For reasons unknown (but probably having to do with being 66 years old), I have had a difficult time remembering what day of the week it is. I’m optimistic that now that’s it’s Monday, I’m going to be able to keep track of what day it is. Today is Monday, tomorrow is Tuesday, the next day is Wednesday, and so on.

We are beginning to get into a routine. When I say we, I mean Bill, Jen, and me. For the first time since we bought this house together in 2010, the three of us are going to be living together for a full two months. It’s a small house, ladies and gentlemen, so keep us in our prayers.

The reason Jen is staying is that she will be having knee replacement surgery a week from today. It made sense for her to have the surgery here because we live in a ranch-style house with no basement, and there are many, many people to be care partners for her. Between her daughter Maggie, Beckie, Bill, and me, she will be watched like a hawk.

While we await her surgery, we are getting used to living with one another. She  brought her dog Winston because two months was a bit long to leave him at home with a bowl of water and the window cracked. He has been no problem thus far, but you can see him looking at Jen and thinking isn’t it time to go home now? For Bill and me, our biggest concern is that we don’t trip over him given that we aren’t used to a dog and he’s very small. So far, so good…..

Our weather when we first got here was not very good. I felt bad about that because we brought Addie with us, and she was looking to go back to school with a suntan. She gave it her all. She literally wore nothing but shorts and short-sleeved shirts the entire five days, despite the fact that the temperature hovered around 50 degrees. Maggie told her that everyone would know she was a visitor because all of the Phoenicians were wearing parkas and Uggs. Brrr. She shrugged it off and dressed like she was on the beach in Mexico (which is probably where she wished she was).

The thing is, for the past four or five days, the weather has been beautiful — 68 degrees and full-out sunny. I texted her the other day and told her about our weather. She responded: Shucks.

This week our focus will be on stocking our larder, trying not to eat out every meal, getting back into regular exercise, and getting Jen mentally and physically ready to face surgery and the subsequent recovery.

As for me, I appear to be fully recovered from both bowel obstruction and shingles. We are all ready to face the adventures ahead.

To celebrate, his sisters took our brother Dave out for dinner to celebrate his 60th birthday. Yes, friends, it’s true. My baby brother is now 60. What’s next?…..