Home for Thanksgiving

   We were going to Valpo for Thanksgiving but due to the Covid-19 and the CDC's guidelines we stayed home and zoomed with the boys. Andrew was over and we had a 22 pound turkey and carrot cake and all were well fed. There have been 60,900,000 cases worldwide with 1,430,000 deaths while the US has had 13,000,000 cases and 268,000 deaths and Michigan 325,000 cases with 8,800 deaths so we are taking this seriously here.   I was able to take Silver Sneakers classes for 4 weeks until the Governor shut down group classes again. We were limited to 11 in a class and the first 2 weeks there were only 5 or 8 people there and Gary was  the only instructor. We had a 8 day stretch of warm days that allowed me to organize the garage so we can put the car in on the side where the door works this winter. I took bikes to Delta Recycle along with other recyclables. On November 5th I took my brother Jim by the house on Everett Drive and then we went to Grand River Park and walked along the river through the area by the railroad tracks about a mile and to the old neighborhood which he really enjoyed. Gramma had appointments with Sparrow Senior Health, Dr. Rodiguez and Elite Dental keeping Jane busy but better now than when it gets cold. Lukas began working at Celink by the airport the beginning of November and has liked the job. The election left us in doubt for days as to who would be the winner with all the mail in votes that had to be counted and the president thinking because he was ahead the night of the election that he had won but NOT! Trump still has not conceded and has lost most of his lawsuits on the results and has hunkered down at the White House pouting and doing little but golfing away his inner tears. It looks like Biden has beaten trump by the same Electoral College numbers as he had in 2016's election. Pray for positive change and a brighter future for our nation with politicians working together for US like they were elected to do!

Waited Long Enough

   September has come and passed. Summer ended and autumn has set in with shorter days. Gramma had a tooth pulled and teeth cleaned along with a good check up from Sparrow Senior Health. Her doctor agreed to take her off Xanax that she was put on for the anxiety created by Petra and Gloria. Lisa and Elidia have come over to visit and agree how much better Gramma is doing despite Petra's false reporting. On the 9th we had our vacation in Grand Haven. This year we stayed at Antony's House which was much bigger being on 2 levels and stayed until the 17th. Everyone was there for a time with Phillip and Stephanie coming on the 10th being picked up in Grand Rapids. Stephanie left on the 13th but Jon and Sharon were there from the 11th through the 13th so everyone had some time together. Phillip flew out on the 16th but not after losing his wedding ring in Lake Michigan. Fortunately he called Ringfinders and with the metal detector and Simon staying in the area where it was lost. Phil lost it as he tried to catch a football but they were able to find it in about 20 minutes. Simon though found out he had left his cell phone in his shorts and lost it also but was able to retrieve his info from the cloud when he got his new phone. The weather and the smoke in the sky from the wildfires out west gave us hazy sunshine that also kept the temperatures down and it being after Labor Day not as much to do especially with the covid restrictions. Uncle Andy stayed with Gramma at our house and they survived the 8 days. I replaced the garbage disposal and the bathroom fan in the week after vacation. I had new tires put on the Malibu and the oil changed. On the 30th we had our zoom meeting with Eaton County on Gramma's guardianship and Shine Advocacy was given approval from us and Petra to takeover. We visited Uncle Angelo and Aunt Lenny at their house and had dinner with Gramma and he also brought over a cherry pie. Finally we're into October and Gramma had her hearing aids fixed at Accuquest and had her toe nails and callus removed by Podiatry Plus. Trump has the covid virus and had 3 treatments and hospital stay after his embarrassing debate debacle. We all voted by absentee ballot and pray that our country will survive the election! World wide there are now 36,353,000 cases and 1,059,000 deaths, in the U.S. there are 7,600,000 cases and 212,500 deaths while in Michigan there are 132,000 cases and 6,900 deaths. So much has been put off while struggling with the new life we are learning. God help US please! 

 

Summer in Strange Times

    Gramma has been living with us since the 20th of July when Andrew picked her up at Petra's after she called because she was being mistreated by them. There has been a person assigned as her guardian through protective services and we hope to met with her soon to get Gramma the services she needs. On August 3rd I started getting the Eucharist for Gramma from church on Sundays. Lisa and her boys came over for dinner that night and visited with Gramma as has Elidia twice.  I had my wellness check up with Dr. Huhn on August 4th and everything looked good. On the 12th of August I helped pass out chrome books at Elmwood from 10 to 1. We went to Valpo the weekend of the 14th and Andrew took care of Gramma here at our house. Silas is going to school and has completed a week and a half now in Kouts.  On Monday the 17th while Jane and I were on a walk and I got bit by a pitbull boxer at Betty Shaheen's on Mar Moor Drive. I went to Urgent Care and am healing well but not happy about the experience as because if the neighbor hadn't seen what happened things would have been much more complex. We are in another streak of 88+ heat days creating true dog days of summer. Covid-19 deaths are at 176,000 in the U.S. with 5.7 million cases, Michigan has 6,400 deaths and  97,000 cases while schools here including colleges, are starting mostly online  with sports being cancelled on all levels and for football with the NBA playoffs being played under a bubble at Disney World Complex in Florida. MLB is a 60 game season with games being cancelled for different teams due to positive tests for different teams that will have to be made up as double headers that are 7 innings and then the playoffs. Hockey is playing their playoff games and we'll see what the future holds. Last week Biden and the Democrats had their virtual convention and the Republicans will do theirs this week with Trump-mania. GOD bless the USA and save US from damnation and give US redemption!

New Account

   Yesterday Andrew and Jane took Gramma to LAFCU and she opened a new account while closing out the one set up last October that had an ATM card issued to Gloria that Gramma did not want. As of now they have not reacted but tomorrow we will find out when they take her over to Petra's for the weekend. We need Gramma's SS#  to open the account and have her checks direct deposited in it. Gramma has been staying with us Tuesday through Friday since she got back from Florida. Last Tuesday Jane requested of them to show us and Gramma her LAFCU statements but instead of complying Gloria started attacking Jane about it and we left with Gramma. On Thursday Andrew reported them for elderly abuse and Eaton Co. called to talk to her but Gramma could not hear or understand the questions so Jane gave her the story and they are investigating. The case worker suggested changing Gramma's account and we had Gramma sign permission for them to investigate her finances and health records. Gloria and Petra had a whole week to do the right thing but their coldness sealed their fate.  I had my teeth cleaned at Dr. Rashid's on July 6 as Midwest Dental is no longer in Lansing. We had a visit with Jim and Betty on Friday the 3rd and on the 12th went to the Turner-Dodge mansion for a get together for Gregg's son Alex and future wife Molly as they had planned this to be a meet and greet for them when they were going to get married in May but had to postpone it. We took Peg as Lori had to go to the U.P.  They had stopped by during the week and we told her we would take Peg and the weather was just right after the long 10 day stretch of 88+ temperatures. I have been going to mass Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8:10 and Sundays at 7:30.  Covid-19 is spiking again this time mostly in the south and the worse in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California. Many states are making masks mandatory indoors and in large crowds to help stop a new wave of devastation. Globally cases are at 13.7 million with 586,000 deaths, in the U.S. there are now 3.5 million cases and 138,000 deaths, and in Michigan 72,000 cases and 6,100 deaths. Meanwhile our president still dismisses its danger and finally wore a mask in public while spreading his misinformation and division!

The Beat Goes On

   I had my final zoom meeting Monday the 1st and they will not have building subs next year. On Tuesday I went to Elmwood to turn in my key and give Ronisha a plate of Jane's cookies I promised her as she will be going to U of M next fall.  Buddy's Pizza opened June 8 and we tried their pizzas but were disappointed and had to call in about it and got 2 more for free the next week. They were better but still overrated. I've been going to mass at St. Gerards Sundays and now there is mass on Wednesdays at 8:10 also. Richard Dunlap started working on the hallway ceiling last Wednesday and finished this Monday.  We went to Valpo this weekend as we had not been able to go for 3 months so we had Father's Day with Silas and Paul. Monday the 22nd I got my first haircut since March 5th. My hair was the longest it had been in over 30 years, all wavy at the back corners. Gramma is back from Florida and we picked her up Tuesday  from Petra's and we will have her until tomorrow as she and Gloria got back on Friday when we left for Indiana. The restrictions are slowly lifting but the new normal requires caution and distance with new procedures for what we took for granted before Covid-19. Trump had his first rally against the advice of medical experts over the weekend and only had 6,200 show up when he said there would be a 100,000 and the arena in Tulsa held 19,000. Worldwide there have been 9.3 million cases and 479,000 deaths while in the US 2.3 million cases and 121,000 deaths, Michigan has 62,000 cases and 5,800 deaths with some Southern states hitting peak levels now. It is serious and we have a president with little ability to deal with reality and that is not fake news!

Everything Changed

It is now the end of May and there has been no school since Friday the 13th of March. Today I went to mass at church and received the Eucharist for the first time since March 14th. Life has went on by social distancing and wearing face masks at stores. School is online and having zoom meetings with the Elmwood staff at 2:30 on Mondays since April the 13th. Thanks to Waverly and the CARES Act I am still getting paid because I was a permanent substitute and did not qualify for unemployment because of my GM pension and SS. We have not been able to go to Valpo so we've been doing zoom meetings with the boys once a week. Life changed and we have stayed healthy by being apart from church and school family and most businesses limiting capacity so I've mostly done my grocery trips after taking Simon to work when it is not busy and stores most clean. Only essential businesses have been open until recently with no eating at restaurants or public events held. Over these past 2 months Meijer, Kroger and Aldi have been my contact with the world. When I left school in March I was sure we would be back by May and the same for church. The world has become such a mess and our president has only shown his lack of leadership through the pandemic,economic and social crisis. Since Monday May 25 when George Floyd was knelled by neck to death by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis rioting and protests have spread nationwide as the president tweets fear and anger instead of calming solutions. The far right and left exploit hatred and evil while the true majority seek and want justice for a united America.  No one should be proud of what our country is today and we all need to start correcting the lost path we're headed on! America is not great nor is the president! Our only salvation will be the good people to stand tall against division and work honestly on rebuilding the values that this country is supposed to stand for! The spring has been cool and rainy with our back 40 flooding May 18th after over 2" of rain. This week we had 3 days over over 80 degree weather leading us to put in the air conditioner. 2020 a year never to be forgotten and the changes it has brought will forever make life not to be taken for granted. Jane had her 67th birthday with dinner at home and flowers for the planters.  Worldwide there are 6.1 million cases and 371,000 deaths, 1.8 million cases in the USA with 106,000 deaths and 57,400 cases and 5,500 deaths in Michigan.

Coronavirus COVID-19

    Friday March 13 was a half day of school and the last day that I have worked due to social isolation. Saturday the 14th was the last time we were able to attend mass at St. Gerard as it is now online Sundays at 9:00. In February we heard about the virus causing China to shut down Wuhan but never thought a month later it would shut down most of our economy and cause our freedom to be limited to try to stop a pandemic from spreading. It was good I got the Equinox's oil changed and my haircut and new coat at Penney's before these things became part of the quarantine. Now only grocery stores are open with limited hours and with 6 foot restrictions and due to hoarding some items difficult to find or limited. Gas is cheap but nowhere to go even though there is an abundance time. Life is strange but we are surviving and healthy so far. The president has called this a war on an unseen enemy and there are very real parallels. Unfortunately trump has done a poor job of leading this war contradicting, misinforming, talking in circles, taking no responsibility while blaming others, giving uneven direction to a nation confused by this new way of living. He has been a babbling, bumbling, buffoon during daily briefings which really should be like Roosevelt's fireside chats during the Depression that reassured people. Thank God for Dr. Anthony Fauci of NIAID for being the source of truth during this trying time that would be a disaster if trump had his way which is concentrated on the health of the economy and his legacy. Globally there are 1,360,000 cases and 76,000 deaths; in the USA 368,500 cases and 10,000 deaths and in Michigan 17,221 cases and 727 deaths. I did celebrate my 69 years with carrot cake and chicken enchiladas made by my beautiful wife and we try to go for walks now that it is warming up. Sadly on March 9th Lukas crashed the front end of the Malibu on his way to work and it was his fault and that Friday turned out to be his last day of work at Delta Dental as they let go of all their temp employees as they could not work from home. He had to pay $125 for the ticket and $500 to the lady he ran into for her deductible. Jesus Christ is Lord and will see US through this!

Valpo Valentine

   This weekend we went to Valpo leaving Friday after work and getting there just after dark to spend St. Valentines with the grandchildren. The boys were happy to see us and they are growing and changing making for a great visit. Unfortunately on the ride home I felt a little queasy and when we passed Kalamazoo I threw up while driving and we pulled off I-94 and I had to change my pants and clean up at McDonalds. But as we approached Charlotte I felt it coming on again and Jane grabbed a bag and again left it on the exit ramp. I also had one more episode at home and liquid farts making the sickest I'd been in 25 years. Maybe just the 24 hour flu from school or Iowa or Indiana? Today I am better and did my taxes as there is no school for President's Day and I needed that extra rest. Aunt Peg broke her ankle and we have went to see her out at Dobie Rd. Rehab the prior 2 weekends.  It has been cold enough for snow cover but overall a mild winter a prelude to the storm that will be the rest of 2020.

2020 Vision

   We spent Christmas with Silas and Paul getting there at 11:00 on the 24th and leaving Jane there to come back by train and bus on Friday. We were able to go to the Y during my 2 weeks off and so far Jane says the class hasn't gotten too crowded with the state workers in January except for a couple of days. Jane got new glasses at Americas Best to improve her perception for the new decade. I only have to go to Colt and Winans for the IEP's now. For all of December we had 3.4" of snow and on the 18th of January we had 6.8" of snow and most other days have been near 30 degrees and cloudy with a 12" snow total for January. We did a mortgage reduction loan from LAFCU that ended the home equity loan from 5/3 Bank. Life just goes on like trump and his winning which is our losing. The House impeached him but the Senate conducted their predetermined conclusion hearing blindly saying he is guilty of an unimpeachable offense. Division, depression, deception, disgust and discrimination make a 5D 2020 vision.