In Case You Missed the Memo ... LOL

In case you missed the memo ... Christmas is coming - LOL. I do hope you're ready for the holiday to come. I'm almost ready - not quite, but about as good as it can be. I'll be at the grocer tomorrow to get things I'll need for the next few days, but I have my lettuce, I have enough fruit for my breakfasts, and we've been eating down a huge ham, and have both a prime rib and a pork roast in the refrigerator waiting for me to cook them. I'm hoping I have all the ingredients I'll need on hand, because I'll have a quick trip to the grocer tomorrow and then, radio silence. 

This looks like a really cute book to read. It's a 
pop-up too. I didn't have books like this when 
I was a kid, but I know I had some Christmas 
books to read - all non-religious, of course. 

I don't feel as if I've gotten sufficient gifts for DH - it's always hard with his birthday being so close to the holiday. I have to apportion things between the two days, and I think his birthday always gets the short straw. But, I've done the best I can. After the holiday we dive into our after-Christmas sale and then I can concentrate on closing the business. I'm already super stressed about that, but there's nothing I can do about it. It has to be done, so it'll get done, and hopefully it will get done well. 

I'm hoping that hiring Travis to help with our 
store liquidation won't turn into a problem. I'm 
just hoping ... it's really all I can do. After the 
holiday is over, I can concentrate on getting this 
accomplished. The contracts have been signed 
and we've sent him a LOT of money. This better 
turn out good! 

There may well be some days upcoming when all of the posting you'll get from me is a quick acknowledgement that I'm still alive and kicking, and positive wishes for the day. I'm just taking this opportunity to warn you - I know some of my long-term friends worry if I'm not posting every day. I don't usually miss. But next year, at least the first half of the year, will be one of the most challenging times I'll have lived through, and there might be times when I'll miss a post, or they will be minimal. It's NOT because I don't care about everyone who reads these posts and comments (or doesn't comment - commenting is not a requirement after all - LOL). It will just be life getting in the way. 

Sometimes life gets in the way. And other times ... well 
life still gets in the way - LOL. Right now, my stress 
levels are through the roof, and I don't expect that to change 
for the next few months. I'm going to try and enjoy 
having two days off this week, and just take things 
one day at a time. 

Like right now - we have a leaking pipe in the floor just past the lower bathroom entrance. DH is going to tackle things today as much as he can, but I'll probably have to call in a plumber ... at Christmas time. I suspect my friend Jack has finally retired, or might even be deceased by now, but if DH can't fix things today, I might have to have a holiday visit or as quickly after the holiday as possible. *sigh* Household ownership ... it's always something or other - LOL. On that note, I'm off to the pool for my swim. I think I desperately need that today - LOL. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini! 

Today and Tomorrow and Then Radio Silence

I shouldn't be so rushed on a Monday morning, but I am. I have thoughts of the sale email that we've been tweaking in my head and I need to get that finalized and sent out for out after-Christmas sale. I have this and that, gifts and groceries, and a refrigerator full of food (for just the two of us - LOL). We have a ham and a prime rib. I guess I'll be cooking a bit - LOL. 

I've got a baked ham in the refrigerator. I think DH has 
already pulled off a piece or two (just to test the taste, 
you know? - LOL). 

I don't know if I'll have anything magnificent to say over the next few days, and I'm quite sure most of you will be busy with your own Holiday events and preparations, but I want to make sure to wish all of you a Good Solstice, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Blessed Christmas. If I missed any of you with the greetings, just pick your own and plug my name into it. I'm hoping for everything good for each and every one of you. 

I'll be cooking the Prime Rib on Christmas Day. It always 
makes me a bit nervous to cook such an expensive piece 
of meat, but really, they just cook themselves - LOL. 

I'll try to post tomorrow, it's a swimming day so I should be on schedule, but then I'm off on Wednesday and Thursday for the holidays and I won't be posting those two days. Enjoy, I'll be here tomorrow and then "radio silence" for two days of much needed holiday. Slava Ukraini. 

I Had a Hearing Test - It's Been a Couple of Decades - LOL

I finally feel like I've caught back up on my sleep. And it's Saturday, I'm grateful for that, even though we're still going in to the shop tomorrow for our final open Sunday and to get more work done. DH awakened early, so even though he didn't bother my meditation, he was still already up when I started on the treadmill. Oh well, he's making noises in the shower right now. LOL

I was rather surprised by how comprehensive my hearing 
exam was. It used earbuds as well as headphones, and 
I was closed in a sound-proofed room for the test itself. 
To my relief, the room wasn't claustrophobic. LOL

I went to the clinic yesterday morning for a hearing test. My MCI group had recommended that each of us get our eyes and our hearing checked annually. I haven't had my hearing checked for more than a decade, so I figured, "Why not?", made an appointment, and saw Benjamin. I had a hearing test done decades ago for a job I held, and they discovered some hearing loss in my right ear. I still have more hearing loss in the right ear than in the left one, but all things considered, my test was actually pretty good and my ears are also pretty good with no hearing aids recommended at this time. Go me! LOL 

It was a very comprehensive exam, testing more 
than just the two things indicated on this sample. 
I was quite pleased, though. I do miss some of the 
higher pitched sounds in my right ear, but my 
baselines are good and no hearing aids are 
recommended "at this time". Of course, I'm getting 
older so anything like that is subject to change. LOL

I have a lovely printed chart of the test results, and had to contact Google for help with interpretation, but all things considered, I'm pleased. I know DH is very hard of hearing and usually has horrible hearing test results, but I also know that he doesn't go every year when he should be going. He complains about how he can't hear the girls. Well, I didn't have a girl, I had a guy. Maybe DH should try to get an appointment with Benjamin. 

So, I'm ready to jump into the day. Have an excellent Saturday and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

It Was the Final MCI Class, and It Snowed, So It's Shoveling Time

I have a 7:00 am ear doctor appointment at the clinic, and the roads will be icky. I have to start things out by shoveling the driveway, so this will be a short post. DH wants me to work at the shop today, and I really don't have the time to do that. I might be able to do an hour or two, but nor a lot more than that. I'm winging things today. There's a lot that needs doing, and not a lot of time in which to do it. 

I've got to at least get the driveway cleared before I leave for 
the Clinic. I hate having tire tracks through the snow to ice 
over later on, if I can help it. So, I'm heading out to clear it 
away as best I can. 

On the positive side, all of my holiday cards were mailed over the past week. That's at least one thing off my list, and I'm grateful. I've started receiving cards from many of you, and as always, they're a delight. *hugs* to Ivy whose card I received yesterday. Beautiful as always, and the enclosed catch-up letter was also a real positive because it's always good to catch up with you on a more personal level. 

I've never actually met most of you, my 
friends of the heart. We've chatted and shared 
for years now, but you live far away from me. 
You're still treasured friends, however. You 
don't have to be close to be dear. 

It was the final meeting of my Mild Cognitive Disorder class yesterday. We all agreed that it was very worthwhile, and had a little celebration and wrap up at the end of it. I'll miss seeing some of these people - they've been a real delight to get to know over the weeks. We're all in different stages of MCD, I'm very much in the early stages, and it's a long road ahead of me. I hope I've gathered some tricks, etc that might help me on this journey. 

Mild cognitive impairment is a bit frightening. It's a slippery 
slope towards true Alzheimer's disease. I'm on the very early 
slopes of this, but it still loome as a probability in my distant 
future. I guess I'll go shovel the driveway and get some of this 
doom and gloom out of my system - LOL. 

In any case, I have snow I have to shovel, so I'm cutting this short and getting to it. Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with a bit more time than I have today. Slava Ukraini. 

It Was a Sleepless Night - I Guess I'll Be a Zombie Today & Normal vs MCI

I've had something very rare for me, and I'm hoping to skip a repeat performance tonight. I got ZERO sleep last night. I guess I've just got too much on my brain right now, but I simply couldn't get into sleep mode for love or money. I finally gave up about 3:00 am, did my daily brain exercises and games, and resigned myself to a sleepless day. I'd better get some sleep tonight. 

I'm usually fine if I get five hours of sleep in a night, but I 
got ZERO last night. It wasn't for lack of trying but my 
monkey brain just wouldn't stop running in place. *sigh*

It's extremely rare for me to miss out on sleep. I've had some short nights - three to five hours of sleep - but I haven't had a no sleep night since college. It's always stress related and performance anxiety centered. Although it could be my final Mental Cognizance Impairment class this afternoon, I suspect it's not actually related to that at all. I think it's just Holiday stress coming to the forefront. I had planned on wrapping DH's holiday gifts at the shop early this morning, but he informed me last night that he would be coming in early and would need my help for this or that. 

Although I agree with these items, I'd also add:
Memory Problems - Normal: Missing one payment, MCI:Taking 
care of monthly bills is challenging.

Impaired Thinking Skills -
Normal: Losing things from time to time. MCI:Misplacing 
items often and being unable to find them.

Language 'Difficulties - Normal: Sometimes forgetting which
word to use. MCI - Some difficulties carrying on a conversation.
 
Disorientation in Time and Space - Normal:  Forgetting what 
day it is but remembering later. MCI - Losing track of both 
the date and the time of year.

And ... Poor Judgment - Normal: 
You make a good decision every once in a while. MCI: You 
make poor decisions a lot of the time. 

DH's going a bit crazy himself, trying to finish getting all of the precious metal products we sell priced properly and inventoried correctly. He's been coming inside the store taking off his coat and settling down at the computer for a full day of work. That's a rarity for him. He usually only puts in a few hours (one or two in some cases) before going back to his desk and playing bridge for an hour or two on his phone. But he knows we're under a time deadline. Still, the stresses that he's going through are getting transferred to me through his words and attitudes towards me. I'm not very appreciative of that aspect of his work these days. 

Still, I'll have an opportunity to see Chickie Mama again for the final week of the class. I always enjoy seeing her - she's been a staunch friend over the years. I'm going to wrap this up and get moving. Lots to do and not a lot of time in which to do it. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

A Bit of This and a Bit of That - It's Warmer Today! Yippee!

It's much warmer today, which will be excellent since I forgot the battery to my heated vest charging at the shop. I'll be very busy today, so I'm hoping the weather will cooperate. At this time of the year, you can never tell about that - LOL. But, being at the freezing point now instead of ten to thirty degrees colder is a definite plus. 

I love my heated vest, especially when the 
temps are sub-zero. It's warm today, though. 
Right at freezing. So the fact that I left the 
battery (and my laptop charging cable) at 
the shop isn't horrible. I'll pick them up 
this morning on my way to the co-op. 

I've got a desk full of things that require attention, and it's also the 17th of December - Christmas is less than two weeks away. I need some stuff for DH, so I'll have to make some shopping time for something other than just groceries. DH has an eye doctor appointment before he goes to the shop, so I might have to go over there to make sure everything is turned on and ready before I head to the grocery shop. I'll also drop by the shop long enough to pick up my battery and laptop cable. Then I might head to the co-op just to see if they have any fresh cranberries left. They have the best bulk cranberries from Wisconsin - they're just plumper than the raw cranberries I can usually get at my local grocery store. I think one more batch of cranberry sauce would be delightful before calling it done for the season. 

There's nothing like cranberry sauce made from fresh 
cranberries, and it's easy to make. But, I prefer the berries 
at my co-op - they're a bit larger than what I can get 
bagged up at my local grocer's. 

All of my holiday cards are in the mail. Once again, I apologize for not making hand-made cards this year - it's been a tumultuous year - LOL. But, we're working through things one day at a time. It's really the only way we can effectively live our lives, after all. 

I highly recommend Andrew Ross Sorkin's 
latest book. I know him from CNBC where he 
is a regular financial analyst. It's VERY 
readable, and extremely well researched. 

I've been reading Andrew Ross Sorkin's book "1929" and it's totally fabulous. I'm familiar with him from CNBC - the financial channel that DH has on from the time he wakes up in the morning. I've always had respect for his insight, and I've always been interested in that period of history. The stock market crash of 1929 didn't just happen in a vacuum. There were a lot of factors that built into it. I thought Mr Sorkin would do the subject justice, and I've been VERY pleased with the book so far and highly recommend it to any who would be interested in the subject, as viewed by someone whose business is finance and the stock market. Fascinating and very readable. 

Have an excellent day. I'll be busy, busy, busy - but 
that's always a lot of fun too. 

So, I'm off to the pool. My friend Meg, who broke her leg more than two months ago, was actually in the pool yesterday. She's still wheelchair bound, but Steve drove her over. She changed clothes in the handicapped locker room, and he wheeled her out to Lane 1, which she shared with Rosemary for a while. It was GREAT to see her - her smile, at being back with all of us - was beaming! So, may you have a day filled with joy. I'm going shopping, then I need to cook, and it would be nice if I could get some of DH's gifts wrapped and onto his chair. We'll see - time will be tight today. Slava Ukraini. I'll be back tomorrow. 

It's Cold, It's the Holiday Season, and I Want a Gift.

It's cold. I'm dressed for the swimming pool, and knowing I'll be standing outside the front doors to the YMCA for at least five minutes. I'll be wearing my heated vest, though. That helps a LOT in these sub-zero temps. The weather is great, but the cold has settled in to the Frozen Northlands and we're only in mid-December. 

I have this brand, I'm pretty sure. I've been using 
it for two years now, and I wear one of them 
almost continuously throughout the winter months. 
It works great. We're back to our normal sub-zero 
temps now, so it's nice to have that extra warmth. 

Last year was the winter that Jack Frost forgot. I felt extremely fortunate in that regard, since I wasn't able to shovel at all after my cancer surgery (the one time I tried set me back over two weeks and that was only 1/2" of snow on Valentine's Day). We'll see what happens over this Winter, but so far it's a lot of cold with some snow - last week's snow was a total PITA to get off the driveway. 

All holiday cards have now been mailed - international and 
domestic. Sharon's gifts are also on their way to her. I hope 
she, Cathy and the cats will enjoy them. Now I can concentrate 
on DH, Chickie and Chickie Mama. 

I'm dressed for the pool, and ready to go swim. I have some email addresses that I need to add to the store's data base on my desk - I'll probably get to those tonight or tomorrow. DH has been in a "mood" (i.e., cranky). He's been repricing our precious metals, as you know. We're through with all of the finished findings and into the footage wire. There's nothing like footage Gold Filled wire to dampen your day. It used to be quite affordable, but is anything BUT affordable now. 

DH is in the middle of repricing all of our precious metal 
findings and wire. It's a HUGE job. We used to stock a 
bunch of materials for our customers, but then the market 
went out of control. We used "adders" then, adding a 
percentage to the base cost to bring items to current market 
pricing. That grew cumbersome, however, and we wanted 
to get things more up-to-date. It's been an intense project 
of more than a month now, but we're almost done. 

I know it's just general stress, but he strikes out at me (verbally - any physical strike and I'm seeing an attorney). We're sparring almost every day these days, and it's annoying. I'm sure that other couples go through similar crap when they're under stress, but it's not fun to live through. Still, we push through. 

The Thermaworks Instant Read Thermometer has 
gotten the best reviews over the years. Yes, it's 
$100. But, I think it's probably worth it. I've wanted 
one for years, and asked for one for years. I doubt 
I'll be receiving it this year, but it never hurts to ask 
Santa for something special. 

I have an Instant Read Thermometer on my holiday gift list. I've had it on my list in the past and didn't get it and I doubt I'll get it now either. It is a rather specific item, and it's expensive. But there are some things that can be done with an Instant Read Thermometer that can't be done with any other kitchen tool. So, I keep adding it to my holiday gift list, and he keeps complaining about how I want more crap in the kitchen. The kitchen, actually, is in great shape. I keep it that way quite consciously. I work in that room a LOT. So, speaking of work, it's time to wrap this up, bundle up, and head to the pool for my work out. Have a lovely Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.