Last week’s snow disappeared over the weekend.  Somebody must have been unhappy and arranged to have replacement snow flakes shipped in by express air delivery.

Tuesday morning snow

I think we’ve got more than replacement–we’ve also got supplement.

It continued all day

It was a good day to stay inside and listen to the scanner, read, surf the web and watch a bit of TV.  What do you do on a day like this?

I looked out the window and saw two, three . . . four . . . no, five.  Count them.  Five deer.

Do you see all five?

In previous years, that would not be unusual, but disease and a  particularly brutal winter (not this one) have taken a severe toll on our deer population.  It was a surprise to see this many.  They acted very nervous.  They must have seen me move in the window.

Exit. Stage left

The two on my right started to move.  The rest soon followed.  The one on the far left was a straggler, but was soon putting the motivator into high gear.

Hey guys, wait for me!

Then they were gone.

Only eight days to the Daytona 500.  What’s happening to get ready?

Monday morning, I woke with a very sore left foot.  That happens from time to time, and it usually clears up later the same day or the next.  Not so this week.

I was able to get in to see my podiatrist today.  However, it was at his secondary location.  Which meant driving through Grand Rapids commuter traffic shortly after 5 PM.  For country souls, like Sylvia and me, that is not something we do if we can avoid it.

This is not my foot.

After an examination and X-Rays, first guess is that I’m suffering from gout.  Tomorrow, I’ll have a prescription filled and have blood drawn for lab tests.

The podiatrist gave me an injection in the bunion.  He said, “This will probably hurt . . . a lot.”  He was not wrong.  I did manage to stay in position with some difficulty and many sound effects.  As he withdrew the needle he looked at me and said, “Well you are still smiling.  As usual.”  Seems I have a reputation of being a cheerful guy.

Why not?  It doesn’t cost any more.  If you do that, you’ll feel better and everyone around you will too.

I’ll admit that I loved Mr Rodgers’ theme song, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.”  It is catchy and that’s the way I feel [almost] every day.

Light snow over night left the road and driveways white.  What a beautiful sight!

Snow has continued and now only a bit of green is peeking through.  At this rate the world will soon be white.  What would you expect for February?

Sylvia and I, along with others are glad to see the report that Vanilla has moved to a rehab facility in his home town.  That should make life easier for his wife, JoAnn.

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Last evening was open forum discussion night.

Bed time came too soon.

After breakfast this morning, I had to rush off to the dentist’s office.  I must be transforming into royalty, because they put another gold crown on in my head.

When I returned home, Sharkey was on her laptop computer writing for her newspaper column.  Sylvia was reading on her Nook.  Not to be left out, I came into the office and started surfing with my desktop computer.  We may not have smart phones, but we can get entangled with our electronic devices.

The gals have gone on a walk.  It’s a beautiful day for doing anything outdoors.  I even feel sorry for our neighbors who are stuck in Florida.  I’m sure we’ll arrange an appropriate Michigan-winter welcome home for them.  You may know that means icy winds and knee-deep snow, but not today.

If you read this Vanilla, we wish you were here and not there recovering from heart surgery.  You are present in our thoughts and prayers.  Special thanks to your BBBH (wife), who has been keeping us informed of your progress.

On Saturday, our friend, Sharkey, arrived for a visit with us.  We always look forward to her visits, because we know we’ll have fun, serious conversation, games, lots of laughs and probably some music.

Today, after church, we came home and had Swiss steak that Sylvia had cooked in the slow cooker.  Lemon pie (See My Quality Day) topped off the meal.

Later, we played word games.  The last I saw of them, Sharkey and Sylvia were playing another word game.  Best of all . . . there is more to come.

Their game must be over.  I hear them singing.  Got to go . . .

The following is taken from a post by Ionia County Central Dispatch:

Schools are CLOSED for Tuesday, January 19th, 2016 due to secondary road conditions.

Roads today are icy and treacherous.  However, by 11 AM temp had risen to 15 F.

A good day curl up in the recliner and read.

Happiness is hearing nothing but good words at your annual physical exam.

My doctor said, “You are in pretty good shape for a 62-year-old man.”  I thanked him.  Then he looked at the chart (actually computer) again.  “Oh, you’re 75.”  I smiled.

Now if my dentist was that kind to me . . .  But then, it’s not his fault.

The office windows now have the blinds installed.  That was the final step.

The new blind installed

Step two was to replace the [old] valences over the windows.

Sylvia’s valences add a nice touch of color

The final view looks like this.

Sylvia at work in our office

Perhaps it’s the strong back light.  The walls have a more orange hue.