September 14, 2023

It’s been so long since I updated this site that I actually had to figure out how to get back into it. It was about the only thing on my PC that I didn’t have written down.

At any rate, the summer is nearly over. My standing garden was a total disaster. I couldn’t get seeds to germinate no matter how lovingly I took care of them. The only thing that I was able to grow were the two cherry tomato plants that I put in and the herbs that I planted from starter containers. Not sure what I might do next spring.

We are expecting another great grandchild early next March. There will be a gender reveal party in a couple weeks. Our granddaughter Casey is expecting with husband Dallas. We are very excited for them and praying for a safe and healthy delivery.

I’m still working part-time at MTSU but I’m not sure how much longer. I’ve been moved back to Creative and Visual Services from Blue Print, which makes me happy. I still enjoy the work, but I’ve been training another part-timer to do the stationery orders that I’ve been doing for several years. I’m working on a couple longer-term projects for my wonderful director even though she’s been promoted and is no longer my director.

February 1, 2023

I made it all the way through 2022 without posting a single thing. It was a pretty unremarkable year so there wasn’t much to say. No trip to the Grand Canyon. We did do some more updates to the condo and still have more to do.

I took the plunge and joined the HOA Board, first filling a vacancy caused when the member-at-large resigned mid-term, then being elected in the general election. It has been a real learning experience and I’ve enjoyed meeting our neighbors.

I continue to work part-time at MTSU in the publications area.

I will do better at posting!

December 2021

In spite of the difficulties, this year is nearly gone. I think it’s true that days may go slowly but the years fly by. We are now at Christmas and getting ready to say goodbye to 2021 and hello to 2022. I pray that the next year is better than this one has been!

I’m blessed that Gary and I remain relatively healthy and able to take care of ourselves. I’m blessed to have friends and family who care about us. I’m blessed to continue working with MTSU, on a part-time basis, with people I like and doing work I enjoy. I’m blessed that we have finished the major renovations on the condo we purchased this year and we now have a comfortable home. I guess we have too many blessings to count!

I have not made any “resolutions” for 2022. We are going to try to visit the Grand Canyon this year. I will try to be more consistent with taking care of this website. I know there are many areas in my life that I need to work on, and I’ll make a good effort to do just that. Otherwise, Life is Good. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

October 2021

Here we are and it’s already October. Gary and I celebrated our 55th Wedding Anniversary on the 8th.

Covid continues to be a menace! We lost our oldest grandson to Covid a month ago. He was only 37 years old and left his wife, three children, and a stepson. He was not vaccinated. I just got my Pfizer booster, and the high dose flu shot this past week. Gary gets his Moderna booster next Tuesday.

In April, we took the plunge and bought a condo. It was the only way to control our housing costs in the Middle Tennessee crazy housing market. Our rent was about to increase by $300 per month when our lease was up in September. We bought a fixer from an estate in a very well-established development closer to the University. My commute went from 35-45 minutes each way to about 8 minutes. It took several months to navigate probate and we finally closed on August 13. Then we spent the next 2-1/2 months doing the major renovation. I have posted before and after photos here.

I continue to work remotely from home and visit campus only rarely. It works for me and our entire department will be working a blend of remotely and on campus for the foreseeable future. Thank goodness for great leaders!

March 2021

March came in light a lion. Hopefully, it will go out like a lamb. I’m going to try to post a few book reviews this week. Otherwise, an uneventful sunny day.

February 2021

Well, now that 2020 is considered a swear word, I’m glad that we have turned the corner into 2021. I haven’t been on here much and will try to catch up a little. The good news is that Gary and I have both received two doses of the Covid vaccine. We will continue to wear masks and social distance but, hopefully, as more and more people get vaccinated, we can slowly return to something close to a normal lifestyle.

In August, we lost my uncle, aged 91, followed by my youngest sister dying of cancer, and then my aunt. I think she died from missing my uncle, her husband of over 60 years. My brother-in-law, Tom, underwent surgery to implant a defibulator/pacemaker. That did not go as smoothly as planned and he was in a scary place for weeks. He is much better now, thank the Lord. Unfortunately, a really dear friend of Gary’s and mine got Covid just before Christmas and then passed on January 1 from double pneumonia, a complication of Covid. Also, our son and his whole family got Covid during the holidays. They all recovered nicely and life is pretty normal.

Of course, throughout all of this, I continued to work remotely from home. I took classes, lots of classes. I read a bunch of books for pleasure. I will post review here as time permits. I continue to hope that 2021 is a much better year than 2020.

September 2020

It is now September, we are still fighting the pandemic, staying home a lot, and I’m recovering from the mastectomy I had four weeks ago. Of course, it’s 2020 so my annual mammogram, performed in early March instead of January, revealed early stage breast cancer. The mammogram was followed by ultrasound (same day/same result), then biopsy, then MRI. The MRI was the deciding factor for mastectomy instead of lumpectomy. I’m doing extremely well and because it was a mastectomy instead of lumpectomy, I didn’t have to have radiology or chemo. That was the good news. I am taking an oral hormone suppressor for the next five years. So much for the first half of the year!

I continue to work from home. Thank you, MTSU and Kara. I’ve also continued to do some reading and am putting up a new book review today. I’ve also taken several online classes, hoping to improve my skills.

July 2020

July 16 – Wow! Two months later and we’re still dealing with COVID 19. Summer Commencement for MTSU is now going to be virtual just like May. Classes are still online for who knows how long. I’m still working (a little bit) from home because, even though the first phase of reopening the campus is happening, I’m not going to be asked back for a while.

On the good side, I’ve had time to do some reading, catching up with some paperwork and connecting with family. Check out the Book Reviews from time to time as new ones are added.  

May 2020

May 9 – Today was the first-ever virtual Commencement for the May 2020 Graduates from MTSU. It was very well done but cannot possibly take the place of being able to walk across that stage and receive a diploma in front of proud family and friends. Hopefully, August will take place for real, even though classes are all being held online for the summer session.

May 3 – I for one am over this whole COVID 19 thing. I’m ready to take my life back but still have to stay “safer at home” to keep both Gary and I as safe as possible. One thing I’m learning is that the law of inertia is a real thing. The more I stay home, the more trepidation I feel about going anywhere. The more I sit in my chair, the more I sit in my chair. Thank goodness I still have some work to do remotely for MTSU. Thank goodness I still have my regular housework to do to keep me moving. Cooking, laundry, working. This, too, shall pass. At least I’ve had time to work on this little project . . . 

April 2020

Well, here we are again, another year later. And, once again, I haven’t taken time to update this website, even though I continue to pay to keep it alive.

This year, though, things are very different. COVID19 has closed down our country, as well as several others, and I have been laid off from my MTSU job for a month. I’m one of the lucky ones because I can still work remotely. Also, I have a freelance client who paid me well, even though our Chicago conference had to be cancelled. So, if we can get back to work in a month, I’ll be okay. The good thing, so far my husband and I have managed to shelter at home and stay well.

A family milestone, my husband Gary celebrated his 80th birthday, complete with a surprise visit from daughter Leslie, her husband, Steve, and our wonderful grandson Connor. We truly enjoyed their visit and loved spending time with Connor. We had a big family party to celebrate. There hasn’t been a big get-together since and who knows when the next one might be. 

Another exciting event, our granddaughter Nicole and her husband Greg adopted a baby girl in April. Isabella Poppy Runion is adorable and perfect and beautiful. She is a true blessing and we sincerely thank her birth parents for the gift they have given our family.

May 2019

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly a year since I posted anything. It’s been another busy year. Another trip to Chicago in late March. Still working at MTSU. Planning a Michigan trip in the near future. Maybe going back to Pigeon Forge in June. Gary and I both had birthdays—a very good thing. Not having birthdays is a BAD thing. Our old Fluffy girl crossed the rainbow bridge in February, so Rowdy is now an only dog and is bonding more and more with Gary. He keeps Gary a little active. They go on a walk every morning while I’m at work and Gary takes him out several times a day.

July 2018

It has been a very busy several months. Between my part-time job at MTSU and two very demanding freelance jobs, I haven’t had time or energy to update my own website. Since last November, we’ve had holidays, birthdays, and a couple trips. Michigan in April was a chance to visit Chicago for the first time in 30+ years. Train ride from Battle Creek to Chicago was great. The conference at the Palmer House Hilton hotel was amazing.

Just recently, we took a few days to get together with family in Pigeon Forge. I had forgotten just how crowded and congested it is over there. Decided we aren’t going back until October or November.

We also enjoyed a visit from Gary’s daughter, Jan, and her family. Two fabulous grandboys that we enjoyed getting to know a little better. Can’t wait to see them again. Also had a brief visit from one of Gary’s nephews and his wife and three boys. Great kids—all the way around. We need to make a trip back up to Michigan soon. I understand there are a couple winery tours that look like they would be both fun and good photo opportunities.

October 2017

Well, it’s officially still October but tomorrow is November 1. I haven’t paid much attention to this site for months. I’m still scanning photos. I have about 300 books on Kindle to read but haven’t read anything in almost a year. I’m still digitizing vinyl records—well, to be absolutely candid, I should say I still have lots of digitizing to do.  My projects seem to have ground to a halt over the summer and fall. I will try to do better!

July

Well, we made it to Michigan for Memorial week and spent several days with Gary’s sister Faye and her husband Richard. As we always do, we took nephew Jacob to Binder Park Zoo so I could feed giraffes. We connected, after 30 years, with Gary’s daughter from his first marriage and met her husband Todd, his parents, and two new grandsons. We had lunch with a high school classmate and her husband one day. Drove to Hastings and visited with my Uncle Chuck and his wife Jane and their granddaughter Krystal. We even stopped on our way up and visited with sister-in-law MaryLou and her sister Marian. Got to see lots of nieces and nephews

Since then, it’s been lots of working. Planning another trip now, to Branson, Missouri. In all our travels, we’ve never been there so we’re meeting up with Leslie, Stephen, and Connor for a few days of R&R along with Jeff, Jackie, and Ben.

Life is good!

March

It seems that March is a time for looking forward. March and April are really busy times for me at work so, looking forward, we are hoping to make a Michigan trip for Memorial weekend. In the meantime, we will be wishing Jeff and Jackie a very happy 25th Anniversary this month. They are going for a romantic getaway to celebrate their milestone. I’m also looking to take a couple day or weekend photo trips. I haven’t done any photography in two years and it’s time to get back at it!

February

Well, we made it through January without any major crises. I call that a big plus. The down side is that I’ve been working so much that I haven’t made any progress on getting more photos posted here. It’s all good, though. Happy Valentine’s day everyone.

January 2017

So far so good this year. I’m busy with work, Gary and I both passed our last doctors’ appointments (which is quite an achievement at our ages) and I’m working on my list of goals for 2017. I hope every one of our family and friends is enjoying a peaceful and happy start to the new year.

January 2017

Happy 2017, everyone. Last year was challenging, at best. We lost friends and family members and dealt with physical difficulties. At the end, we survived to tell about it and are hopeful that 2017 will be a much better year for all of us.
Not sure about what the winter will bring—not even a week into the year and we’ve already “enjoyed” our first snow day. On the happy side, being retired and working part-time meant that I didn’t have to go outside, except to take the pooches out.
I have a short list of goals for 2017 and have begun working on them already. One of my goals is to get back on top of my website: I started by moving to WordPress and updating the site a bit. I now need to cull through hundreds of photos to see which ones I will post. Looking at recipes and selecting books to read. I’m even floating the idea of starting a “virtual” book club. If anyone is interested in joining, let me know and suggest a book or two to start with. I will continue to update as time permits but I have decided that I will make time to do this.

So happy to see 2017 is finally here. Watched the Rose Bowl Parade and will watch Western Michigan University play against Wisconsin while working on this update. I’ve made a pretty long list of goals, some of which I will be able to reach. I think that means this really is a life in progress.

December 2016