Day One-hundred-and-eighty-three: Pre-breakfast walking

The day started with a Docent led walk around the farm. I used my hiking boots rather than my mud boots. The ground was mostly frosted but even though the mud was still very much mud underneath, my hiking boots actually finished cleaner than they started. (My mud boots are built for the cold a little better.)

The rest of the day has been a blur of eating, playing, jigsaw puzzle working, and the consequences of eating. I did do the fitness test on the Wii and came out, after the second time, with an "age" of 42. (Anything that makes me feel younger is okay by me.)

A little work was done, by others. My youngest daughter and her husband finished welding the "bridge to nowhere." In the process of pulling it to its eventual position a gate post was substantially rocked, both in the widening of the hole it was in and in the rocks used to fill that hole to keep it somewhat upright.

I slept in the multi-bed dormitory, a.k.a. pool hall, by myself, and will be doing so for at least one more night. (The rest of the New Year's celebrants are to arrive tomorrow.) This has allowed me to practice quite a few racks. I wish I could say its helping me but I'm losing as often as I win.

This has been another great Life after Layoff day. What little work was done was done by others. There was lots of laughter. And, all of my children and their spouses are here.

Day One-hundred-and-seventy-two: Losing in two states

I was so industrious this morning that my packing was done in plenty of time to lose in cribbage, setback, and pool before I had to get on the road.

Then it was a long drive in the rain. Finally we arrived and went right back out to shop for groceries to use for dinner. My brother in law greeted us on our first arrival and my nieces greeted us on our return from shopping. While my brother in law was out at his football coaches banquet, we prepared and ate some food.

Then after my sister came home from her job, we ate the food we had prepared.

I drank a lot of water so will need to make sure I packed my pajamas in my backpack and know the path to the bathroom.

After dinner we played four games of euchre, men against the women. We went easy on them allowing them to win all four. My brother in law dealt my mother two loaners. Even though my sister was the beneficiary of the scoring that resulted, she accused him of brown nosing.

The games are incidental to the jokes and laughter. Even being the butt of the joke is a good place to be with family. I did notice a "billiard parlor" down the road. I'm going to have to practice so I can surprise my father. (Writing this here will certainly blow the surprise. He is probably my most regular reader.) Oh well, the surprise will then be not following through and having him practice unnecessarily. My Life after Layoff is full of surprises, mostly for me.