FAMILY Hi - Got to spend a few days with the Illinois side of the family in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Also spent some time helping out my niece and her husband painting a lot of rooms in their new extension.
Low - None
HEALTHCARE
Hi - Now that I'm at that age, the summer was spent taking care of some needed procedures as well as a chipped tooth at the dentist's. The "backdoor" procedure was clean as a whistle and the "frontdoor" one revealed only a minor blip that is being monitored.
Low - The total cost of everything was astronomical. Obama and Congress better clean up health care costs and strengthen insurance plans or else I will be looking for a summer job from now on to offset costs. Now I know why mothers always want their daughters to marry doctors.
GARDEN/WEATHER
Hi - The weather this summer was very pleasant albeit a bit rainy. There were very few 90+ and humid days.
Low - The lack of sun and overabundance of rain resulted in a disappointing crop. Tomatoes were late and pepper and eggplant plants took forever to reach full maturity.
CAR
Hi - My Toyota reached its four year anniversary in early August. It had 61,370 miles and it still runs good.
Low - I took it in for a 60,000 miles check-up. The majority of the work was the brakes and the majority of the bill was the labor. If your daughters can't find a doctor or a lawyer, then marry a mechanic.
RUNNING/COACHING
Hi - I finally got my running stamina up to about 3+ miles a day at a good pace. The good groove was an impetus for a better diet and some weight loss. I also ran in my first race in about 14 years.
Low - There will be no coaching Cross Country this fall. And the chronic aches and pains of old age along with sore hammys resulted in many lost days of running. Lost days were followed by runner's depression, weight gain, and more trips to Burger World for fat-boy breakfasts.
SPORTS
Hi - Watching the IAAF World Championships (Track & Field) in Berlin for a whole week. It was like watching nine days of the Olympics without every other lame event or sappy "up-close-and-personal" stories. It was just plain old running and nothing else.
Low - The return of Yankee dominance in the major leagues. They currently have the best record in baseball. Who will stop them? Please, someone!!
