Happy New Year's Eve!

Thought I'd wish everyone a Happy New Year!  I hope 2018 bring us all health and happiness!!!

Well I got my stitches out on Thursday from the core biopsy. They got all good margins and it is all good, for now anyway.  I have my regular full body check the end of this month, and I hope my skin is fine and there is nothing else that is new (in a bad way) or suspicious.

It is going to be really cold tonight and for the next day or two, with temperatures below freezing.  I know it is no big deal compared to places that always are below freezing in Winter. But this is Central Texas and I never expect it to get that cold here. 

It has been cloudy for about a week too.  I hate the dreary gray weather.  Hopefully it will get sunny soon too.   Hubby just put away the last of the indoor Christmas decorations.  So time to hunker down for a cold, dark January.  LOL.   At least February should start to show significantly earlier daylight and warmer temperatures.

Until then, I will strive to live each day to the fullest, enjoy life and make the best of the beginning of 2018 while it takes me a while to get used to writing 2018 !

Almost Christmas

I see I haven't blogged in weeks. Well I was busy with the Angel Christmas card project. I mailed over 300 cards! :)  And I'm always busy at work, especially this time of year when folks take off so those of us who don't have off, need to pick up the slack.

I happened to have today off which is probably why it occurred to me to blog.  LOL.  I had an appointment at 2:00PM to have a core biopsy done on a suspicious mole clump that all the margins were not clean from the small biopsy they took last month.  That just happened to be when it was scheduled, as I forgot I had today off when I made that appointment.  It went okay but I can't do my exercise tapes for 8 days. That is when I get the stitches out.  I'll just walk instead as that is something I am allowed to do. They don't want me bending or twisting alot. Yah right... with 4 dogs, that is going to be pretty hard to avoid.  I was pretty good the rest of today...so far.

Hubby and I did have some fun this morning doing some Christmas shopping and then had lunch at a near by Mexican restaurant.

Last week I had root canal done on that abscessed tooth and it really wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.  There is some medication that went in the root canal and there is a temporary filling in it. I don't go back until 'next year' to get it checked and if all is well, get a permanent filling on it (the crown was already there so they just drilled through it). I had no clue that they would let that one remain, but good thing as I saved a step that way.

I haven't done any baking for Christmas but will be making at least chocolate chip cookies when the youngest comes this weekend to visit.  It will be here before we know it.  I just have to get through the next two workdays.

Hump Day Off

Today I had the day off.  It was one of the days I scheduled to use up the rest of my time off.  I started out skipping the walk this morning as it was pouring rain and only about 40 degrees outside.  It was already pouring last night when I went to bed so I knew most likely I would not be walking today, so I instead slept in past 7:30am, which for me is sleeping in.

Even though it was cold and wet all day today, I had a nice day off. We skipped going out to lunch since the weather was so yucky, but I did get a bunch of the Angel Christmas cards done. This is mostly due to hubby helping me write a lot of the inside card greetings. I have gotten 180 (out of 300 possible) done so far. 

I also made a point of playing my guitar and singing which I haven't done in a long time. Hubby and I even sang a few together. We sound pretty good I think, although I'm sure I'm biased.  So for the first time I actually sat in the 'music room' and used it for just that purpose. My fingers are a bit sore and my nails on my left hand are a bit mangled from playing but it was worth it. I need to play it more often!!

Well although most of this year has been about hubby's health issues this month seems to be my turn.  Nothing major, but I have to go back and get a core biopsy done of that area that they took a light skin biopsy of, to get the rest of it (to make sure all the margins are clear).

And two days ago I had my regular dental appointment and showed the dental hygienist an area on my gums that has been bothering me.  A spot that was reddish with a white bump that didn't go away.  My dentist was not in (I only see her every 2 appointments - once a year) , but the other dentist that shares that office with her took a look, probed around and determined I have an abscessed tooth. I thought those hurt but apparently since mine is draining,it isn't painful. So now I have to go to an Endodontist next week and most likely get root canal. Fun fun.

Well back to the Angel Christmas card project.

December already?

I know..I haven't blogged in a while. But I have been busy with work and the holidays coming, as the Angel card project is under way and I've got 300 cards to try to get out.  And there is the reading I am doing with the oldest for our Mom & Me book club.  So yes, been a bit busy.

Today I worked some, gave Bella her first bath (which she was very good for), and decorated the Christmas tree.  This will be the last year for this tree...because even though it is a fake tree, we've been having to pick up needles like crazy  !! 

I also worked on the Christmas photo for our fur kids this year. One picture on the bed would not likely be an option this year with the new fur kid (I don't think Bella would have stayed on the bed), so we put their scarfs on and took individual pictures instead and then I created a photo collage in Word.  It isn't perfect but here it is:

Black Friday

Well today was Black Friday and there were tons of ads on TV, facebook and email with blasts of sales.  It is hard not to get wrapped up in it all and do some shopping, but I did not do any. I'm sure lots of folks did but I really haven't gone shopping the Friday after Thanksgiving in years, and I've never been one to stand in line outside the stores in the wee hours of the morning like some folks do either.  Nothing is that important.

I however did get a nice long walk in this morning with a neighbor I often walk with. Since I had off today I didn't need to worry about being back by a certain time, so we took a pretty long walk. I'd say that walk along with the one I took Molly on after I got back made it around 5 miles. 

We didn't see anyone else walking but I did see the mail man out delivering packages already before 7 AM.  He really had a long day today.  And it will likely be like this until Christmas is over.  I also saw a few houses with outdoor Christmas lights up already.  Tis the season I suppose. We don't usually put up any decorations until around December 8th.

We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner at my sisters house yesterday.  It was a nice spread.  I was very grateful that I didn't have to cook a turkey and all. We even got some left overs which we had for lunch today.

I started working on some of the Christmas cards for the Angel project this year.  I try to send as many as I can but I need to start them early so that I can get a good couple hundred at least done.

I had a hard time remembering what day it was today.  It felt like a Saturday.  I did volunteer to work this weekend since we don't have company visiting, so that's what I'll be doing the rest of the weekend.

Thanksgiving 'Eve

I read back on my last post before writing this evening.  The hot water heater didn't get fixed until Monday but it took the plumber all of 2 minutes. He was so nice, he didn't charge us anything!  We have used this plumbing company before and we will definitely use them again (but hopefully won't need them back any time soon). It was so nice taking a hot shower on Tuesday after I exercised.

I got a call last week from my dermatologist's office to let me know they were changing my appointment time for my next check up in January.  That was fine but it also prompted me to try to check my back as I really don't check much for changes in my many moles and freckles and can't see my back very well. I used a make up mirror and turned around to look at my back in the bathroom mirror. I saw a dark spot and it felt rough and I didn't know if it was something to be concerned about or not.  

The next morning I asked hubby to look at it and he thought I should get it checked ASAP. That is not usually what he says when I ask his opinion about stuff like this. So fast forward to today. I got a short appointment that was this morning.  I had really thought and hoped that the black spot was just a clogged cyst (big blackhead if you will).  Hubby got me worked up though with his initial alarm so I was a bit nervous.  So it turns out that it was nothing but a cyst like a sebaceous cyst which they took care of.  I was really relieved.  However she did say she saw a suspicious area lower on my back and took a biopsy of that. She said it was a small cluster of moles and just didn't look right. So I guess it is just as well that I went today, although I'm not sure it would be that much worse in January.  I really am glad that I get checked every 6 months. This way I know the doctor gets to do a thorough look, especially the areas I can't see myself.  I check my arms and legs every so often but that is really about it.  I regret having worshipped the sun so much in my youth as I am paying for it now.  Hopefully every suspicious mole will be caught early and I'll always keep the really scary skin cancer at bay.  I still have my appointment in January to get checked all over thoroughly again.  Maybe I'll be lucky and there won't be any more found at that appointment.

Yesterday I tried turning on the heater in my office which we hadn't used yet. We tested it when the addition was done and it did seem to be working (the air conditioning). My mom was never hot so we didn't need to use it while she lived there. Never did try the heat and didn't really need it until recently as we've had some pretty cold mornings. So I turned it on but it did not get warm,even when I turned the temperature up to 78 degrees.  I feel like we have so many problems with systems these days.  First the hot water heater pilot going out and now this brand new wall mounted split heat/air conditioning unit not heating.  I guess I'll be calling someone to come and check it out. I really hope the unit is fine as I could not find any warranty paperwork for it. I don't know if I ever got any either, as I was just so anxious to get that addition done to move my mom in back in May.  Oh well. Always something!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I am looking forward to it!  

End of the week

Well I survived Monday, Tuesday.. Wednesday, Wednesday eve' and Friday eve' too.  It was a busy work week. Also 3 days ago, hubby's stomach was starting to bother him again.  So the stress of possible colitis returning was upon us (and me) again.

Luckily he remembered 2 days ago that the doctor who performed the colonoscopy had prescribed something for hubby to help with stomach issues. We looked it up and since it had no aspirin or ibuprofen contents, he decided to give it a try yesterday.  He only had gotten it a few days before his colitis emergency in September.  It actually helped him quite a bit, what a relief!  We delayed pizza night from last night to this evening to see if he was feeling more up to it.

He was doing pretty well today so he was up for some pizza which we just had. I am so very happy the medication is helping him!

The other thing that has been on my mind is hubby's follow up CT Scan on his lungs that is on Tuesday to see if the nodules have grown any.  Oye!  I really hope they have not grown, in fact I'd be happy if they shrunk.

Today it was really windy and I noticed when I was doing dishes in the afternoon that the water was not getting very hot.  So I checked and the light on the water heater was out.  Ugh! Hubby tried to get the hot water heater going again but it didn't work. I don't really like when appliances go out!! And I really didn't want hubby messing with it anymore either.  Since it is Saturday, at this point we'll just wait until Monday to call someone to get it back on. So much for my shower tomorrow.

Next week is Thanksgiving already! This year is really flying by. 

Monday 'eve' ick!

Mondays are not really all that bad. So why do I think ICK when I think about Mondays?  LOL.  I'm sure I'm not alone there.  I did work this weekend although not quite as much as I planned, as the system was unavailable last night.   Oh well.  I did make a very nice filet mignon and stuffed potato dinner last night with sauteed mushrooms and onions. It was really good!  And we had enough leftovers for this evening's meal. It was just as good tonight!

I decided last week that Bella has to go in her kennel during my floor work part of my exercise. She is just too rambunctious and I really can't do any of the exercises full out (without kicking one of the dogs somewhere). It has worked out nicely and I ignore Ditzy and anyone else who wants to play since it wouldn't be fair for me to throw a ball or anything while Bella is staring me down behind the kennel door. ;-)   It is only for about 15 minutes so it isn't that long.

This weekend was relatively warm(getting up to the low 70's) but it was cloudy, gray or drizzly much of the time too. I hope it gets sunny soon. I really love sunny days!  It really lifts my mood!.

Our neighbors are 'away' again for like the 3rd time in just over a month's time. It normally would be none of my business, but they usually ask hubby to watch their dog for them. Their dog is going blind and is I think 15 years old.  To me they should just stay home until she passes away.  Hubby finally put his foot down and said no this time. She needs to be walked twice a day and actually for her age really pulls on the leash.  Hubby's back is not all that great so he doesn't feel great after walking her.  Then she howls and howls out on the back deck (they have a doggy door).  She can go on for more than an hour at a time.  They got someone else to feed her and walk her, thankfully but it still doesn't make the constant howling end.  I feel really bad for the dog. It isn't her fault that her owners keep going away a lot.  I truly hope that when this dog passes, they don't get another dog!   It would be an injustice to the poor thing!

Hump Day

Today was rainy, dreary and cold...but I did have the day off, so that part was nice.  I took a long walk with the gal that I sometimes meet up with since I didn't have to rush back to take the 2nd walk and then clock in.  Then when I got back hubby walked with me and we took Ditzy with us.  I walked at least 4 miles. It felt good!

Later I cleaned the office really well (except for the bathroom), so that was nice. It was really needed.  I hadn't changed the calendar on my desk blotter since August. LOL.

And we went out to lunch with some friends and ate at a restaurant in a nearby town, called The Chunky Cow.  I didn't love my chicken salad sandwich but what Steve got looked good and my loaded potato soup was really good. We enjoyed chatting and I almost forgot it was Wednesday (and not the weekend).

Our friends have their own bee hives for honey and they generously gave us a jar of honey.  They explained how they have to extract the honey and it really sounded like a cumbersome task! But I thanked them so much and will really enjoy it.

Bella was fine today, thankfully!  Relaxing evening watching TV now...well she's not but we are.

Tuesday post

What started out to be a fairly warm day, turned colder and colder and it is now 59 degrees.  That may not sound very cold, but when it started out in the mid 70's, it feels pretty cold.  The lows tonight are expected to be in the 40's too.

This morning we had a real scare with our newest fur kid Bella (who is only about 7 pounds).  Hubby came back from being at the store and was in the kitchen putting a few things away.  It was about 9:40am, and Bella was just sort of laying in the kitchen and not really moving. She usually is hopping around, wanting to see what is going on, and smelling whatever she can. Then her head started swaying from side to side, not good.  I picked her up and she was just not looking good.  We laid her in hubby's lap for a while to see if she was just really tired, as sometimes she nods when she is falling asleep. I went back to the office and was thinking about calling the vet. 

She is always exploring whatever she can find outside, and I was hoping she didn't ingest something poisonous.  Suddenly hubby was headed to the back door announcing she was getting sick.  She proceeded to upchuck her entire stomach contents out on the back porch.  I didn't really see anything peculiar.   When she was done she was still lethargic. We decided to wait a little to see if she got any better since she got rid of everything in her stomach.  She did start to relax a bit and was resting without head sways or jerking or anything.  Then she took a nap for a while. So turns out she was okay.  It is so hard to know when to call the vet.   She is just so small, I didn't want to ignore something potentially fatal. I was really to the point of about to dial the vet's phone number.

By mid-afternoon she was running around the house again with a toy, playing.  She ate dinner fine and has kept it down and seemed fine since.  We're going to try to keep a better eye on whatever she gets into outside although we still really don't know what was wrong.  It is so hard with animals when they can't tell us what hurts.

Daylight Savings Night

Guess who ate dinner at 4:30PM because someone forgot to turn the clocks back? Well it wasn't me, because I was visiting the youngest since yesterday and came home around 3:30PM today  and I just assumed the clocks were changed.  But I was hungry enough to eat since it was really 5:30PM (well would have been yesterday).  Anyway, the clocks got changed promptly....at least the ones on the first floor. I'll make sure and change my clock tonight when head for bed.

It was nice to go visit Stac yesterday. Her boyfriend was going hunting up north so it was a good opportunity for some girl time.  We ate at Olive Garden which was nice.  It had been a long time since I ate at one as hubby doesn't really care for their food - says there are sun dried tomatoes on everything.  I had chicken scampi and it was good, but I loved the salad and breadsticks as I said, it had been a while since I ate in one of their restaurants.

I enjoyed seeing my daughter's cat again.  She reminds me a lot of our cat Smokie (who passed away years ago).  I found myself calling her little moke- moke alot. Stac also has a dog whom I can tell adores her. She looks and her and whines a little when she wants to be petted.  The dog is very tolerant of the cat who is often taunting her with her paws. The cat has a nice tower that has many levels and she has no problem climbing up to the highest spot which is very high up (only about a foot or so below the ceiling).  I'm glad her cat is so social.  She was out and about most of the time. The cat we had ended up spending a lot of time under our bed- may be due to our 3 dogs, but anyway, we had a nice visit. 

This year is really flying by - hard to believe it is already November!

Dogs and Dentals

Apparently we are doomed to our dogs needing tooth extractions despite my efforts of brushing their teeth.  Small dogs even shelties, due to their genetics and saliva enzymes tend to have bad teeth, period.   They are bound to need several teeth removed although I was assured yesterday when we picked up Ditzy that my brushing definitely helps. She got through her cleaning a lot better than Molly back in July.  She needed 5 teeth pulled (although we have to watch several more), but Molly needed 13 teeth pulled back in July.  In her defense, Molly will be 13 years old this month so she is older too.

I am still going to brush their teeth and am really working with the youngest (new fur kid) to get her used to brushing.  I do best with my finger (in terms of targeting areas), but do use the toothbrush too for the first part.

It is what it is. We love our smaller breeds, so more extractions will surely be in our future.

I am very happy that we are turning back the clocks this weekend. I do not enjoy taking most of my first walk in the dark. Today it was foggy/misty from having rained yesterday so it was dark for longer than usual.

Today is Thursday 'eve, so I'm happy about that.  Closer to the weekend!

Laundry day

It is supposed to get up to 73 degrees today, yea!  It is 68 degrees already.  I just opened the back porch door and turned off the heat. Bella already had one poop accident early this morning so hopefully won't be any more today anyway.

Today is laundry day.  No doubt about it, I have I think 5 loads to do.  So much for 'the day of rest' right? 

Anyway took a few more pictures today. Here are the flowers on the balcony and the other wreath and Christmas ornament my oldest created.  We have the ornament in the music room because it is made of pages with scores of music on it.

Brrr...already?

I was so elated when Bella got the hang of the using the doggy door last month.  So when it started getting cool in the mornings this week, I just dealt with it being cool and we kept the door open during the day so that the doggy door would still be used. 

But it was down in the 40's the other night and yesterday was cold and windy all day not getting much above 60, so we gave in and shut the door and turned the heat on.  It was too early to turn the heat on to me, living in Texas, but we were compelled to.  I was layering and still cold !!!

So, no surprise when I turned around while doing dishes this evening that I saw poop on the floor.  Oh well.  It will warm up later this week, so we'll be able to have the door open again at least until the next cold snap.

Sometimes Bella sits at the door when she has to go potty but other times she doesn't.  Oh well. We don't mind too much, she is such a cutie and really fits into our household and our laps nicely!

Beautiful wreaths and best buds

I wanted to share a few things with this blog.  My oldest has been creating wonderful wreaths to sell for the holidays.  I got three beautiful ones. One I haven't take a photo of yet but the other two I have hung up in my office.   They really look nice!

The other thing I wanted to share was how Bella and Tika are really becoming bed buds. Here they are playing tug of war together :)

 

Mums the word...

I didn't realize I didn't blog since Sunday. It has been a busy work week though, so that is probably why.

This weekend I had just a tiny bit of work which has already been done. After that I swiffered the office floor. There was lots of doggy fur there. It never looks that bad until I see the results - and how many times I have to clean the dog hair off the edges of the swiffer sweeper (versus replacing it a half a dozen times). Then I watered the mums that we got last weekend. The yellow ones are opening up beautifully so I took a few pictures.

We are planning to have lunch and a movie in a little bit. We've never used the Video on Demand feature of our cable tv, and are going to warm up our left over pizza and select a movie to watch. Although it isn't free, it is certainly a lot cheaper than going to the theater.

Nice weekend

No work this weekend so it was relaxation time. Hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary last evening. We got an early dinner (no lines) at one of our favorite restaurants Longhorn Steakhouse. It was yummy and I told our waitress that we wanted to take our time as we were celebrating our anniversary. I was getting the impression she was asking if we were ready to order our entree rather quickly.  Anyway she was very nice about it and told us to take our time. When our dinner plates were taken away they gave us a nice dessert on the house for our celebration. It was vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and drizzled chocolate on top. I didn't know they did that.  It was really nice!

This morning hubby and I got some mums to put on the front porch and balcony.  He screwed the pumpkin planters onto the railing on the balcony so that they can't fall off. The planters were called mumkins because they were mums in pumpkin planters. Cute!

Then this afternoon we went to the theater and saw The Foreigner (with Jackie Chan).  It was pretty good and we enjoyed it.  I had my popcorn of course, even though I had some longhorn leftovers for lunch.

Here are some pictures of the mums we got today.  I'll take some pictures when they are in full bloom.

Solar Mason Jars

I was looking online the other day for more ways that we can dress up the front porch area.  I located some really neat looking mason jar lights that use both battery/solar power to work. Since we are into antiques, I thought it would be the perfect addition.  We got them and hubby hung them up.

I just went out and they are all working and lit!:)   So exciting. I don't know how many hours they will last but it is pretty and I'm hoping they'll get enough sun light to recharge okay every day.
Here are some pictures.

Little ball

I had off on Tuesday and hubby and I went to find Bella (the new dog) a harness so that I could start walking her. We found one that fit nicely. We checked out the toys too because you can never have too many dog toys, right?   Anyway we got a cute little stuffed toy more Bella's size and also got some smaller balls that squeak for her to play with.  Can't find one already but here is a picture of the tennis balls, that Ditzy plays with compared to Bella's new ball size.  Cute huh?

Yesterday I tried out Bella's new harness. The harness was fine, but she was petrified! She just didn't want to walk at all. She shook, and laid down, etc. I tried just a little and then came back inside. We didn't even get past our house.  So not sure if she'll ever be a walker.  It is okay with me if she doesn't as she gets plenty of running around done out back and she also has run like crazy indoors already when she gets into one of her moods. I'm surprised she hasn't hurt herself with the amount of time she smacks herself against something because she can't stop in time.

Since hubby's digestive systems seems to be doing well, we are finally going to have our anniversary dinner this weekend.  That will be nice. Our anniversary was Sept 23rd, the day I had to call 911. So it will be about 3 weeks late, but that's okay. I am just so relieved that he seems to be doing fine.

Oh Deer!

I had forgotten yesterday that I had taken off today and tomorrow yet left some unfinished work. So today I did work 1/2 a day so that I could finish that up.

Then I dusted and mopped my office as it really was getting dirty (mostly with dog hair).

Bella is really fitting in nicely in our home, though she tortures Tika at times with how much she wants to play. Her play is play biting back and forth. Reminds me of got ya last that I used to play as a kid(just with a nip instead of a touch or sometimes slap, if I recall). Tika has been very patient with her.  :)

I am so happy too that Bella loves to get her teeth brushed and actually lets me brush them some (as opposed to her just trying to chew on the end and/or lick it). So happy that she is cooperating...she actually sits in the kitchen waiting when I open the drawer that holds the tooth paste/brushes.  How cute! 

We have a lot of deer around here and I captured some videos just a bit ago of some right outside our front porch just feet away.

This one there was one that started staring at me.:)

Pot photos

I finally took some pictures of the front with the plants in the pots. I was going to look for some cactus but the ones that hobby lobby had were very small, and not cheap.  We happened to walk by a 50% off area and found some green plants that were much bigger and I thought would look nice. I think they look real enough (at least to me).

I have always had trouble keeping plants alive that were hung at the front porch (see the empty hanging planters) so it is just as well that I didn't try to plant some live plants in them.  They likely would not last very long. 

I am working this weekend which is fine with me. It has been a while since I've worked on the weekend. Hubby is feeling good too, so hopefully his colitis is gone, fingers crossed never to return again.

Mid week update

Well hump day is nearly over.   I am happy to say hubby is still doing well and is having normal bowel movements. This evening he made a Deli pork/mashed potatoes/green beans and gravy dinner which was a nice surprise. It was almost like a holiday.  He is still being sensible with his portions and he really is eating a little bit slower. So kudos to him!  Hope it continues. 

Last weekend we did buy some 'fake' plants for the planters out front but I keep forgetting to take pictures. I don't feel like running out right now but I'll be sure to take some soon.

Although we thought that Ditzy would be the playful one with Bella, it turns out Tika is a lot more playful.

Caught a video of them playing.

Cute video

Hubby is feeling pretty good still and hopefully will not need to go back to a doctor (or more) for his abdominal issues.  He is still taking it slow with the solid foods, although he did have some of my Parmesan crusted chicken that I had leftover from dinner last night (the youngest came to spend the night since she had a workshop in North Austin yesterday and she and I ate there last night). 

We are planning to have fish this evening for dinner which should be easy on his stomach too yet provide some more protein. He is still drinking an Ensure every day too. 

I can't believe it is October 1st already. I hope it will be a healthy month for hubby.  I am looking forward to it getting a little cooler too.  The days have still been in the upper 80's lately and by this time of the year that gets pretty old.  

I took a short video today because Bella was laying so weirdly on hubby!  LOL.  You'd think her neck would be so uncomfortable!

Photo Op

I managed to get a great shot of 3 of the fur kids today.  I left the office to go into the kitchen and looked back and was able to grab the camera before anyone moved.

I haven't posted for a while.  Hubby got really sick on our Anniversary which was Saturday and ended up having to go to the hospital with at best guess extreme colitis. He was there until the wee hours of Tuesday morning when he couldn't stand it any more.  They wanted to do a colonoscopy on Tuesday which he already had done earlier in September that he isn't convinced wasn't the reason he had this problem and ended up there in the first place.  He was extremely exhausted from lack of sleep and also didn't want to have that procedure done. He was also done with all him antibiotics so as far as he was concerned he didn't need to be there any longer.

So anyway he is feeling much better and has no stomach discomfort or pain.  He is introducing foods very slowing and also got some Ensure today to help provide some protein.   Fingers crossed he'll have regular bowel movements. 

Fun Friday well started out rough...Part II

...continuation of post below...

After we left Dyer Mercantile, I suggested going to a store that carries lots of outdoor art, decor and pots. There we hit the jack pot, although they were closed when we got there, a lady came right before we were going to leave and come back, which was nice.  They didn't open until 11AM which seems a bit late, Anyway we scored lots of nice things which I posted below.  The plan for the front porch pots is to put large cactus plants in them.  I think it will make the porch nice, and give it some color since we did have all the shrubs removed and we'e no longer going to get the front landscaped.

When we got home, had a call from the Vet's office.  Our Bella has one type of worms that we need to treat. So after lunch I picked up the meds for that. I need to start picking up the poo too. Guess what I'm doing after dinner when the sun is not so hot?!

 We're going to try a different pizza place tonight. It is called Marco's and they deliver as well.  So hope it is good!  Here's the pictures of the things we got today:

NOT REAL EASY TO SEE THE POTS BUT WITH CACTUS SHOULD SHOW MORE

THESE ARE AT THE BACK STEPS 

THIS WAY BELLA CAN'T JUMP FROM THE EDGE AS SHE WAS

THE METAL BLUEBONNETS ARE NEW TOO

WE GOT THEM FOR EITHER SIDE BOTTOM STAIRS

AND ARMADILLO JUST FOR FUN AND COLOR!

Fun Friday well started out rough...READ FIRST :)

Last night the trash was not picked up until after 7PM.  I checked the can before bringing it down the driveway to make sure it was empty.  It was empty except for a bag that was plastered to the bottom and the can really, really STUNK!  

Today after exercising and getting a quick shower, I went out to hose off the inside. I had to use a broom handle and a rag to try to get whatever was stuck at the bottom off.  Yah! Really gross!  But I got it pretty clean and it doesn't knock me over with the smell anymore.

Hubby and I were going to check out an Antique Pickers Back Road Tour event this morning that was at a local Hampton Inn.  We got there only to find a small room with a handful of people sitting around a table with either a bag or a few items in front of them. It was not an Antique show that we expected at all.  We weren't there to try to see what something was worth.  So we laughed after we got back to our truck.

Then we went to both Walmart (where they already have CHRISTMAS things out) and Home Depot to look for some decorative pots to put outside in the front and the back.  Neither place had any! We were sort of striking out with our plans today.

I suggested going out to a small store down the country road a little called The Mercantile at Dyer Dairy since I've always wanted to check it out.  It is a small building in front of what I would guess is their farm. The whole family was there, 2 kids at a small table, what I would assume were husband and wife, and grandpa. I guess the kids are home schooled as this is Friday and is a school day.   They had a lot of frozen meats but not much in the way of vegetables which is what I really was there for.  They did have zucchini, radishes and okra and I got a little of all of them.  I also picked up some Raspberry preserves and some lemon honey spread.  So it was nice going there but I'm not sure how often we'll go.  I just need to get myself to the Farmers Market here in town on Saturdays more often.
I have not had fresh vegetables much at all in a long time. I know I could get some at the grocery store but I'd rather buy locally grown, fresh vegetables, instead of something with who knows what pesticides from maybe other countries and days old to boot!

This is getting rather long so I am going to post a Part II.

Thusday Eve' post

Well yesterday's planned biopsy for hubby's lung nodule(s) didn't happen. I didn't get my walk in since it was going to be an early start to the day. We got to the hospital by 7:30AM, and he got a room, a gown, and two nurses unsuccessfully trying to get a needle in his hand (that I took as a sign), only to have the radiologist come in the room and say he saw the films for the first time and due to the location of the nodule (was only concerned with the larger one), there was a good chance he would not get a good sample and also there was a high risk of lung collapse.  So clothes back on, still no answers and he is going to get a new scan in November to see if it grows any.

Since the day was not going to be taken up by the biopsy and recovery, we went and got lunch at a Mexican restaurant and it was nice.  I had a frozen Margarita as a nice treat too.

Then I had a scheduled hair cut which I moved up since I could, and got my hair colored and cut by my favorite hair stylist. She did a wonderful job.

Today I got my walk in first thing  Then we dropped my car at the auto shop for its annual inspection. The guy said we could actually wait for it and it would only take 15 minutes. I was still in my sweated up walking outfit and we had a 9:30AM appointment for our new fur kid at the vet for her first visit. I know how things are around here too..15 minutes is not 15 minutes and I didn't want to have to rush trying to get washed up and ready for the vet after waiting more like 35-45 minutes. So we just went back in the afternoon to pick it up.

Bella was actually a good girl at the vet's office. She didn't snap or bite at all. She shook a little but not the whole time but all of our dogs shake some so that is just the norm to me.  She is healthy and she just got one shot that she needed.  I ordered some heart worm preventative to start her on.

Then I had lunch plans with one of my sisters that lives nearby.  We had a nice lunch and got caught up with our lives.  She got to meet Bella too, although Bella pretty much just barked and ran away.  Oh well.  I still think she is doing very well, at least when it is just hubby and I.

This afternoon was a quick trip to get my car and then it was just relaxation time.  I am enjoying my time off, even if some of it is things that just had to get done.  At least I didn't have to try to work around my buy work days.

I am ending this here as I'm watching a Penn & Teller TV show and it is better to actually watch it than just listen (magic acts) .  :)

Done my work week

Well I'm done my work week. Yippee! I have the next 3 days off. Nothing special planned though.  Actually hubby is getting his lung biopsy tomorrow (2 nodules were found a few weeks ago). Hope it will be painless and not too long a procedure for him. I really hope that they are nothing big either (like the "C" word).  Then the car needs inspecting, new fur kid to the vet, etc. But hey at least I am off until Monday.

I do have plans to go to lunch with one of my sisters and want to do some singing too.  So there will be some me time too. I'm determined!

Bella is really getting cozy in our home and I am so glad. She was running in and out of my office today with a toy and making a funny noise as she shook it in her mouth.  She is such a delight and I am glad we adopted her. Hubby has really grown attached to her too.  He spends some special cuddle time with her in the morning before I am awake.  She has really wormed herself into our hearts already.  :-)

Birthday

Today is or at this point practically was my birthday. The youngest and her guy came up yesterday so that the four of us could go to Vince Young's Steakhouse in Austin. My youngest's boyfriend drove so we treated.  We had seen commercials for it almost every night for a long time.  The food was good, the company was great but our waiter was a bit lacking. It was hard to hear what he was saying and he was awkward at times. He only asked one of the four of us if we wanted another 'drink'and no I was not the one. Doing that courtesy to me is a 'given' especially in what I would consider fancier and pricier restaurants.  Our dinner today before tip was just over $400!

We had enough to take home the leftovers for lunch today. They do have a tasty filet Mignon, but I'm not keen on going there again any time soon.  We did tell the waiter that we were celebrating 3 birthdays and an anniversary and they did give the 3 of us a small chocolate mousse/cake? dessert with a candle on it (for free). It was nice but I wanted to get the creme brulee instead and didn't get the chance to say I'd like that instead (the waiter ignored my request to see the dessert menu). Oh well. Like I said it was great to go out with the kids and get a meal somewhere where hubby and I would never bother driving to. ;-)

Today I actually worked some this afternoon as I saw there was quite a bit of work for me yesterday when I did work for a short time. I didn't mind even though it was my birthday. There wasn't anything going on today for that, although I asked hubby to sing to me at dinnertime and he obliged. Birthdays are just not a big deal as we get older, although today marks the start of a new decade for me. I am so glad I don't feel as old as I am!

We're really enjoying Bella (our new dog). She is really getting comfortable with her surroundings and I work with her a little every day on the doggy door. :-)

Odd choice of Toy !

Here is Bella using the large dog bed that was against the wall as a toy.  She pulled it away from where it was against the wall.

Going to have to keep my shoes off the floor

Yesterday morning we started our little road trip to Waco with Ditzy to go meet Bella at a rescue facility.  It was off the main road and luckily I zigged instead of zagged a few times and we got there just fine.  The gals there were very nice.  Bella was brought in to meet us and she scrambled into a shelf to hide.  They got her out of there and although she was very skittish, she was adorable.  We ended up adopting her and bringing her home.

It will take a little time to earn her trust but already she's been better today.  She even played with a toy or two.  Here is a short video I took today of her.

Busy day off!

Today I took the day off.  Hubby had a colonoscopy procedure scheduled which he was to be at by 11:00AM, and I also had to renew my driver's license in person this time around.  I got up at 6:30AM to get my normal walk in.  Then it was back home, a quick cup of coffee and then I had to pick an outfit to wear and put my make up on.  Hey that picture may have to last me another 12 years so I wanted to look decent.  Once I was satisfied with how I looked I headed over to the driver's license office.  One of the ladies I walk with warned me that it could take 4 hours!  I didn't realize there were only a few drivers license locations for our entire county.  I got there around 8:45AM and there were quite a few people there.

I gave myself until 10AM and then I'd just have to leave and come back again within a week  Luckily my number was called at 9:53AM so I was happy about that.  The process went pretty smoothly until I had to read the numbers.  I have rarely worn my glasses I got 3 years ago and only use reading glasses when I need them.  I brought my other ones in case I really had to use them.  I got through the first two sets of numbers without a problem but the third set was tough. I finally got them on my 4th try when I was about to give up and get my glasses out.  Phew.  It isn't that I hate wearing glasses, but I just don't want to HAVE to wear them which I would if it was put on my license correctional lenses. So I left there a happy camper and went to Sonic for a Mocha Java Chiller and cinnasnacks  because I wouldn't really have time to have a typical breakfast with all my fruit.

I got home to basically pick up hubby and head to the medical office for his procedure which was close to 30 minutes away.  The entire time I was there they had the weather channel on which had warning after dramatic warning and stories about the hurricanes coming to Florida and the US.  Even though I tried to read after hubby went back it was hard to not listen to all the panic.

While hubby was in the procedure room along with some other patients there was suddenly a man who sounded like he was choke coughing loudly. That is the only way I could describe it.   It was horrible and everyone in the waiting room was looking at each other. He made this horrible sound like 8 times!  I leaned over to the woman next to me and said "I hope that isn't my husband" and she said she hoped it wasn't hers.  An ambulance came.  Then a nurse also came out an announced that they had an emergency situation but it was getting under control.  Here while all that was happening they lost all their Internet and computer power too. Their instruments, etc died.  I didn't even know about that until after getting Steve in the car.  The TV in the waiting room was working fine the whole time. This problem lasted about 30 minutes I think.

I actually had opened the door for the ambulance guys to come in the back way for that poor man, who luckily was not my husband.  The nurses said (when I was back with Steve in recovery) that that incident never happens (something when wrong with that man or he had some other ailment or something, I don't know).  But this place was solely for simple colonoscopy procedures. Ha!  This really got me wanting to have my first colonoscopy - NOT!  Think I'll pass a while longer and take my chances.  I read up quite a bit on it and many polyps never even turn into cancer so it doesn't mean anything that polyps were found and removed.  And hubby has not felt very good ever since the procedure.  The actual prep for him was easy, the recovery is turning out not to be. They did find 3 polyps that they removed and biopsied and he has a follow up appointment in 2 weeks. He also has acid reflux so will get a prescription for that (which apparently isn't ready yet as I tried to check).

After we got back from that it was about 2:30 or so.  I went out and got some dog food and cat food to take with us tomorrow for an animal shelter we are going to visit.  We may be adopting a new furkid. Fingers crossed and will post more about that tomorrow.  It certainly isn't required to give them things they need, I just thought it would be a nice gesture.

I made hubby a couple eggs for dinner and I just had soup.  He certainly wouldn't be able to handle the pizza that we usually get on Friday nights.

So it is time to relax on my day off, finally!

Labor Day weekend

So it is the weekend and I have tomorrow Labor Day off. I am not working of course.
I have not tried to get gas yet but I did hear the gas panic is getting better. In a few days I'll venture out to fill up.

Last evening we had dinner out at a nice restaurant in town with some new friends, well my hubby has known them for a little while. We had a good time and hopefully will be getting together with them again sometime.

Today I spent some time cleaning the bathrooms. I am glad that I spent so much time thoroughly cleaning them a few weeks ago.  They weren't too bad at all and it took me half the time to clean them.  I did work some too but not a full day's worth.

Well it is September,the month full of celebrations. We have birthdays and our wedding anniversary. Will have to do something special that's for sure.

I took this picture the other day. I thought this apple was so unusual in color!!

Let's Panic people!

Well we survived the rest of the storm without losing any electricity. And we only got about 8 inches of rain as opposed to 50+ inches that Houston and that area got.  Thankfully!

But today, because of all the panic that there is a shortage of gas, or there will be, there has been a run to the gas stations. Lines and lines of cars and then yup, gas stations closing down pumps because yes they ran out of gas.  This is ridiculous. There wasn't a gas shortage but now thanks to the panic there is. At least temporarily.  I am almost on empty too, but I wasn't worried about it because I don't drive much these days since I work at home.  So I did not go out and wait in any long lines. Hopefully within a few days, the panic will subside and then I will fill up my tank and be set for a while again.

I have been catching some news stories about Hurricane Harvey and feel so bad for all the folks who have been flooded out of their homes.  I can totally relate to them since I grew up in a house that was located in a flood plain (though they never told anyone for years), and we had water in the basement many times. The worst was when we had 5 feet in the basement and it rose up to just 5 steps from the living area.That time the door to the garage gave way and came off the hinges and busted inward (due to the force of the water). I remember my brother sitting on the washing machine or dryer, I don't recall which. He trying to keep it from floating away.

The smell after the water subsided was something I never will forget. And the mud and muck that just seeped up from the tile floor kept seeping up even after mopping. Ugh. Yes I feel for those poor people in Hurricane Harvey's path. And there were so many that got flooded too. I heard today 100,000 homes were affected. I also hope that the death toll doesn't go way up because nobody knows if some chose to stay in their home and never got out. Today they showed rescue folks going door to door and knocking.  If someone was holed up in their attic or upstairs closet, they may not hear a knock or doorbell.  I hope I'll be wrong but time will tell.

Been trying!!

I have been trying to blog for several days now on my laptop and it wasn't working. So I downloaded Chrome and that seems to work so I will try to catch everything up in this blog.

Sunday - I don't remember much about what I did Sunday so sorry but nothing to say.

Monday - I did not watch the eclipse other than what was on the Internet and the TV.  It really never got dark here either as it was only like 40% covered during that time frame.  It looked like maybe partly cloudy at best.  Hopefully any of you that watched used the proper eye wear to see it.

Tuesday - I remember working late on Tuesday as there was much to do.  That is okay with me. I really do enjoy the work I do and used to work a lot more a few years ago than I do now.  Back then it was working 7 days a week but that is rare now-a-days. I got caught up with the oldest on a book series that we just finished reading.  It was sort of a lame series but I really enjoy chatting about it with my oldest.  Between the two of us, we figured out who murdered someone before we got to the end.

Wednesday - Wednesday I went out at lunch to take care of some banking,  I found out if I had opened a certain type of savings there at the branch I could have gotten some free money!  I sure wish they would have told as that was already done.  Oh well. The place I bank at was having a sort of customer appreciation event on Friday where they had free food, etc., but I generally only take a 30 minute lunch so I didn't go even though they gave me a flier on it.

Thursday - I met one of my sister's for lunch. In order to not spend a ton of time, we ate at a local Subway.  They were so slow!!  There were only 3 people in front of us but we waited over 20 minutes just to get to our turn in line.  I was almost going to suggest eating somewhere else.  I ended up being gone the entire hour which was unreal to me.  But we had a nice lunch.  My sister was headed out to NC to visit a friend the next day so she is missing a lot of this hurricane crap!

Friday - It was pizza and beer night as usual.  I usually never work late on Fridays bur I had some work to finish up but I got it done relatively quickly.  Hurricane Harvey was in the news the last few days and was hitting Rockport,TX badly.  We were expecting some rains but nothing seriously major.

Saturday - brings me to today. Although we are in what I would say us the outer cone of Hurricane Harvey the power went out today just before noon, and you guessed I was working. It isn't like we had high winds or tons of rain either.  I have no clue why it went out.  It didn't come back on until 4:15PM.  I heard some popping noise coming from the small fridge in that room and here a bunch of water had melted and gotten under the fridge and around the back and a little on the floor. I'm just very glad there was no electrical fire once the power came on and it went back on. I cleaned up the mess and it was back on and functioning. I didn't bother to do anything more because the power was on then   Just now about 6:52PM, the power went out again.  I'm only able to keep blogging because for some reason the laptop is keeping my blog open so I can type.

I went ahead and turned off and unplugged that fridge and put a tray in the bottom to hopefully catch any melted ice this time.    Sure hope they get it back on before Pit Bulls and Parolees comes on.  It just came back on at 8:45PM!  Fingers crossed it stays on!  Posting this now while I can, sorry for any typos!

Saturday before Solar Eclipse 2017

Today I scrubbed the kitchen floor and changed the air filters for the 2 air conditioner systems. I wasn't going to really do any cleaning today but  that needed to be done.  When we run the air conditioner most of the time, mainly due to over 30 days of 100 degree temperatures so far this year, the filters get dirty pretty fast, even though we only have 3 dogs now. And the floor was pretty dirty too, again due to 3 dogs, 2 people and what seems like never ending dust in the area.  Even though hubby does do a lot of the cleaning, our house really isn't as clean as I'd like it and so I pitch in when I can.  The weeks I work 7 days, there is little time for cleaning.  I haven't had very many 7 day work weeks this year actually, but I do really hate cleaning.  I'd rather work than clean.  LOL !

I went through some more paperwork in my old office as I still have some things to go through although I've got my new office nicely situated at this point.  I'm happy with the progress I have made. 

I have been watching all the hype about the eclipse coming up on Monday.  I saw on the news all the people that were traveling to the areas where there is going to be a total eclipse and pitching tents in the fields.  That part sounds neat to me. Just going to see all those other people waiting for that event together.  I would be going for that more than the event itself as I don't plan on trying to watch it (other than when it replays on the news). 

I am happy to say that an Orchid plant that was in the flower arrangement on my mom's casket last month (funeral was July 27th) is still doing pretty well. I just keep it in the sink in my new office and water it occasionally when it is needed.

This and That

I have today and tomorrow off work as the year is speeding by and I have to use my vacation (or lose it).  I started out the day helping hubby drop off his truck for inspection (bringing him home).  School started today around here so it was fun (not) going through the school zones.  The timing was bad as the school zone lights were also blinking when we went to pick up his truck this afternoon when it was ready. The line of cars waiting to picking up the kids was very long and even went down the street and around the corner.  Ah...the first day of school when parents pick up the kids.  Doubt that will last very long.

When we got back this morning, I exercised and grabbed a shower and then proceeded to clean our 3 1/2 baths.  I should have waited until after I cleaned to take my shower because I really worked up a sweat cleaning as our bathroom especially needed everything  deep cleaned.  Hubby made breakfast for me (egg and English muffin) which was a nice break from the cleaning and gave me energy to finish up the rest. 

Later we went out to have a nice Mexican lunch.  It was good and I had a frozen margarita (YUM). I got in some singing late this afternoon on singsnap and just had some cheese and crackers for dinner as I wasn't really hungry since we had lunch on the late side.

All in all I'm happy with what I got done today. Tomorrow I don't have plans yet but one thing I do know is I won't be cleaning any bathrooms!  :-)

Nice dinner

We just got back from a nice dinner out at Cotton Patch.  It was really nice just being able to go out, relax, take our time and not have to rush back for any reason (for my mom).  Although I miss her every day, it is nice after over 2 years of being confined to the house or her house every day/evening to not have to worry about eating out.  I got grilled shrimp & rice and also took home the peach cobbler to have in a little bit for dessert.

I worked this weekend but also had plenty of time to get some singing in on singsnap and read some of the book my daughter & I are reading.  The medical bills for my mom have been trickling in.  I have to call one place tomorrow as they are double billing for some of the things she had done and were already paid for. I wonder how many seniors get double billed and don't even think twice about paying them because they don't double check to see if they had already been paid.

I have noticed the disparity in billing depending on a person's insurance too.  My hubby was only at the same hospital as the one my mom went to for one night.  His total bills to the insurance company were over $110,000!!  This was for a herniated disc operation and overnight stay.  Yes it was unreal!  My mom was there for 6 days from the time at the ER, a hip operation, several nights stay and then  discharged to the rehab center.  Her bills to Medicare were less than $20,000.  Although I am relieved/happy/grateful about that, I guess Medicare has much better coverage than the insurance I have through my employer.  I don't know why but I thought they'd be about the same. Silly me!!

Catching Up

Wow.  I didn't think it had been since Saturday that I blogged.  Oh well.  Let's see. Sunday we saw the movie Kidnap with Halle Berry at the theater.  Hubby hadn't been to  the movies in a while and we thought the previews for it looked good.  Halle Berry doesn't seem to age at all!! She was beautiful once again!  But other than that the story line became unbelievable and was for the most part a long car chase movie. By the 3rd time she was in a crash and walked away, I was sort of rolling my eyes.  It was entertaining enough I guess but I was a bit disappointed.

This week itself has been spent working, still adjusting to my new 'office' and getting hot temperatures again although on Monday we did get close to 5 inches of much needed rain.  The rain came and actually hung around and reminded me of the rains back east where it rained all day and didn't budge.  Most of the time the storms move in and out fairly quickly here in Texas. It was a much needed help for the abnormally dry/drought areas around here, although it does smell very moldy for a few days after it rains like that.

Today I had the day off.  I took it off purposely to get some things done to start taking care of my duties as executor of my mom's will.  I did get a lot accomplished and was pleased to cross off everything on my list.  Although everything is not fully completed, I have at least put things in motion.  I also had a nice visit with my sister as I had some things to drop off there anyway.  I was able to enjoy a piece of her son's leftover birthday cake. 

When I got home from my sister's house the mail was on the counter. I opened our gas bill which is usually around $30.  It was $222 !!!   I was like what? #@$@$    I called the gas company and she asked if we smelled gas anywhere and hubby did say that once in a while he thinks he smells it outside at the meter.  So we were connected to the gas emergency line and someone was dispatched to come out and check the gas.  I was trying to think of why else the bill could be so high.  It isn't like it is winter and we've had the heat on a lot. That is when it is its highest although it has never been more than like $85.

While waiting for the gas company to come out I looked at the beginning and end reading on the bill, went outside and the end reading was way off, by 200 units (measurement)!  So that is what the issue was. The gas line was checked since they came out to check that anyway and the gas line is fine.  So now I just have to wait for an adjusted bill to come in a week or two. Phew?!  That was making me panic!

Now I can finally relax for the evening and get some reading in.

Hungry I was!

Woke up at 8AM today but could have slept longer.  I did some work today so I went ahead and got up. I also am in the process of transitioning my old office to my new one and so went through a few shelves in the old office and only moved over what I really want in the new one. My old office was packed with knick knacks and I don't want to totally junk up my new one.  I dug in to do some work around 9:30AM.

So we were supposed to get together with this couple that hubby met when he went to buy some things from them.  They were going to call by this morning but when they didn't get a call, he tried to call them to no avail.  So I told him let's just forget it and if they contact us make it next weekend.  I thought he was in agreement but the husband called and I heard hubby say 2:30?  That's fine.  So he gets off the phone and tells me at nearly noon that they are coming at 2:30.  Well that was not what I thought we agreed to.  I worked until  around 1:30 and then started getting ready (a little make up, bra), tidying the house, spraying with febreeze (hey we have 3 dogs), etc.  I didn't have lunch because I had a late breakfast at 11AM since I got up so late. 

Hubby had told me the man offered him a glass of wine when he went over there and knew a lot about wines, etc., so we were going to offer them wine and cheese and crackers.  Hubby went and bought 4 kinds of cheese and 3 kinds of crackers and I had already put two bottles of wine in the fridge yesterday to get chilled.

They got here around 2:30PM and we talked some and showed them around.  They are very nice and I'm happy that we met but when I asked them about a glass of wine, she said that he didn't drink anymore and she doesn't very often (and certainly not in the afternoon).  GREAT!  So I was pretty much starving because I didn't have lunch and thought that would be fine because I'd have some wine and cheese.  Hub asked her if she wanted a soda or anything and neither wanted anything.  I SHOULD have said that I was having a glass of wine and cheese so that I could get something in my stomach, but I didn't want them thinking that I had a drinking problem.  LOL !!   Oye!  They stayed until about 4:30PM and like I said we had a good time chatting with them but the gathering didn't go as I had expected (with wine and cheese).  We talked about getting together for dinner out sometime soon.  I'm not holding my breath though.  If it happens fine, but if not I'm not going to be disappointed.  I've learned to have low expectations.