Wednesday 6-29 Dancing & Colonoscopy Prep

 

I started the day by starting my colonoscopy prep. It started out good but at 4:00 I had to stop. I got sick and I threw up all the Miralax. In the morning I will reschedule for other day.

I attended two virtual square dances. First was Di Green and Terry McCann's Weekly Plus at 10:00 for an hour. Di and Terry took turns calling 5 tips with 11 participants. Di is starting to call faster and the dancers are keeping up with her. I had a great time dancing to Di and Terry and with friends.

Second was Ett McAtee's Weekly C1 at 1:00 for an hour and fifteen minutes. She called 5 tips with 18 participants. She is calling more complex and I make mistakes. I get frustrated because of the mistakes but I still hang in there. I had fun dancing with friends.

I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The Event: Klondike Mini of five games. It took me 26 minutes and 56 seconds, which put me in 16th place in my group. Then I played a few games of Jewel.

I slept for a couple of hours. When I woke up I ate some solid food and started feeling better. We watched YouTube videos. 

In the evening we watched an episode of Doc Martin and an episode of Death In Paradise. Then I finished watching the fifth season and started the sixth season of MI-5. I ended up doing 28,000 steps, which put me in 4th place in my group.

Great Day
 

Tuesday 6-28 Dancing, Working Out & Reading

 

We had a great day. The front that came in yesterday gave us a break from 100 degree temperature. It only got to 90 degrees.

I started the day out attending Di Green and Terry McCann's Weekly A2 dance at 10:00 am. Terry and Di took turns calling five tips with 11 participants. Di worked on Left Turn and Deal and Turn and Deal. This move is hard when you have eight people because you forget what side of the square you're working with. Today I had to work with seven phantoms and I made mistakes. I did ok when it was in the standard positions. The music was very upbeat. I had a great time dancing to Terry and Di and friends.

Let's dance

I did my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and Event: Tri Peaks Mini of 5 games. It took me 12 minutes and 18 seconds, which put me in 23rd place in my group. I did a few games of Jewel.

In the afternoon I worked out for an hour using my Wii Fit for a half hour and Just Dance for a half hour. I used three different Just Dance programs. I'm not sure how long it has been since I worked out with Just Dance but I know it's probably over 6 months. I had fun.

Just Dance Programs I used

 

Wii Fit Program

While I was dancing and working out Larry read. I read and worked on my annual book. 

For lunch and dinner we tried a new potato dish, it was HEB Baby Potatoes Cajun Style. They were ok.

In the evening we watched an episode of Sherlock and an episode of Doc Martin on Crackle. I continued watching the 5th season of MI-5. I ended up doing 28,000 steps, which put me in 2nd place in my group.

 

 

Monday 6-27 Weird Weather & Di Green's C1 Dance

 

Wonderful Monday

Before I went to bed last night a front came through with rain. It rained for about an hour. We had a breeze all day. It got to 99 degrees today. At 5:00 p.m. another front came in with a little rain. It was weird because the sun was shining while it was raining. It only dropped the temperature to 94 degrees. The rain came back a little later and stayed around through out the night.

Rain at 5:00 pm

We started the day out by attending Di Green's Weekly C1 dance at 9:00 am for an hour. She called five tips with 15 participants. Larry danced with me. All the dancers have been dancing virtually with Di for over two years so she's starting to make it challenging. She's putting us in positions that are harder than we're used to being in. In between the tips she said she knows the positions are very hard especially when you're dancing by yourself and have to keep track of seven phantoms. But she said she will help us by cueing and saying where you're at in the square. She helps out because she dances with her partner Terry and we can follow them and be in the right place. They're your mirror image. We had a great time dancing to her and with friends.

I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and the Event: Medium Mayhem of 27 games. It took me 1 hour, 26 minutes and 15 seconds, which put me in 10th place in my group. I played a couple of games of Jewel.

I read a little bit when I could keep my eyes open. Larry continued playing with the security cameras. The more he plays with the cameras the more he learns. This is a commercial system, it is very complicated but also very powerful, there are tons of different things you can configure.

In the afternoon the backyard camera told us that the line was triggered. We saw that there were two does and two fawns. The neighbor's dog came out to sun. The deer stopped grazing and watched the dog. The dog barked at them and they just stood there watching the dog. I guess they figured they were protected because there was a fence between them. The deer watched the dog until she decided to go inside. Then they just casually walked away. I love our new cameras. 

We also had a couple of hummingbirds visiting us on and off all day.

Deer watching the neighbor's dog

 

Neighbor's dog sunning and watching the deer

 

Time to move on

We watched YouTube videos.

In the evening we finished watching the 1st season of Sherlock and an episode of Doc Martin. Then I continued watching the 5th season of MI-5. I ended up doing 28,000 steps, which put me in 5th place in my group.

 

Sunday 6-26 Dancing, Crafting & More

 

Happy Sunday

We had a super Sunday. We hung around the house doing this and that.

Larry started the day off by making pancakes for breakfast. Then he moved on to crafting. He finished the project he has been working on.

I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and Event: Pyramid Mini of 10 games. It took me 28 minutes and 39 seconds, which put me in 15th place in my group. I played a couple games of Jewel.

I started reading A False Mirror, which is another Ian Rutledge novel.

 Having fun reading

I attended two virtual square dances. First was Ett McAtee's C series at 1:00 for an hour and a half. This week Ett called five tips of two couple C1 with 33 participants and one tip of full square C1 material without clicking with 28 participants. Ett did a great job and I had a great time dancing with friends.

Second was Loren Smith's Weekly A2/C1 at 7:30 for an hour and a half. Loren called three A2 tips with 14 participants, two C1 teach tips with 15 participants and two C1 tips with 10 participants. Larry danced with me. We were the only couple dancing so Loren cued off us. During the C1 teach tips Loren worked on Dixie Style Sashay. We had a small group and had an outstanding time.

We watched an episode of Sherlock and a couple of episodes of Doc Martin on Crackle.

For dinner we tried a new dish. We had bought a marinated beef fajita. I was surprised that the meat was tough considering it was soaking in a marinated sauce. But it tasted good.

The fajita meat sliced and ready to eat

 

The meat after it had been barbecued

When Larry went to bed I started watching the 5th season of MI-5. I ended up doing 27,500 steps, which put me in 2nd place in my group for the week with 195,500 steps.

    

Saturday 6-25 Di Green's Monthly A2 Dance

 

Summertime

We had a great day of having fun.

I started the day out by finishing reading A Test of Wills by Charles Todd. 

Larry continued playing with the security cameras. The new security cameras have a trip line and whenever something crosses one we are notified by a computer voice. It could get on your nerves but we see when the deer walk through our yards and down the drive. We really didn't realized how often they walk through. We also saw a fox walk across the drive because of the camera notification. We haven't seen a fox in months. We're excited about this.

I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and the Event: Spider Adventure of 20 games. It took me 2 hours, 54 minutes and 2 seconds, which put me in 15th place in my group.

At 2:00 we attended Di Green's Monthly A2 dance for two hours. It was called Di's Summer Solstice Advance Dance. She invited Loren Smith and Et McAtee to come and join her and Terry McCann in calling the dance. Larry danced with me. We wore our square dancing tee shirts and some of the dancers were in summertime dress and the callers were dressed for the summertime. The songs the callers called to were summer theme. Di had three breakout rooms: one was the Main Room, one was for two couple tips and the other one was two couple and four couple tips. The schedule was opening half hour was where everyone danced together. Ett called two tips and Terry called one with 27 participants. For an hour there were two rooms open. We went to the two couple and four couple room. Ett called two tips, Loren called two tips and Di called two tips, where there were 14 to 18 participants. The closing half hour was where we all met together for eight trivia questions. Then Loren and Di called a tip a piece of two couple with 24 participants. We had a super time.

Ett in her watermelon that she made

 

Some of the participants

 

Di in her summer hat

 

Loren in his Hawaiian shirt

 

Dawn and Charles from Florida having fun

After the dance we went to the UPS Store to pickup another Seeds Program product. 

For dinner we had leftover pizza. I made brownie cupcakes for dessert. 

Brownie cupcakes

In the evening we finished watching Hotel Portofio. Then we started watching Sherlock on Crackle. I finished watching the 4th season MI-5. I ended up doing 27,500 steps, which put me in 1st place in my group.

 

        

Friday 6-24 New Printer, Crafting & Dancing

 

Another 100+ degree day

It's Friday, have a great weekend. We had a hot day with the high of 102. 

Larry started the day out by working on a paper project.

When Larry does his paper projects sometimes he prints different paper designs using our laser printer. It works great except it leaves lines on the paper. He has been talking about buying an inkjet printer. We had inkjets years ago and got tired of dealing with the ink issues, due to lack of use ink cartridges would dry up and print heads would clog, the ink was also very expensive. With some of the new models some of these issues are supposedly fixed, they come with refillable tanks that are much larger and less expensive to fill.

Since the pandemic there has been a shortage of printers but some of them are now becoming available. This morning Larry found an Epson printer at Walmart in Temple. So off to Walmart we went. We bought the printer and a few other items.

New printer

While in town we stopped by Aldi, which was across the street from Walmart. Aldi is different from other grocery stores, you have to put a quarter in a slot to get a cart. When you return the cart you get your quarter back. We were walking to get a cart and a gentleman said we could have his cart and he wouldn't take our quarter for it. What a nice man. Another thing about Aldi is you have to bag your own items you buy. We picked up a few things we can't get elsewhere.

The new printer works great but the colors are not quite as bright as our laser printer but there's no lines. While Larry played with the printer and worked on his paper project I read.

I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and the Event: Easy Street Mini of 15 games. It took me 45 minutes and 42 seconds, which put m in 30th place in my group.

I worked out using Gold's Gym on my Wii for a half hour. I hadn't used it for over six months. I probably will be sore tomorrow. 

In the evening I attended Ett McAtee's Weekly A2/C1 dance at 6:30. She called four tips of A2 with 19 participants and one tip of C1 teach with 15 participants. During the A2 tips she worked on Left Handed Motivates. It's always hard when you dance with a full square of people and when you dance with seven phantoms it's even more difficult. Ett did a good job of helping us. During the C1 tip she worked on Square The Bases. I had a fun time.

While I danced Larry worked on his paper project. After the dance we watched a couple episodes of Hotel Portofio. Then I continued watching the fourth season of MI-5. While watching television I did my steps, which was 28,500 steps. This put me in 2nd place in my group.

     

Thursday 6-23 Dancing, Crafting & More Dancing

 

Smile and have fun

It's hot. The high today was 102 and summer just started. We kept cool under the air conditioner.

Larry continued playing with the security cameras and started a new crafting project. 

I did my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and Event: Two Game Tango of 10 games (5 Klondike and 5 Free Cell). It took me 1 hour, 2 minutes and 32 seconds, which put me in 11th place in my group.

We attended one virtual square dance, which was Dayle Hodge's Weekly C1 at 11:00 for an hour. He called 4 two couple tips with 11 participants and 1 four couple tip with 10 participants. Dayle did a super job of calling. We had a great time dancing to Dayle and with friends.

In the afternoon I read. 

Our security cameras are working excellent. They notify us whenever a trip line is crossed. The deer triggered them through out the day. We were entertained watching the deer. The fawns ran around the backyard while their mom grazed and kept an eye on them. Our lawn crew mowed both yards and blew off the porches early in the afternoon. The deer liked the freshly cut grass so much they hung around for a long time.  

We attended the Sundancers Weekly C1/A2 tape dance at 5:00. This week the group only had the C1 session. We had four couples plus an extra person for the session. We ended up dancing for two hours and had a super time.

Get a partner and dance

On the way home from Sun City we stopped by Jack In The Box for dinner. We hadn't been in a Jack In The Box for years. It was nice to go back. We shared an order of loaded mini tacos. They were very good.

Dinner

When we got home we watched an episode of Hotel Portofio. Then we watched YouTube videos. After Larry went to bed I watched three episodes of MI-5. While watching television I finished doing my 28,000 steps. This put me in 2nd place in my group. 

Wednesday 6-22 Boating, Dancing & Having Fun

 

Having fun

This morning our back security camera notified Larry that something triggered the trip wire. He looked at the camera and saw three fawns playing in the backyard and three does. They hung out for about a half hour. He showed me the video when I got up. It was fun watching the fawns playing.

The wind was low so we decided to go to the lake. We were on the lake by 9:30 am before it got too hot. We decided to drive the opposite way as we did last week. We drove down to the bridge. It was little rough but not bad. On the way back to the boat ramp we stopped and did a little floating. The water temperature was about 82 degree so I got into the water. We were on the lake for about an hour. We had a nice time on the lake.

Living on the lake

Larry enjoying the lake

Lake Belton

By the time we got home it was time of lunch.

After lunch I did my computer games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong and Event: Experts Only Mini of 5 games. It took me 54 minutes and 21 seconds, which put me in 16th place in my group. 

Then I read and worked on my annual book.

I attended two virtual dances. First was Ett McAtee's Weekly C1 at 1:00 for an hour and fifteen minutes. Ett called five tips with 22 participants. She called some complex stuff so I made a few mistakes. I had a fun time dancing to Ett and with friends.

Second was Dave Eno and Dave Hutchinson's Weekly C1/A2 at 6:30 for two hours. The format was two C1 tips with 10 participants, five tips of A2 with 12 participants and one tip of C1 with 10 participants. I was struggling a bit so Dave Hutchinson walked us through the move because the other dancers were having problems also. I had a good time.

After the last dance we watched an episode of Hotel Portofio. Then I watched To Sir With Love with Sidney Poitier. It had been years since I watched it and I enjoyed it. I ended up doing 27,500 steps, which put me in 1st place in my group. 

 

Tuesday 6-21 First Day of Summer

 

First day of summer

Today was the official first day of summer in the United States. Once again we got to 100 degrees. I think it's going to be a hot summer.

We started the day going to town to do our weekly grocery shopping. Before going to Walmart we stopped by The UPS Store to pick up our mail. There were two packages waiting. They were from the Home Depot Seeds Program, Milwaukee Orbital Polisher.

Grocery shopping

When we got home Larry opened the packages and was pleasantly surprised. He was expecting a Milwaukee Orbital Polisher and a socket set but they also threw in a battery and charger. 

The polisher box

 

The polisher

 

Socket set

 

Battery and Charger

I attended Di Green's A2 dance at 10:00. Terry and Di danced with their backs to us. Terry usually helps call but today he just wanted to dance so Di called the five tips. The dance had 12 participants. She started the dance with little cueing and the dancers were having problems so she started to cue. I thanked her for cueing because she helped me get in the right place. She thanked me because she wasn't sure how much cueing to give us. I had a great time.

Larry played with the security cameras. I did my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. Then I moved on to the Event: Pyramid Adventure of 20 games. It took me 2 hours, 4 minutes and 19 seconds, which put me in 14th place in my group. I also played a couple games of Jewel.

I continued reading A Test of Wills.

We were sitting down eating dinner when Larry saw a doe and fawn walking across the backyard. I looked out the window and saw two young fawns at the back of our yard. They were waiting for their mom to come. They ate a bit and then they laid down and waited. They were there for over an hour.

The first fawn

 

Mom eating the leaves from the tree

 

Waiting for mom

In the evening we finished watching the 8th season of Endeavour. Then we started another series on PBS called Hotel Portofio. Then I finished watching the 3rd season of MI-5. I also watched the movie Dolittle with Robert Downey. I had watched it previously and really liked it so I decided to watch it again. I ended up doing 27,500 steps, which put me in 1st place in my group.

 

Monday 6-20 Doing This and That

 

Another hot day

We had another hot day but we kept busy doing this and that.

Larry started the day out by doing a couple of small projects on the boat. The cylinder that holds the glove box lid open went bad. He ordered a new one and early this morning he replaced it. Then he replaced the speedometer in the boat. 

Afterwards he hooked a trickle charger up to the boat and motorcycle batteries.

Boat Projects

When I woke up Larry had finished his projects and he hadn't had breakfast so I made mini waffles.

At 9:00 am we attended Di Green's Weekly C1 dance. Terry and Di had taken two weeks off because they had COVID, it was great to see them back. Di called five tips with 17 participants. Larry danced with me. Di called a little fast and more complex than usual so I made a few more mistakes. Even though I made mistakes I still had fun. We had a super time.

When the dance was over I read until it was time for lunch.

Pick your favorite book and have fun

After lunch I did some housework. I dusted, vacuumed, wash the floor and laundry. 

Doing chores

I did my computer games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. Then I did the Event: Hard Road Mini of 5 games. It took me 30 minutes and 48 seconds, which put me in 18th place in my group. I did a couple of games of Jewel.

When I finished my chores I went back to my book. I worked out with the Wii Fit for a half hour.

While relaxing we saw a young squirrel come on the porch. apparently he was looking for a place to cool off. He laid there all splatted out for a long time.

Cooling off

In the evening we watched two episodes of the 8th season of Endeavour on PBS. Then I continued watching the 3rd season of MI-5. I ended up doing 28,500 steps, which put me in 2nd place in my group.

 

 

Sunday 6-19 Happy Father's Day

 

Happy Father's Day. I hope everyone had a great day. It got 99 degrees at the house. 

We hung around the house keeping cool. I played my computer games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. Then I did the Event: Medium Mayhem Mini of 5 games. It took me 14 minutes and 13 seconds, which put me in 14th place in my group. Then I did played a couple of games of Jewel. 

After playing games I started reading another detective series by Charles Todd called Ian Rutledge. There are 26 books in the series and we have six of them. We have read them all but my Kindle said I didn't read one of them so I started reading it today. The book is Testimony Of Wills. This series is about a World War I veteran, who comes back from the war shell shocked and goes back to Scotland Yard to work. I worked on my annual book.

Reading can be fun

Larry started the day by installing the new camera and it works great.

In the afternoon we watched an episode of GizWiz and YouTube videos.

For father's day I baked Reese's peanut butter fudge cookie cups for dessert. They came out delicious. For dinner we had tacos.

Reese's Peanut Butter Fudge Cookie Cups

In the evening we attended Loren Smith's Weekly A2/C1 dance at 7:30. The format was three tips of A2 with 16 participants, two tips of C1 teach with 17 participants and two tips of C1 with 14 participants. During the teach tips Loren worked on Square the Bases. We had a great evening of dancing to Loren and friends.

After Larry went to bed I continued watching the third season of MI-5. I ended up doing 26,000 steps, which put me in 3rd place in my group for the week with 191,361 steps.