Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Today looks like another muggy day today but we are supposed to get at least a few sunny, dry, summery days after today. Yeah!

DS cooked great swordfish last night which Mike bought. A healthy meal with salad on the side (I skipped the rice)! Mike learned from DS that he had been grilling his fish twice as long as he should (I had it once and it was dry). LOL

Today we are going to the beach near Mike's house as we went to my beach yesterday. The following two days we will do our own thing with family/friends. Here on Cape Cod it feels like we sometimes have too many activities with others, but in Florida we end up spending almost all our time together. A better balance in both places would be good.

Speaking of which I think Mike's DS will be joining us on much of our Hawaiian trip in January. Apparently he will have a lot of vacation time built up after his current posting and he has never been to Hawaii though Mike has gone several times. it will be nice for Mike and I am glad his DS is comfortable enough with me to want to spend time with us. However, I know it will hurt his mother who he tends to avoid most of the time. He is still bitter about the last year or so before his parents divorced because he saw his mother make some very poor choices and he felt that he suffered from them as much as his Dad. I believe she has spent a lot of time feeling guilty about it. Mike and her daughters were able to forgive her, but their DS just hasn't been able to. Sad. She made a comment about it to me when we were at the house and Mike received a call from the son.

My Solo Stove arrived yesterday! I hope to get it set up in the next day or 2. Very exciting! Cecily, do you have a lid or cover for it? I was wondering if I should get one.

Have a safe and healthy day!

Yay! We have both the metal lid and the soft cover for it. The metal one for after it cools a bit, but to keep dew and rain off the ashes and the fabric one for after it's cold to keep the stainless looking nice.

A slow morning start for me. It's pretty here today. i should walk and I need to go to the grocery store.

Tonight a neighbor is having a party for his birthday we're invited to. Should be some interesting people. He runs a military consulting company in DC and has a lot of retired CIA guys who work for him and who are friends he invites up to golf every year. They are fascinating to talk to. One funny story, at the end of one of these parties of 50 or so people a woman was trying to find her lost purse. One of these guys who had not interacted with her during the evening quietly said, "You didn't come in with one. You had a jacket over your right arm, but no purse." Sure enough, it was in the car. They notice everything...

I have very little food in my house and still manage to overeat. I made oatmeal last night after dinner. Where there is an overeating will, there is a way. Grrr. I will persevere not to buy much at the store.

Hope you all have a nice day!

Hope you enjoy the party and there is another fun power of observation story!

Off to Portland today. Actually, only going to Ashland today. Will stay with friends overnight and then drive on to Portland tomorrow.

Weight is the lowest it has been since I got back from Texas. Yay for therapy and expressing my feelings of frustration, anger, etc.... this week.

I realize I am changing my own rules of living. While wonderful for me in so many ways, it is something I must be gentle with concerning those who are closest to me - Ron especially. It is becoming clearer to me that the emotional abuse I experienced as a child/teen and into my very early 20s influenced many life decisions. I have done well for myself in many ways and have proven beyond doubt my resilience, but I've made some choices along the way (because of my lack of positive self image) that proved less positive for my life, too.

I'm sure I will be checking in while in Oregon. Best to all.

Peps, congratulations on not only surviving, but finding ways to thrive. Throughout my life, I've made some maladaptive choices, and I can look back with some regret for what might have been. But mostly I am happy for all the wisdom I've gained, and the peace it's brought me, and the life I have now. Enjoy your trip, and keep creating the life you want for yourself.

The Solo Stove discussions have made me miss my gas fire pit...still in NY with the many belongings I'm working to retrieve. I haven't been in a big hurry because, honestly, I'm flourishing with minimal possessions and clutter. It's part of the hard work of reordering what really matters and what really just jams things up/complicates my life needlessly. Seeking simplicity and serenity !

You deserve simplicity and serenity!

I sometimes look around at all our stuff, and think what would we bring if we moved. The phrase, jams things up, resonates. Sometimes my stuff literally does jam me up, because the drawer won't open well, or the closet door doesn't shut easily ... time to let go of a few more things.

I had an early morning start to get my hair cut. It is a bit of a drive, a bit more than an hour. I love having my niece do my color and cut, so I'll keep driving. :)

DH had the day off, so when I got home, we went out to lunch to celebrate my new hair, and also because it is the anniversary of my breast cancer surgery. What a difference a year makes. Our outlook is peaceful and positive (although we still worry about where this pandemic is heading) and we have much to look forward to!