In the afternoon we went out for lunch then shopping (primarily groceries). Our evening was spent watching the Kingston Trio at the North Clubhouse. Actually it was a knock-off group, but they put on a great show.

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Kelly left on Sunday, April 3rd.

Before she left we crammed in a lot: Little Harbor on Wednesday, the Racetrack and Fiori’s on Friday, shopping and dinner out on Saturday.

I sure was sorry to see her leave, but I knew she needed to get him to her husband and job.

Kelly and I have played bingo two times and yesterday we went to the Air Show (which included a boat trip, nice lunch, and air show). We’ve gone to Beef O’Brady’s two times and the South Clubhouse for lunches a couple of times. Tonight it’s a Kingston Trip show at the North Clubhouse. I did cancel the trip to the zoo which we’d planned for Tuesday. Glad I did. I’m just not good at walking and I knew that the zoo would require a lot of foot travel.

The weather has been great. One rainy day (when we went to Beall’s shopping). Other than that it’s been pleasant temps and sunshine.

Wednesday we’ll go to the race track and Ken will drive.

Sadly Kelly’s visit is over half done but we’ll still have lots more fun.

Kelly and I have been having a great time together. We’ve eaten out, gone shopping, headed to karaoke, watched movies, shopped some more, had cart rides, visited the farmers market, and talked a lot.

Today is a bingo day at 11:30.

Weather has been perfect except for today. It’s raining and doesn’t appear to be clearing up any time soon. (A perfect day to play bingo.)

Tomorrow Pat is having us over to play dominos and go to dinner at Glory Days restaurant on Big Bend Road.

I must admit, I’m worn out. I’m not used to staying up late and being so active. I slept pretty good last night but I still feel exhausted.

I’ll discuss with Kelly, but I’m thinking we may cancel our next Tuesday trip to the zoo. It’ll mean a lot of walking and I’m just not up to it. (I will have to rent a motorized scooter if we do go.)

Kelly got here last night. Her flight arrived before midnight but it was something like 1:30 before she got here.

We stayed up and yaked until after 3:00 a.m. I’m up (it’s 8:45) but Kelly’s still in bed and Sophie is really worn out. My little fur child played and guarded until the wee hours. She’s hardly moving this morning.

I don’t expect to see Kelly for a couple hours. We were not only up late but she’ll be contending with the time zone difference. At 9:00 it’s only 6:00 in California.

She had a long day yesterday. I called her at 5:30 a.m. her time because I’d checked her flights and for some reason old (cancelled months ago) flights showed up instead of the current ones. It alarmed us but she got confirmation on the correct schedule and her departure wasn’t until 2:00 p.m.

Last night we reviewed the stuff we’re scheduled to attend. Today and tomorrow are quiet days. We can do what we like any time. Actually we’re not locked into anything (except the cruise, and the show at the north clubhouse).

In four days, Kelly will be arriving. I have lots to do before she gets here. Her room (especially her closet) is a mess. It smells stuffy so I need to open the window to air it out. Ken said on Thursday he’ll help me open the futon, but I want to wash her bedding and towels to make sure everything is fresh.

I’ve been trying to understand why I’ve been feeling so rotten. I think it might be the prescriptions I’m now on. The “statins” have the side effects that I’m experiencing. My stomach pains are worse after I’m in bed for a while. Coincidentally I take my ‘scripts just before I go to bed.

I’m skipping the statin prescription and I’ll see if I feel better. I’ll also cut down on fried, high cholestrol foods.

I haven’t seen Ken at all because I haven’t felt up to dealing with company.

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With all the pandemic protections I’ve been using, I have avoided catching any cold virus or the flu. I hate to admit it but being more aware, handwashing, and masking when in public has paid off.

After a great birthday Friday, I had a lousy night’s sleep. Don’t know what caused it but I had awful stomach pains. Saturday was not much better. I just took it easy. Went to bed very early and today I feel back to normal. I guess I just needed to adjust to being 80.

Ken is due back today but I have a feeling I won’t be seeing him. I haven’t heard anything from him. I bought two tickets to a St. Patrick’s Day party but hopefully I can find someone else to go with me. I’ve talked about going to the Follies with Pat but it’s iffy.

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Ken called. He thought my birthday was today. He’ll be back sometime tomorrow but since I’ll be really busy, he won’t stop in until Tuesday.

Yesterday was birthday… my 80th!!

Most of the day was lazy and restful. I vowed to take it easy, and I did!

At about 3:10 I headed to Pat’s house to pick her up. (She’d said she wanted to take me out for my meal.) Together we went to King’s Point’s Annual Garage Sale. It was ok, but after a lot of walking, my back acted up and I was pretty miserable by the time we left.

Fish dinner at Fiore’s was excellent. I’m glad that’s where we went for our dinner.

When I took her home, she had me come in to open her gift. (The dinner would have been plenty.) She gave me a lovely purse. It is perfect!

I hurried home. Jay Ungar and Molly Mason had a special event planned for the evening. (It had started at 7:00. It was 7:10.) Their event was a Waltz-A-Thon, because 3/4 (March 4th) is “waltz time.” Many musicians had submitted waltz videos so the three hours were filled with lovely music from all over the country.

About an hour in, Jay and Molly played a tune written by Molly called “Cabernet.” When Jay announced it, he said, ‘Sharon Skaryd, listen up.” Half way through the tune, it changed to “Happy Birthday.” They all sang along. “Happy birthday, dear Sharon.” What a wonderful surprise!!

I can’t imagine a better birthday even if I was alone a lot of the time.

On the eve of my 80th birthday, I was worried that I’d be alone, but as it turns out I have a fun time planned.

Pat invited me to lunch or dinner (my choice). Coincidentally, Jay and Molly are hosting an Ashokan special event: a Waltz-A-Thon. March 4th, can be shown as 3/4. That’s waltz time so they’re going to have three hours of waltzes featuring not only Jay and Molly but others who have submitted a video of a waltz. Even one of my favorites, Junior Dougherty, will be playing. Obviously I can’t miss it since last night Jay even mentioned (kiddingly) that it’ll be an evening to celebrate my birthday. So I’ll be waltzing alone and with Sophie from 7:00-10:00 but I’ll have lots of my music friends watching with me.

At 4:00 there’s also a Kings Point Garage Sale in the Vets Theater. I am picking up Pat at 3:30 and we’ll go to the sale for a short while then we’ll go to Fiore’s for a fish dinner. I should be back home by 7:00 for the Waltz-a-Thon.