Daffodils - Harbinger of Spring

 

Daffodils at Casa Tipton-Kelly Spring 2026

I love daffodils!

When Bill and I first moved to Delaware in 2006 the first thing I noticed during our first Spring was the absence of that yellow, sun shine harbinger of Spring, daffodils.

I quickly took action to prevent that happening the next Spring. 

That fall I dug up some daffodils from an empty lot that was adjacent to my one acre lot. The house that was on that site was long gone, now covered in weeds and trees but the daffodils, planted long ago by the homeowner, were still arriving on schedule. I knew eventually that lot would be used so I dug up those daffodils which were my first daffodils for the Spring of 2007.

Since then I've been planting hundreds of daffodils bulbs from both mail order (Brecks) and daffodils at end of season sale from my local nursery. 

My daffodils from 2014, from when Bill first created this oval planter with three river birch trees

I always envied those properties and homesites that had a profusion of those lovely rays of sunshine that daffodils display after the gray, drab cold of the end of the winter season. Now I am one of those properties. In fact I'm the only one here in the development where I live of fifty-seven houses. And you know what folks? Long after I'm gone these daffodils will continue to bloom, a reminder of the lover of daffodils who once lived here.

Pat Has Left

 

Pat leaving early this morning (3:30 AM) for his 12 hour ride back to his home in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. As I type this, he's about two hours away.

Early this morning (3:30 AM) Pat got in his little green Fiat and left to return to his home in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The past two weeks has been a whirlwind of activity here at Casa Tipton-Kelly during his much anticipated visit. In addition to being my husband and longtime friend (since 2013), Pat is a wonderful guest, with benefits! 

Pat checking out the tools in my garage

In addition to being a tremendously sexy guy who continues to turn me on after all these years of knowing him, Pat is a handyman! Maybe not as knowledgeable as Bill but way better than me. He also inspires me to do more around the house here.

Pat changing my toilet seat. If I got down on the floor like this I would still be there!

Also, another benefit of Pat visiting is that I get to go out. I never go out by myself. Instead I stay hold up here at Casa Tipton-Kelly, which isn't bad (I have a wonderful home) but I do need to go out and check what's going on at this East Coast major sea side resort. 

While Pat was down here we ate out often and did discover a few new wonderful places to add to our itinerary of dine out options. I will post about those places in future blog posts.

But for now I'm dealing with the tremendous sadness of an empty house without Pat's loving presence in it.

The good news is that we did complete the online applicate to the USCIS (United States Immigration Service) to apply for Pat's green card. Once he gets his green card he can sell his house in Hamilton and move down here to Casa Tipton-Kelly full time. By the way, that burned out Christmas light was on most of the time Pat was here, unlike previous visits when it was out. That means Bill approves. 

Everything is looking good folks. The process is moving forward. Now to adjust myself to living alone again.

Pat's Here!

  

Just a quick note to let you know Pat is here. He's been here for a few days. He had problems getting down here, got caught in a snowstorm in up state New York. He left at 3:30 AM in the morning for the nine hour trip. There he was outside of Buffalo, in the dark, with blinding snow and couldn't even see the road. With my GPS help though, we got him to a major thoroughfare where there were lights. He was trying to take toll free roads. That didn't work out too well in the dark and driving snow. He did sustain some damage to his muffler and had to have it repaired down here as a cost of four hundred dollars.

He's here now and we just returned from a trip to Pennsylvania to visit my cousin. No more trip for either one of us though until he returns home on the 30th.

There is much to do around the house here. The first being completing that USCIS form for his green card. Then putting up new blinds in my bathroom, and other small jobs. The picture at the beginning to this blog shows Pat assembling my extender limb trimmer. I no good at assembling things. I can cook and write but I never this those kits like little boys did of my age in the Forties and Fifties. 

More news as it happens!

Pat's On His Way!

Pat a few minutes ago at a Burger King restaurant in Bath New York this morning.

 Pat left his home in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada at approximately 3:30 AM for his nine hour plus trip down here to southern coastal Delaware.

He thought he would get an early start. However, he encountered a problem that he had not anticipated. 

SNOW!

He called me from upstate New York State just below Buffalo. He was caught in a blinding snow in the dark.

Pat had decided to take toll free roads for his trip to Delaware but he didn't anticipate that he would encounter snow. The problem with taking toll free roads is that you're "in the country." Add the darkness and blinding snow, he didn't know where he was. Thank goodness we both have our GPS activated on our phones. I was able to tell him where he was and direct him to an Interstate road so he could follow other traffic and then a facility like a gas station or restaurant to pull over and rest. The picture on this blog I took a few minutes ago as I was talking to him on FaceTime. He had some home fries at Burger King in Bath New York and now is going to grab a nap in his Fiat, which doesn't have snow tires by the way.  

Pat should be here late this afternoon. 

Every day is an adventure.

Pat's Visit

 

Pat leaves his home in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada for the nine hour plus trip to visit me here at Casa Tipton-Kelly tomorrow. 

This time he's not renting a car which costs upwards of $900. We're both on tight budgets these days what with the cost of living ever rising and our fixed incomes not rising. He's driving down in his tan Fiat.

Pat's last visit he rented a hybrid car. It got great gas mileage but I had a very difficult time getting in and out of his car. Interestingly I don't have a hard time getting in and out of his Fiat, which is a very small car. The hybrid car Pat rented was just too low to the ground. Absolutely killed my legs and back.

Having someone around the house will be nice even though it takes some getting used to. After living by myself for a couple of years I've sort of gotten used to living alone. Taking my multiple naps. Coming and going as I please. Pat is good company and the perfect guest. This is going to be nice.

By the way, the picture above isn't the car Pat is driving down. He's coming down in his Fiat.

Will I Watch The Oscars Tonight?

In years past I used to be a faithful viewer of the Oscar telecasts. Lately though, I can barely get through that orgasmic self congratulatory of self important actors and others in the movie industry. Maybe because I don't know who these people are.

This year I know of Timothee (accent over the first "E") Chalamet, that little self important twerp who seems to think his performance in "Marty Supreme" surpasses and opera or ballet production in history. 

I have to admit I never got the whole Timothee thing. What is that all about anyway? What am I missing? I've only seen him in one movie. That one with Armand Hammer which was an older man falling for a younger man (Timothee). That movie? Meh. It got a lot of build up but as a gay man, I didn't find this movie particularly interesting. Maybe I'm just a crusty old man. Probably.

Anyway, I'm taping the Oscars. I'll fast forward through the boring parts, where they give out all the non acting awards where whole groups get up on the stage with their affected scarves and hairdos and thank everyone from their first grade elementary school teacher to their new born children for their "great success." Hey folks, you didn't discover the polio vaccine. Dr. Jonas Salk discovered that vaccine and he didn't have to attend a self congratulatory orgy party to accept his award. 

That's it. Onward and upwards. 

Do I Need Netflix?

 

Tonight again I tried to bring up my Netflix streaming service in my bedroom. That's where I have my main TV, in my bedroom which Pat calls "The Tipton Cinema." Lately I've been having problems having a strong signal. Often I can't bring anything up and if I do, it pauses (buffers) and then tries to download the signal again. Sometimes I wish I had the old Netflix service of renting DVD discs. 

Then there is a problem of the paucity of movies and series that I'm interested in when I am able to get a strong signal. I see other series and movies that I'm interested in on other platforms like Hulu, Prime, Paramount, and Max but one has to subscribe to each one of those services. Damn if I'm going to put out about $200 a month looking for a decent movie or series.

Then when I do get a movie that I'm interested in, I invariable have to sit through the obligatory soft porn sex scenes, which quite frankly bore me. I usually close my eyes because I'm so bored and just waiting for that part of the movie to move on, and the next thing I know I'm asleep. How many times have I seen the scene where as soon as the couple gets to their home or apartment they start tearing each others clothes off and have sex on the kitchen granite countertops, grunting and groaning. Not sexy at all. BORING. 

Another problem I have is with the heavy emphasis on diversity in all the current movies and series. I am taking a chance on offending with my remarks here but here goes, King George the 3rd's wife was not black regardless of what series Shonda Rhimes creates. I'm all for minority (black) actors having as much opportunity as white actors and not being just relegated to stereotypical roles of maids, pimps, gangsters and whores but come on. Even the most liberal person has to admit that the diversity bit is overplayed in current movies and series just as the soft porn is. I get it, I get it. To me much of what is being produced today is just not realistic. And what's with all the whispering? 

Remember when you could watch a movie and you didn't need subtitles? Look at the ads for movies and series on TV. A lot of "Boom! Boom" and a woman or man whispering. I know sound has come a long way since the introduction of talkies a hundred years ago but I do yearn for a movie or series where I can understand what the actors are saying.

I'll give this a few more months and if I'm still not finding the content I want I'm opting out. Not worth it to me. 

SNOW!

 This is crazy!

I just got up from my daily afternoon nap and this is what I saw out my sun room window......SNOW!

Folks, yesterday the temperatures were in the eighties. I had to wait until late afternoon until I could do my yard work because it was too hot to work under the midday sun. Now snow today? 

Surely this is the End of Times!

Pat's Visit

 

This time next week my Canadian husband will be here at Casa Tipton-Kelly. 

I am so looking forward to his visit.

Pat will be here for thirteen days.

We have a lot planned to do, including a visit to my hometown in Pennsylvania. 

The last time Pat was here I was hurting too much to make any trips. Hopefully this time I don't encounter that problem with my legs.

We have a lot to do, including completing his Petition for Alien Relative form too file with the U.S.C.I.S. What a pain that is. I hope to complete that form after I finish typing this blog entry. I've been putting it off too long. 

I would like to visit our friend Don in Philadelphia and of course visit that wonderful city of Philadelphia which we both love. I also want to visit my cousin Barbara with whom I've grown closer too after she lost her brother with whom she was caregiving for. And of course I always like visiting my hometown of Downingtown. I probably won't be visiting my MAGA brother. I don't need that negativity in the short time I have left.

Of course the thing I'm looking forward to the most is just spending time with Pat. We're very compatible in so many way. I had a scare last night when I couldn't get in touch with him. He had left his iPhone in his bathroom and thus wasn't aware that I was trying to call him on FaceTime. By not being about to get in touch with him reminded me how much I need him in my life right now. I have acquaintances, neighbors and friends (fewer each year due to deaths) but no close friend. I can't imagine my life without Pat in it. I still miss Big and great deal and look forward to rejoining him in the Afterlife but for whatever time I have left now, I need Pat and our closeness. I just can't imagine being one of those old people who have no one close in their life as they head towards the Exit Door.

Now to complete that form USCIS Form I-130, Petition of Alien Relative.

Have a great day everyone!

Daylight Savings Time

When I arose from my slumber yesterday morning I was confused. What time is it? My clocks were not in synch. What is going on? Then it hit me, daylight savings time took effect at 2 AM early Sunday morning. Oh how I hate the change of time.

I have between forty and fifty clocks here at Casa Tipton-Kelly. I love clocks. I can never get enough clocks. I have all types of clocks, even ones that done work. At least I don't have to change the time in those clocks. 

I have two rawther large clocks that require me standing on a ladder to roll back or fast forward the time. Me on a ladder? Very unsteady. I managed to change those clocks though by being very careful. 

My digital clocks are always a challenge. No two are the same on how to change them. By the time six months roll around to change the clocks again, I've forgotten how to change those clocks. And my Bose radio clock, somehow I always end up disconnecting my three satellite radios from the main radio unit. Somehow I manage to connect them all again but it's one of those "back into" corrections. I don't know how I did it but I always manage to disconnect them. I can't have that because my Pandora radio station music selection is what gets me through the day since I'm all her alone without anybody or pets. I used to have the TV on a lot but not so much anymore since much of the TV these days are just commercials interrupted briefly by content. 

I have a few clocks and my Apple products (watch, iPhone) and Alexa that updates automatically. That's a relief.

I'm telling you, the older I get the more annoyed I get with this semi annual change of time. I remember something my Mother told me years ago when I was just a mere sapling of a young boy. She said "They only have daylight savings time so the rich people can golf an hour later." I think she was right.

Snow Is Gone!

 

The snow is finally gone!

What a winter we've been having here in southern coastal Delaware. I hope this is my last winter like this. I've had quite enough of the white stuff. 

This morning I finally went out of the house to see other forms of life. It gets lonely here, living by myself. Of course I'm in touch with Pat every day by FaceTime and my other friends Glenn and Don less often by FaceTime and Zoom. I also call on the phone (landline) my old friend and former boss Bill and one of my few surviving cousins Barbara.

Pat is planning on coming down for an in person visit on March 17th, which coincidentally is St. Patrick's Day. The same time he came down last year. He will be down for a couple weeks. I hope we can drive up to Pennsylvania for a few days to visit friends. I'll see if I'm physically up to it. I was just to exhausted last. year to make any trips. Also, my right leg was wonky. Painful climbing in and out of that low rental car Pat brought down. He's bringing his own car down this time, a Fiat. While it is also a small call, I'm more comfortable in it and don't feel like I'm practically sitting on the ground when I get in and out of his car.

I'm filling out a new USCIS (United States Immigration Service) for I-130 to get Pat's green card. I'm filling it out online this time. Of course it is confusing and for a while I considered hiring an immigration lawyer to do the work but after checking reviews and prices (poor reviews, $3,000 and up fees), I decided I will fill out the form myself with help from You Tube instructions. I filled out the forms for the K-1 VISA myself and saved a ton of money. Not easy immigrating to the United States from another country. I called the USCIS help line and after one disconnect, finally got through the maze of automated answers to get a real person. Wasn't much help, short and abrupt which didn't surprise me with the current regime that is in charge of Homeland Security. I hate that term "Homeland". Sounds so Nazi German. I think that's a Dick Cheney term. 

I'll fill out a little bit of this form every day and have it complete by the time Pat gets here. We'll go over it together before I send it in. 

Once I send it in I expect to wait at least a year before anything is done then it's probably more forms. I have a serious doubt I'll even be alive when this whole process is complete but I'm going through the motions anyway that we get a break. Both from me surviving longer the return of my prostate cancer and that since the USCIS already has a lot of information on me and Pat from his K1-VISA that somehow that will speed up the process. One thing the guy at USCIS told me that when Pat and I are married three years he's a United States citizen. Of course the catch is that he has to be living here all that time. We shall see. 

It's all so exhausting folks. I'm trying not to worry about it. As the old Doris Day song said "Whatever Will Be, Will Be." Right now I'm just glad this damn snow is gone.