Happy New Year!

I think a lovely picture of a Hawaiian Sunrise, even if it's from 2007, is a good way to say Happy New  Year. 💗  May we all have peace, good health, and contentment.  Take care of yourselves.

God Bless America!

A Hint of Spring!

Those of you who know me, know  I am ready for Spring and warm weather on December 26th.  I am fine with whatever Winter weather we get through Christmas.  Then I am done with it.  Today is a hint of Spring, it's sunny and going to be in the mid-60's!  YAY!  Of course, I realize we are not really done with cold weather, but I can  hope.

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

This is from the "Wizard of Id" comics.

Whew!

I have been very busy here keeping up with things and un-decorating and cleaning.

The Christmas decorations are all put away now except the sleigh and the snowman.  They are the last two pieces to go into the attic.  Still have to get the snowman upstairs and then I will get them both put away.  The dining room tree's lights did not look like they could be repaired and I was not going to mess around putting a string of lights on it, so it went out for our regular bulk pickup.  I have ten or eleven months to decide what to do. 🎄

I started cleaning and intended to work on that "to-do" list some more today.  But I am tired and achy and decided to just wait.  I did get all the usual things done and made a trip to the Commissary.

Our weather is sunny and close to 60 right now.  Supposed to be a little warmer tomorrow and rain on Saturday.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Remember to wear your masks.  Life is good!  

God Bless America!

Picture from "I Can Haz Cheeseburger" site.  It totally sums up attitude some mornings. 😀

A Review

 

There has been local excitement recently as an old empty restaurant building was torn down and new construction started near our neighborhood.  Eventually word was out that it was going to be a "Raising Cane's" chicken spot.  People were raving about it and anxious for it to open.  

Well, it has opened.  Every day there were police on duty and flashing lights and disrupted traffic, and as we would drive by we could see the very long drive-through lines. You would think they were giving away gold in there!

Les and I decided to try this supposedly fabulous chicken one evening.  But he ordered online and I went to pick it up and we skipped the extremely long lines at the drive-through.  Fortunately, they have ample accessible parking spots right by the door, so no problem.  The hard part of getting the order was having to go inside through a mass of people to fill the empty drink cups, and carry them in the not-sturdy carrier they provided.  You order the drinks with your food, but they do not fill the cups for you.

I figured I wanted to see what exactly their food was like so I ordered the basic combo.  Les did, too.

And here is my review:  Yes, they were very good chicken tenders.  No problem there.  The cole slaw tasted "funny", not sure exactly what was in it, but neither of us ate it all.   The French fries were not cooked long enough.  The Texas toast was a tad soggy and tough.  And the flimsy drink carrier didn't hold up and tipped over in the car.  If we have Cane's again, it will be to just get the chicken tenders; as I said they were very good!

Life is good.  Take care of yourselves. Remember, don't believe everything you hear.  

And God Bless America!

Lemon - a Progress Report

 

I am currently taking care of Jordan's cute lizard, Lemon, while they are all at her other Grama's.  Lemon is a cute little thing.  Jordan printed out a list of instructions and things to know.  I am getting the hang of feeding him.  

I have to use a very long tweezer-like thing to pick up the tiny live worms and then wiggle them in front of his face.  Evidently he won't eat if they aren't put right in front of him.  I am not sure how his breed survives in the wild, but this is how it is. 😊  He eats every other day late afternoon or early evening.  

Usually there is a green leafed vine in there with him, but Jordan took it out to make it easier for me to feed him.  He spends most of his time in one of his caves.  If you look closely at this picture, you can see him eating his last bite yesterday.

The day we had the severe wind and temperature drop I made an an extra trip over to check on him.  It wasn't a feeding day and he was all hunkered down in his cave and didn't come out.  We did make eye contact though.

Stay safe, people!  

Remember to care for all of God's creatures.

Life is good and God Bless America!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe and warm. It was 11 degrees this morning here.  

We did not get snow, but we did get very strong wind and cold temperatures.  I had to bundle up and make several trips outside yesterday to retrieve wreathes that were blown off the gates and other things that were blown around.  Also had to take in most of the outside Christmas decorations.  The wind was so strong it moved our grill on the deck and blew the cover off twice.  The first time, I moved it up against the house.  The second time I retrieved that cover, I bungeed it with large cords.  And then I decided if anything else blew around, it could just keep going. 😊

I tried to go out to fill our bird feeder today and I couldn't get into the shed to get to the seed.  The lock is frozen.  While out I bagged up our frozen solid geraniums from the porch.  They almost made it to Christmas.

I have made Les' Christmas peanut butter pie and also made a blueberry breakfast loaf for tomorrow morning.

Take care of yourselves.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

We hope you have a happy, peaceful Christmas. 

Winter Sky

 

I took this picture yesterday morning, Winter Solstice Day. Good thing I took a picture then, it is too dark, gray, and rainy today to be standing out there.

We were up and out early this morning.  I needed to have my ID Card renewed.  Les got the appointment set up at the Ft. Eustis office.  Once we found the place, the procedure was quick and easy.  If  I'm reading the new ID correctly, I never have to get another one!

Then we went to breakfast, stopped at our favorite Emily's and got a couple donuts, and came home.

We've been getting texts, emails, and Alexa messages all day about wind chill advisories.  The temperature here is supposed to start dropping tonight and through tomorrow.  By Saturday morning the temp is predicted to be 10 degrees!  I think that might just finish off our still blooming geraniums on the front porch.  They are red and blend right in with the Christmas decorations.  I will hate to see them go.

Les' appointment with our ortho doc went well and Les has the PT evaluation appointment this afternoon.  We are hoping the PT will help.

While he is doing that, I will be getting ready to go check on Lemon, Jordan's lizard.  I am watching over him while Jordan is not here.  Please keep me in your thoughts.  I don't really expect any problems though.  Some friends have said "yuck" and they couldn't do that.  I am fine with it, just concerned he won't eat for me.  When I was a little girl, I really freaked out my Granma when we were at Jungle Larry's Wildlife Park in Ohio.  They were showing all the different reptiles, and when they asked if anyone wanted to pet the snake, I was first with my hand up!  What can I say, it seemed like a cute snake. 😀 

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

A New Decoration

 

There is a long-running, loving tradition here in our family.  Les and Jacquie have a "difference of opinion" about Will Ferrell.  Don't get me wrong, Les and I have laughed at many of Ferrell's comedy works.  But Les is not a fan of his movies.  So, every now and then, Jacquie gets him something.  This is now hanging on our front porch.  I do agree with the sentiment of this, but have only seen the movie once.  Thanks, Jacquie, your Dad needed that laugh.

I hope you are all taking care of yourselves and staying safe.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

Some "Vintage" Christmas Photos

These first two pictures are from Christmases in Germany, in the early 1970's.   

This one of Les and me was taken at one of the last office Christmas parties before he retired.

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

An Update

 I certainly hope you are all doing okay and taking care of yourselves.  The news reports said this is "Super Saturday" and stores will be crowded with people doing/finishing their shopping.  So, if that is you, good luck!  And stay safe!

It has not been a particularly good week here.  I'll start with the better news and work my way down on how it has been.

Les is recovering from his knee surgery and is starting to move and walk better. He is keeping the cane handy in case he needs it, but is doing alright without it.  He has a follow-up appointment this week. There will probably be some PT next.  Unfortunately, something else developed not related to his knee and he is on antibiotics for that.

I am on antibiotics for bronchitis.  I developed a nasty cough that wouldn't go away and went to see our doctor.  First thing that was done was two different kinds of Covid tests.  Both were negative.  Dr. P. and his nurse both told me they were not taking any chances with their patients because of all the things going around now - Covid, Flu, RSV, etc.  And he told me there are new variants, too. I had not heard that, but am not surprised.  He thinks we should all wear masks any time we are out and about and around others.  He prescribed antibiotics, said to take Mucinex, and drink lots of water for my bronchitis.  I am feeling better and finishing up the antibiotics now.

It's been cold and we've had rain a few times.  Today is sunny and in the 40's.

Our girls and families are busy. 

I have finally started some baking and have some cookies made now.  One batch is cooling and needs to be iced when I finish writing.  

Take care of yourselves.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

P.S.  This is the new ornament that Les ordered for me. Thank you, honey!  💖

Coffee

 

Stay safe, people.  God Bless America!

Hi!

Been kind of busy here and haven't posted in a while, but I have thought about it. 😊

Les' surgery went well.  Our doctor repaired his knee and cleaned it up.  Les was the first surgery of the day and we had to be checked in at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday.  He is using a walker to get around the house and I think he might be getting better.  It was a bit rough when the surgery drugs wore off.  He is not supposed to do anything major or strenuous, and he has to limit his walking and movement.  When he feels confident about it, he can progress to using a cane.  So far, there's been a lot of sitting with his legs elevated, ice on his surgery leg, and a compression cuff on the other.  

I have been trying to keep up with things.   I got this picture taken the evening before his surgery and but did not get it posted.  So, here is a picture of our outside decorations.  I think the snowman turned out very nice after I repainted him.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  There are a LOT of germs around!  Life is good.  God Bless America!

Living Room Tree

 I hope you are all well and staying safe.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

Little Fat Santa

 

Little Fat Santa was made for us by Les' Dad years ago.  Santa is one of the first decorations to come out of a box when decorating here.  He usually sits on the mantle by the large Christmas tree.  This year he also has a small battery powered light up tree beside him.

Les' Mom had an original lighted ceramic tree.  I always liked it.  I noticed that this year Hallmark has had a couple sizes of them for sale.  I suspect that has something to do with all their movies.  I checked them out, but decided I didn't want to spend the money they wanted, plus they all had electric cords and couldn't be placed just anywhere.

I found this one on Amazon.  It is perfect!  And I think of Les' Mom every time I look at the tree.

The decorating is all done now, inside and out.  No major catastrophes to report.  Just one antique glass ornament came apart and shattered on the floor.  And Z's "first Christmas for baby" ornament came apart.  But I swept up the first, and repaired the second, and everything else went well.  But I was tired when finished.

The cards are done and will be mailed this week. 

Les is doing okay and anxious to get his surgery over and feel better and move better.  We both have appointments for more lab work.  Hopefully, our "numbers" will be better than the last time.

So basically, we are okay-ish.  Life is good.  Take care of yourselves and stay safe.

God Bless America!

Another Progress Report

I worked on the living room tree today.  I took this picture so you could see what the first ornaments to go on the tree are each year. I hope you can enlarge it when you see this.  There are four little Grogus, one Millennium Falcon, and our collection of Star Trek space crafts. Live long and prosper, people!

The tree is now all done and I will take a picture of it sometime soon.  I am tired and achy.  I woke up at 4:00 and couldn't get back to sleep this morning.  It's been a busy day.  The dark, windy, rainy weather has not helped either.

I hope you are all well.  Stay safe.  Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Just a Funny!

We have a huge clump of mistletoe growing way up in one of our backyard trees.  No toads though.

Take care of yourselves.  Life is good.  God Bless America!

Some Progress

I've been busy here.  We are doing alright.  I have been working on the Christmas decorating as well as all the usual things that need to be done.

Yesterday I got all the containers and boxes out and moved smaller decorations around.  And as I said in the previous post, worked on the dining room tree.  It is done and looking good.

And for anyone who reads my blog and doesn't really know us, the two chairs on either side of the tree are so Angus and Finnigan can still sit and look out the big window.  They are too big to sit on our narrow windowsills. 😊

This morning after I did morning stuff  and then went to get coffees and pastries at Starbucks, Les and I  officially started our Christmas season here.  We watched "Die Hard".  Yes, we are believers!  It is a Christmas movie!

And then we got the larger living room tree assembled and checked lights before I headed outside to decorate.  The outside is all done now and I think it looks good. The snowman's re-do looks good, I got the lights strung on the garland, and I know they work because I checked them first.  The new solar spotlight to shine on the snowman is sitting in the sun out on the deck to charge up.  It will be put in place later today.

I still need to decorate the living room tree and then clean a bit, but the weekend is not over yet, so I am not in a rush.  Remember, work smarter, not harder. 😆

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

Happy Day After Thanksgiving

If you are out shopping, be careful and stay safe.  It would have to be an emergency to get me out shopping today.

This morning I got up and did the usual morning stuff and then made oatmeal for our breakfast.  After I had finished all my coffee, I got started on things.  Decorating for Christmas is a multi-day project now.  Used to be all in one day, but I now work smarter, not harder.  I am currently taking a break in front of the computer. 😊  First on the list, was putting the Thanksgiving things away and getting them packed up.  Then I hauled out the containers and boxes.  

I got the dining room tree to the dining room.  Les and I worked together and got it set up.  After we had lunch, I got it fluffed up and started decorating it.  Evidently, Angus just could not wait.  

The tree has since been finished and looks better.  I am sure one or both of our furry boys will be underneath it this evening when we turn the lights on.

The living room tree will be worked on tomorrow.

My original plan for today was to get the outside decorations done.  But until about half an hour ago, it has been cold, gray, and raining.  The sun is trying to come out now.  It is soggy and wet outside, so hopefully, things will dry out and I can work on the outside tomorrow, too.  Like I said, this is a multi-day project.

In the midst of this, I have also done a couple loads of laundry.  And I've gone out to get the mail and put the pumpkin from the porch into the garbage. 

Supper will be Thanksgiving leftovers.

Take care of yourselves. Life is good.  And God Bless America!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a safe and peaceful day!  God Bless America!

Hey

Just letting you know we are okay-ish here.  I'm still keeping up with things.  Made an early morning trip to Kroger today for a few things before the crowds got worse.  And even as early as I went (7 a.m.) there were quite a few people there.  But I got what I needed to get and came home and then had breakfast.

Les had to have some more pre-surgery lab work done.  We think we have all that taken care of and there won't be any more before his surgery.  He is being careful and is still not trusting his leg with the torn meniscus, but he can get around inside the house okay.  

Tomorrow is cooking and food prep day, getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner.  I got the turkey from Jacquie's freezer Sunday afternoon and it is the refrigerator and still hard as a rock. 😯 It will be floating in cold water tomorrow.

In preparation for decorating 🎄 I have gotten things out of the attic so I could check if I needed to make new bows for the wreaths.  I don't!  They are still beautiful!  And still upstairs. 😊

We have had frost a few times and right now it is sunny and up to 51.  I got the outside water line turned off and the faucets drained.  Did some other things outside, too.  

I hope you are all well and staying safe.  Take care of yourselves.  Life is still good!  God Bless America!

Our furry boys are old enough and large enough that I don't think we have to worry about tree climbing, but they do like to take naps on the tree skirts under the lighted threes.

Coffee, Please

You know, it's funny, I never used to like coffee.  I am sure that Mom's use of instant coffee and my Grama's use of Chicory coffee had something to do with that.  Although, Grama did use regular Maxwell House, too.  And this was back when you ground your own beans in the grocery store.  She'd always give me a couple of the beans to chew on while I helped her shop and I did like those.

The turning point for me was when Les and I moved to Germany.  And while there, in spite of exchange rates and gas restrictions, we were able to go to Switzerland. Twice!  We stayed in a Pension, up on a hill.  Large cows with huge bells outside the windows.  And the coffee was served thick and hot with another pitcher of hot heavy milk.  You mixed it yourself.  Wonderful!  And that is when I started liking coffee. 😊

And now we have a Starbucks near us; the rest is history!  And while I love going to the Starbucks for coffee, we also brew our own Starbucks coffee at home.  Dark, and bold; no Frou-Frou coffees here!

Stay safe people.  Take care of yourselves.  Life is good and God Bless America!

Okay-ish

We are - in Jacquie's words - "okay-ish".  We are getting close to getting Les' surgery rescheduled.  I will keep you posted.

I am doing okay and finished all my meds.  Been keeping busy doing things around here.  This is a  picture of my current project.

Les' Dad made this snowman many years ago for us.  Mr. Snowman has moved around with us and always comes out each Winter with our Christmas decorations.  Over the years, he has gotten a bit worn.  I decided it was time for a little "facelift" for him before going out this year.  I think maybe one more day of painting and I will be done.  I am being very careful.  As I work, I can still see Dad's careful pencil markings under some of the worn paint. He was a wonderful man and I have good memories of him. When you see Mr. Snowman next, it will be a picture of him in front of our home. 💕

Take care and stay safe.  Life is good, just sometimes it is a whole lot better than others.  And God Bless America!

Just a Couple Updates

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.

It was in the 80's here on Monday and yesterday's high was in the 50's with high winds.  As I am writing, today's temps are still in the 50's, the sun is out, and it isn't quite as windy as yesterday.  Leaves are coming down fast.  A couple of our trees are bare now, but others still have plenty of leaves hanging on.

Les' pre-surgery testing is all done and we are just waiting for the call for the surgery time for tomorrow.  It's out-patient and will be done at a surgery center where I have been a couple times.  Nice place.

I've been busy getting things done on my "To-Do" list.  That is going pretty well.  We'll need to ask Chris to come and mow again sometime and help with the leaves, but not right now.  He's offered to come any time, and we appreciate it.

I got packages shipped out for Christmas.  And I've taken inventory of the gifts not getting shipped and have wrapped those.  My next Christmas "job" on the list is to work on the snowman.  He needs a little paint in a few places, but overall he has held up well all these years.  I plan to change the front decorations a little this year and am anxious to work on that, but won't be tackling that until at least Thanksgiving afternoon or the next day.  (I have some new lights) 🎄😀

We went to vote yesterday and got some Starbucks while we were out.  

I got a chance to take a picture of Angus watching the leaves yesterday. 

Finnigan was more interested in snuggles.

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

Just Saying Hi!

I hope you all got your clocks changed and that you had a good night's sleep.  It takes a while for our systems to adjust to the time change and Les and I were up earlier than usual this morning.  

Our weather is "out of season" right now.  It's in the low-80's, breezy, and humid.  The A/C is turned back on.  Leaves are coming down fast and blowing all around.

I've been busy taking care of things and trying to stay on top of the "To-Do" list.  So far, so good.  I'm still taking the antibiotics and I think they are working.

Tomorrow morning we go to the hospital for some more pre-surgery testing for Les.  Then I think he's all done with that.  We'll get the time for the surgery the day before, so we won't know until Wednesday.

The cars have both been cleaned and the floor mats in each car have been swapped out.  The Winter Weather Tech mats are in now.  

Tuesday is election day so we will try to go vote that morning.

As you can see, this picture was taken in 2008.  Sweet Cinder has been gone for quite a few years now, but this has always been a favorite picture of mine.  I have not been able to catch Angus and Finnigan watching the leaves this year, but they do spend time looking out this window watching the leaves blow around.  

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

Whew!

Well, it's been a week. We have been very busy here.

I had mentioned in a previous post about my digestive issues. (not uncommon when a person has no gallbladder, but this was worse)  It happened again and much worse this time.  So I went to see our doctor.    He checked me over and said he wasn't sure what was going on and we were going to investigate.  I had some bloodwork, urine tests done and several x-rays.  The x-rays were "unremarkable". Although they did show some degeneration in my shoulder joints, not at all connected to my digestive system. Some numbers are "off" on the blood work and I have a UTI.  So then I had to go back in for a culture to be done.  Have not gotten those results yet, but I am on some medication now, and I go back in a month for retesting.  I am doing "okay".

Les has a date for his surgery and we've been busy.  He has had paperwork to fill out, and has been making and taking phone calls and answering a bazillion questions.  He still has some some additional pre-surgery testing to be done and that will be on Monday.  The surgery will be next Thursday at the hospital where I have been several times.  I will keep you posted.

I have a current "To-Do" list I am working on and a few things are getting checked off.  

Our weather is sunny, warm, and humid.  It's supposed to be near 80 this weekend.  We still have Azaleas, the porch Geraniums,  and Hydrangeas blooming while MANY, MANY leaves are falling down.  They are falling earlier and faster than usual this year.

I hope you are all well, and staying safe.  Life is good, even when frustrating and challenging.  God Bless America!

Happy Halloween!

 

Stay safe and have a good day!  God Bless America!

Thank you, Chris!

Chris came over yesterday to help with our yard work.  We really appreciate his hard work.  Thanks again!  Our yard looks a lot better!

Jacquie came along and worked from our kitchen, taking calls, and meetings.  And a big Congratulations to her for her promotion!  She's worked hard for it.

I've been trying to keep up with things here.  Had a complete down day when my system and body had many issues.  Fortunately it did not last more than twenty-four hours.  I am pretty sure it might have been a "lack of gallbladder" issue.  But whatever, I am feeling better now.  

We are just starting the process of getting some surgery scheduled for Les.  Have to have a clearance from our GP doctor and have not been able to get that set up yet. We can't get him on the surgery schedule until we get that clearance.  Les saw the Orthopedic doctor this morning and was told he has a torn Meniscus.  I'll keep you posted on this.

It's been a sad time for Pam as they said good-bye their sweet little dog, Fred.  He was a good little dog with several health issues and the last one was cancer.  But they gave him a good home and a happy life.  Fred will be missed.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good even when challenging.  God Bless America!

Adulting

 

So true!

A couple of our grandchildren would appreciate this. Although I truly doubt that either of them have tried to fold a fitted sheet. 😊  Honestly, I use the "sort of fold and then roll" method.  😀

I hope all is well with everyone.  Take care of yourselves.  Life is good, just better some times than others.  God Bless America!

Hey!

We've had a few other things going on here, but I think Les is feeling a bit better.  In a previous post I mentioned his leg giving out and the issues with that.  He also developed another problem and is currently taking some antibiotics.  We are at a stage now where he is using a cane, has no fever, and his appetite is better.  His MRI is tomorrow, with a follow-up appointment with the Ortho Doc next week.

I had a couple optical migraines with a bad headache that lasted two days.  In case you are not familiar, an optical migraine causes various vision problems.  In my case I get squiggly pixelated lines that move across my vision.  My doctor says there isn't anything to do for them.  Sometimes there is a regular headache and sometimes not.  The only good thing is that they don't last long.  I am feeling better now.

We had frost the other morning and things have cooled down here.  The sun is out today and I may go out and do a little cleanup in the front.  Leaves are starting to fall down faster.  But at the same time, we have Azaleas and Hydrangeas blooming!

I've been trying to keep up with things and am working on a few extra projects.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good even when challenging.  God Bless America!

Yep.

No other info to share today.  This sums things up.  Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  God Bless America!

Some days you just have to put on the hat and remind them who they are dealing with.   

Well, Things Change

Things have not exactly been going as planned around here, on several levels.

As originally planned, we would have been on the road to Lancaster to see "David" at the Sight and Sound Theater.  We planned to stay there two nights and then go on to Ohio to visit family.  

But............

Les was playing golf last Friday.  On the last hole his leg gave out and if not for leaning on his golf club he would have done a complete face plant.  He called me to be ready to help him back into the house when he got home, and to see if he could see the doctor.  While he was getting home I was able to get an afternoon appointment for him.  And I also got the quad cane out to help him in.  That wasn't much help and we moved on to the walker.  (we have a nice collection of medical equipment from all my previous surgeries)  

We got to the Ortho clinic and saw Dr. Aldridge who has done my many surgeries.  X-rays were done and Dr. A said they did not show any severe arthritis or any other definite problem.  Gave the choice of trying a steroid injection to see if it would help, or getting an MRI and finding out what's going on.  We know from experience that the injections rarely fix anything, so Les is scheduled for the MRI next Sunday.  Then will have a follow-up appointment with Dr. A in a few days.  There's was mention of a possible torn meniscus, but we need to wait and see.

In the meantime, the good news is that when he is sitting still, he does not have much pain.  But he can't put any weight on that leg and it feels like it is going to collapse again when he stands up and it is painful.  He is being careful, using the walker, and letting me help when he needs help.

All of those plans we made have been cancelled, reservations canceled, tickets refunded with a gift card, and the hold on our mail stopped.  I have gotten everything put away, the furry boys are relieved that the suitcases are back in place in the back of the closet.  I am trying to keep up with things.

I did just a bit of work in the yard yesterday.  There is more to do, but I am sure it will wait until I am ready to do it.

In advance of the cancelled trip we wanted to be fully vaccinated, so we have both had our Covid Omicron vaccines, and the Senior high dose flu vaccines.  

We're here if you need us.  Not going anywhere.

 Take care of yourselves and stay safe!  God Bless America! 

Morning Sky, Different Views

I  hope you are all doing well and staying safe. 

It's a pretty day here.  Les is out on the golf course.  I've had my Starbucks and watched (actually fast-forwarded) through some news.  Honestly, some mornings a person can only take so much of the news.

But the sky was so pretty this morning, I had to take a couple pictures.  The first is when I first went out.  To the East it looked like this:

If I turned around, a gorgeous huge moon was visible! Those lower bright lights are the new street lights that were recently installed in our neighborhood.

And then on the way home from Starbucks, I took this picture from a parking lot:

Right now it is sunny and clear and in the 50's.

Life is good.  God Bless America!

Just Because

 

A sunny day! Finally!

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

Just Something That Made Me Laugh

Thanks to I Can Haz Cheeseburger site for this!     

Stay safe people!  God Bless America! 

Yes.

 

Picture from I Can Haz Cheeseburger site  

Since I have a personal policy of not discussing politics, or religion, except with Les, all I will say is God Bless America!  Stay safe and take care of yourselves.  

The "Pre-Ian" Skies

The two evenings before Ian came through our area the first time, the sky looked like this.

Take care of yourselves!

Ian Just Won't Quit

Here is an update on how things are now.  We did have heavy rain and high winds with Ian coming through our area.  Our rain gauge was full and over five inches.  There was actually more than that because as high as the winds were, the rain would have blown past the gauge.  There was a big mess in the yard.  

Our power stayed on, and we have a generator in case it didn't.  Jacquie's house lost power for several hours and we told her they could come over here, but they wanted to stay put and see how things went.  They also had a big mess in their yard, but the twenty new pecans on their young tree survived and are still hanging on! This is the first year their tree has produced nuts. They have all been waiting anxiously for them. 😊

Pam said there were no bad effects from Ian at her house and they are doing okay.

We had no rain on Saturday and our backyard had dried enough for Les and I to spend a couple hours out there yesterday morning cleaning up.  There are six huge bags out at the curb for the bulk pick-up and also a pile of larger pieces too big to bag.

And........ now the remnants of Ian are coming back.  Closings started being announced yesterday afternoon.  We have wind warnings, flood warnings, heavy rain expected.  The temperature has dropped and it "feels like" 41 according to the forecast.  I'll let you know how this goes.

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

Fall

It's starting to feel a little bit more like Fall here.  It was 51 when we got up this morning.  

Hurricane Ian is causing a lot of trouble and damage.  Good luck to everyone in his path.  As for us, we are supposed to start having rain tomorrow afternoon through next Wednesday, if we can believe the forecast.  I already knew it was going to rain this weekend though.  It almost always rains and/or storms on the weekend of the Community yard sale, and the Newport News Fall Festival!  And then events are either rescheduled or cancelled.

I'm trying to keep up with things and have a couple extra cleaning projects planned for today.  The last couple days, I did some errands and got those out of the way.  The yard is still adjusting after the aeration and seeding and it doesn't get anything done out there until the new grass is up. 😊

Our girls and families are doing okay.  Everyone is busy.

Les is doing alright.  He's playing golf today.

I bought a couple pumpkins yesterday and Fall decorating is all done now. 🍂 This is in our back yard.  I haven't taken a picture of the porch yet, but will soon.

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

Interesting Sky

 

I'm not sure about that blue "line" that was up there this morning.

And on the topic of skies, I just figured out that the bright planet I've been seeing out the window toward the East in the evenings is Jupiter. 

Stay safe!  God Bless America!

This Is How It Is

I often have help when I am working at the computer.  This is what it looks like. 

Angus sometimes thinks it helps if he presses a key, or adjusts the monitor. 😊

Finnigan just likes to be close.  He checks/empties the toy basket and then naps. 😊  This basket is frequently flipped over and toys are spread out.

They are in these positions right now as I am writing, even though I took the pictures yesterday.

Our weather is quite pleasant right now.  It's sunny, 80, and there is a breeze.  I went out and filled the bird feeder, and picked up some lint and fuzz from the dryer vent cleaning.  The ladies that did the work picked up most, but it's been windy since then and some smaller bits had accumulated in the corner of the patio.  Our vent exits up on the roof.

Les is still getting better.  I wish it was going faster for him, but he is "up and functioning".  Actually, he's watching football on TV right now.  🏈

I did morning stuff and cooked our breakfast.  We watched a movie and read the paper.  I used the elliptical.  So, all in all, life is good.  Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  God Bless America!

Happy First Day of Fall!

 I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.

As far as the first day of Fall goes, it's been in the 90's and sunny here until just a little while ago.  The sky just opened up and we're in the midst of a downpour of hard rain.  This must be the beginning of the weather front they talked about on the news.  The forecast for tomorrow is for temperatures in the 60's!

Les has been pretty sick for several days but is on some antibiotics and is feeling better every day.  It's been a rough few days here.  He tested for Covid first thing and was negative, so that is good.

Speaking of Covid... we are scheduled to get our boosters next week.  We were supposed to get our flu shots last week, but Les got sick and before I could cancel, the pharmacy cancelled the shot clinic appointments.  My guess is that they were either short staffed or short supply.  But we will get those after we get the Covid boosters.  

Otherwise, I have had my annual mammogram.  All is well there.  I had the 3D one this time.

Our yard was aerated, seeded, and fertilized.  Sprinkler system runs every day for awhile now until the seeds sprout.

I tried to donate blood again.  That did not go so well.  Got all checked in, prepped, tested, etc.  They got everything hooked up, got a tiny bit of blood to flow, and then it stopped.  Three of the techs checked everything and made sure I was okay, and then said we were done.  They are not allowed to stick a donor twice.  So that is that.

Take care of yourselves and stay safe.  Life is good, even with bumps in the road.  God Bless America!

Recent Morning Sky

I hope everyone is doing well.  I took this picture a couple mornings ago.  This morning's sky is sort of gray and cloudy.  It rained during the night, but is trying to clear up now.  I thought this picture was a good one, worth posting. 😊

Les and I are doing alright.  We're keeping up with things.  There are a couple appointments this week.  Next week the "yard guys" are scheduled to come and aerate, seed, and fertilize.  We'll have some prep work to do out there before they come.

The girls tell me things are going okay at their homes.  Grandchildren are all busy with school.

I've finished up a couple projects I was working on around here.  It's about time to wash windows again.  Soon I will start the touch-up painting on our snowman that Les' Dad made for us many years ago.  I have started some Christmas shopping, but am far from done.  I believe this is going to be a year I miss my Columbus Day "finish line" goal.  When I was working, I always had Columbus Day off and would spend the day finishing up the shopping.  Of course, that was way before the appeal of online shopping. 😊🎄 I may work on that a bit today.

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