June 22, 2023 · 2:33 pm

Ahhhhh!

sandsculpture-neon.org.gr

You can see how relaxed and comfortable I am since my wonderful massage with Lynn Moody 479-629-7601 this morning. She is a true miracle worker as a massage therapist PLUS allowed me to fully relax – somethings I am able to do less and less these days. I also consider her a friend.

I came home, fixed lunch, and then fell asleep in my recliner. My husband put my throw over me at some point and I awoke feeling really good. Ahhhh!

While I was gone, he took our bed apart enough to be able to find the model # on the air pump for our bed and looked it up on the net. He found one! We looked at it together and ordered it. It’ll be here July 1st. When it comes, we’ll take the bed completely apart, replace the air pump, find and repair any leaks in the mattress, then put things back together. HOORAY!

We don’t have anything else on the schedule today, so we can relax and do what we want.

I just realized that yesterday was the first official day of summer. We’re due for high 90’s or 100 degrees this weekend with a heat index of around 110. That’s what I call ‘making an entrance!’

I hope you’re having a wonderful Thursday.

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June 21, 2023 · 12:23 pm

Kindness – Simile

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

Enabling Devices

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June 21, 2023 · 11:33 am

Michelina Frey – DailyPaintworks

Michelina Frey – DailyPaintworks

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June 21, 2023 · 11:26 am

More Anna Chan Shell Art

Anna Chan Shell Art – Emma Taggart – MyModernMet.com

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June 21, 2023 · 10:55 am

Wednesday 6-21-2023

Smiling Kids Pediatric Dentistry

My husband did a great job of getting us TO the dentist yesterday. We both got a good cleaning and good report. I did tell the receptionist that the NEXT time I call her, wanting her to arrange an appointment for the GeoThermal tech to come check our system, I would appreciate it if she were more cooperative. We had a good laugh. On the way home, my husband didn’t like the traffic and scared my hair off with the drive home. We are still alive, but I let him know that life was too short to have to endure that.

He increased my thinking about digging a hole in the back yard for him when he started talking to me in the middle of the night. He was mumbling too much for me to understand him. I was finally fully awake, only to find he said that I was ‘a cute fuzzy.’ I am definitely not at my best in the middle of the night awakened suddenly and forced to function. He quickly went back to sleep. I came downstairs and read for a while and then went back up to catch what sleep I could. He did remember talking to me and gave me a hug this morning.

We had a really good conference call with our son today. My husband has trouble communicating, and so does it less and less. Our son was asking if he would talk to him on the conference call thingie today. We got it set up and I got my husband to come over to my computer. The volume was too low for him, and I figured out how to increase that so that they could talk one-on-one, something they haven’t done for a while. It was good to see them smiling at each other. When they finished, our son and I talked. It was great to catch up and laugh together. He is safe and happy, so all is right in my world.

Even though I failed in my attempt to get the dental receptionist to make an appt for the geothermal guy to come, I DID call the correct number after that and he’s coming out this afternoon. It gives me confidence that someone who is knowledgeable about the system checks things over twice a year. He also changes out the filters in the basement and the attic so we don’t have to – a wonderful thing.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

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June 20, 2023 · 9:42 am

Seasons

Sent to me by my good friend, Carol.

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June 20, 2023 · 9:33 am

I’m a Wuss

Adobe

We go for our 6-month teeth cleaning this morning. I’ve always been afraid to go to the dentist. This fear intensified when my my mom was diagnosed with oral cancer and died of it.

Each time before we go I have a recurring nightmare about our driving in the Vette, going to the dentist. (My husband puts on the gas when I would put on the brake in any given situation. The Vette makes this tendency worse.)

In the nightmare, my husband has another stroke while driving. I’m trying to steer the car to the side of the busy traffic and get it stopped while he is fighting me, but steering the wrong way and putting his foot on the gas harder and harder. Then I’m trying to get us help – and having to drive the Vette to follow the ambulance.

The fact that I’m an adult seems to have no bearing on my fear of the dentist. I tell myself I’m a wuss and should be able to get over this doesn’t stop the nightmare the night before or the tension of having to ride in the Vette to Ft. Smith. Should I enter a contest for Drama Queen?

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June 19, 2023 · 11:50 am

Today’s Project

iStock

This isn’t our driveway, but my husband just asked if it were, so you get the idea of what we’ve been trying to clear.

Each storm makes more branches hang down, making the driveway more of a tunnel, to the point we’ve caught ourselves bending down inside the truck to avoid the branches. :0)

We’ve been carrying the loppers in the truck and each time the weather is cooperative, we try to clear a bit of this. We don’t last long, but we’re persistent and we ARE making some progress.

Today after we took our trash down for pickup tomorrow, my husband decided that today was the day he would try to pull down some much larger, dead or almost-dead branches from a tree right beside the upper part of one side of the driveway.

He attached a tow strap to the trailer hitch on the back of the truck and the other end to each branch we were trying to bring down. He drove down slowly and I watched and yelled at him – either to stop him from running over a planter or let him know that the branch was down. We would then drag the branch to the burn pile we’re accumulating.

We did this four times and got most of what we needed to do on that tree accomplished. We still need to go out and put things we moved back in place and neaten up a bit, but the majority of this project for the day is done.

Good thing, because it’s 84 degrees and bright sun now, and is supposed to get to 95 this afternoon. UGH.

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June 19, 2023 · 10:25 am

Juneteenth 2023

Audacy

“Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining June and nineteenth, it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order by Major General Gordon Granger proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865.” ~ Wikipedia

reddit.com

My husband is alive, even though he woke me from a deep sleep at 0-dark-thirty this morning wanting me to remove a tick from the back of his knee. The light blinded me so it was hard to focus. When I did, the tick was so small I thought it was just some dirt. I could hardly feel it. I tried to remove it with my fingers, but finally found some forceps in the bathroom with which I was finally able to remove the tick. As I was wondering why we needed to do this in the middle of the night rather than the morning, my husband started to snore. Soon after I tried to get back to sleep, the alarm went off. AND, as I type this, guess who is taking a nap in his recliner in the living room….

The only thing on our schedule this morning is gathering trash and driving it down to the bottom of the driveway. We spent some time cutting branches in the driveway yesterday and will probably do another session today. It doesn’t take long for us to poop out doing this, but little by little, we ARE making a difference.

I am also planning to work outside, weed whacking, harvesting and cleaning up the veggie garden, and fertilizing my tomatoes. I’ll have to be careful, though, because it is supposed to be 95 today with a strong sun.

Just when I think I’m doing reasonably well today, I call the dentist’s office trying to schedule a check on our GeoThermal system. (Their phone number was just above the GeoThermal number on my desk calendar.) Embarrassing!

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June 18, 2023 · 11:04 am

Shell Art – Anna Chan

Anna Chan – Seashell Art – article by Emma Taggart – MyModernMet.com

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June 18, 2023 · 10:40 am

Father’s Day 2023

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I lucked out. I knew my dad loved me, even though he was embarrassed to show or say it.

He gave me his sense of humor and sarcasm – things I treasure every day, and a fierce loyalty to family. He grew up handicapped due to a fall from a horse at three. His left arm was deformed and much shorter than the right. He essentially did everything one-handed. His sense of humor kept him from being bullied overmuch. It’s hard to be a bully when you’re laughing your rear end off with the person you thought to bully.

His intense creativity and willingness to think outside the box led him not only to support his family being a one-man advertising agency in Tulsa for over 20 years, but also winning an amount of celebrity and a Silver Addy lifetime achievement award for his ‘unique contribution’ in radio ads.

I will never forget the day he came to my college class where I was making a presentation regarding advertising toward my master’s degree. I brought him as a special guest to make a small speech and play a couple of ads to help me show how we could teach our students to listen critically and be smart consumers.

He ended his part with, “One of the nicest parts of my job is getting to make presentations like this. This one is particularly fun because I can tell you how proud I am of my daughter, Linda Wheaton Lewis.” The class gasped in surprise that this man some had asked for an autograph was my dad. I gasped and cried because it was such a nice thing to say, and in public!

He asked me to ‘remember me laughing.’ It was a long time before I could do that, but I got there. Remembering his favorite stories, the way he taught me to laugh at myself, and remembering his unique view on life are a lasting legacy.

Happy Father’s Day.

Jim Wheaton

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June 18, 2023 · 10:00 am

More

Morteza Mirzai-Flickr

We had quite a storm overnight with LOTS of loud thunder and lightning. a lot of people in Ft. Smith and the surrounding River Valley don’t have power this morning. We were lucky, with no damage that we know of. We have another storm due around noon, and then I think we’re clear.

My good husband mowed the grass right before dinner last night so it looks like someone cares around here. I need to catch up with the weed whacking when things dry out.

We set the triptic (sp?) on the truck when we left to go to town yesterday, measuring how far it was from our driveway to the place we usually turn on Hwy 10 to finish the trip to town. It’s 5.3 miles to get there, going the back way. There’s another back way, where we go down back behind our house and out to HWY 71 South and then back to Greenwood, but that’s even farther. It’s not a huge deal – just a couple of extra miles in the wrong direction – an annoyance until the new bridge is built and open.

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June 18, 2023 · 9:42 am

Uh Oh

The Wedding

The wedding ceremony came to the point where the Minister asked if anyone had anything to say concerning the union of the bride and groom.


It was their time to stand up and talk, or forever hold their peace.
The moment of utter silence was broken by a young beautiful woman carrying a child. 


She stood up and started walking slowly towards the pastor. The congregation was aghast as the penny dropped.


The Groom’s jaw dropped as he stared disbelievingly at the approaching young woman and child. Chaos ensued.


The bride threw the bouquet in the air and burst out crying. Then the groom’s mother fainted.


The Best men started giving each other looks and wondering how best to help save the situation.


The Minister asked the woman, “Can you tell us, why you came forward ? What do you have to say?”


There was absolute silence in the church.  

The woman replied, “We can’t hear you at the back.”

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June 17, 2023 · 9:19 am

Digs

The only thing worse than this is having to do it with what I consider super small type fonts.

Yesterday I signed up for a 6-month membership at a site designed to help pre-diabetics (me) and diabetics (my husband is Type II) manage their condition better – better information, diet plans, exercise advice, menus, etc.

I spent several minutes trying to read a ‘free gift’ booklet as an introduction. I finally figured out a way to enlarge the font so I could read it without my glasses (and worse – a MAGNIFYING glass) to better see the diagrams. I thought about writing a nasty note, and then figured they would probably refer me to an optometrist…

My take-away from all this is happiness that I am in good enough health to LOOK for ways to improve it, and the smarts and determination to figure out how to make the information I found work for me.

I’ve now added the site to my computer, signed up, and also added the app to my phone. I ain’t dead yet. :0)

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June 17, 2023 · 9:09 am

“Drifting…”

Betina Broussaud-Loup Wolf.

horseandman.com

Teak Pig-Modishstore

unknown

Beautiful art from driftwood

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June 17, 2023 · 9:03 am

Think

Zazzle

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June 17, 2023 · 9:00 am

Feast for the Eyes

Angela Fehr

Connietownsart-etsy

Heather Withers

homesthetics.net

Irises – artbyrachel

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June 16, 2023 · 11:52 am

Home in One Piece

BoredPanda.com

We are home from Lunch Bunch now. We didn’t go anywhere else due to the weather people being right about gusty winds and heavy rain, but thankfully not about the ‘baseball-sized hail.’

tumblr_n9mzwl9Kmx1svxaato1_400-WiffleGif

Only Linda and Patty were at Lunch Bunch. Kay and Bud stayed home due to the threat of the hail, but we had a great time.

Patty told us about her anniversary/vacation celebration in Greece and showed us a couple of stunning pictures. We enjoyed good conversation and lots of laughs, and I hugged both of them.

I reminded them that we are set to celebrate Linda’s birthday NEXT Friday, the 23rd, even though her actual birthday is the 29th. (If we waited until the following Friday, we would MISS her birthday – not acceptable.)

I’m glad we got to Lunch Bunch, but I’m happy that we’re home now, just in case the weather guys will be right about the hail…

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June 16, 2023 · 9:30 am

Olivier Bertrand Cardboard Art 4

Sitting Tiger

Symbiosis

The Boss

Olivier Bertrand Sculpture

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June 16, 2023 · 9:24 am

Unlikely Angel

Jelly Roll

I can’t say enough about this man.

He was in and out of jail during his teens and early adulthood for about 10 years. He was notified that he had become a father and decided to turn his life around. He got his GED in jail.

As you can see, he’s a big man with face tats – an unlikely looking angel, for sure. He is a singer and song writer, winning all kinds of awards in the past several years (3 CMT awards this year). He is trying to give back to his community and is giving understanding and hope in his songs.

Some of the lyrics in his original song, “Save Me” are –

“I’m a lost cause
Baby, don’t waste your time on me
I’m so damaged beyond repair
Life has shattered my hopes and my dreams”

I’ve told you I’m watching what is called “reaction videos” on YouTube. The reaction to Jelly Roll’s songs is amazing. The men reacting really FEEL the lyrics and obviously identify with them. Many actually tear up or outright cry. Jelly Roll is voicing the feelings of MANY who have had problems, felt rejected, felt thwarted or useless in their lives. The fact that Jelly Roll is successful now is such an uplifting thing.

A more unlikely angel there will probably never be. Along with the face tats, he has VERY strong, ‘salty’ language. This is a real, honest, raw, GOOD man with a big heart who is trying to be a good husband and father, writing and singing music that he describes as ‘therapeutic’ music. He believes music can save people, and I believe he is right.

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June 16, 2023 · 9:04 am

Severe Weather

Ozark Radio News

Weather across the U.S. may be severe today, so we need to keep a close eye out. I think I read that 50 million people are under threat of severe storms, gusty winds, hail, etc. today.

Unless things turn bad quickly, we’re planning to go ahead to Lunch Bunch this morning and then to pick up a prescription and groceries before coming home. Of course, this is all subject to change if we see flying hairballs.

If we’re lucky enough to have this bad stuff bypass us, I plan to check my tomato plants and harvest the rest of my heads of lettuce this afternoon.

Hopefully, we’ll all come through this threat intact and safe.

Be careful.

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June 16, 2023 · 8:39 am

Friday 6-16-2023

Unsplash

________________

Yesterday my sister-in-law (and more importantly, friend) told me about an incident where she exercises. A lady in the class was really ugly to another lady my SIL likes. The really sad thing is that it wasn’t necessary. My SIL was able to defuse the situation, but you can’t ‘unhear’ ugly, hurtful things.

When a person is being ugly for religious or political reasons, I just don’t understand the motivation. Being ugly will certainly never change anyone else’s mind on a subject. Being ugly to someone else can only be done to hurt the other person, and I don’t see a good reason for that, either.

Maybe I’m missing something, but life is too short for this. Keeping your mouth shut, unless it’s in the defense of someone else, is a good skill to practice – I think of it as a character-building exercise.

Chatelaine

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June 15, 2023 · 3:40 pm

Dogs by Julie Pfirsch

Julie Pfirsch

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June 15, 2023 · 3:31 pm

Annemiek Groenhout Watercolor

Annemiek Groenhout

Annemiek Groenhout Art – FineArtAmerica.com

Annemiek Groenhout – RedBubble

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June 15, 2023 · 12:53 pm

New Confidence!

BoredPanda.com

________________

We’re home from my haircut and now I’m feeling newly confident about not ending up in Lower Slabovia while trying to get home from town. We’re having to go the back way because the bridge between us and town is completely gone now, with only a huge hole and a backhoe in the bottom of it. It’s been years since we had to go the back way. The last time there wasn’t even a street sign at the turn off and I just drove right on past it.

I asked my husband to drive me to the hairdresser so that we would be lost together if we didn’t get back. It is amazing what has happened to that part of Hwy 10 since we were last there. There is a whole housing addition going up with either duplexes or triplexes. There is another sign further out about ANOTHER new housing addition. On the other side of the road, the place that used to be a gymnastics place is now a Crossfit place. There is now a new auto sales place right before our turn-off to come home, so it’s now easy to see where we are.

Now I’m not worried about getting lost or having to go even more miles out of our way in order to get back home the next time I’m out. Confidence is very important to me, particularly on how to get where I’m going since my sense of direction skill was given to someone else when I was born. :0)

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June 15, 2023 · 9:38 am

Thursday 6-15-2023

SitStay

____________

We’re leaving in a minute to get my hair cut. My husband is going with me today because we have to go the back way to get to town due to the bridge between us and town being demolished. My husband, being a non-trusting soul, went to see for himself that the bridge was really gone yesterday. He said there is just a big hole where the bridge used to be with a backhoe down in the bottom of the hole. We have no clue how long it will take to build the new one.

I know I can get to town just fine. I just don’t remember where the street comes out onto Hwy 10. I don’t think there is even a street sign to look for, so I’ll watch for landmarks as we come back home. After that, I’ll be good to go. I could use my GPS, but it doesn’t know where Greenwood’s post office is,(it’s been there for 10 years or so) and will routinely try to steer people into Greenwood Lake because of old OLD O-L-D information. (The lake has been where it is since we built our home 37 years ago.) Our town is obviously not a high priority for the folks who update the information for these things….

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June 14, 2023 · 11:22 am

Gorgeous Stained Glass Set

Home-Yard Mart.com

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June 14, 2023 · 11:09 am

Garden Progress?

We’re starting to get ripe tomatoes! There was one larger ripe one this morning, but the bugs had gotten to it, so I had to pitch it. I gathered some cute little ones for us to eat celebrationally with our lunch today.

“cute” rather than substantial. The vines are pretty loaded. I’ll spray and fertilize the tomato plants Friday and keep my fingers crossed for more beautiful ripe tomatoes.

I checked our head lettuce plants and most are starting to bolt now. :0( The weather just got too warm too fast this year. I’ll salvage what I can and then see if there are any other plants I want to start when we are in town next.

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June 14, 2023 · 10:52 am

Nice Display!

This is my sister-in-law’s garden in Charlotte. They will be moving at the end of the year, so this is the last spring display they will enjoy. I’m so glad they – and Mother Nature – are cooperating to show them the proper send-off. So colorful and pretty! (If you look carefully above the hummingbird feeder, you can see a hummer!)

Beautiful combination of colors and different shapes. :0) “Happiness in a box.”

Ooooh. Elegant!

Delightful!

THANKS, ML, for allowing me to share these!

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June 14, 2023 · 10:14 am

MORE Celebration!

Yesterday we got two problems solved.

THING ONE:

This is one of the two receivers that go with our new driveway detector that my husband installed yesterday. The system is solar-powered. The detector is along the driveway and both of the receivers go off when someone drives up. They make a very pleasant noise, but one that gets your attention. (I heard the one in the office even though I had headphones on, listening to YouTube when our plumber drove up.) We really like to be warned when someone is coming up, rather than just having someone ringing the doorbell or knocking on the garage people door, so this is a really nice problem my husband solved.

Rheem Tankless Water Heater

THING TWO:

Our plumber’s assistant came about a week ago and tried to light the pilot light on our regular backup hot water tank when our tankless system was showing ’13’. He was able to light it, but it wouldn’t STAY lit. He turned it off, so we were safe, but we were without hot water.

A person our plumber knows and trusts who works on tankless water heater systems came to look at ours. He cleaned contact points, and tested, and then was able to start the system. It worked for a minute or so and then the dreaded “13” displayed again. He said that the system needed to be flushed out. He called our plumber and told him what he had found.

Our plumber came yesterday and flushed out the system. He got the system to work, but told us it looked like things were on their last legs. He puts in a system that he trusts and says it’s the best one he’s ever found. So now we are contracted for him to order and install a new system for us in two weeks or so. Meanwhile, WE HAVE HOT WATER for the first time in a week! No more cold washcloth ‘baths.’ No more cold hair washes in the kitchen sink. I smiled and sank all the way through my gloriously hot shower and hair wash this morning. :0)

When I got to my computer and phone this morning, the first thing I did was text our plumber, thanking him for providing us with hot water and wishing him the best day ever.

The NEXT problem is the failing air pump on our mattress. My husband is handling that one, so I’m trying to be patient and keep my mouth shut….

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June 14, 2023 · 9:51 am

Celebrating WHAT?

In 1492 (more or less) we met and instantly fell in love. Because he was in the Marines and I was in junior high, high school, and then both of us were in college, we dated for 9 years.

We made it official in 1969.

54 years later, we are still together, and I only think about throwing him in a hole in the backyard SOMETIMES. We probably won’t celebrate ANOTHER 54 years, but we can try.

Gfycat

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