Big day to the big city, Mankato. Dennis is ready to have a sleep machine geared to his latest sleep study and he can pick up it on . . . Thursday. Man, oh man. Talk about red tape, and yes, it is worth it all. Insurance mandates and Medicare have their hoops, and though Dennis has been using a machine for the last eight years, he has to go through a training class on its use.

I visited the Geek Squad and purchased three years of Internet security for up to three computers. Right now that is the number of computers we have and the coverage for one computer was the same as for three. That does sound extravagant, doesn’t it? Dennis is adept in the west porch with his television and his computer. What better way for him to see photos of the grandchildren and great grandchildren in a timely way on Facebook. Trying to outsmart the computer on a game of cribbage keeps the gray matter healthy as well. I am fortunate to be able to have a computer in my sewing studio. If the embroidery mode is going on the sewing machine, it affords me the time to pop out an entry for my blog, check YouTubes when I need some clarification of sewing and quilting techniques, plus downloading images for the embroidery options on the sewing machines. It is surprising what .99¢ can still buy. The laptop in our living room is eight years old and I realize it will not last forever. Right now, convenience of accessibility is sweet.

We did get back to St. James before five and Dennis picked out carpet for his porch at Nelson Furniture. It is a remnant and will be delivered tomorrow. You can’t beat local service. Dennis and Tim Nelson go way back. Dennis remembers Tim when he came back from Vietnam. Tim was not in very good condition. It was important to Dennis that we shop locally with Tim.

Dennis is so ready to get his porch back to normal use. He tells me many, many times how much he loves our home on Stauffer Avenue with me in it, and our four season porch is a huge portion of what denotes “home” for him.