Summer 2020
My Dear Friends,
My last newsletter was dedicated to Linda’s daughter-in-law, Stephanie, and her passing from ALS. I thought I would now bring you up to date with my general news.
July was a very busy month in many ways. Besides Stephanie’s passing on the 5th of July, the 2nd of July marked the 9th anniversary of the freak accident which left me paralyzed. While Stephanie went into hospice on the 1st of the month, I went into the VA hospital in St. Louis for 5 days of respite to free Linda up to help her son John and her granddaughter, Maggie. After only 4 days in the hospital, I contracted pneumonia. The upside is that it was a light case and I recovered 3 days later. I’ve had a bladder stone for quite a while now and was due for surgery in March; however, due to the outbreak of Covid-19, it was postponed. Since I was in the hospital for respite, Urology decided to perform the surgery. The morning after surgery the Urology team came by my room for a post-surgical check-up and informed me that the stone they removed was the size of an egg! No wonder I had been in pain. On the 15th of July, I marked my 76th birthday and I thank you for the many greeting cards I received. Two days later, Maggie celebrated her 2nd birthday.
This Corona virus pandemic has certainly changed our lives dramatically. We all know it has effected industry and created massive unemployment. This situation, of course, has caused the cancellation of Scottish festivals and the loss of income of musicians and entertainers. My CD’s usually were sold at 6 prominent Highland Games around the country. This is where shameless Alex Beaton gives his “hard times” sales pitch though it might not be the appropriate time as we are all feeling the pinch of this hardship. Nonetheless, you know me! If we do receive a second round of stimulus checks, don’t forget about either your favorite Scottish folk singer or another musician who depends on the sale of his/her CDs for their livelihood.
One of my favorite passions is my love of sports. I’m an avid fan of the English Premier League football/soccer. With only seven games left in the season, the governing body decided to play out the remaining matches. The teams played to empty stadiums and it was quite hilarious to listen to the play by play commentator with piped-in crowd noise in the background. Liverpool easily won the league for the first time in 30 years. My team, Manchester United, who are great rivals of Liverpool, have won the league 13 times under Sir Alex Ferguson who hails from my hometown of Glasgow, Scotland. The season is over and the league was successful in having no reported positive cases of Covid-19 during this time frame. As a sports junkie with a passion for golf as well, I’m pleased that the PGA Tour is back on. I recently watched the PGA Championship, the first major tournament of the season and was happy to see a young 23-year old Californian beat a world class field.
I qualified for a new power wheelchair which was delivered to me in March. In setting up the chair, the Rep discovered there was something wrong with its electrical panel; new parts had to be ordered which meant that the chair was out of commission. Because the Corona Virus hit St. Louis about that time, it sat stored in our garage until August 1st when Tony, the Rep was cleared to come out for a home visit. Before he started working on the chair, he and I talked about football/soccer. He is a fanatical Liverpool fan and knows everything about the English Premier League, the clubs, the players and coaches/management. I refer to Liverpool as scum and their fans as scumbags; Tony laughs and takes it in the spirit in which it was intended. As a footnote, Tony fixed the chair and I am enjoying my new ride.
As always, it is great enjoyment having Maggie at our home. It is the best medicine for Linda for she smiles and laughs the whole time. They are inseparable. How wonderful it is to see Maggie increase her vocabulary as she repeats a lot of what is said to her and is extremely quick to learn. She is a joy to behold.
Please stay safe and when going out WEAR YOUR MASKS.
Love,
Alex
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