OY!

Monday I went for my annual eye exam.  I knew there were some issues with my left eye and Dr. Kitay says he is very optimistic that the laser procedure he is doing on my eye next Monday will remove the scar tissue from the cataract surgery a few years ago.  He had to do the same thing to my right eye about a year after the surgery.  If for some reason this doesn't fix it, I will probably be going back to wearing glasses.  Keep some good thoughts on this, please.

Tuesday I went to our dentist for some minor repair work.  It went very well except my jaw hurt for a couple days.  Dr. Freeman was working on the back side of my lower front teeth.  He had found a tiny dark area that was not a cavity yet.  He said better to fix it now than wait for a larger filling that would be visible.  So that is all done and my jaw is starting to feel better.

Yesterday I went to Dr. Putland's lab for some bloodwork to check my Vitamin D level.  I have been running low on that for years and going every six months for checks to see if I need to increase the supplemental D I take.  It did not go well.  There was only one lab tech working at the time. She was nice, looked very young, and was probably newly trained.  I had the first appointment and thought okay, this will be alright.  It was not.  The actual blood draw took an extraordinarily long time and she kept twisting the syringe around in my arm and saying it was going too slow.  By the time she finished I was in the midst of a major Vasovagal response and she obviously didn't know what she should be doing to help me.  Right about the time I was considering just sliding myself down onto the floor so I didn't fall and break something, I ended up being wheeled back to another room.  Our doctor had seen me being taken down the hall and came to check on me and find out what was going on.  He said he had not seen my name on his list for the day.  Fortunately, the episode passed and I started to feel better, but it is a scary thing and a person has no control over it.  So if  you have never had one, be thankful!

The good news is I got the test results this morning and they were good and Dr. Putland has moved me to a yearly testing instead of every six months.  So, yay!

Today, it is dark, gray, cloudy, and been raining off and on.  The temperature is supposed to be in the mid to upper 70's for a few days.  We are still waiting to see some sprouting of the grass seed.

I am catching up on desk work, paying bills, and doing some odds and ends around here.

Life is good!  Take care of yourselves and stay safe and God Bless America!

Update on Mr. Gnome's Garden

Some more leaves have come down and he has harvested a few more pumpkins.  😊

Life is good!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

HA!

This is from a FB post Jacquie recently made.

Speech therapist: Can you make a sentence from this picture?
Cutie Girl: The brachiosaurus eats a leaf.
Me: your move therapist.

Cutie Girl has weekly speech therapy.  We think it is helping.  We already knew that she knows dinosaurs and wants people to be correct when speaking about them.  I am not sure what the speech therapist was expecting, but it was not Cutie Girl's response.  😊  Her response also involved some eye rolling at such a cutesy picture of a dinosaur.

That's our girl!!

Stay safe!  Life is great!  God Bless America!

Happy First Day of Fall!

I took this picture in Ohio when we went to visit one Fall.  I love all the pumpkins and Fall decorations.  This was at Sunnyslope Orchard.

So it's officially Fall now!  And it looks and feels just like yesterday, except more cloudy.  😊 

Les is playing in a two day golf tournament this weekend.

The Virginia Green guys were here this morning and did the aeration, seeding, etc. in the yard.  I went out and took up all the marker flags and Les will get the sprinkler system back on when he gets home.

Other than that, I've just been doing some odds and ends and the usual morning stuff.  Finished a good book and am ready to start another one.

New TV shows are starting to show up.  We've already tried one that we've taken off the DVR list already.  A couple shows just had finales.  I was impressed with Elementary's finale.  Turns out they didn't know if they would be renewed or not, so they tied things up.  They were renewed and will be back for another season, but it was a very happy finale.  Salvation also had a finale and they do not know about renewal yet as far I can tell.  I won't go into detail about their finale, but it was not what I expected and it left several issues unanswered! 

Because of "Florence" and the various weather issues, most of which did not come to us thankfully, I have had a couple appointments rescheduled.  And for the coming week I have an eye appointment, a dental appointment, and a doctor appointment.  I've been getting back into the routine at the "Y" and that feels good.

Today is cloudy, like I said, and it is 82 with 70% humidity.  Supposed to rain this evening;  that will be good for the new grass seed.

Pam says they are "okay" at her house.  Garrett has been having some dental work done.  The kids had school break this past week.  Everyone is busy. 

Jacquie says everyone is "okay" at her house, too.  When I talked to her the little ones were playing outside and she was watching them.  Jordan was not home from the SPCA yet.  And Chris was working in the yard.  They are all busy, too.

I've just been taking care of things and have started some Christmas shopping.  😊

So, life is good!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Today Might Be a Slow Day

I think we are both feeling the effects of all the yard work from yesterday and also getting our flu shots.  But all is well and Les is playing golf.  😊

It is sunny and 79, with 74% humidity right now.

So.  The yard work.  After getting our immunizations we headed to Lowe's and Peninsula Hardwood.  By the time we got home we had a car full of bags of topsoil, compost, a bag of mulch, and a tub of polymeric sand. 

The yard needed to be prepped for the aeration, etc. that had been delayed by weather, so we got to work.  I used my grabber and bag and picked up the "stuff" the wind had brought down.  Also pulled a few weeds and did some pruning.  Les had recently sprayed all that sprouted bird seed under our feeder and it had died so I cleaned that up.  And then spread out the bag of mulch and filled the feeder with some good seed.  Les trimmed and mowed, and then spread the soil and compost in bare spots.  Things are all ready for the guys and the new seed!  And then it rained last evening so right now it looks pretty good out there. 

Our friends made it back home to SC from their cabin and their home is good.  They just have yard clean-up to do.

And that is what we have been doing here.  All is well.  Life is good!

Stay safe and God Bless America!

And here is a "smile" from "I Can Haz Cheezburger" site.  (A Chinese proverb)

Getting Back to "Normal"

BTW - "normal" is always a moving target.  (family joke)

So yes, things are getting back to normal around here.  It is Monday, I've been up and moving since around 5:30.  Did all the usual morning stuff and then some extra that came up.  Les got up and on the way to play golf.

It is currently 80 degrees and 81% humidity under cloudy skies.  There is just a slight breeze.  There was a gorgeous sunrise this morning!  I took this picture while sitting at a red light on the way to Starbucks this morning.

I spent some time on the phone following up on some things.  Virginia Green says they will be here this week to do the aeration and all that was scheduled for last week.  Joel, our arborist, says he is having a problem finding the tree that we would like to have to replace our dying red maple out front.  All he has been able to find is very small ones.  He will look some more and either give us new info or new ideas to choose from.

And then the longest call was to the Newport News Waterworks office.  They have recently gone to monthly billing.  I am fine with that, but we get our bills online and have not been getting them.  And their website is not up to date.  That issue is being worked on.

I have a couple errands to do and a couple chores around the house to take care of.  One of those is going out and cleaning a huge splat of bird poo (I think) that is on the siding above the garage door.  I had been hoping the predicted heavy rain would wash it away.  That did not happen.

Les and I are going to get our flu shots tomorrow morning. 

As always, life is good!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Fini. Done. Over It.

Evidently our area is done with Florence.  Everyone is still very concerned for the people in NC and SC though.  I wish them well and a speedy recovery.  I do admit though that I have absolutely no sympathy for the not-so-smart people who refused to evacuate when told to and are now whining about no one coming to rescue them.  As Les says, "what part of mandatory don't they understand?"  If you are told to move out and choose not to, you put others at risk.  And there is no way that the emergency crews should be put at risk to go after someone who didn't listen.

Well, anyway, here we are.  Our area is cloudy and gray, temperature is around 80, and it has been spritzing rain off and on so far today.  During an "off" time Les went out and moved the furniture and grill back onto the deck and patio, picked up branches in the yard, and put the "yard art" back in place.  I moved things back on the porch and then cleaned off the porch and walk. Then I went to buy more bird seed.  The shop I use had a flash sale - got a text notice - and they were giving a free small bag with any purchase.  And we needed seed anyway.  😊

I  noticed a few folks working in their yards doing the same things we had done.  Some were mowing.  People had their kids at the playground flying kites.  (it's still breezy here)

Les and I started our day by going to breakfast at First Watch.  Very good!  This is the best place for what I like ever since Lunch Bell closed. 

So, as always, life is good!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

And here is a smile for you . . . .

P.S.

It's been a couple hours since my previous post.  Thought I'd give a quick update and post a picture.


It is cloudy, 79, and 90% humidity here. Wind at 16 mph, with some gusting.  So, so far, this has been a whole lot of prep work and getting ready, and then waiting.    They are still calling for the rain and winds later.

I had to take a picture of this lovely blooming azalea before all the blooms get blown off.

Stay safe!  Life is good!  God Bless America!

Today's Update

I won't be posting a picture update today, just go back and look at yesterday's.  😊  Things are pretty much the same but with the addition of some tree bits and branches and leaves that have come down in the yard.  It is cloudy and breezy, with only little spritzes of rain here so far.

And this is just the way it goes sometimes with the storm forecasts.  There's a big one out there, it's heading to the coast but no one knows exactly where until it gets close, so you have to prepare and be ready.  God and Mother Nature could send it any which way! You spend days getting ready, then the storm shifts and hits somewhere else.  But you still have concerns and you will still prep the next time.  You need to be responsible and safe!

Florence is pounding North Carolina and South Carolina now.  We are holding good thoughts for our friends there.

I had been looking forward to getting the latest news from Al Roker on the Today Show this morning and our local station preempted them for the whole time.  I really want to see what is going on in the  Myrtle Beach area.  Going to see if I can find any reports later.

Nothing much going on here right now.  Stay safe!  Life is good!  God Bless America!

P.S.  Just in case you need a smile.......

Carolina's on My Mind

We've secured all our outdoor items and are just waiting for the heavy rain and winds to come later.  The forecast for us is now just that and not a direct hit from Florence.  The forecasters are calling what we expect a "tropical storm".  And while we are all relieved about that, my mind is on the Carolina's, especially South Carolina.

Les and I lived in South Carolina years ago and we look forward to our yearly trips to the Myrtle Beach area.  We have friends who live in South Carolina.  Our first baby was born there.  We considered moving there when Les retired.  For several different reasons we didn't, but I do love it there.  I find peace just sitting and watching the ocean.

But for here and now, things are calm for us.  Here is the latest picture update 😊

The wind is picking up and it has been raining off and on this morning.  (not from Florence yet)

So, time to check on the laundry and then settle in to read a while.  In closing, here are two of my favorite pictures from South Carolina.

Sunrise

The dunes

Stay safe and remember life is good!  God Bless America!

The Calm Before the Storm

Yesterday was a glorious, sunny, calm day.  It was also hot and humid, but the sky was clear and the birds were singing.

Right now the sun is out with a few clouds, and it is 81 with 84% humidity.  As of the last report it looks like Florence is going to make landfall around the NC and SC border.  But there is still time for that to shift.  And Florence is so large that it is going to affect a huge area.  The last forecast for us is very heavy rain and high winds.  The areas closer to the water will have storm surge and flooding; all made worse if it coincides with high tide.

We are keeping an eye on the updates.  Sometime today we will go out and secure the deck things and take in the small pieces of yard art in the backyard and the potted plants on the porch.  All the necessary things on the checklist have been done.  Now it's just wait and see.

Cancellations started Monday afternoon.  Cutie Girl's school is closed until further notice.  Jordan's classes are cancelled for the rest of the week.  People living in Zone A are under mandatory evacuation. 

Our friends in South Carolina are all in evacuation zones and they have moved to safety.

I just took this "before" picture.

I had an early morning dental appointment yesterday.  All was well except for one "very small" area that needs some work.  That is scheduled in a couple weeks.  The dentist and some of the staff all live in evacuation zones so we thought we'd just wait.

Then I did a couple errands and some odds and ends around the house.  The yard finally got dry enough for Les to mow.  Things look pretty good out there right now.  We've decided the yard guys won't get here this week to do the aeration, seeding, etc.  Honestly, that is fine.  Even if they did get here, the predicted rain will wash the seed away.  As for marking the sprinkler heads ----- no sense in having the flags blow away so Les is waiting for their call on when they are coming.

I got a call to reschedule my eye appointment that's been on the calendar for Friday morning.  The nice stressed lady said the office will be closed.  😊  Surprisingly she had a time for me in a couple weeks.

Remember, life is great!  Take care of yourselves and stay safe!  God Bless America!

Remembering

Stay safe and God Bless America!

Storm Prep

Photo from Weather Channel

It is still too soon to know where Florence will make landfall, but preparations are underway.  I have been checking things off the list.  I made another trip to the Commissary this morning for a few things.  It was very busy for an early Monday morning!  Lots of people stocking up!  But I was in and out pretty quickly.  I also went to the ATM for cash and made sure Kirk's gas tank was full.  Les will fill up Spock soon.  For those of you that are not in a storm area - when the power goes out the gas pumps and ATMs will not work.  😕  That is assuming the roads are not flooded and you can even get to them.

I did a quick walk around the yard and things are in good shape as far as the mulched areas I work on.  Any needed trimming has been done, no loose branches.  Les is still hoping to get the mowing done, the yard is still drying out from the last rain.  As it gets closer to whatever "weather event" we will be getting, we will move the things on the deck, patio, and porch, and take in the yard art in the backyard.

I checked in with Jacquie and she knows to bring their quilts, pillows, and anything else they need if the power goes out.  So for now, we are as ready as we can be at this time.

When I was getting this picture of Florence from the Weather Channel, I saw their report on the water spout over  Hampton water that caused the tornado warning yesterday! 

So, life is good!  Stay safe and take care of yourselves!  God Bless America!

4"

Les planned to do yard work today.  That's  not happening.  According to our rain gauge, we had four inches of rain last evening.  Les went out to check the yard and it's too wet in some areas to even walk on, let alone run the mower over it.  So we are waiting.

Just so you know, those four inches of rain were not connected to Florence.  We're still watching her to see what she's going to do later in the week.  Our friends in South Carolina are watching her, too.  Besides Florence, there are now Helene and Issac forming out over the Atlantic.  Busy time of the hurricane season for our area.

I cooked breakfast and we watched a movie, read the paper, and just relaxed.  I'm battling an optical migraine with the accompanying headache right now.  But I think it is getting better.  At least I can see whole words again!

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Life is good!

Hey!

In the world of news around here, the talk is about storm systems.  "Florence" is out there and headed toward the U.S. East Coast as of the latest report.  Too soon to tell where or how strong it will be.  And then they talk about several other systems brewing out there over the water and forming.  This is our busiest time of the hurricane season.

And then the disturbing news of the medical issues on some airlines.  Planes being quarantined and inspected, and passengers being checked over after many got sick on multiple planes.  The doctors have found flu, other viruses, and MEASLES!  Get your immunizations people, and get your kids' immunizations!

Cutie Girl had a good week except for some bus issues.  They are being worked out.  As of Friday morning, she decided she was over school and wasn't going.  Jacquie reminded her of the playground that she likes, so she decided to go.  (she was going to be going anyway)  😊

Little Miss E is keeping busy and has a lot to say.  Chris was getting the side-eye one morning.

It is still hot and muggy here.  Les is playing golf this morning.  Sometime before Monday we have to have the yard all prepped for the yard guys to do their work next week - aeration, seeding, etc.  Several of our neighbors have been having work done on their homes and it's been a busy street this past week. 

I am getting back to my normal "Y" routine and am back in the pool.  It's been lovely!

I need to go round up our furry boys and do some grooming and nail clipping.  Better get to it!

Life is good!  Stay safe and God Bless America!

Some More This and That

Les checks the news from Ohio online and recently came across an article about the lady who gave me my first job.  Martha and her husband, Bob, owned 21 Kremeland, up at the top of the hill on main street in Navarre, Ohio.  Many (many many) years ago when I was fourteen, I got a special permit to work.  They hired me to make soft serve ice cream cones and sundaes, cook up hamburgers and hot dogs, and do all the other necessary things around the restaurant.

The article said that Martha was in town visiting family and would be celebrating her birthday at their church.  I called the church this morning to see if I could get an address for her so I could send her a card and note.  I know from experience that a church secretary usually can find information.  😊 She did not have the address but did have the name and phone number of Martha's sister.  So I called and ended up leaving a message.  A short time later I got a call from the sister who said Martha was there with her and did I want to talk, so we had a nice visit.  BTW, they had been out for breakfast at 21 Kremeland this morning!  We did not serve breakfast when I worked there.  It was strictly walk up to a window and order and your food was passed through the window.  Now you can go inside and sit at nice tables and the place is much bigger.

Bob has been gone a long time.  Back when I was working for them, he had already had a stroke and had partial paralysis on one side of his body.  But that did not stop him from riding his three wheeled bike around town or going to the store if Martha told him she needed something.  Nice people and good memories.  She lives in Florida now.

I spent some time this morning making phone calls and doing desk stuff.  Got the Fall service check-up for the heating system all set up.  Talked to the Arborist about the tree we are going to buy to replace the dying one out front.  Called to see about setting up the appointments for our flu shots.  Waiting for a call back on that; the scheduler had to check on something.

Spent some time with Amazon.  I ordered something last week that was supposed to have been delivered yesterday.  I have received several conflicting emails from Amazon about that order.  First said "sorry, package undeliverable, and was returned".  ????  The the next said, "don't worry, it's coming, just delayed".  That was followed by "sent back, went to wrong place, might have been damaged".  Again..... what the heck?????  This morning's said "refund has been issued".  I have saved all the emails.  And I reordered, so we will either get nothing, or double. 

I finished reading the Linda Castillo books in her Kate Burkholder series.  Loved them!  The stories are set in Ohio right where we grew up and mention places where we have been.

Our weather is still very hot and humid.  Next week is the aeration and seeding, fertilizing, etc. that gets done by our yard guys.  Les will be doing the prep for that next weekend.  He has to mow short and mark all the sprinkler heads.  The rest of the yard work is up to date.  I got out yesterday with my grabber and a bag and picked up sticks and bits that came down in the last rains.

As you saw in the previous post, school started here today.  We are waiting to hear how Cutie Girl's first day went.  Jacquie expects the bus to bring her home about 4:00.

Stay safe.  Life is good!  God Bless America!

A Milestone Day

First let me say that this is copied from a Facebook post that Jacquie made this morning.  I asked her permission to share it, she said yes, and FB wouldn't let me share there.  So I am sharing here.  Updates later....

Jacqueline 

 

 

It was a morning filled with fear and tears (all from me). But I have come to learn that the things that make me laugh and make her awesome are her, they are Charlie, not the autism. I thought I was protecting her from the world the last 5 years. But as she walked right on that bus this morning I realized I was protecting the world from Charlie. You’re on your own now world, good luck! :)

Happy Labor Day!

Stay safe and enjoy the day!

God Bless America!

Mr. Gnome Has Been Busy, Too!

He has winterized his koi pond and is now harvesting his pumpkins.  😊

It is September 1st and my mind is saying "Fall", but outside it is hot and muggy.  "Stray thunderstorms" are predicted for later.

We started watching the new Jack Ryan show on Amazon Prime last evening.  It's very good, but John Krazinski is no Harrison Ford or Chris Pine.  (sorry, John) (I do have my favorites)

Stay safe and God Bless America!  Remember Life is Good!