Week of Sunday, May 3rd through Saturday May 9th, 2026

 SUNDAY:   I went to church with Leslie.  It was a short early morning service, with few attending, and no music.  When we got back to Leslie's place, she made egg salad for sandwiches and we headed out to Marcellus to do an ADVENTURE LAB.  I thoroughly enjoyed doing this.  Along the way, we found two geocaches.  We also took a drive north to see MARCELLUS FALLS.  We drove by it twice, but it didn't look like there was any place to park.  We went to a TOPS and purchased a few items to add to our lunch and had a picnic lunch in Marcellus Park. 

Later on, back at Leslie's apartment we had Leslie's homemade beef stew.  It was very good, the only thing I would do differently would be to put more carrots in it. I finished reading KEEPING FAITH and left the book for Leslie.  

MONDAY:   I left Auburn a little bit after nine a.m.  Unfortunately, I somehow missed the way to the thruway even though I have done it successfully many times in the past.  I ended up wasting a lot of time driving back roads and attempting to get back to the thruway.  I drove through the Town of Rose and Butler.  I saw three very interesting small, old cemeteries, but did not stop to take pictures.  Eventually, I got on the thruway and headed west.  I stopped at one of the rest areas and used the rest room and bought a DR PEPPER.   I got off at the PEMBROKE exit.  I decided to stop at the WESTERN NEW YORK NATIONAL CEMETERY.  

Western New York National Cemetery is a 269-acre Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) national cemetery located in Genesee County, New York. The cemetery serves the needs of more than 98,000 Veterans, spouses and eligible children within a 75-mile radius of nearby Batavia, NY.  

There is a nice visitor center and I used the Ladies Room there, but did not see any personnel.  I took several pictures and also a picture of the Indian Falls Cemetery next door.  I also stopped in Basom and took a couple of pictures.  I had noticed a very small burial site a couple of times before and took the time to stop to see it today. 

I stopped at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge for a couple of minutes and took these pictures:

and I also stopped at Cold Springs Cemetery to see the flowering trees.  I was a bit disappointed to find that they were a bit past their peak.

I stopped and had lunch at REID's before going home: a white hot with sauce and onions, fries with sauce and a small loganberry drink.  Shortly after I got home, Peggy stopped by to do a bit of cleaning and sorting both upstairs and in the garage.

I tried to get caught up on the television shows I missed, while I was away.  I watched an episode of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO and also an episode of THE FORSYTES.  Also, I worked on my pictures and my blog, but still have a lot more to do.

TUESDAY:  Before going to Life Group, I went to the library to return two books and pick up another one, and I also went to PANERA for a drink.  They finally have my favorite iced tea.  Life Group was a very small group today, only five of us.  Then we went to the Mexican restaurant.  It was very crowded, and we almost did not get a table, but we did.  I had the fajitas, and it was a LOT of food.  After that, I went to the DMV to renew my license.  I must have gotten there at just the right time.  There were a couple of people ahead of me, but everything went smoothly and I was there less than a half hour, an completed the process easily.  I don't know why I felt so exhausted after that, but I went to Niagara Produce and picked up a few items before going home.  I almost immediately started my nap and fell asleep almost immediately.  In the evening, I continued working on my pictures and getting caught up on tv shows that I missed. 

WEDNESDAY May 6th:  I thought I had an appointment with Dr. Bax (dermatologist) this morning, but since I did not get a reminder call, I called to confirm and found out that I DO NOT have an appointment today, but later on this month.  So, I decided to stay home all day and get some stuff done.  I am currently working on labeling pictures and finishing putting trip stuff away.  And, listening to Victor Davis Hanson on YouTube.  

I registered for a free painting class later on this month and told Andrea and Peggy about it, and Lori signed up.  Also, I signed Lori and I up for a craft class in Middleport tomorrow night.

I pulled out a LOT of Christmas decorations mainly to get the ceramic trees that I am going to pack up for Megan.  I sorted through stuff and now have a large hatbox of stuff for Peggy to look through and maybe use for her raffles during Senior Connect events.  I worked on organizing documents and paperwork and made a lot of progress.  

THURSDAY: I arranged to meet Andrea at the Y at noon to walk the track, but as I was driving to my dentist appointment, I felt terribly tired, so I texted her that I was cancelling.  My dentist appointment went well and after lunch, I took a nap.  Lori picked me up at 5:20 and drove us to the library in Middle port for their monthly craft class, which was making pressed flower bookmarks.  I took  a few pictures.  When we got back to Lockport, we went to ATTITUDES and had burgers and fries.  

FRIDAY May 8th:   I called Megan first thing this morning and wished her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY.   She told me that Tyler has a girlfriend.  I think she said her name is Omarose.  I wanted to make a meatloaf and meatballs using a huge chunk of ground venison that was given to me, but even though it has been thawing in the frig for a couple of days it is still frozen solid. I called UNIVERA to ask about coverage for an oral appliance for sleep apnea and they WILL pay 80 percent of it, and I have the names and numbers of three dentists in Buffalo who I need to contact. I also asked about my billing issue:  I have paid way more than I really owed, and now I am paid up for the rest of the year.  I left a bit early to go to the Y for the Healthy Brain class, and it was a good thing because the Transit is a mess, lots of road work going on, and slowing things down.  I did not enjoy the class much.  Lisa, the facilitator, asked if anybody needed information about how to play BINGO and nobody did, but she took five minutes or more to explain it. I stayed for over a half an hour after the class ended in order to walk the track and use the recumbent bike.  I went to Panera and got a drink before going home.  When I got home I mixed up a VENISON meat loaf.  Peggy came over to work upstairs a bit and I gave her one of the meat loaves.  I took a nap.  

Saturday May 9th:  I packed up the two ceramic trees in a cooler that Megan and Chris left behind, with plenty of protective packing materials.  I went to the Y for my final assessment for MOVERS and MAKERS.  Then I walked the track a couple of times and used the recumbent bike a couple of times.   I went to Niagara Produce for a couple of items.  I texted Lori and asked if she wanted to come over for supper at six thirty and she said yes.  I served venison meatloaf, Paula Deens corn casserole and Waldorf salad.  Also, I made a tomato gravy because I thought the venison would be dry.  Lori liked the meatloaf so I gave her the rest of it to take home.  I did not like it very much.  Peggy texted me that she liked it.  Lori and I watched the movie about Alma Richards, the farm boy who did well in the Olympics.