New Year's Day 2024

Ron's Grasshopper Pie

Happy new year everyone!

This was perhaps the quietest New Year's Eve I've ever spent. 

I didn't even stay up last night to watch the new year ushered in on TV. I was just too tired.

Bill had an "episode" last night.  Usually he goes to bed when darkness descends on Casa Tipton-Kelly which is about early this time of year. 

Last night just as I was getting settled into My Time, I heard Bill saying something downstairs in the basement where his bedroom and bathroom is located. 

"Here we go" I thought. Usually when Bill has these episodes he doesn't remember them in the morning. This episode was no exception. 

I stop what I was doing which was updating my online Scrabble games and go downstairs to see what is going on now. 

Bill thought he had pooped all over his bathroom floor. He had gathered up the rugs and put them in his stall shower. I gingerly accepted my fate and pulled out the rugs (which I had just washed last seek) and happily discovered his "poop episode" was all in his imagination. Phew! I got a break this time.

I tried to tell him there was no problem but of course he didn't understand me. Bill has the classic Sundowner's Syndrome, he cognitive abilities decline about five o'clock on. Last night was no exception. No only does he have trouble understanding me, I have a hard time understanding him because he slurs his words at that time of day.

I got him settled and went back upstairs, exhausted. 

I was going to make a fresh grasshopper pie but didn't have the energy. 

I warmed up my delicious left over Swiss Steak (I make the BEST Swiss Steak) and watched an old Barbara Stanwyck movie that I had previously saved on my DirecTV from Turner Classics. Sometimes I just like seeing these old classic movies. This one was "Clash By Night" with Barbara, Paul Douglas, Marilyn Monroe (in one of her earlier roles before she had the end of her nose fixed) and Keith Andes' first big role. Keith was shirtless for most of the movies which was nice eye candy which helped greatly to uplift the mood I was in last night.

"Clash By Night" was a movie adapted from a stage play by Clifford Odets. I can always tell stage plays adapted for movies, most of the action takes place indoors but still this was a good movie. Overacted of course with two dimensional stereotype secondary actors (God, the stereotypes and of course NO diversity, this movie was made in 1951 of course). Still, always good to see Barbara. I'm 100% gay when it comes to gay icon favorite female movie stars of the Hollywood Golden Era. Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, and who did I leave out. Of course my all time favorite was Hedy Lamar.

Hedy Lamar, most beautiful Hollywood actress EVER!

She wasn't that great of an actress but my God, so beautiful. Just lovely to gaze upon. I may not care for Broadway show tunes but I sure do like those Hollywood stars of the Golden Era. I've always felt a special connection with Hedy. It wasn't until about ten years ago I discovered we shared the same birthday, November 9th. Then this year I discovered she was born in 1914. I was born in 1941. She was 27 years old when I was born. And guess what my lucky number is? Nine of course! November 9th and she was 27 years old when I was born which adds up to.......NINE! I don't know what all that means other than she also was a major inventor, helping to pave the way for the Internet which we all use now. 

How did I get on this subject? I was talking about my New Year's Day. 

Tell you what folks, I'm glad "The Holidays" are over. Time to get back to the regular routine. 

Happy New Year everyone!

Mailbox Trashed....Again

 

My trashed mailbox

Yes, my mailbox was trashed again. This is the third time. 

This time the culprit was the Amazon van driver. 

At least he admitted it. He said Amazon will "take care of it in a few days." 

I was napping when the accident occurred. Of course it happened when he was trying to turn his van around in my driveway. 

I have warned those drivers time and time again NOT TO TURN THEIR VANS around in my driveway. 

I don't get it.

In our development we get a LOT of deliveries. From Amazon and from FED EX, UPS and the U. So Post Office. They all, except Amazon, deliver from the right. They turn around in the cul de sac at the end of our road to deliver on the side of the development where our house is. 

This past summer I've seen different Amazon drivers struggling to turn around in my driveway and my neighbor's driveways after they make a delivery.  Twice I went out and confronted the drivers and suggested to them to use the cul de sac. One young girl looked at me like I just stepped off a spaceship and drove off without saying anything. 

I tried calling the Amazon distribution headquarters but only succeeding in entering a labyrinth of transfers of phone calls ending up with NOTHING. Never could connect with a live person. 

Now I'll await to see just how long it will take Amazon to fix this mailbox.

This is the third time I've had our mailbox destroyed. 

One was by my neighbor at the end of the cul de sac (he has Alzheimer's) who drove a little too close to our mailbox when he was driving out (yes, he WAS DRIVING). Ironically he was walking his dog yesterday when I was examining the damage to my mailbox. He asked what happened.......three times. Finally, I was so frustrated I just stopped telling him and his wife led him away with his dog. 

The second time I had my mailbox totaled was by one of my lawn care guys. He ran his fertilizer spreader into my mailbox. He said he would replace it but I sensed that he was expecting me to say "Oh no, that's alright I'll take care of it" which I didn't of course. And of course he is no longer my lawn care provider. He was the father of the owner of the lawn care business. Our relationship when downhill from there after that crash.

By the way, the same day my mailbox was trashed (yesterday, December 29th) was the same day Pat had his $1,200 bicycle stolen from his back deck in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Yesterday was Pat's 75th birthday. We'll both remember where we were on December 29th, 2023.

By the way, Pat has the video of the thief stealing his bike early in the morning while Pat slept on the other side of the wall. It took the thief over an hour and a half to steal Pat's bike. He came with tools. He's done it before. Of course you can't identify him on the video with his hoodie on. Like I said, he's done this before. Pat has one of those Ring Doorbell like videos installed on his back deck. The thief knew enough to turn off the motion detector light but apparently didn't consider that the video has its own light. Not as bright as the motion detector light but enough to see the thief. 

Christmas 56 Years Ago

 

Me, Christmas 1967 Philadelphia, PA

This picture was taken in 1967 at our apartment at Cheswick Square in Roxborough (Philadelphia) Pennsylvania. 

I think it was me and Bill's third Christmas together. I was really into the whole Christmas gig then. Presents under the tree, tinsel on the tree.

At that time this picture was taken I was working at Girard Bank in Philadelphia in the Trust Operations Department. I was a remittance clerk. I sent out the checks and statements for trust beneficiary customers, of which I was not. I started that job at $70.00 a week. Our rent on that two bedroom apartment was $145 a month. There was also a pool in the apartment complex. All may life I wanted to live in a place with a pool. I got to enjoy that pool for two seasons until it was taken over by the kiddies. The frustrating thing about the kiddies taking over the pool was that most of them didn't even live at Cheswick Square, they were "invited guests." Growing up I always dreamed of swimming in a real pool. I'm still dreaming that dreams. Briefly, when Pat and I were seriously considering moving to Palm Springs California, I thought "Now a pool!" But I've changed my mind, I'm staying at Casa Tipton-Kelly here in southern Delaware. The taxes are low, and I have a wonderful almost an acre back year. Some of my neighbors have a pool but I never see anyone using those pools. I probably wouldn't either, the "pool season" is so short here in southern Delaware 

We only stayed at Cheswick for two years. When it came time to sign a new yearly lease, the apartment rental went up to $165 a month. I had always wanted to live in a real house, and preferably center city Philadelphia so I could walk to work and the bars. 

We found a nice row house on the edge of center city Philly for $27,000 which I thought was SO EXPENSIVE. We put $5,000 down and had a twenty year mortgage for $119 a month. For the first two weeks after signing the purchase agreement I was sick to my stomach, think I had made the biggest mistake of my life. Of course I didn't. We lived at 24th and Naudain Street for eleven years, selling our house for $98,000. We built at new house in Downingtown on seven acres of land. We purchased the land for $25,000 and built the house for $100,000. We lived there for twenty-five years until we could no longer afford Pennsylvania's conficcatory school real estate taxes and sold the house for $500,000 in 2006. By the way, that cute little row house in center city Philly is now worth over $800,000

When we lived there we were on the edge of black Philadelphia. Now the whole area is gentrified. Million dollar abodes all over that area now, we couldn't afford to live there now. Delaware will always be my home until I depart this dear life.

As you can tell by this wordy post, I don't have anything on TV now. The coverage is all retrospectives of what went on last year. I KNOW WHAT WENT ON LAST YEAR.

Have a good evening everyone. I'm going to try and find a movie on Netflix that doesn't open with one of those kitchen counter sex scenes.

Christmas Day 2023

Dinner last night, cubed steak with mushroom gravy, homemade mashed potatoes with steamed broccoli (not pictured a Royal Farms biscuit) - I make meals for myself way better than any restaurant meal

Christmas 2023 is almost over. 

I am writing this blog entry at 7:20 PM Monday evening. 

I like Christmas and but I am also glad when it is over. Enough already with all the St. Jude TV ads begging for money and the poor dogs out in the snow freezing for the ASPCA ads also begging for money. All worthy charities I'm sure but I am sick to death of seeing those ads and Marlo Thomas and her Exorcist voice (how old is she now anyway, one hundred)? And we just finished the bombardments of the Medicare health insurance ads that finally gave up the ghost December 7th, the cutoff date to change your health insurance provider. Now for the Dead Time between Christmas and New Years, when all the regular folks on TV are on (well deserved I'm sure) vacations with their families and the second tier of anchors replay the endless rehashes of "what happened last year." I know already what happened. Then it all ends with the goofy duo of Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen bringing in the new year. I wonder if Andy Cohen (the wunderkind who brought us the "Real Housewives" so called reality shows) will be sober this year. He is so goofy. NOT FUNNY. For that matter Kathy Whatshername wasn't that funny either but then she got herself kicked off that annual New Year's gig with the giggling Anderson Cooper when she posed with a dummy severed head of Trump. Now that really wasn't funny Kathy Griffin. I hate Trump but even for me that was a bit too much.

I'm venting folks. I have to every now and then. Like a pot of boiling water on the stove, I have to "take the lid off" every now and then. I think I'm beginning to get too jaded.

I know I'm getting jaded with watching streaming movies on Netflix. As I said before so many of them seen to have the "required" sex scenes (often the opening scene) of the couple rushing in the house, stripping each other's clothes off and lifting the woman on the kitchen counter and f-cking the daylights out of her. That is getting SO OLD folks. Now what I was watching last night? "Imitation of Life", the 1934 version with Claudette Colbert and Warren William. It is actually a very good movie and refreshing to watch a movie with a real story with real actors and none of the humping on the kitchen counter. Can you imagine the classy Claudette Colbert in a scene like that? I tell you, I'm no prude but I am so sick of those scenes in todays' movie. Now how did I get on this subject since I'm wring about Christmas Day 2023? You know me, I start writing my blog an let it go wherever it leads me.

Today was very quiet. I took Bill for his (our) ride down Oyster Rocks Road. There were only two motorcyclists down there. I suspect those motorcycles were Christmas presents.

My kind neighbor invited me over to his place where his extended family was visiting (six cars outside) for "snacks and conversation." I like him and his family but ...uh....no. That's not my thing and besides it's his family and I would only be intruding. But it was very kind of him to invite me. He used to visit Bill but since Bill's strokes he hasn't been over. It's hard to hold a conversation with Bill. He's so easily confused these days and he is hard of hearing. Instead I took an extended nap this afternoon. It was a gray day outside anyway, good day for napping.

I have a feeling this is my last Christmas with Bill. He has that feeling too. I'm going to hate to take down our aluminum Christmas trees. Bill asked me to keep them up. I don't know about that. Having a Christmas tree up now with all the sparking lights is one thing when it's dark early like it is this time of year but during the summer it's another whole thing. I think I'll look for something else to provide colorful lights for Bill to see. I'm open for suggestions.

Time for diner now then a visit to the Tipton Cinema. 

Christmas Eve 2023

 

Pat with his friend Paul and Deb,  Christmas 2023

Good morning folks! 

Here we are at another Christmas Eve. Is it me or does each year seem to go by faster as we grow older? 

The photo above is Pat and his friends Paul and Deb. Every year at Christmastime Paul and Deb invite Pat to help them pick out a Christmas tree and have a Christmas dinner with them. This is a nice annual tradition they have. Paul is one of Pat's fellow band members. They're very good friends. I visited Paul and Deb with Pat several years ago. They have a lovely home in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. And they are lovely people. Pat doesn't take photos like I do. I had to urge him to take a selfie picture of the three of them with Deb's Christmas tree behind them. Pat put his iPhone on a time and viola! Here is the result, a memory for the ages. 

Today would have been my Mom's 100th birthday. My Mother didn't quite make it to 87 years old. She was the youngest of five children. Her Mother died when my Mom wasn't yet two years old. I was lucky, I had my Mom for seventy years. I've been lucky in many ways, I have had Bill for fifty-nine years now. 

What's planned for today? Just a quiet Christmas Eve. This morning I was working outside a bit, cutting back a holly tree that is trying to grow through out back deck. Having a house, it's always a challenge to keep plants from swallowing up the house. 

While I was out back I saw my widower neighbor Bob on his back deck with his dog and his son-in-law. Just about his whole extended family is visiting him for Christmas. They invited me over later to have snacks with them. I don't think I'll go but I appreciate the invitation. I'm not into those big socializations, especially families. This is their holiday celebration. They don't need an old guy who lives next door intruding on their family celebration. 

Yesterday I made grasshopper pie for the first time in almost twenty-five years. It's still a production number (probably why I haven't made it in so long) but oh so delicious! It's one of those light, subtle pies you keep in the freezer. The only thing missing was the green food coloring but the taste was still heavenly.

My hope is for  you all to have a wonderful Christmas however you plan on spending it.

Christmas 2023

 

The Christmas Tree at the VA Outpatient clinic in Georgetown yesterday. Brought tears to my eyes. I'm just too damn emotional.

This year as in many years past, Christmas will be a quiet affair here at Casa Tipton-Kelly.

Perhaps the only difference is that for the third year in a row I won't be working Christmas Day at the hotel. Since I became Bill's full-time caregiver in January of 2021, I haven't returned to my hotel front desk job at the boutique hotel in Lewes, Delaware.  Of course I miss my job at the hotel (I've been working there since April of 2007), but taking care of Bill is my first priority.

Bill and I stopped exchanging gifts perhaps about forty years ago. We have everything we need, no need to buy more stuff just because of tradition dictates that we must buy a gift at Christmastime. One tradition we always had though was exchanging Christmas cards but we stopped that about five years ago when Bill lost his sight to macular degeneration.

Even though Bill and I don't exchange Christmas cards I do continue the tradition of sending out Christmas cards, although the number of cards I send each year is decreasing. Lately each year I've been losing some of my longtime Christmas card senders. I have to assume they have passed on as Bill and I will someday. That day is coming folks, that is a for certain. I have a feeling that next year either Bill or I will be alone but I won't dwell on that inevitability.

There have been a few times this Christmas season that the Black Dog arrived on my doorstep but he didn't stay long. I think by putting up a Christmas tree (two actually) this year I have kept the Black Dog at bay. Oh he keeps coming around the neighborhood, like just a few minutes ago. I was on FaceTime with Pat as I am several times during the day. While I was catching up with him with the "what are you doing?" his doorbell rang. It was a neighbor bearing Christmas fudge with "high octane sugar." Pat lives in a nice little house (568 square feet) in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He's gone from his penthouse condo on the thirteen floor of the Royal Connaught Hotel. Pat has all kinds of friends and neighbors who are seeing to him this Christmas season. I live vicariously through his Christmas activities by asking him to take pictures and videos. Perhaps someday I can visit him again in Canada. I certainly hope so.

This month of December has been taken up with my various and sundry yearly doctors appointments. This morning I had to get up at the God Awful Hour of 4:30 AM for my 7 AM annually appointment at my dermatologist.

First to arrive at my dermatologist's office this morning. Nice marble floor!

What was I thinking when I made that appointment last year for 7 AM in the morning? I hate driving in the dark but that's just what I did this morning. Even with my cataract surgery, I still have trouble driving in the dark. Everything seems to be headlights. Dangerous driving for me. My visit this morning resulted in six burn offs of keratosis spots on my whole body from head (ear) to foot Been doing this for forty years now folks. Last year I finally had skin cancer (on my ear) but, thankfully, the year only the keratosis. 

Yesterday was my annual appointment for labs at the VA. Next week I see my VA doctor for the results. I also see the VA podiatrist. Last week I saw my urologist. I got the all clear again on my PSA and kidney stones. Perhaps I have another year to make a difference on this planet. Earlier I saw my cardiologist. Again, I got the all clear and that aneurism that he was concerned about apparently disappeared. More good news! The bad news is that I have trouble walking. I probably looked pretty pitiful when my name was called yesterday at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Georgetown when I had trouble getting up then I hobbled in to get my needle. I had to take off my jacket and hoodie. I was embarrassed when I had trouble putting my hoodie and jacket back on. The nurse had to help me after seeing I was struggling. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was all smug about walking regular and seeing the other vets struggling walking back to their appointments. Well, I'm there now.

After I finish with these annual doctor appointments I planned to coast through the ensuing cold winter months.  In the past I had my annual two week trip to the welcoming warm sunshine of Palm Springs California with Pat. Again, this year I have to take a pass at Modernism Week and new adventures with Pat. When I start feeling sorry for myself all I have to do is watch the news and see all those people in the world who are suffering like those in Israel and the Gaza Strip. My heart breaks for those Israelis who have lost loved ones and also for those Palestinians who are suffering so much with Israels retaliation against them ("collective punishment"). 

I have it pretty damn good here and for that I am thankful.

So to one and all, if you're with family this Christmas or just home alone, have a wonderful Christmas and beware of that high octane fudge! As for me, I'm watching the latest Bradley Cooper movie "Maestro" tonight.

Random Thoughts On A Rainy Monday Morning

 Last night as I slipped into my flannel sheets on my memory foam mattress, I was comforted by the howling winds outside my bedroom windows. 

A little "Ron Prose" this rainy Monday morning folks!

I've settled back into my stay at home caretaker routine after that brief, welcome interlude from my Canadian friend Pat of Hamilton, Ontario. His visit refreshed my mind that there is life outside of caregiving, after caregiving should I ever get there.

I have to admit I was a bit down after he left but now I'm back on track. 

Last night I finally found a good movie, "A Man Called Otto", the Tom Hanks movie. Sure, it was schmaltzy but that's what I needed at this time of my life. Coincidentally I just finished watching the Netflix series "After Life" with the British comedian Ricky Gervais. Both dealt with widowers coping with life after the death of their wives. The Ricky Gervais series prominently featured his brand of humor which I like. Sure, his "humor" was a little over the top at times but I didn't mind. That's British humor, not necessarily constrained by political correctness as our American humor which goes to great pains not to offend anybody. Both of these movie character considered suicide as a solution to end their pain of their loss. Something we have all considered at one time or another, haven't we? I know I have. But then I remind myself that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. 

Speaking of movies, do you know how hard it is to find an American movie that doesn't include over the top sex scenes? I'm talking about the ones that has the couple, as soon as they get inside the house they start ripping their clothes off and the half naked woman gets hoisted up on the kitchen counter to be penetrated by the male actor? God, I am SO TIRED of those scenes. I'm not a prude, but man oh man. Stop with those scenes already. They are SO BORING. I don't find them sexy at all. Do you? Does anybody? Oh sure, maybe thirteen year old boys. Also, I don't need to see any more scenes of these actors sitting on toilets taking a dump while they're acting. 

Bill just came in to interrupt me from my "blog flow." He had to tell me he's cleaning out our stairwell to our cellar. God, how often does he tell me this? Over and over. And over.  We have a drainage in the stairwell. It takes care of all the excess water. But he still feels the need to tell me. Of course he goes out there in his house clogs. I clean his clogs off ever morning but he still dirties them up by going out in our cellar stairwell to clean out imaginary leaves.  

How's Bill doing? Health wise he's stabilized. But his mental capacity continues to slip. He has dreams and hallucinations at night. The next morning he forgets them. I check in on him several times during the night and he almost always is stressed out from some dream or a hallucination. Last night he said he had a dream so bad he couldn't even tell me about it. 

While Pat was here Bill had almost convinced himself that I was going to "run away with Pat." It took quite a bit of effort on my part to bring him back to earth and reality. 

One of Bill's big problems is that he's always been busy and now that his physical capacity is limited and he can't see (macular degeneration), he's lost. He doesn't know what to do with himself. Usually I'm successful (lately anyway) in convincing him to listen to me so he doesn't make my life harder taking care of him. This morning he wanted tacks. Yes, tacks. Oh sure, I'm going to give him tacks so he can drop them on the floor. He wanted the tacks to take on the wall every time he completed a loop in the basement during his morning walks. I thought I had him convinced to count his walks by giving him fifteen quarters to put in his hand. Every time he completed a loop around our basement room he would drop one fo the quarters in a bowl. When he was out of quarters his morning "walk" was completed. The walk is good for him because the walking keeps the circulation going in his legs and lessens his edema in his lower legs and the water skin boils that often accompany the edema. 

I think it's time for out daily ride now folks. We haven't been out in the past two days. I wasn't going to go out today because this major east coast rain storm isn't quite finished yet but I have to get Bill out of the house before he comes up with any more crazy ideas like the tacks.