We will leave to go visit Harvey at the nursing home soon. I hope we can brighten his day a bit. I’ve been to the gym, washed out and hung my undies on the balcony, done some other chores around my place, shared breakfast with Brian. We had our favorite breakfast burrito with papaya and some other fruit neither of us cared for on the side. I’m feeling good.
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Latest sketch –
I have another sketch base-painted and another one I’m working on to take to the cafe later today.
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I’m really enjoying J.D.Robb’s “Fury in Death” with my one chapter a day rationing. Today is exercises with the water bottles and funky music day, plus I’ll practice my guitar and work on my puzzle. Speaking of the puzzle, here’s the latest image of it –
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I’ve been finding some really talented folks on Substack. I’m more than proud to share the planet with these people! I’ll be sharing some of their work as I can. I’m working on another article on entrepreneurship in Chiang Mai.
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Women’s Health
Shout-out to my friend, Lisa, who shared some beautiful pictures of her yard on a wonderful whole day spent outside, cleaning things up, puttering in her plants, enjoying her family and life in general.
The rain got my shoes again this morning, but they are out on the balcony drying in the sun now. I’m glad I have an extra pair to wear to the gym on mornings like this so I don’t have to slog around in wet shoes all day. Right now the sun is shining, even though heavy rain is predicted from now through the rest of the day and evening. I’ll get my shoes inside before I leave to go to the cafe. ☔️
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I had a nice time at the cafe yesterday. I finished 4 thank you cards and 4 Christmas cards, plus did the preliminary sketch of a stretching cat I hope to finish today. Brian is helping me replenish some of my art supplies since I’m running low in several areas. 🎨
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The chameleon puzzle is coming along, albeit slowly. I’m having a bit of luck with the background beige now. The whole other half of the chameleon is the same shade of green – so that will be the biggest challenge yet.
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I’m still confining myself to reading one🎸 chapter of my Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb In Death series book, Fury in Death.” I’m trying to make it last, plus – left to my own devices – I would sit and read the whole rest of the book and not do any of the other things I would like to do. So – I ration myself.
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The sick, croaking frog is still singing along with my halting guitar chord changes daily. My fingernails are growing faster than my building of the callouses I need to hold the strings down firmly enough for a clear sound to come through. I will probably cut my fingernails this evening to give myself a better chance when I practice.🐸🎸🎶
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BoredPanda.com
Today is yoga stretches. I’ll do those between coming back from the cafe and dinner.
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I haven’t seen the gecko I relocated to the balcony from the bathroom faucet yesterday. I was really hoping he would return, but no luck. 🦎
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Keurig
This time of the year I long for the cooler weather we were starting to enjoy now in the States, plus the colors of the leaves. The rainy season here lasts this month, and is supposed to cool off some and the daily rain is supposed to stop in November. Even in the “cooler season” here, I’m still drinking my iced latte in the afternoons…
I’m having a nice morning. Brian and I shared a breakfast of sliced sausage and sliced chicken with a fruit that looked like cantaloupe, but was much sweeter, and the best pineapple I have ever eaten. Such a delightful start to the day!
Eat This Not That
I came back to my place and did exercises with my water bottles, adding “Funky Dance Music” from computer to add fun, rather than counting reps. I’ll do another session of that later this morning. It was a great session. 😁
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I’ve been finding new artists on Substack that are really speaking to me with their art. I’ll share it with you as soon as I can gather more of their work.
Yesterday when I entered the cafe, the “reserved” sign was on ‘my’ table. This time, when I started to go find another spot, the LADY server stopped me, pointing to my table and me. Honestly, how do I thank these wonderful people who go out of their way to make me feel so welcome there? She’s the one who does THIS to keep the condensation off my fingers and my paper –
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Here are the painted sketches I finished yesterday –
Today I’ll sketch some thank you cards and some Christmas cards first. Then, if I have more time, I’ll start on another full sized sketch.
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This is the sweet little gecko I found in my bathroom sink. He was a little over an inch long, I think, and really fast. I took some pics and then used a piece of cardboard and one half of my puzzle box to scoop him up and then transferred him carefully to my balcony. I really don’t mind him in my place, but I’m afraid I’ll inadvertently step on him…
We are just back from visiting my husband in the nursing home. To be honest, since he has been so antsy lately and insisted that his nurse help him call Brian, etc., we were dreading a possible confrontation. We talked about how we would try to handle it, try to calm his down. Thankfully, he was totally engrossed in making elaborate plans to leave, writing in the notebook we got for him, making scrawls that even he can’t decipher. He has decided he wants to go to Tate.
Tate is a private community on top of a mountain in Northern Georgia. Relatives went together years ago and bought acreage around a lake and built the community year by year, with a lot of the families building homes to vacation in, some actually living there almost year round. It’s a beautiful place we got to visit, fish, swim, spend time in a home there, and showed Brian all around when he was about 5.
Harvey wanted to know if Tate was in Thailand now. And things went downhill from there. But he stayed calm, even when we had to tell him again that we didn’t have our Honda here and that you couldn’t drive from here to the States. He continued to add to his plans, both telling us and trying to write them down, even with the answers we gave him. We left him watching some TV, but he was still planning in his head. Brian ordered him a pizza. His nurse sent us a picture and then a video of Harvey enjoying the pizza. He actually thanked Brian for having it delivered to him, so that was good. It was such a relief not to have rampant frustration, upset, and more today. His nurse wanted to know if he was confused today. Brian wrote back to tell her that he was VERY confused, but seemed calm about things while we were there. Whew!
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I have base painted 4 sketches I did yesterday and will take my sketchbook to the cafe in about 45 minutes to work on them. The cafe is my calm, happy place where I can leave all cares behind for a while while I work on details of sketches or start new sketches. I’m so lucky to have this.
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My guitar sits in its spot during the week (except when the housekeeper is due) so that I can just sit down and practice a short time several times a day. I’m loving trying to get smoother on the chord changes and strumming techniques, while the frog continues to croak along with it. 🎸🎶
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Donna, this is particularly for you, since you have been encouraging my excrutiatingly slow efforts to put the jigsaw puzzle together. I AM making progress…
I’ve just gotten back from spending a nice time at the cafe. I got my favorite spot, and sat, enjoying an iced latte, sketching. My time there really helps me keep my head on straight, concentrating on trying to get a sketch down on paper, equalizing concerns about my husband.
He is really antsy lately. We will visit him tomorrow, but he has asked his nurse to call Brian two days in a row now. He basically wants his life to be as it used to be, where he was able to do what he wanted when he wanted. He wants to go ‘home,’ though he isn’t sure where that is, where HE is, or how to get there. We will talk to the nursing home staff (the owner now is an ER physician) and Harvey’s neurosurgeon who monitors him quarterly, is in charge of his meds, and helps us renew Harvey’s medical visa – to see what they think about this new antsy-ness and what their recommendations are. Tuesday when we visited, he had a whole list he had tried to write of things he needed or wanted. The nurse sent us a video after the phone call showing Harvey trying to make yet another list…
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Here are my latest painted sketches –
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Today I had my massage this morning (ahhhh!) and Brian and I had our Friday special treat. THIS time, though, the lady from whom we buy the treats put in an extra box with our order, saying it was a new thing she was trying out. The normal thing is a creme brûlée, and the extra looked like a round waffle. We have had three things from this lady, and ALL are simply melt-in-your-mouth decadent. We also had her lemonade, which is the best I have ever tasted, so I’ve been well fed today, and dinner is yet to come!
My house is spotless, thanks to my hard-working housekeeper. Yes – I’m hopelessly spoiled now.
I have to admit that the lady who writes this blog is dumb. It takes me a long time to ‘realize’ some things and then connect that with actions. The example of the UA at the gym is one example. “Realizing” that I was allowing HIM to control MY gym sessions took me a long time. Now that I HAVE realized that I need to control my time at the gym, I can actively change my attitude and change things.
My SIL and my cousin-in-law/good friend have both suggested that I ‘kill him with kindness.’ This is an interesting approach, but having thought about it, I really don’t want a gym buddy relationship with him. I don’t care where in the States he is from. He is oblivious to, or doesn’t care about, the fact that he is being obnoxious and personifying the “Ugly American” stereotype. His behavior won’t change. My inner problems with it can and will.
My other recent example of my dumbness is in the use of my hearing aids. Yesterday there was a group of people very close to the seat I was using at the side of the cafe. They were catching up with each other and having a good time. They would get quite loud at times, laughing and speaking loudly. It took me until I got home last night to ‘realize’ that I had the means to control my irritation in THAT situation, too. I have a phone app to control my hearing aids. It has taken me almost a year of wearing them daily to finally ‘realize’ that I could use my phone to turn 1) make sure the ‘voice boost’ button was turned to ‘off,’ or that 2) I could turn my hearing aid settings DOWN to lessen the irritation, or even ‘off.’ DUH!
It brings to mind something I’ve remembered for years. My great grandmother, grandfather, grandmother, and great aunt all lived together in a house in Missouri. I loved to go visit them. My great grandmother wore large hearing aids that had chords on them that went around her neck like a necklace. She kept the chords inside the neck of her dresses. People would be talking, sometimes directly to my great grandmother, when she would put her hand down the neck of her dress and turn her hearing aids off – sometimes mid-sentence!
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Today is my normal Thursday. I’m almost ready for my housekeeper to come tomorrow. I’ll be doing my water bottle exercises today and finishing writing posts for the blog, then going to the cafe.
You’ll be happy to hear that I have decided to quite whining about the Ugly American – UNLESS he does something so egregious I can’t ignore it. People pointed out – rightly – that I was giving him too much power over me, my walking time on the treadmill at the gym, and my emotions. ENOUGH.
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Women’s Health
Shout-out to Murray, one of my favorite people in all the world, who is celebrating a birthday today. I wish I could be there to hug her neck, but she knows I’m wishing her FUN, FOOD, and FEELINGS of joy today.
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Women’s Health
Shout-out to my dear friend, Carla. We texted first thing this morning. I told her what Harvey announced to me when we visited with him yesterday – that she drove from the States to Thailand in our former Honda truck with a trailer attached to pack up his stuff and take it back to Tulsa – a place we haven’t lived for over 50 years. To top THAT amazing feat off, he said they slept together! I congratulated her on being able to drive a truck to Thailand, and then chided her for “sleeping with my husband.” We’ve been friends for 100 years. I asked her to TELL me the NEXT time she does something like this, and got her promise to come visit ME if she does…. 🤣🤪 It was good to laugh together.
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I will head to the cafe soon. So far, we’re having lovely weather here – sunshine and no rain. I have one sketch base painted and ready for me to add details, with a couple of others in my head I’d like to try.
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Brian surprised me a while ago with a treat and some lemonade. SO DELICIOUS! DECADENT! He thinks of nice ways to make me feel pampered. I just love being so spoiled. 🤗
We are closing out September. It brings back memories of me as a kid trick-or-treating at the end of October with a group of my friends before the world changed and parents had to be super cautious. The group of us would go to the next neighborhood over which had lots of kind people who enjoyed the holiday, decorated their homes, turned on their porch lights to welcome us, and handed us all kind of goodies. We had so much fun. We didn’t come home until our big candy bags were unable to hold one more thing, or our boundless energy finally gave out. We would arrive home, candy-smeared, smiling, tired faces, ready to eat more, but admonished that it was more than time for bedtime baths and sleep. We made our costumes each year, planning way ahead and gathering or making the key items needed to show who we were ‘going as.’ I’m very happy I lived in a time when kids had that kind of freedom and joy.
@slhoffman23 – “The Fine Art of Winging It” – Substack
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I have had a varied day today.
It started out with Ugly American not only being at the gym, but right beside me on the treadmill. He put his phone on the treadmill screen, then constantly messed with either the phone or the treadmill the entire time. It was more than distracting. I’m really trying not to get hostile and blow him out of the water, but it’s hard. Brian was referring to him as my ‘gym buddy’ on the way home, smiling.
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Our visit with Harvey was really challenging today. He didn’t know who I was, but was bragging about sharing his bed with one of my long time friends from Arkansas. He thought Brian was his brother, Bill. Harvey made no sense whatsoever the whole time we there there today. He insisted we turn off the air conditioner, take all the pillows off the bed, and kept talking about going home – though one time that was Tulsa, where we haven’t lived for over 50 years, another time that was a lake in Georgia, another time that was AR, but clearly didn’t realize we no longer had the shop there. Brian brought him an orange drink, which he drank. He bought him two really expensive magazines, but Harvey just told us to store them so we would have them when we left. We told his nurse that she needed to watch for him trying to ‘flee,’ and explained why the pillows and covers were off the bed. It was a depressing visit. I’m not even sure he was glad to see us today.
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I wore my new tee to visit Harvey. I just love the design and workmanship on it.
I had a great time at the cafe today. When I got there this afternoon, there was a ‘reserved’ sign on my favorite spot, so I started toward the back. My favorite server stopped me, indicating he had put that there for ME!
Can you believe it? I felt so special! I had a good time sketching. I finished one and started a second.
Here is the one I finished –
This man with the cart stopped in front of a shop, went in, and came out with an armful of ‘stuff’ he added to the cart. From the look of things, I THINK he’s gathering recyclables. It was obvious that he walks miles down the street, gathering things, then takes his cart, and then comes back for more. Enterprising, hard-working man. I just hope he has a tarp to protect his ‘finds’ for when the rain starts to come down…”
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I had another power blip overnight, so I was having to turn my air filters on again, reboot my computer, etc. first thing this morning. It’s been rainy here, but we haven’t had the awful flooding that Bangkok is experiencing.
Oh, the joy of it!!! I KNEW it!! 20 minutes into my walk at the gym and Ugly American came in, armed with his phone, talking loudly to someone and already making his way to the end of the gym and back. I was sitting on the bench, waiting for Brian to finish. He passed me, looked at me and said, “Good morning.” I mumbled it back. I’m afraid he lives here and I’ll have to deal with this the best way I can.
Otherwise, though, I increased the incline on the treadmill and burned more calories than usual, so he’s good for SOMETHING…
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I had a good session of old lady yoga stretches just before starting this. I took a good, long time, really breathing into the stretches. It amazes me that I can be so stiff when first getting down on my mat, and how my body finally ‘lets go’ a bit as I breathe after getting into a position.
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I was going to tell you that the weather people were wrong about the rain, but as I was typing, the rain started. It isn’t a hard storm now, though, just a quiet rain. It’s starting to pelt against some of my windows now, though, so I’ll keep an eye out for leaks. Last night I had a power blip and spent a good amount of time resetting my air filters, one clock, my TV, and my computer. (That was why I only wrote two posts yesterday.) It was only a blip, though, and didn’t ruin my evening – just took some doing to get everything up and running again.
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I’m looking forward to spending time at the cafe this afternoon. I have a couple of ideas for sketches to start.
I’m having a really late start on writing posts for the blog because I had such a wonderful day.
1st, Ugly American was NOT at the gym. All was peaceful.
I spent time at the cafe. The owner (or the owner’s wife – I’m not sure which) apparently had my favorite server text her when I arrived. She came running out of the hotel, waved at me through the window, and came inside to give me a container of fresh blackberries. We had a nice chat. Her mom is going to have cataract surgery next month and was concerned about it. I have had that and was able to reassure her it was a routine procedure now and that her mom, who was frightened, need not be, and would be delighted with the results. She thanked me profusely for the information.
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Here are my latest painted sketches –
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When I got home from the cafe, Brian texted me, asking if I wanted to go to the open air mall. We spent about an hour there. It was wonderful. I just love that place. If we spent days there, we still wouldn’t see all they have to offer. We had a really delicious fruit ‘shake’ from all kinds of fruit. It was called, “Anti- Aging,” but I think that ship has already sailed. Regardless, it was wonderful. Brian bought me a tee shirt with hand embroidery of a cat and flowers. I simply fell in love with it AND the sweet woman who was delighted by how pleased I was with her work. Brian is going to wash it for me in his clothes washer before I wear it. I’ll take a picture of it when I have it on. We took a tuk-tuk (open air car) in both directions. It was the perfect afternoon for that and being outside walking around.
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Brian thought we needed to replace the walkie talkies we have been using in case of emergency. The sound was staticky and the battery was reminding us to recharge way sooner than it used to. Today we have new ones which have great sound. They can be programmed to turn themselves on and recharge the battery for an hour each day so that you don’t have to do anything at all. Yea!
I just got back from a nice couple of hours at the cafe, drinking an iced latte by the front window (yes! I got “my spot!”) sketching. It is really a wonderful way for me to relax and concentrate on getting something down on paper. All my worries fall away for a while and my biggest problem is the perspective on a bench or the eyes on the monkey… 😁 🖌️
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We visited with my husband, Harvey, at the nursing home this morning. He was comfortable, interested in several things, and made almost no sense at all. He is still talking about taking all the sketches down from the Happy Wall and putting them up on the cork board in the shop. (The fact that the shop is in Arkansas, doesn’t belong to us anymore, and never had a corkboard are just ‘details.’) He wants us to get him a Phillips screwdriver and a light he can have installed by the maintenance staff there on his headboard. (The fact that he HAS no headboard was a point of contention until we took a picture. We got him a reading light that he can put around his neck with adjustable tubes with lights on the ends that have two levels of brightness. I got it out and showed it to him again.
He seemed to be happy we were there. He wanted Brian to get him a subscription to “How It Works” magazine. The fact that he might be interested in this makes sense. We will go back to the place we got the one “How It Works” magazine we got for him almost a year ago and see if we can get more. From one visit to the next, though, he may change his mind, so we won’t try for a subscription yet. He wanted a pizza, so Brian ordered him one after we left. The nurse sent us a video of him enjoying it. We’re going to try to get the staff to include him on at least one meal a day of what everyone else is eating, now that he is able to eat French fries and pizza without choking. We’re hoping they can cut back on the nasal tube feedings at some point. He wasn’t having to wear an oxygen cannula today!
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Ugly American was NOT at the gym this morning. I’m afraid to hope that this means his ‘visit’ is over and he has gone back to the States. I’m afraid he’s just toying with me.
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The weather was odd today. It was raining when I got up this morning, but stopped just before we headed for the gym. Then the sun came out strongly. It rained again while I was at the cafe. It makes it a bit difficult to figure out how to time things. I’m just going with the flow now and carrying my rain gear.
I’ve had my usual wonderful Friday – gym, breakfast with Brian, and massage this morning. The cafe in the afternoon. Good weather.
The only thing that wasn’t stellar was that Ugly American showed up 20 minutes into my walk on the treadmill at the gym this morning. He came in with his phone blasting music. He finally turned it off, only to start talking to someone in a loud voice as he walked up and down the length of the gym. Such a lovely man…
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Here are my latest painted sketches –
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At the cafe today, my favorite server brought my iced latte, wrapped in a brown napkin, as usual, but with this addition –
I don’t speak Thai and he doesn’t speak English, and yet he goes out of his way to do something nice like this. Isn’t he amazing?
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Happily, last night Brian fixed my problem of not being able to watch YouTube on my TV. It turns out that the automatic update we thought we had set up didn’t work for some reason. We updated the software and everything was peachy again. I got to watch my music videos and was happy as a clam. Yea, Brian!!!!
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Yesterday Shanfan Huang, whose art I have featured several times on the blog, contacted me, asking me if I would change the posts to list the entire address for her Substack account. I went back and made the changes on the posts involved, but I wanted to make sure that you have the information from me here in case you would like to go to Substack to see more. Her full Subtack address is substack.com/@shanfanhuang
I’ve changed the sheets on my bed, gathered trash, and put out fresh towels, so I’m mostly ready for my housekeeper to come tomorrow. I got cash this morning to leave for her and to take for my massage, so I’m pretty well set.
I had a good session at the gym this morning. UA was not there. Sweet Thai man was. Our friend we see often was there for a little while, so it was a nice time. No rain. Today is water bottle exercises. I’ll try to get those done before I leave for the cafe – otherwise I come up with an excuse too many times and put it off… I’m starting to get back into a couple of exercise videos by the Australian senior exercise expert I’ve told you about before. I’ll go into a bit more detail soon so, if you’re interested, you’ll have at least one link to good exercises that will make you stronger. If you have a minute, a shout-out to my friend, Sheila Murrey, who has a “shorts” video showing her ‘dancing with froggy.’ (She liked a frog I wood-burned and painted when I still had my Etsy shop in the States. Froggy has a wonderful home now. 🤗 🐸)
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I officially have to admit that I’m addicted to watching/listening to music on YouTube before bed each night. When I’ve done the prep for the next day, I really like doing this to wind down and hopefully get sleepy enough to go right to sleep when I go to bed since I need to get up early the next morning.
I figured out that I am addicted because either my Internet, my TV or both were having problems last night and I wasn’t able to watch. SHRIEK! I didn’t actually, except internally, but I felt that way. I ended up reading, but I really wanted to see some videos Brian told me about that showed Japanese otters being cute (plus the latest season of The Voice). Hopefully, all will be working correctly this evening or my normally sunny personality might develop a cloud or two…
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Here is my latest finished sketch –
I’m working on one I started yesterday, plus I have several ideas I’d like to get started on soon.
If you haven’t checked out Substack, I wanted to tell you how much I’m enjoying it. There are some really good writers on there, incredible artists and photographers, and real people who are sharing experiences and feelings, rather than focusing on politics or trying to sway your opinion about anything in one way or another. I find this very refreshing and spend more and more time checking more things out.
This was posted a bit late, but it IS the official beginning of fall, and I love it so much I wanted to share it.
Lady Caroline – @a lady’s substack
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Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird – Chiang Mai – Instagram
Brian and I were on our way home from the gym yesterday and saw what looked like a hummingbird drinking nectar from a whole row of long red blossomed flowers. We stopped and admired him for a minute or two. I had read before that Thailand doesn’t have hummingbirds, as such, but have Sunbirds and a moth that imitates the hovering of a hummingbird.
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Speaking of the gym, we saw Ugly American jogging ahead of us as we walked. I thought, ‘Oh, no.’ but he didn’t come into the gym today. Later Brian told me he had his phone out and that he seemed to be watching a movie where a lady was screaming. (One reason to be happy I don’t wear my hearing aids to the gym!) I can’t believe the stupidity of a guy running in public down a street with the sounds of someone screaming coming from him.
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I have a normal, wonderful day today. Rain chances are low today. The sun is shining brightly now and it is already feeling quite warm. I’m enjoying my J.D. Robb, “Fury in Death” book, but I’m limiting myself to one chapter a day in order to get other things done. 📖
As I told you, the puzzle is coming along extremely slowly, but I AM making a bit of progress. Meanwhile, this colorful guy is brightening up one side of my living area with his gorgeous body.
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I’m looking forward to going to the cafe this afternoon. I have one sketch in process, and a couple I would like to get started. I’m having such a good time with this!
Pamela Schifano – @pammypoo on Substack – The Daily Inspo
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Today’s visit with Harvey was like we were on a roller coaster emotion-wise. On the good side, his blood oxygen was good, so they removed the oxygen nasal tube for the first time in several weeks. He had asked his nurse to help him send a video to Brian, asking for a pizza. While he was asking him, he also told Brian he loved him. His nurse sent a video later of Harvey actually eating a slice of pizza without help and without choking. He was totally confused about time today. When we went in, he was complaining because he couldn’t get his watch to say “December.” We discovered that for some reason, he really thought that was the date. I showed him my watch and Brian showed him his, and Harvey finally calmed down. He didn’t know what year it was, thought he was 90, and that his birthday was in December. He actually knew who I was today and told me he loved me. He went on and on, though, about inappropriate, actually pornographic stuff. SO – some good, some not so good. He was comfortable. He was glad to see us.
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I had a good time at the cafe this afternoon. I had found a photo on the net provided by Arthur David Spota – @adaspota.bsky.social – of an abandoned movie theater in Dresden, Germany. It really struck me, so I tried to draw it.
I was finishing up the details when a couple came up to me. They were very complimentary about my efforts, and I told them they made my day.
Here’s the painted sketch –
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I slept well last night and went to the gym this morning. Just at the end of my walk on the treadmill, the Ugly American came in. I was sitting on the bench waiting for Brian to finish. The man came in, tripped on the door sill, causing me to smile (inside.) He didn’t fall. He passed me and said, “Good morning.” It’s in my upbringing to be civil, so I said it back, gritting my teeth. And so it goes.
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We had one of my favorite dinners last night. It’s a burrito with chicken, salad, nuts, and cranberries, plus some kind of dressing. It’s absolutely delicious. It’s really too large, though, for a meal, and Brian really doesn’t like leftovers, so we won’t have it often.
It’s official – I’m down 100 pounds and a little over 94 inches now. I’m officially into maintenance now, just trying to keep my good eating habits, but allowing myself to branch out a bit, and concentrating on building strength, flexibility and stamina.
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A lady on Substack thinks I should write a book about my impressions of Thailand and include my sketches. I’m just going to concentrate on writing articles for Substack at this point and see what the reaction is.
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I have met another lady on Substack lately who just left Chiang Mai to go home to her native Australia. Apparently, she loves Chiang Mai, has been here several times and knows a whole lot more about than I do. She plans to come back in April and maybe we can arrange to meet!
I didn’t sleep well last night – just couldn’t turn my brain off – so opted out of the gym this morning. When we shared breakfast, Brian confirmed that Ugly American was there. He was in the gym when Brian arrived, so apparently he got a card, or got the one he had fixed. I’m happy that I pictured him being frustrated that I wasn’t there for him to drive me crazy. 🤪
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It’s raining now, but it’s NOT coming in my windows. I get up and check to see if there are any problems, but it looks like the ‘bucket and towel brigade’ of the last rainy season is officially not needed anymore. HOORAY! Update – I just took my clothes to the laundry, and when I came back, the sun was shining brightly and there was no rain at all. It will probably be an on and off pouring rain kind of days today.
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The only errand I have is taking a load of clothes to the laundry in just a minute. I plan to go to the cafe to sketch this afternoon, but hopefully it won’t be pouring then.
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Here is my latest painted sketch –
I saw this photo by Kaitlin M. on Substack. She said the frog’s name was “Bob,” so when I fell in love with him, I labeled the painting.
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Since I didn’t get to the gym this morning, I’ll do my water bottle exercises this morning. If I have the time and energy, I’ll also fit in my yoga stretches before I go to the cafe. If not, I’ll do them between the cafe and dinner. 💪🏻
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I wish I could tell you that I’m making good progress on the chameleon jigsaw puzzle and my guitar practice and singing, but they are both a hard slog at this point. I still include them for a bit in my day, but the singing frog is beginning to think she will croak of old age before the chameleon lives.
Today was a rainy day. We got rained on going to and from the gym. Again going to and from a visit with Harvey at the nursing home. Again to and from the cafe, and it rained while I was there. And it will probably rain again this evening. Happily, my shoes didn’t get soaked this time, so I’m good to go.
Ugly American wasn’t at the gym this morning. I told Harvey about him. He thought we should shoot him. Failing that, he suggested Brian rig the treadmill so it would throw the guy off. We told him we thought both ideas weren’t proportional to the ‘crime’ of being annoying… 🤣
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I had a good session at the cafe. I started a sketch of an ugly frog named “Bob” that I got the reference photo from a lady named Kaitlin M. on Substack. I also started a sketch of an old movie theater.
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I started “Fury in Death” by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) yesterday. I confined myself to the prologue, since I don’t want to be drawn down into the rabbit hole. I absolutely love her writing and I could lose whole DAYS reading her books.
I am finishing up a ‘normal’ Friday here, meaning that I’ve had a really nice day.
The gym was good. I wore my old shoes because it was sprinkling and the forecast was for 100% rain all day long. Since I had JUST gotten my regular tennis shoes dry, I didn’t want to chance it. I take personal credit for it NOT raining on us this morning. If I had been wearing my regular shoes, it would have drowned us again as it did Wednesday.
The Ugly American was not at the gym. I was locked and loaded and ready, so, of course, he didn’t come. My problem now is that I’m afraid if I confront him, I’ll find out that in addition to being an oblivious, rude American, he is NOT visiting, but is LIVING here and I’ll have to put up with him forever. I would rather keep my illusions that he is visiting and will go back home soon as long as I can.
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I had a really good, though strenous, massage this morning. Khun Weaw was visiting family at home. Khun Sulee handled my massage. She is very skilled and kind, but she is much rougher with me that Khun Weaw. I feel so good, though, it would be perfect if I had one of the therapists one week and the other therapist the following. I’m just super greatful that there are two ladies there and that K. Sulee will take me when K. Weaw is absent.
Brian and I had a snack after my massage and then we headed for the cafe. I had a good session there, finishing two sketches and starting another.
My place is sparkling from Khun Pom’s care, so I’m one happy camper as I type.
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Here are my latest sketches –
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Women’s Health
A shout-out to my talented friend Sheila “Spiral Sister” Murrey who was on a podcast featuring her “Moves” videos, was featuring two songs, and who has lost 2 inches from her waist doing her exercising. You can find her on Substack – @sheilaspiralsister too. KUDOS!
I’m now pretty well ready for the housekeeper to come tomorrow, though. The bed has fresh sheets, I have fresh towels ready to put out, the trash is gathered, I’v cleaned an area or two out, etc. I have payment out for the housekeeper and money ready for my massage tomorrow. I have my shoes continuing to dry with a fan on them. I’m hoping they may be ready to wear again tomorrow.
I wore the tennis shoes I brought from the States today at the gym. The Ugly American was not only there, he again got on the treadmill right beside me and then started TALKING ON HIS PHONE! I was able to confirm he was speaking English and seemed to be speaking to co-workers, though I don’t wear my hearing aids to the gym and wouldn’t want to follow the actual conversations anyway. He had canceled something and was calling each one of them serially to let them know and give instructions. I looked at him each time he started talking again, but didn’t say a word. Then the chuckles got to me and I had to firmly keep my eyes on my walking video to keep from laughing out loud. Apparently, my eyes were still twinkling when Brian and I sat on the bench a minute before heading home. He said, “You didn’t SAY anything to him?” I shook my head, but my mouth started to twitch, so we hurriedly got up and left.
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Here are my latest sketches –
This is the rattan chair I covet. It was impossible to draw, but I tried to get the FEEL of it…
Another example of the owner building the sitting area around the existing trees.
I’ll leave to go to the cafe in about half an hour. I have several ideas for things I would like to try to draw.
You meet the nicest people when you least expect it. Today I met a Thai man who was on crutches trying to shut his door and pick up a whole lot of things he was trying to take downstairs. I went over and asked him if I could help him carry stuff. He looked surprised, then said he was fine. I held the elevator for him while he got himself, his crutches and all his things in with me. As we rode down, he said, “You have a very kind soul.” He said it twice because I was having trouble understanding. I thanked him and did the ‘wei’ (pronounced ‘Y’). I got off on my floor and waved goodbye to him, telling him to have a nice day (although I’m not sure he understood that) and bowing again. He had the kindest face!
The Ugly American came to the gym this morning while I was on the treadmill. This time he confined himself to walking the length of the gym and back again over and over talking loudly on his phone. I found myself smiling more and more, and even chuckling a couple of times ( yes, I DO chuckle – and usually at inappropriate times. Since I really don’t want him to deck me, I’m trying to keep any sound to an absolute minimum. It’s a good thing he’s walking behind me, though, ’cause I can’t hide my big grin.
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It started absolutely POURING just as we finished and were ready to leave the gym. We waited a bit for a letup, me putting on my trash bag rain suit and Brian using his umbrella. (This photo is from last year, though I’m still using the same suit.) It started to come down really hard as we began walking. Suffice to say, my shoes were absolutely soaked, but the amazingly good rain suit kept ME and my carrier from getting soaked.
I pulled my drying rack inside from the balcony when I got back. After my shower, I spread a sheet under it and put all my wet stuff, plus my wash, on the rack. I set up a fan to blow on it all, hoping it will dry by tomorrow. We have a 95% chance of rain today, and it’s supposed to be rainy all day, but my windows are performing beautifully so far. I’m hoping I can go to the cafe this afternoon, but time will tell.
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I have almost finished the base painting on my latest two sketches – one of the rattan chair and the other, the trees going through the roof of the seating area beside a cafe.
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I have found an amazing number of people whose work I want to share with you. I feel rich and happy to be on the same planet as these talented people.
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The street crew was out last night, jackhammering the street overnight. They did leave a small area blocked off today, but were busily using water and brooms to clean the street when I got up a little after 4 this morning. I had a laugh because in the other direction, there is an area where water lines will have to be repaired and water is running everywhere. There are two areas within that where the street crews have put lots of dirt, sand, and gravel and the water is pooling and running around it. In the middle of the area, there is a ‘no parking’ sign… hahahahahahahaha!🤣
I felt more energetic on the treadmill this morning. I think drinking the electrolytes first thing in the morning is helping me. Plus the lesser dosage on the thyroid hormone should be kicking in now – though that is a really gradual thing. Ugly American wasn’t there – YEA! – so I was free to walk without distraction and could relax fully.
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We visited Harvey this morning. Though this wasn’t the best of visits, he seemed glad we came. His hands were in the padded gloves when we walked in. When I questioned him, he admitted that he was trying to get out of bed. I again tried to explain to him that he’s not strong enough to do that and will fall and probably break a bone if he tries it. I don’t think he can grasp that, though. He wanted me to take the gloves off. I refused. He said he had been chewing the ties, trying to get them off himself. Since he couldn’t do it, he wanted me to do it. I again explained that his nurse was trying to keep him from being injured. He rolled his eyes at that. He wanted us to ‘get him out of here,’ too, so that was heart-wrenching. We spent 30 minutes with him saying nothing, just holding his gloved hands. When we started to leave, he said, “You’re leaving already?” and wanted to talk. When Brian leaned in to listen, it was a rehash of wanting the gloves off, wanting to get out of here, wanting to get up to pee, etc. He was calm when we left, and so we’re calling this a good visit.
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I have two new finished sketches to show you –
I worked on two sketches at the cafe today – one of the rattan chair I covet that we see on the way to the gym, and the other a sketch of a cafe area built around grown trees.
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I had a lady on Substack contact me, suggesting that I do a series on living in Thailand, including my sketches and explaining what I was trying to do with each one. I haven’t seen anything like this on Substack, so I’m going to try to write the first article in a series that I hope people will enjoy.
I finally made it back to the gym this morning after two days of having to opt out. It felt good to be moving again on the treadmill, though I held on to the handlebars to be sure I was steady. And guess what! Ironically, Brian had told me that Ugly American hadn’t been there for two days and chose TODAY to return! AND, of course, he went back and forth several times talking loudly on his phone and then got on to the treadmill beside me. I actually had to laugh – at the situation AND myself. Things will be fine. 🤣
It didn’t rain yesterday and MAY not again today! Whoopeeeee! The sunshine is flooding my place right now, and FEELS good all through me. It’s fast getting quite warm and the humidity is high, but I’ll smile my way through the day!
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I’ll do my yoga stretches in a while. It feels so good to be moving again. My new morning regimen seems to be helping. I feel GOOD.
Because of my dizziness episode at the gym two days ago, I opted out of my treadmill walking again this morning, practicing my new routine on starting with electrolytes first thing in the morning and giving things time to settle before taking anything else before heading for the gym.
Just to show you what a mean person I am, I imagined Ugly American at the gym, disappointed that I wasn’t there to bug…. 🤣
I feel fine now, so will start back at the gym tomorrow.
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I’m having a normal, quiet day. I’m working on base painting a couple of sketches to take to the cafe later to add the details to this afternoon. Meanwhile, I’m writing blog posts and working on one for Substack.
I did finish one sketch yesterday –
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The forecast is for 94 degrees this afternoon. The sun is shining brightly right now. I have stuff out on my drying rack on the balcony taking advantage of this. I don’t think it is supposed to rain today!!!!
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It’s funny. When I worked full time (essentially my whole life) I was celebrating a weekend, making plans, etc. Now that I’m retired, I don’t really HAVE a weekend. Everything is open all the time here with only a few exceptions, so we gone on with regular things as usual. So I have to REMIND myself that this is probably Saturday evening for most of you. I hope you’re having a fun weekend, enjoying things you don’t get to do during the week, getting caught up, finding time to rest and have fun.
As usual these days, the visit to Harvey in the nursing home was mixed. I took the painting I had done of our mailbox decoration of Wyle E. Coyote, Sonic the Hedgehog, and the Roadrunner. He liked it and wanted it put up on his happy wall – AFTER I assured him that we would make SURE we would include it when we went back to Arkansas and put up all the pictures on a cork board in our shop there…
He made no sense at all, otherwise, but seemed happy to see us. He was quite talkative, and we just held his hands and nodded and commented at appropriate times. We did contact his nurse after we left, asking if she was all right, since Harvey was talking about being shagrinned that he could not subdue a 90-pound girl. Apparently, he was trying to get her phone, and she was preventing him from getting out of bed or grabbing it. Hence, the reason we keep seeing the padded gloves on the couch when we visit. I told him we would see him soon. He said ‘soon’ was a relative term. I showed him where to look on his watch for what day it was. I told him we would plan to be back Tuesday. I’ve showed him this many times, but it isn’t sticking.
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I went to the cafe, only to see a sign posted outside saying there was a scheduled power outage today while some work was being done and they would open at 4pm. That’s the time I come back to my place after being there a couple of hours, so I’m at my place, writing blog posts and sketching here.
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Someone on Substack suggested that I do a series of articles on my impressions on moving to Thailand, incorporating my sketches and explanations of why I did each. I’m going to try it and see if anyone is interested.
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I opted out of the gym this morning after becoming ill yesterday. I slept in and then joined Brian for breakfast before we went to visit Harvey. I feel much better today, so I think I’m over whatever the problem was. I’ll go to the gym as usual in the morning.
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I hope you enjoyed the “I Wanna Grow Old With You” video I posted yesterday. I still tear up when I even think of it. It truly got me right where I live. I have saved it on my computer so I can watch it again. The love and lives they shared were so heartwarming. Her enthusiasm for life and living it to the fullest was beautiful to see, and his support and love brought tears to my eyes.
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I had a chat with a friend just before starting this post. This image seemed fitting.
Dr. Amber Rose – @beevenomtherapyforever on Substack
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The Ugly American was at the gym this morning – the Thai man having let him in again. I started on the treadmill, but started having bad gas pains. I got dizzy and almost fainted in the bathroom. Brian called a Grab to take us home, since it was obvious I wouldn’t be able to walk. I told Brian I would skip breakfast, and he texted my massage ladies that I was sick and wouldn’t be there today. We got me settled and I slept another hour and a half. We’re going to change up my morning routine so that I get electrolytes first thing in the morning, rather than after breakfast. Hopefully, that will help. I feel fine now.
I went to the cafe to get out of my housekeeper’s way. I had a productive day there, finishing several sketches –
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My housekeeper came and my condo is spotless now. She was sick last week, so it had been two weeks. She gave everything a good scrubbing. Yea!!!!
Dr. Amber Rose – @beevenomtherapyforever on Substack
I think this is amazing. I love the message AND I LOVE the lady in the photo. What a joy she is!
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The Ugly American (UA) is definitely messing with me. He was at the door of the gym this morning, being let in by the Thai guy. They shook hands as Brian was using his QR code to open the door. UGH. AND, not only that, he came and got onto the treadmill right next to mine again. I am trying to redouble my efforts to tune him out. I don’t like it when I have to hold onto the handle bars of the treadmill because I’m trying so hard NOT to pay attention to him…
Harvey’s birthday isn’t until November, but I got the idea of a pineapple upside down cake in my head and decided to go ahead and get his birthday painting on paper. I’ll tear it out of my sketchbook and put it in my flattening area under books until it’s time to take it.
This is the painting I’m taking for Harvey’s Happy Wall Saturday. We made this decoration out of sheet metal for our mailbox in AR. Harvey was proud of it because it was all cut out, rather than a picture, and he used actual rod for the Roadrunner’s legs.
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I’ve been getting ready for my housekeeper to come tomorrow, doing what is required plus I’ve also gone through a few areas to clean up and reorganize. I’m happy to tell you that I’m definitely starting to feel a difference in my energy level since lowering my thyroid dosage. We’re still waiting to hear from my doctor, because we lowered the dosage significantly, but not as much as everything we’ve read suggests is right for my 44 pound weight loss since I came to Thailand. I’m hoping she will okay a dosage significantly lower than the one I’m taking now. It’s good not to feel so whipped out. I’m going to get ready to go to the cafe soon.
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This image is particularly for Donna, as she has an active interest in the progress on this wonderfully colorful guy. He’s coming along extremely slowly, but there IS progress…
I’m having a happy morning. The street crew did something quieter last night, so I had a good night’s sleep. The Ugly American didn’t show up at the gym – though his ghost was there, making me work out mentally what I might say to him if he DID show up – like “Are you visiting? How long is your stay?” – I actually had a good session, feeling stronger than I have been. Brian and I had a beautiful breakfast together. I got confirmation from our insurance that they ARE covering the last hospital stay for Harvey, reimbursing Brian for his payments.
The sun is shining. I had my windows open and the breezes blowing for a while until it felt too warm. I have my wash out on the balcony and it should be dry before I leave my place this afternoon.
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I’m base painting my sketches from yesterday so I can work on the details when I go to the cafe this afternoon. I have two of the three ready to go so far. I have some ideas for new sketches I’m excited to try.
Today’s visit with Harvey was another challenging one. There were some good things, but some things stood out for me – he still thought I was his mom, so I told him that was wrong and asked him what my name was. He was able to tell me. He then told me that he had consummated his marriage to “wife #5”. He said he wanted to go to school to become a backhoe operator, telling us where the school was. (He named an area of Tulsa, OK.) He then said he wanted to take the pictures on his Happy Wall down so that he could put them up in the shop (This was in Greenwood, AR). He kept insisting he wanted to get out of bed and stand up. He is not able to do this, but he IS able to scoot over and fall out of the bed onto the floor. We put the rails up to full height, teeing him off, but we know he isn’t able to manage to change the railing positions. We also warned his nurse that he was trying to do that.
I came out of it depressed. I went in with my head on straight, but him greeting me as ‘momma’ blew that up. I HAVE to get so that doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t matter WHO came to see him, just that SOMEONE loves him and has come to visit and hopefully brighten his day. I spent a couple of hours at the cafe sketching, and that helped a lot.
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I’m hoping the street crew has something less noisy on their agenda for tonight. Last night about 11:00 they woke me dragging some heavy stuff into position. The heavy things were screaking and squawking really loudly. I was finally fully awake by the time they stopped. It would be good if I can get a good night’s sleep tonight.
I’m hoping you’re enjoying a really nice Labor Day weekend with friends and family. I remember last cookouts at our family swimming club. The pool would already be closed, usually closing the last of May, and school would have already started in Arkansas. A last hurrah for summer for kids, happy relief for parents, delicious smells coming from the cooker, last games of ping pong – happy times.
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I did the base painting on two sketches and 4 thank you cards this morning. I’ll take these to the cafe later to add details, and then start others. It’s supposed to be rainy this afternoon, so I’ll try get there between rain showers.
The only thing on my list today is taking my clothes to the laundry. I’ll do that later this morning. I’ll do yoga stretches before the cafe.
Mr. Ugly was back today, ringing the doorbell imperiously again. Our nice Thai guy let him in while Brian and I continued with what we were doing. It was the last 5 minutes of my session, so I wasn’t affected unduly, except for gnashing my teeth a bit.
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I wrote an article for Substack yesterday on what Brian and I are learning about how to handle it when a loved one has a debilitating stroke, leaving them bedridden and helpless. There is lots of advice out there, but it just confused me. I tried to cut through that and tell people what has worked for us in our continuing efforts. If the link above doesn’t work for you, here is another one.
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primewomen.com
I’ve had a weird difficulty lately. I have pierced ears and one of my lobes got tender. I left my earrings out to let my ears rest. When the lobe was no longer tender, I couldn’t get my regular earrings in! I haven’t ever had that problem before. I tried different TYPES of earrings, thinking that would help. Nope. I couldn’t get ANY style in. I’ve been trying each morning for about a week now. This morning with a LOT of effort, I finally got my pearl earrings with straight posts to go in. I’m sitting here in relief now. I have no clue why I’ve had the problem, but I’m hoping that after wearing these earrings today, I’ll be back to normal…
Dr. Amber Rose – @beevenomtherapyforever on Substack
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I’ll have a quiet day today. I’ve been to the gym (no Ugly American), eaten breakfast with Brian, and actually fell asleep for a bit stretched out on my couch after getting my wash out on the balcony and things straightened up.
Today would have been my dad’s birthday. It’s to the point that it’s pretty silly to talk about how old he would have been. Suffice to say he loved the fact he was born on Labor Day – thinking that was quite appropriate – and that I’m doing what he asked, remembering him laughing. I was lucky to share his life.
I saw an ingenious method of giving support to a tree in a large pot this morning. I stopped and took pictures of it, hoping I can draw it so you can see it, too.
I’m going to try to write an article for Substack today, on ways Brian and I have found for dealing with stroke. I’ll also write my regular blog posts, of course, because I love doing that so much. I’m planning on trying to describe my favorite mall in Chiang Mai today.
I’m probably the last one in the world to discover him, but I really like a country singer who is new to me – Riley Green. He writes most, if not all, of his songs. I love his voice and his collaborations with others. The more I read, the more I find to like. He seems to be real, loving his roots, his family, and more.
I already showed you the sketches I finished yesterday. I only have new one started, of a frog sitting in a cup, so I’m planning to do a bunch of sketches today, including the tree support, if I can.
I hope that the heat in the U.S. will ease off very soon. The excessive heat has gone on for way too long and it’s time to start embracing the fall.
My gym time was pretty good because Ugly American guy wasn’t there. I expected him to come in at any time, though, so I was still distracted. I really need to learn to control my concentration better.
Our visit to see Harvey this morning hurt. He was comfortable, but he thought I was his mother, greeting me with, “Hi, Mommie,” and when I told him I loved him before leaving, he said, “You’re a good momma.” In between, he had decided he wanted to get out of bed, so kept trying to swing his legs around, was demanding clothes and shoes, threatening to kick out the side rails of his bed, etc. Not one of our better visits. I try to just go where he is and roll with it, but I didn’t do a very good job today.
I had a really good time at the cafe today, and I really needed it, to dive into my drawing and leave any concerns behind for a while. The nice man who had insisted I take his seat in “my spot” the other day showed up toward the end of my time there. I asked him if he had a minute. I thanked him again for what he did, saying how kind he was, and I told him I had made him a thank you card and gave it to him. He looked at it for a second, looked up and said, “You just made my day.” We wished each other a happy day.
These are the sketches I finished today.
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I had a text from Heidi. She’s in Canada visiting her daughter. It was wonderful to hear from her. I almost feel as if I’m traveling with her!
