It’s hard to believe that the June is already gone – and with it, the first half of the year. 2022 has been one of the fastest on record for our little family. The second half of the year will bring with it new adventures but should be a little slower paced for us. Matt continued working in Zionsville but will soon be working in Indy this fall. We looked forward to seeing he and Taylor on the 4th of July. Abby worked up in Greenwood all week and then spent the weekend on the lake, outside of Bloomington. She was thrilled to receive her passport in the mail this week, so she is now counting down the days until she travels abroad to see Will, over in Norway. Alongside Matt’s big news, Luke also had a big moment as he made it through to the next round of his quest to become a firefighter, here in the ‘Burg. He spent most of the week running around with his friends and working on his car. Ann had a good week at work and then enjoyed a 4-day weekend. I had a busy week of performing our semi-annual EOC rounds, taking me four days to complete. I stuck to my diet and exercise routine, losing another couple pounds while beating my walking goal for the 3rd week in a row. I logged 16 miles and played 12 rounds (108 holes) of disc golf, which makes it a great week in my book. It was a hot one this week, as you’d expect this time of year. Thanks to all the rain this spring, the corn is growing really good and was easily “knee high by the fourth of July.??? We enjoyed watching fireworks this weekend but for the first time in decades we didn’t buy and fireworks nor have our own display. Things are definitely different around here… Hello again and welcome to the latest edition of the Scheu Family Blog.
Monday morning was a little rough for me as I was fighting off the effects of the Nyquil that I took to help me sleep – which it did. I added some Dayquil to my morning meds and it helped get me through the morning. Abby was up early and out the door, returning to her work in Greenwood for the day. Matt texted me and said he still hadn’t heard anything from his interviews as he returned to work in Zionsville that day. Luke enjoyed sleeping in that day then worked on completing his exhaust modification project on the Hot Rod Lincoln. Ann & I had fast days. I got my EOP handbook (that I worked on last week) printed out and ready for approvals as well as caught up my paperwork from the weekend. After our morning meeting with our boss (Jim), I began my semi-annual hazard surveillance rounds. I have the week set aside to complete all the aspects of it. That afternoon, I knocked out all my outside stuff, since it was gorgeous outside. We were supposed to receive parts for our new Xerox copiers in the early afternoon, but the guy didn’t show up until we were ready to leave for the day. So, we got the truck unloaded and told them to come back. Hell, this poor guy was just the drive and not even a tech. Justin & I went across the street and played 18 holes of frisbee golf at the Columbus Airpark. I played really well that day, but honestly, we both made some great putts that day. I ended the day with a 1-under (53), beating Justin by 9 strokes. I picked up Ann and we headed home. I had planned to go play another 18 at the park when we got back to town, but Mom & Sandy called and wanted to bring their dogs over for a playdate in the backyard. We put Lola in her bed and allowed Delilah to have fun with Olive (and Pixie, but she just stayed at Mom’s side the whole time). The two doodles were fun to watch as they played for about an hour and were thoroughly exhausted by the time they left. DJ “helped??? me water the grass and bushes and they were both pretty soaked when I finished. Abby came home a little later and brought with her Daisy & Brady. They played a few games of Sorry in the kitchen while I worked on procuring photos and videos for this week’s blog entry. I was pretty hungry that evening, as I continued fasting again that day. Luke came home with Blake after working out at the Y then went out again until late. Ann & I tried to watch a couple shows, but she was pretty tired and just read and slept the whole time. I began editing pictures while watching several shows. Now that I finished the Obi-Wan series and the 2nd season of Picard over the weekend, we’re looking for the next series to binge-watch together… Here are pictures of Luke’s birthday party last weekend.
It was so pleasant on Tuesday. We started out in the low 60s with low humidity and topped out at about 80. Luke & Matt still hadn’t heard anything from their interviews last week. Abby had a good day in Greenwood, working at the Sly Fox. Matt returned to work in Zionsville and Luke slept in then ran around with his friends. That evening, he had his friend from Batesville over to hang out at the house for a couple hours. Ann & I had fast days at work again. I continued doing rounds and finally made it back onto the units. I continued my 48-hour fast. I did not get the jitters like the last two weeks, but I did wind up with a headache that afternoon and evening. I think it might be dehydration, so next week I need to make sure I drink more water. After work, Justin & I played 18 holes of disc golf. He played much better. I shot a 54 (par) with a pair of identical 27s, edging my roommate by 3 strokes. Ann & I drove home with the windows down, enjoying the cooler temps. We should’ve opened up the house but feared doing it as the humidity is supposed to return overnight. I played another 18 holes of golf when I got back to town, out at the park. I could feel myself wearing down due to the lack of food the last couple days and sort of faded towards the end. Still, I managed to equal my score from the last time I played out there with a 47 (7-under). I was ready to eat when I got home and fixed myself a big sandwich, using the rye bread we bought from Wild Flour this past weekend. It was worth the wait! I wasn’t awake another 30 minutes after I ate, taking a nice nap but woke up with a dry throat from snoring. ? Ann binge-watched some Chicago Fire reruns as I edited this week’s pictures and videos for the blog before calling it a night. After Luke’s little friend went home, he went out to Oakley’s house for the evening. Abby had a “date??? with Will as they talked on the phone while watching the same show on Netflix (maybe Outlander?). We didn’t see much of either of the kids that night, which is what I assume will occur more and more as they settle into their new routines as young adults.
Wednesday started out awesome with temps in the 50s as we headed back to Columbus that morning. Abs returned to Greenwood and Luke again slept in. It was about mid-morning when he shared the news with us – he had made it through to the next round…which is a ride-along day! How cool is that? I guess the interview that he felt he “blew??? must’ve gone better than he remembered! I finished my EOC rounds that day and even had time to go lunch with the boss and my buddies at Chicago’s for some pizza buffet. After work, I played 18 holes of disc golf on my own, as Justin had to watch the kids at home. I threw 1-over, 55 on a hot day near 90. Thankfully, the humidity was still low and there was a slight breeze…but man, that sun was hot! When we got back to town, Ann & I went to the store to get supplies for dinner that night. She wanted to grill out, so I skipped playing at the park that night, fired-up the grill and DJ helped me water the plants in the backyard. She loves getting drinks out of the hose, just like the kids did when they were little and Ann & I did back in the 70s. Even the neighbor dogs are got in on the action that evening. Ann & Abby brought out a big plate of BBQ chicken (with Hoboken Eddie’s sauce – yum!) and drinks. Abs made us a couple Savage Apple Bucks, which was very refreshing in the hot sunshine on the back porch. Abs retreated inside to have another “date??? with Will. Ann made some small potatoes in the oven with truffle oil as well as some cheesy broccoli that made us a nice dinner with plenty of leftovers. Luke missed dinner as he went to workout at the YMCA, went shopping for “his??? food and didn’t get back until pretty late. After dinner, Abs made us a couple Andean Daiquiris while she and Ann worked on some shipping stuff. I finished editing pictures and videos and worked on a couple new additions to my music collection before falling asleep to Skinwalker Ranch. I woke up and found Ann was asleep as well so I watched an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount + and called it a night. Here are random pictures from our recent adventures.
Thursday was a fast day. I did odds & ends around the office in the morning, did my weekly rounds and then Vic & I went out for a work lunch. After grabbing grub at Camilla’s, we walked next door to Picker’s Paradise and found a table for our new copier room. Then we stopped by Kroger to get some gift cards for our safety program that we hand out to staff who do things to keep their milieu safe. Vic & I got the room prepped and table moved in then cooled down for a bit, as the temps were up in the 90s at that point. After work, Justin & I played 18 holes of disc golf on a blistering afternoon. The wind was out of the southwest, which made things interesting. We both had some good throws, but I still beat him 11 strokes, 53-64. He was so mad after some of his tee shots that went awry – including a throw on 7 that went all the way to the Social Security office back door! After we got home, I dropped off Annie and went out to play more golf at the park. I got in 9 holes when Ann called and needed me to come home and drop off the bin of Abby’s clothes that we took over there last month. Shawna had stopped by and was taking the rest of them. So, I hopped in the car after 9, dropped them off at home, grabbed a Black Cherry Ice and headed back out to play the back 9. I had a 49 for the night. It was really hot but I enjoyed it and ended the day with over 15K steps and about 4 ½ miles of exercise. Luke spent the day at home, messing with his car and talking to one of the firefighters that lives here in the neighborhood. He said they had a good talk and received lots of good pointers. He is now looking to start a few classes to bolster his chances of getting on (if not this time then at a later date) the fire dept. He worked out at the Y that night for several hours before coming home to eat and disappeared into his room for the night. Matt texted us today and let us know some good news – he got the job at One America, where he will be an Underwriting Specialist. He will finish up at Z-West this summer and start at the new place next month. Way to go, buddy! Abby had a heck of a day with lots of work drama that day. She’ll sure be thankful to have her boss back in the office next week. She’s starting to see why she was hired in to “change the culture??? at the office. She spent the evening on a date with Will over the phone in her room – probably binge-streaming more Outlander episodes if I had to guess. We watched a couple shows, including starting a new one for us called Halo (yes, as in the video game). It was OK, but I didn’t even make it through the entire episode before I was out cold, snoring on the couch. I decided to call it an early evening, after being up past midnight every night this week…
Friday morning came way too early but I drug myself out of bed to get started with my day…only to find Abby already in the shower. So, I went ahead and set up my computer in the family room and got started with my workday about 615. Meanwhile, Ann enjoyed sleeping in that morning but did have to run into the downtown office a little later that morning. Later, I ran her out to a doctor’s appointment around noon. In between, I kept working and wound up working for about 8 hours that day by the time I finished up, later that afternoon. Ann & Luke went over to Columbus to do some shopping for the firefighter training, including clothes and even a new laptop for his classes. He was very excited and wanted to do everything right away. After work, I thought about mowing but it was too hot and the humidity began to pick up, so I wound up watching an episode of the new Star Trek and the next episode of Stranger Things, season 4. Luke & Ann got home at pretty much the exact same time as Abby. As Luke began setting up his new computer, the girls and I loaded up Black Betty and headed over to Columbus. We met up with the Mannings at Panda Express in Columbus. It was my first time and I was not impressed. They were out of most everything, the kids working there were overwhelmed, the drink machine was malfunctioning, there were two items (egg rolls & crab Rangoon) that they kept giving to newer customers – even though they said they’d bring them out to us. So, I had to go stand up in line and keep pestering this guy before he finally got them for us. We should’ve gone next door to McAllister’s… Anyhow, the only thing good that came of it was that we got to make fun of it all with Justin, Amanda and their family. We drove over to work afterward, where it seemed the entire town was gathering for the annual fireworks display. It was the first time since Covid that they had this big of a turnout, though. There were tens of thousands of people out there. They finally brought back all the vendors with food and fun for the kids – all set up by Ivy Tech and IUPUC. It looked like it would storm. There were reports of nasty weather in Franklin and Rushville, but thankfully it never came south. We saw lightning and thunder rumbled several times but we stayed dry and enjoyed the fireworks show. As in the past, CRH sponsored it and Q-Mix did the soundtrack that synched-up with the display. It was really cool and the finally was even better than last year! We had a good turnout at work as well – probably 20 car loads of employees and their family – and only had to turn away a few cars, which is pretty normal. We enjoyed chatting and even played a little frisbee, though Justin & I really wanted to go play a quick round of 9, over at the airport…LOL… The traffic cleared-out after about a half hour, so we said our goodbyes and headed on home. Ann & I sat down to watch a show and we both fell asleep in record time, waking up sometime in the middle of the night and stumbled back to bed. We have lots of social media pictures to share this week.
I was up early on Saturday morning, wanting to get an early start on my day before it got too warm. It had obviously rained overnight because the car and driveway were still wet when I took out the recycles – remnants from last night’s cooler at the fireworks in Columbus. I folded towels and moved Abby’s clothes over to the dryer from last night. She obviously fell asleep before she intended last night as well. The dogs and I got outside about 730 to go water the new plants that we should’ve watered last night. I thought about skipping it because of the rain, but it obviously wasn’t much – everything was already pretty dry back there. One thing I did notice – the ground was REALLY hard. The grass was dry and crunchy and it was already incredibly hot outside. I began mowing and by the time I finished, I was already a sweaty mess. I put the dogs inside, loaded up Betty White and went over to Mom & Sandy’s house to mow and trim. The city finished up with her sidewalk but their yard is a mess. Granted, they threw in some grass seed and some straw, but it’s never going to grow. I talked to Mom for a while afterward and enjoyed some pretzels with her and the dogs (they love them!). We talked long enough for me to cool down a little then I headed back out again. I got gas in the truck and gas cans (for the yard tools) – something that used to cost me $20 last year…now is $40. I ran through the CVS drive thru then went out to Walmart for our weekly supply run. I stopped at GNC & Walgreens trying to find a supplement for Ann that Dr. Mungcal suggested for her then went to Rural King and stopped for lunch at Wendy’s. Have you had their new strawberry frosty yet? Mmm… I stopped by Chris’ shop downtown, called A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That to see the new collection of Hot Wheels that Luke had told me about a couple weeks back. He was not lying – he got in a bunch of good cars. I passed on the carded ones and opted for the loose ones this time out. I wound up getting a little under 100 cars before heading home. I put the stuff away and went back out to work in the yard. I was surprised to find that it was actually a little cooler during the warmest part of the day. While I was out trimming, I could hear the neighbors out having fun and for the first time in a while, I missed out old pool. As much as I complained about keeping it running and clean, there are times I still miss it and, in that moment, I was ready to peel off my shirt and shoes and just run and dive in over the edge like I used to do before the tornado took the pool from us. I had thoughts of trimming trees and cleaning the gutters, but my body had other ideas – a shower and a nap! Meanwhile, Luke came home from spending the night at Oakley’s house, where they had a bonfire. He got cleaned-up and went to Greenwood with his buddies to work out. He & Blake detailed the Hot Rod Lincoln for several hours. Abby got up fairly early and made her way north to Lake Lemon to spend the day with her school friend Lauren and her family on their boat. She got a good sunburn that day and wound up spending the night up there with them. Luke got cleaned-up and went out to Oakley’s house again that evening. Delilah caught another bird that afternoon. She just wants to play with it, but she played a little hard and it go injured. I had to put it over the fence so it would have a chance to heal before DJ played too hard with it again…poor thing… Ann did some chores around the house that day, napped with me and then made a quick dinner for us. That evening we took it easy and enjoyed a relaxing evening by binge-watching a creepy new show on Netflix called Midnight Mass and a thriller on Amazon Prim called The Terminal List. Well, I guess there was one exciting part of the night that lasted a couple minutes – we chased a bird out of the house (yes, that really happened!) – LOL! In all the years of living here, we’ve never had that happen before! Thankfully, it did not shit everywhere – like they seem to do anytime they’re around one of the cars. The dogs got a little riled up with all the fireworks being shot off, out here in the neighborhood. Other than that, though, it was a pretty quiet night… Here are pictures of recent additions to my Hot Wheels collection.
We enjoyed sleeping in on a lazy Sunday morning. The kids were all out of the house and even the dogs were sleepy that morning, which allowed us to get up whenever we wanted. We slowly got up and got to our weekly household chores. DJ “helped??? me water the new grass and bushes out back and wound up catching another bird for her trouble. You’d think these birds would talk with each other and decide to go to another yard eventually. What is that, like 4 for her now? She ran around and played with it for a while. I grabbed as shovel and was carrying it to the back to throw it over the fence when it jumped out and flopped under the shed. I’m sure that will smell eventually. I did the dishes and laundry while making myself some eggs & bacon for breakfast. Luke and Oakley came over around noon to grab a few things then went up to Greenwood to workout again. Abby decided to stay up in Martinsville with Lauren another day and go out on the lake (who can blame her?). Matt decided to stay up in Carmel that night as well which left Ann & I alone with the dogs. I had thought about buying a big finale cake to shoot off that night, but with the kids gone I decided to save my money. We napped for several hours that afternoon. To be fair, I had the best thing on TV for napping – racing! All three races were road courses, which are my favorite types of tracks. We had an invitation to go out to out to the Lowe’s for their annual 4th of July party that evening. But we were feeling pretty lazy and the city fireworks were that night as well. The Lowes always have a great display, for sure. But the city said they were planning to have the biggest display they’ve had in several years. …And with the temps being up around 90 degrees, we opted to just hang out at the house and binge-watch the new Chris Pratt thriller, Terminal List. Then, once the sun went down, we made our way outside to enjoy a cocktail or two, a good cigar and watch the skies from the backyard and enjoy the fireworks display. It was actually pretty good. We stayed outdoors and had a second drink while we enjoyed the neighbors shooting off various fireworks. We sorta wished we’d bought at least one big one to shoot off, but it was fine. The dogs sure enjoyed it as well, barking and running for about an hour or so. It was a relaxing way to wind down the weekend and a great way to put the kibosh on yet another week, here at the Scheu abode.
Next up is our Waybac section, which continues to feature pictures from Deanna’s camera in 2007. This is a good little batch. We lead off in December of 2006, actually, for more pictures of Gma, Gigi and their dogs before we get on to 2007: Mar – pictures of Sandy’s mayoral campaign; Apr – George Jones concert, a Reds game from a luxury suite which was very cool; May – Memorial Day weekend, Sandy’s supporters at the primary; Jun – summer vacation fun; Jul – Eiteljorg museum, 4th of July weekend activities, Grace’s birthday, Keith & Rosie’s visit home and Sandy’s birthday; Aug – Muffin’s new home; Sep – Labor Day weekend; Oct – Van Halen concert; Nov – Maryann’s birthday; and Dec – the annual Owens family Christmas Eve party.
We wrap up with our video segment, which features one new home movie 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 be safe out there. We miss ya, Mom.
Later, Scheu