Yesterday...Shirt Sleeves...Today...

Today...brrrrrrr and snow! This photo was taken out our bedroom window just a few minutes ago...not best conditions to take a picture...but I think you get an idea of what our weather turned into! You just might think that December is almost here! Now...I'll add my red/green barn photo of the day:

This is the barn that has a beautiful quilt painted on its barn doors...but the back has this star and the fence surrounding it has Christmas lights on it...so truly a Christmas barn! Today has been a busy one for both Woody and me. We had to be up and out of the house before 9am to get Woody to his appointment at Fresenius Kidney Center. They were running a test today to see how well his dialysis is cleansing his blood. I saw Woody in the door and then I headed off to the grocery store. That is always quite an undertaking and today I had a cart with a mind of its own! Tiring to have to keep herd on the cart...it just didn't want to turn when I wanted it to turn and when it did turn it turned wide. I probably should have changed it out except when I realized the problem I already had quite a few groceries in it...but the more I put in the more cantnakerous it got! But I won and finally got checked out and the groceries into my car. Woody was at the kidney center from 9 until almost 2:30 and during that time I hardly sat down...really the only time I did sit was in the car and when I was setting up his dialysis machine so it would be ready for him when he got home. I put away groceries and did a little more decorating...and, I wasn't going to decorate! I just feel like I need to have a little Christmas cheer around the house. The problem will be when I go to put them away and I will have to remember which boxes I have taken things from! I am trying to put a post-it note on each box that I have used something from...but not sure that will be all that helpful! I sort of see a big mess when it is time to dismantle! I still haven't decided if I am going to put up the corner tree. I left home a little after 2 and stopped at the pharmacy to pick up a new weekly pill reminder for Woody. His got knocked off the table the other day and somehow it broke into many pieces. He now has one with slots for AM and PM meds. I may be interested in getting one of those myself! Right now I use two...a white one for morning meds and a blue one for evening meds. Might be nice to have all the slots in one container. I'll see how it works for him. Hmmmm...if he doesn't like the way it works, I guess I could trade him the ones I have for his new one! We had an old family favorite for supper tonight, Stack-A-Dinner = layer of rice, green peas on top of the rice, meat sauce on top of peas, some grated cheese on top of that and then a few green olive slices sprinkled on the top. We hadn't had this in years...tasted pretty good. Now I have the kitchen to clean up, but I decided that I needed to sit for a few minutes and rest my back...so decided to blog. Think that the recliner is still calling me. I don't have to be in any great hurry to get downstairs to clean up...Woody's dialysis treatment got started two hours late so we will be up much later tonight. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 'Tis the season! Bidding farewell to November!

First Sunday in Advent

A Bonus Taste of Thanksgiving!

One of my favorite leftovers of the Thanksgiving meal is a hot turkey sandwich...sort of hard to have when one doesn't cook a turkey! Melany and Wade came to my rescue. They brought us a few slices from their turkey. So I was a happy camper at lunch today. We had a short visit with Melany and Erin this morning. Wade didn't get to come as he had to stay at home to wait on a delivery that was supposed to have come yesterday. Melany go the Christmas stocking that she had needlepointed for Brooke, Alex's fiance. We sat masked and talked for a few minutes before it was time for the two of them to go to Nathan and Kathy's for lunch. It has been another quiet day during the long Thanksgiving weekend other than their visit. Woody has watched football most of the afternoon while he has been connected for his dialysis. Tomorrow is the day that we don't "do" dialysis...just fill him up with the dialysis solution at night before he goes to bed so he can go for what they call a PET test at the dialysis center Monday from 9 until 2 or 2:30. So that is how he will spend the last day of November 2020! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 'Tis the season! And, here's a green barn for my Christmas red and green barn series of photos:

Getting to be " 'Tis the Season" Time of Year...Again!

I guess as the Christmas season begins, I will post photos of red and/or green barns. Maybe as we get into December and a little closer to Christmas I might change and post something more Christmasy. Today I took all the Fall off the front porch and replaced them with snowmen. I'm not sure how much decorating I will be doing this year since our living room is a storage place for dialysis supplies. I do know that I am not going to put up our big tree. Today I got to thinking about our corner tree that I haven't used in a while...it might come out...not sure yet. I am checking out what is closest to the door/front of the Christmas closet...seeing what things are there that won't disturb all the boxes that are in the closet. I don't think that I want to go through all the puzzle packing of boxes to get everything back in twice this year! I will see what I can unearth that I can use without breaking out all the boxes/mess! I did get the Christmas stocking done that Melany needlepointed and then brought to me for finishing. It is now a stocking...ready to hold some surprises from Santa! Melany, Wade, and Erin are stopping here tomorrow to pick up the stocking on their way to Nathan, Kathy and family's new abode. They are going to have lunch together tomorrow. We had a quiet day yesterday. We enjoyed tastes of Thanksgiving at lunch and then lasagna for supper. That fare is fast disappearing...looks like I will have to do some cooking soon! I have, at least, had a few days off from cooking. Woody is well into today's dialysis treatment. He is watching football...which has me totally confused as to what day it is...football on TV has made it feel like Saturday (could have felt like Sunday except we didn't have church). I got my Christmas CD's out and popped the first of my Christmas listening in just as I got ready to blog. Josh Groban's "Noel" CD is the winner of being first listened to in this year's 'tis the season. I will have to gather the Christmas DVD together and start watching my favorites before long. We received our first Christmas card today. It featured their children on a divided Zoom screen! Definitely a reminder of 2020! And, who will ever forget this year?!? Due to the pandemic it will be a different year for celebrating...but the reason for the season won't change! We will celebrate Christ's birth Covid or not! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious. 'Tis the season!

Happy Thanksgiving 2020 from Woody and Lois!

Eighth/Last Thanksgiving Taste Plus Lagniappe!

Today's taste along with being the last taste of Thanksgiving for this year (for the cook) is probably Woody's favorite. We started with my favorite pie, pumpkin, and ended with Woody's favorite, pecan. I'm glad to say that the Thanksgiving cooking is finished for this year! Now for the explanation about the "lagniappe" part of the title. Woody and I learned this word on our New Orleans trip back in 1994. For those not familiar with "lagniappe" pronounced "LAN-yap," it means "a little something extra." Today's extra = Sourdough English Muffins.

My sourdough starter is going great guns and is super active so wanted to make a recipe that needed it in its active state...a lot of my sourdough recipes just use discard/unfed starter. These English muffins had no yeast in them to make them rise and they did great! I froze most of them, but had to sample one and left a couple of others in the bread box. Pretty yummy! That baking was not planned for my Thanksgiving cooking...just " a little something extra" = lagniappe! We have had a usual Wednesday and by saying that it means that I actually know that it is Wednesday which means that I had my weekly "library chat" with Donna. I was ready to sit down and have a reprieve while talking to her! After talking to her I headed down to finish up the pecan pie. It is on the counter cooling...Woody is waiting patiently for his first piece! Woody is in the midst of his daily dialysis and so far all is going smoothly. He was watching TV when I passed through the family room a little while ago. We have had quite a bit of rain today. The rain is supposed to be ushering in some colder air. We have certainly had a mild November...so far. Can you believe that Christmas is a month from today!?! Guess I had better get back to work on finishing the Christmas stocking for Melany! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A No-Cook Day...Enjoyed Previous Tastes

Back to a barn picture as I took the day off from cooking. I have one more taste to make tomorrow and a "redo" for mashed potatoes. Today we have enjoyed the previous tastes for lunch and supper. We added one nice addition. My barn buddies stopped by today and Marie brought us a pound cake and some peaches...yummy new taste! I have spent most of the day in my sewing room. I worked some on getting ready to finish the Christmas stocking for Melany. I did a little blocking on it and then planned how I am going to do it...diagrams and instructions are all written down. Last night I quilted the backing fabric for it. So I am on the way with it. I picked up a sweatshirt to put on this morning and realized that I had splashed bleach on the front of it. I came up with a way to cover up the bleached area and worked this afternoon on that. I just finished before I began writing the blog. The sweatshirt is old...but has more wear in it...especially in these days of staying at home. It didn't have to be done. It could have been a "hang-around-the house" sweatshirt, but it was bugging me so it is now fixed...a new/old sweatshirt! Woody has had a usual day of crossword puzzles, reading, watching TV, and perhaps a few games of solitaire. He is well into today's dialysis treatment, but still a couple of hours to go. So far it is going smoothly. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Sixth, Seventh, and Repeat Tastes of Thanksgiving

Yesterday's taste (6th taste) was the cranberry jelly...just had to open a can. Woody asked for that with his Thanksgiving taste choices for yesterday's lunch. I made a repeat of the fourth taste of Thanksgiving and made more sourdough rolls yesterday...I just had to have some! Today I made an unusual taste of Thanksgiving...lasagna...again, a request from Woody. He told me that he would just as soon have lasagna in place of turkey...so that taste is finished and has been enjoyed for tonight's meal. Woody actually told me it was "good"...an improvement over "ok!" I am almost through with the planned tastes of Thanksgiving. All that is left is the pecan pie...and probably a repeat of the third taste as I didn't make a lot of mashed potatoes and that is something that tastes good to Woody (and me!) so they are gone. I will plan to mash the rest of the potatoes that I have...some day this week. I am starting to weary of cooking and being in the kitchen. I told Melany that I would get started on making the stocking today and that hasn't happened...at least not yet...but I'm pretty tired tonight. We got a call from the Fresenius Kidney Center today making an appointment for Woody to go in this coming Monday for a check on how the dialysis is doing. He will sort of get a day off from dialysis on Sunday...sort of...he won't go through the cycles like normal...just before bed we are to set up the dialysis machine and do the first till and then disconnect him and leave the fluid in over night. Then the next day he goes to the center for around 5 hours and they check how well the fluids are cleansing his blood. It is called a PET test. Always something on the horizon! So far today his dialysis is going smoothly. He still has several hours to go. He has been reading, doing crossword puzzles, playing solitaire, and watching TV...his usual daily routine these days. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Fifth Taste of Thanksgiving and a Wedding!

Today I got up and started in making my dressing recipe...made lots of changes...doubt that I could replicate it again...so will enjoy it this year. I made it with some of the sour dough bread that I made that one time didn't come out the best...too dense so dried it and froze it waiting for Thanksgiving cooking. It seems to have worked. The base beside bread in this recipe is made up of onion, celery and mushrooms. This year I also added a Granny Smith apple and a red apple and some golden raisins. It tasted pretty good to me. Woody ate a spoonful and said that it was "okay." That is about all I get out of him these days about how he likes things. I ended up having each of the tastes that I have made so far at either lunch and/or supper. Woody had my homemade chicken noodle soup and a spoonful of dressing at lunch. And, when given all the choices of the tastes of Thanksgiving tastes for supper, he chose from the freezer an ear of corn and some onion rings...go figure! I guess I can say that at least I am enjoying the tastes of Thanksgiving! I got the dressing into the oven and then went upstairs to tune into our friends' son's wedding via livestream. Last night I figured out how to get to their livestream so I would know this morning. I got to the place on the website where I can click to watch it and I clicked and immediately got a message that my computer couldn't play that type of video. Let's just say that I was not a happy camper! About that time Carolyn called and asked if I was watching and I told her my problem. She told me to come over so I turned the oven down on my dressing and headed out the door. I got there in time to see the part of the ceremony when the preacher started talking. So got to see the wedding. Thank you, Carolyn. So now I can say that I have added another experience to our sheltering at home during the pandemic...a cyber-wedding! When I got home it was almost time to get Woody connected for his dialysis...we got that started on time, too. He is well into today's treatment, but still has a couple of hours to go. It's a long day for him. He says that it isn't too bad till it gets to the fourth cycle and then time seems to slow down...it starts getting old by then! Once again I have had quite the mess to clean up...so five days of Thanksgiving tastes and five days of Thanksgiving kitchen messes. But the kitchen is all cleaned up...for now! The lights are out and the kitchen is closed for the day! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

The Fourth Taste of Thanksgiving

And, this taste of Thanksgiving we didn't taste as I made them for friends! I will make some more (at least those are my plans) for us. I went galavanting today to visit with friends. I was going to just have the dialysis cycler machine set up and ready to connect Woody when I got home, but he suggested that we just go on and start him early...so we did. By starting early it won't be long till his fourth cycle is finished...early start = early finish! I got up early and made the rolls, then connected Woody, and got ready to head over to a friend's house. We got to see her renovations and also checked out their chickens (even a little baby that had just cracked out of its egg, some ducks, and quite a few turkeys, one of which will no longer be with us after this coming Thursday! The three of us had a good time catching up with each other. On the way home I stopped at the public library to pick up two more books for Woody and stopped at the pharmacy to pick up two prescriptions for Woody. When I got home, Woody was in the same place as I left him a few hours earlier...not that he had much choice! This must have been a day for visiting with friends for me as this afternoon I got a call from my sister. I hung up from my conversation when I got another call and then hung up from that call when I got another call! I have talked to AZ, AL, and TN. After my calls, it was time to see about our supper...leftovers from the tastes of Thanksgiving kept me from having to work very hard! I still need to finish up the cleanup from this morning's roll baking...it is mostly cleaned up...just the few random dishes that didn't fit into the dishwasher...guess I should empty the dishwasher also. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

The Third Taste of Thanksgiving

Tonight's add on to our Thanksgiving tastes: mashed potatoes and gravy...two things had to be made for tonight! The main problem was that I didn't have a turkey to give me the drippings that I usually use for our Thanksgiving gravy. When I was looking for turkeys that met with our dietary guidelines, I found turkey wings that fell into that category. After I got home from the store (actually as I drove into the driveway from that shopping trip), I remembered reading about a way to make gravy ahead of time for Thanksgiving and that the way was...roasting turkey wings and veggies. So today after Woody's appointment we stopped at the store and I ran in and got a couple of turkey wings. I roasted them for a little over an hour with carrots, celery, and garlic. Then put all that into a pan with chicken broth and water and simmered them for a while more. I deglazed the pan and put all those drippings in with the roasted wings, veggies and broth. I strained all that and then made gravy with the liquid. It really did make a flavorful gravy...took a bit of work but it worked and we have gravy, though no turkey! I asked Woody if he wanted mashed potatoes or dressing (both of which he likes gravy on) and he chose the mashed potatoes for this day's taste. But in the end he didn't have today's taste as he isn't feeling much like eating today. He had a high protein straberry shake instead. Woody's doctor visit went well today. All the team seemed pleased with his progress. This was the three month mark and they were evaluating and comparing with how he feels and is doing now in comparison to when he started dialysis. Dr. O is also trying to work with Woody's nausea that keeps recurring. Woody still says that it is drainage. We came home and it was almost time to get Woody's dialysis going for today. Just after I had finished I got a call from a friend...so perfect timing. We hadn't talked for a while so got caught up on everyone's ailments! Sad that ailments seem so much a part of conversations as we get older! While I was talking to her another friend knocked on the door and she had brought us some food from a dinner that was served by our church yesterday. Most is too salty for Woody (probably for me also...but...I hadn't had even a bite of ham in ages...so I am going to indulge and probably be sorry later. I made a 1/2 a ham sandwich and it tasted sooooo good!) Woody was glad to be home after his trip to the doctor. I think that his recliner looked really good to him, Well, there is still part of the mess left in the kitchen...most went in the dishwasher and it is finished so I may go down and empty the dishwasher and see if more of what is left scattered on the counters can go in and hopefully I won't have to wash too many by hand. I think that along with many tastes of Thanksgiving, I am having the many messes of Thanksgiving also! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Second Taste of Thanksgiving

Tonight's Thanksgiving taste is one of our favorites...Sweet Potato Casserole with a pecan/brown sugar topping. We both enjoyed a helping this evening. I think that it is time to move from the "orange theme" of Thanksgiving = pumpkin and sweet potatoes. I wonder what I will make tomorrow! Tomorrow Woody has an appointment to see his nephrologist at the Fresenius Kidney Center. I need something for what I "think" that I will make either tomorrow or the next day so we plan to stop at the store on our way home so I can run in and get it. Woody has done his usual today: read, watched TV, maybe played a game or two of solitaire, worked, a couple of crossword puzzles, and rested in his recliner. He is well on his way into today's dialysis cycles and as we can usually report these days all is going smoothly. I put away the dialysis supplies that were delivered yesterday. This afternoon I called Donna after I got Woody connected for his treatment. We had a nice "library" chat...actually we did mention the library briefly along with catching up with each other. This afternoon I put together the sweet potato casserole and then cleaned up the kitchen. I think that the rest of the evening until it is time to disconnect Woody from his dialysis cycler machine I will either read or do a little cross stitching. My eyes have quit itching once I stopped working on the afghan. I will run it around in the dryer perhaps with a damp towel and see if it will take away any loose fuzz and dust that might have lingered in it over the years. Then I will try working on it again. If my eyes get to itching again then I will put it away once again...at least I got the word "APPLES" on it this time when I got it out! I need to be doing some other things anyway. I must get busy on the Christmas stocking that Melany cross stitched and asked me to sew it together into a stocking. I've just been looking at her pretty work laying on my cutting table...planning in my head just how I want to finish it. Just haven't gotten up the energy/motivation to get started on it yet. Melany found out yesterday that her school (probably her county) has decided not to go to school at all next week. They are taking two of their "snow days" and trying to have the children and teachers stay at home and get or stay well! I surely do hope that Thanksgiving holidays don't start up an even larger outbreak of Covid once everyone goes back to routine after being with families and away over Thanksgiving week. Woody and I plan to stay as close to home as we can. It was stated on the Huntsville station tonight that probably when you are shopping at the grocery store there are six people in the store that have Covid and have no idea that they have it (This may have been a statistic for their area in Alabama...but I bet it holds true for lots of other areas of our country as well.). We are starting to hear about more and more that we know who have it. I'm ready for this to all be over! How about you? Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Our First Taste of Thanksgiving

I decided that I would call the way we are doing Thanksgiving this year as "Our Tastes of Thanksgiving." Today I got our pumpkin pie made and it is sitting on the counter waiting for me to cut into after I publish tonight's blog. (Mignt not be a long blog tonight!) And, it is one of the prettiest pies that I have made in a while...the pie crust seems to be good once again...for some reason I have struggled with pie crusts in recent years after perfecting them years ago...still haven't figured out what the problem has been...hope that the streak has ended! It was nice to just make one pie today instead of the usual four that I make for our family Thanksgiving (2 pumpkin and 2 pecan). The proof is in the eating rather than in looking...so the truth about this pie will be found out in a little while. I connected Woody a little early today since I had a haircut appointment at the time that I usually am connecting him. I got my hair cut and not long after I got home the Fresenius delivery man called saying that he could deliver our supplies today rather than early in the morning...sounded good to me! So new supplies have been delivered. Woody has now been on dialysis for three months...I guess that shows that time flies when you are having fun and even when you aren't! In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday and in other ways it seems like it has been forever! I got the pie made and have the kitchen mostly cleaned up. I guess it is time to head down and cut the pie...my mouth is watering for my first taste of Thanksgiving! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Pumpkin! Pumpkin! Pumpkin!

Today was the start to our Thanksgiving cooking...going to do it in stages over the next two weeks and enjoy it when items get made and not wait to feast on Thanksgiving Day. Two weeks of Thanksgiving...what could be better during a pandemic!?! I had hoped for a pumpkin pie today...but...all that got done was cooking of the two little pumpkins that I had...now I have about 8 cups of pureed pumpkin...several pies and maybe some pumpkin bread...time will tell. For the moment just one pie...I don't want to make multiple pies on the same day this year. This week a pumpkin pie and next week a pecan pie...perhaps! So far just the plan of Thanksgiving food nothing to partake in...yet! AFter I got Woody connected to his dialysis cycler for today's treatment, I headed off for a quick run to Walmart. I picked up some over-the-counter meds that I take and a power strip extension cord (for my old sewing machine in its new spot)and a couple of items that I forgot and/or didn't find at Kroger on Saturday. We got off a slow morning. I made up two pounds of breakfast sausage patties for Woody's breakfasts for a few weeks. I got them made in time for his breakfast and then flash froze the rest and they are all safely tucked away in the freezer for future breakfasts. Then I got the kitchen cleaned up. Of course, that cleaning didn't last...since the pumpkin mess entered in shortly after it got cleaned. Funny how a kitchen doesn't stay clean very long...at least it doesn't around here. Both cooking efforts made quite a mess. All is cleaned "for now" except for the pot that I steamed the pumpkin in That has been soaked and ready for some new hot dishwater. The pot and insert won't fit in tonight's dishwasher (too full of other things). At least it is in better shape than it was at two different times today. The pumpkin preparation for cooking is usually done by Woody so I'm not used to ALL that work...not an easy job. It took two trips to the compost pile. For a while I didn't think that I would have it all cut up and peeled before it got dark. I just barely made it before dark closed in on us tonight. It's getting dark around here a little after 4:30 these days...so early! And, we haven't gotten to the shortest day of the year yet...so it will get dark earlier and earlier for about another night before it reverses itself and we will start having a bit longer days. Woody has done his usual...crossword puzzles, a game of solitaire tucked in every so often, some TV, and some reading. Speaking of reading, the public library called saying that they had two books that I had requested so I stopped and got them and dropped off the last ones that we got from them. They were for Woody so he has two new books to enjoy. Be safe!Be well! Be cautious!

Sunday Blessings from our Last Barn Trip

The top photo is an unedited way that I take photos on these trips and then try to "clean them up" later. This was the only photo that the church is seen clearly! The others I took of this church were taken for the Fall color. Happy Sunday!

This is What Happens When...

When I am stitching I lose track of time! My "plan" each evening is to head to the laptop and blog each evening at 7pm. I was still downstairs at 6:30 cleaning up the kitchen, etc. When I came upstairs I started back to my cross stitching and all of a sudden realized that it was almost 8pm...oops! I have put aside the afghan that I was starting to stitch on and working on another small project. I'm trying to figure out if perhaps the fuzzy nature of the afghan might be causing a bit of problems with my allergies...one of my eyes is itching constantly...so have put the afghan aside to see if the itching ceases. I have had this type of thing happen before with various textiles and fabrics...not sure this time. Today was grocery shopping day for me. I attempted to get everything that we might need for our Thanksgiving dinner for two...but was unsuccessful in the area of a turkey or turkey breast that would fill our bill of fare. There were only three choices at Kroger (Woody said that next week will be different) and all contained too much saline solution...so I will patiently wait and perhaps check out another store...though I am trying to limit the number of stores that I enter. We both said that it won't be the end of the world if we don't have turkey. Woody said that lasagna would be fine with him...and I did get ingredients so I can make that. Lasagna and turkey side dishes? ummmm...doesn't sound too tempting to me! But I have been thinking about just making the different sides during the days prior to Thanksgiving either this coming week or Thanksgiving week...and just enjoy them when I get them made. We will see! I'm still going to hold out for a fresh turkey breast that hasn't had a lot of saline solution shot into it. I didn't find a turkey, BUT I did find toilet paper! I can't believe that once again toilet paper is disappearing from the shelves! Kroger was fairly well stocked today...no shelves totally empty. I also got paper towels that have been hard to find also. I have to have those to dry my hands on when I am setting up Woody's dialysis. I got home not long before it was time to get Woody's dialysis set up. I got the frozen and refrigerated items put away and then got the first phase of connecting him...just getting the machine set up. While the solution was warming up, I worked on getting more groceries put away. I didn't get them totally put away till after Woody's dialysis treatment for today was underway Woody has watched TV, read, done crossword puzzles, etc...his usual daily routine. After I got everything put away and ate a bite of lunch, I headed upstairs to collapse for a while. It took a while for me to revive and be able to even pick up a needle to do any stitching. Woody is well into his last cycle for today's dialysis treatment. I will be hearing from him in an hour and a half or so that the treatment is finished and it is time to disconnect him for today. Treatments continue to go well. We will find out how well when we see Dr. O. this coming week. This coming week we have a dialysis supply delivery scheduled and the next day we see the doctor and Woody's kidney care team. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Friday...Again!

Tonight's photo was the first barn we came upon on our latest barn trip. This barn was on the road that connects the road that is right behind my house with the road that we took towards Lynchburg and Fayetteville. The horse chose to pose for us. Today has been a day of doing a little of this and a little of that and a little of something and a little of nothing! The Hasty's stopped by and we exchanged items. We had borrowed some books from them and they had a pie pumpkin for us. I will cook the little pie pumpkin that I bought at the apple orchard along with their larger one and be sure of getting a good pie and then some out of the two of them. I have that on my to-do list for upcoming Thanksgiving cooking. I have also worked on my grocery list for my Krogering day tomorrow. I need to get whatever we are going to have for Thanksgiving as I only go to the grocery store every two weeks now and two weeks will be after Thanksgiving. I'm trying to figure out just what Woody will and won't eat...I don't want to be left with leftovers that only I will eat! I have most of what I need...don't need to get a whole lot...at least I don't think so at the moment...more may be added to the list before I go...or I will find more that we "need" once I am at the store! I decided that I needed to have some chicken noodle soup so made some this afternoon. I showed it to Woody...he said that it looked edible...so we will see if he ends up eating any or not. I find that we aren't eating many vegetables these days as Woody gets full on the protein that he is supposed to get each day and doesn't want extras on the side. And, I don't want a lot of any one vegetable for myself...my favorite way to eat veggies is in soups. The carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mushrooms, herbs along with my homemade broth and chicken and some noodles all made a tasty concoction that I enjoyed for my supper. Woody had a tuna salad stuffed tomato...so that was good too and emptied out another container of leftovers in the fridge. Woody is having some allergy problems and has a lot of drainage that seems to be causing him some nausea. I told him that I was glad that didn't happen to me as I have drainage 24/7 365 days of the year! If nausea was part of it for me...then I "should" be skin and bones...nope! He thinks that he will feel better once we have a hard freeze...whatever! Woody took notes today on the steps for setting up his dialysis. It will be good for him to know how...but there is an awful lot of moving around involved in doing it that won't be easy for him since he's using a walker to get around these days. But it will be good for him to know how...as it is not good that I am the only one who knows how at the moment. He has spent his day in the normal way...crossword puzzles, a bit of computer time, tv, reading, and perhaps resting his eyes a bit. I have started back on some handwork. Last night I worked on stitching out the word "APPLES" on the afghan that I have been working on for years. This is the one I mentioned the other night that I have lots of different cross stitch patterns picked out to stitch in the various squares on the afghan. I am attempting to do the stitching the 17th century way...reversible...so the stitches look the same on the back as they do on the front (letters will be reversed, though!). I am slowly picking up that method of stitching and I am pleased with the way these letters have turned out so far...I have a "P" and the "L" and the "E" and the "S" finished. Maybe I will get the other "P" and the "A" finished tonight. Then I have to decide what else is going to go in this square...maybe I should have centered "APPLES" in the square and moved on to the next...but I didn't so something needs to be stitched under the word. I have something planned for that area...planned years ago...but things like this are always subject to change!!! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Most Beautiful Tree in Town...and Just Possibly the Second Most

This multiple trunked Gingko tree is absolutely breathtaking when it is in its full golden splendor. This is the tree that Woody took me home to get my camera and then went back so I could take a picture of it. One amazing thing about this tree is that one day it is standing there in all its glory and the next every leaf will have fallen off. Here are some photos that I took other years of this same tree...showing it in its splendor, showing one leaf to see its unusual fan shape and then one where all the leaves are gone.

One of the times that I was photographing the tree there was someone there that knew some of the history of the tree. He told me that the reason that it has so many trunks is that when it was small someone mowed over it and when it came back up it had multiple trunks. Whether this is the most beautiful tree in town is probably a matter of opinion...but Woody and I both choose this one as our favorite. Just a block or two from this tree we came upon the following maple. We have watched it over the years as it was across the street from where we used to come out of our neighborhood when we were heading toward WalMart or Kroger. It has always been such a vivid color that it attracts attention. This year I was amazed that it was almost a complete sphere and that its lower branches reach almost to the ground. It looks like a giant orange ball sitting in these folk's yard! This was taken from the moving car so I didn't realize that I had a telephone pole right down its middle till I looked after I got home. Not the best composition for a photo...but it still gets this tree's roundness across! We have had quite the day today...well, mostly Woody's adventure with me at home wondering when he would get home. Nathan came over to blow our leaves again since the leaf truck has been spotted in our area and we want as many leaves raked to the curb in our yard as possible. I asked Woody if I should ask Nathan to take our white car to get its battery checked and get a new battery if needed. Woody said that he would rather have him to get gas as both cars needed gas. So I asked Nathan if he would do that with his dad and he agreed. Isaac chose to stay with me and play with things in the toy closet until they got back. They were gone longet than I expected them to be. Finally Nathan came in with the key to the green car and said that Woody was at Auto Zone as the car wouldn't start for Nathan after he got gas for it. So off they both went Auto Zone. After getting there Woody told Nathan that he would take it from there and that Nathan could take the green car back and be on with the errands that he had been planning to do. (Reason that Nathan drove the white car to Auto Zone was that he was driving that one and it was easier for Woody to not have to change cars but the one time at Auto Zone.) Nathan told me what had happened and where Woody was so I just went on with getting Woody's dialysis treatment set up so it would be ready when he got home. Well, he didn't come home and didn't come home...Finally just a little before 1pm Woody got back. He had been sent on a wild goose chase. Auto Zone no longer removes batteries and puts the new one back in. So the lady sent Woody some place else that he had never heard of, but the lady told him that it was just past the blowling alley...well, it was not right past the bowling alley. And, he couldn't spot the name of the place along that area of the road. So he started stopping at varous businesses in the area to see if they could tell him where it was...finally the third place of business directed him to the right place. When he got to the business, they didn't have the right battery for us so they had to call Auto Zone and get one from them!!!! Woody got more exercise in that little excursion than he has had in a very long time! But we do have a new battery! Hopefully that will be the end of our car sagas for a while! While he was off in search of a battery I decided that it was time to move the boxes of dialysis solution on the far wall in the living room to where we get them as the one shipment is depleted in that strength of solution. I think that there were 16 boxes...maybe more now that I think about it as there were three stacks of them...anyway they weigh quite a bit...but the job is done so the new shipment cam be placed on the far wall when they are delivered this coming week. My back isn't the happiest with me tonight...especially after I made sweet 'n sour chicken for our supper...quite a bit of cutting up of meat and veggies. But it is done, we have had supper, leftovers are put away and the dishwasher is doing its job. I am going to post this and head for my recliner and the heating pad! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

0 for 2

Tonight's photos are in honor of our Veterans. On the last leg of our barn trip Monday, we came to a stretch of the highway that was lined with flags and crosses. Each flag and cross was there in honor of a United States veteran. It was a really long stretch of road as you can see in the panaramic picture shows. Each of the crosses has a veteran's name on it, what branch of the service he served in and which war he fought in. I put up the one that my zoom lens managed to capture from the far lane of the highway. I was pleased that it was fairly legible. Today we salute all the veterans both still with us and those that are just a memory and thank them for protecting our freedoms. Now...to explain tonight's blog title! Once a month Woody has an appointment with one of the nurses at Fresenius Kidney Care Center. This appointment takes place the week before Woody sees Dr. O. They get the data off our thumb drive that records information from the cycler machine for each of his treatments. And, he has blood drawn for labs prior to seeing the doctor. We got in the car all ready to head off and at the turn of the key in the ignition...nothing. I had told Woody that I had had it hesitate starting on me a couple of times in the last month or so but we hadn't ever looked into it. So we got out of the car and headed to our other car. I went inside to get that car key while Woody made his way to the car. I told him that I was concerned about it starting since we rarely use it these days. But he was sure that it would be fine. Well...he turned the key and again that "nothing" sound. So we were 0 for 2 in getting our cars to start this morning. I put in an SOS call to Nathan and Kathy. And, Nathan headed our way with jumper cables. We just stayed in the green car and he got it started first and we headed off leaving him to get the other one started. We were only a little late for our appointment and I had called them to say that we would get there as quickly as possible. We left the car running while we were in there for our appointment...because of the car running they worked really hard to get us out very quickly...I think that we were there less than ten minutes. To keep the car running, We ran an errand to the Credit Union. Then Woody took me home so I could get my camera and took me back to capture an image for tomorrow night's blog. I'll leave you guessing! It was quite warm when we returned so Woody enjoyed sitting on the porch for a little while...very balmy and just a slight breeze. That slight breeze was blowing in a cold front and the temperature began dropping not long after we headed inside. I got Woody connected for his treatment and then he had lunch. I went outside to empty the compost and check the mail (forgetting momentarily that it is Veteran's Day and no mail...we are creatures of habit!). When heading to the mail box a familiar van drove up. The occupants asked if they could come in and visit for a few minutes...that Joseph wanted to visit. They came in all masked...but soon a very toothless grin came out from under his mask...Joseph has his first grade smile...both front teeth are out...so he can now say that all he wants for Christmas are his two front teeth! Here's his maskless, toothless picture:

In all the confusion I almost forgot to call Donna for our weekly "library" chat. But managed to remember an hour late...better late than never and I will remember that today is Wednesday because of our phone visit! Got to keep those touch points to keep us on track in our weeks during this Covid pandemic time. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! I will end with a photo of Woody enjoying the front porch. He's framed with fall dogwood leaves!

Barn Trip Tara Moment

I think that those of you who are Gone With the Wind fans will understand tonight's title. We saw the big house up on the hill with the columns and all three of us thought of Tara. Marie said that I had to have a Tara Moment blog photo/title! Marie moved us from place to place down below this mansion but we could never get a clear view of it, but I think that it can be seen well enough to get the gist of what we saw! The entrance to the home is padlocked off...you can view the gate/bar and the padlock in the first picture. We had to use our camera lenses to get as close as we possibly could...and move the car from spot to spot trying to get a better glimpse of it. Just one of the fun "discoveries" that we found of yesterday's barn trip. I have been looking at photos most of the day. I have had fun playing with exposures, etc. with my iPad photo app, but I can't share those on the blog any longer so these have had the bare minimum done to them...brightened a little, saturation adjusted a little, and sometimes a bit of a crop. I will try again to bring the ones that I have fooled around with on my iPad, but the last time they just wouldn't transfer well over here. So I doubt that I will be able to get them transferred over here. And, my photoshop software and this laptop just don't seem to like each other very well these days. I try to adjust them with it and usually the laptop shuts down after I have done one or two...yesterday it wouldn't even let me save one...and when I have several hundred it isn't much fun to have to keep restarting the computer after I work with each photo! While I was transferring the photos from my four cameras to the laptop/Passport external drive, I got to wondering how many photos I have taken with my four cameras. I have never reset the numbers on the cameras so I looked at the last photo number from each camera today and did a little math. Panasonic has set up the numbering at 1,000,000. So I subtracted 1,000,000 from each of the last numbered photo on each camera...and, can you believ that they totaled up to 961,844! Now, that doesn't mean that I have taken that many good ones...many have been deleted over the years...and truthfully many more need to be deleted as I fear that I am close to running out of room on my Passports...and unfortunately I checked the other day and I don't think that I can buy newer Passports with more storage space because the newer ones aren't compatable with this laptop. I really need to resort to going through and deleting lots to make room for more! That's a get-around-to-it type of project that will happen "one of these days!" Woody has spent his usual time today working crossword puzzles, watching TV, reading, and resting. Tonight we had one of his requests that hadn't been on his list of foods that he could eat for several years...tuna stuffed tomatoes. He said that the tomato was the best part. It was one of the tomatoes that I bought at Bain's Orchard. I will agree the tomato was very good as well as the tuna salad! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Barn Trip!

Marie called yesterday and suggested a barn trip. It didn't take much to twist Carolyn's and my arms! We jumped right on board with her idea. They picked me up around 8:30 this morning and off we went...cameras in hands! It was a beautiful day...blue sky, clouds, fall color, warm temperature...just about perfect when you add in time spent with friends. I haven't had much of a chance to look at many photos yet so decided to choose one that showed the beautiful color and Tennessee's rolling hills and then decided on a red barn. I must have really liked this barn as I have many views of it from all different angles. I used all four of my cameras today so I took many! We saw lots of barns, animals and beautiful leaves. I will share some of the splendor of the TN Fall countryside over the next days in the blog photos of the day. I got Woody's treatment all set up before I left so when I got home all we had to do was get him connected when I got home...a rather short process in his treatment. The set up is what takes the longest. We have been trying to get his treatment started close to 1pm and he was connected and the machine running at exactly 1pm today. So my galavanting didn't interfere with the dialysis schedule. Woody enjoyed the quiet of having the house all to himself, I am sure! He said that he even got in a short nap. His treatment is going right along this evening. It was getting close to the 4th last cycle starting when I came upstairs to blog. I imagine that it has started by now and he will be on schedule to be finished around 9:30 tonight. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Saturday

Saturday is here again. It has been "one of those days" that I just didn't feel like doing much...I guess it is the end of a busy week! Plus I didn't sleep well last night so have been tired most of the day. I did get Woody some more reading material from the public library. He had a list of books that he wants to read so I checked the online catalog to see if our library had them...they had several of the ones that he wanted and I put several on hold. I got a call in about an hour after I placed the requests I got a call that they had two of them ready for me. I headed off to get the shortly after they called. So he is back in business for his reading. I found two that he hadn't read that I own that I think he would like to read. So he is once again well supplied with reading material.Again, Woody's dialysis is going smoothly and he is on the road to being finished around 9:30 or a little after. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! And, finally my prayer is that we all try to be accepting of election results whether our candidates won or lost. And, that we try to put forth a united front as a nation and show our country at its best to the world in this transition time.

Help Arrived!

Just as I was getting ready to connect Woody to his dialysis cycler, I heard some noise outside and looked out and saw three munchkins attacking the leaves in our yard...Joy with a rake, Elijah with the big leaf blower, and Joseph with a rake. They did a great job and had them blown to the front of our yard along the curb. Now we have some leaves ready to be picked up if the leaf machine happens to land on our street. They got the whole front yard and the driveway behind our white car blown off and the walkway swept off...so for the moment the yard looks all clean and neat...just give a day or so and it will be blanketed again. The leaves have only just begun to fall! After they got finished, they came in for a short visit along with Kathy, Graham, and Esther. The boys picked up the K'nex that I had found in the school room and Joy and Esther claimed all their art work and art supplies. After the girls got what was theirs then I loaded the rest in our art supply storage tub. And, just like that...the top of the file cabinet is empty except for unused file folders (their spot so we can get them easily) and the decorations from the dining room table that will stay there till I pick up my fall decorations. I am still "thinking" about moving the books...energy isn't there today to do that much back and forth moving of books! Last night I continued to clean out cubby holes in my needlework cabinet. I decided what little cross stitch project I am going to work on. Today I gathered up the supplies that I would need to stitch it (the fabric, embroidery floss colors, and a needle...my embroidery scissors reside on the little table next to my recliner and my magnifying dazor lamp is next to my recliner also...so I am set. I'm hoping to put in a few stitches tonight. The other project that I planned for last night isn't small...it is quite an undertaking. It is an afghan...that has squares on it just waiting to be embelished with cross stitches. I started this project years ago. I have six small squares all stitched with different types of apples...this was started back in my apple collecting days. I found all the graphs in the needlework cabinet...all stacked up just waiting for me to be inspired again. The next thing that I did was decide which one I was going to stitch first...chose the easiest...the word "APPLES." And, found the one color of floss that I would need...a deep red. Then I had to locate a notebook that shows me how to do a special type of embroidery that will allow this afghan to look the same on the front and back...that was my notebook that instructed me in how to do 17th century embroidery back when I stitched a replica of the Loara Standish Sampler I read through the insructions and the memory of how to do them seemed to come back...we will see once I begin doing a little stitching on that. The designs that I have put on this afghan so far were done using this type of stitching so I hate to come in now and have the back of the afghan look messy. I'm sure that I will work on this for a while and then set it aside as I did before. It is perfectly okay to use as an afghan as it is...so I will put it over a chair in the guest room and pick it up now and then and try to eventually finish it to the point that I have planned...let's just say...a lot of stitching is planned and each "picture" has apples in it in some form or another. I know that Woody enjoyed the visit from "the farmers" (formerly known as "the neighbors"). It was good to get to see them...a little change of pace of just seeing each other! Once again Woody's dialysis is going smoothly...I am so glad to get to report this "same ol', same ol'" pattern to his dialysis hours. When he started dialysis and we had so much trouble I wondered at times if I would ever be able to say that things were going smoothly! So glad to be able to sound like a broken record each evening when I report on how things are going here on the blog. Again he is in the final cycle of today's dialysis and should be finished around 9:30pm. Be safe! Be well! Be content! And...be patient with these s l o w election returns!

One Thing Leads to Another

Today I started out in the old school room/office. I moved things here and there and ended up clearing the table and dusting it. I decided that I needed to attempt to order a new toner cartridge for the copier that is on that table. I did manage to get that ordered along with a black ink cartridge for our printer...good job done. I cleaned out a couple more storage tubs...I consolidated all our packing materials (bubble wrap, etc.) and mailing envelopes into one tub. That left me a tub to put in some more of the school items that were in the form of kits. So got those put in and away. I moved two tubs that had been under the table into the closet...thus giving me knee room for the new use I have planned for the table...a place for my older sewing machine. I brought upstairs the ladder back chair, that had been at the desk in the family room which got ousted due to where the dialysis cycler machine needs to be when not in use, to use for a sewing chair...its seat is a bit higher than the dining room chairs which should be better for sewing...that way my chin won't be right on the bed of the machine! I haven't been able to try out my new "sewing station" because I haven't been able to locate an extension cord. I was sure that I had one stored in my needlework cabinet...but so far haven't found it...but...I do have three cubby holes in the needlework cabinet cleaned and straightened. I found things that I hadn't thought about in years! I am getting more and more inclined to get back to my needlework. I vacuumed the office/sewing/guest room. There is a twin bed in there so it has always been able to be used for a guest. I am planning to make some more pillows to prop up along the wall to give it the look of a day bed...new pillows will fill in the spaces where some stuffed animals used to be...they are now in a storage tub in the closet also. I am about done in that room...though I am considering transferring the children's books to the bookshelves in the sewing room and put all my sewing and needlework books on the bookshelf in the office/sewing room. I'm not sure that I am up to that transfer job at the moment. The room looks good straightened up...I still have to get Joy and Esther to come get the art things that are theirs. I have an art storage tub that I think I will clean out and place the other art things in there that they don't take...we'll see. Now to find or go buy an extension cord/surge protector so I can use the sewing machine in its new place. Woody has had an uneventful day watching TV, reading, resting, working crossword puzzles, and perhaps playing a solitaire game or two. His dialysis has gone smoothly again today. He is on the fourth cycle of today's treatment. Again, he should be finished between 9:30 and 10pm. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! And, continue to be patient awaiting the results of the election!

Another Wednesday Rolls Around

I took tonight's photo last week when Marie and I went on our Apple/Barn trip. I took trying to attempt to capture the wind that Hurricane Zeta had left with us. But it is rather hard to capture the wind! But the tall grasses are pretty and bending just a bit and being blown towards the right as you look at the picture! Today has been a pretty routine day...at least as routine as our days get these days. I got up and made Woody high protein pancakes...enough for three days...so two more breakfasts are prepared for and ready for him to take out of the fridge and pop into the microwave to warm them. Shortly after I got the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, I got the dislysis supply inventory list that I made last night and called to order his supplies for another month. The Fresenius organization seems to be a very well oiled machine. Everytime I have ordered it is an easy process. So the ordering job is done for another month. The supplies will be delivered in two weeks. Woody made his own lunch today...a BLT. He cooked the turkey bacon (I have found some that doesn't have additives) and made his own sandwiches...something that got him be up and moving prior to being connected to a machine for the rest of his day! While he was making his sandwich I got a call from his Fresenius social worker. She was checking to see if he had gotten a survey that she needed him to take. We hadn't gotten it yet, but when I checked the mail after her call it was in the mailbox. He filled it out while I was doing the setup for his dislysis. I got him connected for today's dislysis treatment and then I had my weekly "library" chat with Donna. We got caught up with each other...we always have good talks...and our talk keeps me grounded as to what day it is! It is so easy for all the days to just run together since we continue to mainly shelter at home and don't have too many touch points that say "today is..." I have continued on with my going through things...both straightening up things, packing things away more tightly, and also throwing away things. I cleared some more things off the long table in what we had called our schoolroom/office...guess it is now just an office. I'm about to the point to give the top a good cleaning...something that it hasn't had for a while since it was covered with Montessori equipment. I'm about ready to try it out for what I think its new use will be. I began a new book this afternoon...I have already "gotten into it." It is The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek. It is about pack horse librarians in the Kentucky Hills that started due to FDR's New Deal. And, as I said it has already sucked me into the story! I have been reading less lately due to all the "going through" things that I have been doing. Plus at this point having read 102 books this year, I am a bit weary of reading. Woody has done his usual routine...came upstairs one of the first things this morning to print off his crossword puzzles (LA Times and USA Today have daily puzzles.)and read eamil and check a couple of websites, finished his puzzles, had breakfast, watched some TV, done some reading, played a few games of solitaire, etc. He manages to fill up the hours of his days whether he is having a dialysis treatment or not. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! When do you think we will know who our next President is?!? Patience is the name of the game...and, with Covid 19 we should have this game of patience down pat!

Election Day 2020

The moment that the polls closed in a few states the channel that Woody was watching in the family room and I was listening to from the kitchen immediately told that AP had already called two of the states--Kentucky and Vermont. I wonder if more have been declared since I came upstairs and stopped listening. Unless I ask Alexa or check on my iPad or am downstairs I won't know much about the election as we only have the one TV. I will walk through the family room every so often and see what is happening. Out of curiosity about what information Alexa would give me I just asked her for "my election update." She gave me quite a detailed run down! I guess my interest in social studies (my education major in college)keeps my interest up in election returns...no matter which way it is going. Elections just intrigue me. I just am hopeful that we won't see unrest once it is known who the winner is...I am hoping for peace for our country no matter the outcome. Am I an optomist?!? Woody has worked his crossword puzzles, read, and watched TV today. Now he is settled in for the evening to see what the results of this election will be. I managed to get through all the items in the one storage tub and have its lid back on and it stored back under the table. I went through a few things in a couple of the other tubs...but not a lot and snapped their lids back on and slid them back too. So the floor is cleared of tubs once again and most cross stitch magazines are stored away, too. I do have one set of magazines to go through. They are sitting on the child's table in the room in their magazine storage boxes. Now to decide where I am going to put them. I still have things on the table that I want to put away so I am not finished in there yet but getting closer. I should be sewing...need to finish my pants so I can get busy on the Christmas stocking that Melany brought me to finish. After I blog I have to go take inventory of Woody's dislysis supplies as I have to phone in an order tomorrow. It seems like all I do is turn around and it is time to order supplies again. The next order will come two weeks from tomorrow. This afternoon I spent quite a bit of time knocking down boxes from the solution and other supplies so I could put them by the road for recycle pick up tomorrow. Woody's dialysis has really been going smoothly lately. It is taking about 8-1/2 hours for the 4 cycles. And, he is finishing around 9:30pm most nights...nice to have it done before bedtime and not have to wait for it to finish. Of course, we are starting as close to 1pm as possible which means that I start getting things set up around noon. It takes up most of the day. But as Woody says...he isn't doing a lot in the afternoons and evenings except sitting in his recliner either reading or watching TV. He seems satisfied with our current schedule. Since I had done so much cooking yesterday and Sunday and didn't feel like making the Cranapple Crisp that Woody had requested, I told him that I would make it today. It came out of the oven a little while ago. We have both had a bowl and it was very tasty. The kitchen is cleaned up. I just have to put these last dessert dishes in and then run it and my kitchen duties will be done for the day. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Labor Intensive Day

Today has been a full day for me...mainly cooking. I made our recipe for Pulled Pork and that is labor intensive. It cooks for 3 to 4 hours and during that time I am having to attend it for one thing or another...skimming fat, cutting up the roast into smaller pieces during the cooking process, trimming fat from the meat as I cut it up, and finally shredding it with long forks. The end product is well worth the effort! This recipe has several pluses...high protein for Woody and there is a lot of it so I can have some for now and will freeze some for future enjoyment. I also made Woody's breakfast sausage this evening...after I got all the other mess cleaned up. The clean up for the barbecue is labor intensive too...thank goodness for a dishwasher! I was about done in by the time it was time to clean up so I got as much loaded into the dishwasher as was possible and got it running and then headed upstairs for a little while to rest my back. I went back down when the dishwasher was through...unloaded it and loaded it up with some that wouldn't fit in the first time. Then I ran a sink full of hot soapy water and washed the items that I don't put in the dishwasher and wiped down the stove and the counters. Then wnet back upstairs to rest a little longer before it was time to fix our supper. After I got those dishes loaded, I made Woody's breakfast pork sausage. I still have to go down and wash the griddle and wipe off the stove...both were still to hot to do that before I came up to blog. I am very ready to collapse in my recliner. I continue to go through magazines...got through the Colonial Homes and saved the ones that I want and will go through the others and decide if I will keep some more or get rid of them. Now I am going through some cross stitch magazines. As I look through them, I am getting the bug to do a little stitching...and, I may. I am not ready to get rid of these magazines...yet...still see too many things that I "might" want to stitch "sometime." I have pulled one magazine out opened to a graph that I think I might work on...it seems to be a fit for a gift need. Today's BIG throw away was quite a few years of calendars...I had saved them due to my "once upon a time" scrapbooking. The information in them is amazing...especially my earlier ones when Melany and Nathan were still at home. And, they did help me when I was scrapbooking, but I'm just not into making scrapbooks these days. I glanced through them and they made me tired...there was a LOT going on in those days! I'm sort of glad that my life has slowed down. But all of those except for one are now history that made it to file 13...actually they are out the door and in the garbage for pick up on Wednesday. The one I kept was a Williamsburg calendar and I just couldn't let go of the pictures on that calendar. Woody has had a good day. He is probably on the last cycle of today's dialysis. It should be through around 9:30 or so. All the cycles have gone like clockwork today. It is cold here. Last night it got down into the upper 20's and they said that tonight was supposed to be even colder. It was nippy when I went outside to take trash to the garbage can and to get our mail. We are staying in mostly and managing to stay warm. There is supposed to be a warming trend after tonight. I'm not really ready for cold weather...but I guess turning the calendar to November foretells that colder temperatures are probably on the way! Cheryl, my favorite sister...ummmmm only sister, called today...our first call since the time changed yesterday and we moved an hour closer to each other without getting out of our chairs! I like being only an hour different than Arizona in time...but I'm not real fond of the way it gets dark so early. Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! And, vote tomorrow if you haven't already!