Did You Miss Me?

4/30/2017

Yesterday, in the morning, I just couldn't work myself up to writing a blog.  That was probably because I didn't actually have anything to write about.  So filling up a page with some kind of nonsense, seemed like a waste of my time and yours. 

Yesterday afternoon, Jeff and I went to a friend's house for "lunch/dinner".  Basically, just a few friends sitting around drinking wine and eating.  Who wouldn't find that fun?  We had crab cakes, jerk chicken, rice, roll-up sandwiches, chicken salad, bread, chips, salsa and guacamole.  Dessert was two different kinds of cupcakes, that were delicious; and, my pretzel salad.  Based on the amount left over by the end of the night, I'm pretty sure that my "salad" which bears no resemblance to leafy greens was a success.  

We took Jeff's car and rode both ways with the top down - heaven.  The girls had been left in the basement and yard for a fairly long time, so when we got home, Jeff and I did penance.  There is nothing quite as rewarding as two puppies wagging their little tails off when you get home.  We watched a minimal amount of television, but the four of us trundled off together after about an hour.

Since Jeff has to get up so early during the week, I let him sleep in yesterday and today.  Basically, if you don't get up, then you run the risk of picking up the pieces around the room where the tornadoes hit!  And, believe me, in their little and young minds, there is absolutely nothing off limits.  Once the girls have been fed, they have at least reached an age where they will come back inside and take a nap.  They sleep - I sleep.  This theory is leftover from my days of having two children only 18 months apart.  If the babies were asleep, so I was I.  A parent of either two legged people or four legged animals, knows that dusting can always wait for another day - or even another year!  Just saying.  

Today, I'll do some laundry, blog, read, program the Tivo for the week, oh and go to the backyard and pick up the latest fluff torn from one of Jeff's pillows.  One of these days, he or I will remember to put the den throw pillows up somewhere where the girls can't get them.  At least, these are not high quality and/or expensive pillows.  Just cheap ones from WalMart.  Because I value my slippers, when I go to bed, I put said slippers in a drawer!  Drastic I know, and I do love new slippers, I just don't want to keep buying them!

Have a great and relaxing Sunday, because tomorrow work starts all over again.  

P 



 

Friday Already!

4/28/2017

Not only is today a Friday, but it's the last Friday of the month.  Time to turn those calendars over people.  We're supposed to have warmer, i.e., hot weather this weekend.  Unfortunately, our upstairs a/c unit isn't working, or perhaps it's better to say, not working properly.  Lucky for me, that the downstairs unit is working, so I'm comfy all day long.  I hate sticking to leather - just saying.

Yesterday, I decided it was a "me" day.  I took myself down to the salon and had my fingers and toes painted a lovely shade of pink and since my "whiskers" were beginning to show on and under my chin, took action to remove them, for the time being.

I received last night, a couple of things to hopefully keep the girls from destroying things in the bedroom.  Bigger bones and a pink pig made by a company called "Go Dog".  The reviews from people who had bought their fluffy animals, was very high.  So, I took a chance.  I bought a lovely little pink pig and a gray squirrel.  When I woke up this morning, the pig was still all in one piece.  Now you're thinking that is because the girls were asleep, and that's likely part of the success.  But, they do wake up earlier than I do, and still the pig was unharmed.  Could it be that I've stumbled onto a plush toy that the girls can love a bit, but not too much?

Tomorrow, Jeff and I are going to a friends' house for an early dinner, late lunch.  It's not a big group, but I like to call us "Alums and Chums".  Everyone, except for spouses, is or was a Marriott employee.  Obviously, I'm part of the Alums group.  The last time we got together, was at our house.  Any event hosted by me, does require a bit more than just tidying up.  I have dog hair, potty messes and various amounts of "debris" everywhere in the house.  Most of the time, parts of the house look like World War III had been staged in the den!

Have a wonderful Friday and a super weekend.

P

Dogs - New Toys!

4/27/2017

It has come to my attention, a "bit" too late, that the girls are awake before I am.  And, while I'm still sleeping, they get into a lot of mischievous.  Yesterday's treasure was a large cable with some kind of plug on one end - now ruined.  Frankly, I don't know where they find this stuff.  Was the cable behind the sofa in the "sitting" (la de da!) room?  Who knows, but it's trash now.

Jeff thought, and rightly so, that if the girls had a fair number of appropriate chewy things in the bedroom, we'd be less likely to come up with a slipper (never a pair) or shoe in a thousand pieces.  We recently bought the girls some squeaky plush toys and they lasted about a New York minute.  While the girls really enjoy these toys, the massive amounts of stuffing inside, make them less attractive to me.  I end up using a broom to sweep the cotton stuff into a pile for pick-up.

Last night when I went to bed, I was armed with new chew bones, hooves and a new plush toy that has minimal, if any, stuffing.  Instead, it crackles.  I went to sleep listening to that crackling.  But, this morning when I got up - it's hard to sleep in when there are dogs sitting on your chest, everything that mattered was still in tact.  Progress.

This morning, I went to my favorite store - yes Amazon and found some plush toys with minimal stuffing inside.  What a great find.  Arriving soon will be a pink pink and a a dog along with some chew approved bones.  I have other toys/chews arriving next week, but having something new to play with tonight, will keep them entertained at least for awhile.

The girls are beginning to mature "a bit".  Once they are fed in the morning and they have a bit of tussling, they sleep.  Ahhh, the sound of silence.

P

Nothing Much To Say!

4/26/2017

Those of you who know me well, that I simply ALWAYS have something to say!  But today, my writing genes have dried up, leaving me with nothing to talk about, rant about, or cheer about.  

My right leg and knee continue to be a pain in the well.... you know.  Because of this and/or looking for an excuse, I did next to nothing yesterday.  Over the weekend, we bought the girls new "babies" to play with.  Apparently, playtime for them still means tearing the crap, I mean stuffing, out.  There are now fluffs of white "snow" in several rooms.  I guess most of the fun for them is tearing things apart.  I know that is certainly true when it comes to their general misbehaving in the bedroom, until I wake up.  Today's nonsense involved a couple pieces of clothing and a cord from heaven can only guess where.  I'm waiting for the day when the girls will stop some/all of their nonsense and become mature.  They show some signs of maturity, in that after a bit of rough play, they will settle themselves down to nap.  Unfortunately, the amount mayhem they create is not offset by the quiet moments!

Today, I'm going to "sweep" my den.  Notice I said sweep, not vacuum.  There is so much fluff on the floor, that it would be a suicide mission to try and use the vacuum.  Mind you, I have one of those vacuums that guarantees NEVER to lose it's suction, but somehow I don't think the manufacturer had pillow and dog toys stuffing in mind.

A gloomy day outside.  Hope it's sunny where you are.

P

What a Drag it is Getting Old!

4/25/2017

For those of you who do not as of yet identify with being old, I can assure you that other than a possible senior discount here and there, it sucks.  This hurts and then that hurts.  Unbeknownst to me, when I fell in February, I did a bit more damage to my knee than I originally thought.  Bummer. I still feel it's very unfair to have any kind of "itis" on both sides of your body.  If you're going to have bursitis or arthritis, it should all be on the one side.  In my case, that hasn't happened.  Now I have issues on both sides of the body - so not fair.

It's a yucky day outside, gray and rainish (new word, just made it up).  The good news is that I have nowhere to go.  And nothing that I have to do.  There goes my plans for dusting today (smiley face), and I was so looking forward to doing that!

I've arranged a yard party for the 13th.  Enticement? Food.  Boneless country style ribs, potato salad, etc. and some kind of dessert.  I'll flip through my recipes, which are now all electronic and find the boys' favorite desserts. 

Actually, about the only thing I'm going to do today is get dressed and lay on a sofa with my leg propped up higher than my heart, to try and reduce the swelling in my leg.  Warning to ladies: don't under any circumstances mop a cement floor on your hands and knees!  It doesn't always end well.

I've been working on "mturk" hits through Amazon.  You get some amount of money, for every hit that you do successfully.  Never going to get rich doing this, but it keeps me off the street and little by little those pennies and dimes are beginning to add up.

This is short today, I'll try and do better tomorrow.

P

Chilly Monday

4/24/2017

It's cold today, compared to say yesterday.  Long pants for sure and the furnace on for awhile to take the chill out of the house.  I've been up since 6:00 this morning, because I could hear the girls rustling around in the bedroom - a sure sign that if I didn't get up, something(s) were about to die!

Yesterday afternoon, Jeff went to Costco and WalMart.  If, and it's a big if, you wanted to buy anything remotely related to either Valentine's Day or Easter, now is definitely the time to do so.  I always appreciate the shoppers, who after Christmas buy wrapping paper at a heavily discounted price.  I could do that too, but I don't want to store any more stuff, and certainly not for an entire year.  With the exception of Stacey and Benjamin, I don't really wrap gifts anymore.  The boys are fine with plain white boxes with their names scribbled on top in magic marker.  

This Saturday, Jeff and I are going to lunch with the "Marriott Alums and Chums"!  Catchy isn't it.  Two of us belong in the chums category and the others are still working at Marriott.  I know "alums" doesn't make much sense, but when I set up our first dinner, I liked the sound of alums and chums.  Has a certain ring to it don't you think?

I'm bring pretzel salad, which really isn't a salad at all, but something sweet and tasty.

Pretzel Salad

Grease pan or dish and preheat oven to 350.

1 c broken pretzels

1 stick butter

½ c sugar

Cool whip

1 (8 oz) cream cheese

½ c sugar

Put broken pretzels in greased dish.  Melt butter and sugar and pour over the pretzels. Put in oven and cook for 10 minutes.  Let cool.

Mix cream cheese with sugar and cool whip. Spread over pretzel layer.

1 can crushed pineapple

1 T cornstarch

Drain liquid from pineapple and mix with the 2 T cornstarch. Cook until thick. Mix pineapple into mixture and cool.  Spread the pineapple over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate about 2 hours before serving.  You will swear you are eating toffee crunch candy!

Today is back to the doctor to see what's up with my knee.  It's been several months since I've fallen, but the knee/leg continues to bother me.  And, I hate hearing ....well you know you're getting older.... crap.  

Tomorrow, my good friends Stanley Steemer are coming back to shampoo the carpets again!  I should get a discount because I'm such a frequent customer.  The girls are old enough, at least I think so, that they should be able to wait until morning to pee, but based on the carpet, apparently not.  I put down towels on the floor, and to be sure they make use of them, but then aw, they think the rest of the room is okay too.  Don't even suggest pee pads.  I put one down last week, and before I could even fall asleep, I could hear the shredding!

We bought some new toys for the girls yesterday.  The one plushy animal was in a thousand pieces within mere minutes.  There goes "x" amount of dollars that we'll never get back.  I cannot wait for the day that something/anything isn't torn up.

I have a pretty little lamp in the living room.  There are seashells in the base, and as far as lamps go, this one is pretty much decorative only.  The little lamp shade's inside which was some sort of plastic, has become brittle and breaks off in my hands.  Okay, so I decide how hard can it be to find the right size lampshade.  I'm here to tell you it was pretty darn hard.  First, you have to measure (that was the easy part) and then you have to find a shade the same size and has the right fitting.  Oh, and the prices fluctuated a great deal.  I just wasn't willing to buy a $30+ shade for this tiny little lamp.  Finally, found one that I think will work - fingers crossed.

Have a great Monday.

P
My lamp looked something like this.
 
 
 

Disparity in Salaries

4/23/2017

Parade Magazine had it's annual "What People Earn Report" this week.  And boy do the salaries ebb and flow.  We have the "winners" whose salaries are counted in the millions.  Are they worth what they earn?  On some level, I don't think so.  

Dwayne Johnson was the highest paid actor in 2016 with a whopping $64 million (est.) in pay.  I've never been an actor and never will be.  Melissa McCarthy gets $33 million (est).  Do they not list their actual wages, because they either don't want people to know; and, or embarrassed by their wealth.  I'm opting for the first one.  We, little people, already stagger at those salaries, so I suppose if we knew what they really made, we'd swoon to the floor.  There is also Manny the French bull dog, and his estimated earning is $100,000, but all of that is donated to charity.

And, then there are the normal folks.  Some of these people earn so little, I don't know they survive.  Based on their low salaries, I can only assume that they love what they do.  A mountain safety host earns a little over a thousand dollars a year.  A day laborer is just over ten thousand.  You and I both know that this man works very hard for his money.  

Elvis Presley's heirs earned $27 million last year, and he's been dead for years.  Clearly the King is still popular.  A Disneyland Resort parking and transportation cast member earns $9,200.  A hand model gets a mere $10 thousand.  

I do applaud actresses: Robin Wright and Emmy Rossum who stood their ground and demanded that they should earn as much as their male counterparts.  I believe that's only fair.  Women have notoriously earned less then men, even though they sometimes do the same jobs.  

I'm no longer in the job arena.  Now, any social security income increase, has to be approved by those in authority in Washington.  Luckily, I worked for 40 plus years, so while my earnings won't set the world on fire, it's better than a lot of other people.  I see people on let's say Judge Judy and they tell her that they get a monthly income from Social Security as low as $500.00.  Obviously, with such a low income, I'm sure it must be difficult to make ends meet. 

Most workers, who aren't in let's say management positions, receive their yearly salary increases but the percentage of that increase is very low.  And, as a worker, you can either accept what you are given, or else you are free to walk and find a new job.  I don't know about you, but when I was working, I would have rather walked over hot coals than to try and find a new job.  Jeff and I came from an era when people got a job and stayed with that job.  Young people today, move jobs frequently, getting them bigger salaries every time.  Folks my age were and are loyal to the company they worked for.

P

Happy Birthday Benjamin

4/22/2017

Today is Benjamin's birthday.  He's 9 today and Jeff and I couldn't love him even more than we do.  We still remember going to see him after he was born.  He was in NICU for reasons most of you know, and compared to the very tiny and sick babies around him, Benjamin was a good-sized baby, with lungs to match. Rocking and feeding him, brought us both tears and happiness. 

And, before we knew it, Benjamin was a toddler, banging anything he could find on the coffee table.  Did we mind?  Not too much.  His father and uncle also beat up tables during their play.  It's a small price to pay for a happy and contented child.

Benjamin went to Marriott's daycare and having him so close, meant that I could go down during the day to feed and/or play with him.  His first Halloween, Benjamin was dressed like a lion and was super cute.  Auntie Kim came to Marriott to participate in the Halloween party and we all had a good time.

On Benjamin's first birthday, we rented out the clubhouse from our HOA.  People came and brought presents.  There were animal-shaped balloons and a little paper hat for Benjamin to wear.  Like all one year olds, smashing the birthday cake was way more fun than actually eating it.  But the smashing of cake is a time honored event, and it makes for adorable pictures.

The years have flown by.  Benjamin no longer fits in our laps, even though he still tries!  He's obviously mastered the art of eating birthday cake and like all children, the more presents the better.  This year, he sent me a list of what he would like to have, which made it much easier on me to get what he wanted; and, not what I would have bought for him.  People like Mom Mom are a "tad" out of touch with what's new and what's cool (ya think?).

Over the years, Benjamin has shown great aptitude in singing and dancing - oh and looking cute too!  Pretty sure he didn't get that talent from our side of the family.  If, and it's a big if, mind you, I'm forced to sing, I really only move my lips.  Nobody, wants to hear me sing I promise you. And, in my humble opinion, could easily be a model.  He definitely knows how to pose and loves the camera, and it loves him back.    

We celebrated Benjamin's birthday a few weeks ago, as well as Jeff's and Scott's (Scott's birthday isn't until May 1st), so it was a bit of a stretch.  Scott is hosting a bbq at his house early in May, and there will be a lot of good food.  This year, I've opted not to go because most of the people invited are computer geeks of one form or another.  In terms of conversation, I bring nothing to the table.  I will, of course, make a favorite dessert, which Scott asked for.

Benjamin is a wonderful little boy, who is both loving and kind.  He knows that I don't move as fast as he does, and he's very patient about the speed in which I move!  We are the original tortoise and the hare.

Benjamin, Pop Pop and I love you to the moon and back.  Have a wonderful birthday and I hope you get to eat lots of cake.

Love,

Mom Mom



                                                                                                                                                           

Going In ....

4/21/2017

to the mall.  I cannot say when I was last in an actual mall.  Shopping at either of the "mart" stores doesn't count.  I went to Penney's to return some t-shirts that I had ordered for Jeff.  They didn't fit and while I could have returned the shirts through the mail, I wanted to go to the store and actually look for better fitting shirts.

I went to the return desk and stood in line waiting my turn.  The return was easy and luckily since it was a weekday the line wasn't too long.  After returning the clothes, I headed off to the men's department to look for the right size undershirts.  I did find some and on my way to the cash register, picked up several pairs of socks for Jeff too.

By the time I'd finished that bit of shopping, all my get up and go was gone.  If I had taken along my "walker", I would probably have stayed in the store longer.  But, since I didn't, I didn't have enough oomph for me to continue browsing.  Truthfully, I would have liked to be able to go into the women's department and see what the clothes looked like.  

Today, I'm going to have an ultrasound on my right leg.  The calf on one leg is painful, so the doc feels it should be checked out.  Pretty sure they're not going to find anything, but before my next appointment, I have to take this test.

It's dark and gloomy outside today and if memory serves me correct, is going to rain.  I've left the downstairs a/c on because it's supposed to be warm today and probably humid as well.  At this point, it's easier to just keep the windows down, so that if it does rain, it won't come into the house.  Our kitchen windows are the crank out ones.  Years ago, we had new windows put in the house and the windows on the back of our house, which faces west, have mini-blinds built in between the two panes of glass.  No dusting ever!

It's Friday, which means it's "Two Taco Tuesday" in my mind.  Saying two taco Friday just doesn't have the same ring to it.

P

Shopping

4/20/2017

I just did a dumb thing.  I was working along on my blog, got distracted, and hit the escape button instead of the save button.  Curses.  Now I have to start over and I hope I can remember what I initially wrote about.

I ordered Jeff some t-shirts from Penney's.  They arrived yesterday and need to be returned.  I ordered, I thought, big shirts, but what I received were big/tall shirts.  Jeff does not need a t-shirt that would probably hang almost to his knees.  So, in an act of pure bravery, I'm going to the mall today to return the shirts.  I haven't been to a mall in years, so as long as I'm there, might do a bit of roaming.  I don't think I know of anyone who doesn't like looking at pretty clothes.

I've asked the boys to come on a Saturday next month for a "work for Dad" day.  There are a variety of things they can do for us: cutting down dead tree limbs, planting some new bushes, holly comes to mind because the girls don't go anywhere near the holly bush I already have in the backyard!  And I need all the help I can get in tidying up the yard.  As an incentive, I've promised the boys that Jeff and I will cook some of their favorite goods: country style ribs (no bones), etc.

I've been cleaning out my closet and putting into bags the things that I don't want or can't wear.  Truthfully, and unfortunately, that latter category makes up most of what I'm giving away!  When I think about my clothing needs, there really are minimal.  I have one pair of dress pants, which have hung in the closet for a year or two now and never worn.  But my daily attire consists of: t-shirts and a variety of pants: capris, jeans (appropriately hemmed for my height) and shorts (long ones, because my legs just ain't that attractive anymore)!  But, as a woman, I like to have choices when it comes to picking out an "outfit" (things that match) every day.  I only have one or two t-shirts that I've purchased when we've gone away and they have some colorful design on the front.  Otherwise, my shirts are plain (i.e., no logos, etc.).  And, when buying t-shirts, I avoid pretty much at all cost, the ones that come to the lower hip - hug a person's fanny.  On some women, but certainly not me, those longer shirts look great, because they are loose.  On me, they only call attention to one of my least favorite assets!

It's time for me to get to work.  Have a great day.

P

Misplaced Things

4/19/2017

I suffer a "tad" from OCD.  I'm the person who generally has to check at least twice to make sure the car is locked, minor, but annoying.  Yesterday, I went to the dentist and I took my Kindle with me. First thing this morning, I went to get my Kindle, and for the life of me, couldn't find it - and I looked everywhere - even the backyard.  The dentist always give you a little bag of toothpaste, etc., and I finally went and lifted the bag up, and voila the Kindle was underneath.  Whew. 

It was a nice day outside, so I went out with a lawn chair, a rake and a dust pan.  Reason?  To rake up all the pieces and bits of torn up wordily possessions.  In may haul, after raking, I found part of my missing comb, a broken CD, remnants of my book rest that I "used" to use to hold my Kindle while I read.  Lots of fluff from pillows that have died a valiant death, a head scarf, dog animals that didn't survive puppy destruction and a whole bunch of other things.  To give you an idea of the shear volume of the picked up "treasures" - if filled a large paper recycling bag, who's use is intended for lawn debris!  I'm pretty certain that my neighbor next door, who's house sits higher than ours, doesn't enjoy the state of our yard.  But, when I ventured outside, I couldn't stand the mess and knew that I had to do something.

I've been "working" with a program called "MTurk", which is affiliated with Amazon.  The actual name is Artificial, Artificial Intelligence.  Requestors post jobs that are too small for them to hire someone.  The jobs don't pay much - a nickel here - a dime there.  But all those little nickels and dimes do add up.  I've received this week a bonus of $1.50 from two requestors who obviously liked how I performed my job.  One job that comes up frequently is to type in the items, SKU code and price from cash register receipts.  This generally only pays a penny or two, but over time, makes a difference.  So far, I've made $6.44 this month and have 8 more jobs pending approval or rejection from the requestor.  The amount of money I make doing these rather mind-numbing chores is never going to set the world on fire but it keeps me off the streets and allows me to use my brain.

I decided to put down one of those pee pads in our bedroom, for the dogs to use.  In case you're wondering, they didn't use it, they "misused" it!  The pad is now in a thousand pieces across the floor.  And because my slippers had been taken outside and eaten, I bought a new pair.  When I wasn't looking, one of the slippers had been taken outside.  By the time I got outside, I was able to save the slipper.  Shortly, after, Bella started leaving the den with the other slipper in her mouth.  I was able to get the slipper away from her, and give her a pretty good slap with the slipper on her rear end.  I don't think we're ever going to be able to leave the dogs in the house when we go out!

Today's weather is cool, so it's back to longer pants this morning.  I feel like the young man in the movie "Karate Kid".  Instead of wax on, wax off, now it's short pants on, short pants off.  Since we don't think the upstairs a/c is working properly, we need it to remain cool until the a/c man can come out.  

Off to "broom" my bedroom floor. The pieces of fluff are too big for a vacuum, so it's a broom and a dustpan for me.  What I don't understand is, I have a bucket in the bedroom, full of bones and antlers.  And, occasionally, they chew on those things, but clearly the stuff that is supposed to be off limits is way more exciting.  It's been a long time, 12 years to be exact, since we had a puppy.  When we rescued Sam he was 7, and way past chewing up inappropriate things.  I can't remember, and wish I could, how old Maggie was before she no longer chewed up everything in sight.

P

Off to the Dentist

4/18/2017

I'm off to the dentist this morning for a cleaning.  My dentist is very nice and gentle, but that makes no difference to me.  Nope, I'm from a generation when dentistry was frightening.  I hated going then and I still do now.

Growing up, there was that little fluted dish/table that held all of the instruments of torture.  Instead of the drill being put discretely off to one side, back then it was in the forefront absolutely where you could see it.  Unlike today, drills were very noisy and something I really dreaded.

My dentist know about my irrational fears, so when he does have to do any drilling, always stops to make sure that I'm okay.  Truthfully, I'm not okay, but once the dentist has started, I'd be a fool to have him stop altogether and try again another day.  

When I was in high school, some dentist convinced my mother that I had too many (really?) teeth.  These weren't teeth that were crossed over one another, or anything even remotely like that.  But, she gave the go ahead, and two perfectly good teeth were pulled out on the bottom.  After having my teeth pulled, mom wanted to go shopping for clothes for my sister.  I remember very little from that day, except wanting to go home.

As an adult, I have very soft teeth, prone to cavities.  So a simple check-up generally reveals yet another tooth that needs to be drilled on.  I told my dentist that I'd actually prefer having all my teeth pulled out and replaced with implants.  Go figure that he's not in favor of that idea.  It would be absurd to do this, I know, but there are days like today that I dread going to the dentist and having the hygienist poking and probing in my mouth.  Give me a doctor's visit most any time!

This morning, the girls ran outside with one of my brand new slippers.  They had chewed the other slippers into nothing more than bits of fluff.  I ordered a new pair in super bright pink.  And, when I went into the den this morning, a slipper was missing.  I bounded, okay I walked slowly, to the backyard and sure enough there was my slipper.  A bit dirty and with a small bite out of the back, but still wearable.  I was able to smack one dog with the slipper, the other one, not being actually stupid, went running.  My slippers are now in a safe place.  Jeff swears, and I agree, that tearing apart something that we've worn, smells like their human and it's okay to chew on them.  I should feel honored, I suppose that the girls want to be all warm and fuzzy with my things, but unfortunately I don't feel that way.  If I feel anything, it's that I will have to go back on Amazon and buy "x".  I am such a regular buyer with Amazon, that I think I should get a Christmas card or something!  What I'd really like to do is to take a tour of one of their sorting facilities, I think that would be so much fun.

Okay, the time is near and I better get myself in gear.

P



 

Stuff

4/17/2017

I didn't have a single thing I wanted to write about today.  Hence, the title "stuff".  Yesterday, Jeff did our taxes (unhappy face here) and drove the forms to the post office.  Okay, that's done for another year - whoopee.

It's not going to be as hot today as it was yesterday, but there's no doubting that the humidity is high. So, I'm back to yesterday's blog: windows up, windows down.  Obviously, it would be easier, but not inexpensive, to leave the a/c on.  Generally, once you start up the a/c, and you and your house are more comfortable, you don't turn it off until September.  And back to the a/c.  In the girls' early puppy days, where absolutely everything was fair game when it came to chewing, they tore off the insulation on the a/c pipes.  We are calling back our a/c man to have a look at our upstairs unit.  To deter and hopefully stop excessive chewing, I have bought some chicken wire that I can use on top of the pipes.  Now why I didn't think of this before?  Heaven only knows.

Going through my clothes to send certain sizes to Stacey.  I don't know what she's going to do with them; maybe, sell them and/or wear some.  Either way, my closet(s) have never looked better.  I sent a bag of clothes to the company ThredUp, and received an email this week, that the clothes I sent have all given to charity.  Really?  There was nothing in the bag remotely saleable.  When signing up, I opted to have the clothes given away, because I definitely don't want them back.  Once you have gathered up things, whether it's clothes, books or knick-knacks.  I know, I know, most of you don't have a lot of the hard to dust knick-knacks, but I do.  When I have my morning coffee in the living room, I am surrounded with beautiful pieces of glass, Benjamin's art and my mother's needle points.  It's just a happy room for me.  I "dust" my glass more on the occasional basis, than regularly.  My rationale, and heaven knows I need one, is that if I don't move "x", then the dust doesn't really show for an "x" amount of months.  We don't get a lot of company, other than Scott and Stacey. And, when Scott visits, he's more interested in my pantry than he is looking for dust.  Just saying.

I cooked a fajita frozen dinner last night.  I, obviously, added more chicken, a can of hot and spicy Rotel and a bit of corn.  Was it great?  I didn't think so, but it did fill up our tummies, and it made enough for Jeff to take in his lunch.

I'm going to get my head "shrunk" today.  I've mad enough progress mentally, that I only see my psychiatrist once a month.  Progress is being made.  It does seem likely that I will need my "mental" medicines forever.  Unless, I get struck by lightening and my brain returns to normal, whatever that is!

I need to go to Jeff's office and do some filing.  Actually, not some, but a lot of filing.  I put it off until there's just no avoiding the ever growing pile of paper.  I have finally come to realize that I don't need to save our electric bills for years.  Last two or three months, and shred the rest.  I can't imagine what we did before shredding.  Oh, I remember, we just tossed all of our mail, even those pieces of mail with our address on it, in the trash.  And, that was before identity theft became a thing.  There are times when I long for the good old days, when life was simpler, particularly as compared to today's rush to do everything.

P

 

 

Just Things

4/16/2017

Mother Nature has proved herself fickle once again.  A day or so ago, I was wearing "shorty" (i.e., capris) pants, and had even put socks on.  Today, the temperature is going to be high and possibly humid, so it's back to shorts.  Mind you, I don't look particularly good in shorts, but I've reached the "I don't give a damn" point in my life.  And, when I say shorts, I'm talking about knee length ones.  I can't even remember a time when I wore short(er) shorts, it was that long ago.

This is our first a/c day of the year.  Since the girls have eaten away all the insulation from the copper (at least I think that's what they are), we approach warm weather hesitantly.  But, so far so good.  Temperatures are going to go back into the 70's tomorrow.  So it's likely that I'll/we'll open the house back up.  So annoying.  Windows up, windows down, etc.

I guess today is tax day for Jeff.  Filing taxes is pretty easy these days.  How much did you make? How much in taxes did you take out from your paycheck?  The house is, of course, our biggest write-off.  I imagine it's pretty much fill-in the blanks, throw the "dice" and see what the line on the bottom of the 1040 says.  Fingers crossed that we don't have to pay anything.  Even a teensy refund is a whole lot better than having to pay anything.

When I was a young girl, Easter was a dress-up affair. Frilly dresses with lots of petticoats (remember those?) underneath.  White socks and shoes.  Ladies always wore hats to church, and Easter Sunday was no different.  Now with the relaxed attitude toward clothing, anything can be worn to church. And, also when I was a child, our Easter baskets were wonderful.  I don't remember whether pre-packaged Easted baskets were being sold back then.  I always filled the boys' baskets myself and Jeff and I hid the eggs as well, making sure to count how many eggs we put out.  The last thing you want is an egg not found, until you know exactly where that egg is!

I'm in the process of cleaning out my closet to give some under-sized(!) clothes to Stacey.  There is a company called Thred-Up.  You order a bag, fill it with clothes and see if what you sent is salable on their website.  My first bag?  Apparently, though the clothes I sent were in very good condition, they were all donated to charity.  You have the option of having the clothes returned to you, but I'd be nuts to want to do that.  I mean, if you've gone to the trouble of picking out clothes, why on earth would you want them back?  Obviously, I wasn't wearing these clothes, so no sense having them back to clutter up a closet.

Happy Easter everyone, and remember you always eat the bunny's ears first!

P

Daisy's Birthday

4/15/2017

Today, Daisy is a year old.  And just when I think the nonsense chewing is over, the girls go after something that they shouldn't, they let me down.  There are a lot of "appropriate" chew things on the floor, and yet there is something about the things they shouldn't chew, that lures them into bad behavior.

Yesterday's loss was a pair of my tennis shoes.  I wasn't paying attention, and I should have been, because before I realized Bella had taken both shoes into the backyard and destroyed them.  I'm not talking about a "bit" of chewing that could be overlooked or repaired.  Nope, the shows had been eaten and the only place they were going to go was into the trash.  

For many years, I have only worn shoes with Velcro.  Reason?  It's far easier for me to bend down and attach a few straps to the sticky stuff, then it is to tie shoes.  I gave up once I was retired, to putting on shoes that I would normally wear to the office.  I am loyal to the SAS brand and they make a walking shoe that has Velcro straps.  I found a pair of shoes at Zappos, and received a large discount on my purchase.  Now, all I have to do, is hide or put away said shoes in a safe, non-chewable environment.  At this stage of the game, I don't bend easily.  I have even found a simple device that allows me to put on socks.  It is a three pronged, if you will, curved device.  You put your socks on this thingy, and then you pull the two straps on the side.  And easily as that, your foot is pushed into the toe of the socks.  Genius.

Jeff is going to the airport today to change the oil in the plane.  Just being in the proximity of the plane and talking with our plane partners, will be very good for Jeff.  He works very hard during the week, so a chance to be with his friends is something he's really been looking forward to.  I'm going to stay home with the girls and do some laundry and take a broom (literally) and sweep the bedroom floor that has bits and pieces of my slipper laying around.  They seldom seem to chew up a pair of anything.  Nope, just one slipper.  Why not the other one?  No clue.  Perhaps one slipper smells like me more than the other one.

We have had trouble with Daisy bolting out of open doors and then doing a "walk about" and refusing to come back into the house.  Yesterday, when Jeff came home, our door into the garage was open and he was standing in the garage.  When Daisy approached the door, I yelled at her to stop, and she did.  Miracles do happen.  Today, Jeff was carrying some boxes to the front porch and Daisy walked to the threshold, but didn't go outside.  Of course, if she had, Jeff was prepared to give her a strong correction.

It's not a pretty day outside and I think rain is coming sometime this weekend.  Our oak trees are beginning to have buds, so it won't be long before the front and backyards are covered with wonderful foliage.

Have a great day and Happy Easter.

P

It's Friday

4/14/2017

When I was working, which by now seems like a lifetime ago, I loved Fridays.  Who wouldn't?  When you're not working, every day is a Friday - sort of.  But, I know, that Jeff as well as my friends, look forward to the end of the week.

The tax man comes this weekend.  There was a time when we had our taxes done by a professional; but, that was before Turbo Tax.  And, unlike many years ago, there is very little that you can now deduct.  The house, obviously, but there's not many more deductions most people can take.  Because of Emancipation Day in D.C., the country gets an extra day to file.  Obviously, keeping my fingers crossed that we get a refund, even a small one.  The last thing you want to have to do is pay! Most people figure that we've already paid plenty of taxes.

Tomorrow, Jeff and the partner(s), are changing the oil on the plane.  While he cannot fly, he does enjoy, wistfully, being around the plane. I'm convinced that his flying days are not over.  If for no other reason, than I've promised him a faster plane when, notice I don't say if, I get Wilma finished and published.  I have faith in myself, even when I get bogged down in the details of writing Wilma's story.

The casualty this morning was one of my slippers.  I would really appreciate it if they would destroy both slippers.  And, it's not like they left the eaten slipper in a condition where it might be wearable.  Nope, that sucker is shredding into a zillion pieces, that I get to pick up this morning.  It's a good thing that when the girls are good, they are really good.  I've put appropriate chew things in the bedroom, but they still prefer our things.

Because it's Friday, it's taco night.  Friday nights is one or the nights in the week that I don't cook, the other night is Saturday.  I cook all the other nights, so that Jeff has something to eat for his lunch.  But, fixing dinner is a small price to pay, for Jeff getting up before dawn, driving to and from work and bringing home a paycheck.

Have a great day and weekend too.

P

A Quiet Day - I Hope!

4/13/2017

The neighbors next door are out of town, and have two probably college-aged girls staying at the house.  Yesterday, was a dog owner's nightmare.  These girls were in and out of the house, their car and the yard.  Daisy, because of her collar, only barks once or twice, but most of the time she doesn't bark at all.  Bella, on the other hand, nearly lost her mind.  Normally, Bella will always come when you call her, but not yesterday.  Nope, I had to go outside and "convince" her to come in the house.  I actually had to close the basement door several times yesterday, because her barking was non-stop.  I know that if I don't like listening to her barking, then I know my neighbors don't either.

And, one of my chores yesterday, which I hate doing, but needs to be done anyway, is mopping the basement floor.  For some reason, even though there's a doggy door just a mere feet away, one of the dogs, and I suspect it's Daisy, thinks the basement floor is a better option for her potty needs.  Now with my track record of falling down when I mop floors, I went downstairs with my fully charged cellphone in my pocket.  There was no way I was going to find myself on the floor again, and not able to call for help.  Luckily, I remained upright!  Yeah, baby steps.  

Yesterday, since I concentrated on my writing (fun) and my basement chore (ick), my kitchen needs attention today.  My knee remains sore from my last fall, and too much "stooding" causes me discomfort.  But, I know what that sounds like - any excuse for avoiding doing something - anything!

I've also got books to read, and assignments to write.  I swear if I keep this writing thing going, I may become encouraged enough to get my mojo back for writing the world's next greatest novel (I wish)!

When Jeff and I were in the Bahamas last year, I got too much skin on my right arm and I got little bumps on that arm.  Seemed to take forever for the bumps to go away.  Interestingly, or not, after an afternoon on Monday, with the top down, those annoying bumps have come back on my right arm.  No bumps on my left arm either time.  Could be I am doomed to get little bumps on my arm forever?  I hope not.  I don't do sun worshiping any more, as in just planting this old body in a chair in direct sunlight.  Oh, I do believe that legs particularly, look better when they're tanned, but for sure I want to limit the amount of time my face is in the sun.  Pushing toward 68 and my face is in "relatively" good shape.  Of course, that may be just me believing that I look good!  I do have those annoying age spots on my body, and there's no inexpensive way to get rid of them.  I like to think of those spots as wisdom spots, it makes me feel slightly better!

Time to get moving.  Have a great Thursday.

P

Summer Time?

4/12/2017

I'm convinced that Mother Nature maybe menopausal.  Why you ask?  Because the weather here continues to fluctuate.  Temperatures in the 80's and humid, followed by a couple of cool (not cold) weather.  Long pants?  Short pants?  Who's to know?

Yesterday, it was warm.  Okay, more hot than warm, if I'm being truthful.  It was the kind of weather when you start sticking to leather chairs - ick.  On Monday, when Stacey and I were out in Jeff's car, I had the foresight to bring a towel to put on the leather seat - worked perfectly.

The power pressure wash guy was here yesterday.  We hadn't had the house "washed" since 2013, so the price we were charged, was actually too low for the amount of work and effort it took to get the house clean.  We have bricks outlining the path to our porch.  He washed the path as well as the porch, and I must say the bricks look brand new.  Then the mower guys came and the yard looks good.  Correction - the front yard looks good.  I can't say the same for the condition of the backyard.  

Since the girls have chewed up the insulation on the copper pipes for our upstairs air conditioner, we're not actually sure that the a/c will work.   We're going to have to give it a test run soon.  The last thing you want in the summer, is no a/c and a lengthy wait for repairs.  

Purple Heart just came and picked up two bags of clothes, so there is a few less clothes in my closet, drawers and storage boxes!  Okay, I may have a few too many things to wear, but a gal has to have options.  And, unfortunately, some of those options include clothes that are too small.  Notice that you seldom have clothes that are too loose?  At least that's what happens to me.  I actually think I'm just under tall!  I'd look pretty good if I was 6 feet tall.  Just saying.

Last night, I made sweet and sour pork for dinner.  And, in case you're wondering, not from a frozen bag.  Nope, from scratch.  I cooked the pork, added green pepper, pineapple, a few peas (because I like their color) and a variety of sauces, plus rice.  Turned out pretty well, and easy to make if you have all the ingredients handy.  

I also made my layered lettuce salad yesterday.  It's a dish that the family really likes.  And, with the addition of my "slice and dice" device, cutting up peppers, celery and onions was super easy.  The blades on said device are super sharp.  And, I know this because the last time I used it, I "sliced" my finger!  Yesterday, I stayed well away from the blades.  

I have a new writing class starting today.  It's called "Write My Life Story".  I've had the instructor before and like her style of teaching a great deal.  I'm currently taking three classes, which keeps me out of trouble - sort of.

It's time for me to get up and about.  Hope you have a good day.

P  

Yesterday in Review

4/11/2017

Yesterday, Stacey, Benjamin and I took Jeff's convertible for our mode of transportation for the day.  There is something about going 60 mph, with the wind whipping your hair all around your head, that is so freeing.  And, when you park, you can always comb out your hair, which by then is all tangled up.  A small price to pay for such a wonderful ride.  Jeff, who has no hair on his head, doesn't suffer from this problem!  (smiley face here)

We went to see Beauty and the Beast at a more upscale theater.  They have some bar food for sale and you can also buy wine, if that's your drink of choice.  I coshed my usual fare: buttered popcorn and diet coke.  I see no reason to tinker with something that is tried and true.  Plus, who doesn't love buttered popcorn?

The movie was amazing.  After having watched the animated version of the story multiple times, to see it with real people made the movie wonderful to watch.  The costumes, dancing and singing were all delightful.  On the way out of the theater, Benjamin was singing part of the words to the song "Be Our Guest".  I told Stacey that when the boys were little, I had a cassette (remember those?) of the musical Annie and we played that tape all the way to and from daycare.  It got to the point that I think I knew all the lyrics at some point, even if I didn't want to!

Pressure washing of the house today.  Once the house is finished, the siding will obviously be cleaner and brighter.  

The girls got me up at 5:30 this morning.  Actually, the girls didn't really, it was the crunching sound that woke me up.  A crunching sound in our house is never a good thing.  Time for me to head to my recliner for a much needed nap.

P

Monday, Monday

4/10/2017

Blog is short today.  It's going to be gorgeous today and Stacey, Benjamin and I are traveling in style in the convertible, with the top down!  Whooee.  Doesn't get much better than that.  I could wear a hat, but then I'd have "hat" hair.  Or, what I normally do, is allow the wind to have it's way with my hair, and worry about the hot mess after we've stopped.  With the top down and going 60 or so miles per hour, it's a bit loud for conversation, but we can crank up the volume on the oldies channel!

After my "well baby" check with the doctor, which I do twice a year, we're headed to the movies to see Beauty and the Beast.  After watching the animated version, I know seeing the movie with real actors will be wonderful.  A bag of popcorn, a diet coke and settle in.  The theater we're going to has reserved seats (cool) and has some finger food as well as wine that you can buy.  I think I'll just stick to my normal theater food.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I've been up since 5:30 this morning.  For some reason, this morning while Jeff was getting dressed, the girls decided they should be up too.  Now, I could have continued to sleep, but I know them.  Once they're awake, they're looking for and getting into trouble.  Plus, I didn't want them romping around and waking Benjamin.

Kitchen is tidy, so time for me to go upstairs, shower and get dressed.  And then get Benjamin in the shower and dressed.  After that, I can return to the book I'm currently reading and Benjamin can watch another one of his kid movies.

More tomorrow.

P