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Highs in the 50s today here! Woo HOO! And lots of pretty sunshine. I’m hoping to spend some time outside this afternoon. I have lots to clean up and winterize in the yard. It looks like I’ll have a GREAT week for it. :0)
I go for a haircut this morning, so Michael will make me look like ‘someone-had-a-plan.’ My hair is thin and fine and ONLY does what it wants to. Michael understands that and works WITH it. He’s wonderful.
Nothing exciting going on today – that I know of – so I’ll look forward to getting the planters around the yard in better shape when I get back.
Have a wonderful day!

My efforts to lose the lard are more of a challenge lately. I’m maintaining the 30 lbs and about the same inches off, but haven’t made more progress. Other health issues and ‘life’ are getting my attention, so I’m basically just trying to keep my mouth shut, rather than caving into emotional eating. Also concentrating on adding the foods and drink I found that may help dissolve plaque, so am doing a bit of juggling, trying to plan my eating better.
One of my friends who loves me gave me a tin of chocolates for Christmas. hahahahahahahahahaha :0)
Filed under DIET!

When I came home from visiting my friends, Amber met me at the door – exuberantly, as usual – which means I find something to hang onto while I greet her – she stopped dead in her tracks, sniffing me all over. This continued while I got some coffee and prepared to sit down and tell my husband how my friends were doing.
I then remembered that Amber might feel I had betrayed her.
I had committed the cardinal sin in “dogdum” of cavorting with, and petting other animals. I started to laugh, thinking about all the evidence of my afternoon sins – scents of a bunny, four other dogs at Carla’s, her cat, and finally Nora’s fuzzy, yappy Belle. Oh, the SHAME of it! I got up and got Amber a treat, and petted and talked to her for several minutes, which helped a bit, but she continued to look at me suspiciously, plus sneak a sniff from time to time until my nightly shower…
Filed under Amazing Animals, Family

I had the BEST afternoon yesterday visiting with two friends I don’t see often enough.
Carla had a new bunny she name Wilhelmina. She is much like the sweetie above. Carla said she thought the bunny was 7 to 8 weeks old. I sat on the couch and Carla brought her over to me. While Carla and I were talking, “Willy” hopped from one end of the couch to the other, found a cord she really wanted to chew on on the table next to the couch, hopped all over me, sat on my shoulder and sniffed my ear and melted my heart. She was SO cute. SO soft, and SO captivating. She was bright, curious, and sweet all rolled into one. She was sneaky, too! I had covered the cord that intrigued her with a Kleenex box. She gradually moved the box off the cord so she could try to chew again. :0) The small pot I mosaic-ed (is that a word?) for Carla will be used to try to grow kale for Willy and one other rabbit Carla has.
My friend Nora has a small, criminally cute yappy white fuzzy dog named Belle. Belle barked at me for about 5 minutes, and then finally decided I wasn’t trying to rob the house or hurt Nora, so she settled down and let me pet her. She sat in my lap while Nora and I visited, moving continually to try to stay the center of attention. Nora grows her own herbs, so she was happy with the pot I made for her.
It was wonderful to relax for a bit, enjoy catching up with what is happening in the lives of two people who are so important to me. Though I don’t call, text, or visit enough – or tell them often enough – I HOPE they realize how much I love them.
Filed under Amazing Animals, Friendship, holidays



Filed under sculpture




Filed under Gardening

I’m having a quiet, happy morning.
This afternoon is going to be wonderful. I’m getting to visit with two of my favorite people, two ladies who mean the world to me, and it’s been too long since we got a chance to catch up. I’m taking them some presents, hoping they will brighten their day.
As usual, we always MEAN to see them, talk to them more often, then life gets in the way. I’ll try to make up for that a bit today.
I hope YOUR day is full of joy.
Filed under Friendship, holidays
Filed under Pierre-Luc Granjon, sculpture

I told you that my Lunch Bunch friends couldn’t meet yesterday. I was disappointed, but hoped we could meet sometime early next week or something.
Today two of our friends came to our house to exchange gifts and visit. It was the greatest gift. We really got to talk after exchanging gifts, sharing some things we hadn’t mentioned before. It was truly wonderful. I’m so lucky to have met these people and shared friendship and love for over 20 years now.
Even now, as I type, I’m a bit teary over how lucky we are.
Filed under Friendship, holidays

Things happen – and more changes in a second than you can believe. Since I’m becoming an heirloom, more happens to the people I love, too.
My friend’s MRI is Monday, where they see how much damage she had from her recent fall. (Nothing broken, thank goodness.) A family member went from the ER to the hospital last night due to trouble breathing. She’s not in pain, thank goodness, but having trouble breathing is scary. My own next test/procedure is the middle of next month. A lot will depend on the results. Another friend texted me to tell me that she and her mom wouldn’t be at Lunch Bunch today. (she was going to a funeral and her mom wasn’t comfortable driving in the rain.) I’ll see what they think of having our Christmas gift exchange next THURSDAY. Fingers crossed.
We repaired a CB Radio antenna wire that the hugely gusty winds we had had snapped off. It runs between our well house and the main house and was hanging down in the yard. So, of COURSE my husband grabbed our tall ladder and wanted to climb to the top of the well house to try to fix it. I helped the best I could, running to the house to get parts, tools, and scrambling up and down the ladder to hand them to him. We got it repaired and back up again. No injuries.
This was topped off by our dog, Amber, coming back covered in ‘that-that-is-not-to-be-named,” and we had to finish off the afternoon by giving her a cold bath in the back yard, something that really got our attention.
Christmas cards feel like hugs. We’ve started hearing from friends and relatives we wish we could see more often. We sent out ours last week, and hope they feel OUR hugs, as well.
I’ll be really glad when Mother Nature decides which season we’re having. We MAY get another 3 inches of rain between now and tomorrow morning. Severe weather chances are low, though, and I’m really grateful for that.
I’m trying to immerse myself in my book and in listening to YouTube videos to keep any bad thoughts in the back part of my mind, happy that we are snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug here. :0)
Filed under aging, Family, Friendship, Mother Nature, Seasons, Thoughts on a ________



Filed under Embroidery/Sewing Art, Felted Wool Art

Actually, it’s a nice Thursday for me, so far.
I just got home from having my monthly massage and I feel GOOD. I’ve been more stressed than usual lately and it felt WONDERFUL to totally relax, putting myself in the glorious hands of Lynn, my massage therapist. We exchanged gifts and a nice hug. AND I’m set up for a massage for next month. :0)
I’m about to fix us some lunch. My husband is taking a nap. He’s so cute. He puts a kitchen dish towel over his face in his recliner and zonks out. The cat is sleeping on his stomach. Our dog, Amber is snoring on the floor beside his chair, wishing SHE could sleep on his stomach, too.
No big plans for the day. It’s rainy, but we missed storms last night. It’s supposed to rain HARD tomorrow off and on, but I don’t think anything is supposed to be severe.
I told you that my Lunch Bunch friend, Kay, fell last week. She’s having an MRI Monday to assess the damage and see what can be done. Meanwhile, she is finally able to eat again, so my husband and I took her a cherry milkshake yesterday afternoon. Her coping mechanism is Word Search books, and she was out of them. We stopped and got her another one after we got the shake. We visited for about 10 minutes. I gave her the Christmas present and card I made for her and hugged her VERY gently. She is such a nice lady.
I’ll get presents together this afternoon to take to Lunch Bunch tomorrow.
Have a wonderful Thursday!
Filed under Friendship, holidays, Thoughts on a ________

Our weather is yo-yo-ing, not sure whether we’re still in the fall or at the beginning of winter. Storms are due this evening into tomorrow, with record high temperatures here today and a cold front coming though. Mother Nature is really in a snit lately. We will hopefully have a quiet day with a very wet evening. Right now it’s really beautiful outside. I’ll try to get out to play today.
One of my dear friends from Lunch Bunch fell last week. Our medical community is giving her the run-around on giving her some real help. She needs an MRI to find the extent of the damage, but it isn’t scheduled until NEXT Monday. Meanwhile, she’s in pain and can’t keep pain medicine down. Her husband took her to Ft. Smith yesterday to see if they could get some help. I will call her later to find out if they were successful. I want to FIX her, help her to quit hurting, help her to feel sassy again.

I’m now waiting to schedule another health test. My ‘adult’ side peaks her head out, mainly during the day. At night, I’m at the inner child’s mercy. I came down in the middle of the night and read for about an hour to chase away scary and dark thoughts. Happily, during the daytime, I’m MUCH better able to find joy.
I had a nice chat with our son this morning, who lives and works in Thailand. We are so lucky to be so close to him, even though we’re physically across the world from each other. We can talk about anything, help each other handle what life gives us, encourage each other, even giving virtual hugs.
I hope that you’re having a good Wednesday.
Filed under Encouragement, Family, Friendship, Mother Nature, Thoughts on a ________