I’m NOT a bazillionaire this morning after winning the lottery. Bah. Humbug. Whine. (just a bit.) I told the nice cashier at the Casey station yesterday that she was selling hope. :0) Maybe NEXT time… Otherwise, a happy day ahead.
I have a busy day ahead of me. It’s all at home. We don’t have any errands that I know of today.
I’ll try to get as much potting soil into the planters as possible today, though I’m not in a rush to beat rain today. I’ll just do what I can and see how it goes.
Today is DAY 114 of my yoga practice. (I was able to hold the plank pose (barely) for 20 seconds yesterday!) I know, it’s pathetic, but TWICE as long as I was able when I started.
Laundry, changing sheets, switching to electric blanket. I love snuggling under pre-warmed sheets and blankets.
I have all our clocks changed except for upstairs and our truck. I’ll do both later. Did you remember? (I’m HOPING that Congress will finally vote to keep the time at one hour or the other all year long. The bill has passed the Senate and is sitting, being ignored, in the House. Fingers crossed.)
I’ll try to order books, warm socks, and food storage containers online today.
We went to Yeagers/ACE this afternoon armed with our 20% off coupon good today or tomorrow. As you can see above, I have a new lease on life with new clippers in two sizes, a trowel, and gardening gloves (I bought 2 pairs.) We also bought fifteen 40-pound bags of potting soil. AND – the coupon was good, WAS for 20% off the entire purchase. Woo HOOO!
I suggested that we distribute the bags of potting soil around the yard where they would be used, rather than piling them up and then having to wheelbarrow the bags around. We put 9 bags in front of the trio of brick planters I just finished weeding. 3 more went in front of the elephant ear planter. And the final 3 were distributed when we drove around through the back yard and around to the side where the two tomato planters and new iris planter are – one bag to each. I’ll start putting the soil into the planters tomorrow.
There were two men in front of Yeagers handing out poppies that we can wear to honor veterans. That was nice.
We stopped to buy lottery tickets while we were out, since we have lots of great ideas about what we could do with the $1.4 BILLION or so it’s worth now. Our winning number will be announced tonight. :0)
Kay’s daughter sent us some tea to try from when she was in the area and stopped at a store they like. I’m drinking a cup right now. It’s very pleasant and comforting, even though I’m a coffee-holic. It’ll be particularly nice to enjoy on cold winter evenings when I’m curled up under my throw in my recliner. NICE of her to think of me and send it to me.
So we have had a good day today. When I finish my tea, I’ll do my yoga practice for the day. (DAY 113)
DON’T FORGET TO SET YOUR CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR TONIGHT. Do you think our lawmakers will EVER realize how much their constituents HATE Daylight Savings Time?
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.
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.
I’ve been dreaming about paintings with lots of texture lately. I know I won’t get up to my art room until I finish the yard work outside and we’ve done the things we need to in order to get ready for winter, but that doesn’t stop the dreams.
Osnat Fine Art
This one makes me drool, for example. Reacting to the lushness of the color and the desire to TOUCH it are both gut level responses. I’m not even really into abstract paintings, as such, but this one speaks to me.
I look forward to experimenting and playing when the time is right. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy finding things like this that make my juices flow…
I received the paperback The Becoming, Part 2 of the Dragonheart Legacy trilogy by Nora Roberts about a week ago. I reread, The Awakening first, then dived into The Becoming. I finished it and now I wait.
The hardback edition of The Choice is out this month. I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait for the paperback, but I’ll pre-order it as soon as it shows as available to do that.
I’m really caught up in the characters and story of this trilogy and I really don’t want to have to wait to find out what happens. That’s where the character-building comes in. You’d think with as old as I am, I would have developed more by now…
Meanwhile, The paperback edition of Desperation in Death (# 55 in the series) by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) will be arriving at my door around December 27th, a wonderful Christmas present for me. I may decide to reread all the previous books before the new one comes…
So far, I’m more able to WALK a plank rather than hold this position.
“The plank strengthens your spine, your rhomboids and trapezius, and your abdominal muscles, which naturally result in a strong posture as they grow in strength. Developing your posture can improve on a number of ailments, and prevent the onset of other ones. Good posture means you’re keeping your bones aligned.”
“Planks are perfect for burning belly fatbecause they engage multiple muscles at once, boosting the metabolic rate and benefiting core strength. All in all, a plank is an excellent choice to stimulate the whole body.“
What I’m HOPING at this point is that holding the position for ANY amount of time works to strengthen my core. The second I get into this position, my whole body starts to tremble, moving to shaking before I have to stop. (AND, the most embarrassing part is that all this happens within 15 seconds.)
The only good thing I can say about my efforts is that the 15 seconds is up from the 10 seconds I started with. I will continue trying this every day, HOPING that my poor pathetic muscles will get stronger in time. I’ll compare it in my head with the fact that when I started yoga, the hardest part of everything was getting down on the floor and back up again! It also took several months for me to be able to bend over and touch my toes. This is a strength issue – rather than a flexibility issue – though, so I’m not sure what to expect. I’m not getting any younger, though, so the time to be doing this is NOW.
I’ve been especially enjoying working in the yard the past few days. The weather has been perfect – sunny, but not the kind that makes you feel you’re being boiled in oil, and temperature warm, edging toward cool.
My latest outside project, cleaning out the trio of brick planters that separate our front yard from the top of our driveway, is going well. I have two of the three planters cleaned out, and am hoping to get the third planter weeded today. I’m feeling a bit of pressure now, since I read that we’re due for strong storms tomorrow afternoon and evening and I’d like to finish the clean-out before the rain.
This is what the trio planters looked like a few days ago. As you can see, they are totally overgrown, plus filled with weeds and Bermuda grass.
This is what they look like this morning. I have my work cut out for me with the third planter, but it will feel great to at least get started, if not finished with it today. I’ll wait until it’s a bit warmer to get started. (Can you believe I’m SAYING that?) :0)
I walked around the yard briefly after taking these pics and found that the flowers in the pots on the deck are providing a nice display.
It is my fervent hope that I don’t run into wasps or ants in the last planter. I may spray it with EIGHT first to see if anyone comes flying out….
I just finished hacking the overgrown stuff on the trio of brick planters, and have finished weeding one of the three. I’m resting now.
The elements apparently caused a rope support we had rigged for wisteria vines to snap and I had to tackle the results of that today. I did a bunch, but will have to ask my husband to use the chain saw on one part. It’s sad, but the rope giving way and breaking caused kind of an avalanche of vines, some of which are really thick, to cover half of one of the planters, to impede our access to stacked fire wood, plus make it almost impossible to do any mowing or weed whacking there. I’ll prune it as little as possible and hope we can figure out another way to prop up the vines stretching from the planter across the wood pile and up into the tree beside the driveway.
This gives you an idea of what I’m trying to save. From what you can see here, the wisteria vines continue on to the left across the woodpile and up into a tree.
I love the art created by David Zinn, but I’m even more delighted by his vision. When most people look at the place where the wall meets a sidewalk, they see the weed growing. The fastidious among us might bend over and pull the weed, or think that the weed should be sprayed with weed killer.
David Zinn sees a rabbit wearing a ‘delicious’ tutu, practicing a dance pose. And he stops to draw the sweet rabbit so that others can share his vision.
This is what makes me remain hopeful. I love sharing the same planet as a man who thinks like this.
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)
Well, the process of bringing this trio of brick planters back to some kind of plan has begun. So far, I’m feeling overwhelmed.
The first step is cutting down the overgrown stuff. I’ve filled a trash can and dumped it, and I don’t think you would notice I’ve done anything. I’m resting and drinking water now, trying to gear up for another session.
The weather is really nice for my project, but my energy is fading fast. I started out with a ratty, but warm vest on, but quickly shed it as I worked. If you’re just walking around, it still feels a bit cool, but working changes your mind fast.
I’m in a ruthless frame of mind, I find. The rose bushes in the trio of planters are not looking healthy. I’ve decided to REALLY prune them down, thinking I would rather lose them and start over at this point, rather than try to fight sad, diseased leaves and mostly bare branches. I’ll cut them WAAAY back and deal with things when I see how they do next spring.
I’m about to head out for another session. I’m concentrating on snipping things off and hacking things down today. If I can get a good start on that, I’ll feel as if I’m making progress.
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.
I’m really hoping that we have a nice day today, particularly this afternoon. I’m going to tackle cleaning up what I call the ‘trio planters’ that run between the front yard and the top of the driveway. At this point they are completely overrun with weeds, Bermuda grass, and overgrown plants.
This is the first of the three 8 foot long brick planters. As you can see, it’s a mess. There are two more adjoining this one, creating a demarcation line between the front yard and the top of the driveway. When it’s tended, there are roses, lilies, iris, and phlox. I’ll do a bit at a time until it’s more under control.
This is the second planter, and the overgrown bush covers the third.
If the weather is cooperative, I’m planning to take my gardening stool out and get started today.
Even though the world has essentially ruined Halloween for me, I still love seeing Ray Villaphane’s pumpkin carving, wonderfully creative handmade children’s costumes, and terrific displays with skeletons. I have wonderful memories of Halloweens as a child, and that will have to suffice.
We don’t have trick-or-treaters at our house because we live on the top of a ridge line up a steep gravelly driveway. The few kids that DO trick or treat nowadays are smart enough to go to the wonderful neighborhoods where the houses are closer together and most people have their porch lights on in welcome, enabling them to quickly gather goodies.
Dierk Schaefer photo-flickr.com
The ‘goody’ I wanted when I was a kid was a chocolate bar. When I got home from the gathering, I quickly went though everything to see if I had been lucky enough to get one.
historymaniacmegan.com
The only thing we were warned about was the possibility of a razor blade being imbedded in the middle of an apple. I didn’t worry, even if I DID get an apple, because to be honest, fruit was the furthest thing from my mind on Halloween.
Now that my practice is becoming a routine part of my afternoons, I’m trying to add to it a bit. Recently I added the cobra pose (above), and another that I call, “The Basket” where I’m on my back with my feet up in the air. I hold onto my legs with my knees bent, then hold my ankles and try to hold it. I’m doing a pose called, “Downward Dog,” where I’m on my stomach, then push up to an inverted “V” and hold it, trying to push my heels down toward the floor.
I’ve added some abdomen exercises – one where I’m on my back. my arms are on the floor stretched out behind my head while I do a modified bicycle motion with my legs for as long as my back doesn’t hurt. The other is where I’m again on my back, arms beside me, legs bent. I push the middle of my body up using my legs and abdomen, kind of like a push up, pushing my abdomen up as high as possible and then letting it back down again as many times as I can.
When I was at Lunch Bunch recently, my friend Patty (Linda’s daughter) was talking about her exercise. She looks GREAT, so I was eagerly listening. She said the biggest thing she did three times a week was THE PLANK. She said she held the position for 4 MINUTES! My mouth dropped open. That’s impossible.
lifestyle.livemint.com
I’m now doing two versions of this – one with my arms like those above, but knees down (that’s the easiest form of it you can do), and then a second version, as you see above. Remember, I’m old, so I hold the positions as long as I can, but it’s laughable. I can hold the version with the knees down for about 1 minute. The position above I can hold 12 SECONDS. I KNOW, but at least I’m TRYING – every day. Also remember, I’M the lady who used to congratulate myself for getting down on the floor, AND back up again!
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