I've Lost Something Dear to Me and the Olympics (of course) - They're Winding Down

I lost something very dear to me last night. Fortunately the part that mattered most managed to me is still with me, but ... I had a very bad night's sleep and I'm going to leave for the shop very early to check the parking lot for the other two items. I have always loved jewelry and enjoy wearing it. Yesterday I was wearing my favorite gold chain with two dangles - my 24Kt and Sterling Silver Lady and the Moon, and an amethyst crystal with an opal inset. Apparently the chain broke at some point, because I found the Lady on the carpet in my computer room. I checked everywhere and still haven't found the chain or the amethyst. But, they can be replaced, if necessary. The Lady and the Moon was custom made for DH by a dear friend of ours who was operating a jewelry store at the time. That isn't replaceable, so I'm relieved that I at least have that. But the gold chain was a heavy chain - it's WAY more than I can afford to replace at the prices of gold these days. 

My Lady Riding the Moon is very similar to this one, 
except my Lady is white gold, and my Moon is 18Kt 
yellow gold. It was a custom order that DH made with a 
dear friend who was running a custom jewelry store at 
the time. I treasure it and wear it often. It was on a solid 
24Kt neck chain, that must have broken. I had been 
wearing it all day, and wear it often. 

But, I'm still a bit heartsick at losing that chain. I'm VERY grateful that I still have my Lady and the Moon pendant, but I'm not very happy. I'm going to grab a very early breakfast and then head over to the shop to check the parking lot. I already checked the garage and the entryway to the house - nothing. If it's lying on the ground on the parking lot, it's a 50/50 chance of finding it. We have a lot of homeless people in the general area, and that could be a real find for them. I just need to find it because with today's gold prices, I can't afford to replace the necklace. 

The price of gold has gone through the roof over the past 
few years. I can't afford to replace the chain, so I'm 
hoping I happen to come across it in the parking lot at work, 
or in the store. I'm extremely grateful that I didn't lost 
the pendant - that is irreplaceable. But the chain is a 
serious problem too. 

So, the Winter Olympics are winding down. Only two more days of competition and they're over and the torches are doused. The next Olympics will be in Los Angeles in 2028 - that will be a summer games version. We'll be in the French Alps for the next Winter games in 2030, and down south in Brisbane, Australia for the next summer games in 2032. 

We had already been awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics, 
but the populace of the state decided it would be death for 
our mountains, so we put it to a vote and voted it down. The 
Olympic Committee had to pull away from the decision and 
they had to find a different venue - Innsbruck, Austria. 

I have the pleasure and distinction of being one of the many who voted AGAINST holding the Winter Olympics in my state while I lived in Colorado. We were one of the finalists for the 1976 Winter Games but we rejected it in a 1972 referendum, forcing Denver to withdraw it's bid after it had been awarded the games. We didn't want to spend the money, and we especially didn't want to deal with all of those extra people on our ski slopes. I am still totally behind that vote - it would have changed my mountains in a way I really didn't want. They've still changed over the years, but it's been a more controlled growth than quickly making things "proper" for a major sporting event like the Olympics. 

So I'm wrapping this up, having a quick breakfast, and then heading over to the shop to check out the parking lot in hopes of finding my gold chain. Have a great Saturday and weekend, I'll be back on Monday morning. Slava Ukraini, and enjoy the final two days of the Olympics. Italy has done itself proud - the games have been glorious. 

Olympics, WildFit and Furniture - I've Got a Lot Going On Right Now

I'm always sorry to see the Olympics come to an end. Summer or Winter, they're an event that I've loved since I was very young. I tried to stay up last night to watch one event, but simply couldn't keep my eyes open and gave up. I'm sure I'll be able to catch some of it on replay if I have any time to web surf today. 

I've always preferred the Winter Olympics to the summer ones, 
although I'm not really a fan of the cold and snow - LOL. 
Still, the events are so much fun to watch, it's not just a 
bunch of field and track events (as you can tell, I'm not really 
much of a track and field fan). 

Today DH is starting the day out by going downtown and getting us our license to liquidate. Yes, we actually have to be licensed to have a "Going Out of Business" sale/event. *sigh* It's been impossible to reach these people via the phone, so he'll drive down there this morning and perch in their offices. It's much harder to ignore a breathing person than a ringing phone. 

Ernest Thompson originally made our display cases 
and shelving for my Mall of America store. At that 
time the setup I got (more than 12 cases and assorted 
other pieces) was $15,500. Their current value? A 
LOT more than that. I need to get some photos off 
to them and if I'm lucky, they can come back to me 
with a current valuation. 

Meanwhile, we got all of our display cases measured and photographed, at least the cash wrap ones. We still need to do the product display cases - the pottery, katchinas, stone fetish animals, etc are all displayed in those cases. The ones we did yesterday are in the jewelry area - jewelry has always been a large part of our inventory offerings. 

The To-Do list isn't a list, it's a booklet - standard 
paper size, more than 50 pages of instructions. 
It's a lot to do, and we're getting it done. 

But we're working our way down the list that Travis provided to us. It's a lot of work, but we never were under the misapprehension that simply thinking it would be easy would make that possible. There are just a LOT of T's to cross and I's to dot. Feel free to send me some ink - LOL. *hugs* I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. 

I still have four alkagizers every week - it's my usual 
lunch at work. I think my body really likes the nutrients 
that I get in them. It's hard to believe it's been five years 
since I first started WildFit, but I don't regret a single day. 

And yesterday was the 5th anniversary of when I started the WildFit program. It was, without doubt, one of the best decisions I've made in my life. I'm at a great weight, and I've been maintaining it for several years now, and I eat nutritiously, so I consider it a total win. Sometimes I can make a good decision - LOL. So, have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini. 

The Olympics Are Wrapping Up

The Olympics are starting to wrap up. I'm already sad because I truly do love watching them, and the Winter Olympics are my favorite. I find that odd, since I'm really not that fond of snow, but I think the events are more exciting and it's not just a bunch of people running around a circle. Speed skating can be, but I also don't watch a lot of speed skating either - LOL. 

There have been Olympics where they've had two different 
locations in the past, but not necessarily eight hours away 
before. Still, it seems to be working out very well, and 
the venues are stunning. I want to ride in that bobsled run! 

The variety that goes on in the Winter Olympics is what makes it fun. And now they're thinking about adding ice climbing to the mix - maybe just as a trial, but how fun would that be to watch!? I could totally get behind that event. 

Ice Climbing has been projected as a possible Olympics 
event for a few years now. That could be a very 
interesting addition to the mix. 

Today I get to do my own Winter Olympics activity - it snowed yesterday - starting in the late afternoon. We've got a few inches on the ground now, where I was seeing bare grass yesterday morning. I'll have to shovel before heading to the gym, so I'm going to just do a short post today because it's a bit driveway, and my little green shovel will be working hard - LOL. 

Shoveling snow is a necessary evil when you live in 
the Frozen Northlands. So, I'll be wrapping this up 
and taking the time to shovel before heading to the 
gym for my last swim of the week. Have an excellent 
day! 

I did get my cooking done yesterday, though. I did six BBQ porkchops, and then I needed to make new BBQ sauce, which also required my making new Worcestershire sauce. Of course, I also ended the day making chicken for dinner. So it was a VERY busy kitchen day - my favorite kind of day, though. I also dropped the frames off at my framing company for corner inserts, and got sample packs of mats they have available. Very helpful. 

Italy did a terrific job preparing for the Winter Olympics. It's 
been smooth with wonderful venues and even though things 
are separated between the two main areas (and two other 
secondary areas), it seems to be working very well indeed. 
Bravo, Italia! 

So I'm wrapping this up and heading out to shovel. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It's Wednesday - A "Day Off" With a Ton of Stuff To Do

I have a stack of bills to be paid on my desk, an empty refrigerator that needs populating, and 10 audio credits that need to be used up before April. I won't listen to the books that quickly, but I can get them purchased and into my cyber-library within the next week or two. I'm on the final audio book of a 30+ book series, and I'm starting another huge series after this one. I just need to see which book of that second series I left off with in my purchasing and get the next 10 bought and processed for the proper audio file type. I also have bills to cyber-pay. It'll be a busy day all around and DH is in a total frump. 

I have a bunch that needs doing on my "day off", not 
even including the three loads of laundry and making 
the beds that's standard for a Wednesday. My "day off" is 
almost busier than a work day. 

It's a bad time of the year for DH, and adding closing the store to his mix and he's at boiling point all the way. But, he still has time to lie back in the evening and watch the Olympics. Not double-tasking the way that I do with the TV on behind me and me on the computer getting things accomplished. No ... he's kicked back in bed, watching the TV like a slug. *sigh* GRRR

I enjoy "watching" TV, although it's rare for me to actually 
pay a lot of attention to the screen. I'd much rather be 
reading a book. He's a TV addict. Maybe that comes from 
being the third child when I was an only child and had to 
self-entertain. He needs outside stimulation to be entertained, 
I'm happy with a book. 

I can work out some of my frustration in the pool in an hour, but really? For example, I got home last night, ate a quick dinner, and then gathered the trash together to take out to the bins. Today is trash and recycling pickup day. Then I grabbed my tea and went down to the computer to catch up on emails and notifications while listening to the Olympics on the TV behind me. I even watched a little bit of them. He went up to bed, settled down and watched the TV, then came down to yell at me about something I had apparently done incorrectly when I picked up our income taxes last week, and then went back upstairs again. Good grief! GRRRRRR

I'm really tired of getting yelled at all of the time. I understand 
his stress levels are high, but so are mine and I don't yell 
at him. GRRRRRR Retirement isn't looking like it will be 
any fun at all. 

Today I have to ride him hard about getting the shelving photos sent to me. I need to get that file populated ASAP and a "day off" is a great day in which to get some serious computer work done (between a quick run to the framers to get a mis-cut frame redone and another one routed out. I may not get the frames back until next week, but maybe they can have it on Friday. I might be able to take a quick run out there, although I really don't get my Fridays off any more. 

This is my YMCA from the air. Obviously in the summer, when 
the outdoor pool is open. The black square is the main building 
which houses the gym, the building connecting the black roof 
to the pool area is the rest of the gym - basketball court, running 
track, weight room, lots of machines, etc., and the indoor pool. 
It's a big complex with a little bit of family for those of us who 
meet at the front doors every day. 

Enough bitching, though. I have a swimming pool waiting for me to work out my frustrations in, so I'm wrapping this up and heading to the YMCA. Have an excellent Wednesday. Be kind, enjoy the Olympics, and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It's the Year of the Horse - and Olympics, of Course

Happy Year of the Horse. It's Chinese New Year, and we're celebrating (at least in our own ways). I'm a bit off-schedule today. I awakened at 2:00 am instead of when my alarm would go off at 3:00 am. I tossed a bit, but gave up and started catching up on my morning meditation routine. By the time I was finished with that and headed downstairs (since I had extra time, I indulged a bit in some extra "me" time), it was already almost 4:00 am and I leave for the pool at 4:30 am. *sigh*. So now I'm running a little late - LOL. 

This New Year is the Year of the Horse. I was born in 
a year of the Horse, so it's going to be MY year - if I 
can just survive the next few months - LOL. 

I hope you're all enjoying watching the Olympics if it's your thing. We're happily watching as much curling as possible, and a lot of the ski competitions. Basically, we both adore the Olympics, so when they're on, we have it turned on. I don't know, or care about, the medal count, but I'm sure the USA is doing just fine. 

The USA Men's Curling Team is quite young (most of 
them) and they're REALLY good. They're fun as heck 
to watch. Some of the shots they're able to make have 
been nothing less than incredible. Bravo! 

Did you happen to catch the prime time Women's Monobob bobsled run? An absolutely wonderful woman from the USA won that one - and they had done a feature on her earlier in the evening. It was lovely to meet her family - husband and two kids. The kids are both quite young, and they're both completely deaf. So she speaks fluently with her hands to them, while speaking orally to others. Typical woman - juggling multiple tasks at a time - LOL. She finally got the Gold, however, and I'm so very pleased for her. 

Did you know that the Monobob competition is the only 
competition in the Olympics that is restricted to women 
only? I wasn't aware of that either - LOL. Congratulations 
to Elana Meyers Taylor for winning the Gold in this year's 
competition. It's a gorgeous track, I'd love to try it out 
sometime. 

So, I'm wrapping this up, and diving into another day of a million tasks. We have a firm schedule that we need to stick to for closing on time, and there really isn't any wiggle room at all. DH has been working massively hard to get things going - photographing shelving units, cabinets and display cases. Everything has to go. It's a job!! Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Olympics? - Of Course! We're Totally Olympics Addicts

We're entering the final week of Winter Olympics competition. I haven't been able to watch as much as I've wanted to - I've been super busy framing items or generally working in the shop. We're even there on Sundays getting things together, taking photos, and DH working on the inventory in the computer, getting rid of all zero entries (and there's a lot of those). We both love the Winter Olympics, and have had very little actual time to be able to watch them. Still, a week left means lots of fun things to watch whenever I have some time. That's a totally awesome thing.

We were glued to the curling last night - not the doubles from 
earlier - this was the team competition and we totally rocked 
tossing those rocks down the ice sheets. Very well done, USA! 

I've got a stack of bills in front of me. I need to take a quick peek at my checking account balances, and then get onto the computer and get them paid. It's a lot easier and faster to pay things digitally than writing and mailing a check, but I still have to make sure I have enough money in my various accounts for the payments. A minor detail, but an important one - LOL. 

We have a lovely JD Challenger original that 
needed reframing, so I got to work on that 
yesterday afternoon. It's nice to work on a Sunday
 when I don't have to deal with customers and 
can actually spend a few hours on what I 
need to accomplish. 

I started reframing a JD Challenger original watercolor yesterday. It's a BIG piece - very heavy, and he did the original framing himself. That's both good and bad. For some unknown reason, he felt it necessary to triple-mat the painting, and even though he built an extra-deep frame to accommodate it, it's still a VERY snug fit. I'll have some issues with potential cracking in the frame backing when I'm trying to get the nails set for the new minimal backing I purchased yesterday afternoon on a quick run to the art supply store. I had nightmares all night about putting the damned thing back into the frame upside down, so I'd better check that out before fastening everything together - LOL. 

I had four green peppers that needed 
stuffing and baking. They turned out 
great - very tasty. I use non-dairy cheese 
in my salads and cooking, and used the 
last of the cheddar on them. Yummy! 

Oh, and yesterday, Gordon Ramsey would have been proud of me. I had four green peppers in the refrigerator that I needed to get stuffed and into my refrigerator for meals ahead. So I started working on that, and managed to streamline everything together to have it put together and in the oven within 15 minutes. And it's damned tasty! We were going to get Chinese take-out last night, but when I got there to order my Mu Shu Pork, they told me they were working on a HUGE order and it would be 45-60 minutes before my little order could be cooked. I left without food and returned to eat one of the peppers I had made (which is why I can say they're really tasty). 

Italy is doing a fantastic job hosting the Winter Olympics 
this year. The games have been fabulous - exciting, 
entertaining and top-class competition. 

So, I'm wrapping this up and heading to work. Have an excellent Monday, enjoy the Olympics today if you're watching, and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Life and the Olympics Progress - LOL

We're already starting to look into pricing for moving vans (smaller - we're not moving a house). We'll need to move things home, and then leave for the Southwest almost immediately afterward to bring our artwork to the auction house. Shipping costs would be more than the $1000-$1500 the truck will cost us. We'll tow my car behind so that we can drop the truck off in Santa Fe and then, after a few days wandering the Plaza, we'll head back home again. It's not a horrible drive (except in the winter sometimes), but it takes two days if you're going to be relatively comfortable. 

We'll probably rent a truck and tow my car behind. It 
seems that most of the truck rental places have either 
two-wheel or full 4-wheel trailers available for your 
car. I'm 100% in favor of the 4-wheel version so that 
Minnion doesn't get extra wear and tear. I'll check with 
my dealer about their recommendations too, of course. 

I'll check with my dealer, of course, about towing the car that far. We did this with my Subaru when we first moved up here, and there were all sorts of problems because of the car's front wheel drive. I'm not sure about my Mazda, but suspect things have gotten a bit easier since those days. 

Norway won the women's Cross Country Women's Relay race 
over Sweden. It was very hotly contested and beautifully done. 

I decided to blow off the treadmill today and just relax for a bit instead. I was still up at my usual time, but sat and took my time with my morning meditation and phone games before slowly getting up, showering, and turning on the Olympics. Cross country skiing - Women's Long Track. Lovely! It's cloudy over the cross-country track today, which won't help with any topographical changes. 

Malinin fell twice in his final performance last night, and 
ended up in 6th place! Very poor! Mikhail Shaidorov of 
Kazakhstan won the gold medal, so Bravo! Well done! 

I didn't stay up long enough for the Men's Figure Skating. Malinin fell twice, though, so the gold medal was out of reach. In fact, any medal turned out to be out of reach - he fell out of the medals with those two falls. I'm sure he'll be competing in future, but he was off his game when he needed to be point-on. Bad showing! 

Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan won the Men's Individual 
Gold Medal. Japan won both the Silver and the Bronze with 
excellent performances by Yuma Kagiyama (Silver) and 
Shun Sato (Bronze) of Japan. Congratulations to all 
three skaters - well done! 

But, I'm going to have a leisurely breakfast and watch the finals of the Women's Cross Country Skiing event. The skiiers are about to enter the final lap. What a grueling sport!  I was able to watch the finals of the Men's Skeleton yesterday - one of my favorite events which I rarely get to see because we usually don't have a good competitor in the field. Great Britain won this year in a stunning run! Well done! 

Matt Weston of Great Britain pulled out the Gold Medal in 
Men's Skeleton yesterday with an absolutely almost 
flawless run. It was a thing of beauty to see. Bravo!!

So, I'm wrapping this up and calling it complete. I'll be back on Monday morning. Have a great weekend, enjoy the Olympics if you're watching, and Slava Ukraini.