Today has been a very cold and cloudy day as I await yet another clipper system to dump a coating of snow on my home. I got up to the sound of an alarm clock, something I really dislike. But today the Safelite people were coming to replace the cracked windshield. The only guideline I had was given was sometime between 8 AM and 5 PM.
I did have an email waiting for me when I fired up my computer from Safelite and they told me who was coming, included a picture of the technician (Greg) and indicated he would be calling before arriving. That is well and good, but you still have to stay by the phone.
It was annoying, and always have been, to have to sit around waiting for a service person to come and do their repair or whatever. I appreciate it more when they narrow it down to 8 to 12 or 12 to 5, but even then, you are tied to the house for a period. And I always seem to think of thing I could be doing outside of the house when I can no longer go out. Frustrating.
But Greg arrived around noon and it took an hour for him to remove the old windshield and replace it with a brand new one. The last winshield replacement was not done with Safelite. There were three gentlemen and it took a little over an hour. Today it was just one man, he hustled the entire time and was done in the hour that he said. He even washed all of my windows outside and inside on the driver and passenger side. Now I still have to go get replacement inspection stickers and I am ready for business!!
I did a bit of sewing and will be heading back down to finish my second Phoebe Bag. I am really liking these little bags. As long as I am not carrying a weapon, they would be fine. I am going to try the larger version (The Ruby Bag) as a comparison.
Tomorrow, more snow and Sunday maybe a bit more.... the weather guys are still looking at their models!! One of these days, they are going to get it right! But it is almost February and soon I will be on my way to Fancy Gap.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
A Fun Day at Camp Parkesburg
A little snow fell overnight before the ladies were scheduled to arrive. I got up early, had some tea and doughnuts before heading outside to plow snow. It did not take all that long, it was not too deep, maybe three or so inches, but I needed to get it done before any of the ladies arrived.
I had no sooner finished and plopped down in my recliner when I heard a door shut and Sheila had arrived. I helped her unload and we were sitting and talking when Marji arrived.
After Danny got her stuff downstairs in the sewing room, Sheila and I followed. We got Marji set up on the daybed (she was repairing a quilt that her mother had made many years ago) and then I moved one of the sewing machines that I had set up so Sheila could set up her own machine and we started reading the directions for the Phoebe Bag. It was a free pattern that I had found on Craftsy.
Sheila powered along and had pieces cut out when Debbie Ready appeared. It was such a surprise as she had feared that the bad weather would keep her off the road. She had brought lunch for us and it was wonderful. She had thought she had knitting and applique work to do. But her husband had failed to pack the applique stuff and Debbie had failed to pack the knitting patterns in the bag, so she sat with Marji. We all chatted and laughed as Sheila and I worked on getting the Phoebe Bag directions understood and stitched together. Winston joined us from time to time and entertained us with his antics.
Sheila was a few steps ahead of me all day, but that meant that she was making mistakes and I could miss the couple of parts that were not quite as clear. Sheila turned hers first. I wanted to get a picture of hers finished but I failed to do that. She did get a nice one of mine. It was a fun little project and makes a nice little bag that was not too big and not too small.
So, the first event at Camp Parkesburg was a resounding success. And all of the participants thought the room was a great place to sew and create.
The next day was Church and Sunday School. Sheila and I showed off our bags. After Church, I went next door and visited with Marge Krumrine. She is the lady who went with me to Fancy Gap last year. She had torn a meniscus in the right knee and will be having surgery this Friday. She seemed in good spirits and not looking forward to the procedure but wanting the pain to be over. I hope for her sake that it works... I know my surgery did not help me at all.... in fact, I think it made it worse. When I went back out to the van to head home I spotted a crack at the base of my windshield. I have no idea when it happened, but the crack was already big enough to need a replacement. And I know it was not there when I parked the car. (They are coming tomorrow, the 29th, to replace it.)
Monday and Tuesday was supposed to be a major snowstorm on the East Coast. I was as ready as ever. It started on Monday and I kept waiting for there to be enough snow to plow and it just never got deep enough, so I went to bed that night figuring I would have about 10 inches to plow Tuesday morning. Imagine my surprise when it only turned out to be about three, maybe four inches of snow to deal with. The forecasters really missed the forecast here, but farther north was getting the blizzard conditions. The fun thing about the plowing was that when I got inside I had an email from Rob. He had checked in on my cameras to see how much snow and saw me plowing and managed to snap a picture. Technology is really fun when it allows my son in Alaska to take a picture of me in Pennsylvania and then send it to me! I think it was cool.
Wind overnight last night had the snow drifting across the road. I had gotten up in the middle of the night to pee and noticed flashing yellow lights at the windows. A car, driving too fast for conditions, was facing north in the southbound lane buried in a ditch/drift. While Winston and I looked out the window, a tow truck arrived, managed to putt the car out of the snow and each went on their way. So this morning, before I could go for some early morning blood tests, I had to plow the drifting snow....another 4 inches or so, from my driveway. Thank goodness for the plow. Life here in the winter would be brutal and expensive if I had to pay for someone to come plow. It was a down day (we held our 4th GriefShare session last night and I find it really takes a lot out of me) but I did laundry and made pizza for dinner... so not a total loss.
I had no sooner finished and plopped down in my recliner when I heard a door shut and Sheila had arrived. I helped her unload and we were sitting and talking when Marji arrived.
After Danny got her stuff downstairs in the sewing room, Sheila and I followed. We got Marji set up on the daybed (she was repairing a quilt that her mother had made many years ago) and then I moved one of the sewing machines that I had set up so Sheila could set up her own machine and we started reading the directions for the Phoebe Bag. It was a free pattern that I had found on Craftsy.
Sheila powered along and had pieces cut out when Debbie Ready appeared. It was such a surprise as she had feared that the bad weather would keep her off the road. She had brought lunch for us and it was wonderful. She had thought she had knitting and applique work to do. But her husband had failed to pack the applique stuff and Debbie had failed to pack the knitting patterns in the bag, so she sat with Marji. We all chatted and laughed as Sheila and I worked on getting the Phoebe Bag directions understood and stitched together. Winston joined us from time to time and entertained us with his antics.
Sheila was a few steps ahead of me all day, but that meant that she was making mistakes and I could miss the couple of parts that were not quite as clear. Sheila turned hers first. I wanted to get a picture of hers finished but I failed to do that. She did get a nice one of mine. It was a fun little project and makes a nice little bag that was not too big and not too small.
So, the first event at Camp Parkesburg was a resounding success. And all of the participants thought the room was a great place to sew and create.
The next day was Church and Sunday School. Sheila and I showed off our bags. After Church, I went next door and visited with Marge Krumrine. She is the lady who went with me to Fancy Gap last year. She had torn a meniscus in the right knee and will be having surgery this Friday. She seemed in good spirits and not looking forward to the procedure but wanting the pain to be over. I hope for her sake that it works... I know my surgery did not help me at all.... in fact, I think it made it worse. When I went back out to the van to head home I spotted a crack at the base of my windshield. I have no idea when it happened, but the crack was already big enough to need a replacement. And I know it was not there when I parked the car. (They are coming tomorrow, the 29th, to replace it.)
Monday and Tuesday was supposed to be a major snowstorm on the East Coast. I was as ready as ever. It started on Monday and I kept waiting for there to be enough snow to plow and it just never got deep enough, so I went to bed that night figuring I would have about 10 inches to plow Tuesday morning. Imagine my surprise when it only turned out to be about three, maybe four inches of snow to deal with. The forecasters really missed the forecast here, but farther north was getting the blizzard conditions. The fun thing about the plowing was that when I got inside I had an email from Rob. He had checked in on my cameras to see how much snow and saw me plowing and managed to snap a picture. Technology is really fun when it allows my son in Alaska to take a picture of me in Pennsylvania and then send it to me! I think it was cool.
Wind overnight last night had the snow drifting across the road. I had gotten up in the middle of the night to pee and noticed flashing yellow lights at the windows. A car, driving too fast for conditions, was facing north in the southbound lane buried in a ditch/drift. While Winston and I looked out the window, a tow truck arrived, managed to putt the car out of the snow and each went on their way. So this morning, before I could go for some early morning blood tests, I had to plow the drifting snow....another 4 inches or so, from my driveway. Thank goodness for the plow. Life here in the winter would be brutal and expensive if I had to pay for someone to come plow. It was a down day (we held our 4th GriefShare session last night and I find it really takes a lot out of me) but I did laundry and made pizza for dinner... so not a total loss.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Working hard and a long night.....
Another couple of very busy days.
While the forecast for this Saturday is for a major snow storm here in the Northeast, I have been working to get my lovely sewing room set up for my OBX Golden Girls Quilting Guild to come, break in the new room and sew all day on Saturday to make a free pattern that we found on Craftsy called the Phoebe Bag.
So Wednesday and yesterday I spent getting paperwork and computer work done first thing in the morning and then heading to the basement and getting things done there. Wednesday I stripped both twin beds in the basement that had been used during the holidays. I also took most of the bedding off the trundle bed so I could lift up the mattress and get the plywood that I had cut several weeks ago on top of the frame and under the mattress. Once I got that done... no easy task all by myself.... I had to remake that bed and get it under the daybed. By the end of the day all of the actual beds in the basement were fresh and clean and ready to be used.
I also got some of the stuff I had been moving to the basement sorted out and put away. I had decided to add some storage cubes stacked on the end of the work bench. I do not need the entire length of the workbench, so I was trying to figure out what to buy. In my search I saw come wire cubes and remembered that out in the storage area for my embroidery stuff I had the same things in various colors.
So Thursday I got my work done for the Lions Club meeting and then went out in the storage area, I dug through the stuff I need to go through this summer. I found the parts and pieces I needed, put together two, three cube towers. I moved them to the basement and placed them on the left side of the bench. Then I started going through the storage boxes that were already there. I now have my jelly rolls, layer cakes and charm packs in their own separate bins. I have several individual project boxes in a couple of them and a couple of ironing hams and loose fabric in the last one. Really looks good and I can now easily see what I have for my new projects.
I have the ironing boards all set up. 2 ironing boards, one with my Olsio iron and one with a T-Fal iron. I have my little board by my sewing machine and then a single square board on the workbench with its own iron.... Black & Decker, I think. Each iron has its own cup for water and a spray bottle of starchy stuff.
At long last, just about everything has a home. I am finally ready to spend days and nights there sewing my heart out!!!
Last night I had trouble getting a good night's sleep. I tossed and turned all night long. My Fitbit recorded everything. And Winston kept coming into the room and out of the room after starting out in bed with me but only wanting to get down. I could hear him trying to find a place under the bed to sleep. I finally got him into the bed and he curled up and slept. I did too, but it will be an early night tonight. I have been having a pain in my right shoulder blade. All of the lifting and moving and stuff has not let it go totally away. Last night, it was really bothering me. Seems much better today.
I got up this morning and found that not only had Winston been pacing throughout the night, he had been busy in the kitchen. When I got my guns over a year ago, I had taken some time at a firing range to practice with them. I had brought home a target that showed that I had been able hit the target quite often. I had used tacks and it was displayed in the kitchen right by the back door. I had knocked it a couple of times so it was loose but stayed on the wall. I must have knocked one corner loose when I let Winston in when I went to bed. This is what I found this morning.
So I guess I will have to head back to the range for some more target practice!!
While the forecast for this Saturday is for a major snow storm here in the Northeast, I have been working to get my lovely sewing room set up for my OBX Golden Girls Quilting Guild to come, break in the new room and sew all day on Saturday to make a free pattern that we found on Craftsy called the Phoebe Bag.
So Wednesday and yesterday I spent getting paperwork and computer work done first thing in the morning and then heading to the basement and getting things done there. Wednesday I stripped both twin beds in the basement that had been used during the holidays. I also took most of the bedding off the trundle bed so I could lift up the mattress and get the plywood that I had cut several weeks ago on top of the frame and under the mattress. Once I got that done... no easy task all by myself.... I had to remake that bed and get it under the daybed. By the end of the day all of the actual beds in the basement were fresh and clean and ready to be used.
I also got some of the stuff I had been moving to the basement sorted out and put away. I had decided to add some storage cubes stacked on the end of the work bench. I do not need the entire length of the workbench, so I was trying to figure out what to buy. In my search I saw come wire cubes and remembered that out in the storage area for my embroidery stuff I had the same things in various colors.
So Thursday I got my work done for the Lions Club meeting and then went out in the storage area, I dug through the stuff I need to go through this summer. I found the parts and pieces I needed, put together two, three cube towers. I moved them to the basement and placed them on the left side of the bench. Then I started going through the storage boxes that were already there. I now have my jelly rolls, layer cakes and charm packs in their own separate bins. I have several individual project boxes in a couple of them and a couple of ironing hams and loose fabric in the last one. Really looks good and I can now easily see what I have for my new projects.
I have the ironing boards all set up. 2 ironing boards, one with my Olsio iron and one with a T-Fal iron. I have my little board by my sewing machine and then a single square board on the workbench with its own iron.... Black & Decker, I think. Each iron has its own cup for water and a spray bottle of starchy stuff.
At long last, just about everything has a home. I am finally ready to spend days and nights there sewing my heart out!!!
Last night I had trouble getting a good night's sleep. I tossed and turned all night long. My Fitbit recorded everything. And Winston kept coming into the room and out of the room after starting out in bed with me but only wanting to get down. I could hear him trying to find a place under the bed to sleep. I finally got him into the bed and he curled up and slept. I did too, but it will be an early night tonight. I have been having a pain in my right shoulder blade. All of the lifting and moving and stuff has not let it go totally away. Last night, it was really bothering me. Seems much better today.
I got up this morning and found that not only had Winston been pacing throughout the night, he had been busy in the kitchen. When I got my guns over a year ago, I had taken some time at a firing range to practice with them. I had brought home a target that showed that I had been able hit the target quite often. I had used tacks and it was displayed in the kitchen right by the back door. I had knocked it a couple of times so it was loose but stayed on the wall. I must have knocked one corner loose when I let Winston in when I went to bed. This is what I found this morning.
So I guess I will have to head back to the range for some more target practice!!
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Several busy days...
Well, usually I am hibernating these days. I wake up as late as I can, snuggle in my recliner, cover up with a lovely quilt and watch TV, surf the Internet and enjoy hot beverages while enjoying the warmth of the propane heater filling the upstairs with wonderful warmth and keeping my furnace from running and wasting oil. Not for the last week.
Last Friday and Saturday I was working on embroidery. I had a couple of projects/jobs that were overdue and needed to get finished. One was a set of shirts that had been provided by the client. I really hate doing embroidery on something that someone brings in on their own. I
had been given a coat once, at the beginning of spring, and I finally got around to working with it this past fall. The design was already done and was... just as the shirts... only lettering. I had not looked closely at the coat until I was ready to do the job. Yikes!! It was a beautiful, heavy coat and very well made. It had inside pockets and outside pockets and outside blocks and plackets. It would give the wearer lots of places to carry things like wallets, keys, cell phones, etc and look very fashionable. But for embroidery, it sucked. I only had one small area on the left-side of the breast where I would not be sewing a pocket closed. I have a wide variety of hoops, including a special, very strong magnetic system for difficult hoopings. Because it was a very insulated coat for very cold weather the batting was thick and the lining was also thick. This made the seams very, very, very thick. I needed to hoop over a couple of seams and a zipper in order to center the design where it would look good. None of my hoops would close the design area in tightly enough to even attempt it.
These shirts were western, with snaps, a pointed, placket from the shoulder to the middle of the design area and there was also a pocket. The material was thinner than I like to use and the design was a lightly developed plaid... so lines in the fabric that had to be lined up. I am afraid that once these lovely shirts are washed, that the simple design is still going to curl. As a result, and since the client had not given me a time table.... I kept putting off doing them. But I now felt that I had to get it dome so I could concentrate on my sewing and using my beautiful new sewing room. So I had to tweak the design and then, holding my breath, stitching them out. I have to admit, they came out looking very good. I boxed them up and mailed them on Tuesday (Monday being Martin Luther King Day). The other job was also completed and delivered. The other couple of things are just donations I am planning to make so I am now free to enjoy the sewing room.
Well, not exactly free.
Sunday I served as Secretary for the congregational meeting that was held after church services. I missed Sunday School as the weather was very dicey when I woke up. It was raining but the surfaces were cold and the rain was freezing on contact making the roads very slippery. Penn DOT was out salting and by church service time, I was brave enough to drive the quick 2 mile distance to the church. So I was able to take notes at the meeting, something that everyone seemed to appreciate. I find it amazing that they are allowing me to do this since I am not an official member of the church. But they have always treated me as a member and I guess after going regularly for close to 3 years, they trust me.
This week is the third session of GriefShare and the semi-monthly meeting of the Lions Club for which I am also secretary. So Sunday afternoon, I transcribed the minutes of the last meeting for the Lions and put together the agenda. Please keep in mind that I am not President, but I get no input for the agenda, so I do the best I can to set it up. I got call from the President (which surprised me) stating that he had spoke to the lady who has been catering our meals and she had agreed to let us have our meeting in the market if we have fewer than the 10 people that she needs to cater. Now I had to wait until Monday to talk to her and find out what had been discussed. The President made it sound like we were moving the meetings there.
Then I switched to GriefShare. This year we are doing Object Lessons for first time. It is a way to have the participants get involved with the sessions being talked about that day. I had gathered all of the odd items that are not in our homes so that we had what we needed for the remainder of the year. This week was rubber band balls, so I read the suggested activity and made sure that the tiny balss I had purchased on Amazon would work.
Monday I met with the owner of Seawell's Market, Carol Seawell) and clarified what she had explained to him. I also went to the Dollar General store and got a couple of things I wanted to get. Came home and emailed all of the Lions and then I baked a cake.
I have not baked a cake since Rudy died. I used to bake one every so often and then Rudy and I would enjoy a bedtime snack. I was afraid that I would just indulge or over-indulge but I really have had a hankering for cake. I used my lovely Kitchenaid and finally realized that I had not properly locked the bowl in since I have used the machine. I was always upset but the way the beaters or hooks clunked against the back of the bowl. Seems that there was a small latch at the back that I was not securing correctly. Once it is locked in place, the beaters/hooks do not hit anything. I now love my mixer!
Tuesday was split with Lions, getting the count for dinner thus determining where we would be eating. The rest of the time was running errands and preparing for GriefShare. Winston got to go on the errands. I needed to deposit a check in the bank, mail the shirts and then a quick trip to the grocery to pick up decaf coffee for GriefShare. So, since the sun was not out and it was cool but not cold, I invited Winston along. He was once again the smiley, happy dog. Made it tough last night when I headed to GriefShare as when he goes once, he thinks he should go all of the time.
So, today, I brought in the trash can and got the mail. I am catching up on several things and then... off to the sewing room to prepare for a fun Saturday with my OBX ladies... weather permitting. Snow coming this afternoon. And a possible BIG storm on Saturday. Did I say... I hate winter!!!
Last Friday and Saturday I was working on embroidery. I had a couple of projects/jobs that were overdue and needed to get finished. One was a set of shirts that had been provided by the client. I really hate doing embroidery on something that someone brings in on their own. I
had been given a coat once, at the beginning of spring, and I finally got around to working with it this past fall. The design was already done and was... just as the shirts... only lettering. I had not looked closely at the coat until I was ready to do the job. Yikes!! It was a beautiful, heavy coat and very well made. It had inside pockets and outside pockets and outside blocks and plackets. It would give the wearer lots of places to carry things like wallets, keys, cell phones, etc and look very fashionable. But for embroidery, it sucked. I only had one small area on the left-side of the breast where I would not be sewing a pocket closed. I have a wide variety of hoops, including a special, very strong magnetic system for difficult hoopings. Because it was a very insulated coat for very cold weather the batting was thick and the lining was also thick. This made the seams very, very, very thick. I needed to hoop over a couple of seams and a zipper in order to center the design where it would look good. None of my hoops would close the design area in tightly enough to even attempt it.
These shirts were western, with snaps, a pointed, placket from the shoulder to the middle of the design area and there was also a pocket. The material was thinner than I like to use and the design was a lightly developed plaid... so lines in the fabric that had to be lined up. I am afraid that once these lovely shirts are washed, that the simple design is still going to curl. As a result, and since the client had not given me a time table.... I kept putting off doing them. But I now felt that I had to get it dome so I could concentrate on my sewing and using my beautiful new sewing room. So I had to tweak the design and then, holding my breath, stitching them out. I have to admit, they came out looking very good. I boxed them up and mailed them on Tuesday (Monday being Martin Luther King Day). The other job was also completed and delivered. The other couple of things are just donations I am planning to make so I am now free to enjoy the sewing room.
Well, not exactly free.
Sunday I served as Secretary for the congregational meeting that was held after church services. I missed Sunday School as the weather was very dicey when I woke up. It was raining but the surfaces were cold and the rain was freezing on contact making the roads very slippery. Penn DOT was out salting and by church service time, I was brave enough to drive the quick 2 mile distance to the church. So I was able to take notes at the meeting, something that everyone seemed to appreciate. I find it amazing that they are allowing me to do this since I am not an official member of the church. But they have always treated me as a member and I guess after going regularly for close to 3 years, they trust me.
This week is the third session of GriefShare and the semi-monthly meeting of the Lions Club for which I am also secretary. So Sunday afternoon, I transcribed the minutes of the last meeting for the Lions and put together the agenda. Please keep in mind that I am not President, but I get no input for the agenda, so I do the best I can to set it up. I got call from the President (which surprised me) stating that he had spoke to the lady who has been catering our meals and she had agreed to let us have our meeting in the market if we have fewer than the 10 people that she needs to cater. Now I had to wait until Monday to talk to her and find out what had been discussed. The President made it sound like we were moving the meetings there.
Then I switched to GriefShare. This year we are doing Object Lessons for first time. It is a way to have the participants get involved with the sessions being talked about that day. I had gathered all of the odd items that are not in our homes so that we had what we needed for the remainder of the year. This week was rubber band balls, so I read the suggested activity and made sure that the tiny balss I had purchased on Amazon would work.
Monday I met with the owner of Seawell's Market, Carol Seawell) and clarified what she had explained to him. I also went to the Dollar General store and got a couple of things I wanted to get. Came home and emailed all of the Lions and then I baked a cake.
I have not baked a cake since Rudy died. I used to bake one every so often and then Rudy and I would enjoy a bedtime snack. I was afraid that I would just indulge or over-indulge but I really have had a hankering for cake. I used my lovely Kitchenaid and finally realized that I had not properly locked the bowl in since I have used the machine. I was always upset but the way the beaters or hooks clunked against the back of the bowl. Seems that there was a small latch at the back that I was not securing correctly. Once it is locked in place, the beaters/hooks do not hit anything. I now love my mixer!
Tuesday was split with Lions, getting the count for dinner thus determining where we would be eating. The rest of the time was running errands and preparing for GriefShare. Winston got to go on the errands. I needed to deposit a check in the bank, mail the shirts and then a quick trip to the grocery to pick up decaf coffee for GriefShare. So, since the sun was not out and it was cool but not cold, I invited Winston along. He was once again the smiley, happy dog. Made it tough last night when I headed to GriefShare as when he goes once, he thinks he should go all of the time.
So, today, I brought in the trash can and got the mail. I am catching up on several things and then... off to the sewing room to prepare for a fun Saturday with my OBX ladies... weather permitting. Snow coming this afternoon. And a possible BIG storm on Saturday. Did I say... I hate winter!!!
Friday, January 16, 2015
A small trip with Winston.....
Yesterday I had to drive to a store in the Lancaster area to pick up a couple of things. It was about a 45 minute drive, one way. I needed to drive the van a distance of more than 10 or 15 minutes, as the battery is getting tired and short little trips were not charging the battery enough for easy starts in the brutal cold days we have had this month.
Since I did not plan to be in the store for a great period of time and the outside temp was cool but not super cold, I decided that Winston.... who looks so devastated when I leave to go somewhere and leave him behind... would come with me on this trip.
I put him out for a few minutes while I gathered my keys, purse and coat. He did the normal jumping into the back room but came out quickly when he saw his leash in my hand. Tail flying in all kinds of directions, I hooked him up, released his outside lead and we are off to the van. I lifted him to the seat. Now, his normal routine is to immediately plop his little self down on the seat. The problem is that it is the driver's seat. I ask him to move, but it usually takes several gentle shoves to get him to cross over the console to the passenger seat. The he sits up and watches as we backup and pull out of the driveway.
He watched the fields and homes fly by. And once he realizes it is not the normal short trip to the vet or groomer, he will lay down on the seat and get up from time to time to check our progress. Once we arrived at the store, he wanted to come with me but this was not a pet-friendly store, so he had to stay in the van. The look was not as devastating as leaving him at home.
I did my shopping and when I got back to the van, he was curled up on the driver's seat. I moved him back to his seat and we headed home. Again he sat up for part of the trip and whenever I would look over at him, I could swear he was smiling. He really either likes being in the car or just likes being with me..... or perhaps both! I love my sweet dog!
Since I did not plan to be in the store for a great period of time and the outside temp was cool but not super cold, I decided that Winston.... who looks so devastated when I leave to go somewhere and leave him behind... would come with me on this trip.
I put him out for a few minutes while I gathered my keys, purse and coat. He did the normal jumping into the back room but came out quickly when he saw his leash in my hand. Tail flying in all kinds of directions, I hooked him up, released his outside lead and we are off to the van. I lifted him to the seat. Now, his normal routine is to immediately plop his little self down on the seat. The problem is that it is the driver's seat. I ask him to move, but it usually takes several gentle shoves to get him to cross over the console to the passenger seat. The he sits up and watches as we backup and pull out of the driveway.
He watched the fields and homes fly by. And once he realizes it is not the normal short trip to the vet or groomer, he will lay down on the seat and get up from time to time to check our progress. Once we arrived at the store, he wanted to come with me but this was not a pet-friendly store, so he had to stay in the van. The look was not as devastating as leaving him at home.
I did my shopping and when I got back to the van, he was curled up on the driver's seat. I moved him back to his seat and we headed home. Again he sat up for part of the trip and whenever I would look over at him, I could swear he was smiling. He really either likes being in the car or just likes being with me..... or perhaps both! I love my sweet dog!
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
So, should I be worried???
It was an interesting morning at the eye doctor's office. I got there a bit early, filled out yet another form (each time I go there they have some sort of new information form that is required). My appointment was scheduled for 11:30 AM and considering I was on my way to the car at 11:43 AM, I am guessing they were not overly busy.
I could not remember what was being done. The doctor had noted some significant loss of vision when setting up my new prescription on my regular visit. So he has scheduled this appointment and another one in March to monitor and check to see if we can find the cause or determine why the loss happened. I get little floaty things from time to time. I am thinking that one had blossomed that day right in the area I needed to look through for the vision test.
Today I have a Field Vision Test. This is a truly aggravating test to locate blind spots in one's vision. You have a patch placed over one eye at a time. Then you rest your chin and stare into a box with a curved interior and a bright light in the very center. You have to stare at the light! You are not supposed to move your eye. If you think it is easy, try staring at one thing in your room for close to 5 minutes and see how many times you find your eye turning to see something in the room.
The technician then turns on the computer program and it sends little lights to various places inside the curve. Some are very bright, some are very dim, sometimes (I hope) there are no lights at all. Each time you see a little light... or think you see a little light, you click a clicker that is attached to the box.
I have no idea how I did, but for as simple as it sounds, it was really hard to do. But it was simple, no drops involved and I was on my way by 11:45 AM.
Headed to Joann Fabrics with a small detour to the Christmas Tree Shops. I found two round table cloths for the dining room table and some placemats to go along. Then off to Joann's and found five fabrics for a mystery quilt that Marge Gordon will be putting out for us soon. I also found two sets of Gingher scissors that were being discontinued and were $14.95 per pair. Then, at 50% off, I got two project boxes. I have several, but I have a couple of projects in each box and I need to have one per box so I do not get confused.
One more shopping trip this week and I am done!
Home to Winston who had a strange day. He paced and paced around the house. I have no idea why, but he just paced and paced, room to room. I ran my Neato robot vacuum and gave him a special treat and Winston has finally settled down. He is stretched out in my lap. Kicked back for the evening.
I could not remember what was being done. The doctor had noted some significant loss of vision when setting up my new prescription on my regular visit. So he has scheduled this appointment and another one in March to monitor and check to see if we can find the cause or determine why the loss happened. I get little floaty things from time to time. I am thinking that one had blossomed that day right in the area I needed to look through for the vision test.
Today I have a Field Vision Test. This is a truly aggravating test to locate blind spots in one's vision. You have a patch placed over one eye at a time. Then you rest your chin and stare into a box with a curved interior and a bright light in the very center. You have to stare at the light! You are not supposed to move your eye. If you think it is easy, try staring at one thing in your room for close to 5 minutes and see how many times you find your eye turning to see something in the room.
The technician then turns on the computer program and it sends little lights to various places inside the curve. Some are very bright, some are very dim, sometimes (I hope) there are no lights at all. Each time you see a little light... or think you see a little light, you click a clicker that is attached to the box.
I have no idea how I did, but for as simple as it sounds, it was really hard to do. But it was simple, no drops involved and I was on my way by 11:45 AM.
Headed to Joann Fabrics with a small detour to the Christmas Tree Shops. I found two round table cloths for the dining room table and some placemats to go along. Then off to Joann's and found five fabrics for a mystery quilt that Marge Gordon will be putting out for us soon. I also found two sets of Gingher scissors that were being discontinued and were $14.95 per pair. Then, at 50% off, I got two project boxes. I have several, but I have a couple of projects in each box and I need to have one per box so I do not get confused.
One more shopping trip this week and I am done!
Home to Winston who had a strange day. He paced and paced around the house. I have no idea why, but he just paced and paced, room to room. I ran my Neato robot vacuum and gave him a special treat and Winston has finally settled down. He is stretched out in my lap. Kicked back for the evening.
The Next Steps.....
As many of you know, I am one of the co-leaders for the GriefShare program at church this year. I attended 4 years ago as a participant. I received so much from that program that I felt I needed to give back to others who are going through the mourning process.
The opening night we had some bad weather to deal with. It was not all that bad, but we only had three ladies brave the weather. Last night we had two additional ladies join the sessions. I set up a Facebook Page for the GriefShare program at Parkesburg Mennonite Church. If you would like to check out our page the link is here: https://www.facebook.com/GriefShare.Parkesburg.Mennonite and also feel free to like our page. That way you can keep track of our activities.
It was a busy day yesterday. I got up and made myself a mushroom omelet for breakfast. It was delicious. I worked on some of the pages I had copied. Got plastic sleeves on some of them and found some things I thought I had lost. It was 'get out the trash' day.... the one day when I really get angry at Rudy for no longer being around to help. We had such a good system... I gathered the stuff from inside, then he put it in the trash can and rolled it to the front. It was not my favorite task back when he was still alive. I really hate it now. But it has to be done. I did not get it out last week as it was the day we had all of the snow. (The one advantage of living by myself is that I do not generate a great deal of trash so every so often, I can skip putting the trash out!) So as I type this morning, I am waiting to see the big, blue trash truck show up at my door.
Today I am heading to Exton/Downingtown area. I have a followup eye exam. I had lost some vision in my right eye and he is checking to see what it is now. Thank goodness for my excellent insurance.
I am planning to stop at Joann Fabrics to see if I can find the material I need for the next Delaware Quilts Mystery Quilt. I love the colors that Marge Gordon used and would like to try to find something similar. I have the Accuquilt cutting dies in most of the basic cuts, so I can do it faster and more accurately than regular cutting. I am excited.
Today was to have been another snowy day, but luckily the storm kept way to the south (my brother in Fredericksburg is actually getting snow today) and hopefully will stay there while I am out on the road. So I am off to enjoy a lovely winter day in Southeastern Pennsylvania!!!
The opening night we had some bad weather to deal with. It was not all that bad, but we only had three ladies brave the weather. Last night we had two additional ladies join the sessions. I set up a Facebook Page for the GriefShare program at Parkesburg Mennonite Church. If you would like to check out our page the link is here: https://www.facebook.com/GriefShare.Parkesburg.Mennonite and also feel free to like our page. That way you can keep track of our activities.
It was a busy day yesterday. I got up and made myself a mushroom omelet for breakfast. It was delicious. I worked on some of the pages I had copied. Got plastic sleeves on some of them and found some things I thought I had lost. It was 'get out the trash' day.... the one day when I really get angry at Rudy for no longer being around to help. We had such a good system... I gathered the stuff from inside, then he put it in the trash can and rolled it to the front. It was not my favorite task back when he was still alive. I really hate it now. But it has to be done. I did not get it out last week as it was the day we had all of the snow. (The one advantage of living by myself is that I do not generate a great deal of trash so every so often, I can skip putting the trash out!) So as I type this morning, I am waiting to see the big, blue trash truck show up at my door.
Today I am heading to Exton/Downingtown area. I have a followup eye exam. I had lost some vision in my right eye and he is checking to see what it is now. Thank goodness for my excellent insurance.
I am planning to stop at Joann Fabrics to see if I can find the material I need for the next Delaware Quilts Mystery Quilt. I love the colors that Marge Gordon used and would like to try to find something similar. I have the Accuquilt cutting dies in most of the basic cuts, so I can do it faster and more accurately than regular cutting. I am excited.
Today was to have been another snowy day, but luckily the storm kept way to the south (my brother in Fredericksburg is actually getting snow today) and hopefully will stay there while I am out on the road. So I am off to enjoy a lovely winter day in Southeastern Pennsylvania!!!
Monday, January 12, 2015
Busy, busy week and dodged a bullet...
No posts for a while. I have been very busy. It is making the winter fly by and I am so happy.
This past week was the first session of GriefShare and the resuming of regular meetings of the Parkesburg Lions Club. Since I am a co-leader of the GriefShare sessions, I have had more responsibilities to get that set up and running.
I had a lot of copying and printing to do in order to have everything ready for the first session. The sad thing was that we had close to three inches of snow that day and it was supposed to stop mid-afternoon. It did not, but the roads seemed nice enough that we decided to go ahead and have the first session. Only three people braved the snow and bitter cold, but the three of them were excited to be there and looking forward to the experience, so we were happy that we did not postpone the session.
Following that I had to quickly switch gears and deal with Lions. Being secretary this year, it really seems that I am the one who actually runs everything behind the scenes. The club is struggling. We are not alone, many such organizations are ceasing to exist. We usually have around 10 people at a meeting of the 25 'active' members. Most of our members are aging and with the daytime temps and wind giving us a feels like temperature of 0 degrees or below, several of the regulars decided not to come out.... I do not blame them! We usually have a catered dinner from a lovely local market but not having regular meetings for awhile, we did not get in touch with her until late. When she gave me the menu she included a notation that if it was less than 10 people, she would prefer that we use a different caterer. I can understand that as well.
So, we ended up with 6 wanting dinner. I contacted another member and we decided that we would do a soup and hoagie dinner. I made the soup, one I wanted to try but made so much I did not want to make it just for me. So I made a BIG crockpot full of soup and some brownies. I also bought the drinks and a couple of sides like coleslaw and chips. The other two ladies I deal with called about the hoagies and made the order and picked them up. We ended up with seven for dinner. Going forward, if we have less than 10 people for dinner, we will open at 6:30 PM and members can bring something on their own or just come to the business meeting at 7:00 PM until we get more active members or the temperature warms up.
Yesterday was church and I was invited to go out to lunch at the home of a church family. It was very nice to have dinner in a home with people that you know, but not very well. I got to know the family a little better as well as the other guests. I am with a group that has dinner out every Tuesday. We go to local restaurants and dine together. But being out in public, it is not nearly as intimate as being a guest in someone's home.
Then I came home to prepare for today's storm. I topped off the windshield washer fluid in the van and the truck and made sure that they were cleaned off and working properly. With all of the spray and salt from the roads, having a working wiper sprayer is very important. I also placed the wiper blades in an upright position so they would not be ice glued to the windshield. I made sure that both vehicles were starting well and ready to go. Finally I ran my generator and got it connected to the new plug that I had installed this summer.
As I went to sleep last night the rain had started and there was a lovely layer of ice forming on the vehicles. I fully expected to hear my fan turn off during the night when we lost power. But I woke this morning to 35 degrees, light rain and no ice on the cars. It has been at 35 degrees for most of the day and as I typed this, it went up a degree. There were some slushy, slippery spots when I walked out to get the mail, but it is not the major ice storm that could have been. Whew,,,,, dodged that bullet. And more good news, the storm that was predicted for Thursday is going to be a 'no show' too. And according to my weather guys, there is nothing in the pipeline that might turn into a storm, so there may be a breather for a week or so and it might not be the 40 inches of snow that they predicted for the weather. Fingers crossed but we still have a lot of winter to go. February can be very cold and snowy!!!
Getting ready now for more GriefShare, Lions in two weeks, and on the 24th the OBX ladies are coming here to sew, sew and laugh in Camp Parkesburg!!!
This past week was the first session of GriefShare and the resuming of regular meetings of the Parkesburg Lions Club. Since I am a co-leader of the GriefShare sessions, I have had more responsibilities to get that set up and running.
I had a lot of copying and printing to do in order to have everything ready for the first session. The sad thing was that we had close to three inches of snow that day and it was supposed to stop mid-afternoon. It did not, but the roads seemed nice enough that we decided to go ahead and have the first session. Only three people braved the snow and bitter cold, but the three of them were excited to be there and looking forward to the experience, so we were happy that we did not postpone the session.
Following that I had to quickly switch gears and deal with Lions. Being secretary this year, it really seems that I am the one who actually runs everything behind the scenes. The club is struggling. We are not alone, many such organizations are ceasing to exist. We usually have around 10 people at a meeting of the 25 'active' members. Most of our members are aging and with the daytime temps and wind giving us a feels like temperature of 0 degrees or below, several of the regulars decided not to come out.... I do not blame them! We usually have a catered dinner from a lovely local market but not having regular meetings for awhile, we did not get in touch with her until late. When she gave me the menu she included a notation that if it was less than 10 people, she would prefer that we use a different caterer. I can understand that as well.
So, we ended up with 6 wanting dinner. I contacted another member and we decided that we would do a soup and hoagie dinner. I made the soup, one I wanted to try but made so much I did not want to make it just for me. So I made a BIG crockpot full of soup and some brownies. I also bought the drinks and a couple of sides like coleslaw and chips. The other two ladies I deal with called about the hoagies and made the order and picked them up. We ended up with seven for dinner. Going forward, if we have less than 10 people for dinner, we will open at 6:30 PM and members can bring something on their own or just come to the business meeting at 7:00 PM until we get more active members or the temperature warms up.
Yesterday was church and I was invited to go out to lunch at the home of a church family. It was very nice to have dinner in a home with people that you know, but not very well. I got to know the family a little better as well as the other guests. I am with a group that has dinner out every Tuesday. We go to local restaurants and dine together. But being out in public, it is not nearly as intimate as being a guest in someone's home.
Then I came home to prepare for today's storm. I topped off the windshield washer fluid in the van and the truck and made sure that they were cleaned off and working properly. With all of the spray and salt from the roads, having a working wiper sprayer is very important. I also placed the wiper blades in an upright position so they would not be ice glued to the windshield. I made sure that both vehicles were starting well and ready to go. Finally I ran my generator and got it connected to the new plug that I had installed this summer.
As I went to sleep last night the rain had started and there was a lovely layer of ice forming on the vehicles. I fully expected to hear my fan turn off during the night when we lost power. But I woke this morning to 35 degrees, light rain and no ice on the cars. It has been at 35 degrees for most of the day and as I typed this, it went up a degree. There were some slushy, slippery spots when I walked out to get the mail, but it is not the major ice storm that could have been. Whew,,,,, dodged that bullet. And more good news, the storm that was predicted for Thursday is going to be a 'no show' too. And according to my weather guys, there is nothing in the pipeline that might turn into a storm, so there may be a breather for a week or so and it might not be the 40 inches of snow that they predicted for the weather. Fingers crossed but we still have a lot of winter to go. February can be very cold and snowy!!!
Getting ready now for more GriefShare, Lions in two weeks, and on the 24th the OBX ladies are coming here to sew, sew and laugh in Camp Parkesburg!!!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Snowy and C O L D.....
To say that winter has arrived with a vengeance is an understatement. Wind is howling and the thermometer says 12 at 9:00 PM. It will only go down from here. Brrrrrrrrrrr!
Yesterday was a very busy day for me. First, I woke up to snow. My favorite weather guys indicated that I would be waking to snow, but it would be dry and fluffy and not really amount to much. I watched and even though the flakes were tiny and indeed fluffy. Early afternoon (the snow was supposed to stop by 3:00 PMish) and fired up the truck to plow the driveway. It took about a 30 minutes to move around the snow. But the snow never stopped until just before the sun started to set. It was nice to see the sun and some blue sky before the darkness arrived.
Once Penn DOT got their plows out, they got the roads cleared off. But I have to admit that when I got up, the roads looked a bit dicey. I think that the roads got covered faster than they expected. But it was OK by noon.
Second, it was the first session of GriefShare last night. I had to make plans, review material. Then we had to make the decision to have the session or not hold the session. Since we had no one signed up, we decided to go ahead and have the event. I am sure that it kept people away, but we had three ladies who did, and so I am happy that we went ahead and had the session. Hopefully mext week the others who planned to come will show up.
Third, after a nice break, the Lions Club will be getting back into full gear again. We had only one meeting in November and our December meeting was actually a party and Charter Night. Being Secretary, I had things I needed to do and being co-leader of the GriefShare, I had many things to organize. I am afraid that Lions took a back seat this week, but as of today, I think I am caught up and ready for both.
Finally, I trudged out today to pick up the makings for a soup I am taking to Lions tomorrow. I took time to browse the fabric section. I am getting ready to entertain the OBX ladies, better known as the Golden Girls Quilting Guild. They are all planning to come and do some sewing in my new sewing room. There was a free pattern that popped up on Facebook for a Phoebe Bag. Everyone looked at it and agreed that it would be a fun and quick project. So, they are downloading the pattern, buying the fabric and coming to sew and laugh on the 24th of January, weather permitting!
Here is the fabric I will be using....
All of the activity yesterday had me walking well over 5000 steps. Thank goodness I had the knee replacement last year.
Yesterday was a very busy day for me. First, I woke up to snow. My favorite weather guys indicated that I would be waking to snow, but it would be dry and fluffy and not really amount to much. I watched and even though the flakes were tiny and indeed fluffy. Early afternoon (the snow was supposed to stop by 3:00 PMish) and fired up the truck to plow the driveway. It took about a 30 minutes to move around the snow. But the snow never stopped until just before the sun started to set. It was nice to see the sun and some blue sky before the darkness arrived.
Once Penn DOT got their plows out, they got the roads cleared off. But I have to admit that when I got up, the roads looked a bit dicey. I think that the roads got covered faster than they expected. But it was OK by noon.
Second, it was the first session of GriefShare last night. I had to make plans, review material. Then we had to make the decision to have the session or not hold the session. Since we had no one signed up, we decided to go ahead and have the event. I am sure that it kept people away, but we had three ladies who did, and so I am happy that we went ahead and had the session. Hopefully mext week the others who planned to come will show up.
Third, after a nice break, the Lions Club will be getting back into full gear again. We had only one meeting in November and our December meeting was actually a party and Charter Night. Being Secretary, I had things I needed to do and being co-leader of the GriefShare, I had many things to organize. I am afraid that Lions took a back seat this week, but as of today, I think I am caught up and ready for both.
Finally, I trudged out today to pick up the makings for a soup I am taking to Lions tomorrow. I took time to browse the fabric section. I am getting ready to entertain the OBX ladies, better known as the Golden Girls Quilting Guild. They are all planning to come and do some sewing in my new sewing room. There was a free pattern that popped up on Facebook for a Phoebe Bag. Everyone looked at it and agreed that it would be a fun and quick project. So, they are downloading the pattern, buying the fabric and coming to sew and laugh on the 24th of January, weather permitting!
Here is the fabric I will be using....
I think these will make a lovely winter bag and spring/summer bag. The plain teal will be the lining for both. Found them at WalMart. Looking forward to the project.
The package arrived from Amazon today. It included the magnetic closures for the bags as well as some rings that could be used for a small zipper bag that was also on Facebook. If the bag goes together quickly, we might even get the tiny bag done, too. Here are the bags of hardware....
Sunday, January 4, 2015
A Foggy Day in Parkesburgtown...
Somewhere around 3:30 AM this morning, Winston decided that he needed to go outside. He wandered into the bedroom and shook his furry body which makes his dog tags kingle. So I let him out and I took a potty break as well and then back to bed. I could hear him walking around the bedroom and trying to get under the bed. I reworked the stuff under the bed and I am not sure if he ever did go under, but he did curl up on the towel I have on the floor.
The alarm went off at 7:00 AM and I snoozed it until 7:30 AM. Showered, dressed and off to church. Helped Wendy set up for the start of GriefShare.
Home and Winston was very happy to see me. He hopes that I am not going out again, but he was wrong. I headed back to church to meet with Wendy again and Pastor Dave to watch the video that will start on Tuesday so we can be ready to start the 13 week GriefShare session for 2015.
Then home for good.
I made plans for a day at Camp Parkesburg. It will be fun to see everyone again. It will also be nice to see who will be able to come. I came across a free pattern for a Phoebe Bag that looks simple to make, so I am having everyone download their own pattern, getting their fabric and we will gather and sew.
This morning it was warmer than winter should be and had been raining for a couple of days. Wet air, warm temps after some cold days equals fog. I drove to church in very foggy conditions. Thank goodness it is just a couple of miles down the road. Usually it clears by the time church is over, but not today. It was, in fact, more foggy when I headed home.
After my lunch I had to head back to church. I put on my jacket, but it was so warm, I really did not need it. But the fog was gone. Crazy, silly weather.
The alarm went off at 7:00 AM and I snoozed it until 7:30 AM. Showered, dressed and off to church. Helped Wendy set up for the start of GriefShare.
Home and Winston was very happy to see me. He hopes that I am not going out again, but he was wrong. I headed back to church to meet with Wendy again and Pastor Dave to watch the video that will start on Tuesday so we can be ready to start the 13 week GriefShare session for 2015.
Then home for good.
I made plans for a day at Camp Parkesburg. It will be fun to see everyone again. It will also be nice to see who will be able to come. I came across a free pattern for a Phoebe Bag that looks simple to make, so I am having everyone download their own pattern, getting their fabric and we will gather and sew.
This morning it was warmer than winter should be and had been raining for a couple of days. Wet air, warm temps after some cold days equals fog. I drove to church in very foggy conditions. Thank goodness it is just a couple of miles down the road. Usually it clears by the time church is over, but not today. It was, in fact, more foggy when I headed home.
After my lunch I had to head back to church. I put on my jacket, but it was so warm, I really did not need it. But the fog was gone. Crazy, silly weather.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Much Better Today!!!
Wow... it is really amazing how much better one can feel after a really good night's sleep.
I was in bed short;y after 11:00 PM. I had old series "Murder She Wrote" on TV and set the TV to turn off at the end of the hour. Winston was asleep on the couch. I had the bed on vibrate mode. I did not see the end of the episode! According to my Fitbit, I was asleep within 12 minutes of turning the bit from active to sleep. Winston got be up at 7:30 AM and I put him out, peed myself, let him back in and back to bed to finally wake up at 9:30 AM. I was in bed a total of 10 hours and 24 minutes, and asleep a total of 9 hours and 51 minutes.
I do not know if any of you are familiar with the Fitbit, but one of the things I like about this thing the most is how it monitors movements... or in the case of sleeping.... the lack of movement. I had always thought that one of the effects of grief, for me anyway, was an altered and not too good sleep pattern. I bought the Fitbit this summer just to see how active.. or inactive I was during the day. I am sure that I am way more sedentary than I should be. But I am more active than was before the knee surgery. And I have days when I am more active and days when I do not get out of my own way. But the bonus I found was the monitoring of the sleeping at night. I have found that I am getting more sleep than I thought I was getting.
Now the night before was a dreadful night. And the Fitbit agreed. The lovely blue line that is displayed in the computer program that goes along with the Fitbit showing sleep time was broken up by many, many red lines showing movement and restlessness. Last night was a solid blue line.... completely solid, except for the 12 minutes it took me to fall asleep and the few minutes for the pee breaks at 7:30 AM.
So today I have stripped my bed, washed the sheets and the bed is almost made for the night (the pillowcases had balled up in the sheets and were still damp). They are in with my regular laundry getting a final cycle. I have gone through some paperwork that needs to be in place for Tuesday, updated some spreadsheets for Lions Club and caught up on my games on my IPad.
It has been a really great day for me, even though it is has been raining all day!
I was in bed short;y after 11:00 PM. I had old series "Murder She Wrote" on TV and set the TV to turn off at the end of the hour. Winston was asleep on the couch. I had the bed on vibrate mode. I did not see the end of the episode! According to my Fitbit, I was asleep within 12 minutes of turning the bit from active to sleep. Winston got be up at 7:30 AM and I put him out, peed myself, let him back in and back to bed to finally wake up at 9:30 AM. I was in bed a total of 10 hours and 24 minutes, and asleep a total of 9 hours and 51 minutes.
I do not know if any of you are familiar with the Fitbit, but one of the things I like about this thing the most is how it monitors movements... or in the case of sleeping.... the lack of movement. I had always thought that one of the effects of grief, for me anyway, was an altered and not too good sleep pattern. I bought the Fitbit this summer just to see how active.. or inactive I was during the day. I am sure that I am way more sedentary than I should be. But I am more active than was before the knee surgery. And I have days when I am more active and days when I do not get out of my own way. But the bonus I found was the monitoring of the sleeping at night. I have found that I am getting more sleep than I thought I was getting.
Now the night before was a dreadful night. And the Fitbit agreed. The lovely blue line that is displayed in the computer program that goes along with the Fitbit showing sleep time was broken up by many, many red lines showing movement and restlessness. Last night was a solid blue line.... completely solid, except for the 12 minutes it took me to fall asleep and the few minutes for the pee breaks at 7:30 AM.
So today I have stripped my bed, washed the sheets and the bed is almost made for the night (the pillowcases had balled up in the sheets and were still damp). They are in with my regular laundry getting a final cycle. I have gone through some paperwork that needs to be in place for Tuesday, updated some spreadsheets for Lions Club and caught up on my games on my IPad.
It has been a really great day for me, even though it is has been raining all day!
Friday, January 2, 2015
Update on Day Two....
Have managed to stay awake. No drifting off or taking a nap.
Headache finally went away. I am not a fan of headaches. I do not get them often, so when I get them, I tend to be concerned. Especially as I age. My Grandfather on my Mother's side died of a stroke and my Father died of a stroke. So there is a history.
Winston and I stayed quietly inactive. The Science Channel is running a Mythbuster Marathon and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Most of them are ones I have not seen. Adam and Jamie are really fun and crazy!
Making and adding to lists. Perhaps tomorrow will be more productive.
Looking forward to an early bedtime and perhaps leaving Winston to his favorite couch!!
Headache finally went away. I am not a fan of headaches. I do not get them often, so when I get them, I tend to be concerned. Especially as I age. My Grandfather on my Mother's side died of a stroke and my Father died of a stroke. So there is a history.
Winston and I stayed quietly inactive. The Science Channel is running a Mythbuster Marathon and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Most of them are ones I have not seen. Adam and Jamie are really fun and crazy!
Making and adding to lists. Perhaps tomorrow will be more productive.
Looking forward to an early bedtime and perhaps leaving Winston to his favorite couch!!
Not the kind of start I was hoping for.... but the day is youngish.....
Not a good start to the new year.... really.
I went to bed early last night. I wanted to watch TV in comfort and was looking for a movie that was supposed to be available on Amazon but once I found it I would have to pay for it, so I passed and just watched other stuff.
I was waiting for a friend to call me as she had promised, but the call never came.
Turned the lights out at midnight, but I could not get comfortable and I could not turn my mind off.
According to my Fitbit I slept for a little over 6 hours, but it was not in any way, shape or form good sleep. I tossed and turned. I drifted and came to. It was a very fitful night.
Perhaps it was because Winston had joined me for TV time but did not get down for sleep time. Once he lies down, he is like a 20 pound brick. He was at the foot of the bed, but where my feet wanted to be, so I was never in my sweet spot. I also did not turn on the vibrating feature that I adore as it upsets him. Perhaps I should have done that, sent him to the couch in the living room and we all would have slept better!
I got up for good around 7:30 AM. Had a cup of tea and some sweet bread (Thanks Andy & Carol). Winston was again at my feet on the recliner but now I was fighting a twinge of a headache, probably from lack of sleep, and I was once again drifting off to sleep and waking back up.
So back to bed. No sleeping again. So I showered and dressed and will just muddle through the day with less than a good night's sleep. It is just a bit past 11:00 AM, so perhaps it will improve. I will let you know.
I went to bed early last night. I wanted to watch TV in comfort and was looking for a movie that was supposed to be available on Amazon but once I found it I would have to pay for it, so I passed and just watched other stuff.
I was waiting for a friend to call me as she had promised, but the call never came.
Turned the lights out at midnight, but I could not get comfortable and I could not turn my mind off.
According to my Fitbit I slept for a little over 6 hours, but it was not in any way, shape or form good sleep. I tossed and turned. I drifted and came to. It was a very fitful night.
Perhaps it was because Winston had joined me for TV time but did not get down for sleep time. Once he lies down, he is like a 20 pound brick. He was at the foot of the bed, but where my feet wanted to be, so I was never in my sweet spot. I also did not turn on the vibrating feature that I adore as it upsets him. Perhaps I should have done that, sent him to the couch in the living room and we all would have slept better!
I got up for good around 7:30 AM. Had a cup of tea and some sweet bread (Thanks Andy & Carol). Winston was again at my feet on the recliner but now I was fighting a twinge of a headache, probably from lack of sleep, and I was once again drifting off to sleep and waking back up.
So back to bed. No sleeping again. So I showered and dressed and will just muddle through the day with less than a good night's sleep. It is just a bit past 11:00 AM, so perhaps it will improve. I will let you know.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
New Things in the New Year
Well, another year under my belt. Funny, I remember as we approached the year 2000, with all of the hoopla about our computers dying from a fatal flaw, kept thinking that I was fortunate to get to that date. I have no idea why I felt that way, but I did. So imagine how I am feeling now that I am a full 15 years beyond that point. But I am amazed how quickly those years have passed.
I spent a quiet evening at home with Winston. We did stay up past midnight, but just barely. I made a delicious pizza for dinner and finished up a wonderful coconut cake that was on the verge of dissolving into a gooey blob.
Yesterday afternoon I had gone out to get some provisions for the next several days. I took the opportunity to stop at the 10 & 41 Consignment Shop. I ran into Jim and Nancy Norton who founded the little shop on behalf of the Lions Club. They started doing it just as the economy turned south, so the fact that it survived is a testament to their tenacity. I went in as I was looking for a different light for the little table next to the bed in the sewing room. The one I got from WalMart before the holidays seems to have a gremlin. It has a pull cord and works OK, but toward the last couple of nights that I was using it as my bedroom, if I stood up or sat down or moved, and the light was on, it would turn off. I checked the plugs and all, but everything seemed fine, so I wanted another small light to see if it was the light itself or something else.
I was wandering around trying to see all of the lamps and I ran across this lamp.
It was just beautiful. White Milk Glass, hand painted with beautiful, delicate flowers. It was listed at $38.50 but had a yellow tag and was 75% off. I really liked having the Christmas Tree on the old sewing machine that Donnie and Susan had given me. I also knew if I did not incorporate it into my decor, I would soon fill it with papers and junk. So I splurged, and for around $9.60 plus tax I brought it home. I also found a small lamp to try in the basement. I bought it and two pressed glass ashtrays to use as pin trays either in my room or in the sewing room. They were in the buy 3 for a dollar shelves. Could not go wrong!!
Here is my beautiful lamp, lit up on my Christmas Table Runner. There is also a light in the middle where the flowers are painted. It does not show well in this picture, but it is stunning.
So New Year, New Decorations, New Wall....
I spent a quiet evening at home with Winston. We did stay up past midnight, but just barely. I made a delicious pizza for dinner and finished up a wonderful coconut cake that was on the verge of dissolving into a gooey blob.
Yesterday afternoon I had gone out to get some provisions for the next several days. I took the opportunity to stop at the 10 & 41 Consignment Shop. I ran into Jim and Nancy Norton who founded the little shop on behalf of the Lions Club. They started doing it just as the economy turned south, so the fact that it survived is a testament to their tenacity. I went in as I was looking for a different light for the little table next to the bed in the sewing room. The one I got from WalMart before the holidays seems to have a gremlin. It has a pull cord and works OK, but toward the last couple of nights that I was using it as my bedroom, if I stood up or sat down or moved, and the light was on, it would turn off. I checked the plugs and all, but everything seemed fine, so I wanted another small light to see if it was the light itself or something else.
I was wandering around trying to see all of the lamps and I ran across this lamp.
It was just beautiful. White Milk Glass, hand painted with beautiful, delicate flowers. It was listed at $38.50 but had a yellow tag and was 75% off. I really liked having the Christmas Tree on the old sewing machine that Donnie and Susan had given me. I also knew if I did not incorporate it into my decor, I would soon fill it with papers and junk. So I splurged, and for around $9.60 plus tax I brought it home. I also found a small lamp to try in the basement. I bought it and two pressed glass ashtrays to use as pin trays either in my room or in the sewing room. They were in the buy 3 for a dollar shelves. Could not go wrong!!
Here is my beautiful lamp, lit up on my Christmas Table Runner. There is also a light in the middle where the flowers are painted. It does not show well in this picture, but it is stunning.
So New Year, New Decorations, New Wall....
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