The Encore

We were in Florida for Christmas and I got COVID and was quarantined in the hotel room for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was very cold those days so at least I missed that.

I have been baking cookies for the neighbors and support group, here is sample.

My YouTube Channel for baking

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-9p4j9GtAam60LuVuHHgYg

Here is a beautiful piece “The Goodness of God” Praise the Lord!

We took a trip to Antigua in the Caribbean. We were there for a week.

It is a beautiful place, we stayed at Sandals an all inclusive resort.

The beauty of the world God gave us was all around as it is when we are home. The change in scenery and warm weather was a real blessing to us.

Here we are around the resort:

I ran every day here is some of the path

Some more pictures from around

Some sunsets

Finally on our way home from the plane we saw some amazing sunsets.

We are amazed of the beauty that God has given us to experience. We had a wonderful time and will definitely go back maybe to this island or to another.

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Overdose Awareness Day was established in 2001, it is recognized throughout the world on August 31 of year.

it is a day for us to remember and to recognize the work that must be done to reduce stigma so those that have addiction can get the help that they need.

It is clear that drug addiction knows no boundaries it affects every demographic and economic areas.

Yesterday, August 31, 2022 I attended the Overdose Awareness Ceremony here in Morris County.

In 2021 there were 88 deaths from Overdose here in Morris County

There was an opening and closing prayer which prayed for healing for this terrible disease

These two people talked about how addiction affected them and the recovery, Cheryl on the left talked about her recovery and Francine on the left talked about her Grandson who is on that slippery slope and she is trying to deter him.

We had some very powerful speakers who talked about the work that is being done and the additional work that is needed.

Sheriff Gannon was instrumental in the creation and ongoing operation of the Hope One Van which goes in neighborhoods all over Morris County to educate and treat those that come who are affected by drug addiction. The concept has been copied throughout the state and country.

The last speakers were Mark and Maria who lost their son to an Overdose, their story and love for their son and drive to eliminate this tragedy for others, they crated a non-profit for his purpose called Joshua’s Peace.

It was also mentioned that treatment is the course needed for those that are addicted instead of jail time, however the dealers and distributors need to be put in jail.

it is very important if you or anyone you know is struggling with an addiction, which can start innocently from doctor’s prescription or from a friend or party. Beware and be vigilant!

Today, 8/27/2022 we went to Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ.

We had a wonderful time looking at all the outdoor sculptures and pieces of artistic interpretations.

We had lunch at Tripple & Rose a restaurant in Princeton

We took a bunch of pictures which I will show here.

Pictures of us:

We spent the last two weeks of July in the Outer Banks at the house we have been to for several years on Sprigtail Drive in Duck, North Carolina.

Here are some pictures from that trip:

Great summer fun… running, swimming, snacking and having dinner together!!!

Happy Summer everyone!

I am writing to catch up on the July events that took place!

On Saturday, July 3, 2022 we had a small group at our house to welcome Bonnie Rose Dolton on her visit to the US. Her Mom Kayla (Megan’s niece) and husband Mal came for a visit and near the end of the visit they joined us with some family.

First up was a visit to Mom at the beginning of the month.. she has been doing much better and we had a very good visit.

On July 6, 2022 we spent the night at the Rose Inn which is in Columbia, NJ

It just happened that I traded in my 2015 Mustang for a new 2022 Model and the transaction took place on my Birthday

Finally we had a birthday party for me on the Saturday after my birthday

Summer is the best part of the year here in New Jersey… I get up early and run… work in my garden, bake on the weekends and three times a week I pick up excess dairy and bread from the local farm for the food pantry…. I also food shop twice a month for an elderly lady.

I recently joined a bible study with a group of men that meet at a local restaurant on Friday’s.

Enjoy the summer wherever you are.

God Bless You!

On Monday, June 14, 2022 I ran in the Annual Roxbury 5K.

I was excited to be able to run this race, the temperature was a bit warm, it was 84 degrees at the 7:00 pm start of the race.

There were about 200 people racing. I placed 121 out of the 200 people racing. I was 7th out of 8 in my age group. My time was 39:43:74 which is 12:47 per mile.

My placement or even my pace is not the thing I concentrate on or try not to concentrate on that.

I am thrilled that I can run and am happy that I started running about 10 or 11 years ago. It is just so wonderful to get out there and run 3 or 4 miles every morning or most mornings… I ran 4 miles this morning.

Any movement you can do helps you physically and mentally….

The day after the race we drove to Roanoke Virginia to visit Greg, Joann and Zoey. We had a very nice time with them and Zoey is adorable and so enthusiastic to learn and also to play. She has a great imagination. We took her to the park to ride her bike.

Here is a picture of all of us

I hope you enjoyed this latest post, let me know how you exercise to stay healthy in the comments.

Enjoy life!!!

First thing this morning I raised the flag and then set it to half mast, at noon I raised it to full staff.

In honor of all those we sacrificed and lost their lives to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today, this Great America is the best place to live on earth, with the many blessings God has bestowed on use, it is fitting that we pause and remember those that paid the ultimate price.

Also this morning I took the flag from Megan’s Dad who served in Wold War II

I ran 3.5 miles came home took a shower and had breakfast and then went to the parade in town, which I do every year except for years there was inclement weather.

Some cars in the parade

Of course a highlight of the parade is the Roxbury High School Marching Band

And of course the Fire Trucks

And of course the Scouts

God bless America, the land of the free!

Don’t forget the sacrifice of many that paid the ultimate price…

Enjoy the beautiful weather and the trees and flowers blooming!!!

Until next time…. Enjoy!

I love the warm weather…. spring is in full swing now at the end of May and soon it will be summer – the lazy and crazy days of summer.

This week I ran every day, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (today). I ran each day 3-1/2 or 4 miles. I ran early in the morning around 7:00 am – I ran at a pace between 13:33 per mile and 14:54 per mile…. The long end was on Monday this week and the low end on Wednesday with today close to the low end.

I am thrilled I can run at my age and I enjoy it tremendously. My son Paul and I follow each other on the Strava app that we use. We give each other Kudo’s which is a note of encouragement to each other.

I started running about 12 years ago, before that I did not really exercise, so this is a thrill to watch myself progress or just keep going.

It is a simple exercise, not much equipment, a good pair of shoes, I just brought new shoes today – I buy two pairs so I can alternate them each time. I had the prior pair about a year. The lady said 500 miles is a good time to change and based on my running pattern it is about 500 in a year. Of course you need running shorts and tops and extra layers for colder weather. Earphones if you like to listen to music or podcasts or something else. I use Earbuds from Apple that pair with my iPhone.

But other than a charge for a race the running is free….. just lace up those shoes and go down the street or to a park with paved or gravel paths.

I hope you can try to get out there and move around a bit…. you will be glad you did.

I started to plant the plants around the house this week, I have the begonias and a few geraniums to place around the property. I also need to plant the garden. I will do that the next few days. I bought the plants last week so I am ready as long as the weather holds out.

Today I transplanted the cactus plants into bigger pots, I do that every year so they have room to grow. The roundish one started putting out baby plants, I was able to separate one of them that had roots and plant it separately, so now I have three cactus plants, the off-shoot is on the right as you can tell.

I continue to bake cookies weekly, I hope to find something I can bake with a patriotic theme.

Happy Spring and Summer to all of you!

Be well and stay safe as you can!

Spring is a wonderful time of year… the trees are blooming, the grass is green, the flowers are starting to pop open….. the garden is ready for planting.

I recently had cataract surgery – left eye in middle of April and the right eye the end of April, I am able to see without glasses except for very small print and then I use either a magnifying glass or low level reading glasses. I am still putting drops in my right eye four times a day until the bottle is exhausted, probably another week.

When I saw the doctor the day after I asked when I could run and he said a month after the second surgery. I asked again at my most recent visit and he said he is very conservative and that I could run a week after the flashes (which I was having) went away. It has been at least a week since I last hod those flashes so next week I will try to get out there for a short run. He did not want my head bouncing around until the new lens was completely in place.

May is the month of birthdays for Megan and her brother Greg, we went out to dinner at Rosies for Megan’s birthday on the 2nd of May, actually dinner got delayed until two days later due to something that came up for the actual birthday. We had a very nice time.

I wanted to say something about CHANGE…..

• Retirement – I started retirement In October 2021 – it was not my choice the company laid me off, I knew we were financially secure but my desire was to wait until right around now, a few months later. I was disappointed but within a few weeks I started to accept and started to enjoy the new found freedom. I have my activities, food pantry, support group, baking, running, writing, gardening and traveling. So there is down time but plenty of things to do and have fun. I highly recommend retirement, it is great!!
• Change – is hard – it can lead you down an unexpected path and that path can be brighter than where you started. Sometimes it is a tragic change and there are some life changes coming your way. There is always an opportunity presented to us, maybe there are hard choices but you can accomplish great things and even greater things.
• I hope that all your changes bring a positive opportunity to you!

I continue to bake weekly, here are a few of the last few things I baked

Finally I visited my Mom on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, I found out the day after that my Mom had tested positive for COVID on Monday. So since Wednesday I have been in quarantine even though I have been feeling fine – I took a COVID test this morning and was negative so I feel I can begin to go out and about as I have been.,

My Mom is in the COVID wing with 20+ other residents from her floor.. we have to test negative before we visit so the virus must come from the workers. So far she is doing OK.

I hope you enjoy this short post and are well and enjoying the wonderful spring weather here in the North East.