Post #215....2019

Well the year is almost done and so I will only have posted 215 times or so and not 365 by years' end.  Oh well I never knew when the year began that I would be working so much. I'm happy enough with the amount of posts I did write this year.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas who celebrate it.  And best wishes for a wonderful 2020!

Christmas was nice with the youngest and her hubby here for a visit.  I actually had off today and yes it is Saturday but I have been working on Saturdays a lot this year.  It was nice having off but strange as well.  When one is so used to working all the time, it is as if something is off when not. We did have a dog grooming appointment and took advantage of the time without 2 of the dogs so we went shoe shopping.  Hubby got a much needed pair of sneakers and I got two pair of boots.  I only had one pair of boots that went just above the ankle.  I used to have some good cowboy boots, but I didn't keep them well and they started shredding last time I tried to put them on. LOL.  I had gotten them when I still lived back east so they were at least 15 years old.

Anyway here is a picture of the two I got.  I was going to only get one pair but it was buy one and get one 50% off.  They are nice and I plan to wear them even if just around the house.  :)  They make me feel more like a Texan too :)

Blog #214..2019

Yikes!  It has been 13 days since I blogged!  Did you miss me?  I didn't think so.

Something has to give when the holidays are approaching and there is so little time.  I have been working 7 days a weeks still yes, and since some folks are taking time off, we have more work added to our load to cover others who are out.  

Then there is the Angel Christmas Card Project that I do every year.  So when I could I worked on those and met my goal of sending out 100 cards this year.  I usually do a lot more than that but there were over 500 names on the list this year.  It wasn't going to happen.  I'm sure that everyone will get cards though as several people volunteered to send out cards.

I have used up any days off I had left too.  This week I worked every day.  Tomorrow is the last lunch of the year for my ladies group.  And then there is work.  I didn't take on as much as I usually do as I have to carve out some time on Sunday to bake cookies!  I bought some Hickory Farms goodies but I have to make some sort of Christmas cookies, otherwise it won't seem quite like Christmas.

The youngest and her hubby are coming for dinner which will be nice since my other daughter never gets here at Christmas.  Maybe some year...

See?....you didn't miss much, as there wasn't a whole lot to blog about.

Blog #213....2019

Here I am finally posting the Christmas photo of the dogs. I probably could have gotten a little better picture but I actually like how they all are so expressive.  Ditzy on the right looks bored and wants to get the photo shoot over with.  Bella in the middle doesn't love her Santa outfit and kept jumping down.  Tika sat there and was being really good about the pictures except when she turned around to look out the window right when I was snapping the photo.  So yah...just kept this one :)

Today was the ladies lunch group and we had a great turn out!  There were 12 of us and that is I think the most we've had.  There are 3 ladies that used to go to the Wednesday group that came.  That group disbanded but I never had anything to do with that mid-week group other that get it formed in the beginning.  It was sad but at the same time made me proud that our group has been going for over a year and a half!  A few of us including myself handed out small Christmas gifts.  I do hope some come for the lunch we have yet this month in a few weeks but it will likely be a light turn out since that is right before Christmas.

Blog #212..2019

I'm tired but going to post a short one.
It is December already, yup!!
Christmas lights are now up and the furkid's annual photo is done.
I'll post that picture soon, as I already have everything but this blog
turned off.

There was a short story on the Today show this morning about
women who color their hair and/or use straighteners have a higher
risk of getting (breast) cancer.  That is not really the reason I made
this decision, but I decided to let my hair go grey.  I have colored it
for years (probably about 35-40) and it is time to see just how bad
my natural hair looks.

It is scary but I'm also curious how it will look.  Hopefully I won't
look bad.  We'll see.  I was suppose to get my color today but I told
my hair dresser about my plan and she's fine with letting it go and
seeing how I like it.  She said it is darker in the back toward the lower
third of my head and lighter gray at the top (above forehead).  So
anyway we'll see.  I can always color it again if I don't like it.

I had off today and did get some things done today which was nice.
But I'm tired now and have to work tomorrow so I'm off for the night.

Blog #211...2019

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in America and we had a nice family gathering with our growing family.  Stac is now 7 months pregnant and is doing well.  We had the traditional turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, crock pot mashed potatoes, and corn casserole, cranberry sauce and rolls.

Stac and I made our traditional apple crumb pie which turned out really good! This time around I microwaved the apples for a minute so that they wouldn't be so hard as last time we made it the apples didn't seem to cook through enough.  It was a great idea!

Although I did work on Wednesday until close to 7 PM, I did have off yesterday and also today.  Last year my employer started giving us the day after Thanksgiving off, so it is really nice having a long weekend.  I had to keep reminding myself today that it was only Friday, but I'll take it!
I will likely work on some of the Angel Christmas cards this weekend as I won't have time to send as many as last year.  I am not sure if we'll bring out the Christmas decorations yet.  We may wait a few days and hubby usually puts most of them up.  I like seeing them up but don't love to actually do the decorating.  LOL.

Blog #210....2019

I have off today so I thought Id take the opportunity to write a post before the end of the day.  There are a few photos/video I'd like to share that I took in the last week or so.  Last Monday was Veteran's Day.  I also received a gift from my Aunt that she wrote me that was a gift my dad had actually given her while he was in the Navy stationed in Corpus Christi.  I thought it was so very nice of her to give me something that my dad had given to her as a young man giving a gift to his little sister while he was away serving his country.  I have a photo post card that he had sent to his parents after joining the Navy which I always keep at my desk.  Also there is a small photo of him, not sure if he was younger or older than the Navy picture but I have that one too.  It makes me feel like he's watching me while I am hard at work.  :)  These pictures are below.

 Then I won some nice dog/pet items from an online auction for a rescue organization and both Ditzy and Bella fit them nicely.  I also have one that I thought would fit Bella but it is a little too tight around the belly.   I have one load of laundry going and plan to sing today as well.  That is all on my to do list... :)

Blog #209...2019

TGIF !!  Though will be working this weekend I am looking forward to the Empty Nesters lunch out.  It should be a decent turn out.

When walking with hub this morning we spotted this tree.  Who says fall doesn't happen in Texas?
Actually most trees do not get this pretty but wanted to share this.

Well Thanksgiving will be here before we know it.  Then there is a baby shower for the youngest who will be nearly 7 months along by then.  And then Christmas...exciting times are coming!  :)
We will probably haul out the Christmas decorations right after Thanksgiving.  I've started to catch a few Hallmark Christmas movies too...hey it is close enough now.

Blog #208...2019

Today I had off and it felt like Saturday all day. :)

But then again I did do the walk with my buddies this morning though I told them I wasn't going to get up until 7AM and that worked okay for them today so I was happy to sleep a little longer.  

After that I got coffee, etc., and then started to dust my office which hasn't been cleaned in a long time (probably not since the last time I blogged about it).  I didn't quite get that done when it was time to get ready to go to lunch with one of my sisters.  It was her 59th birthday last week so I treated her to lunch.  It was nice.  I just had soup & salad but it was plenty.  She ended up giving me some 'gifts' that she was holding for me. One was a Twilight book that my other sister had for a while and knew I liked that series/movies.  I actually watched some of them last weekend as they were having some back to back showings of them.  

Then she gave me a bracelet with little bells all around it and some small handkerchiefs that both looked to be antiques from my Aunt Arlene 'Babe'.  So in case my sister Sue and Babe read this... THANKS! :)

I just now got these. 

After lunch I finished dusting my office and used the Swiffer on the bare floor and the vacuum on the rug. There was a lot of dust balls under the furniture!  But I got it a lot cleaner than it was.  Oh I also cleaned 3 of the 4 toilets in the house.   

I was going to try to fit in some singing mid-afternoon but I remembered that I needed to update my resume' for work.  I couldn't find it on the 2 computers I looked on.  It has been 7 years since I updated and I've gotten new computers since then.  I did finally find it on the last chance oldest computer that we never use that is in the guest bedroom, and anyway spent some time updating it so there went my singing time.  That's ok, I will finally get some government underwriting credentials.  Yippee~!

Now I'm off to read a little before turning in for the night since tomorrow is Not Sunday but only Thursday. 

Blog.#207...2019

Okay, I know.. it has been almost a week again. I can't help it.  I am still working a lot and the days are flying by.  And by the look of ads on the Internet and cable movie stations, Christmas is right around the corner.

There isn't really a whole lot to write about.  I will say my knee is fine from that fall around a week ago.  I was out walking by Monday again and it was really nice that it got light outside early into the walk thanks to changing the clocks.

The weather has been weird here as I hear it has been in lots of places around the country.  It has already been just below freezing (and for central Texas that is not 'normal'), though who knows what normal really is anymore.  Then we've had some days that still creep up to just above 70 degrees like yesterday which IS normal.  But by this coming Tuesday the forecast calls for the high to only reach 45 degrees so sweater weather again.

I feel bad that I haven't really cleaned much lately.  The bathrooms need a good cleaning. I'm going to do  the toilets and sinks tomorrow so that I can feel that I've done something at least.

I sat down and calculated that in a 24 hour day, after I deduct the work hours, and sleep hours, that leaves only 5 1/2 hours/day for exercise, hygiene, meals and anything else I can fit in.  So yeah, that is not a lot of extra time.  I'm sure it will get slow at some point so I'm trying to work as much as management wishes while it is busy.

Blog #206 ...2019

Sorry haven't blogged since Tuesday.  Same ol' story with a lot of work. :)

I also had a fall on Friday.  I was walking with my buddies in the early morning when it was still dark and we were on our last 1/4 mile when there was a car coming so I was moving over to the side of the road but that is where the black top meets a cement strip and it is uneven.  I twisted my left ankle and fell and smacked my right knee on the street (or cement) either way it hurt!   I was able to recover quickly from the twisted ankle (which I used to do a lot when I was young) but my knee hurt the rest of the way home.  It felt not terribly bad so I went ahead and walked one of the dogs with hubby.

By the afternoon my knee was still bothering me some, so I took an Advil.  Well that made me tired. LOL.  Anyway Saturday was my non exercise day so I rested for the most part by sitting at my desk working.  Also had a nice lunch with the gals.

Today I skipped the exercise again. I actually must have used my right hand (arm) to stop my fall as well as it hurts a little when I push against it (I was leaning over with my arms to kiss my hubby who was sitting in the chair when I noticed). My knee doesn't hurt much at all today but I didn't want to push it. I do intend to walk tomorrow, and on a good note, now that we've turned the clocks back an hour it will be mostly light outside for the walk.  I'm stoked about that! (Though I am bringing a flashlight just in case too- don't need to suffer another fall).

I am seeing that there are a bunch of movies coming on cable TV that are Christmas themed. Well it is November already so I guess that is typical.  I haven't watched any yet as it is too early for me.  :)

Blog #205...2019

I had off today! I know!  I forgot that I had today off too until I clocked in yesterday and saw that I had  put in for today off. Then I was happy! It made working until late last night worth it!

I didn't get up until after 8AM this morning!  It was much needed and much deserved.  I accomplished everything I planned to do today except for reading which I plan to do this evening.  We gave Bella a much needed bath and I voted (early), got some bills taken care of, we went out to eat a nice lunch and I got to sing quite a bit on Singsnap.com.  All in all, a great day!  We did break down and turned the heat on.  It is only 50 degrees out right now and it just was too cold inside for us (mostly me) to stand it.  So it is nice and warm too!

Oh I did a load of my cold wash too and brought the racks in from the back balcony to the bedroom since it is rainy, cold and wet.  I want the clothes to dry. :)

I took these pictures at random times and never posted them so I thought I'd post them now.

Can you spot the bird in this picture? (close up further down in post)

Expecting daughter with her dog (think mink stole)

Cute little flowers popping up out back on Oct 16th

My new diamond stud earrings :)

My new ring made out of the stud earrings I didn't care for

Close up of the bird on the wire

Another photo from Oct 16th

Blog #204...2019

This is going to be really short.  I spent the weekend with the youngest, her hubby, their furkids and her growing baby bump. :)  She is so cute!

Anyway I had Friday off so I did a few things in the morning and then headed out around 2 PM to drive down to their place.  I took the toll road thinking it would save me time, but missed the exit, so I went a bit out of my way but I got there okay.  :)

Had a nice weekend eating out and shopping.  Who doesn't like that right? :)
I'm beat though now so I'm hitting the sack early.

Will write soon.

Blog #203...2019

Just writing a short post since it has been a while.  I've been working a lot but also had a nice lunch on Saturday with the ladies club I started and yesterday 5 of us went to see 'Judy'.  It is a movie about Judy Garland.  I really didn't know much about her other than she starred in The Wizard of Oz.  She really had a rough life as a child star often taking pills to sleep, pills to avoid getting fat, etc.  Then there was the alcohol.  It was a sad movie.  I don't really recommend it unless you are prepared to feel sad at the end.  I like movies with happy endings!  I plan on looking for a light hearted movie for the next one we watch.  I'm glad to know more about her though and how hard life was for child actors back then.  It was very demanding! The movie was based mostly on facts and it was very eye opening.

The weather is still up and down though it is suppose to be more seasonal the rest of the week.  Yesterday's high was in the low 90's, but today it was more like a high of 80 degrees.  There was a cold front and storms that came through the area around 2:30AM this morning.  I'm just glad we don't live in the Dallas area where an EF3 tornado hit there.  There were 2 others near there as well just not EF3s.

I am glad we got some rain though to help with the drought we are in.

That's it for now.  I survived another Monday.

Blog #202...2019

I had off work today which was nice.  I forgot to tell my walking buddies though so I went ahead and got up to walk at my normal time.  It is still dark at 7:00AM!  I can't wait until we change the clocks so that we can get a little more light for a while.  The only nice thing about walking this morning was that a few folks have Halloween decorations up outside so that was nice seeing some lit up witches and ghosts.

I relaxed today.  I got caught up on some reading and we binge watched some episodes of Mad Men.
That was nice.  I almost thought it was a Saturday.  Tonight was Thai night.  I haven't had that in a while and it was good.  I wasn't quite sure if my favorite restaurant was still open on not but it is.  Back in May it was closed for a while.   I just thought of it the other day and so we drove over there and yah!!  Got my Thai fix!

Oh I also picked up my stud earrings.  They are very pretty!  I haven't put them in my ears yet but I plan to tomorrow.   I also firmed up that design for my pinky ring so that will be a few weeks from now.  I will consider it my Christmas present.  Lol!  Oh for those of you who wonder why I'm getting another ring when I have plenty of paparazzi, none of them fit my pinky. So there! :)

Blog..#201...2019

Wow.  The weather is really strange these days!  It has been hot all summer and even fall until yesterday.  It got up to the 90's on Thursday and yesterday the highs were in the 50's. Yes the 50's!!
It got down to the 40's at one point during the wee hours yesterday.  I had off (though I worked Thursday) and I had already told my walking buddies that I wasn't going to get up at 6 AM.  Thank God! :)

Hubby was going to get me up at 7 AM and when he called me it had already been raining since about 3 AM and it was windy and very cold!  So for once, and in rare form, I skipped my walk and didn't do any exercise yesterday (or today - though Saturdays I never do).  But I have no regrets.  It was way too cold and rainy to walk.  I don't want to get sick from the huge temperature changes either (not that I would), but walking in that would have not been the smartest thing to do. I wonder if my friends walked.  I'll find out on Monday.

Today was still cold compared to Thursday but it did eek up to the low-mid 60's.  We managed to not turn the heat on at all though I dressed in layers. LOL.   Tomorrow it should be a little warmer yet and then back up to the 80's.  I am not ready for instant Winter yet so I hope that was just a fluke cold snap.   Brrrrr.....

Blog #200...2019

Okay today is officially the 282nd day of the year and I'm only at post 200 but I'm still happy with that given how busy things are at work. Today I had off. Yes!!   Started off early at 6AM  because I forgot to tell my walking buddies that I had off.  But that's okay. Gave me even more of a day off.

After washing up and breakfast, hubby and I headed out to do a few chores.  Well I guess I should call it shopping.  I got a new lap top at Office depot.  It was a middle of the road system and hopefully will last me a few years at least.  I also got some copies made.  We had to go back later to get the laptop because they were installing some tech support software and Office for me as they were upgrades but included in the package. We both thought that was weird but when I get laptops from Dell I pick out what software we want and it gets installed before they ship it.  We stopped at Michael's too and got some fall decorations for the balcony.  Here's how they look.  Also we got a few flowers to add to the trellis.  I like it and think it looks pretty real.

Anyway after the first trip out we came home and grabbed the earrings hubby had given me (at least 3 years ago) as I'm having them made into a ring instead as they were too big for me (I wanted tiny diamond studs that I could always leave in my ears, and have a 2nd hole also and it was hard to get the 2nd pair in with those in). I also wanted to get some tiny stud earrings so anyway we got some things in the works. I'm having the original studs put into a pinkie ring.  I don't know the exact setting yet but was thinking about something like this.

After that we came back home and I did some things on my to do list.  I filed our quarterly sales tax, ordered more vitamins and started the procedure to get the minimum IRA amount I need to take out from my inherited IRA.  Those were the things on my list and I'm glad I got them done.  Then I took some photos for hubby for singsnap.  They have a photo gallery section, but I've never added any.  I just go there to sing when I can.  I didn't do any singing today but maybe Friday. 

I also did 2 loads of laundry before we went back to get the laptop.  Overall a nice day and got a lot accomplished. And I easily got my 10,000 steps in today. Right now I'm at 12,187.

Post #199...2019

The weather man has been teasing about a cold front finally coming through and cooling down these 90+ degrees days but then it doesn't happen.  Tomorrow it is actually suppose to start out in the 50's and the high is 76 degrees.  That will be a shock to my body I'm sure.  So if that is the case I will be actually wearing leggings and a jacket tomorrow instead of shorts and tank top.  We'll see ;)

Had a great lunch yesterday with my Empty Nester's group.  There were 6 of us and it was a nice time. I actually was the first one to leave so that I could get back to work.  Yes I worked this weekend but today was only half a day.  And I have off a few days this week too as part of my using up vacation time so that I don't lose it.  I am looking forward to being off!  I want to look into getting a new laptop for in my office.  The one I have in there now is so small and was so cheap it doesn't even have enough disc space to upgrade to windows 10 and it constantly is jamming up like when I try to open Facebook, etc.

Hubby made a ramp and seating area for our dogs out of a ramp (which I bought online) adding a 2nd section of ramp and the top portion for them to sit on.  This is for the back balcony that we had screened in in the spring. So far only Bella has gone up and down it. She always wants to see outside and since we have that half wall there now she can't see anything so this gives her a way to see out back anyway.  I was a little worried that she would be afraid to go up it since it is pretty high up for a little dog, but she took to it the first time!  Here she had already been sitting up at the top and went exploring down the ramp and then right back up.  Ditzy may be trying it out next as she seemed curious enough.  I hope they can share that space.   Our older sheltie shows no interest which I expected that from her.

Post ..#198...2019

Hello October already?!   Why yes it is!  But it is still getting into the high 90's around here.  Maybe next week it will start cooling off.

I feel like I need to apologize for not blogging but in my defense I worked over 70 hours last week.  So that did not leave much extra time considering I kept up with the walks, sleeping at night and exercise too. :)

Sunday was hubby's birthday and we went to visit the youngest and her hubby and all go out for a mid day dinner.  It was very good and it was nice seeing them again.  My youngest is due to have their first baby the end of January and she is definitely showing at this point.  It looks like she has a small volley ball under her shirt. LOL.  She looks great otherwise and wouldn't really know she is pregnant if not for her belly area.  Some gals start puffing up everywhere but not her.

Hump day over already this week.  So that makes tomorrow Friday 'eve once again. This year is just flying by.

Post #197..2019

Well another week and more of the same.... :)
Lots of work, kept up with exercise, and some sleep...

That about sums up the last 5 days in my life.... Here's a video of Ditzy sleeping and another photo.

Here is Ditzy in her new favorite spot on the back balcony

Post #196....2019

Well it is Sunday night and I don't have to work tomorrow.  Woo hoo!

Friday I had off and let me think about what I did.  I know I read some of the book I am reading with my daughter. I did sing some on that singsnap website too, not a ton though.  I think I sang 3 songs.  I wasn't in that much of a mood to sing but I wanted to sing since I actually had some time to do so.  :)

Hubby and I went shopping a little too.  We went to a little boutique that has some antiques, some reproductions (that are to look antique) and also women's clothing and hats and a few other things that I don't recall.  But we really enjoyed looking around in there.  I did get a camisole and denim button down shirt (which they had on a display that looked cute). Hubby got an antique army foot locker. I think that is what they call them. I'm not sure if he is going to keep it or sell it but I don't mind either way.  It was a fun time simply because we could just take our time and look around really well without anywhere we really had to go.  Then Friday dinner was pizza and beer. Yum!

Yesterday (Saturday) I worked but I don't mind working on the weekends as there is no emails and things that have to be responded too. I get more done on the weekends than on a work day.  Oh now I remember, we watched some episodes of Mad Men on Friday too and also yesterday.  I stopped working long enough to enjoy a nice lunch with my empty nester's group.  There were 8 of us that showed up and it was a great time.  We are comfortable enough now that we can have small conversations among ourselves without someone having the attention of the whole group to talk. It is more like taking turns when it is like that so I'm glad we are all feeling close enough to chat with just one or two around us.

Today I worked as well but it was a good day.  I got done at a decent time and have been relaxing with hubby watching TV.

Post ..#195....2019

I got some catching up to do don't I?

Monday we took Ditzy to the vet in the afternoon to get her eye checked out.  She did seem fine by late Sunday morning but I wanted to be sure.  She is absolutely fine so that is good! I am really glad that they have same day sick appointments for things such as this.

Tika is doing well also, in fact I think she is not hacking/coughing as much as she was before she got sick.  We were giving her one of the steroid pills a day but started her back on 1/2 a pill starting Sunday and she doesn't seem to need more than that dosage, which is great!  The vet never said that she was hacking due to anything caught anywhere in her lungs or stomach or whatever but I wonder a little if something didn't come out when she got so sick last weekend.  Either way I'll take it that she seems to be better in that respect too.

Tuesday was my birthday.  It was a work day so really was no different than any other day. I did get an edible arrangement from my employer though and that was nice.   I never got anything for my birthday in the close to 7 years I've worked there, since I'm remote, but this year they stepped up. So that was a shocker and a pleasant surprise.

My local sister had called me on Monday night to see about getting together for my birthday.  She was busy Tuesday so we went to eat last night at a local restaurant.  I wasn't really impressed with it. It is the first time I've eaten there.  I ordered a tofu bowl and they came over and said they were out of tofu.  So I got chicken.  The tofu bowl was on their regular menu though - so to me they should not be out of it. It wasn't like they were crowded either.  There were only 2 other tables with folks eating while we were there.  But anyway, we got caught up with our lives.

I have been super busy still with work which is one reason why it has taken me 4 days to blog again.  Last night I went back to work after going out to dinner and clocked out just after 10PM.  Tonight I only worked until 7PM so not so bad. I do have off tomorrow so that is going to be a nice little break.  That brings things up to date for the most part :)

Post ..#194..2019

This weekend has been a stressful one.  Friday evening our oldest dog Tika started getting sick.  She got sick all over the living room.  Every time I though that she had nothing left in her, she proved me wrong.  I wasn't sure how she'd be through the night and yes she still was getting sick.  I got up around 2:30AM to clean up some and didn't sleep well as I know she was still getting sick but it is hard to drag myself out of bed when I'm exhausted.  

Saturday she was no better. She didn't want anything at all to eat and for a while wouldn't even drink water.  I was really getting concerned that she may be dying as she is 12 1/2 and already has had some heath issues lately.  I looked up some remedies for dogs being sick and there was one article I found that mentioned combining ginger and coconut water. I know ginger helps with nausea so I tried it.  She wouldn't just lick it up for me so I put it in a syringe and put it in her mouth that way.  Her stomach settled down for about 45 minutes but she got sick again though it wasn't much since she was pretty empty.  I gave her some more ginger/coconut milk and she finally stopped getting sick. She laid around the rest of the day and didn't move much at all.  I think she was just so exhausted from getting sick.  I was at one point thinking about taking her to an emergency vet place (why do these things always happen on the weekends?)  

Last night she did go outside for me and did go potty and then I carried her upstairs.  She hadn't gotten sick since late morning but also didn't eat a thing.  

This morning she was much better. She ran downstairs to go potty and hubby said then she was hopping for a treat, so he gave her part of one.  I strained a can of chicken noodle soup, heated up the broth and just a few of the noodles and added some scrambled egg to it.  I gave her about a half cup of it once it cooled off some and she gobbled it up.  And got a drink of water..and kept it all DOWN! She was better!  We did the same thing around noon and then at supper time gave her the rest of the egg and some wet dog food.  So glad she is feeling better!  

There was more to the stress too.  Ditzy got accidentally hit in the eye with a ball that she loves to play with.  She ran ahead, turned around and bam, got hit by the ball that hubby threw for her, It was a direct hit to her left eye. She yelped a few times and her eye was hurting as she had that eye squinted shut for a little while.  I want to see if I can get her to the vet tomorrow just to make sure she is ok.  She seems fine but I am concerned with a scratched cornea or any other injury that may not be easily visible yet.  (When Tika was playing with Bella once she accidentally bit her eye and scratched her cornea and we had to use some eye ointment for a while). 

Then I got a notice from the bank I have my visa card with asking me if I had authorized a charge that I had NOT.  That prompted me to check the account online and there was over $200 in unauthorized charges on that account.  I called the bank and they were really great about it. The account is closed and they are going to credit me anything unauthorized.  I don't know how my number was obtained but it was stolen somehow and recently as these charges were all today's date.  I used the card last on Friday for a purchase that I often make from the same person...so who knows.

I sure hope this week is a good one.  I'm so grateful Tika feels better and I think Ditzy's eye seems to be okay, but like I said it was stressful and September is supposed to be a happy month with birthday and anniversary celebrations!

Post #193..2019

Today I had the day off work.  So I got up a little later for my walk which was nice as it was light outside by the time I was walking.  When I got ready for the day after walking and grabbing coffee and sitting on the back balcony with hubby, I actually shaved my legs.  I don't shave them very often as I don't usually go anywhere that I need to be concerned with it.   But I was wearing a shorter dress today and had a dentist appointment so I wanted to shave.

Then I vacuumed the rug in my office which quite frankly was the first time I vacuumed it since I got it. I had been meaning to vacuum it for a while but with working every weekend, that is what happens, some things don't get done.  Anyway it is nice and clean now.  

My dentist appointment was meh.  I finally saw my dentist whom I hadn't seen for I am pretty sure 2 1/2 years.  And now she is retiring by the end of the month.  But I did meet 2 new young dentists that are taking over for her and Dr Stubbs (who apparently already retired).  Out with the old in with the new.  The hygienist who cleaned my teeth really dug behind my right front tooth and it really hurt!  I know I have had food occasionally get caught up there.  Tortilla chips are notorious for getting jammed up behind that tooth and that really hurts. It doesn't happen that often but it has been 7 months since I've had my teeth cleaned and apparently there was a 'pocket' there that she was trying to clean out.  All I know is it really hurt by the time she was done scraping. They took an xray of that tooth and luckily there was no visible damage to the root or tooth, although the hygienist said something about losing bone back there so who the heck really knows. The conclusion was there was no infection and we will wait and see if it goes away.  I'm going to try to remember and brush gently behind that tooth more too.  I am great with the surface and outsides, etc but often don't think about maneuvering the toothbrush behind my front teeth and brushing very often.  

The discussion came up again and I admit I am the one who brought it up, about replacing that crown (that the pocket is behind) as it is a little longer than the tooth next to it (my other front tooth) and not the same color, etc.  The young dentists were full of suggestions for doing not just that crown and smaller one next to it but the two teeth opposite as well so that the 4 teeth in front all look the same.  One of them even went so far as to say it is really ideal to do the 6 front teeth as the canine teeth are darker and this way when I smile all the top teeth would look the same appropriate and matching color, size and texture.

I'm not sure about getting all that done as I never thought it was a good idea to get crowns on perfectly good teeth that don't NEED them.  I'm still thinking about getting the two (that are already crowns) replaced but not sure when I want to do that.  I asked if that would help this pocket area behind the one tooth and it would not really have any change on that as that was my gum area behind that crown.  

And of course the procedure wouldn't be 100% covered by my dental insurance partly because it would be for aesthetic reasons and not because it is necessary.  I'm still weighing it out though. What if they take off my existing crown from my front tooth and there is some problem?  I know my tooth was broken off into a jagged slant when my dog's head smacked me in the mouth all those years ago. A new one may not fit right.  

Enough about teeth and dentists.  Hubby and I went out to lunch after my appointment.  It was good even though I chewed a little more gingerly having just gotten my teeth cleaned.  

I got to enjoy singing on singsnap after that too. All in all except for the dentist appointment it was a nice day off work.  It was nice decompressing my overworked brain for a day. 

Post #192 ..2019

Saturday is nearly over already?  And this was the 40 something day this year that it has reached 100 degrees or more day here.  I can't stop saying how much I love that we have air conditioning again!

I got up before the sunrise today at 6:30am to get a jump start on work as today was my ladies club lunch and I was definitely not going to miss that.  There were only 4 of us there but it was a nice time as always.  I am so impressed that these ladies have continued to meet once or twice a month for nearly a year and a half now.

It is hard to believe it is September already, because the days seem to just blend into one another and since it is still getting up to or over 100 degrees out it isn't like we are getting any fall feelings in the air yet.

While we are waiting for the fall line up of new television shows to start, hubby and I have been watching movies or series on Netflix.  We decided to give Mad Men a try as neither one of us has ever seen it.  I really like it but it is so odd seeing everyone smoke and drink nearly all the time! LOL.  It is really neat how everything is set in the '60s and the outfits, cars, hats, etc., are all true to the time period. I find myself looking for slip ups but haven't caught any yet.

I am looking forward to having a day off next week.  I have to start using up my accumulated time off and so will be taking days here and there.  I am taking 3 off in September and I think 5 or 6 in October, then 3 in November and then that leaves me a few to take off in December.  I did take a few Fridays off so that I can have some long weekends.

This year sure feels like it is flying by!

Post #191...2019

This morning hubby had to call me 5 times before I said ok.  I have told him many times I can just set the alarm but he insists he can just wake me up.  Well today is the first day this week that I had to get up at 6 AM for my walk so I guess my body wasn't ready to get up yet. I checked my fitbit and it happened to be when I was in my deep sleep cycle.  Go figure.  I was dragging a bit this morning too until the coffee kicked in.  But I still really enjoyed sleeping in over the weekend and getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep. :)

I am on a solar light kick I suppose as I have gotten a few solar light animals for outside.  Hubby attached one to the back porch and I took a picture of it. It is a peacock and very pretty.  It would never stand up on its own outside without toppling over so I think this is a perfect spot for it.

Post # 190 ... 2019

The other day when I was working I noticed that two of the dogs were on the fainting couch posing as Centurions. LOL  So I grabbed a quick video.

It was a very nice Labor Day weekend!  Saturday I worked all day and got everything done that I planned to get done.

Yesterday the youngest and her hubby came for dinner.  My hubby made this really yummy chicken dish that tasted fabulous.  It had been since Father's Day that we had seen them and Stac is showing with a cute little belly.  We went shopping for some maternity clothes since she only has a few things so far and she's only going to get bigger.  It was fun and even though the store we went to had slim pickings she did get some cute tops and pants and all were on sale since it was Labor Day weekend.

Then today I went grocery shopping with hubby which may seem like a chore but I rarely go anymore and it is always fun when we go as I pick one or two new items that I've never had before.  I also loaded up on some fruit.  This particular store also has 10% off for Seniors on Mondays so between the club savings card, that discount and some online coupons I click, we saved over $45!  So that was great too.

We went to Target after that and got 2 cushions for 2 rocking chairs that hubby painted gray for the front balcony.  They only had 2 cushions left but the had a nice gray/white pattern to them so it was like we were meant to get them.  They were on sale of course too!

Then I got in some great singing on singsnap this afternoon, so yes it was a very nice weekend!
I did take my walk this morning too but didn't get up as early as I do when I'm working so today it was a solo walk but it was still nice and I was able to just walk at my own pace.

Post #189...2019

It is Friday night and a holiday weekend!  Woo hoo!  Here is what I decided to do although I'm sure I could have work the entire weekend if I want to, I am not.  I am working tomorrow but that is all. My youngest and her hubby are coming up on Sunday.  We haven't seen them since Father's Day so it has been a bit.   So I took Sunday off and Monday I decided to actually honor the meaning behind the whole Labor Day holiday and not work that day either.  It will be nice having a 2 day non-working weekend for once.

I am concerned for all the folks in Florida with this upcoming Hurricane Dorian.  I sure hope it doesn't cause too much devastation.  I have some friends down there and pray they'll all be safe.

It is still hitting 100 degrees or close to it these days though with all of our air conditioning systems working, it isn't really noticeable to me until I look outside at the brown grass.  It really does make a difference having a nice cool house!  No more going upstairs and getting hit with a wave of heat and humidity.

It will hopefully start to cool down a bit soon, as September is around the corner. Some rain would be nice too.  It definitely is getting dark earlier and earlier as a flashlight is needed for about half the walk now.  Oh well. Time marches on.

Post #188 ....2019

It looked like it was going to rain all day but unfortunately it didn't. It has been so long since it has rained that part of our back yard looks like the Sahara dessert.  Here are some photos of the back yard.  The lush green oasis green is the new grass that we are keeping watered so that it doesn't die.  Then there is the Sahara.. (pretty obvious).  Then back to the green new grass.  So yah...we really need some rain badly.  Not to mention the water pressure lately is not the greatest either.  When the sprinklers are on in the morning which is only on the front yard ( 2 times a week that is allowed), if I try to brush my teeth, there is just a trickle of water.  So the water levels have dropped too.  They come back up when the sprinklers are done their cycle.

The only good thing from today's cloudy day was because there was a little rain that went through the surrounding area, the temperature is in the mid 80's rather than 100 degrees.

But other than the weather, Tika is hacking (coughing ) less and less.  I only heard her I think 4 times today.  Hopefully she'll be fine as we only have a few more days of the antibiotics and are suppose to slowly get her dose of steroids down.  So we'll see.  Fingers crossed that she will be totally fine within the next few days.

I have been working the weekends but it hasn't been too bad.  I have been spending time with hubby during the evening and not working a full 8 hours on Sundays.

 

Post..#187...2019

It has been days I know but in my defense I have been working 7 days a week as of late, so not much time to do a whole lot else. I am trying to catch up on my Mom & Me club read as my daughter is already to the next place we were stopping.

I won a few things from a Sheltie rescue auction and one thing was this cute little doggie 'camper'.  I got Bella to go in it but only for a few seconds.  She will likely warm up to it in time.  She's already been sitting near it and sniffing at it.  Isn't it adorable?

I was trying to see if Ditzy would go in there too but she is a bit bigger than Bella so she wouldn't fit it it so easily.

We ended up taking the solar mason jar lights off of the front porch and putting them on the back porch.  They only stay lit up for an hour or so the way they get limited sunlight.  Out back though they get the afternoon sun to sunset so I'm hoping they stay lit longer.  Just got this picture and really love them when they are all lit up. :)   I will try to write more often. :)

Post #186...2019

Today we took Tika to the vet to find out about her hacking problem.  After the exam and X-rays of her chest/neck the vet thinks she likely has an upper respiratory infection and also the start of some pneumonia.  So they gave us some anti-biotics for the infection and some steroids for the hacking. Hopefully they will help her get all better!  I was very grateful that they didn't mention the "C" word. We've had enough of our dogs that got that.  So fingers crossed she'll be much better in the next few weeks.

Ditzy got groomed Friday afternoon and she looks so pretty!  I tried to take a few pictures but only one good one turned out.   Her white is really white and she is so soft!

Hubby was clearing out some of the weeds out back and he spotted this cute, fat frog.  He's seen some baby frogs around too but didn't see them today so he only got a picture of this one.

Post...#185....2019

I was reading back a few blogs and realized I didn't actually say that ALL the A/C units in the house are now working.  They are!  And it is wonderful!  The A/C guys that were replacing the unit in the attic got here around 10AM on Tuesday and were trying to figure out a better way to run the system down to the unit outside.  There was quite a delay while this was being discussed but it finally got started after noon.  They ended up getting it done but it was 6:30PM by the time they left.

While I am very happy it is done and I appreciate the fact that they stayed so late...it was hard to endure all 3 dogs in my office from before 10AM (because we didn't know when they would arrive) to pretty much 6:30PM.   We usually feed them at 5PM and by 6PM I just had hubby hand me their bowls (quickly at the door) and I fed them in my office (just separated).   The guys were in and out all the time (in fact half the time hubby didn't know what the heck they were doing?), but that is why we never could really let the dogs out.  The back gate was open for the A/C guys too so no potty breaks.  Anyway, we got through it but I really wish they would have come by 8AM so that they could have been done by 5PM and we wouldn't have had that much more stress to put both me and the dogs through.  LOL.  Those who are not dog lovers will be thinking 'So what' it is no big deal.  Those folks won't understand.

I was also surprised (as we've already had 2 full A/C replacements since moving here) that the A/C company called Wednesday and said the city inspector had to come and look at the A/C they installed. There was no mention of that when we hired them. And we have never needed the other systems inspected after they were installed.   I just have a bad taste in my mouth about inspections after the delays and fiasco for the addition to the house for my mom.  So I voiced my unhappiness about not being told this up front.  The name of the company is Honest A/C but clearly they are not at least not full disclosure.  I am not sure if I could refuse the inspection or not but anyway..the inspector came this morning and there is one thing that the A/C guys have to come back and fix.  Of course.  It is never just once and done.

Yesterday was Ditzy's appointment at the cardiologist to get an echo cardiogram.  Luckily I used WAZE to get there as there was accidents on the route and WAZE took us winding through a bunch of neighborhoods to get to our destination but we got there in plenty of time as I allotted an hour and 20 minutes to get there.  We got there with 20 minutes to spare.

Ditzy's results were good!  She does have a slight leak at the mitral valve but she said considering the breed and her age (9) it is typical.  So she doesn't have to be on any meds and doesn't need to come back in a year unless the regular vet hears a heart murmur.  Yippee!  We were so happy about that news.  She behaved so well at the office too!  Not a snip or bark.  She is the best patient!

I did make an appointment for Tika at our regular vet for Monday though as she has been hacking when drinking water, though not every time anymore.  Maybe it is something simple.  We'll find out.
I am just glad all the work on the house is done now and we can let things get back to normal (except for when the A/C guys have to come back but that should be a very short fix).

Post #..184...2019

Okay the painting is finally done! :)
Here are some before and after pictures....
Looks good!


BEFORE PICS

AFTER PICS (Hopefully can tell the difference!! )

Post #183....2019

Last night there were NO wasps in the bathroom!  Woo hoo!  Hubby actually already killed one this evening though when he went up to turn on the a/c in our bedroom.  We will have the exterminators out when the painting is all done. 

But the really great news is that the A/C guy came this morning and got the Mitsubishi system fixed. He did have to cut the wall but only had to cut a drywall square about 12" x 16" so not terribly bad.  There was a leak due to not being properly taped at installation, no surprise there. But bottom line, that A/C is working now and there is no damage or moisture in the wall.  So I'm grateful for that.  Hubby can replace the flooring eventually that got warped.

And the sales rep from the A/C company came and we are getting a new system upstairs that I am hoping will last for YEARS!  It will be fantastic to not have to sleep in a hot bedroom, especially when it has been getting to temperatures of over 100 degrees these days. And they are suppose to install it tomorrow.   I was impressed with that as well!

The painters didn't come but are coming tomorrow as well, so it will be bustling around here tomorrow for sure.  Today I worked 1/2 the day in the old office and 1/2 in the new office which worked out fine. :)

  

Post #182....2019

Catching up with the blogging...

Friday I worked in my old office in the garage because I thought that the A/C guy was going to come see about the Mitsubishi A/C in my office (used to be mom's room).  But he didn't come. I didn't mind working in the old office as there is a small vent for the A/C (from the rest of the house).  But I was disappointed that he never showed.  But he did call at 7PM that night and was sorry he was tied up all day with several other A/C issues.  He was perfectly willing to come right then and not at a higher charge!  I was impressed by that, but hubby was concerned that he may be a few hours and he didn't want it getting that late so he is suppose to come tomorrow morning.  We'll see.

The painters painted part of the house and will finish tomorrow.  What they did paint looks great!  There were several wasps nests that they sprayed too, especially one large one that we knew was on the side in the soffit as there was a hole there that we've seen them go in and out of a lot.  So they covered that up and filled it in and painted it and it looks brand new (to me).  So that evening when Steve was watering the sod there were lots of wasps desperately looking for a way to get in.  I was sort of glad they couldn't get in, or so I thought.

So Friday night we're getting ready for bed and I see 2 wasps in the bathroom!  UGH!  Hubby took care of them and I chalked it up to when he had the front balcony door open while he was moving things.  No huge deal.

But then last night we were getting ready and I saw a wasp which he got but then another one from out of no where.  Then we turned on the light that is for above the shower (which we really never use) and there were 3 more in there! UGH!!!! They must have found some way to get in the house.  We actually left that light on and it killed a few of them and hubby got one more.  So needless to say, visions of swarms of wasps were what I was thinking about when I laid my head on the pillow.  One time around 2:30AM I sort of had to go to the bathroom but then thinking there may be another wasp or two in there I decided I could hold it.  I know.  Such a baby right?  There were no more that came in luckily.  We are calling the regular bug exterminator we use though as I want them to inspect the attic and get any that may have found their way in there.  I am NOT touching that attic access stairway pull...nope.. not going to happen.   I was just upstairs and didn't see any wasps in the bathroom yet but won't be surprised any longer if I see a few when we head up.  I'm sure they are really mad about us closing up any nests they have in the soffits or trim.

The results of the dogs Canine ProBNP tests are back and they called me the other day.  The range considered normal is 0 - 900. Tika's was fine at 250, but Ditzy's was 1620 !!  Yes I was really surprised.  The vet suggested a cardiologist visit for Ditzy and did explain it is a specialist and not something they did there (and so costly) but that part doesn't matter to us.  We love all our dogs.  So we have an appointment for Ditzy on Thursday at a cardiologist to get an echo cardiogram and see how it looks.

Tika is fine in that area but we noticed  the last 3-4 days that she has been hacking after drinking water and now nearly every time.  And yesterday she even hacked horribly when she was barking.  Hub thinks it could be kennel cough but she got her Bordatella shot when we took them last week so I doubt it is that simple.  She has done this hacking thing like she is coughing up something for a while now but that was occasionally.  Last night I was contemplating going to an emergency clinic she sounded that bad.  But she sounds better today.  She barked some too (without hacking), so that is good.  But I'm still calling the vet's office tomorrow to get her checked and see if it is a Laryngeal Collapse.  She is 12 1/2 years old so it suppose it could be anything.  

I worked this weekend too but did take a break today to see Hobbs & Shaw at the movie theater.  It was good with a lot of action and even some humor thrown in there.  So we're gearing up for what is likely to be a busy week!

Post #181...2019

Well it happened.  The one A/C system that was working in the house started blowing room temperature air by late afternoon yesterday.  That was it.  And the highs have been over 100 degrees this week!  So thankfully a neighbor had recommend a company we had not tried yet (yes we've tried at least 4 I think since moving here) and I called them last night mainly to leave a message.  I actually reached an answering service and they said someone would call me within 20 minutes.  And sure enough someone called back within a half hour.  He was even perfectly willing to come last night for an extra emergency charge of $95 (which to me is not bad at all).  But I told him we could wait until today when he said he could come this morning.   This company is made up of veterans (who have served in the military) which I am impressed with.

Anyway he came before 9:00AM and got our A/C in the living room fixed fairly quickly.  A switch to a fan had broken (or something like that).  Then he checked out our a/c upstairs that quite honestly never worked right for very long ever since we got the new system over 4 years ago now (maybe 5).  He said the problem is the compressor, well the last guy replaced that twice already.  This man did say that the brand we have are notorious for bad compressors....and it is not cheap to replace.  So we are strongly considering just getting a new system instead of going through yet another costly repair only to possibly need a new one next year.

Then I got a pleasant surprise when hubby told me that they also work on Mitsubishi units which is in the office. That one has the leak somewhere that has messed up part of the flooring in there (and I haven't been using that for over a week). The worker from the A/C company spent all morning here already, so he is coming back tomorrow morning to work on that A/C unit.    It would be so wonderful if within a week we could have all the A/C systems in this house functioning and cooling (not sure how long will take to get the new system which we still have to discuss with them for the 2nd floor).

I am so glad our neighbor recommended this company to us, because so far we are both impressed (and it takes a lot to impress my hubby).

And tomorrow the painters are suppose to start painting the trim.  :-)

Post #180....2019

The heat of summer is about to get worse.  The highs by the end of the week may creep up to 105 degrees and that is not counting any heat index.  So yah, it is going to be interesting.  

This morning when I was opening up the front door for some fresh air I saw a sign in the yard of a neighbor across the street.  I texted my hubby and asked him to look at it when he was coming back from the store because it looked to me to be the sign of the painting company that was suppose to paint our exterior trim (long) before now.  We got the quote on 6/17 and got on the 'books' and was told it would be 3 weeks give or take.  Sure enough it is the same painting company.  Hubby went over to try to find out when they had contacted that company.  The wife was the only one home and she couldn't recall.

Later in the afternoon hubby was doing some stuff outside of the garage and the guy that gave us the quote called him (by name).  So I'm guessing the lady said something to him.  He told him that they were going to do our house after that one.  (And turns out that they did get their quote about a week before we did, according to what the guy told hubby).  So anyway finally this week toward the end, we may be getting our trim finally painted.  I was just going to let it go at this point but glad it is going to be done.  

I thought it was so interesting that we both decided to get our houses painted and by the same exact company at about the same time!  

Yesterday we took Tika and Ditzy to the vet.  Ditzy got her shots and they both got tested for heart issues from having eaten grain free dog foods for years.  We don't have the results yet but I'm hoping they come back clear.  We have gotten them off grain free food also for about 2 weeks+ now.  

So fingers crossed. 

Post #179....2019

TGIF everybody!!  Yes!  Another weekend is here...and guess what?  I remembered to take some pictures of the sod.  The rest of the grass is not doing well but hopefully this as it takes will grow and spread (per our lawn guy who put down the soil and sod).  I didn't take any before pictures but the dirt is so much more filled in than it was before.  It has been in for close to 2 weeks now and I'm so happy that it looks as good as it does as it hasn't rained and the highs as of late have been around 100 degrees.  We are watering in the evening and in the early morning every day.  We may even get a few showers this weekend which would be great!

Below that there are a few pictures of our Crepe Myrtle that we had cut very low. I was surprised to see it sprouting both purple AND white blossoms!

Tomorrow is my ladies lunch group and Sunday I am working.   I could have worked tomorrow too but I decided there were more fun things to do besides work.