2/4/22 13.3 " Snow

   On 2/2/22 we had 13.3 " of snow the most ever for a day in February and 6th most for a winter day in Lansing. January was cold with only 3 days above 32 degrees and only 9 days of sunshine though we missed the major snowstorms that went way south of Michigan.  We also went over 2M Covid cases in Michigan today with 32,600 deaths, the U.S. is at 77M and 900,000 deaths and worldwide 391 M with 5.7M deaths. On 1/15/22 I went digital for the LSJ newspaper as they are trying to get out of the print version by making it very expensive to be delivered. Gramma is having OT again and had podiatry and dental appointments in January and she went to Cristo Rey Seniors with Mark one Wednesday to calm the storm of Petra. I had my dental cleaning at Rashid's with the warning of creeping gingivitis looming if I don't do better with brushing. Lisa and Simon' came over Saturday the 29th to visit Gramma and Elidia came on the 31st for much needed time with her. Bill Parker passed away suddenly on January 24 and we attended his visitation on Sunday the 30th. Jane made almost 50 bacon and black bean tortillas and we took them over to Karen and family that night. Today Chip put in a new vanity and mirrors in our bedroom bathroom and after we paint it a new light fixture. The new year is moving on quickly as we await stabilization in our lives and world.

2022 A New Start

 WOW, last year I was so caught up in busyness that only 4 quarterly posts were made. This new year I will work at timeliness by being a watchman who is not bitter, hesitant and/or suspicious of the past and living in the present with a heart of wisdom. In early November over 4 days we had new flooring put in the house transforming them to a constant look and feel of a new home. Gramma and Jane got their Covid booster shots the middle of November and I in December. Gramma had her doctors checkup before Christmas and is doing well and though her PT and OT ended in early November they are going to get her more in this new year. I had my follow up with Dr. Hansen and he said my heart looked good in the tests and upped my Carvedilol to 18Mg for my blood pressure. Jon and family were here for Thanksgiving and we went there for Christmas. Unfortunately Jon came down sick on Christmas and found out he had Covid which resulted in positive tests for Lukas and Simon with mild symptoms for both of them and quaranting upstairs for 5 days and us wearing masks in the house.Gramma had stayed at Addie's while we were in Valpo and we needed to protect her as Jane and I tested negative as we all went to MSU stadium for tests with no wait to get them but still needing to be cautious. Jane and I have been going to the Y but she has been wary about going with the Omicron variant spiking numbers of infections. Worldwide there are 288 M cases and 5.44 M deaths, the U.S. 54.7 M cases and 824,000 deaths, Michigan 1.71 M cases and 29,000 deaths as the Omicron variant spreads Covid more quickly but has been less severe but is dangerous to those unvaccinated free willers. Mark has been visiting Gramma at least biweekly since October and Petra has taken her to the Seniors on Wednesday at Cristo Rey twice. The end of November I bought our leased Equinox as there are no deals on new leases and we only had 32,300 miles on it and  it is still worth close to what I paid because of the chip shortage. DeLuca's closed the first weekend of November and Phil wanted us to freeze him some pizzas so we waited in line to order and then go back to get them but it was a sunny day and about a half hour wait. Phillip was here the weekend before Christmas driving up from Ohio. We had a good visit as we had not seen him since May's vacation and he stayed at Andy Wegener's. Jim and Betty did get to go to Florida and we had dinner with them and Linda before they left. MSU won the Peach Bowl 31-21 over Pitt ending their season 11-2 with loses to Purdue and Ohio State.  2022 a new year with new adventures awaiting us ready or not but God will see us through faithfully.

Still Around

 Three months again of waiting or avoiding starts with a new loveseat, ottoman and cuddle chair from Becker's in Fowler purchased the end of July and delivered Friday August 6th the same day Granger brought the dumpster to begin the big clean out. The garage attic was cleared and everywhere else 45 years of saving that had accumulated for one week of dumping and filling the bin. I mounted the TV on the bedroom wall had a new kitchen faucet put in with a new board under the sink over the next week before we dropped Gramma at Addie's as we went to Valpo for the weekend with the grandchildren. But we had to have Covid tests as we found out Jim and Betty had Covid and we had seen them the week before and Jim was hospitalized.  The end of August I went to TCI at Sparrow as heart palpitations were detected at my Wellness exam and would need a 24 hour monitor and an echocardiogram in September. The doctor upped one of my blood pressure meds but overall everything turned out good. Mark has been seeing Gramma about every other weekend and it has been good for her to see her baby boy. She has also begun PT with Melissa and OT with Monique since September 21st which we asked for from her doctor and was much needed and will go on for a few more visits. Gloria was here for a few weeks and her and Petra got to visit with Gramma twice with Mark taking her to the park and to Petra's. On September 29th my oldest nephew Jamie died of cancer after going through chemo less than a year after being diagnosed at stage 4. He was buried in Zeeland on his birth date October 4. Linda has moved back to Lansing and is living with Jim and Betty and working at a dental office right on Coolidge Rd. Lukas began working at Accidental Fund in the mail room August the 30th so Jane and I take turns going to the YMCA with her going Tuesdays and Thursdays and I go Fridays. The grandchildren were up last weekend, October 15 and 16, as the Autumn has been very mild with cold weather just starting this weekend. The Covid stats due to the Delta variant are 243 million cases and 4.94 million deaths worldwide, 45.4 million cases and 736,000 deaths in the U S with 1,24 million cases in Michigan and 23,300 deaths. 90% of the new cases are unvaccinated people who in general have refused to get vaccinated in the name of freedom who also are anti-maskers. Where we are headed as a country is very tenuous and the leadership in this country caught up in extremist politics is leaving a void we all will pay for economically and socially. MSU football is 7-0 playing U of M next weekend what a surprise. Thank you, GOD!

Complacent

    Life goes on and time flies so recording takes a very back seat. With Biden as president life is less urgent with politics and calm makes my life easier so I've become complacent. Jane returned to the Y the end of April with me and we go twice a week now. Gramma had her birthday with Mark taking her to lunch and Andrew and Robin stopping by but nothing from the rest other than Petra taking her to a Seniors Picnic at Cristo Rey June 16th. Mark also took Gramma to dinner on his birthday the 26th of June while we were getting 5" of rain that weekend ending our drought. We had our family vacation in Grand Haven May 20-27 at Antony's Place again with Gramma staying at Addie's Acres her cousin's nursing home. On the 21st we picked Phil and Stef up at GR Airport and Jon and family came at 7 that night.  We were all at the beach Saturday and it warmed up enough for the boys to swim. Jon left on Sunday at 6 and the week went fast and on Wednesday we were able to swim again at the beach as Phil and Stef flew out at 6. On Friday the 28th Dan's Fence replaced the broken fence in the back and the gate. In June I had the garage door fixed so it would move up and down even though we hoped to replace the doors but found out they were too low and not up to code to replace.  I took care of my brother a couple of times in June while Betty had dental work done as he needs to be with someone at all times. Dementia is sad as we see with my brother and mother-in-law but life goes on with God's help. On June 13th we went to Londa's daughter Jada's open house and at the family reunion on July 10th they gave Gramma a super nice blanket with pictures of family.  The reunion had fewer people but went well as Petra did not show up even though she had messaged us during the week she would help with mother, for show, her excuse she told Elidia was she was having a colonoscopy on Monday and we also did not answer her back if we were going. We had problems with our internet after the rains and spent 2 weeks trying to get Xfinity to get up it and our new HD tv service up and running, very poor customer service overall. I got my teeth cleaned this week, eye appointment and visiting nurse exam to cover health for me. I've been to 3 concerts at Sharp Park this summer by myself but it is good to get back out for some fun. Gramma had dental and foot appointments and Lukas had to replace all the brakes, hubs and calipers on the Malibu this week for $2000. A long update due to complacency on my part as a negligent fool. Lord forgive me my many mistakes and I am sorry to all I've hurt in the process.

Earth Day Planned Obsolecence

   Jane and I have gotten both covid-19 shots at Meijer's in March and Lukas and Simon have got their first shots in April. I am going to the Y twice a week and Jane will be going in May. On March the 18th it was very windy and the tree behind the garage blew down taking out the fence and fort. On Saturday the 27th some guys who knew Luke's friend cut up and took most of the tree for free. Jon, Sharon and the boys got here on Friday for Silas' birthday so they got to see the tree disappear. Sunday was Jon's birthday and we had dinner before they left around 2:30 and he fixed the hallway bathroom's toilet for my birthday present. I had to replace a tire on the Equinox and Roto-Router had to clean roots from the outside drain that week. The insurance company cut us a $2,400 check for damages. We went to visit the boys in Valpo the weekend of April 16th as Elidia and Jim watched Gramma for us and all went well. Other than 2 falls Gramma has been doing well and had 2 doctor appointments that showed her to be in good health. The country overall is doing better with over 2 million getting their vaccine shots and Derek Chauvin behind bars being found guilty on all 3 counts in the George Floyd murder. Worldwide there are 145 million cases, 3.1 million deaths, U.S. 32.6 million cases and 584,000 deaths, 810,000 cases with 17,140 deaths so we will continue with our masks in public and social distancing and pray for God's protection. 70 years are now on my calendar and life is what each day brings as I willing accept my role on Earth. The weather has been mild all spring and the end of winter with above average temperatures and only 2 days with an inch of precipitation and everything is green. 

Winter of 20-21, Waiting Longer

   December was mild with little snow. We sold Simon's car for $200 salvage towed away on a flatbed. Jon and Sharon came for Christmas here on the 20th-22nd and we had a great visit as they stayed at the Quality Inn and there was room for all of us with Gramma spending a part of Monday with Elidia while we exchanged presents. The boys loved being at Pa Pa's and Gi Gi's as Paul had never been here and for Silas being 3 years. We got a new LG washer and dryer on the 28th and had Brad hook up the new electrical for us and are very happy with them. The New Year came in silently and until the 6th of January hope was rekindled. But trump would not go quietly into that goodnight and rallied his troops to take over the Capitol and congress during the Electoral College vote causing the most disgraceful transition of government in the history of the USA. Gramma had many appointments with the podiatrist, dentist, hearing aid and Sparrow for ultrasound on her left foot for concern about circulation. Biden became our 46th president without trump's terrorist's disruptions as the National Guard was deployed in D.C. and still having some presence there. I started going back to Silver Sneakers at the YMCA on the 20th, 2 days a week. We have had 3 snows of 7",4", and 8" to make up for early winter's calmness. From February 5th until the 20th the high temperature stayed in the lower 20's or less with many single digit lows allowing for that snow on the ground to stay at 19". Gramma has got both of her Covid-19 shots and Jane her first as the world total of cases going to 112.5 million with 2.5 million deaths while in the USA 28.3 million cases and 503,055 deaths, and in Michigan 583,000 cases and 15,400 deaths. Jane and I both got teeth cleanings at Rashid's and the cats shots and nail trimmings at Miller's Animal Clinic. Life has been so much peacefuller since trump exiled himself to Florida and Biden has actually shown what a president should be! Trump also was impeached for the second time but the Senate with 9 Republicans voting for impeachment did not finish the job.  May our country be forgiven for trump's sins against humanity!

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!