Summer 2022 Part 1

Dave and I had lunch with my aunt and uncle recently, and they noted that I have not been posting much lately. They asked me if there was a reason for that.

The only reason I could think of was I’ve been busy – doing little of significance. (My standard excuse for not writing.)

But I’m not quite as busy right now. After 2 1/2 years, I finally got COVID, which really cleared up my calendar.

And, since a lot of what I’ve been busy with has been fun, maybe my family and friends will be interested in hearing about it. So here is a quick recap of the first part of my summer.

En Route from Florida

On the way to Methuen, we flew from West Palm to Philly to spend Mother’s Day weekend with Meagan, Chris, and Caleb. Nicole drove down to meet us there so she could drive us back to Methuen. (Copper was part of this plan originally.)

We did the usual which included eating, drinking, going to Lowe’s for a home maintenance project, going to Carter’s (for matching outfits for Jacob, Caleb, and soon-to-be TJ), and playing board games at night. Some of us like board games more than others – Chris being on one side of the spectrum, me on the other. Things got heated with me yelling some obscenities at David at one point and the kids gasping in shock.

For Mother’s Day, the kids got me chocolate covered strawberries, and Caleb (via Chris) got me a gift card to Carter’s.

Tennis and Pickleball

Because I refused to go the summer without playing tennis and pickleball, I signed David and I up for a membership at a local health club. A few days after we returned from Florida, we got a complimentary skills evaluation from the resident pro. At the end of the half hour eval, he commented I had arrived with a look on my face that said I was going to show him what I was capable of. He told me to relax. He was also not surprised I was a math major.

Since then, I signed up with a tennis team that plays a little above my evaluated level. I am 0-6 in match play. At times, I sense my teammates lose patience with me. Do I care? Not nearly enough to quit. And two of my teammates actually complimented me the other day. For having improved.

Dave and I have also played in a bunch of pickleball round robins where Dave frequently gets called over to the top tier court, and I get jealous. We also continue to play with the group that we originally learned the game with on the courts in our development.

Of course we both see an orthopedist and get physical therapy on a regular basis.

Shower

I can’t keep track of Heather’s schedule. She is here, there, and everywhere. One of those places was Methuen for about a minute. She flew in for Kasey’s wedding shower, and then she flew down to North Carolina (I think) for a wedding (I think). Her travel itineraries make me tired. Though it was great to have her here if only for a minute. (Quick update – Heather just texted me saying she was on her way to the airport. I responded “Where are you going now????”)

Opening Weekend

I like opening up the lake every spring because there is always the excitement of the whole season stretching in front of us and the satisfaction of putting things back in order. (It’s even more satisfying when things actually work.)

However, it’s physically exhausting.

Every year, the most labor intensive jobs are putting the boat dock in the water, moving patio furniture outside, and leveling the sitting dock which shifts with the winter ice.

This year, labor intensive jobs for me also included going up and down stairs and for Dave included lifting his left arm.

Thank goodness Nicole and her boyfriend came to the lake to help open up since last year’s opening crew was unavailable due to an impending baby.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend was a bit unusual this year. All the Chaffee/Gosselin descendants were off doing other things, so we invited Dave’s sister Deb and her husband Jim up. Just as a reminder, the last time Jim came up for a quick visit, I had him replace the wax ring on a leaking toilet. This visit, I did not give him any projects even though he asked. Oh, except for going to the dump.

It was a rare adult-only (actually grandparent-only) weekend for the four of us. We walked around Black Cat. We went for a couple of slow boat rides. We complained we ate too much. But what we primarily did was a lot of sitting around and talking.

Quite a bit of our talk revolved around dogs. We reminisced about Copper, and we discussed the health of their dog, Ruby, who is not too far behind Copper in terms of getting to that rainbow bridge.

Things were so low key, I don’t think any of us took any pictures. So here is one that showed up that weekend on Heather’s phone that she shared with the fam.

To Be Continued

That brings us through May. I thought this was going to be a quick recap up to present date, but I think this post is long enough. Stay tuned for June! Though, I’m just about at the end of my 10 COVID days, and my calendar could fill up once again.