We have a quiet day today – normal chores and errands. I’m still nursing my arm, so I won’t be hanging from chandeliers or trying to leap tall buildings today. Hopefully, things will be back to what passes for normal tomorrow.
I’m still thinking of a segment on 60 Minutes last night. It was about Hans Zimmer, a man who is famous for creating the music for lots and lots of movies. He is 65, full of life and enthusiasm, love for his craft, and simply fascinating. One part of the segment showed Leslie and him at his ‘work station,’ a thing of beauty, with I think 4 or 5 monitors and other control equipment around a keyboard, with a huge screen for whatever the movie was at the time in front of him. He was in total control, the master of his domain.
Our son is playing with this type of thing, trying to incorporate every day or other worldly sounds into music he is creating. I was able to find a URL of the segment and send it to him. I’m eager to hear what he says.
I hope your Monday is a happy one, with lots of nose nuzzling.
Our son and I just had a nice chat online this morning. I’m so happy that I can reach out and talk to him when I miss him (which is always) and find out what he’s doing, what he’s thinking, send him a pic, etc. We just used the chat program this morning, but we can also use a conference call program when we want.
I fixed salmon fillets with steamed veggies last night for dinner. My husband was quite complimentary about the dinner. I used a recipe from Dr. Oz and his wife for “Lemon and Scallion Salmon.” It’s easy and delicious. I actually cooked 4 fillets and looked for ways to use the leftovers. For some reason, I hadn’t thought of using the salmon to make a tuna-type salad. I’ll do that for our dinner tonight.
I dreamed about several things I want to try in my art room. It’s the first time in quite awhile that I have felt pulled up there. Maybe I can get there soon.
Good morning! It’s cloudy in Arkansas today, but the high is supposed to reach 59 this afternoon, so I won’t complain. I spent about half an hour yesterday lopping a few weed trees, but mostly trying to cut down a huge bunch of briars on vines in one area. I pooped out quickly, and my right arm was complaining yesterday afternoon and evening. I’m more annoyed about it than hurting – that my body isn’t making it easy to do what I would like to do. I took some pain meds and slathered my arm with muscle gel. Hopefully, that will help me do what I would like to do today.
I have some salmon filets marinating in the fridge for dinner tonight. I’ll bake them, serving some steamed veggies with them. I’ll use the leftovers to make salmon salad. My scales are not only smirking, they’re guffawing as I step on them. Hopefully, I will see some progress soon.
Since it’s Friday, we’ll meet our good friends for Lunch Bunch this morning. It’s so nice to see people with whom we’ve essentially shared the whole time we’ve lived in Arkansas on a regular basis. We’ve lived here for 36 years now, and have been enjoying eating lunch together on Friday for at least 26 years, I think. However long we’ve done it, it’s priceless. We’ve shared so much and are family now.
We don’t have errands today, so we’ll just come home afterwards, as far as I know now. I’m planning to lop some weed trees this afternoon, since the weather is being really cooperative. There are an abundance of them, so it’ll be quite awhile before anyone could tell I’ve been working on it.
Inside – my next project is cleaning off my kitchen desk. The two of us tend to either dump things there, or they quietly gravitate there on their own, but the result is a mess. I’ll try to do something about that today.
I found some really neat things online yesterday that I’ll share with you later.
For some reason, I’m having to fight lethargy lately. I’m actually kind of hoping that my doctor’s message from my latest blood work will show I need a change in my thyroid dosage. That’s a lot easier for me to accept than the fact I’m just LAZY…. :0)
We made it through the severe weather yesterday just fine, and are very grateful. We had one bout of really hard rain, and the power was out for about 4 hours. We have a generator, though, which kicked in when it sensed the regular power was out, and so we were well taken care of . That runs all but the heat or air conditioning, and if we needed it, we could build a fire in our fireplace for warmth.
The sun is shining today and things look clean and freshly washed outside. We went for my blood work and were in and out of the clinic in 10 minutes – the fastest trip ever. We celebrated being alive by having a wonderful breakfast at The Dari in Greenwood. I always wave at the head cook there. I hope he also owns the place, but I’m not sure. He’s been there since it opened. We love his seafood platter, too, which we split. :0)
Not sure what the rest of the day will hold yet. Enjoy yours!
“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” ~ Bill Vaughan
“One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things.” ~ John Burroughs
“Resolve to make at least one person happy every day” ~ Sydney Smith
“My wishes for you, Great start for Jan, Love for Feb, Peace for March, No worries for April, Fun for May, Joy for June to Nov, Happiness for Dec, Have a lucky and wonderful 2023.” ~ Anonymous
Lunch Bunch – I think I’m the one in the middle. (Final Fantasy XIV)
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On the way to Lunch Bunch this morning, we’ll change the decoration on our mailbox.
Here’s hoping that 2023 will be a better year than this one has been.
I MAY be able to get outside this afternoon and lop or saw down a few weed trees. Fingers crossed.
On the two other challenges that we’ve faced lately – the fact that the clothes washer died mid load and wouldn’t restart and that my MP3 player had been misplaced have shown some progress!
After finally arranging for a tech to come about the clothes washer on Tuesday of next week, we tried a bunch of things to get the machine to reset. I found a blurb online about a ‘child lock’ and the icon looked like what we were seeing. We tried the two solutions given and one of them WORKED! Everything is working again! I rewashed the half-washed comforter and it worked perfectly. HOOORAAAAAY! We saved the at least $150 we would have paid for the guy to come out and look at it.
Speaking of that, the company we dealt with was Pro-Tech. The tech’s name was Jonathan. The lady I texted back and forth with at the company was truly wonderful, though I didn’t get her name. After we got the washer running again, I texted her, asking her to cancel the Tuesday appointment. She got right back to me, confirming that she had cancelled it. I highly recommend Pro-Tech because of the good communication we had when I had no luck with the many others I called or contacted trying to fix this problem. Their phone number is 479-462-7787. I think they serve the Ft. Smith AR and surrounding areas, like us in Greenwood.
I FOUND the MP3 player. I went out to the elliptical yesterday and turned it on. It said it had NO music recorded on it! None. Nada. I finally found an FM radio and listened to a rock station that played 3/4 commercials and 1/4 music, but it was better than nothing. Talk about desperation! My husband is trying now to record some of HIS favorite songs on it. I told him I would be very grateful to have SOMEONE’S favorite songs on it when I do the elliptical again tomorrow.
Today is “warm-up” and “weights” videos online and then yoga. (DAY 168).
I hope you’re doing well – feeling sassy – today. The sun is shining (at least I THINK that’s what I’m seeing in the sky), it’s 17 degrees F. right now, but it’s supposed to warm up to 46 today and be even warmer tomorrow! We may be able to stop dripping water today to keep the pipes from freezing.
Walmart
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I’ve learned another thing since this cold snap – that we should get more proactive on storing bottled water than we have been. The water companies had problems, asking for conservation, cutting off service to some surrounding areas for a time in order not to run out – all I had been actively thinking about was not having our pipes freeze. I should have been thinking that if everyone drips water, there could be a resulting problem. We’ll buy some more today to put in the pantry.
Get Healthy U
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Yesterday I did the warm-up – then the weights exercises videos online for the first time in a long time. I then did my usual yoga in the afternoon. (DAY 164). Today after lunch (due to errands this morning) I’ll do a session on the elliptical in the garage and then my yoga. I’m hoping that these additions will be a good variation in my efforts to get stronger and more flexible, plus alleviate pain.
I’m HOPING that our weather will warm up enough tomorrow that I can try to get more weed trees down across the back yard. I’m now armed with loppers and a reciprocating saw, so I should be able to make some noticeable progress. Here’s to warmer weather!
I just had the BEST Christmas present – I got to talk to our son via the conference call program. We had a wonderful talk. I got to see him smile and laugh. I’m feeling HUGGED right now. :0)
I hope you’re having a nice Christmas at your house. It’s 20 degrees here, but it’s supposed to get to 38 this afternoon! Woo HOOO! Since my husband is taking a nap, I’m trying to be a responsible adult and get things a bit more organized in the office. I am behind on my online bookkeeping – with November’s information sitting beside me in a folder. I’ll try to get that taken care of today. I’m also officially changing calendars today.
2022
As you can see, I’m very messy. This, though, and my kitchen calendar, together, keep me straight on our obligations, accomplishments, etc. Each year I tell myself that I’ll actually USE the lines on the calendar, trying to be neater, and then I degenerate into my normal messy state…
2023
solagohome.com
We are eating normally today, even though it’s Christmas. With all the kind people who love us and don’t care about our lack of willpower, we have devoured pumpkin bread, Mt. Dew Cake with Pineapple, and a box of chocolates, among other things. We are full as ticks and are both ready to TRY to tone it down some.
Minions
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This is DAY 163 of daily yoga. Yesterday I held the plank pose three times at a count of 30 each. I hope that 2023 brings me more flexibility, more strength, more balance, less pain and stiffness, and less of me. :0)
The U.S. Sun
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Enjoy today with warmth, love, and lots and lots of hugs!
The first part of the weather forecast for Greenwood is happening now – heavy mist turning to rain, then sleet, and later snow. It’s quite gray outside. Thankfully, we’re warm and dry with Amber, our 95 lb yellow lab and Abby, our cat, taking full advantage of the warm and dry. Even with the rain and snow today, at least the temperature will be above freezing. Starting tomorrow, we won’t get above freezing until Monday afternoon. Cabinet doors are open and we’ll be dripping water at night. Update – the rain has now turned to sleet.
Amber woke us early this morning, barking. We think we might have another raccoon coming through the cat door to eat our cat’s food and what bird seed it can find. :0( I’m trying a new thing of bringing whatever cat food is still in the cat’s bowl inside when she is in with us, putting it out with her again when she is out. I have no idea if this will have results, but it’s worth a try.
We stocked up on supplies Tuesday, and I spent about an hour repacking meat and chicken this morning to be in dinner-cooking packages in the freezer. I finished that, got it all stored, the packaging washed and thrown away and the kitchen cleaned up. My husband looked at me like I was crazy, watching me wash the packaging, but I told him it was part of the NOT giving critters enticement to come into the garage.
I had a really nice day yesterday – with Lunch Bunch in the morning and a massage in the afternoon. I came home feeling relaxed and happy. My husband was taking a nap when I got home, so I joined him. Nice, lazy, happy day.
I’m enjoying a calm, slow start to our day. I’ll try to get my act together and get something accomplished. Have a happy, safe day.
We did our errands – checking the mailbox, going to Walmart and Harps to stock up on supplies in case we’re snowed or iced in, then stopping at the restaurant to see if our waitress, Mikey, was there. (She isn’t going to be there for our Lunch Bunch celebration tomorrow and I wanted to give her the present I made for her.) She was there, but said she was planning to stop at the restaurant tomorrow, even though she wasn’t working, to bring presents. I made her PROMISE she would do that, and then gave her a hug and left. We put our humongous, empty trash can in the back of the truck when we got back home and brought it back up to the garage.
We indulged in fish dinners from the grocery deli. They were delicious, as usual, and then we both took naps. We checked around outside when we woke up, making sure all was ready for the bad weather. We’ll also watch the low temperatures and drip water overnight from two faucets inside that have given us problems in the past. All is good for tomorrow, but the bad stuff is supposed to come Thursday and beyond.
It’s 51 and sunny right now -starting to get dark. It’s hard to believe we’ll have such a change in weather.
lifestyle.livemint.com
Today is DAY 158 on my daily yoga practice. I held the plank for a count of 20 four times today. I probably could have done one more, but I’ve learned the hard way that ‘one more time’ sometimes does me in for a day or two afterwards. Better to be able to practice EVERY day.
Soon Christmas will be here. I’m seeing more and more pretty decorations. We have the mailbox decoration, but that’s it.
We have one of Santa, too, and we displayed it when we changed the decoration twice a month. Now we alternate.
The Lunch Bunch group agreed that it was a good idea to celebrate early this year to avoid the bad weather that is due here Thursday. We’ll celebrate our friendship and exchange gifts tomorrow, rather than Friday. Since our wonderful waitress and friend, Mikey, won’t be there Wednesday, my husband and I will stop by the restaurant on the way back from grocery shopping today and see if she is there so I can give her the present I made for her.
Women’s Health
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A shout-out to Mary Lou and Bill who are having to have their dog euthanized today due to cancer. This is one of the hardest things there is. We’ve had to do this twice, so I wish I could lessen their hurt. They are good dog rescue people, and excellent dog parents, so I’m hoping they’ll open their hearts and home to another rescue as soon as possible. Personally, reaching out to another sweet animal who needs all the love we can give has helped US keep from imploding with our grief, even though we THOUGHT we weren’t ready. Each of us needs to do what is best for them in the healing process. My heart goes out to both of them.
EnkiQuotes.com
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Due to sloth, I didn’t check around outside yesterday as I planned to do. It’s on the list for today. With the temperatures forecast for Thursday and Friday and beyond, I need to get serious about it today.
It’s 29 degrees F. right now and sunny. Mother Nature caused too much wind yesterday for me to brave even a few minutes outside. I felt like I was freezing for the few minutes it took to put sacks in the truck and take the cart back, much less stand outside trying to lop weed trees. I’ll look at things today, hoping I can get something done.
Two young guys came to the house yesterday, instead of our regular guy, to check over our geothermal heat and air system before hard winter hits. My husband showed them around. Our filters are in the attic and in the basement. My husband told me after they left that one of the guys had come to him and told him that he broke the wallboard piece that fits in the attic entrance upstairs. My husband, being the handy man that he is, went out to the shop and cut a piece of plywood to fit in the space. This is probably much better than the wallboard that has been there for years.
IndiaMART
The MyFitnessPal app told me that I ‘likely wasn’t eating enough’ when I input my meals and snacks for the day about a week ago now. I decided to add something in the morning to be breakfast and a snack later in the day to get closer to the number of calories they said was a healthy amount in order for me to try to lose the lard. As of this morning, I’ve lose 3.6 pounds since the change. Who knew? So, I will be very happy if this trend continues. I’m on DAY 155 on my yoga practice, but still am only able to hold the plank pose for a count of 30 three times. Maybe I can add a fourth time next week.
As far as I know, we don’t have any projects for the day – unless I can cut down some weed trees this afternoon. I’ve texted my friends, Carla and Nora, to see if I can visit for a bit today. Hopefully, they’ll have some time.
Good morning! It’s a grim, gray, rainy day here, but not actually raining at the moment. I’m grateful that possible severe weather didn’t get us yesterday. We just had a hard rain. We’re still under the gun until the cold front comes through and things get settled, but I’m keeping all appendages crossed that everyone comes through this unsettled period safely.
Today will be a quiet day, I hope. We don’t have any reason to go to town. We may drive down later and get the mail, but I think that’s it.
It’s a good day to relax, read, listen to music, nap (I was up reading from about 12:15 ’til 2:30 this morning), and maybe get some productive stuff done, too, like scrub the kitchen or downstairs bathrooms. :0)
We Know Memes – Do You
DAY 152 on daily yoga practice. Yesterday I held the plank pose for a count of 35 three times.
I had a truly WONDERFUL video conference call chat with our son, Brian, this morning. I just loved seeing his face and his great smile as we talked. I got to wish him a Happy Birthday almost in-person. He is well and happy, involved in all kinds of new music projects, starting another class in Thai next week, and generally loving his life. His newest goal is to try to start a meditation center for beginners so that he can work with them, sharing what has worked with him, helping them to be as content as he is. I love the idea.
Tricolor Heron_Green Cay Wetlands_Scott Helfrich_The National Wildlife Federation Blog
We got our mail, went for my husband’s haircut, then put the trash can in the back of the truck to bring it back up to the garage before the heavy rain started. I’m about to go shut the garage door now, as I’m hearing thunder and it’s gotten really dark outside. I’m HOPING that the fact the temperature is only 58 degrees will just keep this to heavy rain, rather than hail, wind, heavy rain, flying hair balls, and possible tornadoes that are forecast for the day.
It’s time for me to fix lunch, but I wanted to check in here first. We’ll batten down the hatches and be happy that we have a warm, dry place to weather the storm.
Tomorrow afternoon we’re due for probable severe weather, so the gray TODAY is looking pretty darned good. It’s too wet, still, to work in the yard, and tomorrow will, of course, bring lots MORE rain, plus hail, plus flying hairballs, so another inside day here.
Yesterday we bought a new leaf blower/vacuum. Most of the ones we saw seemed WAY too expensive, but we then lucked into this Craftsman 12.0. I probably won’t use the vacuum parts, but there’s a MAYBE to that. I’ll just store the bag and the vacuum attachments carefully until next time. For now, I’ll hope it works well if the leaves outside ever dry enough to blow. I’d like to blow the leaves one more time before I pronounce the front yard ‘ready for winter.’
Our son sent us this pic of a meal he received from a new service that delivers to his condo daily. It looks delicious, doesn’t it? This will allow him to eat a healthy variety of nicely cooked food without a lot of shopping, cooking, etc. I would love it it they would deliver to US, too, but it’s a bit out of their delivery zone, being across the world from us…
I called my friend Linda to see if this afternoon is a good time for me to come and see her new apartment and retirement facility. She seemed delighted that I called. I’ll take the jigsaw puzzle as a housewarming present.
The temperature is warm for December (56 degrees F.) but it’s gray, gloomy, and quite rainy this morning. I think the rain is supposed to ease off this afternoon, but remain cloudy. And that’s the weather forecast for Arkansas…
I’m going to use the ‘inside day’ to start my Christmas cards and get some presents ready to mail. That should help me get into the Christmas spirit finally.
My friend, Linda from Lunch Bunch has moved to the retirement place now. I’m going to call and get a tour from her next week with housewarming gifts in hand. She is a bit tentative about the move right now, talking about so many old people there, so I encouraged her to ‘dance down the halls and get people in trouble with her at the helm.’ We’ll see what she can stir up. :0)
My husband and I went to Walmart after Lunch Bunch yesterday, but didn’t find a leaf blower there. We’ll try Yeager’s next. I also want to see if I can find a reciprocating saw to add to my arsenal of ‘things-to-hack-or-cut-things-down.’
Mundane things like laundry will also fill the day. I’ll change the sheets on our bed and fix chili mac for our dinner on this chilly, wet day.
Just hanging around, trying to figure out what I’ll do with the day today. It’s pretty, so I should try to lop off more weed trees in the back this afternoon. We have Lunch Bunch this morning, in about an hour. I’m hoping we’ll have a full house today. It’s been awhile since we were all able to get there, so it would be great to be able to catch up. After we eat lunch, we’ll go grab some groceries, since rain is supposed to start overnight and last through the day tomorrow.
I’ll get presents ready to mail and try to get Christmas cards going. I always do the envelope addressing, signing the cards, etc. I’ll see if my husband wants to dictate the Christmas letter we enclose to people we don’t see during the year. If he doesn’t want to, I’ll think about what to write. I love hearing from people at this time of year. It’s a wonderful way to virtually hug someone you can’t travel to see.
I wish you the happiest of Fridays, good weather, good company, and lots of hugs and laughter.
I’m feeling pensive this morning, full of memories – swamped by them, actually – making it difficult to get much done yet. We’re having yet another gray day, but it’s already 55 degrees. Yesterday I was able to lop off some weed trees in the back. The loppers are heavy, though, so I can only spend a few minutes working each time. A good friend of mine suggested I get a small, battery-powered chainsaw. This is a great idea, except I’m a bit hesitant because all the weed trees are on a rocky slope and it’s easy to lose my footing. I really don’t want to fall with a chainsaw. So, I think I’ll continue doing what I can with the loppers for the time being, and then see if I can get my husband involved with the larger chainsaw we have. We’ll see.
Yesterday we did another session on cutting evergreen branches that were encroaching on the driveway. We took Amber in the back when we drove down to get our mail and put the trash can in the back of the truck. We stopped on the way back up and let her out so she could play while we worked. We now have the worst of the branches cut off now. Anything more we do is wonderful, but not crucial to our being able to get down – and back up again. (One year it took us two weeks with our chain saw to clear the driveway enough to drive the truck down.)
Amber
Abby
Amber just made me laugh out loud. I heard a “Meow!” and said, “Abby, do you want to go out?” Amber came right over, walked up with her upper half in the chair with me, smiling and snuffling my ear. I told her that I KNEW she hadn’t meowed, and she just smiled more, if possible, trying to get up into the chair with me. I finally got up to let both Amber and Abby out, meeting my husband at the front door, who was there to do the same thing. Well-trained humans!
Today I’m planning to bring a couple of Christmas presents downstairs and get them ready to mail. The post office has said we need to mail even earlier than usual this year in order to be sure our stuff gets to the people we love in time for Christmas. Maybe this will help me get into the spirit of the holidays. I’ll also try to get started with Christmas cards.
A quick shout-out to Carol, a really nice, talented lady I met yesterday online through the blog. We’ve emailed back and forth a couple of times now and have a lot in common. It’s nice to know we’re not alone in our situations, and I look forward to getting to know her better. :0)
It’s sunny and supposed to get to 67 degrees F. today! I’m going to try to spend as much time outside today as I can, enjoying the glorious day and trying to get more accomplished in the yard. My plan to ‘chop-a-few-evergreen-branches-each-time-we-drive-up-the-driveway’ project is bringing success. We aren’t killing ourselves and the driveway is getting clearer. This is a several-days project because our driveway is 650+ feet long and steep. Hopefully, we won’t have to worry any more than usual about ice and snow storms this winter.
Blowing more leaves in the front yard will have to wait until we buy a new leaf blower, but I plan to cut down a bunch of weed trees across the back today. This will be a many-day project, since we have a LOT of weed trees and using the lopper gets to me pretty quickly, but I can get started with it today.
I’m
These weed trees are obscuring our view of the valley behind the house. I love to watch the seasons change, pretending that we own all we can see. :0) As you can see from these pics, I have my work cut out for me…
The morning fog has already cleared to a large extent, but I wanted to share the feeling with you. You can’t see the valley that we can usually enjoy behind our house. We can LOOK at it, so we consider it ‘ours.’ :0)
More fog, but this photo also gives you an idea of the ‘weed trees’ that I’m trying to cut down a few at at time. They’re taller than they look here, and when I lop one off, it falls on me no matter where I stand. Not heavy, though, just irritating, and a little of this work goes a long way.
This morning we’ll gather our trash and drive the humongous trash can down to the bottom of the driveway to leave it for emptying. We’ll get our mail, and then make a quick trip to town for some supplies and maybe look for a new leaf blower. On the way back up the driveway, we’ll try to get more evergreen branches cut down so they won’t encroach on the driveway so badly. (I don’t know how long it would take for things to grow back as they were before we built our home over 35 years ago, but I don’t think it would be long.)
Hida Tool
It looks like I have today and tomorrow before we’re due for heavy rain Wednesday and Thursday. I think I’ll tackle the weed trees and see if I can reopen our view a bit.
Cold, gray rainy Sunday here – 39 with a high of 42. Ugh. We’ll have ‘breakfast’ for dinner tonight and spaghetti tomorrow.
Suave Yards
Yesterday I did Pass #2 on blowing leaves from the front yard. I got almost finished and the leaf blower started making bad noises. I looked, but didn’t see anything caught anywhere, anything loose, etc. My husband came out and looked at it, saying it sounded like “bearings were giving up” and that we would probably need to buy another one. This one has lasted a long time. We’ll probably take a look tomorrow and see what we can find.
Yesterday was DAY 142 on my daily yoga practice. I have changed to multiple short plank poses, rather than trying to hold one longer pose. I did six 10-second holds yesterday. I can increase either the time, the repetitions, or both, trying to get the most benefit from the pose on trying to get stronger. My husband and I share the same exchange each day – When he says, “Are you going to ‘yoge’?, and I answer, “Yes,” – he says, “Good on ya.” (Still not a ‘habit,’ or something I feel I NEED to do, or an activity I would MISS if I didn’t do it, but it has definitely become a ‘determined effort’ each day.)
Scottsdale Pet Hotel
Other than cuddling, playing on the computer, listening to music on YouTube, reading, cooking, etc., my plan is to vacuum the first floor tiles and carpet. My husband did this in our truck the other day, replacing the seat cover with a new one, and says he vacuumed up the equivalent of two dogs. :0) I’ll probably do the same today. If there were an award for shedding, I think Amber would definitely be in the running.
Stay warm, safe, and dry today with someone you love.
Yesterday we lopped off more branches in the driveway as we came up from Lunch Bunch. Later I brought in the deck chairs and tables from the deck to store on the porch for the winter. These two, plus yoga, were my exercise for the day.
I also ‘slow-rolled’ the heavy, tall green planter from the corner – where the wood isn’t as strong as it might be these days – to the middle of that side of the deck. I’m not sure what else I’ll do to get the deck ready for the winter – it’s too cold for pressure washing – and I’ll probably switch to something of higher priority first.
Honda UK
Since we’re going to get rain tomorrow (and several days next week) I may do the 2nd pass with the leaf blower in the front this afternoon. I would like to at least get things to look like a ‘nice scattering of leaves’ rather than ‘Mother Nature dumping on us.’ I would also like to start cutting down weed trees in the back, but that can be done a bit at a time, between bouts of rain.
The last day to order packages of 6 hand-painted Christmas cards is December 10th. Free shipping in the contiguous United States. Please click on the links to be taken to Etsy to order. Remember that the post office is urging us to mail early this year.
I’m looking forward to Lunch Bunch today even more than usual. Due to Thanksgiving last week, our restaurant wasn’t open for our lunch last Friday, so it’s been two weeks since we met. I want to find out if Linda has moved to the retirement place and what else is going on with everyone.
It’s actually warmer this morning than it has been. It’s 51 degrees F. already and is supposed to get to 60 this afternoon! Woo HOOO! I’m hoping to be able to continue my yard work, though I haven’t decided what I’ll tackle yet, if the weather is cooperative. We’re supposed to have light rain off and on during the day and a strong cold front coming through overnight, so it’s still a roller coaster here.
It’s funny. I’m reading After Sundown by Linda Howard and Linda Jones. It’s about a CME (cornonal mass ejection) bringing their world to a standstill with no electricity until further notice and all the things that derive from that. This morning I checked the news and read about solar storms possibly affecting our power grid in a minor way. Eerie.
And with that, I’ll wish you a happy, stress-free day.
We’re back on the roller coaster Mother Nature has set up. Yesterday it was windy and 75. Today is 36 with a high expected of 49, and sunny. No wind. I’m hoping to get outside this afternoon. We’ll see. I’m very thankful the wild weather last night bypassed us. I hope the front goes on past the east coast and dies without causing further havoc.
Lifestyle.livemint.com
Yesterday during my yoga practice (DAY 137) I could only hold the plank pose for 20 seconds without a lot of discomfort. I decided that I would do the pose multiple times, so repeated it 3 more times for a total count of 80. (I have no real idea of how long I’m holding the pose, other than counting while I hold it, so I would imagine that I’m being generous with myself, counting pretty fast.)
I wondered if holding the plank for multiple short amounts of time would be the equivalent of one longer hold. I researched the question, finding opinions vary all over the place. Some people say your goal should be to hold the pose 5 MINUTES. Since this is an impossible goal for me, I continued to research. I found –
Most experts suggest anywhere from 10 up to 30 seconds is plenty. “Focus on doing multiple sets of smaller amounts of time,” says L’Italien.Nov 13, 2019″
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Since I am 75, and there is no way in the world I’ll ever get to 5 MINUTES, I’ll go for this advice. If I do MULTIPLE repetitions of however long I can hold before I get really uncomfortable, I ought to be able to attain my goal of strengthening my core.
Bright Horizons
Our yard is finally starting to look as if someone cares. There is ALWAYS something more than we should or could do, but if I get the yard looking pretty civilized and the plants as protected as possible, I feel good.
Two days ago I finally got the planters on the deck cleaned out. There is still some stuff to do to prepare the deck for the winter, but the project is started.
I’m trying to tackle things of higher priority first. I’m going to put a set of loppers in the truck so that each time we come back from errands, we can stop on the way up the driveway and cut off some evergreen branches that are hanging out into the driveway. We don’t want these to be stretched across the driveway, blocking our way up and down after ice or snow storms.
I want to prune our rose bushes WAAAAAY down for the winter. I have two bushes left. Then there is one more planter that is totally overgrown, leaves to be blown from the front yard, weed trees to be cut down to open up our view in the back again …
I’ve finally lost a couple of pounds over the last few days. My scales are still smirking at me, but not so widely.
I’m fasting from dinner until lunch the next day. Typical lunches are a slice of turkey or ham, a piece of cheese, a hard-boiled egg, and some fruit. Sometimes we also eat a very small ramekin of potato salad.
Dinner is a frozen dinner or individual portions of leftovers from meals I’ve cooked, a side veggie or salad, and a roll.
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My yoga practice is going well. I even forgot to give myself a glittery silver star on my desk calendar for yesterday until this morning. (I’m on DAY 137 of daily yoga practice, but I’m getting to the point I almost don’t need to keep track anymore. Yesterday, since my back was sore from working outside, I held the plank pose four times at a count of 15 each. I don’t know if that’s equivalent to one longer session, but I do what I can do each day and don’t worry about it.
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I also worked in the yard, and that gave me more exercise for the day. I finally got the deck planters cleaned out for the winter. Since we have 8 or so planters out there, that was a good amount of work for the day. Today I plan to cut the rose bushes way back. I’m not sure what else I’ll do, but the weather will be 75 and quite breezy with lots of sun this afternoon.
We’ll leave for errands in a couple of minutes. We have our Christmas mailbox decoration in the back of the truck, ready for us to put it up as we leave. On the way back, we’ll put our trash can in the back to drive it back up.
“Foggy Morning Sun Rise” – photo by Warren Birge – FineArtAmerica.com
Fog lay like ribbons between the ridge lines when I looked out the window while dressing this morning. Surreal. Magical. It’s supposed to get WARM this afternoon – 65 degrees F. – and I should be able to get some things done outside. :0)
Yesterday was a lazy day for me, since the weather was yucky. About the only thing I did of any note was my yoga session and holding the plank pose for a quick count of 45. Today we have several errands, plus laundry, gathering and putting out the trash – all kinds of exciting stuff. As I rest between chores, I’ll enjoy more of my book.
Nice way to spend a Monday. I hope yours is good, too.
We had a challenging day here yesterday, so I’m hoping for a calm day today. The weather is still rainy and gray, encouraging quiet activities and maybe even a nap!
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I had a nice session of yoga yesterday (DAY 134) and I could FEEL some improvement in my ability to stretch into some of my poses. I decided to do my plank pose with 3 attempts, trying to hold each one as long as possible, since I had sore muscles and couldn’t hold for the quick-count-of-45 yesterday. It makes sense to me that several sessions holding the pose should be good for building strength, too.
Giphy
One Thanksgiving meal and the next day Turkey sandwiches meal have done their worst. Yesterday I got-back-on-the-horse of trying to eat right. Hopefully, the scales will start to notice a difference by the end of next week. Loss to Date: 23 pounds and 26 inches since my heaviest.
It’s quite dark outside this morning with Mother Nature preparing to rain on us in a most-of-the-day event. It isn’t particularly cold, though, which is nice. I’m thinking that if she is cooperative today, I’ll try to clean out the planters on the deck. If the rain is TOO hard, or is blowing, I’ll have to put it off until tomorrow.
Katz’s Delicatessen
We had MY favorite Thanksgiving dinner last night – turkey sandwiches. We still have a bit of turkey left over to eat with a couple of lunches, but the main splurge of the holiday is gone now.
UAB Medical West
Our son, and a friend and his wife did a big extra for Thanksgiving this year. They thought the Thai people might enjoy experiencing an American Thanksgiving dinner, and so served plates to people. Our son said they all had a wonderful time.
I’m not really sure what the day will bring. We don’t have any have-to’s today, and for that I’m grateful. I’m in the middle of a good book, and I don’t have to cook a lot today, so I’m a happy camper.
I hope that you are able to stay warm, dry, and happy today, too. :0)
I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a lazy happy day with football games, computers, reading, napping, and, of course, dinner. My husband complimented me on the dinner a couple of times last night and again this morning. I’m planning to fix turkey sandwiches (my favorite part of Thanksgiving) tonight. :0)
Today is warm (54 degrees F.) for this time of year, but it’s gray, wet, and misty. Things won’t dry out enough for me to do much in the yard today, and then we’re supposed to get rain tomorrow. UGH. I’ll never get the yard ready for winter at this rate. The weather makes me want to curl up under my throw.
The only constructive thing I’m planning for the day is vacuuming. I hope that your day is a fun one.
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