Food Thief

10/31/2016

Happy Halloween everyone.  I hope you have managed to successfully stay out of the candy - or mostly out of the candy!  I mean who doesn't like peanut butter cups?

We have a food thief in our house and her technique is quite good.  Even though we have pushed everything on the counter as far back as possible, Bella managed to get another stick of butter today.  I say another, because over the weekend, while we weren't paying attention, she was able to get the butter off the dish and consumed before we noticed!

We had a lab years ago, Suzie.  When Suzie was a puppy she escaped from the yard and spent weeks foraging for food.  When she was finally returned to us, she was a completely different dog.  Suzie being a large dog had no trouble getting things off the counter, but she was also able to open up the buffet doors in a cabinet because she could smell candy in there.  And, one Christmas, she smelt something under the tree, I don't remember what it was, but she destroyed the package.  She would eat or attempt to eat anything - cell phone cases was not a problem for her.

When Scott moved to his new house with lots of acreage, thankfully he took Suzie with him.  She was happy at his house and loved playing with his Mastiffs.  She was in a happy place and died peacefully a year ago.

So back to the present problem.  I have ordered a Scat Mat for the counter.  I intend to move the mat around in the kitchen as well as the kitchen table too.   It's been years since we've bothered to pay attention to what was on the counter, because while Maggie could reach any food items, she has never done so.  I can't be watching Bella every moment, so I need a little help and a few zaps to her front paws should do the trick. I'll let you know how that works out.  Obviously, if I could catch Bella pawing the counter top, a sharp correction would work, but she's very sneaky.  And, I'm not very fast!

Today, I'm mailing off all the necessary documents required by the FAA to reinstate his medical so that he can return to the sky.  He hasn't flown since May and I know on these gorgeous fall days, he'd be so happy to be flying - even if it was only circles around the airport.  Fingers crossed.

P 

Leaves

10/30/2016

Yesterday afternoon was spent with the boring and somewhat painful chore of picking up leaves.  That once cute little oak tree planted 30 years ago, is now super large and there are a lot of leaves that have already fallen.  Jeff blows all the leaves into a pile and it's a big pile.  My job?  Pick up those leaves, which is a job I've really come to hate.

By the time I had finished with the leaves, I had 9 bags of leaves ready to be picked up on Wednesday for recycling.  If Jeff had been around, he would have been able to reduce the number of bags significantly, as he is an excellent smusher (new word).  I don't smush.  When the bag is mostly filled, I do make a small (emphasis on small) attempt to push the leaves down to make more room.  Frankly, I'd rather get a new lawn bag and start fresh then try to compact leaves into a bag. 

Unfortunately, the oak tree is nowhere near done with dropping leaves.  I suspect that next weekend, we'll be doing the same chore.  Once we get frost, that tends to slow leaves from dropping.  And, there is no frost in our forecast - darn.

The homeowners association will have a neighborhood leaf pick up in November.  If you put your leaves in a pile at the curb, they will come along and suck them all up.  Yeah.  

The leaves in the backyard from yet another large oak tree aren't picked up.  Thanks to years of dogs running back and forth, there isn't much grass left, but definite paths where the dogs run around.  

My major job for today is to pre-check the package of documents that Jeff and I put together yesterday that will be mailed tomorrow to the FAA.  There are a number of documents, and by the time we had gone through those documents, I began to stress because hopefully the FAA will return Jeff to flying status.  We've provided everything they have asked for; but, it is a government agency and the wheels go round slowly.  Fingers crossed.

P

Sugar or Salt?

10/29/2016

It's a beautiful Saturday.  My washing machine is already humming and the dishes are ready to be loaded into the dishwasher.  I am so ahead of the game today (applause)!

Jeff and I are individuals when it comes to some of our food tastes.  Jeff likes spice and salt.  Me?  I love sugar.  Sugar in any and all forms.  If I could be hypnotized into believing that I didn't like/love sugar, there would definitely be a thinner me.

Halloween is on Monday and while we don't get a lot of kids, since we live at the top of a hill, we always buy some candy.  Said candy has been dumped, by me (who else?) into a large bowl and is now sitting on the dining room table.  I admit that I have taken one or two, okay perhaps three Reese's peanut butter cups.  Who doesn't love those?

Ice cream doesn't last long in the house, simply because it "calls" to me.  And like some of my friends who are satisfied with just one spoon of ice cream, I prefer a bowl - filled!  I could I suppose just not buy ice cream.  But what's the fun in that?  We are the number one consumers of ice cream in the world, where an average person eats 48 pints of ice cream a year. In total, Americans consumed 1.58 billion gallons of ice cream in 2011.  And, I was a small part of that statistic.

If I make a cake or some other kind of dessert, I again have the "calling" that I need to "tidy" up the edges!  This was something that I did as a child.  Actually, Mom would make a cake/pie and after the first piece had been cut, would just stick a fork into said dessert, and we kids could help ourselves!  I know if germs freak you out, you wouldn't even think about doing this.  Our sons licked the batter bowls and beaters, and are not worse for doing so.  

Whenever I made cookies, they barely made it to the towel to cool, before I began missing cookies right and left.  But, much like my Mom, I looked the other way.  They say food is an expression of love - and it's good for the soul.  If that's true, then I loved the books a lot!

While I used to bake, I don't do much anymore.  Jeff's digestive system really can't handle too much sugar.  Unfortunately, I have no such trouble.  My problem is knowing when to stop (insert smile here)!

So there you have it.  We're the perfect couple as far as our individual taste buds go.

Happy Saturday.

P

 

Daisy

10/28/2016

You may be tired of my writing about the girls, but they have become my favorite subject!  Minus the poo, of course!

When we rescued Sam, he was 7 years old and really set in his ways.  I wanted him to be a lap dog, but while he was the right size, generally wanted no part of sitting in a chair with me.

One of the reasons that we rescued the puppies is so that we can be certain of everything, both the good and bad, that becomes part of their life.  Ours as well.

Most of you know that I am somewhat of a recluse and suffer from anxiety and depression.  Last night, while watching television in my recliner, Daisy climbed up and settled herself across my chest.  Jeff asked me if I enjoyed Daisy.  Here's what I know: Daisy soothes my soul and the affection she gives me, makes me very, very happy.

A dog's love is unconditional.  They will forgive you for forgetting to fill up the water dish.  Forgive you for hogging the blankets and for demanding that they sit before getting a treat.  If we humans had to perform a trick before getting a treat, we'd all be much skinnier.  

Jeff and I both knew after Sam left us, that not getting a new dog wasn't even an option.  The fact that we rescued two shows a certain amount of madness on our part.  And yet, when they're good, they're very, very good.

Who doesn't like coming home to wagging tails.  You can almost (almost but not completely) forgive the shredded magazines and newspapers all over the floor!

Love the puppies.

P

Today's Agenda

10/28/2016

It's Friday, which means I don't cook dinner.  Jeff brings home tacos from Taco Bell, which is a poor substitute for "real" Mexican food.  The kind of food found in California, but sometimes you have to be satisfied with what you've got.

This morning I'm off to get my toes painted.  Guys don't appreciate how good it feels to have a pedicure.  I only get clear polish because it's really hard for me to reach my toes and with clear polish, nobody notices any chips.  I dislike chipped nail polish, as most women do.

After I get home, and appraise the damage, if any, done by the girls, I can move on to a chore.  Any chore.  They're called chores because that's what they are.  Chores are not fun, they are a necessity - blah!  Now if said chores were called "funs", they I'd be all over that.  But sadly they're not.

Bella can now get her paws up on the kitchen counter, which is a big no-no in this house.  Frankly, I can't remember any of our dogs, after a few corrections, doing the cruising the counter bit.  I sprinkled some chili powder on the edge of the counter and made sure to put some food in with the powder.  So far, she's not taking the bait.

She did, however, manage to snag a pork chop from a bowl, without breaking the bowl.  I definitely give her high scores for persistence, but taking food that's not meant for her, is unacceptable.  I guess I'll have to step up my game.

What I have to do on a daily basis, is make sure the girls potty in the appropriate place, and my dining room carpet isn't that.  Watch for signs that the girls are "teething" on chair legs, and take paper products (kleenex, paper towels, paper plates, etc.) out of their mouths before they can produce confetti!

I keep an Excel spreadsheet of the books I want to read.  And, if you know me well, you're thinking of course you do.  I also have a binder where I keep book pages torn out from magazines.  My Kindle is always charged and filled with a lot of books.  I'd be very unhappy if I didn't have something to read.  And books would last longer, if I read every word on every sentence!  But, I don't.  I have always been kind of a skimmer type of reader.  If the sentence doesn't seem relevant to me, then I have a tendency to skip that line.  It's just what I do.

I didn't take my "buggy" out for a spin the last few days, so today I need to make several loops around the circle in the street.  I was up to 8 loops last time, and perhaps today I can increase that number to 9 or 10 times.  I don't think sitting down mid-way through intentional exercise counts!

Bella has done well after her surgery, no pain pills even necessary.  I need to go to the vet and return the two cones that I bought - one for Bella and one for Daisy.  Neither dog has shown any interest in the stitches, which I feared might be a problem.  

Oh, new website that's fun.  It's www.jigsawplanet.com.  At their site, you can pick out puzzles that have as few as 6 pieces, which I can finish in seconds, or puzzles with hundreds of pieces.  I avoid the puzzles with 300 or 400 pieces, because the pieces are quite small and hard for me to see.  If you're looking for something to do in your downtime, you might want to go and take a look.  It's habit forming!

Have a wonderful Friday.

P

Assemble Instructions!

10/27/2016

I am one of those people, who have difficulty following instructions.  The instructions can be pictures and/or written ones.  Doesn't matter.  I'm a complete flop when it comes to putting stuff together.  

I watched the movie "Joy" about the woman who invented the "Joy Mop" and two of the benefits of said mop is that while you're mopping, your hands never get wet, because the mop squeezes the water out for you.  The only time you have to get your hands wet is when you take the mop head off to put in the washing machine.  Sounds simple doesn't it?  And for most folks, probably is.  

My mop arrived yesterday with detailed instructions on how to lock this and unlock that.  How ot extend and/or shorten the handle.  I looked at the pictures, read the instructions and even went to You Tube for help.  Finally, after much energy and time was spent, I was able to get the mop head to "pop" out from the handle.  Still feeling positive, I put some soapy water in the sink, and dunked the mop head, and squeezed.  Since the puppies love the play outdoors, they tend to forget to do some or all of their business outside.

I put the mop to work on the hall and kitchen floors.  Did a very nice job and when I was through with just those two areas, the mop head was really dirty.  Okay, now it was time for me to return to the instructions/pictures to figure out how to take the mop head off.  The instructions sounded easy enough, but it took me simply forever to "get it"!  There is a clip that you open and push something else back and then the mop head is free to take to the washing machine.  I like the fact that you can wash the mop head, because all of my mops in the past, tend to get a bit stinky after a period of time.  Sort of the way that kitchen sponges can get if not washed regularly and properly.

The instructions said to put the mop head into a mesh bag and/or pillowcase.  I put it into a pillow case, but during the washing, it managed to free itself from the pillow case.  The mop head was no worse for being washed without protection.  I hung the damp, but very clean, mop head on a hanger to dry.  Next trial?  Putting the mop head BACK on the handle.  I'm figuring that it should only take me one or two hours to get it right  (insert smiley face here)!

I have also bought, but haven't received yet, the "Joy Bucket", which is a bucket designed to hold the mop upright in the center.  Every mop I've ever had when left in a bucket, slides to one side or the other.  I'll let you know how that works, after it arrives.

Today looks a bit gloomy outside, but I may (emphasis on the word may) go outside and pick up some leaves.  And then again, maybe not - I'll have to see.

Have a great Thursday.

P

Wednesday

10/26/2016

Today is Wednesday, or as it's more commonly known by working folk, hump day.  You've made it through the first half of the week, and now you're sliding into the weekend.  I celebrate Wednesdays by putting my recycling out on the curb!  It's the little things folks.

The weather has turned cooler, or for some people, cold.  In fact the weatherman last night, even used the "F" word - you guessed it - Frost!  If we get frost and low winds, then the leaves will be easier to pick up.  I picked up a marginal amount of leaves yesterday.  More of a goodwill effort to show Jeff that I was aware of the leaves piling up in front of the garage.  And, that said leaves put at the curb in the properly marked "yard trimmings" trashcan, would be thrown out today.  Speaking of leaves, I'm watching my neighbor's yard man, blow all of the leaves out of their yard and onto the common area in the middle of the circle.  Now who do you suppose is going to pick those leaves up?  Hmm.  I don't think it's very nice to pile up the leaves, just so your yard can look magnificent.  Seeing him do this, another "F" word comes to mind - Fudge (you thought you had me here didn't you?)!

I have three kinds of bathrobes.  They all have one thing in common - snap fronts.  Who wants to fuss with zippers and/or belts when there are snaps, that come apart with a flourish.  There is something very satisfying about snaps.  Most of Jeff's shirts have snaps on the front.  We're so over buttons!

I have in the summer, short-sleeved, lightweight seersucker robes.  And they are wonderful.  Then, I have the fall robe - long sleeves and flannelly (new word I just made up) and finally the winter robe.  I have the winter robe on today, floor long chenille.  When I was a patient at Hopkins in 2013, I took said robe with me and somehow it got mixed up in the hospital's laundry.  I was devastated and knew I'd never see the robe again.  Good news - through Jeff's persistence - the robe was found and was happily reunited with me!

Yesterday, I couldn't find my "mojo".  I didn't sleep well on Sunday or Monday, so by Tuesday I was feeling rather exhausted.  This means that I had no urge or even desire to be even a little productive around the house.  And, my lack of effort, shows.  You know it's bad when you don't bother to use a vacuum on your carpets and instead use a broom!  After you use the broom to pile up all the bits and pieces of debris - twigs, shredded paper, paper cups/plates and everything else they can get their paws on, THEN you can vacuum.  Today is sweep the living room floor, which is covered in the confetti-sized newspaper that Daisy shredded yesterday, while I was gone.  

I'm fixing pork chops for dinner.  Wild rice at the bottom of the dish, chops on top, covered with cream of mushroom soup and some water.  Bake and voila you have your meat and side dish all in one.  Perfecto.

Now it's time for me to put on my "work" clothes - i.e., pants and a shirt, which today will be long-sleeved, and actually do something.  It's one thing to talk about the chores you want to accomplish.  Quite another, to actually DO those chores!  Happy Days.

P

Bella's Home

10/25/2016

I went early this morning to pick up our girl.  She had that awful cone around her head and just to be on the safe side, picked up one for Daisy too.  The people at the vet's office picked Bella up and got her in the car.  The ride home was very quiet, until we got closer to our house.  Who says dogs aren't smart!

The downside of having our veterinary clinic do the spay was the cost.  We could have had it done cheaper at one of those spay and go clinics, but after all the money we've spent on Bella and Daisy, I wanted to know she was getting good care, even if I had to pay more.

Yesterday, I was all out of sorts.  I couldn't seem to find my "mo jo" and as a result, accomplished next to nothing.  Today, I must get things sorted out.  Jeff has been to the store and the cans of food are just stacked up on the table.  They need to find a home today.

I left Daisy and Maggie in the house while I was gone.  The only damage, and I know who did it, was shredded newspapers everywhere.  Newspapers are easier to pick up if they're not chewed to confetti size.  Just saying.

After Daisy and Bella were reunited, and they were both happy to see one another, I took the cone off, because Bella just looked miserable.  I'll keep it off provided that she and/or Daisy leave the stitches alone.

At the moment, thanks to morning meds, Bella is already asleep.  And Daisy, her best friend, is sleeping beside her.  You know the story - when they're good - they're very, very good.......

Thought about picking up leaves, but there is just enough wind that is causing the old oak tree to drop more.  Obviously, you can't just leave piles of leaves around in the yard (what would the neighbors think?), but it's not satisfying, to me at least, to pick up leaves and turn around and need to do it again.

Guess I'll hop off now.  I have things to do.  Mind you, I may not get to any of them, but at least I have a mental list of what should be done!  Wish me luck.

P

Monday

10/24/2016

Bella is being spayed today.  Sounds simple doesn't it?  Put her in the car and drive to the vet.  It wasn't quite that easy.  I managed to get a leash on Bella, yeah for me.  But, in doing so, Daisy ran out and went on a "walk about" in the street and wouldn't come back into the house.  

So I have Bella pulling with all her might at the end of the leash, and me trying to entice Daisy back in the house with an assortment of treats.  Thankfully, the neighbor came out with her dog, and with their help, I managed to get Daisy back in the house.

Now I just have Bella pulling for all she's worth, and I need to get her in the car.  Yesterday, during "practice", we put a two step stool at the back of the car, so she could "walk" into the car.  Okay, practice was the operative word.  Bella wanted nothing to do with getting in the car, stool or no stool.  I finally, with some effort, managed to push/pull and scoot her into the car.  Okay, she's in the car, but the tailgate is still open.  I started to close the tailgate, making sure that Bella wasn't near the door.  I stayed under the tailgate until I was sure that Bella wouldn't be able to get out, and before the door hit me in the head!

The ride to the vet's office was quiet.  Just the way I like it.  They weighed her and she is now 40 pounds.  She will have her surgery today and spend the night.  I can pick her up tomorrow and the people in the vet's office can help me get her into the car.

I believe I've had enough intentional exercise for one day, but if I get in the mood, there are leaves to be picked up.

I hope that you day started off better than mine! (Insert smiley face here).

P

Oops - Missed a Few Days!

10/23/2016

Apologies for missing two days.  Can't remember why I didn't post on Friday or Saturday.  Maybe nothing was going on.  Or perhaps I didn't have a cause to champion and/or rant about!

Yesterday, the wind was really blowing here and our leaves have gone all over the place.  Perhaps, if we're so inclined, we will blow and pick up those leaves today.  Or, we could leave the leaves where they are, and hope that they blow out of the yard.  I like that plan best!

Today, Jeff is making his pretty much weekly run to Costco and WalMart.  I will stay home.  I suppose I could go and use my new walker thingy, but pretty sure the aisles at WalMart are a bit narrow, and my walker thingy wouldn't fit.  PLUS, if I stay home, I can monitor puppy behavior.

Tomorrow morning, I'm taking Bella to the vet to be spayed.  I had given thought to using a somewhat discounted in-and-out spay place, but decided against it.  The cost for doing the spay, which includes an overnight stay, will be pricier, I know she will be getting great care.  Besides, after all the money we have spent on the puppies so far, what's another big bill!  After the procedure tomorrow, then we should be free of vet visits for quite sometime.

Last night for dinner, I cooked up some hamburger meat, added HOT Rotel tomatoes and chilies, cooked tiny, tiny, noodles, cream of chicken and mushroom soup, sour cream, salsa, peas, corn and dried jalapeno peppers and topped with cheese.  Made a big batch of what I call my "one pot wonders".  Turned out to be quite good.

I can't put it off any longer. MUST do laundry today.  In my spare time, and I have lots of it, I'll program the television shows for the week.  I know what Jeff likes, so I try to have a balanced selection, with just a tiny bit more of cooking and/or reality shows!

Have a wonderful day.

P

A Wonderful Thursday

10/21/2016

Yesterday, Stacey and Benjamin came to the house.  It's always nice to see both of them.  We went to see the movie "Storks", which is understandably about storks delivering babies.  And then the storks don't want to deliver babies anymore, they want to deliver packages.  Think Amazon here.  The factory floor looked like a maze of a finely put together puzzle.  Eventually, the storks went back to delivering babies.  It was a feel good movie and Benjamin enjoyed it very much.  I bought the tickets and Stacey bought popcorn and soda.  

After the movie we went to the Party Store.  Initially, because it was still afternoon, we could actually move through the aisles.  Later, the place was packed and people were stepping over each other to order the costume of choice.  Benjamin wanted to be a Ghost Buster but even though the costume fit, he didn't feel like a ghost buster, but more like a janitor or the equivalent.  We left the store minus a costume and I reminded him that Stacey is very creative and could probably make him a great costume.  But before she could do that, he would need to decide what he wanted to be!

After the costume hunt, we went to Michael's.  I love this store and helped Stacey pick out a few things for Benjamin's home school Halloween party.  Benjamin, who knows a soft heart when he's near one, had me buy him a book about Pokemon.  I still have no idea what this is and while he tried to explain, I still didn't have a clue.  But, he was happy with the book, and in the big scheme of things, that's all that mattered.

Last stop Cold Stone for ice cream.  We all bought the cake flavored ice cream.  Stacey went into the store and brought back three cups of "to go" ice cream.  Once we were home, Jeff made scrambled eggs for Stacey and Benjamin.  Jeff has for all of our 42 years, made the absolute best scrambled eggs I've ever eaten.  I also fixed a few french toast sticks for Stacey and the evening was polished off with ice cream.  Their ice cream is so rich, that I only ate part of mine.  The rest I'll have tonight.

The day was a lot of fun, but by the time we got home, my left hip was screaming "you're a fool" for walking (actually more standing) than I could tolerate.  I hate to take pain pills, but sometimes you're just forced to.

Today is a quiet Friday.  The girls have each found a chew that they like and so, for the moment, the house is quiet.

P

A Brave New Step

10/20/2016

Good morning.  Last night, I went, along with my friend Kim, to the initial meeting of a neighborhood book club.  If you know me at all, then you will also know that I devour books.  One reason is that I seldom read every word and sometimes even sentences.  The other problem I have is that I can seldom recall after a few days what the book was about.

Kim and I went to the meeting and for a moment or two it felt like we were herding cats.  Eventually, we broke into two groups of I think 6 women each.  Our group agreed to meet on Tuesday nights at 6:30, but for the life of me can't remember the date of the meeting.

Everyone there had a cell phone, so they were able to put in the particulars of the meeting time and place.  They also took pictures of email addresses for the members of the group.  I do have a cell phone, which for the past six months or so, has been sitting on a kitchen counter.  It's unused and pretty much unwanted.  I don't leave the house often.  I would never try to carry on a conversation (hands free of course) while driving because I frankly don't have anybody to call.  I seldom initiate calls and I don't know if that's a good thing or not.  Probably not a good thing come to think about it.

We were initially supposed to bring snacks as well as some money to help pay for the class room rent for two hours.  I went out early yesterday, leaving the girls unattended, which is scary, and bought some cheese and crackers.  At the last moment, we were told that snacks and drinks were not going to be allowed.  So, I now have some pre-sliced little squares of cheese and a box of crackers to put said cheese on!

I watched the debate until near the end, when bored by all the he said, she said, I began to snooze a bit.  When my nighttime medicine kicks in, I can get pretty wobbly on my feet.  I always manage to get up to the bedroom, but am always relieved when I've gotten into bed and sleep is just a few snores (lady-like ones) away.

Today, Stacey and Benjamin are coming to visit.  We're going to see a movie and then go to the Party Store to find a Halloween costume for Benjamin.  The last time we went to the Party Store, it was later in the day, or perhaps even night time, and the store was crazy busy.  People were pulling boxes of costumes down to look at them.  When the didn't like what they saw, they just more or less dropped the box either on the floor or on a shelf.  Hopefully, there won't be such a crowd today.

After I finish my blog, I'm off to get dressed and do some much needed tidying up.  There is nothing like having someone come to your house, to push you into putting things away.  Since Bella is now able to cruise the table and counters, it's getting kind of hard to put things out of her reach.  I picked up a bunch of chewy things for the girls yesterday, and to keep them safe, they are piled up in the middle of the kitchen table.  Not ideal, but at least they are safe.

Have a great day.

P

Daisy

10/19/2006

Happy to report that Daisy has been found.  Apparently, when I went into the garage to get the dog food, she followed me and got herself locked in.  All if well that ends well.

P

Daisy

10/19/2016

Daisy has managed to get out of the backyard.  There is a small opening on the gate and I think she is still small enough to squeeze through.  Jeff believes that she will find her way home and I hope that's true.

Bella is missing her and sits looking out the window, and I keep going on the porch calling her.  She is a fast runner and skittish, so it's not likely anyone will be able to catch her.  In the relatively short time we have had Daisy, she has become my dog and spends a lot of time sitting on my lap.  I enjoy this very much.

My blog is short because the only thing I can concentrate on is Daisy.  From the time she came downstairs with Bella and Maggie, and in the really short time it took me to fill up the dog bowls, she was nowhere to be found.  Seems like hardly enough time for Daisy to get out of the yard.

My day is now ruined.  I wanted to go to the store to buy snacks for the book club tonight, but can't bring myself to leave home.  The other reason I can't go to the store is because I haven't gotten dressed yet.

P

What's New Today?

10/18/2016

Answer: um not much.  It's a good thing that I am somewhat of a recluse (perhaps somewhat is an exaggeration) and don't mind spending time alone.  After I retired, and all my friends are still working, it has become easier to stay home and not venture out. 

Since my hip begins to hurt after so much walking and "stooding" (I'm sure that's a word), I have to sit down.  This means get back in my car and go home.  It's no wonder that I love Amazon so much, and probably why I can get in so much trouble with the infamous "one click" to buy things! 

It's a beautiful day outside, and later I will take my walker out for a few spins around the circle.  I haven't gone down the hill because the coming back up is hard on me.  Of course, I could always lock my wheels and park my hinny (however you spell it) on the seat and rest a bit.

I don't have to worry about what to fix for dinner tonight.  Yesterday, I made spaghetti and there is a lot left over.  Even though the boys have been gone for ages, I can't seem to adjust my cooking for just two people.

The lawn people will come today and mow the front yard.  There's no need to do the back yard, because their isn't much grass left.  I will say though that the pups have done a good job of weeding one side of the fence.  Now I just need them to move slightly right and start clearing out a new spot!

I mentioned laundry a few days ago.  Today, I MUST FOLD that laundry.  I don't know why emptying the dishwasher and/or the dryer are such a big deal to me.  I never want to do either of those things.  Could be I suppose I'm just lazy.

It's time for me to get moving.  The girls have just come back inside from "fighting" (i.e., playing) with each other and it's time for the first of their naps.  Silence is definitely under rated.

P

Monday All Over Again!

10/17/2016

Jeff's few days of R&R are now over.  I know that he enjoyed sleeping in.  Well not exactly sleeping in, since the pups want you up at 7:00; but, for someone who gets up around 4:30 am, it's sleeping in.

Amazon has an 8 episode show called "Goliath".  It stars Billy Bob Thornton and William Hurt.  It's wonderful.  Jeff and I binged watched it over the weekend.  It's a shame there are only eight episodes, because we were certainly hooked on the series, and wished there were more.

Today, cleaning of the house is on the list STAT.  Problem is, I hardly know where to begin!  Clean the living room first?  Attack the carpet with shampoo?  The list just goes on and on.  I['m clinging to the belief that by year's end (fingers crossed here) that the pups will be settled down a bit, and they won't upend the house every moment of the day.

While Jeff was shopping at Costco and WalMart yesterday, I fixed dinner.  I put wild rice in a baking pan (13x9), chicken thighs on top.  Covered the chicken with cream of mushroom soup (2 cans), added a bit of water and cooked for an hour.  It's an incredibly easy dish to make and it made enough for Jeff to have 'tovers' for his lunch today.

I'm making spaghetti today and will make sure to add cans of the hot ro-tel (tomatoes and chilies) to the pot.  That's as far as my meal planning for the week has gone.  I'm sure I'll think of something to cook tomorrow, probably tomorrow!

There is a book club starting in the neighborhood.  It's on Wednesday night and if I can overcome my general reluctance to try new things, I would like to go.  I don't know and won't know until I show up, if this is going to be an intellectual type of book club.  While I'm interested in books on the best seller's list, the price puts me off.  Because of my dimming ability to read, I like my books on my Kindle which allows me to use a really big font!  

General mayhem is over for the moment.  The pups have been outside with Daisy doing an appropriate amount of digging to find a way to escape.  Then there is the perpetual fight over a chew of one kind or another.  And then the best part is the nap.  Love the naps.  It also seems that when Jeff comes each day, the puppies go into hyper mode and the fighting commences big time.  

It's a very nice day, so I'll take out my new "stroller" (sounds better than a walker) and make some loops around the circle.  Haven't felt up to going down the hill yet.  It's not the down part that worries me, it's the up part.

Have a grand and glorious day.

P