Beyond the South End

Sonny's Sunshine Corner

February  17, 2015

Yes, I know it's been a long time since you heard from your favorite blogger, namely, me. At least I still hope I am your favorite blogger. Nanci and Butch and I have been busy settling into our new home here in Warren and coping with home improvements. We have a long ways to go yet, but I look forward to making this home our very own with our own ideas implemented.

We enjoyed the holidays with family. It's been a long time since I've been home at Thanksgiving and Christmas and I enjoyed it immensely. We hope to have many more opportunities to be with family and to invite them all here for a barbecue on our big deck this summer.

The winter in Maine hasn't been very bad so far. Nanci is learning how to drive in a snowstorm and does quite well with her new Subaru 4-wheel drive. All the drifts that were piled upon the deck just last week is now all gone with all the rain and wind we had yesterday. Such is life in winter in Maine.

Physically, I still have my problems as most people my age do. The doc said yesterday he didn't want to do an operation on my back at this point. That's fine with me. I am now dealing with some vascular problems and will get some compression stockings soon.

The right thumb is another question. As you remember, I had to curtail my typing because of problems with pain in that thumb. It will be x-rayed next week and I expect the doc will operate on it. I've been putting it off because when I had it done years ago it was a big nuisance to have my dominant hand unusable. I want to get it over with, however, so that I can finish the book I'm working on and go back to bringing you stories on this blog.

If you read the story I presented in December about the Millay house on Broadway, you know that at the present time it does have backing from a group, so things will progress on that front very soon I should expect. If you care about preserving Rockland's history, ask at the Historical Society located up at the Rockland Public Library about how you can help. I will try to get more involved myself soon, probably after the winter is over.

Cousin Mary Sue of the Hilton Homestead in Bremen, which I have written much about on this blog, visited yesterday so we could discuss her using her considerable artistic talent to paint a mural on two walls of my office. I miss the murals I painted myself on the walls of my office in Georgia. Of course she will do a much better job than I did.

Since I last communicated with you here, we have had an addition to our family with my great-great nephew. He is the son of my great-niece Danielle and her husband Haydn. The baby's name is Ezra Theodore Deal. The middle name is for my late brother Ted, whose column, "Fish and Chips" has appeared in this blog. We all miss him and agree that the newest baby has a wonderful name to live up to.

Nanci and I look forward to the spring and summer in Maine. It will be her first and I have so many favorite places in this area to show her.  We both look forward to it. Meanwhile we will cope with Maine's winter with the rest of you. I'll see you again soon I hope. Butchy says, "stay warm."