TAXES

weeks ago. Our ailing had us a bit low. To pass the time, I listened to music and watched YouTube videos. Ruth and I read some mysteries mainly British writers like Elly Griffiths, Hilary Mantell, and Martha Grimes (an American who writes about Great Britain). Among the various YouTube discoveries was a scifi series Andromeda from the early 2000s, and musically, a fantastic Swiss yodeler Melanie Oesch and her family; plus we watched episodes of ‘All Murders in the Building,’ ‘Blue Bloods’ and the new ‘Night Court.’

Feeling ourselves again after our week of recovery, we cleared a day to go to Philadelphia to see a friend. On our trip down the PA Turnpike at 70+ mph, we were passed by many fellow travelers. Taking it up a notch, we were still sped by as drivers hit 100 mph on some of the open straightaways. I tried to keep out of their way.

It was an Eagles weekend, and the Schuylkill Expressway was a slow drive filled with Eagles fans. They were rewarded by the Eagles winning that night’s game versus the Giants easily.

Seth Isenberg

We sighted lots of buildings sporting Eagles green. One of the bank towers had a message rotating on the top of one of the bank buildings—Go Eagles!, then E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES! The boathouses on Boathouse Row with their LED lighting programmed to Eagles green.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ win over the San Francisco 49ers put them into the Super Bowl, and a trip to a sporting goods store for us. Most of the sports gear we own is Penguinsrelated. Neither of us own anything Eagles (I do own a Patriots scarf). I’m game to add Eagles wear, as I’ve been a fan since settling in here, and Ruth has a lot to do with making me that fan which means we need hats and scarfs, and we’ll see what can be had.

A football p.s. is a belated congratulations to Penn State football for their impressive win in the Rose Bowl. On another Penn State note, their men’s AND women’s ice hockey teams are ranked nationally…We Are Penn State (at least some of us).

The warmer and less snowy conditions of this winter have encouraged the local geese to stay put. It’s kind of too bad for folks who view these birds as winged rats, but there’s still something wonderful about watching and hearing a vee of geese fly away.

I continue to follow the UConn Lady Huskies. UConn is ranked number 4 as of now, and is going into the Big East tournament trying to get healthy. It’s a few weeks before March Madness, and hopefully they’ll be healthy by then.

Our local AHL team enters a challenging stretch where they have to play at a higher level to be seen as a playoff contender. At their recent game versus Bridgeport, after the WBS Penguins turned out a nice win, Ruth and I participated in a “paint the ice” fundraiser, donating to be able to walk onto the playing surface and paint messages of hope, and remember those in our lives who have passed away from cancer. We painted three spots and were near to support some other friends as they painted. Each of us also managed to paint ourselves a little.

Looking ahead for me, I’m getting near my surgery date. My battle with my little rare cancer goes high-tech at UPenn’s HUP, and I’ll be in recovery by the next Journal if all goes to schedule.

As I finish up, we are in the airport taking an emergency trip west. Other than work this week, it’s been all trip prep, and then schlepping around airports. I walked near a mile within Charlotte and am at our gate finally. So instead of sighting wildlife and Pocono things, I see lots of travelers, the inside of airplanes and the outsides (this place is huge). More about the trip in the next Journal.

To close on a happy note, Daylight Savings returns on March 12 restoring our evenings for dog walks and such.

So here’s to healthy and happy February a good Super Bowl good celebrations with those you love, happy Valentines and Presidents Days, and good weather all through February. Keep healthy.

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