy it and that it impacts you as much as it did me!

When I was young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but I listened fascinatedly when my mother talked to it. Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person--her name was "Information, Please," and there was nothing she did not know. "Information, Please" could supply anybody's number and the correct time.

My first personal experience with this genie-in-the-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn't seem to be any reason for crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.

I walked around the house, sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, Please," I said into the mouthpiece above my head.

With a click or two, a small, clear voice spoke into my ear, "Information." "I hurt my finger," I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. "Isn't your mother home?" came the question. "Nobody's home but me." I blubbered. "Are you bleeding?" the voice asked. "No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer, and it hurts." "Can you open your icebox?" she asked.

I said I could. "Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice. After that, I called "Information, Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk, which I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called "Information, Please" and told her the sad story. She listened and said the usual things grown-ups say to soothe a child, but I was inconsolable. I asked her, "Why should birds sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow, I felt better.

Another day, I was on the telephone. "Information, Please." "Information," said the now familiar voice. "How do you spell fix?" I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. "Information, Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home, and I never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone on the table in the hall.

As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity, I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane was put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes on the phone with my sister, who lives there now. Then, without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, Please." Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn't planned this but heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"

There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now." I laughed. "So it's really still you," I said. "Do you know how much you meant to me during that time?" "I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your calls meant to me? I never had any children, and I used to look forward to your calls." I told her how often I had thought of her over the years, and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.

"Please do," she said. "Just ask for Sally."

Three months later, I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered, "Information." I asked for Sally. "Are you a friend?" she asked. "Yes, a very old friend," I answered.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "Sally has been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago."

Before I could hang up, she said, "Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Paul?"

"Yes," I replied. "Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you."

The note said, "Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean.”

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today?

Carry on my friends, carry on!

I am back

After two months away, I am finally back in Minnesota.  The trip back did not come without issues.  

I left Cary, North Carolina, at about 6:00 AM (Eastern time).  The traffic was heavy but only caused a delay in Winston-Salem.  A crash blocked three of four lanes, which caused a 90-minute loss in travel time.  Then, just outside Indianapolis, Indiana, a snowstorm.  Well, it was flurries based on Minnesota, but for them, the roads became instant ice and numerous crashes.  I was able to get a hotel but it took me 1.5 hours to go the 20 miles to call it a travel day.  Those last 20 miles were very stressful, with a few near-crash crashes.

When I woke, road conditions mainly stayed the same, except there was no standstill traffic. I decided to head out. The storm was primarily tracking south, so I assumed the road should be cleared once I was 30 miles from Indianapolis. I was thrilled to see the Interstate was fine after 5 very slow miles.

I completed the rest of the trip without issue and arrived home just before 5:00 PM.  I unpacked, cleaned up, ate dinner, and then went to bed as I was tired.