Cold Front Lingering

A cold front moved into the area a day or two after Thanksgiving and decided to stay for a while. The nights have hovered around the freezing mark, dipping a couple of times to the mid-20s or so. The days have been decent, I suppose, although there has been a chilly day or two, especially when the wind howls through at 20 mph or greater. But for the most part, we've enjoyed sunny days with highs in the 50s. 

It is now (Sunday afternoon) up into the mid 60s, and predictions indicate we will reach highs in the 60s and even the 70s for the next week or so. I see no hope of rain, though. Gosh, we are pretty dry; we could use a nice, slow soaking rain.

Early December is when Donna and I have all of our annual medical appointments. We debated about whether to keep these this year or postpone due to COVID, but at our age we decided we needed to touch base with our medical professionals. All went well. Few people were in the offices we visited, so spacing was generous and CDC guidelines were practiced by all. The doctors think we will live another year and bid us on our way. I did get a pneumonia shot, so I can mark that off my list. Our PCP discussed the upcoming COVID vaccine shots with us; we will be looking to get our shots when they become available to folks in our category. Our doctor told us that since we contribute nothing to society, we were expendable and would be last in line. That's nothing new; I've been told that before.

Local hospitals are scrambling to find room for COVID patients. Recently, our large hospital system -- Shannon -- purchased its local competitor, Community General. Now we basically have only 1 hospital system, Shannon. Community General is now known as Shannon South Campus. We've enjoyed our relationship with Shannon over the years and hope that this lack of competition will not alter the way things are done. Most of the clinics we visit are located at the downtown campus, but we are happy that there is an urgent care clinic very near us. We go there for lab work and whenever we are sick.

A few months ago, I mentioned that Shannon was putting up a new building at the entrance to our subdivision. I even snapped a few early construction photos and posted them. As I recall, it will be a long-term therapy facility. Shannon currently has such a facility on the east side of town, what they call their St. John's campus. But the growth corridor for San Angelo is on the west side, where we live. So this facility will be located conveniently for future growth. I expect the facility will be completed by summer.

New long-term therapy center under construction at the entrance to our subdivision.

The neighborhood turkeys are up to no good, as usual. I guess they think that since Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror, they are safe. Just after lunch, I looked out and caught several of them on our patio. And, as you might expect, they left some surprises for us there. Well, I had planned to have ham for Christmas, but I just might have turkey after all.

I took this shot of our visitors through the slats of our blinds looking out back. They are a brazen bunch.

Here's a close up of a will turkey for those of you who have never seen one. They don't resemble those that President Trump recently pardoned, do they.

Sometimes, for no reason at all, they decide to throw a conniption and chase each other around.

I wish you all well. Don't let your guard down this close to vaccine being distributed. We'll see you on the other side.

Post-Thanksgiving, 2020

Well, another Thanksgiving has come and gone. 

We had a nice video Thanksgiving with Courtney and the 4 men in her life: son-in-law Michael, and grandsons Xander, Camden, and Jensen. We visited for just over an hour from the comfort of our separate tables, and it was a good time. 

Since then, we've been eating left overs, and we think we will finish today. 

Sunrise a few mornings ago.

As usual, Donna's feast was great. Even though she tried to scale things down since there would be only the 2 of us, we still had a generous amount of food: turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, broccoli rice casserole, corn casserole, lime jello, pumpkin pie, and chess pie (my favorite). Usually I have to share my chess pie with Courtney, but this year I get the whole thing to myself. I think we'll do a video-Thanksgiving next year!

After lunch, I waddled outside to hang Christmas lights while Donna put up the Christmas tree. She has scaled down this year and only put on the lights, no ornaments. After all, we'll probably do a video Christmas as the virus will still be raging then; in fact, I expect it to be worse. By sundown, we were officially in the Christmas season. Holiday tunes are now playing around the clock, cloves are boiling on the stove sending their scent throughout the house, and we are merry.

We completed "The Birch Point Cove" the day before Thanksgiving.

Through Thanksgiving Day, we were able to continue sitting out in the afternoon and early evening. We had gotten into a routine of going out about 6:30 or so every evening, and we were almost always rewarded with deer sightings. Sometimes they moved through our yard, and sometimes they moved through our neighbors' yards. We were seldom disappointed, though. The other night, I was standing up when a doe came through the yard, not too far from our patio. I stood still and watched. She looked my way and seemed to sense something there out of the ordinary. I did not move. She craned her neck one way and then another, really looking in my direction. Finally, she slowly moved away. We've had several experiences like that since living here. I guess their eyesight is not that good.

An elderly neighbor lady across the street fell in her house the other day. The lady who walks her dog for her was there at the time and decided to call an ambulance just to be safe. This is quite common out here. We see ambulances in the neighborhood quite frequently. After all, everyone in this development is at least 64 years old, and some are into their 90s. Well, the old girl was alright, just a bit shaken and sore. Donna has been calling to check on her, and I took her garbage out to the curb for her Friday morning.

I worked all of the beds in the front yard last week. It's always good to get my hands in the dirt. I miss having a garden and a yard to maintain. I'm like my father in that respect. Both of us not only enjoyed getting dirt on our hands, but we found yard and garden work to be good therapy. The dirt in our beds here is horrible, though, so one of the things I work on is composting. Donna saves her plant wastes from the kitchen, and I save coffee grounds. About once a week or so, I work these into the soil. I figure by the time I'm 100 or so, we may have some topsoil healthy enough to grow something other than weeds. Still, it's rewarding and enjoyable.

A cold front moved through Saturday morning, and we even got a bit of moisture from it. It's still cold this morning, and it looks like this cooler weather will stay with us for a while. The lows at night hover around freezing, while the highs will probably not get above 60. Guess we won't be sitting out anymore. I guess my morning walks are over for a while as well; time to shift to afternoon walks.

Can you believe that December is almost here? Most of us will be glad to get past 2020, but that doesn't mean all the problems stop. At least we do see some light at the end of the tunnel. I hope these vaccines are effective; I'd like to get back to something resembling normal. I wonder if we ever will truly return to normal, though.

Last night, Donna and I were watching an old Wheel of Fortune show. We were both surprised at how close the contestants used to be to one another. There is a sort of conditioning we have gone through with COVID that may never allow us to see things the same. How long before we don't mind being close to other people? How long before we stop looking at others to ensure they are wearing a mask? 

I thought you might enjoy a picture of some turkey butts to end this entry. 

Thanksgiving 2020

Just a short note to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.

Yes, 2020 has been a rough year, but rough times tend to make me thankful for the things I do have, especially the little things we often overlook. I hope you feel the same. When things get bad, I know that they can even get worse.

I wish each and every one of you a safe and peaceful Thanksgiving. May the next time this holiday roll around be under more pleasant circumstances.

Happy Wife Equals Happy Hair

I've just learned a new rule in the game of marriage: never let your wife cut your hair when she's mad at you. And for me, that would be just about all of the time.

As Donna cranked up the electric clippers Saturday, I felt them touch the back of my neck and start working up. Then I heard a devilish laugh come from Donna. 

When she finished cutting my hair, she held up the mirror and showed me what she had done. Here is a picture of her artistry.

New hair style, a la Miss Donna.

On top of that, she then grounded me for 2 weeks, saying I was too ugly and homely to go outside where anyone could see me. So, for the next 2 weeks, I'm stuck inside. Hopefully, my hair will grow back by then.

Maybe I should risk COVID to get a decent haircut.

On other fronts, the weather continues to be great. If we could just get some rain occasionally, it would be perfect. You can't have everything, though.

Here is our latest puzzle.

"Liberty Village Celebration"

Now it's time to prep for Thanksgiving. Donna and I will be alone this year. Courtney and her clan will do a video Thanksgiving with us on Thursday. They are also practicing safe living. We will probably do the same for Christmas. It's a very, very small price to pay to keep loved ones safe so that we can celebrate together in the years to come.

Be smart and stay safe.

Nothing New Here

I'll try to make this a shorter post, as nothing has really changed since my last post.

The weather continues to be beautiful -- chilly nights but VERY comfortable days. I couldn't ask for better weather.

Our COVID numbers are really depressing me. In the past week, we've reported more than 100 new COVID cases every day expect for 1. We've also had 2 days over 200. These numbers are very high for the size community we are. In all honesty, these numbers might be a bit misleading, for many reported cases do not actually live in San Angelo or even Tom Green County. Some folks just come in from smaller communities because our medical facilities are much better; we are blessed with a very good hospital system here. So, these numbers really reflect the larger area known as the Concho Valley, which takes in quite a few surrounding counties and communities. For example, we lived in "nearby" Ozona for 8 years during the 1990s. During that time, we came to San Angelo for all major shopping and medical needs. It was a mere 80 mile trip, one-way.

Other than that, things continue to be the same here. 

I'll leave you with a few pictures of fall color in our neighborhood which I snapped on a recent walk. Please consider that all photos were taken in the early morning light, so they may not appear as brilliant as they are in real life.

I don't know what kind of tree this is, but it's pretty.

Close-up of leaves from above tree.

Pretty yellow tree in a neighbor's back yard.

The bur oak in our front yard is really not pretty, but it does have a bit of color. Note the two other trees to its right; they have a bit more color, I think.

Into November

Wow, here we are approaching Thanksgiving. Despite living in the pandemic and doing very little, the time still seems to move by rather quickly, especially when you have some age on you. As of yesterday, it is only 3 weeks until Thanksgiving, and when Thanksgiving arrives, Christmas is not that far behind.

Sunset

I don't know about you, but I'm happy to get all the elections behind us. I know, I know -- we still have some legal suits and other issues to settle, but I'm just happy that I don't have to listen to political ad after political ad. There are so many attack ads out there today, and candidates don't hesitate to make negative false claims about their opponents and positive false claims about themselves. It's a dirty business. But I guess such ads are effective or they wouldn't be used. Worst of all, what does it say about voters who are gullible enough to believe unsubstantiated claims? That's the scariest part of it, I suppose.

The weather has been absolutely delightful. At night, we dip into the 40s usually, and during the days, we get up into the upper 70s and, on occasion, the lower 80s. I've been walking early in the morning this week because when the temperature is 50, it is a perfect time for a brisk 3.5 mile walk. When things cool off again, I'll get back on late afternoon walks.

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight." That old adage has proven true lately.

Over the weekend, we had a beautiful full moon for Halloween. How appropriate! During my early morning walks, it is still hanging high in the sky, though growing smaller each day.

We've now had 2 straight days of 100+ COVID cases. That just isn't good at all. Numbers everywhere are escalating. With the holiday season approaching, I see trouble ahead. I hope you take all the necessary precautions to keep yourselves safe.

Donna and I sat in on an online seminar earlier in the week. Our Medicare advantage carrier is changing soon, so we wanted to learn what to expect. One thing I appreciate seeing in our plan is all the preventive and holistic approaches: gym memberships, online assistance, etc. There actually are too many features for me to list. The better care we take of ourselves, the less we need to depend on medical care to fix us. 

Our latest puzzle -- "Pixels & Pizza" -- was fun. I look for puzzles with clear colors and clearly defined lines. 

"Pixels & Pizza"

As always, stay safe and be smart.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to everyone!

There once was a time when Halloween was a holiday focusing on children. The little ones would dress up in their ghoulish costumes and roam the streets begging for candy. A few errant miscreants would take part in some unwanted pranks here and there, but for the most part, there wasn't much to this holiday.

That's certainly not the case today. Adults have hijacked this holiday and made it all about themselves. And perhaps that is part of the problem we have today -- adults no longer behave like adults.

But I don't want to go down that road at this time . . . . .

No reason for this picture other than I like to post pictures of turkeys. This guy and his friends were high-stepping down the street in front of our house yesterday afternoon. 

We currently seem to have two groups of turkeys in our neighborhood. One is a large flock numbering about 11. The other is a group of 4, which Donna and I call "The Gang of Four". The three above are part of the Gang of Four; the leader was farther down the street. I thought a picture of turkeys was appropriate for my previous discussion of adults.

That was a nice little cold spell we had. As expected, it began moving through the area early Monday and was moving out by Wednesday afternoon. I like a guest who doesn't overstay its welcome. But from early Monday to mid-afternoon Wednesday, we did have some cold, dreary, wintry weather. 

We did get a bit of moisture. The streets and sidewalks more or less stayed wet for about 48 hours or so. I'm not sure how much moisture we received, but it may have been just over half an inch. We could certainly have used more.

Snow on the roof of a neighbor's house. You can see a little wintry mix on the ground, as well, but it was really not cold enough to stick there.

We woke to snow on the rooftops Tuesday morning, There was a little snow/ice mixture in the grass as well, but not enough to cover the lawns. It really didn't get cold enough to allow things to freeze on the ground. 

Snow on another rooftop, and a little wintry mix that was able to stick in our yard.

We're back to normal now. I was able to walk late in the afternoon on both Wednesday and Thursday. It was still a bit chilly both days, but the sun was out. The worst part was the wind. It was blowing nearly 20 mph both days. By Friday, I was walking in short sleeves again. Yep, yesterday was beautiful.

It's nice to have such variety in your weather. I'm not a big fan of cold weather, but I do enjoy cool weather. And when we do have cold weather, I like for it to move on through in a couple of days. And that is exactly what this cold front did. Now we are looking at highs in the upper 60s and lower 70s for the next week or so, though the nights are chilly.

The community newsletters for November 1 were ready for distribution, so Donna and I made our route early Friday afternoon. After that, we just continued walking around the neighborhood.

Rain gauge with snow in it.

My heart surely does go out to the people in southern Louisiana. Those poor folks have now been hit with 5 big storms this year, all while dealing with COVID. And folks out in California are still battling wildfires. They and others across the country -- mainly in the west -- have really suffered this year. And some folks whine and cry about being asked to wear a mask. There's that adult thing again I mentioned earlier. But I said I wasn't going to get started on that . . . .

And speaking of COVID, our numbers continue to go up. I believe the positivity rate in our county at this time is now 15.9%. A vaccine can't come fast enough.

I'll leave you with our latest puzzle. Normally, we work on puzzles with 1,000 pieces, but some neighbors shared the 500-piece puzzle below with us. After that really hard puzzle I posted in the previous entry that contained such irregular pieces, it was nice to put a normal puzzle together.

"Days to Remember"

Remember to set your clocks back . . .