September 2023
September 30, 2023 - Saturday - Dad slept all day yesterday once we got home. The night was a bit restless though. All of the sudden I realized I’m here by myself to take care of him. I really hope I don’t mess this up. I got up early this morning to check on dad. He was doing so much better. I got out to walk the dogs and saw these all growing in a patch out back.
September 29, 2023 - Friday - Dad got moved late last night again to a lower risk floor. I guess that’s a good thing, but they said he’d get release today if all went well and his vest got delivered. He’s getting one of those vests that I got back in 2019. He’s not going to like it but at least it’s not during the summer.
September 28, 2023 - Thursday - I’ve been staying overnight with dad in the hospital. For an unattractive reclining chair it’s not so bad to sleep in with a few pillows. The only down side was it got pretty cold at night. I was meaning to take a photo of the sun coming up outside dad’s window but when I looked at it later it’s a good photo of the dirty window.
September 27, 2023 - Wednesday - It’s been great working out a schedule with the family to always have someone with dad at the hospital. I get to come home and spend little time with the dogs, do a little work and maybe even squeeze in a nap. This evening we were walking just as the sun was almost down. I thought Zak’s rusty, red coat looked nice in the glow of the evening sun.
September 26, 2023 - Tuesday - These tiny white flowers have been growing all over the property for a little while now. I really feel bad for the dogs now. With dad still in the hospital I’m not home much. I noticed these flowers are closed in the morning for our first walk of the day and shine in the light of the moon after dark during our last walk.
September 25, 2023 - Monday - Dad wears this hat a lot. He was joking that he needed a new one and he was going to give this one to me. In Vietnam he calculated trajectories for the artillery. He always said he was lucky he was smart and could work a slide rule. I really need to send a shout out to my wonderful boss and coworkers. I was able to make our Monday morning status Zoom meeting and was assured I didn’t need to worry about work.
September 24, 2023 - Sunday - Today dad was taken for a MRI. He couldn’t have any jewelry. The only thing he wears is this Marine ring. I am so thankful to have the family I have. My sister with all her medical background knows what all these doctors are talking about. I can understand it but she really knows what it means. We’re all working in shifts staying with dad.
September 23, 2023 - Saturday - I guess it’s kinda weird not knowing how much I can or should share about dad’s health issues. I guess I can say I’m glad I moved in with him and am here with him. These are a pair of mom’s old glasses. He couldn’t find his so he’s been using these even though they really scratched. He asked me to hold them so they don’t get broken.
September 22, 2023 - Friday - Today dad woke up not feeling well and shortly after getting up he decided he wanted me to take him to the ER to see what was going on. When we first got there they asked me to step outside and have a seat. This is what I saw outside the room. I think I’ll stand. Unfortunately he took a turn for the worse and we’ll be here for a while.
September 20, 2023 - Wednesday - I got my replacement phone in the mail yesterday. I can take photos with my wide angle lens again without the blurring in the corners. I got a late start on our evening walk with the dogs. I took this as I was leaving our drive. It’s one of the few places you can see the horizon around here.
September 19, 2023 - Tuesday - Today I finally got to meet a friend to celebrate her birthday that was last month. Fortunately there’s a really good cupcake place just down from where we had lunch. They also sell candles so I got one for her cupcake. This was really good. I like how they made these look like the Hostess cupcakes. It even had a cream filling in the middle. Wish I had one right now.
September 18, 2023 - Monday - My niece sent me the schedule for her daughter’s softball games. I got things wrapped up at work in time to get out to see my great niece play ball. Her aunt and older cousin are the coaches so I got to see lots of family tonight. It was a nice night to be outside. Got this as we were walking back to the parking lot. Little kid softball is always fun to watch.
September 17, 2023 - Sunday - Riley came over today with her BF to watch some of the Cowboy's game. It was good to get to visit with them while the Cowboys beat the Jets. Later in the day I was sitting at my desk and looked over at my pile of dimes. It’s been a while since I found one. I guess mom’s been busy.
September 16, 2023 - Saturday - Today I meant to take Zak to get his nails done. I got about half way to town and realized I left his paperwork at the house. I decided to take him to get a bath. I use the Pet Supplies Plus near me. They have a self service dog washing area. Zak doesn’t like water and was anxious to leave. I left him in the car while I picked up some lunch after. He drooled everywhere.
September 15, 2023 - Friday - I got out to meet a friend for lunch today. She also brought her little baby girl. She was a little shy at first but she is so adorable. After work I got out again to meet another friend that I’ve not seen in a long while. Her daughter is really cute too but she didn’t bring her to dinner. Today was a really good day.
September 14, 2023 - Thursday - It funny to see how dad treats the pups. He wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy with our pets growing up. We had pets because we wanted them not him. So to hear him almost baby talking to the girls and Zak is quite an experience. He tells the girls how pretty they are and he calls them the same thing he calls my little sister in New York when he says good to her on the phone.
September 13, 2023 - Wednesday - I went grocery shopping a few days ago and my avocados are finally ripening. One of the biggest challenges of living here is having to plan ahead for meals. How am I supposed to know what I’m going to want to eat or want to cook a few days from now. Or what if I don’t want to eat what I have to cook later in the week?
September 12, 2023 - Tuesday - This morning I walked out with the dogs and I saw this one, lone, white flower growing out on the side of the house. It was the only one I saw anywhere in the yard. I went to meet a friend for dinner and when I got back I could see dozens lots them glowing in the dark on the other side of the house.
September 11, 2023 - Monday - I took the dogs for a walk this morning and saw a bunch of these growing in the ditch down the street. It’s amazing how quickly some things have started growing with a little bit of rain and a lot cooler temperatures. It’s nice to go for our walks in the mornings and the evenings and not come back sweating like I was walking in the dessert.
September 10, 2023 - Sunday - I’ve been looking forward to this for a long while. As disappointing as our team’s seasons have been for the last 20+ years I still love the Cowboys. Tonight the defense took over and started feasting early. I just hope the media doesn’t go nuts and starts crowning them prematurely. Then they start to believe their own hype and then they’re one and done in the playoffs.
September 9, 2023 - Saturday - This morning I got up to make Dad and I breakfast. I made our usual a batch of ham and eggs. I usually mix in a little of what I have laying around. Today it was Ziziki seasoning, a bit of feta and topped with some freshly grated parmesan. I wish I had some tomatoes or some green onion. I need to do some grocery shopping.
September 8, 2023 - Friday - We’re averaging a good hard rain once a week now. It was already dark when I started getting the Severe Thunderstorm Warnings on my phone. We got lots of wind and rain with quite a bit of lightning and thunder. Zak was hiding as usual. It was still 96° when we went for our last walk. Can’t believe it was still over 90° after dark.
September 7, 2023 - Thursday - We had one more day here in St. Louis. We were doing a bit of photography here in our client's office. Walking around I saw this in one of the offices and had to go in and get a photo. It was a good day with some of our really cool clients and a good dinner with my boss before heading to the airport to fly home.
September 6, 2023 - Wednesday - I thought my next trip to St. Louis was next week. I was quite surprised yesterday when my boss mentioned she’d pick me up from the airport today. So a quick call to Southwest and I was all set. My good friend has been harassing me about not trying the Toasted Ravs St. Louis is famous for. Not too shabby.
September 5, 2023 - Tuesday - Today Dad was watching a show when I wrapped up work, The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy. We watched a couple of episodes before we decided to go get some dinner. It’s such a great show and I think I may have found one of my next adventures. It won’t include pho but dinner did.
eptember 3, 2023 - Sunday - I can’t wait until the fact that it rained is not noteworthy. It rained twice today! The first time just a short bit and it evaporated off the driveway in just a few minutes. The second time it rained much harder and for quite a while longer. It’s been a while since Zak walked around looking for a place to hide.
September 2, 2023 - Saturday - Today I had another shoot with Sparkle All Over Bakery. She’s at it again and boy did she work her magic this time. This is her Fall Sampler. It’s on the menu now! All four of these cookies are some of her best. The PumpkinDoodle is like the bite of pumpkin pie with a bit of crust at the end. The one drizzled in honey will scramble your brain. It’s a cornbread cookie and it is amazing.
September 1, 2023 - Friday - Look at my sweet baby Pancake. It’s funny to hear dad talk to the dogs. Sometimes I have no idea who this guy is who raised me. He looks like my dad but my dad was never sweet to any of our dogs. As kids all our dogs were outside dogs. To see him now you’d never know it. He’s so sweet to all of them.