The Haasienda on Shroyer…

At 10:10 PM, I stepped off the bus. There is always an accompanying “beep” as the bus lowers for passengers to enter or exit. Within the seventy or so steps to the front porch, I can hear the dogs… well, Erma… barking. I assume she hears the beeping and knows I will enter the front door at any moment. And when I do, it’s quiet until I say, “It’s Daddy!” Then, the full chorus of loud, delighted sound erupts.

There is another No. 17 bus driver who is consistently late by 10 to 12 minutes. The past week has been so nice outside that I’ve stepped off the bus at Stone Mill to cut across to the Mariott Hotel parking lot and on down Patterson Boulevard to The Park. Today, there was no plan to walk the usual path as the cold wind was biting and sharp. However, the damned No. 17 was so late there was no way I would make my connection at any juncture for the second leg of the trip and I had to make it by foot.

But, with these twenty-minute walks, along with the walking at The Park on my shifts, I manage to accumulate over 9,000 steps!

As I was getting started, my favorite person, Chuck Johnson, stopped by to visit me before he headed back to Deeds’ Barn for the afternoon and evening.

The cold probably kept potential Guests from visiting, but those who did visit made the most of it and seemed to be having a wonderful time. Tomorrow night is “Angel Night” at Calvary Cemetery which borders The Park on the south. It makes for an easy two-stop hop for both festivals. I anticipate a rather steady crowd tomorrow evening.

The temperature is to be 38 degrees on Thursday, and then 50 and 54 degrees on Friday and Saturday. I love those numbers because they will keep my numbered steps on the higher end.

It is coming on to 11 PM and I am beginning to feel the energy drag. Time to move over to my bedroom where four wonderful pooches will join me.

It’s nearing 12:30 PM on this dreary Monday.

Clothes from the dryer have been folded and put away and another load of laundry is in the washer. I’ve hand-washed the dishes and set them in the dishwasher to dry. The dogs have been loved on and fed a lite Noon-time dish and will receive another at 6 PM when one of the Canine Crew team feeds and potties The Quartet.

My delivered groceries are put away and now I am seated at my desk to attend to some emails and eat my lunch of soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwich while listening to the podcast, HISTORY THAT DOESN’T SUCK, hosted by Greg Jackson. Ironically, this episode is on the Wright Brothers. I just finished listening to the story of the 1912 presidential election.

At 2:55 PM, I’ll step onto the No. 17 bus en route to The Park. My shift begins at 4 PM and ends at 10 PM. I fear the dampness and dreariness of the day will keep potential Guests away.

I have an hour remaining before I need to prepare myself for The Park. I think I may simply relax and listen to The Wright Brothers’ episode on HISTORY THAT DOESN’T SUCK.

Make it a great day!

PHOTOS: Erma watching Patrick Comunale work on his monologues for college auditions; The Quartet snoring away during Sarah Kress’ lesson.

I had an absolute BLAST!

It was a long first day, 3:00 PM until 10:00 PM but it was so much fun. Running concessions, fun? Yes. Most often with parent boosters, I would get assigned in leadership areas but I always wanted to work parking or concessions. Even when I signed up for those areas I would be asked to please switch to something else.

My partner for this shift was an Oakwood High School graduate, Lochlan Hendrix, who is now a sophomore at The University of Michigan. We clicked and really had a great time working together. He is scheduled for Carillon Cafe for Friday and Saturday and is hoping to switch to work with me in The Roundhouse Cafe.

The Guests could not have been more gracious and delightful.

Since I am over 21, I got to be bartender which I found to be an absolute hoot. I didn’t realize you could add liquor to hot chocolate! I was ready to start tossing those bottles like a regular Tom Cruise!

As Lochlan and I walked to the parking lot, we got to see the Carillon tree of light got the first time. It was a nice way to close my first day of “A Carillon Christmas.”

It’s 11:06 PM and I’m in bed with The Sisters snuggled closely to me. My legs ache, terribly, but that is nothing new.

Time for sleep.

It’s been a lazy day, so far, but at 3 PM the busyness will kick into gear when I begin teaching. My Door Dash from a nearby Chinese restaurant has just arrived, 1hr 13 minutes late. I dearly love this place and the people, but my orders are often incorrect or missing items. Sigh…

It was late arriving home last night and I was still wound up until 12:30 AM. I got to work with Mary Linzmeier, Saturday afternoon and evening, and she is one of my favorite staff members. Since I am normally in The Atrium, she is almost always in The Museum Store, so our paths are briefly crossed.

I finally roused myself out of bed at 10:30 AM. My schedule will be off until December 31st! I’ve completed two loads of laundry, completed some correspondence, loved on the pooches, and secured a curtain to the deck door’s window, all the while listening to the podcast, AMERICAN PRESIDENTS: TOTALUS RANKIUM, featuring Gerald Ford. I have also completed two audiobooks on Calvin Coolidge and Grover Cleveland this past week. Coolidge is really a fascinating individual and I was surprised to find him so.

It is just after 2 PM and I need to prep for teaching.

Make it a great day!

PHOTOS: Saturday night as I was leaving The Park.

It’s about ten minutes before Noon on this last Saturday of November 2022 and I am only an hour into my day.

Last night, The Park closed at 10 PM Friday night but my shift did not conclude until 11 PM. Lochlan was kind enough to drive me home and after letting out the dogs, I ate two hotdogs and crawled into bed. It was an incredibly busy night with almost no breaks and lines sometimes wrapping around a lap. Lochlan was supposed to be in The Roundhouse with me but at the last minute he was moved to another site, much to our mutual disappointment as we developed a smooth working process. Last evening, despite great Guests, it was not as exciting as the previous Wednesday shift, and the flow was often a bit rugged.

The nice part of being in The Roundhouse is the number of steps I am logging. I have been getting off the bus on Main Street and Stone Mill so I can take the leisurely walk over to The Park to get some fresh air and exercise. Wednesday, I got 9,829 steps and Friday ended with 9,412 steps. A nice accomplishment.

Tonight, my shift ends at 11 PM and I don’t return to The Park until Monday. Sunday and Tuesday are my days dedicated to tightly packed lessons.

I need to spend a bit more time with The Quartet as I know they have missed me greatly Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. They don’t understand my new schedule and the lengthy amounts of alone time. I leave at 2 PM for 3:30 PM shift starts and then Canine Crew members come around 6 PM to feed and potty the pooches. It’s another five to six hours before I return. I don’t think they’ve ever had this much alone time.

I need to attend to some things before getting ready to leave for The Park.

Make it a great day!

The day could not be more beautiful and unseasonably warm for the end of November and Thanksgiving Day.

Throughout my life, I have always leaned toward a sense of daily gratitude. Thanksgiving Day has simply been a day of spending time with loved ones with a nudge and more appreciation for so many things in life. Today, I will spend time with loved ones at Laura’s and the usual suspects; Laura’s children, Jozi and Kelley, Mama Kay, Laura’s dad and stepmother John and Janice Moore, Mama Kay’s niece Joyce, and Kelley’s girlfriend Kerryn. This gathered crew always makes me happy and feel especially loved.

My orange-flavored cheesecake is chilling in the refrigerator and I am chilling, too, until time to head to Laura’s. I am a bit tired, perhaps from last evening’s shift at The Park.

Make it a great day!

PHOTO: Chief and Erma watching me prepare the cheesecake.

I had planned to write something a bit more exciting but due to some changing staffing positions at The Park, I am heading in three hours earlier to assist with several things, mostly stocking my area in The Roundhouse so that it is ready to go for this anticipated busy weekend.

So, be sure to make it a great day!

“So, you drove a golf cart? Not such a big deal.”

Oh, hell if it isn’t! At age 58, I can finally say, “I drove a golf cart, and it was fun.”

Throughout my life, I have appreciated many wonderful and great moments. While I am terribly grateful for so many things, I am always looking for those little things that also add those tender, often fun seasonings to life. Today, while supplying my area with much-needed stock, I was told to use the golf cart since I would have had numerous long treks on foot from one end of The Park to the other.

Impressive? Not really. But I can say I drove a golf cart and it was damn good fun and something different.

I figured it would be a busier evening due to “Angel Night” at the adjacent Calvary Cemetery, but it was on the less crowded side. The Guests who spent the evening with us were terrific in spirit and kindness.

I trained a wonderful gal, Katelyn, who works for The Park in Events and catering. She is originally from Detroit and finished her chemical engineering degree at The University of Dayton. What a delightful and knowledgeable young lady!

It’s moving on to the 11 o’clock hour and I am needing to sleep as I will be at The Park from 1 PM – 11 PM, tomorrow, leaving at 11:54 AM and returning home just before midnight. I will repeat all of this on Saturday.

I have grown to love audiobooks and podcasts because they allow me to listen while continuing to work on other items or attending to household tasks. It’s a win-win for me!

I’ve listened to over 60 biographies or other US History items on Audiobooks this past year alone. If there is a topic I am researching, I will purchase the book or acquire it from the library. I like to take notes while turning the pages.

One particular podcast that engaged me for quite some time is AMERICAN PRESIDENTS: TOTALUS RANKIUM. The research and presentation are excellent but the two British gentlemen leading this podcast are absolutely hilarious and though, sometimes bordering the irreverent to some, I am sure, they offer an oft unique observation and interpretation. I am currently on Gerald Ford’s presidency and they will bring it to the current administration.

It was from AMERICAN PRESIDENTS: TOTALUS RANKIUM that introduced me to Professor Greg Jackson and his most incredible, HISTORY THAT DOESN’T SUCK. I listen to at least two or three episodes each day, some get a second listen because they are so fascinating.

One of my most recent listens was about Dayton’s own Wilbur and Orville Wright.

Click on this AMERICAN PRESIDENTS: TOTALUS RANKIUM

Click on this: HISTORY THAT DOESN’T SUCK

Make it a great day!

It was non-stop serving our Guests who waited in long lines in The Roundhouse while waiting for their train rides, or right after so they could warm up with some hot chocolate or coffee from the very cold night air.

I could not have had the best teenagers! Nathan, from Oakwood High School, was with us from 4 PM – 7 PM. I had Sarah Kress, a marching band guard member from Centerville High School, and Dalton Gebele, the clarinet section leader from Fairmont High School’s marching band. What a dynamic duo who demonstrated excellent leadership skills and outstanding service to our Guests. I am both grateful and proud of their consistency!

Tomorrow is a full teaching day beginning at 3 PM. I may take breakfast in the morning but I am eager to hear what Joshua and Dave thought of LES MISERABLES at London’s Stephen Sondheim Theatre. I know Dave has seen the musical, but I doubt Josh has. I don’t think it is his type of musical theatre. We shall see.

Ahhhh…. I feel thrilled that I was on top of my game throughout the parade of faces. It was smooth and tiring, but it was much like the old days of working with band booster events. I love it!

PHOTOS: with Sarah and Dalton; The Park at night.

It’s an overcast morning with a temperature of 45 degrees which will climb two more degrees by 2 PM before dropping to 42 degrees later in the evening. We have high percentages of consistent rain promised through Friday. This is playing an aggravating game with my MS; my legs and feet, always feeling as though they are asleep, now feel as though they are in metal boots that are being tightened as the day progresses.

Sunday afternoon and evening yielded a wealth of hard work from students! It was refreshing to see the growth of the sixteen piled into Sunday. Tuesday will be eighteen students and they are also another group of hard workers.

A FUN DREAM…

I have slept wonderfully the past several nights and each night’s sleep seems to bring with it several vivid dreams. This night was especially fun.

Mother and I entered the gates of Kings Island. Mother was never a rollercoaster fan and this did seem peculiar that she would be with me; however, we entered with much eagerness to a theme park that was not recognizable as King’s Island, but we were happy to be there, nonetheless.

We walked past this outdoor cantina and spied Mother’s first cousin, Judy Smith Hallett, and her husband Jerry, seated in a booth. Jerry shared that their daughter, Kari Hallett Miller, my second cousin, was seated in another part of the cantina working on a project. Mother scooted into the booth beside Judy and I ventured in to see Kari. We chatted for a moment and she noted that her son, Jon, a student at Maine’s Bowdoin College was in the grocery store – something new to my dream’s version of King’s Island.

I went in search of the very tall Jon and found him in an aisle assisting a lady who was not tall enough to reach something from a higher shelf. As we stood chatting about his adventures in Maine, someone else required his assistance in reaching an item on a higher shelf.

I came up with a plan! I put a sign on Jon’s chest and back that read, “Let me up you with the top shelf.” We explained to customers that it was a $25 dollar fee as Jon often required a tank of oxygen due to his height. Within a very fast-forward version of my dream, we had amassed $875 within a few minutes. I nicknamed Jon, “Top Shelf.”

We went out to the cantina to share our successful entrepreneurship adventures to find Mother, Judy, Jerry, and Kari riding some wild rollercoaster. As their line of cars slowed down to enter the exit area, Jerry called out, “You boys need to try this! It is great!”

Jon (“Top Shelf”) and I entered the line for the ride. As we got ready to join the area to load into the cars, there was a familiar “You must be this tall to ride” sign but this one read, “You cannot ride this ride if you can reach higher shelves in a grocery store.” A dejected Jon and I crossed to the other side of the loading area to exit the ride.

And with that, the dream ended.

On with Monday…

I will leave for The Park at 2:56 PM on No. 17 for my 4 PM – 10 PM shift in The Roundhouse Cafe.

Make it a great day!

PHOTOS: my cousin, Jon “Top Shelf” Miller; Jon’s grandparents, Jerry and Judy Hallett (Judy and my mother are first cousins); Jerry and Judy’s daughter (and Jon’s mom), Kari Hallett Miller.

I have a break in teaching due to a Wyoming student involved in technical rehearsal so I thought I would catch up on my blogging which has been sparse due to my rearranged schedule with The Park’s “A Carillon Christmas.”

I just discussed the benefits of drinking water with a student in very dry Denver, Colorado, and even chugged a 34 oz bottle of water. I typically drink a minimum of four 2-liter bottles of water throughout the day. While it does keep me hydrated, I am in hopes it benefits the MS and the gut issues which have been nagging me the past several days.

I didn’t do Taco Tuesday but relaxed in bed the majority of the day with books. podcasts, and documentaries. I completed a number of college reference information for students, as well. Then, the teaching hours brought me an immense amount of joy as students took some larger steps into areas they’d previously tiptoed toward.

Tomorrow, I return to The Park for the next four days. Yes, it is tiring but I get so much from my work in The Roundhouse Cafe. While it is not nearly as gratifying as participating with Guests in The Atrium where history comes to life, I do feel I am maintaining a significant amount of ambassadorship during “A Carillon Christmas” in The Roundhouse Cafe. Plus, it is so different than anything I’ve ever done. Saturday night, one of the busiest evenings the festival has had this season, I felt so accomplished by the night’s end. It was somewhat grueling with the amount of work but I loved being able to tell my semi-weakened and dwindled body that I am still in charge. I felt victorious again, last night, as I not only attended to our Guests, which was heavy for a Monday evening, but I also restocked, rearranged the stock area, and performed deep cleaning on the popcorn machine, hot chocolate machines, and cabinets. It’s reassuring and gratifying that I can still maneuver the body and keep going.

It’s three minutes away from the start of my next three Zoom (Nevada and California) lessons which shall take me to midnight. Then, it’s on to the slumber chamber after letting the pooches potty.

PHOTO: Carillon Historical Park, Monday evening, December 5, 2022.

I rarely get excited over new clothes or other apparel but this new TEMU coat is pretty snazzy for my taste.

Dog parents, Amy & Bill Tschirhart, neighbors on the opposite side of this large Kettering block, recently adopted a kitten and as if Amy’s pet photos were not already sweet, they are incredibly adorable and practically enviable.

I scrolled through some of the Instagram photographs of her newly formed trio and was reminded of my cat, Logan, (13 April 1994 – 13 October 2011).

I was foreign to parenthood with cats and the tiny little kitten was somewhat of a mystery. To start, it was several months before I realized Logan was a girl and not a boy as her original owners indicated. That was a delightful realization at the veterinarian’s office. A later office visit, when I thought something had fallen and crushed Logan’s backside, was only an education in a cat being in heat – crying and dragging their crotches on the ground. Oh, well…

My first night with Logan was the first learning curve with cats. I was laying on the sofa and she crawled onto my chest and laid down near my chin. As I was petting her, I began hearing a little “rumble” sound and could feel a slight vibration in her body. The sound became louder. I began checking her heart and even opened her mouth to see if she had swallowed something.

Panicked, I called my mother, in Indiana, and explained that something was wrong with my new kitten. Upon hearing the sound I described, Mother laughed, “Darin, that’s her purr. Your kitten is content. Good night. I love you.”

Logan was a most dynamic cat, intelligent, talented, adventurous, and loving.

It’s a gray, gloomy-looking day but it is 52 degrees – a nice trade-off. The Park will be the center of my afternoon and evening.

Make it a great day!

PHOTOS: Logan

Last evening’s weather had a few sprinkles here and there, but the temperature was quite pleasant despite the ferocious winds. It was up to 59 degrees throughout the night but is plummeting downward to hit 31 degrees by 9 PM.

I am returning to The Park early to assist with some other areas and will return to the far reaches of The Transportation Center to spend 4PM – 11 PM in The Roundhouse Cafe. Last night, I had three fantastic high school students assisting me: Hannah and Brady from Beavercreek High School, and Nathan from Oakwood High School. Tonight, I will be joined by Sarah from Centerville High School and Dalton from Fairmont High School. I have known Sarah and Dalton since they were bitty tykes and now Sarah is a sophomore and Dalton a senior.

Tomorrow will be a stay-at-home day so I can attend to a number of things before teaching commences at 3 PM – 11:45 PM.

I thought I would post a winter poem today. I may do this frequently.

“The Darkening Thrush” byThomas Hardy, ‘
When Frost was spectre-gray,
And Winter’s dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires…

Composed on the last day of 1900 – and also, therefore, on the final day of the nineteenth century (if you follow the convention that the twentieth century began in 1901, that is) – ‘The Darkling Thrush’ takes a single frost-ridden scene, a moment of wintry wonder, and meditates upon its meaning.

Here, Thomas Hardy sounds his characteristic note of ‘unhope’: the speaker wants to share the hope he detects in the thrush’s ‘full-hearted evensong’, but – much like the speaker of Hardy’s Christmas poem, ‘The Oxen’ – he cannot quite find it in his heart to be optimistic. Follow the link above to read the poem in full and learn more about it.

Make it a great day!

PHOTOS: Bust of Col. Edward Deeds and my Friday night crew!

It was a rather quiet evening, and I was told this is generally the case on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays until it gets closer to Christmas. Still, I had some terrific Guests, who came to visit The Roundhouse Cafe.

I managed to keep myself busy with stocking the service area, tidying up the stock area, and completing some deep cleaning.

Now, it is 9:40 PM and I easily made it to the bus stop to grab No. 18 nearly 90 minutes before the next one would arrive. It will be nice to get home a bit earlier.

Tomorrow, is Taco Tuesday with Mama Kay and Mary, then a long afternoon and evening of teaching. Wednesday afternoon I will return to The Park through Saturday night.

I cannot believe we are to reach 54 degrees today. Right now, it is 50 degrees, and I am loving it. The past few days have been stunningly beautiful with the bright sunshine spending most of the day with us.

Today, I start my five-week stint in the Round House (Transportation Museum) at The Park running concessions.

I will leave on No. 17 at 2:04 PM (unless I have the slow bus driver) and arrive around 2:40 PM before my 3:30 PM shift begins. I am expecting the evening to be busy as it will give many locals and their Thanksgiving guests something delightful to do. I know Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving will be a huge crowd. The big plus is that the temperatures will be hanging in the mid-50s for the remainder of this week, with Thanksgiving hitting almost 60.

My Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday shifts run until 10:00 PM. Unfortunately, No. 18 does not arrive until 11:23 PM but I can always keep busy while waiting. Fridays and Saturdays I work from 3:30 PM until 11:00 PM. On these nights I won’t return home until almost midnight. Sundays and Tuesdays are completely devoted to full days of packed teaching. It looks grueling in writing but it’s only for five weeks and it will keep me occupied.

I have been sleeping well the past several nights and adjusting to no early shifts at The Park. This will allow me to sleep a little more during the mornings since I will have two late nights of teaching and returning home late on the remaining five nights.

I am going to walk the dogs (one or two at a time), and then get ready for the first shift of “A Carillon Christmas.”

Make it a great day!

I stepped off No. 17 on Main Street, adjacent from the Marriott Hotel so I could enjoy the fresh air and warmer weather. The best part of this walk is the beauty of this afternoon.

This was a pretty nice biographical sketch of the master showman, Fred Waring.

The Life of Fred Waring

It’s 21 degrees and bitterly cold. I truly dread heading out into this weather an hour from now. 37 will top off the temperature for the day.

Last night, I went to see TUCK EVERLASTING at Centerville High School with Karen McLain and Linda Utt. It was a great performance.

After I finish up at The Park, today, Laura and I will go see BRIGHT STAR at Wright State University. I am really looking forward to seeing this show again.

One hundred fifty-nine years ago, President Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address to dedicate the new national cemetery in the little hamlet of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Make it a great day!

It was 19 degrees when I left the house at 7:20 AM for my Sunday morning breakfast haunt. My weather app now says it’s 18 degrees. But, despite the frigid temperature, the sun is blasting its brightness, just little warmth.

Last night, Laura and I enjoyed a great Mexican dinner at Don Patron near the Bob Evans across from Wright State University.

The performing arts center’s lobby was buzzing with people and activity with SISTER ACT playing on the main stage, BRIGHT STAR in the Herbst Theatre, and another concert. I loved seeing all the activity and aliveness of the performing arts.

BRIGHT STAR.

Wow.

It was one of the most incredible productions I’ve seen.

I’ve been attending WSU productions since 1991 and I always give their productions an A or A+. Through the years, some standout shows for me have been CHESS, BRIGADOON, their more recent INTO THE WOODS, PETER PAN, LES MISERABLES, SOUTH PACIFIC, OKLAHOMA!, and RAGTIME.

BRIGHT STAR, which became one of my top favorite shows after seeing Megan Wean Sears’ production two years ago, hit an all time high for me last evening. I cannot come up with the best words or adjectives to entirely describe how much I loved what was handed to me last night. Twelve hours later, I am still numb from the multiple waves of emotion felt from the writing, the directing, and that damned phenomenal cast.

Go see BRIGHT STAR at Wright State University. Go immediately to their website and grab your tickets. The show runs through the first weekend of December.

I’m halfway home, riding No. 17. I have a number of things to accomplish before beginning my afternoon and evening of teaching at 3 PM. Wednesday, I begin my temporary manager position at The Park throughout the five week festival, “A Carillon Christmas.” I will be heading up the concessions in The Round House, otherwise known as The Transportation Center. I will be working five days a week, 3:30 PM until 10 PM for three days and 3:30 PM until 11 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. I will be doing this from November 23rd until December 30th.

Make it a great day!

PHOTOS: from the BRIGHT STAR director’s Facebook page

Really, go see BRIGHT STAR!

Chief and Navi were born on an east central Indiana farm on November 17, 2010.

Sadly, Navi left us on December 21, 2013, after a tragic accident. But, nevertheless, she is always remembered on this day.

Make it a great day!

I have every reason to feel accomplished with this day. It was long but so gratifying.

The unseasonably warm weather seems to have boosted my spirit and energy. While I have taken time to rest, I have also taken the time to accomplish as much as I can.

I took the No. 17 bus downtown, and due to having a different driver, it was running on time! Amazing! En route to lunch at my Chinese buffet, I strolled through the Oregon District with my camera snapping away. I came upon two Boxer dogs who were, fortunately, moving on along a street that was blocked off from traffic. After a few minutes of not knowing what to do other than keep an eye out for them and try to keep them in the area, a young girl came outside and coaxed them back to their yard.

After lunch, I took a different walking route back to the bus depot and continued making the camera’s lens work its magic.

By 2:00 PM, I was blowing the leaves in Mama Kay’s driveway, and that of the fairly new neighbor beside her. I wrapped up the leaf collection by 4:00 PM to feed the dogs and nap before getting ready to walk to Fairmont High School’s auditorium to watch an evening of three one-acts. Daniel Breslin, the youngest of the impressive Breslin troupe, and one of my Canine Crew members was hilarious in the final one-act. There were times I thought he was going to begin singing, “I got to Kansas City on a Friday; by Saturday, I’d learned a thing or two…” from OKLAHOMA! – he was so much like the character Will Parker.

Since returning home from the show, the kitchen has been cleaned and a load of dishes is now in the dishwasher. Tomorrow, I am planning to research and write as much as possible before heading to dinner and The Dayton Theatre Guild with Laura.

Now, to work some more the remainder of this evening while listening to A LIFE PORTRAIT OF JOHN ADAMS with David McCullough, several years before his book on Adams came out.

It is a bit chillier than previous days but the sun is out and the day is still gorgeous.

My energy is fighting to be heard. Time changes tend to block my energy and today I feel a bit sluggish. I’ve kept busy reading, watching some documentaries of interest, and sketching out drafts for students’ college recommendation letters.

The pooches have been glued to me. Poor Chief’s hips are creating difficulties for him. He is especially stubborn with some medications and I have tried a variety of sneaky tricks to get him to eat the hidden medications. I just ordered a new treatment and I am hoping it will help. He turns twelve at the end of this month.

Yesterday’s return to teaching was excellent! It was good to see the students after a week’s break.

Tomorrow would have been my grandfather’s 101st birthday. When he was my age, 58, his eldest grandchild was sixteen years old. I was fortunate to have parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents who were the eldest and on the younger side when I was born.

It’s nearing time to get read to teach.

Make it a great day!

Yesterday, while it was still warm, I hoped to tackle Mama Kay’s leaves, but she was hosting a card party and I didn’t want to disturb them.

This morning, I took to my backyard at 10:00 AM to blow leaves and mow. By 10:45 AM, I was working on Mama Kay’s yard and by 4:30 PM, it was looking smashing. It is done, with the exception of touch-ups, now and then.

I am including some photos of Mama Kay’s hydrangea that is still tossing up some blooms with the unusually warm weather.

I ordered Chinese from Door Dash and I did not receive what I had ordered. I reported it and they immediately offered me a $28 card to use. I reordered my original menu item and hopefully, it will be correct this time. It was not Door Dash’s fault – it was the restaurant’s. I have been faithful to this eatery for nearly twenty years but for the past two years my orders have never been correct, or they are terribly late.

We have rain forecast to arrive around 3:00 AM and I am especially glad the leaves are completed. Tomorrow, I shall research and write. I may try to travel downtown to the Miami Conservancy District’s office to check out some items of interest. I am still not finding an answer to one particular question regarding the Great Miami River’s actual depth in the years preceding and just after the 1913 Dayton Flood.

My reordered food has arrived and it is time to eat and relax for the remainder of the evening.