Thanks to the time change, this week we started our commute to work with our lights on but enjoyed watching the sunrises each morning on the way in. Then, when we left, we get to see the sunsets and by the time we get home the car lights were on again. The days are so short, I don’t even have time to play frisbee golf when I get home from work. As the days grow short and the temps get cooler, most leaves have changed colors but only about half of them are down…except for ours, which are almost all on the ground. The farmers took advantage of the Indian Summer weather we enjoyed this week and have gotten almost all the fields down. I would say that about 80-90% of the fields on our commute to / from work have been harvested. Matt had a better week but working with at-risk youth is a tough job and there is always drama and stress. Sometimes the best you can do is just keep them safe, which he worked hard to do this week. Abby got some big news from her ??? sisterhood as she worked hard in her classes, which were in-person…for now at least. Luke’s school was closed this week as the county deals with a large spike of cases. He does well with the virtual classes and attended wrestling practices each day this week. He had ten pounds to lose and I think he has already achieved that goal. He was a big help this weekend as we worked around the house. It was good spending time with him…it reminded me of when he was little and he would want to hang out with me all day long. Nowadays, he’s so busy and of course wants to hang out with his friends – like kids should. Still, I enjoyed it. Ann & I both had quick weeks and got to spend a little time with our friends, which is always good for the soul. I was not very good with my diet nor my exercise as I gained two pounds and only managed about seven miles of exercise. Justin and I spoke about it and we’re going back on the diets next week. The big news of the week, though, was the presidential election. It was tight and we didn’t have a decision until the weekend. Although there will be re-counts and lawsuits (hell, they don’t even have all the votes counted yet!) they finally announced that we will have a new leader in 2021. We can’t help but wonder what sort of changes we will see but surely it can’t be as bad as 2020, right?? Hello again and welcome back to the Scheu Family Blog.
It was a cold start to the week with temps all the way down into the twenties. Ann & I had busy days at work which helped the day fly by. Justin, Vic & I went to lunch at Sirloin Stockade, which really hit the spot. Luke got up for the first day of his virtual school. He got his work done then went out for lunch. Brayden stopped by that afternoon to study (whatever!). Later, he went to wrestling practice to begin the next season of his junior year. He said that there was a poor turnout, partially due to the COVID quarantine that devastated our football team just three days ago and partially due to the schools being closed for COVID. I was late getting out of work and only managed to quickly take a lap around the IUPUC campus for about a mile and a half before I picked up Annie and headed on home. We made plans to meet up with Bu tomorrow to go vote together. I did not get a chance to talk to Matt, but I think he began season two of him coaching wrestling at the Z-West middle school where he teaches. Luke came home, showered, made dinner and disappeared into his room to play PS4. Ann made cheesy Fireworks popcorn for dinner that night as we watched Monday Night Football (OK, I did while she read on her phone). Once we got bored with the game, I turned on some stuff from our DVR and promptly fell asleep and wound up going on to bed early. Here are pictures from Luke’s final football game of the season last week when he and the Pirates faced Franklin County in the 2nd round of Sectionals.
Election Day was much warmer. It started off down near freezing but warmed nicely and became a lovely sunny afternoon near 70! Of course, the talk of the day was all about the election. They started boarding up businesses downtown in preparation for rioting and looting after the election results are announced. How sad is it that our country has come to this point? Ann & I talked about it with the kids that day – that no matter who wins the presidential election, we still have to get up and go to work tomorrow. Although the position helps shape the direction the country goes in, it doesn’t impact our lives that much one way or the other. It was another fast day at work, helped in part by the fact that we left a couple hours early to go vote. Abby wanted to go with us, but she couldn’t make it early when we like to go (before work). Instead, she met us at home and we went to the Knights of St. John’s Hall to rock the vote. We came home and watched the election coverage before meeting Luke at El Reparo. He said he had an easy day of doing virtual learning from home then went to wrestling practice that afternoon. He was pretty sore and a little sweaty when he got to the restaurant. We enjoyed a Taco/Tequila Tuesday. Once we finished with dinner and margaritas, we had a little fun running a Polar Pop out to Gigi after the polls closed as she began covering the election results. This year, the courthouse was closed due to COVID, so Sandy and her crew were out at Wolf Theaters in theater #3, broadcasting live in front of a small audience that gathered to hear how the election went. They’ve really changed it up out there and it looks great the lobby now has little rooms where you can hang out and there is a Noble Roman’s back there as well! We got our traditional picture with the Gigster then came back to the house. Abs finished her laundry and then headed back to school to work on her accounting homework. Lukey stayed up and talked with us for a while before showering and retreating to his room. We flipped back and forth between a couple shows off the DVR and the election coverage. When we finally went to bed, it was a close call on the presidential election but the governor race was over and Holcomb was in for another term, here in Indiana.
When we woke up and got ready for work on Wednesday, we still didn’t have a decision on the presidential election. It was another pretty day with temps in the 70s again. We had a fast day at work, as both Ann I kept busy and before I knew it, I was out walking around the airport property. As has been the norm here lately, I got out late and only managed about two and a half miles of exercise. I was hoping to play some frisbee golf that night, but it was already dark when we got back to town. We came home for a few minutes. When I let the dogs out, I noticed that Delilah had broken her chain again. Upon closer examination, one of the connectors came loose and is somewhere in the yard. I dropped Annie off at ElRep, where she had dinner and drinks with her friends. I ran to Topps and picked up a couple new connectors and on my way home, I ran into Luke, who was coming out of the gas station as I passed. I pulled over and we talked about his wrestling practice, virtual school and dinner. He wound up running out to BK while I came home. When he got home and jumped in the shower, I went to get dinner out of the bag and noticed they had given him the wrong food. Instead of a pair of burgers, we had a pair of chili bowls. He went back out and got the right food. He had just sat down to eat when Ann called. Apparently, the gal who was giving her a ride home had ran her battery out and needed a jump. So, he went out and got the ladies taken care of (he’s such a good boy). When he came home, we watched the newest Godzilla movie on the big screen. …Well, he did while I slept. He woke me up because my snoring was louder than the TV so I went on to bed. I’m not sure why I’ve been so tired this week. But I bet it has something to do with the combination of horrible diet, lack of adequate exercise and the time change. Something has to change… Here are random pictures from our recent adventures.
Ann didn’t even wear a jacket to work on Thursday morning. That’s when you know that we are enjoying a true Indian Summer when she doesn’t wear a jacket in November! ???? It was another busy day for me. The boys were dying to go out for pizza and so after driving around town a little, we finally decided on Snappy Tomato so we could get their buffet. It was about what you expect. The afternoon flew by and before I knew it, I had again missed my window to exercise and picked up Ann so we could head home for the weekend. Luke enjoyed another easy day of virtual classes then worked his butt off at wrestling practice. He said he has already dropped most of the weight he had to lose before their first meet which is great news! It is so much easier for him that it was for Matthew. Ann & I went to the grocery store so we could get supplies to make jalapeno popper dip for cards that night. She wasn’t in the mood to cook, so she showed me how to do it and now I will be cooking it for the gang each week! We didn’t have a very good turnout for the “coaches meeting.??? ???? Shawn and I got to the Bewley Bar B&B about the same time and we caught up with Rick and watched the first half of the football game. It wasn’t much of a game, but we didn’t mind as we drank the growler of Six-Foot Strawberry Blonde from my birthday then enjoyed a few Manhattan cocktails with the best cherries (Luxardo) I’d ever had – they really made the drink. I was the big winner, winning damn near every hand. We didn’t play for very long as Bryan came at halftime after practicing next door for an upcoming gig with Rob in his basement studio next door. As always, we had lots of good food. We had my popper dip as well as Rick’s spicy pretzels and Shawn’s snack platter with tons of cubed meats and cheeses – yum! We sent our traditional salute to the participants that didn’t show up that evening. Bob had the best excuse, as he was prepping for knee replacement surgery the next day. We played a little longer after the game ended but Bryan and Rick had to get up for work in the morning. I’m not sure if we’ll have a game next week as Rick & Lynn may be in Maui and Shawn may be in Fargo. Hmm…I wonder who got the better deal our of those two!? Here are pictures of recent additions to my Hot Wheels collection.
I slept in an extra hour on Friday morning, as I had the day off from work. I got up and drove Ann to work after we visited the Dunkin drive-thru. After dropping her off downtown, I came home and did a few chores around the house. Luke came home after spending the night at Oakley’s house last night. I charged the truck battery and then went out to mow. It was a little too wet still to mow, so I went out to the park and played a round of frisbee golf. I was horrible. There was a decent breeze from the south that impacted all my tee shots. My mid-game was pretty good but short game was awful. I wind aided in getting me to the green on 5 (the long one on the island) and I had a shot I should’ve made but instead two-putted. I did that on several holes and wound up throwing a 4-over 31. I came home and when Luke finished with his online AM classes, I talked him into helping me mow the yard. I trimmed while he blew off the porch and drive and then blew all the leaves out from behind the bushes and in the landscaping all the way out to the street. I hope they don’t blow into Mr. Green’s yard before the city sucks them up! After we got done in the yard, we got cleaned-up a little and picked up Annie. We ate lunch at Chilis then did some Christmas shopping before coming home. Luke went to Brayden’s house to do math class and then went on to wrestling practice. I loaded up Betty White and drove to Mom & Sandy’s house to mow. It may be the last time I mow our lawns this year, but I said that a few weeks ago too, so who knows? I showered when I got home and tried to be quiet as Ann hopped on a virtual interview for a position she has open at work and then a virtual meeting afterward. I inadvertently fell asleep and then started snoring, which they all got a kick out of… Abby called Ann all excited that day to say that she got a position with the sorority as one of their vice presidents next year! Way to go, Bu! ???? After practice, Luke showered then ran around with Oakley and wound up staying the night out there again. Ann talked to Matt & Mom O, who are both doing well. Matt had a long day that was really challenging. He wound up having to stay late and had to call in at his night job because of it…poor kid… We took it easy, relaxing and napping with the dogs while flipping between the SVU marathon and some various DVR’d shows. I finished editing the 1200 pictures we had this week, whittling them down to about 300. I compiled Luke’s final stats for the 2020 season. They were quite impressive for the kid’s first time playing at the varsity level. He played in all 11 games, starting at MLB on defense, SB, HB & LG on offense as well as playing special teams on the KOR, PT, PR and PAT/FG squads. He recorded 86 solo tackles and 71 assisted tackles for a combined total of 157 tackles. He had 8 tackles for loss, 12 QB hurries, a sack, forced 3 fumbles, recorded 1 interception and deflected a pair of passes. On the offense, he scored six points on one touchdown, had 10 pancakes, 3 de-cleaters and a pick-six. Luckily, he only suffered one injury and it wasn’t too serious – that darn leg cramp that plagued him the entire season. These are all unofficial, of course; but these are the stats that he and tallied as we watched each game, so I stand by my numbers. Great season, kiddo! Can’t wait to see what you can do next year in your senior season! ???? That night, we heard North Decatur won their sectional – their 2nd in a row! We also saw where Lawrenceburg blew out Franklin County and are our sectional champs. We have a ton of social media pictures to share this week.
The dogs had us up way too early on Saturday morning. While I sat outside on a lovely morning with the dogs, Ann got cleaned-up and enjoyed the day out with Amy. They spent the day in the southern part of the state shopping, eating and laughing. ???? Luke came back from Oakley’s house and we went to Dunkin for breakfast before going out to Walmart for a supply run. We swung by Gma’s house and surprised her with a package of JB Weld (her favorite glue…and believe me, she puts glue on everything!). Luke got up into the attic for her, searching for a lost wreath that he could not find. We came home afterwards and after we put everything away, we winterized the grounds at our humble abode by performing our annual chores on the truck, house and lawn tools. Normally, we do these things when it’s cold outside but this year we were dressed in t-shirts and shorts. Luke drove us to Taco Bell for lunch. Their dining room was still closed, so we came home to eat and watched the A-Team movie and some college football. That afternoon, Luke had to work at Hibbett’s until they closed. Gma & Gigi came in to see him and picked up some goodies for Christmas. The dogs and I napped on the couch and watched the NASCAR truck championship race in Phoenix along with some football (the Purdue game was cancelled due to COVID but IU beat Michigan!). The race went into OT and Creed restarted 8th and won the race and championship in exciting fashion. It was another gorgeous day and I had every intention of getting out to play a few rounds of frisbee golf. Instead, I fell asleep a few times and never made it back outside once Luke left. Ann got home about sundown and told me about her day. We relaxed with the dogs and watched several episodes of the weekly SVU marathon. Luke picked up dinner for us from Arby’s on the way home from work. After eating, he went back out to Oakley’s house, where he spent the night again. If this keeps up, we may have to start paying rent to Monty & Lesley! Ann & I both wound up going to bed early, worn out from our days (man, we’re old…).
We finally enjoyed sleeping in on Sunday morning. I didn’t sleep particularly well and wound up getting up even before the dogs were barking. The dogs and I enjoyed some porch time as the sun came out. It was another beautiful day with temps eventually stretching all the way up to a record-high 80 degrees – we almost needed to turn the air conditioning on! Once Annie got up, we began our weekly household chores and spent the day flopped on the couch and recliner, enjoyed a relaxing day of football (I love my RedZone) and NASCAR (the Xfinity series concluded in Phoenix) racing. Like last night, the race went into overtime and it was Cendric who came from 3rd to win the race and the championship. I taped the end of the Notre Dame game, which ended in exciting fashion as they knocked off #1 Clemson in 2OT! I enjoyed watching last night’s SNL before football started. Dave Chapelle and the Foo Fighters were on and I have to say it was one of the best ones I’ve seen in a while…probably my fave since Eddie Murphy’s last appearance. Luke said work was dead and he wound up coming home after only three hours. The Colts lost a tough one in the batch of early games, forgetting to show up for the 2nd half. A bad call on an interception, early in the 3rd quarter seemed to sap the team of their momentum and they never recovered. The Cowboys faced the Steelers in the late game. They started their 4th string QB (Garrett Gilbert), who did pretty damn well. In fact, they lead the whole game until that last 2 minutes. They actually had a chance to win it at as time expired, but the ball fell a little short and Pittsburg remained undefeated (8-0) for the first time in the team’s history. Meanwhile, although they looked good it was still another loss for America’s Team. Luke ordered Pizza King delivery for dinner and we watched a movie (Birds of Prey) on the big screen. I flipped on the game of the week (or what was supposed to be) as Brees & the Saints took on the Brady & the Bucs. However, it was 31-0 when we turned it off and watched the NASCAR cup race at Phoenix. It was the final race of the year with the Championship 4 going for the title with Elliott winning in Johnson’s final race. I finished up writing this week’s blog entry while nodding off and called it a week…
Next up is our Waybac section, which continues to feature pictures from 2004 from Dee’s camera. We lead off in April – Easter fun with the bunny downtown and the annual Dixon Dance Revue at the high school; June – Luke’s birthday; July- a ton from the 4th of July, a bunch from the Fair Parade & then a night at the fair, Grace’s birthday, the Indy Blues Fest and Gigi’s birthday; August – fun with the new puppies – Minnie Mabel & Charlie Campsendelle; September- Abby’s birthday; October- Trick-or-Treating at Gma & Gigi’s house; November- Memaw’s birthday and Thanksgiving Day; December- Christmas fun: parade, Eve and Xmas Day.
We wrap up this episode with our video segment, which features two new home movies this week as well as several from around the internet.
And that does it for this week’s entry of the Scheu Family Blog. Thanks for keeping up with us this time out and we’ll catch up with you again next time. Until then, have a good one and stay safe out there. We miss ya, Mom.
Later, Scheu