Lucky us, February has come and it’s been a mild winter. Some snow, but now melted and gone. How about that! Keep it up, as OK with me.
I opened the door, and in flew Enza. Heard that old one? Well it’s here and I’ve been sick about a week, but OK now, I stayed home, that’s what sick days are for, to get better and not spread the bad news around. The company has a benighted culture of middle managers making a big deal about workers who never took sick time. No doubt, potentially abused, not much I think.
The girls? Well they had colds, not too bad, didn’t want to stay home so off they went. At work everyone in my office was ill with symptoms some time in the last month or so. No snow, lots of sneezes.
We are going to sunny Florida next month. We wanted to take the trailer to Disney World but we waited too long, all booked, so maybe another spring. We did go to Florida, Orlando and St. Augustine in particular and enjoyed some beach time. Impossible in Pennsylvania this time of year.
We hope to go to Hendersonville, NC to visit Marge’s aunt and uncle there. Sure, a couple hundred miles out of the direct route but family is important to us and the country is beautiful there.
I did some minor repair on our trailer, doors sticking but a few hours work and fine now, good as new actually. To me anyway.
I missed our first group guitar lesson, but Marge filled me in and I made the second one. We enjoy this, and when possible even practice a bit. We both have some musical background so not too hard for an entry course. In fact, for me, I have looked around for a better quality guitar. Maybe. there’s a lot of potential here from simple bass/chord strumming to some very elaborate technique. Also, a lot easier to carry around than a piano.
I still have some remaining benefits from the VA. They finally did authorize them for my service when the National Guard was activated in 1961 and I went on active duty. I have always had an interest in electronics, so signed up for a mail order course in radio/TV repair. This’ll be a fine experience in both construction and repair at little cost to me, if any.
About ten years ago, we bought some furniture from a little one man shop in upstate NY. I think the wood is butternut. This is a species of walnut native to eastern US and southeast Canada. The nut makes a great cake too. I am having the chairs stripped and will refinish them to match the table I refinished last year. Our kitchen chairs are on their last legs, wobbly ones at that. So we know where to go for new ones, the butternut man. We have a catalog, prices the same as 1967. What a bargain!!
The girls glazed some items in ceramics class and we fired them at home, after I fixed the plug on the kiln. Somewhat variable results as the temp control is not exactly correct. Still kind of fun though, making things with your hands, seeing them through to completion.
The not so good, to us, completion is the increasing development of our area. Individual homes, not look-alike tract homes at least. So, no more tossing yard waste next door but I have done all the planting that I want. Progress, sure in a way, but I’m not too happy and will watch carefully for possible encroachments, problems like that.
55 Years Together 
Well, at least you didn’t go to Florida in July-August !
Later in the 70s, Margery did go to Florida along with the children in our trailer. She wanted to take an immersion course in Spanish from a man she respected down there. Not my idea of fun , but she knew what she was getting into as far as weather, and the trailer had no A/C. More on that as the years move along.