This and That

Ron's life

Hi folks.  Been pretty busy around here the past few weeks getting the backyard in shape for the summer.  This spring so far has been fabulous.  Just wonderful weather.  And I'm enjoying every day.

Nothing earth shattering to write about other than we're still plugging along here at Casa Tipton-Kelly.  

(Not) Casa Tipton-Kelly

I'm on the outs with Bill again but that's normal.  He always thinks I don't pay enough attention to him.  Maybe I don't.  I've always been basically a loner all my life and I guess I'm not going to change.  I told him that when I moved in with him almost fifty years ago.  We're still adjusting to that fact.  I hope he doesn't read this because he hates for me to write about our personal problems but hey, that's my life now.  There's a LOT that I can't write about in this blog but I can and will write about the home situation.  Not the best now but, hopefully, it will get better.

I think I'm back on track to working two nights a week at the hotel.  Even those two night have been pretty busy but this is The Season.  I would rather be busy at the hotel than the boredom of passing eight hours at the hotel with only one or two guests in the hotel.  

Looks like I'm going to get back on the Medical Train again.  I had two warts pop up on my left cheek.  Last year I had one pop up on my forehead which I promptly got rid of.  I'm getting rid of these warts too.  No witch am I.  

I've already made an appointment with my dermatologist so he can "suck" them off (hey, that's what he calls the machine that "sucks" them off).

Loner on a train

I just finished reading the latest blog posting of "Scott."  I "met" Scott when he commented on my Inspire posting about what I went through with my prostate biopsy.  He was hesitant to get his biopsy because of the pain, discomfort and humiliation.  He finally got it and sad to say, he has prostate cancer and it has spread.  He decided to start a blog (at my suggestion) about his progression.  I feel so bad for him.  He's only a young guy (50) and he has to face this.  Again, this is just another one of those situations where I realize how lucky I am.  Here I am, a 72 year old geezer and I'm worried about the side affects of my localized prostate cancer (sometimes small - a white mucous like substance -involuntary anal discharges, not a full erection, no sperm, and fatigue).  I read of Scott's medical condition and what he is going through and I thank God and I'm not even religious. Here is Scott's blog for those of you who are interested in reading it. Click here.

These days the most exciting thing in my life is laying mulch.  I do love working out in my backyard.  I do love having good health (relatively so for a prostate cancer dealing old geezer of 72 who is a loner).  

That wheelbarrow is waiting for me.  Talk to you later!

Come join me in my garden 

Friday Morning Fulminations

Cold Lady in the Garden this morning

Good morning folks!  How are you on this COLD spring morning.  Yes, another cold one.  Temps down to the low 40's.  

I finished my second shift at the hotel last night.  Business is picking up. We're in the season.  Of course several of the guests are complaining about the cold weather.  I apologize to them and tell them I can only guarantee perfect weather for MY events. 

I did have a pleasant surprise last night.  Old friend (old as me and THAT'S OLD) stopped by to visit two of their former neighbors who were staying at the hotel.  Jack and Judy D.  

A Selfie with my good friends Judy and Jack D. at the hotel last night

Judy is (was) my former high school classmate and, along with her husband Jack they were me and Bill's wedding witnesses last July. This is the first time I've seen them since the Big Day. We had a nice visit.  We made plans to go out to lunch next week. 

Now I have a day off before I begin another two day shift at the hotel this weekend.  I'm filling in for a co-worker who is taking off the Easter weekend to visit his brother and his family in Connecticut.  Good old Ron. Hey, I'm taking two weeks off in August so it all works out.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog posting I've been roped into being the local Democratic neighborhood volunteer.  You know, those people who knock on your door at all the wrong times reminding you to VOTE.  I've been given my list of neighborhood names and time frame to go a knocking (which you know I hate, all those opportunities for REJECTION).  

This be me soon

This morning, after breakfast at a local restaurant (which was a BIG MISTAKE of which I will talk about later), I had Bill chauffeur me around while I tried to connect my list of addresses with the houses where I'm going to bug these poor defenseless Democrat registered voters.

My script goes something like this:

"Hi. My name is _______________. I'm one of your nearby neighbors in Lewes (Milton for me) and a counter for the local Democratic party. I'm stopping by to let you know that the party is active in this district, and that we're hoping to elect more Democrats in the off-cycle election next November. If you have any questions or concerns in the coming years, please feel free to contact _______ at ________. We'd be happy to pass on your concerns and try to answer any questions you might have. Thanks so much for your time today."

You know I'm loving this.  Actually, I should be more involved with local Democratic politics, I just don't want it taking over my life.  But that is a subject for another blog posting.  

So Bill drove and I looked for addresses that are on my list that I received from the local Democratic leader,  this morning and it was basically a bust.  About a third of the houses don't even have an address.  And I definitely don't want to take a chance and knock on an errant Tea Bagger's door!

CAN.YOU.IMAGINE? Joe the Plumber answers the door.  Hey, I'm not Barrack Obama's biggest fan by far but man oh man, do we really want a return of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld or any of the new crazy right wing nuts like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul.  Really folks?

These Tea Baggers are so whacked out with their crazy assed paranoia they scare me to death if they even get close to wielding any kind of power.  Seriously folks, the likes of Louie Gomert for Secretary of the Defense? 

One thing is for sure, if the Tea Bagger Right Wing Nut faction of the Republican Party (is there a "regular" Republican party left after all?) gets in power we'll be in another war with:

1. Syria
2. Iran
3. Egypt
4. Russia

So proud of themselves - they didn't lose anybody in their Wars of Choice

And who knows who the f_ck else these nut cases decide to go to war with to show their manhood. Of course they never personally go to war nor any member of their families, they send the young folks who can't get a job in the economy that was almost ruined by the back to back Bush tax cuts, prescription drug benefits in which the government was not allowed to bargain prices with the drug companies thus creating a windfall for the drug companies. But I digress (which often happens when I blog post because I don't plan these posts out in advance folks, I just let them "flow.") 

So anyway, I wasn't too successful in identifying the homes I'm going to bother this morning so I'll go to Plan B which is Google maps.  It'll take a little longer but at least I'll be at my desk and not trying to dodge traffic while I'm looking for non-existent house signs.  I had this same problem when I worked for the Census Bureau back in 2010, couldn't find about half of the addresses.  What is it with people that they can't do the basic and put their address out in front of their house?  Are they THAT lazy?  Well…..yes.

Folks, about the last thing I want to do is traipse around my neighborhood, bothering my neighbors like I hate to be bothered but if I can do just a little bit to prevent the Far Right Republican politicians from gaining power and totally ruining this country, I will.  Say what you will about the sometimes feckless president Obama and vice president Crazy "Uncle Joe" Biden but at least they're going to preserve the social safety net and prevent the few very rich oligarchs in this country from completely taking over this country for their own greed which knows no bounds.  What always amazes me is how many of the American voters believe the lies that the Republicans tell them to vote against their own interests. I'm on a rant here folks, I better get off.

Our "betters" - maybe some of their millions will "trickle" down to us lowlies

Today's oligarchs who want to buy the U.S. democracy for their own personal piggy bank:

Koch Brothers - net worth over 100 billion as of April 2014 - they want more

Sheldon Adelson - net worth 36.5 billion as of January 2014 - wants more

You can't let them win folks.  If you do we're f'ckd. 

One More Month

Me at Wegmann's in Downingtown, PA 2013

Every year I dread the months of January and February.  Those months are the "just get through it months" for me.  Unlike many of my gay peers, I'm not rich and thus cannot afford to winter in the warmer climes of Florida.  

Doesn't it seem like January and February come around real fast and linger, and linger?  

Thank goodness I live in southern Delaware.  The winters aren't as severe as when we lived in southeastern Pennsylvania, which is in a different temperate zone.  However, this year we've had two winter snowstorms.  Not as fierce as other parts of the country but bad enough.  

I'm no fan of the snow.  Maybe when I was a kid and hoping for some time off from school but as an adult?  No way.  Snow was always a danger and major inconvenience.
  

The view from my living room window of snowbirds feeding on our crepe myrtle seeds (I'm glad I didn't trim that tree!)

We're in February now.  A very short month.  The crocus will be pushing through the cold earth in a few weeks.  Then the daffodils which are the harbinger of Spring for sure.  

The days are getting longer.  My mood is lifting.  Soon the sun will be with us again and our skin, my old skin, will feel the warmth of the sun.  Soon.

Me at our former Pennsylvania property last year

Meandering Musings on a Fall Saturday

WRONG Post Office

Nothing exciting to report today folks.  Just a quiet Saturday.  Oh I did run into a bit of a kerfuffle trying to send a few documents to my friend Pat in Canada.  God, one would think I was a terrorist trying to send liquid nitrogen to Canada.  The guy at the post office said I needed to fill out a Customs Declaration form and the cost of mailing would be $45.75.  Obviously he didn't know what he was talking about.  I exited the post office and went to another Post Office and mailed my package of copied documents for $2.45, sans filling out a Customs Declaration form.  Yes folks, the terrorists have won.

RIGHT Post Office

That done I went to the local Food Lion and got even more frustrated trying to buy some frozen fruit (a woman with a  overflowing grocery cart was blocking my way to the frozen food doors - I think she was stunned - she didn't move for a full ten minutes) to the woman ahead of me in the checkout line who paid for her purchase with actual dollar bills and coins which she had to fish out of her purse, walled and special coin pocket (Oh God, where do these people come from?)

Holly berry tree trimming time

Once home I had a relaxing lunch of Panera loaded potato soup (loaded with artery clogging calories but what the hey?) and a hummus wrap sprinkled with feta cheese. I tried the "extra spicy" hummus this time.  I like spicy but this was too spicy.  Talk about a party in your mouth.  I felt like my mouth was in Tijuana after a Saturday night blitz. 

I AM tall enough to reach the top.

Nap time after lunch as is my usual habit.  I am a creature of habit if nothing else.  

Bill goes for the angle shot

Then, rested and unwound from the frustrations of earlier today I was energized enough to tackle trimming my holly trees in my backyard.  There is a catbird out there that's been scolding me all week because I haven't trimmed those holly trees prior to the cold coming on.  I told Bill to take some photos of me trimming the errant holly trees just to prove to everyone I do more than complain, eat lunch and nap.  I actually do something constructive.  

God!  I look more like my father every day.  He used to let his mouth hang open like this too.

Oh, I almost forgot.  I make DVD copies of the Bloggerpalooza movie and sent them out to the desired recipients (you know who you are) today.  Look for that happy DVD in the mail next week.  

"Isn't this the tree that had the wasps in it?"

Yes indeed, a very productive day in spite of a hurdle here and there.  

Now I think I'll make myself a smoothie and take in one of my Netflix DVD movies.  "Madmen", Season Six.

My Morning

Every morning, as I come to life from my sleep torpor, the first thing I do (after taking a pee of course) is to open the curtain to the right of my bed.  

I love light.  I love my backyard.  I love getting up when I want to get up.  

Every time I look out my bedroom window in the morning I see something different.  This morning I saw an overcast day.  The leaves on my three river birch trees have almost gone.  The praying mantis that has taken up residence on my pink rose bush was a no-show this morning.  I hope nothing happened to her.  Maybe she had a full stomach.  Yesterday morning she was chomping away on a hapless insect when I looked out.

One of the very best things about retirement is that I get up when I want to.  No alarm to jar me awake, just when my body tells me "It's time to get up Ron.  Enough beauty sleep for you." I remember all those years (40 plus) that I HAD to get up in time to get to work on time.  Oh how many times I dreamed of the day when I could get up when I wanted to get up.  Even with my part-time job, I don't have to get up early because I work the second shift (3 pm to 11 pm).

After I check out the back yard I go to the bathroom and shave.  Then around the corner to our kitchen and breakfast.  I take my herbal fiber blend mix first.  Then the 20 minutes I have to wait for that to take effect I go downstairs to the basement to pump 25 with my weights.  Then breakfast.

My breakfast always consists of the same thing, a bran cereal with 100% vitamins and fiber with fruit.  I used to have bananas but now I go for peaches or strawberries and 2% milk.  

After breakfast I brush my teeth then I'm off to my home office and my computer.  So much to do on my computer.  I usually update my blog first but not always.  Sometimes I check my e-mails but I'm almost always behind on my e-mails.  I rarely check the news on my computer.  For that I have my TV on as background wallpaper.  Some of the news seeps through by osmosis to my brain. Lately all the news has been about they dysfunction in Washington so I tune it out.  Seen this movie before.

It's 12 pm now.  Time for lunch then a nap then off to work at the hotel.  I lead an exciting life don't I?

 

Busy Day at Ron's Home Office

Back in my 9 to 5 working days I often entertained this fantasy of working out of my home.  I fantasized that I would win the lottery, quit my job, and never work again for The Man and instead work for myself.  Of course I wouldn't get any pay but I would have the pleasure of working for myself.  I could get up when I wanted to, do what I wanted to, take a break (sleep, pee, eat, nap or afternoon delight) when I wanted to.  Yep folks, that was my fantasy.

You know what?  Sometimes dreams do come true and you don't even know it.  These days that's actually what I'm doing.  By default I converted our home's smallest bedroom into my home office.  This is where my two computers (an iMac and an ancient Gateway which isn't hooked up to the Internet but has a lot of photos, passwords and address info on it) reside.  My filing cabinets (stuffed) also take up residence in this room.  Yes, I now have a home off out of which I work daily.  I love it! 

In my home office I do exactly whatever I feel like doing.  I update my blog.  I read my favorite blogs.  I try to keep up with my ever growing e-mail files. I occasionally make futile attempts at organizing my 80,000 some digital photos on iPhoto (a task I fear I never will complete), I talk to a few of my very favorite people (and you know who you are) on FaceTime, I pay my bills, I shop, I settle my checking accounts, I check my investments (such as they are), and today I make PHONE CALLS.  First up after posting this blog I have to call the VA in Georgetown to get my blood test results from last Thursday.  The Milford Hospital called yesterday.  They need that information before they can perform my kidney stone procedure this Friday. Oh how I would like to go just one week without seeing or contacting a doctor or medical establishment.  

After I herd those cats I take on my next challenge of the morning:  finalizing plans for my bi-annual family reunion on October 6th.  I'm never sure how many of my family are coming (they're notorious for not letting me know and just showing up).  I have engaged a caterer (my cousin Richard R.D. Tipton who has his own catering business).  I sort of would like to get a general idea of how many folks are descending upon the East Brandywine Park in Guthriesville, PA for our hoedown.  And oh yes, this year I'm having entertainment.  At the suggestion of my cousin Melanie, I'm acquired the services of a five man band called "The Hillbilly Jug Band."  Since all of us Tiptons are descendants of hillbillies (not embarrassed to say that), this is very appropriate.  Back in 1997 I engaged the services of Bob Paisley and his Southern Grass Bluegrass Band.  That was a great success.  My last two reunions I didn't have a band and something was missing.  I'll fix that this year.  Damn the cost.  How long will I be around anyway, after the events of this year?  

So there you are folks, just a smidgen of what happening today in Ron's Office this morning.  And oh yes, maybe I'll have time to call my patient and long suffering friend Lar and talk to him on FaceTime.  With a schedule like mine, something has to give and all too often it is my FaceTime with my understanding and patient friend Lar.

Another Video Update!

Hey folks!  Here's another video update.  Don't panic, I'm not going viral in my blog posts.  I thought I would do something a little different this morning and make back to back videos, one at night and one in the daytime.  I might have to rethink this because I look like a tired old man in BOTH videos.  Oh well, as that anonymous philosopher said "It is what it is."  Aren't you glad you got up this morning to get these pearls of wisdom?  I thought so. I should rename my blog "Cliches Are Us." 

So the big news around here is that we're going to lose our beautiful arborvitae tree at the entrance to Casa Tipton-Kelly.  Arborvitea trees and bushes, I just don't have any luck with them.  When we lived in Pennsylvania the deer would come right to the house in daytime and munch away at the arborvitae bushes right below the kitchen window.....I know because I would watch them as I did the dishes!

Bill and I tried to knock the little buggers (bagworms) off our beloved tree but we soon realized this was a losing cause...just too many of them.  So, I made a call to my landscaper Miguel.  He came over about an hour later and gave me a bid on removing the arborvitae, $60.00.  Now I'm trying to rationalize why it is good not to have that arborvitae tree right on the front corner of our house....it was going to get too big anyway.  Yeah, that's it.  

Driving out my neighborhood this morning I noticed that more than a few of my neighbors also have arborvitaes; on nearby neighbor has a whole line of them bordering his property.  And to think I was once going to plant arborvitaes bordering Casa Tipton-Kelly.  Dodged a bullet on that one (another cliche). 

I'm finishing this post; lunch, nap then to work today. I only have to work one day since I worked Sunday.  Good news.  It's so hot and humid around here that all I want to do is keep myself ensconced in this air conditioned house.  

Stay cool!

Dog Days of Summer

Well, here we are folks, just a week or so past The Fourth and we're into the Dog Days of Summer.

I am exhausted.  I got a call early this morning from my co-worker at the hotel asking me if I could take her shift over this morning.  My co-worker is a mom who has four rambunctious boys.  I know how that works, I'm the oldest of three boys that my Mom popped out.  I know that we gave our Mom challenges when we were growing up. I acceded to my co-worker's request and put on my work drag and dragged myself into work on this hot, muggy, Sunday morning.  

The hotel was full, most of the guests checking out this morning.  You all know how that works; pile ups at the front desk, questions about the bill, phone calls, keeping housekeeping informed of who hasn't checked out and who has checked out.  Yes Virginia, working dayshift is quite a bit different than my regular weekday evening shift, especially on a Sunday morning right in the middle of High Season.  Let's just say I got a workout today.  I am exhausted.

Working days like this also messes up my schedule.  I don't have time to eat lunch so I have a late lunch/early dinner when I get home at 3:30 or so.  Then of course I didn't have my daily nap.  I just got up from that (have to have my nap) and now I am wide awake. My whole circadian rhythm is knocked out of whack. Of course I'll get back on track tomorrow but not after a probably fitful, sleepless night tonight.

I would work outside in the backyard this evening but the air is heavy with humidity.  I move around more than five minutes and I'm soaked in my own sweat.  I literally have to peel my T-shirt off before I take a shower.  NOT a pretty sight.  

I love these long summer days where the curtain of night doesn't fall on the far horizon until around 9 o'clock but already I can feel these days of summer shortening.  The Purple Martin house in our backyard is silent now, those iridescent rascals are on their way to their winter quarters in South America.  As it seems every year, their annual visit and cacophony in our back yard was all too short.

Nothing planned this week folks.  Bill and I are settling into being an Old Married Couple.  No doctor's appointments.  No service calls but I do have to post a couple of reviews to Angie's List of two of my experiences this past week; one good and one bad.  Watch out, here comes Ron.

I guess the airwaves will continue to be dominated by the fallout of the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman trial.  What a travesty of justice but I will say no more about it.  I shouldn't be surprised, we have a long way to go in this country before all of us are treated as equals and not certain segments of our diverse society treated as "lesser than."  In my situation the past few weeks have been wonderful because of our marriage and now we are seen as equal in the eyes of the law and accorded the same respect and dignity and legal protections that our straight friends, relatives and co-workers have taken for granted for years.  We're making progress folks but I'm not naive enough to believe (and I'm still pretty naive believe me) that we have a LONG WAY to go.  

I'll see  you all tomorrow when I get my mojo back. Stay cool!

Happily Married

The Happy Couple (look for this photo on next year's Christmas card)

So this is what its like to be happily married?  I love it!  Bill is pretty happy too.

I didn't think too much about how we would feel after the big buildup (49 years after all) and the last two months (testifying before the Delaware state house in support of marriage equality) but I was sort of expecting a slight letdown at least.  Didn't happen.  We're still high on happiness!

Bill and me at The Circle in Georgetown, DE on our wedding day

This morning I was talking to a dear blogger friend on FaceTime and he asked me if I felt different (I think that's what he asked me).  The answer is "Yes, I do feel different.  I feel complete.  Its hard to describe but I feel just right.  Maybe this is how it feels not to be marginalized or discounted as a human being or a citizen of this country just because of who I love.  I'm here to tell you this feels damn good.

So what have we done since the Big Day?  Well, as you know life does go on.  We've been suffering through a high humidity heat wave here in southern Delaware for the past week or so.  The heat and humidity bears down on us then it rains then the heat and humidity returns.  We just slog our way through it and try not to spend too much time outside.  If we do, then when we come back into the house we have to peel off our sweat soaked clothes and take a shower.

Yesterday morning we had a near disaster.  Our air conditioning started to run erratically.  OMG!  NOT NOW!  I had visions of calling the local air conditioning repair guys and being told they could get out here until next week.  In the mean time Bill and I would have to hunker down in the basement like survivors of an atomic bomb attack until relief arrived.

Leaving Rehoboth Beach yesterday morning

Yesterday morning I also had to go to downtown Rehoboth to retrieve our wedding pictures from Ann of Old Time Photo (she took our wedding photos which are pictured in this posting because Mark H. wasn't available).  So here we were yesterday, fighting the lava flow that is called Route 1 traffic into Rehoboth on Fourth of July weekend and trying to arrange for a service company to come out and repair our air conditioner.  

Old Time Photos in Rehoboth Beach, DE early yesterday morning

I called my boss at work because his air conditioner recently went out too.  I asked him what company he called.  He told me it was a company called Service Today.  Oh sure, I thought.  But I have a high respect for my boss's recommendations so I called.  Guess what?  When we returned from Rehoboth, which was a NIGHTMARE or DAYMARE (not only was the traffic heavy we had to wait for the drawbridge out of Rehoboth to close!)  the Service Repair truck was in our driveway!

Service Today van waiting for us yesterday morning when we returned from Rehoboth Beach

We got out of our car, very happy that we didn't have to wait the entire day in a sweltering house for a service man to maybe show up or not show up.  I didn't seen the serviceman until I walked around the house to the air conditioner unit.  I introduced myself (didn't tell him that Bill and I were husband and husband).  He found the problem, a bad capacitor.  He fixed it and the charge was very reasonable!  Hey, how about that?  After this blog posting I will go on Angie's List and post a very complimentary review.  

Bill giving instructions (as is his wont)  

So what are we doing this weekend?  Just trying to stay cool folks, and now that is possible thanks to Service Today.  Sometimes things just work out right.