John Archives -

Logan, Mimi & Big John at the Hospital

Logan, Donna and John hanging out at Children’s Hospital

Donna and I were so happy to visit the hospital today and play with Logan. He is doing great as you can see from the picture. He was laughing and giggling and was just a joy to be around. Donna wore him out this morning and he crashed, and I wore him out in the afternoon and he crashed. It’s 8pm as I write this, and Donna and I are about to crash. It’s hard work playing with a 10-month-old, at least for 60-somethings.

We have been preparing for a visit from Logan and Amanda and AJ between chemo rounds once Logan’s blood work improves as it needs to. And it is on its way there. But given that prep, we are now in a position to relieve the dedicated and loving parents at the hospital. Today was our first chance.

We have been quarantined since Oct 6. Seasonal flu shots, check. COVID boosters, check. Even though we do not meet the 65 minimum age for the current booster effort, we do have these extenuating circumstances that drove the booster. For me who was in the Pfizer booster study, that meant being “unblinded” and told that I really only received the placebo a couple months ago. Pfizer unblinded all participants in the study who requested it – in the nick of time for me and my needs. I received my booster last week.

Of course, quarantine is familiar to us all from our pandemic experience. But it’s a bit different this time around because we are quarantined and most others are not. Typical visits with friends and family including our precious grandson Griffin have stopped. We miss seeing everyone.

Difficult. Worth it.

A Gathering of the Vaccinated

An outside gathering for John (red check) and Mary’s (blue striped sweater) 70th Anniversary

My parent’s joy beamed from their faces as guests arrived for what started as a small informal dinner to celebrate their 70th Anniversary. Nineteen attended, most expected, but some including me from Texas and sons Kevin and Jeff were surprises. Seeing my Mom’s mouth agape when Kevin (Florida) and Jeff (Texas) walked into their home – priceless. Just I loved seeing cousins and other family members who we just have not seen in, let’s say, a pandemic.

And there it is, a pandemic. The pandemic that scuttled a 90th birthday party last year for my Mom that would have gathered the entire family, keeps us at a distance, and has us worried for our lives. And even with all the vaccinations, there is still the feeling that maybe the gathering wasn’t so smart. Why put us all at risk, even a lessened risk with our vaccinations? Maybe the answer is joy, connection, and love. For me, I hope God graces me with many more years for that joy. For Mom and Dad, their joy was palpable yesterday, and for that I am very happy.

Bees on the Move

The hives inching toward their new locations

Bees like sun. And small hive beetles don’t. So my hives are moving to those concrete pads you see in the pic which will be in the sun all winter. This sunny location will limit the ability of small hive beetles to thrive. That I need to control pests in my hives is one of the many things I have learned since the bees arrived on May 29.

“So, John, just move them,” you might suggest. Except that you can only move hives less than 6 feet at a time or the bees cannot find their way back to the hive. Since I have 2 hives that are close together that both need to move, and mostly because I do not know any better, I am moving them about 12-18 inches per move. And since I only get into the hives every weekend, this move is taking a while. Had I only known about this small-hive-beetle-thing on May 29…

Of course, the bees needed to get to me, and that is a move longer than 6 feet, right? Move the bees more that 3 miles – their foraging range – and they realize they are somewhere new and re-orient themselves to their new location. Amazing.

Thank you to Bridget who designed my logo in homage to my new hobby. And so on this 4th post, my blogs have been about me in the 70’s, my kids in the 90’s, my parents in the 50’s, and these bees from yesterday. I am sure I will get into some sort of coherent groove at some point.

Writing, finally

My MicroSoft Team’s online meeting photo when my camera is off – I think around 8th grade. Super-awesome leisure suit made of jeans material with bell-bottoms plus long hair, and of course the wide white belt. I wish I had some game, any game at all.

I have been considering how to write, somehow, some way. So with the aid of my newly acquired Epson FF-680W auto-feed photo scanner, I aim to do that via this blog. While I am writing for me, I hope others find it interesting or amusing.