More on the Dog Park

I spoke with the Park manager this morning when I went to pay my rent, about the problems with barking, growling dogs.  The last straw for me was on Saturday morning just before 7:30, when someone's dog started barking furiously and the owner blew loudly on a whistle; the barking didn't stop, and the whistle was blown again;  this kept up and finally the owner must have realized it wasn't going to stop the dog.  He or she needs to take their dog to a training class and maybe find out if, how, and when to use a whistle.  The manager had included something about the situation in the monthly news booklet they publish, and it seems there are fewer people and dogs in the enclosure for the past couple of days.  Maybe they would rather stay away than comply with standards of respect and decency!  

The temperature is on the way up to 100 today.  The difficult part is that it has been staying warm until very late in the evening - the marine layer is not coming in over San Francisco and the coast, and is not sending the wonderful Delta breeze up to Sacramento.

I recently bought a radio which I'm going to return as it doesn't help me one bit.  I like to listen to public radio and stations in that part of the dial (not the religious ones though), and the radio I bought gets only the rock stations, both on FM and AM.  I'm going to return it and try Best Buy to see if they still sell a boom box type of radio!  I am planning to cancel my TV service next month as I can't see any print on the screen from where I sit.  I can't read the Guide, or anything else in print, and since there really is very little I want to watch, I might as well just cancel.  I'd like to listen to public radio although their news has deteriorated to almost the level of the cable and network news, which is rock bottom!  I need to figure out a way to get news I can rely on - right now I look at Google News headlines, and only click on what I'm interested in.  The biggest problem with it is that it leaves so many cookies on my computer, mostly ads.  I have ad blocker, but still get the cookies - hundreds of them in just a few days!

It was so warm yesterday evening that I went to a nearby convenience store and bought two overpriced Klondike bars.  I saved one for this evening.  Other than intensely disliking the heat and being a little lazy, I feel great!  I can see that I need to run any errands first thing in the morning though.

 

Great news!

I am going to be a grandmother for the 11th time!  (Two of my grandchildren, twins, are deceased - Reese, the little girl, was stillborn, and Owen, the boy, lived for 7 months.)  I am very excited for Steve & Meg, and for big brother Liam.  He had told his parents that he hoped the baby would be a little sister for him, that she could share his room, and that he would put the posters of superheros into the garage so they wouldn't frighten her.  This child is going to have a loving brother!  I just learned last night that the baby was going to be a girl.

All my sons and son-in-law dote on their kids, but Steve is going to be absolute putty in his little girl's hands!

I've been going through photos this morning and discarded a bunch of duplicates plus pictures of people I didn't recognize (from hiking trips).  I have a complete set, over 170 photos, from my attempted thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, but it was time to get rid of the duplicates.  What a difference in my ability to backpack then and now!  Crossing the border from Georgia into North Carolina was the worst climb of the trip, although it was because I wasn't yet in good shape.  I recall passing another hiker halfway up the mountain who had stopped to smoke a cigarette!  He didn't stay on the trail very long.  I can remember the time I realized I hiked up a mountain at the same pace I hiked down it!

I haven't figured out what I want to do today (although I should do a load of laundry, at least).  The temperature is going up to the low 90's, which will make it unpleasant to be outdoors.  I'd better get moving.

Something Different

I was going through my email and trying to decide what I could delete.  I came across one with the following link, and just had to watch and listen to it one more time.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

According to folks in Florida, Arizona, Texas and elsewhere, this is what Wisconsinites do for fun and entertainment on Sunday afternoons....Listen and watch. Not a single spectator walked away during the concert!  

  

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/lXKDu6cdXLI?rel=0

Yellow stains everywhere

I've been noticing them on everything in my kitchen - the fridge door handles, my coffee grinder, etc.  It dawned on me this morning where they came from.  Every morning first thing I take one probiotic and two tumeric capsules.  Then I heat the water for the glass I drink, and then make my coffee.  I think one of the tumeric capsules may have come loose and left the powder on all the capsules - I din't notice it at first, but evidently my hands are yellow from handling them.  I had to get my super duper cleaning spray (the one that doesn't smell so good) and it got most of the yellow stains, but there is still a residue left.  I must remember to wash my hands after taking the capsules and before touching anything else!

My bedroom curtains are washed and ready to take over to the laundry room to dry.  I may hang them out on the line, although line drying doesn't mean they will have that good fresh outdoors smell.  There is something in the air that overrides everything else - probably the same stuff that leaves chemtrails.

I looked under the bed when I moved it to get the curtains down, and can't believe the amount of dust that accummulates there.  I stored some of the extra packs of floor laminate there, and everything is covered with dust.  Well, now it isn't.  I have a really difficult time getting up off my knees, which is probably why I just ignore what's under the bed.  Even though I have a nice pad that I kneel on, getting up is definitely a problem.

In defense of my intense dislike for cleaning, I wrote to Jo's comment that as the oldest of 8 kids, I always had to look after them and my mother did the cleaning.  I never really learned how to do it systematically and properly, and at 75, my hope is gone that I will reform my ways.  I have no desire for wealth, but if I suddenly became wealthy the first thing I would do is to hire a cleaning service!  However, I would probably actually cry to pay for something to be done that I could do myself.  Go figure.  The second thing the wealthy gypsy would do is to gather up the grandchildren for a trip to Barnes & Noble!  We would buy loads of books and then eat desserts with abandon over at the Starbucks Cafe!  (Then I'd hand the kids back over to their parents with sugar overload, haha!)

Getting around to housework!

I absolutely dislike it, and don't really feel morally superior when I've finished and have a relatively clean house.  A lot of work for nothing, is what I've always thought of it, as it has to be done over and over.  

I've been trying to clean the laminate floors and the Folex cleaning product I bought works pretty well.  I've done the living room and hallway, and am now on my bedroom.  What a pain!  I can only do a portion at a time because I have to move things and then wait for the floor to dry so I can move them back, and start on the next section.  If I finish them today I will wash curtains and windows tomorrow.  Another totally useless effort as I've mentioned that the wind blows directly down my driveway, bringing dirt and dust to that side of the house.

On another note, I haven't had the severe indigestion last night and this morning, although I thought I was going to die of stomach and abdominal pain yesterday.  I had a product for pain that is natural, and which was found at Whole Foods.  The label said to take 1-3 tablets, so I thought I should start with just one.  I also wrote on a sticky note the time, day, and dose that I took, in case it didn't agree with me and someone eventually found me on the floor.  I lay down on the couch for about 15 minutes and felt fine enough to get up and run some errands.  My problems could have been due to the lemons.  The first month of drinking the lemon water was great and I felt terrific.  So maybe I will try it again now and then, but not on a regular basis.  I'd like to be able to drink it once a week or so, for the health benefits.

I haven't yet re-stocked my freezer since returning from NY, and I'm down to very little.  I'm trying to eat my main meal at Noon, although I don't always want it then - I have a hefty breakfast - lots of fruit and walnuts in a big soup bowl, with a little whipped cream.  It's amazing how filling it is.  I may try to get to Costco tomorrow morning and get some frozen foods I can have on hand that are easy to fix, mostly salmon and cod.  I happen to have a lot of vegetables in my fridge, and a couple of days just cooked a variety of them, threw them together with cheddar and sour cream on top.  That is probably one of my favorite meals, although it wouldn't satisfy a true meat eater.

After a wonderful cool spell, the temperatures are going to rise steadily during the next couple of weeks, with forecasts close to 100.  I will predict that it will top 100 before the middle of June.  I can't tell you how much I hate the heat!

My son sent a huge suitcase back with me containing items to donate to the homeless, including 3 pairs of athletic shoes that look almost new, a pair of boots, two jackets, and dozens of shirts.  I've filled four big white trash bags with them, and hope Jeannie can help me get them to the drop off site this weekend.  I can do it myself, but that would require 4 trips from my car into the store.  One of the bags contain women's clothes, which they will give to W.E.A.V.E. (Women Escaping a Violent Environment); I'm glad I won't have to make a separate trip to that location.

I had better get back to finishing up in my room, or I'll be calling it quits for the day and will have to face it tomorrow. 

Constant Changes

I really dislike it when a program that works for me is constantly updated and changed, even though the changes themselves are ok.  I tried to write a new post the same way I always have, and then realized that blogger now has a button on my blog for "New Post".  I wish they would just leave things as they are as I'm tired of forever wondering why I can't do things I want to do.  Google and all its programs are different; AOL is different; Firefox is totally out of control different; and just about every program I loved and used constantly. The only reason I can see is that it keeps the developers employed.

I have been drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning since the beginning of April, and starting tomorrow I think I'm just going to try warm water only.  My chiropractor told me several months back to drink a glass of warm water first thing in the morning, and I tried it but didn't keep up with it for more than a couple of days.  Nothing appetizing or tasty about warm water, and really that goes for warm lemon water when you think about it.

I have been plagued with indigestion and heartburn especially since my gallbladder was removed, and for a while the lemon water seemed to clear it up.  Now I'm finding I have more indigestion than ever, especially waking up in the middle of the night.  I googled it and found that some people have trouble with indigestion from drinking lemon water or using a lot of lemon in anything, so I'm going to give it a try and just drink the warm water.  The benefits touted for lemon water are the removal of toxins from the liver, kidneys, etc., but the indigestion is starting to trump any benefits I've noticed.

I'm writing this because I posted about it on my blog when I began drinking the warm lemon water, and I just want people who decided to try it to know that there could be problems depending on your body's reaction to it.  If the indigestion doesn't go away when I stop using lemon, then I will know I have another problem.  I have never felt absolutely great since they removed my gallbladder.

I finally got the driveway fairly swept clean, except there is a red dust from cutting the tile out there.  I will eventually have to hose it off although I just hate doing that with the drought conditions we've had and will no doubt return to this summer.  There are a lot of spots of unknown origin but probably related to the remodel, and I think I may resurface the driveway later on this year.  

I remember doing it when I lived in Cincinnati, but it was a much smaller driveway.  I will need to get the driveway power washed or at least hosed down, and then just take my time.  The steps and landing to the side door will be a pain in the a** - it's heavy but will have to be moved so I can spread the stuff in that area, wait for it to dry, move the steps back, and then continue on.  I haven't decided if I should start at the street and work back, or vice versa.  I have an old pair of shoes, t-shirt, etc. that I've been intending to throw out, but which will be perfect for the job.  I always get it all over me, whether it's paint or anything else.  I have to wait until the gravel from the back yard is pulled up, and new stuff delivered (and dumped on the driveway).  Not sure when that will happen.  The boys have promised to move the gravel for me, but spreading the blacktop coating on the driveway is something I think I can still do. 

I'm hoping to go to the gym tonight - have really been lax about even walking on the treadmill since I've been back.  I need to get in the habit of taking an hour out of my mornings to drive over and back, and walk for half hour or so.  Although I feel good overall, I can't help but wonder if there is something wrong with me that saps all my energy.  I never feel like doing anything, and can't seem to summon up the energy to even care.  I'll just chalk it up to growing older because I'm sure not going to see a doctor if I can help it!

Trip with the granddaughters

Today I picked up my two older granddaughters and we were off to Barnes & Noble.  I took care of my business, which included ordering the new Harry Potter for my oldest grandson (NY).  It is now scheduled to come out the end of July.  The girls loved browsing the books and each picked out one that they wanted.  I finally got a membership for myself which will be offset by the discounts I'll get during the next year.  Since I don't buy toys, I plan to continue giving books.

After doing our book business we went to the Starbuck's cafe on one side of the store, and ordered desserts and hot chocolate.  Just sitting there talking with the girls was entertaining as well as enlightening.  In light of my recent blog entry on texting, it was interesting to hear the girls complain about texting, trying to get their parents' attention when they are looking at their cell phones, etc.  They both said they preferred talking to one another than to think of just sending messages via a phone.  I hope they keep that attitude, but social pressure will eventually take over I'm afraid.  

The afternoon was so much fun.  Both girls love to talk, and it is so funny that when the one who was talking stopped to take a breath, the other one would step in and take over the talking.  It went back and forth like that and I was laughing inside.

Tomorrow morning I am planning on meeting my sister Amy for coffee, and I think Jeannie will join us.  I will have to take note how our conversation goes, and if it's anything like the younger girls.  My day was wonderful, and I look forward to taking the younger ones in a couple of weeks.

Steve and his helper (Liam) came by with a truck this morning and got all the debris from the remodel, including the tub, sink, etc., and my driveway looks so much better now.  The bathroom fixtures were even spread out to the back yard - when I was back there I noticed weeds that I have to resume pulling.  We've had two days of intermittent rain, which just makes more weeds grow.

 

The Only Person in the World

Jeannie was telling me as we were driving to Costco a couple of days ago, that she had been talking with our hairdresser about why I wasn't notified of their new location.  Deanna said she just couldn't understand it as she had sent text messages to her entire customer list.  The light dawned, and Jeannie told me she said, "Wait - you texted everyone?  My Mom is the only person in the whole world who doesn't have texting on her phone."  Mystery solved, and I don't feel so bad now that I understand the error.  For a while I felt kind of left out and ignored - a silly reaction on my part, but hey, I'm human.  I haven't yet decided whether or not to go back, and my hair is getting really long (for me) and quite unmanageable.

It is supposed to rain today and I am all ready to go out to return a couple of items that I bought, but just can't get up the "get-up-and-go" to start moving!

Tomorrow afternoon I'm taking Autumn and Alyssa to Barnes and Noble.  They are the oldest grandchildren here in Sacramento, and being the oldest myself I know a thing or two about birth order.  (Actually, Ara is the oldest of Jeannie's daughters, but she is an adult, and lives on the east coast).  I will take the three younger ones, Arianna, Keira, and Liam within the next few weeks.  (Liam is the only child and technically the oldest in his family, but he has a birthday party to attend.)  Browsing books for a while and then a visit to the in-store cafe will make for a nice time and I think we will all enjoy it.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

UPDATE:
I just got back from Home Depot and am freezing!  After the low 90's yesterday to the current 63 degrees at Noon today, is a big difference.  I am going to crawl back in bed and snuggle under the comforter for a while.

Good news-Bad news

I noticed a noise in my car before I left for NY and was told it was the A/C; the part alone would be about $350, so I decided I could live with no A/C.  Today the temp is up near 90, and I decided I couldn't live very well driving in the hot Sacramento summer without A/C.  I stopped at Jesse's Neighborhood Garage to ask them to order the part I need.  Jesse himself overheard the conversation and wanted to look at the car - the end result is he told me my A/C is working fine.  I hope whatever noise it was that I originally heard doesn't come back!

For the not so good news, I drove to the library for my volunteer work this morning and within 10 minutes realized I can no longer do this work.  I regretfully quit the job.  I just have so many problems reading the book designations - it's worse in the non-fiction section, but even in fiction I have troubles.  I can best read no more than two shelves comfortably, with the ones above and below nearly impossible to make out.  It was fun while it lasted.

I did a quick clean-up in the bathroom this morning, getting up the little bits of hardened grout that gathered in the corners, and wiping out the sink and tub.  It didn't matter what kind of product I used on the old fixtures, there was always a gritty feel to them (just as I have in the kitchen sink bowls), but the new ones are as smooth as glass and shine beautifully with no water spotting.

I can't remember if I mentioned in my last blog that I found a dermatologist and made an appointment in June to have the growth on my arm removed.  I studied the list of dermatologists within about 6 miles of my house, but most of them with high ratings are with the medical group Kaiser Permanente, and I am not a member.  The Dr. I will be seeing is not quite as close to my house, but it's easy to get to the office and I liked my first contact with staff on the telephone.

The swamp cooler does a beautiful job cooling every room in the house except the kitchen, and I want to bake some stuffed peppers in the oven this evening.  I might set up a fan to pull some cooler air from the living room while I'm preparing them.  I should go back to eating my main meal at Noon and then having something cool, such as a salad, for supper.  I almost never use my microwave for cooking although I'll melt cheese sprinkled on taco chips once in a while; otherwise I use it to store breads and such.  I don't look forward to the heat of summer.

Always Chaos

I feel like for every step I take forward the result is two steps back.  I think my name means "Chaos"!  At least my bathroom looks clean, tidy, and gorgeous.  Now that Steve has taken some of the tools home it is time to think about cleaning up the living room, but I look at the chaos and don't know where to start, so I don't.

I had a good start to my day this morning:

 I see a couple of items Steve forgot to take home.  Here is my breakfast -  strawberries, blueberries, banana, and walnuts . . .

With whipped cream added for a bit of sweetness.  It wasn't really needed as the strawberries are very sweet for a change.  (Click the photo to enlarge.)

I made a quick trip to Home Depot this morning to get some grout sealer, and to pick up some paint chips.  I think I like a lovely cream color that seems to match the background on the tile.  I will get a couple more opinions before buying the paint however.

I'm trying to do at least a little bit every day to sort, organize, purge, and find a place for "stuff".  I think someone or something brings more stuff during the night to add to my work to be done.  At the rate I'm going I'll never finish.

I think I'm over the bug that I picked up in NY, and should be over the jet lag.   I wish I had more energy, but I think that is a thing of the past for me.

I see my chiropractor tomorrow morning, work at the library on Tuesday, and need to make an appointment with the dermatologist to have the growth removed from my arm.  It hurts when anything touches it, such as a long sleeve, the bedsheet, etc.  I should have called before I went to NY.  I also am thinking about leaving the library volunteer job.  My eyes are just not good enough, as I can only read what is level with my eyes which makes it difficult when looking at books on the top and bottom shelves.  I couldn't get an appointment with my eye surgeon until July, and I don't think anything can be done unless I agree to bi-weekly injections.  That doesn't interest me at all.  

Have a good week, and I'm going to do the same.

Finally, a shower!

Steve hooked up the shower head and fixtures today, and as soon as he left I enjoyed the water and my hair is squeaky clean now.

This is a work in progress, and the bathroom is now usable but still not finished.

 I wasn't sure about this water saving model which features two different flushes, both needing to use very little water.  I love it!

The vanity has a double door compartment on the left, with a single door on the right and a drawer across the bottom with two sections.  I'm experimenting with how to make the most of the space and only keep what I need inside.

These are the two medicine cabinets with a mirror in between.  I need to get something different, but as of now I'm keeping my toothbrush and a few other items on the right side.  The picture below shows the light fixture that I will probably replace with something more modern that will provide a bit more light for me.
 

The only reason I'm posting this photo is so that you can see the shower ceiling, which is a cheap wooden paneling.  It had been covered with a formica panel which was a little more waterproof.  The entire house had this exact paneling everywhere:  The walls, ceilings, sliding closet doors, drawers, etc.  That is why you see the bright colors on the walls - I went a little crazy when selecting paint to cover the awful and awfully dated paneling.  I intend to go back and at least paint the doors in an ivory or cream color.  Actually I love the bright yellow as well as all the colors in the other rooms - I painted each a different color, but I'll only tone down the color of the doors.

The finishing work will be done sometime in the next few weeks, including baseboards and the paint, of course.  I don't know when the paint will be done as I've already decided I'm not touching a paintbrush around the beautiful tile, tub, vanity, toilet, floor, etc.  My eyesight is off and I'm not as precise as I was in my younger years, so I will just wait until one or a couple of the kids can help me out.

I am very happy with all my selections and sometimes just stand inside the door and admire everything.  I nearly forgot to mention that I have a grab bar to install, but the walls are so thin and unsupported it is difficult to find a place to put it.  I can either have it horizontally across the front of the shower, or vertically at the back edge (close to the toilet).  I always get in and out of the tub from the middle/back, so I think the back wall would be the ideal place from a practical standpoint.  You realize, of course, that I'm not saying I need a grab bar, but as Steve remarked, the next occupant might need it!  (I never thought I would live so long as to even consider having a grab bar in my shower.) 

I think I'll live!

I'm feeling a lot better today but still not back to normal.  I did a lot of laundry and even hung most of it on the clothesline across the street.  I love my towels line-dried.

I've been able to stay fairly clean using wet wipes, but I got a glimpse of my hair in the mirror this morning and it looks pretty bad.  I may wash it in the kitchen sink tomorrow - not the easiest but it's the way I did it for years growing up when we only had a tub and no shower.  Hopefully Steve will get the shower hooked up this weekend, and I'm glad I have waited to give the grout and caulking time to dry.  There are showers in the laundry bldg across the street, but I don't want to use a public shower if I can avoid it.

I am so tired - still on eastern time and waking up early has me going to bed much earlier.  At 7 pm I could easily fall asleep now, but will wait until the sun goes down.  Have a good weekend, y'all.  

Still not up to par

I haven't been feeling very well today, and I think it is partly jet lag and partly the bug I picked up.  I'm still not completely over it.  I still have my appetite so I'm eating balanced meals - as balanced as they can be when I didn't have much food in the house two days ago.  I'm looking forward to the Saturday morning market.

Thank goodness the forecast is for the next 3 days to be in the upper 70's.  I can't take these days with the temperature hanging around the 90 degree mark.

I plan to be in bed and asleep early tonight, or at least California early.  I like waking up earlier in the morning because I seem to have so much more day ahead or me.  I certainly am ready to feel better and get some motivation back as I have a lot to do here.

I'm back in one piece!

Both flight sections yesterday were great and on time, and of course I was most comfortable in the Chi-Sac flight where I had a 1st class seat!  Both my grandsons had some kind of stomach bug that lasted them for a day, and my flight day was when it hit me.  Besides being so tired from getting up at 4 am, I had to keep running to the bathroom!  After a good night's sleep I'm almost back to normal today.

In Chicago I went into a cafe and ordered a medium size coffee.  Lord I was tired and it was only about 9 in the morning!  I took the cup and set it under what looked like a pump, thinking it was cream.  I gave a full, strong push on the pump and watched a dollop of catsup drop into my coffee.  After making sure that no one had observed what I did, I asked the clerk where the cream was, and proceeded to add lots of the good stuff.  The first sip was ok - no catsupy taste at all, so I sat by a window overlooking the planes landing and departing, and drank the coffee.  When I reached the bottom of the cup and saw a sludgy brown mess I threw it away and no one was the wiser.  I certainly didn't notice a strange flavor or anything, but I still chuckle when I think about it.

First class had the usual all-you-can-drink policy plus the delicious meal but I wasn't feeling up to enjoying it like I did on the flight out to NY.  I ate the salad and veggie side, but left the lobster mac & cheese, plus the sorbet dessert.   I did take a taste of the lobster and under better circumstances I would have polished it off with gusto!  I drank about a beer and a half on the flight and really didn't enjoy it all that much as it just made me have to go to the restroom more often.

I love the new bathroom here at home.  I can't take a picture just yet because Joe is grouting the tile in the shower right now.  The water is back on - I spent the night at Jeannie's last night because I wouldn't have been able to use the restroom at the laundry room after 10pm.

The 4 kids all chipped in and bought me a beautiful new vanity  and sink for Mother's Day which I am going to really love.  Now I notice that the old medicine cabinets and mirrors look out of place, so I am probably going to hang a big wall mirror in that space, and keep the supplies from the med cabinets in one of the smaller compartments of the vanity.  It will work out perfectly!  I will take photos as soon as the work is completed and post them.

Steve ran into a lot of problems with the plumbing - you can imagine with a model that was sold in 1962 and was probably manufactured with little or no standards they had to adhere to.  The space behind the walls is too small to hold pipes, so they ran narrow hoses instead.  I found my RV to be similar - it was nice looking and relatively good quality for the industry, but it seemed to be thrown together in many aspects.  I'm happy with what the boys have done, and am already making a mental list of things I want to do in the future.

I'll be back in a day or two with photos.

New Setup

Mike updated my computer's operating system yesterday to the latest OSX version of "El Capitan".  I had let two new operating systems go by because I knew that I would face problems just figuring out and installing them.  In the end we moved all my photos to the iCloud, including the photos I couldn't retrieve from my iPhoto program which had been corrupted.  (It took hours to move nearly 3000 photos!)  So while I really don't understand any of it, my computer seems to run a little better.  I still will need service to vacuum all the crumbs out from under the keyboard!

Maybe some of you who are near my age will understand how I dislike crowding up my brain with new stuff that I'm really not interested in knowing.  I am an intelligent woman and can do and understand anything I set my mind to, but now I am just more selective in what I set my mind to.  Let the younger folks constantly crave something new and different, but I am satisfied with tried and true.  That said, I may end up liking this new setup.

My suitcase is packed and I am so proud of the job. The only thing I will have to do is to throw the few items that are left into my carry-on.  I'm getting anxious to see the progress on my bathroom remodel - Steve warned that I may not be able to use the shower for the first few days I'm back because he wants all the grout, etc., to dry properly.  I have nothing on my calendar for a while so I can live with washing up out of the sink.  He's keeping Mike up on everything but no one is telling me much, so I'm in for a delightful surprise.

I didn't walk on the treadmill yesterday, so maybe I should do double today?  I am ready to quit when I reach 25-30 min!

Aggravation

This computer is really getting on my last nerve.  I updated Firefox and let them fix some glitches, and now I have a very different program that I can't say I'm happy with.  For one thing I didn't have ads before.  Also, I have been diligent about cleaning out the unnecessary cookies lately, but just had to delete 350 cookies, many of which had to do with ads.  The font size is also giving me problems, but for now I can live with it.  I'm hoping to get weaned from so much computer dependency when I get back.  Summertime is no time to be glued to a computer or a television, and my house will need a good cleaning to say nothing of the new weeds that will need to be pulled.

The tub has been set in place, the window is in, and the backerboard is on the walls, ready to be tiled.  I believe Steve also started laying the floor tile and will install the new toilet next week.  I never did get whether or not he was able to separate the vanity top from the base, but hopefully it went smoothly and I will only have to buy the top.  The base I have suits my needs completely, especially after doing the Marie Kondo number on cleaning out the contents of the vanity.  I'm going to be anxious to get back to tossing things I don't need.

I just wanted to say I'm still breathing, and hope all is well with the readers of my blog.  I'd like to wish all you moms a happy Mother's Day tomorrow.

All Better

It may or may not last, but for the present the computer is working much better.  I deleted tons of files and folders, and since this computer was new I have never checked the "History" list.  Today I deleted the whole damn thing and I believe it was over 100,000 items.  I'm still not finished with getting rid of unneeded files and hope that my problem with the constant hanging up and having to restart is over with.

Here is a photo of the bathroom wall, which you may remember had a nasty symbol drawn on the surface under the formica.  Steve used his sharpie and made a nice flower of it, although cutting the space for a larger window has also cut into the flower.

(Click to enlarge).

I attended a concert tonight of choral groups from schools in the area, from Joshua's 4th grade up through high school.  It was outstanding!  I look at those beautiful children and wonder what kind of a world they are going to have in their future, and then listen to them sings songs of joy, courage, and hope.

I wanted to mention the delicious pizza Sandy made yesterday, with the crust being made of cauliflower, cheese, and egg.  Yes, cauliflower.  She used frozen Caul., thawed, run through the food processor, squeezed in a towel to remove the moisture, then processed again with mozzarella and 2 beaten eggs.  The mixture is pressed into a baking pan and baked on both sides - turning it is a bit tricky but she did it perfectly.  It came out nicely cooked and browned, then she  spread it with pizza sauce and lots of cheese, then baked in the oven.  It doesn't have a strong cauliflower taste as you might think it would.  I am going to try it, using my blender, and adding some artichokes and olives on the sauce before the cheese topping.  I am ecstatic about it because as you can tell, there are no carbs in the crust!  I also read in one of the recipes that you can cook the crust and cut it into rectangles or squares to be used in place of bread.  

Joshua emailed me the recipe which I think he found online.  Sandy altered it slightly, using more cheese and an extra egg.  I think she also baked it longer than called for, but as all ovens are somewhat different, your results may vary.  I'd be glad to do a post that includes the recipe if enough people are interested.  I wish I had taken a photo of it, but didn't. 

I hope this entry posts with no problems like the one I did earlier this morning.  I was really steamed when I lost all but the first few lines.  Since I deleted history, I couldn't get to the page to compose this new entry.  Instead I took the previous entry and typed over it, but I can't get rid of the comments, so please ignore the ones that don't match this post.   

All better

It may or may not last, but for the present the computer is working much better.  I deleted tons of files and folders, and since this computer was new I have never checked the "History" list.  Today I deleted the whole damn thing and I believe it was over 100,000 items.  I'm still not finished with getting rid of unneeded files and hope that my problem with the constant hanging up and having to restart is over with.

Here is a photo of the bathroom wall, which you may remember had a nasty symbol drawn on the surface under the formica.  Steve used his sharpie and made a nice flower of it, although cutting the space for a larger window has also cut into the flower.

(Click to enlarge).

I attended a concert tonight of choral groups from schools in the area, from Joshua's 4th grade up through high school.  It was outstanding!  I look at those beautiful children and wonder what kind of a world they are going to have in their future, and then listen to them sings songs of joy, courage, and hope.

I wanted to mention the delicious pizza Sandy made yesterday, with the crust being made of cauliflower, cheese, and egg.  Yes, cauliflower.  She used frozen Caul., thawed, run through the food processor, squeezed in a towel to remove the moisture, then processed again with mozzarella and 2 beaten eggs.  The mixture is pressed into a baking pan and baked on both sides - turning it is a bit tricky but she did it perfectly.  It came out nicely cooked and browned, then she  spread it with pizza sauce and lots of cheese, then baked in the oven.  It doesn't have a strong cauliflower taste as you might think it would.  I am going to try it, using my blender, and adding some artichokes and olives on the sauce before the cheese topping.  I am ecstatic about it because as you can tell, there are no carbs in the crust!  I also read in one of the recipes that you can cook the crust and cut it into rectangles or squares to be used in place of bread.  

Joshua emailed me the recipe which I think he found online.  Sandy altered it slightly, using more cheese and an extra egg.  I think she also baked it longer than called for, but as all ovens are somewhat different, your results may vary.  I'd be glad to do a post that includes the recipe if enough people are interested.  I wish I had taken a photo of it, but didn't. 

I hope this entry posts with no problems like the one I did earlier this morning.  I was really steamed when I lost all but the first few lines.   

What shall I do this week?

I really need to take my computer to Best Buy to see if they can check it out and clean it up.  I'd also like to go to Barnes & Noble, but both are a little distance away and on Rte 9, which is usually pretty heavily traveled.  I'm going to do the treadmill in a few minutes and will see how I feel then.

About my bathroom remodel, when Steve pulled off the old formica and came to the bare wall, he found that someone had drawn a very obnoxious symbol on the wall.  When I heard about it and asked him to paint over it before covering it with the backerboard and tile, he said he had already taken his Sharpie pen and turned it into a flower.  I guess you can never tell what is there that you can't see.

The rain and fog made me decide to stay home today, but as soon as I came upstairs from my walk on the treadmill I got a call from Sandy asking me to pick Josh up from school as he wasn't feeling well.  I made it with no problems and am home now - and here I will stay for the day. 

When I went into the school office to get him I needed a photo ID, and naturally went to pull out my drivers license.  It wasn't in the place I normally keep it and I frantically searched for something with a picture, but the only thing I could come up with was my Costco membership card, which has my photo on the back.  That card sufficed.  When we were finally home I realized I had my passport with me, and on searching the bottom of my purse I found my D/L.  I had shown it to get through the airport security lines in Sacramento and hastily threw it into my purse to go through the rest of the line.  At least I didn't have to search for long to find it!



  

Back to normal

The events of yesterday went well, family and friends all gathered at a local restaurant after the church service, and I ate enough food for 3 days!  It was super delicious but I'm not used to so many courses, although because of the crowd and the private room it was spread out over a longer period of time than most meals would take.

It was so good to see Katy and Ara - Sandy just left to drive them to catch their train back to NYC and Ara on to Philly.  They are so energizing to me and I think we are so alike in much of our thinking, even though I'm way older than they are.

I passed the 28 day mark of the 28 day lemon water challenge and hope to continue it for as long as I can.  I think I have Katy hooked on it now, and wish her the success with it as I have experienced.  When I get back home I am going to try to get serious with the low carb, low sugar regimen.  The meal yesterday ended with a huge slice of the best cake I've ever eaten!

Not sure what I will do for the coming week - I'd like to drive to Best Buy at the mall where they have an Apple department.  My computer is not operating very well and I need to have it serviced.  I would imagine when they take the keyboard off they will find enough crumbs to bake a loaf of bread or a cake!  I shouldn't snack so close to the computer but I do it anyway.

When I get back to Sacramento I'm going to try to unhook myself from so much time on the computer as I have done with the TV.  I believe my ATT contract is up in late July/early August; I hope I can find an affordable internet connection with another company, but even if I have to go with something like the Verizon hot spot I will do it.  The big problem will be getting used to monitoring the gigabytes used.