Long Time No See.....

We have been too busy to have time to write here. Out to dinner with friends, club events in the neighborhood, family stuff, doctor visits, haircuts and pedicures.....all keep us busy.

Monday, I went to a new audiologist to have my hearing tested - to see how far it has degraded lately. It has not changed drastically, but there is a lessening  (consistent with aging). I also had ear wax buildup, and that has to be removed before the reports can be completed and they can determine what type of hearing aid I need.

My cardiologist requested I have a CBC, so I did that Tuesday.  The internist added a lipid panel and some other tests, that I had not had since my heart surgery. I am SO PLEASED to be able to say that were all within the normal ranges!! Even my triglycerides, which were high two years ago - are now normal.  I have no idea why, since I have not changed any eating habits....LOL.  The nurse cleaned out my right ear and got a chunk of wax the size of a pencil eraser. But more remains. It's always something.  

I also need to find out how much my insurance will pay toward to hearing aids.  The audiologist's office was supposed to call BCBS and let me know what they said, but I have yet to hear from them. I hope that's not a bad sign. 

We had some dear old friends over for dinner on Sunday. It is always nice to see them and never lasts long enough.  I baked two apple pies and sent one home with them. I made beef burgundy (again), fresh green beans and hot rolls. It was delicious (if I do say so myself.) I forgot to take photos of the table setting or the food, but I did get one of the flowers.

Two of my grandchildren visited on Grandparent's Day, but I doubt they even knew that's what it was.  We are always happy to see them, whatever the motivation...LOL  They were hoping to find some leftover pie, but it was not to be. 

One of my grandsons just received an honor. He applied to go on a research trip to Ethiopia  for Middle Stone Age research. In the acceptance letter, the professor from The U. of Texas at Austin (Anthropology) said they had a very strong field of applicants, and he should be proud of his acceptance to this highly competitive program.  I am sure he is proud, but no more so than his grandparents and the rest of the family. We pray he will have a successful experience and return home safely.  Love you, Jordan.

A Free Gift!

I belong to a website/app called Nextdoor. It covers my neighborhood and 25 nearby areas. People offer items for sale, ask for referrals, mention lost dogs, etc. 

I check it multiple times a day on my phone; and today I noticed an offer of a free pet bed, carrier, harness and leash - also catnip. I sent a message saying I'd like it, and the woman gave me her address. My daughter and I drove there, and the bed and other items were at the foot of her front steps.

I was amazed at how clean and nice the things were - they probably cost a pretty penny when new - and she gave them away free!  

This is the bed, and as you can see, Moppet is quite comfortable in it. I sprinkled some cat-nip around the bedding, and she settled right in. I love that it is a neutral dark color. 

I have been searching for a cat carrier for quite a while, and I haven't been able to find one I thought I'd like and that  Moppet would be comfortable riding in. This one is a nice black canvas, with strong zippers and side panels that can be lowered if the cat would prefer not to see out.

I must admit that Moppet has not been in the bed at all, except when this pic was taken; still, I hold out hope that she will decide she can sleep in it.  

Murder Mystery Night at the "Spa"

My former neighborhood women attended a "spa night" hosted by one of the group in her home. It was a murder mystery, in which all of us participated.

We were all given information sheets; about the evening, our characters and the info we were supposed to impart to others. Some of the info is only supposed to be told if you are asked a direct question. We each wore a bathrobe (over clothing.)

It was fun and interesting, and of course, we had good food, as usual. 

Here is the full group. 

The "spa" set up for service.

Our repast - all excellent!!

If your group is looking for something to do - I suggest a mystery evening. Find one here  and enjoy!!

It's Insufferable

I refer to the heat, of course. Every day is oppressive; making grocery shopping and errands like booking a one-way ticket to hell. The humidity is terrible also, adding insult to injury.  When will it end?

My garage is still a mess. Back in the early spring, it was too cool for me to stand out there and try to sort through all the crap, and I was heard to say that when it got warm enough, I'd do it.  Then I broke my collarbone - making nearly everything impossible for a while. Then it got too hot to work in the garage.

I am waiting for a cool-down so I can get busy out there. My collarbone still isn't healed, but I can do most things without pain - so the doc said "have at it." 

If you are my friend on Facebook, you already know I am without house cleaners again. I wish I knew why they don't want to work for me. It's depressing. If I were able to do more than a cursory job, I'd do my own. But arthritis, a bad hip and back and the above-mentioned collarbone have made it nearly impossible for me and I have to be able to rely on others. Unfortunately, the "others" have not been reliable for a few years. I will be calling a new business soon, and I am hoping I can find some people who will be a good fit.  

Life in the new house is good  (when it is clean....LOL)  I continue to play Scrabble with a group of women every Tuesday, and I am trying to get back into a routine of working out twice a week, at least. The indoor pool here is always warm enough for me; which is more than I can say for our last health club, and the hot tub is great. The facilities are very clean. They show movies every Sat. at 2pm and an opera (on DVD) every Sunday at 1pm. The lunch group meets every two months and since I am still involved with my old neighborhood women and the book club, life is busy and mostly fulfilling.  

My children and grandchildren keep in touch as much as they are able, which is lovely.  

What more could I ask?   

An Interesting Coincidence on Facebook

I belong to a Facebook site called  "All of Us West Virginians"  (which is self-explanatory.)  Tonight I noticed a post by a woman about her husband's grandmother, who lives in the area in which my great-grandparents lived when I was a child.  The woman's last name is familiar to me, since my mom used to tell me anecdotes about that family. I don't remember anything but their name, though. 

I commented that maybe this lady knew my great grandparents, and told their names. She wrote back that the lady remembers a man by that name who lived "across the river" - and yes - it was my great-grandfather. She also remembered one of his sons, who she named. He was my great uncle. 

Isn't it nice to know that someone other than me and those in my family remember some of our ancestors. She also said that her grandmama had the same last name as our family, so she could be related too.

I think Facebook is great!!  

We're Having a Heat Wave.....and bits and pieces....

Dear Lord, it is hot. Too hot. Every day it is in the mid to high 90's and getting hotter by the weekend. Our utility bills will be untenable.....and August will not be any better. 

That giant thistle in my front yard is over 7 feet tall. It was supposed to be removed by the yard service last week, but they didn't do it, and now, all the blooms are maturing. We have so many fuzzy seeds floating around that I fear I will find 100's of thistle plants next year. They are supposed to be good for bees and birds - but I never saw any bees nor birds on or around it. 

I have slacked off on exercising  (partly due to the heat,) but I must get my rear in gear, so to speak.  My fat pants are rapidly becoming too small. The water aerobics class wants me to participate, but I can't do that in addition to the machines in the gym. I like the gym and using the water afterward to cool down. That has been my way off and on for years. I know the water aerobics is good for you, but not my style.

My first daughter had a birthday this past week, and we went to Pinehurst for dinner with the family.  I mis-read a text regarding the time for dinner, and thought it was for 7 pm. At about 4:15, we found out that dinner was set for 5:30  (for 7 people). Have you ever seen two old people rushing as fast as they can to get dressed?  It was comical, I am sure. Luckily we had both had showers by then.  Younger daughter picked us up and took us there, thank Heaven.  It is an hour and 15 minutes away. We were only 30 minutes late.  :-(  But dinner was excellent!  It was at the Ironwood Cafe.  If you ever find yourself in Pinehurst, I recommend you try the Ironwood. The lobster bisque was delicious, as was my catfish and bacon-wrapped asparagus. My daughters had lobster tails and filets and pronounced them wonderful!

After dinner, we went to her home and met the two newest cats in the family; Luna and Sol, both of whom were sweet and pretty kitties.  The two dogs, Bojangles and Snoop Doggy have accepted them and they all get along well, I am told. 

If Moppet doesn't behave herself, I may throw her into the mix and see what happens.....LOL

Long Time No See...

WOW.... I haven't posted since June 8th. I haven't gone this long between posts ever - I think. 

A lot has been going on; my brother-in-law was here for a week; not long enough for me or Jim. We'd love it if he lived nearby. I cooked like a mad fool and ate like one too. I have yet to get on the scale, but I was able to wear some "fat" pants today, ones that usually fall down without a belt. I didn't need a belt today. Ugh!  

For the last three days, my iPhone has not wanted to charge. I tried several different cords and USB plugs, and nothing worked. So today, I went to the Apple Store. It is always a zoo there, and today was no exception.  I had to wait nearly an hour, but finally I got to see an "expert" - and expert she was!  My phone would not charge with my cords or hers. The diagnosis meant a new phone coming my way - luckily mine is under warranty. But, that also meant I'd lose all the photos I had not uploaded to my computer, which was about 650 pics. So, she suggested that I email them to myself. It took forever!  Ten pics at a time. Now I have to get a thumb drive and transfer the pics to that.  

The new phone is nice; a bit different from the first six plus I had.  But with this one, I can get in with my fingerprint, so I don't have to type the code all the time. That's nice. 

I have joined the Scrabble Club here in the new neighborhood. We meet at the club house every Tuesday afternoon and play 2-3 games. I've met some nice women so far. I had to miss this week, since Jim and I and BIL were getting foot massages and pedicures and they ran long. We didn't complain  (it is heavenly.) Brother-in-law and I got to use the pool one day and he went another time with Jim. I really need to make time to do it three times a week, along with the gym. 

Two weeks ago the fan for the air-conditioning in my car decided it only wanted to work on high. At least it is cool, but the high setting of the fan means my hair is blown about as if I were in a convertible. I really must find the time to get it fixed.  But there is a more pressing issue - I went out to the car one morning last week and found a long crack in the windshield. I assume the hail during the storm that night was the culprit, but I don't know for sure.  AAA is coming tomorrow to replace it. 

My cleaning ladies didn't show up last Friday when they were supposed to, so I fired them. A possible replacement, who was recommended by someone in this neighborhood is coming to do a walk-through tomorrow. She has good references, so I hope it works out  (and that she doesn't charge much more than the last group.)

Wish me luck!