Thursday

I’ve had a fairly busy day.  I’ve stayed at home.  Continued to decorate and clean as I go.  Today got back behind my downstairs recliner…not the easiest space to clean/reach.  I was a little leary about vacuuming today as my sister tangled with a vacuum cleaner cord and met the floor.  She said that she wasn't much worse for the wear today.  Vacuuming where I did was sort of an accident waiting to happen…but I successfully got that space cleaned and stayed upright.  The reason that I felt compelled to clean this area was that I had to go back there to hang some items in a grouping on the wall behind my recliner.  I have emptied a couple of boxes of decorations so continue to make progress…but still more slowly than surely…pretty slow progress…especially when I realize that Thanksgiving is two weeks from today!  

I managed to get one of the Christmas ornaments fully finished…so one completely ready to gift…20 more to finish! Finishing ornaments is a good way to rest, when I have met my limit, for a while, of going up and down the stairs.  Plenty to do around here…no possibility of being bored!

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Veterans' Day 2026

I didn't sleep the best last night, which meant a slow start to my day since I was sleepy most of the morning and did a little dozing in my recliner.  Since I didn't feel like moving too much this morning, I worked on finishing Christmas ornaments…doing things that I could do while sitting.  As the day wore on, I did get my energy back and started working on my decorating.  I am opening up boxes that I store decorations in and if something is in that box that I pretty know where I will put it, I take it and anything else that I can safely bring down the stairs and still hold onto the banister. If I need to clear a table top for it, I do that and dust and then plop it in place.  So I am slowly but surely getting things out of the Christmas closet and finding them a place.  I have one tree on my mantle and a Christmas picture over the mantle…still more things to find to go there.  But the mantle is ready for them when I find them!  I have a church an a few trees on my previous kitchen table that is now in my living room,..awaiting carolers!  I have started clearing and cleaning off the countertop on the sink side of the kitchen getting it ready for snowmen and trees…I found two of the snowmen that go there so that started me clearing and cleaning there…I guess there is a method to my madness!  I did get out the Christmas napkins and put them in the napkin holder and will unpack my s'more snowmen and place them next.  Little by little…

I got a call from my doctor's office today.  I had asked if I could stop my gout med…she said that she would look at the results of my labs and let me know…but the numbers on this one test had risen and she said that couldn't stop, and, as a matter of fact, I need to take one every day.  I had been taking them every other day.  These are the pills that I dislike taking as they get stuck in my throat going down…due to the fact that they aren't coated.  So I have to take them hidden in a spoonful of something like applesauce or cottage cheese or yogurt.  And, for some reason, I just don’t like to have to eat something to take them!  One of those little things that irritate me, I guess.  But I guess having to do that is better than having to suffer with gout! I will be good and take them…though not happily!

I guess that is the only change in my meds, as she didn’t remark on anything else.  I know some of the numbers weren’t the best on other labs…but they are pretty much at the same place as last time and she is letting "not much change" in the "not the best" results ride.  

I went to Bible study tonight and am now home…ready to settle in for the night.  I may continue to finish this one ornament that I worked on this morning or stitch the openings of the stuffed ornaments that need that done so they will be finished.  Whatever I do, it isn’t going to make me climb the stairs.  Decorating for Christmas means many trips up and down the stairs…so I will wait till tomorrow to continue my decorating. 

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Rather Busy Day

Tonight's photo is one of the barns that we found on our trip to the area where the borders of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia meet.  I think that I may have taken this one when we were in North Carolina…but not sure.

My first task of the day was to get myself to McMinnville, TN for my doctor appointment this morning.  It was a very pretty day to drive through the countryside to get there.  I did find out that my heart rhythm was like, I think she said, a teenager's or perhaps she said a thirty-year old's…either way it is much younger than I or my heart.  Now it is wait and see what my labs show this year.  I imagine that I will be able to look at the results sometime tomorrow or the next and they will call the end of the week or the first of next week.  I was able to get to and from with just enough time for a little lunch (and, I was hungry since I was to fast for labs) before it was time to go work in the library with Donna.  We mainly did maintenance today and did a little catching up with each other. 

I came home and did get out a few more things from the Christmas closet and placed them where they may or not go by the time I'm finished decorating.  Some things get tried out in various spots before I am satisfied with their placement. 

I decided that today was the day to tackle my wash…the loads are a bit larger than usual since my trip clothes are included.  I have two loads washed, one load back upstairs put away and the second one all folded or hung up to be taken upstairs.  I have the third load downstairs and ready to go into the washer.  I will do that after I blog.  

That about wraps up my day. I did get the rest of the ornaments stuffed last night…now need to sew up the openings that I stuffed them through…next step…almost to the point of being totally finished.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Another One of Those “Has-to-be-a-Good Day!

Tonight's blog title refers to what I say when it is hair-cut day!  My appointment was late morning today instead of right after lunch, as it usually is.  It worked it well…just that it cuts into my day differently.  I did do a little more picking up so I can get out some more decorations.  I didn’t get a lot of decorating done today…but did get out some pillows that I have out for Christmas.  Little by little I am progressing…but probably won’t meet my goal, if I don't pick up the speed a bit!  

Last night before going to sleep I did stuff some of the ornaments.  I hope to get the rest that need to be stuffed done this evening.  I stitched a little on some "labels" that need to be added to the back of three of them. So progress in getting ornaments done so I can gift them.  

After getting home from my haircut this afternoon, I decided that I needed to do a little cooking.  So I made a pot of soup…my refrigerator was a bit bare since I had been away last week.  I have been eating things from the freezer and sandwiches.  I decided that it was time to have soup since the temperatures are getting a bit cooler.  We were down in the 30s last night.  I made a recipe that I have made for many years.  It's called Winter Soup, a no-meat soup…it has onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, barley and chicken broth.  And, the only spice called for is black pepper.  It always surprises me as to how tasty it is with so few ingredients.  Oh, and it is supposed to have beef broth instead and of chicken broth, but I am trying to be good and cut way back on salt since I had so much more salt than usual since I ate out on the trip.  I could get salt-free chicken broth, but could only get 50% less salt beef broth so chose the one with less sodium.  

I doubt that the effects of eating more salt than usual has worn off and tomorrow I go to the doctor for my six-month check in and labs.  We'll see what the results of a week of indulgence makes on my labs!  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Sunday Favorite

Under Way

The Christmas closet doors have been opened!  And, the easiest boxes to get out were the ones that held what I like to put out first—the Precious Moments nativity.  The two boxes that hold all the boxes these figurines go in have been packed up with empty boxes and are ready to go upstairs. One is on the stairs and the second is ready to follow close behind.  

I have worked at unpacking, too.  I just brought up the last clothes that were on one side of the suitcase…and not many left on the other side.  I decided that it was easier to make a couple of trips up and down the stairs than to carry the heavy suitcase up the stairs…will bring it up when it is empty.  I charged batteries for my cameras and got the lenses all put back where they go.  I have been using the card table to get things organized and at the moment it is the closest to being cleared than it has been in some time.  

This afternoon, Joy came over and we spent a couple of hours sewing.  I serged edges and she ironed and sewed some of the pieces together on the sewing machine that she uses when she is over here.  I think she was pleased with her progress.  She is coming right along with this dress that she designed…no pattern…she just cuts and sews…my brain doesn't work that way!  I need a pattern…now once in a while I will modify a pattern piece or two…but can’t start out without some tangible crutch to get me going and keep me on the right path!  She's a designer…I just see what others design!

I realized that one of my clocks, that I turned back last weekend, was a day ahead. It is one that shows day, date, and time.  I guess that when I made the time fall back, I forgot to move the day back, too.  I was happy that we weren't as far into the month as the clock stated! The fact that the day gets dark so early is still confusing me…I think that it is much later in the day than it is.  The afternoons and evenings seem much longer than they did last week.

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Getting Back to Reality

Today I have attempted to get back to reality after being away…back to routine…sort of…My first piece of business was to go to the Credit Union and get a new card.  That was accomplished quite easily, then it was off to Kroger.  I got items that have been requested for our White Christmas boxes at church.  Each year we pack several hundred boxes of food to distribute to those in need.  This year they have asked us to purchase certain items for the boxes so found those and added them to my cart.  I also picked up some sale items that I will use for my holiday baking and cooking.  Checked out the sales…found several good ones on things that I use in my cooking.  I have noticed lately that more and more of the sale items are often not the best for us. When bargain shopping, I try to not impulse buy…but buy things that I use in recipes.  Once in a while I do give in to a treat or two…if they are part of a sale…all the better! I came home and got the food put away.  

Getting unpacked has been slow…more fun to pack than unpack!  It will happen.  I did get photos uploaded to my iPad.  Tonight's photo is one of them…taken in North Carolina on our way home…looking out over a valley.

I did start a task…with trepidation…changing from one season (Fall) to another (Christmas) inside my house.  Gulp!  Not sure I am ready…but it is less than three weeks till Thanksgiving and I need to have the Christmas decorating mess out of the way before I have the family Thanksgiving here.  It takes me a while to decorate and I need to be able to set a pace that is comfortable for my back!  Time will tell how far I get before it is time for me to cook my part of the Thanksgiving dinner.

I think that I will open the Christmas closet door tomorrow and it will all begin…again.  All I can say is: How can it be this time of the year already!  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!