It's Friday - I'm Trying for a Good Day!

It's Friday, I have what seems like a billion things on my mental agenda for the day, and DH has been up since about 3:00 am when, apparently, we got a call on the land line from a company we sometimes do business with. It was a robo call, though, and why he (1) answered it, and (2) really gave a shit about who was calling because it would be caught by the answering machine anyway, is totally beyond me. He attempted to get back to sleep, but no go. So, he'll be operating on 3-4 hours of sleep at the shop today. Poor Chickie! 

Sometimes my life seems like it has an agenda. It's not as 
comprehensive as these are, though. 1) No Poverty, 2) Zero 
Hunger, 3) Good Health and Wellbeing, 4) Quality Education, 
5) Gender Equality, 6) Clean Water and Sanitation, 
7) Affordable and Clean Energy, 8) Decent Work and 
Economic Growth, 9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, 
10), Reduced Inequalities, 11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, 
12) Responsible Consumption and Production, 13) Climate Action, 
14) Life Below Water, 15), Life on Land, 16) Peace and 
Justice, and 17) Partnerships for the Goals

I, on the other hand, will be going here and there, and working on housecleaning when I'm not in the car. I need to purchase some black wood putty. I accidentally drilled through the side of the frame yesterday when setting the brads along the backside. (OOPS!) In the past I would have had a black putty to fill in the hole because that's how we assembled frames - glue, drill, nail and fill in the nail holes. That hasn't been necessary in the past decade or so because of different wedges that are used in the corners instead, leaving the frames pristine. Anyway, I have no putty available so it's off to Home Depot to pick up a small jar.  

There are several different brands. The only 
thing I care about is that it's black and that 
I can apply it easily. I'm so annoyed at myself 
for doing something so stupid as to drill 
through the frame! GRRRR

I'm impressed with the frames I've been getting from my frame supplier. They're some really solid wood - hard to drill into and almost impossible to shoot staples into. As much of a PITA as that might be, it's actually a really good thing. You want a frame to be sturdy. And, while working out on the treadmill this morning, I had a brilliant idea of how to work with the artwork on my double mats to make sure my borders are identical from side to side. I've been having a problem with that, but I think I can resolve it and I'll be trying my new system out today. . 

I'd better check out my refrigerator. I suspect 
I have one Ogre Juice for tomorrow's lunch, but 
not a lot else in it right now. Time to get something 
cooked and ready for my dinners (and another 
batch of Ogre Juice for next week's lunches). 

So, it'll be a day of reframing things to my satisfaction, cleaning house, and probably doing some cooking. I suspect I'm almost out of a lot of things. I can't just live on pesto and Gilbert's Sausages forever (although they're both very tasty). At the least, I need more of my avocado tortillas - I used those all the time and I only have two left. 

I love the tortillas I use. Ole Xtreme Wellness Spinach 
and Herbs tortilla wraps are very tasty and totally 
Keto. I recommend them to you (because I'm really
too lazy to make my own tortillas - LOL). 

I'm calling this quits here. As you can tell, it'll be a busy "day off" today. The Fair starts on Thursday and Sharon will be here the week following. Whoot! Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the week. Slava Ukraini. 

Life Is a Bowl of Cherries — Right?

Not everything went wrong yesterday, but not everything went right, either. It was a day that started out with a slight (OK, maybe a bit more than slight) disaster, but by the time I went to sleep, things seemed resolved and I learned how much I can do in my almost-sleep. At this time of the week, I'm sleep deprived, and decisions and actions can be more "challenging".

I made this beef stew yesterday, and added my 
non-gluten pasta to it for serving. It's a lovely 
recipe. If you're interested, you can find it at: 
https://sugarfreelondoner.com/hearty-low-carb-keto-beef-stew/

I managed the grocery shopping pretty easily, however, and actually got everything I needed for the two soups I was going to make, so that was a win. I did have to drop by the shop really quickly to write Chickie's paycheck which I had forgotten to type up on Monday. But that too was an easy in/out. And I almost got the security system upgrade nailed — had a long conversation with my sales rep yesterday and hopefully, I have the information DH requested in my in-box this morning. I'll check at the shop and print it out there, if I do.

I've made this vegetable soup recipe before, and it's a 
total win in my book. Interested in this recipe? Find it at 
https://cookieandkate.com/vegetable-soup-recipe/print/34805/

What went wrong you might be wondering? Well, crazy things can happen in my life at 2:00 am, and that's what went wrong yesterday. When I get up at that time of the VERY early morning, it's usually just for a quick trip to the bathroom, followed by a return to bed. For the past six months or so, I've also fallen into the habit of putting the stepstool near the lights that I have to "massage" every morning to get lit properly, and I often carry my 1/2 gallon of distilled water to my small fountain to be topped off when the lights are on and I'm awake to see the water levels.

It's not the brand I purchase, but it's 
the right type of water. I use distilled 
water in my fountain to keep it running 
clearly without mold issues. It works 
great and has for years. I just need to 
feed it every morning. 

Yesterday I did that, had the stepstool in my right hand, the water in my left. I reached out with the bottle (an almost full one), placed it onto the display case where the fountain lives, wandered two steps farther and heard a noise nobody wants to hear — a bottle falling onto the floor. DAMN It was a disaster. The top flew from the bottle and I had a MASSIVE amount of distilled water on my living room carpeting. It took almost a full roll of paper toweling and a lot of pressure work to get the carpet almost dry. Fortunately, it seems to have come through the process without damage, but if the mat below develops mold issues, this could continue to be a problem — and not an easy one to fix. I'm hoping I nipped it in the bud, but how clumsy! Today I was extra careful and all is well — LOL. Stupidity and lack of sleep — I blame both aspects.

I wish you a life of no errors in judgment. My 
own life, however, has been peppered with 
them now and again. Dropping the distilled 
water jug onto the carpeting was certainly 
one of those times. *sigh*

Have a brilliant day — no errors in judgement for you! I need to re-read my current writing and get it up and posted. I fear this will be my final week on LJ Idol, I'm not inspired by the theme this week, but as always, I wrote from the heart. So, we'll see. I've never made it this far before (to my memory), and anything is possible. Have an excellent Thursday, I'm off to swim and then on to work. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.

Hockey, Clothing and an Oops - Rather Par For My Course

Obviously I am numerically challenged (and was also sleep deprived because of ANTS!) - but it wasn't Post 5000 yesterday, it was, however, post 4600, which is still a very impressive number. I'm still cruising to 5000, and will reach it within the next 1-2 years. I don't see myself not posting six days a week unless something catastrophic happens. Sharing my (lack of) brain and thoughts with all of you is a way that I clear my mind for the next day. I'm still quite happy to have Post 4601 today, and so happy all of you are on this journey with me. 

Obviously I'm numerically challenged (or just very 
forward looking). Yesterday was Post 4600, not 
Post 5000. I'll get there, though, within the next 
two years, and hopefully will have all of you riding 
along that road with me. 

Our serious clean of the pantry seems to have done the job on the ants. I saw three yesterday, moving very slowly, two on different shelves and one on the floor. I squashed all of them, of course. No critters with more than two legs are allowed into my house unless we get another dog or cat. 

There is a Japanese legend about the Yatagarasu - a three 
legged crow who is a messenger from the Gods. I suppose 
if one of these turned up, I'd probably let it into the house. 
But, I'm hopefully not letting any more six-legged ants 
into my house. LOL

I spent yesterday doing errands, along with two trips to Target. I saw this incredibly cute sheath dress there, purchased it in a Small, and took it home. It was great except for the neckline, so I decided - since I needed to return two storage containers I had purchased that weren't going to work for the space I had envisioned - I'd exchange it for an extra-small if they had one available. Score! I brought the XS home, tried it on, and it's perfect. I'll still have to do something with the collar - it's low on the sides, and I don't really need my bra straps showing - but I'm sure my tailor can manage something. I'll keep my eyes open for a scarf or lace to have her inset into that area. I'm quite sure I already have something that will work just fine. 

What a got was similar to this, but with long 
sleeves and in a rich brown color. It looks great 
on me, but I'll need to do something with the 
neckline. I'm quite sure I can work something 
out with my tailor. 

I also spent yesterday watching the MN State Boys High School Hockey Tournament (of course). We're into the two final games today. The first game is Hermantown vs Catherdral. at noon. Hermantown won their previous game in a fantastic 7-6 victory - one of the most exciting games I've seen in years. Back and forth and back and forth, with Hermantown (a powerhouse in the Northern part of the state) pulling out the win. The night game of the larger schools will pit Chanhassen against Edina. This one also holds promise of being an exciting game to watch. Whoot! I'll have the afternoon game on at the shop, of course, but the TV there is in the back room, so I can't watch it, only listen to it. Still, that's better than not getting any hockey at all! And then, after tonight's game, the tournament will be over for another year. It's one of my favorite sporting events of the year, so that's rather sad, but it was well-fought from start to finish, and some of these young men will go on to play in the semi-professional and professional leagues. I'm quite sure my nephew will be in this tournament one of these days and I can hardly wait. 

Two of yesterday's four games went into overtime, so it 
was an exciting day of hockey. Now we're down to the 
final two games - one for the smaller schools, 
and one for the larger ones. When I first started watching 
the tournament many years ago, all of the schools were 
lumped together. I still remember Hermantown - a tiny town 
in Northern Minnesota beating Edina - one of our larger 
metropolitan schools. The next year they started the 
double-bracket play putting the smaller schools into 
one bracket, larger schools into another one. Still 
entertaining, but no Cinderella stories anymore. 

So, I'm wrapping this up, drinking the last of my first cup of tea, and heading out for the shop. I hope all of you have a truly FABULOUS weekend, and if you're in the USA (at least in most parts of the USA), don't forget that tonight is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time, so Spring Forward an hour before you go to sleep. I'll be back on Monday morning. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

Apologies, Beeps in the Night, and an Upcoming Sale

I hope I got caught up with everyone's posts and made comments where I could. I had a "free" hour+ to spend on the computer last night. I apologize - sometimes time just isn't there for me to be "spot on" for my comments. Be assured, I do catch up ASAP and leave my feedback, especially when asked. 

I count some of you, my readers, as some of 
my very best friends. I've known several of you 
for more than a decade - probably closer to two 
decades by now. I chat to you every morning, 
and I try to keep up with your lives as well. 
You  live in my heart. 

Next week will be an experiment at the shop. It's the first week of our "Inventory Reduction" sale, and it's encompassing large categories of my best-selling seed bead - Delica beads. It's not a  across-the-board discount. It doesn't apply to every style. It does, however, encompass all of the sizes other than the standard (and most popular) size 11o, and some select styles of 11o that aren't super popular. It will be a LOT of work behind the register, but I think I've figured out how to make things a bit easier on me and my staff. At least, I hope I've figured this out. 

We're going to be doing at least one, possibly two, Inventory 
Reduction Sales on select categories of merchandise each 
month. We need to clear out slow-sellers and less popular 
colors/styles of beads. I doubt we'll do anything about 
the Indian goods - but I have other outlets for those items. 

The sale itself is a 50% off sale - something we've NEVER offered in our 30+ years of retail. We're trying to clear out the chaff and leave the kernels of wheat. We need to be lean when we do our Close-Out Sale later this year. So, meanwhile, our customers will be able to take advantage of some really awesome savings on a product they love. I'll see what happens - it's one full week of six days, with savings of 50%, so it might be a zoo; but I'm hoping it will be a steady flow instead of a flood. 

We've never done discounts this deep before. Our pricing 
is fair, and we're well aware of what other places charge 
for similar items. But, we're going to do it now. I have 
four sales currently in the works, and then we'll reassess
and see how things are going. 

To top off (or to start) my day off on the "right" foot, the downstairs smoke alarm beeped four times while I was in the shower. *sigh* I checked both of our smoke alarms after I was dried off and dressed, and they're showing "green", but I suspect the batteries need replacement. I'll set DH off on that task for the day. He'd BETTER get it done - it's not super hard, and it really won't take him a lot of his time. It was unnerving, to say the least, hearing the beeps when I couldn't do a thing about it. I figured I'd just die in the shower - LOL. 

We have something similar to this in our 
den and in the upstairs hallway. I don't think 
we've changed the batteries in several 
years, so having it beep on me this morning 
wasn't unexpected, but it was a bit of a 
shock, and certainly came at a poor time since 
I was in the middle of my morning shower. 

So, I'm done rambling for the day. I hope I've caught up with everyone's posts, and that everyone who had a birthday earlier this week has been contacted directly in a note. I hate being late for celebrations, but it's just been one of those weeks where I had too much crammed into too few hours. Have a wonderful Saturday, I'm going to enjoy my Sunday of relaxation and be ready to dive into the sale starting Monday. *Hugs* to each and every one of my readers - you're my lifeline to sanity (now and again only, because being insane sometimes describes my life to a "T" - LOL). Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.

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. 

 

Broken Bumpers and Broken Ears - DH is Not Having a Good Year So Far

So far it has not been a good year for DH. His January is filling up quickly, and between doctor, dental and assorted other appointments, his "days off" are turning into busier days than his days at work. His stress levels are through the roof. The latest chapters in the saga began on Monday. 

I took this photo of his back bumper in the morning after 
the accident. As you can tell, there isn't a bumper there, 
just broken brackets and shattered plastic. 

On Monday night we were in our respective vehicles in the store parking lot. Usually he backs the truck out first and I follow, but he was taking an unusually long time to get moving, so I began backing out. I park in Row 3, he parks in Row 2. As I was almost ready to shift to pull forward, I heard a horrid *CRUNCH* sound. Pulling slightly ahead, I set to Park and jumped out of my car. He was pulling his truck back into his space. I was furious - I just had my car fixed in April from a crazy incident that broke my antenna and required a full roof replacement. 

The underside of the broken bumper piece shows where 
it was sheared off from the actual truck body. It was a 
pretty serious pull that got that broken. The plastic 
is quite thick. 

Fortunately, Minion was fine, but looking at DH's truck, he was missing a part of his bumper, which was on the nearby ground. Somehow he hadn't seen me at all and had backed into my car. I have no idea why I was lucky enough to have no damage, I guess it was the right angles, but he lost 1/3 of his back bumper. 

The front of the broken bumper piece looks pretty good, 
actually. Still nice and shiny. But, it really isn't doing any 
good on my back porch. We'll get it replaced/repaired 
on the 11th-12th. 

I called the insurance company on Wednesday and he took the truck in to their recommended service center on Thursday for a written appraisal which has been submitted to the insurance company. I've scheduled him for Monday the 11th, first thing in the morning for the repair, and hope that it will only take them two days to do, although picking the car up early on Wednesday would also be fine. Still, it's just one more thing. 

I really don't understand how an ear 
tube could even move behind anywhere 
in the ear, but I'm no expert. I do know 
that DH has had ear tube surgery in the 
past and it was very painful for him. 
We'll know more once he's seen the 
ENT, but I'm really hoping we get all 
of the bad luck out of the way in January. 
It's turning into a crap year if we don't. 

Before the appointment at the car repair, DH had a doctor appointment with his audiologist. He's always had ear problems - lots of infections and five surgeries. He has an ear tube to help, but this time, when they checked out his ear, they said it looked as if the tube had slipped behind the eardrum. He has a new appointment now, with the ENT Specialist, to see what's really going on and if he needs more surgery. I remember the last surgery - miserable, pain-filled, and he swore he'd never do it again. I'm not sure what he'll do this time if that's what is recommended, but I'm also quite sure they can't leave the tube where it might have moved to. Total CRAP. Poor DH. 2021 is NOT turning into a good year for him so far. 

On that note, I'm out of here. I get the first of my extra days off today and I plan to enjoy it. I'm planning a sweater, so need to spend today getting measurements and working on samples. I'm also going to thoroughly clean the bathroom and shower, and wash the kitchen floor (both projects much needed). Have a wonderful day. Be kind, stay safe, and please wear your mask. 

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.