SNOW!

 This is crazy!

I just got up from my daily afternoon nap and this is what I saw out my sun room window......SNOW!

Folks, yesterday the temperatures were in the eighties. I had to wait until late afternoon until I could do my yard work because it was too hot to work under the midday sun. Now snow today? 

Surely this is the End of Times!

Random Thoughts While Tropical Storn Oplehlia Rages Through Southern Delaware

 

Tropical Storm Ophelia

As Tropical Storm Ophelia (Thank God it's not Hurricane Ophelia) tracks her way up the Delmarva peninsula and the East Coast, I have occasion to think where I am now in life. Yes folks, there is some heavy thinking going on here.

This morning at about 3 AM I was awoken from a Deep Sleep by the sound of Bill's emergency alarm bell in the electrical outlet next to my bed. Back when Bill first came home from the hospital I put that alarm bell in the outlet so when Bill needed me he only had to push the red button on the bell he had by his recliner chair where he sleeps in the basement. 

Bill hasn't used that emergency alarm for about year now but it does go off with a "BANG!" whenever the power goes off and back on in our house. Early this morning was such an occasion as the outer wind bands of Tropical Storm Ophelioa roared through our home here on the Delmarva Peninsula. 

I get up to reset the clocks. If I don't, the constant blinking of the digital clocks keeps us up. 

I have seven digital clocks that have to be reset every time the power goes on an off here. One good thing about living here on the Delmarva peninsula as opposed to our previous home in Pennsylvania, when the power usually goes off here, it comes back on right away. That's right, it blinks on and off. This morning it blinked on and off SEVEN TIMES! Yes, that is a new record. When we lived in Pennsylvania in the woods, when the power went off, it was off for HOURS if not days. That's one thing I don't miss about living in Pennsylvania in addition to the high taxes, our power always going off. And it did, a lot. Here in Delaware it is a rarity for the power to go off. Of course I was irritated that the power went off at all but then I had to remind myself that at least it came back on. Thousands along Tropical Storm Ophelia's path yesterday and today still don't have power. Which reminds me to be thankful for what I have.

Which also reminds me to be thankful for my health. Yes, I am having problems now. Earlier last week I got a painful crick  in my neck from sleeping the wrong way. God was that painful. Not only am I a hunched over old man now, now I have this situation where I couldn't turn my head. The stiffness was on the right side of my neck. Then a funny thing happened. A few days ago I woke up and the stiffness had moved and now was on the LEFT side of my neck! What's that all doubt? Neck cancer?

Of course being the big baby that I am, every time I have some kind of physical malfunction I think it is the onset of a cancer death sentence. 

I'm having another problem, my partial tooth on the right side of my mouth is digging into my upper gum. How did that come about? It's been working great for years. I avoided getting teeth implants with that partial now I have to rethink that option. Of course I don't want to spend thousands on such an implant. I probably should have had implants ten years ago when I was given the option and was flush with money, what with my part-time job and both of our retirement incomes. Now I'm facing life living on only one retirement income and no part-time job (I'm assuming they won't want an 82 year old stooped over old man at the front desk at the boutique hotel where I worked at). What to do because I really enjoy eating? What I've decided to do is just be very careful with what I eat and not eat anything that I really have to crunch on and chew.

I have a full set of false teeth (cost me over $5,000 years ago when I was given the option of teeth implants). I don't like eating with them though because of all that metal in my mouth I can't taste my food the right way. When I complain about this I think of my Mother who wore false teeth her whole life from the time she was fifteen years old. I guess  you get "used to it" but I don't want to. Eating is one of the few pleasures I have left in addition to reading and my meanderings in my backyard and my fish pond. 

I am so thankful that I can see good though and don't have macular degeneration like my 67 year old friend Howard (he has the wet kind that he needs injections in his eyes) or Bill's dry kind that he only sees shadows. Bill can never look anyone in the eye now can I look into his eyes. I think if I got that way I would make arrangements to Check Out. 

Speaking of which I am way past my Sell By Date anyway. It's all gravy now folks. My father Isaac Tipton

My father Isaac W. Tipton, Sr. 

died when he was eighty in the year 2000. My grandfather Fieldon Tipton died when he was fifty-four years old.

Fieldon Jasob Tipton died at age 54 in 1939

My great grandfather Hiram Tipton

My great grandfather Hiram Tipton - died at age 80 in 1930

died when he was eighty. And my great-great grandfather died when he was only thirty-four years old but then he was shot to death in the Civil War. He lived in North Carolina but he was a Union sympathizer and that's why he was murdered, recruiting his neighbors in his western North Carolina community for the Union Cause. Confederal General Noah Wichter and his Confederate forces heard of John Tipton's "treasonous" action and set out with a calvary of Confederate soldiers to stamp out those Union sympathizers. When He came across my great-great grandfather and his brother-in-law Curtis Bailey, they opened fire and shot them dead and dumped their bodies on the front lawn of the Tipton-Bailey homestead as a "lesson" to any other Union sympathizers. My great-great grandmother Martha "Patty" Bailey Tipton

Martha "Patty" Bailey Tipton Cooper  

was left a widow with eight children

1860 Census for John and Martha Tipton

to raise on her own. She was illiterate. She signed the Widow's Petition for a monthly $8.00 "Widow's Pension" with an "X".

Martha's Civil War Widow's Pension application

And she had to fight years for that modest monthly pension. She survived  by marrying her neighbor Thomas "Doc" Cooper, who was twenty-four younger than she was.

Thomas M. "Doc" Cooper, my great-great grandmother's second husband, 24 years younger than she

Patty in her youth must have really been something because her first husband, my great great grandfather John Tipton was four years younger that she was. 

Thomas "Doc" Cooper was only fourteen years old when Martha became a widow in 1864. Colonel Witcher also tried to murder him by hanging him from a nearby tree. He only survived by feigning death as he was hung and getting himself down in the leaves on the ground below the tree and hiding under the dead leaves. He and Martha married six years later in 1870 when he was twenty years old and she was forty-six years old. 

Martha lived to a ripe old age of ninety-one years of age and died in Asheville, North Carolina in 1915. 

My great-great grandmother Martha "Patty" Bailey Tipton Cooper's final resting place in 

Her second husband, Thomas M. "Doc" Cooper lived another seven years and also died in Asheville, North Carolina in 1922. Several years ago I was very fortunate to find her final resting place in the Berea Baptist Church Cemetery in Ashville, North Carolina cemetery. This was one of the great achievements of my life folks. 

Me at my great great grandmother Martha "Patty" Bailey Tipton Cooper's final resting place. What a wonderful feeling I had when I was able to pay my respects to this wonderful, strong woman who survived the Civil was and raise children. 

I have much research to do on my Tipton line. I've been away from it too long. Some years ago I did find a photo of my great-grandfather Hiram's older brother Baxter Tipton, who also grew up to be a doctor.

Dr. Baxter Tipton

I got this picture from his great-granddaughter. 

Random historical thoughts folks on this rainy Saturday, I never know where I'm going when I get on my blog folks. Today I took a long, winding path down my Ancestry Lane. I hope you found this trip as interesting as I did.

Have a great day!

The Rains Have Finally Ended

 

Gentle rain filling up my new pond

I've always wondered what it would be like to live in Seattle Washington. The last five days gave me a taste of that weather. I didn't like it. Rain, rain and more rain. 

Two good things that came out of this deluge. One is that the repair I had done last year of the sewer pipe going out our basement wall worked. Thank goodness! The second thing is that my new pond is full. And looking good I might add.

But to live with all this rain. This weather pattern was the remnants of Hurricane Ian.  We didn't get hit with the ferocity of Hurricane Ian but we did get stuck under Ian's weather pattern. This is the kind of weather pattern that is normal for the northwest of our country. Seattle Washington and environs. 

We needed a good rain though. This summer has been very dry. Most of our summers are very dry. Suffocating heat and humidity and little rain. This summer was no exception. I'm ready for some really nice fall weather now.

Rain, Rain and More Rain!

 

BJ's parking lot, feeding the seagulls

Be careful of what you wish for.

For most of this summer we've had very little rain here in southern Delaware. I've had to fill watering cans full of water to tend my flower border garden almost all summer. Not now though.

For the past two days we've been under a deluge of rain. right now it is 10 AM Monday morning and the rain is softly falling on the roof of this room where my home office is located. This room, which was a small bedroom that I converted into a home office (Question: why don't they build houses with homes offices now? Aren't we past my Mother's era where the home office was the kitchen formica table?) But I digress. This room has a pitched ceiling which I've always found so cool, especially when it's windy or rainy outside. So comfy in this room when the weather gods are sorting things out outside. 

I don't know if this rain is the remnants of Hurricane Ian, all I know is that it's been raining steady for two days now and forecast for two more days. 

We got stuck in the rain yesterday when I drove me and Bill down to Millsboro and B J's Wholesale to stock up on bulk household essentials like oatmeal (for Bill), Puffs tissues (for both of us) and Healthy Choice fudge pop sickles (for me). I got a late start yesterday because Sunday is my weekly Zoom meeting with my friends Stuart, Pat and Larry at 10 AM. If I hadn't had that Zoom meeting I would have missed the downpour we were caught in when I exited BJ's with my cartload of goodies. I did hang around the entrance waiting for the downpour to let up but it wasn't doing it. I checked the satellite map on my iPhone and it looked like the rain was going to be awhile. I decided to make a dash for our car which, of course I parked at the far end of the parking lot because I had brought down some old chips and tortillas for the sea gulls. 

Dash I did in the maelstrom. By the time I got to our car, the rain let up (of course) and I was soaked. Nice move Ron. And I mean SOAKED. Usually I guess these things right but not yesterday. I drove us home a soggy mess. 

Looking out the window now I see that the rain has let up a bit. I would like to stop down at the Rehoboth Walmart to see if they have any of their cinnamon crunch cereal which I have recently fallen in love with. You know Walmart has the best cereal and cheap. Have you checked the prices of cereal lately? Approaching five bucks a box. Walmart cereal I can usually get for just over two dollars and it's good! I especially like their 100%  bran cereal that gives you almost 100% of all your daily vitamins intake. I recently bought a box of Kellogs bran cereal which offered a similar high dosage of vitamins because Walmart was out of bran cereal, which they often are. Seems like I'm not the only one in on this secret. Well, the Kellog's Total cereal at over $5 a box, flat tasting. Awful. I think I'll feed that one to the birds. They're not as picky as me.

Rainy days like this make me sleepy. I think I'll take a little nappy poo. 

Again, so thankful that we didn't get hit by Hurricane Ian like those poor folks in Florida. I just can't imagine. 

Have a great day folks!

Ready for Hurricane Ian

 Hurricane Ian, that's who!

Actually, here in the Delmarva peninsula we will only receive the tropical storm remnants of Hurricane Ian, 

Right now the time if 6:30 PM Friday night. All day the winds have been whipping around with light rain. However, make no mistake about it the heavy rains are on their way. Maybe now I'll get my new pond filled up.  

We're the blue dot on this satellite map

Again, I am so thankful that where we live here on the Delmarva peninsula, only two miles from the Atlantic Ocean, that we again are dodging the bullet of a direct hit by a hurricane. 

I remember my first Hurricane. It was Hurricane Hazel and the year was 1954. As a young boy I was so impressed yet scared of this weather phenomenon that was all over the news, creating fear. We lived in a second floor apartment on Washington Avenue in the small Pennsylvania town of Downingtown. When the winds began I took our dog out for a "walk", nervous as could be for a 12 year old boy experiencing his first hurricane. My Mother warned me not to go outside but I did anyway. I didn't stay out too long though once those winds almost blew me over. Later I found out the winds velocity was only about 60 MPH but that was enough for me.

  Since then I've experiences many hurricanes, the last one being Hurricane Floyd in 1999. For my efforts in getting to work at my job as a hotel front desk clerk at the Hampton Inn during Hurricane Floyd I won a trip to Disney World. Ironically Disney World is located in Orlando, Florida, the state that so often suffers the destruction of hurricanes. 

Of all the hurricanes I've experience I've never been in one that was a direct hit on where I lived. The closet call was Hurricane Sandy which only missed us here in southern Delaware by fifty miles. PHEW! 

They keep saying here in Sussex County, Delaware we're due for THE BIG ONE. I'm eighty years old now. I sincerely hope I MISS that event. A few years ago we had one of those water funnels (mini tornado) tear through our back yards here in our development where Casa Tipton-Kelly is located. That "little" tornado tore out a huge chunk of my favorite river birch tree, just missing my bedroom by feet. That's close enough for me folks. 

Tornado Alert!

 

Last night we had yet another tornado watch here where we live in southern coastal Delaware. I'm losing count of these tornado watches. What? We live in Tornado Alley? 

The latest tornado watch was last night or early this morning from twelve midnight until 12:30 AM this morning. My iPhone was beeping with the warning "GO TO THE BASEMENT!"  Oh yes, I'm going to run down to the basement right now and cower in the corner amount those crates of things I have yet to unpack from our move from Pennsylvania fifteen years ago.  Yes, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. 

A couple of years ago we did have a "tornado" or a water sprout whirlwind travel through out backyard that took out a two of the major branches of one of my favorite river birch trees. That tree is still trying to recover. 

After that water sprout left our back yard it took out my neighbor's apple tree and a portion of the next neighbor's PVC fence. A few feet closer and that force of nature would have ripped right through my bedroom. Lucked out that time. 

Washington state and Oregon are sweltering under previously unheard of triple degree temperatures. A town in Canada burned down from the extreme heat. Ninety degree heat seems to be the norm these days.

I managed to mow the grass this morning before the heat of high noon but my T-shirt was still soaked with my sweat just from riding around on our John Deere zero degree turn tractor. I hate peeling of a sweat soaked T-shirt to take a shower. But oh that shower feels so good. 

Right now I'm waiting for the late afternoon temperature to get below eighty degrees so I can rake up the dead grass. I like that exercise of raking up grass but not in that heat. 

Global warming folks, global warming. Not a hoax.

Relief!

Today we finally got relief from the sweltering week long heat wave.  Now I can breath. Now I can work outside.  Not today though, a gentle rain fell all day.  

Early this morning we drove down to the Delaware DMV to get our Subaru inspected and renew my registration.  

Delaware must have the most efficient inspection and registration procedure in the country.  I'm saying this because for so many years I endured the torture and costly inspection procedure of Pennsylvania.  Thanks to Pennsylvania legislatures being bought and sold by lobbyists at one time we had to get our cars inspected every six months. And we had to go to either an auto dealer or authorized garage to get our vehicles inspected. No one EVER got out of those inspections without some charge. The auto dealers were the worst, hundreds of dollars was not an unusual bill to get one's car inspected. The Pennsylvania law was eventually changed to once a year car inspections. Here in Delaware we can opt for inspections every two years. Which is what I did this morning. Eighty bucks, a cheap price to pay for registration and inspection. 

A good day.

The Snow Is Gone!

Well, not quite but it's almost gone.  Thank goodness.

Ever since I fell two years ago (January 17th, 2014) and tore my left leg quadricep muscle, putting me out of commission for twelve weeks, I'm fearful of snow and ice.  I'm not like the earlier years of my life when I was fearless when it came to walking on snow and ice.  

The snow storm came late last week.  Fortunately for me I wasn't scheduled for work at the hotel. I went back to work this past Monday.  The road out of our development and the back road I take to work were not cleared.  Only the main road Route One was cleared, just enough to get salt and frozen slush on my red Subaru Forester.  

I felt like I was in Alaska, going about fifteen miles an hour on those ice covered roads to work.  Normally Bill would drive me to work when it snows like this (he has experience having worked and lived in Alaska in his earlier years). However, since he lost his driver's license I'm on my own now.  I have to put on my big boy pants and navigate those snow and ice crusted roads myself.  I managed and got home safely after my shift ended at 11 PM.

Tomorrow the temperatures are forecast to go over 60 degrees.  I'll take it!  We'll celebrate by going to BJ's in Millsboro.  

Every day I take Bill out for a ride. When it snows we stay in.  The only time I drive at night now is to and from work.  I don't drive at night any other time.  Too much glare from the incoming headlights.  Just another factor of getting older.  

Heat Wave!

Hey folks, we're having a heat wave here in southern Delaware!

Well, actually not a heat wave but the temperature right now is 68 degrees.  Wow!  I'll take it.  

Temperatures this morning when I began my walk - warmer here in Milton than in Los Angeles and Phoenix!

What a pleasure it was this morning to take my daily walk. 

Temperatures now in Milton, Delaware where I live

The temperature early this morning was 61 degrees.  Very windy but I could handle the wind in my face when the temperatures are this mild. I CAN'T handle a cold wind in my face. 

This is what I like about living in southern Delaware.  Even in the depths of winter, we still get mild days like today. Oh sure, we get snow too but not that much.  And if we do the snow usually only lasts a day or two.  

I'm loving this weather folks!  

Ron's Tidbits of the Week

Bunny rabbit in Union Cemetery this afternoon - "I see you!"

I thought retirement was all about lolling about the house, watching TV, snacking, eating out and generally vegetating.  Ah yes, that may be retirement for some but not for Busy Ron.

One thing I used to kid my Mother about after she retired was that her life in retirement seemed to rotate around a series of doctor's appointments.  Well folks, be careful who you tease.  Now that I am in retirement my life is also rotating around a series of doctors' appointments.  This past Monday I had my annual eye exam.  I came through fine, just a minor adjustment on one eye.  As you can see I have an adorable eye doctor (just my type).  The only downside is that I see him once a year.  He said I have the beginnings of cataracts but I have "a long way to go."  That's good news!  So I asked him if I could take his picture for my iPhone.  He wasn't quite sure but I took it anyway before he had a chance to change his mind.

My cute eye doctor - I got lucky (for once)

Next month I have an appointment with a new dermatologist.  My regular dermatology visits are with the VAMC in Wilmington.  I go every six months.  My last one was in December.  I had several spots removed from my face.  My next appointment isn't until June.  In the meantime I have a wart (of all things) that popped up on my left forehead.  Thank goodness it didn't pop up on the end of my nose or else I could keep it and go out this Halloween as a witch.

As I reported before in this venue, I had another blood test last month.  That one showed my PSA count down to 5.1 from a high of 8.4 last June.  It's a good thing I didn't jump into the downward spiral of prostate cancer treatments because it looks like my PSA count is going down on its own.

And of course the last two Tuesdays in a row I had dental appointments.  Again as I reported in this venue those two visits set me back over $1,000.  Maybe I'll get some of that back from my dental insurance but probably not much.  They've been pretty tight about paying benefits.

In among all my medical appointments I have several social engagements that I've been putting off that I have to fulfill.  My neighbor Barbara wanted to take me out for my birthday at a place of my choice. We went out today for lunch (I don't drive at night).  I chose wrong again.  I chose the new Italian restaurant in Lewes called Annabella's.  It was a disaster.  Hey, it's not hard to chose bad restaurants in this area.  The hard thing is to chose a good restaurant that isn't an overpriced tourist trap or one that doesn't cost $100.00 for two for lunch.

The restaurant I chose for my birthday lunch today = BIG MISTAKE - Barb was smiling when she went in but now when she came out

Barb had a meatball and spaghetti.  Yes, A MEATBALL.  She ordered "meatballs and spaghetti" so what does she get?  ONE BIG MEATBALL.  She said there was no taste to it.  She said it was like the cook just made a big meatball out of ground beef without any seasonings.  Nothing subtle here.

"My God!  I actually ate that meatball!"

I got Eggplant Parmesan.  And as usual when I order Eggplant Parmesan at anyplace except the Rehoboth Diner, it was a greasy mess.  I'm still digesting it.  The gift that keeps on giving.

Yes, I ate the grease soaked Eggplant Parmesan - I didn't touch the canned Chef Boyardee spaghetti - took that home for Bill

I used to write restaurant reviews but I don't anymore.  The way I figure it these people are in business and I don't want to make their work any harder of them. The economy is too rough on everyone as it is.  Let the word of mouth get around about the sub par meals that are served around here.  I hear a Panera Restaurant is coming to our area.  Can't be soon enough!  I just hope they don't succumb to the Feed the Tourist Reheated Frozen Food (a la Sysco) and Overcharge Them For It trap.  I've eaten at a Panera restaurant in Greenville, South Carolina where my brother lives and it is great!  No waiters to tip, no screaming kids,  no tourists.  Oh wait, ah yes.  I am in Tourist Land here.  Oh well, we'll see how it goes.

I just got back from my daily walk.  Hey guys, want to lose that stomach?  Tired of looking like you're six months pregnant?  Walk a mile briskly every day.  You may not get Ryan Gosling abs but you will lose that belly and you can tuck your shirt in again.  Just saying.  You know who you are.

The weather today was fabulous!  The temperature reached up to 61 degrees.  Bill and I went down to the Union Cemetery in Georgetown and I took another 743 photos of headstones.  Just a lovely, wonderful day to roam around a quiet cemetery.  We weren't alone.  Several couple walked through the cemetery on the pathway for their Afternoon Stroll.  Why not?  The Union Cemetery is located right in the heart of downtown Georgetown, with is the busy little county seat of Sussex County, Delaware.  The courthouse is there and all those law offices.  While taking photos of the graves I came across a little bunny sunning himself near a headstone.  He didn't move even though I was within two feet of him.  He too was enjoying the "balmy" breezes of the day.

The little bunny rabbit sunning himself on Short's grave this afternoon

A Lovely January Day

Bill a few minutes ago taking a breather from pulling up wire grass

This photo is of Bill that I took a few minutes ago (while he wasn't looking because he doesn't like his picture taken).  Bill is working outside today!  In his shirt sleeves!

He's trying to control the wire grass that is slowly taking over our green carpet lawn.  A futile exercise to be sure but a good reason to get out today and enjoy this absolutely wonderful weather we're having this winter's day.

I was out for a short while cleaning up some of my flower beds but this cold that has a hold on me prevents me from partaking of the exceptionally mild weather we're having today.  This whole winter has been glorious.  I love it!

I'm going to have a light lunch then take a nice long nap in my super comfortable bedroom so I'll be all bright and attentive for tonight's Republican presidential candidate debate on Fox News.  I stay away from Fox News  but not tonight.  The word is out that Newt Gringrich is out for Mitt Romney.  There's World Wide Wrestling cage matches and then there is Newt Against Willard "Mitt" Romney, whose Super Pac negative ads knocked Newt off of his perch of leading the presidential candidates.

Newt is pissed, watch out Mitt!  I think he's going to hand you your ass tonight.

Awaiting Irene

Evacuation Route

Yes folks, I'm right in the path of the biggest hurricane to hit the Delmarva peninsula in decades.  Oh joy.  This is supposed to be the biggiest hurricane to hit the east coast since Hurricane Hazel in October of 1954, 57 years ago.  I remember Hurricane Hazel.  I was just a young lad of 11 years old but it scared the bejuses out of me.  I was sort of hoping I wouldn't go through something like that again in my lifetime.

So here I sit at work, for once wishing I lived in Phoenix, Arizona.  Most of the hotel guests have cancelled their reservations for the weekend or left early today.  We have a few guests left in the hotel but as the one guest told me when I informed him of the dire situation approaching us this weekend, "Where am I going to go?  We live in New York." 

Ocean City, which is about 25 miles down the road, has a mandatory evacuation order.  We, here on the east cost of Sussex County have a voluntary evacuation order.  Bill and I are sticking it out in our house, which is on the east side of Route 1, two miles from the beach.  We have a basement. 

My last big Hurricane Experience was Hurricane Floyd in September of 1998.  I was working at a hotel then too.  Because of my extraordinary effort in getting to the hotel (The Hampton Inn in Lionville, PA) and keeping it running and the guests calmed (yes, I'm bragging) during that natural disaster the Hilton Hotel corporation awarded me a "Best Guest Service Representative" award which was a trip for two to Disneyworld for four days.

I hope this one passes us by, I've already been to Disneyworld.

Here Comes the Sun

Glory be, the sun came up this morning!


I sit here typing my daily blog entry feeling the warmth of the early morning sun streaming  through my floor to ceiling windows here in my cozy home office.


The gray skies and misty rain arrived on our southern coastal shores a few weeks ago and did not want to leave.  I know the refrain "we needed the rain" but come on, we have had enough.  We need some sunshine now. 


I felt like I was starting to slip under yesterday.  I am one of those people who is very affected by SAD, which is Seasonal Affected Disorder.  I could never live in the great northwest or Alaska.  I wouldn't last a month.  I need plenty of light.  Lots of light.  


Visitors to my house almost always remark on the number of windows I have.  I tell them all the same thing, I need a lot of light.  When I had this house built I ordered every extra window possible.  Even the land I live on is out in the open.  For years I lived in the middle of the woods in Pennsylvania.  While beautiful, I felt like I was living at the bottom of a well with all those trees surrounding me.  


I had the same problem when I lived in Philadelphia.  We lived in a beautiful, efficient and conveniently located house in Center City Philadelphia.  I loved that house and location (I could walk to work and the bars) for sometime but after a while, I started to feel smothered again.  I had to get out.


It's the same with the weather.  Gray, cloudy skies and misty rain makes for beautiful lawns and gardens but those gloomy skies drag Ron down.  I'm a sunshine kind of guy.  


Note on the picture of posting:  you may ask what do cats have to do with this blog?  I found an old CD of digital pictures that I copied from one of my old computers.  I had some pictures of my friend Dick Thomas's cats.  He has (or had, I don't know now because I haven't been in touch with him for years) a number (as high as 30) feral cats that he used to feed at his "farm" in Honey Brook Township, in Pennsylvania.  I love cats.  Bill doesn't.  Thus, I can only enjoy the beauty of our feline friends from afar.  I think these cats are beautiful.  Someday I will rescue one (or two) from their wild life and give them a safe, secure and comfortable home.  

Seattle Weather

A fool treading the wet boardwalk in Rehoboth - ALONE

Thwarted again.


I headed out in the darkness of this morning for my daily walk on the boardwalk in Rehoboth only to meet more rain.


Yesterday morning I went into Rehoboth later in the morning to check out the end of the season sidewalk sales only to encounter high winds and rain.  And I mean HIGH WINDS.  I couldn't even walk on the boardwalk.  


This is getting real old, this Seattle Weather.  I'm starting to feel the effects of not doing my daily walk of four miles.  My legs are aching.  I can feel the pounds just waiting to come back to my waist.


It seems like the past two weeks the whole east coast has been getting a constant drubbing from the rain gods.  Thank goodness we don't have any flooding here but my brother Isaac, who lives in Downingtown, PA is now confronted with a flooded basement.  He lives in the basement.  Bill lives in our basement.  As I said....THANK GOODNESS NO FLOODING HERE.


This is what I imagine the weather is like in Seattle and the Northwest.  All this rain may make for lush greenery but I'm telling you, it's seriously disrupting my daily routine and depressing me.  I could never live year round in weather like this.  I need me a LOT OF LIGHT.  


What was it that terrible, headache producing song from "Annie" said?  "Tomorrow, tomorrow!  The sun will come out tomorrow!" 


I hope so.  

A Break in the Weather

A gathering of seagulls this morning on the beach

Finally, we got a break in the all summer long oppressive heat and humidity.  It was an absolute pleasure this morning to put on my light sweat jersey and take my morning walk on the boardwalk in Rehoboth.

I could hear the roar of the waves rolling in on the beach as I parked my car at the north end of the boardwalk.  As I ascended the boardwalk I was greeted by the sight of the white crashing waves.

Feeding the seagulls 

This morning the boardwalk was almost bare.  Apparently not too many touristas like to walk a windswept boardwalk in 69 degree temperatures.  For me it was perfect.

I easily walked the mile to the south end of the boardwalk without so much as breaking a sweat.  Now that was a pleasure not to plow through the heat and humidity only to be drenched in my own sweat once I reached the end of the boardwalk.  This is the way a walk on the boardwalk is supposed to be.

Once I made my first two mile up and down on the boardwalk I took my usual bench seat near the Henlopen Hotel.  I took a couple of self portraits with my camera.  A very nice lady nearby came up to me and asked if I would like her to take a picture of me with the ocean as a background.  Would I?  Absolutely!  As anyone who knows me, I love to take pictures and have pictures taken of me.  It's not so much that I'm vain or self absorbed, but I feel a need to document my existence on this earth.  Maybe it comes from my interest in genealogy.  I would so love to have photos of my ancestors.  I have a few but not near enough.  Thus, except for their name and dates of birth and death, their existence is lost forever to history.  Such will not be the case with me.  I'm leaving a big trail.

My beach portrait with the ocean backdrop - a picture I could not take myself - this very nice lady offered to take it for me - thank you!

Some have children to leave a legacy.  Some perform great deeds.  I leave a history of genealogy records and photos.  I just hope when I'm gone there is someone who will take enough interest and preserve these memories of my little time on this earth.  If not, then I will at least enjoyed accumulating this record.

Below is my pictorial essay of my morning at Rehoboth Beach.

A sparsely populated boardwalk this morning - just he way I like it

Freshly stocked up with Sysco products and ready to feed the hungry horde of touristas

Morning trash pickup on the beach

Beach stuff for the tourists

Guard Dolphin at the bandstand

A rare sighting of a Massachusetts driver in LSD - watch out!

A "Don't Feed the Wildlife Fowl" at Lake Gerar - if you do we have a very efficient State Wildlife Control board - they will kill everyone - there were no ducks or geese this morning on Lake Gerar

Me getting my morning dose of tranquility - better than 10,000 therapists

Hurricane Ida Aftermath

This is Day Two of the remains of hurricane Ida hit on the Delmarva Peninsula where I live.

The wind and rain is whipping around outside. My house is creaking and groaning under the assault. This is getting so old.

Yesterday I drove into work down Route 1, my little red ten year old Subaru barely keeping its four wheel drive on the road as it was buffeted by wind gusts up to 50 MPH.

I drove down New Road, hoping that it is not flooded by the canal that intersects it half way down to Lewes. The water was up to the road but not flooded yet......that would happen later when I got off work at 11 pm. Then I had the experience of slowly hydroplaning through the canal water that now covered New Road.



No one was in the hotel. I felt like I was in Hotel Overlook as the wind and rain battered the hotel. Thank God the hotel didn't lose power.



My shift went fairly fast, considering it was an empty hotel. A few phones calls, moped the floors, checked the reservations for the weekend and pretty soon my shift was ended.



This morning I decided to brave the rain and wind and took my old dependable red Subaru Forester to get the oil changed. I was going to go on a sunny day but decided today instead because there probably wouldn't be a wait. I was right, there was not a wait. I was their only customer.



After a stop in Wal-Mart for milk and to pick up photo prints, I headed home on the almost empty Rt. 1. That's one benefit of awful weather, not much traffic.

Bill and I took a ride down Oyster Rocks Road. We didn't get far, it was flooded. We went back home we saw a blown over Porta-John. Now there’s a job I wouldn’t want to fix.