June 2021

June arrives with summer heat in full force.  The whole month was extremely hot, temps were high 90's to the 100's.  We had one day that we hit 107 (the hottest day ever for June), and most of the days were 96 degrees to 102 degrees.  It was the hottest June ever recorded since the weather service started keeping track.  On the 24th, we finally got our first little bit of rain (first since April), but it was only 1 1/3 inches.  And then we went back to a dry spell the rest of the month.

By the 14th of the month, it just got too hot for Dave and me to do our daily walks.  It would be 85 degrees by the time we got up in the morning, and it just continued to get hotter.

One good thing about June, our city was running a summer contest, "Buy Local, Spend Local, Win Local".  If you purchased anything from a local merchant and sent in a copy of your receipt, you were entered into a weekly drawing for a $100 visa gift card.  The first week of June, Dave won a gift card and the 2nd week of June, I won a gift card.  That was a nice $200 surprise for our family.

A neighbor across the street, (Lisa) went to visit her grandparents in California in the first part of June, and she brought back some freshly picked lemons from their tree and shared them with us.

The first thing I made was a lemon curd pie.  It had been about 6 years since the last time I made a fresh lemon curd pie.  It was delicious.  Then I made 2 loaves of fresh lemon bread (I gave one to Lisa for her family to enjoy).  It had been ages since I made lemon bread.  It was also a delicious treat.  Finally, I took the last 3 lemons and made some basil-lemonade.  It was so refreshing on a hot June day.

Lisa promised to bring back more lemons the next time she went to visit her grandparents.

Dave has finally found a hobby to pursue during his retirement.  READING.  Every morning, he goes out on our deck and reads a book for an hour or two (until the heat gets too high).  He's already finished 2 books and several magazines in June.  He turns on the water stream, relaxes to the sound of the water and the birds, and enjoys his time reading outside.

My garden is producing.  For Father's Day, we were able to enjoy fresh tomatoes.  And by the end of June, the zucchini was getting ready to pick, along with the turnips, basil, and small salad tomatoes.

We are slowly starting to get out a little more (grocery stores, restaurants, etc.).  But, we still wearing our masks (even though the mask mandate has been lifted in the state).  We have been watching the numbers of COVID cases continue to rise and fall each week, and we don't want to take a chance (even though we are both vaccinated).

With the weather so hot, we spend a lot of time at home, indoors (staying cool with the air conditioning).

We hope all our friends and family continue to stay healthy and safe this summer.

May 2021

 May was such a warm and dry month, unlike a usual May of past years.  Our temps were in the high 70's and mid 80's, but not a drop of rain all month long.  Our drought is really getting more severe.

One of the great things about the warm May, our lilac bushes were very full and the fragrance that the slightest breeze would carry was magnificent.  These are planted just outside our bedroom window, and during the day I would open the windows and allow the breeze to carry the fragrance into the house.  We so enjoyed it.  I received a lot of compliments from the neighbors on how great our lilacs were this year.  Our irises were also full and loaded with bloom.  We have them planted our front and they gave the neighbors a wonderful show.

Our neighborhood ducks had quite the batch of new babies this year.  And with the water levels so low, it was not an uncommon sight to see a mama duck walking her babies down the block to the park, looking for a run-off of sprinkler water to swim and play in.  One day, I noticed this mama duck had 12 little ones following her to find any watering hole available.  One of the advantages of living in our suburbs away from the busy city.

Dave and I decided to venture out to a new Mexican restaurant that opened up not too far from our neighborhood.  La Hacienda, a new locally owned restaurant.

Dave and I ordered the Chile Relleno plate.  We were surprised at how much food came on the plate.  Everything was delicious and took us back to our days in Cabo San Lucas.  The prices were very reasonable.  This is sure to be on our list of restaurant rotations.

With the weather being so warm and beautiful, we were able to clean up, till, and plant our garden the first week of May.  This was quite unheard of for our area.  Usually, we have to wait until after Memorial Day to plant most of our garden, but the TV weather forecasters said it would be okay to plant, no more frost for our area.  We cut down on the amount of planting this year, we still have quite a lot of items in our freezer and pantry.

I noticed on Memorial Day that I have tomatoes on my plants.  I should be able to have homegrown garden tomatoes for the 4th of July.  Something I haven't had for ages.

I also noticed, that in addition to tomatoes, the green peppers are also forming.  The garden is really loving this warm dry climate.  In past years, May has always been so rainy and chilly until Memorial Day, and then suddenly it gets HOT!  Now I'm thinking, maybe I should have planted more.

Dave is still trying to find his way through retirement.  He's not really sure where he fits in.  I told him, "You need to find a hobby, and get busy with it.  Do something you like."  His friend, Howard, told him that the first 6 months of retirement were the hardest, but after that, he finally settled into his mojo.  So, we're almost 2 months in, and 4 more to go.  Let's hope he finds his mojo quick.

It's nice that Dave and I are finally starting to get out and about a little bit.  On Mondays, we go to the local Senior Center for a free movie day.  The movies are recently released and ones that we've been wanting to see.  We eat lunch and then stay for the movie.  It's a good way to spend a few hours.  We socialize with people our own age and have a good time.

We're still shocked that people are not getting the vaccine, and at the numbers who are dying.  We heard on the news that the one thing COVID people in the hospital have in common, is that they haven't been vaccinated.  We are still shocked that we know people who for one reason or another refuse to get the vaccine.  When we go out to a large gathering, we still wear our masks -  simply because we aren't sure if the other person we come in contact with has been vaccinated.

Once again, take care of your family.  Be well, and stay save.  Have a happy summer, and let's hope that the west gets some rain soon.

April 2021

 April was the typical rocky mountain spring weather, (warm and wet).  Our temps were mostly in the 70's and just light showers about 2 or 3 days a week.  Not enough rain to raise our water table, but enough to green up our lawns nicely.  Dave got his 2nd Covid vaccine on April 1st, and travel restrictions were lifted, so we decided to go to Maui.  We found an open week from the 3rd of April to the 10th of April, (talk about luck of the draw).

We checked an Opal was up to date on all her shots, and Petsmart had an opening.  So, we took her over for her first-ever away from home boarding.  I was concerned about how she would do.  I requested that she get a front window suite, (so she could see out into the lobby and watch the customers come into the store kennel area).  It turned out that she adapted very well.  Everyone who saw her came up to the window and interacted with her, and she interacted back.  The staff said she was such a joy to be around.  I was worried that she wouldn't eat, but it was the least of the problems.  So, we will not have to worry about our little one going to the kennel for future visits.  Mid-way during our vacation, the staff sent us this photo, showing us that she was doing well.

Dave and I got our rapid Covid tests on Friday.  Having both gotten the vaccine, we were concerned that we would get false-positive results, but both received negative results.  We forwarded our results to the Hawaii transportation health department and boarded the airplane on Saturday morning bright and early.  As luck would have it, the plane tickets for our trip to Hawaii that was canceled last November were being held by the airline until it was safe to travel again.  All we had to do was call the airline and re-book our flight.

One of the first things we did was go out for breakfast at Kihei's.  They had these GREAT banana and macadamia pancakes and large fruit salads.  Dave and I got one of each and shared it.  You know you're in Hawaii when you start your day off with a breakfast like this.  So good, and so filling.  And it was just a few blocks from our condo.

And of course, Hawaii wouldn't be Hawaii without a trip to any ABC store.  There was one right behind our condo.  If you run out of anything, just walk over, (they're on almost every corner), and you can buy what you need.  And they're great for picking up souvenirs to take home.

Every morning, before Dave did anything else, we had to walk one block from the condo to the ocean.  Dave had to have his morning swim in the ocean and then sit on the beach and enjoy the view.  It was his favorite way to start every day.

We didn't really do anything in Maui, except relax, take it easy, and enjoy the week at a slow easy pace.

On our last day, we went to the country club for dinner.  It was a wonderful way to end a wonderful vacation.

We were seated with a view of the golf course and the mountain range.

For dinner, both Dave and I ordered the Prime Rib dinner.  It was delicious, and so filling.  We couldn't finish the whole plate.  It was cooked to perfection. 

After dinner, we were then off to the airport for our flight home.  Sometimes, I think we should sell our home and buy a little home on the island, and just bum around like this all the time.

Well, Dave finally retired!!

The Monday after our vacation, April 12th, was his official last day, and his exit interview with HR.  He went to lunch with the guys that he's worked with, and they swapped stories about the things that happened over the years.  He got a nice retirement card, and inside was a pile of gift cards to a lot of different restaurants, and a couple of VISA gift cards.  He was getting calls all day long from people that he worked with years ago at different companies congratulating him on his retirement.  He had quite the day. 

This wasn't an overnight decision.  Last year when Dave's brother, (Bruce), passed away, he did some real soul searching and decided that it was time to retire and start living and doing the things that we wanted to do.  We discussed things with our financial advisor, got things in order, and last winter he made the announcement to his boss and HR.  We are not adjusting to a new way of life - two full-time retired individuals at home together.

We are still walking 4 or 5 days every week.  

Here's hoping that our friends and family are able and willing to get the vaccine, and are staying healthy.  Now that the country is very slowly starting to get back to a new normal way of life, let's all be careful.

March 2021

 

What a difference one day, and a new month make!  Yesterday on the last day of February, we had snow on the ground, and on March 1st, we have Spring weather and the daffodil bulbs have sprouted up out of the ground.  The old saying, "March comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion" held true this year.  The first half of the month was warm in the 60s and 70s, but no rain, and the last half was cool in the 50s, with light rains, and even a few skiffs of snow every couple of days.  We are still in a drought situation, and the governor has declared a "State of Emergency".  All residents are to cut back on their water consumption starting this month.  We also saw the start of the fire season on the 28th, earlier than previous months.  We have friends who live in Leeds, and they had to evacuate their home, as a fire came very close to their property.  Luckily, the firefighters were able to get it under control just outside of their property line.  We see on the news every night that fires are all over the state.

Dave got his vaccine shot this month.  I received my 2nd dose, and he will receive his 2nd dose on April 1st.  We both feel somewhat relaxed, knowing that 4 weeks after our 2nd dose we will be fully immunized against this horrible virus.  Our grandchild, (who lives with us), also got vaccinated on the same days as Dave, (to help protect us).

Once again we had another cruise vacation canceled.  This has become the norm for us.  We schedule and pay for a vacation and it is canceled due to the virus restrictions.

The first of the month, Dave and I started walking for 20 minutes around the neighborhood, 4 or 5 days every week.  We are hoping to get some fresh air, lose some weight, and feel a little better mentally and physically.

Our grandchild started working at Wallaby's Australian BBQ restaurant and loves it.  It's only part-time, prep cook and catering, but it's turned out to be a very good fit, and quite the morale booster, at a good wage.  It's a local Utah company with 3 locations.  Keeping our fingers crossed that this is the start of getting back on the path to recovery.

Dave and I are starting to venture out just a little bit, one day a week, (mostly to the grocery store or to pick up dinner from a local restaurant close by).  For the most part, we are still sheltering in place and wearing masks, (which we believe has helped us avoid the virus.).  We are worried about some of our friends who have decided not to be vaccinated for whatever their reason might be.  We hope they've made the right choice and stay healthy, and don't judge us for limiting our visits, and stay away from them.  We are hoping all our friends stay healthy and this virus dies out this coming year.  Stay well, friends and family.

February 2021

 Februrary was once again a rather warm and dry month.  We had a few days where we got just a light dusting of snow.  

Then on February 16th, we finally got some snow.  It wasn't much, but it was a start.  And for the first time in 2 years, Dave started up the snowblower, and cleared the sidewalk.  The rest of the month, we got a few more dustings.  This was finally our winter.  We are still lacking the much needed water for this summer. Hopefully, we'll have enough to water our yards and gardens.

For Valentine's Day, Dave got me a lovely arrangement of flowers.  The were huge, and really lightened up the house.  And the roses had a wonderful smell.  He never forgets a birthday or holiday.

 On the 25th, I my scheduled date arrived for my first COVID vaccine shot.  It was at the Mountain America Center in Sandy, Ut.  It was very organized and the flow pattern was excellent.

 My scheduled time was 11:45, so I masked up and arrived.  There was no wait time. My temp was taken - no fever.  I ws directed to the questionaire table.  I answered all the questions.  Given my ID card and directed to the nurse's table.

I sat down, was again asked a few questions. rolled up my sleeve.  Given my 1st shot.  It ws done so quickly, that it was over before I new the needle was in.  My ID card was stamped, and I was then dirrected to the waiting room for 15 minutes to make sure I didn't have any reactions.  While I was there, a date for my 2nd shot in 3 weeks was made.  I was then out the door.  

It was the easiest mass inocuation I probably would ever witness.  Maybe there is finally hope for beating this virus.

This month we also discovered that 3 more families directly across the street from us had the COVID virus in their families.  One family was a young couple with 4 childred, one family was a husband and wife about our age, and one family was young with young children and the grandparents also in the home.  The whole housholds were infected  - so sad.  Luckily, they all recovered, but are dealing with differet underlying symptoms.

Dave and I are still "Sheltering at home", and going out very little.  Dave will finally be eligible for his vaccine next month.

We were scheduled for a 3 week cruise the middle of this month.  But, due to the virus, the cruise industry is still not sailing out of the U.S. ports - so another vacation was cancelled.  We were given a refund on our money, and we are now looking to 2021 for a new cruise.  This is the 4th cruise cancelled, but better a canceled cruise, than catching the virus.

Our grandchild still has not found new employment, but hopefully that will change soon.

Here's hoping our frinds and family continue to stay safe and healthy this coming year.

January 2021

A New Year, and a new start.  January was still a dry and warm month.  We had just a couple of days where we got only a dusting of snow.  We are starting to get worried about the water situation for for 2021. 

Like most of the nation, we sat in horror, as we watched the nation's capital building being desecrated, and looted by the riots of January 7th.  And like most of the nation, we were grateful that the law enforcements were able to identify and charge the majority of those involved.  Such a horrible act to witness on one of our most precious national building.

Dave and I didn't do anything, but "shelter at home", and continue to follow the Covid guidelines.  According to our new governor's guidelines, we should be getting our vaccines next month.  Governor Cox is agressively rolling out the vaccines to Utahans.  We are hoping he will be a strong leader for our state and continue to help get us back on our feet.  He seems to be moving us in the right direction.  

One evening towards the end of the month, our friend, (Dave Argyle - the friend who invited us to the movie last month), came over for dinner.  The 3 of us had a great evening, laughing, sharing stories, and just relaxing around the table. 

Unfortunately, our grandchild lost the Denny's job, and is now looking for new employment.  Hopefully, it won't be long before a new job opens up.

Here's hoping you and your family are doing well, and staying healthy.  Happy and Healthy New Year.

December 2020

December was a rather warm and dry month, where we live.  We had a couple of small snow showers, but it was usually less than a couple inches of snow, and it was melted off by noon.

Dave and I are still "sheltering at home", but the covid is starting to hit closer to home for us.  Our neighbor across the street came down with the virus this month, and a dear friend of my for many years lost her husband the first part of the month.  We also discovered that Dave's son and my son also contracted the virus, but recovered.  I also discoverd that quite a few of my nieces and nephews also came down with the virus, but like most young people, recovered rather quickly, without problems.

A dear friend of mine, who lives around the corner, stopped by and left me with an Amaryliss bulb.  It quickly sprouted and produced 6 large red blooms, which lasted all month long.  It was quite a cheerful addtion to our house.

Our grandchild landed a job at Denny's and after one week as a trainee, was quickly waiting on tables and earning a good amount of tips, (and a boost to the confidence level as well).  Dave stopped by a couple of times for breakfast, while I was at work at Honey Baked Hams.

I put up our Christmas tree the first weekend in December.  Opal immediately thought that it was there for her enjoyment.  The lights were quite an attraction that she simply could not ignore.

For Hanukkah this year, I made a challuah bread and topped it with a homemade "Everything Bagel" topping.  It was quite a hit, and enjoyed by everyone who stopped by the house.  I made enough of the topping to use on other things, (i.e.:  noodles, toast, etc.).

The week of the 20th, Jared and Martin stopped by for a couple of days to visit.  They were traveling from San Diego, (where Martin had be working as a visiting ICU nurse) to their home in Minneapolis.  Dave and the two of them stoppey by Denny's to have breakfast, and see our grandchild, while I was at work at Honey Baked Ham.  They took up way too much time in the booth, talking and laughing, but rewarded with a handsome tip.

Dave is always happy when Jared can find the time to come visit.  But, they needed to get on the road to try to beat a snowstorm that was moving in on their route, and would be settling in by the time they hit home.

On News Year's Eve,  a friend invitied Dave and I to join him and his family to a movie theatre to see a showing of "Wonder Woman 1984", (he had received a gift from one of his daughters of a family pass for admittance of up to 20 people for the showing).  We went to a 6:30 PM showing and had a great time, (there were only about 50 people in the whole theatre, and we all enjoyed the show and got home by 9:00.

I finished up at Honey Baked at the end of December,  It was an experience!  I made an OK wage, got 2 hams and 1 turkey breast.  The manager said I was the best seasonal phone person they had ever hired, and they definately wanted me back for the Easter season.  I'll have to think about that.

Dave and I are doing our best to stay healthy, and are waiting for our turn to get the vaccine.  It looks like I would be eligible for mine in mid February.  Here's hoping all our family and friends can stay healthy and strong and can beat this beast.  Let's hope 2021 will be much better than 2020 was.