I just called my doctor with symptoms of pink eye or conjunctivitis. Hopefully, I can get a prescription for antibiotic eye drops to help with the redness and itchiness. I realize it is quite contagious so I will be careful with any social contact, although I have a chiropractor appointment this morning and a play to attend this evening. People will probably just think I’m stoned. Sweat pouring into my eyes during this morning’s run was quite painful at times.
I’m watching the season finale of Skinwalker Ranch as I write this today. It’s a show that has never captured my full attention with discussions about UFO’s and portals, an attempt to fill the Curse of Oak Island time slot on the History Channel. I am, however, intrigued with the upcoming Colosseum series. In the evenings, we started watching White Locus, an Emmy-nominated series on HBO that takes place at the Four Seasons at Wailea, Maui. The sights are very familiar having stayed in that area or at that hotel all these years.
In a few days, we make our excursion choices for the Alaska/Japan cruise. We’re thinking a wildlife/sightseeing boat in Kodiak, highlights of Hokkaido, and an Evening in Tokyo, outside the included tours. It will be a long journey, 25-days including a Tokyo extension, plus a week in Portland/Vancouver prior to stepping aboard. It also looks like there are a lot of required forms to fill out, particularly involving the Canadian government. Once I get over this Pink Eye it appears that my eyes will be bloodshot due to reading and completing all the necessary forms.
Often times retirement is not so much about getting ahead in life but rather maintaining what your have. I’ve completed about 80% of my bucket list and have no career aspirations, even though a little extra money might add some additional security. My health is good, and I’ll be content as long as I can keep running every day. It’s getting a little monotonous but soon I will spend my morning jogs through nine different states over a three week period – Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
I mention maintaining what you have because that’s where a majority of our income outside of the mortgage payment goes each month. Pool, pest, HOA, dog, furniture, insurance, medical, food, security, house cleaning, gas, heating & cooling, and repair. Another chunk goes to entertainment like movies, streaming, cable TV, travel, recreation, tickets, phones, and collectables. Over the past year, we’ve been buying lots of furniture, lighting fixtures, and home accessories but that is hopefully slowing down. Travel will be heavy the next few years but that too will settle down in the future. It will then all come down to upkeep on what we have, occasional dining out, and travel to see family.
It scares me a bit to think that the world around us will shrink in the years to come. I’ll have to be content with life in the neighborhood, as the hassles and expense of travel will no longer be desirable. I’m sure my younger wife will continue to push me but I’m preparing myself for the prospects of a good book and an easy chair (if the dog will let me sit in it).
“Man, it’s a hot one” – another day in the 90s. Thankfully, there was a bit of a cloud cover during my 3.1 mile jaunt this morning, and man did the pool feel great. I was joined on my run by neighbor Chuck who tolerates my slower pace and keeps me entertained with his constant chatter. I put my ear buds away and listened to him talk until he pulled out of hearing range and circled back to rejoin me. Without his companionship, I would have likely been listening to Carlos Santana – certainly his duet with Rob Thomas would have been appropriate:
Man, it’s a hot one
Like seven inches from the midday sun
I hear you whisper and the words melt everyone
But you stay so cool
My muñequita, my Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa
You’re my reason for reason, the step in my groove
[Pre-Chorus]
And if you say this life ain’t good enough
I would give my world to lift you up
I could change my life to better suit your mood
Because you’re so smooth
[Chorus]
And it’s just like the ocean under the moon
It’s the same as the emotion that I get from you
You got the kind of loving that can be so smooth
Gimme your heart, make it real, or else forget about it
[Verse 2]
I’ll tell you one thing
If you would leave it would be a crying shame
In every breath and every word
I hear your name calling me out
Out from the barrio, you hear my rhythm on the radio
You feel the turning of the world so soft and slow, turnin’ you round and round
[Pre-Chorus]
And if you said, “This life ain’t good enough”
I’d give my world to lift you up
I could change my life to better suit your mood
Because you’re so smooth, and
[Chorus]
Oh, and it’s just like the ocean under the moon
It’s the same as the emotion that I get from you
You got the kind of loving that can be so smooth, yeah
Gimme your heart, make it real, or else forget about it, yeah
[Guitar Solo]
[Chorus]
And it’s just like the ocean under the moon
It’s the same as the emotion that I get from you
You got the kind of loving that can be so smooth, yeah
Gimme your heart, make it real, or else forget about it, damn
[Outro]
Or else forget about it
Oh, or else forget about it
Oh, let’s don’t forget about it
(Gimme your heart, make it real) Let’s don’t forget about it, hey
Let’s don’t forget about it, no, oh, no, oh
Let’s don’t forget about it, no, no, no, oh
Let’s don’t forget about it, hey, no, no, oh
Let’s don’t forget about it, hey, hey, hey
I hope 74-year old Carlos Santana is feeling better and that he’s up to singing on my birthday. The tour has continued without him after his bout with dehydration and heat exhaustion. Friends reported that they saw the band along with Earth, Wind, and Fire recently, but no Carlos. He has 47-days to recover before we hopefully see them in Tampa for my 71st birthday, the concert that has taken three years to happen and maybe won’t. Here’s to cool ocean breezes that will create a pleasant birthday evening – not another hot one!
It’s “Trash Day” again after the short holiday turnaround. For once, my bins are not overflowing. The fire alarms woke us up last night, once again choosing the middle of the night to malfunction. I just changed the batteries but once again wondering why it can’t sound its shrill alarms in the daylight hours? They have been a nemesis since the very week we moved in and replaced many times over. Oh, the joys of home ownership.
When I finally got back to sleep last night, it was too quick before the morning light woke me up. It was already 85 degrees, feeling like 95, so I shortened my run to the minimum mile. Naturally, after I got done, a nice cloud cover cooled things off a bit, but the heat is getting to me. My sweat drenched running clothes have become an issue with my wife, who seems to offer a suggestion for improvement to me first thing every morning. We were, however, able to get the covers over the couch cushions back on with minimal disagreement, after running them through the wash. I then took the ladder back in the garage that I left out at 3a, thinking I might need it if the alarms went off again. ‘What if someone drops by?” my wife fretted. I don’t seem to be as worried about these things as she is.
With running, sweating, laundry, home maintenance and swimming out of the way, I can focus on this blog for a few minutes before the next interruption. There’s always a project to do when you own a home, thankfully she’s now in the swimming pool. I removed the bloated frog before she got in. She was just over at a neighbors spraying weed killer on their paved driveway, as if she can’t find enough to do here. She then dropped a loose screw on my desk that she found on the ground. I it doesn’t mean to imply “screw you!” I’ll certainly be in trouble if she ever reads this. Love you, dear!
This morning’s routine was interrupted with a trip to Schnauzerville for a trim. Tally will be spending most of her summer with these folks and their house full of schnauzers. She seems to like to go there but would rather just play rather than get a bath and cut. I had to add some air to my tires and the way back home since it’s been simply sitting in the garage. My wife has driven us in her car for dinner dates like last night at Pop’s and to the movies. She’s currently at an aqua-fit class, part of her active daily routine. I’m pretty much done for the day once I finish my 5k run and do a few laps in the pool. Once again, my GPS failed to record my running distance this morning with an unexpected “pausing workout.” The Nike app shows my total mileage to be a few miles off every month due to these technical glitches.
The interruptions continue as I try to work on this post, There used to be an hour of quiet before the dog park closed for repairs. This was the time when I could work in peace as no one else was home. Over these past few weeks I haven’t gotten this alone time and my concentration has been often disrupted. See, I got totally sidetracked and spent the afternoon reading “The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit,” showering, and watching “The Umbrella Academy.” I’ll cut this crap short and continue my blogging tomorrow, on what hopefully will be a quiet Sunday morning without many interruptions!
The Dog Park reopening has been delayed a week and poor Tally will sit inside yet another day. The only exercise she often gets is getting up in or out of my office chair. I did get off my butt yesterday and go to see the new Minions movie, The Rise of Gru. Everyone else apparently was at Thor: Love and Thunder. We’ll see it next week, hopefully returning to the regular “Matinee Monday” routine. It’s been over three months since we’ve gone to the theatre to start the week, considering holidays, bridge club, Singer Island, neighborhood get togethers, and grandkid obligations.
I made a list of things to pack and do before our long drive north. The countdown is at 19 days. In the meantime, I continue to watch Killing Eve, The Old Man, Only Murders in the Building, and The Umbrella Academy. I’m reading The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit and trying to follow Wimbledon, Tour de France, and baseball. There’s not much else going on since most of the neighbor snowbirds have flown the coop. I hardly see anyone familiar when I step outside. My wife has bridge club this afternoon at our house, but I will enjoy the isolation in my office. Another nap might be in order.
We will have “Date Night” tonight on this our Eddiversary, celebrating month number 280 together. The 8th was the first time we ever got together for dinner at an Indianapolis restaurant called Eddy’s. It was not a date but turned out that way, so the eighth of every month is forever special. Happy 8th.
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!
