Shaking Things Up - Cleaning, Charging and No Running Shoes (Yet)

I'm shaking my schedule up a bit today because I forgot to charge my phone overnight. Now ... if it was a swimming day, that wouldn't be a problem. But it's a treadmill day, and I use my phone to listen to Sirius Turbo on the radio while I'm looking at scenery on the screen. Without the music and the scenery, I don't treadmill. So, I plugged the phone into the quick charger and I'll take care of my blog first to allow it to get enough charge to get me through my 45 minutes on the treadmill. 

I'm shaking up my schedule today to allow my phone to 
get some power before I start my workout on the treadmill. 
I always listen to the phone while "running", and it's TOO 
boring for words (even with the virtual scenery) to deal 
with in silence. 

My goal for yesterday had originally been getting my running shoes. I did "fess up" to DH about losing my certificates from the holidays, his response was "they're probably around here somewhere". *sigh* But, since I still hadn't found them, and he wasn't paying much attention to the fact that I really need some new running shoes, I just followed the leader yesterday. He tackled the dining room and made some serious inroads into that room by the end of the day. We've been using that room for basic storage for years. Now things look almost civilized, a lot of trash was added to the trash bucket, and I did a ton of shredding old paperwork. It might not have been what I really wanted to spend my Sunday doing, but I was quite happy with the end result. 

The Nike outlet store might be my best bet. I'm not really 
looking for any specific model or appearance, I just need a 
set in my size that will work for my treadmill. I generally 
use my running shoes for up to five years (or more), so 
I'll get my money's worth from them, once I finally 
purchase a pair. 

I did take a little time late yesterday afternoon to check the costs of new Nike running shoes. OUCH! Expensive! There is a Nike outlet store at the outlet mall and their prices seem much more reasonable. I'll keep wearing my current set until they're a bit more dead, but then I'll head to the outlet store for my replacements. I probably won't find the certificate, but paying a bit more than $100 is a LOT better than paying a bit more than $200 for a set of shoes. OY! When did things get so expensive? 

I just purchased a GaN fast charger from Amazon 
and received it late last week. I've been using 
it and it works like a dream. It's a LOT faster 
than just plugging in with a normal charging cable. 
I'm now at 57% charged and I've only been 
writing this for about 15-20 minutes and had been 
below 10% power. 

I had plugged my phone into the fast charger when I sat down to write this. It was at 8% power. I've been writing this and just checked - I'm up to 46% power now. I still have to plug in my pictures and get things posted, so I'll be at more than 50% by the time I'm finished with this and changed into my exercise gear. I can live with that. A treadmill run without music is just TOO boring for words! LOL. So, I'm hoping I'll have a good Monday, and I hope all of you also have a good one. I'll be back tomorrow for a quick post before heading to the swimming pool. Be kind - the world needs kindness right now. Slava Ukraini. 

It's Monday - Hopefully I Can Be On Schedule This Week

In two hours (more or less), we'll be talking with Travis again, and hiring him to help us close the store. I'm terrified in many ways ... this is a HUGE decision, and it's a VERY costly one. We'll be paying him $1000's of dollars by the end of all of this, but I think he'll be able to run the sale the way I really wanted to - without the dog and pony show of my previous contacts. The downpayment alone is more than the cost of my first new car. *sigh* 

It's always a bit scary for me when we're making large 
financial commitments, and hiring Travis to oversee our 
End of Business Sale event is one of those expensive 
commitments. I'm hiring him because I think he can do 
the job better than anyone else I've investigated and/or 
interviewed. 

We're also open on Sundays now - two Sundays remaining. We rarely get customers on those days, and had nobody yesterday. It really all depends on the weather more than anything. Yesterday was clear, but it was damned COLD (and I suspect this Winter will be a cold one, based on our first few days of the current cold snap). I'm still trying to get my holiday cards sent. If you normally receive a card from me but have moved to a new address over the past year, please message me and update me ASAP. I'm hoping that all cards will hit the mail no later than the end of the week. 

I'm late getting my holiday cards into the mail, and I 
apologize for that. I'm hoping to get them into the mail 
this week. I'll be sure to let you know. 

I'm already looking forward to the pool tomorrow. Rumor has it that Meg might be able to return to swimming soon. I'm hoping that's the case - we usually share Lane 2 until Rosemary finishes her workout, when Meg moves over to her lane and my lane-mate is open for the next swimmer - usually Joleen. We're a little family, in a way, gathering at the doors before they're unlocked, swimming together, then getting dressed and heading out for work or whatever. We run into each other at the grocery store or the local discount shopping store (usually Target), and it's a bit like an extended family, in a way. Sisters of the water, or maybe, Sisters of the Sweat - LOL. Ir's hard to tell that you're sweating while you're in the pool, but I'm quite sure I do.  

Even if we're swimming, I'm pretty sure we're still 
sweating at the same time - it's a workout! LOL

So, I'm wrapping this up. It's going to be a busy day and I'll be relieved/terrified when we've agreed to pay Travis his fee and get this "Closing the Store" show on the road. It's going to be a hell of a next six months. LOL

 

You Brighten My Days

I finally had a good night's sleep, and after a week of no virtual reality on my treadmill, I'm back up and running on that as well. It was pure delight to be on the treadmill for my 45 minutes looking at scenery I've seen many times before, but that doesn't matter to me. What's important to me is that I have something other than a computer screen of nothingness to look at while I'm using the treadmill. I'm back up and running for another year now, and I'm VERY happy. 

There are actually a lot of virtual scenery runs out there on 
the internet, and I have internet connectivity with my treadmill. 
So one of these days I'll explore accessing new runs on my screen. 
But for now, my Treo Wellness videos are pretty extensive and 
I enjoy them. It's just to keep my mine occupied while fast walking, 
because "running" is a rather boring activity. 

I've always been a fairly active person - not much for sitting in a chair for 8+ hours a day, day after day, week after week. I'm not a fitness guru, and not a fitness junky, I'm just someone who enjoys being active because I'm stuck in front of a computer screen and keyboard for far too many hours every day. So when I turned 60 and could get an inexpensive membership to the YMCA, I joined and started swimming again after decades away from the pool. It was a re-learning experience but I loved it. I also used their gym where I used the bicycles and the treadmills most often. 

There's a lot of great equipment that I can use at the 
YMCA, bur I prefer to exercise at home except for the 
swimming pool. I really don't have room for a pool 
at my house - LOL. 

Being there often and meeting the same group of people led to friendships that I cherish, experiences shared, and stories exchanged in front of the doors as we wait for them to be unlocked every morning. I've seen Gate Gargoyles come and go over the years, and I'm still friends with several of them. I still swim, but I use my home treadmill because it's mine, it's a really good one, and I love it. But I learned what I wanted in a treadmill because of the treadmills I used at the YMCA. 

I enjoy keeping in touch with my virtual friends, many 
of whom I've had for decades now. You're JUST as important 
to me as any physical friendships, maybe (in some ways) 
even more important to my grounding and general wellbeing. 
*hugs* to all of you! 

I give myself Sundays off - I allow myself a bit of extra sleep and a longer than usual meditation time. It's a Sunday - I'm only in a rush on that day when we're heading out to the Renaissance Festival. Otherwise, I try my best to be lazy before jumping back into the rat race of commerce once again. But the other thing that I do regularly - six days a week - is post in this blog, which I copy over to Dreamwidth and LiveJournal. It's one of the ways that I keep in touch with friends whom I've never had the joy of meeting in person. When I don't post, people get a bit worried. It's comforting to have friends - in person or cyber - who actually care about me, and it's also flattering. I hope you have friends in your lives who brighten them as much as many of you, my readers, brighten mine. Have an excellent weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

It's Saturday and I Need a Weekend

I had a good run this morning, even without my virtual scenery. I've been using the same system that I use in the pool - listening to my latest audio book. It works well. I'm watching the clock a bit more often on the treadmill than I do in the pool, but that's because it's right in front of me - hard to miss - LOL. I got my 45 minutes in, and that's what's important. I'm sure I'll have my virtual scenery back within the next week, but I might continue to listen to the book rather than my Sirius XM station. Hard to say ... I don't always think clearly when I'm exercising at 5:00 am. 

Sometimes it's best to not be thinking with great 
clarity when hitting the treadmill after my morning 
meditation - LOL. 

DH has been in a foul mood for the past few days, and that's been problematic, since I wanted to discuss some things with him and he closes his ears to me when he's in this type of mood. But I'll keep myself primed to discuss when the time seems optimal. No telling when that will be, but it (hopefully) will be soon. 

Sometimes we all can get into a foul mood. I'm not an 
exception to this either, but right now, it's DH's turn. 

The garden is starting to wind down. I got a great crop of beans from my pole bean plants, and they're still bearing and will until a hard freeze. I'm still getting some herbs from my plants, and some of the peppers are still bearing. But the tomatoes have given up for the season now, and it's apparent that our crisp mornings are slowing the growth of the plants, in general. Autumn is here, and even though we won't be losing leaves until late October into November, the colors that she is showing this year are spectacular. I do adore autumn colors. 

We're not at peak color yet in the Twin Cities, but the 
North Shore, along Lake Superior is glowing. So beautiful! 

I'm calling this short and done today. I have too much on my mind to spend much time writing my blog today. I hope all of you, my friends both near and far, have a wonderful weekend and I plan to be back at the keyboard on Monday morning. 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. 

Slow and Careful Steps Will Be My Mantra For a While

Happy Monday to all. It's the beginning of another work week, and even though most of our calendars have our weeks starting with Sunday, I've always considered Monday the start of my week. So, since I awakened a bit earlier than usual today, I had a relaxing meditation, then had my run (fast walk on the treadmill) for three miles, then had my shower, and now I'm sitting down to my blog. It's 6:00  am. What have you done today? LOL

I'm trying to remain active and healthy - very important. 
Part of that is my exercise regime of three days on the 
treadmill and three days in the swimming pool. I get a 
thorough workout both places, and I'm pretty happy with 
where I'm at. 

DH has set up the patio, so we did a final sweep and clean-up, and then settled down to Tequila sunrise drinks under the umbrella. Even though we're missing a LOT of our trees after last year's "take down the trees and clear out the water pathway" efforts by the County, my patio is still my "go to" place for enjoying the outdoors in the summertime. Mother's Day (and my birthday) come on Sunday, and we'll be at the large garden center south of our city to buy plants. DH has been online a lot, trying to figure out what he wants to try this year. It's never a guarantee that they'll actually have what's on the website either, but it's certainly worth a try. I know I'll get my Lantana plants again - those are mandatory - LOL. 

This is part of what we purchased at the garden center last 
year. DH has already been looking at plants at the local 
hardware stores, but our annual big buy is at Gerten's. 
That's where we'll get my lantana plants, as well as 
dahlias and other more esoteric flowers. 

My thoughts are whirling around this and that with the family trust that I'm planning to set up. I'll try and find some time today to jot down notes - probably on my laptop, but maybe on my phone. I want to make sure all of the I's have dots and the T's have crosses and that I haven't forgotten any important loopholes. I think this could be a real game changer for a lot of people if I can get this set up properly. 

I wish I could be a bit more "laid back" about the structure 
of this family trust I want to establish, but when it comes 
to legal entities, I am a beast for the details. I can't be as 
laid back as I wish I could be. I have to foresee eventualities 
and possibilities, arrange for funding and legal formalities, 
and also consider how it ends, because eventually it will. 

So I have lots of things going on - lots of future planning for the immediate future (gardening and setting up the trust fund), and the future farther out (making sure that the Trust will be something that will achieve my goals for family members for (ideally) several generations). We'll see. It's not a massive amount of money that I have to establish the Trust, and I'll have fees for my "staff" and "advisors" coming out of that off the top as well. Slow and careful steps is going to be the key to success. 

Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It's Friday! What Fun Do You Have Planned?

Yesterday's appointments went VERY well. After radiation, I asked if I could just leave my car in their lot and walk over to my physical therapy appointment. The response was "Of course. When you're in our care, we take care of all parts of you." Great people in radiology, I'm going to miss them. 

The Doctors Professional Building is only a block East 
of Radiology, so an easy brisk walk. This new clinic is run 
by Sister Kenny instead of Allina, and I could tell. The 
people were lovely, but the actual amenities were lacking. 
There was water available, but no hot water and no teabags. 
The best waiting room is the Breast Center room. They even 
have herbal tea - perfect for me. 

So I walked over the block to the Physician's Building, checked in, and had a rather boring 90-minute  wait until my physical therapist was available for our appointment. The purpose of this was to make sure I was healing properly, getting my full range of motion back, had no edema or swelling, etc. I passed with flying colors. Apparently my range of motion (which is quite back to pre-surgery levels) was in the upper 5th percentile. So I might have a little bit I can still push for, but I'm one step closer to being able to return to the pool. I'll keep working at it. 

I am really hoping to get into the pool before the outdoor 
pool opens once again. I know I'm out of swimming shape, 
and would rather get used to the exercise again when I'm 
not dealing with Olympic lengths. But, I'll do whatever is 
necessary when I can finally get back into the water. 
Hopefully it won't be too much longer. 

I might take a quick drop-in to the breast center today, just to check about whether my oncologist will want a follow-up appointment and if/when that is set. I don't think I have anything in "My Chart", but I'll be sure to double-check that just in case. I'm almost feeling neglected because I am healthy once again - what an odd feeling to have - LOL. 

I haven't been in the Breast Center for quite a while, and 
I'm curious about when I'll have a wrap-up with my 
team head and be free to re-learn how to live my life. I'd 
also like to leave a note for my Chemo doctor. I had a 
couple of questions for him. 

I'm in good shape in the kitchen, so really don't need to cook anything, but I have a house that needs a serious cleaning, and I might get a start on some of that. More than that though, I'd like to download the audio books I purchased last week, and keep working on my new tablet, to get it all set up properly and figure out how best to use it. Did I tell you I purchased a tablet computer? Amazon was doing their annual deep discounts sale, and I couldn't resist. I've wanted one for years - the one DH uses is ancient although I've borrowed it from time to time. Now I have my own, and I'm just getting it set up and starting to get used to it. I suspect it will be quite the handy thing to have. 

It's Friday! The end of the work week 
for many of you. It's a "Day Off" for me, 
and even though I have radiation therapy 
this morning, the rest of the day is open. 
How wonderful! 

So I'm wrapping this up. I was lazy today and decided to skip the treadmill. I might use it later today, but I might skip it altogether. It's not like I don't get a lot of exercise, I'm pretty darned focused on keeping up with my physical movements and condition these days. Have a great Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini. 

Wrapping Up the Week

I'm running late today - still trying to figure out the best new schedule that builds 45-60 minutes on the treadmill into my early mornings and still allows for everything else. Today I almost forgot to write my blog which hasn't happened for years and years. Shame on me! But, I remembered before I left the house, which makes me happy. I don't enjoy posting my blog from the laptop. 

I'm still trying to get used to the new schedule of 
putting the treadmill into my "off" days. I love 
the machine, though. It's pretty darned awesome. 

It's finally Saturday and the end of a busy, busy week. I have some on-line shopping to get done when I get to the shop, and there's a vendor claiming they didn't get paid for last month (I checked my on-line bank statement and I did, indeed, pay). I'll have to write down the particulars and phone them on Monday. 

Let's wrap the week up on a high note. 

I'm really hoping for a relaxing Sunday, and have no faith that I actually will get it. Still, I can hope. Sundays are my non-exercise days, so I'll be able to sleep in and enjoy. Monday will be back on the treadmill with my usual swimming days of Tuesday through Thursday before returning to the treadmill for Friday and Saturday. But here it is, 7:17 am, and I've already done more than 7500 steps. I figured out that my wrist watch (which counts my steps because of arm motion) wasn't getting much data because I was holding on to the side sensors for heart rate. So, I moved my watch from my wrist to my ankle today. MUCH more successful. It's still a learning platform, but I'm feeling much more confident. 

I'm really liking the new treadmill, although it's still a 
basic bore. I need to work on how to make it a more 
interesting exercise. I use audio books for my swimming, 
and I may have to do that as well for the treadmill. 

So, I'm going to wrap this up and get going. I hope all of you have a fabulous and safe weekend and I'll be back next week. I'll try to take photos of our spectacular autumn colors on Wednesday to share with all of you late in the week. Be kind and have a great weekend. Slava Ukraini. 

It's a Weekend of New Equipment - TV's and the Treadmill

We'll do anything for hockey, including rewiring existing TV's and purchasing new ones, if needed. LOL In this case, we did both. DH rewired the upstairs TV and determined the downstairs TV needed to be replaced. After a lot of looking, DH finally decided on a small Westinghouse TV, which will arrive at the shop today (it was only $13.99 for overnight shipping, so why not?). He can fuss with getting that set up in the computer room, and do whatever prep work he needs to do for it during the day today and do the actual install tomorrow. But tomorrow he also wants me to teach him what to do with ... 

Here's my old treadmill, folded up and ready 
to be taken away. It served us well for more 
than 20 years, but finally gave up the ghost. 
It's been more than three years that I've been 
without a treadmill, and my doctor is insistent 
that I needed that type of exercise to help my bones, 
so I caved and bought a new treadmill at 
the State Fair. It was VERY expensive, but 
very worth the expense. 

The treadmill. Yes, it arrived yesterday and it's BEAUTIFUL. It actually takes up almost the exact same area and length that our NordicTrack took, but with a LOT more bells and whistles. It took the two guys, who were VERY experienced in set-up, a bit more than an hour to take away my old treadmill and assemble my new one. There is one back plate that had incorrect screws and they immediately ordered that part to be shipped to me, (no charge of course), assuring me that the install of that part was minimal effort (very true) and that the electrical board it covers was sealed, so dirt wouldn't be an issue either. 

Here's my new treadmill, all set up and ready to go. It 
took the guys a bit more than an hour to get it all put 
together. I'm not sure if DH and I would have EVER been 
successful at doing it - there were definitely some 
tricky parts and these guys were experts. They said they 
had put together a LOT of equipment for the State Fair 
booth, and it showed. They knew what they were doing 
every step of the way. 

Later in the afternoon, after an afternoon of frenetic cooking: (1) Ogre Juice for my nest week's lunches, (2) baked fruit for my breakfasts - 12 containers worth, (3) honey roasted baby carrots - so nummy; I decided a trial run was called for. That required digging into my closet for my old gym bag, retrieving exercise clothes I haven't worn for several years. 

Of course, the clothes had been washed, I wasn't about to put on scuzzy clothing. I always washed them after every week's exercise sessions - usually two times a week. Then I had to hunt for my shoes - that was more difficult. I actually didn't find my shoes until this morning, substituting a second set (not as comfortable) for my initial treadmill try out. 

There are a ton of virtual trails available for the 
treadmill. I've started out just random choices, but 
I'll soon be downloading specific ones. I'm still just
 getting started - two miles yesterday, 1-1/2 mile 
today. I'm VERY happy. 

The machine itself had been automatically uploading and updating throughout the afternoon. I had connected it to the WiFi almost immediately after the guys left in the morning, and the first thing it wanted to do was update. So, I let it do its' thing, and it uploaded and installed new updates for a couple of hours before it was well fed and happy. I logged myself in as a user, set up my personal profile, and decided to start with "Virtual Trails" - a scenic run through various areas around the nation. I notice it has Spotify, so I'll load in my password for that and get some decent music down the line too. But, I did two miles yesterday, and another 1-1/2 mile today, so I'm very pleased. I like it! My doctor will be delighted, and my bones will probably be very happy as well. 

This and That - Just Letting My Mind Free Today (A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste - LOL)

I'm looking at a desk full of things that have to be handled tomorrow ... but that's tomorrow. Today it's swimming, dropping by the bank for a deposit, and then work. After work it's dinner, relaxing for an hour or so, and sleep. Tuesday always starts my "hard days" out for my week. The days when I swim are the days when my alarm goes off at 3:00 am. I'm usually up before it goes off, but the 3:00 am wake-up is mandatory if I'm to be on the road no later than 4:30 am and in the pool when it opens at 5:00 am. There's nothing like a schedule to get a person up and running - or swimming, in my case. So, what do you do when you wake up? 

Although the sun is still below the horizon when I 
awaken (except on Sundays), it's still morning 
to me when I awaken at 3:00 am. Yes ... I know I'm crazy! LOL

When I wake up I start with meditation. That can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as 30+. Generally, on swimming days, it's around 15 minutes. Time to practice breathing, be grateful for the morning and the upcoming day, and settling into my body. Then I do various brain games on my phone - three different games of solitaire and two puzzles - and finally I make my "bed", take my daily weight, get dressed in my skin suit for the pool, and settle down to write my blog. I now have 15 minutes to get this together, posted and wrapped up before I go back upstairs, clean out my jacket pockets, and grab my swim bags for the pool. Generally I'm on the road between 4:15 and 4:30 am. 

I've been using Insight Timer for daily guided meditations 
for years now and highly recommend them. I have a stable 
of guides whom I adore, lessons learned over the months 
that I use every day without fail. 

Some might say that I hit the day running, but I know better. The things that I do first thing in the morning, whether or not I'm swimming, are the coping techniques that I developed during COVID, when I found them to be a lifeline for the pressure and the various crap we were dealing with. It wasn't a comfortable time, to be sure. I broke my foot, which is what pushed me to the living room for my bedroom instead of being upstairs in the master bedroom. It moved me from the downstairs bathroom to the main floor mini-bathroom (no shower or tub in that room), and it was the prelude to my daily meditation. (Something I had wanted to do as a habit since I was in college in the early-mid 1970's.) I started working with meditation teachers and classes on MindValley; and by following one teacher who left, I found Insight Timer. I've been visiting Insight Timer for daily meditation ever since, (and dropped Mind Valley because of the expense). 

I actually take both of these, but just ran out of my 
mushrooms over the weekend. Oops! I have more 
on order which should be in within a week. I have 
plenty of my "Brain" pills, and they work REALLY 
well for me. I highly recommend them to my friends
 who might have "fuzzy brain". They work - really well. 

I also take daily brain supplement tablets. I started off with Stonehenge Health Dynamic Brain, and later also added their Dynamic Mushrooms. I really like this brand - a LOT. I had one time when checkout simply wasn't working and I purchased a different brand for six months. Oy! I could really tell the difference. Things were much cloudier and murkier, thoughts simply weren't there at my beck and call. After those six months were finished, I returned to Stonehenge Health and I'm feeling much more confident once again. Yes - supplements at my age are helpful - VERY helpful, and even though they're not inexpensive, I find them well worth the cost. 

It's going to be a VERY busy day today. 

So, now that my mind has taken it's usual tangents when faced with a white screen and 20 minutes to get my daily blog posted, I'm wrapping this up and I'm out of here. My brain and I have a very busy day today - LOL. Time to get moving on it. Have an excellent day. Slava Ukraini and חיים עבור ישראל, I'll be back tomorrow.

This and That - Moving Forward Despite Little Sleep

I spent all day at the shop yesterday, entering and printing tags for the shipments which we are expecting to receive this week. It was a literal non-stop computer day, but I managed to get everything entered. I copied the tags onto tag sheets at home last night, and will drop them at the shop early this morning on my way to the co-op. It's "Second Tuesday", which means my co-op will have my collagen on sale - it's a good sale, so well worth the trip out there. Since it brings me right past the store, I'll drop the price tags off on my way. 

I use this particular brand of collagen. I 
put it into my first cup of tea every morning, 
and have for years now. It dissolves 
completely, is tasteless, but does exactly 
what I want collagen to do. 

Yesterday's swim was a bust. Not because of anything I did or didn't do - the chlorine was out of whack so the life guard refused to allow us to swim until the chemicals were balanced once again. I guess that had happened on Sunday too. When that happens, they shut the pool down (or in my case yesterday, they simply refused to open). That means I'm swimming on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week, as long as the chlorine behaves itself for the remainder of the week. 

Since yesterday's exercise didn't happen, 
my schedule shifts forward by one day 
this week. I'll be swimming Wednesday, 
Thursday and Friday. *sigh*

Last night was the premier of Season 11 of "The Curse of Oak Island" and it was a two-hour episode, so I'm a bit of a zombie today - total sleep deprivation. I have to cook my next week's meals, as well as my chicken, because I won't have time to cook all of that on Friday. Or maybe I would ... I need to use my sleepy brain and think a bit. I want to make "Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas" for my next week's dinners, but I actually might be able to make those on Friday instead of today. I'll think about it when my brain is a bit less fuzzy - I feel totally sleep deprived and very fuzzy right now. 

I fully admit, I'm an "acorn", the nickname for 
fans of "The Curse of Oak Island". I suppose it's 
the archaeologist in me - wanting to discover the 
past through the remnants left behind. We just 
started Season 11 last night. It's going to be a 
good season! 

I will be contacting customer support for DH's website today, though. It's still not up, and this time it is the "Powers That Be" who were supposed to be uploading it. So...time to find out what the heck is going on and what they needed that they didn't ask me for. *sigh* Sometimes I wonder if Tech Support is actually speaking the same language that I am - it really seems like some very large cracks that things are falling through. 

I'm frustrated - a mild understatement. DH's 
website was supposed to be up and 
operational more than a week ago, and it 
isn't. So, time to deal with "Customer Service" 
again, which means dull people who are 
probably poorly paid and who really don't 
give a damn. *sigh*

So have an excellent Wednesday. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully a bit less sleep deprived and with food in the refrigerator that will keep me for the next week or so. Enjoy your day. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

Autumn Is Here - MN Gem & Mineral Show and Corn Mazes

We're totally into Autumn weather now and the leaves are starting to turn. It was a beautiful drive out to Renaissance Festival on Sunday, and it should be even better in two weeks when we go out there for the final day. We're probably skipping this coming Sunday to attend the annual Minnesota Gem & Mineral Show at the State Fairgrounds instead. We always enjoy that show. In past years (since they moved to the Fairgrounds) it has been held in October. This year they've moved it up to the last week of September which will be much warmer for their outdoor vendors (at least, under ideal conditions). 

This will be the third, or maybe the fourth, year that the 
MN Gem and Mineral Show has been held at the State 
Fairgrounds. They take over the Dairy Building for their 
exhibition hall, and use the open space south of that for 
their outdoor vendors, of which there are always 20 or so. 

Today isn't quite as cold as it has been, I'll actually be heading out to the swimming pool in 63F temps instead of mid-50's. I'm always grateful for the warmer temps at this time of the year. I'll hold onto the end of summer for as long as I can. But Autumn is in the air - I need my quilt for sleeping, I've switched to my winter pajamas, and actually, it's really comfortable sleeping weather. In another six weeks or so, we'll have our first snows, maybe even sooner (hopefully not). 

It's apple picking time. Several of the larger family farms 
are open at this time of the year for apple picking, hay 
rides, and sometimes corn mazes. My younger nieces will 
sometimes get together and go out with the kids for a 
family outing. 

Thoughts of Autumn hay rides, pumpkin carving, and Fall food treats are uppermost in the minds of many. Apple harvest it in full swing, with the "First Kiss" apples DH so dearly loves already come and gone in the stores. I love to cook with apples, but I'm not fond of just eating them raw. My baked pears, however, have been delightful. 

I DON'T go into corn mazes. I don't do mazes at all. I'm 
absolutely NO good in mazes of any type. I get totally 
lost and off my directional sense. But, up here, corn mazes 
and other Autumn family activities such as hayrides, are 
big business. Even though we had a delayed growing 
season this year, I'm sure the corn is high enough to be 
a good maze. 

Chickie was supposed to meet with her doctor yesterday for a pain assessment and diet/weight loss plan. She needs back surgery to remove extra calcium build-up from her spine that is causing her a lot of pain. She can't have the surgery until she's lost X amount of weight, though. Yesterday's appointment was supposed to give her medications that would help her to lose some pounds, as well as tell her more about the actual surgery they will need to do. DH isn't happy about this all around. Without Chickie at the shop, it might make for another major delay in getting closed. We'll see what happens, though. I'll know a lot more when I get a chance to find out how her appointment went when we speak later today. 

Basically, this is one of the things causing so much pain 
for Chickie. She has several bone spurs in her spine that 
are impacting her movement and causing her a great 
deal of pain. But the doctors can't deal with these until 
she's lost some weight, so step one is to focus on that. 

So, that's all the news I've got - LOL. I'm heading out to the pool for some seriously necessary exercise. I always feel a bit like a slug in these months - I'm not really doing as much exercise as I should. Thank goodness for the swimming pool. Just the thought of being in the water is a motivator. Have a wonderful Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Today Will be Wonderful, But Tomorrow Will be Busy, Busy, Busy!

Tomorrow's schedule is already turning into a VERY busy day, so today I'm going to try to focus on work and tasks that need to be done at the shop or on the laptop, and worry about how to fit everything into tomorrow, on Wednesday. Today, I'm on time, I slept well, and have already gotten all of my morning meditations in, so it's going to be a good day. I'm determined - LOL. 

I shifted my schedule a few years ago to make sure I could 
include my morning meditation every day, as soon as I 
awakened. I've been pretty good about keeping to that 
schedule over the years, and find it very helpful for my 
day ahead. 

DH and I finished up our ribs yesterday for dinner. They were wonderful, but not something I can eat often. Over two days, I put on 2-1/2 pounds, and it's solely because of fat-rich pork. I'm fine with it, I know I'm still within my range and I'll have it back where I want by the end of the week, but it's annoying. It always seems to be easier to gain weight than to lose it - LOL. So unfair, right? 

There's nothing much tastier and easier to 
cook than ribs in the crockpot, and that's what 
DH wanted for Sunday/Monday. So, I set 
up my crockpot to do our two ribs, his with 
his BBQ sauce, mine with mine, and we 
had a lovely dinner. I was happy to finish my 
ribs last night, though. NOT a low-calorie 
meal - LOL. 

I'll be back in the pool today, and that will also help. I feel like a slug when I don't get regular exercise, and where I was walking the State Fair with Sharon, I was getting 10+ miles a day on average. Sitting at my desk or helping customers in the store doesn't nearly come close to that mileage, and sitting just puts my weight into my ass and hips. Not what I want. So, activity is screaming at me. "Go! Get going! Swim, run, do SOMETHING!" Does your mind scream "be active" to you too? Mine can be quite strident! 

I enjoy being active, and end up sedentary all too much 
on a daily basis. There's nothing active about working 
at a computer screen. *sigh* Of course, I could get 
a walking desk, but that would be one more piece of 
stuff to get rid of or have no room for. No. My level 
of increased activity has to come before I head to work 
and computer screens. 

Tomorrow's schedule, at least the morning schedule, is looking a bit like a bear too. With morning appointments, my pool time, and the necessity of going to my co-op to pick up collagen on their monthly sale day, I'm going to be packing a TON into the morning, and having a rather open afternoon to work on computer work or holiday cards. I'm not in high gear on holiday cards yet, but I'm working steadily on them. I know I'll have some crunch time because my "spare" time simply isn't there this year, but I'll do what I can. I may have to put off my insert until next year because of time, but that wouldn't be the end of the world. I can't let a single day go by without doing SOME work on them, though. 

My co-op offers an additional 10% off 
my preferred brand of collagen on the 
second Wednesday of each month. I 
usually will pick up a large container if 
I'm getting low. I use a generous scoop 
of this every day to help my bones and 
I like it. It dissolves well. I also add it 
to my weekly Ogre Juice batches. 

So, I'm wrapping this up because I'm looking at all I've listed and all I have on my mental "to do" list, and getting a bit stressed. Which is ridiculous. If there's anything I've learned in my life, it's flexibility. I've got to shift when needed, and when I can do that, all things are possible. I'll make it all work, one way or another. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.