Author: mikeljohnston1 (Page 59 of 267)
I would have to categorize yesterday as a good day since the Cubs and White Sox both had come from behind victories and the stock market rallied to show a small gain. This morning I barely survived another 5k run in the heat, stumbling home at a 15-minute a mile pace. Just a few days ago, it was an embarrassing 18-minute final mile, one of the slowest in my history without actually stopping. Tally actually ran the last few hundred yards with me, anxious to get back to her air conditioning. It’s indeed rare when she wants to run but cool air and treats can be a powerful incentive. Tally Ho!
When I get back to the garage from my morning run, I usually do a little yard work and fill the fountain with water that quickly evaporates in these conditions. I collapse on my bench and take in the sauna-like conditions, sweating off another pound of fat while I do my morning puzzles. My current Wordle streak is now at 54 with a few close calls this week, including a 6-letter word with three f’s. The running streak is at 4,939 days without a miss. It’s always refreshing to jump in the pool, the final leg of my daily exercise regimen that’s the perfect excuse to sit and watch TV the rest of the day.
The dog park opens again tomorrow and Tally will be reunited with her buddies after several weeks of breaking her routine. With everyone seemingly gone in the neighborhood we rarely see a dog on her morning walks. I’m sure she’ll be excited to have dog life return to normal. However, three weeks from now we start our journey north and she will be at “Schnauzerville” with her second family for the first of three lengthy stints away from us yet this year. Tally Ho!
The fireworks have come and gone with the blazing heat of July yet to deal with. We start our 3,000 mile drive in less than three weeks, so the dog days of summer will be spent in many different cities. Tally has already shortened her walks and is especially reluctant to go out in the afternoon. The pavement is hot and the grass dry and stiff. I’m sure she misses the cool temperatures and soft grass of Portland, plus she’s spent a lot of time in our dark closet where she can’t hear the thunderstorms. We even bought her a Thundershirt, similar to what her sister Tinker once wore, to calm her nerves.
I got scammed yesterday over a grill that I supposedly won from Ace Hardware. I don’t know how enter-to- wins even exist anymore when they were once a staple in the advertising business. I had to hassle with the company and cancel my credit card, thinking I was dealing with a reputable supplier that I use all the time. The “helpful hardware man” was nothing more than a scam artist yesterday. I rarely fall for these things but must have had a brain fart – never again.
The White Sox lost again to the Twins last night but the Cubs beat the Brewers. Both Chicago teams are apparently not playoff worthy so I’m quickly losing interest in baseball this season. There’s also not much to look forward to in college or pro football. Therefore, Hoosier Hysteria can’t come soon enough, as the IU basketball program continues to gain respectability.
The question now is whether Carlos Santana will be able to serenade me on my 71st birthday? He passed out from heat exhaustion in his latest concert up in Michigan. The last two years, his Florida concert that we’ve held tickets to has been cancelled due to Covid and he’s missed shows for other health reasons. We’ve also lost one member of Earth, Wind, & Fire since then, so will this concert ever actually take place? Oye Como Va? Not so well.
It looks like the Twins are destined to rule the American League Central division this year after four straight victories over the White Sox. I thought for sure this was the year for the Pale Hose but after last night’s triple play debacle, I’m ready to throw in the towel. An 8-5 triple play had never happened before in the history of baseball, but of course it happened to the Sox last night. It was the seventh inning with runners on first and second after the tying run scored. There were no outs and it looked like the White Sox were destined for a big inning, with Adam Engel pinch-running at second and Joan Moncada at first. A.J. Pollock hit a long drive to center field that was easily run down by Byron Buxton. For some reason, neither runner tagged after the catch and both were caught advancing, ending the scoring threat. The Twins won in extra innings – the same outcome as the Cubs loss to the Brewers earlier in the evening. I Give Up!
It was a bad day in Chicago after a gunman opened fire on a local Independence Day parade. The game was nearly cancelled. The post-game fireworks were – long before there was nothing to celebrate. The White Sox are playing like their 77-year old manager, Tony La Russa, although he’s not the base coach. The team just lacks hustle and spirit. Injuries have plagued them all season long, while I was expecting a run before the All Star Break. They had just swept the Giants on the road and pulled within 4 1/2 games of the division leading Twins. Last night could have meant four straight victories and a step in the right direction. Instead, it was an embarrassing finish with clown-like baserunning and inability to take advantage of late inning opportunities. I Give Up!
In other sports news this past week, the BIG announced the addition of UCLA and USC to the conference. The Big Ten is now the Sweet Sixteen and Coast-to-Coast, as of 2024. It certainly means two more football losses for IU and more competition for titles in other sports, especially basketball. The odds for the Hoosiers to ever win a BIG basketball tournament now comes down to simply this year. Furthermore, the battle between the BIG and SEC for supremacy is looking more and more like the Civil War – North vs. South. Notre Dame is next to pick a side, even though they are well north of the Mason Dixon Line and Fighting to maintain their independence. Keeping track – I Give Up!
It’s my wife’s favorite holiday with limited family obligations and one of Tally’s least favorite with “bombs bursting in air.” We started a tradition last year with a beach picnic, sunset, and fireworks that will continue again this evening. It was exceptionally hot this morning on my run, with thoughts of all the other running events that are staged this morning. The most famous and largest is the Peachtree 10k in Atlanta where 60,000 runners hit the streets. I never had the opportunity to run it. I’m surprised that the Atlanta Braves haven’t staged a similar race at our neighborhood stadium, but with all the snowbirds gone for the summer, it would probably not be a big draw.
I did see at least four other runners this morning as I sputtered along my lonely asphalt trail. If they had been going the same direction they would have easily passed me by. I was thoroughly soaked in sweat by the time I jumped in the pool. I did enjoy the solitude to start the day and my blood pressure dropped from 156/73 to 98/72. I can feel a sense of relaxation once the discomfort of stiffness passes in my legs. It’s good to see a measurable medical benefit from running to go along with the sense of accomplishment once I finish every morning.
It’s been five years since my last distance training started for Coast to Coast back in Portland, Oregon. At that time, I could still occasionally manage an eleven-minute mile pace, but anymore I’m lucky to see thirteen-minutes and in most cases struggle at sixteen-minutes. I can’t imagine what it will be like in another five years. Running does keep my mind off my other age-related handicaps like shaky hands, numb feet, hearing loss, and hoarseness of voice. However, it exaggerates my balance issues and demonstrates the deterioration of any athletic skills I might have once possessed. I guess my goal any more is not speed or form but rather just to keep going and to maintain my independence. It a day to celebrate that freedom!
My computer incompetence was once again showing this morning as I tried sending a spreadsheet to a neighbor. The printer for some reason will no longer connect so I had to transfer the file to a thumb drive that failed to properly record the scan. Even my attempts to photograph and send were unsuccessful. I’m sure my blood pressure is now through the roof again, as it was when I got up this morning, measuring 147/87. Running took it down to 101/69. I don’t seem to have much patience in retirement, as the grumpy old man frequently overtakes me. In fact, I’m surprised there haven’t been more issues trying to get this blog posted.
We met with an old friend yesterday, but the stereo speaker was right over our table blaring Bob Marley tunes. I felt I was scream talking trying to fit in with the conversation, while my hearing aids were ineffective. Bar scenes and noisy restaurants are not my thing any more and make me grumpy. Sometimes, I’m just grumpy having to get out of my chair on a hot afternoon, if Tally lets me sit there. Trying to carry on a conversation is many times exhausting with my throat issues and hearing difficulties. I find myself craving peace and quiet. (See Mr. Grumpy Pants Post #1012)
Maybe this is what I like about running? it’s certainly not the sweat and effort, but at least I don’t have to talk to anyone or pretend that I understand what they are saying. It’s 45-minutes of self absorption with the focus on sore muscles and heat exhaustion. An occasional “hi” and smile to a passerby are my only obligations and there’s no time to stop for small talk. I recognize dozens of faces every morning but I know very little about them. They probably don’t even know that I’m a grumpy old man. The Streak, now at 4,935 consecutive days, provides me with bragging rights, something unique and remarkable about my life these days, even though I grumble about doing it every day.
It’s a retirement Saturday, so really no different than any other day of the week. We’re meeting a former work colleague for lunch to rekindle memories of our time at WISH-TV together. It wasn’t until I was promoted to the Lafayette station when my wife and I were finally married. Up until that point, we all worked together in Indianapolis. Now, the Florida weather unites us all, as our friend enjoys some vacation time.
We will meet in Nokomis, just north of Venice, at a waterfront restaurant. Most of the discussion will probably center around Broadway, although it has now been years since my wife and I have been there for a show. Our friend is a singer/performer, mostly local theater, and we’ve been to see her many times dating back over 22 years when she was in “City of Angels,” and “Sideshow” two years later. In 2005, it was “Listen to My Heart,” a Footlight musical. In 2006, we all met in New York to see “Putnam County Spelling Bee.” I can’t remember the last time we got together, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out through the course of friendly discussion. I do have a note in my diary about a lunch at Acapulco Joe’s in Indy six years ago, but I may not have been there to join her and my wife.
I’m watching “Alone” on the History Channel, a series that is about as far from my comfort zone as possible. I couldn’t imagine surviving in the wild by myself since I have no hunting or construction skills. I’m amazed at the creativity of the participants battling the weather conditions, loneliness, predictors, and starvation. Mother Nature and I do not make good companions. I’m glad to be reuniting with old friends and living in a comfortable resort community – thankfully I’m not in the woods – All Alone.
First of all, let me note that today marks the 22nd anniversary of when I proposed to my wife. We don’t have anything special planned to celebrate it, but we did have an interesting day yesterday planned around picking up my son and granddaughter at the airport. It was definitely a routine breaker in many ways:
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No TV for 24 hours
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Driving a different car -my son’s
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Tally was at a sitter – so no walks
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Tried a Monster sugar-free
- Perfect Caper dining experience with a server named Spartacus whose uncle played for the undefeated 1968 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes.
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Tour of Punta Gorda, Florida, including Fisherman’s Wharf
We thought we had a smooth day scheduled with some sightseeing, shopping, a car service appointment, and dinner, followed by the airport pick-up, but storms changed circumstances quickly. The flight was delayed to the point where I was forced to drive my wife back home to take care of Tally, so one trip to the airport turned into two and a late night.
The flight did not arrive until well after 10:30p, so I ended up staying up well past midnight for the first time since we moved to Florida. I couldn’t even do it New Year’s Eve. We then had to wait for luggage, get out of the parking lot, drop my granddaughter off at her mother’s house, and get me back to my car so I could head home. This resulted in several other deviations from routine:
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Slept until 9:30a when I normally get up around 7
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Missed the morning dog outing
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Shortened my run to just over a mile with the temperatures in the mid-80s
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Took a different running route for variety
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Stayed in the pool another hour after my swim instead of blogging
Although these we relatively small deviations from a normal day’s activities, I felt like I had broken up a rather boring routine that has been going on for months. Hopefully, it will lead to a change in attitude, as I at least now feel that I’m no longer in the movie, Groundhog Day.
Sometimes persistence is really just ignorance. This struck me as I watched the movie, “Phantom of the Open,” where an English crane operator that has never played golf enters the British Open. My wife was struck with his persistent attitude of never giving up. However, I found it unbelievable that he would insist on playing with professionals, thinking that he was one himself. He shot a 121, not bad considering that television cameras and spectators watched him make a fool of himself. Well, ignorance is bliss, so he persistently entered again and again under a false name.
It is a heartwarming, true story about a game that tends to be a bit stuffy. It’s a skill that I could certainly never master and have great admiration for those who play it well. I’ve been there – playing with others who are much more talented and feeling embarrassed to the point of wanting to quit. However, what others thought never fazed him simply because of his ignorance. His name, Maurice Flitcroft, became synonymous with bad golf. In fact, a Grand Rapids fundraising tournament was founded in his honor with the highest score proclaimed the winner. It was when they paid for him and his family to attend where we see the bliss that resulted from his ignorance.
The rules for entry have undoubtedly become stricter since Maurice Flitcroft made a mockery of British Open officials. However, using the term “Open” rather than “Invitational” certainly left the door ajar for this situation to unfold. In theory, it is “open” to all, i.e. professional and amateur golfers, but certainly not intended for first-time players. Most everyone is aware of this, apparently except for Maurice Flitcroft who proved in this movie that ignorance is bliss.
As I referred back to posts a year ago, I realized how much cooler the conditions in my garage are during this hot summer month. The insulation that we had installed on our garage door is definitely helping in conjunction with the attic hatch cover that was finally put in place. The garage is still hot but no longer a sauna. Last year it was unbearable to be in that space, so I’m pleased with the improvement. However, our garage is slowly filling up with “stuff” like garden tools, beach chairs, empty wine boxes, plastic storage containers, pool inflatables, and now all the appliances/venting for our outdoor kitchen. My son’s SUV also takes up a lot more room than my Solara, but that’s only a temporary situation. I don’t feel as much heat as claustrophobia when I step into the garage these days.
Yesterday, we got the new gold butterfly mirror hung. The decorative piece arrived the day before in a bundle of bubble wrap and cardboard. It practically filled up the neighborhood dumpster once I finally got it unwrapped. My wife had spotted a similar design when we were at the butterfly conservatory in Key West and just had to have it! We tried to hang it immediately but it was heavy and awkward to handle, so we gave up in frustration. After sleeping on it, I made some very careful measurements and removed some of the obstacles that allowed us to get it in place without too much in the way of an argument. It is a stunning but unbudgeted addition to our entryway.
Last evening, we were watching the very end of Jumanji 3 when actor Danny DeVito made what I thought was a very profound observation. I’ve often joked about how getting old “sucks” and is “not for sissies”. His comment was that “growing old is a gift.” Think about it – not all of us gets to experience the full range of life, thinking back to high school classmates that died in Viet Nam, children shot while attending school, and peers that have passed unexpectedly or after years of health struggles. I am truly fortunate to be around after 71-years and need to adopt this attitude that despite the aches and pains, I’m lucky to be alive. Enjoy old age – it’s a gift!