Rear Ended

 What a way to end the year! Yesterday I got rear ended.

On not "that" rear ended, that's not my thing. Really.

Yesterday, while I was making my almost daily run to my local supermarket, I was waiting for the light to change so I could make a left hand turn on Rt. 16. 

Then "BOOM!" WTF? 

At first I thought someone banged my car with their open palm. Then I realized what happened, a truck behind me just bumped into me. WTF?

I immediately got out of my car to check the damage. And what do I see? A well worn truck full of Mexican landscapers. One of the short Mexicans (aren't they all short?) slid his short body down from his open driver's door to "meet" me.

I checked the damage to my car and sure enough, I had a "puncture" in the rear bumper. Not a huge dent but a puncture nonetheless less. Great! WTF?

Rear ended yesterday

I immediately asked him for his insurance papers and registration and driver's license. Of course he had none. Of course. He had a lot of papers but none of those. He just shrugged his shoulders in exasperation. I actually felt a little sorry for him, and his crew. Not a whole lot but a little. I understand accidents happen. That could have easily been me. But it wasn't and now I had this complication for my day which I didn't want. My life is complicated enough.  Neither of us wanted this. He gave some kind of explantation for why he bumped into my car but I couldn't understand him through his heavy Spanish accent. 

By now the line was piling up behind us of other vehicles waiting to make a left hand turn. A few cars pulled out of the line and continued northward on Route One. Great! How long before someone becomes impatient and a nasty confrontation scene develops? I made a quick decision to pull through the intersection and pull over to the side of the road.

The guy who hit me followed me, and pulled in beside me. I decided to call the police to report the accident. I told her that I no one was hurt but that there was damage to my car. She said if I wanted to report the damage to my insurance company I would need a police report unless I "wanted to work something out beside the road."  Ah ha! I think that is what I want to do and also my Mexican counterpart.  I pointed to the damage and said "Five hundred."  He said "three hundred."  I said "OK". He pulled out four $50 bills from his pocket. He said something to one of his passengers and that guy pulled out another two $50 bills.  He handed the six $50 bills to me. Hmmm, what are they doing with all that cash? Of course I'm being facetious. The Mexican landscapers I hire all insist on being paid in cash, which I do. Usually $50 bills. I wonder if they report that income to the IRS. Again, I'm being facetious. I'm not that all upset about that, after all they're just trying to make a better life for themselves and their families here in the US. And they do do a good job for a reasonable price. Most of the time anyway. Sometimes I get a greedy one that I have to remind I'm not one of those rich guys. Pat calls me "Ronald McDuck" but that's a running joke between us. 

We completed the transaction and we both went our ways. Just another day In The Life. And how was your day yesterday?

Patrick Over The Years

Today is Pat's 74th birthday. Happy birthday "brother." 

Pat came into my life serendipitously ten years ago but how he has enhanced my life. 

Here's to you Pat and many more years together!

Thoughts on the Lost Week Between Christmas and New Year's

Frozen Pond

 This is the time of year I dislike the most, the week between Christmas and New Year's. There is nothing on TV. All the regular hosts are on well deserved vacations. And worse, which I really hate is the recap of the previous year's news. Oh how I hate that. I already know the news folks, that's just filler.

Oh well, could be worse as I often say. This is a First World Problem. I could be living in Ukraine where Putin is raining death and destruction on that innocent country who only wants to live in peace and not under Russian Rule.

Here at Casa Tipton-Kelly life goes on. Bill had another infection on his right leg which I've been dressing every day. We went several months without infections on his edema affected lower limbs but our luck ran out. Thankfully that infection is now clearing up. Bill hates to hate the dressing changed daily but that is the only way to clear up the infection before it gets worse. Tomorrow we have an appointment at the local audiologist. Bill has "vintage" hearing aids that just aren't working as well for him with his profound hearing loss. We got new state of the art hearing aids for him last year but he couldn't get used to them. The volume was controlled by an app on my iPhone. That didn't work because Bill doesn't use my iPhone and couldn't even if he wanted to because of his blindness and confusion. I'm all for WIFI and apps but come one folks, most 94 year old men (and women) who have suffered strokes don't use iPhones. The audiologist assured me that there was another option and that's what we're going to do tomorrow at this time.

It is damn cold outside. We missed the horrendous snowstorms that affected some areas of our country but we got the wind. Now I many branches of the three river birch trees to clean up. My newly installed fish pond is frozen over. It's deep enough though for the seven goldfish and two carp to survive these freezing temperatures. I'm always amazed at how hardy goldfish are. When we lived in Pennsylvania my goldfish always made it through the winter in their outdoor ponds. Oh how I miss those ponds. Of course the new owner never took care of them. A few years later Bill and I went up to visit the now abandoned property (it went into foreclosure) and the ponds were still there, clogged with leaves. Amazingly I saw movement in that sludge. Something was down there in that mess. I hope it wasn't goldfish. 

My mind is all over the place this morning. I've been thinking a lot about where we will be this time next year. I have a feeling there will be big changes. Time goes by so fast though. We may be at the same place we are now just another year older. 

Christmas Day 2022

 

Better late than never! Merry Christmas to all my blogger followers! 

Believe it or not I just got up from a LONG afternoon nap. Wow. 

Usually my afternoon naps are about an hour or longer. This afternoon, it was THREE HOURS! 

When I woke up, after lying down at about 2:30 PM, all was dark. Bill was in his bedroom, done for the day. Usually I get up from my daily afternoon naps at about 4 PM to 5 PM. I make Bill's "dinner" of oatmeal at five and give him his sleeping pill and her medications. This afternoon I woke up at 6:15 PM! Casa Tipton-Kelly was enveloped in quietness and darkness. I rushed downstairs to find Bill already in his recliner, gone for the day. He wasn't asleep. I told him to come upstairs for his dinner but he said he wasn't hungry. Well, he will be tomorrow because at dinnertime I don't only give him his oatmeal soaked in half and half or egg nog (this time of year) but his nightly dessert of pudding. I made butterscotch pudding for him last night. It's nice and cold for him. I top it off with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Not tonight though, he's in bedtime mode. He wasn't mad, just tired on this strongly quiet day.

Our 82 year old widowed neighbor had his extended family over. Two daughters, their husbands and their adult children plus his crazy dog Cleo. His name is Bob and I just got off the phone with him. He called to wish me a merry Christmas and told me his turkey is still cooking in the oven and won't be done until about 7:30. Late dinner for those folks tonight. His dog, who loves attention, is gettin plenty of attention tonight. He invited me to stop over tomorrow and say "Hi!" to everyone. I may do that.

I just got off FaceTime with Pat. Cold up there in Hamilton, Ontario Canada tonight. Pat had a quiet day too. He briefly met up with his friends Paul and Deb to exchange presents. We're going to call our friend Don in Philly later tonight. Don is spending this Christmas alone too. The fate of older gay guys. Not as bad as you would think. None of us wants to desires to have all that family commotion of Christmas but I'm glad for those that do. 

After breakfast this morning I cleaned out my freezer chest and took out all the meals I had frozen this past year to feed to the seagulls in the BJ's parking lot.

The weather is in the teens down here. The birds really appreciated their Christmas treat and I cleared out my freezer for my meals for the new year. 

I'm going to update my online Scrabble games with Pat now, have a late Christmas Day dinner of left over Butterball turkey that I made last week and call it a day. I hope I can sleep tonight after this long Christmas Day afternoon nap. Wow. 

Christmas Eve 2022

 

Christmas 1971

Brrrr! It is COLD here in southern  Delaware this morning. 

Fourteen degrees on this sunny snowless (thank goodness) morning here at Casa Tipton-Kelly. Our house is warm and cozy. Our propane gas heating system is working well heating the whole house. However, Bill said he was too hot last night but that is because his little cubby bedroom is right next to the HVAC system in our basement. 

After I finish this blog post and update my online (Facebook) Scrabble games, Bill and I are going for our daily ride on this frigid Christmas Eve day. Today I have to get more of those delicious biscuits from Royal Farms. I also have to get gas which I'm dreading pumping gas in this cold weather. The wind is ferocious whipping down those gas pumps. I no fan of that kind of cold pain. What's worse? The extreme cold or suffocating humid heat? We get both here in southern Delaware.

This Christmas Eve day will be like any other day here at Casa Tipton-Kelly. After our daily ride, I'll have lunch then take my afternoon nap. My bedroom is ideally situated for cold sunny winter days. It gets that passive solar warmth. I didn't plan the bedroom placement that way, I got lucky. That's one thing I will miss if I ever move from here.

Tomorrow for Christmas we will have our usual day. We stopped exchanging presents over thirty years ago.  Until Bill lost his eyesight, exchanging Christmas cards was our thing at Christmas. We don't do that now because Bill can't see the card. We're together, that's what counts. On Christmas Day or any other day of the year.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve Eve

 

Early morning view from our garage this morning

Photo is from our garage this morning. 

I awoke at 3:30 for a bathroom visit. This morning I couldn't go back to sleep. I'm not sure why, perhaps because of a series of recent deaths of folks I liked and knew well.

One was my great aunt who lived in Johnston City, Tennessee. She was the daughter of my great grandfather Isaac Lewis who was born in 1854. I was always fascinated by that fact. Her father married twice, his second wife was forty years younger than he was.

Daisy Lewis Buckles 1915-2022

Back in 1994 when I was researching my paternal line, she was of a great help to me. She was a gracious and classy lady. We exchanged Christmas cards every year. This year I didn't get a card so I checked the Internet and sure enough I found her obituary. She was 96 years old so she had a good run. Still, I will miss her phone calls and occasional old photos that she would send to me. Rest in peace Aunt Daisy.

Another loss was my cousin Sandy. We were both the same age. We were also classmates in high school.  

Me with my maternal cousins Sandy and Elaine 1941 - 2022

Her father and my grandfather were brothers thus making us first cousins, one removed. Again, a very kind and gracious woman who helped me with my research on my maternal ancestry line. Although I feel she left this life too early, Sandy also led a good life, leaving behind four sons and many grandchildren and loving memories. Rest in peace cousin Sandy.

And the last loss was of a friend of my good friend Don McK. David and I got off to a bad start (he was a little too aggressive in letting me know he wanted to have sex with me) but he apologized for his bad (groping) behavior. I accepted his apology and became secondary friends with him.

David R.  1943-2022

I only saw David when I visited my friend Don in Philadelphia but his visits were always memorable. David did not help me one iota with my family tree research but I enjoyed his wit and friendship even though Don mentioned he could be difficult. 

All three of these fine people will not be here this Christmas. Wherever they are, I wish them ever lasting peace. 

Christmas Memories

Young Horace 1982

This Christmas I remember again the best pet I ever had, Horace the Pomeranian.

I "adopted" him from a pet store window on impulse on my way to lunch one summer day in 1982.

It was quite a surprise to Bill when he picked me up at the train station at the end of the day like he always did when I commuted from Downingtown to my bank job in center city Philadelphia. I told him "I have something in the box." 

The next sixteen years were pure bliss. I had a dog who actually choose me as his daddy. 

Adult Horace 1986

I never heard this wonderful, delightful orange fur ball growl or show any form of aggression. I never, never had to discipline him once for anything. He was literally my Angel on Earth. 

Horace died in 1998, after having blessed my life for sixteen years. 

Old Horace 1998 

Maybe someday Horace I will see you again if there is a Heaven.