Not Much Happening

I really don't like to write a blog when I have so little to say.  It's the same old thing - troubles with my computer; troubles with my dog; and trouble thinking of anything worth writing about.  

So rather than bore you all with the same old "same old", I'll just say I hope everything is ok with my readers and that you are having a better time right now than I am!  

I did want to mention that I am trying mental telepathy with Rocky and mostly it works.  I've done it many times before in different situations, and don't know why I am not eager to use it more often.  I've only done it with animals and birds, (not people), and it works well with them because that's how they communicate with each other, so you have to use mental pictures of what you want them to do and not words.

I wish you all a good week ahead.  Rocky will be 8 months old tomorrow!

Rolling over to a new year

I just realized I need to do some calendar work; I have a wall calendar as well as the one I have on my computer, and there are lots of entries I need to make.  First of all I have 4 kids plus their spouses and 9 grandchildren; then I keep track of my 7 siblings, their spouses, and all of my nieces and nephews.  Quite a few of them have children now, but it's almost too much for me to list great nieces and nephews, so I don't go into that generation except for a couple of them.  In addition are the friends I have that I keep track of birthday-wise.  It makes for a full calendar and I sometimes have to write small to get things such as dr. appointments into their slots.  I also keep track of Rocky now, who will be 8 mos. old on the 28th of Jan.  Wouldn't he just love a big cake to celebrate?  Maybe when he's a year old.  At least I only buy birthday presents for my grandchildren!

I think my floors look clean enough except for an hour or so in the afternoon when the sun shines in and exposes the dust and little things all over.   Maybe I should just close the blinds and keep the sun from shining in so I don't have to see the lint!  I'm looking at it right now and it's not very pretty.

Gotta go feed my boy!  He's been snoring on the couch next to me for the last hour!

 

Celebrating with Pizza!

The birthday party at Straw Hat Pizza went so well.  Two of my brothers & their wives were able to make it, and we had a nice crowd.  When I saw my youngest brother  walk in the door, it was like seeing my dad again since they look so much alike.  My sister looked better than I've seen her in years, and I know she enjoyed being with everyone.  As always, Straw Hat is so welcoming and they go out of their way to make sure we are taken care of. 

Jeannie will take me to pick up me new glasses this afternoon, and I am so hopeful they will be an improvement.  I'm going back to wire rims because they are so much lighter and more comfortable.

I just got back from walking Rocky and need to do something useful rather than sit at the computer.  The dog was on my bad boy list this morning - he got into my purse and took out a brand new tube of lip gloss, somehow removed the top, and was licking it!  I wonder how long this is going to last, and if I will live long enough to enjoy a good boy list.   My purse is now sitting high on top of a tall cabinet, along with other things he would find delightful.  I have everything out of reach and don't understand how he still gets into so much trouble.

Enjoy the holiday, as I'm going to try to do!

Just a quick look

I can't say enough good about my new shoes and how much better my feet feel since I've been wearing them.  They aren't the sportiest nor the most beautiful athletic type shoe on the market, but for someone like me needing a wide toe box and narrow heel, they are perfect!  (click picture to enlarge):

They are not made with leather, but a stretchy fabric-type of material.  You can see from the side view that there is no lift in the heel part of the shoe, which the mfrs say contributes to throwing your foot forward as well as messing with things like balance, etc.  I don't understand or worry about the specifics, I just know my feet feel (and look) a hundred times better since I'm wearing them.  At first I noticed the difference in how the shoe doesn't lift up my heel, but now I just know my feet feel good.  And yes, when I take them off they go straight onto a shoe rack in one of my closets, and away from a nosy little black bandit who lives here!  He gives them a casual glance when I'm putting them on or taking them off, like he really isn't interested.

The rain has stopped this morning and it was comfortable when I took Rocky for a walk.  I am so proud of him - when we meet a car coming towards us, or when one is approaching from the rear, we stop at the curb and he looks so intelligent alertly sitting there  waiting until it's safe for us to go on.  Most of the time he does that.
 In just 9 days he will be 8 months old, and probably on track for a lab at his age.  I will probably notice a great improvement during the next 8 months!  I was ignoring his obvious wanting to go for a walk a bit earlier until he carried his leash to me and set it before me!

I'm getting excited about the family gathering tomorrow, although I was never able to reach my brother who lives south of here, nor the 3 who live in Carson City, Nevada.  The snow in the mountains will stop all traffic into and out of the Sierra Nevada.

I need to get moving today - and do something!  Andrew just stopped by for Rocky so I have a few minutes to myself.

Have a good weekend, and I'll see you on the other side of it!

Finally, I'm Wearing Shoes Again!

My shoes from Natural Footgear arrived today.  I put them on right away and they feel great - I even took Rocky out for a walk which I've been unable to do much of lately because it's not easy to walk an active dog wearing clogs!   I may buy another pair in a different style, or maybe just wear these for a few days to see how they hold up.  They are very wide in the toe box and narrow at the heel, and it's almost impossible to find shoes that fit well, but these do!  When I'm not wearing them they will be kept inside the closet with the door shut!

The rain and wind have been really strong the past two days.  I see the cover for my swamp cooler has blown off and is hanging on by the rope that was tied around it to hold it secure.  The rope is at least keeping it from blowing away in the neighborhood!

My youngest sister, Amy, turned 50 last week, but she was in the hospital on her birthday undergoing some tests.   Now she's home and I am taking the family to Straw Hat  Pizza this weekend to celebrate her birthday.  I think I counted 11 adults and 7 kids, with 8 more adults to RSVP.  It will be nice to celebrate being with family instead of staying home and thinking about the state of affairs!  This represents my siblings in CA, plus all my kids & grandchildren, plus one of my nieces & her 2 boys.

Grass and weeds are growing everywhere with all the rain we've been having, but the dog park is a muddy mess.  It's locked up now so people won't take their pets in and tear up more of the grass.  It is still a bit too windy for my liking and I should take Rocky for a really long walk but I don't like the weather.  Andrew didn't come by today, probably because the morning was so rainy.  Can't blame him.

I took a couple of photos of my new shoes, but sent them to Donald to put into a jpeg format and send them back to me.  I'll include them in my next blog.  I'm really loving these shoes!

 

Today will be a good one

I can feel it in my bones!  I'm waiting for delivery of a pedometer, and in the hopes I can set it up easily, I will begin walking in earnest!  It looks like we will have a cloudy day with rain, but I hope it's only off and on and that I can walk with Rocky.  Yesterday was stormy all day long, and a terrific wind rose about the time we went to bed.  It all looks calm now.

I will have to say I should have thrown that purse in the washing machine long before now.  It looks like new!   The sofa is another matter, but I'm working on getting up that slimy gel and it's a little better so I'll keep at it.

Donald took me to order my glasses yesterday and I was glad I didn't have to walk.  He took photos of the various styles I tried on and sent them to Jeannie, who decided which ones suited me the best.  I just went with her opinion because I can't see well enough to have any judgment on something like that, plus it doesn't really matter to me what I look like as long as my vision is  a little better. While I would never get an iPhone or equivalent, they sure can be convenient.  I'm so grateful to Donald as I wouldn't have walked in all that rain - at least until I get some new shoes to replace the ones with the hole in the toe.  I've ordered some shoes online that seems to be what I need - wide toe box and narrow heel.  I remain ever hopeful they will fit like a glove and be comfortable as well.  As the old saying goes, "Hope springs eternal", and as long as I still have hope for anything I'll be ok.

At one time I took a couple of evening classes in Spanish and loved it.  The class stressed more conversational Spanish with less emphasis on grammar - verb conjugation, etc.  I'm thinking about re-learning everything I've forgotten in the meantime, but since there are no schools near enough to check on evening class offerings, I will try to find some other way.  I have been listening to the radio and found a station that plays ranchera music that I like, and I think I would like to understand the words.  I still remember a lot, but not enough to carry on a conversation 

I also took classes in German before my first trip to Germany.  My son is planning to travel to Germany for about a week in  the next few months, and I know I won't get him to go to a class but I'm going to try to find a website where he can learn a few phrases for travelers.  I told him nearly all Germans speak better English than we speak German, but it's polite for us to try anyway, and they will usually switch to English right away.   I think he's ignoring me, but I'll catch him one of these days.  He works nights at the hospital so he might just be working hard and not avoiding me!

I think I'll fix a nice breakfast this morning, and then I'll be ready to begin my day.  Hope your day goes smoothly as well.

 

Early to bed, early to rise

I got to sleep in until 5:30 this morning!  Rocky wakes me up by trying to lick my face and hands, and I respond by covering myself up completely with the sheet.  From there it becomes a game with him.  He is so loving and sweet in the morning, although I really don't care to be licked.

It's still dark outside but the streets look wet.  I hope it clears up because I'm going to walk to Walmart Optical about 2 miles from here, to order new glasses.  I misplaced (lost) the prescription and had to ask the Dr.'s office to fax a copy to Wal. Optical.  I desperately need new glasses.  A few years ago the 4+ mile round trip walk wouldn't have  fazed me, but now I'm a little nervous about it, for one thing I still am wearing my old athletic shoes with a hole in the toe of one of them.  I ordered a pair that should be delivered in a couple of days, from a company that specializes in shoes wide at the toe and narrow at the heel.  I just had to return a pair of shoes I bought somewhere else that were too loose in the heel.

My haircut cost only $14.50 and could be the best one I've ever had.  I usually have to wait a week or two for a new haircut to look great and fall in place perfectly, but I walked out the door with the perfect cut this time.  I need to remember to look for the same stylist next time.

I just walked into the living room to a scene of destruction - Rocky chewed too much on a pillow I had once bought for my car.  It was especially designed to be easy on a person's back and I didn't even think it might contain some kind of gel.  I guess he chewed through to the gel which dripped all over one end of the couch, as well as all over my purse that I left sitting on the couch overnight.  It's the only purse I have except for a very dressy one - I remember the days when I had a purse to match every pair of high heels in my wardrobe, but for the last few years I've used one purse for all occasions.  Now what will I do?  The couch is ruined as well, and the pillows aren't the kind you can reverse and use the other side.  It's a cloth purse so I am going to throw it in the washing machine later this morning and see what happens.

I thought my day was going to go so smoothly, but I'll probably never have one of the smooth days again, at least until this little creature matures a bit!   I hope your day starts out better than mine!