July 24, 2020 thoughts

It is Friday and it is also my Friday.  Since I work rotating days, it is always nice when my Friday is also Friday.  Where should I start today?

I have a bet with someone about who will become a grandparent first.  You know who you are.  It looks like I will win.  My oldest daughter is 10 weeks along.  In my heart, I feel it will be a girl.  Does that really mean anything?  Maybe.  I was right with each of my kids. 

My wife knew she was pregnant weeks before she told us.  When they finally told us one night when we had them over for dinner, we were very nonchalant.  We already knew.  Our youngest daughter had tears of joy.  J

With all the Covid crap affecting the world, the travel and tourism industries have been devastated.  My company is no exception.  They offered early retirement packages for those who are close to retirement age and early out packages for most everyone else.  My department is losing about 30% of our workers.  Everyone must be gone by August 1^st. 

We are adding more flights next month but not as many as originally planned.  Since covid cases have spiked, bookings have dropped.  Still, will there be enough people to make it all work?

I guess one bright spot is that my work ours will no longer be cut by 25% starting in August.  Since May, I’ve been making 25% less.  Of course, that isn’t ideal but I’ve had a job and some income.  We must give thanks in all things and I am truly grateful to the good Lord.

I do miss traveling.  While I did drive 2 hours to hike in the woods back in May, I haven’t flown since September 15, 2019.  If that isn’t a record long drought since I started working in the transportation industry, I must be awfully close.  I looked into doing a day trip to Chicago last week.  The flights were open but Chicago has restrictions for people entering the city from out of state. 

All in all, life is good.  I am blessed.  You are too.

July 11, 2020 Update

It is been a very long time since I’ve posted anything on my blog.  I apologize.  It isn’t that I have been extremely busy.  Actually, I was on vacation for a little more than 3 weeks from the end of May.  Ordinarily, I would travel but with all this Covid crap, I stayed home. 

The good news there is I have done a lot of work around the house.  Most of it was cleaning and painting.  We have a nice garden.  The cucumbers and tomatoes have been delicious.  I also planted 2 blueberry bushes and have reaped a small harvest with them.  Oh yes, we all have cabbage and squash.  No zucchini, just squash.  I can’t zucchini you but I can squash you.  Are you nuts?  Lol

I finally have a coffee/tea bar in the kitchen.  It could use a little more work but I got a new coffee maker for Father’s Day and I bought an electric kettle.  Both of them are great gadgets.  I have a coworker who made his own coffee roaster and I bought a pound from him.  It smells heavenly.  I’ve never had coffee the day after it was roasted.  It is amazing.  Sadly, it is almost gone.  He needs to cut his vacation short and make more coffee for me.  Who wants some coffee?

My oldest son now lives in Tampa, Florida.  About a month ago he advised us he was with two friends that both tested positive for Covid-19.  In spite of high fevers and other common Covid symptoms, he has not been told he tested positive.  They merely said they would advise him if the results are positive.  None of us believe he didn’t have it. 

There are other family members if other parts of Florida that we believe have it.  Fortunately, none of the older family members are sick.  However, my stepmom will need to have her knees replaced soon and my dad has some other ailments.  Otherwise, we are all healthy.

I still have a job but my hours were cut by 25%.  My coworkers and I joke we don’t want to go back to full time work.  We like the extra time off.  In spite of the uptick of new corona cases in the US, the flight loads at work have been good.  Not great but good.  The level of things to do at work has increased considerably starting in July.  April, May, and June were fearfully slow. 

The company is offering early retirement packages that are very tempting.  However, I am about 5 years short of making that work.  Believe me, I hate to not take advantage but it just can’t work right now.  I’m trusting God knows what He is doing and I won’t reach out for something just because it looks good. 

Here is one positive thing:  I am now certified to teach English as a second language.  Now I am trying to find online students.  The main thing I learned when doing this certificate program is I forgot a lot of English grammar rules.  I know what is right in most situations but not why.  Are there any grammar Nazi’s out there that can help me? 

In my opinion, the news media gets worse and worse.  The rhetoric and manner of reporting is horribly divisive.  I am to the point I don’t watch the news anymore and normally only peruse news headlines.  Updates on the situation in Lebanon break my heart.  I continue donating to an organization that helps, mostly, refugees in Lebanon. They also assist impoverished individuals and families.  I hope and pray the situation there and in other places around the world improve.  As I often say, the poor always pay a price because they can’t afford not to. 

I haven’t done much writing lately.  I will put more effort into posting here.  It helps me to write anything.