It's that time of year when everyone loses their ability to think rationally. I'm talking about holiday shoppers and their waiting until the last minute to shop. Talk about the traffic and such, it's a mad house out there.
I got all my shopping done yesterday. Of course Dave had a few items (essentials) to pick up and we wanted to fill the car before the gas stations raised their rates for those folks heading out of town for the holiday. They do it every year. Along comes a holiday and the gas stations like to make a few more bucks on people because they know people will be traveling. That doesn't help us who stay home. However we did find a Murphy's Oil Co. where the gas was $2.85 a gallon. The other stations had already started creeping up to over $3.00 a gallon.
Living in a college town the gas is even higher that up the road in Moore. Everything is higher here, food, homes, gas...sometimes I just get so tired of it. I know we're suppose to support our local economy but when they sock it to you I like to sock it right back and take my business elsewhere.
Christie arrive last Saturday for her Christmas visit. She will be here until the 9th of January. So with the kids coming in tomorrow, we will have a full house. Sure glad we have lots of room to put up everyone.
Hope everyone has all their shopping done and the presents wrapped and under the tree, cause Santa will be paying you a visit here soon.
Merry Christmas everyone and too all a Good Night...
1 Day left till CHRISTMAS!
Happy trails...
Friday
Saturday
The Get Fit Program
A special fitness program was offered to people who need to loose 50 lbs. or more. You had to apply and be accepted into the program as there were only 15 spots available. I was one of the lucky few who was accepted into the program that sponsored by the Merrick Foundation with a grant. The 12 week course is designed to help you change your eating and exercise habits, leading you to a more healthy lifestyle and future. We were provided excellent training in the right things to eat, stress control, self image, the foods to eat before and after a workout, making good choices when eating out, weight training and a personal trainer for 12 weeks. If we stuck with the program we got a free 1 hour massage. I love massages so I made sure I stuck with the program...I would have stayed with it anyways, massage or no massage.
Since being diagnosed with diabetes in August, I felt this was a good way to kick start myself in the right direction. My blood sugar in August was 189 and I tipped the scales at 233. This morning I tipped the scales at 214 and my blood sugar was 106. I would say I have come long way but still have quite aways to go.
Staying on track through the holidays will be tough with all the scrumptious food being served up. Exercise will be paramount but with the help of my family I will perserver.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad, Happy Holidays, Happy Kwanzaa, Season's Greeting's to all out there. I'm sure I left someone out, my apologies.
Happy trails...
Since being diagnosed with diabetes in August, I felt this was a good way to kick start myself in the right direction. My blood sugar in August was 189 and I tipped the scales at 233. This morning I tipped the scales at 214 and my blood sugar was 106. I would say I have come long way but still have quite aways to go.
Staying on track through the holidays will be tough with all the scrumptious food being served up. Exercise will be paramount but with the help of my family I will perserver.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad, Happy Holidays, Happy Kwanzaa, Season's Greeting's to all out there. I'm sure I left someone out, my apologies.
Happy trails...
Catching Up On Events...
It's three weeks after Thanksgiving, the family has long since left and I am sitting in my office thinking about all that has happened since I last blogged. Let's see, that was a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. Has it really been that long, where has the time gone?
It all started with Veteran's Day. Norman held it's first Veteran's Day parade since 1941. One of the attendees was 90 years young and one of many of honored guests. There were lots of on-lookers, flag waving and thank-yous as our Veteran's passed by.
A few days later I was having some trouble with my right knee so I went to the Dr. and Phil the PA said nothing to worry about, just a build- up of scar tissue and to keep massaging the scar around the knee to break up the scar tissue inside. It's feeling better already. He also gave me an Rx of Arthrotec, an anti inflammatory. It's great stuff, I'm sure glad that insurance picks up most of the cost on it, otherwise it would be $199.00 out of my pocket for 60 tabs. It keeps the tendons and ligaments around the knee from hurting. The joint is great, no problems there. I can do things now that I have not done in years.
Dave and I cleaned house during the week before Thanksgiving as the kids were due to arrive early Wednesday morning...they pulled in around 3:30 a.m. With three dogs you can imagine the hair. Even though we vacuum every day the dog hair is astounding. So it was vacuum and dust everything time once again. Hopefully when we hit the road we will have one small dog. Taking big boy and little girl along with tiny would be a rather interesting feat.
With the
house clean and ready to accept a 17 month old toddler plus 2 adults and another dog, we felt we were ready for the next five days. Wednesday at noon the kids, hubby and baby came up to my office so the staff could meet my daughter, son and baby Noah. Noah went around to everyone and gave them a hug. He's such a sociable little guy. Everyone enjoyed him as he absconded with Miss Janet's magic wand.
After the visit I was off for the remainder of the day, so off we went to the Greek House to get Gyros . While we waited for out meal, Heather decided that it was too warm for Noah to be wearing his sweatshirt inside the Greek House so she took it off and laid it in front of me.
Yep...she is expecting in July. We are so excited for the both of them. Hmmmm, me thinks she did this exact same thing 2 years ago for her daddy's birthday weekend. Sorry Bobbie, no trip to Colorado this next summer to see you and Jim. :(
After all the excitement at lunch we returned home to reacquaint the dogs with the little tyke. As you can see from the picture above, big boy and Noah got along great, little girl runs from him and is very wary of him being around. However at times we would catch her herding Noah. We have to be careful about that as she likes to nip at his heels. We had to keep a pinch collar and short lead on big boy as he gets too excited sometimes, especially on the first day and wants to mow the boy down. By the second day he was a pretty calm dog but being over 100 lbs. he can still be somewhat overwhelming for Noah. Sometimes big boy would get a drink of water and then want to go give Noah a "kiss" to which Noah would wave his arms and say no, no, no because he knew he would get "slimed" if he let big boy "kiss" him. It was so funny to watch.
The kids were wanting to take their family Christmas picture but during the course of the evening Noah fell against my chair and hit his head on one of the brass tacks. Needless to say no family pictures until later when the bruise goes away.
Thursday being Thanksgiving, everyone had a hand in making dinner. It turned out wonderful as usual. I fixed a turkey without the dark meat, a ham, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, corn, dressing, gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce, a special cheese spread for the stuffed celery and a pumpkin pie. I did real well in eating as I measured everything I ate and was able to keep my blood sugar down and did not leave the table feeling stuff.
Friday was the crazy day where everyone seem to loose perspective of what Christmas is all about and act like idiots to run through stores and buy bargains. I have not and will not ever shop with the idiots on Black Friday at ungodly hours. We did go out later that day and do some shopping but no way am I getting up at some ridiculous hour and do battle with the other idiots for some item that might save me a few dollars. It just isn't worth it. I did most of my shopping online this year anyway and saved myself the hassle and wear and tear on my nerves not to mention gas.
Saturday we pretty much vegged around the TV watching football. The big bedlam game between OU and OSU wasn't even a heart breaker. OSU soundly whipped the boys in Crimson and Cream, so OU will be Arizona bound to play Iowa. I don't think it will be that exciting of a game, but you never know...
After the game Heather and I made up cookie dough for the sugar cookies we would be making with Noah on Sunday morning. Noah was a big helper in the kitchen. He helped me cut out the cookies and was a great cookie decorator until he found out the decorations were sweet. We had so much fun.
Soon it was time for the kids to pack up to go back home. Noah and J kept making faces at each other, it was a riot to watch their antics.
They were soon loaded, we said our good-byes and off they went. Low and behold only a sock left behind this time.
I do wish the kids were closer but one of these days we will have our RV and can go visit them.
My Brother and Sister-in-law came down today and brought us Noah's Christmas gift since they were not going to be able to make it down for the holidays. We had a great visit and went to Pei Wei for dinner. I love it when we can all get together.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends.
8 days till Christmas!
Happy trails...
 |
| Color Guard |
It all started with Veteran's Day. Norman held it's first Veteran's Day parade since 1941. One of the attendees was 90 years young and one of many of honored guests. There were lots of on-lookers, flag waving and thank-yous as our Veteran's passed by.
 |
| Our 90 year old Grand Marshall |
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| The Patriot Guard Riders, can't thank them enough for what they do |
A few days later I was having some trouble with my right knee so I went to the Dr. and Phil the PA said nothing to worry about, just a build- up of scar tissue and to keep massaging the scar around the knee to break up the scar tissue inside. It's feeling better already. He also gave me an Rx of Arthrotec, an anti inflammatory. It's great stuff, I'm sure glad that insurance picks up most of the cost on it, otherwise it would be $199.00 out of my pocket for 60 tabs. It keeps the tendons and ligaments around the knee from hurting. The joint is great, no problems there. I can do things now that I have not done in years.
Dave and I cleaned house during the week before Thanksgiving as the kids were due to arrive early Wednesday morning...they pulled in around 3:30 a.m. With three dogs you can imagine the hair. Even though we vacuum every day the dog hair is astounding. So it was vacuum and dust everything time once again. Hopefully when we hit the road we will have one small dog. Taking big boy and little girl along with tiny would be a rather interesting feat.
With the house clean and ready to accept a 17 month old toddler plus 2 adults and another dog, we felt we were ready for the next five days. Wednesday at noon the kids, hubby and baby came up to my office so the staff could meet my daughter, son and baby Noah. Noah went around to everyone and gave them a hug. He's such a sociable little guy. Everyone enjoyed him as he absconded with Miss Janet's magic wand.
Yep...she is expecting in July. We are so excited for the both of them. Hmmmm, me thinks she did this exact same thing 2 years ago for her daddy's birthday weekend. Sorry Bobbie, no trip to Colorado this next summer to see you and Jim. :(
After all the excitement at lunch we returned home to reacquaint the dogs with the little tyke. As you can see from the picture above, big boy and Noah got along great, little girl runs from him and is very wary of him being around. However at times we would catch her herding Noah. We have to be careful about that as she likes to nip at his heels. We had to keep a pinch collar and short lead on big boy as he gets too excited sometimes, especially on the first day and wants to mow the boy down. By the second day he was a pretty calm dog but being over 100 lbs. he can still be somewhat overwhelming for Noah. Sometimes big boy would get a drink of water and then want to go give Noah a "kiss" to which Noah would wave his arms and say no, no, no because he knew he would get "slimed" if he let big boy "kiss" him. It was so funny to watch.
The kids were wanting to take their family Christmas picture but during the course of the evening Noah fell against my chair and hit his head on one of the brass tacks. Needless to say no family pictures until later when the bruise goes away.
Thursday being Thanksgiving, everyone had a hand in making dinner. It turned out wonderful as usual. I fixed a turkey without the dark meat, a ham, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, corn, dressing, gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce, a special cheese spread for the stuffed celery and a pumpkin pie. I did real well in eating as I measured everything I ate and was able to keep my blood sugar down and did not leave the table feeling stuff. Friday was the crazy day where everyone seem to loose perspective of what Christmas is all about and act like idiots to run through stores and buy bargains. I have not and will not ever shop with the idiots on Black Friday at ungodly hours. We did go out later that day and do some shopping but no way am I getting up at some ridiculous hour and do battle with the other idiots for some item that might save me a few dollars. It just isn't worth it. I did most of my shopping online this year anyway and saved myself the hassle and wear and tear on my nerves not to mention gas.
Saturday we pretty much vegged around the TV watching football. The big bedlam game between OU and OSU wasn't even a heart breaker. OSU soundly whipped the boys in Crimson and Cream, so OU will be Arizona bound to play Iowa. I don't think it will be that exciting of a game, but you never know...
After the game Heather and I made up cookie dough for the sugar cookies we would be making with Noah on Sunday morning. Noah was a big helper in the kitchen. He helped me cut out the cookies and was a great cookie decorator until he found out the decorations were sweet. We had so much fun.
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| Noah patting the dough |
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| Decorating cookies is fun! |
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| "Me on a sugar high?...NEVER!!!!" |
Soon it was time for the kids to pack up to go back home. Noah and J kept making faces at each other, it was a riot to watch their antics.
They were soon loaded, we said our good-byes and off they went. Low and behold only a sock left behind this time.
I do wish the kids were closer but one of these days we will have our RV and can go visit them.
My Brother and Sister-in-law came down today and brought us Noah's Christmas gift since they were not going to be able to make it down for the holidays. We had a great visit and went to Pei Wei for dinner. I love it when we can all get together.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends.
8 days till Christmas!
Happy trails...
Monday
42 Days Till Christmas and Counting...
My gosh is it that time of year again? Where has the time gone? For the past two years I have been out of commission by having total knee replacement surgery during the holidays. But this year I am up and around and doing fine. I get to decorate the house! Wheeeee! It's been a long time since I've decorated the house. But family is coming and I'm excited about it.
I have most of my Christmas shopping done. Nothing like planning ahead and getting it out of the way. I still need to shop for Noah, but trying to find him something that he doesn't already have will be hard. He's got so much stuff for his birthday that I don't think another toy will fit into his house.
With an 18 month old in the house and his being such a go-getter, constantly on the move, I want to spend lots of time with him. I don't get to see him all that often and when I do it's such fun because he's such a cute little guy. I think he will have fun at Christmas, but next year will be when he will really have fun because he will be more into it. We'll have to find a place to put the Christmas tree so it won't get toppled. A little one, four dogs and a small tree doesn't mix very well.
I have lots of baking to do over the next few weeks. Christmas cookies and pies, make ahead casseroles. I will be experimenting with making the cookies with Splenda instead of sugar this year. I don't want to spend my all time off from work (12 days) cooking. My blood sugar is doing well and I have lost 16 lbs. thus far. I have more to loose and I want to get the blood sugar down under 80. If I can do that before the end of the year, I will be a very happy camper.
Dave has a birthday coming up this month. He was lamenting the other day that he was going to be 69 in a few weeks. I told him he had one more year to get his stuff pulled together as I'm trying to set a target date on getting out on the road.
I looked at a Keystone Sydney 328FRK the other day. I like the layout of the kitchen but Dave was concerned that there was not room for two reclining chairs. I told him that we could do away with the couch...that went over like a lead balloon. There were a few other aminaties that I would like to have that were not offered. I prefer a table and chairs for the dining area instead of booth seating and you have to have a seat it the shower. Small details like that. All in all it's not a bad looking trailer. But my all time favorite is the Keystone Alpine 3600RS. The price is nice too. :( Will have to wait to see if any used ones come up for sale. There could be one drawback to a rig that size. Getting it into the National Parks and National Forest areas.
Yesterday I made a big pot of German Chicken Barley Soup. It was good and hit the spot. Today has been cool and overcast with a smattering of rain here and there. Hot soup always does the trick on a cool or cold day. And there's nothing like walking into a house where soup is on the stove and the aroma hits you like a ton of bricks and makes the old mouth water. Yep, good soup!
Well for now that's the news from here.
Happy trails...
I have most of my Christmas shopping done. Nothing like planning ahead and getting it out of the way. I still need to shop for Noah, but trying to find him something that he doesn't already have will be hard. He's got so much stuff for his birthday that I don't think another toy will fit into his house.
With an 18 month old in the house and his being such a go-getter, constantly on the move, I want to spend lots of time with him. I don't get to see him all that often and when I do it's such fun because he's such a cute little guy. I think he will have fun at Christmas, but next year will be when he will really have fun because he will be more into it. We'll have to find a place to put the Christmas tree so it won't get toppled. A little one, four dogs and a small tree doesn't mix very well.
I have lots of baking to do over the next few weeks. Christmas cookies and pies, make ahead casseroles. I will be experimenting with making the cookies with Splenda instead of sugar this year. I don't want to spend my all time off from work (12 days) cooking. My blood sugar is doing well and I have lost 16 lbs. thus far. I have more to loose and I want to get the blood sugar down under 80. If I can do that before the end of the year, I will be a very happy camper.
Dave has a birthday coming up this month. He was lamenting the other day that he was going to be 69 in a few weeks. I told him he had one more year to get his stuff pulled together as I'm trying to set a target date on getting out on the road.
I looked at a Keystone Sydney 328FRK the other day. I like the layout of the kitchen but Dave was concerned that there was not room for two reclining chairs. I told him that we could do away with the couch...that went over like a lead balloon. There were a few other aminaties that I would like to have that were not offered. I prefer a table and chairs for the dining area instead of booth seating and you have to have a seat it the shower. Small details like that. All in all it's not a bad looking trailer. But my all time favorite is the Keystone Alpine 3600RS. The price is nice too. :( Will have to wait to see if any used ones come up for sale. There could be one drawback to a rig that size. Getting it into the National Parks and National Forest areas.
Yesterday I made a big pot of German Chicken Barley Soup. It was good and hit the spot. Today has been cool and overcast with a smattering of rain here and there. Hot soup always does the trick on a cool or cold day. And there's nothing like walking into a house where soup is on the stove and the aroma hits you like a ton of bricks and makes the old mouth water. Yep, good soup!
Well for now that's the news from here.
Happy trails...
Sunday
Earthquake?!?!?!?!?!
Yesterday way a day for earthquakes here in central Oklahoma. I have felt one before while sitting in my office at the university. But last night we had a 5.6 quake here and I can tell you the house was shaking pretty good.
Dave and I were sitting in the living room watching a delayed version of Prime Suspect when the quake hit around 10:10 p.m.. The dogs jumped up and started barking and we had things falling off the piano, video tapes falling off their stacks, some cups came off a shelf and some of my Mary Kay product ended up on the floor.
We've had over 40 aftershocks, non that I have felt. We had 3 quakes that led up to the large one last night. Here is a map that you can get up to the minute information. It's really interesting as it also has information about boarder incidents, Hazmat information and a plethora of other information you might find interesting.
If you haven't done it yet be sure to set your clocks back so your not late to any appointments or work.
Happy trails....
Dave and I were sitting in the living room watching a delayed version of Prime Suspect when the quake hit around 10:10 p.m.. The dogs jumped up and started barking and we had things falling off the piano, video tapes falling off their stacks, some cups came off a shelf and some of my Mary Kay product ended up on the floor.
We've had over 40 aftershocks, non that I have felt. We had 3 quakes that led up to the large one last night. Here is a map that you can get up to the minute information. It's really interesting as it also has information about boarder incidents, Hazmat information and a plethora of other information you might find interesting.
If you haven't done it yet be sure to set your clocks back so your not late to any appointments or work.
Happy trails....
Wednesday
Ah...Affairs of the Heart...
In one of my last blogs I talked about having a chemical stress test on my heart. Got the news back yesterday that everything was ok and I was good to go. Boy did that lift a weight off my chest!
It's amazing how you imagine everything. Women are suppose to have different symtoms of a heart attack than men. Every little pressure I had was, this is it, syndrom. But until you actually get the news...you worry. The up side to all of this is we now have a bench mark of my heart for my diabetes. My blood sugar is coming down and so is my weight. I have lost 16 lbs. since the last week in August and have dropped my blood sugar 66 points. Do I still crave carbs...YES, but I now know what's at stake and I work on making better choices in what I eat. I am determined to not go on medication if I can control it with diet and exercise. Where is my Wii when I need it. Still collecting dust I see...Dave, get it hooked up for me!
Happy trails...
It's amazing how you imagine everything. Women are suppose to have different symtoms of a heart attack than men. Every little pressure I had was, this is it, syndrom. But until you actually get the news...you worry. The up side to all of this is we now have a bench mark of my heart for my diabetes. My blood sugar is coming down and so is my weight. I have lost 16 lbs. since the last week in August and have dropped my blood sugar 66 points. Do I still crave carbs...YES, but I now know what's at stake and I work on making better choices in what I eat. I am determined to not go on medication if I can control it with diet and exercise. Where is my Wii when I need it. Still collecting dust I see...Dave, get it hooked up for me!
Happy trails...
Thursday
Don't Want To Do That Again...
Monday I had a nuclear (chemical) stress test on my heart. All I can say is that I don't want to have to do that again any time soon. First they inserted an IV in my arm and shot some saline into the vein. I could taste it and smell it as well to which the technician said only a small amount of people are able to to that which means I have great taste buds. Hooray for me! Next they took my blood pressure but put the BP cuff on my forearm instead of my upper arm. The technician said you actually get a better reading in that location. After that the technician attached the little electrodes all over my chest, the nurse's assistant came in the room and the test began.
Have you ever had your life flash before your eyes? That is what it felt like, very heavy, hard to breath, dizzy. The test only lasted 30 seconds after they shot the chemical into my vein, but felt like a lifetime before they shot me with the recovery drug twice. Then they introduced the isotopes into my system. After that I had to wait for 15 minutes before they took me to another room and put me on a very skinny table that was attached to a special camera that took pictures of the heart under stress from all sides being still for 17 minutes. Have you ever had an itch you needed to scratch? You get the drift.
After it was over I left the office walking like a drunken sailor, my legs were like rubber. Needless to say I did not feel like going back to work so I went home. I didn't even have the "want to" to make dinner. So we went out to Taco Mayo and I had 4 of their tacos. Normally I only get three but that night I got 4. They tasted wonderful!
The next morning and most of the day I felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my upper torso. Now keep in mind not everyone reacts like this. Some people are not affected at all by all the chemicals. By mid afternoon I was back to normal. I had to go back on Wednesday to finish rest of the test. What now? Actually nothing as drastic as Monday. They inserted the IV and flushed the vein with the saline again, then injected the isotopes and had me wait 15 minutes. Then I laid on the skinny table and was to be still for 20 minutes this time while the camera circled my torso shooting pictures of my resting heart. Then I was done, none worse for the wear.
I went to work and after work went to my health class then worked out with my personal trainer. A very long day and boy was I glad it was over.
I get the news on Monday. All of this because I had a muscle cramp in my back. But being a diabetic I can understand the reason for wanting a benchmark as to where my heart is. So we wait.
I've been busy getting ready for the concert on Monday. Spooky music with the OU Symphony and 3 different choirs. There is 151 people in the choir and boy does the sound, sound wonderful. It should be a great concert. Just finished working with the orchestra, rehearsal Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m., dress rehearsal Sunday evening and the concert on Monday. I know...everyone has asked me "why Monday?", It's Halloween! Well after all it is Spooky music.
Tomorrow is casual Friday, to which I will be wearing my thermal shirt and jeans. It gets cold in my office as my windows face the North. Monday the employees in the office are dressing up in costume. I'm going as a vampire opera singer. I already have my make-up planned out. The only thing is I will have to take it all off and re-apply fresh make-up for the concert. Oh well...
Have a great weekend everyone and Happy Halloween...
Happy trails...
Have you ever had your life flash before your eyes? That is what it felt like, very heavy, hard to breath, dizzy. The test only lasted 30 seconds after they shot the chemical into my vein, but felt like a lifetime before they shot me with the recovery drug twice. Then they introduced the isotopes into my system. After that I had to wait for 15 minutes before they took me to another room and put me on a very skinny table that was attached to a special camera that took pictures of the heart under stress from all sides being still for 17 minutes. Have you ever had an itch you needed to scratch? You get the drift.
After it was over I left the office walking like a drunken sailor, my legs were like rubber. Needless to say I did not feel like going back to work so I went home. I didn't even have the "want to" to make dinner. So we went out to Taco Mayo and I had 4 of their tacos. Normally I only get three but that night I got 4. They tasted wonderful!
The next morning and most of the day I felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my upper torso. Now keep in mind not everyone reacts like this. Some people are not affected at all by all the chemicals. By mid afternoon I was back to normal. I had to go back on Wednesday to finish rest of the test. What now? Actually nothing as drastic as Monday. They inserted the IV and flushed the vein with the saline again, then injected the isotopes and had me wait 15 minutes. Then I laid on the skinny table and was to be still for 20 minutes this time while the camera circled my torso shooting pictures of my resting heart. Then I was done, none worse for the wear.
I went to work and after work went to my health class then worked out with my personal trainer. A very long day and boy was I glad it was over.
I get the news on Monday. All of this because I had a muscle cramp in my back. But being a diabetic I can understand the reason for wanting a benchmark as to where my heart is. So we wait.
I've been busy getting ready for the concert on Monday. Spooky music with the OU Symphony and 3 different choirs. There is 151 people in the choir and boy does the sound, sound wonderful. It should be a great concert. Just finished working with the orchestra, rehearsal Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m., dress rehearsal Sunday evening and the concert on Monday. I know...everyone has asked me "why Monday?", It's Halloween! Well after all it is Spooky music.
Tomorrow is casual Friday, to which I will be wearing my thermal shirt and jeans. It gets cold in my office as my windows face the North. Monday the employees in the office are dressing up in costume. I'm going as a vampire opera singer. I already have my make-up planned out. The only thing is I will have to take it all off and re-apply fresh make-up for the concert. Oh well...
Have a great weekend everyone and Happy Halloween...
Happy trails...
Sunday
A Lazy Sunday...
Yesterday was Homecoming for the University of Oklahoma. The day was filled with lots of activities and a parade with the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band, floats and lots of other stuff I did not see. Last night after an hour and a half rain delay the game started. I was in bed by the second quarter trying to keep my eyes open but faded by half time. The Sooners had a rough time of it with Texas Tech and eventually lost the game. Oh Drats! As you can see I am not a big football fan any more. Use to love it but have other priorities now, like figuring out a way to get out on the open road sooner that expected. This Sunday morning found me making the coffee instead of Dave making the coffee. I guess that after 9 hours sleep and when the peepers pop open before sunrise, you might as well get up and at'tem. After making coffee and turning on the TV to finish watching a program I got out the DVD of exercises and did my workout and then had some 5 grain oatmeal. After breakfast I did a Spybot, Malware check and a Clean-up on my computer. It had be 40 days since my last run. Everything checks out but for a new computer it sure runs slow. I'm going through my office today and working on taxes...UGH! Hate those things but it has to be done. Later Dave and I are going to work on one of our closets, got to get it cleared out and get the junk removed. Not looking forward to that but it has to be done. Dave came across a new site yesterday and I have attached the links here as I find it interesting. It's about making changes in your lifestyle and how to accomplish what you want...hence full-timing. I know I will certainly look at things with a different perspective now. Great stuff our younger generation is coming up with. I go to the Dr. tomorrow for a Nuclear Exercise Clinically induced heart stress test. Should be interesting. With my diabetes the Dr's want to have a benchmark of where my heart is. So no caffeine, chocolate, tea, decaff tea, cokes (I don't drink them anyways), decaff coffee or decaff coffee 24 hours before the test. Water is pretty much what I drink now with a cup of coffee in the mornings. By the time the test rolls around I should have a great headache...oh fun! After a gloomy foggy morning the sun has finally broken through and it's beautiful day outside. If it's sunny where you are...get out and enjoy the day. Sunshine is good for you. Great source of Vitamin D. Happy trails... |
Monday
Oh Blessed Rain...
Saturday was a grand day in that OU beat Texas. But we best watch our P's and Q's as the Texas players are very young and in a few years will trounce on us when we have a young team. But the win was sweet anyways. After the game Dave and I noticed some wet stuff falling from the heavens. Could that...is it possible...is it rain??? Sure enough it was the wet stuff we had been praying for. Some areas of the state got up to 5 inches. Here in Norman we got over 3 inches. For now the short term drought is over but the long term drought is still with us. The weatherman said the state still needed 15 inches of moisture in order to help alleviate the problem. So we pray some more and hope more moisture falls from the sky.
Yesterday Dave and I went to see "Real Steel" with Hugh Jackman up at the Warren Theatre in Moore, OK. We had to make a mad dash from the parking lot to the building as it was still raining and it didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon. I can tell you this, Disney sure does know how to tell a story. It was good and growing up in a boxing family, I could really appreciate the movie. My dad was a corner man for a boxer by the name of Shorty who fought for the Navy out in San Diego, CA during WWII. It's a shame I did not keep the golden gloves boxing gloves that dad had. He had two sets of them. I can remember when I was around three years old, my dad would watch the Friday night fights on TV (very small screen), they would sing the National Anthem before the match. I would stand in the middle of the living room and belt out the song right along with the singer on TV. Dad would always tell me that I did a better job than the person on TV. Oh what memories, what fun.
Other than the "usual" stuff, not much is going on. My blood sugar is slowly coming down, I still have a ways to go with it but it gets better each day. I meet with my personal trainer on Wednesday and do my fitness assessment. That should be interesting. Tomorrow night is choir rehearsal for the program the University is putting on, on Halloween. Personally I think it should be on a different day but I did not make the schedule nor was I asked, hmmmm! Come on folks, it's H A L L O W E E N, ghouls, goblins, little kids in costumes, candy, jack-o-lanterns...seriously a concert about the Druids and the coming of Spring?????? Ok...the music sounds a little ghoulish.
In looking at my stats on my blog I was so surprised to see people from different countries from all over the world who have visited at my blog. I wish they would leave a message and say hi. I wonder who they are, what they're like. Today I had a visitor from Canada and I bet I know who that was...Al from The Bayfield Bunch. Thanks Al for stopping in and taking the time to read my blog. I rarely miss yours. Just love that Phebmonster and Motormouse.
Well that's my report and I'm sticking to it...now where have I heard that before?
Happy trails...
Yesterday Dave and I went to see "Real Steel" with Hugh Jackman up at the Warren Theatre in Moore, OK. We had to make a mad dash from the parking lot to the building as it was still raining and it didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon. I can tell you this, Disney sure does know how to tell a story. It was good and growing up in a boxing family, I could really appreciate the movie. My dad was a corner man for a boxer by the name of Shorty who fought for the Navy out in San Diego, CA during WWII. It's a shame I did not keep the golden gloves boxing gloves that dad had. He had two sets of them. I can remember when I was around three years old, my dad would watch the Friday night fights on TV (very small screen), they would sing the National Anthem before the match. I would stand in the middle of the living room and belt out the song right along with the singer on TV. Dad would always tell me that I did a better job than the person on TV. Oh what memories, what fun.
Other than the "usual" stuff, not much is going on. My blood sugar is slowly coming down, I still have a ways to go with it but it gets better each day. I meet with my personal trainer on Wednesday and do my fitness assessment. That should be interesting. Tomorrow night is choir rehearsal for the program the University is putting on, on Halloween. Personally I think it should be on a different day but I did not make the schedule nor was I asked, hmmmm! Come on folks, it's H A L L O W E E N, ghouls, goblins, little kids in costumes, candy, jack-o-lanterns...seriously a concert about the Druids and the coming of Spring?????? Ok...the music sounds a little ghoulish.
In looking at my stats on my blog I was so surprised to see people from different countries from all over the world who have visited at my blog. I wish they would leave a message and say hi. I wonder who they are, what they're like. Today I had a visitor from Canada and I bet I know who that was...Al from The Bayfield Bunch. Thanks Al for stopping in and taking the time to read my blog. I rarely miss yours. Just love that Phebmonster and Motormouse.
Well that's my report and I'm sticking to it...now where have I heard that before?
Happy trails...
Wednesday
First Fire of the Season...
I had been outside playing with the dogs and it just hit me that I needed to have a fire, to sit back and let my mind go blank. The weekend before, I talked Dave into moving the fire tub from the patio to a cleared space in the yard where the dogs had worn away the grass and was quickly becoming a barren patch of fine sifted dirt (we need rain desperately). He set the legs of the fire tub on cement blocks so as to not become mired in mud when it does rain (sometime in the near future hopefully, the outlook does not look good).
I gathered wood from our wood pile, built a square of wood, it looked like a tic-tac-toe puzzle, put crumpled up newspaper in the center of that, then put a couple of logs across the top with more newspaper in-between those two logs and put the fire stick to the paper. The wood was so dry that it took a total of 45 seconds for the whole thing to catch on fire. I put the protective screen on the top, pulled up a chair, and called Dave to come out and join me. We watched the sun set and the fire go out. It was loverly!
I enjoy building a fire on a Sunday morning, taking my coffee, paper or a book out to read in the peace and quiet of the surroundings in my backyard. I get to hear the neighborhood wake up and the Canadian Geese take off from the retention pond that is not far from the house to fly over to the larger duck pond located just east of the university, where children and parents bring tasty morsels of bread and cracked corn to feed the hoards of geese and ducks milling about.
In the mountains, it's heaven to get to hear the birds start their morning song at about 5:30 a.m. just as the first blush of light breaks through the dark of night and the stars start to disappear in the dawn of morning. The air is so clear and crisp, the sky so blue, the scent of the mountains,water and fauna is overwhelming. The sounds of a waterfall, chipmunks playing among the pine needles, deer softly treading into your campsite, the weasel rushing to hide himself with his treasure, marmots whistling to each other, and the spider web with the morning dew covering it like diamonds glistening in the first rays of light make you wonder if it is a dream or reality. Last but not least, let's not forget the abundance of wild flowers and grand vistas. No wonder people want to get away from the cities, smog and noise. Now if they would just leave their noisy boom boxes and arguments at home, the campgrounds in the mountains would be perfect.
Happy trails...
Friday
What Everyone Needs...
While at the local Sam's club the other day, I made a sweep of the store to see if there was anything new. Sure enough there was. The item that caught my eye was a two burner camp stove with a functioning oven underneath it call the Camp Chef. It runs off propane. The cost $175.00. I thought wow!, that would work well in an outdoor kitchen. We have been having more bad weather here in the mid-west and there are times that such a device would be very helpful. And again I think of all the campers that would like to have this item.
Happy trails...
Happy trails...
Saturday
Football Saturday and a Plan...
I love it when a plan comes together. While out this morning doing my Saturday morning errands I stopped at the Farmer's Market and picked up some items. First was a sugar pumpkin. It looked so good and FabGrandma had a recipe for fixing the pumpkin on her blog this past week and I knew I had to give it a try. The next thing I bought was some Colorado sweet corn. One ear for me three for Dave. I also bought some new potatoes, red onions, apples, zucchini, butternut squash and a red pepper. I got all of it for $19.00.
One booth tempted me with a Mixed Pepper Spread for my biscuits. It was very good, reminded me of the Jalapeno Jelly I bought at a local Farmer's Market in South Fork, CO 2 years ago with my friend Bobbie. I had just run out of the jelly this past week. Yes, it kept that long and every bit of it was wonderful.
Around 4:00 p.m. I needed to go to the bank to make a deposit which is located in our local Homeland store. Outside they were fixing slabs of pork ribs for $9.99. They smelled so good that I had an idea, I would get some ribs, fix the corn and throw some pork-n-beans on the grill. When I went to pick up the ribs, they weren't quite done and they wanted me to wait until they were. To heck with that!!! I said give me the ribs and I will finish cooking them on my grill.
I got home, cleaned the grill, fired it up, got it to temperature and on went the ribs for about another hour and a half. I opened a can of beans and put some agave syrup and BBQ sauce in them, did a quick stir in the can and put that on the grill. I then wrapped my corn in foil and on the grill they went. While that was cooking I removed the ribs, wrapped them in foil and put them in the microwave to hold the temperature. The ribs were very good and hit the spot.
The timer just went off, so my corn is done, the beans are done and the ribs have rested. Time to dig in and watch some Oklahoma Football!!! Go Sooners!!!
Happy trails...
One booth tempted me with a Mixed Pepper Spread for my biscuits. It was very good, reminded me of the Jalapeno Jelly I bought at a local Farmer's Market in South Fork, CO 2 years ago with my friend Bobbie. I had just run out of the jelly this past week. Yes, it kept that long and every bit of it was wonderful.
Around 4:00 p.m. I needed to go to the bank to make a deposit which is located in our local Homeland store. Outside they were fixing slabs of pork ribs for $9.99. They smelled so good that I had an idea, I would get some ribs, fix the corn and throw some pork-n-beans on the grill. When I went to pick up the ribs, they weren't quite done and they wanted me to wait until they were. To heck with that!!! I said give me the ribs and I will finish cooking them on my grill.
I got home, cleaned the grill, fired it up, got it to temperature and on went the ribs for about another hour and a half. I opened a can of beans and put some agave syrup and BBQ sauce in them, did a quick stir in the can and put that on the grill. I then wrapped my corn in foil and on the grill they went. While that was cooking I removed the ribs, wrapped them in foil and put them in the microwave to hold the temperature. The ribs were very good and hit the spot.
Happy trails...
Wednesday
The Great State Fair Of Oklahoma
Today was Senior Day at the fair so I skipped work and Dave and I went to the fair. They had several things that were new such as a Butterfly Tent. There were over 5,000 butterflies inside this tented pavilion. They were gorgeous! We opted to see them from the outside.
We took our time and strolled through the exhibits and looked at several items such as a temper-pedic mattress and a Dura Tent for putting your prepared food in for outdoor camping, tail-gating or any other outdoor related activity or party.
We decided to not have any food at the fair as everything is either high fat or fried in grease and terribly expensive. Instead we went to Smash Burger at The Outlet Shoppes of Oklahoma City. I had a grilled chicken breast with mayo, lettuce, pickles, red onion on a artisan bun (very whole wheat). It was very good...down to the last bite. Dave had the All-American Burger. He said it was delicious. He had regular fries and I had sweet potato fries with rosemary. They were outstanding. We both had water.
After that we decided to head home and stopped at a Wall-mart on I-240 and Santa Fe and got gas for $3.08 with the Wal-mart discount. Such a deal. Gas here in Norman. is $3.39 a gallon.
I'm off to a new exercise class where I will have a personal trainer. I had to be accepted into the class. I'm one of 15 out of many applicants who made it into the class. Apparently we will run the whole gambit of training including weights and water works in a pool. Should be interesting. Until next time...
Happy trails...
We took our time and strolled through the exhibits and looked at several items such as a temper-pedic mattress and a Dura Tent for putting your prepared food in for outdoor camping, tail-gating or any other outdoor related activity or party.
We decided to not have any food at the fair as everything is either high fat or fried in grease and terribly expensive. Instead we went to Smash Burger at The Outlet Shoppes of Oklahoma City. I had a grilled chicken breast with mayo, lettuce, pickles, red onion on a artisan bun (very whole wheat). It was very good...down to the last bite. Dave had the All-American Burger. He said it was delicious. He had regular fries and I had sweet potato fries with rosemary. They were outstanding. We both had water.
After that we decided to head home and stopped at a Wall-mart on I-240 and Santa Fe and got gas for $3.08 with the Wal-mart discount. Such a deal. Gas here in Norman. is $3.39 a gallon.
I'm off to a new exercise class where I will have a personal trainer. I had to be accepted into the class. I'm one of 15 out of many applicants who made it into the class. Apparently we will run the whole gambit of training including weights and water works in a pool. Should be interesting. Until next time...
Happy trails...
Tuesday
Diabetes...
August has come and gone and we are half way through September now.
Not much went on in August other than it being horribly hot here in Oklahoma with no rain in sight. We had over 100 days of 100+ degree heat. Our big trees started dying, all the leaves dried up on them. Hopefully they went into survivor mode and will come out next spring. We'll need lots of rain and snow this winter for that to happen. When the dogs would trot across the yard they were leaving dust puffs. Our big boy Fitz looked like he was a galloping horse it was so dry and dusty. We have had terrible grass fires here in the state, but nothing like in Texas. Those poor people down there who have lost everything. I really feel for them.
I had been feeling somewhat under the weather for awhile and with my grandfather, mother, brother having diabetes and my daughter having gestational diabetes, at my daughters urging, I decided to get a free Freestyle Lite meter and check mine. HOLY COW my blood sugar clocked in at 189!
The kids and the grand baby came to see us over the Labor Day weekend and I took a couple of days extra off and made an appointment with the Dr. to have my annual physical and blood work done. My a1c came in at 8.1, the Dr. would like for it to be at 6 and my blood sugar was 157, it needs to be down to under 70. In a week and a half's time I had managed to get it down to that. The Doctor said that she will give me three months to get things under control or she will put me on a drug called metformin. I will do everything I can to not go on medication.
My darling daughter brought all her diabetes information and I started going through it and making copies and started journaling my carbs, eating more fiber and protein. We have only eaten out once and boy did my blood sugar go up! So eating out less and more preparing fresh.
I have been working on my weight by watching what I eat and exercising. Since my knee surgery I have not been able to walk correctly and can't find my stride. Also my foot hurts when I wear shoes so I have to wear Crocs. This morning the scale said I had lost 8 lbs. and my blood sugar was 134. The more weight I loose the better the sugar will be and I think my foot pain will improve. I must say that I am already feeling better. It's amazing how a little device like a glucose meter will get you on the stick and make you realize that you had better do something about the situation and fast!
We had a wonderful visit with the kids and grand baby. He's getting so big! Such a cutie! We formed a corral out of the furniture so he would have a safe place to play. It was so funny...Dave was gone and the kids had gone shopping leave grandma to babysit. Noah was crawling all over his corral and having a good time. While sitting on the floor he just fell over sound asleep! I covered him, picked him up and put him on the couch propped by pillows so he wouldn't fall off. I texted the kids and told them what happened and they replied "He put himself to sleep"?!?!?!?! to which I replied "Yep" I guess he never does that at home. After awhile he started to get fussy and wake up to which I picked him up blanket and all and brought him to my chair and tucked him into the crook of my arm and there he slept for another hour and a half. In all the little guy had a 3 hour nap, much to his parents amazement.
He figured how to get past the furniture which was his corral by watching our little dog who would go under the chair, so we had to put our ottomans in front of them to block off the space. He was not a happy camper about that! He was very determined to get past the blockade and tried every maneuver in the book. But we managed to thwart him and keep him occupied with lots of toys and balls and a movie or two.
The kids brought their new bicycles and a collapsible child trailer for Heather's bike for Noah. We went for a bike ride over to the practice field for the OU band and watched the drum corps do their thing. Noah was fascinated. It was a good bike ride and I enjoyed it very much even though I had some trouble with the seat of my bike. Every time I would go over a bump in the road my seat would tilt backwards. Dave needed to tighten it a lot before it finally stayed put.
I received an email in August saying the OU Community Choir was starting up and was going to be doing a work by Mendelssohn "Die erste Walpurgisnacht" with the OU Orchestra and OU Choir on Halloween. I put in a link so you can listen to the work. It's been years since I had done any real serious singing and decided that this would be a fun thing to do as my pipes had become somewhat rusty. We had our first rehearsal last week and boy what a workout! So lots of fun in store for us I would say and my pipes? I would say the rust is starting to wear away, just have to get the breathing under control.
Tomorrow is a free day at the Oklahoma State Fair for seniors so Dave and I will head off at some point during the day and look at all the goodies and then will head to Smash Burger at the new outlet mall at I-40 and Council Road. I love their grilled chicken sandwich with their sweet potato fries. The outlet mall is really cool and we have needed one in OKC for sometime, until then...
Happy Trails...
Not much went on in August other than it being horribly hot here in Oklahoma with no rain in sight. We had over 100 days of 100+ degree heat. Our big trees started dying, all the leaves dried up on them. Hopefully they went into survivor mode and will come out next spring. We'll need lots of rain and snow this winter for that to happen. When the dogs would trot across the yard they were leaving dust puffs. Our big boy Fitz looked like he was a galloping horse it was so dry and dusty. We have had terrible grass fires here in the state, but nothing like in Texas. Those poor people down there who have lost everything. I really feel for them.
I had been feeling somewhat under the weather for awhile and with my grandfather, mother, brother having diabetes and my daughter having gestational diabetes, at my daughters urging, I decided to get a free Freestyle Lite meter and check mine. HOLY COW my blood sugar clocked in at 189!
The kids and the grand baby came to see us over the Labor Day weekend and I took a couple of days extra off and made an appointment with the Dr. to have my annual physical and blood work done. My a1c came in at 8.1, the Dr. would like for it to be at 6 and my blood sugar was 157, it needs to be down to under 70. In a week and a half's time I had managed to get it down to that. The Doctor said that she will give me three months to get things under control or she will put me on a drug called metformin. I will do everything I can to not go on medication.
My darling daughter brought all her diabetes information and I started going through it and making copies and started journaling my carbs, eating more fiber and protein. We have only eaten out once and boy did my blood sugar go up! So eating out less and more preparing fresh.
I have been working on my weight by watching what I eat and exercising. Since my knee surgery I have not been able to walk correctly and can't find my stride. Also my foot hurts when I wear shoes so I have to wear Crocs. This morning the scale said I had lost 8 lbs. and my blood sugar was 134. The more weight I loose the better the sugar will be and I think my foot pain will improve. I must say that I am already feeling better. It's amazing how a little device like a glucose meter will get you on the stick and make you realize that you had better do something about the situation and fast!
We had a wonderful visit with the kids and grand baby. He's getting so big! Such a cutie! We formed a corral out of the furniture so he would have a safe place to play. It was so funny...Dave was gone and the kids had gone shopping leave grandma to babysit. Noah was crawling all over his corral and having a good time. While sitting on the floor he just fell over sound asleep! I covered him, picked him up and put him on the couch propped by pillows so he wouldn't fall off. I texted the kids and told them what happened and they replied "He put himself to sleep"?!?!?!?! to which I replied "Yep" I guess he never does that at home. After awhile he started to get fussy and wake up to which I picked him up blanket and all and brought him to my chair and tucked him into the crook of my arm and there he slept for another hour and a half. In all the little guy had a 3 hour nap, much to his parents amazement.
He figured how to get past the furniture which was his corral by watching our little dog who would go under the chair, so we had to put our ottomans in front of them to block off the space. He was not a happy camper about that! He was very determined to get past the blockade and tried every maneuver in the book. But we managed to thwart him and keep him occupied with lots of toys and balls and a movie or two.
The kids brought their new bicycles and a collapsible child trailer for Heather's bike for Noah. We went for a bike ride over to the practice field for the OU band and watched the drum corps do their thing. Noah was fascinated. It was a good bike ride and I enjoyed it very much even though I had some trouble with the seat of my bike. Every time I would go over a bump in the road my seat would tilt backwards. Dave needed to tighten it a lot before it finally stayed put.
I received an email in August saying the OU Community Choir was starting up and was going to be doing a work by Mendelssohn "Die erste Walpurgisnacht" with the OU Orchestra and OU Choir on Halloween. I put in a link so you can listen to the work. It's been years since I had done any real serious singing and decided that this would be a fun thing to do as my pipes had become somewhat rusty. We had our first rehearsal last week and boy what a workout! So lots of fun in store for us I would say and my pipes? I would say the rust is starting to wear away, just have to get the breathing under control.
Tomorrow is a free day at the Oklahoma State Fair for seniors so Dave and I will head off at some point during the day and look at all the goodies and then will head to Smash Burger at the new outlet mall at I-40 and Council Road. I love their grilled chicken sandwich with their sweet potato fries. The outlet mall is really cool and we have needed one in OKC for sometime, until then...
Happy Trails...
Monday
She's All Situated In Cleveland Now...
It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted anything, super busy with life as they say. Dave got Christie to Cleveland without much further adieu. Once they got situated at the hotel the university was putting them up in they started the hunt for an apartment for her.
One of her co-workers suggested an apartment just around the corner from the university. They went to look at it...holy cow...is-it-small, 320 sq. ft., it's what she ended up with after looking at all her options. For $575.00 a month with all bills paid with cable and high speed Internet it's a good fit for her. Before it became studio apartments I think it was a hotel as the rooms seem to be hotel size. It has a great workout room, huge laundry room, 24 hour front door attendant. Great in-gathering space in the lobby and a meeting room with media facilities.
One of her co-workers suggested an apartment just around the corner from the university. They went to look at it...holy cow...is-it-small, 320 sq. ft., it's what she ended up with after looking at all her options. For $575.00 a month with all bills paid with cable and high speed Internet it's a good fit for her. Before it became studio apartments I think it was a hotel as the rooms seem to be hotel size. It has a great workout room, huge laundry room, 24 hour front door attendant. Great in-gathering space in the lobby and a meeting room with media facilities.
Her kitchen, as you can see is quite small, and doesn't have an oven in which to bake anything. Nor is there any storage space to speak of. She and her daddy had to get creative so she would have a place to put canned goods, spices, pots and pans. Unfortunately she is not able to do Angel Food this year as she doesn't have any freezer space. She has to plug in her crock pot in the living room as the only plug-in in the kitchen is located behind the double doors above the microwave. A very poorly planned kitchen if you ask me. Then the microwave is not even a convection oven combo. How in the heck are you suppose to make cookies!
Her living space looks like this, this is their advertised picture. As you can see there's not much room to fit in a queen size bed, a 1940's chest of drawers and vanity with a circle mirror, book case, TV, couch, papasan chair, computer, side table, straight back chair, two-way standing lamp and wall art. But for now it is home. She had to get a storage unit to put the rest of her stuff in as there was not enough room for all of it in the apartment. Now she knows what RV small space living is all about.
She is within walking distance from work and has the metro just outside her door to get around in the downtown area. At the moment she is enjoying going to the set of the "Avengers" that is shooting in downtown Cleveland and watching them film. She attended the guy's soccer game the other evening and she said it was awesome to have the skyline of Cleveland in the background as a backdrop. How fun is that!
Having her own office allows her put her own dorm size refrigerator, microwave and coffee pot in it. So she is a happy camper. Imagine not having enough space to have a coffee pot at your apartment.
Dave says he will never complain about the streets in Norman and Oklahoma City or even I-40 again as city streets are abysmal in Cleveland. Another thing they were shocked at was a fairly new Wal-mart there in Cleveland, he said there was no order by management to speak of, merchandise was all over the floor and not on shelves, not enough help, not enough checkout lanes and no shopping carts. Christie went to get a shopping cart and couldn't find one so she asked the greeter where she might find one and he told her that other than what the different departments had managed to secure for themselves the rest had walked off (been stolen). Great, huh!
Christie did have another item that had to be fixed on her car, her tail lights were out. Apparently they were out for the whole trip. She found a very reputable mechanic just across from the school and got them fixed. She is however going to have to get the center light fixed and that will cost her more money, but it has to be done. But her little Jeep is running great for now. She is averaging between 22 and 25 miles per gallon and that was with it loaded for the trip. Not bad for a 14 year old car.
After Dave got her moved in and settled he came home after being gone a week and a half. It was nice to have him back but he did not enjoy coming back to the 100+ degree heat we've been having. I'm hoping for a break soon as we are loosing our trees.
We are baby-proofing our house once again...I thought I was done with that but apparently not. Our little guy is coming to see us soon and we are all ready for a "Noah Fix".
Happy trails...
Sunday
Foil...
You know, foil has many uses. One use is to remove rust from chrome, another is to wrap food for cooking. Matter of fact there is a plethora of uses for foil, just go to the World Wide Web and type in uses for foil. You might even find one for mind control.
Today I had, had enough of the heat here as it topped 104 again. Later this week it's suppose to get to 109 with no rain in sight. My kitchen has a west facing wall and window, even though it has a tinted interior storm window in it, is where the heat was pouring in. I decided that something needed to be done so I foiled the window. I took 5 long strips and attached them to the top of the interior storm window and made sure they came below the sill. The difference in temperature was immediate. The kitchen is staying cooler and I'm a happy camper.
Tomorrow I will do the same for the big window in the front bedroom. I know it looks tacky, but those passing by are not paying my electric bill so I don't care how tacky it looks.
Stay cool my friends, stay cool.
Happy trails...
Today I had, had enough of the heat here as it topped 104 again. Later this week it's suppose to get to 109 with no rain in sight. My kitchen has a west facing wall and window, even though it has a tinted interior storm window in it, is where the heat was pouring in. I decided that something needed to be done so I foiled the window. I took 5 long strips and attached them to the top of the interior storm window and made sure they came below the sill. The difference in temperature was immediate. The kitchen is staying cooler and I'm a happy camper.
Tomorrow I will do the same for the big window in the front bedroom. I know it looks tacky, but those passing by are not paying my electric bill so I don't care how tacky it looks.
Stay cool my friends, stay cool.
Happy trails...
Saturday
Moving to Ohio...
No Dave and I are not moving to Ohio but Dave is moving our youngest daughter from Marietta, GA to Cleveland, OH this weekend to start a new job. And all is not going well.
It started out like this...
Monday we get in the SUV to take me to work and the battery is dead. Hence a new battery. Dave said something like "Is this an omen of things to come"?
Last weekend we took my bike, which is 39 years old, into the bike shop the get new tires and a tune-up. Before Dave could get the bike home on Tuesday the front tire blew up due to too much air pressure and the heat. So he had to take it back in on Wednesday morning but the bike shop did not open until 10 which put him behind in schedule by 2 hours as he wanted to be on the road by 9. He drove to Memphis, TN the first day and I rode the bike home, UGH!
The second day (Thursday) there was stalled traffic in Birmingham, AL and the heat was so bad that cars were stalling out on the highway. He said it was not a pretty sight. He arrived in Marietta, GA 9 hours later. Keep in mind folks it's only 6.5 hours to Marietta.
In the meantime Christie takes her car to the Firestone Service Center just around the corner from her for an oil change and finds out that the radiator hose has melted flat, she has no coolant in the car which means a radiator flush plus she need two new front tires and an alignment. $600.00 out of pocket real quick.
Dave arrives and they go get a trailer from U-Haul. After dinner they start loading the cars. Her couch goes in the Suburban, the Papasan chair frame get strapped to the top of her car. The next morning (Friday) they start loading the trailer. Then they have to clean the apartment. After inspection, which is now around 4:30 they hit the road to Kennesaw St. U. to drop off a payment to the school where she worked. By 5:30 they are finally on the road heading toward Chattanooga, TN.
They stoped just outside of Chattanooga to have some dinner and Christie's car quits. At 9:00 p.m. EST. Christie is calling AAA to get a tow to Cleveland, TN to the Cleveland Tire and Auto Center. I quickly get on the horn and find them a room at the EconoLodge in Cleveland, TN. Ben, the gentleman with the tow truck, under contract with AAA, went out of his way to make sure that hubby and daughter got to the Econo-Lodge safely by showing them the way. The gentleman at the front desk of the Econo-Lodge was very pleasant as well and made sure they had a good room at a decent price. They showered, hit the sack and was fast asleep in no time.
They were at the Cleveland Tire and Auto Center this morning (Saturday) at 7:30 a.m. when the Center opened. The mechanic said he had two cars in front of them that he had to finish up today but he put her car in front of them and started working on it, it needed a new alternator and battery. Dave and Christie then found a Cracker Barrel and had breakfast, went to Wal-mart to pick up more water and ice then went back to the Auto Center, where they were surprised to see her car all ready to go. They paid the bill of $300 and some change. Thank you Cleveland Tire and Auto Center!
So onward they trek towards Cleveland, OH making a stop in Florence, KY to see old friends this afternoon. I don't think they'll make Cleveland tonight, maybe tomorrow.
Happy trails...
It started out like this...
Monday we get in the SUV to take me to work and the battery is dead. Hence a new battery. Dave said something like "Is this an omen of things to come"?
Last weekend we took my bike, which is 39 years old, into the bike shop the get new tires and a tune-up. Before Dave could get the bike home on Tuesday the front tire blew up due to too much air pressure and the heat. So he had to take it back in on Wednesday morning but the bike shop did not open until 10 which put him behind in schedule by 2 hours as he wanted to be on the road by 9. He drove to Memphis, TN the first day and I rode the bike home, UGH!
The second day (Thursday) there was stalled traffic in Birmingham, AL and the heat was so bad that cars were stalling out on the highway. He said it was not a pretty sight. He arrived in Marietta, GA 9 hours later. Keep in mind folks it's only 6.5 hours to Marietta.
In the meantime Christie takes her car to the Firestone Service Center just around the corner from her for an oil change and finds out that the radiator hose has melted flat, she has no coolant in the car which means a radiator flush plus she need two new front tires and an alignment. $600.00 out of pocket real quick.
Dave arrives and they go get a trailer from U-Haul. After dinner they start loading the cars. Her couch goes in the Suburban, the Papasan chair frame get strapped to the top of her car. The next morning (Friday) they start loading the trailer. Then they have to clean the apartment. After inspection, which is now around 4:30 they hit the road to Kennesaw St. U. to drop off a payment to the school where she worked. By 5:30 they are finally on the road heading toward Chattanooga, TN.
They stoped just outside of Chattanooga to have some dinner and Christie's car quits. At 9:00 p.m. EST. Christie is calling AAA to get a tow to Cleveland, TN to the Cleveland Tire and Auto Center. I quickly get on the horn and find them a room at the EconoLodge in Cleveland, TN. Ben, the gentleman with the tow truck, under contract with AAA, went out of his way to make sure that hubby and daughter got to the Econo-Lodge safely by showing them the way. The gentleman at the front desk of the Econo-Lodge was very pleasant as well and made sure they had a good room at a decent price. They showered, hit the sack and was fast asleep in no time.
They were at the Cleveland Tire and Auto Center this morning (Saturday) at 7:30 a.m. when the Center opened. The mechanic said he had two cars in front of them that he had to finish up today but he put her car in front of them and started working on it, it needed a new alternator and battery. Dave and Christie then found a Cracker Barrel and had breakfast, went to Wal-mart to pick up more water and ice then went back to the Auto Center, where they were surprised to see her car all ready to go. They paid the bill of $300 and some change. Thank you Cleveland Tire and Auto Center!
So onward they trek towards Cleveland, OH making a stop in Florence, KY to see old friends this afternoon. I don't think they'll make Cleveland tonight, maybe tomorrow.
Happy trails...
The Day After and Beyond...
Dave surprised me with beautiful lilies and heartfelt card after work yesterday. The lilies were so fragrant that I thought I was in a flower shop. He took me to dinner at Chelinos Mexican Restaurant where we shared a meal.
Off to the movies we went... but the movie we wanted to see, Captain America, was sold out...maybe Sunday will be a better day. So we turned around and drove home...looked at our own collection of movies and decided to watch The Duchess staring Keira Knightly and Ralph Fiennes. The costumes were outstanding and won an Academy Award. The story of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire is true, such a piece of history, she was the "It Girl" of her time just like Princess Diana, one of her direct descendants. Beautifully done, I don't think it will disappoint.
After The Duchess we watched The Sorcerer's Apprentice with Nicklaus Cage. It was a cute movie and after it was over we called it a night.
Skipping to today,Saturday...I took my bike into the shop to get new tires and a tune-up as it will be my only mode of transportation starting the middle of this coming week. Dave bought me the bike the first year we were married and I have not ridden it for at least 15 years or so as it's been stored in the garage. Wish me luck as I know I will have a sore bum for awhile as I get use to riding it again, hopefully this year I will wear the helmet the correct way and not backwards.
Dave will head out to Georgia to help Christie move to Cleveland, OH where she has another internship at Cleveland State University's Athletic Department in their Compliance Office. Sure am glad these are paid internships. Moving from the south to the north, she is looking forward to this new experience in her life. She's hoping to save on gas by riding on the transit system there.
Time to run to the bank, make a deposit and find something for dinner...any suggestions?
Happy trails...
Off to the movies we went... but the movie we wanted to see, Captain America, was sold out...maybe Sunday will be a better day. So we turned around and drove home...looked at our own collection of movies and decided to watch The Duchess staring Keira Knightly and Ralph Fiennes. The costumes were outstanding and won an Academy Award. The story of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire is true, such a piece of history, she was the "It Girl" of her time just like Princess Diana, one of her direct descendants. Beautifully done, I don't think it will disappoint.
After The Duchess we watched The Sorcerer's Apprentice with Nicklaus Cage. It was a cute movie and after it was over we called it a night.
Skipping to today,Saturday...I took my bike into the shop to get new tires and a tune-up as it will be my only mode of transportation starting the middle of this coming week. Dave bought me the bike the first year we were married and I have not ridden it for at least 15 years or so as it's been stored in the garage. Wish me luck as I know I will have a sore bum for awhile as I get use to riding it again, hopefully this year I will wear the helmet the correct way and not backwards.
Dave will head out to Georgia to help Christie move to Cleveland, OH where she has another internship at Cleveland State University's Athletic Department in their Compliance Office. Sure am glad these are paid internships. Moving from the south to the north, she is looking forward to this new experience in her life. She's hoping to save on gas by riding on the transit system there.
Time to run to the bank, make a deposit and find something for dinner...any suggestions?
Happy trails...
Friday
39 Years and Counting...
It was a hot July evening 39 years ago with a quick rain shower just before the wedding. The guests gathered in the church while my dad was putting a penny in my shoe for good luck. The wedding dress was made by me on my great-grandmothers treadle sewing machine. The cake was made by my mother's cousin and my groom was waiting for me at the alter to say our "I do's". Everything was in it's place and the music started.
My dad handed me off to my groom as I took his arm I was shocked to feel how much he was shaking. I guess I was shaking too. But we made it through the ceremony and now 39 years, two wonderful daughters and many adventures later, we are starting on our 40th year of marriage.
We took to heart the part that said "To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness". I don't think couples of today adhere to that anymore otherwise you would see them work though their problems instead of abandoning them.
Dave is my life partner and I am so blessed to have him by me as we walk through life together.
I hope those who read this have many happy years with your life partner.
Happy trails....
My dad handed me off to my groom as I took his arm I was shocked to feel how much he was shaking. I guess I was shaking too. But we made it through the ceremony and now 39 years, two wonderful daughters and many adventures later, we are starting on our 40th year of marriage.
We took to heart the part that said "To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness". I don't think couples of today adhere to that anymore otherwise you would see them work though their problems instead of abandoning them.
Dave is my life partner and I am so blessed to have him by me as we walk through life together.
I hope those who read this have many happy years with your life partner.
Happy trails....
Sunday
Harry Potter or Women's World Cup Soccer...
It's Sunday afternoon and the choice is to go see Harry Potter or watch the Women's World Cup Soccer final between the USA and Japan. Decisions...decisions! We just finished a Harry Potter marathon since Thursday evening watching all the Potter films, so we are ready to see the final chapter of the series.
We went up to the Warren theater in Moore, for the 1:30 showing today and it was sold out, so we opted for the 7:30 showing. Therefore we got to come back home and watch the Women's World Cup Soccer final. So far the score is Nil-Nil.
What an exciting Sunday. Two of our favorite past times...Harry Potter movies and soccer, what could be better? Well...our grandson and children.
Want to take this time to welcome some new followers, Al and Kelly of the Bayfield Bunch and John and Ellen of Through the Gates of Grace.
Happy trails...
P.S. Harry Potter was wonderful, a must see, but if you have not read the book you must do that first. The US Women lost in their bid for a World Cup Championship. It was just not meant to be.
We went up to the Warren theater in Moore, for the 1:30 showing today and it was sold out, so we opted for the 7:30 showing. Therefore we got to come back home and watch the Women's World Cup Soccer final. So far the score is Nil-Nil.
What an exciting Sunday. Two of our favorite past times...Harry Potter movies and soccer, what could be better? Well...our grandson and children.
Want to take this time to welcome some new followers, Al and Kelly of the Bayfield Bunch and John and Ellen of Through the Gates of Grace.
Happy trails...
P.S. Harry Potter was wonderful, a must see, but if you have not read the book you must do that first. The US Women lost in their bid for a World Cup Championship. It was just not meant to be.
From Wonderful Highs to....
Thursday afternoon June 30th, we left for Dallas to pick up our daughter at DFW airport. If you have never been there it's a maze of terminals, ramps, parking lots and confusing signs. Her flight from Atlanta arrived at 9:04 p.m., she made it to the car at 9:25 p.m., after we got her loaded, off to Longview, TX we headed. Her doggies were very happy to see her even if they did bark at her as she approached the car. The drive was rather uneventful and we pulled in a little after 1:00 a.m. After a brief stop out in the boonies to grab a bite to eat at a Sonic around 11:30 p.m., we piled into the house as quietly as possible with three dogs that had been pent up since 5:30 the previous day, J's sister JeriAnn was asleep in the dinning room. She was up from Austin,TX to help J's mom Irene do some painting on her house that is in the process of being remodeled and new sections being added on.
We were in Texas for our Grandson Noah's first birthday party to be held late Saturday afternoon. There was so much going on that time went by in a blur. Friday was spent shopping and getting last minute things for the party. Dave and J worked on the yard all day long as the party was to be a backyard Ducky Splish Splash Party for the little tykes to enjoy while lots of parents socialized. At noon I hopped into the car and headed over to Golden Chick to pick up a family pack of food, it was good as usual. Balloon's were bought to go on the mail box. Twigs were picked up where the pools were to be placed. We had to pace ourselves as the heat was terrible. By the time evening came we were spent with lots of things still to do. J even found fun music to be played at the party.
We were in Texas for our Grandson Noah's first birthday party to be held late Saturday afternoon. There was so much going on that time went by in a blur. Friday was spent shopping and getting last minute things for the party. Dave and J worked on the yard all day long as the party was to be a backyard Ducky Splish Splash Party for the little tykes to enjoy while lots of parents socialized. At noon I hopped into the car and headed over to Golden Chick to pick up a family pack of food, it was good as usual. Balloon's were bought to go on the mail box. Twigs were picked up where the pools were to be placed. We had to pace ourselves as the heat was terrible. By the time evening came we were spent with lots of things still to do. J even found fun music to be played at the party.
Christie our youngest even found time to do a Skype interview with Indiana University for an internship they had in Athletic Academic Counseling. However Cleveland State University in Ohio beat them to the punch and offered her an internship in Compliance which is an area she is highly interested in. So I guess Dave will be going over to Atlanta to move her to Cleveland, OH at the end of the month. She is excited to say the least.
Saturday morning arrived and there was still lots to do. J and Dave sat up the three pools, one for the babies, one for the toddlers, and one for the older kids. J found a great deal on a canopy at Wally World for $79.00, so that went up for the purpose of shading the food. Shara, J's sister made the birthday cake for Noah. She had to bring it in pieces to be assembled at the house, the head was Nerf ball as the rice crispy ball was too heavy and kept falling off. Noah even had a little cake of his own.
For the menu there were hot dogs for the older kids and adults, duck shaped peanut butter sandwiches, duck shaped rice crispy treats, duck shaped cheese to go with snack crackers. Irene brought her famous chicken salad sandwiches on croissants and a veggie tray. There were lots of refreshing drinks and tea to go around.
The guests started arriving around 4:00 p.m. and things got underway. Kids in pools, hot dogs being cooked, food being set out, people eating, drinks being grabbed and everyone having a grand time. It was so fun to sit back and observe the party. I think my daughter should go into party planning for a business. The splish splash party was a hit. Around 6:00 p.m. everyone gathered to sing happy birthday to the guest of honor, who was starting to nod off. Cake? What is that? You could see the expression on his face as the little eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. Everyone was going to have to shoot their pictures fast as Birthday Boy was going down for the count. We retreated to the cool of the house for present opening and the whole shabang was over at 6:30 p.m., and on time I might add. Noah got lots of fun things...trucks, musical instruments, a doctors kit, books, blocks, clothes, a plethora of balls and the big noise maker, a drum with all kinds of instruments packed inside. We were all spent and dinner was a light affair of leftover chicken.
Sunday morning we made it to Church and spent the rest of the day relaxing. Christie and I went to the mall to Bath and Body Works so I could take advantage of their Semi-Annual sale which ended Sunday. I was pleased with my purchase but my poor feet were taking a beating. I had been on some new medication for an infection and it was making my feet swell and it hurt to walk around. So I tried to stay as quiet as possible after our outing.
Monday arrived and the festivities began around town, as it was the 4th of July. We stayed home out of the heat watching movies. Later that day we headed over to Jefferson Texas , which is rich in history and haunted houses, to watch the fireworks display. On the way over we ran into a powerful rain storm. The wind was blowing so hard that the rain was moving sideways. The winds were clocked at 72 mph, tree limbs were falling onto the highway and you couldn't see two car lengths in front of you, this lasted for a good 20 minutes or more.
The fireworks in Jefferson are some of the best around and a grand time was had by everyone. There were 15 of us in our party. We all stopped at the Jefferson General Store and got ice cream which was yummy. The fireworks started off via a cannon shot with a big American flag being lit up with sparklers not to mention Noah being scared out of his mind until Heather was able to calm him down where he then slept through the rest of the show. Then the big boys were shot off, we got some great pictures of the display. The drive home was uneventful and we rolled into bed around midnight.
Tuesday was a day for running around and doing some shopping. Irene, J's mom had been informing me of the dangers of soy. She had really done her homework on Soy as something that kept making her sick. Once soy was out of her diet not only did she get well she starting dropping the pounds. To date she's lost 50lbs. If you start looking at labels you will find that soy is in almost everything we eat. There have been studies about Soy and ADHD and Autism and the problems it can cause in infants and adults. Soy also can effect the colon as well. It can also cause you to gain weight.
So guess what...I'm reading labels and taking soy and salt out of my diet. I picked up the following at the store, Coconut Oil which is a good fat for you, Kefir a drink very much like buttermilk and very yummy with lots of probiotics in it and unsweetened chocolate almond milk. Since I started looking at my diet and soy, I have not changed how I'm eating but what I'm eating and have lost 4 lbs without trying. I'm eating more avocados, olives, nuts and purchased some agave nectar as that is better for you than honey if you have a high chance of getting diabetes.
Wednesday we starting packing to go home. We had a wonderful time with the kids and wished we could stay longer. Noah is such a delight to be around and a good baby to boot.
The rock bottom low for the week came around noon. I got a phone call from the wife of my former Director at the University asking if I had heard about my former boss and friend, Joan Howeth? I told her "no" to which she said "the whole university was talking about it". Sadly and unexpectedly, I found out that my friend had drowned in a rafting accident the day before in Colorado. I was devastated to hear the news. Joan was a great person to work for and I will truly miss her. She and her husband retired early and had been on the road full-time in their motor home seeing the country. They loved the RV lifestyle.
Later that afternoon we went out to J's mom's renovated house to see all that had been done. It was coming along and I know they will love it when it is finished. Afterwards we went to the Butcher Shop for dinner, as usual it was very good. The trip home, only taking 5 1/2 hours seemed to take forever. I really don't like driving at night but Dave does.
Yesterday and today have been quiet around here. I finally have a computer again and can start getting some (a lot of) paperwork done. Tomorrow Christie and I tackle the kitchen and closets...fun! Then back to work for me on Monday. I have enjoyed my week off, just wish it was longer.
Happy trails...Pictures coming soon
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Tuesday
One For Al of the Bayfield Bunch...
There is a tiny insect on the tip of the flower that likes to suck the insides out of AphidsOne sucked on me one time and it was extremely painful.
I love to read RV'ers blogs especially the blog of Al and Kelly of The Bayfield Bunch and his "Groaner's Corner". I also love his photographs, so when I received this email the other day from a friend, my thoughts immediately went to Al and I knew he would appreciate it.
So Al...you may never read this but know I'm thinking of you.
MY LAST TRIP TO COSTCO
Yesterday I was at my local COSTCO buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Tank, the Wonder Dog and was in the check-out line when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog.
What did she think I had an elephant? So since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV's in both arms.
I told her that it was essentially a Perfect Diet and that the way it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina Nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.)
Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff a poodle's ass and a car hit me.
I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.
Costco won't let me shop there anymore. Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the world to think of crazy things to say.
Happy Trails....
Sunday
A Feast For Ears and Eyes...
While looking at different sites on the net this weekend, my dear hubby sent me to a few that blew me away.
One was a continuous shoot to a lip sinc of American Pie shot in Grand Rapids, MI. The next one was of 2 guys, one piano and a cello with a wow factor. The last one was so beautiful it made me cry and I'm still seeing the images in my mind. I will let you experience it like I did with an open mind. Watch them, they will blow you away.
It makes you wonder how far the Internet will take us and at this time I think it is limitless.
Happy trails....
If you have trouble seeing the sites let me know and I will email them to you.
One was a continuous shoot to a lip sinc of American Pie shot in Grand Rapids, MI. The next one was of 2 guys, one piano and a cello with a wow factor. The last one was so beautiful it made me cry and I'm still seeing the images in my mind. I will let you experience it like I did with an open mind. Watch them, they will blow you away.
It makes you wonder how far the Internet will take us and at this time I think it is limitless.
A Winter landscape shot in January 2010
Happy trails....
If you have trouble seeing the sites let me know and I will email them to you.
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