DH Dropped The Ball and a Piece of Coral - ARGH!

So, I happened to be in the back of the shop yesterday afternoon, and noticed a copy of a handwritten list that DH had put near the television. I assume he did that because he's the one who always has the TV on all day (set to CNN because I refuse to listen to the financial station all day). BUT ... if it was him who had put the list there, he taped it up and then forgot about it. And we're screwed. So his assignment today is to get this taken care of. I'll just have to work on my "day off" - a day that I sorely needed because my refrigerator is BARE. 

I really didn't need this additional stress. And if we 
can't get the City license, we can't hold the sale! 

But, apparently,  the City needs to issue us a license to hold our Closing Sale, and that should have been issued to us a week ago (2 weeks before the sale commences and it's scheduled for April 8th). I'm so pissed I can just scream! We have to have a physical inspection, and a close out affidavit. I think some of this was taken care of when he was last over at that office several weeks ago, but this was HIS area of responsibility, and if he dropped the ball on it. ... well. GRRRRRR

The last thing I needed was for DH to drop the 
ball for the one item he was responsible for 
in the outside world. GRRRRR

The postcards announcing the sale have started arriving at places because we've already had a phone call or two about the sale. The ideal time for the postcards to arrive would be in another day or two, but it's close enough, and no-one controls the US Post Office - not even the US Post Office. 

So, my stress levels are through the roof, and I really don't have time for shop BS today because I won't have my "day off" for the next seven weeks and I really needed cooking time today. Maybe I'll get some - but I'm not counting on it. Oh, and of course, DH has been working on jewelry repairs, and managed to fling the final piece of pink coral inlay up into the air at his repair desk, losing it. Totally. He spent a half-hour or so looking, without success,. and I spent a bit of time this morning looking again, also without success. Of course, the desk is a total mess - containers and piles of materials everywhere. It would be really nice to find it within the next week or two - I'd love to sell the damned bracelet. 

I'm both angry AND frustrated. This was the one thing that 
DH needed to take care of for us. He apparently really hit 
it off with the head of the department when he was downtown 
a few weeks ago. BUT, I'm not sure that will save us now. 

So, I'm off to swim off some of my anger and frustration. GRRRRR I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Etsy, Framing and Cooking - It's a Wednesday, So It's a Busy Day

Yesterday was crickets at the shop. The weather was beautiful, and I guess people just didn't want to think about indoor activities, so we had minimal sales. It allowed me to get a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff done, but not everything I needed. One of the things we wanted to do was pull all of the African trade beads from our Etsy listings. I tried at the shop with the laptop, but since the laptop doesn't talk with Etsy on my shop name, only my personal name, I gave up and quickly did it this morning before starting this post. I didn't have a lot of trade beads still listed, but we'd rather have them at the shop for final sale instead of on-line. Etsy, as an experiment, has been OK, but nothing spectacular. 

These are NOT the trade beads I had listed, but I've had 
this type in the shop. DH had quite a while there where he 
was a bit crazy about them, and bought them whenever he 
saw them. We had African traders coming in to the shop 
to unload their vans and show us some truly marvelous 
things. They're gorgeous, they're antique, and they're 
copied these days, so buyers do need to be careful. 

I awakened about an hour early before my 3:00 am alarm, and decided I might just as well be relaxed and not in a rush today, so I took time for an extra long meditation, got the first load of laundry started, pulled those items off the Etsy listing, and got a few other things managed. I'm right on time for my daily blog, and ahead of the game in other aspects. Hopefully I can get some framing done today. I have two prints that need their mats cut and fit into their frames. I can't cut the glass until I'm at the shop, but I can do everything else, so they'll be almost complete by the end of today if I can get this done. 

I've got two pieces that I need to get into their frames. I've 
got the mats (at least for one of them, I do), so I just need 
to make sure I set aside an hour or two to get them cut and 
fitted. 

It's also a cooking day and I need Ogre Juice. I've pretty much given up on getting any time for lunch at the shop - it's not that we don't have the time, it's that DH NEVER thinks about me getting any time off the sales floor for my lunch. He never forgets Chickie's lunch - will even come to the sales floor to remind her that it's time for her meal. He just never thinks about me. So, I started eating my Ogre Juice with my breakfast (since I find if I don't eat it, I really feel that lack). That's been working out quite well, so I might just stick to that schedule. As I recall, when I first started WildFit so many years ago, it was two alkagizers a day (although I might be mistaken about that). My body most definitely is happier if I have one a day for most days - at least four a week. 

I find when I don't have my alkagizers, I simply don't feel 
on my game. I don't have one every day, but I do have 
them four days a week. When I first started the WildFit 
program, it was a minimum of one alkagizer a day, sometimes 
more. I've learned how to make them pretty tasty over 
the years - LOL. 

So, I'll take a quick run across the street from the YMCA to pick up vegetables at my local store before returning home today. It's so convenient, and even though they're not 24/7 any more, they open at 6:00 am and I'm usually not out of the gym until 6:15 am or so. It works out very well. So, have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Bouncing Around My Thoughts - Can You Keep Up? LOL

I hope all of you had a good St Patrick's Day yesterday. Mine was completely uneventful, but that's just fine. I have enough things going on in my life and really didn't need to add St Patrick's Day celebrations to the mix. And it was darned cold out - so people celebrating doing the various parades were most definitely bundled up if they were at all using their brains. (Sometimes I wonder if the brain simply goes on vacation sometimes when I see people in very cold temps without appropriate winter clothing on.) 

It was COLD yesterday, so I have no idea how attendance 
at our St Patrick's Day celebrations was, but usually the 
party goes on, no matter what. We're from the Frozen 
Northlands after all! LOL

Today will be a very busy cooking day. I'm out of almost everything I had made for my dinners, so I need to figure out what I'll make, and I also need to make a batch of baked fruit for my breakfasts. It'll be a day in the kitchen separated by loads of laundry and a bit of grocery shopping, ending with a meeting with our accountant for our personal income tax returns. I think I have everything together for Paul, but if not, I'll drop the rest by on Friday morning on my way to the shop. 

I need to make my next batch of baked fruit today. It's 
what I eat for breakfast, and I'm down to a single 
portion. It's not hard to make, but it does take some time 
to get all of the fruit prepped and onto the baking sheets. 

Meanwhile, DH keeps complaining about how Chickie and I aren't pulling our weight at the store, and we keep ignoring him. If we actually paid attention to him, we'd be totally in a bad funk of a mood, but we've learned how to just let his words blow by us. It's self-defense in our lives. 

Over the years, Chickie and I have mastered the art 
of letting DH's words just blow by us. If we actually 
paid attention to him, we'd be horribly hurt by his 
words at times because he has no filter and puts 
his stresses on us. Not fair, so we ignore him instead. 

I also have to remember to contact the customer service department of my vitamin supplements company. They resumed shipping, and I was on a "Do not ship until I contact you" order. I wasn't allowed to take any of my supplements for more than six months while going through cancer treatment, so I'm way behind. But I'm getting new shipments now, so I need to remind them to NOT send me anything until I contact them again! GRRRR I love my supplements, BUT I'm over-supplied! 

Stonehenge Supplements just changed their 
packaging recently to look more streamlined. 
I'm not a fan. I liked their old look with the 
Stonehenge monument on the label. Nonetheless, 
these two work well together and I really do 
notice a negative impact when I don't take them 
(as required while I was undergoing my surgery and 
recovery from cancer last year). 

Have a great Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow - hopefully for a less busy and stressful day. Be kind and Slava Ukraini. 

Yesterday Was a Bit of a Cluster Mess - I Persevered

I had a nice, but very busy day yesterday. I did a lot of cooking, and while moving between the stovetop and the oven, I noticed a few of the small sugar ants that are the bane of my existence. So I killed them. Then, I noticed more in a slightly different place down that wall. Once again I brought death to them, and continued cooking. Then again, farther down. By the end of the day, I had sprayed and killed the damned things completely down the eastern wall of my kitchen. After I killed everything and didn't see any more movement at all, I swept things down thoroughly and did what I could to wash the floor. Note to self ... buy more Swiffer wet cloth packs. I used the last ones on this job. 

I truly hate these little sugar ants. They're a pest, not 
necessarily destructive, but they have to be in one of my 
walls for me to have seen them the three places I've seen 
them over the past few weeks. I did a MAJOR kill yesterday 
in my kitchen. I automatically kill them whenever I come 
across them these days. Afterward, I cleaned and washed 
the floors and the kitchen hasn't looked so good in months. LOL

So, while I was busy with the laundry and the decimation of tiny ants in my house, the time when I would usually talk with Aearwen came and went. I ended up calling her almost an hour late and leaving her a message. She, in turn, texted me later on again, apologizing on her part for missing our weekly chat. I guess life got in the way for both of us. But, we've been chatting weekly for years now, missing one or two happens and life will return to normal once again soon. 

Aearwen and I have chatted weekly for years now. Occasionally 
life gets in the way, and I guess yesterday was one of those 
days. Things happen. We'll catch up next week instead, and 
it'll be a lovely hour of this and that. 

So I guess I'm ready to jump back into the fray today. I did have a chance to make a batch of Ogre Juice yesterday, and I'm switching eating it from lunchtime down to breakfast time. All too often these days I don't have any time for lunch, and we've had no refrigerator at the shop because we've been defrosting it. (It's one of the items we're listing as "For Sale" in our inventory, and it desperately needed defrosting and a thorough cleaning). I don't mind eating my Ogre Juice for breakfast, but I can tell that my body is not happy about a lack of the green stuff, so I'll figure out a way to get it back into my daily schedule once again. 

We have an old Frigidaire refrigerator at the shop, 
similar to this. The city will pick it up at no charge 
and pay us $50, but we'll have to show that it's 
operational, and it has to be at a residence, not 
a business. So, we'll be putting this heavy sucker 
into the truck and plugging it into the garage 
at home to get the rebate and get rid of the appliance. 

On that note, I guess I've rambled off enough. A quick book recommendation if you want something totally quirky and off the track. Try the "Magic After Midlife Series" by Deborah Wilde. It's been a total joy reading about this Jewish magic user who speaks in Yiddish as often as English. It's a great character and a fun series - a good find for my NookBook file. Enjoy your Thursday, I'm off to the swimming pool. Slava Ukraini. 

Things Are Progressing, Snow and a Busy Day

I was able to get the Etsy order downloaded on my home computer, but wasn't able to do it on my laptop at all.  Very frustrating, and an unfortunate delay for my customer. I'll be emailing them today to update them and the order will go out on Thursday. Late. GRRRR. I might just do whatever I can at home today in hopes of dropping it by the post office later this afternoon. 

For some reason I couldn't access that order 
on my laptop at all. But, I was able to grab 
it from my older computer at home. Now to 
get that sent out with apologies! 

It's an early start for me today. We got snow starting just as I was pulling in to the driveway last night. I don't think we got a lot, but I need to get the driveway shoveled before heading to the pool, so I can't chat a lot this morning. 

We didn't get a lot of snow last night, but I still need to get 
the driveway cleared off. Hopefully the streets won't be 
too icy. 

Travis sent me the mockup of our postcard that will be sent to 15,000 people in the Twin Cities area. I actually like it quite a bit. It's very eye-catching, bright, brilliant, and very busy. There were a few small changes we requested which will be put into the final, but I'm happy. I was smiling all day thinking about it. At least some things are working correctly. 

It won't take long to get the driveway shoveled, but I'll 
have to get that done before taking the trash and recycling 
bins down to the end of the driveway. 

Of course, one thing works and another doesn't. He wasn't able to get access to one thing that I had sent to him - an important thing. So, I sent him the link once again, and made sure he had all of the permissions required for him to access the material. Hopefully he was able to do that yesterday afternoon - or someone on his team was able to. I'm sure I'll hear from him if access is still restricted. 

With only one day off a week now, I'm SO busy on that 
single day. Oy! 

And ... today is a "day off". Load 1 of 3 is already in the washing machine, and I need to figure out what I want/need to cook today. I don't have my Sundays any more - they've been spent at the shop getting things ready to go. I'll be VERY relieved when all of this is over. I have no idea if I'll make any money on it, but really, it's impossible to actually lose money on this. So, with that said, I'm plugging in pictures and heading to the driveway, snow shovel in hand. Have a great Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

GRRRR - And Once Again, A War

It's Wednesday, my "day off" and it's going to be busy, busy, busy! I awakened early - 2:30 am instead of my usual 3:00 am, and I decided "what the heck, I might as well get up now and be unrushed". So, I went ahead, watered the fountain and settled down for my morning meditation. Half-way through, DH awakened and suddenly my calm was disrupted, although he knows to not bother or interrupt me when I'm doing my "morning thing". But, he's the TV addict. When he's awake, the television is on. Let me tell you, there's nothing more of a downer than awakening, calming my body and mind, and then going down to collect the laundry when he's up. The TV was on, the news was all bad, the volume was high because he's hard of hearing, ... generally speaking, I'm not on rhythm this morning. 

*sigh* I really do hate listening to the news on the TV 
first thing in the morning. And, of course, DH is also 
hard of hearing, so the volume is up. GRRRRR

But, despite that, my first load of laundry is currently in the washing machine, my shopping list is almost ready for the day, I've got bills to pay, I've got food that I need to cook, and in general, it'll be a very busy day. Of course, the big news story is the war in the Middle East. I'm very much on the fence for this war. I don't disagree that Iran was rather like an infected wound - supporating and infectious. However, warfare these days takes the personal out of combat and puts the button pushers into it. Yes, we have actual people involved and have already had casualties, but the vast majority of casualties are innocent people. I have big problems with that. My personal preference is direct hand-to-hand combat, not missiles and rockets. I certainly understand modern warfare, but it really makes war rather impersonal, doesn't it? It doesn't seem that a person is killing hundreds of people if you're hundreds of feet in the air pushing a button. 

War is war from a distance now. Missiles are used instead of 
hand-to-hand combat (these particular missiles are from 
North Korea, but every nation has their own arsenal). The 
act of actually being responsible for the life or death of another 
person is less immediate if you're pushing a button instead 
of swinging a blade. 

Generally speaking, I've been a "peacenik" since I was young. I was protesting the Vietnam war in the 1960's and 1970's and have been sickened by the conflicts continuing in the world ever since those days. War is never a pretty thing. The USA has been lucky over the centuries. Our wars have been fought by people in our area against other people in our area. The battles were much more personal. The casualties have been horrific in some cases - just think of the death toll from the Civil War as an example. But the majority of wars the USA has been involved in have been overseas. Then again, we're also using air attacks - so not direct hand-to-hand combat (which probably has rarely been used since the Middle Ages to be honest). 

Peace doesn't seem to be in the genes of humanity. We 
automatically strike out at others. We're a contentious 
lifeform, inclined to strike out rather than work on ways 
to join together for a common goal. Just looking at 
conflicts the USA has been involved in since my birth, it's 
an impressive list - Vietnam, the Lebanon Crises, the Bay 
of Pigs Invasion, the Granada Invasion, the Panama Invasion, 
the Persian Gulf War, the Somalia Intervention, the 
interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo, the War in 
Afghanistan, the Iraq War, the Libya Intervention, the 
Syrian Civil War (ongoing), and Yemen (ongoing), 
and now we're involved in another conflict. Want a job? 
join the armed forces. There's always a battle somewhere for you. 

But, I'm a "Give Peace a Chance" person. I participated in many protests about the Vietnam War. (Since every war we've been involved with since then have been titled "conflicts" rather than "wars", I still think this is a matter of semantics.) In the middle of this war, we've still got a nation that's pulling apart from each other instead of bonding to one another. Welcome to the Second Trump White House. GRRRR Despite the news, I do hope you have a good day and look for the good in people and your environment today. We all need positivity to help balance the fear and hatred around us right now. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Olympics and Cooking - It'll Be a Very Busy Day Off

I was up late last night watching the finals in curling at the Olympics. We didn't win Gold, but we did win Silver and that's great. I'm very proud of my Minnesota people. They stepped up to the plate and played brilliantly. 

I am very proud of our Minnesota winners. They played 
brilliantly, and even though they had a couple of rocks 
that simply didn't cooperate, they won Silver. Bravo! 

But, since I was late, I texted my swimming buddy and let her know I was blowing off today's swim. I was still up early, but at 5:00 am instead of the 3:30 am that I use on swimming days. I needed that additional sleep. 

I really don't use Facebook ads to keep in touch 
with my customers, but Travis does, so he needed 
this and that from me. Which I gave him ... but apparently 
it's not working properly on his end. When I want to 
contact my customers via email, I use Constant 
Contact because I want each person I contact to be 
someone who voluntarily signed up with us at the shop. 

I'm trying to figure out what's not working for Travis and our Facebook advertising account. I have the codes that I passed on to him, but for some reason or other, he can't access our Facebook account to be able to post ads to my FB followers. I'll delve deeper into that today on my "day off", but I also have a LOT to do around the house and only one day to get it all done. 

I'm still having my veggie alkagizers at least four days a 
week, usually for my lunches at the shop. It's keeping my 
nutrition at high, and my weight at low. All good! 

I'll start the day out by grocery shopping - I have to make "Ogre Juice", my baked fruit for my breakfasts, and also my meals for the next week or so. I think stuffed peppers seems like a winner for the week. They are easy to make, minimal muss and fuss, and it'll give me the kitchen time I need for my baked fruit, which is a bit more labor intensive. 

I used to make stuffed peppers by hollowing out the pepper 
and keeping it upright. I've switched to half-peppers because 
they cook easier and they store easier in the refrigerator. 

So that's my plan for the day. I'll try to have the Olympics on in the background too - I know I can get it on the downstairs TV, but I'm not sure about the kitchen TV. That reception is quite a bit more limited. Still, one does what one can - LOL. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

A Bit Longer Post than Yesterday - LOL

I have a bit more time today, so we're back in business. Although, the dental appointment I thought was scheduled for Tuesday actually is scheduled for Thursday (calendar mixup on my part). So, I'll be tight on time again tomorrow. Still, I finally get a day off today, and I really need it. I have NOTHING to eat in my refrigerator, so grocery shopping, etc is essential, as well as a day in the kitchen. 

It's going to be a VERY busy "Day Off" and it's the only 
day I get this week, so I'll grab it by the horns and make 
the most of it. 

The store is starting to look really good - cleaned up, spruced up, and almost ready for whatever Travis will assign to me next. The basement, where DH has worked exclusively for more than two weeks, is looking better than it did when we moved in. Shocking! That was a TON of work on his part, and I really appreciate his efforts. 

Although it's not the holidays any more, this 
still looked like a good photo to add here - LOL. 

But we still have a lot to accomplish, and a lot to get ready. I probably won't take much of a breath, but Travis is guiding us along through this process, step-by-step. Although almost everything is also available in his book, being in daily email contact with him (and he's good with responding quickly to questions), is working out quite well. We're sticking to the detailed timetable that he provided to us, and if I had any hair, I would certainly have gained a few grey ones from this process. 

I strongly suspect that Travis is a bit older 
than this photo (although it's a great photo). 
Still, if he can help us get the store closed, 
his fees will be more than worth it. And he's 
in contact with me every day, or responding 
to questions I have for him every day. So I'm 
taking advantage of his experience and advice. 

Of course, having our internet at home crash last week wasn't a great thing either, but we're back up and running. I had a wonderful technician who was sent out by Xfinity, and after he isolated that it wasn't inside the house, he started looking at the lines and connections outside. Apparently there were some issues with connections at the rooftop level, so he was on a ladder dealing with that. But it really didn't take long, and we were up and running once again. Thank goodness! 

It seems like all of my days recently mirror this 
crazy cartoon. Things will get better, but we 
still have a LONG way to come. 

So, I hope your day runs smoothly. I'm going to be doing my absolute best to make sure that MY day is smooth today because only one day off in the week means everything has to click in like clockwork. Be kind, smile, Slava Ukraine, and ICE out!. 

Music - Because Someone Sent Me Something Online and I'm Passing it On

It's still cold, Trump is still trying to manhandle my state (and isn't getting very far with it), and a friend sent me a lovely clip of Mozart's Requiem from the movie. That really made my morning! I hadn't listen to the Requiem for quite a long time. It was wondrous to hear, even in the small clip from the film. It totally lifted my heart from the mundane and the cold into the hope that stunning music can bring. 

Mozart's "Requiem" is one of the great pieces of music. It's 
rarely performed - it requires a LOT of people - vocal as well 
as symphonic. Plus, it's funeral music - people don't always 
respond well to funeral music. But, given my feelings today 
and the fact that this was in my in-box and really struck a 
chord with me, today you get marvelous sound. 

I'm not often a Mozart fan - I acknowledge his immense talent and ability, but Mozart generally needs to be played with a lightness. I was a cellist - light comes harder on a larger string instrument like that as opposed to a violin or even a viola. I was always being scolded for not being "light" enough on Mozart pieces. I suppose, for my style of playing, Beethoven was the better choice. 

Classical music is a huge genre of its' own, just as 
popular or rock or country musical styles are. I've been 
a classical music junkie for most of my life, and also 
love rock so, I guess I'm versatile. 

But there is something magical about Mozart - the undeniable and incredible talent, the tones that blend together to carry you past the years and into a different dimension. That's what good music will do, and good music - truly good music - will still be played decades or millenia after it's original composition. Great music will cross the centuries, good music will cross the decades, pop music will last for a year, maybe five if it's really catchy. 

Classical music was what I was exposed to - opera, chamber 
orchestras and quartets, and full symphonies. It runs in my 
blood. I might listen to rock in the car, but my heart will 
always belong to Beethoven. 

Where do we put nursery rhymes into this? "Mary Had a Little Lamb" has been sung to children for a long time. It's a catchy, if somewhat boring tune, but I bet every one of you now has that running through your head. I wouldn't call it classic, I can't put it into the same boat as the great compositions, but still ... it holds on to a specific age group - the parents and their small children, who eventually outgrow the nursery songs and move on to the symphonies. So, I guess we all started our musical journeys with those songs that our mothers or caregivers sang or hummed to us to get us settled at night or during the day. Thank goodness for these people showing us the power of music before we could even speak. Have a glorious day and treat yourself to some exceptional music today. And thanks for the Mozart film link - it was a fabulous way to start my day. Slava Ukraini. 

It's a VERY Busy Day Today and a Wellness Check

Today is VERY busy, and fortunately the roads seem like they'll be good. I have to get up to the clinic in the Northern part of the Cities for my semi-annual infusion, and then I can actually go grocery shopping. I also have to get a few things at the local Target if I can squeeze in the time between doctor and cooking. 

I get a subcutaneous injection twice a year to help 
keep my bones intact. Today is the day for this six 
month period. 

My friend Rosemary has been MIA from the pool. That's concerning because she's as regular as clockwork. I knew she was spending her after-Christmas with the extended family - her three sons and their families come in from out of town/state and everyone rents a large house together for a week. Well, that's her three sons, their wives, and their assorted kids. A LOT of people. It's a tradition and she looks forward to it every year, but she often will catch whatever flu or cold has been going around because kids are germ machines. 

If you ever want to get sick for any reason, hang out with a 
bunch of kids. They're germ machines! 

That's what happened this time also, we found out. She's been MIA from the pool, and she NEVER misses except when she's with the family for this get-together. But the family thing ended last week, and she hasn't returned to the pool. We've been worried. My Gate Gargoyle, Sabrina, determined that she would phone Rosemary yesterday and I gave her the information for her to access the e-chart for contact information. She contacted Rosemary's son yesterday and found out that, indeed, she's been down for the count with a case of the flu, or just a cold. Whatever, she's been sick. Perhaps she'll be at the pool today, or not, but at least we know why she's been MIA. 

Rosemary is a regular - five days a week in the pool, rain 
or shine, every week of the year except right after 
Christmas, when she gets together with the family for a 
family celebration of one week in the Frozen 
Northlands. 

Yes, that's the kind of people we are here in the Frozen Northlands. We look out after each other. Rosemary is older and lives alone. She'a also at the pool every day during the week without fail. For her to be missing for something other than the family get-together (which she reminded us was happening so that we wouldn't worry about her) ... well, if she's missing, we'll do a wellness check on her every time. 

Since Rosemary lives alone, we're always super worried 
about her when she's MIA. Hopefully she's feeling better 
today and can return to her daily swimming routine. 

So, I'm out of here. It's a trash and a recycling day, I also have to drive WAY OUT to Coon Rapids for my semi-annual infusion injection, and I need to do grocery shopping and some cooking as well as my usual three loads of laundry for a Wednesday. Whew! I'm exhausted already just reading about my schedule. LOL Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Today is New Phone Day! Yippee!

Today is New Phone Day and I can hardly wait. As I mentioned in a comment to a friend on yesterday's post, I might not have the protective case for a day or two, but at least I'll have a working phone again, and that'll make me very happy. So, I'll head out to the Verizon store for my 3:00 pm appointment, and hopefully they'll have the color I'm wanting. I can live with one of the other colors, but they're really not me. LOL

I'm planning to get a Google Pixel, of course. That's my 
preferred brand. The Pixel 10 Pro will be a lovely phone 
that should last me for at least two years, which is 
really all I expect from a cell phone. But a cell phone 
is a tool that I'm using every day, all day. It's a super 
important tool in my arsenal. 

Today will be spent in the kitchen, as well as on three loads of laundry and, if at all possible, a little bit on online shopping to get the case I want for my new Pixel phone ordered. What's really amusing is that Chickie and Chickie Mama are also getting new phones tonight. They use Samsung phones, and had been having some problems with their current receivers, so headed over to the store (I think they get them at Best Buy, but I'm not 100% sure about that), and ended up with a really good deal for two new phones for them. The phones are getting set up today, and they'll pick them up tonight. We'll all be totally rocking the communication for a while - LOL. 

Chickie and I are both getting top-rated phones, she'll 
get her Samsung brand, I'll stick with my Google phones. 
When I looked up top rated models, both of our choices 
came up in the top two. Whoot! LOL

DH left the shop early last night to attend our grand-nephew's ice hockey game. I trust he had a great time, he still wasn't home by the time I went to sleep. I left a few lights on for him so he wouldn't have problems finding his bedroom, but I was totally crashed by the time he arrived. Our grand-nephew is professional caliber in a tough profession, and he has a VERY bright future in his chosen field of professional ice hockey. Right now, though, he's still a High School student, and has to share his goalie duties with a Senior, who gets more ice time than he does. It's annoying, because Flynn is more talented than the Senior, but the Senior's parents have money and have been very generous towards those little "extras" that the school needs. 

As usual, I'll be hitting the pavement running 
(or the pool, swimming - LOL). I enjoy being 
busy and active, however, and I'm REALLY looking 
forward to my new phone. 

So, I'm going to wrap this up and get over to the pool. I have a serious need to swim, and I've got to get some cooking done before I head out to the phone store for my 3:00 pm appointment. Marlyn - it's possible I might be slightly late for our afternoon conversation, so I'll call you, OK? LOL Enjoy your Wednesday, Slava Ukraini. 

It's a Blowy and Snowy Wednesday - Winter Has Finally Arrived

So, it's snowing. We got the leaves raked and the patio put away just in time! I'm proud of us (and rather surprised that we managed it). Although originally they had predicted around five inches, I suspect it will be closer to three. Still, I'll have to shovel the driveway soon. I think my grocery store will be running their usual hours, so if I get out there around 7:30 am, I should be fine. There are a few things that I HAVE to get - I'll be running out otherwise - and I need to make a batch of Ogre Juice today for the upcoming week. I won't get Friday off, so everything has to be accomplished today. No chicken for dinner, however, since I have a 14 pound turkey in the refrigerator waiting for Thursday morning. 

I'm thinking about making another batch of sweet 
potato spears. It's such an easy recipe and they're 
so very tasty. 

I'm skipping swimming today because of the snow. We got anywhere from 3"-5" inches overnight, although it really didn't start falling on us until around 2:30 am. It's not bad by any stretch, but I have to get the driveway shoveled. Of course, I forgot to charge the batteries for my automatic shovel, and I'm uncomfortable about using the snow blower (although DH has demonstrated it for me several times). So, I'll have to shovel with my trusty lime green shovel. It's not my first rodeo, but it is my first real snowstorm since my cancer surgery, so I might be exercising muscles that don't get used in my swimming or treadmill days. 

Turkeys are actually pretty easy - they cook themselves while 
we watch football - LOL. It'll just be nice to have a day off 
before jumping into the holidays with both feet. 

Speaking of the treadmill, on Monday it came up with an error code. That was disturbing, but I was too busy at the shop to put any time into it. I was too busy yesterday as well, I'll have to contact them today, though. I unplugged it overnight to see if it might reset on its' own when I restore power later this morning. It sure would be nice if it did. 

I adore my treadmill, but having the virtual scenery is 
essential to my being on it. Otherwise, it's just too 
boring. Right now, however, it's coming up with a computer 
error code. So ... I unplugged it and will check it out again 
today. Just one more thing - LOL. 

So, that's it for me on this snowy Wednesday. I won't actually post tomorrow (except to wish people a Happy Thanksgiving Day). I'll be back on Friday, however, the first day of our two day sale - Black Friday. The e-mailer went out (I'll double-check that a little bit later today), the store is a disaster, but that's because we're working so hard on getting everything ready to clear out next year. We'll manage, but a good holiday season is mandatory, so Friday and Saturday will be crucial. I'm not sure I'll put up garlands, but I don't need to have them up for the weekend, I can do that early in December. DH wants to change ballasts in our overhead lights (something he absolutely HATES to do), so we're both looking at some early morning hours to actually be ready for Christmas. Have a great day and a good Thanksgiving and I'll be back on Friday. Slava Ukraini. 

It's Going to be a VERY Busy Day

Just a quick post today at the start of a VERY busy morning. The afternoon will be more relaxed (if you can call three loads of laundry and some cooking relaxing), but the morning is packed solid. I start with my swim, of course. I must hit the water on Wednesdays - LOL. Then I get home, drop off my swim clothes and start the first load of laundry before a VERY quick breakfast and heading off to the wilds of the Northern part of the Twin Cities to see my Endocrinologist. 

I'm heading into the wild of Coon Rapids, MN as soon 
as I've had a quick breakfast (although I might push 
breakfast off until late morning). 

I like this doctor, and I haven't seen him for over a year. Itr's a touch-base appointment, and I have no idea what we'll discuss. I can't tell if the infusions I'm getting (at a VERY expensive rate - it's a damned good thing I have health insurance), anyway ... I can't tell if they're doing me any good or not. I haven't had any scans to let us know whether my bone density has improved or not. Maybe it's just stabilized, I really don't know. I have crap bones ... that I do know. I feel like a skyscraper that's developed rust on its' interior beams. Generally, not a healthy thing. 

My bone density is more like the bottom than 
the healthy bone density of the top. That presents 
some serious issues with mobility and possible 
bone breakage in my future. We're trying everything 
we can to improve the density, thus the infusion 
schedule he's got me on. 

But I'll start today off in the pool, then run home and head off to Coon Rapids (yes ... that's the name of the northern suburb where my doctor is located), and after I see him, I can get started on my day - some shopping, a bit of cooking, and some mundane things like paying bills. I'll chat with Aearwen late this afternoon, then toss some chicken into the oven, and call it a busy day done. 

I don't mind being busy, but I also have to be very 
productive today - no choices. So ... I have to be super 
organized and efficient. I'm not always meeting those 
two criteria - LOL. 

I hope all of you have a great Wednesday. Maybe a bit less hectic than mine, but a good one. I'm going to plug in some photos and call this done for today. Slava Ukraini.