Cleaning up from vacation

  We left from New Jersey at 6:30 on Sunday and arrived in Marshalltown, IA at 12:30 Monday morning. It was the quickest we had ever made it back. Normally we get stuck for an hour or 2 around Chicago, but this year it was smooth sailing. It was a relaxing vacation. Except for a rainy Thursday in New York, we spent every day at the beach. I read a couple of chess books, and a book by Norman Vincent Peale, “Enthusiasm Makes the Difference”. Peale’s writing reminds me of an old-fashioned version of the sermons of Joel Osteen. I watch Osteen’s TV show every Sunday (except these last 2 when we were travelling) and both men have a basic message of doing what you can and trusting in God to work out the rest. They both also advocate praying for what you want as if you’ve already received it.

  After a couple of hours sleep, on Monday morning I picked up 16 year old Queenie and 14 year old Tuffy from the vet where they were kenneled. Last year, we kenneled them for 2 days and when we picked them Up, Queenie could barely use her back legs. After a couple of weeks of gradually lengthening her walks, she got her strength back. This year I can barely get her to walk out to the curb and back. She lays on the ground with her back legs splayed out and will only walk if I pick her up and carry her outside. I’ll keep trying to get her back walking, but I’m afraid that where I used to think she had years or months left, now it may be down to weeks or days.

  Today I got back to work and it was as if I’d never left. It is nice to be getting back to my routine. I managed to keep up with my exercise resolutions until Friday, when I started going to bed before I finished my exercises. Today is the first day I’ve biked 2.5 miles and did my 30 push-ups since last Thursday. I’m even a blog behind my 2 a week schedule. I’ll probably play in a chess tournament this week which will help me catch up. As nice as it is to be on vacation, I’m looking forward to getting back my normal routines.