Saturday, July 1, 2023

Summer is here! Great day yesterday at the beach, then meeting friends at the winery, followed by dinner in an outside courtyard. Several of the local restaurants have great outdoor dining areas which arose during COVID but have become permanent. At least one seasonal restaurant (the one we went to on Thursday) actually tripled their space during COVID as it was an outdoor facility already.

The forecast today is mixed but we are hoping for another beach day as the next few days look rainy. We are going to get muggy, tropical air again by the end of the day.

Date night tonight unless we do something with my nephew and niece who are visiting SIL for the weekend. This is the niece undergoing breast cancer treatment. She is 2 weeks past her first treatment and finally feels well enough to travel. Her second of four courses is in a week.

Drive safely CC! And enjoy Ireland DD!

Have a satisfying Saturday!

Triple digit here for the next few days ! I won't complain !! Ok......I MAY be starting to miss date night..... a little.

Hot here, too! Already over 100!

Been dealing with some triggery situations this week. Mostly I think it's the stress of the quick cognitive changes my dad is experiencing. I'm beginning to think I may be watching my grandfather's downward spiral repeat itself in my dad. Both my grandfather and my father had/has trouble understanding doctor orders for healing the broken femur, and in my dad's case to stabilize the post placed on his femur when his hip was replaced. My grandfather never became ambulatory again. I am praying that my father does not follow that same path. But, even my dad admits that he can no longer remember things and forgets that he is not supposed to bear weight on his broken leg. Sigh.... Also, the loss of modesty is so out of character for my dad. He came out for his pt yesterday in a T shirt and underwear. Sigh again... Luckily, none of this is frustrating for me. I just kind of go with it. I do worry about whether I am looking at my own future. I hope not, but since all his brothers had some form of dementia and so did his father, I think it's not far fetched for me to expect the same type of decline if I live well into my 90s. Boooooooo!

Another trigger was my Carnivore friend pushing and proselytizing her carnivorous way of eating. I still harbor on some deep level the wish for the "answer" to all my weight and food issues. Listening to my friend's rantings about the virtues of the Carnivore Diet triggered that want.

Need to put my summer to do list together before the summer is up and gone! LOL! I haven't done too much to tick off projects. Not much will happen over the next two weeks anyhow. Two more dog show travel weekends and then I"m done until the end of August. Yay! But this hectic schedule has been well worth it. Blitz sits comfortably in the number owner handled Airedale spot and it looks like he'll move back up to #3 for breed wins in the nation for this year.

Getting a massage today. Lower back has been sore for a few days, so I'm hoping a massage will help.

Off to groom.

Hope everyone beats the heat. CC, please check in with us and let us know you have arrived safely at tonight's spot. DD, hope you can take some pics and post on TT.

What is happening to your Dad or with your grandfather doesn't mean it will be your future. I am glad you can go with the flow with your Dad's lapses.

I know other people with their guaranteed diets seem appealing but you have done so well learning to accept what drives you and how to handle it. The newest diet always seems like it may be the answer but generally isn't for any of us.

Super full but satisfying day! I am happily tired. I posted an obnoxious amount of pictures Facebook.

CC, so glad you went with your gut and DID NOT stay at the sketchy hotel. This fall we checked into a motel against my better judgement, and it was a nightmare. If I'm traveling alone, or with a girlfriend, my most minimum requirement is a hotel with a secure front door, and interior hallways. One of my friends thinks I'm too picky that way, but I think caution is sensible.

Liz, sounds like you are settling into "home" and the rhythm of being in one place for awhile.

Peps, your Dad is fortunate to have your patient support. Having him changing before your eyes must be difficult, and maybe disorienting for you.

OceanDiane, triple digits and humidity sounds challenging! I'm sure you will take care of yourself and Sadie.

Diane S, how is operation new floor coming along?

Shirl, I sure hope your virus is leaving you at last...

Greetings all

Just returned from the arduous and hazardous expedition to Safeway. It actually was not bad. Snagged a lucky parking spot and the store was not too packed. I was able to find what I needed plus a few more things. They have added a "heat and eat" section by the deli and some of the stuff looked pretty good. I already have a few dinners but I think I will go back. One thing in the "heat and eat" section was a package containing a raw steak with a blob of herb butter on top. This is "heat and eat"? Like take a steak home and cook it. Not my idea of easy. Other stuff was asian stuff and other ethnic fare. The checkers seemed a little better which is not saying much as they used to be so horrible. A pleasant and enthusiastic bagger. So much for my critique of Safeway.

CC I don't blame you on not going into motel sleazy. Women traveling alone have to trust gut instincts. Years ago I was driving back to Omaha from Kansas City. Flurries to start which turned into a full blown blizzard in 60 miles. No visibility and deep snow. I stopped at a truck stop motel thinking I would stay. No thanks. It was swarming with creepy looking people. I drove on home grateful that there was one pair of tail lights to follow. Yeah western Kansas is pretty empty. Full of yucca plants. Do you go north on I 29? I used to take that to Minneapolis. Dog shows.

Ok Peps so are you doing Ferndale? Looks like the Airedale entry is small. Big border terrier entry though. Not sure who. Tell me if you are going and I will find you and Goat.

DD I remember in Ireland we went to these hermit houses on the coast. What a cold lonely place to live in a hut made of stone. Hope you are having a blast with pubs and pub music.

Liz have fun at the winery. Glad your niece is feeling well enough to go out.

Scorpions in the linens! Sounds like a Samuel Jackson movie "Snakes on a Plane".

Sweet corn was in the store so I got two ears. Also cherries. And a big tray of cut up fruit to take tomorrow. No work for me!

Diane S

I've stopped for the night in Peru, IL. I had hoped to make it to Joliet, but it turns out NASCAR is in Chicago this weekend and everything is booked. I knew I was a planner and not spontaneous for a reason!!! This is a good reminder that when you try and go against your instincts and what you need to feel calm, it backfires. The world needs spontaneous people, but it also needs meticulous planners. I'm not ashamed to be one of the latter!

I have five hours left tomorrow. Today's trip took me from Wichita up through Kansas City, Missouri to Des Moines and now into Illinois. I missed the turn that would've knocked 15 minutes off my day and take me through more rural, Missouri and Illinois, but I'm glad to have stuck to the interstate. I've had enough empty, rural back roads on this trip! And if any of you have seen the interstates of middle America yyou will know that even those are VERY rural. As my dad always says, this is an enormous country, and the vast majority of it is very unpopulated.

It wasn't hot today, but boy is it humid. At least by Arizona standards. I bet my skin will drink it up.

DD, can't wait to hear about your trip! DianeO and Peps, stay cool if you can. Shirley, love the moo cows' muddy faces! Liz, hope you got your beach day. DianeS, when do your floors arrive? Peps, breaks my heart to hear about your dad's decline. I'm hoping for the best with his leg.

So I will have an early night, and then hopefully be home to Michigan around lunchtime. Hope you all are doing great and may your dust ruffles be free of scorpions!

Planning when traveling in remote areas is a good thing! And yes we should all have scorpion free dust ruffles!!!