It's Been a Huge Project at Work

My muscles are feeling better today, which is good, because today is a swimming day and I don't want to miss my pool. Last week I had to miss my Tuesday swim because of the locker room issue, but I really enjoy getting my three days a week in the pool going, even if it is horrible for my skin. The perils of growing old, my friends! Your body decides it's going to self-destruct - usually in little ways that just stack up over time. 

Isn't this the case? When we were kids, it was like 
we had boundless energy. I'm quite sure we drove 
our parents and other adults a bit crazy. Now we're 
the parents and adults, and we're exhausted. LOL

We've been busy like crazy at the shop, bringing our precious metal prices up to a reasonable dollar amount with today's metal markets. It's a HUGE chore and has been taking DH the better part of the last two weeks. He's changing pricing and we're doing new price tags for everything and getting items back out for sale. We probably hadn't done this for more than a decade, and you all know that precious metals have gone through the roof! I simply can't afford to sell an item for 1.25 when it should actually be much closer to $10. Welcome to the world of commodities. 

Getting our precious metals repriced has been a 
Major Project that DH has been working on for 
more than two weeks now. 

Precious metals are one of the items that are considered a commodity - something that has value in itself, not necessarily in its' shape. Of course, a silver coin is worth more than a brass one, but a silver bead is also worth more than a brass one because the silver costs more. At least in today's world. Mankind's history is "Oooooh! Shiny" directed. Is there a silver mine over the next hill, or a gold mine across the river? Well, let's conquer them and have an easy source of trade and a foundation of wealth for the state. 

There's nothing quite like the shine of precious metals. We 
never had a lot of gold (fortunately) but we have a LOT of 
silver that needs to be repriced to current pricing. It's probably 
been more than 10-15 years since we last did more than spot 
changes. 

But, it's been a huge task and has been DH's focus for the past two weeks. We're getting to the bottom of it now, but there's still quite a lot of bins left to be priced and re-tagged. It basically comes down to facing reality - the items that we are selling should be appropriately priced for the current markets. That includes our jewelry, and our Native American-made goods. It all needs to happen, and it's all on DH to do. He feels a bit overwhelmed, and is taking it out on Chickie and me - not purposefully (most of the time), but because he needs a release and we're convenient. 

There's nothing much better than swimming my stress 
away. I couldn't treadmill yesterday, my muscles were 
too strained, but today I feel much better and I'm ready 
to tackle the water. 

So, I'm off to the swimming pool to get some of my own frustration out of the way. All in all, things are actually working out quite well, and with good luck, we should wrap this project up by the end of the week. But it's been three weeks or a bit more of steady, non-stop pricing work. A PITA, to be sure. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Servants and Blessings - I Have No Idea How I Got From Here to There

I have a 100-pack (somewhat depleted by now) of "rubber" ear stoppers on my desk right now. They're old, and slightly discolored, and they don't work well any more. We sell these (newer) regularly - they're placed on the back of earrings to help keep them in the ears instead of falling out. In winter, with higher collars and many layers plus coats, lost earrings are common without using these "rubber" stoppers. 

I sell two different styles of clear "rubber" earring backs, 
and this style is my favorite and is the more popular style 
of my customers as well. But they do deteriorate over 
time. The package I pulled from the shop because of age 
aren't very good any more, but they still work for a few 
days before needing to be replaced. 

However, the bag on my desk was a bag I pulled from the shop as "unsellable" because they've aged out. I've been selling these for at least thirty years, so they could potentially date that old. I doubt they're much older than 15 years, but still, a respectable age for an earring component such as this. Instead of a bright, clear appearance, they are more golden, and instead of gripping the earwire tightly, they are a bit loose, unwilling to do much clutching at all. 

Every few days I toss the set I've had on my earrings and replace them, working my way down through the bag. I expect it will be another year or so, but I'll work my way down to the end of that bag eventually, and then will be ready to actually purchase a new bag. The set of earrings I wear are VERY light weight, and I truly wouldn't notice losing one on a high collar or bulky sweater if I didn't have the backs in place. They serve an important purpose, even if they're meant to be almost invisible. 

I just bought this book, I'll download it 
when I'm finished with my current read. 
It looks like something I'll find quite 
interesting. 

It's rather like the servants in the old estates. They weren't really acknowledged, in fact, they shouldn't have been noticed at all. In some cases, they might have been perceived as mobile furniture - quite demeaning. They worked hard, slept in the attic rooms, but had at least one meal a day, and usually got a half-day off every two weeks or so. Why work under such conditions? Because conditions "back home" were often far worse - too many kids, too little money, and backbreaking work in the fields. That's what was known as life in the multitude of years before the Industrial Revolution, after whch which new avenues of exploitation of labor opened up, and eventually led to the world we currently live in. Have we bettered ourselves? Have we improved out lot in life? I'd love to think we have, but I also know I'm damned lucky to be living where I am, having had the parents and upbringing I've had, and the opportunities I've taken advantage of. 

It's so easy to shut the door on possible blessings. It's 
rather scary to open the door wide and welcome in 
the unknown. But often, if you do, you find the other 
side of that great step to be the answer you've 
been seeking all along. 

So, I might be getting older and more yellow. I might not be holding the earrings quite as securely as a younger me would have. But I'm so very lucky to be where I am, doing what I do, and chatting with you - my friends from afar - day in and day out. Look around you and see your own blessings. I guarantee you have many. They're just every-day things, but what richness we truly have. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

I'm a Dinosaur and a Bookworm and That's Not All Bad

Generally, electronics are my friend. I live with my phone, my laptop and the internet in various ways, but we're in touch every day for hours on end. I might mutter now and again as I stumble through the hoops placed for me to jump through, but I force myself through or find a workaround. Most of the time. Every once in a while I get caught up in an electronics maelstrom, though. Yesterday and early today seems to be one of those times, and I'm not sure I'll manage to get out of this one. 

I fully admit I'm a dinosaur, and I'm OK with that. I'm 
closer to the end of my life than the beginning of it, and 
I suspect that when I die, I'll be grateful in many ways to 
leave the stresses behind me. But leave my books 
behind me too? NEVER. There better be books in 
the afterlife. 

I've had an e-book pending at B&N for months. It came live on Monday, but B&N's e-books were under malware attack at the time and no orders were able to be made or completed. Finally, yesterday in the late afternoon, my shopping cart was live once again and I was able to complete most of my order. Except the one book I had been waiting to read for more than two months. 

There's nothing wrong with being a dinosaur. If Earth 
hadn't been hit with a dramatic climate change, mammals 
might still be small little things weaving in and out 
between greenery, trying to avoid being eaten by very 
large and hungry lizards. I'm old, so I don't mind being 
a bit more dinosaur and a bit less darting young thing. 

Even though it was supposed to have been available beginning on October 13th, and I purchased and downloaded it on October 15th, it was still locked with a yellow "Pre-Ordered" banner, keeping me from opening the e-book. I didn't get charged for it, so after trying a few more things this morning, I went onto their website and "cancelled" the pre-order (and one other book that was hanging on for the ride). Now the big question is ... can I actually purchase it, and will it appear in my NookBook library as a book that I can read. 

Age is relative anyway, My nieces and nephews, although 
they are considered to be "middle aged" by now, I still 
remember as small children. I know they're older with 
children of their own, but sometimes it just doesn't seem 
like it's been that many years. 

I've had on-line friends suggest other reading formats to me - basic ePubs from a variety of sources, as well as Kobo and of course, Kindle. I'm rather stubborn, and I enjoy staying with my NookBook formats. One of the main reasons is my library - I have more than 1800 ebooks now, almost all of them purchased at B&N. I usually am reading two different readers at any given time - one for fiction and one for instructional. But the big thing I love is if I try to order something I already have and I forgot about, B&N won't allow me to repurchase it. It tells me that I already own it. That feature alone has probably saved me several hundred dollars. Even when I was reading paperbacks, I would sometimes find myself with more than one copy of a book I wanted to read but forgot I owned. 

The benefit of being a dinosaur is that my friends of 
many years are also dinos, just like me. In this fast-
moving, ever-changing world that we live in, that's 
a constancy that I'm embracing today. 

So, I'll continue being a dinosaur, I'll hope that I can get the book I want to read purchased and downloaded properly, and I'll eventually wander into the sunset, my library clutched in my hand, all held within the few square inches of my phone. What a wonderful thing for a bookworm. Have a great day, be kind, stay safe and please wear your mask! I'll be back tomorrow. 

Sometimes My Brain Goes to Sleep

I have a brain, I know I do, but every once in a while it gets distracted and before I know it, I've made an error. Such an error happened yesterday morning when I realized, as I washed out my oatmeal bowl, that I was supposed to be fasting for labs later in the morning. Oops! Fortunately labs are an easy thing to reschedule, so I'm on repeat for today and my teakettle is pinioned with a large sign that says "Fasting" to make sure I don't repeat a mistake. I'll bring extra fruit to work with me and have a late breakfast, skipping my usual oatmeal. 

I love oatmeal for breakfast, and during fruit season, it's
even better. I indulge and sprinkle fruit on top. So good! 

After vacillating back and forth about routes to see my dermatologist yesterday, I finally decided to go FAR to the East, then to the South, and finally head West to intersect with the proper roads. It was rather like Gandalf sitting at the junction of three choices - which road to follow that would take the Company deeper into Moria and towards that high span over the chasm. Even as he did, I chose correctly (although there was no true wrong choice). The weather was gorgeous, the traffic was light, and I had an opportunity to cross the Mississippi flood plains and look at cranes and egrets. 

The Mississippi River Gorge area is also part of the south Metro area.
The Twin Cities grew up on and across the Mississippi River, and these
waters are essential to life along the river. 

After maneuvering around Mall of America - a black hole that pulls everything towards the monstrosity - I managed to get onto the proper road and arrived at my appointment comfortably early. It turns out I'm actually doing most of the right things, but we're amping things up a bit to 2X application of my prescription meds per day. If that doesn't work, she can inject small amounts of medicine into the problem areas. I'll see her again in August, but fortunately this time she'll be at my usual clinic, an easy ten minutes from my home. 

That I was able to get everything done, despite the kink in my
schedule for the day, gave me a wonderful sense of accomplishment
by the end of the day. I was even able to have a wonderful,
relaxed convo with Aearwen - the time just flew by. 

I even was able to get all of my laundry done, as well as the grocery shopping and an expensive Target run - I decided my underwear was seriously in need of replacement, so purchased ten pairs of everyday underwear which, after washing, now reside in my drawer. My old underwear is in the trash - I don't really have a need for them as rags or anything similar, so I'll toss them. It's a shame that clothing isn't a recycling/compost item in my area, but since most things are, I'll cut the city some slack. 

On that note, I'm going to work at the computer for another hour, then head to work and then on to the clinic. Have a wonderful Thursday and enjoy your day. Be well, stay safe and please, wear a mask. 

Statistics Versus A Single Ray of Sunshine

It seems as if the whole world has gone a bit crazy about the COVID-19 virus. I've got to assume that's because it seems to be so easily transmissible, because realistically, the flu kills more people annually than this virus. Of course, there's also a variety of vaccines available for the flu, but nothing really developed yet for the COVID-19, but that's just a matter of time. Still, the highest rates for mortality hinge around the age of the person contracting the illness. Take a look at the chart below. 

COVID-19 Fatality Rate by AGE:

*Death Rate = (number of deaths / number of cases) = probability of dying if infected by the virus (%). This probability differs depending on the age group. The percentages shown below do not have to add up to 100%, as they do NOT represent share of deaths by age group. Rather, it represents, for a person in a given age group, the risk of dying if infected with COVID-19.

AGE	DEATH RATE confirmed cases	DEATH RATE all cases
80+ years old	21.9%	14.8%
70-79 years old		8.0%
60-69 years old		3.6%
50-59 years old		1.3%
40-49 years old		0.4%
30-39 years old		0.2%
20-29 years old		0.2%
10-19 years old		0.2%
0-9 years old		no fatalities

*Death Rate = (number of deaths / number of cases) = probability of dying if infected by the virus (%). The percentages do not have to add up to 100%, as they do NOT represent share of deaths by age group.

As you can see, as you are older, your mortality chances increase. Right now, I guess it doesn't really pay to be a senior citizen, but then, those of us who are in that age bracket really didn't have much of a say in when we would be born or what variety of illness might be around to bring us down. Apparently it also helps to be female, although why that might make a difference isn't really clear. Still, the statistics are bearing this out.

COVID-19 Fatality Rate by SEX:

*Death Rate = (number of deaths / number of cases) = probability of dying if infected by the virus (%). This probability differs depending on sex. When reading these numbers, it must be taken into account that smoking in China is much more prevalent among males. Smoking increases the risks of respiratory complications.

SEX	DEATH RATE confirmed cases	DEATH RATE all cases
Male	4.7%	2.8%
Female	2.8%	1.7%

*Death Rate = (number of deaths / number of cases) = probability of dying if infected by the virus (%). The percentages do not have to add up to 100%, as they do NOT represent share of deaths by sex.

We're being inundated from all sides now. COVID-19 on the one side, the precipitous fall of the stock market on the other. It's doom and gloom and it's taking over the airwaves. So I've got a single request for all of us. Let's all take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and allow ourselves to think about some positive things today. The news might be focused on lots of terrible things, and they will ripple through all communities - we're all affected in some way or another - but we don't have to succumb to the negativity. We can still smile at others. We can still brighten a single person's life in some way. By doing that simple act of kindness, we've opened the clouds to one ray of sunshine. If enough of us do this, we'll dispel a lot of the gloom. 

Have an excellent Tuesday. I get to see my accountant for our personal income tax prep tonight. Oh joy. The best thing is, however, that if I forgot to bring something along, I can easily drop it off tomorrow morning, so no major delays in getting the darned thing done and into the system. I'll be back tomorrow - enjoy your day! 

Night and Day - What A Difference!

It had been two years since I had last gone to my preferred eye clinic. Last year I took the easy way out and tried out the eye doctors at my local health clinic. I was unsatisfied, and even though it was convenient, I declared "Never again" and returned to MN Eye yesterday. Yes, the drive was longer, and yes, there was more traffic, but the difference in level of care was like night and day. 

Sometimes things are like night versus day. The experience I had from
my eye exam at my local clinic to the eye exam I had yesterday at
my eye doctor's was like that. I won't be returning to the clinic for
eye exams. I'll leave them to health and see my specialists for my eyes. 

I have cataracts. I had no idea, but I'm quite sure it's right. Apparently my doctor of two years ago had mentioned that I had minimal cataracts in one eye when I had seen her, but that didn't really register on me. The clinic last year didn't mention cataracts at all, in fact, it was a rather hurried exam. This time was quite different. I had a really extensive exam and my meeting with Dr Awad actually was quite interactive. 

Apparently it's my cataracts that are making it so difficult for me
to work with shiny things. Of course, my art uses a lot of
shiny things, so it's been ever more difficult for me to work
on repairs and new projects. 

It's the cataracts, especially in my left eye, that are causing my issues with glare and focus. Apparently this is still at a point where it can be corrected by an updated prescription (my first pair of frames are getting sent to New York today for relensing with my new prescription). but he also said that if I notice a serious change in my eyes before next year's exam, to make an appointment right away. I guess sometimes cataracts can expand very quickly and if that's the case, then I jump from "correct with prescription" category to the "correct with surgery" category. I'm fine with that and I'll keep a close eye on it (sorry ... totally unintentional pun). 

It's a Project Runway night tonight and I can hardly wait. We're down
to the Final Four designers, and the competition has been fierce
up to this point. What will they do when they're not facing
off head-to-head. Will they still be motivated enough to stay
on schedule? Ten outfits in five months - that's what they have
to produce. 

So I'm once again falling apart. Nothing really new there - it comes with the advancing age. Tonight is a Project Runway night, and we're down to the Final Four. I'm unsure about their format - whether they'll take two weeks for the final Runway walk, or just bounce right into it tonight. Whatever happens, it's been a wonderful season so far, and I'm really looking forward to seeing tonight's episode. If possible, I'll post about it tomorrow, if photos aren't available, I'll postpone until Saturday. 

Have a wonderful Thursday and enjoy your day. We're continuing our warm-up and snow-less VERY EARLY Spring up here in the Frozen Northlands, so I really can't complain (except for the occasional patch of icy sidewalk). Be back on Friday. 

"Plop" Onto My Desktop Destroyed My Morning's Calm Time

There's nothing much more disconcerting than having something "plop" onto my desk and almost immediately disappear into the shadows. I jumped up right away and moved papers, etc. No luck. I have no idea exactly what dropped in front of me approximately 15 minutes ago, but suspect it was either a spider or one of the smaller multi-legged critters that I just can't seem to rid my house of. I hope I'll find the perpetrator soon and smash it to smithereens, but I have to keep forging ahead - schedules don't have time for the unexpected in my early mornings. 

Today I'm talking about bugs, so I'm finding pretty ones to
share with all of you. This is the Giant Mosquito Bug,
found in the Southwestern USA. It's quite colorful,
looks almost like mosaic. 

Yesterday was dental check-up day for DH and me, and we both passed with flying colors. Next appointments are scheduled for six months down the road, shortly before my birthday. I've been working hard to get a handle on Medicare, what we will have to pay and what will be covered. After narrowing the choices down a bit, I decided that speaking to someone would be wisest. The earliest appointment I could get was November 7th at 7:00 am! Guess where I'll be on that date - right! I'll be waiting for them to unlock the doors so that I can get some concrete information. 

I have no idea what this bug is, but I love the iridescence of its'
coloring. Those purples and topaz colors with a hint of turquoise
really attract me. 

I will try to run policies through the Medicare.gov system today and print out some comparisons for DH to look at. He's trying to figure out a budget while I'm trying to determine the best plan for him. Hmmm, seems like his priorities are a little skewed, but that's the way it is. We're both pretty healthy - he takes meds to help with his blood pressure but that's all, I don't take anything. I doubt we'll be lucky enough to say that twenty years from now, but who knows. I can't foresee the future. Hell, I'm having a hard enough time looking two months ahead! 

The closest ID I can get on this guy is Trubkovich Polyphagous. Is
that it's real name? I haven't a clue. Once again it's the colors that
really attracted me. I like the fuzzy antennae too. 

Maybe it's true - though. Insects will inherit the earth. They do seem quite indestructible. If you or I fell from the distance that ceiling is from my desk, we'd be crippled with internal injuries. We certainly wouldn't immediately be scurrying away to the darker hiding spaces. It's been said that cockroaches would survive a nuclear holocaust. Let's just hope we never put that to the test, shall we? 

This final photo for the day is a Main Mantis. I love how it
mimics the wings of a butterfly. So pretty against
that pale body. 

On that note, I've got to get moving. Already a bit late because of "the bug"! Have a great Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Viewing The World and Memory

Now that I actually have my computer glasses as well as my standard bifocal ones, I'm trying to get used to the fact that I have two different sets and I'm trying really hard not to wear the wrong pair in the wrong situation. Although I can read with my bifocals, things at the computer screen distance are a slight bit fuzzy. That's resolved when I actually wear my computer glasses, but I can't drive well in those, and reading my phone with that pair requires me to hold it away from me at a longer than comfortable distance. 

Now I have my standard bifocals and my computer glasses for the
mid-range vision. Now I need to get one more set re-lensed, but
I'm not in as much of a hurry for that. I have vision now, so I'm happy. 

How did I discover all of this? LOL On Sunday, after the craft show, DH was in bed because his hip was bothering him so much. I went out to collect dinner, and realized on the way that I had my computer glasses on. I can drive without glasses - my correction isn't that great for longer distances. So I pulled the glasses off and had no problem getting to the restaurant for take-out. But reading my list of what DH wanted for his meal was a bit more challenging. 

Memory for me has always been a hallway of infinite doorways.
Through each door - size irrespective - is a memory I'm looking
for at any given time. It could be an event, or merely a word. 

Growing older isn't for the faint at heart. I keep hoping that I will be able to grow into old age gracefully, but already find small memory blocks appearing more frequently. The words or terms I am hunting for always reappear, but not after an instant of searching. Often it takes several minutes before the answer will pop back into my head. It's the oddest feeling - like looking down a corridor of familiar doorways and turning to go into a room, only to find that it's been dry-walled over and painted to a matte black finish. Wandering past the door later, you recognize that it's once again open and paneled, as if it had never been touched. 

My brain is corridors and hallways of
different heights and different construction
techniques. 

A loss of memory is frightening because it's something we all rely on. My memory issues are quite minor right now - not remembering the word malachite while looking at a poster yesterday really isn't the end of the world. But if this becomes progressive, if this develops into something more frequent, more blatant, and if it paints my life with a larger brush, then I'm going to be standing in some deep shit. That's rather frightening, and a part of growing older that I really don't want to experience. 

I'm not sure if I agree with William Blake 100%, but it's an
interesting concept to think about. 

I'll keep on keeping on, though. I'll stay with my schedule - swimming, a reasonable breakfast, lots of fresh fruit for lunch, keeping up with the calcium and Vitamin D, and work/art/life. It's all I can do and really, isn't that the reason we keep going? I want to enjoy my retirement some day. I've worked hard for it and I deserve a bit of fun. Goals - they're great to strive for. Have a wonderful Tuesday. I'm going to have an extremely busy day at work, so I'd better get going on getting this post out there. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Aging Backwards

Merlin did it, so why not me? Aging backward is an elusive dream because it doesn't happen in real life. It happens in tales like various versions of King Arthur, and in dreams, but not in real life. I've come as close as I can, though and I'm pretty happy about it.

Merlin has always been one of my favorite fictional wizards. I really
like this image of him, a little less Gandalf, and a little more sage. 

I had a complete physical when I turned 50 (or at least within a year or so of that time) because I felt I probably should. I had already had my life quite literally saved when I had my hysterectomy several years prior, so I thought it was time to check everything out. It was OK, I was overweight but my lab work was fine. They did remove polyps during my colonoscopy, but I was told to come back in five years and they would check again.

Getting a physical meant too many needles for this needle phobe, but I
forced myself to do it anyway because it was a necessary evil. I'm really
glad I did. 

Well, I waited a while longer than that, but went back this year for another full physical more than ten years later. I am down twenty pounds in weight, my blood pressure is fabulous, my labwork all came back stellar, and yesterday's colonoscopy was clean with no issues at all. I'm getting younger as I'm getting older. Huzzah!

I totally narfed down my Big Mac, French Fries and Egg McMuffin for
dinner last night. No regrets! McDonald's fries are the BEST! 

I was massively hungry after my exam, having not had anything except liquids since Tuesday, so at my request DH stopped by McDonald's and I treated myself to a Big Mac, large french fry, and an Egg McMuffin for dinner. I figured I hadn't eaten anything in more than a day, I probably could afford the calories. Yup!

I prefer the elliptical machine to the treadmill. I feel like it's
nicer on my joints and it pulls my arms into the mix also.
Three miles is calling me, but I haven't been for a few days so
I may not hit my full stride. Still, it's going to be great to
be back on the machines once again. 

So today it's back to the gym - I've missed it horribly over the past few days. I'll be diving back into routine, and I'm really looking forward to it. No more doctor stuff (hopefully) until after I turn 70. If I stay true to form, then 70 will be my new 50 - LOL. Happy Thursday, peeps! It's good to be back! (Don't forget - Project Runway tonight should be great!)

Returning to Life - Albeit Slowly

It was such fun getting back to the pool yesterday. It didn't take long at all to get back into a rhythm. I should actually start working on laps and speed soon to keep improving, but just being in the water again was fabulous. Today is a machine day - a solid half hour at the bike and then I think I'll try BodyPump again. I liked it the last time, but was sick within two days after, so I've only had a single opportunity to try the program. I think things take more than one try, so I'll go again.

I'm still not sure about BodyPump, but I do know that it hits
muscles that aren't getting attention in my other routines. I'll
keep trying this for a while. It can be fun, as long as I don't have
a relapse back to the flu for another week. 

I haven't had a chance to do any writing, though. My mornings are my writing time and I've been trying to either sleep a bit of extra time (while I was sick) or make sure that I get my morning tasks are complete before leaving (more of my regular schedule). But, one way or the other, it's a joy to get back to physical activity and feel less like a bump on a log.

Sometimes it's easy to see where a plot needs to go. But
getting there is the hard part and the swamps and mountains
can seem insurmountable. 

Tomorrow is DH's sonogram and biopsy. He's not afraid of the procedure, only of what it might reveal. Or at least that's what he's told me. It makes me wonder if he's been hiding some physical problems from me or even from himself. I guess we'll find out what we find out and we'll go on from there. Once again, I reiterate - getting older is not for the faint at heart. It's full of all sorts of scary stuff.

Growing old can be like climbing dangerous staircases. This
particular staircase is the Pailon del Diablo in Ecuador. 

So have a great Tuesday, enjoy your day of sun, rain, snow or heat, and here's your goal for the day. Try to make one person's life a little happier today - child or elder, male or female - it doesn't matter, Just put a smile on someone's face today.

Monkey Wrenches - Why Does Someone Throw Them?

The saying goes rather like "...throwing a monkey wrench into it ..." to indicate when something that had been running smoothly suddenly stops or changes course. I've seen similar things in cartoons when an item is tossed onto a conveyor belt of some sort and its process through the system brings a large factory to a halt. I rarely experience monkey wrenches in my own life, preferring to schedule and keep to the schedule. Yesterday was a monkey wrench with both good and bad aspects.

Having to go into work on my day off certainly was the monkey'
wrench in my schedule. But at least I got my washer/dryer
purchased on the final day of the sale. 

DH has been sick. He started coming down with a cold/creeping crud on Sunday, and by Monday was starting to sound like a goose in flight calling to its mates. He worked on Monday and managed the day, but spent most of his time in the back room working on the numbers from the year just ended. Tuesday he was a bit worse, but he only had to work for a few hours while I registered for my classes at the Bead & Button Show. Once I got into the shop, I was able to send him home.

Maybe this is one more reason why I dislike monkeys so much?
Or maybe not. Who knew there was an ale called Monkey
Wrench? News to me., but an interesting title. 

Yesterday was supposed to be my day off. I hit the gym first thing (discussions about my swimming prowess or lack thereof below), had coffee, did some of my own bookwork at the shop while I got things ready for my staff, went to have a lovely breakfast of oatmeal, an eggwhite omelette and English muffin, and went to the appliance store to purchase my washer and dryer. Task accomplished (cheers rising in the background for accomplishments well done), I headed home and put a load into the washer (my old one which still limps along).

I chose to buy the Samsung washer/dryer set. I am getting white
because I don't need to spend the extra money for the fancy color, and
I skipped the platforms because they are close to $300/each. I came
in at just under $1400 for the set with free install and delivery.
Expensive, necessary, and a wonderful holiday gift from DH. 

I decided to check in and find out how DH was feeling. Texting Chickie, I found out that he was still in the back and hadn't even removed his parka yet, although he had been at the shop for more than 1-1/2 hours. This was NOT good. I started texting him to find out how he was feeling and discovered that 'he would tough it out'. No, I need him to get over this cold, not tough things out. I left the laundry in the washer to finish up after dinner, told him I was on my way, grabbed my laptop and went to work.

My day off disappeared into a puff of smoke. Oh well,
I didn't need a day off anyway, did I? *sigh*

Monkey wrench, see? My day off disappeared into a puff of smoke. I had to text Aearwen and cancel our weekly phone chat (very bummed - we haven't had a real good chat for WEEKS), my bedding and towels still need to be laundered, and I didn't get anything accomplished on the task of cleaning my laundry room so that my new washer/dryer can be installed next week. But I sent DH home and that, I think, was a good thing.

While searching for puff of smoke images, I came across
this old Lucky Strike ad. It looks like he's getting ready
to assault her, and in the text, doctors given Lucky Strikes
agreed that it was "... less irritating to the throat than
other cigarettes." Oy! What we believed when we were
young and stupid. 

Now, a quick thought on my morning of swimming yesterday. When I was young I lived for the water. Swimming and swimming pool activities were among my favorite things. I was an excellent swimmer, fast and sleek in the water. Now? Well, now I resemble (except in size, of course) a drowning guppie. Sleek? You MUST be kidding. But, after a couple of difficult laps, I gave into reality, grabbed a boogie board, and started kicking my way up and down my lane. I sometimes used one arm, sometimes not, and sometimes put the board away to actually swim a lap. I stuck with it for 45 minutes and I'm glad I did. Today it's back to machinery - elliptical and recumbent bicycle. I've only lost one pound thus far, but my muscles are feeling it and that's really my key.

I am appalled at how out of condition I've allowed myself to become
over the past ten years. Next week I'll be back in the pool again for another
boogie board session. Maybe I'll let myself use a water noodle too! Oh my! 

Have a great Thursday, all. Be kind to yourselves.