Christmas 2020

 

It might not have been the safest choice - traveling to see family for Christmas during the 2020 COVID pandemic - but, having done it, all I can say is that I'm glad we did!

The entire family came together on Monday the 23rd, including Tim who lives the farthest away. He took two days on the road, coming to Houston.  But on his return he stopped for lunch with friends in Waxahachie, and then continued all the way home that same day. He got to Albuquerque a little before 1:00 AM. Considering his round-trip total of 1775 miles (about 28 hours), it seems obvious that it was really important for him to be with family for the holidays. 

Kelsey was truly "the hostess with the mostest," cooking tasty meals every day. Our Christmas Day meal was a pot roast with potatoes, carrots and gravy; green bean casserole; pasta salad; and dinner rolls. Dessert was pumpkin pie (and buttermilk pie the day after). We couldn't have asked for better (or more)!

Feeling comfortable with the COVID-safety measures that Memorial Church of Christ was practicing, we worshipped together, in person, there on Sunday morning. Afterwards, Chris and Robert picked up food from their favorite Mexican restaurant, and we ate together, at their house, one last time before heading home.

Dan's COVID Hair

So, let's see ... how long had it been since Dan had had a haircut? He was probably close to needing a haircut when our self-quarantine began, the middle of March, so by the middle of December it had been about 10 months.

He tried to talk me into cutting his hair, but I refused, knowing I'd just make a mess of it. When we went to the kids' house for Thanksgiving, he tried his best to talk Kelsey into cutting it. She was reluctant, and I defended her right to say "NO!" So he came home with all of his hair. 

On December 8 he had a regular appointment with our family physician and asked if she thought it would be okay for him to go to a barber for a haircut. She wasn't encouraging; she said it was one of the riskier things to do. 

What to do?! He was exasperated with his shaggy hair, and was becoming desperate to cut it. So, thanks to YouTube he was inspired to purchase an Aircut system (similar to the more well-known Flowbee). It's one of those electric-powered devices that sucks up the hair, with a vacuum, and then cuts it to the length determined by the varied-length plastic guards. 

I laughed at his purchase, saying it was one of those "As seen on TV" promotions back in the era of Ginzu Knives and Hands-Free Toothpaste Dispensers. But he wasn't to be deterred.

The Aircut arrived early in the morning of December 17, and the two of us went to work on his hair soon after. It took us a couple hours, due to our inexperience and the length of his overgrown hair, but when we were done, it didn't look bad! He's so happy to have his hair off of his neck and ears. 

Here are a couple BEFORE pictures:

And the AFTER:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update December 16

BELL COUNTY COVID-19 CASES

Total cases - 10,536

Recovered - 8,762

Active - 1,774

Dead - 140 (83 with comorbidities)

After Thanksgiving, there was a spike in COVID cases, in Texas and nationwide. One school district here, Rogers ISD, has already chosen to close early for Christmas break, due to the upward trend in infections. 

The good news is that Texas hospitals started receiving and administering vaccines this week. The first available ones are going to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. When additional supplies are available, people 65 years of age and older will become eligible to receive the vaccinations before the general population.

I am venturing out for needed items from local stores - of course masks are still required, and social distancing is encouraged. I have, however, gone back to curbside grocery pick-up, as the crowded supermarkets make me uncomfortable. Dan has continued to stay home, following his surgery back on October 26, with the exception of our trip to see our grandkids for Thanksgiving and doctors appointments. We are still worshipping at home, on Sundays, through live-streaming.

We are also planning to gather with family for Christmas. Tim will be driving from Albuquerque, and will join us at Chris and Kelsey's. We pray for God's care, for all of us, during this time away from home.

With Family

It's a rare treat for us to get to be with family during the COVID pandemic. But how could we miss out on seeing  Chris, Kelsey, Clara and Robert for a DUAL celebration - Robert's eleventh birthday and Thanksgiving Day.

We left Temple on Monday morning, and arrived in the early afternoon. It was November 23, which was Robert's birthday. He had been anxiously waiting for us to arrive so he could celebrate with us. He had already opened his gifts from the rest of the family. Ours were opened after we sang "Happy Birthday" and enjoyed some mini-cupcakes. The big dessert of the day would come later that evening. 

Make a wish, Robert!

Opening one of Grandma and Grandpa's gifts

This marble run, from his other grandparents, was a big hit!

Just for fun - Making Oreo turkey cookies

The big event of the day came that evening, when we went to Robert's choice of restaurant for dinner - The Melting Pot! Yum! It was a feast for all of us. 

Robert's special birthday-dessert-plate!

Thanksgiving Day was a beautiful family celebration! Kelsey put on a wonderful spread. Of course, you'll notice the missing turkey platter, but there was a delicious ham. That's how our family does Thanksgiving, because of a poultry allergy among us. 

The family (minus me - the photographer) about to enjoy the holiday meal

Both Robert and Clara entertained us for awhile with their musical talents.

Thor also kept us entertained. He only got a few nibbles of the Thanksgiving dinner, and wished for more. Maybe that's why he's looking so forlorn in this photo! But he did get MORE than his share of attention from everyone.

We stayed in Katy until Friday morning and got back home not long after lunch-time, thankful for the time we shared with our kids and grands.

Happy 90th Birthday, Uncle Bud

(Thanks to my cousin, Lisa, for this photo.)

I'd love to have been able to be in Juneau, last weekend, to help my Uncle Bud celebrate his 90th birthday! Look at him! He's still such a handsome fellow!

Uncle Bud is my mom's younger brother. My mom had lots of stories about his growing-up years, when he was sometimes known as "Squirt," because he was small for his age. According to Mom, he was somewhat of a "Dennis the Menace!" She told me about how he would catch flies and trap them inside the snapdragons in front of their house, so the flowers buzzed and jiggled whenever someone walked up to the door; how he poked the eyes out of her dolly (which I now have, stored in a cedar chest, and which is still "eyeless"), and how he, she and their dog, Muggs, played sun-up to sun-down on the beach, when they lived in Seaside, Oregon.

Circa 1936. My mom, Margaret, and her brother, Bud.

1938, Glenwood, Oregon. Bud and Margaret in their yard.

One of my earliest memories of Uncle Bud was when we lived in Ketchikan, Alaska. I was four years old, and Uncle Bud, who, I believe, was in the service at that time, was coming to visit us. Mom told me I could wait outside, on the sidewalk for him to show up. "How will I know him?" I asked my mom. "He'll be whistling," she answered. So right! Within a few minutes, up walked my handsome uncle, whistling a beautiful bird melody. 

Another early memory is of Uncle Bud coming to see us a couple years later, when we lived in Portland, Oregon. I'm not sure, but I think he may have been going to school, at that time, in Klamath Falls, where he trained to be a diesel mechanic. He pulled up to our house in a brand new car, which was a ghastly chartreuse green. When my mom teased him about it, and he asked, "Well ... what color is it?" Uncle Bud is color blind.

Uncle Bud was a genius at building and flying radio controlled model airplanes. He took me with him sometimes, and once I got to go with him to retrieve one of his planes that had flown beyond the range of his radio signal and crash landed in a tall tree, on someone's property.

Mostly I remember Uncle Bud as a kind, loving uncle, who doted on me as a child, always making feel special. For his 90th birthday I baked him some of our family's traditional "French Cookies," and sent them to him in Alaska. Many happy returns, Uncle Bud!

Circa 1944. Bud and Margaret

Grandma Rose and Grandpa Ivan (Bud's parents) with Bud as a young man.

Election Day 2020

We've had a lot of drama leading up to election day 2020, not even considering that we are still experiencing a pandemic.

On October 19 Dan had Mohs surgery to remove a fairly large skin cancer on his neck/shoulder area. They put internal stitches in, as well as dissolvable external stitches. 

A week later, on October 26, he went to the hospital for a hernia repair in the stomach area. Neither of us anticipated how difficult the recovery would be! The first three or four days, post surgery, he was in a LOT of pain, and was not eating anything but Jello. He gradually added canned peaches and applesauce. Now he's eating a more normal diet.

His pain level is low now, but motions, such as sitting down, lying down and standing up are still difficult; reaching and bending are pretty much out of the question; and coughing and laughing cause spasms of pain.  He won't be able to lift more than 10 pounds for six weeks. He's finally feeling pretty good during the daytime, but sleeping is still a big problem. 

A couple days ago we became concerned about the incision area of the skin surgery. It wasn't healing, and looked like it was possibly becoming infected. We could also see that the dissolvable stitches had not dissolved. Yesterday he sent a photo of the incision to the doctor, and the doctor asked him to come in. Sure enough, the stitches had not dissolved and were causing irritation, possibly an allergic reaction, and possibly an infection. The nurse removed those stitches and gave him a prescription for an antibiotic. Already today it is looking much better

And that brings us to today - election day 2020, maybe the most important presidential election in our lifetime. I drove us to the poling place after breakfast this morning. We were prepared to ask for curbside voting, which is provided in Texas. But when we got there, the line was not bad at all, so we donned our COVID face masks and stood in line. It didn't take long, and I was proud of Dan for enduring it. I cast my vote for President Donald J Trump, and will be staying up tonight, anxiously watching the election returns on TV.

Note Dan's COVID hair. He still hasn't been able to get a haircut.

A Tiny Treasure

Dan and I have moved - from house to house, from city to city, and from state to state so many times! And each time I tend to discard things that aren't worth the effort or expense of moving. Because of that, there aren't many things in my kitchen cabinets and drawers from our early married days.

However, there is one little item that has moved with us ... (I had to stop here and do the math) ... six or seven times. I first got it in the 1970s, in Juneau. Here are a couple pictures of it, so you can see both top and bottom.

Some might recognize this as a Tupperware lid. And that is exactly what it is. It was the top to one of a set of two containers, sold by Tupperware back in the '70s as "vinegar and oil cruets." Here's a picture I found on the internet, showing what they looked like. (I see they are calling them "vintage" now.)

In all those moves, I've kept neither container, and only one lid. And in each move, I am careful to pack it where I will be sure to find it on the other end. 

You may wonder why this little Tupperware lid is so important to me. Here are a couple pictures that reveal its use.

Clara, in 2014, pressing out "Modern Millie" cookies, using colored sugar crystals.

Some "Melting Moment" cookies I baked yesterday to give as a thank-you gift to a new friend.

I wouldn't know how to press my cookies if I didn't have this little treasured tool.  Maybe I should have it buried with me when I leave this earth, because I hope to still be baking cookies when I get to Heaven!

Andromeda Galaxy and Triangulum Galaxy

 Last Thursday night we stayed up until 1:00 a.m., imaging a couple of galaxies. Galaxies aren't as colorful as the nebulas. 

The first image is of Andromeda Galaxy. It is the nearest major galaxy to our own Millky Way Galaxy, a "mere" 2.5 million light-years from Earth. It always amazes me to think about how long ago the light that we capture with our telescope left its source! 

And the second galaxy we imaged that same night was the Triangulum Galaxy. The sky conditions weren't as good by the time we did this one, and the image quality suffers from that, I think.

COVID-Hair

We are getting out a little more. Dan's gone to Target, and so have I. I've been to Home Depot, briefly, and I dashed into a CVS pharmacy. We also have been back to church now, for three Sundays, and have met Kay and Andy for dinner several times. But we still are being pretty cautious.

One thing neither of us has done is venture into a hair salon (or barber shop, in Dan's case). I'm kind of going crazy with my hair. Dan went through a crazy spell, but now I think he has embraced the new shaggy look. I keep threatening to give him a little ponytail. I've told him he HAS to let me take a picture or two before he gets it cut. You'll have to wait for that.

As for me ... here is a pre-COVID selfie (from late February) and a current one. Oh, you will probably notice that I've switched my part, trying to get my hair to behave. I hope it doesn't have to get much longer before I feel safe going to my stylist.

Out the Door!

My birthday was January 28, and that weekend Chris, Kelsey and our grands came to visit us. That was the LAST time we've seen them because of the COVID stay-at-home restrictions. 

Last weekend we opened our door and stepped out in a big way. We headed to Houston to visit our grandkids! Our eyes feasted on the open road and Texas landscape, after so many months spent mostly inside.

It was a heart-warming weekend. The kids have changed in these seven months. Robert is being home-schooled by Kelsey. She's doing a wonderful job, and both of them seem to be enjoying the experience. Robert, who is so bright, is finding moving at his own pace much better than waiting on everyone to catch up in a regular classroom. He's continuing with his electric guitar lessons, making great musical strides and ... sporting "COVID-hair," which enhances his rock star appearance.

Clara is attending virtual school. She's in ninth grade this year, and this isn't the way she dreamed of beginning her high school venture. She may go back to in-person school after one or two grading periods, but for now she has a nice little computer station set up and is doing well, despite the unusual circumstances. She is on the basketball team, which requires practices with team mates. And she is in orchestra, which, so far, has been virtual.

This was also our first time to meet our great-grandpuppy, Thor. He is adorable! And I think we bonded with him quite well. 

Be sure your sound is on before watching Thor's video, below.

Chris continues to work from home, as he did even before COVID days. And Kelsey's new job as home-school teacher is keeping her extra busy. 

On Sunday we went to church with the kids at their home congregation, Memorial Church of Christ. We've been participating in their live-streaming worship services since March, so this, our first time since then to worship in person, was a blessing, despite having to wear a mask and maintaining social distance. Next Sunday we hope to return to Salado to worship with our home congregation, with those same restrictions. We are gradually re-entering society, but will still avoid indoor gatherings, except for church.

Bell County is seeing a downward trend of new cases of COVID-19. However, this is Labor Day weekend, and during the past two 3-day weekends (4th of July and Memorial Day) the county saw spikes in cases two weeks later. We are hoping and praying that does not hold true after this holiday.

[Bell County has had a total of 4,413 positive cases and 67 deaths.]

The North American Nebula

Last night the temperatures were a wee bit lower, which made for better astrophotography conditions. We spent a little over three hours setting up and taking thirty 180-second images of the North American Nebula, which I stacked and processed this morning. I was really pleased with the outcome. 

If you squint just right, you might be able to make out the shape of North America, which is why this nebula was so named. 

Pinwheel Galaxy and Witch's Broom

I've been spending countless hours trying to become a little proficient at processing our astrophotos. I keep trying different programs, and find things I like - and things I don't like - about each of them. Right now I'm playing with three programs:  Nebulosity, StarTools and ASTAP. I also bring the images into Affinity Photo, sometimes, for fine tuning. 

This first image is of the Western Veil, which is located "next door" to the Eastern Veil, which I've already posted a few days ago. The Western Veil is also known as The Witch's Broom. 

And the one below is the Pinwheel Galaxy.

Eastern Veil Nebula

The colors in a cloudy evening sky can be beautiful ...

... and we've been seeing a lot of clouds roll in around sunset lately. Beautiful as they are, they have made our astrophotography pretty much impossible.

But on Tuesday evening, the sky looked promising, and we set up the telescope in preparation for a photo session.

Dan recently bought a filter, which helps with the ambient light - porch lights and street lights in the neighborhood. We think it's helping a lot.

We started shooting the Pinwheel Galaxy around 9:30 p.m., and finished around 11:00. Since the skies were still good, we decided to pick a second target, the Eastern Veil Nebula, and go for it, as well. It was after 1:00 a.m. when we finished.

I have been a little discouraged, because I was failing at editing our photos properly. But last week I found an astrophotography app that worked for me (Star Tools), and bought it. I haven't worked on the Pinwheel Galaxy series yet, but I'm really happy with the outcome of the Eastern Veil Nebula.