It's Day One of a Two-Day Countdown - Besties Are REALLY the BEST!

I won't be posting tomorrow. I have to be at the hospital at 6:15 am and my surgery is at 8:15 am. Today is taken up with my pre-op physical, but that won't happen until early afternoon. So I still get a chance to get some grocery shopping in and make a batch of Ogre Juice. Having Ogre Juice available is going to be prime in healing quickly. Getting those nutrients into my body to replenish it from the shock of surgery will be essential. 

I know that the nutrients in my alkagizer will help me heal 
quickly. I have two still avaliable, but I'd like to make another 
four today so that I don't have to worry about them until late 
in the week. 

At this point, however, I just want this over and done with. I want to get on with my life, for as much or little as I have left of it. My hope is that I'll still have a good 20 years left, but who knows? I'm no Spring Chicken any more, I'm fully into the Autumn, and seeing those freezing winds of Winter approaching. But today I'm taking an unusual Tuesday off since I'll be busy tomorrow. 

I still feel like a Spring Chicken, although 
the weather is trying to convince me 
otherwise *sigh*. I'm not much of a winter fan. 

DH is very worried, but my friend Claire (Chickie Mama) is my rock. She's been amazing throughout and at my side through everything. She'll be at the clinic with me this afternoon, and at the hospital with DH tomorrow. I don't know what I ever did to get such a good friend, but I'm eternally grateful for having her in my corner every step of the way. 

There's nothing much better than a best friend, and in Chickie 
and Chickie Mama (Claire) I have two amazing and awesome 
friends. I really couldn't have done this process without 
both of them. 

So I'm going to bundle up and head to the grocery store. It's below zero with a stiff wind chill, and I'm not going to want to be out in it any longer than needed. I've got some soup made, I can get chicken for tomorrow's dinner, and I have a little of this and that in the freezer. I won't starve to death, even in the middle of a Minnesota winter. I hope all of you stay warm and safe, and I'll be back on Thursday. Slava Ukraini. 

Hell Week Has Arrived *Sigh* - I Can Hardly Wait for Next Week

It's 5:40 am on my first day of "hell week" and DH is already up and expecting conversation. No. The only conversation I have in the early mornings are with you, my readers, and within my own head. I have no great desire to be sociable at 5:30 am. His normal time to wake up is 6:30 am. Why he decided it was appropriate to awaken an hour early ... *sigh*. Argh! 

Six days in a row working with DH, no days 
off to release pressure through cooking, and 
no real help at the shop. Oh joy! NOT! 

We did have a nice, although cold, day at Fest yesterday. Our friend Ben who owns/operates one of the leather stores there was one of many honored by the King for service - he got his 20-year medallion and certificate. Very nice. He spent a long time at the outdoor court chatting with this person and that person, and later, when I was at the shop speaking to his wife (a dear friend), he came back to the shop in a human drawn "cabriolet". OMG!! But, it was a big day for him, and we all laughed. 

Our King and Queen at the Fest. We've had the same King 
for quite a few years now. We've gone through a few 
Queens in the years I've attended, but only a couple 
of Kinds. Maybe the job of King is easier? Hard to say - LOL. 

DH and I decided to purchase our Season Tickets for next year yesterday, instead of holding out until this coming Sunday. We probably will skip Ren on Sunday - we have the State Fair Gem and Mineral Show to attend, and it's a solid hour drive out to Fest and again back. We decided to save the gas and wear and teat on Minion and go ahead and skip final weekend. 

Chickie and Chickie Mama are flying into New York 
City today. They are thrilled that they will be in the 
audience of a taping of "The View", and there are a few 
other minimal things they want to do in the City, but 
most of their time will be spent with family, north of 
the City, near West Point. 

Of course, today is also the day that Chickie and Chickie Mama fly to New York for the family wedding. They have First Class tickets (they are NOT the person who purchased them - that's beyond their budget by far). Chickie informed me that they had already reserved their specific meals, and bemoaned the fact that since neither of them drink alcohol (health issues), they would not be able to enjoy the endless booze. Personally, I'd skip the meal (toxic food ... no thanks!) and have a wine or two. Different strokes for different folks. 

I do hope that Chickie and Chickie Mama have a great time 
at the family wedding and in NYC, but I'm going to have 
a personal week from hell having to rely on DH to actually 
be helpful at the shop. *sigh*

So, as I embark on seven days in a row working with DH, think kind thoughts for me. If anyone can drive me totally over the edge, it's having to rely on DH at the shop when he's usually hiding in the basement doing lord only knows what. *sigh* It's going to be a VERY long week. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Yesterday was a gardening day. DH and I started the day out at Gertens, a lovely place with LOTS of choices of plants (and trees, and other things for the garden and yards). We ran into Chickie, Chickie Mama and Clarke there, so were able to say "Hi" and exchange this and that. It was simply lovely to see Claire again - I really love Chickie Mama. 

It was cold and rainy - I actually wore my winter parka and didn't regret that choice at all. By the time we were finished, my gloves were soaked and my umbrella had been seriously used. DH was a bit cold in his leather jacket, but he was at least intelligent enough to use his own umbrella - absolutely necessary. 

We bought a LOT of plants, then went to Home Depot for some more bags of dirt and a couple of other minor things. Then home. The rain stopped around 11:00 am, just in time for the Big Plant! That's what DH spent the next few hours doing - planting all of the new plants throughout the garden in our patio area along the "castle" walls. When they bloom later this year, it should be glorious. I took photos, and I'll share them tomorrow since I'm tight on time today. 

Why am I tight on time? I've been looking for my eyedrops and can't find them. My eye is really bothering me today - I suspect it's too much airborne dirt and pollen that's settled into my eye, causing discomfort. I know I have eyedrops at the shop, and I also know I had a bottle here at home within the past 48 hours, but I'm not finding it. I need it. So, I'll drop by the store on my way to the shop and buy another. I don't even care what kind - just need something to keep my eyes lubricated and get rid of air-borne pollen. 

So today you get a minimal post. Still, we had a great Sunday and, as I said, I'll share photos with all of you tomorrow. We can all compare the before and after photos later in the year. Until then, please have a wonderful Monday and I promise, I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukfaini. 

The Woes of Road Construction - Will I Have a YMCA This Morning?

For those of you sending positive thoughts out to my friend Claire, it seems like the surgery was successful. The pathologist at Mayo contacted her yesterday via email and said it seemed that they managed to get all of the cancer removed. It's a relief for everyone, and I'm sure all those positive thoughts helped. Thank you, everyone. 

Thanks for your positive thoughts. The prognosis for 
Claire is quite good and she's very relieved. 

As of last night, my YMCA was still closed, although they were hoping to reopen at 5:00 am today. Well, I'm hoping for that too, since I made a quick reservation for today after yesterday's unexpected shut-down because of water issues. It's been a real mess all year - the main road in front of my Y is being completely torn down and rebuilt and while they're at it, the County is also redoing all of the water pipes and utility stuff that goes on below the surface structure. Getting all of the various departments onto similar schedules has been a nightmare for everyone, and it's September. We're running out of summer. 

Summer is ending and autumn is here. Soon we'll be 
dealing with winter's cold and snow. It's a guarantee 
that the road construction will pull into a second year 
of mess, but it would be really nice if the water is 
finally fixed for the YMCA and businesses along the street. 

I expect the road will continue to be a two-lane road through the winter. It's usually a four-lane road with turn lanes added, so this is a considerable downgrade for a major North/South roadway. People have gotten used to their chosen alternatives, but for those of us needing to get to buildings that face the road, there are limited choices. Everything is accessible, but not always very easily. 

Sometimes getting to the YMCA over this summer 
of road construction has seemed like the path 
drawn above. I'm just grateful I'm dealing with 
the road at 4:45 am. The traffic is light at that 
time of the day. During the regular day, it's got 
to be a nightmare for anyone trying to get from 
Point A to Point B. 

Nonetheless, I'm hopeful that the Y will be open again at 5:00 am this morning because I really want my three swims for the week. I'll know in a bit more than an hour. 

I was able to track down the correct phone number and 
contact the Leaf Guard people regarding my unknown 
appointment. I got that confirmation, then contacted my 
car people who said there should be no problem having 
my car back in plenty of time. So ... I'm counting on all 
things to fall into place for next week Wednesday. 

Regarding that appointment I forgot to write down, I tracked down the phone number and contacted them. My appointment is scheduled for 11:00 am, my car appointment is scheduled for 7:45 am that same day. That should (all things being normal) be sufficient time for me to be back home in time for my gutter people to walk around the house and give me a quotation for Leaf Guards on my gutters. Everything has to work smoothly for success, but I'm hoping for the best. I also got my ColoGuard completed and sent back off yesterday, so one more thing on my "to do" list accomplished. So, I'm off to the Y. Afterward, I have a quick grocery shop and then my usual Friday "off" which means a lot of work here, but not at the shop. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

ChickieMama Surgery and Thoughts on the Middle Ages

Today is a topsy-turvy day. I work for Chickie today while she takes ChickieMama to Mayo Clinic for cancer surgery. It's a minor procedure, they leave early this morning and should be back home by early afternoon. But it's surgery and Claire is older than I am, so there's always something to worry about, even in out-patient surgery. If you can spare a positive thought or six for Claire today, it would be kind of you. 

Claire's surgery is at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, 
approximately an hour or so south of the Twin Cities. 
We're quite fortunate to have a world-class medical 
center so close to where we live. 

But, that means that I work today and I'm off tomorrow. My schedule is totally turned on end. I'll continue with my current task at the shop which will take me through today and many more todays, and I'll have to work with customers also, because DH is fairly useless at working with them. All I can say is he'd better be busy with something that has to do with our closing next year while he's secreted at his desk in the back. That's all I'm saying - GRRRR. 

I really dislike it when schedules are switched or 
changed up, but this is for a really good reason, and 
Claire is a good friend. So I'll just be hoping things 
go well for her and I'll get tomorrow as my "day off" 
instead of today. 

But with this small exception and bump in the road, nothing too much is happening today and that's not a bad thing. Sometimes routines and focus on tasks is what's important. For a change, though, why not think about what it would have been like for you at this time of the year a century or two or four or more ago. 

I guarantee that life would have been harder and probably 
shorter in the Middle Ages. There was no Industrial 
Revolution, no machines to help us in the fields. We lived 
a much more hand-to-mouth existence then, although 
some people are still living that way today. 

Where would you have been living? Would you have been a maker or a farmer? A lord or a serf? Would you have been a craftsperson? Who would you be interacting with daily? Weekly? Once a year? Would you have a strong roof over your head or be living in a one-room home? Where would your meals come from? Do you have a spouse? Children? Pets or domestic animals? How about a garden? Is it ready for harvesting or was it a poor year for crops and you're looking ahead at a winter of want and deprivation? 

There weren't a lot of career choices in the Middle 
Ages. They mostly fell into agriculture, maker (blacksmith, 
weaver, cook, etc), ruling class or military service. Of 
course, the peasants were also forced to go to war if their 
ruler decided it was necessary. *sigh* Not a very 
bucolic life, to be sure. 

Sometimes I like to take these little journeys into my head. It's these journeys that can populate your writing, that can inspire you to greater achievements in your present life, or that can color your art. On that note, I'm plugging in photos and getting out to the pool. It's trash day, so one more thing to do before I can leave the house this morning. Have an excellent day and Slava Ukraini. 

It's a Swimming Day and the "Best Possible Outcome" Whatever That Means

We've had some wonderful cool weather the past few days and it's led to great sleeping weather, as well as easy days. The store's been really slow, though. I'm not sure why, but it's not a good thing. We do what we can, but it's hard to sell to people if they don't walk through the door. I'm still firmly of the opinion that we should have closed five years ago, but we didn't, and that's dusted and done. 

No use crying over spilled milk, but I still think we 
should have closed years ago. DH couldn't get 
his head wrapped around it, but I would have been 
infinitely happier all around. 

I ordered the perfect thing for Sharon's birthday gift, as I said yesterday. It's coming from Ukraine. Before the war I hadn't ordered anything from Ukraine before, but now I've found several things over the past few months. I' m not specifically looking for items from there, but in my searching for gifts, I've been searching Etsy more frequently, and it appears that several of the items I really like are from Ukraine. Who knew? 

Sharon, I'm sending your unexpected birthday gift 
to you today via Priority Mail. You'll have it in time 
for your birthday. You'll get your second and true 
gift when it arrives and I send it on. Two gifts, one 
birthday ... SCORE! LOL

One item I had ordered earlier this month arrived yesterday. I wasn't expecting it at any particular time, but my friendly postal person, Jean, brought me a package, and there it was. One of those items was a gift for Sharon, so I'm sending it onward to her today. It appears that she'll have a gift on time for her birthday after all. The other gift will arrive in a few weeks. Two presents are even better - LOL. 

Apparently Claire's tests are giving her the "best 
possible outcome" which is very good news, but 
I'll find out more when Chickie comes in for work 
later today. Still, it seems quite optimistic, so 
thanks to all for your positive thoughts. 

It's the first of my three days of swimming today, and that's always a joy. Chickie texted me regarding ChickieMama's test results, but I didn't quite understand what she was telling me. I'll find out more specifics today, and they'll have their course of action settled by Thursday night after the "Tumor Board" meets earlier that day. But she said it's the "best possible outcome", so I'm hopeful. She'll be running slightly late today - she has a vet appointment for her two cats - but that shouldn't be any problem. 

On that note, I'm putting in pics because I like having pics in my posts, and then wrapping this up and heading for the pool. I hope you have a fabulous day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Today Is A Busy, Topsy-Turvy Day - Working On My "Day Off"

I couldn't sleep past 2:30 am. My mind was whirling with my schedule for today - how much I could actually get done and when I needed to be where. I'll relax in the pool while doing my laps - which sounds odd, I'm sure. After all, swimming a mile+ in the pool first thing in the morning isn't necessarily relaxing, but I'm working my body and listening to a good book, and frankly, there's nothing much better. But today will be hell, for sure. 

The goal today is to manage all of the tasks I can do 
and still work for Chickie as soon as I can safely get 
behind the wheel of my car after my eye doctor 
appointment. I'm hoping I won't be too busy at the 
shop for a while after I get there, while my eyes 
manage to return to normal. 

I've already got my personal load of laundry going. I won't get a chance to do DH's load or the household load today at all, they'll have to wait until Friday. I will try to change the sheets on DH's bed tonight, though. He shouldn't have to put up with sheets for more than a week without fresh ones. I figured I would have enough time to do one load for myself this morning, if I started it right away. Because I couldn't sleep, I might even be able to transfer it from the washer to the dryer before I leave for the gym. 

Today's stage of Le Tour de France puts the boys 
squarely in the middle of the Pyrenees with some 
hefty mountain climbing and a summit finish 
yet again. They'll have one more day in the Pyrenees 
tomorrow. I don't have the time to watch live, so 
I've been watching it on Peacock. Thank goodness 
for Peacock. I'd miss it all if it wasn't for streaming. 

Thus are the thoughts whirling around in my head - boring, mundane, and concentrated because there's a lot I have to be able to get done today. Which reminds me - I'm going to set up the laptop quickly and get the masterlist I've been working on for the past week printed out. I finally finished it yesterday afternoon. It's a 50-page document and my printer at home is much faster and more powerful than the emergency printer I keep at the shop. 

I have a small HP Deskjet printer at the shop that looks 
similar to this (not the exact same model, but quite 
similar). I basically got it on sale, with a credit I had, 
and I've kept the prints per month in the free range, 
so although I've had it for more than two years, I haven't 
spent a penny on it yet. Score! 

My shop printer is an HP and I call it my "free" printer. More than two years ago, DH purchased a new chair for me to use at my desk at home. My old chair was in really bad shape and it hurt to sit for any serious length of time. So that left us with a credit at the office supply store which I used on a new printer for the shop. HP has an ink program - if I print less than 15 pages a month, my ink is free. I haven't passed 10 pages a month since I got the printer. It's my "free" printer and it does just fine for us at the shop. Anything major, I print at home on my Epson. 

We are all pieces of kintsugi, in many ways. We all have 
cracks and fissures in our lives that we patch up to the 
best of our ability. Sometimes we can patch them on our 
own, and sometimes others help. None of us are perfect. 

I got my story posted yesterday evening, worked on in on and off throughout the day yesterday with numerous revisions. I'm pleased with it, but I did put warnings on for everyone - it can be a disturbing thing for some people to read. It's violent and could be a trigger for some people. I'm pleased with it, though. It's a human view of kintsugi. On DreamWidth you can find it here - https://erulissedances.dreamwidth.org/881248.html and on Live Journal you can find it here - https://engarian.livejournal.com/1085042.html . I'll let you know when the voting has opened. Hopefully I can do better than the six votes I got for the last story. 

I'm going to miss my usual routine, and my weekly 
conversation with Aearwen. Such are the sacrifices 
I make for a friend, and ChickieMama has been a 
friend for many years. I don't blame her for wanting 
Chickie at her side while she meets with her 
doctors. The two of them will have different 
questions, and between them they'll get a 
thorough understanding of the options and
choices ahead of her. 

I'm out of here. Swimming, then groceries, then the eye doctor, then the shop, and then I can come home and collapse. What a day! I'm feeling the pressure and I really HATE messing with my schedule. But, it's for ChickieMama and she's a good friend, so I might bitch and moan, but there was never a question that I'd work for Chickie so that she could accompany her Mama to Mayo for her meeting with the doctors. Have a good Wednesday, I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with a less crowded schedule. Slava Ukraini. 

It's a Time Crunch Today - I'd Better Finish Reading and Voting on LJ Idol Stories

I'm crunched for time today, so let's see if I can get a post up within 15 minutes. Yesterday was a busy, busy day as expected, and I'm sure I forgot some things, but I actually accomplished quite a bit. When going out to see the garden with DH when he returned home from work, I glanced at my hummingbird feeder. Cleaning and putting in new nectar had been on my "To Do" list, but I hadn't had time. I was going to put it off until Friday, but saw that the birds had been hitting it hard all day and it was quite low. I quickly made up a batch and got it restocked right after dinner. I don't want my hummers going hungry, now that they've found and are using my feeder. 

I love the fact that the hummingbirds are using the feeder. 
I think it's the best thing we bought at the garden center, 
hands-down. My peas and beans are coming up, the 
flowers and plants are (mostly) doing well, but the 
hummingbird feeder is giving me the greatest joy. 

I'm getting a few of my cherry tomatoes ripening now, but I'll be overwhelmed in another week or two. Of my five plants, I have four with fruit that's ready to go quite soon, so I'll be swimming in tomatoes. At least I won't have to buy any at the store, but I'll also have to look into recipes I can make that will actually use some of them up because I'll have too many for my nightly salad needs. 

I have four cherry tomato plants, and three of them are 
already giving me ripe tomatoes. I'll be overwhelmed 
with them soon. I only wanted three plants, but DH 
ended up with four. *sigh*

I did get my Ogre Juice made yesterday - I have it down to about an hour or so now. I've been making it for more than a year and practice helps. I need to make a second batch of four tomorrow so that I won't be in a crunch when I have to work next Wednesday. Frankly, Chickie and ChickieMama couldn't have chosen a worse day for their Mayo follow-up appointment. 

I know ChickieMama's cancer has been located in her 
stomach with possible locations going into her 
stomach from her trachea. We'll find out how bad it 
all is after her next Mayo appointment, but she may 
end up having half of her stomach removed to 
get rid of it. That would be a serious bummer. 

ChickieMama texted me yesterday telling me that one of her lab results from last week's Mayo trip showed a "return of the Neuroendocrine cancer". That's probably not very good news, and I'm sure the return trip to Mayo next week is necessary, but I really wish Chickie had called me to double-check my availability before setting up the appointment and just telling me afterward. It would have been more courteous. As it is, it's the worst possible scheduling since I have my eye doctor appointment that morning. 

Our usual lifeguard is on vacation this week. She picked 
an excellent week for it. The weather has been perfect, 
and the pool has been excellent. Her replacements are 
doing just fine, so we're not having problems having 
the pool open for all of us. It's been crowded a few 
times, but so far hasn't been bad. 

I'm off to the pool. It's a beautiful day - low 60's, clear skies and warm water. Life is good. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Namaste and Slava Ukraini. 

It's A Day For Positive Thoughts and Future Crops

I'm sending all positive thoughts south to Chickie Mama who is undergoing what should be a relatively small, exploratory surgery today. Except ... apparently her doctors at Mayo had a hissy fit because she should have been scheduled months ago. Apparently she has cancer (news to me) and it is a very aggressive type of cancer. The fact that she slipped through the cracks and was given an appointment six months out when she phoned the Clinic to get scheduled was unacceptable to her Mayo team. That's very understandable, and I'm really hoping that extended delay didn't end up harming her beyond their capabilities of healing. We'll see. The surgery is first thing this morning. 

I think ChickieMama is scheduled for laproscopic 
surgery this morning. But I'm not super clear on exactly 
what is going to be done, so I'm just sending general 
"heal quickly" thoughts towards Claire. 

It's hot and humid here, so my run was a sweat-fest and now, more than half-an-hour after my shower, I'm still overheated. At least I'm in the basement computer room, so that's one of the cooler rooms of the house in the summer months. I'll cool down shortly, I'm sure. 

My bean plants have blossoms now, so I'm anxiously 
waiting for my first bean pods to start growing. My peas 
also have blossoms, so snap peas are also in my future. 
Yummy! 

I've got flowers on my beans and flowers on my peas, my tomato plants are arrayed with lots of green tomatoes ready to ripen, and my raspberries are starting to bear. The only disappointment are my strawberries, which we've been trying to establish for years now and which never bear much. I think I'll probably scrap the strawberries next year, they're not worth the time and trouble. 

My raspberry patch is starting to bear fruit again. I love this 
patch. We've had it for years and years, and it doesn't bear 
large fruit, but they are very flavorful. At peak, it gives us quite 
a lot of wonderful fruit, and leaves plenty to share with the 
birds and bunnies. 

Yesterday was a very busy day at the shop, I was hopping all day. That's great, though. I like to be busy, and there was only one time when I was super swamped. My customers were patient, though, so all was well. DH has been working on rewiring the ballasts in our fluorescent fixtures, and he was downstairs working on the wiring so I couldn't call him up for assistance. That was OK. Our landlord will be over today to consult with DH about one wiring question he has, and we'll come over on Sunday to deal with two of the fixtures on the sales floor. With ceilings 12 feet high, we need to set up the big ladder, and we can't chance any customer needing to pass through that area while we're high up. 

I've worked hard at being a positive person over the 
years, and it hasn't always been easy. In the main, I 
think I succeed, but it's really easy to fall back into 
negative thoughts. I vastly prefer positive ones, though. 

So, that's about it for today. All things told, I think it's going to be a good Friday; I'm thinking lots of positive thoughts, at any rate. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.