WildFit, Repricing and Time Moves Along - I'm Doing OK - LOL

DH finally buckled down yesterday and started going through all of our precious metal findings and beads, repricing them to be within reason with the daily adders that we have to add. The store, behind the counters, looks rather like a small tornado hit selected parts. It's a real mess. Hopefully he'll know exactly where he left off so that he can pick up again today. We're talking 14Kt gold, 12Kt gold, gold-filled and sterling silver, all of which need to be adjusted. We always change pricing dependant on the daily metals market, but the base price from which we multiply needs to be set at a correct point. 

Gold has moved a lot since 1960. That lower dip in the 
center of the chart is the dip for the late 1980's through 
the early 2000's. That's when I learned how to be a 
jeweler and a goldsmith. I worked in gold, and I loved it. 
But I can't afford it now, and we had to reprice items that 
we purchased in the 1990's and bring them up to current 
pricing, currently more than $2000/ounce. Ouch! 

Of course, I don't really do things with pricing. I'm a bit hopeless at it, to be truthful. I'm not a numbers gal, I'm a people gal. I am fabulous at helping people find just the right bead or color for their project. Color is really my personal strong point. But I'm hell at numbers and, for someone who actually worked with accounting firms for decades, that's a bit of a giggle. I can run an office efficiently, I can type and keyboard VERY well, I can deal with the State and Federal governments and their variable regulations, but I can't do numbers. I suppose it's a plus that I know my strengths and weaknesses. LOL

I'm not really good with numbers. I can calculate things 
just fine, I can pay State and Federal taxes on time, 
so I'm not hopeless at numbers. And I've worked in the 
accounting profession on and off throughout my life. 
But I'm hell at setting budgets, investing, and planning 
with numbers. Fortunately, DH is a genius at numbers 
(a bit obsessive at times), and he's kept us afloat. 

I had an excellent treadmill session this morning, even though my treadmill virtual program was acting up a little bit. I'll keep an eye on it and see if it's worth phoning them next week, but for now, I'm done with my exercise, I have a cuppa herbal tea next to me, and I'm settling down a little bit to write this, to catch up with all of you, my cyber friends near and far, and to settle down before breakfast and starting the work day. 

I looked it up. I joined WildFit in March or early April, 
2020. I've been eating a WildFit diet ever since because 
it makes sense to me. Yesterday's session for my MCD 
class dealt with nutrition and yes, I'm doing a lot of 
things right. Makes me feel pretty good! 

Yesterday's MCD class (Mild Cognitive Decline) was really interesting. Of course, it dealt with food, and I'm totally on top of that. I've been on Wildfit since the end of March, 2020. The USA was shut down for COVID on March 15, 2020, and I signed up for the WildFit class shortly afterward. Then it was a battle to get DH to let me cook what I wanted, and not necessarily eat what he did. It's still a fight every now and again, but it's been more than five years, I'm still following a WildFit structure for my diet, and he's learned that I'm not budging on this. He's overweight, I'm not. 'Nuff said - LOL. 

So, I'm wrapping this up, finishing my first cup of tea for the day, and getting ready to have breakfast and leave for the shop. I hope all of you have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini. 

I'm Actually Slightly Early Today - Not Rushed! It's a Miracle! - LOL

Today is a busy day - I have to work, of course, but I also have my MCD course in the middle of the day, and I start the day out with a good swim while listening to the latest book in my series (which I successfully downloaded yesterday afternoon). Apparently, when I purchased the audio book for this volume in the series, I inadvertently chose MP4 instead of MP3 as a download mode. My headphones require MP3, so I went back in and downloaded the correct format, moved it over to the headphones, and voila! Success! LOL I think it's the last book of the series too. Then I'll move on to a different author for the next year+ of listening. 

I have too much open space in my brain these days, 
and according to the doctors, that's a problem - LOL. 
I'm not super happy about it, but I don't think there's 
much that I can do about it except learn to deal with it 
as effectively as possible for as long as possible. 

I have my MCD (Mild Cognitive Disorder) gathering this afternoon. I'm looking forward to it. We're going to be discussing the foundational pillars of living with memory loss, and today's pillar is Nutrition. It's one thing in my life that I'm quite conscious of and that I have put a lot of work and research into. I'm pretty confident that I'm doing this aspect of living with MCD in a very thorough way. 

My "Ogre Juice" recipe always changes to mesh with whatever 
looks really good in the produce section of the grocery store. 
The only guarantee is that it will be green - LOL - like Shrek. 
Thus, my nickname for the beverage/food.  

Speaking of food, I harvested the last of my hot peppers yesterday afternoon, got them washed, cut and into the dehydrator, and I should probably try to find time to take them out of the dehydrator when I get home from the gym. But, I might let them sit there until tomorrow when I can pull them and put them through the grinder so that I can add them to my spice jars. We're expecting a weekend of below zero temperatures, so I had to rescue whatever I could. It was a good year for my peppers. 

My dehydrator was packed full of peppers when I got it 
started yesterday afternoon. I'll check on them when I get 
home from swimming. I had them on a ten-hour cycle, 
and I think they'll be fine to pull tonight and process 
(grind) tomorrow. 

So, even though I'm early (for a change), I'm going to wrap this up and start my day. I plan on being back here tomorrow for a "day off" and a "Make Ogre Juice" day. I also bought some fresh cranberries from my co-op yesterday and want to make my cranberry sauce. I love fresh cranberries - they're VERY tasty and quite easy to cook and pulverize. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Oak Island, Computer Growls and Cooking - A Busy Day

Oak Island is back for a new season, and they're really digging into the history of the island now - which is dating back firmly to the Knights Templar. I'm thrilled to be back watching once again - a devoted "acorn" am I for many years. This is the 13th season, so yeah - it's been a really long time with a LOT of money behind it. Without the TV show (and it's popularity with viewers), I doubt they could have gone so long, purchased the high-grade equipment they are using, and accomplished everything that they have. As a trained archaeologist, I love what they're doing, and not everything is "bring in the backhoe and start digging". When merited, it's true archaeology - trowels and slow, methodical excavation. 

The Curse of Oak Island has started Season 13 and yes, 
we took time away from watching hockey to watch the 
show (we're total "acorns"). I'm really looking forward to 
what they're going to find this year. They're stretching 
the history of the area farther back almost every season. 

I had wanted to load my next book onto my headphones for today's swim, but I'm in the wrong format for that book. It's in an MP7 format instead of an MP6 format. I'll need to run a file conversion on it later today when I have a bit of time, get it shifted to MP6, and then shifted once again to a file that my Audible headset can use. It's not difficult, but it will take some time and time isn't what I've got right now. So, I'll re-listen to a bit of the previous volume in the series for today's swim, and do all of the fancy electronic work this afternoon instead. 

My audio files for my ebooks are generally in 
ep6 format, but for some reason, the next book 
in my series is an ep7 format. I'll need to run 
a conversion software on the book before loading 
it onto my headphones because I can't listen to 
ep7 files on them. *sigh* That means I'm 
relistening to 45 minutes of yesterday's book 
today, but that's not the end of the world. 

I also need to get some household bills paid. Of course that's a simple matter of getting onto the computer, accessing the appropriate bank account, and e-paying the bills. But again, it's been a time factor. It's going to happen today because it has to happen today. No choices. 

It's soup and stew season now. We're getting colder every 
day. I'll need to pull the last of my hot peppers today, 
we're going to be getting our first frost within the next 
few days. 

Oh, and I do hope to be doing some cooking today too. Chicken for dinner, with thoughts ahead for what I'll make on Friday that will carry me through the rest of the week. It's soup and stew season now ... we're getting colder and more blustery every day now. A nice hot dinner will suit me very well. So life continues onward, chores are ongoing (today is three-load laundry day - a lot of laundry), and adding the electronic BS to the mix really wasn't something I needed ... but what the heck. If it's necessary, I'll just have to get it done. The real definition of life - live it and get things done. Here's hoping you have a day of accomplishments today and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

A Bit of Extra Time So I'm Not Rushed! Whoot!

Today I awakened about 1/2 hour earlier than usual, and just decided to stay up. I guess it's my body still adjusting to Daylight Savings Time, because it's not used to that "Fall Back" extra hour yet. But whatever it was, I was awake and I took my time with my daily meditation, etc. So I'm about 15 minutes ahead of my usual time right now, and it's nice to not be rushed. 

It's rather nice to not be in a rush writing my blog on a 
swimming day. I'd best not get used to it, though. I really 
do need that extra 1/2 hour of sleep that I didn't get today. 

DH and I got along fine at the shop yesterday until late in the afternoon, when the shit hit the fan because he needed to activate his new American Express card and he didn't have the information needed to do it. He needs a PIN number, and he never set one up for that account. Frankly, I don't know what to tell him. I don't know if I have one set up for my own AMEX card either, it's a card that I rarely use - mostly for purchases for the store when needed. I might phone them today and find out the procedure for getting a PIN set up for his account. Maybe. If he doesn't yell at me again. *sigh*

He needed a new card for his account, and it came in 
the mail yesterday. Now he needs to activate it, and 
that would normally be going on-line, signing in to 
his account with his PIN number, and voila. But ... he
 doesn't have a PIN for this card. (Looking at my 
records, I don't have one for my AMEX card either. I'll 
have to do something about that.) 

Two days of China Restaurant, although a lovely treat, also put 4-1/2 pounds on me. It's a good thing I'll be in the pool today. I can work some of that excess weight off. I really hate going "Ack" when I step on the scale in the morning. I haven't been over 125 in more than a year, but I am now! GRRRR 

I'm not happy with my weight, although I knew two days 
of China Restaurant would put a few pounds on me. 
But, what goes on quickly usually will also come off quickly 
and I'll probably have it all off again by the end of the week. 

So, I'm heading to the pool to work off some of this excess weight. Of course, it's Winter now - or at least late Fall - so my body is going to want to hold onto the weight "just in case". But we're not freezing around fires in caves any more. So that "just in case" really isn't necessary and I want the weight back off! LOL On that determined note, I'm wrapping this up and heading to the pool. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

I Guess I Had Food On My Mind - A Post About Food - LOL

Happy November - the threshold of Winter, a darkening of the days, a crisp to the nights, and snow. I'm quite sure we'll have some snow at some time this month - maybe a lot, but more likely just a reminder of what is still to come. I've already bought my foil pan for my Thanksgiving Day turkey, and am digging through my recipes to find the one I like/trust. Roasting a turkey is actually not that difficult, but I want the proper browning of the skin without having the interior too dry. I've had dry turkeys in the days of my youth (usually at my Tante Gerty's home - she wasn't a great cook). I didn't care for it then, and I don't like it now - LOL. 

There's a new recipe that I might try, it takes a bit less 
time, and if the turkey turns out looking nice and brown 
like this, I'd be totally over the moon. 

We haven't had a real freeze up here in the Frozen Northlands yet, so my pepper plants are still producing peppers. I've gotten a massive amount of dried peppers from them, which I've pulverized and put into jars for use in my cooking. Yum! 

DH planted five different varieties of hot peppers 
for me this year. They're almost done - it's getting too 
cold for them now - but I got a LOT of peppers off those 
plants. I was VERY pleased. 

Of course, today is a Monday so Chickie has the day off. (She also took Saturday off for some reason or other, so work is piling up for her do to when she gets in tomorrow.) We totally binged last night and ordered Chinese for dinner. I haven't eaten that for years - literally years. I always ordered a different meal when I was on a strict WildFit diet, but we indulged and got a double portion of yummy goodness last night, which I ate knowing I would put on a couple of pounds because of it. And yes, I was up three pounds this morning, but I declare the meal well worth it and the three pounds will be history by the end of the week. 

China Restaurant is our favorite Chinese 
restaurant. They have an extensive menu, 
they're excellent cooks, and it's a family 
run operation. They're close to the 
house too. 

So, I'm going to wrap this up and start my day. It's a busy one, and DH usually isn't a lot of help to me in the shop on Mondays, so I'll be grumbly too. But I have the second half of my Chinese dinner waiting for my dinner, so I won't complain - LOL. Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back after my swim tomorrow morning. Slava Ukraini! 

Places - Current and Past, and A Bit About Sleep

I was completely exhausted by dinner time last night, and declared that I was going to sleep right afterward, which I did. I didn't have to worry about kids coming to the door for Halloween. We used to get kids from the college nearby, but the Administration cracked down on that practice about a decade ago. So, unless we had signed up on the neighborhood e-list, we weren't going to get anyone at the door. So, I actually got a nice, restful sleep before awakening (before my alarm went off) and hitting the treadmill. 

The University of Northwestern St Paul is located north of 
my property. It spreads out quite a lot, however, and we only 
see the athletic field which isn't even in this photo. It's a 
lovely campus, and has a great reputation. 

I have always operated on about six hours of sleep. It's my standard, and it's what I build into my schedule. I do allow myself an extra hour on Sundays - luxury indeed - LOL. I can operate quite well on five hours, but four starts to push things a bit. And I can't do five hours for a long time - a few days will just about do it. Of course, I'm not exact on any of this - there's wiggle room. LOL

One of the things we'll be discussing at my Memory Class 
will be sleep cycles and brain restoration. I normally sleep 
about six hours or so, sometimes a bit less, sometimes 
an hour or so more. I know that the brain really needs those 
Stage 4 sleep times, and I suspect I'm not getting quite 
enough of those with my schedule. 

So, DH has lots of candy that he bought (and he knew he was buying it for himself, not to give away). He's set until Christmas now - LOL. I had a good virtual run through Utah this morning. My friend Ray Tracey had posted photos of himself at Arches National Park yesterday and I was a bit homesick, so I did a canyonlands run first which ended at Arches, then I switched to another Utah virtual for Valley of the Gods - another favorite place of mine. I love living in Minnesota - there's something really excellent about having water all around. But there are times when I really miss the desert Southwest. 

Arches National Park in Utah is one of the more spectacular 
national parks in the park system. There's just something about 
the Queen's Arch that everyone loves. Utah is a beautiful state, 
and it borders on Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, the 
other states that I have loved throughout my life. 

Oh, and did I mention my latest obsession? I've been playing a phone game called "Arrows" and I totally am addicted. It's challenging, fun, (and addictive. *sigh* All that I need in my life is another addiction - LOL.) I love it, and I highly recommend it as a way to waste a few minutes here and there. So, enjoy your weekend. If you're ending Daylight Savings tomorrow, don't forget to Fall Back and reset your clocks accordingly. Have an excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

Our New Recycling Center is Beautiful!

One of the items on my "To Do" list yesterday was bringing the old kitchen TV to our recycling center so that I could get it out of the house. Usually I would have taken it to the electronics recycling center near my shop that I've used for years and years. However, my City very recently opened a new electronic recycling center on the eastern edge of my "town", which was WAY more convenient, and available to me as a resident of my city. So I grabbed the TV, put it into the car, and off I went. 

It's a huge new center, very VERY nice and quite 
convenient. It handles hazardous waste and 
electronics, household recycling, and food scraps, all 
in different areas of the building. This was SO easy, 
so fast and so close. I'll be using them again, for sure! 

Of course, it was also a cooking day, and I needed my baked fruit for breakfast. I did my fruit before heading to recycling - my breakfasts was FAR more important than getting rid of the old television - LOL. I think I ended up with 24 containers of fruit by the time I was finished, and my refrigerator looks nice and full now. This time I used six pears and six apples, along with the various fixings that I add to the mix like dried cranberries and nuts. It's always a treat to eat, and it's good for me besides, so a total Win/Win. 

DH agrees that Travis will be the person we will hire 
for our business liquidation, but we have questions - 
quite a lot of them - before we sign a contract. We're 
following up on our telephone conversation with an 
email of questions for him. DH still needs to finalize the 
text on that before I send it out. 

I ended the day by working on the letter to Travis, our business closing guy, and finally relaxed for a wonderful long conversation with Aearwen that always tops off my Wednesday afternoons. Oh, and of course I also got three loads of laundry done and the dinner put into the oven. So, it was the usual very busy Wednesday. I took a slice of time and harvested what probably will be the last of the green beans for the year. We haven't dipped below freezing yet (or not very much or very long), but as the saying goes ... "Winter Is Coming". LOL Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back, hopefully with Fall color photos to share, tomorrow (the photos might be Saturday, I have to upload them first). Slava Ukraini.