Ring Doorbell

Yes, that's me (on the right in the top  phot with my computer guy checking out the newly installed Ring Doorbell

I gave myself an early Christmas present this week, Ring Doorbell.

Like you, I've seen the Ring Doorbell commercials where the owner of the house catches a thief stealing their Amazon package from the front porch. I was hesitant to order a Ring Doorbell when it first came out. I wouldn't know how to install in and I'm reluctant to order anything this new until they get all the kinks out. 

I decided to order Ring Doorbell last month when my computer guy was in trying to fix my latest Mac OS upgrade (Big Sur) which screwed up my Time Machine backup. During his visit he checked his Ring Doorbell because there was some motion activity. I was impressed. This is something I could use. I frequently receive Amazon deliveries.  I don't get too many other people showing up at my front door other than my neighbor Bob M. and the occasional driveway guy who has left over asphalt and is going to give me a deal (sure). I'm always reluctant to answer the door. And because Bill is hard of hearing he doesn't answer the door, thus worrying Bob (our neighbor) when I'm at work. Now I can check whose at our door wherever I am. At work, Philadelphia, Canada and yes, even Palm Springs California (if I ever get to travel again because of this COVID pandemic). 

I asked my computer guy could he install Ring Doorbell if I bought one. He said he could.  And he did.  Seeing all the work he put into it (Bill had screwed up our previous doorbell wiring) I'm glad I contracted with him to do it. 

I subscribed for five dollars a month to have a recording of all the activity at our front door. Well worth it. 

I also ordered an ECHO ("Alexa"). 

Oh, and by the way, I also got my new iPhone 12 Pro Max upgrade. That was somewhat of a bear to transfer the information from my previous iPhone but I did and I'm set now. 

Yours truly continues to stay apace with the Digital Age.

Cleaning Out Closets

 

Box of old letters

Finally, after forty years I'm going to use the rest of my cedar boards and have my two walk in closets lined.

When Bill and I built our house in Pennsylvania in 1980 one of the luxuries I insisted upon was having all the closets cedar lined. I had that written into my contract with my builder. However, when it came time to line those closets my builder tried to cut corners (as they often do) and suggested that I instead put cedar chip boards in my closets. "No way" I told him, it's in my contract that cedar boards are to be applied." My builder went into a snit for a while but eventually he put the tongue and grove cedar boards in all my closets. He had five packets of cedar boards left over. I paid for them and I kept them, stored in the space above the garage in our Pennsylvania house for the twenty-five years we lived in Pennsylvania. 

Left over cedar boards

Then in 2006 we moved to Delaware. We had another new house built by Ryan Homes. I was so immersed in selling our Pennsylvania home that I neglected to get our closets here in Delaware cedar lined. I did bring down those left over five packages of cedar boards though, planning to eventually use them to cedar line my two walk in closets here at our Delaware home, also known as Casa Tipton-Kelly.

That time has come. Thirteen years later, that time has come.

This weekend I have arranged with a local contractor to cedar line my walk in closets. Of course that's going to cause major disruption but it is something I want done before I die. I love the smell of cedar. But first I had to clean out all my "stuff" in my closet. Not a job I look forward to but one that is necessary. 

Yesterday going through some of those things I found a box of old letters I have save. Several of them are from former lovers. "Lovers", for those of you of a certain age that is what we gays used to call our partners/husband/affairs. 

I started to read one of those letters this morning. By the way, "letters", what a quaint term in this time of the Digital Age, FaceTime and text messages. 

I'm glad I've saved all my old letters.

I read part of the letter that Joe Labriola (I mention his name because maybe he's still round and will stumble across my blog and contact me), a Ice Capades ice skater I met in Pittsburgh in January of 1963. 1963, a time when many of you who are reading this blog weren't even born. Yes, that's how OLD I am. 

Joe Labriola Mexico City 1962 (on tour with the Ice Capades)

I'm going to read that whole letter and transcribe it to type text (Joe's handwriting isn't the best). Just another project I have to complete before I checkout of this life. 

Life is interesting folks and I have had one very interesting life for which I am so thankful.

Post Thanksgiving Musings

 Another Black Friday has arrived.

Me at Ft. Meade Army barracks smoking a cigarette 1962

Last night I worked my regular Thursday night shift at the hotel. Occupancy was down because of the new COVID restrictions Delaware governor Carney has imposed. Even though there were less rooms, the guests are always interesting. My job at the hotel is like working at the crossroads of the world.

One guest called from the suite, which is an apartment that rents for $525 a night plus tax. He wanted to know if I had a vacuum cleaner and could I deliver it to him.  I told him "Yes, I have a vacuum cleaner but I can't do the stairs to the suite" (which is outside and up two flights of stairs). He said "No problem, I'll come over and pick it up."  

He came over to pick up the vacuum cleaner.  I asked him where he was from and why was he visiting Lewes.  He said his son is stationed at Ft. Meade Maryland and works at the NSA (National Security Agency). Small world! I told him when I was in the Army (1960-1963) I was also stationed at Ft. Meade and worked at the National Security Agency.  He said "Oh! You have to come back to the suite with me and tell that to my son!" I did and I found out his son is in the Navy. When I was at Ft. Meade, all branches of the service were represented, our concert barracks were in a row. The Marine barracks first, then Navy followed by the Army barracks and then the Air Force. The family was from Washington State. I told them that last year their Senator Patty Murray had stayed at the hotel. His wife asked me "How did you know our senator is Patty Murray?"  I told him "I follow politics and I know all the senators."  

Senator Patty Murray -D. Washington

This brief interaction with guests of the hotel where I work is one of the reasons I continue to work even as I enter the eight decade of my life. Thanksgiving is a day of loneliness for many. That often includes me. 

For years now I don't do anything special for Thanksgiving. I would have loved to have a couple of slices of roast turkey with stuffing, candied yams, cranberry sauce, and yes green bean casserole but my Thanksgivings at this time of my life, is not to be. I used to roast a turkey years ago but Bill doesn't like turkey. I "celebrate" my Thanksgivings like I did yesterday, sharing life with hotel guests like I did last night. One year one of my co-workers felt sorry for me and brought me in a plate of roast turkey with all the fixings. That was nice. 

Pat just called on FaceTime. Have to go!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last night I heard a cacophony of police and fire engine sirens screaming down Route One.  Route One or Coastal Highway borders our property via a small cornfield. 

One, two, three, four, five, six ............. flashing light, more sirens ......what was going on? I've heard and seen police cars speeding down Route One before in pursuit of a vehicle exceeding the speed limit. Occasionally a fire engine would race down Route One enroute to a fire, but never all this activity. What could it be?

This morning I check my NextDoor app to find out what was going on. 

Oh, okay. President-Elect Biden arriving at his summer beach house in Rehoboth Beach, which is only about five miles from Casa Tipton-Kelly. 

Yes folks, for at least the next four years Bill and I will be near the center of the universe, where the most powerful man in the world summers. Bye bye Mar-a-Lago.

Trump Pardons Flynn

The most corrupt president in U. S. history just pardoned Michael Flynn, his first national security advisor who pleaded guilty twice to lying to the FBI. 

You all remember Flynn, the disgraced former general who lead the chant "Lock her up!" against Hillary Clinton at the 2016 Trump campaign rallies.

This pardon was expected but still disgusting to hear. Of course this is the first of many pardons of criminals that Trump will do before he leaves office January 20th. I guess in a way you could say this is Trump's form of conceding the presidential election to Joe Biden.

Yesterday 2,157 people died from the COVID virus. One person every 40 second. Another 170000 people were infected. U. S. hospitalization for COVID-19surpassed 87000 on Tuesday, an all time high. Since the global pandemic began, the U. S. has over 260,000 deaths and 12.6 million infections, the most in the world. And what is Donald Trump's priority? Pardoning a traitorous criminal like Michael Flynn, who conspired with Turkish president Erdogan to kidnap one of Erdogan's political rivals, a religious cleric who lives in the U.S.

Trump says nothing about the virus. He doesn't care. What Trump cares about is staying in power at any cost and enabling his like minded traitorous friends and enablers. And still, his Congressional Republican enablers, led by Moscow Mitch McConnell, say nothing. They too, by their silence, are traitors to this country. We will never forget their cowardice.

Birthday and Thanksgiving Thoughts In The Pandemic

 Thanksgiving Day here at Casa Tipton-Kelly is going to be like every other Thanksgiving pandemic or not. In years past I always work Thanksgiving Day at the hotel. This year is no exception. 

We did have a good number of reservations at the hotel for this year's Thanksgiving celebration, but after Delaware governor John Carney's new COVID restrictions, most of those guests cancelled their reservations. Thus this year will be a quiet Thanksgiving here in southern Delaware, the summer home of the Joe Biden, President-Elect of the United States.

Last week I entered my 80th year of life. Yes, I am now 79 years old. One of my younger brothers sent me a birthday card asking reminding me that next year I will be 80 years old.  "How did THAT happen?" he asked. Yes, how did that happen? Folks, I never expected to reach 60 years of age, let alone 80 years of age. 

I have a lot to be thankful for, especially reaching my advanced age in relatively good health. Walking upstairs is even more difficult for me. In not too many years I suspect I won't be able to walk upstairs. 

I'm especially thankful that Bill is still here. He's 92 years old now and fading.  Hard of hearing and his eyesight is failing and now his cognitive abilities are deteriorating. But he still knows who I am and is very sweet now. No more of those sometimes ferocious arguments we used to have over nothing. Every day I get up in the morning and round the corner from my bedroom to the kitchen and find Bill waiting for me to start another day, I am so thankful.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Italian Pasta Salad

Ron's Italian Pasta Salad

 Hey! A recipe posting!

I know it's been awhile since I posted one of my favorite recipes, way overdue.

This recipe for pasta salad is one of my absolute favorites. This is one of those recipes that my stomach says "More! More!"  I could literally eat the whole container. 

So without further ado here is my version of Italian Pasta salad:

Ingredients

• 1 box (12 oz) tricolor rotini pasta
• 1 cup chopped cucumber (peeled and seeded, about 1 cucumber
• 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
• 12 to 1 cup Italian salad dressing

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta according to box instructions. Remember to salt your pasta water with 1-2 teaspoons of sale. When pasta is done, drain it and run cold water over it so the noodles can cool
2. Combine the cooked and cooled pasta, cucumber, tomatoes and red onion. Pour Italian dressing over it and stir together (start with 12 cup Italian dressing and go from there. I put about 34 cup dressing on the salad and then reserve the rest to add to the salad before serving to moisten it back up.
3. Can be eaten right away or refrigerated for a few hour before serving.

*I like it cold so I refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving.

The original recipe calls for feta cheese (which I like) and black olives (which I also like) but I have omitted them because I prefer a minimalist pasta salad. 

In these times of COVID pandemic home confinement I find my recipes very comforting and often better than anything I could find in a restaurant. And look at the money I'm saving!

I have more recipes which I will share on this blog in the near future.

Have a great day!!!