Happy Holidays

Janet and her pet cat Jerry.

My Friend Janet and I both live alone and have known each other for years. We have many common interests and enjoy each others company.We went to two of the MET on HD movie operas in December, which we enjoy and look forward to throughout the Met season.

We  went to a  Lutefisk dinner in early December. Lutefisk is a Scandinavian fish specialty, just FWI.

Lutefisk forever. Sweden & Denmark

Dinner table at the Lutefisk dinner, a good turnout.

This is put on by  a Son’s of Norway lodge but attracts Scandinavians from other countries, such as Denmark and Sweden, our lineage.

My friend Dee

Lunch in December

My friend Dee moved here about 3 years ago. She  and I having lunch at a restaurant she wanted to try. Dee and I go to the same church, usually sitting together and having coffee after.  Sometimes we go to lunch, such as here.We had  plenty to eat, take outs for both of us and bones for her dog.  What a bargain. What a bargain.

Janet and I had a Christmas Eve dinner at her home on the 24th and I shared Christmas dinner with her, her son Bill and one of his friends.  That was a nice time and I enjoyed it. Janet and I went to another Lutefisk dinner on the 26nd of Jan.I finished the year with a small  party at Janets home.

We did not have a Christmas together as a family due to schedules but planned a get together in January at  my daughter Ingrid’s. January began with a trip to Sacramento to celebrate our somewhat belated holiday season at Ingrids home. We spent several days together, at home, at church and touring in Sacramento.

I had  a major home expense in January as the entire water treatment system had to be replaced.  It was the original one when we bought in 2000 so I guess we got out moneys worth out of that.  I had some minor home improvement done including putting photo ledges in the room where I show photos that I like without having to hang them on the wall. I will expand this later in the year.

My Photo wall at home

I had my annual Photo Dermatology treatment, also known as the Blue Light treatment in February.  The purpose of this is to destroy any pre-cancerous cells on my face.  Much better than past treatments with rather caustic prescription chemotherapy salves.

February was cold and icy here, very strange.  Below is a picture of the street in front of my house.

This is  my granddaughter Carina in March. She was working on gathering data on water usage and depletion so we made a trip to Boulder City to go down to the dam and the docking area for pleasure boats on Lake Mead.

Carina Julig

Pizza for two

Lake Mead

I went to visit my daughter Ingrid in Sacramento. I like Sacramento as a city; it  has plenty of interesting things to do and see there.  And of course it is nice to spend time with Ingrid enjoying coffee outdoors and a local theater production in Sacramento.

I started the process for installing solar panels on my roof. The state of NV initiated a program as a result of a statewide initiative last year providing incentives to sign up for solar.     This is good for the ecology and I believe will prove to be cost effective for me.

Bob & Dee at St. Andrew church after cleanup

Our church, St Andrew Lutheran had a luncheon and Dee and I stayed to help the cleanup ladies.

Louise came to visit me in April.  we had great weather and took these photos in the high end mall near me, Downtown Summerlin.

We also took a day trip to Pahrump a small rather rambling city in the next county. Coffinwood is business that makes custom coffins. We hoped to visit but found we needed an appointment.  Oh well, here are also some shots of a little cafe we had lunch at..

April was not very special. Visits to two of my medical team, take my cat Mocha to the vet as she now has feline kidney disease. Not too bad and the treatment is a specialty cat food designed for this purpose.

May is much the same with continued yard work and an eye exam at the VA.  I am pleased with my treatment at the VA and for glasses; they are basically free as compared with at least $500 out of pocket.  Janet and I go to another Met on HD presentation at our favorite theater for that.

Solar panel installation has started and of course some unexpected details to be taken care of them, but nothing major.

June moves along with a visit to my new Heart and Vascular doctor as my old one is not an insurance provider. I also have an outpatient treatment called “nerve burning.” for my back. Janet drove me down and waited until I was released.  I have had back pains, not to serious but annoying for some time. Nerve burning basically short circuits, for  while the nerve that is sending the message to me.  I have done this before and is does help. I have dinner at Janet’s one evening which is always pleasant and often means leftovers for me.

In July I made several visits to Senior communities, as they are called for independent living of even assisted care.  I don’t have a need at the moment, and hope I never do but I wanted to get a feel for how these outfits worked.  At my age, anything can happen and best be prepared in that eventuality. I did learn a lot and have a collection of brochures in my files.

I followed this up with a trip to Encinitas to visit Louise and also make visits with the two of us to different Communities in that area.  If necessary, it would be nice to be near one of my children.  Louise is self employed while Ingrid has a day job and is not as flexible.  She did look at one place in Sacramento though.

Dee, her son and I skip the church coffee hour in August and have brunch at a restaurant near me that I like, Brio.

Solar generation finally became a reality for me in August and I look forward to seeing how this all plays out, though I have no doubts.

I had another nerve burning treatment in late September.  The insurance allows this treatment twice a year and I try to achieve this.  Janet again drove me down to the surgery center and waited for me to be discharged and take me back home.  I really appreciate this.

My former neighbor Tom Scharf was here for a short time and we had a nice visit to catch up again.

I have owned a two manual Rodgers organ since 2001.  There is no longer an amateur organist community, I guess that hobby is in the past.  So the time is here to get rid of my organ. I donated it to the AGO (American Guild of Organists) for their use and it went to a deserving student who could not afford to buy an organ. Good all around. A woman and her husband are AGO volunteers who have the skills and equipment to pick up and deliver the organ.

My Rodgers organ which I enjoyed for many years

The couple taking the organ to its new home. Hope the young man enjoys it too.

October moves along with much the same. Trips to the VA hospital, two to my own medical team and a start with Physical Therapy for my back. Will see how that works out. I am presenting a semester on the films of Clint Eastwood which is working well for all. The Met season is opening and Janet and I made a day of it to the theater that shows it. We end this with lunch and time together at her home.

I went to the Veterans cemetery in early November to freshen Marge’s grave site with flowers.  Couldn’t make a selfie but a guy in the next session came over and took a few shots for me. Nice of him.

Summerlin Hospital Emergency Room

The rest of the month was not good as I came down with bronchitis.  I thought it was just a cold or air pollution but it got worse. I went to the ER of my hospital of choice and they diagnosed it as bronchitis and gave me some meds to treat it.  All the coughing damaged my throat and my voice was impaired, and still is a bit. At least it is stabilized.

Ingrid came to visit me for a few days on my 83rd birthday, the 13th. I was still getting over the last of the bronchitis but still a bit tired from it all.  She made some great vegetarian meals and also did some touring. One site was the Old Morman Fort, first building here in Las Vegas.  We also went to the Atomic Bomb Museum and also to an art exhibit in a major library. The poster exhibit celebrates 50 years of the Follies at the Tropicana casino.

Dee and I at lunch

Dee and I had made a date in the month to have lunch at a Greek restaurant near her that we both like.  This is a selfie she took as I am not very good at these.  It was a great lunch together.

Jim, Louise and I

Daughter Louise and her husband Jim came down for Thanksgiving. I got the food and wine ahead of time and she did the cooking.  We had a short visit but so nice being together and really thankful for our family.

Odile and I

UNLV organ

Odile is French Canadian and was a neighbor of mine for a few years.  She moved away and we lost contact but recently just happened to bump into each other in the parking lot of a local strip mall. Since the Christmas season is here, I invited her to come to the AGO Advent recital at the UNLV organ here in Las Vegas.  It was well done and we enjoyed a few munchies before coming home.  A friend is visiting her and took the photos above.

I am a volunteer movie instructor at UNLV here in Las Vegas.   I enjoy sharing my interest in movies and teach a course every semester.

Another ongoing activity is taking several free courses in a nearby Apple store.  Following is a slide show of some of  my photos.

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Thats enough for this year.  It was much better than last. Odile commented that if I hadn’t been in good general health last year the pneumonia  might have killed me.  So now, every day is a bonus day. Hope the same for one and all. Have a great 2020!!!

Spock philkosophy