In another week, we’re supposed to get a break in the temperature and humidity, plus have a chance for the first rain in a month. Hooraaaaaay!
When it’s cooler, I feel a surge in energy, ready to be outside, working and playing, appreciating. I am SO ready!
Filed under Mother Nature
I’ve been missing bread the most with my low carb lifestyle. I’ve found I can order sandwich bread and rolls, but the company I found is in California, and it takes a couple of weeks to get my order. Plus it’s pricey.
I’ve tried several low carb bread recipes and have been disappointed.
I found a new recipe recently for “Simple and Fluffy Gluten-Free Low-Carb Bread” from Elviira that I’m going to try. I couldn’t find the ingredients locally, but I found them on the net and ordered them today. Only 4 ingredients:
I’ll let you know, providing the full recipe, if I like the results, but I’m excited about trying it. My husband keeps wanting hot dogs, sandwiches, toast, etc. I can make them for him, making something else for me, but I would love it if I could simply substitute my low carb bread on my plate. I’ll even serve some to him and see what he says!
Hopefully, I’ll get back to you sometime next week on this.
Filed under Cooking/Recipes/Low Carb Lifestyle
I Love Reading Books via Cathy Ruggiero
I’m still working on moving a whole bunch of my library upstairs to the guest room. We have some nice built-in shelves that will help me organize stuff, rather than just trying to cram yet another book into my overflowing shelves. I’m trying to move all of one type of book each day.
Filed under Reading is FUNdamental
“Nature in September” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
Kyle Lambert-www.dailymail.co.uk.
Iris Scott-Colossal
thewonderfullifeoftheparkers.blogspot.com
Filed under Creativity, Fun with Fingerpaint
the odyssey online
This, of course, isn’t Amber, but our dog might have done the same thing this hot doggie did to cool off. Amber’s pool is about twice as large as this one, so it’s hard for me to get the old water out before scrubbing the pool.
I played ‘throw the totally chewed up cloth toy remnants” with Amber this morning. She only wants to play tug of war with them, and I won’t do that, but I figured out a way to give her some fun and exercise. I throw one. She goes and gets it, brings it back, but won’t give it to me. I hold up another. She wants that, so she drops the first one. I throw the second one and pick up the first. Sometimes we get three into the rotation.
I then took her for a walk outside. We walked all over the top of the ridge line, with Amber running down and exploring further down the slopes. She was wearing her shock collar. This allow her a lot more freedom that being on the end of a leash. She readily reacts to a warning from me with the remote, plus she gets a treat when she comes back to me right away.
We came back inside to play again, and then Amber flopped down on the floor, panting. She got quiet, and when I turned around to look, she had propped herself up with her paw against my desk, so she could lie on her back, legs spread-eagled, looking very happy and comfortable. Of course, when I tried to get a picture, she turned over. She’s still sleeping, so I guess I gave her a good workout this morning.
I’m going to TRY to get her kiddie pool scrubbed out and filled up today. She has at least another week where she’ll enjoy jumping into it on her walks. When it’s freshly scrubbed out and filled, the kiddie pool looks appealing to ME, too.
Filed under Amazing Animals, Family
“Little Waterfall” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
Bored Panda
I’m doing some really C A R E F U L stretching today, in addition to just the bending over and letting my arms hang down. This is Day Four of my back not hurting! I’m also being careful to ‘hold my mouth right’ and doing whatever else I can think of to not jinx myself, ending up back at square one.
I really wish I knew what I did to get myself into such a pickle. I can promise I wouldn’t do whatever it was again – EVER. Since I don’t know, I’m treating myself as if I’m a time bomb, easing into each thing and seeing how it goes. This tees me off. I’m used to being able to do almost whatever I wanted to do without giving it a thought, unless I thought it was dangerous. The only limits have been my imagination. I’m ready to throw this caution to the winds as soon as possible.
I’ve decided to let the weed whacking go until we get over this last impressive heat spell.( That would be the middle of next week they say.) If the present humidity of 67% holds until this afternoon, it will FEEL LIKE 114 degrees F. here. This is unacceptable, particularly if you’re entertaining the idea of yard work. So that kind of thing will be put on hold until the actual weather starts paying attention to the calendar and we get a break for the start of fall.
Meanwhile, I’m continuing my efforts INSIDE to throw away/give away/put away things that need help all over the house.
My latest project is reorganizing my books upstairs. Yesterday I moved the 44 Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb “In Death” series books to the guest room shelves. I’ll continue moving and reorganizing until I no longer have books falling on my head when I try to pull one out…
Wish me luck?
Filed under Attitude, exercise, Housekeeping - Maintenance
imgarcade.com-michael-acosta-red-tail
Iris Scott
Iris Scott Photography-photographyneat.com
Filed under Creativity, Fun with Fingerpaint
“Ornamental Flowers 1” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Pink Rose 1” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
Nino Chakvetadze via Zen to Zany via Cathy Ruggiero
Filed under Attitude, Favorite Pictures, Favorite Quotes
Iris Scott-www.behindbigbrother.com
owl_by_meesha_b-imgarcade.com
pinterest.com
Filed under Creativity, Fun with Fingerpaint
We’re enjoying a quiet, laid-back morning in the office.
I just had a nice chat with our son. That doesn’t sound like a big thing, but he’s in Koh Lanta, Thailand for a week and then will head back to Chiang Mai, where he lives now. When he left about two years ago now, he set up things so that we could readily communicate – a chat program, where we can type at each other in real time, leave messages, send pics, etc.: regular email, of course, if the chat program ever isn’t available; a Skype type program that is much better than Skype, where we can see each other and talk real time.
We are very lucky. We’re really close to our son and communicate almost every day in some fashion. He’s a good communicator, so it doesn’t seem as if he’s across the world from us. His friends sent some pics a couple of days ago. I would share them, but I promised both my son and my husband I wouldn’t post many pics of them. :0( (Amber doesn’t mind me posting pics, so you see her playing with a squeaky ball. She wants to chew on her toys in your LAP for some reason, which can be a bit disconcerting at times and causes us to be ever vigilant.) Brian was telling me how great it has been to ‘watch’ Amber grow from a fat puppy at 10 weeks and 16 pounds to what looks like a full grown dog now, at 6 mos. and over 62 pounds.
While I’m chatting with our son, my husband is working at the computer, trying to rebuild a sensor type driveway detector. And, to top off our nice morning, our friend, Carla, comes with her dog, Nikki, for a play date. Amber is just learning socialization skills, and Nikki is the perfect dog to put her in her place. There is a bit of growling on Nikki’s part, when Amber is too exuberant in her hellos right in her face, but that is a great way to show Amber the limits. Amber didn’t want to share her bowl of water, but with the encouragement of the three two-leggers, Sweet Nikki got a good, long drink before heading home. We’re going to try to do this once a week.
We’re regrouping now in the office. Amber has spread out all over the plastic roll-around covering for the carpet, panting. I think she’ll probably be asleep in a matter of minutes….
Filed under Amazing Animals, Family
thirdmonk
Comparatively speaking, I feel as great as this owl does today. I’m not hurting and haven’t taken anything for pain, muscle relaxants, etc. I don’t know how long it will last, but right now, I’m declaring victory!
I actually felt well enough to take Amber out for a long walk this morning. She’s to the point where we don’t need to put the leash on at home. If she strays too far, I can simply call her. If I’m lucky, she’ll come. If not, I can push the green warning button on the shock collar remote and she comes right away. We haven’t had to shock her for anything lately, except once for dive-bombing the cat with too much enthusiasm.
The past two weeks seem to have been a lot better, as far as getting through to Amber what we would like, and having her actually comply. This doesn’t mean things are calm – far from it; but we’re living in tandem more now, rather than having to fight our way through the day quite so hard, ending in complete exhaustion.
She is doing two new things lately – I throw her toys into a clear plastic bin in the corner of the office. Rather than go get a toy as she used to, she picks up the entire bin, allowing toys to fall out as she carries the bin across the room, and then sits down and chews on the bin. I have to admit she may get this from me. Half of the time, I covet a DISPLAY, rather than the items ON the display, in a store.
The second new thing is that, while she spends less and less time on the back porch, when she does, she has started either eating or scratching off the white paint on the boards that comprise the side of the porch. We have three spots now that are down to the bare wood. I can spray those spots, but I don’t think there is enough Bitter Apple in the world to keep the whole porch covered…
She has oodles and gobs of chew toys of all shapes, sizes, colors, and squeaks. She tires of them quickly, whether she has access to all of them at once or just one at a time. We play ball with her on the porch and in the front yard, take her out multiple times a day to take care of business, walk, explore, and play. She takes a short nap in the mornings and one in the evenings, and – otherwise – is a perpetual motion machine with teeth. It’s a good thing she’s loving and sweet….
We’re going to do errands in a bit, and then I’ll TRY to do some very gentle yard work, if my back is still cooperating. Such a pleasure to move – get up and down – without pain!
I hope that you are having a pleasant day, too.
Filed under Amazing Animals, Family, Health Alert
zen to zany via cathy ruggiero
Filed under Childlike Fun, Dreams, Encouragement
This is the back of the scarecrow mailbox decoration. You can see where I tried to blend in the mounting hardware tube into his legs and the straw coming out of his jeans.
This is the front. This piece was fun to paint, trying to make his overalls look like denim.
He definitely makes it look as if fall has arrived, although we’re having two weeks of temps into the 90s in the afternoon with strong sun. They’re saying that by the end of next week, we could actually see some more reasonable fall-like temperatures. We’re really ready.
Filed under Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations
I finished book # 44 in the Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb “In Death” series yesterday.
The hardback of book # 45 is out, but still costs a fortune. The hardback of # 46 is due out in January of 2018 and can be preordered.
So I sit, in withdrawal, having to wait until book # 45 either comes out in paperback or until the price on the hardback comes down a LOT. I’ve gotten impossibly spoiled, being able to order 6 used paperbacks at a time, all of them numbered and waiting to be read. I felt so rich.
I do have other books by Nora and other favorite authors to read. My nose is out of joint because I want more in the series, just as good quality as the rest, NOW, and at used prices. Did I mention I was impossibly spoiled?
If you haven’t tried this series, I’m warning you, you’ll probably become addicted. You may not want to do anything else but hide somewhere so you can read. You do need to read them in order to enjoy the character development and the history of the friendships, etc. Here is the list in order –
| Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb “In Death” Series | |||
| HAVE | READ | # | NAME OF BOOK |
| X | X | 1 | NAKED IN DEATH |
| X | X | 2 | GLORY IN DEATH |
| X | X | 3 | IMMORTAL IN DEATH |
| X | X | 4 | RAPTURE IN DEATH |
| X | X | 5 | CEREMONY IN DEATH |
| X | X | 6 | VENGEANCE IN DEATH |
| X | X | 7 | HOLIDAY IN DEATH |
| X | X | 8 | CONSPIRACY IN DEATH |
| X | X | 9 | LOYALTY IN DEATH |
| X | X | 10 | WITNESS IN DEATH |
| X | X | 11 | JUDGMENT IN DEATH |
| X | X | 12 | BETRAYAL IN DEATH |
| X | X | 13 | SEDUCTION IN DEATH |
| X | X | 14 | REUNION IN DEATH |
| X | X | 15 | PURITY IN DEATH |
| X | X | 16 | PORTRAIT IN DEATH |
| X | X | 17 | IMITATION IN DEATH |
| X | X | 18 | DIVIDED IN DEATH |
| X | X | 19 | VISIONS IN DEATH |
| X | X | 20 | SURVIVOR IN DEATH |
| X | X | 21 | ORIGIN IN DEATH |
| X | X | 22 | MEMORY IN DEATH |
| X | X | 23 | BORN IN DEATH |
| X | X | 24 | INNOCENT IN DEATH |
| X | X | 25 | CREATION IN DEATH |
| X | X | 26 | STRANGERS IN DEATH |
| X | X | 27 | SALVATION IN DEATH |
| X | X | 28 | PROMISES IN DEATH |
| X | X | 29 | KINDRED IN DEATH |
| X | X | 30 | FANTASY IN DEATH |
| X | X | 31 | INDULGENCE IN DEATH |
| X | X | 32 | TREACHERY IN DEATH |
| X | X | 33 | NEW YORK TO DALLAS |
| X | X | 34 | CELEBRITY IN DEATH |
| X | X | 35 | DELUSION IN DEATH |
| X | X | 36 | CALCULATED IN DEATH |
| X | X | 37 | THANKLESS IN DEATH |
| X | X | 38 | CONCEALED IN DEATH |
| X | X | 39 | FESTIVE IN DEATH |
| X | X | 40 | OBSESSION IN DEATH |
| X | X | 41 | DEVOTED IN DEATH |
| X | X | 42 | BROTHERHOOD IN DEATH |
| X | X | 43 | APPRENTICE IN DEATH |
| X | X | 44 | ECHOES IN DEATH |
| * | 45 | SECRETS IN DEATH – not available yet in paperback | |
| * | 46 | DARK IN DEATH – preorder hardback only – Jan 2018 |
Filed under Favorite Authors & Books
BuzzFeed
Since my back has been in protest mode lately, I’ve leaned toward comfort food, rather than eating my low carb food. The low carb foods can be really good, and I don’t feel deprived, but they aren’t comfort food.
Today I’m taking my last day off. To that end, I asked my husband what he has been missing most. He immediately said, “chicken chunks and soup over rice.” And so it shall be. I also got some double stuff oreo cookies as my official send off back to being a grown up.
I’ve decided it doesn’t matter anymore whether my back hurts. I’m going to get back to doing what I know I should – gentle stretching and eating right.
If someone could come up with low carb, low sugar comfort food, he or she would be a gazillionaire.
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, Challenges, Changes, DIET!, exercise
RedCardinal-www.craftsy.com
watercolorphotoshopaction-youtube
ZLFeng-www.theluxuryspot.com.
Filed under Creativity, Watercolors I Love
Today’s project was to clean the hummingbird bird bath we built at the beginning of the summer.
After looking at what I was taking out, we quickly decided that we needed to get out the pressure washer for a bunch of it. I took the more delicate stuff inside, but we cleaned the shells, the rocks, and the bricks with the pressure washer after I turned off the pump and got all the water out of the bird bath.
We built this (adapting it several times before we got it right) so that it works with a flapper valve in the bath itself. Water is added through the holes we drilled in the PVC pipe. We attached a trash can that has a toilet part that turns on the attached water hose when it senses the water level is too low. It runs until the sensor is happy and then shuts off. This keeps everything good without our having to worry about it, plus keeps us from using a lot of water.
We really enjoy the SOUND of the water. That, in combination with the wind chimes on the porch right next to the deck make a really relaxing place to stretch out, read a book, play with the dogs, cook out, etc. One thing the bird bath doesn’t do, though, is clean itself. When I started cleaning it this morning, the whole PVC pipe had black gunk on it and some of the holes were plugged. The rocks and bricks had the black stuff, too, and it was pretty gross. I spent into the afternoon, getting everything cleaned and put back together.
We had hummingbirds this year, but it wasn’t a stellar year, with the really cool spring with lots and lots of rain and cooler than average summer. Not one hummingbird got in the bird bath, so it’s a really good thing we like the ‘water feature’ aspect of it. We decided, since the birds aren’t using it, we would add a ‘glug’ of bleach to the water to hold down the gunk some. With my luck, the birds will NOW decide that this is a neat place. I’ll have to add a “NO SWIMMING” sign…
While we had the pressure washer out, I sprayed off the upper level of the deck and cleaned a few trash cans that needed attention. I’m looking forward to getting more serious with the washer when my back is feeling cooperative. I LOVE that thing!
Filed under Lewis projects
Yesterday and today were the annual Greenwood Community Yard Sale. There are products outside the stores marked way down, there are fund-raising sales by non-profits for various causes, and garage sales all over the city and county.
We went to one sale yesterday put on by a storage facility where someone apparently went too many months without paying their bill. I got the wicker and macrame (?) thing in the pic above. The duck is large enough to serve rolls or biscuits in, or to put a stack of napkins, or in the bathroom to hold washcloths, etc. You could put a votive candle in the ‘bottle’ with the handles, or aroma sticks with nice-smelling liquid, or…. The macrame basket with the rope handle just spoke to me. I have no clue yet what I’ll do with it. :0) ALL for $4.00.
I found this wonderful guy today. He’s BIG – some two feet tall, but he squashes down quite a bit for storage. I simple love snowmen, though I’m not fond of driving in the snow. He’ll have a prominent place on the buffet from Christmas through the 1st of March. He was just $5.00.
We also got a nice water hose, a roll-around chair for the office, and a square for the shop – all three for $23.00.
My husband likes auctions. I would rather be shot in the foot than go to an auction. I don’t have the patience needed for the item I’m interested in to come up for auction, only to be outbid, after spending half of the day there waiting. I love yard sales where you can breeze in, walk around, seeing what the price is for each thing, either grab it or pass it up and then get out of there quickly.
I told you my husband and I are opposites, not even using the same salt. This is one of the many examples of why it’s amazing we haven’t killed each other in the 48 years we’ve been married. We’re certainly never bored, though.:0)
Filed under Arkansas, Delightful Surprises, Greenwood
its always about love-inspiration corner
My husband suggested we go to town to get KFC last night because I was hurting. On the way home, I told him I knew I was really spoiled and that I loved it. He said, “It’s because I’m spoiled and I love it, too. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” Definitely a keeper.
Filed under Attitude, Good Thoughts
I enjoyed three full days with no pain, and then I got up to get some coffee last night and it felt as if a mule had kicked me in the right side of my ‘nether end.’ I used the heat pad, then slapped on a pain patch, and took a muscle relaxer before bed. I’m better today, but it still hurts pretty badly when I stand or sit. Once I’m in either position, it’s better. Arrrrrrrrgh!
I’ve been TRYING to get out and scrub out Amber’s kiddie pool. My husband turned it over to get the yucky water out and prevent any further place for mosquitoes to breed, but it remains upended in the side yard. Amber goes over to it every time we go out. I would like to get it scrubbed out and refilled, since the temps are supposed to be in the low 90s for the rest of this week and much of next.
I also planned to use the weed whacker around my greenhouse, now that the ham radio tower is up and out of the way.
Each day comes and goes and the two things stare me in the face. Maybe I can get them done by the end of the weekend….
Filed under Challenges, Housekeeping - Maintenance
“Carnation Laced” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Orange Dahlia” – Paul Militaru Photography
“Romantic Special Rose” – Paul Militaru Photography
Filed under Paul Militaru Photography
homesthetics.net (Sorry – I can’t read the signature.)
nelseverydaypainting.blogspot.com
Pink Magnolias-Joe Cartwright.
Filed under Creativity, Watercolors I Love
stringartdesign.com
trendhunter.com-“Tightrope” by Anastassia Elias
Filed under Creativity, String Art
Amber was 6 months old September 7th. She weighs over 62 pounds and is still growing like a weed. We expect (hope) she’ll stop at 80 pounds.
Since she’s been having trouble with digestion, we’ve been trying different things (while going through courses of probiotics.) I’ve been researching, since she wasn’t doing well with the changeover from puppy food to the dry food we gave Molly and Bambi, either. I decided to try grain-free food, and so far, it seems to be the answer! We’ve been able to stop the probiotics and stool firming meds. She really likes the taste, seems to be much more comfortable and happy. There are a BUNCH of grain-free dry dog foods, so we’re trying now to find one that is offered in large bags. (The 11 pound bags just aren’t good, as she eats over 4 cups of food per day now.)
Right now we’re feeding her Rachael Ray grain-free, but we got another brand we’ll start soon. It comes in a MUCH larger bag. If she weathers the brand change well, we’ll switch to that and then stock up before winter. We hope that we can change her over to the food we get from our vet eventually, but she’ll either mature enough to handle that or she won’t. Time will tell. We’re delighted that we seem to have found a good solution for now.
We also got a shock collar with remote control. I generally don’t like these, but I have to admit it’s the answer right now with Amber. She’s a very independent, stubborn thinker with really strong desires and a deaf ear when she chooses, which is often. With the shock collar, we are mostly to the point that we give the command, reward her if she does it, warn her with a tone if she doesn’t readily comply, or a shock (rarely now) if she continues the bad behavior. It’s as if a miracle occurred. She now realizes that we MEAN what we say. We’re not just playing. We don’t want to say the same thing over and over. Usually, she adapts her behavior now when we SAY it, or failing that, when we warn her. Amazing and wonderful!
Because she’s behaving better, she spends more and more time with us, whether we’re inside or out, something she really enjoys. It’s all working together to make a healthy, happy, better mannered dog, and relieved, happy two-leggers!
Filed under Amazing Animals, Family
creativeartworksblog 