Etsy, Framing and Cooking - It's a Wednesday, So It's a Busy Day

Yesterday was crickets at the shop. The weather was beautiful, and I guess people just didn't want to think about indoor activities, so we had minimal sales. It allowed me to get a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff done, but not everything I needed. One of the things we wanted to do was pull all of the African trade beads from our Etsy listings. I tried at the shop with the laptop, but since the laptop doesn't talk with Etsy on my shop name, only my personal name, I gave up and quickly did it this morning before starting this post. I didn't have a lot of trade beads still listed, but we'd rather have them at the shop for final sale instead of on-line. Etsy, as an experiment, has been OK, but nothing spectacular. 

These are NOT the trade beads I had listed, but I've had 
this type in the shop. DH had quite a while there where he 
was a bit crazy about them, and bought them whenever he 
saw them. We had African traders coming in to the shop 
to unload their vans and show us some truly marvelous 
things. They're gorgeous, they're antique, and they're 
copied these days, so buyers do need to be careful. 

I awakened about an hour early before my 3:00 am alarm, and decided I might just as well be relaxed and not in a rush today, so I took time for an extra long meditation, got the first load of laundry started, pulled those items off the Etsy listing, and got a few other things managed. I'm right on time for my daily blog, and ahead of the game in other aspects. Hopefully I can get some framing done today. I have two prints that need their mats cut and fit into their frames. I can't cut the glass until I'm at the shop, but I can do everything else, so they'll be almost complete by the end of today if I can get this done. 

I've got two pieces that I need to get into their frames. I've 
got the mats (at least for one of them, I do), so I just need 
to make sure I set aside an hour or two to get them cut and 
fitted. 

It's also a cooking day and I need Ogre Juice. I've pretty much given up on getting any time for lunch at the shop - it's not that we don't have the time, it's that DH NEVER thinks about me getting any time off the sales floor for my lunch. He never forgets Chickie's lunch - will even come to the sales floor to remind her that it's time for her meal. He just never thinks about me. So, I started eating my Ogre Juice with my breakfast (since I find if I don't eat it, I really feel that lack). That's been working out quite well, so I might just stick to that schedule. As I recall, when I first started WildFit so many years ago, it was two alkagizers a day (although I might be mistaken about that). My body most definitely is happier if I have one a day for most days - at least four a week. 

I find when I don't have my alkagizers, I simply don't feel 
on my game. I don't have one every day, but I do have 
them four days a week. When I first started the WildFit 
program, it was a minimum of one alkagizer a day, sometimes 
more. I've learned how to make them pretty tasty over 
the years - LOL. 

So, I'll take a quick run across the street from the YMCA to pick up vegetables at my local store before returning home today. It's so convenient, and even though they're not 24/7 any more, they open at 6:00 am and I'm usually not out of the gym until 6:15 am or so. It works out very well. So, have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

I Finally Have a Court Date for my Name Change Hearing

I finally have a court date for my official name change hearing and both of my witnesses can make the virtual visit on that date/time without any problem. What a relief. It isn't until November, but that's just fine. It will take about 1/2 hour, and 1/2 hour after that, Claire and I are due at the memory class I'm attending (I was welcome to have a friend or family member join me, so I asked Claire if she might be interested and she was happy to say "Yes"). So, things are starting to fall into place ... somewhat - LOL. 

My official name change hearing is a virtual hearing, which 
makes it convenient for everyone. My two witness have been 
notified of the date/time and said there would be no problem. 
I'll forward the sign-on information to them as soon as I've 
received it. 

I have been spending my days counting stock at the store so that Jim can update the inventory with accurate numbers. There are some bags I've come across that were originally packed by Meagan, one of my first employees when we were growing by leaps and bounds, and still a dear Facebook friend, although she lives far away from us now. At that time she was very young, living with her boyfriend in a nearby apartment in one of the many houses in our area that rent to students. Meghan was determined, she wanted to work for us, and she turned out to be a great employee and an even better friend. She was unique in that one side of her body couldn't tolerate contact with metals, where the other side had no problem. She designed some really interesting pieces mixing bone beads and metals as a result. She's quite artistic, so the designs were fabulous. She now has two kids, no current husband, and lives in the Pacific Northwest. 

We need a physical inventory of everything in the shop, so 
I've been going through the bins, one at a time, one bead at 
a time, counting and marking them down on a sheet that DH 
will update in the computer. It's a LOT of inventory. 

I spent yesterday's kitchen time making my next batch of "Ogre Juice" for the upcoming week. I've been having four alkagizers every week since I first took the WildFit coarse during the Covid shut-down. On those rare occasions when I'm not having my "Ogre Juice" (so named because it's very green in color), my body really notices the lack of nutrients and makes it quite clear to me that I need to get that back into my system. It's been years now, and although it's not gourmet, my body does insist upon my "Ogre Juice" four times a week to be happy and healthy. I'm quite sure that my healing from the infection caused by my cancer surgery went faster because of my daily alkagizers four times a week. 

I've been adding honey to my alkagizers lately, and that's 
been very tasty. I think I added clover honey to the batch 
I made yesterday. I'm already looking forward to my lunch 
break today - LOL. 

So, I'm off to the pool again today for my last swim of the week. I'm hoping I'll have my virtual programs back up and running by tomorrow's treadmill time, but found that listening to my book worked just fine too, so if I'm still having problems with the treadmill and the software company linking together, that'll be OK too. For today, just roll with the punches and be ready for anything - good or bad. You can handle it all, I have faith in you. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Countdown To Wednesday - Monday's Post (LOL)

I've been cleaning up my computer desk a bit (not too much now ... don't be shocked LOL). I found an envelope with a bunch of gift cards in it. I suspect they were all loaded and used - almost always at Barnes & Noble for my e-books, but I'll have to double-check each one before shredding it. I suppose I need something to do when I'm not supposed to do anything after surgery. That better not last for long, though. I'll go crazy and poor Chickie will mutiny if she has to work with DH every day. 

Mutiny will happen at my little shop if I'm gone for 
too long. DH will complain about Chickie, and Chickie 
will complain about DH, and they'll both be right. *sigh* 

I wouldn't blame her at all, though. DH is a bit of a PITA to work with. He's busy doing book work or working on stuff in the shop's basement, and he's little to no help when it comes to customers. It's one of the major reasons why I want out of there. It's not fair on Chickie or on me when we have to work with him. He pulls his weight, but not on the sales floor and that's where that second body is really needed. But ... that problem is for the future, one problem at a time right now. 

I only have three portions of my current soup left 
to eat, and I'd probably be better off cooking when 
I can, since I'll need more than that on hand. My side 
of the freezer is taken up with HIS stuff - so I can't even 
buy a couple of re-heat meals for myself. No room 
to put them. GRRRRR

My afternoon tomorrow is taken up with pre-surgery stuff - making sure everything is in place and ready to go for Wednesday morning's surgery. The actual surgery is scheduled for 8:00 am - 10:00 am. DH wants to be at the hospital, so he'll get the computers up and turn the security alarm off so that Chickie can get into the shop and start the day. I can run through the schedule with her tomorrow so that everyone is on the same page. I'll try to get some grocery shopping done too, if I can squeeze it in. 

Nothing is healthier for me after my surgery than having 
my alkagizers. I have three in the fridge, so I'm fine on 
that for a day or so, but I'll want more on hand, so I'll 
need veggies for that. I also want things that will be easy 
to deal with - one particular sausage that works well 
for me, my spinach tortillas, easy stuff. 

My major hassle will be cooking. I'll have surgery Wednesday morning, and probably will be home sometimes Wednesday, Thursday at the latest, If I'm stuck at the hospital for the full day, I'll have to have DH bring me an alkagizer from home so that I have something reasonable to eat. I refuse to eat 90% of the crap they tend to have available in hospital kitchens. I'm not going to eat something that will make me sick or feel worse than I already will from the surgery. Makes no sense to me. Hopefully I'll be released in the afternoon and able to go home instead of stay longer in hospital. 

Yes, it is a thing. And in my shop, where we are lifting 
and pulling heavy bins of product every day, it's something 
I need to think seriously about too. 

I know I'll  have some lifting restrictions - usually on the order of "nothing heavier than a 1/2 gallon jug". The last time I was restricted was when I broke my arm. I think that lasted for about three days before I just said "The hell with this" and started working on motions to strengthen the arm so that I could do my job. I suspect I'll be doing something similar this time too - depending on how I feel with certain motions. Squatting and getting back up? Carrying something heavy from one place to another? Standing or sitting at the computer? It's all things I do regularly in any day, so I'll be playing things by feel and trying to use a little common sense ... but not go too crazy on the common sense ideas - LOL. 

I'll have to use some common sense along with all 
of the restrictions that the doctors want to load me 
up with. I'm not really good at following directions, 
and I'll do something as long as it's not causing pain 
or strain. One day at a time for this one. 

So, I'm quitting today's post here. I want some breakfast and hot tea, and I have to shovel a bit of overnight snow from the driveway before I put tire tracks through it. Have a wonderful Monday, and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Progress Is Slow But It's Getting There

I finally had a chance to return to my "Major Project" at the shop yesterday afternoon. I wrapped up everything that had been left for me to take care of, and actually had more than two hours to devote to continuing my Swarovski Crystals Master List. Without this list, doing any comprehensive sale of this product line would be impossible. With the list, we might have a chance of doing things reasonably and relatively easily. Relatively. I can't count on anything. But in my head, this will help things run MUCH smoother. It's a lot of work, though. 

My Master List has the Color Name in Column One, 
and the product number for each size I carry that color 
in (and have stock available) moving across the page. 
So far I've done the 3mm, 4mm, and 5mm sizes, and I'm 
in the midst of the 6mm size. Of ONE shape! I haven't 
tackled how best to set this up for the other major shapes, 
and I'll need s totally different sheet for the specialty 
shapes. It's a HUGE department. 

Today is my "day off", and I'm doing grocery shopping and making "Ogre Juice" for the upcoming week's lunches. I was reminded again of how important my green sludge has become in my life when I didn't have the time to eat lunch on Monday. When DH asked me if he should bring up my alkagizer, I was hip deep in working with a customer, and really couldn't take the time for lunch. So I said "No, I'll have to wait for a bit". Well, he never bothered to ask again, even though I would have had time within that hour. So I never had the chance to eat. It's rather typical of DH, whom I'm quite sure was sitting at his desk playing "Bridge" on his phone. GRRRR. Inconsiderate. But, I got no lunch on Monday, and carried that over until Tuesday and it took a few days to get back on schedule, and my body immediately noticed the lack of Monday's "juice". 

When I don't have my four alkagizers every week, I really 
can tell. My body requires them, and it functions so much 
better when I'm eating/drinking them regularly, no fewer 
than four a week. 

Today, being Friday, will be a short kitchen day. I need to make my alkagizers for the upcoming week, but I don't need to make any meals, and I think I'm also OK on my breakfast fruit - although I'll make sure to check that too. The crops seem to be growing well, the Robin's nest is still intact and Robin Mama is guarding it fiercely. The weather is just about perfect - I'm liking summer thus far. But I'm also looking at a pile of papers on my desk that I desperately need to cull through, and bills to pay. So it won't all be sunshine and rainbows. I'll actually have to accomplish some things as well. *sigh* LOL (Honestly, I'd go a bit crazy if I didn't do SOMETHING for the house or whatever every day.) But I'm going to wrap this up with a minimum of drama and I'll be back tomorrow. Have an excellent day, Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל. 

It's Friday, and I'm Heading Off to the Pool - Chickens, "Ogre Juice" and Scheduling

I'm running a bit late today, I got tied up in my morning meditation. Actually, that's a rather good thing, it's positive for my mind and body, but I still have to get to the swimming pool this morning (since I missed Tuesday's swim) so I'm on a time schedule on this - a "day off". 

I'm NOT someone who schedules everything. I tried 
that when I was younger and it just didn't work well 
for me. I have friends who do this religiously and it 
works very well for them. But it's simply NOT me. 

The only thing I have on my kitchen agenda today, however, is making my next batch of "Ogre Juice" so that I'm set for the next week. After so many years, I have this down to a fine science, and it takes me about an hour to get everything blended and into the refrigerator. When I first started WildFit almost four years ago (my next anniversary arrives next month), it took me all afternoon sometimes to get my alkagizers blended and into the refrigerator and freezer. 

The key to a successful alkagizer is to work with what's 
available and fresh as much as possible. I've learned 
how to work with it in my life over the past few years, 
and when I don't have my "Ogre Juice" for several 
days, I really feel the lack. 

I try to save time by making four portions at a time. It is a time saver in some ways, but I learned quickly that it was an equipment nightmare and what I wanted and didn't want to spend my time on to get them made. So, instead of buying a lot of raw veggies, I get some different salad mixes to add with a select amount of fresh veggies. I always make sure there is some of the good stuff in the mix - things like kale and cabbage, carrots and celery, hot peppers and fresh ginger. But I also buy salad mixes that already have the kale in them because it's really time intensive to do the prep work on a bunch of kale. Those photos of veggies scattered all over my stovetop are a thing of the past, but my alkagizers and my WildFit lifestyle is very much a thing of my present and future. 

When weeks compress, the way my holiday season did, 
I sometimes don't have the time to actually have my 
Ogre Juice. My body really missed it, and I was delighted 
to get back into the rhythm of Alkagizers once again. 

But today, I'm running off to the swimming pool because Tuesday was a "day off" for me and I allowed myself to sleep in on Tuesday morning. As it turned out, that was a good thing because the pool's chlorine levels were off and they weren't able to open until later in the day. So, it all worked out - LOL. I got my Tuesday sleep, and I'll have a Friday swim. I'm not sure who in the "gang" will be there - Rosemary will be, for sure, along with Connie and Karen, and maybe Mark. But my friend from down the street, Meg, is somewhere on a warm island for a week with her family. Her dogs and chickens are being cared for by a pet sitter. She's far more trusting than I am. I don't allow strangers to live in my house for a week. 

My friend Meg, who lives two blocks away from me and has 
two dogs and several chickens, is on vacation for a week or 
so in a nice, warm place with her extended family. She has a 
pet sitter for a week. The pet sitter has three dogs of her 
own, so currently there's one person, five dogs, and however 
many chickens are in the coop in the house, but only a 
single human. LOL

So, I'm off and running. I hope all of you have a truly wonderful Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap things up for the week. Please be kind to a stranger today, smile at a child and/or an animal, and allow peace to reflect from your heart. It's one infectious thing that we WANT to pass on to others - love, kindness and happiness. Slava Ukraini and חיים לישראל.

A Hot Night After a Long Day - Rinse and Repeat Today

It was a hot night, but I turned on my fan and I was just fine. Asleep within 15 minutes of hitting the pillow, and undisturbed until my alarm went off at 4:00 am. For some unknown reason, DH on the other hand had a really rough night and couldn't sleep well. Apparently he saw my light from downstairs and came done (several times) during my morning meditation to "discuss" this or that with me. Oy veh! Yeah, that really makes for a peaceful morning meditation *sigh*. I finally gave up after I was almost finished, made my bed and started my day. I can tell already that today will be a challenge at the shop. He's always grumpy there, and I'm a very convenient target. 

I really dislike interruptions in my morning 
routine. There's a reason why I get up so early, 
and that's to get my quiet time. Today, things 
just didn't work out quite that way, although I 
did get the actual meditation portion completed 
before being "bothered" by DH. 

Yesterday had been a hot day (today will also be), and I simply wasn't hungry for lunch, so I skipped it. That led to a nice reading on the scale this morning, but it's also an artificial loss of a pound. Today's lunch will be Ogre Juice, as usual on a Saturday, so all will be good. 

I do love my alkagizers (aka Ogre Juice). It's different 
every time since I choose veggies that look fresh and 
lovely, skipping some and adding others every time. I 
don't think I've gotten the same veggies at all over the 
years, and that's just fine. It's green, it's goodness - LOL. 

We had received a notice from the Federal Government Census Bureau that DH had to submit regarding his company. He lost patience with me yesterday when I said I hadn't been able to get anywhere with it, and said he would take care of it. He then expected me to sit by his side when he was working on it. WRONG. Yesterday evening was Friday night, and I needed to make the Ogre Juice that I would have normally made during my "day off". So directly after dinner I pulled out my blender and the veggies I had bought first thing in the morning, and settled down to prep and cut work and blend work. He expected me to be down with him, but I didn't show up (at all), and although it pissed him off a couple of times, he managed all on his own! Bravo. 

We had gotten this IMPERATIVE from the US Census 
Bureau for DH's company to fill out an on-line questionnaire. 
He had originally told me to handle it, but no. It's HIS company, 
not mine. He finally got his butt in gear last night and handled 
it, and the hysteria was fairly minimal. I mean really. We 
aren't an active company, and if we count my business as 
a subpart of his, even then, we have a single employee. 
A total waste of your government dollars, people! LOL

So, it was a rather boring and uneventful Friday, and here we are again - at the end of the week. I'll at least have Sunday off work and be back on a somewhat regular schedule next week, although Chickie won't be back at the shop until Wednesday. I suppose I should check up on Facebook and see what she's been up to - LOL. I hope she's having a great time. Enjoy your weekend, everyone. I'll be back on Monday morning. Slava Ukraini. 

Cataract Surgery - I Survived and I Thrive

So I skipped yesterday's post - too many things to get done before leaving for the clinic for my 6:15 am appointment. But I got there, managed to instruct DH on how/where to get the prescription eye drops he needed to pick up for me, and headed to the preparation rooms where I was covered by a wonderful, warm blanket and eventually given nice drugs - LOL. 

First of all ... this is NOT me (I'm not that young any 
more, nor that good looking). But the eyes could easily 
be me - yesterday on the left, today on the right. I can 
hardly wait to get the second eye done and have clarity 
of vision I haven't had since I was a child. 

I did tell my Doctor that I was disappointed because all of the printed materials said "No swimming for two weeks after surgery" where he had told me one week. But he smiled beneath his mask, and patted me on the arm. "One week. Only one week for you." "Excellent!" I declared. "I can get at least three sessions in between surgeries". So, I'm out of the pool this week, but I can return to it next week, after a full week of recovery. 

I think the biggest step in having any voluntary surgical 
procedure is the decision to try. I simply couldn't work 
with poor vision any more, and changing glasses time after 
time wasn't working well either. Having the option 
of surgery presented to me gave me another chance, and 
I grabbed at it. So far, I'm very pleased. 

One of my customers had said that if she ever had to repeat a surgery, her cataracts would be her choice. She was absolutely correct. This was easy, fast, and pain-free. I do have to remind myself to remain upright as much as possible because that's better for healing, (obviously, sleeping does not count), but I am managing. Today I will go to the grocery shop, and then back home. That's a quick and close errand, but necessary. I'm out of food and need to stock up. 

I hadn't thought about putting broccoli or asparagus 
into my Ogre Juice before, but that's got possibilities. 
I'll have to see what's fresh today. That's usually my 
only criteria of what veggies I choose. 

I'll make myself a large batch of "Ogre Juice" for the next week or so. I'm planning on one a day for a week or so to help me heal faster. "Ogre Juice" can be pretty remarkable for that - the nutrition pump it gives the body is premium. I usually only have four a week, but I'm planning on one a day for the next week+ to aid in healing. So, I'll be making some today - my grocery cart will be overflowing with veggies - LOL. 

Thanks for all of your kind thoughts for my surgery 
yesterday. Obviously they worked really well! *hugs*

Thanks to all of you for your positive thoughts on my surgery. I'm very happy with the results.  I'm typing this without my eyeglasses and I'm seeing the screen with clarity. I couldn't have done that yesterday. After I get the next eye surgery done on the 24th, I'll practically be a new woman (we'll just skip the sagging breasts and the wrinkles - LOL). If you're ever presented with the option for cataract surgery, go for it. I'll join the chorus of people who have had the surgery and recommend it. 

So far, I'm totally joining the choir of people 
saying that cataract surgery is the BEST. Of 
course, it hasn't been 24 hours yet, but the 
difference is remarkable. One eye down, one 
eye to go. LOL

Now, I have to get DH up in a half-hour so that he can drive me back to the clinic for my 24-hour checkup. Then he'll drop me back home and we'll start our respective days. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

I Messed Up Badly - It's Getting Corrected Today and Hopefully That'll Be OK

So, I screwed up - I made a mistake. I looked at the calendar and simply messed up. Normally we have three days off for Christmas, and again at the beginning of the year. This gives all of us time to decompress and celebrate the holidays with our families. I looked at the calendar and forgot to include the Mondays in my door signs and my check-out handouts. OOPS! 

I'm glad DH caught the error, although I 
wish he had caught it when he was 
proofreading the After Thanksgiving 
Day Sale e-flyer. There's a lot of 
incorrect information out there now. 

DH had a fit last night, but I simply said I had made a mistake. It was my fault and I had made a mistake. I've reprinted everything and will be handing out updated and corrected handouts beginning today. I'll hang the new door signs as soon as I get into the shop. I suppose it could have been worse, but it's not good. Hopefully a lot of people won't want to come shop those two Mondays, or will get an updated listing and actually pay attention to it. 

While looking for coverlets/comforters, I also came across 
this one and fell in love. So I now have two different 
ones coming. This one, and the one pictured below. I 
shouldn't have problems with wear on these for a while. 

I ended up ordering two different comforters/coverlets from JC Penny's yesterday afternoon. I have a bunch of linen - more than my linen closet can hold. So here I am, adding more to the "pile" so to speak. But the reality is, I don't own anything in Twin size at all. Well, now I will have two different covers and pillow cases. I think they're quite lovely. I could have saved a lot and purchased boring, but I refuse to allow boring into my life. I'm temporarily using an old crocheted lap cover that my Mom had made in the interim. It's a lovely piece - beautifully done and medium-heavy weight, but it's a bit shorter than I like. I'll be glad to put it back into the spare bedroom after the new ones arrive. 

This is the other one that I ordered. They weren't 
an inexpensive purchase, but they'll get used a 
lot and I've had good luck with linens from 
JC Penney's in the past. I'm quite pleased with 
each of them. 

We had a little bit of snow yesterday - enough to shovel, but not enough to really mess up the streets. It was over and done by 11:00 am, so pretty easy, all told. Tomorrow we're due for a repeat, although this one may skirt the Cities on the south and we may be untouched. I'm fully in favor of that - LOL, although I don't mind the exercise. 

Because I didn't put any additives into my Ogre 
Juice yesterday, it actually ended up almost 
as green as this stock photo. I've been missing 
the nutrients I get from my alkagizers, so I'm 
ready to dip my toe back into that set of 
waters once again. 

I spent yesterday in the kitchen. I cooked another batch of Roasted Peppers and Tomato Soup, and also did a batch of Ogre Juice, which I haven't done for three weeks. I needed a break from it for a while. I made this batch 100% veggies - no almond milk or nutritional additives. I put two in the freezer and kept two in the refrigerator. Hopefully that will help eliminate the slight food poisoning I had from the previous batch. So, one for today and one for Saturday, then I'll defrost the next ones for Monday and Tuesday. 

I'm off to the swimming pool, corrected Holiday Hours sheets in my computer backpack. I can't believe I made such a stupid mistake, but it is what it is. Good thing I haven't sent out my year-end sale e-flyer yet - LOL. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

 

Housecleaning, Groceries and Other Errands - A Busy "Day Off" Yet Again

Today it's bathroom day. Cleaning, that is! I've been cleaning the shower daily for several weeks now so I don't have to bother with that. But I want to scrub the sinks and floors and give the walls a swipe or two. I might even break down and wash the drapes ... or not. LOL I'll have to see how my time is going before committing to the drapes. 

I would get a professional out to handle my livingroom 
draperies, but I'm just thinking about washing the 
drapes for the bathrooms, and those are small and 
much easier to handle. Then again, it might not be worth 
the trouble - LOL. 

Of course I also have to go grocery shopping, and make my next four portions of "Ogre Juice" so that I'm set up. Maybe I'll find something wonderful for lunch. I usually do sushi on Wednesdays, so I'm not going to do that, but there might be something interesting. Otherwise, I have things in the refrigerator and the pantry that will do just fine. 

It does seem that washing things is primary when 
I'm doing housecleaning. I suppose that's understandable. 
It's followed quickly by vacuuming and washing the 
floors. Rather standard cleaning, all things considered. 
You should see me with a duster, however. It's a 
beautiful ballet when I'm stretching up to my 12-foot high 
ceilings to get the top of the frames on various 
pictures. 

DH needs a new pill container, a small one "Don't spend more than $5". Walgreens usually has some available for cheap, so I'll drop by there this morning since it's right across the street from my grocer. I might drop by Whole Foods one more time. They've been out of the bread that I love for the past 2-3 weeks (apparently it's a problem from the bakery). I tried a different brand, but ICK! It was like eating dry sandpaper, but without the interesting texture sandpaper would have. No, nope and nein. Not going to repeat that experiment. I also need a tea that I'm almost out of, but I'll climb on a step stool and make sure I don't have one in my overstock beforehand. 

I do love Republic of Tea blends. I use the Burnout Blocker 
almost every morning. I haven't tried the Blueberry 
Lavender, but it sounds like something I'd enjoy. 

Basically, today will be a home day, and that's not a bad thing. Oh! I've been using my Osotek now at the shop, getting a little more of my hardwood flooring cleaned early in the mornings. It's working like a charm, now that I've figured out the in's and out's of operating it. I think I really love it, and I'm already looking forward to using it in my kitchen, entry way and bathrooms at my home after I've shut down the shop. I'm quite sure DH will give me grief about "another toy", but he's not the person who cleans the house, so I make those decisions on my own. Besides, it was my own money, so he really won't have much of a rock to stand on. 

I've been using my Osotek at the shop for 
a few days now and I love it. It'll take some 
serious time on our floors before they're 
actually clean, but I'm definitely 
accomplishing something, using it every 
day now. I have a lot of floor area, and they're 
pretty scuzzy, so it'll take me a month or 
more before I'll be happy with just going 
over the floors lightly. 

I'm out of here. Once again I'll fight to get into a routine with the new posting method for LJ. Once I figure out a method that works for me, I'll be ready to go. Right now, LJ is taking more time than I want to devote to my morning posts, and I need to discover a way to streamline my posting. Have an excellent Friday and Slava Ukraini. 

Tarot and Alkagizers - Mixing Things Up

Yesterday's Tarot lesson went through the four suits - Swords, Wands, Cups and Pentacles or Coins. She touched on the major meanings and directions of each of the suits and how they would work interpreting the same event through the filter of each of the suits. I listened to the lesson again later in the day, wanting to really understand the slants that each suit can bring to the same person/event. 

The Tarot deck I'm currently using and that I'm 
totally in love with is this one - the Tarot 
of Dreams. The pictures are outstanding, the 
cards are heavy and will last for years, and my
fingers itch to handle them, so I know it's a 
total winner for me. Today we reviewed 
Swords, and of course, the cover photo is 
the Ace of Swords. So beautiful! 

Today's lesson was a quick run-through on the cards in the suit of Swords - the choices that Swords poises for each session where it is drawn. Although she suggested not listening to it again until all four suits have been reviewed, I'm probably going to take advantage of my "day off" and take one more listen. Of course, I also have a Zoom call at 11:00 am with my Living Wildfit group for "Cinco de Mayo Foods" and my regular 4:00 pm call with Aearwen, as well as grocery shopping. Ogre Juice making, and lots of work pending for my Etsy crystals pages to do. "Whew"! When I add in my three loads of laundry, it starts to look like a very busy day - LOL. 

Alkagizers are normally quite green (not as green 
as this photo, but green). Putting one small beet 
into the mix changed everything from the flavor 
profile to the color. Suddenly instead of a definite 
green color, it was pinkish/brown, like adobe 
bricks. It was very tasty though, so I call the 
experiment a win. 

Last week when I made my Ogre Juice, I decided on the spur of the moment to add one fresh beet to the mix because the beet looked pretty awesome. It was definitely a different addition. Suddenly there was a serious sweetness to the veggie smoothie, and instead of being green in color, it was closer to the color of adobe bricks. Chickie called it mud, but I termed it adobe because there was this undertone of pink to the smoothie. It was lovely, though. Very tasty. I'm back to the old "all veggie" recipe today, though, when I shop for my veggies. Unless I see something else that calls for me, I'll be sticking to the norm. 

I loved the imagery of the "Steampunk" Tarot, 
and found it was offered in two sizes - standard 
and mini. I had been looking for a smaller 
deck, so I decided to get both of them. I want
 one that's easy to carry along, but I also 
love the artwork and like large format at 
times. 

I ordered two Tarot decks yesterday from a supplier I used a long time ago with a VAST selection. I had been looking for a smaller-sized deck - I have small hands and sometimes handling the standard decks can be hard for me. So I found two of the same deck that appealed to me - the standard and the small "Steampunk" deck. So, I'm off to the pool. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow for Cinco de Mayo. Slava Ukraini. 

We Have Computer Success - Dale Came Through Once Again!

Yesterday afternoon, when I had just set up my blender to make a new batch of "Ogre Juice", Dale called me. He had figured out what had happened and everything appeared to be working beautifully again. He ran tests of all kinds, and did another couple while he had me on the phone. But it seemed like a good deal. So, I put on my coat (yesterday was cold, extremely windy with gusts of 50+ mph, and a bit blustery) and headed north to his place. 

The winds were REALLY blowing yesterday, gusts up 
to 50 mph, driving a small snow - almost a microscopic 
hail - straight across the roadways, parallel to the 
ground. It made driving a bit difficult because cars and 
trucks were getting hit by the wind and sometimes it 
was hard to stay in the lane. Still, I got the computers 
safely from Dale's into the shop, and then made it back 
home again. Very blustery weather! 

We chatted a bit more when I arrived, and he ran through a couple of things with me, but I had my register screen back again, and the two computers were talking to one another and asking all of the right questions. What a relief! He printed another invoice, we took the computers out to the car, and I was on my way to the shop to set everything up. Dale said that he hoped he wouldn't have another phone call from me unless it was to tell him that everything was working well. LOL

The main computer (which holds all of the 60,000+ 
item inventory of the shop) was the first one that 
broke. Then, after the first one was fixed, the 
second one (which is our computerized cash 
register and needs to communicate with the 
first one) wasn't talking to the main computer. 
Dale managed to get it all figured out, but it 
wasn't the easiest thing in the world. He's a 
true miracle worker. 

After I got the computers back into their nooks with the cables attached properly, it was time to see what they were telling me. The first one turned on just fine. Then the second one ... also turned on just fine, finding the host and putting up the proper screen. You probably could have heard my sigh of relief in Vancouver! I called Dale and told him everything was working well, thanked him once again, and we were back in business. Chickie immediately started entering all of the hand-written sales so that we would have an accurate inventory and sales number for the week, and I left to return home and make the chicken that we normally would have had on Wednesday. 

I do love having my "Ogre Juice", aka Alkagizer. I find when 
I don't have it several times in a week, I seriously miss it. 
I have one more in the fridge, but need to make the ones 
I'll need for the next week. I have all of the veggies, just 
need to get them blended up. I'm still loving my new 
blender - it's totally awesome! I will get it done today! 

What a week! I have my regular "day off" today, and maybe, finally, after two failed attempts, I can get my next batch of "Ogre Juice" made this afternoon. It's the last day of Lent, and I have a lovely piece of salmon in the refrigerator to make for dinner, with some fresh rosemary and a lovely lemon. Yum! Total for the repair was less than $800, well worth the time it took Dale to get things nailed and the systems operational again. My life - LOL. To cap off my day, the Wild (hockey) won again, so all is good in my little world. Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Etrsy, A New Blender, and a VERY Busy Day - I'll Be Here, There and Everywhere

Today will be a quick blog and a VERY busy day. I sent more documents off to Etsy yesterday, hoping to get this nailed and get things operational. I'm so close, but not quite there yet. The stumbling blocks are the different documents necessary to prove that I'm a real and viable corporate entity, and I'm trying my best to jump through every hoop as it is presented to me. I actually have an agent - Mike - who has been assigned to me now. It's nice to have a name - LOL. 

I uploaded several more pages to Mike yesterday. Hopefully 
I explained the areas of confusion and managed to 
give him everything they were looking for. I can list 
anything I want, but I can't accept payments yet. That's 
the hurdle, and it's driving me (and my friend in 
Montana who wants to buy an items from me) crazy! 

My new blender arrived at the shop yesterday. It's beautiful! I'll be using it later today to make the next four batches of Ogre Juice, so I'll get a chance to put it through its' paces. I actually left the box at the shop overnight. I have to pick it up early this morning along with a carton of paper bags that I'm exchanging at my supplier's anytime after 8:00 am. I have quite a lot of errands to to early this morning today, so I won't be stuck waiting for DH to leave before I return home. I'll actually be on the road today, instead. 

I didn't unpack it yet, just opened the 
box and looked at how beautiful it 
is. My blender arrived yesterday and 
it'll be used today. Here's hoping 
it's absolutely fantastic! 

I need to return my "new" watch to Amazon today, so I've got that all ready to drop off at Kohl's later today. We had the possibility of snow overnight, but I think we dodged that bullet in my area. Still, there might be icy patches today, so I'll have to be careful on the roads and in parking lots. 

I had bought one of these on Amazon, but realized, when 
getting into the nitty-gritty of setting it up, that it 
wasn't rated for swimming. It would survive a 
rainstorm, but not constant immersion. I'm returning 
it. I already ordered a different one, one that will 
survive my swimming. It should arrive later this week. 

I did wear my skin suit in the pool yesterday and I'm wearing it again today. It's actually a very different swimming experience. I get a lot more drag against the water - have to work harder - because it catches the water differently than a standard swim suit. I'll wear my regular suit tomorrow and alternate between the two to get my endurance built up. I have to wear a skin suit while we're swimming outdoors later this year, so I have to get used to it now. 

I'm wearing my skin suit again today. It was 
a hard workout yesterday - I don't cut through 
the water as cleanly in the skin suit as when 
I'm wearing a standard bathing suit. It was more 
effort to get my laps in. I need to wear it just 
to build up my stamina. The outdoor pool will 
be open in a couple of months, and that's a 
much longer stretch - Olympic sized instead 
of only 25 yards. 

So, I'm off and running. I'll be relieved to get to 4:00 pm and chat with Aearwen for an hour. I'm putting my time in for a very busy day - LOL. Fortunately, I think we dodged the snow, although there may be some ice issues. Have an excellent day, spread joy, advocate for peace, and I'll be back tomorrow. I'll let you know how the new blender works - LOL.