February, 2021

 February started out very nice.  The first two days were about 60 ish! I worked on the picture drawer and we answered questions about our kitchen remodel. Steve has been trying to clean and organize his shed. On Tuesday the 2nd - we ate at Texas Roadhouse with Linda and Hazel. On Wednesday - the 3rd we went to H& R Block to get our taxes done- mainly so we could receive the stimulus money. It was pretty easy. We also took Zoe to the vet because she has a sore place on her back hock. Steve got his pickup tag and that was it for errands today. Thursday was a putz day and Friday's highlight was a Walmart run. Saturday the 6th we went to Lowe's and finalized the kitchen remodel. After arriving back home we watched OSU beat Texas in basketball. It was an exciting game with overtime! Of course we watched the superbowl on Sunday, the 7th and Tampa Bay won! We were kind of rooting for Kansas City - but man that Tom Brady is a GOAT!

Steve & Zoe at the Vet. Steve wanted me to take this pic of Zoe by the painting.

Dog painting at the vet's office

Sunset - Feb 3, 2021

On Monday the 8th we had an ice storm, and it was 15 degrees! What a mess! We did not venture out on the ice. Steve had a little cough but doesn't feel bad. We watched OSU BB again tonight. Tuesday, we had more ice and light snow. Supper with the girls was cancelled and we didn't do much. I called Winnebago and re-scheduled our appointment with them. It will be in April because March will be busy with the kitchen remodel. Tuesday the high temp was 19 degrees and Wednesday it was 20 degrees! COLD! FRIGID! We had to hook up the RV to the charger last night and then it started fine on Wednesday. Thursday it was 17 degrees and we had to put the charger on the pickup to get it started. After it warmed up we took the dogs for a ride to the post office. Friday brought more cold temps (13 degrees) and light snow all day. We headed to Walmart in Stillwater to stock up. When we got there, it was packed and many shelves were empty, but we got everything we needed.  Saturday, was more OSU basketball, and tv watching. I have also been making soup and chili this week. Sunday was extremely cold 4-8 degrees and it was snowing most of the day. Therefore we did very little except watch the bad weather on TV and take it easy.

Empty Bread Aisle at Walmart Feb 12, 2021

Feb 12 - out the front door

Feb 16, 2021

                                                           Snowing videos!

OK I have officially had enough of the cold weather! It was -5 degrees at 8:30 AM on Monday (15th) and -12 degrees on Tuesday at 6:00AM.  On Wednesday the 17th it was up to a high of 22 degrees! Tropical weather indeed. Thursday it was 2 degrees at 6:30 AM. Mind you, I don't plan on waking up so early but sometimes it happens.  When it does, I usually go back to sleep! Needless to say on Monday the City of Perry issued a critical alert to conserve power. They said there was the possibility of rolling blackouts! Oh My! So we turned down the thermostat and chilled out watching TV. Tuesday it was more of the same and no loss of electricity. By Wednesday, it was starting to get a little boring! But we were thankful that we didn't lose electricity. Also the dogs dislike the snow! They go to the back door and have to be convinced to go out ( a little push sometimes). On Thursday it was more of the same. I did shovel the light, fluffy snow off the sidewalk to the shed. Mainly just so I would have something to do. And luckily we have not lost power or water. While we were hanging out Thursday evening, Kristi called and said her car broke down on I-40 by Yukon. So we will help her with that. On Friday at 7:50 AM we had an Earthquake! It was a pretty big one 4.2 or something. And it shook the house, plus made noise and the dogs barked like crazy! Also it was 4 degrees this morning! When the weather warmed up a little - Steve worked on getting the pickup jumped and started. Then we went to O'Reilly's and got a new battery for it. On our way there, Steve helped push a lady out of her driveway- SNOW, Stuck! Then we drove to El Reno and picked up up Kristi & Logan. We towed her pickup off I-40 over to a mechanic shop, and dropped it off. I drove the pickup and towed Steve in Kristi's SUV. Life is an adventure! Then we returned to Perry and had linner (late lunch or early dinner) at La Macarena. We sent Kristi and Logan back to El Reno in my car. Saturday was just some routine chores around town along with regular activities. Sunday was another take it easy day, but we were able to get out for a walk.

Monday the 22nd we did our chores around the house. We were able to walk the dogs. In addition I dropped off a paper to H & R Block - tax info. I have been talking to my sisters most days.  Tuesday, my sister Pam called and said she would get her 1st vaccine today. I am so glad she is getting it. Steve and I ventured to Walmart for groceries and were home in time for lunch. We took the dogs for a walk. Later we went to the post office and got some cash. Tonight we all met at Texas Roadhouse and celebrated Linda's birthday (late - it was on the 12th).  Wednesday - I got registered with Foster's Drug store here in Perry for Steve's 1st shot and my 2nd!  So glad. They will make an appointment for his 2nd shot at the time of his first. So we will get that accomplished. Steve also got a new battery for the RV today (a starting battery). He determined it was bad too! We think that batteries only last about 3 years now. It was 55 degrees for the high today - but the wind made it feel really chilly! On Thursday, Steve worked on trying to find a parasitic draw in the RV. I did stuff on the computer. We did a short walk. It was partly cloudy and 52 felt like 46 degrees. Friday, the 26th we went to OKC to the VA for an appointment (Steve). We didn't go shopping because I couldn't think of anything I wanted to buy. Then back home.  Saturday Steve was still working on finding his electric short in the RV for awhile. Before the basketball game - we walked our dogs around the neighborhood. We both watched OSU beat OU in men's basketball. Sunday is pretty much more of the same. I did some laundry and Steve worked on tracing down the short in the RV. I hope he finds it, so it will be solved! We will try to do another walk with the dogs today also. 

Video  from Tuesday, Feb 23, 2021 - Back to blue skies and no snow!

January, 2021A New Year Has Started, But Is it Any Different?

 We started the new year with snow! So it was a football and chili day. The temperature only got up to 33 degrees by noon. We got the inside Christmas decorations put away over the week-end. We continued to be concerned about Pam & JC and their recovery from COVID. They are better - but not well. I got my second  Shingles shot on Jan. 4th. I was glad to get it and have it completed. I don't want shingles! Most days we try to get outside for a short walk around the neighborhood - about a mile. Some days we walk less if it is too chilly. The dogs go crazy for these little jaunts! We also worked on cleaning out our computer rooms - including the file cabinet, shelves, etc. We bought a new iPad on Jan 5th because Steve's was very old. So he got the one  I use and I got the new one! On Jan. 6th there was a riot in Washington D.C. which we heard about on the news.We finished up in the computer room and started cleaning out the spare bedroom. We are just trying to pare down some of the stuff we have gathered up over the years.

Snow!

On the 11th of January we went to Stillwater VA for an appointment with Steve's primary care provider. We also found out this evening that Kristi has COVID - but apparently the kids didn't get it. Although Logan had to quarantine for several days (14?).  It was a pretty sunny day and about 50 ish degrees so we took down our outside Christmas lights and decorations on the 12th. We worked on cleaning out the kitchen cabinets because we are trying to remodel the kitchen at some point. We have had the kitchen measured and are waiting to meet with Lowe's to finalize the details. I was able to register Steve and I for the COVID vaccine on the 13th. I will get mine first because I am 65. I have been trying on Thursdays to get an appointment - but most of the time - there have been no appointment slots available. Steve has been working on a screen door for the garage that includes a doggie door. Some days I have went out to the shed and helped him. 

Steve in the shed

I have used our Portal to talk to a few people. That is kind of fun. Steve had to charge the batteries in the RV on the 19th. We are not sure what keeps discharging them, another problem to investigate. We went to the Texas Roadhouse with Hazel & Linda and spent our Christmas gift cards. The food was great as always. The next project I worked on was cleaning out the drawers in the hallway. There are three of them and they hold pictures and cards. Lots of them! So I am working on decluttering them. We were at Lowe's for 2 hours on the 22nd, going over details on the kitchen remodel. It is tedious. I am not a decorator. On this day I was also able to secure an appointment for a COVID vaccine! Yea! On Saturday, the 23rd of January, we went to Enid. We took Pam & JC's Christmas presents to them and visited with them. Paige, Dave and Parker were there also - so we had a mini, belated Christmas get-to-gether. They have all have COVID -and were out of the danger zone, so we enjoyed the visit. Steve & I also took Pam to lunch at Colton's Landing. It's a new restaurant in Enid. I didn't like it as good as the Texas Roadhouse. Of course they got our order wrong on the salads Steve & I ordered - but oh well. 

These are horse racing blankets (awards) from when Glenn & I raced Blister Bug. They are 35 years old. And I decided to give one to Linda & one to Hazel to remember their Dad and one of our favorite past times, Horse Racing. It was a big part of our lives and Blister Bug was an exceptional horse!

We have started to watch some OSU (OK State) men's basketball when they are on TV, since the football season is winding down. We will miss football! We had supper with Hazel and Linda this week at La Macarena in Perry - always good! On the 27th of January I got my COVID Vaccine at the Payne county health department in Stillwater. It was easy. Can't wait til Steve can get his and and our 2nd shots so we will have some protection from the virus. Another project Steve has worked on is repairing the drywall cracks in our house from the earthquakes we have experienced. We had foundation repair several years ago and he tried to fix the cracks then, but they seem to have re-appeared. Plus now we need to get the garage area stabilized. When they did the foundation repair at first, they said we didn't need it in the garage area. Well, now we do. Things change! I also worked on completing a picture book on Shutterfly about Echo Lake. I got it finalized on the 30th and ordered it. This about summarizes the highlights for January. As I said we have tried to walk outside as many days as possible. We have also done the routine things, like shopping for groceries, doing laundry. We are kind of happy with the projects we have worked on and completed. We plan to clean out the garage and shed also! 

Parker, Pam, JC

Mary, Parker, Steve

Dave, Paige, Parker, Pam, JC

December 14 - 31, 2020 Finishing out the Year

December 14 - 20

Monday was cold. After breakfast and some TV we completed the laundry and watched some programs we had recorded. We also took a short walk. It was short because the cold weather doesn’t promote walking for us! LOL I fixed chicken enchiladas for supper. Steve didn’t feel great this evening. Tuesday the 15th it snowed a bit. We went to Linda’s for hairdos. On the way home we stopped at the tag office and got tags for the RV and the car. Tonight we had supper at La Macarena with Linda. Wednesday we got up and dressed for Wayne’s memorial service. Janette and Brandy came by the house. The memorial service was very nice of course, but sad. I went to Hazel’s after it was over and hung out awhile. Thursday we got around and walked the dogs. Then we had lunch. Our highlight for the day was going to Walmart for groceries and supplies. The weather was sunny but cold. On Friday the 18th we went to Enid to try to finish our Christmas shopping. The weather was chilly and very windy! Steve and I ate lunch at Chili’s. When we finished shopping we went by Pam and JC’s house to visit awhile. We made a stop at Jumbo’s and then went  home. Saturday I did shop for a few more items and we walked our dogs around the square downtown - two times. They really like walking in different places. So today, they got a walk and a ride in the pickup. Sunday we wrapped presents. And we watched a lot of football. We did take a break from football and walked the dogs. 

December 21- 27

Monday turned out very pretty. We got up and around then went to Oklahoma City about 11 AM. I went to Kohl’s and Walmart trying t find those last few presents. We ate lunch at Chicken Express. We went through the drive thru and ate in the car. Their lobby was not open. I also went to Thorn’s, the bank and the post office after we got home. It was a busy day. Tuesday we went to Walmart for groceries. We ate supper at La Macarena with Linda and Hazel. We exchanged our Christmas presents with them and had a nice time. We went to meet Kristi to pick up Logan - so he won’t be home alone all during Christmas break. And before we left town, we met Paige, Dave & Parker at Braum’s parking lot to give them their presents. They had been to Enid to check on JC & Pam - because JC went to the ER today - he may have COVID 19. Wednesday rolled around and I went to see Maxine and gave her a present. We had a nice visit, then I went to Tractor Supply - to get one more present. Not only do we shop for Christmas - but Steve’s birthday is the 29th. So I needed to buy him one more thing! After lunch the guys loaded up 5 big garbage bags of aluminum cans - 80# brought $20.50. Then we went to Lowe’s for a screen door for the garage. We went by Walmart for some medicine and back home. On Thursday we just sat around and vegged out watching TV. Logan and I played some Yahtzee. I fixed chili for supper. This year Christmas is all messed up. Kristi and Austyn are working and can’t come until Saturday. Pam & JC are sick, so we can’t have our usual Christmas Eve with them. To tell you the truth, it’s a little depressing. Christmas was another blah day. Steve and I did take a nice walk. We played Scattergories, Uno and Skipbo with Logan. Each of us won some games - so everyone was a winner! I fixed Chicken Cordon Bleu, Scalloped potatoes and corn for supper. Saturday was another nice day. It was 60 ish part of the day and sunny! First we cut up all the cardboard boxes in the shed and got them ready to discard. Then the guys worked on the screen door. I was outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Finally Kristi and Austyn arrived and we opened all our presents!  That was FUN! Then we went to Texas Roadhouse for supper! Sunday we had our Christmas Dinner. It was yummy. I also had to return to Walmart at Stillwater and pick up Steve’s birthday cake. We celebrated his birthday with cake and ice cream at suppertime. The bad news was that Pam took JC to the hospital and he was admitted. So they are still sick. He has COVID and needs treatment. 

Never to old to have Papa read you the Night Before Christmas

Steve modeling Sandals & Socks! LOL

Steve put this on the table to cheer me up  I think! Paige gave us the flowers!

Logan and Austyn

Mary (me)

Kristi

Steve

December 28-31

We had breakfast and then got around. Steve received the Facebook Portals from the VA. So I set one up and spent part of the morning catching up with an old friend, Claudette. We had pizza from the Hut, for lunch and the kids packed up and left. I worried about my sister, because she went to the ER and found out she also has COVID plus a UTI and low potassium. They didn’t admit her and I am worried about her staying home alone. 

Steve's Birthday Cake

Tuesday was Steve’s birthday and I surprised him with two additional gifts- a bellows (for the campfire) and some new overalls. He was happy. I also returned to Walmart to pick up my meds - they didn’t have them done all at once. The pickup times were all strung out. We were home for lunch and I talked to Pam. Later we watched the Oklahoma State Cowboys win their bowl game! We also went to La Macarena by ourselves and had fajitas. Wednesday - Steve woke up really early - so I suggested he go back to bed for a while. We did Laundry and caught up our bookkeeping. I talked with Marsha, we are both worried about Pam & JC. Steve and I walked the dogs in the afternoon. Later I made chicken soup and we watched the OU football bowl game. On Thursday, New Year’s Eve we did a few chores and I worked on the blog. Next we went to Homeland and the post office here in town. I spent a long time on the phone talking to Paige and Marsha about Pam and JC. We are all worried. I also completed a blog post. 

Happy New Year 2021

Wishing the best for all my family and friends! 

Happy NewYear in 2021!

December, 2020 The First Half of the Month!

 December 1 - 6 (Tuesday - Sunday)

This month starts the month of buying presents! I ordered some things from Amazon yesterday to get started. On Tuesday, I attended my WW Zoom meeting first thing. After lunch we worked on limbs in the front yard. We loaded the limbs in the back of the pickup and went to the dump to get rid of them. We also had three bags for the trash guys to pick up. Steve and I went to La Macarena for supper without Hazel or Linda. Wednesday was a slow day, I read a book in the morning. In the afternoon - Steve had a bad asthma episode. I thought I was going to have to call 911. But he finally was able to breathe normally. It kind of scared me. Also we watched the Steelers play the Ravens on Wednesday. The Corona virus has these football schedules all messed up. Thursday was gloomy and overcast with a high of 36 degrees. We did walk outside, even though it was chilly. We have been trying to walk outside most every day. It's a short route about a mile total. It only takes us about 20 minutes, but the dogs LOVE it! So we do it to keep our dogs happy. Friday we went to Stillwater for some more Christmas shopping and pick up supplies at Walmart. Saturday we tried to work on putting up our outside lights, but we needed bulbs. So we went back to Stillwater after checking all the stores in Perry (Dollar Store, Ace Hardware, and Tractor Supply) with no luck. We ended up getting some new strings of lights at Walmart because we could not find bulbs to match the lights we had. We also watched OSU beat TCU in football today! Yea! After we got around on Sunday, we got our outside lights and decorations put up. Also we watched football again! Imagine that!

Moon rise - Dec 1, 2020

Zoey putting on her mask!

Christmas Decorations - Outside

December 7 - 13 (Monday - Sunday)

The week started with Steve's annual appointment at the VA SCI clinic. They do a thorough checkup of his MS and he is doing good. We were out by noon and so we went to Kohl's to do some Christmas shopping ( with our mask on of course). We drove through McDonald's on our way home and that was about it for the day. Tuesday I tuned in  to the WW Zoom meeting - and new changes are coming for the virtual meetings. I did some other computer stuff then we had lunch and took a walk. We started to put up our Christmas tree but many of the branches would not light up. Steve couldn't trace down the problem - so we decided to buy a new tree. We went to supper with Hazel. Linda didn't join us because she went to a basketball game. So after supper we headed out to Stillwater and bought a new tree at Lowe's. We watched the Dallas Cowboys get beat after we got home. Wednesday started out with a bad phone call from Hazel - Her husband, Wayne died of Cardiac arrest at rehab. He was supposed to get to come home this week. This hit me like a ton of bricks. I lost all my desire to put up the tree. I felt sad all day for Hazel and it also made me sad to remember all the family members and friends I have lost. So sad. We did finally get the tree up and put out some Christmas decorations. Thursday, we went back to Stillwater to get Steve fitted for orthotics. He also got a new pair of shoes at Brown's Shoe store. Also we stopped at Lowe's to check on the kitchen remodel plan - but the girl who is in charge of that area was not there. That will be followed up on in the new year. We took a poinsettia to Hazel and gave her a hug. Later the dogs convinced us to take them for a walk and I started getting out my Christmas Cards. Friday we mailed some of our Christmas Cards and bought some more - because I didn't have enough. Later we met Kristi in OKC for lunch and some shopping. Steve bought another pair of shoes at REI - Oboz. That is the brand I bought for myself last summer. We also went to Penn Square Mall and back to Kohl's. By the time we got done and back home - we were pooped. Saturday we wrapped presents, did some errands in Perry and watched OK State beat Baylor in football. Sunday morning we woke up to snow! We  took some pictures of the snow while it was pretty. Also Steve had to get the snow off the satellite dish so we could watch TV. Dallas won their football game and we didn't do much today. 

Snow - across from our house Dec 13

November 2 -30, 2020 Highlights for the month!

 This month has been pretty routine. We have been doing all the regular chores like laundry, shopping and cooking. 

Early in the month we had to get more heartworm medicine for the dogs and get a replacement rabies tag for Poopsie - because she lost hers. We did a lot of yardwork - getting leaves and branches picked up and bagged for the trash service to pick up. 

We usually eat out with Linda and Hazel on Tuesday evenings. Sometimes it just one or the other depending on what is going on. On the 5th we went to CCC Lake and walked on the new trail - but there were a lot of branches down on it - so we will return after cleanup to walk here again. We also had Lowe's come out and measure our kitchen -we are thinking about new cabinets and a new stove plus some other updates.  Steve put a new threshold in the outside garage door. 

During the week of the 9th - I helped Steve in the garage. He put up some strips on the ceiling. When we had the foundation repair done back in 2013, they said we didn't need to put any piers under the garage. Well, guess what - we need them now - because we have cracks and the ceiling is sagging. On Saturday the 14th - I went to Enid and visited my sister Pam. We had lunch with Kim at Napoli's downtown. 

One of the most exciting things that happened this week was this awesome machine that picked up the limbs in our yard. The City of Perry picked up limbs that were stacked at the curb. So these are pictures  I took out the window of "The Claw" picking up limbs at our place and the neighbor's house across the street. 

On the week starting the 14th - we walked at the fairgrounds here in town for a slight change. The weather has been very nice! I had Linda give me a perm - so my hair would curl  a little. We have also been watching a lot of football. OSU got beat by OU. It seemed like they didn't even show up. 

On the week starting the 23rd we did ordered a cover for our gazebo in the back yard. After checking it wasn't as expensive as we thought. It is a metal patio cover - and it's a funny shape. We got it from Garden Winds. We checked on Hazel's house one day and we got groceries for Thanksgiving. The kids arrived early Thanksgiving Day (middle of the night) and so we had our small group (5) for Thanksgiving dinner. We had turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, crescent rolls, pink party salad and pies. It was yummy. Then we watched more football! We did go to Stillwater shopping on Friday - but were disappointed with what was available to purchase.  We had lunch at the Palomino (Mexican food). It was pretty good. Saturday was more taking it easy and watching football The kids went home about 2:30. Steve and I walked after that. Sunday was more of the same: football and ordered some presents online. 

We bought a new bird feeder!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Steve & I decked out in our PPE for a safe Thanksgiving! LOL!

Today is Monday, the 30th and we are doing laundry, paying some bills and contemplating putting up Christmas decorations!