Recent Posts

Good morning! I'm watching a balloon right outside my window...

The productivity continues. I took 7 boxes of stuff to the thrift store yesterday. Aside from one box of drapes I am keeping to see if my friend and his designer want them, I'm completely out of large boxes of donateable things! (Here comes another balloon) My plan going forward is to keep one empty Amazon box in my storage room to capture things I want to donate. When the box gets filled, it goes and a new box will replace it.

I hadn't heard back from the Balsam Hill rep who swore she'd call me Wednesday as she was having problems placing the order for my new tree, so I called again. This woman was even more on the ball and in 10 minutes rather than an hour and 18 minutes figured out the order wasn't going through because it's out of stock and I may not get it until right before or after Christmas. I told her that was fine and I would try out my rebar/dowel idea on the tree I have to get me through, and I could swap out for the new tree next year.

The nice plein air painter, Bob Goldman, (I think you might have met him, Liz. Not the crotchety painter I bought from the night you attended, but a little shorter, glasses) had come by my house to take pictures during the festival. He painted one of them and sent me pictures of it, I think hoping I'd buy it. It was from a drone shot (the ones I posted on TT). I figured, how often do you get the chance to have a painting that has your house in it? Plus supporting an artist I like. So I bought it. He's sending it to me: (my house in in the lower left corner)

Unfortunately, due to impending rain next week and then Thanksgiving, my kitchen vent construction is postponed until the week of December 1st. They don't want to cut a hole in my roof when it's storming, which I appreciate. But that means the multiple porta potty situation (one for roofers, one for kitchen people) will continue into December. Argh!

I am SO going to get scolded by the HOA president when she shows up for one of the 4 weeks she spends in Sedona a year next week!

Anyway, let's do an anti-rain dance for the week of Dec 1 so I don't end up with 2 potty shacks in front of my house into 2026.

Tonight I am going to the opening of the Verde Valley Pottery Festival. Hopefully I can find a few cool things...

Liz your face looks great! Very natural.

Take care all!

117.6 - Fridays are my official recording day for weight. I have a spreadsheet where I put all my recorded weights over the years - Enlightening...

Paula has arrived! I was happy to see them at a Tiki bar in their new town on FB. Tiki bars are the best especially on their Florida coast. There is a big high in the south located just to the west of Florida and sitting there instead of moving as they usually do. It is keeping our weather very sunny and with low humidity. Lucky timing for Paula and her DH!

Nothing in my plans for the day other than walking Justice, going to yoga late morning, then maybe sitting by the pool. DH is playing golf until early afternoon which he forgot to put on the calendar so going to the beach club for lunch and sun is off the agenda. Between doctor appointments, golf, and wonky weather we have hardly been to the beach at all.

I am going to look for pictures that show the spots on my face and before filler so you can see the before and after. Hard to find a good before though as I always trash the unflattering ones LOL.

Have a fundamental Friday!

The recipe I had was a bit different than the original ones. It used diced tomatoes vs sun dried and the chicken was shredded at the end. I got it from FB - see screen prints below. It could probably use a little more tomato, but not really necessary. Also I used fire roasted tomatoes and probably was a little heavier on the garlic than it indicated (I used minced garlic from a jar).

Interesting that there was no limit on working in your state. Massachusetts was fairly regulated. You couldn't work without a work permit if you were under 16, and your hours were quite limited if you were. The only exceptions were family businesses. I can't remember what the hourly wage was. I started working at the ice cream place and hated it as he used us like slaves. When we weren't serving customers we were scrubbing every inch of the place. Good for keeping an establishment clean but it was a tough job. I worked in various stores after that stocking shelves or cashing out customers. I also had to work for any money for personal entertainment/clothing.

Those people at the concert do sound awfully rude. That is annoying!

I agree with Diane - as long as it isn't dosed super heavily in salt will the cheese really make a difference in the long run? Especially if she won't eat something that is blah. With my mother at the end it was more important to get calories in her than to worry about what the calories consisted of. She became essentially malnourished and had no stamina because she wouldn't eat.

I made a Marry me chicken recipe, and it wasn't a favorite with us. Maybe I should try again. I think it needed a lot more tomatoes than called for in the recipe (sorry Peps!).

Retirement is incredible! Like everyone else, I feel blessed to make it this far, and with some assurance of financial stability. My first job was at 12, working as a detassler (walking through corn fields, pulling tassels off corn stocks before they pollinated). Back in the 70s, there were no regulations about how long a day a kid could work if it was seasonal agriculture work AND they did not have to pay minimum wage. So for about 6 weeks of my summer break, I got loaded unto a school bus, and dropped off in some field, where we worked 8 hours or more for $1.89 an hour. The only redeeming feature was some of my friends were there too. When I look at my social security earnings, there it is! They took social security money from my little pitiful check in 1973. It makes me so mad when politicians in either party refer to social security as an entitlement. You had my money for 50 years, and I want it back!!! (Hmm, reading this perhaps it was not the character building experience the adults hoped for, but rather a life long grievance!) After 3 summers of that I was a very bad waitress, and then a nurse's aide (before you had to be certified). When I got to college I was delighted to have desk jobs, indoors. Although I did have a short term job feeding cocaine and PCP to Reeses Monkeys for a research study for the Depart of Psychiatry. I couldn't abide with this and quit, even though it was kind of a coup to get the job as a psych major. I guess if you're going to be used in animal experiments, being stoned most of the day is better than some other studies.

Today I did a retirement thing, I met up with two friends for brunch. Planned it last night : ) Two and a half hours later, we were pretty caught up, and finally left the table.

We enjoyed the concert last night, great music, along with the side show some older (than us) seniors put on. Tables and seats are reserved in advance. You pick your seats. When this couple arrived, they noticed there were some open tables, and I kid you not, they sat at 4 different tables trying to decide if they liked any of them better. They stepped on DH's foot while passing by, and did not apologize. Then their friends arrived, and they wanted to sit at the original table, so that's what they did. They touched glasses and napkins at each table. Then they had the waitress switch out their food multiple times. But not just her, they flagged down any staff walking by. Finally, even though it is billed as a quiet listening room, they kept shouting at each other above the music. The final plot twist is that it became apparent they were family (maybe one set were the parents) of the saxophone player. If my parents came to see me play, I would sure wish they had better manners. Except for the talking, which finally stopped during the 2nd set, it was pretty amusing. What must it be like to go through the world, so unbothered.

Tonight I am cooking all the food I am bringing to my parents house for the weekend. It's easier to do it here. My Mom is supposed to be on a low sodium diet. She asked me if I could bring the broccoli cheese soup I make. I said Mom, it has a lot of cheese! Her response, cheese is okay. Umm... I had some in the freezer so I will bring her a little taste, but I am very sure that cheese is not okay on a low sodium diet. My Dad is going hunting, so I will be the caregiver from tomorrow morning until Sunday afternoon. Pray for me.

202.7 this morning. Quite an unfair weight since I got up 3 times to pee during the night! What the heck is up with that????

Cool and rainy here today. A blah day...

Less of a busy day yesterday, sort of... LOL! I was busy, but not productive around the house. I had a client in the morning, took a break for lunch then headed off to get my hair cut at 2:15. Immediately after that I went to pick up two Grizz sized crates a woman in the neighborhood was gifting on FB, and straight on to the gym. Got home just after 4:30 and went to an online meeting for the Lakeland Terrier club at 5 (my first meeting with them, and most likely there will not be many to follow... not well run...and boring...). Then Blitz got a brush out and a pedicure . To end my chores I made about 5 pounds of raw food blend for Buster and Grizz. In between there is always time for computer games. LOL! After dinner I watched a couple episodes of Leanne and an episode of The Witcher. I'm not sure how much I like the new season with Liam Hemsworth taking the lead role. The show also seems a bit more bloody.

I have a client at 9 this morning. I'll be done by 10:30 and then the day will be mine to do as I please.

So, here's a thing: I have basically worked to earn money since I was a teen. Had to pay for the things like car insurance, my horses, going out money, etc... my parents considered a luxury expense. So I've worked for a good 45 years. So, at 61 my younger self thought I would be "old". But I do not feel old. I feel youthful and energetic. Because I feel young, retirement is feeling quite decadent. I know I have "earned" it, but damn, I am feeling spoiled. It is a gift to be able to wake up and face the day knowing I am 100% in charge of my day. I suppose this cloud 9 feeling will eventually lessen, but dayum! I sometimes feel like a kid playing hooky!

I seem on track to get back under 200 before PS. This is good. I've been focusing more on protein, a few more veggies, and fewer carbs - especially the junk carbs (my true nemesis). It's not easy doing it this way, but not having the eating disorder kick into high gear due to dieting is refreshing.

Shot day today.... Tirzepatide Tursday! (hehehehe)