We Got a Pool!

Weeks Eleven and Twelve

May 28 – June 6, 2020

Esme was working on Mom!  “It is so hot!  We need a pool!  Since we cannot go to the town pool wouldn’t it be nice to have it in the backyard!”  We were outside having lunch and Esme told me she needed to write a “persuasive paper”.  She said it was for a pool.  I got right into helping her think it through and coming up with reasons for having the pool and concerns that would need to be overcome, like needing a fence.  I assume it was for school!  

We had already purchased the pool and were ordering the fence but she did not know.  Griffin had been down in an area under the deck and seen a box.  Yes ……it was the box!  So, they both explored this box and asked Mom what it was.   I kept telling Esme she needed to finish her persuasive paper when she said no, we already have the pool!  It was then that I found out she was writing this paper to persuade her mother they should get the pool; it was not for school!  I was pretty impressed that she would do that to convince her Mom.  Really smart of her part.  

So, we ordered the fencing from Lowes and then learned that you still had to go into the store to pick it up. I am not sure if it was Rebecca or Jon that picked it up but through this process there were several trips to Lowes. 

Jon got the fence put up on Thursday and we started the process of putting the 15-foot round 48-inch-high blow-up pool together.  As you might expect it was a bit of a challenge especially with social distancing.  By Friday the pool was full of water and they went for their first swim.  It was cold but that did not seem to stop them.   

Since then they have had several families over to enjoy the pool. Being 15 feet across they can social distance by being on different sides of the pool, and swimming under water to change sides.  They invite only one family at a time.  It has been a warm week, so it has had lots of use!

On Sunday, May 31^st we were invited to dinner by our niece, Amy, in Somerville a couple of towns away.  She has a wonderful patio area with her new outdoor furniture.  Amy is a wine connoisseur so you can just imagine the wines we had paired with delicious food.   She knows my limited wine taste but managed to expand my pallet with the food she served.  I do not care for dry wine but with the wine carefully paired with food I found I was drinking some dry wines and taking seconds.  It was a wonderful meal and very relaxing evening visiting with Amy.  We then left Doby, the granddog, for Amy to have some company for a few days. 

On Monday we were able to golf with friends, Jeanne and Chip, up at Mount Hood Golf Course.  Yes, it is a golf course on a mountain!  Two weeks ago, you would have to walk with your clubs but a week ago they started allowing the use of riding carts.  Jon and I used one cart.  This was the first time we have played with Chip and Jeanne and we really enjoyed it.  We girls did nine holes and then walked back to my house for a glass of iced tea in the back yard.  The guys did 18 holes.

Tuesday Jon golfed with Chip and another friend, Jim and I went up to visit my friend Pam in Pelham, NH. Since her husband died suddenly in FL a year ago February, she lives with one of her son’s families.  They have a lovely pool in the back yard and a screen porch also.  It was an interesting day as we got hot sitting in the sun by the house so into the screened porch we went, but then with jackets on we decided to try the sun out in the open with a breeze but still got hot so back into the screened porch.  We had a lovely lunch of egg salad sandwiches and fruit salad.   After lunch we went for a nice walk around her neighborhood.  It was great to see her after these many months apart. 

Then Wednesday morning came and Jon went into A-Fib so all activity was stopped.  He frequently goes out on his own within hours or a day, but it did not happen this time.  Thursday afternoon we drove the hour to Catholic Medical Center Hospital in Manchester, NH.  We went to the emergency room to get an EKG to confirm he was in A-Fib because the doctor’s offices were not open.  I had to wait outside, so I drove around and got myself a frozen coffee.  It took about 3 hours and when Jon texted me, I was in search of a restroom. I went to three places before I was able to find an open one. 

Saturday, we had a 9:00 AM appointment for Jon to get lab work and another Covid 19 test done back at Catholic Medical.  Both are required for him to get cardio-verted next Thursday.  They have also upped his rhythm medication.  His B/P has been low and causing him to be very dizzy so they have deceased those medications.  Sunday to Monday Jon’s B/P has gotten higher.  Monday morning his pulse is almost normal!  He talked with the doctor’s office and they arranged for him to get an EKG down here on Tuesday morning and all is OK.  So no cardio-version is needed and we headed for the golf course!

During this last week we have had two visits from our nephew, Mark, and his boys.  The first visit they rang our doorbell and we showed them the new pool.  The second visit they came back to take a picture of our pool to show their mother.  

I have made several trips into stores with my mask this week.  I picked up an order al Lowes for a bathroom towel rod, went to Shaw’s grocery store for the early morning senior hours.  Jon has ordered a new camera and is selling some of his older equipment, so I went to mail that stull.  We ordered a patio table and Rebecca picked it up.  Jon put it together on Sunday.

We have started Stage 2 of the Coronirus re-opening here in Massachusetts.  This includes outside dining and a few retail stores I think. 

One really sad thing that has happened this past week is the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN as a result of a policeman putting a knee on his neck and cutting off his air.  It was videotaped and so sad to watch George saying, ‘I can’t breathe” and no one doing anything about it.  As a result, there have been protests and looting the first couple of days but since then there have been mainly peaceful protests all over the country and world.  Some believe police unfairly target blacks.  I do believe that there are bad cops as this one clearly was, but most are good cops.  Along with the police situation this is also bring to the forefront the fact that poor communities and families do not have the same opportunities the rest of us have.  This means that it is really difficult for them to succeed and better their station in life.  I hope that this death can help communities to try to make changes and also for the police departments to better police their bad cops and get them out of there.  It would be great if something good could come out of this tragedy.
   

Week 8

May 2 – May 8, 2020

Well, Saturday we started entertaining in the Social Distancing mode.  We had Carol and Jay for a bratwurst dinner on our screen room. We sat as couples on each side of the screen room, so we were 6 feet apart.  I used paper plates and cups only because I had them and to avoid contamination. The silverware I washed in the dishwasher and washed my hands after doing the dishes.  I think we were being very careful.  We went for a walk on the golf course before dinner and had a pleasant evening with a light on.  They left somewhere around 10PM.   Sunday, we had Marilyn and Steve come for a hamburger meal.  We ate first and then went for a walk.  Dessert both nights was provided.  Carol brought brownies and baked beans and Marilyn brought a lemon cake and salad.  Carol’s baked beans caused Jon to get up Sunday morning and decide to make a pot of baked bean.  He boiled the beans for 1.5 hours to get them softened up and then baked them for 5 hrs.  They came out perfect.

Monday turned out to be a stressful day.  Jon was scheduled to play golf with Jay. In the morning we drove to Lowes in Riverview (20 minutes away) to pick up an order for Jon’s at the drive up.  As we were getting ready to get lunch the lights in the house started flickering.  Jon unplugged things like the TV etc.  When he unplugged the refrigerator, the lights stopped flickering.  With the refrigerator unplugged the lights stayed on.  We decided the problem was the refrigerator; after all it is 33 years old.  We researched Consumer Reports and determined that Lowes had the refrigerators we were interested in in stock.  So, with masks in hand and George at the store aware we were coming and what we wanted to see we headed back to Riverview.  The one we wanted could not be delivered until Wednesday, but we decided to do it anyway.  On the way home we talked with a neighbor and decided to buy ice to put in the freezer and hope this would help us get to Wednesday.  I also read you could cover the refrigerator to help insulate it, so I wrapped it in blankets. 

The refrigerator we wanted was 1.5 inches taller than the opening so when we got home Jon started working on moving the cupboard up.  That involved a trip to Home Depot.   Oh yes, back to lunch, Jon called Jay to tell him golf was not happening. 

We had our Walmart grocery order to pick up from 6 – 7 PM so we turned on the refrigerator we have brought for the car and I put everything in it when I got back.  As we were eating our pizza around 8 PM when Jon noticed the lights in the lanai were dim.  He went out to the garage and turned on the light.  The lights in the lanai flashed.  He realized the problem was the wiring coming to the house, so he put a call into Teco Electric company.  They were out by 9:15 PM and determined it was not safe so turned the power off to the house.  We read our I-Pad and I-Phones for about an hour when Teco came back and put a temporary transformer on the house so we could have power overnight.  The next morning, they were here first thing and solved the problem.  Jon had figured out what the problem was, but the cause was slightly different.  When we had the plumbing problem, they had cut the power line to the house.  Teco checked it and thought it was alright.  Well it was from a cut in the line, but it was up by the house so had to have happened at least a year ago when they replaced our shrubs.  So, they replaced the whole line the next morning, so we do not need to worry about the other cut in the line. Jon tells me the service line from the street was replaced due to an open neutral. Because of all this Jon has had to replace something in the Water Softener, sprinkler system, lights in the garage and now my Keugar does not work.

So now what to do about the refrigerator we did not need to replace?  We have a freezer my parents had in the laundry room but of course the refrigerator is too big for that space.  We finally decided since the refrigerator is 33 years old, we would replace it but keep it in the garage as a backup.  We then had them take the old freezer away.  Yes, we did plug it in to see if it would get cold after 18 years of not being used.  It did not get cold. 

Tuesday we both went golfing.  Me with Carol and Jon with Jay.  Wednesday the delivery came at 8:30 AM after I got back from a 7:30 AM trip to CVS to get hand sanitizer.  I have determined they get their delivery on Tuesday nights.  I have decided gloves might come in helpful when we travel so I went back in the afternoon when they had unpacked the rest of the load and got them.

Jon has been having computer issues, so I left him to deal with them and I drove to Detwiler’s (30 mins away) to get fruit, vegetables, salmon and hamburger.  When I returned Jon said he was going to Best Buy in Brandon (30 mins the other way) to pick up something for the computer.  I had an order waiting for me at JoAnn’s in Brandon so we both hopped in the car.  Best Buy closes at 6:00 and JoAnn’s at 7:00 according to the web site.  We waited at Best Buy and finally got our order and drove to JoAnn’s.  I called to say we were arriving and determined they closed at 6:00 and it was 5:58. Now that was close, but we were lucky.

Thursday we golfed again with Carol and Jay.  Carol and I are thinking that might be our last to golf this year because next week has thundershowers forecasted every afternoon.  On our way home we purchased our first take out at our favorite Barbecue Pork place in Parish.  It was delicious.

This week I did make phone calls to friends and family on my drives to and from the 30-minute trip to the golf course.  I finished crocheting a blanket.  It only took me 2.5 weeks with all the TV time I had.

Sunday, March 29, 2020

 We did our walk this morning because these days it is getting hot, up to 90 degrees.  We have been watching a Sandhill Crane that is on a nest in one of the lakes around our golf course.  Today she had two chicks on the nest with her.  When we got back, we made a nice bacon, eggs and cinnamon roll, thank you David, breakfast and watched the 11:00 AM church service.

 I have continued with my project of scanning pictures into the computer.  I started with 1977 and Jeff’s birth and today I started doing Rebecca’s birth in 1980. 

This week Jon has been working on putting together a financial plan.  He has collected the information from the past year and then projecting what this year might be.  We are trying to figure out if we might have some money we could invest while the stock market is down.  He reviewed all of this with me today.

This afternoon he received another request that requires another notary and overnight mailing.  The closing on Rebecca’s house is supposed to be Monday or Tuesday.  

Today Jon made homemade baked beans that we had brought down from Maine.  They were delicious with warm memories of growing up with bake bean dinners every Saturday night.

Monday, March 30, 2020

We went for our walk this morning.  I was anxious to see how the Sandhill Cranes were doing.  When we got to the nest there were both parents and one chick.  We decided that we really only saw one chick yesterday.  The chick was wading in the water and the mother was off the nest but while we were there she returned to the nest.  The chick was wading toward the shore with the father and the mother got off the nest and went into the water. The chick followed the parents and started swimming.  He swam all the way to the shore.  The other egg is still on the nest.  It was so special to see the chick leave the nest.  I felt so blessed to have been there to observe this rite of passage.

We went to the UPS store to send another notarized document for the closing, there were few people there and distance was maintained.  We then went to Dooley’s to get more OJ, oranges and grapefruit.  Social distancing was maintained while there.  After, Jon suggested we drive out to Cockroach Bay Reserve to see if it would be open. It is not, so we drove around the boat launch where there were lots of boat trailers and then saw lots of new large houses.  It was a fun drive. 

This afternoon Rebecca met Carrie, the lawyer, in a parking lot and signed the papers to close on her house.  She is now the proud owner of 159 Laurel St Unit 1!  We are all so happy. 

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

I had sent Ken Allen, a friend at Onawa, some pictures of our boys when they were babies.  This morning I had an e-mail from him in which he said Roger Page, another friend, was heading back to Maine from Florida hoping to get there before they close things down.  It made me think maybe we should head to Maine.  While we were eating breakfast, Debbie, my cousin, called to check in.  I had planned to call her yesterday.  Funny how that happens. Debbie is planning to stay in Florida until mid-June.  Her husband, Mark is planning to go earlier but not sure how to do it.  The governor of Maine is considering closing Maine to outsiders until the first of June.  I really enjoyed my visit with her.  She has a great outlook and was helpful to me.

This afternoon I had a text message from a friend Marcia Olson, and it was wonderful to connect and hear what they are doing during this coronavirus. 

Tonight, we went for a walk and saw the Sandhill Cranes.  Both parents were at the nest but there was no chick or egg.  One of the neighbors came over and told us a dog that was off lease got the chick and an alligator got the egg.  It is so sad. 

See Jon’s post and pictures on this site in the Family Matters folder, Hope and Despair

Monday, March 23, 2020

David, Ro and Rachel were still at the Beach House.  They decided they wanted to get home and were able to get a flight from St Petersburg airport to Bangor airport on Allegiant Airlines, so they left around 1:30 PM.  They figured both airports would not be crowded.  They said that was true.  The plane took 180 passengers and there were 140 on the plane.  David said 80% were over 60 years old, 18% were families with kids and he counted maybe 10 in the middle ages.  They made in home after shopping in Bangor and had snow from Gardner to home, but all is good. He posted a picture of the snow this morning.

Jon and I went to their Beach House after they left to pick up their stuff and take some of their leftover food.  We are happy that they have been able to arrange to have the Beach House next year from February 14 to March 14.  That is great news!

 

March 24 – 26, 2020

Tuesday, we went to Dooley’s to get orange juice, oranges and grapefruits. We are Sheltering in Place which means for us that we do not go anyplace but groceries and pharmacies.  Our typical day is Jon going for a walk in the morning and I sometimes do yoga or practice the organ.  Around 6:15 PM we go for a walk around the golf course before dinner. 

On Thursday I needed to pick up my prescription from CVS, so I went in the afternoon to the drive through. After sitting in the line of about 7 cars for 20 minutes with only one car moving, I was able to back out of the line and came home.  We went back at 10:00 PM and were able to drive right up and get the prescription. 

Friday, March 27, 2020

Happy Birthday David!

Jon and I went to Winn Dixie at 8:00 AM. It is the time the store opens for seniors.  We divided the list and were able to get most of what we needed.  We had decided that if one of us got sick we would both get it so it would be better to get in and out quickly. 

We have added to our routine a time for Facetime with the grandkids.  Today we were on with Esme and Griffin and added on Carter and Reagan.  It was fun! 

Saturday, March 28, 2020

While Jon was walking, and I was at home Griffin called to FaceTime with me while he was working on his reading program for school.  He had the camera so I could watch him as he would sound out the words and answer the questions.  We then read some more of the book we have been reading together and did some sight word flash cards. I really enjoyed this time! While Jon was walking Esme returned a call Grampa had made to her.  They FaceTime and then added Chuck and Andrea onto the FaceTime. It was great to see all the faces!

Today I did some text messaging with a friend, Jackie and our Russian Exchange Student, Valeria. She had messaged me on Facebook.  I am not sure, but Valeria seemed to say they only have 1,200 cases of the virus and everything is closed down, so I think I am not completely understanding what she is saying.  They may not be testing or reporting the number of cases. 

 

All of Sun City Center is closed!

Monday, March 16, 2020.

This included the pools, outside ball fields, dog park.  No more water aerobics, yoga, Tia Chi, dances, everything!   

One of our friends, Marilyn Gargiulo went on a ski trip.  There were 47 scheduled for this trip and 41 of them went.  I was amazed the trip had not been cancelled. We had already cancelled our Mississippi River Boat trip leaving on March 25th with Dave, Ro, cousins Steve, Carolyn and Sharon. Marilyn left Saturday, March 14 on a 3:30 PM flight, arrived in Colorado to learn the mountain had been shut down at 4:00 PM that day because of the Coronavirus.  They then had to arrange to fly back home with no skiing.  At this time travel was discouraged.  Marilyn was so upset that she had taken a chance flying and then did not even get to ski.  Her husband was in Maine visiting family and he finally flew back on Wednesday, March 18^th in an almost empty plane, 25 passengers.  We will not see them for at least two weeks now.

Jon and I played golf alone at Summerfields Golf Course.  Everything was normal there.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

We went to UPS twice today to get documents signed for the refinance of the Melrose house.  Rebecca will be meeting with the lawyer on Thursday to sign the paperwork for us.  Jon has been spending a lot of time dealing with all of this. It has been frustrating having to communicate with these people from a distance and have them continually adding things that have to be dealt with.

  Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Jon played golf with Justin and Jay at Cypress Creek Golf Course.  Jon had his own cart and Justin and Jay went together.

During this week I went out once a day to shop for food.  Goodson’s for strawberries one day, Dooley’s for oranges another day and then Winn Dixie and Publix’s on other days.  The freezer was pretty well stocked by this time.  We figure we need two weeks’ worth of food in case one of us gets sick.

Friday, March 20, 2020

We did go golfing with Jay, at Summerfields Golf Course.  I said Jon and I would go in one cart and Jay in a separate cart.  Jay seemed to think this was all silly.  The person who checked us in said the owner does allow people to pay for individual carts, but he could not understand why you could not share a cart with your friend.  After nine holes of golf I did go to Publix’s where there was lots more food than in SCC.  I also stopped a Walmart to get spray bottles, for spraying surfaces, and Band-Aid’s.  I was able to stand my distance while there. 

As they were working at getting people to social distance, they first started with gatherings of no more that 50 people and being 6 feet apart.  They then moved to no more that 10 people.  It was also suggested that everyone Shelter in Place and only go out for essentials. At this time Summerfield Grill was only serving food and drink outside.  They were selling hot dogs on the grill and I had thought we might get one, but Jon said there were way more people there than was allowed. So, we headed home, and, on our drive, home decided we needed to not be with other people. 

We needed to Shelter in Place!

Saturday, March 21, 2020,

Goodson’s is closing for the season, so I picked up strawberries right when they opened and there were very few people there. 

Sunday, March 22, 2020

The church is closed but doing Virtual Services.  We watched from home.