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. 

Life in the Frozen Northlands - Live With it or Move

We're under a Winter Storm Warning for the next 48 hours. *sigh* We could potentially get up to 14 inches of snow with wind gusts of 39 mph and 1/4 mile minimum visibility. The storm is really hitting to the South and West of the Cities, but we're not escaping this one, and I'm really NOT in the mood for a winter storm. Especially when I know we'll be heading back to the shop tomorrow because we're still getting things ready for our closeout sale which starts all too soon. It's all a bit of a mess. 

We're under a Winter Storm Watch from mid-afternoon today 
until early Monday morning. But, we'll still need to get to the 
shop tomorrow - there's too much that still needs to be done 
to skip a day of working. 

Of course DH is double-thinking every decision we've made regarding the shop. That only makes things harder for Chickie and me while we're trying to make sure as many of our ducks are in a row as possible. I totally re-arranged a portion of our Northern wall yesterday to allow for a bit more artwork to be displayed, and new signage to be placed. 

We're not backing out of using Travis' company to help us 
liquidate the business, so complaining about minor details 
really is a waste of time. We don't have to like 100% of 
every action, but we need to do them anyway. 

Speaking of signage - DH is also complaining about our business liquidator. "When will the signs arrive", is a good question. "Did you read the postcard?" is another one (yes, I read it several times and I rather liked it - with a few specific changes that they are instituting before the print run). In the main, his comments are too few and too late, but annoying nonetheless. The contracts have been signed and we are committed to this action. We'll deal with any fallout after the fact on this one. 

So I'm wrapping this up, eating breakfast, and heading to the shop before the snow starts falling. Winter in the Frozen Northlands ... you either live with it or you move. Be safe and I'll be back on Monday. 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 Wasn't The Best of Nights

It wasn't the best of nights. I went to sleep easily, but awakened about two hours later and couldn't get back to sleep for another hour or so. Bleh! I'm operating on minimal sleep today. I really don't have any good excuse - tensions and pressures are no different than they were last week or the week prior. But my mind was racing 1000 MPH and I simply couldn't calm it down enough to sleep thoroughly. 

I have no idea why, but I awakened after two 
hours of sleep and just tossed and turned until 
I finally gave up and read for an hour or so to 
calm my hamster brain. 

Of course, today is a day off, and I'm grateful for that. I need to bake fruit, and if I have a chance, I think I'll also roast some peppers and tomatoes and make my tomato soup. I adore it in the winters, and it's almost Halloween, so I think that might qualify - LOL. I'll have to scan through my recipes to get it pulled, however. I don't keep that one in the 10 or so recipes that I have on hand at any time upstairs. 

My roasted pepper and tomato soup requires broiling the 
veggies (and fruit - tomato is a fruit) in the oven, then 
peeling them and putting everything into the blender for a 
serious blend along with other ingredients. It's very tasty, 
and not super complex to make. 

DH is rather funny sometimes. He's asked me to get him a phone leash like I use. I bought myself one before the State Fair, and I use it every day. It's just plain convenient - I don't have to worry about whether or not I have a pocket, and I don't have to remember where I was last looking at the phone. It's available to me whenever I need it. So, yeah - convenient. Apparently DH thinks it's convenient too, because he said he's always looking for his phone (true that!). I added a leash to my current Amazon order and I'll release the order as soon as I've got the dollar amount up a little more to quality for free shipping. 

I bought myself one of these before the 
State Fair this year. A Torras phone 
leash. I love it. I use it at the shop, and 
it's extremely convenient. I don't have to 
hunt for my phone any more - it's right 
there. It's adjustable - I can wear it any 
number of ways, but I prefer it like 
a coach's whistle - about that length. 

Today will be a heavy kitchen day, however, even heavier if I add making soup to the mix. I need to bake my next batch of fruit. That's a lot of prep work, but the actual cooking isn't anything major. I purchased professional grade baking sheets several years ago and they hold up to the heat and the weight beautifully. It's just the cutting up of the fruit that takes time, but it's SO worth it. I love my fruit portions for breakfast every day. So it'll be a day in the kitchen and doing laundry today. Very domestic! LOL Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

How's Things for You?

It's 3:45 am and I'm dressed and ready for the pool. I leave in 45 minutes to get to the YMCA and be one of the first ones through the door when Sabrina unlocks it in the morning. This is my quiet time. I've already been awake for close to an hour, meditating and doing my daily puzzles/games. I DON'T interact with people at this hour of the morning. Except through the keyboard when I'm writing and posting my blog. Today seems to be an exception to that rule *sigh*. 

Our "computer room" isn't a very large room, but 
we each have our desktop computers here. I carry 
my laptop to and from the shop with me daily, 
and I also do a lot with my phone. He uses his phone 
to check on things online, but only uses his desktop 
computer at home. 

 DH awakened early, at about 3:35 am. I'm glad I was already cleaning up after my morning meditation and exercises. I really hate interacting with human beings until after I've had my personal time. But here we are - me writing my blog, him playing a computer video game, both awake at the early hours. I'm very much a morning person. Him?   Not so much. I value my quiet time, my solitude. This is when I think of this and that, schedule this and that, and decide priorities for the day ahead. It is NOT an interaction time with any living person directly. GRRR

Someway or another I will persevere. I truly 
dislike sharing my morning quiet time, however. 
*sigh*

So, that said, today is already starting out a bit strained. But, as the saying goes, I will "persevere". I can swim my frustration out in a bit more than an hour, and I suspect I'll need that outlet - LOL. 

I'll muddle through this, swimming will help a great 
deal. Still, I'm a bit frustrated that I have to share my 
quiet time with DH today. Nothing to be done about it, 
but it's annoying. LOL

So how's things for you today? Leave me a comment and let me know what your high and your low of your day is today. I'm sure we're all experiencing something - after all, we're still alive and kicking, even though our legs may not kick as high as they used to when we were young. Me? I'm going to wrap this up and head to the pool. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Day Two of our Blow-Out Sale is Complete, Now for Day Three!

Day Two of our Crystal Blow-out Sale had a very different rhythm than Day One. We didn't sell quite as much product, but we sold to more people and worked with them in slightly different ways. The system Chickie and I had invented worked great, and a couple of customers who asked for order sheets to be emailed to them for later, more intense, review got that as well. They'll be back in a second time before the sale ends on Saturday night. 

The sale is going very well. We've never offered 
a BOGO on Swarovski before, and our customers 
are loving it. We're not selling the odd shapes 
and sizes that we have. That's a problem. But we 
are selling down our huge stock of the more popular 
shapes, and that was also a goal. I'm calling this a 
win so far. 

As always, I'd be totally lost without Chickie. DH is busy doing DH crap - he's not on the sales floor at all, except to add more product to various parts that needed restocking. So he's increased out cut-up deer hide, and our available feather packs have increased. He's been on a stepstool quite a bit rearranging things. It's all to the good, but he's still a PITA. 

The North Oaks Rummage Sale is HUGE. I wasn't 
aware of how very large it is before now. It takes 
place at the Shoreview Ice Arena, and the proceeds 
are donated to "Children's Minnesota" which is sponsored 
by Children's Hospital Association. That's a big deal, 
and I'm sure they get a LOT of shoppers. 

I had an odd phone call from the North Oaks Fundraising Committee head yesterday afternoon. Apparently they run a garage sale every year to raise funds for various community events they hold for the rest of the year. They had four Native American items donated that they didn't feel they knew enough about to be able to put them out for sale at the event next month. At least, not without additional information. So, as many have done in the past, they contacted the store. 

Pipestone pipes were available for sale at Pipestone National 
Monument (in southwestern Minnesota) until 2019. At that 
time they finally listened to the tribes and pulled them from sale, 
declaring them sacred items. The stone is also sacred to the Sioux 
people, but at least we got the sale of pipes stopped. I've been a 
pipe carrier for the Oyate for decades now. Pipes are sacred. 

The first item was a pipestone pipe, which I immediately said a firm "NO" to. Pipes are sacred and shouldn't be sold or kept by people other than the pipekeeper. They were (and might still be) sold at Pipestone Quarry as a tourist item, but as I told the lady (when she just wasn't understanding well), it's like taking the cross from the altar of your local church, and putting it onto a table for sale. It's just wrong! 

This set of four sweetgrass baskets with lids is 
on sale at Google for $75. I'm simply not seeing 
where the baskets will carry an evaluation of 
$10,000. The market for basketry is at a low 
right now, but that value is WAY over what it 
probably should be. 

Then, apparently there are three baskets, possibly sweetgrass baskets. They are lidded, and one of then had an evaluation inside it for $10,000. OK, that I sincerely doubt - it's possible, I suppose, but sounds way off track for such an item. I'd have to see them. The last item was arrows and a quiver of a type. Again, I'd have to see it. She might set up a before-hours appointment with me to take a look. The sale is in September, so that should be soon. 

Apparently there also is a quiver with bone-tipped 
arrows. The bone arrows were used before traders 
brought metal arrow tips to the tribes, so this might be 
fairly old. Again, I'm probably not the right person to 
give much of an opinion, but I can direct them to one 
of the museums if I feel it might be worth their while 
to get a more in-depth look. 

DH was all in my face after this conversation, telling me that I had no knowledges of basketry, questioning my understanding of the material it was made from (which he simply didn't understand because he thought it was a material different than sweetgrass). He also was over me on the quiver - apparently the arrows have bone tips, which would be interesting, but might not be legal in this day and age to possess or sell. But, I'll be happy to take a look and see if it's something they can include in their sale or if they'll need to find a different way to get rid of them. I expect they'll phone for an early morning appointment within a few days. 

So, I'm off to the pool to work off some of my frustration. We're entering Day Three of our Swarovski Blow-out Sale, and so far I've been very pleased. Chickie's prep work has really paid off, and we're getting orders filled and lots of very happy customers, many of whom plan to drop by at least one more time before the sale ends Saturday night. I hope your Thursday is lovely. I'm looking forward to a good swim and (hopefully) another good day in our Five-Day Sale. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Dropbox, Framing and Alkagizers

DH spent quite a bit of time at home yesterday dragging old inventory files from his personal business out of Dropbox and printing them so that he had lists to send to companies who might be interested in purchasing the parts. Apparently he's missing three large categories, however, so he's starting the day out very grumpy and says it will be a month of work to get that stuff together. Since we only have three months until STC is out of business, we really don't have the month to spare. 

I use Dropbox a lot, as does Chickie and DH. It's 
super convenient. I have found, sometimes files 
get buried and are a bit harder to find, but generally 
I can locate them fairly quickly. 

When/if he calms down and is "reasonable" (always questionable with DH) again, I might suggest that the AFS stuff be stored in one of those rental places for a few months while he gets his act together to get the items sold or junked. However ... mentioning that to him at 6:20 am when he's crabby because he couldn't find three major files ... I'm wiser than that. I grabbed my cup of tea and came down to write my daily blog instead. 

I adore those two small Connie Seabourn watercolor 
pieces, and had great fun framing them. I should be 
able to finish the framing this week and have them 
ready for purchase. 

A dear online friend sent me $50 to help Chickie purchase one of the Connie Seabourn paintings for her Mom's holiday gift. I'll also toss in $50, so all she'll need to come up with is $50 on her end. That's very do-able for her, and she extends serious "Thank You's" to my friend (and myself as well). As soon as I receive a shipment I'm expecting from United Mfg, I'll be able to finish the frame assembly for the two pieces and call them complete. That shipment should arrive today or tomorrow, ideally. 

I usually have four Alkagizers in my average week, mostly 
for lunch at the shop. I'm never thrilled with them (although 
some batches turn out tastier than others), but I can absolutely 
tell when I'm not drinking them. My body is much happier 
with my alkagizers than without. 

So today I'm going to make my weekly batch of "Ogre Juice" (alkagizers), and then I'm going to work on matting several art pieces I've got here. If I can get those done early, I might take them over to International and see what frames I'd like to pair them with. Framed art usually sells much better than mounted and shrink-wrapped art. Framed art is harder to store, however. The frames need to be protected from impacts and scratches, and the artwork is much thicker. Framed artwork sells better, though. It's a double-edged sword. Still, it's fun to be framing once again. 

On that note, with my cup of tea going cold and breakfast calling me, I'm wrapping this up. I hope all of you have a wonderful Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini. 

It's Saturday - That, At Least, Is a Plus

I've somehow managed to misplace the pair of eyeglasses I was wearing yesterday. I have no idea where they might be, but I'm pretty sure that I'll come across them eventually, Since I wear four sets in rotation, I just grabbed the next set as a replacement. But it irks me. Eyeglasses are larger items - it's not that easy to misplace them, and the only time I wouldn't have been wearing them was while I was on the treadmill. But ... they're not in that room, or any other room I can find, nor are they next to where I sleep. *sigh* 

I can't imagine where my eyeglasses went. I'm pretty sure I 
was wearing them for my morning meditation. I 
retraced my steps to see if they might have dropped, but 
I wasn't seeing them. I'll still keep an eye out, but I'll wear 
next week's set today for the time being. 

It's Saturday. Chickie will be back in town on Wednesday, so I have several more days to work solo with DH. That basically means I'm on the sales floor, bathroom breaks are iffy, and lunch, if I get any, is very late. DH is NOT a good team player. He always makes sure Chickie gets her time - she's an employee, after all. He pays her. I don't count. 

There are some times when I'm miffed. I'm not angry, 
I'm not sad, I'm just miffed. That's how I feel about misplacing 
my eyeglasses. I'll probably find them in a day or so, but 
meanwhile, I'm having to make do. *sigh* And DH 
really isn't helping - his attitude really sucks recently. 

Can you tell that I'm a bit miffed at DH at the moment? It's not unusual, of course. But ... it's a boring thing for all of you to read about, so it's really just me getting things off my back for just a titch of time. But, he's up early (which is probably what's messing with my mojo), and I'm really not in the mood to interact with him at the moment. It's just as well I'm in the computer room writing this instead of up in the breakfast nook sipping my "cuppa". 

My Priority Mail box (similar to the one on the left), 
is on its' way to California. My customer found me 
through my Etsy store. It was a lot of work getting her 
order pulled and organized (Chickie was tremendous 
help with it), and we had a few (more than 20 pages 
worth) of chats to and fro, but colors were decided upon 
and credit cards were authorized. I know she'll make some 
lovely things from all of the sparkly bits she ordered. 

But, as stated above, it's Saturday. My large crystal shipment to California was paid for yesterday early morning and is already on the way to her, and I can relax after the stress of trying to get that order together, finalized, invoiced, sold and packed. Now, as long as the Post Office is their usual competent self, she'll have her box in a day or two, and I'll be able to breathe a bit. LOL Have an excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

Day 2 Without Chickie - It'll Be a Busy One

I survived my first day without Chickie. I got the huge mail order finalized and when she calls in her credit card today, I'll put it into the mail tonight. Just waiting for the final payment before I send all of those beautiful Swarovski crystals to their new homes. Having this sale come up was both a blessing and a curse. It was a LOT of work on our part to get everything pulled, gathered, labelled and run through the computer/register, but it also means that I sold a LOT of crystals. I have a lot still remaining, but I was able to go through my Etsy pages last night and adjust quantities down, eliminating at least two colors. Whoot! 

My customer was purchasing Swarovski bicone beads 
in 3mm and 4mm sizes. Those are the sizes in which 
I have the most inventory, and the sizes in which the 
factory made the most colors. It's a nice box of colors 
she'll be getting later this week. 

Today, it's back to the swimming pool, then run home, have a quick breakfast, head to the bank to put in a deposit for the shop, and then, finally, to the shop to actually start the day. I didn't even get a chance to eat lunch yesterday, so I'm set for today  - don't have to bring anything, it's already there. I did get a single bathroom break in the morning. Nothing at all in the afternoon. Working solo with DH really sucks for me. He takes all the consideration for Chickie, but not when I'm working alongside. 

I was a very busy bee yesterday. Today I have to 
squeeze a trip to the bank into my morning. The 
bank is nowhere close to us anymore. It used 
to be just down the block, but they got sold and now 
they're at the far southern part of the Cities. 

So I'll have to see what today brings. Hopefully my customer can phone in her credit card so that I can get her Priority Mail shipment off to her tonight on my way home. She'll have new crystals by the end of the week, and I'll balance my books, which right now have her sale run through the register, but with no corresponding payment. That was a PITA, but I needed an absolute total to quote to her before she phoned in her credit card. 

I should probably find a different Montana photo, but 
this one is just beautiful, isn't it? LOL

So I guess life is normal here in the Northlands, the plants are growing (it's been a rather cool summer so far, though), the flowers are blooming, my veggies and tomatoes are getting bigger every day, and the bees are happily doing their thing over my raspberry patch. There's a lot to look forward to, but a lot of summer to get through first. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll return tomorrow. Oh, and Chickie arrived safely in Montana yesterday. I'm sure she and Chickie Mama are having a wonderful time. Slava Ukraini. 

Exercise, Treadmill Maintenance and the Family Memorial

My appointment with Jake, to get my treadmill operational again, went really smoothly. He needed to reset the back screws. They go through a two-sided bracket that holds the rail, and I had missed hitting the back side of that bracket when tightening those screws back up again. It's a common thing to happen, and an easy fix. The belt actually was straight - I had done that properly, so one win for my team - LOL. When we turned the treadmill off and then on again, however, the code for "Lube" came up on the screen once again. Jake figured out that it was a distance-generated code and actually is reset through the maintenance portion of the main screen. I'll have to play a bit to get comfortable with those settings, but it's an easy reset. He thinks that 300 miles is the trigger point for the "Lube" code to appear. We'll have to see. 

I had actually done everything right to lubricate the belt, but 
the screws in the end blocks hadn't gone through the front 
and back brackets properly. It's a good think I'm under warranty 
for a year. It's going to take me that long to get used to the 
machine and it's requirements. LOL

It's a swimming day and I can hardly wait to get into the water. I have my new book loaded up. I was able to do that quite quickly on the main computer on Sunday while DH was planting some of the new flowers and herbs we have purchased. I am getting to the end of the series (more than 30 books) but it's still got a few volumes left before I switch to a different series for my next batch of listening while swimming. "Why listen to books?" you might wonder. Don't most people listen to music? Well, maybe. But when I tried out music, I found my stroke changing to match the rhythm of each tune. When I listen to a book, I can work with the rhythm of each stroke style instead of a beat - much more effective for my routine. 

My next book is loaded up and I'm ready to listen to 
the next part of the saga. I'm just starting book 32 out 
of a total number or 38. Then I'll switch to a different series 
that I purchased a month or so ago. It's all good! 

We have the family memorial get-together on Saturday and DH is already complaining that I'm closing the store at 2:00 pm instead of 3:00 pm. I figure it will take up about an hour to close, print out the end of week reports, and drive up to the far northern area where the event will be held, so we won't be there any earlier than 3:00. The event only goes until 6:00 pm. DH thinks the family may all gather together and go out to dinner together afterward, and that has happened in earlier years, but we're a huge crowd of people now, and I just don't see that happening. However, I did text my oldest niece who is the person arranging everything, to ask her. I can always print out new signs if necessary and push our time out by another hour. 

Exercise is essential in my life. I live a stressful life 
with DH, and I need outlets for my frustration. Exercise 
gives me those outlets, and helps my body feel better 
all around. I miss is when I'm not exercising almost 
every day. 

So, I'm off to the pool. I really need to swim some of this stress off. I haven't been able to exercise in several days and it's making me cranky - LOL. Additionally, it's COLD outside. We had a really warm winter, but our summer is starting out damned cold. We have less than 12 days before the outdoor pool is open, and I really won't enjoy swimming out there if the outside temp is in the upper 40's to low 50's (Fahrenheit). The water will be great, but getting in and out of the pool will totally SUCK. So ... have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

DH Is Driving Me INSANE! GRRRR!

DH is driving me insane (if I wasn't already on the borderline). He's going over my calendar multiple times, writing everything down and questioning each appointment. Then, when he was giving me oral instructions for a task I'm to do today, and I asked him to please write them down (and it would have been two sentences worth of effort), he absolutely exploded. Frankly, I'm NOT feeling the love. I'm feeling more like I'm in some Petri dish. I might phone my memory doctor and ask him to have a conversation with DH and explain that writing directions down is EXACTLY what I need done, and that any minor inconvenience ... well, too bad! 

DH either doesn't understand, or simply doesn't care 
that I need written directions when he asks me to 
do something in a particular way. If this persists, 
I'll be contacting my brain doc and asking him to 
call him directly and tell him, AGAIN, that directions 
need to be written out for me. 

I was SO angry. It wasn't that I was asking him to do so much.  I fully understand that he's over his head in tasks to get done so that we can get out of the business, but ... I went back to speak with him at his desk or ask for his help on the sales floor several times yesterday, and all he was doing was playing Bridge on his phone. He wasn't doing anything for the store. So ... I really don't know what to say. I'm pretty much working at the store when I'm there. I take a break with my phone during my lunch, and when I go to the bathroom. That's it. The rest of the time I'm on the sales floor and at the store computers working. He's certainly not working towards getting the store closed if he's playing Bridge on his phone most of the day. 

We each have our own thing that we enjoy doing on our 
cell phones. I love reading on my cell phone - I go through 
a lot of e-books in an average year. He plays Bridge. 

So, there are issues. *sigh*  On the Good Side of events, my replacement skin suit (full body swimsuit) was delivered yesterday and I'm wearing it today. It's lovely - kelp in the ocean with the light filtering down through the fronds. I also love the way the suits fit when I first get them. Like all swim suits, they stretch out through use and the chlorinated water. I took a closer look at my damaged suit too. I think I might take it to my tailor. It's the bottom portion of one leg that got eaten by the water extractor. I think my tailor might be able to cut it off above that point and put in elastic. It won't be as snug (and it'll look weird), but they're VERY expensive suits and it still fits well. I could get another season at least out of it with a decent repair. It might be worth it - I'll try to build a quick trip to the tailor into tomorrow's schedule. 

This is the skin suit I ordered to replace my damaged 
suit. I think it's lovely. Of course it fits like a dream 
because it hasn't started to stretch out yet. I should get 
a good summer's worth of outdoor swimming from it 
before it stretches too much. 

But tomorrow's schedule is a bit crowded. I did phone my orthodontist and get a different appointment with them.  I simply didn't have the time to start with my eye exam in the Southeastern part of the Cities, then drive to the Northern part of the cities for the Orthodontist, and then to the Central part of the Cities for my Radiology appointments, all within four hours. Not with road construction, which is a constant at this time of the year. So, I rescheduled my orthodontic appointment. My wires can remain without glue for another week, it won't harm them (ideally) and I really don't have any choice. 

When it came down to logistics, I figured it was a bit 
tight to get to every appointment on time if I had the 
Orthodontist in the mix. So, I rescheduled him for 
a different date. Now I'll have time to breathe between 
my Eye Doctor appointment and my Radiology appt. 

I'm off to the pool to work some of this frustration out in the water. I hope you have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow before starting my "Very Busy Day" - LOL. Be kind, enjoy your Spring (or Fall) and Slava Ukraini! 

It Was a Very Busy Day - I Managed Two Hours of my "Day Off"

I didn't get home to cook and do my normal "day off" activities until shortly before 4:00 pm. Aearwen phoned at 4:00 pm, and we had a nice chat, despite the fact that I had to make my "Ogre Juice" while we were talking. My blender is VERY powerful, and (unfortunately) VERY loud. My poor cell phone was trying it's best to increase her voice volume, but it's hard to fight a high-powered engine chopping up and pureeing raw veggies. However, with a couple of temporary holds for loud noises, we managed a good conversation and I also managed to get my next four "Ogre Juice" whipped up and into the refrigerator. WHEW! LOL

I had to get my next batch of alkagizers made yesterday, 
and had no choice but to do it while talking with 
Aearwen. It doesn't take long, and each blend is only 
30 seconds or so, but it definitely interrupts conversational 
flow - LOL. 

DH's prognosis isn't nearly as dire as his first doctor had led him to believe. Apparently they're treating this as the equivalent of a woman's bladder infection - something that should be cured with antibiotics and a bit of time. We'll see, but if it is just an infection, that's a HUGE step forward from possible cancer. I'm 100% in favor of a urinary tract infection - they can be stubborn to cure, but they don't usually end up requiring surgery either. 

Urinary Tract Infections are nasty and all too 
common. Which makes me think, "Why didn't 
the doctors he first saw think UTI when they 
first saw him?" He could have been on antibiotics 
several weeks ago and be feeling much better by 
now, but he has incompetent people in his clinic. 

So today will be a "normal" day at the shop, and maybe I can catch up a bit. I have a phone visit late Friday for my memory and dementia exam. I really am curious about the results of the exam. I know I'm crap with oral instructions, but I'm just fine if instructions are written down. I might have to insist that DH and Chickie write down exactly what they want me to do. That would eliminate confusion on my part, and anger when things are incorrectly done on theirs. 

I totally despise bladder infections. I've only had them 
a few times in my life, but they were miserable. However, 
if that's what DH is experiencing, it's a much better 
version of his health than cancer would be. 

I was looking through the store calendar yesterday also, and noticed that Chickie is taking 1-1/2 weeks off in mid-June for a trip to a family event in Montana. That'll be a total PITA. With a store run by three people, when one person is off, everyone else is on. BLEH! I'm going to have to set a bit of fire under DH's feet - he has to get some things packed and shipped South for auction and they're asking when we're going to ship them. It's always something, right? LOL Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It's Going to be a VERY Busy Day - Shopping, Errands and Working for DH

As always, on a swimming day, I'm tight on time, so it's a short post. DH heads to the doctor this afternoon, so I have to be at the shop while he's doing his thing. Aearwen, I'm going to try to keep our weekly convo, despite the location difference. We've been missing too many weeks lately. I might have to help a customer, but we'll deal with that as it happens. 

I think I ordered this skin suit this time - their Kelp 
Forest version. I love their products, but I do usually 
have to replace them every year or so. Of course, I 
use them extensively, so it's not like they're sitting 
in a corner gathering dust (except over the past few 
months of cancer treatment). 

I had thought I had my phone consultation with my memory doc today, but according to My Chart, it's actually scheduled for Friday. That's a bit of a PITA because I'll be in the middle of one thing or another, but at least it's on a "day off" and since it's a virtual visit, having the ability to set up the laptop will be a plus (virtual visits on the phone are rather weird - such a small screen). If he wants to show me anything in print, having the larger laptop screen will be a plus. 

I'm quite curious about what they deduced from my 
cognitive testing a few days ago. I thought the 
follow-up was today, but when checking the "My Chart" 
app, it's actually been rescheduled for Friday. 

Yesterday, the water extraction equipment at the YMCA ate my skinsuit (sigh). Basically, it grabbed one of the arms and pulled at it, shredding it. I was NOT happy - my skin suits are expensive. But, I was back onto SlipIns website ordering a replacement early this morning. I had texted them asking if they could check what size I had ordered the previous time and they responded quickly (Small). So, I got onto the website first thing this morning and ordered a replacement. I'll be stuck with two days in a row in the suit I'm wearing today, but I'll live with that. I guess I'll stay away from the water extractor from now on. *sigh*

I had thought about ordering a second 
skin suit - the Blue Ring Octopus 
version - but they're expensive and I'm 
a bit stretched right now. I'll just replace 
the single suit and wait until next 
Fall or even next Spring before another 
order. 

So, I'm off to the pool. I'm hoping that I have all of the correct dates for all of the proper appointments. I have no actual "free" time right now. I need to go grocery shopping and make my next batch of Ogre Juice, but I have to work for DH this afternoon and have some other appointment of one kind or another taking up some of my morning time as well. Popularity is highly overrated - at least in my current life - LOL. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.