Category Archives: Thoughts on a ________

Saturday Thoughts 11-5-2022

Clive Staples Lewis – RaiseYourMind.com

We think we came through the storms last night all right. We were under a tornado WARNING for quite a while, and that was concerning. Lots of rain and gusty winds. We haven’t been down the driveway yet, but so far, we haven’t found any damage.

Kelley Blue Book

We got the tires changed on the truck from the regular tires to our snow tires yesterday. We’re a bit “long-in-the-tooth” for this, but we managed. We agreed that when we take them off, we’ll do one end of the truck, then REST, and then finish the job, rather than trying to get it all done in one session. I suggested that we pull the truck up onto the shop concrete pad, but not try to get the truck IN the shop this time. That saved us having to move a lot of things in the shop to make room, plus the stress of getting the truck in and out. It’s good to know now that if we get a sudden cold snap, we should be able to get down the driveway and back up again.

I’m trying to get my husband to realize it’s not the end of the world if he needs to rest during a project. He admitted to me yesterday that during one recent project, where he insisted he didn’t need any help, he got to the point he was almost throwing up with exhaustion. I pointed out that while we were both getting older, we could still do most of what we wanted to do. We just needed to realize our limits, rest and do several sessions, rather than doing something all at once. This is an ongoing ‘discussion’ and I’m trying to be patient with him while not worrying myself to death…

Another example – we need to change the bulbs in one of the upstairs bathrooms. My husband was up on a ladder this morning to do the job. I received the old bulbs and handed him the new ones, one at a time. He got the first one in, but the second one was giving him trouble. He fought and fought with it, to the point he was shaking. I finally got him to give me the second bulb and helped him down, convincing him he could tackle the second one again later!

We have a 20% off coupon from Yeagers/Ace Hardware good today and tomorrow. We’re planning to buy potting soil, gardening gloves, clippers, and whatever else occurs to us in order to take advantage of the savings. We’ve gotten teed off by the coupon system that the store adopted a year or so ago, where you have to “hold-your-mouth-right” in order for the $5.00 coupon to be valid. Usually we find it has expired, isn’t good yet, we haven’t spent enough money, didn’t buy the right brand, etc., etc., etc. :0( This one has to be used either today or tomorrow and says 20% off everything you buy. HOPEFULLY, we haven’t missed something in the fine print (I’ll read it again) and it all works as it should.

I wish you a wonderful Saturday.

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Fierce Friday 11-4-2022

TV5 News

There is a “68” right above Fort Smith, AR in the weather forecast image above. Right below that and to the right a bit, is Greenwood. The red, orange, and yellow blobs are due by sunset, according to the weather folks, and they’re predicting heavy rain, lightning, gusty winds, possible tornadoes, flying hair balls, and ‘throw-in-the-kitchen-sink’ for luck.

The Microsoft thingie that gives me news and weather in the bottom right-hand corner of my computer screen, differs, saying the rain should start about 4pm and continue until around midnight. I’m more inclined to believe the computer thingie, and will batten down the hatches a bit when we get home from Lunch Bunch. I was just outside taking a couple of pics of the trio of planters to show you and noticed the wind was already whipping around.

We need to get about ten 40-pound bags of potting soil to top off the planters around the yard, but mostly, this project is finished. I also need to weed whack round the outside perimeter on both sides.

Final Fantasy XIV

I’m hoping everyone will come to Lunch Bunch today. It’s been a couple of weeks since we could meet. It’ll be fun if we can catch up. Kay’s son got married and Linda’s daughter has been out of town, so there will be a lot to catch up on.

Once I prepare as much as possible for the coming storms, I’ll curl up in my recliner under my snuggly throw, with a cup of coffee and enjoy continuing to read the biography of Audrey Hepburn I started yesterday.

Stay safe and dry on this fierce Friday!

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Wednesday 11-2-2022

I’m having trouble realizing we’re into NOVEMBER now! I’m still delighting in having a few days of fall. We got a reminder on the computer yesterday that we need to change to our snow tires! Arrrrgh! I’m not ready!

YARD WORK

I made some progress on cleaning out the trio of brick planters yesterday. I did a LOT of snipping and hacking on the overgrown stuff in the planters that divide the front yard from the top of our driveway area. My back and legs are telling me today that THEY noticed, but my yoga kept me from being TOO sore to start some serious weeding today after finishing the hacking portion of the project. I’m thinking that when I get to the point things are under control, I may plant some of the iris in here that I took out of the iris planter.

Managed Moms

EXERCISE

DAY 110 on my efforts to practice yoga daily. The newest thing in my practice is trying to do a PLANK.

lifestyle.livemint.com

So far, I’m pathetic. I held the pose for 15 seconds yesterday, and was shaking from head to toe. My husband was encouraging, though. (I didn’t realize he was monitoring my efforts. He SEEMED to be reading on his E-reader.) But when I let down, he said, “You were doing the full pose, not the one where your knees are on the ground.” So, that, and the fact I’ve made it to ’15 seconds’, rather than the ’10’ I started with, made me feel better.

NOTE: In the cute yoga picture with the woman and her dog above, she’s doing the ‘Downward Dog’ pose (appropriately enough :0) ) I’m doing that one now, too, except that – if you look carefully at the photo, HER feet are flat on the mat. Since I’m older than dirt and stiff, I’m WORKING to lower my heels to the floor. I’m still about two inches from that, I think. One of these days….

Feast of Starlight

My husband is enjoying telling me what he’s hungry for lately and is very happy that I do my best to provide it. Last night it was eggs, bacon, and toast. A comfort meal, for sure. :0)

Make it a good Wednesday.

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Terrific Tuesday – 11-1-2022

Marmotte-Stephane Alsac-stephane-alsac.com

FALL

Good morning! We’re actually having ‘fall’ here for one of the only times I can remember. I’m shocked and delighted. Usually, it’s hot, in the 90s, followed by a big storm, followed by 3 days or so of wonderful weather, followed by winter. I couldn’t be happier that Mother Nature is smiling on us right now.

ERRANDS

We’re going to run some errands soon, getting my husband’s hair cut, etc. We actually left our trash can out yesterday MORNING at my husband’s suggestion, so I’m hoping that the trash will have, indeed, been picked up early this morning, leaving no mess. The trash people have done really well for two weeks in a row. I’m still anxious as we head down the driveway on Tuesdays.

YARD WORK

Work is continuing on the trio of brick planters that separate our front yard from the top of our driveway. Cleaning them out is a huge job this time, as the super-hot summer and unusual weather we had resulted in my not getting out to maintain them the way I should. Now I’m paying the price. I’m starting by cutting everything way back. I won’t even start weeding until that is done. Hopefully, I can get that done this week.

Make YOUR Tuesday terrific.

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Thoughts on a Sunday 10-30-2022

fluffy-u-zezoro

Pretty little thing, isn’t it?

The rain has stopped now. It’s very gray outside and 56 degrees. Quiet and hushed.

My husband and I were both up in the middle of the night reading. No real problems – just a bit of trouble sleeping. I tried to take a nap yesterday afternoon to make up for sleep the previous night, but it just wasn’t happening. I don’t feel alert yet. I’m very thankful for the nice cup of coffee beside me.

It was cool and rainy all day yesterday, so the beef stew I made in the crock pot felt very comforting at dinner last night.

I wish you a calm, comforting Sunday.

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Ahhhh – Rain

Quora

It’s cloudy and drizzle-y here today. The rain started overnight and is due to continue through tomorrow. We sure can use the moisture. We’re under a burn ban and Arkansas suffered several wildfires yesterday.

I’m feeling good about my work in the yard yesterday. I was hurrying, trying to get at least SOME of my list done before the rain started. I finished spreading the potting soil in the planters, planted some iris in the niche planter by the house, and cut off the dead stuff from the elephant ear plants. Last night I had some complaints from my body about my activity, but I’m much better today. I’ll probably catch a nap later to try to make up for the bad night’s rest. :0)

The Chunky Chef

When I finish this post, I’m going in to get beef stew going in the crock pot for tonight. It’s cool, cloudy, drizzle-y and rainy, the perfect time for a comfort meal. We’ll have a bit of garlic bread with it.

shesaidbeauty.com – boredpanda.com

Yesterday I was doing my daily yoga practice. (DAY 105) My husband was in his recliner, eating some fritos and dip, reading on his Kindle. I was stretched out on my back, arms behind my head, eyes closed, breathing into my stretch and trying to relax when Amber, our 95-pound yellow lab, started nuzzling me, got on her back beside me, feet in the air, chewing on her front foot, trying to get me to play. I started to laugh and roll over toward her, and suddenly Abby, our cat, jumped up on my side! I laughed out loud at that point, and even my husband started laughing – before trying to help me.

Stay safe, warm, and dry today. I’ve got to go get the beef stew in the crockpot.

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Thursday Thoughts 10-27-2022

NeoGAF

I managed NOT to come downstairs in the middle of the night and read while stuffing my face last night. I woke up like someone had nudged me about about 3am, but firmly laid there with my eyes shut, avoiding temptation. I’m NOT overeating at lunch and dinner, but I AM having to convince myself I’m not starving to death between meals and in the middle of the night. I know. I’m certainly old enough to know better.

I can’t believe how beautiful our weather has been since the two days of storms we had. It’s 57 degrees F. right now and the high is supposed to be 70 today. I’m planning to get outside after lunch and work in the yard. My onions still need to be stored, my elephant ears got pretty battered during the storm and I need to clean up what’s left as much as I can. I’m still working on replanting the iris I dug up when I converted the planter from an iris planter to a tomato planter for the spring. I’m not even THINKING of making a list of all I need to do outside because it’s overwhelming. I’ll just plod along and do what I can for now.

Facebook

DAY 104 for daily yoga practice. I wish I looked as nice as this lion when I practiced. I bet he’d be impressed with all the cracking and popping my body does as I move into the positions and stretches.

I hope that you’re enjoying a beautiful day, too. Make it a happy one. :0)

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Cool, Sunny Wednesday 10-26-2022

NormaBradleyWalker.com

I just LOVE this painting. I’ve found more of her work and will share some with you soon.

Today is cool (43 degrees F.) right now and we have bright sunshine. We’re supposed to get to 65 this afternoon. A beautiful day! We’re planning to do some errands and vote early.

Though it might not sound earth-shaking to YOU, I’m relieved that our trash was picked up early yesterday, no mess for us to re-gather, no grousing from my husband about when we leave the trash can for them to pick up. Just like normal people! :0)

Though we had more wind and rain yesterday, we had no more trees across the driveway. I think that Mother Nature has finally decided the roller coaster isn’t amusing anymore and has calmed down to this being ‘fall.’ I hope we have a good, long fall this year. That would be really nice.

My husband bought a new watch and received it yesterday. He spent half the evening getting it set up, the band fixed to his liking, etc. In the middle of the night, he hit the light button so he could see what time it was. There was a really low level light that only illuminated one corner of the watch face, so he couldn’t read it. I’ve just spent 10 minutes typing for him on his computer with a person on chat, trying to arrange for us to return it for a refund. Happily, the man was helpful, and my doing the typing eased the process on this end.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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Clean, Fresh Tuesday 10-25-2022

WallpaperBetter

Our “world” here in Arkansas looks fresh and clean this morning, with some sunshine (!) before a new wave of rain is due to come through around 9:30. It looks as though we’ll only have about 4 hours of rain today. I think my friend Kay read that we needed about 9 inches of rain to get back up to normal here with the drought we’ve been in. No chance of that, but all we can get is welcome, though the gusty winds do concern me.

I’ve been having trouble signing in to our investment accounts lately. I CAN sign in as if I were my husband, with HIS electronic code thingie, but I HAVEN’T been able to sign in as ME. I had it on my list to call them this morning, but tried one more time to sign in first. I got right in and had access to everything! A miracle occurred and now I’m ‘healed.’ :0) The other call I need to make is to the wonderful man who is supposed to be healing our driveway…

Yesterday and today have been washouts as far as getting any yard work accomplished, so I’m enjoying working at the computer, reading, napping, and thinking about going up to my art room.

One of my all-time favorite actresses is Katharine Hepburn. I particularly have enjoyed her grit and independence. I’m reading a book called, “Kate Remembered” by A. Scott Berg and I’m just eating it up. The author writes it so you almost feel you are there, in the same room with the two of them. It’s one of the books I found at the library used book sale recently, and I just love it.

I’m also gifting myself time to listen to clips on YouTube of The Voice, American Idol, _____’s Got Talent, etc. I just love seeing a person with real talent blow the judges away and finally get some attention. Beautiful voices that get inside you and make you FEEL are so special and should be treasured. It’s fun to live vicariously through them, wishing each the best, wishing they ALL could win…

I hope that you are enjoying a clean, fresh, safe Tuesday, too.

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Hoping for Calm

horseandman.com

“Slow and Creaky” describes me today after the lifting/dragging/throwing required to help get the tree out of the driveway yesterday afternoon. Even my yoga (but I did that BEFORE we we left to go to Walmart) didn’t help. (Today is DAY 100 of my daily practice) I’ll try to do a longer, slower practice today with lots and lots of good stretching.

My husband is aggravated that one of the two monitors he has on his computer has gone dark. He had taken things apart this week and thought he had the problem fixed, but now he thinks the cable has gone bad. He had checked on the net and a replacement wouldn’t get here until the 28th – hence the trip to Walmart yesterday. He’s beyond frustrated now, since Walmart didn’t have the cable, but has now ordered the cable he needs, and hasn’t blown up yet.

I was planning to use today to continue working in the ‘new’ iris planter, but I need to give my back a day or so to rest before doing much bending over type work in the planter. I think I told you that I brought in the sweet red onions we grew. They are still in a large plastic bag in the garage. Maybe I can get them stored in the fridge bins and mesh bags today.

I hope that we ALL have a calm happy Sunday.

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Warm, Windy Saturday 10-22-2022

redbubble.com-Anointedtoday

Isn’t this owl gorgeous?

This weekend Mother Nature is laughing at us again. Just as we have made the switch to warmer clothes and turning on the heaters, putting the electric blanket on the bed, she’s giving us two days of mid 80’s and wind with strong sun. Supposedly we’ll have another cold front Monday and Tuesday, bringing us back to fall. I feel I’m riding on a yo-yo, trying to dress in layers, turning thermostats off and opening the doors, followed by hoodies and umbrellas and…..

The Spruce Eats

My husband decided he really wanted hot dogs, so we’ll splurge tonight with hot dogs, potato salad and baked beans for dinner. It’s been at least a year since we’ve eaten this, so it’ll be a really nice splurge. :0)

I’m not sure what I’ll do this beautiful day. I hope that you have some fun plans for the weekend.

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Fun Friday 10-21-2022

thelabradorsite.com

I just melted when I found this. I WANT this dog! :0)

I hope your Friday is going nicely. I just got confirmation that we are, in fact, meeting for Lunch Bunch. Kay and her daughter won’t be there, but Linda and her family will.

Mother Nature is laughing at us, making us feel as if we’re on a roller coaster. It has been freezing each morning lately (thankfully not hard enough to kill everything) and only getting into the 50’s or so in the afternoons. For three days, we will have NO freezes and highs in the mid 80’s or so. Then two days of rain, then a cool-off. Are you getting a bit light-headed, as I am? I would be very thankful for just some calm fall weather for awhile.

Stay safe and well.

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Soothing Thursday 10-20-2022

Mountain View Animal Hospital & Holistic Pet Care

Ahhhhhhh! This woman is READY for a massage this morning. My yoga sessions are keeping me functional, (today is DAY 97) but my monthly massage is golden. Lynn Moody, my miraculous massage therapist, 479-629-7601 finds and fixes all the places I didn’t even know I had places. :0)

Today I’ll try to get a bunch of iris planted in the niche planter, as soon as I add the soil we have left on a pallet we ordered a couple of years ago. We’ll need to put in an order for another delivery before the winter.

We enjoyed a comfort food dinner last night of chili mac with onions and cheese, one of my husband’s favorites. It’s been really chilly in the mornings and the late evenings, so it was a welcome change from what we usually eat. I had enough left that we can enjoy a couple more dinners sometime. (He wanted to have frito chili pie, but our local grocery is having a problem getting regular fritos. Like other companies, they’ve gone on a tangent with honey barbeque fritos, hot style fritos, and bubble gum fritos (not yet, but probably soon), but no regular fritos. I’ll try to get them today after my massage.

We’ve been having some calm days, so things are good here. I hope you’re smiling, too.

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Wednesday 10-19-2022

Live Science

ETSY GLITCH-

Can you hear me gnashing my teeth?

I changed some pricing in my Etsy shop this morning. Then I noticed that when I went back to my home page, the old pricing was still showing. When I clicked on an item, the new pricing showed on the NEXT page. So TWO different prices are showing for the same item depending on what page you’re on.

After a long time on chat (at least I got through to a service agent) she told me that others have mentioned the same problem, and that a work-around would be that I go to each item I changed, deactivate it, and then reactivate it to see if that solved the problem. I did, and it DOES solve the problem, but it’s going to take a long, tedious time to do this.

At least I CAN do something to fix it, though it’s definitely a character-building exercise that I didn’t feel I needed this morning.

Verywell Family

IRIS PLANTER-

On a good note, I’m finished cleaning out and weeding the iris planter now. Today I’m planning to try to get the tomato supports in and wire them to the center pole and then to each other to make them as sturdy as I can.

My husband mentioned again what a good job I’d done, but that it “was a waste of time because it wouldn’t STAY done, and I would just have to do it again.” I asked him to name something that I did that DIDN’T fit in that category….

Final Fantasy XIV

I thought that we might do Lunch Bunch today – rather than Friday when Kay can’t be there. Her daughter just called and left a message that they hadn’t heard from Linda or Patty, so we won’t go today.

I’m going back now to finish the work on deactivating and reactivating on Etsy…

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Tuesday Thoughts 10-18-2022

BBC Earth

TRASH- We’ll leave in about 45 minutes to get my husband’s haircut and run a couple of quick errands before getting back to meet the wonderful guy who sprays our home for pests. I’m quietly HOPING that when we get to the bottom of our driveway –

  • the trash can we left down there last night is empty
  • or, at LEAST, that the trash can hasn’t been pulled over and trash strewn all over the place

If either of these is true, things will be good. If not, the trash ‘discussion’ starts again from square one. I was really happy that we didn’t have to get up early and rush around, trying to get the can into the back of the truck and down to the bottom of the driveway this morning. Fingers crossed.

IRIS PLANTER PROGRESS- I took my husband to the iris planter last night after we took the trash can down. He was amazed. He had written the planter off, considering it too far gone for recovery. He said several times what I good job I had done. :0) I’ll take the shovel out there and dig as deeply as possible today, trying to finish the job of the clean-out of iris and Bermuda grass before I put the tomato supports in and try to get them wired securely.

NOTE- It didn’t freeze up here hard enough to kill off the elephant ear leaves last night! We aren’t due for another freeze for the next 10 days, so I can enjoy them for awhile longer!

ANOTHER HAPPY NOTE – I sold a pair of earrings on my Etsy site yesterday. I’ll put them in the mail this morning.

A happy morning thus far. I wish you a great day.

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It’s Monday 10-17-2022

Nicky Litchfield-collierdobson.com

It’s Monday, the beginning of another week in the middle of the fall, the night before a freeze warning here. It’s clear, sunny and 52 degrees F. here now.

before
mid-clean-out project

IRIS PLANTER CLEAN OUT – Yesterday I spent about 2-1/2 hours trying to clean out our iris planter. I made good progress. I got out almost a full big trash can full of iris and rhizomes, and pulled out a BUNCH of Bermuda grass. Today I’ll get a larger shovel and get more serious about digging as deeply as possible, dealing with whatever I find. I’ll also weed whack around the outside.

I would LIKE to finish the clean-out today. I’ll bring the trash can full of iris into the garage due to the freeze warning. I’m planning to add some soil to the niche (old tomato) planter before I plant a lot of the iris there. I’m planning to distribute the rest of the iris to planters all around the yard. Before the project is finished, I’ll put tomato plant supports in and see how securely I can anchor them both to the center pole, and each other.

Unsplash

TRASH- The seed I planted finally germinated on the subject of trash. My husband and I have had a running ‘discussion’ on how to handle the trash since our trash service changed and the new people brought us a really large trash can to use. Since the paperwork that came with the can said to have the receptacle out for pickup by 5am, I told my husband I thought we should put the trash out the night before. He nixed this immediately, listing several reasons for being adamant. This resulted in our trash being missed and our having to bring it back up into the garage to hold and add to the next week – TWICE now. We gathered the trash this morning, and as we squashed the bags to add them to the already fairly full can, my husband asked, “What do you think about taking the trash down tonight?” I looked at him and said, “I think that’s a GREAT idea!” (Hooray – shhhhhhh!)

BoredPanda.com

DAY 94 of my daily yoga practice – yesterday I was really tired and stiffening up after working on the iris planter. I thought about just considering the work in the yard my exercise for the day – just sitting down and resting instead of doing my yoga practice. I thought about it as I drank a bottle of water, and finally thought, OK. I’ll just do a few basic stretches and that will be it. Once I got down on my mat, I just started doing my regular session. Even though I was stiff and sore, some of the stretches ultimately felt good, once I was able to relax and breathe into them. I ended up doing the whole practice as usual and felt good afterwards because I actually felt better, and also because I tricked myself into doing what I want to become a habit. :0)

Enjoy your Monday.

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Rainy Sunday 10-16-2022

The Honest Kitchen

Despite my best intentions, yesterday was devoted to my husband’s computer problems. He finally paid someone online to fix it – but most of our day was gone and tensions remained uncomfortably high from the efforts.

I didn’t get outside to start cleaning out the iris planter. We had a cold front come through in the late afternoon, bringing some much-needed rain (continuing this morning), hail, and loud thunder with lots of lightning. I’ll keep watch on the weather to see if I can make some progress on the planter today.

Hoping for a calm, quiet day today…

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Happy Sunny Saturday

Halloween remains one of my favorite Holidays, even though celebrating it these days bears little relation to when I actively participated as a child (in 1492) or even when I struggled to carve jack-o-lanterns with our son. Ray Villafane has brought carving pumpkins to an art form. He seems to have endless ideas for new faces and has the talent to do a spectacular job of carving. I’m awestruck when I see his work, having worked to NOT slice my arm off while trying to carve a ‘basic’ jack-o-lantern.

Iris Planter

Today it’s supposed to get to 92 in the afternoon, but a cold front is coming through this evening, hopefully bringing us our first rain in over a month now. We are under threat for wildfires, so a good rain would be more than welcome. I plan to work on cleaning out my iris planter – currently a complete disaster – overgrown with stubborn Bermuda grass. The grass is delighted to be there – and thriving – because it gets water from our irrigation system, where the poor grass on the ground is brown and crunchy. It amazes me that it finds its way into the planter through the bricks. You can see the mallard duck we made from a used propane tank “flying” atop the pole.

Between yard work and my daily yoga practice (DAY 92) I should get a good bit of exercise. :0)

My husband has gone to an auction here in Greenwood this morning. He wants to look at the guns, plus ‘garage stuff’ for sale. I absolutely hate auctions, so he’s going alone. I would rather go to garage sales, where you can see the prices and buy things or not quickly, rather than standing around waiting – sometimes for hours – for what you want to be auctioned, only to be outbid.

Happy Saturday to you!

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Thoughts on a Friday 10-14-2022

Final Fantasy XIV

Since I haven’t heard from anyone, I’m assuming that we’ll have a full contingent at Lunch Bunch today. I’m also hopeful, since it MAY be that we won’t get together again until November after today. (Kay’s son is getting married next week and then both Kay and Linda won’t be there for the 28th.) After Lunch Bunch, my husband and I will do some errands before coming home.

Gardening Know How

Today’s outside project is cleaning out our iris planter. It’s completely overrun with Bermuda grass right now. My plan is to dig out EVERYTHING and essentially start over. I’m considering using this planter as the second tomato planter in the spring, since there is a center pole that will help anchor supports for the tomatoes. I could move the irises to the niche planter. Food for thought. It’ll probably take a couple of days to clean out the planter.

whimsicalpaperie.com

I finished “Tribute,” a book I had missed from Nora Roberts. I’m feeling a bit down now because I really loved the main character and didn’t want the book to end. She was fun, quirky, full of attitude and spunk – just a joy to be around. Good thing I have some more books into which I can dive. :0)

My husband told me yesterday that he didn’t really think I would keep up my yoga practice. As in several other things, he has watched as I get determined about something, give it a couple of weeks, and then it sort of fades away, despite my good intentions. He told me yesterday that he was proud of my efforts. Today will be DAY 91.

I hope that YOUR Friday is a good one.

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Monday 10-10-2022

Pinterest

Today is pretty nice for a Monday.

Sheila Kuehl

It’s overcast and a bit cool this morning – perfect for a session of weed whacking or two. I’ll try to concentrate my efforts on the garden and surrounding area.

Other things on the list are bookkeeping and filing catch-up and gathering trash. If I can either do – or make headway on – these three things, I’ll be happy.

shewearsmanyhats.com

My husband requested one of his favorite dinners for tonight: chicken chunks with onions and mushrooms in chicken/mushroom soup served over rice. We’ll have a side salad with this and I’ll freeze the leftovers in individual containers for other meals.

I’m still trying to get up to my art room, but keep running out of time and energy. Maybe one day this week.

India Today

DAY 87 of my attempt to make daily yoga sessions a habit. Yesterday I felt a bit of progress in a couple of things I do to strengthen my core – 1) kind of a horizontal bicycle move and 2) a lifting of my torso with my legs while lying on my back.

MAKE this a good day!

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Square Foot Garden Progress

Gardener’s Path

Yesterday I finished prepping the garden boxes in my square foot garden, finishing the weeding, spraying, and spreading the Mel’s Mix as flat as I could.

Today my husband is going to help me take bricks to the garden via the wheelbarrow. We’ll put 4 of them in each of the 6 planter boxes to hold down the fabric weed barrier we’ll cut to size today.

When that is finished, the only remaining things are spraying the weeds underneath the planter boxes in the garden itself, and then around the perimeter of the garden, plus threading bright neon tape through the fencing to try to keep deer from running into the fence in the middle of the night.

I’m feeling good this morning. I managed to only get one ant bite/sting in my work yesterday, and it’s just itchy, not all blown up and sore. :0)

If we finish in good time, I’ll post pics.

Have a great Sunday!

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Thoughts on a Saturday 10-8-2022

Orangutan-Adorable Harvey-etsy.com

What a wonderful painting. I just love his expression.

I received a couple of photos and a video from my SIL yesterday that I’ll try to share in another post so that we can have a glorious vicarious vacation.

I’ll try to do some work in the garden today. Our weather is gorgeous, so I have no excuses. :0)

Rumi – Twitter.com

I have an idea rattling around in my head about something to try in my art room. It’s been awhile since I’ve been up there. Since I dreamed about it last night, it might be time to go up there and play.

Twitter

We don’t have any big plans for the weekend. I’m hoping we can simply relax and enjoy being together.

I wish YOU a happy weekend, too.

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Happy Friday

Nature Animals

We could definitely get spoiled by the nice weather we’ve been enjoying lately. I regret that I’ve largely wasted it, having to baby my back, and the yard work is still waiting. I AM able to do my yoga practice (DAY 84), so my back is improving some each day. Soon I’ll be my normal ornery self again. :0)

My SIL is enjoying some time at the beach now. She thought she might have to come home, after essentially just arriving, due to an alert about tidal flooding yesterday. This didn’t occur, so she is still able to enjoy herself. I’m hoping for a photo or two, now that she doesn’t have to get back on the road again right away.

Final Fantasy XIV

Today is Lunch Bunch. We’ll leave in about an hour and a half to catch up with whoever is there. Things have been erratic lately, with plans not working out, illness, and whatnot. I’ll be happy to see whoever is able to get there.

I answered a call from a roof and window salesman yesterday. I’m telling you this because we went to a great deal of trouble to get an answering program that screens our calls. It tells the caller to press a button on the phone if they are friend, family, or NOT selling anything. Only then does it ring in our house. This guy had the gall to press the button anyway. He started asking me how many windows we had. I answered by asking if he was a ‘friend.’ He started sputtering. I told him I KNEW he wasn’t family. I asked him if English was his first language. When he said, “yes,” I asked him if he listened to the answering message. He said, “yes.” I then asked him if he really thought he had ANY chance to sell whatever he was selling after having the gall to ignore our message and bother me. There was silence on the other end. I hung up.

Happy Friday and wonderful weekend.

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Thoughtful Thursday

Linda Sims

“I’ve enjoyed every age I’ve been and each has had its own individual merit. Every laugh line, every scar, is a badge I wear to show I’ve been present, the inner rings of my personal tree trunk that I display proudly for all to see. Nowadays, I don’t want a “perfect” face and body; I want to wear the life I’ve lived.” — Pat Benatar

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It’s Tuesday

Alpaca istockphoto

Good morning!

We’ll leave in a bit to take our trash down, get our mail, and do some errands. Not sure what this beautiful day will hold, but I’m optimistic that I can make it a good one.

For the past week or so, I’ve been jumping through hoops trying to get a medicine that will help my husband. Our doctor is helpful on prescribing several things, but there is the issue of insurance coverage to deal with. We’ve been going back and forth. I finally figured out that going through ‘chat’ with our insurance people is a much better way to actually get answers than trying to get them on the phone. We MAY have an answer now. Fingers crossed.

Hoping for a calm, quiet day for all of us.

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Hello, Monday

Arnaud Martinez-Getty Images-iStockphoto

Isn’t this koala sweet? You can’t be down after looking at him smile. :0)

We played a new game of “Trash Can” first thing this morning. My husband decided that he wanted to replace our two lidded trash cans in our pantry with one really large one. This is to stop my ‘request’ that we separate ‘burnable’ from ‘non-burnable,’ though he would deny that, arguing that the large single can is more ‘efficient.’ Amber, our 90-pound yellow lab, has been getting into his beside-his-chair living room trash can because he insists on putting leftover food plastic food bowls and food sacks there. He replied that he puts the food trash in the can because the pantry ones “don’t have enough room.” He wanted to move one of the pantry trashcans with bin-type lid between his chair and the wall. So now we’ve played fruit-basket-upset, with me washing the large trash can and lid that he brought in from ‘somewhere’ covered with old mud wasp nests, spider webs and ‘yuck.’ He will find places for three displaced cans, and we’ll see how this works. At least the large one in the pantry has wheels on one edge, so it can be wheeled from one side to the other when it is in the way….

Lots of exciting stuff going on here today – besides the ‘trashcan” game – like loads of laundry and changing our sheets. Be still, my heart.

DAY 80 on daily yoga.

Work is ongoing on the garden. It will take several days for me to get it to the points that I’m ready to cover up the Mel’s Mix with the weed barrier cloth. There isn’t any rush, so I’m doing it a bit at a time.

I hope you’re having a satisfying Monday.

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Sunny Sunday 10-2-2022

boredpanda.com

This is such a cute picture. I wish that the raccoons around HERE had a better idea of what “sharing” means, and “respect for property.” Thankfully, we haven’t had any more raccoons eating us out of house and home lately, or tearing up the bird feeders. My husband actually filled the feeder the other day, and the birds came in celebration, flitting around all over the place. If the raccoons would learn to be better neighbors, we could all enjoy the seeds together.

depositphotos

Today is DAY 79 of my daily yoga practice. I’ve decided that I may NEVER build an actual “HABIT.” I’m definitely on the slow end of the spectrum on how long it takes to actually build one. Maybe I’ll just have to be satisfied that I consciously make time for my practice these days. I noticed the other day that our yellow lab, Amber, definitely does the ‘downward dog’ pose and stretch several times a day. SHE’S in good shape, so I’m glad I’m taking a page from her playbook and doing this one, too. :0)

I’m feeling energetic enough this morning that I’m planning to go out and do more work on my square foot garden boxes today. I’ll take containers of both KILLZALL and EIGHT when I go. I want to use the little rake tool to get as many weeds out as I can and smooth the Mel’s Mix out as much as possible. I’ll spray things to encourage any remaining fire ants to die a cruel death (I’m becoming quite vicious in my hate for these little guys) plus spray to kill remaining weed roots. Then I’m planning to take the wheelbarrow and gather 24 bricks to take out there. I’m going to use those to hold down the weed barrier cloth we’re planning to put down in the boxes. My husband said he’ll help me cut the cloth and get those down. Not sure how much I can get accomplished on this, but it seems the weather is perfect today for my efforts.

I hope your Sunday is a nice one.

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Happy October 2022

Lewis Mailbox Decoration

Good morning! Happy October!

It’s 57 degrees right now. Can you believe it? I’m drinking it in. Ahhhhhh! I actually wore a hoodie to Lunch Bunch yesterday morning. It’s still getting warm-to-too-warm in the afternoons, but it looks like the back of summer has finally been broken. (Knock on wood.)

Since I’ve been having to baby my back, gardening efforts have essentially stalled. Maybe I can do a bit today. I’ll try it and see how it goes.

Happy belated birthday to my dear cousin-in-law-and-dear-friend, Murray.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

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Friday Thoughts 9-30-2022

irentoys.deviantart.com

It’s frightening how quickly things can change. I’m still reeling from the before and after pictures of Ian’s legacy on southwest Florida and the islands west of there. So many people are devastated. It just rips your heart out, doesn’t it. My good Florida friends thankfully weathered things fine. Today my thoughts are also with my SIL and her husband in Charlotte, hoping things go well for them.

Final Fantasy XIV

We go to Lunch Bunch in about an hour and a half to catch up with our good friends. I’m not sure who will be there, but I’ll be happy to see whoever is. Afterwards, we’ll do errands. I’m so thankful that my life is ‘routine and SOME might think boring’ right now. :0)

Cheezburger

Today is DAY 77 of my daily yoga practice. It’s becoming a normal part of my afternoon, and I consciously make time for it sometime before dinner. I’m still on modified practice because of a spot in my back, but I found a neck pillow that I put under my back that allows me to do most of my poses.

I find it hard to believe that today is the last day of September. Our mornings are definitely cooler, and our afternoons are calming down, now, too. I couldn’t be happier. Heat and humidity really sap my strength. I’m much more able to function when the weather is cool. :0)

We had a flurry of activity yesterday afternoon. I received an email from our tax guy, saying he had THOUGHT that our returns were done a long time ago, but that his people had just finished things up YESTERDAY. They sent forms to us for us to sign and send back to them. We don’t owe anything and we don’t have to go to the slammer, but this was really disconcerting. We’ll still need to go get our records and our copies of the returns, but the important part is being handled. Whew!

I hope you’re staying safe and well today.

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Wednesday 9-28-2022

Postris

Good morning! I’m watching Hurricane Ian as it closes in on landfall in Florida. I know several people in the path of the storm and I hope they all get through it as safely as possible. We are all in for a long week of watching and hoping.

Tenor

Today is DAY 75 in my efforts to make doing yoga practice a habit/regimen. I have a sore spot in my back that is causing me to have to modify my practice some, but I’m able to work around it, just stretching the area as much as I can before any pain.

I’ve been feeling lazy about working in the yard this week. I’m trying to talk myself into doing something outside each day, but I haven’t convinced myself yet…

Amazon.com

Yesterday I marked my Linda Howard book collection with year of publication. Today I’ll arrange them in the shelves so that I can go back one day and enjoy re-reading them from her earliest work I have to the latest.

My art room is starting to call to me.

I hope that you are somewhere safe and that your day is a happy one.

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Monday, Monday

“Monday, Monday, so good to me
Monday mornin’, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday mornin’, Monday mornin’ couldn’t guarantee
That Monday evenin’ you would still be here with me.”
~ The Mamas and the Papas

Life Science Leader

While you’re in school, teachers and parents make choices for you. If you marry, your choices are modified by your spouse and your children, plus working full time.

If you’re a woman, much of your life stays the same even after you retire – taking care of your spouse, running the house (hey, that rhymes!) etc, but you now have some free time to start doing what you’d LIKE to do – maybe for the first time in your life.

Even though I have enjoyed my work over the years, I always dreaded Mondays. They signaled moving in lock-step for another 5 days, where, when I finished at work, I would come home and continue working at fixing dinner, throwing another load of laundry in the washer, cleaning up after cooking, getting things ready for work, making lunches for everyone to take the next day, hurrying around, etc. Weekends were spent doing all the things I didn’t have the time or energy to do during the work week, plus running errands to the places that were closed when I went to work and closed again when I finished work. The guinea pig on the treadmill.

NOW Mondays are just another glorious day. I cherish quiet days where I can wake up slowly, enjoying my coffee, deciding what the priority for the day is, deciding what order I want to do things, the freedom to change my mind. and more.

I have so many things I like to do that I never have enough time or energy to devote to them. I have the luxury of writing my blog, looking for more proof of how creative and talented some people in the world are, watching a demonstration of a new art technique on YouTube, seeing someone do a pose new to me for my yoga practice, listening to music, reading a book, spending time in my art room, spending time outside in my garden or my yard, enjoying a beautiful morning on our deck or back porch, playing with our cat and dog, taking a walk, catching up on the news, and more.

I can intersperse what I NEED to do, what I SHOULD do, with what I WANT to do. It’s my choice now and I couldn’t love it more.

Success Magazine

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