“Toby” – Niki Firmin – Pet Portraits – LinkedIn
“Spirit” – Niki Firmin – Pet Portraits – LinkedIn
Pity Party
Getty Images
I suggested yesterday that you might consider getting the 2-shot vaccine for the Shingles virus. My husband and I got the 1st shot yesterday.
I’m STILL strongly suggesting you think about it, but I have to also warn you about possible side effects of the shot.
Yesterday afternoon my husband and I had sore arms where the shot had been administered. Not as bad as an ear ache or a tooth ache, but an unrelenting ache that made us a bit on edge.
We slept fine last night. When we got up this morning, we agreed our arms were still sore, but maybe not as bad as yesterday. You have trouble finding the spot where my husband got his shot. My arm has about a 1.5 inch raised, pink, very warm place easily seen from across the room. We both feel pretty bummed out and both of us took a nap this morning in our recliners.
I have slight flu-like symptoms. I’m achy all over, have a head ache, and generally feel as if I had been run over by a truck. I’m fondly thinking of another nap this afternoon.
We don’t feel SICK, just no energy.
So, while you’re thinking about getting this important vaccine, also note that your arm might be sore and you might feel a total lack of energy the next day or two, so you might consider getting it on a Friday afternoon so you’ll feel fine by Monday. We think it’s a small price to pay when you consider how AWFUL Shingles is.
We’ll get our 2nd shot mid March.
Filed under Health Alert, taking care of yourself
Paintings I Love
Willem Haenraets via Elena (Livia) D. – LinkedIn
Esma CETIN – LinkedIn
Ilya Ibryaev-Elena-LiviaD-LinkedIn
“It’s a Hard Life” – Graham Colthorpe – LinkedIn
Filed under Creativity, Watercolors I Love
BIG Kitties!
Catherine Lee – LinkedIn
Catherine Lee – LinkedIn
Dave Welling via Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Painting by Lucie Bilodeau via Kelly Mizell – LinkedIn
Nick du Plessis via RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
Whine and Cheese
Fluent in 3 Months
There are few things I hate more than preparing our records for our wonderful CPA. Legal and financial documents make my eyes glaze over and give me the creeps. I have irrational fear – thinking ridiculous, paranoid thoughts that I’ll miss something, make a mistake and end up in the slammer.
I am a champion of one skill in particular – the art of procrastination. I have taken it to an art form.
Grammarly via Cathy Ruggiero
Each year I make improvements in my record keeping, and each year – as we age – our records get more simple. I used to have my own website with over 100 artists at one time, and THEN the record keeping was time-consuming and complex, plus we both had full-time jobs, were trying to raise our son, were buying and selling houses, cars, etc. Now we are retired, the business is closed, and I have my artwork on ArtFire, so the records are simple.
The main thing is to go through the booklet our CPA provides listing all the pertinent information he needs and what we recorded last year. He has helped us as much as possible, so why do I make so many excuses for not getting started?
Part of it is that it is TOTALLY my job.
My husband ignores the whole process, chauffeuring me to the CPA’s office when I have everything together. I have a small pity party, get a bit hostile, slog through the process, and then we dump it on our CPA to once again put it all on the forms and make sure everything is good. (This has been the ‘whine’ part of this post.)
The ‘cheese’ part is that, once I finally get my rear in gear and get going, the process goes faster and more smoothly each year. By the time they kick dirt over me, I’ll have it all down to a science. :0)
The ‘cheese’ part is that usually, I get a nice lunch out somewhere when we’ve gotten rid of the tax stuff!
So much ado about very little – but I think I’ll put it off, once again, until tomorrow….
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, character-building exercises
Shingles Protection
shutterstock.com
If you have had Shingles – or have tried to help someone who has it, you’re already cringing.
Shingles varies for everyone. Some people have a light case, and others a much more serious outbreak. My husband had a BAD case in around 2005 and we both cringe even THINKING of what he went through. In his case, it covered his whole left side and continuing around to his belly. His pain was excruciating and nothing seemed to help. He was in pain about 6 weeks and then STILL hurt when he laughed, sneezed or coughed for months afterward.
We jumped on it when the first vaccine was announced. It was hyped as a one-shot thing that would protect us for life. We both got the injection. THEN, when a new vaccine, Shingrix came out, we discovered that our ‘protection’ was really only for 5 years, and that we had been unprotected since 2009!
We tried to get on a list to receive the new vaccine, Shingrix, 50 mcg injection. (It’s a 2-shot deal with 2 to 6 months between shot #1 and shot #2.) We got the okay from our primary doctor and called Walgreen’s, only to be told there is a shortage of vaccine. They would put us on their list, but it would be awhile before we could get it. (They can only get 10 shots/month and the line is long.) AND, as makes sense, they’re trying to get shot #2 for the good folks who have already gotten shot #1 and need shot #2 before the six month time limit is up. We called the other pharmacies in Greenwood and Fort Smith and got the same information.
THEN, a new pharmacy opened its doors in Greenwood. We had been with them formerly, but they shut down and we had to go elsewhere. We were delighted to hear they were back! I called and she told me she COULD get the vaccine! We went and filled out the paperwork. When she called it into our healthcare provider, Humana, she reported to us that the cost for each shot would be $140 – and we needed FOUR shots! We put the whole idea on hold, hoping that the beginning of the year might bring better news as to costs.
I called Humana yesterday, finding to my delight that our cost would be $47 per shot – a much more reasonable cost. I called the pharmacy. She still had our paperwork and resubmitted it, calling us back later to confirm the cost.
We got our shot #1 today, and we’re on the calendar to receive shot #2 mid-March.
I don’t know what the difference is between sources, or why other pharmacies have so much trouble getting the vaccines. I’m just glad that our new pharmacist had no trouble and could get us started on being fully protected. The protection is for 5 years; so – if we’re still alive and kicking by then – we’ll go in and get protected again.
I write this to urge YOU – if you are 50 or older – to seriously consider getting this protection. I can tell you that you DON’T want anything to do with getting Shingles. You don’t need the pain, and you can get it over and over again. Please research what the situation and costs are for you wherever you are and make the decision to protect yourself, if possible.
It’ll be interesting to see when and if Walgreen’s will ever call us back that they finally have the first shot for us…
Good Thought
Simple Families via Carol Auclair Daly
Filed under Encouragement, Favorite Quotes, Good Thoughts
Tasmanian Devil Mailbox Decoration
My husband and I have a lot of fun creating decorations for our mailbox based on characters we loved when we were kids. The latest is the Tasmanian Devil from the Loony Tunes cartoons. The creator of “Taz” is Robert McKimson.
“The Tasmanian Devil, commonly referred to as Taz, is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Though the character appeared in only five shorts before Warner Bros. Cartoons closed down in 1964, marketing and television appearances later propelled the character to new popularity in the 1990s. His first name is revealed in the 1957 short Bedevilled Rabbit, when his wife addresses him as “Claude”.
Taz is generally portrayed as a ferocious, albeit dim-witted, omnivore with a notoriously short temper and little patience. He got his name in the short Ducking the Devil. Though he can be very devious, he is also sweet at times. His enormous appetite seems to know no bounds, as he will eat anything in his path. He is best known for his speech consisting mostly of grunts, growls, and rasps (in his earlier appearances, he does speak English with primitive grammar) as well as his ability to spin like a vortex and bite through nearly anything.[1] Taz does have one weakness: he can be calmed by almost any music. While in this calm state, he can be easily dealt with. The only music known not to pacify Taz is the bagpipes, which he finds insufferable.[2]
In 1991, Taz got his own show Taz-Mania which ran for four seasons in which Taz was the main protagonist.”
Source: Wikipedia
We get the image from the Internet. My husband converts the drawings into code the computer can read and reproduce. A computer-guided torch allows us to cut the design out of sheet metal on our CNC set up. Our usual pieces are about 2 feet tall and about 2.5 feet wide. We then mark the salient features on each side of the design using an overhead projector. My husband welds a mount on the piece that allows us to attach it to the pole on our mailbox. I then paint the piece on both sides with weather-resistant paint and then spray it with polyurethane to protect it from the elements as much as possible.
We enjoy creating these decorations. Rather than fighting about money, how to raise the kids, etc., we ‘discuss’ – with strong opinions – WHAT we’ll make, WHICH DESIGN is best for our needs, WHAT COLORS to paint it, and more. It brings a lot of joy in our lives to create these together – something we never pictured ourselves doing. :0)
A man drove up our steep 650 + foot driveway the other day to ask us if our work was for sale! He drives a vehicle for the Senior Citizens Center in Greenwood and regularly passes by our mailbox. He told us he looks forward to seeing what we have up each time he passes.
Thinking of his kind feedback makes me smile each time we put up another decoration!
Filed under Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations, metal art
Art from Found Things – Take 32
Ann P. Smith – Robot Owl – makezine.com
Macaon-beer and soda cans-enpundit.com
Filed under Art From Found Things, Creativity
Creative Snow Art – Take 40
Bored Art
boredpanda.com-Tokyo
cheezburger.com
Filed under Creativity, Seasons, snow people
Gorgeous Big, Black Cat
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Is Amber Turning Over a New Leaf?
This is Amber, our yellow lab puppy. She will be two years old in March. She weighs 94 pounds. She is a more than a double-handful for us, teaching us countless lessons on how to pay better attention, make SURE she’s on the proper side of the dog gate, make SURE all the food is put away properly in the kitchen, make SURE you’re braced and balanced before she runs into you, make SURE we only let one dog out at a time, and more.
We’ve been told that labs are puppies until they are two years old. I have no confidence that Amber got that memo.
That said, Amber has had a quiet day today! She seems to be feeling fine. She jumped right up to go in the CAR with us when we did errands this morning. She wagged her tail at countless people she saw at each place we stopped. When she got home, she actually gave us the squeaky ball a couple of times, instead of teasing us and actually wanting to play tug of war. She’s been out a couple of times and didn’t bring any deer parts into the yard. She didn’t get into anything in the garage, taking it outside to chew on it. She actually got in her place when asked with no protest. She didn’t get into any trash cans. She didn’t splash the water out of the water dish.
She hasn’t given back her dinner in over a week now. She nosed both cats and our elderly cocker spaniel/schnauzer mix, Molly, but didn’t knock anyone over or cause anyone to protest her attention. She’s only thrown my arm up over my head – her signal that she wants to go out – a couple of times today. She didn’t try to join me in my computer chair.
I’m not sure what to think. It’s been an absolute pleasure to be with her all day long (it’s mid-afternoon now.) We LOVE her ALL the time, but we have appreciated getting a bit of quiet time to collect our thoughts occasionally.
Is Amber turning over a new leaf?
Nah! She is just lulling us into a sense of relief and complacency before she brings us back to reality once again….
Filed under Amazing Animals, Family
Something You Might Consider Doing
i65
I created a document for our son that answers questions such as, “What should I do about…?” and “Where is the….”
In this document I list financial stuff, insurance information, loans status and sources, contact information for important people, and more.
We all know there are no guarantees in life. No one knows how long he or she will live. I’ve tried to picture our son trying to deal with things if
- I die, or my husband dies, and the remaining person needs help dealing with things
- My husband and I die together and our son is left with the house, cars, and STUFF
We have taken advantage of the expertise of our lawyer, our CPA, and spelled out what we want done as far as burial arrangements, made suggestions as to what to do with the stuff our son doesn’t want, and mainly tried to answer “where is the” with lists of what is in our safe deposit box and other secure places.
_______________
We update the document every six months. (I procrastinate, thinking not much has changed – but each time I do it, I’m surprised how out-of-date much of the information is! We have tried to handle things as much as possible so that our son can do things from across the world, if needed, or he can get to everything he needs if he comes home. We probably haven’t thought of everything, but we try to rethink things twice a year, as if we were looking at the problem with fresh eyes.
We think it’s a very important way we can help the remaining spouse or our son take care of things as easily as possible.
It’s never too early to plan for when you’re not here anymore. We think it’s a good way to show our love.
Filed under building good habits, Challenges, Changes, character-building exercises, Family
Warning
MartyMouseHouse.com via Comedy Club via Stephanie Youmans Wilson
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
Sweet Little Creatures
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
Polyushko Sergey via Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Bence Mate – Hungary via Paul Stolle – LinkedIn
*There are many talented photographers taking pictures to die for. Some are signed. Some are not. All are shared by people who care about our wildlife and their habitats.
Owls
Yoko Yamamoto – Ballpen Owls – behance.net – linkedin
saroshngp – via- Sonja A. – linkedin
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
Duckies
“Eating on Ice” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Looking for a Partner” – Paul Militaru Photography
Illusion
Rebel Circus via Passionate Penny Pincher via Stephanie Youmans Wilson
Filed under Funny Signs - Humor
Watch Out!
Thinking People via Melissa Eastman
I’ve been splurging – re-reading my collection of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. There are 25 books in the series so far, 24 in paperback. I’m on #23, smiling all the way through it.
I love this series because the characters are seriously flawed and – if not lovable – are likable, and very amusing. On re-reading, I sometimes laugh out loud, but not as often as I did the first time. The writing is so good, though, I snort, or at least smirk, through much of them. The wacky characters get into totally bizarre situations. Sharing the situations with them, and seeing how they get through them, and the consequences, is a joy. I don’t really want to BE in their world, but I love sharing it from a bit of a distance.
Janet has # 25 in hard back now, and, of course, it’s a best seller. I’m not sure when the paperback will be available, but I’m looking forward to being able to add it to my collection.
Filed under Favorite Authors & Books, Hobbies, Reading is FUNdamental
Fantasies Courtesy of Mother Nature
This is a nice view out our back door last fall. We live on top of a ridge line outside the city limits of Greenwood, Arkansas. We have about 8 acres, but we can pretend we own all we can see from the top of our hill. :0)
This is the view this morning –
Really thick fog making the view look surreal!
You can barely discern one of the ridge lines and you can’t see the valley at all! This is the thing fantasies are made of!
Filed under Mother Nature, Views
Planter Project
The brick-lined rectangular slab on the right used to be a planter. We built it several years ago, along with 13 others, and all of a sudden it wasn’t happy, its sides bowing out a bit. One other planter just like it at the opposite end of the house needs to come down, too.
We weren’t planning to do anything about this until the spring. :0(
My husband decided he would dig out one of the hydrangea bushes in it, and the whole front of the planter collapsed, forcing us to get things to a reasonable point before our winter got serious. We lucked out, getting a few days of spring-like weather, so we knocked down the other bricks, hauled them to behind the well house where we stacked them up, dug out the potting soil and put it on the tarp to the left of the photo. We spent part of several days demolishing the planter. We’re a bit long-in-the-tooth now and sledge-hammering, shoveling, and hauling bricks tires us out pretty quickly.
We got to the bottom layer of bricks, but no matter what we used, they wouldn’t budge. This means we’ll do the brick laying to rebuild the planter ourselves, since no pro would touch it. We wrapped up the potting soil in the tarp, got another one to put on the top and held it down with bricks – to save as much of the potting soil as we can. Just in time, since the rains came and now we have the smallest rectangular ‘lake’ in the world – the bricks holding the water in on top of the concrete slab.
We bought replacement bricks several months back, so when the weather is cooperative and warm enough for the mortar to set well, we’ll try to demolish the other wounded planter and then get busy with the rebuilding. Since we’re now seriously heading into winter, this will probably be it on the planter project until the spring.
Filed under Gardening, Housekeeping - Maintenance, Lewis projects
Being a Mom
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Jeff Jett – LinkedIn
Filed under Amazing Animals, motherhood
Stripes are the New Fashion Statement
Catherine Lee – LinkedIn
Catherine Lee – LinkedIn
Catherine Lee – LinkedIn
These photos are taken by lots of talented photographers in an effort to bring awareness of endangered species and the part humans play in making sure they live on.
Filed under Amazing Animals, Awe-Inspiring Photography, Catherine Lee
Still Laughing
I Stole This from Another Page via Cindy Basnett Thurman
Filed under Attitude, Funny Signs - Humor
Pretty as a Penguin
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
Catherine Lee – LinkedIn
RJ Bennett – LinkedIn
Filed under Amazing Animals
creativeartworksblog 