JuneNYsAdventuresPart2

 We didn't stay in Michigan today.  We had a light breakfast, and I took two ALEVE for the rib/shoulder pain, and it helped immensely.  Megan, Cassie and I headed south towards Indiana a little after nine a.m.  Our destination was Shipshewana.  It was a pleasant drive, with a bit of rain.  The first thing we did when we got there was go to the Visitors Center where we were welcomed and given information and recommendations.   First we went to E & S Grocery, a combination regular grocery story and bulk food store.                 Cassy noticed these huge pieces of chocolate.   We made some purchases and then went to the SHIPSHEWANA FLEA MARKET.  We were there for a couple of hours,  the weather cooperated with only a few misty raindrops.  We made many purchases.  We had free samples of kettle corn, licorice and Italian ice.  I got tired after a while so waited in a pic...

 Marlene picked Tyler and I up at seven thirty a.m. and we headed to Michigan.  About an hour and a half into the drive, Marlene realized that she had left her phone at home, with her daughters phone numbers.  I told her that I had those numbers since she gave them to me a day or so ago.  However, it turned out that I left my address book home, so I DID NOT have those numbers.  It took us nine and a half hours to get to Megan's house.  We had lunch at a McDonalds in _______ (boy did they mess up my order) and stopped four or five times to use rest rooms.  We also ran into backed up traffic due to road construction, and two rain storms, one was very hard.  And then we got kind of lost in Battle Creek, so Tyler typed his home address into his phone and guided us the rest of the way there.   When we got to Meg's house.  Chris hugged me so tightly that he must have bruised a couple of ribs, but I did tell him about that.   Chr...

After a breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast, Tyler and I went to the Erie Canal Discovery Center to catch the DISCOVER NIAGARA shuttle for the Lockport tour.  I think Tyler was bored with it.  Unfortunately, the CHALLENGER DISCOVERY CENTER was closed on Mondays, because it would have been something he might have liked.   I purchased these cupcakes at Molinaro's. (early in the day) I ordered a tray pizza for four p.m.  one side pepperoni and the other side pineapple and ham. Semi sweet sauce. Group picture........I think this is the first pic of me with my almost totally gray hair. Another family pic Group pic without me, but with Betty in it. on the far right Peggy, David and Becky                                                  Tyler, one day before his sixteenth birthday.   He was a big  help when it came to setting up the...

 Peg and I left church a little bit early today, in order to head to Auburn to meet up with Mike and Tina and Tyler.  I did not realize that Mikes hand was in front of Tina's face. We arrived five or ten minutes apart but it took us another ten minutes to find each other.  Tyler loaded his bag into the back of my car and we headed back to Lockport, stopping only to change drivers a couple of times. We thought we might have supper at CRACKER BARREL but it was very crowded and would have meant a fifty minute wait.  While I was in there, checking on that, Tyler told Peggy that he likes Chinese food, so she used her smart phone to find the nearest buffet, which turned out to be  It was a pretty good buffet, which we all enjoyed. (on the way there we almost got sidewswiped by another car whose driver was pulling over due to an ambulance coming towards us).After enjoying our supper, we continued on to Lockport to drop Peggy off and then to my house.  I had phone ...

 I cleaned and worked on getting my stuff together for the trip to Michigan.  I went and filled the gas tank on my car up and picked up lunch at KFC.  The girl tried to overcharge me, but I caught the error.  My two pieces of chicken barely had any meat on them.  I started watching THE JURY on FilmRise, it is very good.  I made a meatloaf for supper and to use for sandwiches for Peggy and I tomorrow when we drive to Auburn to pick Tyler up.  

 I did laundry and cleaning and straightening this morning and then I went to Rite Aid and Niagara Produce to get a few items that I need.  I called Marlene and asked her if she might come over for supper and she agreed, so I took a quart of blackeye pea soup out of the freezer.  I also made a batch of brownies. I rested and read in the afternoon.  I thought I would read the kids version and then decide if the adult version would be worthwhile.  I decided to NOT read the adult version.  I am not convinced that Kendi knows what he is talking about.   Marlene arrived a few minutes after 5:30 p.m.  We had soup, cheese and crackers, and fruit salad.  Then we went out to OUTWATER PARK and I took the wheel and drove around the north end for twenty minutes or a half hour so I could get a "feel" for her new jeep.  When we got back to my place, we had desert (blueberry ice cream and lactose free ice cream.  Then we looked at maps and pl...

 Peggy's LIFE GROUP was this morning at Freedom Church.  It was the last one of the series and the last one before shutting down for the summer, and in fact maybe her last Life Group since she wants to go to a different kind of group in the fall:  A FREEDOM GROUP, which I might co-lead with her.   Present were Peggy, Dee, Sue and I.  After we finished, we all went to lunch at THE FIELDSTONE.  They have brought back the unlimited soup and salad bar, which I had, upgrading to the onion soup, which was very good, although it seemed smaller than it used to be.   After that, I stopped at Dollar Tree to get a birthday card for Tyler and several other items.  When I got home, Peggy was working out in the garage.  When I got home, I read a bit in CITY OF LIGHT.   I did some vacuuming and picking up.   After my nap, I decided it would be a good time to complete Myrna's application for her SENIOR WISH, which is a new pair ...

I slept in a bit and then did some organizing in my living room, since my piles of papers and magazines are getting out of control.  I went through the small dresser in the corner and threw away a lot of papers and other items.  I talked to Myrna on the phone.  Peggy called and we firmed up some joint plans.  I finished watching THE ACCIDENT on HULU.  In the evening FREEDOM CHURCH held their annual picnic/party at the community garden. I arrived at 5:15 to help with the set up, and then I served the pizza.  We offered pizza, chips, drinks and deserts.  There was a big turnout, and I took several pictures.   This one was before many people arrived, while we were setting up the food.                                                  Serving the food to our guests.                 ...

 I went to WalMart this morning and returned one pair of jeans and the two t-shirts I purchased last week since they do not fit well.  I purchased two chair cushions and a box of ten small flags and some pandemic supplies that were marked way down.  I went to the library and read the recent newspapers.  Carol Kraft called me in the early afternoon and we talked for a while.  When I got up from my nap, I realized that it was Monday and decided to go to the Monday night car cruise but when I checked the fb page, I found that it was cancelled due to bad weather.   In the evening I talked to Pam on the phone.  I found a very good documentary on FILMRISE  COVER UP NORWAYS  NAZI SECRET about German soldiers, during WW2 breeding with Norwegian women in order to produce racially superior children.   It is a heartbreaking story for the children.  and then while scrolling through the documentaries I found THE ARMOR OF LIGHT about Ro...

 After church I went home and rested a little while before taking the rest of the food over to Peggy and David's house for our celebration of Fathers Day and my birthday.  David did the lobster tails and steaks on the grill.  The lobster was delicious but I wished he had taken my steak off the grill a little earlier.  The meal consisted of steak, lobster, coleslaw, spinach salad, and cornbread with strawberry shortcake and chocolate peanut butter pie.   We discussed plans for Peggy's upcoming birthday party and I kept notes.  Then Peggy and I took a portion of both deserts over to Louise Meisenberg, who is recovering from covid.  We stayed and visited with her for twenty minutes or so.  Then Peggy and I took a walk, but it was too hot to go far.   I settled in to watch SELMA. but did not watch the whole three hour movie, since I kept dozing off.  

 I spent the morning in the kitchen, making biscuits for strawberry shortcake, slicing and mashing the strawberries, making a peanut butter chocolate cream pie, and chopping cabbage for coleslaw.  I called Louise and asked her if she needed help with anything.  She said she had some laundry that her son had not had time to do when he helped her earlier this week, so I told her to get it together for me to do at my house.  She agreed.     David and Peggy came over do do a few things so they stopped at Louise's house and picked up her laundry and brought it to me.   Peg and I took an outdoor chair and a folding table out of her Amish shed so that I can used them for Tyler's birthday celebration on June 28th, the day before he and I and Marlene will leave for Michigan.   I did Louise's laundry and will take it to her tomorrow before church.    Leslie and I emailed back and forth  a bit, and I may go to Auburn and then sh...

 This morning I went to WalMart and purchased steaks for Sunday, as well as ingredients to make chocolate peanut butter pie.  I also went to Aldi's to get some non dairy whipped cream (in an aerosol can).  I picked up a six inch tuna sub meal deal at Subway and had that for lunch at home.   I called Betty and invited her to supper, and she came.  We had homemade bean soup, corned bread and two deserts, blueberry pie (that Betty brought) and peach cobbler which I made.  Then we sat out on my front porch and talked for close to an hour.   I read quite a bit in CITY OF LIGHT today. This book is SO GOOD. I finished watching BLUE MURDER in the evening after Betty left.  

WEDNESDAY: I stayed home all day today, working in the yard (attacking weeds, sweeping the porch of the Amish shed, cleaning off the two metal lawn chairs, etc.  I tore Carrie's bed apart and started washing everything from the mattress pad up, in preparation for Tyler's stay at the end of the month.   I broke down a bunch of boxes and put them in the recyclable bin.  I prepared a sweet potato and a smoked pork chop for my lunch.   Off and on during the day, I watched episodes of BLUE MURDER and did laundry.  In the evening, I figured out the halfway point between Lockport and Laurens.......AUBURN, NY.............and I called Mike Keator to set up the plan to meet halfway on the 27th.  I called Leslie and she suggested the FINGERLAKES MALL on 20 as a meeting point.  So, I called Mike back and we agreed to meet there between two and two thirty p.m. THURSDAY:  I met up with Carrie and Sue (medical liaison) at Oxbow this morning for Carrie'...

Monday:  I ran a bunch of errands in the morning and then picked up lunch at BURGER KING. In the evening, I talked to Megan on the phone and we discussed our plans for my visit at the end of this month.    I also talked to Peggy and Becky and my brother Mike on the phone.   Tuesday:  I went to the Ladies Life Group at Freedom Church and then went to AAA and picked up some maps and tour guides for the trip to visit Megan and family in Michigan at the end of the month.  Then I dropped off food at two of the food boxes before going  home.  I had a light lunch and did a load of laundry and then I felt tired, so I laid down for a while, but could not get to sleep.  Betty picked me up at 4:45 and we went to pick Myrna up and the three of us met up with Dee at Solid Rock Church for their monthly donation spaghetti dinner.  It was inside for the first time since COVID started, but they seated us and brought our meals instead of having us wa...

Church was good this morning, it included a baptism.  After church, Betty suggested going out to lunch, and I agreed.  She invited Dee and I invited Maggie Weeks.  We went to Cusimano's (which used to be Andersons and then was Ales' Sandvitches.  I had a sheet of coupons which we all used. We had a nice time together.  When I got home, I started watching Season Two of BLUE MURDER, but all of a sudden I felt very tired, so I laid down.   In the evening, I put together a package of old photographs to mail to Christa, which I will do tomorrow, and watched more of BLUE MURDER.  

 Today was the day!  Betty, Elaine and I met up at my house and went over the rules and information and then we headed to the History Center.   We handed in our waivers,  got the questions we needed to answer  and headed out.  The first several minutes went smoothly but things got harder and it wasn't long before we could not really follow the directions.   We muddled along, turning around a few times and all of a sudden we were driving along the river headed to Youngstown. We stopped to see this because we thought it might be one of the spots on the list we had, but we realized it wasn't. We decided it might be a good time to admit we were lost and call the number given to us. It was the number for the Erie Canal Discovery Center.  Nobody answered the phone, so I left a message, and then I called the History Center and told the woman who answered the phone that we were quitting and she agreed to get the message to the right person so ...