Sunday 9-13 Just Another Sunday

Laugh and have fun

 

We had a wonderful day. It got up to 91 degrees and we had a little breeze.

Larry has been working on designing a cabinet to hold the Cameo cutter and its supplies. He finished the design and now needs to build the cabinet. The first item he needed was a sheet of plywood so off to The Home Depot we went. Today was the first time we have been inside The Home Depot together in over six months. It was early on a Sunday and there were very few people in the store, everyone was wearing a mask. The reason I went inside was so I could help him lift the board. Larry decided on which board he wanted, we loaded it on a cart and took it to their saw, then Larry found a employee to cut the board in three pieces.  

In between our square dances we setup Larry's table saw and went to Harbor Freight to pickup a new saw blade.

We attended three virtual square dances. The first was Don Moger's weekly C1 dance at 11:00. It was for an hour and a half. Don had 54 participants. We had a wonderful time dancing to Don and other dancers around the world.

The second dance was Ett McAtee's weekly C series at 1:00 for an hour and a half. This week the series was three C1 tips and two C2 tips. We danced the three C1 tips. Ett had 79 participants. She called the first two tips and her partner Linda called the last tip. They both did a good job and we had fun.

The third dance was Loren Smith's weekly A2/C1 dance at 7:30. This week he invited Steve Edlund to attend the dance and help him call. Loren called the first A2 tip and Steve called the other two A2 tips. We had 39 participants. This was the first time that Steve called a virtual square dance and he did a good job. The third tip was an all four couple square and I danced it by myself. It was hard because Steve didn't cue. Loren called two C1 tips, which we had 35 participants. We had great evening dancing to Loren and Steve.

 

 

In between the dances I did my daily challenges and the Event: Two Game Tango of 10 Klondike games and 10 Tri Peaks games. It took me 2 hours, 21 minutes and 37 seconds to finish and it put me in 10th place in my group.

After the last dance we watched a couple episodes of The Yorkshire Vet. Then I finished the first season of Columbo. I started to watch an Amazon series called Hanna. It's based on a 2011 movie Hanna. It's about a girl, who was raised in the forest by her dad. It's a good series. I ended up doing 23,000 steps, I ended up in third place in my group for the week with 182,415 steps.         

 

Saturday 9-12 A Day of Leisure

Day of leisure

 

 

We had another mild day with the high at 91 degrees. 

The wildlife is enjoying the cool weather. The birds kept busy flying in and out of the feeder. We did have to chase a squirrel out of the feeder. Once I filled bowls with food the squirrels had a great time eating the food.

Most Saturdays we don't have any virtual square dancing, this is ok because we need a day off, the rest of the week we dance two to four dances a day. 

I did my daily Solitaire games, Daily Challenges and the Event: Medium Mayhem Mini of 5 games. It took me 13 minutes and 35 seconds to complete, which put me in 16th place in my group. I also did a couple of Tri Peaks hard level in the Star Club.

I also did some housework and laundry.

 

Doing chores

I asked Larry to choose a book for me to read on my Kindle. He chose The Siege of Winter, I already read this book but I decided to read it again. Larry finished reading a book on his Kindle. After reading we watched some YouTube videos. 

In the evening we watched The Matrix Revolutions, it is the third and final episode of the series. Afterwards we watched an episode of The Yorkshire Vet. Then I watched two episodes of Columbo. I ended up doing 28,000 steps, which kept me in third place in my group.

 

Friday 9-11 Fanstatic Friday

Having fun with friends

 

A few days ago I was going through the refrigerator and found I had three boxes of YooHoo. Years ago Larry introduced me to Harlan Coben novels, one of the characters in his novels was Myron Bolitar. He wasn't a coffee drinker instead he drank YooHoo. YooHoo is a chocolate drink. Larry bought me some because I love chocolate. I drank it for awhile and then went on a diet and didn't want the calories. I hadn't drank one in a few years, Larry bought me some a long time ago and I forgot all about them. When I found them I decided to drink them. They still taste great.

 

YooHoo chocolate drink

We virtual dance with Don Moger a couple times a week, he has an A2 dance on Tuesdays at 6:00. At his normal club dances they usually have ice cream during their break. One of his club dancer suggested we do it virtually. Last week when Larry had to go into Walmart to pick up a few things he picked up some Klondike Boston Cream Donuts to have something for the dances. This was the first time we had them. We didn't think they tasted any different than the regular Klondike Bars. They were really good.

 

Klondike Boston Cream Donuts

We had another mild day it got up to 78 degrees.

We started the day out by going outside and mowing the yards. Because of all the rain we had our grass was getting tall and it was it was cool outside. Larry mowed the front and back yards. While he mowed I weedeated and blew out the garage and off the driveway and front porch. 

Once again the birdfeeder was busy with birds flying in and out.

We attended three virtual dances. The first dance was Don Moger's weekly C1 dance at 12:00. He had 61 participants. It was scheduled for an hour and a half but we didn't do the last tip because we wanted to rest before our next dance. When we dance to Don we have to think about what he wants you to do and this can wear you out mentally. Don is very challenging but we like dancing to him.

The second dance was Di Green's weekly C1 Workshop at 2:00 for an hour and a half. She had 31 participants. The workshop is easier than Don's but still fun. 

The third dance was Ett McAfee's weekly A2/C1 dance at 6:30 for and hour and a half.Ett called 4 A2 tips and 2 C1 tips. For the A2 tips we had 29 participants and for the C1 tips we had 26 participants. Ett did a great job of calling and we had fun

In between the dances we watched YouTube videos. 

I worked on my Solitaire games. Today was Free Cell Friday, where your points are doubled when ever you solve a Free Cell game. I did my Daily Challenges and the Event: Free Cell Mini of 10 games. It took me 25 minutes and 18 seconds, which put me in fifth place in my group. I did a few Pyramid games in the Star Club Challenges.

After the last dance we watched a couple of episodes of The Yorkshire Vet. Then I watched two episodes of Columbo. I ended up doing 25,300 steps, which put me in third place in my group with 131,366.   

 

Thursday 9-10 Cool Front

Super day

 

We had a super day of cool weather. It was overcast with a breeze out of the north which kept the temperatures in the low to mid 60's. At the house we had 66 degrees.

We woke up to a brisk morning with the temperature at 56 degrees. Perfect day to go for a walk. We got in the car and drove to Crossroads Park. The children are back in school so there was hardly anyone at the park. We saw another couple and a guy with his dog. We took our normal walk using the sidewalk that goes around the park. We had a lot of rain in the last few days so at places it was muddy. The park was built in the flood area so when it rains water and mud are forced to go over the sidewalk at places. When we got to the housing development we carefully walked around the mud on the sidewalk by going in the field but we didn't get too far before we turned around and took the sidewalk around the housing development. We walked a little further than normal but that was ok, we needed the exercise. We ended up walking for forty-five minutes. We had a great walk.

 

Crossroads Park

 

The Equinox's tags are due next month so on the way home we stopped by Valvoline Express Oil Change to get the car inspected. Due to the coronavirus we weren't allow to get out of the car and they didn't drive the car around to make sure the brakes work. They told Larry what to do for the inspection: turn on the lights, right turn signal, left turn signal and brakes. The employees, who came in direct contact with the customers wore a mask supplied by the company. This made us feel more comfortable. We also were wearing masks.

We attended four virtual square dances. The first dance was Dayle Hodge's weekly C1 dance at 11:00. There were 43 participants. Dayle helped me out a few times by telling the dancers where they should be, what hand they should be holding and with whom. We had a fantastic time dancing to Dayle and other dancers from all over the world. 

The second dance was Joachim Ruhenbeck C1/C2 two hour dance at 12:30. We attended the C1 dance. Joachim had 37 participants. We broke down a few times because we got confused on a call. When you dance to Joachim if you fall behind you will most likely breakdown because of the speed he calls. Joachim is a great caller and walks dancers through moves they're having problems with. We enjoy dancing with Joachim and have a lot of fun.   

The third dance was Jeremy Butler's weekly A2/C1 dance at 6:00 for an hour. We had 31 participants in the A2 and 25 in the C1. Jeremy called four A2 tips and one C1 tip. We had a great time.

The fourth dance was Michael Levy's weekly A2 dance at 7:30 for an hour. This was Michael's second week of calling and he is still learning how to call virtual square dancing. We got confused once in awhile but over all we had fun.

 

In between the dances I played my Microsoft Solitaire games. I did the Daily Challenges and the Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 3 Klondike games and 3 Tri Peaks games. It took me 10 minutes and 25 seconds, which put me in 20th place in my group. We watched YouTube videos.

We watched the birds flying in and out of birdfeeder for hours. I have been putting some feed in bowls for the squirrels to keep them out of the feeder. Today one of the squirrels tipped the big bowl over on top of the seed so he went into the feeder. Larry chased it off. I went to the tree,  flipped the bowl over and saw that there were seeds under it. So I took the bowl in the house. The squirrels were very happy, they came back to the tree and went to town with the seeds. People have asked me time and again if I ever getting tried of watching the wildlife. I always say no.

After the last dance we watched a couple episodes of The Yorkshire Vet. Then I watched a movie on Peacock called Reservation Road. It was about a hit and run accident, where a boy was killed. It was very good. Then I watched an episode of Columbo. I ended up doing 26,000 steps, which put me in third place in my group.

Relaxing in front of the television

 

            

 

Wednesday 9-9 Wonderful Day

 

We had a wonderful day. 

I started the day out by doing my Microsoft Daily Challenges. Then I moved on to the Event: Medium Mayhem of 27 games of Solitaire at the medium level. It took me 2 hours, 8 minutes and 2 seconds, which put me in 16th place in my group. Today Microsoft had a special called Eventsday, which you earned double your points playing the event games. I also did some of the Star Club, Pyramid level Hard games, I did five of them.

Larry worked on a Cameo project. We watched YouTube videos.

A front came in the late afternoon and stayed around. It rained hard for a short while. Even with all the rain it didn't stop the birds from feasting on their food in the feeder.

 

 

We attended two virtual dances. The first was Dayle Hodge's weekly A2 dance at 11:00 for an hour. Dayle had 39 participants. Our friends Donna and John out of Colorado zoomed for the first time. It was great to see them. We have been attending Dayle's dance for weeks and he's starting to call more challenging moves with cueing when necessary. We had a great time.

The second dance was Ken Burke's weekly A2 dance at 5:30 for an hour. Ken had 20 participants. Ken is new at virtual square dancing so the dance was a little confusing. We still had fun.

After the second dance we watched The Matrix Reloaded. It was a good movie except for the it was cliffhanger. Then we watched an episode of The Yorkshire Vet sixth season. When Larry went to bed I watched a movie on Peacock called The Break Up. The movie was a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. It was a cute movie where two people broke up but ended up sharing their condo. Then I watched an episode of the first season of Columbo. I ended up doing 27,000 steps, which put me in 3rd place with 80,000 steps.  

 

     

 

 

Tuesday 9-8 First Day of School

First day of school

 

Today was the first day of school for the local schools. Some school districts gave the parents a choice to send the children to school or go virtually. I hope everything goes well for the children, who went back in the classroom. 

We had a super day. A front rolled in around 3:00, it brought a strong wind with lite rain. 

I started the day out by playing my Solitaire games. I did my Daily Challenges and the Event: Two Game Tango Mini (5 games of Klondike and 5 games of Spider). It took me 2 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds, which put me in 25th place in my group. I also did a few games on the Star Club Challenges.

While I did my computer games Larry worked on a Cameo project. We watched some YouTube videos.

We attended three virtual square dances. The first was Dayle Hodge's weekly Plus Dance at 11:00 for an hour. He had 47 participants. Dayle called four tips and walked the dancers through moves we were having problems with. We had a super time.

The second dance was Di Green and Terry's weekly A1/A2 workshop for two hours. For the A1 hour Di had 34 participants and for A2 she had 30. Di and Terry called five tips per hour and in between the two hours we had a fifteen minute break. The workshops are very relaxing because Di and Terry cue the dancers through the moves. It's great to have A1 separate from A2 because some of the dancers only know A1. Those dancers have a chance to keep up their skills and dance. We had fun.

The third dance was Don Moger's weekly A2 dance at 6:00 for an hour and a half. He had 72 participants and called six tips. Don walked us through moves dancers were having problems with. We had a great time.

After the last dance we watched a few episodes of The Yorkshire Vet. I watched a movie on Acorn called Anner House, it was a romantic story of dreams. It was a good movie. I ended up doing 27,000 steps, which put me in third place in my group with 53,000 steps.       

 

Monday 9-7 Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day

 

Happy Labor Day!!! I hope everyone had a great day. We had another gorgeous day with the temperatures in the low 90's and a lot of sunshine.

 

Gorgeous day in Texas

Labor day is a federal holiday in the United States, it is on the first Monday in September, it celebrates and honors the America labor movement and the laborers who contributed to the development and achievements of the United States. 

We celebrated the holiday by staying at home. I watched a couple young squirrels chasing each other around the tree. I have been putting some birdseed in a bowl for the squirrels. I emptied out the bird feeder because what was left in it was mainly sunflower seeds, I put that in a bowl and placed the bowl under the tree where the young squirrels were hanging out. It didn't take long for one of the squirrels to find it. The squirrel ate all the seeds and then left. There were a lot of seeds, I think the squirrel probably had a stomach ache.

 

A squirrel enjoying a free meal

I spent the day playing Microsoft Solitaire games. Microsoft named today as Funday, where the Daily Challenges and The Event games when you complete the games your points are double. This helps your stats. I started the day out by doing my Daily Challenges. Then I moved on to the Event: Hard Road of 16 games. The games were very hard and took a long time to solve. It took me 3 hours, 22 minutes and 14 seconds, which put me in 16th place in my group. Then I do some Star Club games, I completed 10 Free Cell games and 5 Pyramid games.

While I played my computer games Larry worked on a Cameo project. We watched YouTube videos. At dinnertime I barbecued some Italian sausage patties.

We attended one virtual square dance, Ett McAtee's weekly C1 workshop at 6:30. She had 50 participants, she called 5 tips. As with many of Ett's dances it was confusing at times, you weren't sure what she wanted you to do. At the end of the workshop we were stressed.

After the dance we started to watch the fifth season of The Yorkshire Vet. It's a great documentary series about a local vet named Julian Norton and his partner Peter Wright. The series follows the vets through their day to day routine. Then I watched a 2005 movie called The Constant Gardener. The movie was about a British diplomat Justin Quayle, who goes to Kenya to solve his wife Tessa Quayle murder. It was very good. I did 26,000 steps, which put me in fourth place in my group.