Category Archives: Challenges

Thoughts on a Tuesday 5-25-2021

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WEATHER – It’s a good thing I’m not water-soluble, or I would have sogged down into a puddle by now with all the rain we have had. We just returned from putting our trash out for pickup and running errands. I wore a hoodie, since my husband has no patience for me trying to use an umbrella. I just throw my hood up to stay as dry as possible.

YARD WORK – I pruned our rose bushes and weeded a bit yesterday. Some unfriendly bug bit me on the back of my hand. It swelled up and itched like crazy. I finally got the itching to stop and the swelling should be down by tomorrow.

I was watching for ants, since I react badly to their stings/bites, but whatever bit me snuck up and did it before I was aware. I am going to try to harvest more lettuce, since my plants are starting to bolt, but it will have to wait until the rain stops.

EMAIL HACK – I seem to be over the worst of the repercussions from my email being hacked. I spent the entire day yesterday, except for the time pruning the roses, contacting as many friends and family as possible, giving them my new address, plus getting on our important websites and changing email, user name and password. What a hassle! I did get to talk to people I would LIKE to talk to more often, so that was a really good thing. If I finally reach a real person at Google, I will try to enlist their help in finding out who is responsible for the hack.

GENERATOR – Just as your car will never act up or make the noise you’ve been hearing when you take it to the shop, our generator came on just fine when the tech came out to help us figure out why it didn’t do its weekly test and or continue to run when we started it manually. He looked it over carefully. It started right up and continued until he turned it off. We told him the ‘overcrank’ light was on when we went out to look. My husband suspected the carburetor, but the tech was looking more at the fuel regulator, whatever that is. He said he would check his manual for ‘old’ generators to see if he could be of more help if we need to call him again. Meanwhile, $131.50 later, the generator IS working…

WEIGHT LOSS – My newest motivation to lose the lard seems to be working – at least, so far. Last Monday we had our routine doctor appointment with blood tests. We were doing fine (for old people) and the doc said we didn’t have to come back for 6 months, rather than the 3 months we have been doing. I decided that I wanted to try to finally lose a significant amount of my poundage by the time we go back in November. Since Monday I have lost 4.6 pounds. I’m trying to keep my focus on trying to really watch my portions, try not to eat in-between meals, or if I do, eat a really careful snack. I’m trying to move more, and pick up my afternoon yoga stretches again.

So far, my yoga efforts have been a dismal failure. Usually, I’m out in the yard when I WAS doing yoga. I’m telling myself that if I’m up and moving, that’s good, but I know it’s not a substitute for the good stretching I do with my practice. I’m going to rethink WHEN I’m trying to do my practice so that I can work in the yard AND do my yoga stretches on a daily basis.

ART ROOM – I’m still trying to overcome my stupid fear of failure regarding trying a new art technique. I’m really fascinated watching people demonstrate ‘acrylic pours’ and then ‘pours with crackle gel.’ They are getting wonderful abstract colorful work with gorgeous texture and cracks highlighted with gold. I’m going to keep making careful notes as I watch (and drool) and see if I can get started on it in my art room this week.

I hope that you are having a fabulous day, enjoying the weather where you are, if possible, or if cooped up inside like me, changing over to something fun INSIDE.

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Bogging Down…

victoriacolemanartist.com

I’ve been working steadily all day trying to reach my friends to give them the new email address. Then I started on all the websites that have the old address. What a headache!

One good thing – I’ve talked to people who mean a lot to me today – via the new email and my phone. That’s a good thing despite the frustrating reason for it.

I’m going to take a break, get outside and prune my rose bushes. Then I’ll do another session.

I just LOVE the painting by Victoria Coleman above. It really captures exhaustion well, doesn’t it.

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Character-Building Exercise

iStock

I wrote a quick note to you yesterday telling you my email was hacked. THEN I found out, from phone calls from loved ones, that emails were being sent out saying I needed help and to send $500 asap. (As if I would DO that…)

So, with hostility and frustration, with visions of boiling whoever is behind this in oil, I have closed my email account, opened a new one, and am writing or calling everyone I can think of to let them know my new address.

Truly a character-building exercise, and NOT how I wanted to spend the day. Sigh.

End of Rant. :0/

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Frustration

My email account was hacked yesterday. I am working on getting them to realize that I am me and that I’m trying to change my password. If I normally write you, please gnash your teeth with me while I try to straighten things out. Same for Hangouts. Thanks. Linda

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A Week’s Progress

Spoon University

I have finished Week 1 of again trying to stay motivated and lose the lard. I concentrated on controlled portions for lunch and dinner, and very few, if any, snacks. At Lunch Bunch I asked for a to-go bag when I ordered, ate half, and brought the other half home. I cut up the leftover chicken fingers in our dinner chef salad last night, with lettuce and spinach from our garden.

I’m happy to report there are 3.8 lbs less of me than there were last Monday. My goal is to lose 2.5 lbs per week. I may not reach my goal each week, but if I’m down at ALL I’ll consider it a success.

And so starts Week 2. Concentration will be on doing my yoga stretches each day.

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Grateful, but Unhappy

buzzfeed.com

Getting ready to leave for the dentist – our twice-a-year cleaning.

I’m a weenie about this.

I’m grateful that we have a truly compassionate, excellent dentist. My husband went to many in the Marine Corps that made him VERY serious about finding good dentists ever since. That doesn’t mean that I like it. In fact, I can never sleep the night before we have to go.

My mom died of oral cancer. That’s one concern. I never think of it except when I’m at the dentist’s office. So far, no sign of anything, but I always breathe a huge sigh of relief when I’m cleared for another 6 months.

I had braces when I was a child. The results of all that didn’t last and my teeth are as crooked as they were when we started, even though I wore the retainer for a long time after the braces were removed.

I have never had anything else done except cleaning. No cavities. No teeth pulled. And yet my fear has remained.

Last year this record suddenly changed. A wisdom tooth broke off causing a LOT of pain. I was a basket case when we got to the dentist. Even though he doesn’t normally do ‘oral surgery,’ he took pity on me and removed the tooth. He sedated me with something that made me cooperative with the procedure, but alleviated the pain and made me forget afterwards. I love that stuff!

The last teeth cleaning, they found my first cavity. WHAT!!!!! Yes. I had to have it filled. Again, since I’m such a weenie, he agreed to partially sedate me. The procedure was done, and my husband didn’t say a word about my weenie-ness, even though he may have had lots of thoughts about it.

Here’s hoping that today’s visit goes smoothly, with only good information. Fingers – and all other appendages, including my eyes – crossed.

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Thoughts on a Tuesday 4-27-2021

yawning-Amber
123RF

I’ve been emptying out moveable shelves and furniture for several days now, trying to get ready for new carpet in our office, foyer, and living room, plus new vinyl for our porch. I’m very aware right now of WHY new flooring is such a big decision around here. Even with my efforts to go through things, donate, throw away, reorganize, we STILL have way too much STUFF.

AND I’m finding out how awful your house can get when you don’t empty things out, move the furniture away from the wall and clean behind it at LEAST every 13 years or so. Now it’s a matter of pride, like a teenage boy or young man washing his car before a date, wanting to show his best face. I’m cleaning like a nut, not wanting the flooring guys to see what a slob I am. :0)

Happily, the company called yesterday to schedule our installation. The guy started with May 10th and 11th. I said, “But we’re ready NOW!” (We’re not actually completely ready, but could be). He got with the others and we compromised. They are now coming this Friday morning, the 30th. If they don’t finish, they will come back on Tuesday, May 4th. I’m hoping that we can get the carpet in Friday, and then I don’t mind waiting until the 4th for them to do the vinyl on the porch.

I had a good chat with our son this morning, so my day started in one of the best possible ways there is. He lives and works in Thailand. He loves it there. Even though I don’t like the fact that he is halfway across the planet from us, he is such a good communicator that I can almost forget that. We talk several times a week, send pics to each other, and even talk with a conference call program from time to time where I can see his face and try to make him smile and laugh.

His newest thing is taking private lessons on reading and writing Thai. He already speaks the language. In fact, he has a phone app where he acts as a translator between people speaking English, Mandarin, and Thai. He has 3 keyboards on the phone and is able to switch between them quickly. Someone will write in to the app, asking, “How do you say ___ in (English, Mandarin/Thai)?” He types in the answer and then goes on to the next question. The last time he was home, I could have watched him do that for hours. He wants to be able to read and write in Thai. He considers this basic courtesy.

This is the work sheet he sent me. I have no idea what it says. :0)
Redbook

Yesterday was DAY 1 on my experiment using Green Tea Extract supplements to try to control my appetite, which has gone through the roof lately. The directions say to take one capsule each day with a meal. I took mine after lunch yesterday. I managed to NOT eat anything between meals while eating a normal amount for lunch and dinner. Most importantly, I did NOT end up downstairs in the middle of the night, eating everything except for the wall.

I don’t know whether the supplement does anything or if I just want it to help so badly I got through Day 1. The mind is a powerful thing, and motivation is such a big part of changing a lifestyle. I don’t know whether this eating binge is due to stress (of which I have more than my share these days) or simply bad habits I have to work harder to break. I am determined to give this an honest shot. This is DAY 2.

4Vector

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Confidence

thefunnybeaver.com

I don’t know why, but when I was growing up, I felt that I ‘should already know how to do things’ before doing them out in public. If my class at school announced that we would have a roller skating party, I would beg my mom to take me to the rink so that I could practice before the party, in a panic about the idea of embarrassing myself in front of other people.

Gradually, over the years, I gave myself ‘permission’ to admit that I had no clue about certain things, that I had never tried something, etc. It still bothers me a bit, but I’ve FINALLY learned to try the new thing to see if I enjoy it, rather than ‘standing back in my own mind’ seeing myself falling in a heap when everyone else seems to be able to do it with no problem.

I don’t know if others share my lack of confidence, but it caused me to miss out on several things when I was young. I still admire people who seem to be fearless, who throw themselves headlong into whatever it the situation is, with a ‘can do’ attitude, or the idea that it will be fun.

One thing I did that helped me deal with this was when I was teaching swimming each summer from the time I was 14 through college. We taught beginning swimming to young children, but we also taught older, experienced swimmers who wanted to work on their technique, stamina, or just wanted the workout.

My favorite thing was our “Mothers Classes.” These ladies sat on the benches in the hot, steamy, indoor pool area so that their kids could learn to swim. What we discovered was that the reason for this many times was that THEY were scared of the water, had never learned to swim, and wished they could. I ended up with some impressive scratches sometimes from women who were petrified, but I felt that the time we spent getting them over their fear was priceless for all of us. We taught them to relax and let the water hold them up. We showed them that they could actually float! Helping women find the confidence to try to overcome years of fear and avoidance helped ME, too. Seeing them learn to swim across the deep end on their own, laughing with joy, made me see my own problems in a different, more healthy light.

Are you with me? Got your T-shirt?

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Thoughts on a Monday 4-21-2021

photographyserved.com-Mujo Korach

I got some things accomplished over the weekend that make me feel like I’m starting the coming week well.

I caught up on the filing and bookkeeping that had been piling up for quite awhile. I gathered the things I brought home from the booth my friend and I were renting in a local shop. I’m not ready to go through them right now, but at least I’m not in danger of falling over them on my way to and from the computer.

Our credit card was frauded and we had to cancel the one we had and start over with a new one. We had to contact a bunch of places to get things updated. I’ll finish the list today with some phone calls.

I discovered the local weather people were warning of a frost and freezes the coming three days. I got my plants covered last night. They came through just fine. I’ll cover them again tonight and tomorrow night. I enjoyed gathering my first harvest of spinach and lettuce yesterday! :0)

I will start hanging things up on the porch today. We have decided to start researching putting a new floor cover out there, since the project to replace the ceiling, seal off where the squirrels were getting in, and hanging a new shutter are finished. As an added project, I paid the guys to repaint the rest of the woodwork out there, so things look fresh and clean. Ahhhh!

At the same time we replace the porch floor covering, we’re going to research replacing the carpeting in our living room, foyer and office. It’s beyond being able to look better with cleaning. Our records show we have had it since 2009.

Our list of things to repair or replace is getting a bit shorter, so it feels good.

I hope that your spirits are lifting, too.

Stay safe and well.

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Shopping

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April 16, 2021 · 10:03 am

Do You Remember

cheezeburger.com

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Aspiration

Natural Life – wrensden.blogspot.com

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Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes…

Harvard Business Review – Getty Images

We are now in what promises to be a flurry of activity here. All of it exciting, but a bit overwhelming, as well.

THING ONE – We received a quote from a really nice man who came to our home yesterday via Home Advisor to see the work we needed to have done. We need our porch ceiling torn out and redone so that it doesn’t end up falling on us while we’re eating lunch out there. Our home is over 30 years old. We had it built in 1987. We are learning that 30 years is the limit on several things, the porch ceiling being only ONE of those things, particularly when a squirrel family has gotten into the attic.

This man and his brother will replace the porch ceiling for us. They will also seal the place in the roof soffit where the squirrels are getting in. A third part of the job will be installing the pair of new shutters we got to replace the one that simply fell off the front of our house and shattered over the winter. I did not have ANY interest in my husband trying to install the shutters on top of a two-story ladder, so this is a really important part of the work we wanted done.

He said the contract for another job starts Monday, so he will work our stuff in before he starts that! He will be here at noon with the paperwork:0)

THING TWO – we have been watching with great interest the activity surrounding fiber optic cable going in. We have had people all over the place working on poles, asking for access to places around us, etc. We received an email this morning allowing us to order the new fiber optic Internet service, plus a TV service, plus a phone service. We filled out a form and someone will call us to answer questions and do some scheduling. If we sign up for this, it will mean a LOT of changes. That’s good, but it strains our brains a bit to make sense of what needs to change, how to affect that change, and the time frame. A welcome character-building exercise for sure. (This from two old fogies who FINALLY gained access to a new TV prescription channel, after having to buy and install a Roku stick, get passwords to work, etc.)

OTHER STUFF – meanwhile, the valve we ordered for the propane heater in the shop is supposed to be delivered today. Hopefully, installation of that will solve the problem of not being able to light the pilot light out there. My husband made up a new PVC pipe with valve to replace the one we found broken into three pieces over the winter. It is now attached to the brick planter. All that is needed is holes drilled. And then we’ll test the irrigation system for the yard to check for blowouts and leaks. Things are finally coming together after the ‘revenge of the gremlins’ or whatever we’ve been experiencing lately. The list is getting shorter!

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Thoughts on a Monday – March 22, 2021

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It’s a fine start to a pretty day here. We’re supposed to have some sunshine and 63 degrees this afternoon before having thunderstorms overnight. I’ll take it!

The gremlins who have been plaguing us lately seem to have decided to ease up some. We’re waiting for the new valve we ordered for the shop heater to be delivered. Our long awaited window replacements from Window World are due to be brought and installed late tomorrow afternoon – “weather permitting and the creek don’t rise.”

I made a major decision this week. My friend and I decided to close the booth we shared in the local shop in Greenwood and I closed my Etsy shops online. I will concentrate my efforts on my online shop on Amazon Handmade now. If you would like to visit the shop, click on this link Linda Lewis Artworks. If the link doesn’t work for you, here is the URL – https://www.amazon.com/handmade/Linda-Lewis-Artworks. I will be adding things to this site steadily.

Though nothing was said, our fish are swimming happily in the aquarium after I cleaned it for them yesterday. The new combination of things I’m using makes it so we can go several weeks now without cleaning and the water stays nice. Ever since I changed from the regular aquarium gravel to the glass beads, the fish seem to be having a “Bead Sucking” contest as to who can suck one up and swim up the highest with it before dropping it. It makes a funny, “tick, tick” sound as the beads fall back down.

Not sure what the day will hold, but it’s wonderful to have some nice weather to do it in.

Happy Monday.

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Seasonal Help with Eating

BoredPanda.com

I’m grateful for spring also because this season of the year helps me in my efforts to lose the lard.

I’m growing leaf lettuce, head lettuce, radishes, yellow squash, zucchini, red onions, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, and celery. Being able to look forward to harvesting some of this straight from the garden to our table at night makes a big difference in my eating. I can throw off the comfort food of the winter and embrace being outside longer each day and eating big, healthy salads for our dinners.

All of my outside activities encourage me to drink more water, as well. My pedometer takes notice of my increased mobility and that encourages me to do even more.

Fingers crossed that this all comes together and I can make some good progress on my efforts to get healthier, stronger, and more flexible.

123RF.com

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Journey

Kerri Walsh Jennings – DevelopGoodHabits.com

In my efforts to move more, I’ve decided to change things up a bit today.

You might be able to hear me breathing a bit hard as I type. I just came in from taking our trash out and getting our mail. That doesn’t sound like much, but our driveway is gravel, STEEP, and more than 650 feet long. I carried the trash bag and box about half of the way, changing from one hand to the other, walking carefully so I didn’t skid and fall on my head. I also brought my phone in my pocket, to be able to call for help, if needed. I dragged the trash bag part of the way.

Going down, I was mainly worried about losing my footing. I really need cleats. Once I got down to the bottom of the driveway, I put the trash where it is picked up and got our mail. THEN there was the process of walking UP the steep driveway.

By the time I had made it about a third of the way, I was breathing hard. I stopped and breathed for a minute or two, and then started in again. By the time I got about half way up, I started thinking about the children’s book, “The Little Engine that Could,” and started thinking, “I think I can. I THINK I can…”

I had to stand and rest a couple more times before I reached the top, humming the theme from “Rocky.” :0)

My breathing has returned to normal. My husband was taking a nap when I decided to do this. He roused enough to ask, “Do you want to drive the trash down now?” I calmly smiled and said, “I just did.”

joemarino.org

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Warning

Unknown

I’ve told you that the Gremlins are in full force in our area lately.

The latest is our Honda Ridgeline. We took it in yesterday. They called today, saying the repairs it needs will be about $600. Sigh.

I also finally reached the propane people. A guy will come out between 12 and 3 on Thursday to see if he can help my husband get the pilot light for the heater in the shop lit, or figure out what needs to be repaired or fixed out there.

When things tame down a bit, our porch ceiling sheet rock needs to be replaced.

And so it goes.

In my NEXT life, I will be tall as a basketball player, strong as a football player, smart about fixing things, and have a gazillion dollars….

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Thoughts on a Monday 3-15-2021

jellycat-ostrich-stuffed-animal-CrateandKids

So far I’m feeling a bit frazzled today.

We are just back from taking our Honda Ridgeline truck into the dealership because a couple of lights started showing up on the dash this weekend. We looked up the icons and couldn’t make much sense out of them, except one had to do with emissions, so we thought it was important that someone who works with Hondas all the time and knows what they’re doing should look at it. They will call us when they have an estimate on fixing the problem. We have been running from one thing to another lately that needs repair or replacing, so we have had to spray money in all directions – a bit stressful. So I’m hoping that THIS time, we’ll hear some good news. I’ll stay in close proximity to the phone so that I won’t miss the call.

I wasn’t sure where the dealership was. I followed my husband – a nerve-wracking prospect – so the trip seemed to last forever. We’ll go back together to pick up the truck when it is ready, and I won’t have any trouble getting back home.

My husband is building a new welding table out in the shop. He found one online that would allow the table to be tilted and turned, giving him more flexibility and ease of working on his projects. The trouble was, the table cost over $2200! He looked at it, deciding that he could build one. He ordered the table top online. We went to Davis Iron in Fort Smith and bought the heavy square tubular metal he needed, and then went to Harbor Freight to get some really heavy duty wheels. He has been working on the project for several days now, and is at the point where he will paint the metal support for the table.

The bolt at the top (to the left of the table top) can be loosened, and then the table top can be tightened to any angle desired. The top can also be turned so that he can work on long items. He can roll the table around, or store it out of the way. He also MADE a breaking mechanism so that the wheels can be locked so the table doesn’t roll while he’s trying to weld something.

We have a nice, sunny day today (AMAZING!!!!) – so he is trying to get the metal support for the table painted today so it won’t rust.

Once we have paid for whatever the truck needs, I need to call the propane people again for help with the pilot light in the shop’s heater, the Window World people to see if they have been successful on making our replacement windows, the property tax people to see if they have sent out bills yet, and finally (I hope!) a contractor who can help us repair or replace the sheet rock on our porch ceiling…. 2021 seems to be an unending series for us. Our son, who lives in Thailand, said when we chatted briefly this morning, “I hereby declare a moratorium on things developing problems.”

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Decision

Toni-Sorenson – Womens Day

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Window Shopping

dumpaday.com

It’s rainy here, making me glad I have a warm, dry house.

It also makes me want comfort food, and I have trouble staying away from ‘bad’ things.

In general, I do pretty well, but then the gremlin inside my head tells me, “It’s been over a year since you had a ________. It wouldn’t hurt to have just one…” Yeah, right. And then we move on to President’s Day, and National Pickle Week, and the whole thing crashes.

Today I’m trying to distract myself by working in the yard, if Mother Nature will cooperate. It is not raining this very minute, so maybe I can get my elephant ear plants re-planted.

I noticed yesterday that in addition to my daffodils lifting my spirits, our tulip tree is blooming! Talk about signs of hope for the future!

So, I will finish my coffee, keep my mouth firmly shut otherwise, and stay busy.

Wishing myself luck….

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I’m Not the ONLY One With a Birthday

Four years ago Amber was born and soon came to live with us. She is a yellow lab.

We had done some research before getting her, and saw that labs tend to be a bit hyperactive for the first two years, but then they settle down.

Amber did not get the memo.

(I remember my parents, both only children, sitting me down at times for ‘serious discussions.’ They would calmly tell me that they had read the book (probably Dr. Spock) and that they realized that I was apparently going through the ‘terrible two’s.’ They had decided that I would SKIP this stage, moving right on to whatever came next. The talks really didn’t work that well, but I understand their motivation.)

Amber HAS calmed down – to be fair – but still is a maniac. She does pretty well when nothing is happening and we are by ourselves. The minute anyone ELSE comes, she acts as though she has never seen us before. All the time we’ve spent trying to train her goes out the window.

Since she weighs 95 pounds, it isn’t ‘cute’ that she wants to run right up to you, jump up, and lick you in the face. We have baby gates all over the house so that we can contain her. She is sneaky, and very smart, knowing that we can’t pay attention to her every minute. She calmly waits and then goes into the kitchen and eats my husband’s treats off the counter, leaving only the container on the floor, coming in where we are in the living room, smiling and belching. My husband and I try really hard to remember to close the baby gate between the living room and the kitchen, but we’re old and we get busy…

My other worst time is when she is outside and I come out, usually going out to the shop to check on my husband, or out to the garden. When she sees me, her eyes light up and she comes running FULL SPEED. She has knocked me flat onto my back on the ground several times. I now try to hurry to a tree, or at least turn sideways to give her a smaller target. She doesn’t mean to hurt me, but the damage is done before she tries to lick my face.

If I had to describe Amber in one word, it would be ‘EXUBERANT.’ The love for life and wish to experience all there is overflowS in this sweet dog. I wish her parents were smarter…

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Grateful

Marcel Proust – http://www.JimHunt.us

Friends and family are priceless; but maybe even more appreciated with all we are dealing with today.

When I got to the computer this morning, I had emails from two of my favorite people in the world. I don’t feel as if the day has started without hearing from them. They ground me. We can share anything and everything and don’t have to worry about judgment. And we CARE about each other. If that isn’t priceless, I really don’t know what is.

In about an hour, we will go to Lunch Bunch. Every Friday for over 17 years, we go and share a bite to eat and catch each other up on what has happened during the past week. We share hopes and dreams, help each other through sadness. Our core group remains the same, though Lunch Bunch changes on how many people come each week. I am so grateful I have two wonderful friends who mean the world to me.

When the world is hostile, angry, and dangerous – and we need to be careful about everything we do and say – loving, and having the love and care of friends and family, will help us through to better times. May we all “make our souls blossom.”

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Progress re Revenge of the Gremlins

I told you recently that gremlins have taken over our home lately. We have had to move from one thing needing repair or replacement to the next over and over and over, all starting when we were iced in for a week and then snowed in for another week last month.

One of the important things was that our generator didn’t do its automatic weekly test. My husband was unable to start it manually, either. Thank goodness we didn’t need it while the weather was so challenging. We recharged the battery that we just bought a little over a month ago and I bought a new air filter, and we made sure the oil was good, but that wasn’t enough. My husband took out the starter motor. We called around and found a guy who fixes small motors, and drove to Ft. Smith – leaving it with him. He called later and said he was unable to fix it, but that he had a new one we could buy.

My husband went back to Ft. Smith, bought the new starter motor. On his way home he had a flat and managed to get to a tire place to buy a used tire to get him home. We ordered two new rear tires for the Vette.

My husband installed the new starter motor in the generator and tested it. It RAN! He left it set on automatic weekly testing. I put the time of 12:20 today for the test on my calendar. I set my alarm so I could open the door and HEAR it start for the test. It was 12:23 when the motor turned on and started the generator!!!!! It ran for 10 minutes and shut itself off.

ONE PROBLEM SOLVED!

We got the two new rear tires and headed for the local tire place, with me following my husband there. They installed the new tires, but told him that he needed new FRONT tires ASAP. So – we ordered new front tires

While we were waiting for those to arrive, we took the Vette to the dealer in Ft. Smith because the turn signals weren’t working. I followed him there and we left the vehicle, asking them also to look at whatever holds the exhaust system up because it was rattling, and the headlights, which opened up, but were recalcitrant about going back down when we push the button. They called us back, wanting $1200 to fix the exhaust system and they wanted to change the headlights. My husband told them to JUST fix the turn signals. (That entails taking the whole front off the Vette). They called us later that day, so we made a second trip to Ft. Smith to pick up the Vette.) They charged us $211 for the turn signals. My husband says if the exhaust system rattles get louder, we’ll take it to Midas. He will ignore the problem on the lights, since that isn’t a safety issue.

Today we received the new front tires and have now left the Vette at the local tire place for them to put them on. They will call us when it is ready.

So we will have TWO of the several problems we have had one after the other FIXED – or as fixed as we can afford. :0)

Two remaining problems is that the heater in the shop isn’t working and the garage door opener quit. We have contacted the propane people about the shop heater and we have ordered a new garage door opener. The company wanted around $900 to install a new garage door opener, but we ordered one for $250 and will install it ourselves – we hope.

If you see the gremlins, please catch them for us. We will see if they can be appeased…

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Splurge

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We went for a splurge breakfast after I got a blood test this morning at our doc’s office. I hate needles, so the prospect of a really nice breakfast afterwards makes it much easier to act like an adult. :0)

In Arkansas, the rules for percentage of capacity of dining-in at restaurants has expanded a bit. Everyone is still wearing masks and the servers place the diners pretty far apart. They now bring you menus and take your order rather than everyone standing in line to order at the front counter. I felt as safe as one can these days as I enjoyed a truly delicious breakfast.

We saw a dear friend who works at our bank while we were there. She was having breakfast with her parents. It has been ages since we saw her. It was good to be able to wave, exchange a few words, find out she and her family are okay, and see part of her face. (I love it that you can still tell when people are smiling, even when they are wearing a mask.) :0)

My husband and I are in the high risk group for COVID (being old and having other conditions) and we are lucky that we have an appointment to get our first vaccination shot Monday morning. I hope the rate of vaccinations can continue to increase until everyone who would like to receive the protection is immunized.

As far as food goes today, our splurge breakfast will hold us until we have a bowl of the beef stew I made in the crock pot yesterday for dinner tonight.

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Filed under Challenges, DIET!, taking care of yourself

What You Think

QuotesGram

Though it’s on my wish list, we have very few quiet days around here.

I’ve told you that things are falling apart around here lately. We are having to jump from one thing to the next, sometimes trying to juggle several things at once, trying to keep our heads above water.

We are waiting for our propane supplier to call us – hoping that one of their delivery people can stop by the next time they are in our area to help us get the pilot light lit for the heater in the shop. I’m assuming that because my husband can’t do it this time, it needs something replaced. We are in a good holding place on this problem. Everything is turned off. We don’t HAVE to work in the shop, and the weather is gradually getting warmer anyway.

I told you that my husband ran over something in the road on the way back from Ft. Smith last week, resulting in a flat and our having to order two tires. The turn signals quit working and the exhaust system is rattling now. The wonderful Vette designers made it so the whole front of the Vette has to come off to work on – or change – the turn signals. We are planning to take it to the dealer in Ft. Smith tomorrow and leave it with both problems to be fixed. THEN, when the tires arrive, we will take it to the local tire place to have the new tires mounted and balanced. Hopefully, that will finish THAT project.

I THINK that is the last of the series of things we have been dealing with the past month of so. (Knock on wood) I’m very glad to be enjoying the LAST day of February!

I saw the local hardware store is selling veggie plants! I may break down and get some. The seeds I started may one day finally be strong enough to go out in the garden, but I’m not depending on that. The plants are calling to me. L- I -N -N- N—- D- A! WE’RE W- A- A- A- A- I- T- I -N -G F O R Y O U !!!!!!!! :0)

Happy last day of February. I hope it’s a fun day for you.

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Thoughts on a Thursday 2-25-2021

forwarded from a friend

I want to adopt this dog. NOW. I simply melted into a puddle when I saw his little face.

If you’ve been following the blog, you know our generator suddenly wasn’t working. Yesterday we found a man in Ft Smith who could look at the starter motor to see if he could fix it. It turned out he couldn’t, but he had a new one for us. I was asleep when he called, and my husband insisted he would go and pick it up.

I was worried by the time he returned. He said he ran over something on the way home that flattened a tire. He was able to limp to a tire store and buy a used tired to get home. So now we have bought a new starter motor for the generator and ordered two new tires for the Vette. Oh, joy.

We worked on the starter motor most of the remaining afternoon until dark. He was able to get the motor in and running, but will have to tweak it today. He said he had to loosen something to get the motor out that apparently controls the speed of the motor. He will see if he can get that into the proper position today. I hoping this goes smoothly and solves our problem. He really had to work hard yesterday.

I am also hoping for a quiet day so I can get back to exercising. Both my husband and I have been either doing errands quickly, putting out ‘fires’, or working on the generator the past few days, so all routines and idea of a ‘regular’ schedule have been out the window. Instead hot showers, heat pads, muscle gel and Tylenol have kept us afloat.

My mantra is “things will get better.”

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Filed under Challenges, exercise, Housekeeping - Maintenance, Thoughts on a ________

Stress Eating

Mae West – BrightDrops

We just got home from a trip to Ft. Smith.

Yesterday we discovered that our generator failed to do its weekly automatic test. It also failed to start manually. We charged the battery we just bought last month, and installed a new air filter. The oil level and quality was fine. My husband took out the starter motor and tested it in the shop. No one in Greenwood works on starter motors, so we found a guy in Ft. Smith.

The traffic was AWFUL. My husband is always complaining about the “Anti-destination League,” who take pride in driving side by side in the left lane with the vehicle on the right, so no one can do anything. They really seemed to be out in force today, causing my husband a huge amount of frustration. His griping and efforts to try to get around the traffic cause ME a lot of stress as well.

We found the motor repair place, left the motor with the man, and started to drive home. We agreed to stop for something to eat. We found a Burger King. Each of us had a bacon cheeseburger and French fries. NOT on our diet! The burger was a burger, but the French fries were magnificent.

We are home now, in one piece. I didn’t kill my husband for scaring me to death over and over, but it was a close thing.

I think I may see if I can just go get the motor – if the man can fix it – by myself.

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We Did It!

We walked down the driveway right after lunch today to get to our truck my husband had to abandon yesterday, not being able to come back up our driveway. We cautiously backed down a seemingly endless amount, sliding a lot, before we were on the street in front of our house. We were delighted to find that our driveway was the only bad spot between our house and town.

We were able to get a microwave that was almost exactly the same as the one we loved that died. It’s a 2.2 cubic foot Panasonic with turbo defroster, genius sensor, etc. The only difference is that the new one has 100 watts less power than the old one. We are beyond delighted. My husband celebrated by warming up a cup of coffee. :0)

The only other excitement in our trip was trying to get back up our driveway. The first time we made it up about 1/3 of the way, but then started sliding around, losing traction. My husband had to carefully back all the way down to the bottom to give it another try. I thought we would end up stuck in the deep ditch on one side of the driveway or the other.

The second time he ‘went for broke.’ We started sliding about half way up, but managed to gain some traction and got over the middle, really steep part of the driveway. I had been holding my breath and firmly keeping my big mouth shut, so it took me a minute or two to calm down. My husband is a much gutsier driver than I, and gutsy is what it took today.

So the truck is in the garage safely now. Hopefully, by the end of the day tomorrow our ice and snow on the driveway will be only a memory.

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Filed under Cause for Celebration, Challenges, Mother Nature, Seasons

Eat-Arounds

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The forecast shows a slow warming trend here, so maybe we’ll be able to find our driveway in the coming days! I am hoping that I can convince my husband to wait at least until tomorrow afternoon before trying to negotiate our way down to the street that runs in front of our house.

Our microwave finally gave up the ghost, so this spoiled lady has been having to get off her duff and do some cooking, rather than simply heating up delicious, healthy frozen meals from REAL FOOD and STU’S CLEAN COOKIN’ in Greenwood.

Yesterday I cooked a chuck roast in the crock pot all afternoon. We had some of that, plus some rice, gravy, and peas. I am planning to spoon out some of the leftovers into oven containers to heat up for tonight.

I am learning to be careful what I gripe about! Not long ago I was griping because I wanted some comfort food to help us through the ice and snow we’ve had for about 3 weeks now. At that point I was taking my microwave for granted. NOW that has all changed.

In times like these, we learn what a great life we have and how VERY much we have to be thankful for. We cancelled Lunch Bunch for today. Yesterday I talked to one of my Lunch Bunch friends. Not only was she snowed in, but her main water pipe had burst and she was waiting for the plumber to come and try to repair it. Plus my heart truly goes out to the people suffering in Texas. I gripe about small annoyances while they try to get warm and find SOMETHING to eat.

Diets, extra lardage, and inconveniences, such as the lack of a microwave don’t even get on the bottom rung of what is important right now. May we all get through this winter so we can enjoy the promise of spring.

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Filed under Challenges, DIET!, Mother Nature, quality of life, Seasons

Calories

thatswhatthatmeans.tumblr.com – Shibley Smiles

The saga of small annoyances vs real problems continues in the Lewis household.

A month or so ago, the dish inside the microwave that turns when the food is cooking to ensure even heating quit working. I looked up our records and the microwave was purchased in 2005. We have certainly gotten our money’s worth.

My husband is really good at fixing things. He figured out a way to fix the microwave so the plate turned again. Things went fine until yesterday, when the plate stopped turning again. My husband immediately squashed ideas of getting a new one – assuming we will EVER be able to negotiate our steep driveway and the roads between our home and town again. (We are into our second week of being completely stuck up on top of our ridge line – the first week due to ice and this week due to snow. We still have about 8 inches on the ground, so we MAY be able to get out by NEXT week some time if the sun stays out and the temperatures warm up from the current 15 degrees F.)

My husband went to work on the microwave again and we tested it this morning. It ran – and the plastic ‘thingie’ in the center of the floor of the microwave turned – for about 3 seconds and then the whole microwave shut off. It is now clear that the microwave is completely dead this time, no matter how smart or inventive he is.

I explain all this because we have been thoroughly enjoying frozen dinners from two new places in town – Real Food, and Stu’s Clean Cookin.’ These are individual dinners, portion controlled, healthy, and delicious. We have quickly become spoiled.

“I” will need to get inventive now on defrosting these on the counter, then transferring them to oven dishes, then figuring out how long – and at what temperature – to heat them up. In the meantime, I’ll cook a roast for tonight in the crock pot.

As I began when I started this post, this is a small annoyance vs the very real and dangerous problems many good people in the United States are facing right now. I feel a bit guilty even mentioning something as small as this. The pandemic, cabin fever, and the trying to diet have all combined to make me a rather gripe-y lady.

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Filed under Challenges, Changes, DIET!, Mother Nature, Seasons

Thoughts on a Friday in February

MAN v FAT

It’s harder to stick with a rational, mature eating plan when the weather is yelling for comfort food. It’s 17 degrees F here in Greenwood, Arkansas. February is always our coldest month, but I was beginning to believe we wouldn’t have much of a winter this year. Hahahahahahhaha! Our highs are in the 20s, we have ice everywhere, our deck is a skating rink unfit for old folks to fill the bird feeders, and our 650+ foot long, STEEP driveway and the road that runs in front of our place are not encouraging travel – even to retrieve our mail at the bottom of the driveway. The forecast is for ‘dangerous cold, and snow Sat – Monday, then again Wednesday of next week. Did I tell you I HATE February?

VectorStock

I’m trying to be the “mature adult woman” that I’m supposed to be, NOT stuffing my face while continuing to earn my gold stars on my desk calendar for exercise. I put on my sweatshirt, sweat pants, puffy vest, knit hat, and gloves to go out to the garage to put in my time on my elliptical trainer. The good thing is I feel very proud of myself if I manage to get my time in out there each day. The yoga in the afternoons is easier.

Yesterday I finally got the seeds planted for my spring garden. The seed starter tray is sitting on our dining area table where the seeds will get the best sun. I’m watching the tray like a mother hen, hoping my seeds will sprout and then do really well so that I’ll have healthy, good-looking plants to put into my raised bed square foot garden the first week of April.

I am planning to continue my efforts to clean and reorganize my art room today. So far, the only clean area is my drafting table. Today I’ll tackle this table.

I hope you’re having a good Friday. Maybe we can start a petition to do away with February…

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Filed under Challenges, DIET!, exercise, Gardening, Mother Nature, Organizing/DeCluttering, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds