It’s quite dark outside this morning with Mother Nature preparing to rain on us in a most-of-the-day event. It isn’t particularly cold, though, which is nice. I’m thinking that if she is cooperative today, I’ll try to clean out the planters on the deck. If the rain is TOO hard, or is blowing, I’ll have to put it off until tomorrow.
Katz’s Delicatessen
We had MY favorite Thanksgiving dinner last night – turkey sandwiches. We still have a bit of turkey left over to eat with a couple of lunches, but the main splurge of the holiday is gone now.
UAB Medical West
Our son, and a friend and his wife did a big extra for Thanksgiving this year. They thought the Thai people might enjoy experiencing an American Thanksgiving dinner, and so served plates to people. Our son said they all had a wonderful time.
I’m not really sure what the day will bring. We don’t have any have-to’s today, and for that I’m grateful. I’m in the middle of a good book, and I don’t have to cook a lot today, so I’m a happy camper.
I hope that you are able to stay warm, dry, and happy today, too. :0)
I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a lazy happy day with football games, computers, reading, napping, and, of course, dinner. My husband complimented me on the dinner a couple of times last night and again this morning. I’m planning to fix turkey sandwiches (my favorite part of Thanksgiving) tonight. :0)
Today is warm (54 degrees F.) for this time of year, but it’s gray, wet, and misty. Things won’t dry out enough for me to do much in the yard today, and then we’re supposed to get rain tomorrow. UGH. I’ll never get the yard ready for winter at this rate. The weather makes me want to curl up under my throw.
The only constructive thing I’m planning for the day is vacuuming. I hope that your day is a fun one.
I hope you’re doing well this morning. I’m leaving in a minute to get a much-needed haircut. I look like a dandelion-gone-to-seed, but I’m confident that Michael can work his usual miracle, making it look like someone has a plan.
Yesterday I got the bricks moved. My husband came out to help me with the last two wheelbarrow loads, and then I raked leaves. I gathered several cloth leaf barrels full of leaves and carted them around to the back, filling up the two tomato planters and the new iris planter. If the rain holds off long enough today, I’m planning to use the leaf blower to clean up the area between the top of our driveway and the trio of planters. That will show if I need to weed whack. I’ll take pics later.
If you’re on your way to see family for the Thanksgiving holiday, I wish you a safe, smooth trip to and from, with lots of love and hugs in-between.
Good morning! I’m still trying to get my head on straight with a cup of coffee.
We have a quiet day today, with only getting the trash to the bottom of the driveway and going to our routine doctor appointment this afternoon. I’m hoping to get outside for some work in the yard when we get home.
gonedogmad.com
Today is DAY 130 of my daily yoga practice. I’m still giving myself a star on my desk calendar each day, encouraging me to keep this going. It’s still a matter of determination, rather than it being a ‘habit’ or a ‘need’, but I’m making some progress on the poses and I feel better after I do my session each afternoon. Yesterday I held the plank pose of a quick count of 40.
Giphy
Yesterday I talked to my husband AGAIN, asking for his help and encouragement in my efforts to lose the lard. Right now his help is sporadic, at best. He encourages me, and then, like last night, brings me a plate with a slab of his birthday cake with pineapple and ice cream on top…
He SAYS he’ll try to be supportive at least more of the time, ASKING me before he wants to bring me something. I’m hoping I’ll be strong enough to answer, “No, I’m fine, thanks.”
I’m armed with baby carrots ready to eat, and low fat cottage cheese for after yoga. Yesterday I cut the amount of cottage cheese I was eating by half and was fine with it. Hopefully, I can continue doing things like that, making tweaks or cutting things out. My immediate goal is to see a difference in 8 weeks, the time between my doc’s appt today and when I have to go back and get another blood test to see if the new dose of thyroid hormone is the right one for me now. I think that’s a good amount of time to establish some new good eating habits, or at least be on the road to that.
Google Play
My friend, Linda, is moving to a retirement place very soon. She likes to do jigsaw puzzles, but the huge ones are too much for her now. She does the real ones, not the ones on a computer. I’ll look today and see if I can find one with 250-500 pcs, so I can take it to her as a ‘retirement-place-apartment-warming’ gift.
Today will still be cold It’s 25 now) but help is on the way starting tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to being able to do a bit in the yard again in the afternoons before winter is upon us.
Doga
I did a lot better with yoga practice yesterday (DAY 128). I’m not sure what is happening, but it seemed that my body is finally able to stretch more in many of the poses. I won’t win any prizes, but comparably speaking, I’m making some sort of break-through – either in stretching farther or being able to hold the pose longer. My plank pose holding is now up to a quick count of 35 – much better than the quick count of 10 with which I started.
BBC Science Focus Magazine
I was a slug yesterday, so my to-do list is the same, and even longer today. I’ll try to do better, though I should win an award for procrastination. I SO enjoyed reading, napping under my throw, and even cooking our dinner yesterday, instead. First priority today is going through each of our medicines list to make sure they are up to date for our doctor tomorrow.
I WISH it looked like this outside today. It IS a cool, very crisp, fall sunny day here, but the main color is beige, rather than the glorious display above. It’s 28 degrees now, and the high is supposed to be a balmy 45 this afternoon. The coming days, though, are supposed to have highs in the 50s – MUCH more to my liking and my desire to get more yard work done.
My husband enjoyed his birthday dinner last night, remarking on it a couple of times. :0) We also had a celebratory piece of Mt. Dew cake, thanks to Kay from Lunch Bunch. The best part of the celebration, from my perspective, is the call from Thailand from our son, short though it was, and the fact that instead of being depressed about aging, my husband announced that he was looking forward to his NEXT birthday, because he thinks 80 is a much nicer number than 79….
He’s still in a birthday celebration frame of mind, and requested that I make soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. Birthday and cold weather comfort food, for sure.
Since it’s too cold to work outside, I’m going to concentrate on paperwork in the office and vacuuming today. I’ll pay bills, study our lab test results and make sure our meds lists are up to date for the doc appt Monday afternoon. Amber has left another dog’s worth of hair on the tiles and carpeting. It’s amazing how much more I have to vacuum on the first floor than the second. The second is what I would term ‘normal’ and the first needs a serious effort at LEAST twice as much. It’s truly amazing (and disgusting) how full the vacuum canister gets each time I vacuum the first floor.
And that’s it for the exciting life of the Lewises in Arkansas. I’m delighted I don’t live in Buffalo right now. I hope that everyone there is snuggled into their warm house and don’t have to get out until further notice.
It’s my husband’s 79th birthday today. On one hand, he doesn’t want to talk about it, celebrate or anything. On the other hand, he wants to be 80. He thinks THAT is a good age. Kay is bringing him a cake today at Lunch Bunch. I’m making him one of his favorite dinners – chicken chunks and soup with mushrooms and onions over rice – for dinner tonight. Our son just called from across the world (the middle of the night for him) to wish him a happy birthday and a happy day. I wish you could have seen the smile on my husband’s face and the light in his eyes.
A cold front came through last night, bringing cooler temperatures. No ice or snow, though, thank goodness, but the HIGH will only be 38 today. We’re not finished with warmer temperatures yet, but today will probably not be one where I work outside this afternoon.
metro.co.uk
Today is DAY 126 of my efforts to make daily yoga practice a habit/routine, and I held the plank pose for a quick count of 30 yesterday. I’m not sure whether the practice is becoming a habit or just a part of the day I’m determined to keep doing, but both Amber (our yellow lab) and Abby (our fat cat) seem to think that my getting on the floor is a signal it’s time to nuzzle and play. I hardly get my mat spread out and pillows down before both of them are there waiting for me to join them. :0)
My husband and I went for lab work yesterday in preparation for our routine appointments Monday afternoon. The clinic called me today to tell me I need to change my thyroid dosage, so we’ll be picking up a new trial prescription from the pharmacy after Lunch Bunch today, with another test in 8 weeks to see if the new dosage is correct. (Kind of like trying to regrow a nerve – slow and tedious until the correct dosage is found.)
My husband has declared our driveway pad detector dead and is in the process of ordering a new one. I found the paperwork, so we’re pretty sure we can get the same thing, or an updated version of the same thing, making the replacement pretty easy.
We have NOT found any evidence that any more critters are coming into the garage to get our cat’s food, so for the time being, we’re not having to set our humane trap. Here’s hoping the raccoon we caught recently didn’t have a big family who kept track of where he was going.
Right now I’m trying to hold onto my sanity because our driveway pad detector keeps going off and there is no one out there. There is one good thing about it – when there is an actual vehicle, the alarms are more frequent and longer than the one at a time beeps we’re getting now. It gets on your nerves, though, kind of like water dripping on your head, one drip at a time, but relentlessly.
iStock
We were out first thing this morning to get lab work done for our routine doctor appts Monday. Hopefully, our health will be such that we won’t have to go back for six months. To give ourselves something nice after being good little people and getting the work done, we went to The Dari for a sumptuous breakfast before coming home. I had a really nice veggie omelette. YUM.
There was frost on everything this morning, but the sun was shining, so it seemed things were sparkling. It’s 38 degrees now, and it’s supposed to get to 49 this afternoon. If it actually DOES get that warm, I’ll try to get outside and get something done in the yard.
Santa Cruz Sentinel
As we approached the top of the driveway, a couple of deer leaped across in front of us. Such a beautiful sight!
We got rain overnight and a freeze. I’m not sure about the freezing rain or sleet, but I can’t see any ice yet. No snow. So it’s gray, gloomy, and cold now, but we sure could have worse.
Amber started to bark last night – not a usual occurrence for her. We ignored her. This morning we found a raccoon in the humane trap we set INSIDE THE GARAGE. We had set the trap because we found evidence ‘something’ was bothering the cat dish, the small piece of carpet under the cat dish, the water bowl, etc.
We’ll leave in a bit for my husband’s haircut and errands, relocate the raccoon on the way home, and hope the trash can at the bottom of the driveway is empty and can be brought back up. I’m hoping this is the last of the raccoons for the year. We’ve had more than our share – this is #10.
Since the high for the day is supposed to be in the mid 40s, I’m not at all sure I’ll try to work outside this afternoon. I’ll see how it feels and make a decision later.
This is the forecast for Greenwood, Arkansas this afternoon. Since I’m trying to work in the yard, I’m frustrated.
Trio Planters
Yesterday I went out to survey the damage of the freezes and found my sweet elephant ear leaves hanging dolefully down around the bricks of the planter. I spent a long time cutting each of the leaves down with a sharp knife either at the surface, or below, if I could. When I finished that, I raked up some leaves and put them in the planter. I’ll continue to do that, putting as many leaves as I can cram into it, trying to protect the elephant ear roots as much as possible for the winter. (I tried digging up the bulbs and storing them in peat moss in the garage as suggested one winter and ended up having to pitch the yucky, slime-covered bulbs in the spring. Ever since, I just cut them off and leave them in the planter, hoping to see spears shooting up in the spring.)
Elephant Ear Planter
It’s too cold right now to work outside. If it warms up between now and mid afternoon when the rain is supposed to start, maybe I can get more done outside.
I don’t think we’ll get ‘snowed in’ as such, but I really don’t want to be trying to horse the humongous trash container out of the back of the truck and getting it into place at the bottom of the driveway in the rain/freezing rain/sleet/snow this afternoon and evening, so we’ll gather our stuff early, leave it for pick up and get our mail mid morning, and then ‘hole in’ to see what the weather does. I’m especially thankful we have a warm, dry home on days like this.
My husband saw snowflakes when he took Amber out for the last time last night! It’s 37 degrees with bright sunshine right now, with more snow possibly Monday. Ooh. NOOOO! I’m not ready for this! I’m still trying to get the yard cleaned up!
Diet and Exercise –
I’ve lost 2 lbs this week. I’m really trying not to stuff my face between meals, after dinner, in the middle of the night…. DAY 120 on my yoga practice. It’s still quite difficult for me to hold the plank pose. I made it to 21 seconds yesterday. Pathetic, but progress.
Ham Radio Tower –
It’s gone! George and a friend came at about 1:30 yesterday afternoon. They were able to get the tower lying on it’s side on the ground without problem (amazing) and then proceeded to take it apart. While they were doing that, I helped my husband get the antenna controller unattached from the shelf in the office where it has lived for umpteen years. It did NOT want to come out of the sturdy metal bracket my husband built for it, but FINALLY he was able to get it down. He also decided to give George a signal analyzer. I found the paperwork and we bundled those together. George was thrilled with his ‘goodies’ and we were happy that the stuff has obviously found a good home.
Lunch Bunch –
It was great yesterday. Kay’s husband, Bud, wasn’t working because it was rainy (he works a backhoe). He greeted me with, “I thought it was time for you to enjoy my smiling face again.” :0) He, Kay, and Linda were there. Linda is moving to a retirement place in Greenwood and may actually be moved by next Friday, or soon thereafter. She is looking forward to a more active social life than she has now. I’m really happy for her. She meets people easily and should be happy there. If not, we’ll help her move again.
Supplies –
Since the forecast is possibly snow Monday, we’ll probably get out today or tomorrow to replenish supplies so we can hole in up here, if needed. I’m planning to wait until it warms up as much as it’s going to if we go today. The sun is shining, but it’s COLD out there!
It apparently rained overnight, but we didn’t get the forecast freeze, so that’s good. We might get some rain this evening, but otherwise, it’s just a gray, cloudy day today, on Veterans’ Day.
Final Fantasy XIV.
Since I haven’t gotten calls or messages on my phone, it looks like Lunch Bunch is on. The only other things on our schedule today are 1) that Fedex should come to deliver an order, and 2) that George, the man who came and wanted to adopt our 40 foot ham radio tower and antenna, called last night to ask if it was okay if he came today. He’ll be here around 1pm (hopefully with lots of help) to dismantle the tower and antenna and take them away. (I love it that my husband phrased our offer, “Ham Radio Tower Free to Good Home.”
Columbia Distributing
It’s cool and gray outside now, making me feel lazy and contemplative. I just want to curl up in my recliner under my throw, read and nap. Yesterday I finished the biography of Johnny Carson. Today I’m starting the last one I got from the library fundraising sale about Rush Limbaugh.
I guess I’m contemplative because I wrote the post about Veterans Day, and my husband being adamant about refusing to allow me to honor his service in the park in town. It also made me think about my dad. He was always embarrassed when talk turned to military service. He wanted to serve, and went to sign up for WWII. They rejected him and referred to him as a ‘cripple.’ He fell off a horse when he was 3 years old, breaking his arm in several places. They were able to save his arm, but it was touch and go on whether they could save his hand. They saved it, but his left arm was much shorter than his right and his hand was almost useless. He handled this so well that many times I forgot that he had more challenges than others, but the military made HIM feel useless as a man. If they had hurt ME, I would have gotten over it years and years ago. I guess I’ll never forgive them for hurting my dad and making him feel ‘less.’ They’re lucky they are all gone now, because I would still bite them in the legs, and I haven’t had my rabies shot…
I’m looking forward to George coming this afternoon to take the ham radio tower away. He’s a big man, young, with a can-do feel about him. He was like a little kid, thrilled that he will get the tower. It makes me happy to meet him, and have a very small part in giving him something that will bring him hours and hours of fun and excitement.
Mother Nature is testing our mettle this week, with sunny and 81 today, and rain, a freeze, and high of 53 tomorrow. I have enjoyed roller coasters in the past, but I prefer them in an amusement park…
Shout-out to Marsha – continue to stay safe and dry from the hurricane today.
Shout-out to Cathy – I hope you’re recovering well and will feel sassy soon.
Shout-out to Susy – Thinking of you and Bobby, and hope things are going well.
Shangarey Julia
I’m continuing to try to neaten up the yard, but I’m taking it easy a bit after all the potting soil I moved recently. Making sure we’re ready for the freezes starting tonight and then weed whacking are the priorities for the day.
We stayed up watching the election returns, finally giving up and going to bed around midnight. I’m happy about the results in Arkansas, but frustrated that we won’t know the national results for awhile yet, and what they will mean for the country. Another character-building exercise.
We’re experiencing low 80s for a high today and tomorrow followed by low 50s and below, plus FREEZES, starting Friday morning. I’m trying to make sure we’ve disconnected the hoses, put the freeze protection on the faucets, closed house vents, gotten the water to the irrigation system turned off, etc. before the freezes come. Today’s yard work is weed whacking at least in the front yard to neaten up for the winter. When the weed whacking is done around the house, I’ll see if I can plant more iris.
I wish I thought we would have definitive answers about election results tonight, but I really doubt it. We’ll have delays, run-offs, ‘too-close-to-calls’ etc. We’ll probably tune in to see what we can see, but to say I feel tense is an understatement.
I emptied and spread nine 40-pound bags of potting soil in the trio of brick planters yesterday. Today I’ll continue my efforts, starting in the side yard with one bag each to the two tomato planters and one to the new iris planter. Not sure if I’ll do more.
We’re going to make a run to town to replenish supplies. Hopefully, the trash people have done their thing – if not already – then by the time we come home, so we can put the can in the back of the truck and take it back up. Fingers crossed.
Yesterday we offered our 40 foot ham radio tower ‘free to a good home.’ We had several emails responding and three people who came to the house. One is coming Saturday to dismantle it and take it home. My husband is still able to use an antenna on top of our well house, so he doesn’t have to give his ham radio communications up.
We have no big plans for the day, but the day is beautiful, so it’ll be nice to spend time outside in the sun. Freezes by the end of the week, so I’ll soak up what I can of the nice weather until then.
I hope you have a terrific Tuesday. If you haven’t voted yet, please let your voice be heard today.
I pooped out yesterday and didn’t move ANY potting soil into planters. I got the rest of my list done, though, so I feel pretty good about that.
Right now it’s cloudy (but not raining) and 66 degrees F. – almost perfect weather for trying to get 40 pound bags of potting soil into the brick planters.
We just finished gathering trash, and my husband shocked me by wanting to go ahead and get the huge company trash can into the back of the truck, AND wanting to go ahead and take it down to the bottom of the driveway! I think he’s gaining confidence that the critters are less likely to mess with these huge cans, and that, even if it rains, the lids are heavy enough they tend to stay put, rather than blowing up and letting the rain into the can. I’m delighted about the change in his attitude and not having to worry about not getting the trash where it needs to be for pickup in time. :0)
On the way back up the driveway, we noticed that a branch of the tree to one side of the driveway is horizontal in the tree now. It’s too heavy for us to be able to handle it easily, so we’re hoping it’ll just stay where it is, rather than coming down farther. Fingers crossed.
My plan for the day is to work on the bags of potting soil a bit at a time, doing what I can to get them in the planters and the soil distributed. There are 15 bags, so it’ll take a bit of time and effort.
Bulldogology – Pet Solutions
Today is DAY 115 of my daily yoga practice. I’m still at 20 seconds on my ability to hold the Plank pose, and that’s really working at it. I prefer to think of it as “twice as long as I was able to do when I started” rather than simply, “Pathetic.” :0) I’m now using SILVER sparkly stars on my desk calendar as a reward. They’re really pretty.
eBay
These look similar to the ones I’m using.
The Cut
I’m really ready for the election to be over. I’m at the point where I hate EVERYONE. The simplistic arguments and mud-slinging on both sides is exasperating and embarrassing. I will deal with whatever happens, even if I need to crawl under my blankie. Just stop.
I’m NOT a bazillionaire this morning after winning the lottery. Bah. Humbug. Whine. (just a bit.) I told the nice cashier at the Casey station yesterday that she was selling hope. :0) Maybe NEXT time… Otherwise, a happy day ahead.
I have a busy day ahead of me. It’s all at home. We don’t have any errands that I know of today.
I’ll try to get as much potting soil into the planters as possible today, though I’m not in a rush to beat rain today. I’ll just do what I can and see how it goes.
Today is DAY 114 of my yoga practice. (I was able to hold the plank pose (barely) for 20 seconds yesterday!) I know, it’s pathetic, but TWICE as long as I was able when I started.
Laundry, changing sheets, switching to electric blanket. I love snuggling under pre-warmed sheets and blankets.
I have all our clocks changed except for upstairs and our truck. I’ll do both later. Did you remember? (I’m HOPING that Congress will finally vote to keep the time at one hour or the other all year long. The bill has passed the Senate and is sitting, being ignored, in the House. Fingers crossed.)
I’ll try to order books, warm socks, and food storage containers online today.
We think we came through the storms last night all right. We were under a tornado WARNING for quite a while, and that was concerning. Lots of rain and gusty winds. We haven’t been down the driveway yet, but so far, we haven’t found any damage.
Kelley Blue Book
We got the tires changed on the truck from the regular tires to our snow tires yesterday. We’re a bit “long-in-the-tooth” for this, but we managed. We agreed that when we take them off, we’ll do one end of the truck, then REST, and then finish the job, rather than trying to get it all done in one session. I suggested that we pull the truck up onto the shop concrete pad, but not try to get the truck IN the shop this time. That saved us having to move a lot of things in the shop to make room, plus the stress of getting the truck in and out. It’s good to know now that if we get a sudden cold snap, we should be able to get down the driveway and back up again.
I’m trying to get my husband to realize it’s not the end of the world if he needs to rest during a project. He admitted to me yesterday that during one recent project, where he insisted he didn’t need any help, he got to the point he was almost throwing up with exhaustion. I pointed out that while we were both getting older, we could still do most of what we wanted to do. We just needed to realize our limits, rest and do several sessions, rather than doing something all at once. This is an ongoing ‘discussion’ and I’m trying to be patient with him while not worrying myself to death…
Another example – we need to change the bulbs in one of the upstairs bathrooms. My husband was up on a ladder this morning to do the job. I received the old bulbs and handed him the new ones, one at a time. He got the first one in, but the second one was giving him trouble. He fought and fought with it, to the point he was shaking. I finally got him to give me the second bulb and helped him down, convincing him he could tackle the second one again later!
We have a 20% off coupon from Yeagers/Ace Hardware good today and tomorrow. We’re planning to buy potting soil, gardening gloves, clippers, and whatever else occurs to us in order to take advantage of the savings. We’ve gotten teed off by the coupon system that the store adopted a year or so ago, where you have to “hold-your-mouth-right” in order for the $5.00 coupon to be valid. Usually we find it has expired, isn’t good yet, we haven’t spent enough money, didn’t buy the right brand, etc., etc., etc. :0( This one has to be used either today or tomorrow and says 20% off everything you buy. HOPEFULLY, we haven’t missed something in the fine print (I’ll read it again) and it all works as it should.
There is a “68” right above Fort Smith, AR in the weather forecast image above. Right below that and to the right a bit, is Greenwood. The red, orange, and yellow blobs are due by sunset, according to the weather folks, and they’re predicting heavy rain, lightning, gusty winds, possible tornadoes, flying hair balls, and ‘throw-in-the-kitchen-sink’ for luck.
The Microsoft thingie that gives me news and weather in the bottom right-hand corner of my computer screen, differs, saying the rain should start about 4pm and continue until around midnight. I’m more inclined to believe the computer thingie, and will batten down the hatches a bit when we get home from Lunch Bunch. I was just outside taking a couple of pics of the trio of planters to show you and noticed the wind was already whipping around.
We need to get about ten 40-pound bags of potting soil to top off the planters around the yard, but mostly, this project is finished. I also need to weed whack round the outside perimeter on both sides.
Final Fantasy XIV
I’m hoping everyone will come to Lunch Bunch today. It’s been a couple of weeks since we could meet. It’ll be fun if we can catch up. Kay’s son got married and Linda’s daughter has been out of town, so there will be a lot to catch up on.
Once I prepare as much as possible for the coming storms, I’ll curl up in my recliner under my snuggly throw, with a cup of coffee and enjoy continuing to read the biography of Audrey Hepburn I started yesterday.
I’m having trouble realizing we’re into NOVEMBER now! I’m still delighting in having a few days of fall. We got a reminder on the computer yesterday that we need to change to our snow tires! Arrrrgh! I’m not ready!
YARD WORK
I made some progress on cleaning out the trio of brick planters yesterday. I did a LOT of snipping and hacking on the overgrown stuff in the planters that divide the front yard from the top of our driveway area. My back and legs are telling me today that THEY noticed, but my yoga kept me from being TOO sore to start some serious weeding today after finishing the hacking portion of the project. I’m thinking that when I get to the point things are under control, I may plant some of the iris in here that I took out of the iris planter.
Managed Moms
EXERCISE
DAY 110 on my efforts to practice yoga daily. The newest thing in my practice is trying to do a PLANK.
lifestyle.livemint.com
So far, I’m pathetic. I held the pose for 15 seconds yesterday, and was shaking from head to toe. My husband was encouraging, though. (I didn’t realize he was monitoring my efforts. He SEEMED to be reading on his E-reader.) But when I let down, he said, “You were doing the full pose, not the one where your knees are on the ground.” So, that, and the fact I’ve made it to ’15 seconds’, rather than the ’10’ I started with, made me feel better.
NOTE: In the cute yoga picture with the woman and her dog above, she’s doing the ‘Downward Dog’ pose (appropriately enough :0) ) I’m doing that one now, too, except that – if you look carefully at the photo, HER feet are flat on the mat. Since I’m older than dirt and stiff, I’m WORKING to lower my heels to the floor. I’m still about two inches from that, I think. One of these days….
Feast of Starlight
My husband is enjoying telling me what he’s hungry for lately and is very happy that I do my best to provide it. Last night it was eggs, bacon, and toast. A comfort meal, for sure. :0)
Good morning! We’re actually having ‘fall’ here for one of the only times I can remember. I’m shocked and delighted. Usually, it’s hot, in the 90s, followed by a big storm, followed by 3 days or so of wonderful weather, followed by winter. I couldn’t be happier that Mother Nature is smiling on us right now.
ERRANDS
We’re going to run some errands soon, getting my husband’s hair cut, etc. We actually left our trash can out yesterday MORNING at my husband’s suggestion, so I’m hoping that the trash will have, indeed, been picked up early this morning, leaving no mess. The trash people have done really well for two weeks in a row. I’m still anxious as we head down the driveway on Tuesdays.
YARD WORK
Work is continuing on the trio of brick planters that separate our front yard from the top of our driveway. Cleaning them out is a huge job this time, as the super-hot summer and unusual weather we had resulted in my not getting out to maintain them the way I should. Now I’m paying the price. I’m starting by cutting everything way back. I won’t even start weeding until that is done. Hopefully, I can get that done this week.
The rain has stopped now. It’s very gray outside and 56 degrees. Quiet and hushed.
My husband and I were both up in the middle of the night reading. No real problems – just a bit of trouble sleeping. I tried to take a nap yesterday afternoon to make up for sleep the previous night, but it just wasn’t happening. I don’t feel alert yet. I’m very thankful for the nice cup of coffee beside me.
It was cool and rainy all day yesterday, so the beef stew I made in the crock pot felt very comforting at dinner last night.
It’s cloudy and drizzle-y here today. The rain started overnight and is due to continue through tomorrow. We sure can use the moisture. We’re under a burn ban and Arkansas suffered several wildfires yesterday.
I’m feeling good about my work in the yard yesterday. I was hurrying, trying to get at least SOME of my list done before the rain started. I finished spreading the potting soil in the planters, planted some iris in the niche planter by the house, and cut off the dead stuff from the elephant ear plants. Last night I had some complaints from my body about my activity, but I’m much better today. I’ll probably catch a nap later to try to make up for the bad night’s rest. :0)
The Chunky Chef
When I finish this post, I’m going in to get beef stew going in the crock pot for tonight. It’s cool, cloudy, drizzle-y and rainy, the perfect time for a comfort meal. We’ll have a bit of garlic bread with it.
shesaidbeauty.com – boredpanda.com
Yesterday I was doing my daily yoga practice. (DAY 105) My husband was in his recliner, eating some fritos and dip, reading on his Kindle. I was stretched out on my back, arms behind my head, eyes closed, breathing into my stretch and trying to relax when Amber, our 95-pound yellow lab, started nuzzling me, got on her back beside me, feet in the air, chewing on her front foot, trying to get me to play. I started to laugh and roll over toward her, and suddenly Abby, our cat, jumped up on my side! I laughed out loud at that point, and even my husband started laughing – before trying to help me.
Stay safe, warm, and dry today. I’ve got to go get the beef stew in the crockpot.
I managed NOT to come downstairs in the middle of the night and read while stuffing my face last night. I woke up like someone had nudged me about about 3am, but firmly laid there with my eyes shut, avoiding temptation. I’m NOT overeating at lunch and dinner, but I AM having to convince myself I’m not starving to death between meals and in the middle of the night. I know. I’m certainly old enough to know better.
I can’t believe how beautiful our weather has been since the two days of storms we had. It’s 57 degrees F. right now and the high is supposed to be 70 today. I’m planning to get outside after lunch and work in the yard. My onions still need to be stored, my elephant ears got pretty battered during the storm and I need to clean up what’s left as much as I can. I’m still working on replanting the iris I dug up when I converted the planter from an iris planter to a tomato planter for the spring. I’m not even THINKING of making a list of all I need to do outside because it’s overwhelming. I’ll just plod along and do what I can for now.
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DAY 104 for daily yoga practice. I wish I looked as nice as this lion when I practiced. I bet he’d be impressed with all the cracking and popping my body does as I move into the positions and stretches.
I hope that you’re enjoying a beautiful day, too. Make it a happy one. :0)
I just LOVE this painting. I’ve found more of her work and will share some with you soon.
Today is cool (43 degrees F.) right now and we have bright sunshine. We’re supposed to get to 65 this afternoon. A beautiful day! We’re planning to do some errands and vote early.
Though it might not sound earth-shaking to YOU, I’m relieved that our trash was picked up early yesterday, no mess for us to re-gather, no grousing from my husband about when we leave the trash can for them to pick up. Just like normal people! :0)
Though we had more wind and rain yesterday, we had no more trees across the driveway. I think that Mother Nature has finally decided the roller coaster isn’t amusing anymore and has calmed down to this being ‘fall.’ I hope we have a good, long fall this year. That would be really nice.
My husband bought a new watch and received it yesterday. He spent half the evening getting it set up, the band fixed to his liking, etc. In the middle of the night, he hit the light button so he could see what time it was. There was a really low level light that only illuminated one corner of the watch face, so he couldn’t read it. I’ve just spent 10 minutes typing for him on his computer with a person on chat, trying to arrange for us to return it for a refund. Happily, the man was helpful, and my doing the typing eased the process on this end.
Our “world” here in Arkansas looks fresh and clean this morning, with some sunshine (!) before a new wave of rain is due to come through around 9:30. It looks as though we’ll only have about 4 hours of rain today. I think my friend Kay read that we needed about 9 inches of rain to get back up to normal here with the drought we’ve been in. No chance of that, but all we can get is welcome, though the gusty winds do concern me.
I’ve been having trouble signing in to our investment accounts lately. I CAN sign in as if I were my husband, with HIS electronic code thingie, but I HAVEN’T been able to sign in as ME. I had it on my list to call them this morning, but tried one more time to sign in first. I got right in and had access to everything! A miracle occurred and now I’m ‘healed.’ :0) The other call I need to make is to the wonderful man who is supposed to be healing our driveway…
Yesterday and today have been washouts as far as getting any yard work accomplished, so I’m enjoying working at the computer, reading, napping, and thinking about going up to my art room.
One of my all-time favorite actresses is Katharine Hepburn. I particularly have enjoyed her grit and independence. I’m reading a book called, “Kate Remembered” by A. Scott Berg and I’m just eating it up. The author writes it so you almost feel you are there, in the same room with the two of them. It’s one of the books I found at the library used book sale recently, and I just love it.
I’m also gifting myself time to listen to clips on YouTube of The Voice, American Idol, _____’s Got Talent, etc. I just love seeing a person with real talent blow the judges away and finally get some attention. Beautiful voices that get inside you and make you FEEL are so special and should be treasured. It’s fun to live vicariously through them, wishing each the best, wishing they ALL could win…
I hope that you are enjoying a clean, fresh, safe Tuesday, too.
“Slow and Creaky” describes me today after the lifting/dragging/throwing required to help get the tree out of the driveway yesterday afternoon. Even my yoga (but I did that BEFORE we we left to go to Walmart) didn’t help. (Today is DAY 100 of my daily practice) I’ll try to do a longer, slower practice today with lots and lots of good stretching.
My husband is aggravated that one of the two monitors he has on his computer has gone dark. He had taken things apart this week and thought he had the problem fixed, but now he thinks the cable has gone bad. He had checked on the net and a replacement wouldn’t get here until the 28th – hence the trip to Walmart yesterday. He’s beyond frustrated now, since Walmart didn’t have the cable, but has now ordered the cable he needs, and hasn’t blown up yet.
I was planning to use today to continue working in the ‘new’ iris planter, but I need to give my back a day or so to rest before doing much bending over type work in the planter. I think I told you that I brought in the sweet red onions we grew. They are still in a large plastic bag in the garage. Maybe I can get them stored in the fridge bins and mesh bags today.
This weekend Mother Nature is laughing at us again. Just as we have made the switch to warmer clothes and turning on the heaters, putting the electric blanket on the bed, she’s giving us two days of mid 80’s and wind with strong sun. Supposedly we’ll have another cold front Monday and Tuesday, bringing us back to fall. I feel I’m riding on a yo-yo, trying to dress in layers, turning thermostats off and opening the doors, followed by hoodies and umbrellas and…..
The Spruce Eats
My husband decided he really wanted hot dogs, so we’ll splurge tonight with hot dogs, potato salad and baked beans for dinner. It’s been at least a year since we’ve eaten this, so it’ll be a really nice splurge. :0)
I’m not sure what I’ll do this beautiful day. I hope that you have some fun plans for the weekend.
I just melted when I found this. I WANT this dog! :0)
I hope your Friday is going nicely. I just got confirmation that we are, in fact, meeting for Lunch Bunch. Kay and her daughter won’t be there, but Linda and her family will.
Mother Nature is laughing at us, making us feel as if we’re on a roller coaster. It has been freezing each morning lately (thankfully not hard enough to kill everything) and only getting into the 50’s or so in the afternoons. For three days, we will have NO freezes and highs in the mid 80’s or so. Then two days of rain, then a cool-off. Are you getting a bit light-headed, as I am? I would be very thankful for just some calm fall weather for awhile.
Ahhhhhhh! This woman is READY for a massage this morning. My yoga sessions are keeping me functional, (today is DAY 97) but my monthly massage is golden. Lynn Moody, my miraculous massage therapist, 479-629-7601 finds and fixes all the places I didn’t even know I had places. :0)
Today I’ll try to get a bunch of iris planted in the niche planter, as soon as I add the soil we have left on a pallet we ordered a couple of years ago. We’ll need to put in an order for another delivery before the winter.
We enjoyed a comfort food dinner last night of chili mac with onions and cheese, one of my husband’s favorites. It’s been really chilly in the mornings and the late evenings, so it was a welcome change from what we usually eat. I had enough left that we can enjoy a couple more dinners sometime. (He wanted to have frito chili pie, but our local grocery is having a problem getting regular fritos. Like other companies, they’ve gone on a tangent with honey barbeque fritos, hot style fritos, and bubble gum fritos (not yet, but probably soon), but no regular fritos. I’ll try to get them today after my massage.
We’ve been having some calm days, so things are good here. I hope you’re smiling, too.
I changed some pricing in my Etsy shop this morning. Then I noticed that when I went back to my home page, the old pricing was still showing. When I clicked on an item, the new pricing showed on the NEXT page. So TWO different prices are showing for the same item depending on what page you’re on.
After a long time on chat (at least I got through to a service agent) she told me that others have mentioned the same problem, and that a work-around would be that I go to each item I changed, deactivate it, and then reactivate it to see if that solved the problem. I did, and it DOES solve the problem, but it’s going to take a long, tedious time to do this.
At least I CAN do something to fix it, though it’s definitely a character-building exercise that I didn’t feel I needed this morning.
Verywell Family
IRIS PLANTER-
On a good note, I’m finished cleaning out and weeding the iris planter now. Today I’m planning to try to get the tomato supports in and wire them to the center pole and then to each other to make them as sturdy as I can.
My husband mentioned again what a good job I’d done, but that it “was a waste of time because it wouldn’t STAY done, and I would just have to do it again.” I asked him to name something that I did that DIDN’T fit in that category….
Final Fantasy XIV
I thought that we might do Lunch Bunch today – rather than Friday when Kay can’t be there. Her daughter just called and left a message that they hadn’t heard from Linda or Patty, so we won’t go today.
I’m going back now to finish the work on deactivating and reactivating on Etsy…
creativeartworksblog 