Lunch Bunch?

Forbes

It looks pretty ominous outside right now. We’re supposed to have thunderstorms this morning.

DIY Value Picture

We’re supposed to go to Lunch Bunch in about an hour and a half. I haven’t heard from anyone, so that USED to mean we were all planning to come. Since Kay and Linda aren’t good about carrying their phones, it’s like throwing a bottle in the ocean to reach them. I can leave a voice mail on Kay’s phone, but she says she doesn’t get it. The voice mail isn’t set up on Linda’s. I can’t text either of them. So we’re down to smoke signals. :0)

Happily, my husband’s attitude is that we can go anyway, even if we’re ‘stood up’ by the others, eat our lunch, and then run errands or come back home, so that’s what we’ll do.

We aren’t under imminent warnings at the moment, so I’ll just keep an eye on things and we’ll make our decision later.

Stay safe and dry if you can today.

Friends

Clarity Clinic

A shout-out this morning to my good friend Marsha.

She lives across the country from me, but in my heart all the time.

We are helping each other be the healthiest we can be by each motivating the other to exercise every day.

She is walking to the post office daily and also using a new pedaler in her home so she doesn’t have to depend on the weather being good.

I am doing yoga practice daily and then ‘something else,’ including, but not limited to, at least one of the following –

• elliptical trainer in the garage
• online walking and/or weights videos
• yard work
• walking around the yard

We KNOW that exercise is good for us, but each of us is a master at making excuses for NOT doing it. We care about each other, though, and are now comparing notes daily.

If we have done what we promised each other (and ourselves) we would do, we put a star on our calendar. If not, we tell them we love them and encourage them to do better the next day.

Yesterday we both got a star! We’ll try to do it again today. :0)

March Mailbox Decoration

If it will stop raining, we’ll put up “Sylvester and Tweetie Pie” on our mailbox as we leave to go to Lunch Bunch soon.

I found out two of our friends will be at Lunch Bunch. I’m hoping for the whole group, but I guess I shouldn’t be greedy…

Slippin’ and Slidin’

Tenor GIF Keyboard

We’re supposed to get to 50 today, so we’ll finally get some much-needed thawing. Our driveway, of course, will be the last thing to thaw, so I’m hoping that we won’t need to deal with whatever has broken, fallen, or is hanging into the driveway until at least tomorrow.

This looks like snow, but it’s ice – tiny ice pellets now frozen together. You can HEAR Amber run across the yard.

I’m making a point of not trying to have any contact with this stuff. It’s super slippery. Our driveway pad is pretty clear now, but even before you get to the edge of it, there is still pretty thick ice. Mother Nature will need to get serious with the warmer temperatures before we have any chance of even LOOKING at the driveway.

Women’s Health

My BIL and SIL in Charlotte are driving today to get the new furbaby they are adopting. I’m so happy for them, even though they’ll have their hands full with new dog, adapting her to their home and lifestyle, plus teaching her to get along with their cat. Their lives will be richer and they’re excellent rescue parents.

Women’s Health

A shout-out to my dear friend Marsha. We met online almost 20 years ago. She listed her gorgeous pottery on Creative Artworks, my website. We’ve actually met face-to-face only once when my husband and I were in Florida for some reason. She came to our hotel and took me for an amazing afternoon. I think we could have talked forever. I just smiled and smiled. Our friendship has only grown, even though I closed the website down years ago. She changed from pottery to jewelry, excelling at THAT, too. I hope we’ll be friends forever.

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I hope that your Friday is a nice one, with a fun weekend to follow.

A Day with Friends

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I really enjoyed yesterday. I reached out to two long-time friends, asking if I could come over for a bit. Nora got right back to me, saying, “YES!” so I jumped into the truck.

Our schedules just don’t mesh, so we hadn’t seen each other in a LONG time. It doesn’t diminish the love in any way – life is just more complicated these days. (She works full time and I’m with my husband full time.)

I was surprised to learn that she is now working from home full time. I don’t know the logistics of it, but I’m delighted that she doesn’t have to spend all that money for gas, or worry about getting to and from Ft. Smith if the roads are bad. She is also having a roof for her patio constructed so that she can enjoy having outside in the mornings. This is a real quality of life issue for her. She’s tried various other more temporary roofs, but with our gusty Arkansas winds, they have blown down or completely blown away. Now she’ll have something that will last. :0) She apparently liked the tote bag I painted for her and complimented the card I painted. Since she is a pastel artist, I’m really happy that she is pleased with my efforts.

We ate lunch and then I heard from another friend, Carla. She said she was out and about, and wanted to come to our place around 4pm. I went scurrying around, making sure she had a comfortable place to sit, a clear place to put down a drink, the bathroom was clean, etc. (That’s what I get for being a slob.)

She brought what is called a “Kaleidoscope Rose.” Isn’t it stunning? I’ve never seen one before. I THINK that this is done very carefully with dyes on each petal to create this. However it happens. I think it’s gorgeous. She also brought chocolates that I am trying my best to stay away from. :0)

She liked her personalized tote, too, laughing at one of the quotes about car racing. (She and her son have a stock car.)

So it was a beautiful day, catching up with two ladies who mean the world to me, getting hugs, bringing up my spirits. What a lucky lady I am!

Wonderful Afternoon

I’ve had a good afternoon. I –

• Went to the post office to mail our Christmas cards, Christmas packages, etc.
• Stopped at the UPS box on the square to return a package for my husband
• Then went to my friend, Linda’s, new place at the retirement center

I was pleasantly surprised at the retirement place. It was nicely decorated and had a huge, welcoming foyer. Two ladies met me, along with two dogs. One was named Lucy and had lived at the place all her life. She was kind of the ‘communal dog, greeter, and all around friendly, SWEET doggie.’ The second dog was some kind of ‘doodle’ and was the dog of the owner. The dog’s name was Jacob and he was friendly, too. I remembered the owner, I had met her years before. She’s a good friend of Linda’s, and owns both the place where Linda now has an apartment, plus the local nursing home. The other lady was her daughter, who is the active manager of the place.

There is a kitchen, dining area, and living room type place plus the manager’s office as you walk in. Linda’s apartment was straight down to the end of the main center hall. I passed a pool table, a kind of game room, and a nice sitting area with doors on both sides where one could visit and see outside.

Linda’s dog, Bentley, met me at her door. We all had a good visit. Bentley likes the other dogs and so has made friends for the first time in his life. I found out that she does not have her car there, so I’ve now offered to take her where she would like to go. We’ll just have to plan carefully, so I don’t have to leave my husband alone for a long time. We just need to adapt a bit. Linda knows several people there already and is meeting others. One of the ladies goes to her church and took her with her to church yesterday, the first time in a LONG time that Linda has gone. She was greeted like a much-missed celebrity by the Sunday school group and then by people after the church service – a wonderful reunion.

Even though it will take her awhile to adapt, I think she’s in a good place now. Her world can open up again, rather than continuing to implode. She was really isolated in her former place although her daughter did her very best to see she had everything she needed and was taken where she needed to go. She can now be social if she wants or be private when she needs to.

She seemed to be delighted with the jigsaw puzzle I brought as a housewarming gift. She can either do it by herself in her place or take it to one of the tables in one of the common areas and invite others to help. She might even learn to be a pool shark! :0)

Puzzling Over a Gift

Yesterday I looked for puzzles for my friend, Linda, who is moving to a retirement place any time now. I wanted to find a ‘retirement-place-apartment-warming-gift’ for when she calls me and tells me she is settled.

She really likes to work jigsaw puzzles, but during the past year has become overwhelmed by the huge ones she used to do. I decided to see if I could find one that had fewer pieces.

She loves dogs, and actually HAS her dog who will make the move to the retirement place with her, so the picture on this puzzle should be a happy one for her. It has 300 pieces, and they are 33% larger than the standard jigsaw piece size. This should be much easier for her to work with.

We had already talked about her taking a card table to her new place, so this should work. I’m hoping she still has the roll-up puzzle-in-progress holder I got for her in the past. She could put that down on the card table, work as she wants to on the puzzle, and then roll it up to get it out of the way easily if she wants to.

I’m hoping this will hit the right note with her. She is such a dear lady and I love her to pieces. (pun?)

Friends are Priceless

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We had a really nice time at Lunch Bunch today, even though Kay and her daughter couldn’t be there.

Sometimes it’s nice NOT to have a big group of people. You can really visit in a more private, satisfying way. My friend, Linda, and her daughter, Patty, are dear to me. We talked about inconsequential things, laughed a lot, teased my husband a lot (who threw in some zingers here and there :0) ), and were all smiling as we left.

Long time friendships are priceless. I feel I got to really catch up with Linda today. She’s a very quiet lady who doesn’t say a lot, but she opens up when we’re more one-on-one. I love seeing her smile and laugh, and I love getting to hug her neck.

Love on a Monday

“Friends” – GregBarsh-art.com

“Playing Possum”

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Isn’t this CUTE? He almost looks real.

This morning is nice and cool. In fact, my husband dressed in jeans, instead of shorts, for the first time all summer. We have to enjoy it while we can, though, because the forecasters said ‘summer is returning.’

Britannica

We caught an opossum in our humane trap overnight. Not only had he eaten all the seed on the deck, he had gotten through our dog door in the garage and broken into the bag of trash we had gathered to go out today. We re-bagged the trash and put it at the bottom of the driveway and cleaned up the garage. My husband will dispose of the hostile possum later today.

Fantastic Pest Control

My bites/stings are larger than these, but you can get an idea of how ‘pretty’ my arms look today. The swelling in both arms is WAY down from my ant bites/stings and I’m just trying to keep anti-itch ointment slathered on myself today.

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My friend Linda is in the hospital for tests. They did some yesterday, but didn’t find anything, and so will do more today to try to figure out why she is feeling so weak and dizzy. I hope they find something that is easily fixed so she can feel like herself again.

Make this a great Tuesday.

Fabulous Friday 8-12-2022

Gifer

My Lunch Bunch friend, Kay, is having a birthday tomorrow. We’re celebrating at Lunch Bunch today. Happy, Happy Birthday, Kay!!!

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We’ve been enjoying Friday “Lunch Bunch” for over 20 years now. What a priceless thing – to share the lives of others who also care about YOU. Kay, Linda, and I are the core “members.” We graciously allowed our husbands to join us – as long as they behaved. Now Linda’s daughter, Patty, is a part of the group. Other relatives and friends join us from time to time. There’s really no way to describe how close we are, how much we’ve shared, and how much we look forward to the next Friday.

Empowered Parents

I’m enjoying making some Christmas cards for a dear friend. I’m taking my time, thoroughly enjoying each stage of the process, going up to my art room when the mood is right, turning on my music, eager to see what the finished cards will look like.

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DAY 28 of my daily yoga practice. My dog, Amber, is finally catching on that I DON’T appreciate her 90 pound self on my stomach while I’m trying to maintain a stretch, so I guess SHE realizes that I’m trying to build a habit here. My cat, Abby, is slower to catch on. She still tries to sleep on my feet. Good amusement for my husband as he watches the ‘show,’ fritos in hand and mouth…

123RF

I’ve officially given up trying to work in the yard unless I have to. It’s just too hot out there. A few of our plants are trying to revive, but most are looking quite sad. Some have even withered and died. Apparently, Mother Nature isn’t a huge fan of flowers – at least this year.

Another shout-out to Susy and Bobby today. Thinking of you both and wishing you the very best.

Friends

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Care

FUN Lunch Bunch

Pinterest

We enjoyed a particularly nice Lunch Bunch today. Everyone was there – the ‘core’ bunch – Linda, Kay, and me, plus my husband, Kay’s husband, and Linda’s daughter, Patty.

Linda is going to Tennessee July 1st for two weeks, so we agreed to celebrate Linda’s birthday next Friday, the 24th, so we won’t miss it. (Her birthday is actually on the 29th, and we like to celebrate the last Friday before any of our birthdays).

Everyone was in good health, except Kay was stung by tiny black wasps this past week. Her swelling was down, though, and the pain was gone. If the wasps weren’t gathered around and under her porch, I would have suggested they take a blow torch to the area.

We talked driveways. One suggestion that Kay’s husband made was that next time we have something major done, we arrange for a 2″+ “crown” to go down the middle of the driveway. This would encourage run-off from rains to drain better, hopefully resulting in less washing of driveway material down the driveway.

Each Friday I’m reminded how very lucky I am to have friends with whom I can share things. We’ve met every Friday for some 25 years now. A lot of sharing, tears, hugs, and laughter. To say it’s priceless is a vast understatement.

Jubilant Wednesday!

123RF.com

The cavalry is coming sometime today! I talked to my Lunch Bunch friend, Kay, yesterday. (Actually, she called to check on US after we had to miss Lunch Bunch last week due to the pile of crusher dust in the driveway.) She talked to her husband, then they talked to their pastor, and she called to give me the name and phone numbers of two people who might be able to help us.

I talked to Jeremy, who actually CAME yesterday, driving his truck up to the pile in the driveway and walking the rest of the way up. He says he can help us!!!!!!

He will come today, he says, rain or shine, and flatten out the pile of crusher dust. It’s a good thing he said rain or shine because –

this is the forecast for us today. (We’re just southeast of Fort Smith in the middle of this image). I think that he has informally adopted us because he spoke several times of our being stranded up here. He is truly a NICE guy who has already gone the extra mile for us.

The plan at this point is that he will fix things enough so that we can drive up and down the driveway at will. Then he will bring an estimate of fixing the driveway in a more permanent fashion that will last a little while.

I thanked him profusely for coming out yesterday. I slept better last night, knowing that help is on the way. It was really starting to bother me that no one could get UP the driveway, either, like fire trucks, ambulances, police…

When Jeremy is able to free us, we will make a celebratory trip to town (weather permitting) and try to catch up on some of the errands we’ve stacked up in a week’s time.

Let’s hear it for Jeremy!!!!

Aging

Yesterday everyone was at Lunch Bunch. It was really nice. We were celebrating our waitress’ (Mikey’s) birthday. She just beamed at everyone. It was fun reminding her how special she is.

What surprised me was that Kay brought two gifts for ME. When I asked her why, she said, “We forgot your birthday last month, so “Happy Birthday.” Isn’t that nice?

The downside was, that since I had no ‘celebration’ for my birthday this year, I didn’t really have to CLAIM it or BE one year older, in my mind. Now I have to own it.

Kay brought me TWO presents –

Pink Geranium

This is now on the wall between my kitchen and dining area.

Thoughts about aging don’t usually enter my thoughts, unless I’ve overdone out in the yard and my body sounds like popcorn being popped in the microwave and my back is screaming at me, “For G_d’s sake, do your yoga!”

Since none of us can “hope-away aging” – (YET, at least), I have some favorite quotes about the subject, and wanted to share some of them with you –

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” ~ Audrey Hepburn

“Getting old is a fascinating thing. The older you get, the older you want to get.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We don’t grow older, we grow riper.” ~ Pablo Picasso

“Older people shouldn’t eat health food, they need all the preservatives they can get.” ~ Robert Orben

“Old age is fifteen years older than I am.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Delightful Lunch Bunch

Thrillist

For the first time in a long time, ALL of us were there at Lunch Bunch. It was delightful and healing.

Our waitress, Mikey, was in a playful mood, too, and made us laugh a lot. My friend Kay’s back is better, and she is aggravating her husband, Bud, by doing things she shouldn’t. He is understandably frustrated with her, having done everything in his power to get her the help she needed after she fell and hurt her back so badly. Two months or so of doctors, procedures, and your wife in pain makes you take life more seriously.

My friend Linda and her daughter, Patty, were doing fine. Patty has been traveling a lot, going back and forth to see her granddaughters, plus helping with a new baby. Patty has arranged for a woman she trusts to be available for Linda when needed, plus gives her a boost weekly, helping her shop, clean, and more.

To be able to talk, laugh, and share a hug or two was HEALING. Sharing time with friends is priceless.

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The Economic Times

I was able to get and print 2 of the 3 things I need from our investment accounts this morning. As soon as I can get the third, we can bag up or tax stuff and take it to our CPA. I always feel so much better when my part of this is done for another year.

I have all appendages crossed that our weather cooperates with me so I can get my massage next week. We’re supposed to get rain Monday and Tuesday, with a possible ‘wintry mix’ Wednesday, just in time for my massage on Thursday. My body would really be grateful if we can keep that appointment.

I’m doing better with my yoga, though. I’m starting to loosen up again, although it will be awhile before I get back to where I was. Why do I have to prove to myself over and over again that this old woman really NEEDS these stretches? I could win a prize for ‘hardest head’ I think. I’m also doing better at keeping my mouth shut this week. I’ve lost 2.5 lbs and hope to continue this, earning gold stars on my calendar. :0)

We’ll leave for Lunch Bunch in about an hour. It was SOOOO good to finally have most of us there last week. I just got a text saying two of us won’t be there. :0( Hopefully, Kay will be there.

I hope you have a wonderful Friday.

Forwards

This explains why friends forward jokes. I’ve never thought of it this way before.

A man and his dog were walking along a road . The man was enjoying the scenery when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road.
It looked like fine marble.

At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.

He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, “Excuse me, where are we?”

“This is Heaven, sir,” the man answered.

“Wow! Would you happen to have some water?” the man asked.

“Of course, sir. Come right in, and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.” The man gestured, and the gate began to open. “Can my friend,” gesturing toward his dog, “come in, too?” the traveler asked.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.”

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed.

There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

“Excuse me!” he called the man. “Do you have any water?”

“Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there, come on in.”

“How about my friend here?” the traveler gestured to the dog

“There should be a bowl by the pump,” said the man.

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, and then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

“What do you call this place?” the traveler asked.

“This is Heaven,” he answered.

“Well, that’s confusing,” the traveler said.

“The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.”

“Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s Hell.”

“Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?”

“No, we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.”

So , sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding stuff to us without writing a word.

Maybe this will explain it.

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward emails .

When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes .

When you have something to say, but don’t know what, and don’t know how… you forward stuff .

A ‘forward’ lets you know that
You are still remembered,
You are still important,
You are still cared for.

So, next time if you get a ‘forward’, don’t think that you’ve been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you’ve been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile

Forwarded to me by a dear friend.

Lovely Surprise

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I was as happy as this sweet dog today at Lunch Bunch. When I started to open the door to the restaurant, my friend KAY opened the door! (she is the one who fell and broke a bone in her back about 2 months ago now, and has been on quite a ride trying to fix the problem and find a way forward.)

Her husband is watching her like a hawk, making sure she doesn’t lift anything and is doing all of the housework for her, as well. He’s a real keeper. She is very grateful, and yet was understandably glad to be out of the house and with friends. She ordered a couple of individual pizzas to take home so they could eat together.

It was such a celebration to be able to babble at each other, catching up, giving hugs, laughing, etc. My husband was on his best behavior, only becoming ‘deaf’ when Kay was telling us all her husband was doing to help clean the house. :0)

Aside from a truly enjoyable Lunch Bunch, the weather couldn’t be nicer. Sunny and supposed to get almost to 70 this afternoon. What a treat!

I’m making a note to get outside and walk around our yard this afternoon. We’re getting a cold front tomorrow, dropping our temperatures up to 25 degrees (high of 39 tomorrow), with possible winter storm on Wednesday.

I’m still grinning at my friends finally being able to get together. I’m rich in friends.

Enjoy your Friday!

Thoughts on a Saturday 1-29-2022

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We can all use a hug. Here’s one from me to you.

I just talked to my friend who broke a bone in her back falling recently. After tests, procedures, and lots of flailing around with insurance, doctors, etc., they have told her that they have done all they can do and she will ‘have to learn to live with it.’ That may be true, but I still want to bite them in the leg. She is isn’t in as much pain now, and is figuring out things that ease the pain she has. Her husband has stepped up and is helping her a lot now. They are both older than I am (two of a small group of folks who still ARE :0) but it sounds like they are coming up with ways to get things done without hurting themselves. I’ve waved my magic wand ’til my arm is aching, but to no avail. We talked about being thankful that we can still ARRANGE things to help ourselves as we age. She sounded stronger, much more like herself.

This has been a day of catching up with people. I received a text from a long-time friend, letting me know what’s happening with her. It was wonderful to hear from her, know that she thought about me, and wanted to catch up.

I start each morning with emails from two of my favorite people, my friend in Florida and my sister-in-law. We write every day. We know we have each other’s backs, can vent, cry, and laugh together, helping each other live as sanely as one can these days.

I chatted with our son briefly this morning via our online chat program, so I feel very close to him right now.

Aren’t we lucky that we live in a world where we can stay in touch with people we care about with a wonderful choice of methods, sharing our feelings, our lives, and our love?

You Are Not Alone

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When bad things happen, or scary things that MIGHT happen hang over my head, I tend to implode emotionally, spiraling down to use all the tools in my imagination box to picture the worst scenario. The stupidity on my part can be held at bay while I’m awake and functional, but tend to overwhelm me in the middle of the night.

I found out lately that I am not alone when I’m trying to be an adult, but failing. I’m feeling like the luckiest woman on the planet right now because 1) the scary thing I feared didn’t happen; and 2) several kind people showed me they are here for me if I need them to encourage me to be an adult, or help me handle the bad stuff emotionally. If I had even ONE person in my corner like that, it would be wonderful. To have SEVERAL people who care is miraculous.

Now that my scary scenario is gone, I will concentrate on trying to show these wonderful people that care goes both ways. THEY are not alone, either. I will do everything in my power to help THEM through any bad or scary stuff.

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Hooray!

PBLWorks

I just called my friend, Kay. (She’s the friend who fell and broke a bone in her back recently.) I talked to her husband first, and then he gave the phone to Kay.

She finally was approved to have “vertebroplasty.” Vertebroplasty is a procedure in which a special cement is injected into a fractured vertebra — with the goal of relieving your spinal pain and restoring your mobility.

When I went to see her recently, she was in pretty bad shape. She had had the procedure and initially felt better, but was having a hard time. She was in pain, she was disoriented, had word retrieval problems, and her husband said she had been hallucinating. He fixed food for her, but she would only eat a bite or two. I was worried that she was suffering some kind of complication.

I just talked to Bud, and then Kay.

She is feeling a whole LOT better!  Her voice sounds normal – for the first time since she fell. She is COOKING dinner for them tonight! She isn’t hurting!  She feels HUNGRY!

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!

I’m so relieved. We are in celebration mode.

Happy 2022!

Thanks to Susy, we can all enjoy Matt Dixon’s January image.

And, enjoying the beginning of January 2022 from a different standpoint –

I thank the Australia Firefighters for creating this calendar and making it affordable, reminding me that “I ain’t dead yet.”

On this, the 1st day of January, 2022, we caught a BIG raccoon in the humane trap we set on our deck, trying to catch whoever was eating all of our birdseed the last week or so. Last night we caught him, and will give him another chance at life later today, ‘relocating’ him about 5 miles from us, in a creek beside the road. Hopefully, he will enjoy the rest of his life, forgetting where we are.

Our weather is awful. The day started at 61 degrees with pretty heavy rain. It is still raining, and the temperatures are falling as a cold front barrels in. The low is supposed to be 19 tomorrow morning. We have rain now, the possibility of severe storms this afternoon and evening, and the chance of snow flurries tonight into tomorrow. Happy New Year….

I’m going to get a beef stew in the crock pot tomorrow to ‘comfort’ us about the change in the weather.

Help for my friend, Kay, seems to be on the way. They are now working to expedite the okay on insurance coverage and she should get some definitive surgical help in the coming days. Fingers crossed.

I hope that 2022 is a wonderful hear for you!

Thoughts on a Monday 12-27-2021

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My newest paperback in the J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts “In Death” series is on its way to me today! I’m re-reading the previous books so I’ll have them all fresh in my mind before I dive into the newest one, “Forgotten in Death.”

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Each of these books stands alone, and I’m really impressed by how little repetition there is from one book to another. I enjoy revisiting the crimes, but my favorite part of this series is the building up of friendships, the sharing of their lives and their interaction with each other. And especially the wonderful relationship of the main character, Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her love, Roarke.

My husband and I will change our mailbox decoration today to our celebration of another Happy New Year.

I’m finding it hard to believe that December is almost gone. AND 2021. May 2022 be a wonderful year for all of us.

Our weather is still absolutely amazing for December here in Arkansas. I noticed that we had the first day of winter on the 21st. Sometimes we have already had some snow by now. Our grass is green again. My husband refuses to mow in December and I can’t blame him. I’m still trying to get my body moving to get our planters in reasonable shape before we have a cold weather snap and it’s too cold to get out there. I’m TRYING to get one planter done each day, but so far, my INTENTIONS are speaking much louder than my actions.

I visited my friend Kay again yesterday. She is still in pain from her recent fall. She did find a rib support that seems to be helping her. I hate seeing her hurting. We all feel helpless to do anything but show we care.

Enjoy the last week in December!

Merry Christmas 2021

Good Housekeeping

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” Norman Vincent Peale

The Awesome Daily

“Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.” -Mary Ellen Chase

Wide Open Spaces

“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” – Charles Dickens

Mamamia

“Let the spirit of love gently fill our hearts and homes. In this loveliest of seasons may you find many reasons for happiness.” ~ Unknown

Hare Trigger

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I had the BEST afternoon yesterday visiting with two friends I don’t see often enough.

Carla had a new bunny she name Wilhelmina. She is much like the sweetie above. Carla said she thought the bunny was 7 to 8 weeks old. I sat on the couch and Carla brought her over to me. While Carla and I were talking, “Willy” hopped from one end of the couch to the other, found a cord she really wanted to chew on on the table next to the couch, hopped all over me, sat on my shoulder and sniffed my ear and melted my heart. She was SO cute. SO soft, and SO captivating. She was bright, curious, and sweet all rolled into one. She was sneaky, too! I had covered the cord that intrigued her with a Kleenex box. She gradually moved the box off the cord so she could try to chew again. :0) The small pot I mosaic-ed (is that a word?) for Carla will be used to try to grow kale for Willy and one other rabbit Carla has.

My friend Nora has a small, criminally cute yappy white fuzzy dog named Belle. Belle barked at me for about 5 minutes, and then finally decided I wasn’t trying to rob the house or hurt Nora, so she settled down and let me pet her. She sat in my lap while Nora and I visited, moving continually to try to stay the center of attention. Nora grows her own herbs, so she was happy with the pot I made for her.

It was wonderful to relax for a bit, enjoy catching up with what is happening in the lives of two people who are so important to me. Though I don’t call, text, or visit enough – or tell them often enough – I HOPE they realize how much I love them.

Thoughts on a Sunday 12-19-2021

Anne Skjevik-500px.com

I’m having a quiet, happy morning.

This afternoon is going to be wonderful. I’m getting to visit with two of my favorite people, two ladies who mean the world to me, and it’s been too long since we got a chance to catch up. I’m taking them some presents, hoping they will brighten their day.

As usual, we always MEAN to see them, talk to them more often, then life gets in the way. I’ll try to make up for that a bit today.

I hope YOUR day is full of joy.

The Greatest Gift

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I told you that my Lunch Bunch friends couldn’t meet yesterday. I was disappointed, but hoped we could meet sometime early next week or something.

Today two of our friends came to our house to exchange gifts and visit. It was the greatest gift. We really got to talk after exchanging gifts, sharing some things we hadn’t mentioned before. It was truly wonderful. I’m so lucky to have met these people and shared friendship and love for over 20 years now.

Even now, as I type, I’m a bit teary over how lucky we are.

Thoughts on a Thursday 12-16-2021

therandomvibez.com

Actually, it’s a nice Thursday for me, so far.

I just got home from having my monthly massage and I feel GOOD. I’ve been more stressed than usual lately and it felt WONDERFUL to totally relax, putting myself in the glorious hands of Lynn, my massage therapist. We exchanged gifts and a nice hug. AND I’m set up for a massage for next month. :0)

I’m about to fix us some lunch. My husband is taking a nap. He’s so cute. He puts a kitchen dish towel over his face in his recliner and zonks out. The cat is sleeping on his stomach. Our dog, Amber is snoring on the floor beside his chair, wishing SHE could sleep on his stomach, too.

No big plans for the day. It’s rainy, but we missed storms last night. It’s supposed to rain HARD tomorrow off and on, but I don’t think anything is supposed to be severe.

I told you that my Lunch Bunch friend, Kay, fell last week. She’s having an MRI Monday to assess the damage and see what can be done. Meanwhile, she is finally able to eat again, so my husband and I took her a cherry milkshake yesterday afternoon. Her coping mechanism is Word Search books, and she was out of them. We stopped and got her another one after we got the shake. We visited for about 10 minutes. I gave her the Christmas present and card I made for her and hugged her VERY gently. She is such a nice lady.

I’ll get presents together this afternoon to take to Lunch Bunch tomorrow.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

And Speaking of Gates…

diabetes.co.uk

Our weather is yo-yo-ing, not sure whether we’re still in the fall or at the beginning of winter. Storms are due this evening into tomorrow, with record high temperatures here today and a cold front coming though. Mother Nature is really in a snit lately. We will hopefully have a quiet day with a very wet evening. Right now it’s really beautiful outside. I’ll try to get out to play today.

One of my dear friends from Lunch Bunch fell last week. Our medical community is giving her the run-around on giving her some real help. She needs an MRI to find the extent of the damage, but it isn’t scheduled until NEXT Monday. Meanwhile, she’s in pain and can’t keep pain medicine down. Her husband took her to Ft. Smith yesterday to see if they could get some help. I will call her later to find out if they were successful. I want to FIX her, help her to quit hurting, help her to feel sassy again.

CFQ.com

I’m now waiting to schedule another health test. My ‘adult’ side peaks her head out, mainly during the day. At night, I’m at the inner child’s mercy. I came down in the middle of the night and read for about an hour to chase away scary and dark thoughts. Happily, during the daytime, I’m MUCH better able to find joy.

I had a nice chat with our son this morning, who lives and works in Thailand. We are so lucky to be so close to him, even though we’re physically across the world from each other. We can talk about anything, help each other handle what life gives us, encourage each other, even giving virtual hugs.

I hope that you’re having a good Wednesday.