Wow. So, I cannot keep up with my 'blog.' Time seems to fly by. I think it has to do with age. As a kid, time was soooo slow, and it was wonderful. Now, it goes by fast. Oh well. That's life.
What have I been up to? Let me see if I can remember (not). Just sort of the usual, I guess. I've worked a couple of Weight Watchers meetings. I went to the dentist. I've had a couple of physical therapy appointments, which are helping with the bone pain. Mark and I went to Red Robin for another birthday dinner. He finally got to have his Royal Red Robin Burger, and was quite happy about that.
Our nephew, Kristian, came down from Bellvue and visited us. We went shopping at Costco, which he was very happy about. We had a good day together.
Our poor truck, Leonard, is back/still at the doctor. They continue to try to find out why his cruise control won't work. Poor, Leonard. He has been away from home so much lately. Hopefully, soon, he will be able to be home and stay home.
I had an endometrial biopsy on Nov. 2. We're waiting for the results. Not worried, though.
Our friend, Geoff, from the Spokane office finally moved over here last weekend, so we had him and Lindsay, also from the Lacey office and Geoff's next door neighbor, over for dinner Saturday night. Lots of good laughs.
On Tuesday, our friends Jillian and Will, who live in Chicago, had their first baby -- Darcy Ellen. Yea! Everyone is doing fine.
And then, of course, the BIG news is that President Obama was re-elected on Tuesday. HUGE YEA!!!! We watched PBS all night, and celebrated all night, too.
I took Ty to the "happy ending" vet again on Wednesday, but he's still not comfortable with her. We're going to try again tomorrow, this time with a girl dog present.
I went to a new hair cutter today. His name is Jason and I really like him. He's very chatty and I had a lot of fun with him. Now let's hope I can deal with my new hair cut so that I will go back to him next time.
The puppies did their howling thing again the other day, and once again, I was upstairs and did not get to find out what prompted it, or what they looked like while having their fun. But, it doesn't matter -- it just sounds so cool when they do it, that's enough for me to be happy.
I think that's about it for now. Things are starting to get a little crazier. I think it has to do with the time of year.
Anyway, that's it for now.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
A Howling Good Day!
Yesterday, something amazing happened. I was upstairs getting ready for my day; the dogs were downstairs. As usual, Ty was barking at Brenna trying to get her to play. All of a sudden, the two of them were howling, howling, howling, just like wolves. I have no idea what set them off; there were no sirens or anything going off. Neither of them has ever howled before. But, there they were, just howling at each other like crazy. It was really funny, but also an amazing sound. I loved the music they were making together. It was awesome.
So, let me catch up with myself. What's been going on....I've been attending my Transitions cancer support group and really enjoying it. Tonight is our last night together until we have a reunion dinner on Nov. 20. It will be weird not to be with these women every Tuesday. I also have been going to the Thursday night group. It's a tougher one for me because there is a friend in the group who is declining, and I may not see him again. We all are trying to deal with this, and deal with it as a group as well.
I have started physical therapy to try and fix the pain in my bones. I had my annual exam with my PCP, Dr. Lynam. He did all kinds of exams (blood, ekg, etc.) and everything is wonderful. I'm a healthy 62 year old...except for a low Vitamin D level. He told me to take 2000 mg of Vit. D every day. Two things that a low Vit. D level can cause are bone pain and impaired cognitive issues. Yea! These are the two things in my life that bug me the most, so maybe if I can get my Vit. D level up to normal the bone pain will stop and my inability to concentrate will improve. Whoo-hoo!
Our friends from Ephrata, Dan and Barb, were here for the weekend. Their two granddaughters live here and were celebrating their 2nd and 3rd birthdays on Sat. We went to the party, too, and it was fun. Then the four of us went to Trinacria for dinner. That place it just so delicious it's almost indescribable. Quite yummy. Sunday Barb went to babysit, Dan and Mark played golf, and I worked on stuff around the house. Just my regular daily routine. Mark and I also had to take Leonard (our truck) back out to Nisqually to try and get the cruise control fixed, again. So, Monday night, we went out to pick up the truck and eat at the Nisqually Bar and Grill. We watched Monday Night Football, and we were there late enough (7:00 p.m.) to play the free Bingo they have on Monday nights. I won a drinking game with shot glasses and a spinner. I hadn't played Bingo since I was in elementary school.
Mark just called and he is not going to be going to MT at all now. The project that has kept him so busy for almost a year now still is not finished and, therefore, he cannot leave. There are just way too many moving parts, parties and people involved in this thing for it to ever get done, I think. Oh well. Hopefully he can take the week of Thanksgiving off and go then. We shall see.
So, that's it for now.
So, let me catch up with myself. What's been going on....I've been attending my Transitions cancer support group and really enjoying it. Tonight is our last night together until we have a reunion dinner on Nov. 20. It will be weird not to be with these women every Tuesday. I also have been going to the Thursday night group. It's a tougher one for me because there is a friend in the group who is declining, and I may not see him again. We all are trying to deal with this, and deal with it as a group as well.
I have started physical therapy to try and fix the pain in my bones. I had my annual exam with my PCP, Dr. Lynam. He did all kinds of exams (blood, ekg, etc.) and everything is wonderful. I'm a healthy 62 year old...except for a low Vitamin D level. He told me to take 2000 mg of Vit. D every day. Two things that a low Vit. D level can cause are bone pain and impaired cognitive issues. Yea! These are the two things in my life that bug me the most, so maybe if I can get my Vit. D level up to normal the bone pain will stop and my inability to concentrate will improve. Whoo-hoo!
Our friends from Ephrata, Dan and Barb, were here for the weekend. Their two granddaughters live here and were celebrating their 2nd and 3rd birthdays on Sat. We went to the party, too, and it was fun. Then the four of us went to Trinacria for dinner. That place it just so delicious it's almost indescribable. Quite yummy. Sunday Barb went to babysit, Dan and Mark played golf, and I worked on stuff around the house. Just my regular daily routine. Mark and I also had to take Leonard (our truck) back out to Nisqually to try and get the cruise control fixed, again. So, Monday night, we went out to pick up the truck and eat at the Nisqually Bar and Grill. We watched Monday Night Football, and we were there late enough (7:00 p.m.) to play the free Bingo they have on Monday nights. I won a drinking game with shot glasses and a spinner. I hadn't played Bingo since I was in elementary school.
Mark just called and he is not going to be going to MT at all now. The project that has kept him so busy for almost a year now still is not finished and, therefore, he cannot leave. There are just way too many moving parts, parties and people involved in this thing for it to ever get done, I think. Oh well. Hopefully he can take the week of Thanksgiving off and go then. We shall see.
So, that's it for now.
Monday, October 15, 2012
On being lost in Olympia, and turning 62 (I forgot)
Sometimes I feel like I have gotten 'lost' in Olympia. I forget to check my email. I forget to write to friends. I seem to be 'involved' in something here that takes up my time, but I have not figured out what it is, other than living day to day, and enjoying it. I do feel bad, though, that I seem to have been out of touch with all the friends we have around the country. I also don't seem to have 'time' to write in my blog every day...so I have to do these catch-ups.
So, the last time I was here it was Mark's birthday. We did not go out to dinner that night because he was in meetings all day, and someone had sent out for pizza for lunch and then someone else brought in brownies and ice cream...so he wasn't hungry. We went out on Friday, instead.
The day after his birthday I woke up with a screamer of a migraine. I went to work at Weight Watchers, but fortunately was able to come home early. I spent the day in the dark and then went to bed early. Friday proved even more fun -- I woke up with my 15th or maybe 20th bout of cellulitis; I've lost count now. I went to work, though, and then to the lymphedema therapist, and then she got me in to see the doctor. Back on antibiotics for ten days. Whoo-hoo. Thanks to the cancer support groups I'm going to now, I am handling these late-term effects better, I think. Well, at least I'm getting angry about them now, openly wishing they would just go away and leave me alone.
On Oct. 6 we went to a fundraiser for Wolf Haven. It was a very nice evening of local wine tastings and hors d'ouvres. We bought some raffle tickets and actually won a huge (1 gal.) custom engraved bottle of old vine zinfandel from a winery in California. The ventnor and his daughter were at the fundraiser (she goes to school here at Evergreen State College), so we got to meet and talk with him. He made us promise to drink the wine and not just hold onto it, so we will. We probably will have the folks who work with Mark and sold us the tickets to the fundraiser over for a big spaghetti dinner and have the wine then. That would be fun.
Mark got in a round of golf the next day, and the way the weather has turned lately, it may have been his last round for a while. We definitely are experiencing 'typical' Pacific Northwest weather right now. That evening our friend Susan came over for dinner and we had a really good time, as always.
Mark's sisters, Mary Kay and Ann Lynn, came over on Monday to spend a few days with us. All four of us were supposed to go on Wednesday to Seattle to meet up with our nephew, Kristian, and go see the King Tut exhibit. Unfortunately, Mark had to work, so he didn't get to go. MK, AL and I left at 7:30 a.m. and decided to follow the directions provided by MK's Garmin GPS. What a mistake! It took us almost three hours to get to Bellvue to pick up Kristian, and we went on some really roundabout ways. Nice scenery, though. We laughed, and had a good time, but it was crazy. At one point we were going 2.8 mph in a 60 mph zone. Instead of having a nice brunch, we ate at a McDonald's and then headed to the exhibit. The exhibit was really good, but the highlight for me was getting to see naked mole-rats again!!! I didn't know there were were NMRs at the Seattle Science Center, but I sure was glad to see them. They make me laugh so hard, they are so funny! Then Kristian took us out for an incredible seafood dinner at Seastar in Bellvue. It was amazingly declicious. The ride home was fast and uneventlful -- we made it in about an hour and a half. The only excitement was just south of Tacoma when nine police cars went whizzing by in the opposite direction. Something major was going on, but we never found out what it was.
On Thursday MK and AL went shopping at the giant Joanne's store here, and I stayed home and worked on stuff around the house. That night we went to this terrific little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant downtown called Trinacria (it's the word used for the three corners of Sicily). The chef doesn't speak much English, but boy, can he cook! We each had a different dish, all tomato based, and not a hint of any dish tasting remotely like another. Very unique flavors. Quite, quite good.
After dinner we did our birthdays celebration thing (Mark the 3rd, me the 12th, Mary Kay the 21st). Mark gave me a Samsung Gallaxy II tablet! Yea! I still haven't opened it; maybe tomorrow. I need to have time to sit down and read the instructions, because I am so technically illiterate/challenged that I know it's going to take me quite a while to figure out how to use it.
MK and AL took off Friday morning, so I just ran errands and did stuff I hadn't done all week, so just sort of my basic day -- except for the fact that it was my 62nd birthday (I almost forgot that part; sheesh). We ate at home because we'd been eating out so much lately. We grilled shrimp along with fresh veggies from our neighbors' garden.
I'm trying to remember what we did Saturday -- I think Mark went shopping for his upcoming trip to Montana and I worked around the house trying to catch up.
Sunday our friend Des stopped by for a couple of hours on his way from Snohomish to Eugene. It was fun; we watched the Seahawks game on fast forward (yea! no commercials!). After he left, Mark and I went and looked at cafe tables for the eating area in the kitchen/family room. Then we came home and Mark tried a new 'grilling' method for steaks (it was a recipe from the wine guy we met at the Wolf Haven fundraiser). The steaks turned out amazing! First you heat up a cast iron skillet in a 500 degree oven, then you put the skillet on high heat on the stove, throw the steaks on for 1-2 minutes each side, then put them into the oven for another 2-3 minutes and voila! Perfect steaks. Oh yeah, first you let them marinate in Kosher salt for an hour... They really were more than delicious. We're pretty sure we won't be regular grilling steaks anymore.
And that brings me up to today! I went out and did my errand-running, as usual. I bought a table and chairs for the kitchen/family room. We got Mark's truck back, but the cruise control still doesn't work. We ate dinner at Nisqually Bar and Grill, again. It wasn't crowded tonight like it was two weeks ago when the Seahawks were playing on Monday Night Football and we were dropping the truck off to get fixed. And, as always, I am hoping to get my act together this week...we shall see.
And that's it for now.
So, the last time I was here it was Mark's birthday. We did not go out to dinner that night because he was in meetings all day, and someone had sent out for pizza for lunch and then someone else brought in brownies and ice cream...so he wasn't hungry. We went out on Friday, instead.
The day after his birthday I woke up with a screamer of a migraine. I went to work at Weight Watchers, but fortunately was able to come home early. I spent the day in the dark and then went to bed early. Friday proved even more fun -- I woke up with my 15th or maybe 20th bout of cellulitis; I've lost count now. I went to work, though, and then to the lymphedema therapist, and then she got me in to see the doctor. Back on antibiotics for ten days. Whoo-hoo. Thanks to the cancer support groups I'm going to now, I am handling these late-term effects better, I think. Well, at least I'm getting angry about them now, openly wishing they would just go away and leave me alone.
On Oct. 6 we went to a fundraiser for Wolf Haven. It was a very nice evening of local wine tastings and hors d'ouvres. We bought some raffle tickets and actually won a huge (1 gal.) custom engraved bottle of old vine zinfandel from a winery in California. The ventnor and his daughter were at the fundraiser (she goes to school here at Evergreen State College), so we got to meet and talk with him. He made us promise to drink the wine and not just hold onto it, so we will. We probably will have the folks who work with Mark and sold us the tickets to the fundraiser over for a big spaghetti dinner and have the wine then. That would be fun.
Mark got in a round of golf the next day, and the way the weather has turned lately, it may have been his last round for a while. We definitely are experiencing 'typical' Pacific Northwest weather right now. That evening our friend Susan came over for dinner and we had a really good time, as always.
Mark's sisters, Mary Kay and Ann Lynn, came over on Monday to spend a few days with us. All four of us were supposed to go on Wednesday to Seattle to meet up with our nephew, Kristian, and go see the King Tut exhibit. Unfortunately, Mark had to work, so he didn't get to go. MK, AL and I left at 7:30 a.m. and decided to follow the directions provided by MK's Garmin GPS. What a mistake! It took us almost three hours to get to Bellvue to pick up Kristian, and we went on some really roundabout ways. Nice scenery, though. We laughed, and had a good time, but it was crazy. At one point we were going 2.8 mph in a 60 mph zone. Instead of having a nice brunch, we ate at a McDonald's and then headed to the exhibit. The exhibit was really good, but the highlight for me was getting to see naked mole-rats again!!! I didn't know there were were NMRs at the Seattle Science Center, but I sure was glad to see them. They make me laugh so hard, they are so funny! Then Kristian took us out for an incredible seafood dinner at Seastar in Bellvue. It was amazingly declicious. The ride home was fast and uneventlful -- we made it in about an hour and a half. The only excitement was just south of Tacoma when nine police cars went whizzing by in the opposite direction. Something major was going on, but we never found out what it was.
On Thursday MK and AL went shopping at the giant Joanne's store here, and I stayed home and worked on stuff around the house. That night we went to this terrific little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant downtown called Trinacria (it's the word used for the three corners of Sicily). The chef doesn't speak much English, but boy, can he cook! We each had a different dish, all tomato based, and not a hint of any dish tasting remotely like another. Very unique flavors. Quite, quite good.
After dinner we did our birthdays celebration thing (Mark the 3rd, me the 12th, Mary Kay the 21st). Mark gave me a Samsung Gallaxy II tablet! Yea! I still haven't opened it; maybe tomorrow. I need to have time to sit down and read the instructions, because I am so technically illiterate/challenged that I know it's going to take me quite a while to figure out how to use it.
MK and AL took off Friday morning, so I just ran errands and did stuff I hadn't done all week, so just sort of my basic day -- except for the fact that it was my 62nd birthday (I almost forgot that part; sheesh). We ate at home because we'd been eating out so much lately. We grilled shrimp along with fresh veggies from our neighbors' garden.
I'm trying to remember what we did Saturday -- I think Mark went shopping for his upcoming trip to Montana and I worked around the house trying to catch up.
Sunday our friend Des stopped by for a couple of hours on his way from Snohomish to Eugene. It was fun; we watched the Seahawks game on fast forward (yea! no commercials!). After he left, Mark and I went and looked at cafe tables for the eating area in the kitchen/family room. Then we came home and Mark tried a new 'grilling' method for steaks (it was a recipe from the wine guy we met at the Wolf Haven fundraiser). The steaks turned out amazing! First you heat up a cast iron skillet in a 500 degree oven, then you put the skillet on high heat on the stove, throw the steaks on for 1-2 minutes each side, then put them into the oven for another 2-3 minutes and voila! Perfect steaks. Oh yeah, first you let them marinate in Kosher salt for an hour... They really were more than delicious. We're pretty sure we won't be regular grilling steaks anymore.
And that brings me up to today! I went out and did my errand-running, as usual. I bought a table and chairs for the kitchen/family room. We got Mark's truck back, but the cruise control still doesn't work. We ate dinner at Nisqually Bar and Grill, again. It wasn't crowded tonight like it was two weeks ago when the Seahawks were playing on Monday Night Football and we were dropping the truck off to get fixed. And, as always, I am hoping to get my act together this week...we shall see.
And that's it for now.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Mark's birthday, Dragon fruit and other stuff
Today is Mark's 58th birthday. Happy Birthday, Markie! We will celebrate at Red Robin, we're just not sure if we're going tonight or another night. He loves eating at Red Robin, plus he gets a free Gourmet Birthday Burger there. Whoo-hoo!
I bought a dragon fruit, but I haven't eaten it yet. It is really pretty and I have never had one. Maybe we'll eat it tonight. I thought I took a picture of it, but it was actually a video. I think I need to learn how to use my point and shoot camera....
My Tuesday night Transitions group is going along quite well. I am learning lots of things about lots of stuff; facing old isses and looking forward to new experiences. The women in this group are amazing (there are only women in this group, though men could attend; there just didn't happen to be any this session). Some of them have been to hell and back and are still standing. I'm not sure I would be. Tomorrow night is a mixed group. There's a different dynamic on Thursdays, but equally as amazing people. It's good to get different perspectives from so many people and both genders.
We went to a really fun wine tasting party at our friends Jon and Jules' house last Friday. Ten very good wines to taste, delicious food to go with them, and lots of people, some from southern California and some from upstate New York, along with the usual locals. Great conversations and lots of laughter.
We have been puppy sitting a seven year old black Lab, Coot, and a three year old English setter, Goose, since last Thursday. They will be going home this coming Sunday. Ty has been having a great time playing with Coot. And Goose is learning to run with Ty when they are outside. Brenna is not all that happy about having two other 'women' in the house, but she's dealing with it. It's kind of fun having four dogs in the house again, though it does tend to limit some goings and doings.
I have been pretty tired and fatigued today, and it has been one of my 'hurt all over' days. I even took a nap on the couch this afternoon. Then I got up and took myself for a walk around the neighborhood. It is gorgeous outside, crisp, sunny. Lovely day. And from door to door around my neighborhood is exactly one mile, so it's a perfect distance to just get myself moving. I'm glad I went.
I have some assignments from my groups to work on, all of which require me to sit down, read, think, and write -- all things that are difficult for me to do these days. But, I will, because I want to. So maybe I'd better get started.
And, that's about it from here.
I bought a dragon fruit, but I haven't eaten it yet. It is really pretty and I have never had one. Maybe we'll eat it tonight. I thought I took a picture of it, but it was actually a video. I think I need to learn how to use my point and shoot camera....
My Tuesday night Transitions group is going along quite well. I am learning lots of things about lots of stuff; facing old isses and looking forward to new experiences. The women in this group are amazing (there are only women in this group, though men could attend; there just didn't happen to be any this session). Some of them have been to hell and back and are still standing. I'm not sure I would be. Tomorrow night is a mixed group. There's a different dynamic on Thursdays, but equally as amazing people. It's good to get different perspectives from so many people and both genders.
We went to a really fun wine tasting party at our friends Jon and Jules' house last Friday. Ten very good wines to taste, delicious food to go with them, and lots of people, some from southern California and some from upstate New York, along with the usual locals. Great conversations and lots of laughter.
We have been puppy sitting a seven year old black Lab, Coot, and a three year old English setter, Goose, since last Thursday. They will be going home this coming Sunday. Ty has been having a great time playing with Coot. And Goose is learning to run with Ty when they are outside. Brenna is not all that happy about having two other 'women' in the house, but she's dealing with it. It's kind of fun having four dogs in the house again, though it does tend to limit some goings and doings.
I have been pretty tired and fatigued today, and it has been one of my 'hurt all over' days. I even took a nap on the couch this afternoon. Then I got up and took myself for a walk around the neighborhood. It is gorgeous outside, crisp, sunny. Lovely day. And from door to door around my neighborhood is exactly one mile, so it's a perfect distance to just get myself moving. I'm glad I went.
I have some assignments from my groups to work on, all of which require me to sit down, read, think, and write -- all things that are difficult for me to do these days. But, I will, because I want to. So maybe I'd better get started.
And, that's about it from here.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Taking a breath...
I've been busy, and I've been thinking about things. I'm having a hard time getting my thoughts together/in order so that I can actually think about the things I am thinking about. It's quite confusing and frustrating. But, there is a lot going on in my head right now. A lot of it has to do with the many people I am making friends with in the various cancer groups I am participating in, and also how I am reacting in/feeling due to these gatherings. I'm glad I am doing this, but it is beginning to be hard -- thinking about things, facing things, that sort of stuff. And it's going to get harder as a few of my new friends may not be here very much longer, and I am so not good at dealing with death. Of course, I think that's part of why I am doing this, too. I need to learn to cope with death, or at least figure out why I have such a hard time with people dying. That's just part of what's going on in my head... I am hoping to have some quiet time to myself this weekend to sort of sit and ponder, maybe write down things as they come to me and start sorting through things.
So, I managed to leave my car lights on while I was at work this morning. Dumb. I finally got hold of Mark to come and rescue me. We're going back tonight to jump start the car. We'll probably take the puppies with us so they can have a fun truck ride. They love riding in the truck.
Our friends Dan and Barb were here last weekend. We attended their grandson's 1st birthday party with them. It was fun, and tasty -- perfectly grilled steaks.
I went to a farewell lunch this week for our cancer group yoga teacher. She is moving to Portland to start a more restful and less busy life. She is very happy about the move, but we all are very sad to have her leave. I have a feeling the yoga group will begin to disband.
Our gorgeous summer weather is rather quickly turning into fall. I am hoping to wrap my head around this change, too, as I want to keep a happy face about non-sunny and warm weather. I have always enjoyed fall, it's just that the weather we have been having has been spectacular, the kind everyone wants all the time.
Anyway, I need to go get things gathered up and start preparing dinner. So, that's it for now.
So, I managed to leave my car lights on while I was at work this morning. Dumb. I finally got hold of Mark to come and rescue me. We're going back tonight to jump start the car. We'll probably take the puppies with us so they can have a fun truck ride. They love riding in the truck.
Our friends Dan and Barb were here last weekend. We attended their grandson's 1st birthday party with them. It was fun, and tasty -- perfectly grilled steaks.
I went to a farewell lunch this week for our cancer group yoga teacher. She is moving to Portland to start a more restful and less busy life. She is very happy about the move, but we all are very sad to have her leave. I have a feeling the yoga group will begin to disband.
Our gorgeous summer weather is rather quickly turning into fall. I am hoping to wrap my head around this change, too, as I want to keep a happy face about non-sunny and warm weather. I have always enjoyed fall, it's just that the weather we have been having has been spectacular, the kind everyone wants all the time.
Anyway, I need to go get things gathered up and start preparing dinner. So, that's it for now.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Beach Day!
So, Mark and I and the puppies went to the beach Saturday! This was my first trip to the WA coast, and the puppies' first visit to a beach ever. They had a blast -- running, running, running. It was a very warm and sunny day here, but the beach was overcast, cool and breezy. It was terrific. It was a nice drive, very little traffic, and pretty much a deserted beach. We had lunch at The Green Lantern. Good burger with a toasted bun (makes all the difference). Saturday night and Sunday were pretty ordinary -- watching TV on two different levels Saturday night, Mark played golf on Sunday, and I puttered around the house and then ran errands and went shopping for a new pair of sport shoes. Of course they had to be ordered because of the narrow width, and then today the store called to tell me they are backordered and not sure when they will be able to get them. Oh well.
Today was just another regular day -- I have no idea why I seem to always be running errands, but I do. Today was no different. Another oh well.
The puppies are enjoying a rawhide chew bone right now, and I'm going to go finish cleaning up the kitchen. I may even try reading something tonight, since my evening wrapped up fairly early (football started at 4:30, so it's been a quiet night for me downstairs...).
And that's it for now.
Today was just another regular day -- I have no idea why I seem to always be running errands, but I do. Today was no different. Another oh well.
The puppies are enjoying a rawhide chew bone right now, and I'm going to go finish cleaning up the kitchen. I may even try reading something tonight, since my evening wrapped up fairly early (football started at 4:30, so it's been a quiet night for me downstairs...).
And that's it for now.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Lots of fun lately
It's been the regular sort of stuff lately, except that we had a 'luau' for friends and neighbors on the Sunday before Labor Day. It was fun. Lots of laughs and great food. The weather was perfect and we were able to be outside until way late into the night. We grilled teriyaki chicken and Sonnenberg's sausages (great sausages from a Spokane meat/deli). We had fresh crab dip, homemade quacamole, shrimp cocktail, homemade berry cobbler and backyard apples and berry pie with ice cream, really good jalapeno mac-n-cheese, a beet salad that was 'to die for' and all sorts of other goodies. No one went hungry, or thirsty. Brenna and Ty had an amazing time because they had lots of people that would pay attention to them, and Jon would always throw the toys for them. We actually can't find one toy, it may be up in the bushes somewhere, and the puppies were both so tired by the end of the night. Ty was even limping a little bit, but that didn't last long.
We also had a fun evening at Fish Tale Brew Pub with some folks from Mark's office and a guy from the Spokane office who is doing a detail over here for a few weeks.
Mark and I played golf on Labor Day and had a really good time. The weather has been so amazing! And the course was not crowded, so we got to play by ourselves. Mark finally gave me a few pointers and it made a big difference in the way I hit the ball. I need to bug him to give me more instruction when we're actually on the course.
I got the front stitches of my gum surgery taken out this week. Yea! The back ones will come out in two months. Good thing none of this hurts or is bothersome.
I was not in the mood to make lunch for Mark on Tuesday night because I had been 'battling' with my computer and printer all night trying to figure out how to download some drivers. So, Wednesday we went out to lunch at Top Food. We like eating there -- they have a good oriental counter. We had some really fresh spring rolls and an Empress chicken bowl. Yum.
I'm taking care of Scampi, our neighbors cat, again. She still likes me when I feed her, but gets grumpy after I feed her, much like "I'm done with you now, so you can leave." She's very funny.
I worked my Weight Watchers shifts yesterday and today. Both were good; fairly productive.
I wasn't in the mood to attend my cancer support group last night; I'm not sure why. But, I didn't go, and that's ok. I'll make it to the next one.
I made a big pot of veggie soup yesterday, and I think I'll go get it and start heating it up for dinner. Right now, it sounds pretty good. Plus, it's another beautiful day, so I should go sit outside and read for a while. Chill out, etc.
And, that's it for now.
We also had a fun evening at Fish Tale Brew Pub with some folks from Mark's office and a guy from the Spokane office who is doing a detail over here for a few weeks.
Mark and I played golf on Labor Day and had a really good time. The weather has been so amazing! And the course was not crowded, so we got to play by ourselves. Mark finally gave me a few pointers and it made a big difference in the way I hit the ball. I need to bug him to give me more instruction when we're actually on the course.
I got the front stitches of my gum surgery taken out this week. Yea! The back ones will come out in two months. Good thing none of this hurts or is bothersome.
I was not in the mood to make lunch for Mark on Tuesday night because I had been 'battling' with my computer and printer all night trying to figure out how to download some drivers. So, Wednesday we went out to lunch at Top Food. We like eating there -- they have a good oriental counter. We had some really fresh spring rolls and an Empress chicken bowl. Yum.
I'm taking care of Scampi, our neighbors cat, again. She still likes me when I feed her, but gets grumpy after I feed her, much like "I'm done with you now, so you can leave." She's very funny.
I worked my Weight Watchers shifts yesterday and today. Both were good; fairly productive.
I wasn't in the mood to attend my cancer support group last night; I'm not sure why. But, I didn't go, and that's ok. I'll make it to the next one.
I made a big pot of veggie soup yesterday, and I think I'll go get it and start heating it up for dinner. Right now, it sounds pretty good. Plus, it's another beautiful day, so I should go sit outside and read for a while. Chill out, etc.
And, that's it for now.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Still enjoying it here
Yes, I am still enjoying living in Olympia. We were told summers here are wonderful, and that has indeed been the truth. Too bad summer didn't show up until almost the end of July... But, it really has been nice.
I'm still going to my Thursday evening cancer support group and really liking the people in the group. I'm still dealing with the lymphedema in my arm, but my compression sleeve helps, and it's comfy. The gum grafts I had done earlier this month are doing very well. Yea!
Mark and I tried using Smart Phones for two weeks, but decided that we really aren't 21st century sort of people, so we returned them. However, during the short time we had them, Mark became completely addicted to playing Angry Birds. He even downloaded it onto his lap top so that he can play without a phone.
Our friends from Ephrata came over and spent a couple of days. As always, we had a really good time. Dan even stayed an extra day so that he and Mark could get in an extra round of golf.
I met with a new doctor and really like him, so I think I will be comfortable now with a primary care physician.
Our friends Susan and Brian brought back crabs from their cabin on Lopez Island and we went to their house and ate our fill. It was delicious. Plus we were joined by friends Connie and Paul. Lots of laughter and fun.
Mark went to Butte for his annual guys golf trip with Jason and The Other Mark. Mark met up with Jason in Spokane and they drove to Butte. The Other Mark drove over from Wyoming. They had a lot of good golf and steaks at Barclay's in Anaconda. I had a very productive four days of getting my office files organized and other puttery stuff around the house. I also got 'trained' to work at the new Weight Watchers store that opened on August 27.
I am managing to get to yoga about every other week. I need to be really much better about going each week. It feels so good when I do it, and I really enjoy spending time with the other folks in the class and having fun lunhces together.
One of Mark's co-workers from the Spokane office is here doing at detail, so we had him over for dinner last week. We grilled some Sonnenberg's sausages that were really tasty.
I worked a couple of days at the WW store doing data input. That was kind of fun. Hadn't really done that kind of work in a long time, and there were others there, so we got to yak and laugh.
Mark and I worked in the yard most of this past weekend. He cut down several broken branches from our neighbor's tree that were laying on our trees. Then we cleaned out the gutters. Real exciting stuff.
This pretty much is a run-down of my day-to-day life so that I can look back and try to remember what I was doing at any given time during this year. Lots of other stuff goes on, I just don't remember it because it all happens so fast and all the time. I play with the dogs, run errands, try to read (but that's still difficult for me, so I get frustrated and stop). I think about really cleaning the house and cooking good meals, though most of the time neither happens.
I'm getting a hair cut tomorrow, and then working at the WW store on Thursday and Friday mornings. We're having a Labor Day Luau on Sunday, and Mark and I are going to play golf together on Monday.
And then, it's pretty much September, and Fall. Wow.
Well, that's it for now.
I'm still going to my Thursday evening cancer support group and really liking the people in the group. I'm still dealing with the lymphedema in my arm, but my compression sleeve helps, and it's comfy. The gum grafts I had done earlier this month are doing very well. Yea!
Mark and I tried using Smart Phones for two weeks, but decided that we really aren't 21st century sort of people, so we returned them. However, during the short time we had them, Mark became completely addicted to playing Angry Birds. He even downloaded it onto his lap top so that he can play without a phone.
Our friends from Ephrata came over and spent a couple of days. As always, we had a really good time. Dan even stayed an extra day so that he and Mark could get in an extra round of golf.
I met with a new doctor and really like him, so I think I will be comfortable now with a primary care physician.
Our friends Susan and Brian brought back crabs from their cabin on Lopez Island and we went to their house and ate our fill. It was delicious. Plus we were joined by friends Connie and Paul. Lots of laughter and fun.
Mark went to Butte for his annual guys golf trip with Jason and The Other Mark. Mark met up with Jason in Spokane and they drove to Butte. The Other Mark drove over from Wyoming. They had a lot of good golf and steaks at Barclay's in Anaconda. I had a very productive four days of getting my office files organized and other puttery stuff around the house. I also got 'trained' to work at the new Weight Watchers store that opened on August 27.
I am managing to get to yoga about every other week. I need to be really much better about going each week. It feels so good when I do it, and I really enjoy spending time with the other folks in the class and having fun lunhces together.
One of Mark's co-workers from the Spokane office is here doing at detail, so we had him over for dinner last week. We grilled some Sonnenberg's sausages that were really tasty.
I worked a couple of days at the WW store doing data input. That was kind of fun. Hadn't really done that kind of work in a long time, and there were others there, so we got to yak and laugh.
Mark and I worked in the yard most of this past weekend. He cut down several broken branches from our neighbor's tree that were laying on our trees. Then we cleaned out the gutters. Real exciting stuff.
This pretty much is a run-down of my day-to-day life so that I can look back and try to remember what I was doing at any given time during this year. Lots of other stuff goes on, I just don't remember it because it all happens so fast and all the time. I play with the dogs, run errands, try to read (but that's still difficult for me, so I get frustrated and stop). I think about really cleaning the house and cooking good meals, though most of the time neither happens.
I'm getting a hair cut tomorrow, and then working at the WW store on Thursday and Friday mornings. We're having a Labor Day Luau on Sunday, and Mark and I are going to play golf together on Monday.
And then, it's pretty much September, and Fall. Wow.
Well, that's it for now.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
The last 2 & 1/2 weeks...
Again, I'm not keeping up on a daily basis with my blog so that I will remember what I have done with my day-to-day life. Oh, well.
Mark and I went to an office BBQ on July 27 at a nice park near here that Mark now takes the dogs to so they can go swimming. It's got a nice beach area where they can easily get into the lake. Brenna runs and jumps in; Ty still wades. He hasn't quite figured out the whole water thing yet.
On the 28th we went to the Mushroom Festival. It was OK, but not something we'd go to again. Just one of the many Olympia festivals that as New Olympians we needed to attend. I think we played golf the next day. The weekend weather lately has been really nice, so I'm pretty sure we would have gone and played golf.
Our friend, Jessi, from Wenatchee came over and spent two nights with us. She and Mark had diversity training out at Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. We grilled, sat outside and enjoyed some spirits together. We had a good time.
I went to my cancer support group again. It was a really good meeting with some new folks there. Jules and I went out for dinner, spirits and lots of gabbing afterward, as usual.
Mark and I went to the Thurston County Fair on Saturday and had a really good time. It was really hot, so there were very few people there. But we got to see lots of bunnies, chickens, goats, cows, sheep, llamas, and horses. We watched some equestrian events, and ate Fair food. We played golf on Sunday. Again, it was really hot, so no one was on the course, which was really nice.
I had two gum grafts on Monday and felt ok that day, but the next day was yukky. The antibiotic I was taking was making me sick, so the doctor changed it. I feel much better today. I slept in the guest room last night because I didn't want to wake Mark up, and even though I've slept in there a few other times, last night was the first night I noticed that the ceiling is covered in glow-in-the-dark 'stars'. It looks like the Milky Way in the guest room. It is really amazing! I had a hard time going to sleep because I just loved staring at the ceiling and feeling like I was sleeping outside. It kind of makes me want to sleep in there all the time. We may have to make that our regular bedroom...
I spent today getting some work done in my office, finally. Fortunately, I have nothing on my calendar for the next two days, so I am hoping to get more work done in here.
It seems like there were more things/items/stuff I wanted to remember, but, of course, since I didn't do this on a daily basis, I have forgotten what it was. I need to be better about keeping myself up-to-date.
And that's it for now.
Mark and I went to an office BBQ on July 27 at a nice park near here that Mark now takes the dogs to so they can go swimming. It's got a nice beach area where they can easily get into the lake. Brenna runs and jumps in; Ty still wades. He hasn't quite figured out the whole water thing yet.
On the 28th we went to the Mushroom Festival. It was OK, but not something we'd go to again. Just one of the many Olympia festivals that as New Olympians we needed to attend. I think we played golf the next day. The weekend weather lately has been really nice, so I'm pretty sure we would have gone and played golf.
Our friend, Jessi, from Wenatchee came over and spent two nights with us. She and Mark had diversity training out at Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. We grilled, sat outside and enjoyed some spirits together. We had a good time.
I went to my cancer support group again. It was a really good meeting with some new folks there. Jules and I went out for dinner, spirits and lots of gabbing afterward, as usual.
Mark and I went to the Thurston County Fair on Saturday and had a really good time. It was really hot, so there were very few people there. But we got to see lots of bunnies, chickens, goats, cows, sheep, llamas, and horses. We watched some equestrian events, and ate Fair food. We played golf on Sunday. Again, it was really hot, so no one was on the course, which was really nice.
I had two gum grafts on Monday and felt ok that day, but the next day was yukky. The antibiotic I was taking was making me sick, so the doctor changed it. I feel much better today. I slept in the guest room last night because I didn't want to wake Mark up, and even though I've slept in there a few other times, last night was the first night I noticed that the ceiling is covered in glow-in-the-dark 'stars'. It looks like the Milky Way in the guest room. It is really amazing! I had a hard time going to sleep because I just loved staring at the ceiling and feeling like I was sleeping outside. It kind of makes me want to sleep in there all the time. We may have to make that our regular bedroom...
I spent today getting some work done in my office, finally. Fortunately, I have nothing on my calendar for the next two days, so I am hoping to get more work done in here.
It seems like there were more things/items/stuff I wanted to remember, but, of course, since I didn't do this on a daily basis, I have forgotten what it was. I need to be better about keeping myself up-to-date.
And that's it for now.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Wow, it's been a while...
Where do I start? Let's see.... Mark got home from Montana early enough on Saturday, July 7, for us to go to the 2nd Annual South Sound BBQ at Cabela's. We got there around 4:00, so the pulled pork with bleu cheese and slaw wraps were gone, but the alder smoked salmon and BBQ'd brisket we got instead were awesome, so it was ok. The day was really nice.
My cancer yoga class started up again after a two week hiatus while Joanna taught a teacher training. It was really nice to see everyone again. We had a fun lunch and catchup session at Hearthfire Grill after class.
I went to my second cancer-girls-night-out dinner. It was a smaller group this time since some folks were on vacation, but still lots of fun. We ate at El Serape again, which has been voted the best place to meet because it has big tables for groups, is centrally located for everyone, and has a menu full of corn products for those who cannot eat wheat.
Our truck's window got a crack in it on Mark's way home from Montana, so Leonard (that's his name) got a new windshield. It's really clear!
Since were were contemplating breeding Ty with Dick and Mary's dog, Lulu, we took Ty to the "happy ending" vet in Lakewood. He was a bit confused by all the 'commotion.' Unfortunately, he's still a little 'young' and is now taking supplements and vitamins to help him 'man up.' We'll check him again in a couple of months. Maybe he'll be happier about going next time since he now knows what happens when he goes to this vet!
We went to Des and Judy's in Snohomish the weekend of July 13-15 and, as always, we had a wonderful time. Mark and Des golfed Saturday and Sunday. Judy and I went antique shopping in Snohomish. Duncan and Waylen came over for dinner Saturday night, and Shannon and Clint came over on Sunday. It's always just so fun to spend time with this family.
I've had a dental appointment, several lymphedema treatments, and an endodontist appointment in the last few weeks. Fortunately, the dental appointment was good and the lymphedema is under control and my arm is back to normal. The endodontist appointment proved I need three more gum grafts, which will be done on August 6. Whoopee.
I attended a new support group that started on July 19 with other cancer survivors who have 'issues' now that we're all a little farther out of treatment and moving on to trying to live a life. It's a nice group, will only have about 12 people in it, and will continue to the end of the year. Afterwards, Julie and I went to El Serape for margaritas (Julie) and Sangria (me), enchiladas, and some good yakking. It was fun; lots of laughing.
I took Leonard to Costco last Friday to get his tires rotated, so I got to have a mocha freeze. Yum.
Last Saturday Mark and I went to a retirement party for John Grettenberger at Millersylvania Park. It was lots of fun and a beautiful park. A good time was had by all. On Sunday we played a great round of golf at Tumwater Valley Golf Club. We had never played there before. It is a really nice course. We were paired up with a nice father and son twosome. Unfortunately, I came home with a cold, so I haven't been doing much this week. I did find a new haircutter, though. Yea! So, I got my haircut yesterday and so far, so good.
Mark was in Portland all day today for some kind of meeting and is now on his way home. It's time to feed the puppies and watch the evening news.
So, that's it for now.
My cancer yoga class started up again after a two week hiatus while Joanna taught a teacher training. It was really nice to see everyone again. We had a fun lunch and catchup session at Hearthfire Grill after class.
I went to my second cancer-girls-night-out dinner. It was a smaller group this time since some folks were on vacation, but still lots of fun. We ate at El Serape again, which has been voted the best place to meet because it has big tables for groups, is centrally located for everyone, and has a menu full of corn products for those who cannot eat wheat.
Our truck's window got a crack in it on Mark's way home from Montana, so Leonard (that's his name) got a new windshield. It's really clear!
Since were were contemplating breeding Ty with Dick and Mary's dog, Lulu, we took Ty to the "happy ending" vet in Lakewood. He was a bit confused by all the 'commotion.' Unfortunately, he's still a little 'young' and is now taking supplements and vitamins to help him 'man up.' We'll check him again in a couple of months. Maybe he'll be happier about going next time since he now knows what happens when he goes to this vet!
We went to Des and Judy's in Snohomish the weekend of July 13-15 and, as always, we had a wonderful time. Mark and Des golfed Saturday and Sunday. Judy and I went antique shopping in Snohomish. Duncan and Waylen came over for dinner Saturday night, and Shannon and Clint came over on Sunday. It's always just so fun to spend time with this family.
I've had a dental appointment, several lymphedema treatments, and an endodontist appointment in the last few weeks. Fortunately, the dental appointment was good and the lymphedema is under control and my arm is back to normal. The endodontist appointment proved I need three more gum grafts, which will be done on August 6. Whoopee.
I attended a new support group that started on July 19 with other cancer survivors who have 'issues' now that we're all a little farther out of treatment and moving on to trying to live a life. It's a nice group, will only have about 12 people in it, and will continue to the end of the year. Afterwards, Julie and I went to El Serape for margaritas (Julie) and Sangria (me), enchiladas, and some good yakking. It was fun; lots of laughing.
I took Leonard to Costco last Friday to get his tires rotated, so I got to have a mocha freeze. Yum.
Last Saturday Mark and I went to a retirement party for John Grettenberger at Millersylvania Park. It was lots of fun and a beautiful park. A good time was had by all. On Sunday we played a great round of golf at Tumwater Valley Golf Club. We had never played there before. It is a really nice course. We were paired up with a nice father and son twosome. Unfortunately, I came home with a cold, so I haven't been doing much this week. I did find a new haircutter, though. Yea! So, I got my haircut yesterday and so far, so good.
Mark was in Portland all day today for some kind of meeting and is now on his way home. It's time to feed the puppies and watch the evening news.
So, that's it for now.
Friday, July 6, 2012
A quiet week
It's been a fairly quiet week. The puppies handled the 4th of July neighborhood fireworks pretty well. We went to bed early that night (10:30-ish) and that got Brenna to totally settle down. Of course, having rawhide chew bones earlier helped, too. The only fireworks I got to see were the ones on TV on the Capitol Fourth broadcast. It was fun watching the fireworks over the Washington Monument and remembering how incredibly much fun it is to actually see those fireworks live! Best in the world.
Mark is coming home a day earlier than I thought he was (yea!). It will be nice to have him back at home.
Our weather has been perfect -- sunny, warm, just wonderful. It's supposed to get a bit warmer this weekend (into the low 80s). It's really nice.
Our next door neighbor, Mary, came over this evening with some wine and fresh lettuce from her garden, so we made fun snacks and salad and had a very nice evening chatting together. It was fun.
And that's it for now.
Mark is coming home a day earlier than I thought he was (yea!). It will be nice to have him back at home.
Our weather has been perfect -- sunny, warm, just wonderful. It's supposed to get a bit warmer this weekend (into the low 80s). It's really nice.
Our next door neighbor, Mary, came over this evening with some wine and fresh lettuce from her garden, so we made fun snacks and salad and had a very nice evening chatting together. It was fun.
And that's it for now.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Day after Day 1
Yesterday was July 1, which I decided to be my new beginning day. It was the first of a month, a Sunday, a good day to start over/renew. It also was a special day -- it was Chip's birthday in 1994 and it was the day Sweet Pea died in 2006. I woke up yesterday ready to re-boot, even though I was very tired. So, I took it easy, did some office work that needed to be done, paid attention to what I was eating, and generally got some inspiration. I went to bed early (10:00) and read for a while. I had a terrific night's sleep (yea!).
Last Friday evening was fun. Mark and Brian went to a Mariner's game, so Susan, and Wendy and I went out for sloppy burgers and spirits. We had a great time. Lots of laughs.
Saturday Mark left for Butte for the week. I always get really sad when he leaves, and it generally takes me a few days to get around to getting off the couch and stop moping. I'm trying to be better about that this time. It's part of my re-booting.
Today I am working my Weight Watchers shift, and also going to my meeting. This morning I took care of Scampi, our next door neighbor's 16 year old cat. She likes me when I feed her. Other than that, not so much. I've been taking care of her since Saturday afternoon. She's a black and white cat and very pretty, but a little cranky in her old age (aren't we all!).
I have a small list of projects I am hoping to complete this week, or at least get the long-term ones underway. I have an appointment with the lymphedema therapist on Thursday, and that's about it. I don't have a yoga class again this week because Joanna is teaching a teacher training course. I am looking forward to getting back to that class and seeing the people in it.
Well, I'd better go and get the puppies ready for me to leave and then head off to work.
And, that's it for now!
Last Friday evening was fun. Mark and Brian went to a Mariner's game, so Susan, and Wendy and I went out for sloppy burgers and spirits. We had a great time. Lots of laughs.
Saturday Mark left for Butte for the week. I always get really sad when he leaves, and it generally takes me a few days to get around to getting off the couch and stop moping. I'm trying to be better about that this time. It's part of my re-booting.
Today I am working my Weight Watchers shift, and also going to my meeting. This morning I took care of Scampi, our next door neighbor's 16 year old cat. She likes me when I feed her. Other than that, not so much. I've been taking care of her since Saturday afternoon. She's a black and white cat and very pretty, but a little cranky in her old age (aren't we all!).
I have a small list of projects I am hoping to complete this week, or at least get the long-term ones underway. I have an appointment with the lymphedema therapist on Thursday, and that's about it. I don't have a yoga class again this week because Joanna is teaching a teacher training course. I am looking forward to getting back to that class and seeing the people in it.
Well, I'd better go and get the puppies ready for me to leave and then head off to work.
And, that's it for now!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
An explosion of peonies
We've had lots of peonies in our yard, and a co-worker of Mark's sent many home with him for several days. Quite pretty and aromatic.
So, what's been going on....
Our next door neighbor invited me for a walk on June 15. It was fun, only my body decided to actually develop lymphedema in my arm while we were out. So, now I'm being treated for that with a big, bulky sleeve-thing I have to wear at night. It's getting better, so that's good.
We went to a great high school graduation party for our friends' Jon & Julie's daughter. Lots and lots of good grilled stuff and fruits and veggies. Of course there was lots of imbibing of spirits, too. It was lots of fun; met new people, including some of the neighbors.
Our friends Des & Judy came over for the weekend and we had a good time, as always. Des & Mark played golf with a friend of Des, Galen, and Galen's friend, Ken. They played at the country club where Galen is a member. It poured down rain on them all day until they had finished, and then the sun came out and the rest of the day was gorgeous. Judy and I went to the Farmer's Market while it rained and then we drove around to scope out a couple of the local parks. For the late afternoon and evening we all gathered at Galen & Rondi's house for bbq and spirits. There were lots of folks there, too -- forestry friends of Galen. A beautiful house and a terrific evening.
After Des & Judy left on Sunday we called our nephew who just moved to Seattle and asked him to come down for dinner. He and Mark went out to Cabela's and had a good time. Then we grilled some steaks that were really good. It was nice to have Kristian down for a visit.
Other than these fun things, life has been pretty much the usual -- errands, working Weight Watchers, going to Weight Watchers, getting the dryer fixed. Mark and I went to a presentation at St. Peter's hospital on living with cancer.
Once again/as always/it never ends, I need to focus on 'finding' my office this week. I got the bills paid today, but there are papers laying around everywhere that need to be filed. And, I have another WW on-line class I have to do this week. So, I kind of plan on hunkering down inside at the end of the week (tomorrow is going to be too nice to be inside) and get some of this stuff done.
Now I need to go start preparing some veggies for snacking on and figuring out what we're going to eat for dinner.
So, that's it for now.
So, what's been going on....
Our next door neighbor invited me for a walk on June 15. It was fun, only my body decided to actually develop lymphedema in my arm while we were out. So, now I'm being treated for that with a big, bulky sleeve-thing I have to wear at night. It's getting better, so that's good.
We went to a great high school graduation party for our friends' Jon & Julie's daughter. Lots and lots of good grilled stuff and fruits and veggies. Of course there was lots of imbibing of spirits, too. It was lots of fun; met new people, including some of the neighbors.
Our friends Des & Judy came over for the weekend and we had a good time, as always. Des & Mark played golf with a friend of Des, Galen, and Galen's friend, Ken. They played at the country club where Galen is a member. It poured down rain on them all day until they had finished, and then the sun came out and the rest of the day was gorgeous. Judy and I went to the Farmer's Market while it rained and then we drove around to scope out a couple of the local parks. For the late afternoon and evening we all gathered at Galen & Rondi's house for bbq and spirits. There were lots of folks there, too -- forestry friends of Galen. A beautiful house and a terrific evening.
After Des & Judy left on Sunday we called our nephew who just moved to Seattle and asked him to come down for dinner. He and Mark went out to Cabela's and had a good time. Then we grilled some steaks that were really good. It was nice to have Kristian down for a visit.
Other than these fun things, life has been pretty much the usual -- errands, working Weight Watchers, going to Weight Watchers, getting the dryer fixed. Mark and I went to a presentation at St. Peter's hospital on living with cancer.
Once again/as always/it never ends, I need to focus on 'finding' my office this week. I got the bills paid today, but there are papers laying around everywhere that need to be filed. And, I have another WW on-line class I have to do this week. So, I kind of plan on hunkering down inside at the end of the week (tomorrow is going to be too nice to be inside) and get some of this stuff done.
Now I need to go start preparing some veggies for snacking on and figuring out what we're going to eat for dinner.
So, that's it for now.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Life is moving along well
I'm having a good time here. Yea! So, what's been going on...
June 6 was Ty's second birthday. We had puppy-food birthday cake for him and Brenna that night after dinner, which they loved. Here's his birthday picture:
He is such a funny dog. We really enjoy him a lot.
This is a picture of him and Brenna on his birthday (he looks like he wants to go to sleep):
I'm still going to my yoga class on Tuesdays (about every other week, though) and enjoying it. The people in the class are really nice, and I like the after-class lunches with them.
Last Saturday our friends from Portland, Jon and Joyce, came to visit us and introduced us to their friends here in Olympia, Cleve and Marty. We had a great time together. We all met for breakfast at Budd Bay Cafe, walked around the farmer's market for a while, and got a Chilly-Goat at Batdorf & Bronson. Yum. After that we went to Cleve & Marty's house (on the water) and had birthday cake (belated for Joyce's 60th that got snowed out in January) and laughed and laughed. Great day. Fun was had by all.
Sunday was awesome, too. Our cousin who lives here, Julie, took us for a walk at Chambers Bay Golf Course. It was a really nice walk. The course is on the Sound, so we got to go down to the water. We took the puppies with us, and afterwards we ate lunch at Steamers (good fish and chips) and sat on the waterside.
I worked my Drop In Hours at Weight Watchers on Monday, but no one came in. Oh well. At least I made $15.00 for my two-hour effort! Whoo-hoo!
Last night I went to a girls' dinner as a guest of my friend Julie. It was a new combination of two cancer groups that Julie had participated in. I really, really enjoyed it. Lots of nice women, all with different diagnoses and in various stages of treatment/recovery. It was a nice, warm, welcoming connection, and I am looking forward to next month's dinner. Afterwards, Julie came in for a while and she and Mark and I had a good evening together with lots more stories and laughter. (There seems to be more laughter in my life here. Yea!)
Weather report -- the weather does not seem to be bothering me like most folks thought it would. I think it has to do with the fact that our family room/kitchen/my office, which are the rooms the puppies and I are always in, has limited 'exposure' to what's going on outside. Therefore, my light exposure is pretty much at a constant, so I don't get the highs and lows of sun and gray. And when I do go out and it's raining or drizzly or gray, it doesn't bother me because it's pretty much what I expect. So, I'm feeling pretty good about dealing with being here on the Wet Side. I'll be interested to see how I feel about it 20 years from now though....
And, that's about it for now. There are fun things coming up this weekend, so I'll write about them later.
That's it for now.
June 6 was Ty's second birthday. We had puppy-food birthday cake for him and Brenna that night after dinner, which they loved. Here's his birthday picture:
He is such a funny dog. We really enjoy him a lot. This is a picture of him and Brenna on his birthday (he looks like he wants to go to sleep):
I'm still going to my yoga class on Tuesdays (about every other week, though) and enjoying it. The people in the class are really nice, and I like the after-class lunches with them.
Last Saturday our friends from Portland, Jon and Joyce, came to visit us and introduced us to their friends here in Olympia, Cleve and Marty. We had a great time together. We all met for breakfast at Budd Bay Cafe, walked around the farmer's market for a while, and got a Chilly-Goat at Batdorf & Bronson. Yum. After that we went to Cleve & Marty's house (on the water) and had birthday cake (belated for Joyce's 60th that got snowed out in January) and laughed and laughed. Great day. Fun was had by all.
Sunday was awesome, too. Our cousin who lives here, Julie, took us for a walk at Chambers Bay Golf Course. It was a really nice walk. The course is on the Sound, so we got to go down to the water. We took the puppies with us, and afterwards we ate lunch at Steamers (good fish and chips) and sat on the waterside.
I worked my Drop In Hours at Weight Watchers on Monday, but no one came in. Oh well. At least I made $15.00 for my two-hour effort! Whoo-hoo!
Last night I went to a girls' dinner as a guest of my friend Julie. It was a new combination of two cancer groups that Julie had participated in. I really, really enjoyed it. Lots of nice women, all with different diagnoses and in various stages of treatment/recovery. It was a nice, warm, welcoming connection, and I am looking forward to next month's dinner. Afterwards, Julie came in for a while and she and Mark and I had a good evening together with lots more stories and laughter. (There seems to be more laughter in my life here. Yea!)
Weather report -- the weather does not seem to be bothering me like most folks thought it would. I think it has to do with the fact that our family room/kitchen/my office, which are the rooms the puppies and I are always in, has limited 'exposure' to what's going on outside. Therefore, my light exposure is pretty much at a constant, so I don't get the highs and lows of sun and gray. And when I do go out and it's raining or drizzly or gray, it doesn't bother me because it's pretty much what I expect. So, I'm feeling pretty good about dealing with being here on the Wet Side. I'll be interested to see how I feel about it 20 years from now though....
And, that's about it for now. There are fun things coming up this weekend, so I'll write about them later.
That's it for now.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Having a good time in Olympia
Life is good, and busy, really, sort of. I am lucky to not have to work for a living, thanks to my most wonderful husband, but for some reason, I don't seem to do anything yet I stay incredibly busy! I was busy this last week with working on stuff in my office (I was able to see the floor and the desk top for a while, but no longer). I did some Weight Watchers training so that I can work Drop In Hours. I started walking this week, and roundtrip from our house through the neighborhood is one mile. Yea me! I attended a Cancer Survivors Celebration as the guest of my friend Julie on Saturday. It was lots of fun. Then that night we went to Susan and Brian's for a bbq -- again, lots of fun! Sunday Mark and I played golf at Capitol City and had a really good time. Today I worked my first Drop In Hours and actually had a person show up and join! I made arrangements/plans today to join a support group in July to help me address some of the post-cancer issues I have been struggling with, so I'm looking forward to that. I'm also looking forward to Wednesday when I don't have anything on my calendar "To Do" so that I can once again/continually clean up my office! Sheesh. I have no idea how or why it becomes so crazy in here so fast so all the time. I thought computers and old age were supposed to make paperwork easier! Oh well.
Anyway, that's it for tonight.
Anyway, that's it for tonight.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
It has been a really long time...
Whew! It's been a crazy bunch of days and weeks. Let's see if I can catch myself up to what I've been doing so that I can be reminded later.
May 5 -- we watched the Kentucky Derby; I'll Have Another won.
May 6 -- we took Ty to get his eyes checked at Breeders Day at Steamboat Vet Clinic. His eyes are perfect.
May 8 -- I went to yoga and lunch after.
May 9 -- I got my hair cut.
May 10 -- I went to my Weight Watchers meeting and went to see my lymphedema therapist.
May 11 -- Mary Kay got here to visit and puppy sit while Mark and I went to Orlando.
May 13 -- our cousin, Julie, came over and the four of us had a delicious bbq pork loin for dinner. It was lots of fun.
May 14 -- I had an appt. at Judy's for some pretty new bras. Ooohhhh.
May 15 -- I met with Karen, an oncology social worker. It was a good visit. That night, Mark and I left for Des Moines, WA, to spend the night at the Marina Inn before leaving for Orlando the next day. We stopped in at the All Star Sports Bar next door to the hotel. The bartender was wonderful. He liked making 'special' margaritas for me. He also gave each of us a complimentary shot of Fireball, which we had never tasted before. It was really good, like drinking ice cold cinnamon hearts. Yum. It was an interesting place. Every male in there, except for Mark, was wearing a lid. And there were lots and lots of nice tattoos. One of the bartenders had a beautiful branch of various fruits on her arm.
May 16 -- we leave for Orlando. Fiasco at the car rental desk, so we called Bill & Frances to come pick us up at 11:00 p.m. in the pouring down rain. Oh well.
May 17 -- got a new rental car. Went to see mom at her assisted living apartment and had dinner with her there. Had a good fun evening with Bill, Frances and Curt.
May 18 -- I think we just sort of puttered around that day. Jennifer & Joseph got in that evening.
May 19 -- great day of golf with Mark, Bill, David, Joseph, Curt, Bryan and Craig (a friend of Bryan's). Beautiful day, not too hot, hardly humid. And there were no alligators on the course this time. Yea! For dinner -- Joseph grilled steaks and asparagus, and we had baked potatoes and lots of other fun food. Yum.
May 20 -- 85th Birthday Party! A good party. Chuck and Carole showed up, so everyone was really excited to see them. Lots of friends and family for mom. We ate lots of Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ and birthday cake. A good time was had by all.
May 21 -- Mark and I played a really nice golf course (Stoneybrook). Bill, Jennifer and Joseph had a wonderful time at Animal Kingdom. Frances got to stay home and relax and take naps (good for her!) and Curt worked on his computer and got all the work he needed to do done.
May 22 -- Bill and I met with mom and talked about some serious stuff. Mark took Curt to the airport and then spent 3 hours in Golfsmith. Jennifer and Joseph went to Universal. David and Lynn came over for dinner with everyone.
May 23 -- We left to come home. We got 'stuck' in St. Louis for a few hours, so we didn't get home until 11:00 p.m. We were tired, but we were home and the puppies were glad to see us.
May 24 -- I managed to go to my Weight Watchers meeting. I didn't do too badly over the last two weeks.
May 25 -- Mary Kay and I ran errands, got more stuff framed and hung. (While we were in Orlando, Mary Kay framed and hung artwork, shampooed carpets, trimmed shrubs, and just a whole bunch of other stuff around the house. She's amazing.)
May 26 -- Mark played golf and Mary Kay and I went to see Dark Shadows. It was a fun movie. Then we BBQd two kinds of sausages and some lamb loin chops, along with grilled corn on the cob and greenbeans. Delicious dinner.
May 27 (today) -- Desmond came down to play golf with Mark, so we made a huge pan of scrambled eggs that had sausage in it, plus Canadian bacon, yellow peppers, sauted onions and garlic, grape tomatoes, and three kinds of cheese. The eggs were delicious. Then, Des and Mark took off and Mary Kay left to go home. I've been vacuuming, doing laundry, generally cleaning up, and now I am going to tackle my office. I have been tossing papers in here for weeks without doing any sorting or filing, so I now have a real mess that needs to be dealt with. But, that's what this afternoon is for. I'm home alone with just the puppies for company, so I can be productive.
I feel like I've caught up with myself now, so I guess I'll go and get busy.
And that's it for now.
May 5 -- we watched the Kentucky Derby; I'll Have Another won.
May 6 -- we took Ty to get his eyes checked at Breeders Day at Steamboat Vet Clinic. His eyes are perfect.
May 8 -- I went to yoga and lunch after.
May 9 -- I got my hair cut.
May 10 -- I went to my Weight Watchers meeting and went to see my lymphedema therapist.
May 11 -- Mary Kay got here to visit and puppy sit while Mark and I went to Orlando.
May 13 -- our cousin, Julie, came over and the four of us had a delicious bbq pork loin for dinner. It was lots of fun.
May 14 -- I had an appt. at Judy's for some pretty new bras. Ooohhhh.
May 15 -- I met with Karen, an oncology social worker. It was a good visit. That night, Mark and I left for Des Moines, WA, to spend the night at the Marina Inn before leaving for Orlando the next day. We stopped in at the All Star Sports Bar next door to the hotel. The bartender was wonderful. He liked making 'special' margaritas for me. He also gave each of us a complimentary shot of Fireball, which we had never tasted before. It was really good, like drinking ice cold cinnamon hearts. Yum. It was an interesting place. Every male in there, except for Mark, was wearing a lid. And there were lots and lots of nice tattoos. One of the bartenders had a beautiful branch of various fruits on her arm.
May 16 -- we leave for Orlando. Fiasco at the car rental desk, so we called Bill & Frances to come pick us up at 11:00 p.m. in the pouring down rain. Oh well.
May 17 -- got a new rental car. Went to see mom at her assisted living apartment and had dinner with her there. Had a good fun evening with Bill, Frances and Curt.
May 18 -- I think we just sort of puttered around that day. Jennifer & Joseph got in that evening.
May 19 -- great day of golf with Mark, Bill, David, Joseph, Curt, Bryan and Craig (a friend of Bryan's). Beautiful day, not too hot, hardly humid. And there were no alligators on the course this time. Yea! For dinner -- Joseph grilled steaks and asparagus, and we had baked potatoes and lots of other fun food. Yum.
May 20 -- 85th Birthday Party! A good party. Chuck and Carole showed up, so everyone was really excited to see them. Lots of friends and family for mom. We ate lots of Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ and birthday cake. A good time was had by all.
May 21 -- Mark and I played a really nice golf course (Stoneybrook). Bill, Jennifer and Joseph had a wonderful time at Animal Kingdom. Frances got to stay home and relax and take naps (good for her!) and Curt worked on his computer and got all the work he needed to do done.
May 22 -- Bill and I met with mom and talked about some serious stuff. Mark took Curt to the airport and then spent 3 hours in Golfsmith. Jennifer and Joseph went to Universal. David and Lynn came over for dinner with everyone.
May 23 -- We left to come home. We got 'stuck' in St. Louis for a few hours, so we didn't get home until 11:00 p.m. We were tired, but we were home and the puppies were glad to see us.
May 24 -- I managed to go to my Weight Watchers meeting. I didn't do too badly over the last two weeks.
May 25 -- Mary Kay and I ran errands, got more stuff framed and hung. (While we were in Orlando, Mary Kay framed and hung artwork, shampooed carpets, trimmed shrubs, and just a whole bunch of other stuff around the house. She's amazing.)
May 26 -- Mark played golf and Mary Kay and I went to see Dark Shadows. It was a fun movie. Then we BBQd two kinds of sausages and some lamb loin chops, along with grilled corn on the cob and greenbeans. Delicious dinner.
May 27 (today) -- Desmond came down to play golf with Mark, so we made a huge pan of scrambled eggs that had sausage in it, plus Canadian bacon, yellow peppers, sauted onions and garlic, grape tomatoes, and three kinds of cheese. The eggs were delicious. Then, Des and Mark took off and Mary Kay left to go home. I've been vacuuming, doing laundry, generally cleaning up, and now I am going to tackle my office. I have been tossing papers in here for weeks without doing any sorting or filing, so I now have a real mess that needs to be dealt with. But, that's what this afternoon is for. I'm home alone with just the puppies for company, so I can be productive.
I feel like I've caught up with myself now, so I guess I'll go and get busy.
And that's it for now.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Time warp in Olympia WA
It's been a busycrazy week, but loads of fun. Along with the usual errand running, cooking, yoga class and Weight Watchers meeting attending, we were introduced to some of Olympia's more iconic events over the weekend, enjoying them all with our friends Brian and Susan.
The fun started on Friday evening when we attended the Luminary parade that is part of Arts Walk and Procession of the Species. The parade was very cool, with folks carrying all kinds of lighted birds, fishes, animals, a praying mantis, just lots of fun creatures. Very pretty, too.
On Saturday afternoon I went to a Weight Watchers celebration lunch. It was fun meeting more of the staff from this area, and the food was good -- a chicken wrap in a spinach tortilla.
Then, Saturday evening we went to the Procession of the Species (see pictures). It was like attending a Happening in 1968 (hence the time warp). It was lots of fun. After the parade we went to Susan and Brian's house, along with friends Paul and Connie, and had wings, salad, snacks, margaritas and GnTs, and sat around a wonderfully warm fire pit. Lots of good food and laughter.
On Sunday, we went to the Shellfish SLURP. This was held at a local brewery, Fish Tale Ale. There were about a dozen local wineries sampling their wares and a dozen or so local restaurants showcasing their menu items using oysters, clams and mussels. Lots of good food and wine.
Monday brought a nice lunch with my friend, Jules, at my favorite coffee place, Batdorf & Bronson. Yummy Chilly-Goat (blended mocha) and chicken pesto sandwich.
Monday evening brought the decision to fix the kitchen sink faucet (it dripped). Well, that led to calling a plumber (the faucet wouldn't come apart and we couldn't get the water quite turned off all the way). We now have a fancy new faucet, installed by the plumber. It's very nice.
Today was what I think is what folks consider a typical Pacific Northwest day -- very gray and quite rainy. It was the first time that I really wanted to just stay home curled up in a blanket and read a book. I was good, though, and went to my Weight Watchers meeting and ran some errands. I spent the afternoon working on computer stuff. So, now it's time to think about fixing something for dinner, and feeding the puppies. Then I think I really will curl up in a blanket and read a book.
That's it for now.
The fun started on Friday evening when we attended the Luminary parade that is part of Arts Walk and Procession of the Species. The parade was very cool, with folks carrying all kinds of lighted birds, fishes, animals, a praying mantis, just lots of fun creatures. Very pretty, too.
On Saturday afternoon I went to a Weight Watchers celebration lunch. It was fun meeting more of the staff from this area, and the food was good -- a chicken wrap in a spinach tortilla.
Then, Saturday evening we went to the Procession of the Species (see pictures). It was like attending a Happening in 1968 (hence the time warp). It was lots of fun. After the parade we went to Susan and Brian's house, along with friends Paul and Connie, and had wings, salad, snacks, margaritas and GnTs, and sat around a wonderfully warm fire pit. Lots of good food and laughter.
On Sunday, we went to the Shellfish SLURP. This was held at a local brewery, Fish Tale Ale. There were about a dozen local wineries sampling their wares and a dozen or so local restaurants showcasing their menu items using oysters, clams and mussels. Lots of good food and wine.
Monday brought a nice lunch with my friend, Jules, at my favorite coffee place, Batdorf & Bronson. Yummy Chilly-Goat (blended mocha) and chicken pesto sandwich.
Monday evening brought the decision to fix the kitchen sink faucet (it dripped). Well, that led to calling a plumber (the faucet wouldn't come apart and we couldn't get the water quite turned off all the way). We now have a fancy new faucet, installed by the plumber. It's very nice.
Today was what I think is what folks consider a typical Pacific Northwest day -- very gray and quite rainy. It was the first time that I really wanted to just stay home curled up in a blanket and read a book. I was good, though, and went to my Weight Watchers meeting and ran some errands. I spent the afternoon working on computer stuff. So, now it's time to think about fixing something for dinner, and feeding the puppies. Then I think I really will curl up in a blanket and read a book.
That's it for now.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
A weather report
The weekend weather was amazing! We have had three weekends in a row of gorgeous, sunny, warm weather. It actually got up to 78 degrees on Saturday; a new record. Mark played golf Saturday while the puppies and I worked in the yard. Sunday all four of us worked in the yard. It was nice, but I discovered that new dandelions actually grow right in front of you while you're pulling out old ones. They are amazing. We have some beautiful flowering trees in the back yard. I need to find out what they are. One of them has really pretty white flowers.
Thanks to the weather, house work has gone to the dogs (really -- I cannot believe how much dog hair is floating around at the moment). Today was supposed to be yoga class and house cleaning day. However, it turned into yoga class and office work day, instead. I don't have anything on my calendar for tomorrow, so I think I'll just get up early, put on my Dolly Domestic clothes and go for it.
I've been having a good time lately, but I can't remember doing what. Most of my days consist of running errands and cooking dinner. We take the dogs for a run a few evenings a week. We eat dinner and watch TV. I go to yoga class on Tuesdays, with lunch afterwards with the other folks in the class. I go to my Weight Watchers meeting on Thursdays and have a good time talking with the other members. It's feeling rather 'Spring-y' and I'm enjoying it, as is everyone else in the area. I'm looking forward to about a month from now when things have slowed down a bit and Mark and I can start exploring our new surroundings -- a trip to Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, over to the beach for some waves and sand, Mima Mounds to see the wildflowers, that sort of stuff.
And that's it for now.
Thanks to the weather, house work has gone to the dogs (really -- I cannot believe how much dog hair is floating around at the moment). Today was supposed to be yoga class and house cleaning day. However, it turned into yoga class and office work day, instead. I don't have anything on my calendar for tomorrow, so I think I'll just get up early, put on my Dolly Domestic clothes and go for it.
I've been having a good time lately, but I can't remember doing what. Most of my days consist of running errands and cooking dinner. We take the dogs for a run a few evenings a week. We eat dinner and watch TV. I go to yoga class on Tuesdays, with lunch afterwards with the other folks in the class. I go to my Weight Watchers meeting on Thursdays and have a good time talking with the other members. It's feeling rather 'Spring-y' and I'm enjoying it, as is everyone else in the area. I'm looking forward to about a month from now when things have slowed down a bit and Mark and I can start exploring our new surroundings -- a trip to Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, over to the beach for some waves and sand, Mima Mounds to see the wildflowers, that sort of stuff.
And that's it for now.
Monday, April 16, 2012
I shot a 72!
Saturday was awesome. Mark and I played golf together for the first time in two years (thanks to his broken ankle and my broken arm last year). The weather was a bit colder than forecast, but still warm. It did not rain. It was good. We were paired with two really nice guys -- a youth pastor at a Baptist church and a custom cabinet maker. The pastor was on par with my playing, thank goodness. It was just a good day. I did not have to play "Best Ball" and was able to feel out what my game is all about. I really enjoyed it. After the game, Mark and I had dinner in the Club House. I had the House specialty -- a Firecreek French dip that was really, really good. Mark had a BBQ'd Bleu Cheese burger. The Bleu cheese was really good, too.
We spent Sunday working in the yard. After taking the puppies for a field run, we bought a new landscaping tool at Lowe's that we had seen on an HGTV show on Saturday that digs up dandelions (we had a bazillion dandelions in our back yard; too bad we don't know how to make dandelion wine!). So, while Mark dealt with the dandelions in the yard/flower beds, I dealt with the dandelions in the terraced area. The backyard looks pretty good now, though there are still a few dandelions to be removed. It also looked like it was snowing in the backyard today because the wind was brisk and, therefore, blowing the tree blossoms around. It was pretty, though I do hate to see the trees lose their flowers. I love the colors of Spring.
So, for now, and for tonight, that's all there is. Life is good. Yea.
We spent Sunday working in the yard. After taking the puppies for a field run, we bought a new landscaping tool at Lowe's that we had seen on an HGTV show on Saturday that digs up dandelions (we had a bazillion dandelions in our back yard; too bad we don't know how to make dandelion wine!). So, while Mark dealt with the dandelions in the yard/flower beds, I dealt with the dandelions in the terraced area. The backyard looks pretty good now, though there are still a few dandelions to be removed. It also looked like it was snowing in the backyard today because the wind was brisk and, therefore, blowing the tree blossoms around. It was pretty, though I do hate to see the trees lose their flowers. I love the colors of Spring.
So, for now, and for tonight, that's all there is. Life is good. Yea.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Another week of days
Once again, I am trying to recall what I did during the last seven days. And, as usual, it's a struggle to remember.
Mark played golf on Saturday with his friend, Desmond, at Lake Wilderness. While he was gone I put the dogs on the front porch so they could hang out with me as I dug around in the flower bed. I dead-headed three hydrangea bushes, pulled dead leaves out of the little Japanese somethingorother tree, weeded, and generally got the little area cleaned up for spring and looking really good. Now it's time to attack the back yard. That, however, is a daunting project. The back yard flower beds are beds of nothing but blooming dandelions. Quite yellow. Some of the dandelions are huge.
Sunday we went to mass at the Abbey. The Bishop was there, as were a lot more people than usually attend. We grilled lamb loin chops and asparagus, and then roasted Yukon Gold potatoes with shallots. Served with good wine, it was a nice dinner. We also talked with our mothers. Mark watched the Master's on TV. I watched some of it, too. Bubba Watson won in a very interesting playoff.
Monday was my usual day of running errands. Since I didn't make Mark a lunch on Sunday night, we went out for lunch, which was fun. After work, we took the puppies for a good run at the field, and then Mark and I went to a homeowners association board meeting. That was interesting, finding out all the dirt on the neighbors and what's going on in the neighborhood. We both came to the same conclusion -- all HOA boards seem to deal with the same issues.
I didn't make it to yoga on Tuesday because I took Ty to get his ears looked at. Apparently, he has allergies. He's on benedryl now. I think it makes him a bit sleepy. Fortunately, he won't have to stay on it for too long. In the afternoon I took E.T. to get his oil changed and found out the emergency brake was hung up. It wasn't a big operation to take the springs off and clean them up (yea!) and now the emergency brake works much better. Mike, our mechanic, said we would probably notice better gas mileage now. Ya' think!?
Today was physical therapy day, and I feel good. This afternoon is a little bit of house cleaning and paper filing, and that should about do it. We're having left over shrimp creole for dinner (yum!).
Here's a picture of "What a Handsome Dog":
This is "Happy Girl with her Ball":
That's it for now.
Mark played golf on Saturday with his friend, Desmond, at Lake Wilderness. While he was gone I put the dogs on the front porch so they could hang out with me as I dug around in the flower bed. I dead-headed three hydrangea bushes, pulled dead leaves out of the little Japanese somethingorother tree, weeded, and generally got the little area cleaned up for spring and looking really good. Now it's time to attack the back yard. That, however, is a daunting project. The back yard flower beds are beds of nothing but blooming dandelions. Quite yellow. Some of the dandelions are huge.
Sunday we went to mass at the Abbey. The Bishop was there, as were a lot more people than usually attend. We grilled lamb loin chops and asparagus, and then roasted Yukon Gold potatoes with shallots. Served with good wine, it was a nice dinner. We also talked with our mothers. Mark watched the Master's on TV. I watched some of it, too. Bubba Watson won in a very interesting playoff.
Monday was my usual day of running errands. Since I didn't make Mark a lunch on Sunday night, we went out for lunch, which was fun. After work, we took the puppies for a good run at the field, and then Mark and I went to a homeowners association board meeting. That was interesting, finding out all the dirt on the neighbors and what's going on in the neighborhood. We both came to the same conclusion -- all HOA boards seem to deal with the same issues.
I didn't make it to yoga on Tuesday because I took Ty to get his ears looked at. Apparently, he has allergies. He's on benedryl now. I think it makes him a bit sleepy. Fortunately, he won't have to stay on it for too long. In the afternoon I took E.T. to get his oil changed and found out the emergency brake was hung up. It wasn't a big operation to take the springs off and clean them up (yea!) and now the emergency brake works much better. Mike, our mechanic, said we would probably notice better gas mileage now. Ya' think!?
Today was physical therapy day, and I feel good. This afternoon is a little bit of house cleaning and paper filing, and that should about do it. We're having left over shrimp creole for dinner (yum!).
Here's a picture of "What a Handsome Dog":
This is "Happy Girl with her Ball":
That's it for now.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Busy, busy, fun, fun
Well, the weekend of company was quite fun. Lots of good food and laughter. The chilies rellenos and the puttanesca turned out really well. The Cincinnati chili was good, too. On Sunday night, we had Indian take out. Very yummy. The only thing 'bad' about the big Indian dinner, though, is that Mark and I are eating lots of leftovers.
Monday and Tuesday were clean up days. I still have more to do, but so far I have gotten the floors vacuumed and the laundry done. I really need to work on finishing the unpacking and putting away thing that just never seems to get done. All the pictures are still leaning against the walls of the living and dining rooms. Oh well.
Also on Tuesday, I went to the yoga class for cancer survivors again. Just like before, it was really good. This time I went to lunch with the other folks -- more good food and laughter. It's a really nice group, and I look forward to becoming better acquainted and spending more time with them.
I got my hair cut today; it really needed it. My hair cutter is a young woman with fun red and black hair and lots of piercings. Well, her hair was red and black today. It was purple and black last month. She reminds me of when my hair was black with red, or silver, or green, or blue, or whatever color, way back in the 80s. Fun times. She has an 11 year old husky, a three year old dachsund, and a two year old chihuahua. Good dog person.
I had another appointment with my lymphedema therapist today, too. She is really awesome. I feel so much better after my appointments. Plus, she is just fun to talk with.
And that's about it for now. A new day tomorrow.
Monday and Tuesday were clean up days. I still have more to do, but so far I have gotten the floors vacuumed and the laundry done. I really need to work on finishing the unpacking and putting away thing that just never seems to get done. All the pictures are still leaning against the walls of the living and dining rooms. Oh well.
Also on Tuesday, I went to the yoga class for cancer survivors again. Just like before, it was really good. This time I went to lunch with the other folks -- more good food and laughter. It's a really nice group, and I look forward to becoming better acquainted and spending more time with them.
I got my hair cut today; it really needed it. My hair cutter is a young woman with fun red and black hair and lots of piercings. Well, her hair was red and black today. It was purple and black last month. She reminds me of when my hair was black with red, or silver, or green, or blue, or whatever color, way back in the 80s. Fun times. She has an 11 year old husky, a three year old dachsund, and a two year old chihuahua. Good dog person.
I had another appointment with my lymphedema therapist today, too. She is really awesome. I feel so much better after my appointments. Plus, she is just fun to talk with.
And that's about it for now. A new day tomorrow.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
It's been a while...
OK, so what have I been up to for the last nine days...hmmm, let me think. Well, I thought about it, and the answer is "Nothing of any import."
I've been to two physical therapy sessions; that's always a good thing. I've been to two Weight Watchers meetings; another good thing. I did our 2011 taxes (yea!), though I haven't submitted them yet. Mark and I spent the weekend running errands and doing chores around the house. We've taken the dogs for a few trips of running around in the field by Mark's office. I had a meeting with my Weight Watchers territory manager, and we also went to look at a potential new meeting site in Tumwater.
I've done lots of meal planning and grocery shopping. We have one friend staying here from last night through Saturday morning. We have two more friends showing up tomorrow night and staying through Monday morning. Then, on Saturday night, we've invited two more friends to join us for dinner, as well as the sister and brother-in-law of one of our friends staying with us. Whew! Last night we had shrimp creole. Tonight we're having chilies rellenos with black bean & corn salad. Tomorrow night is puttanesca with halibut and a green salad. Saturday's party dinner will be Cincinnati chile and corn bread. After that, everyone's on their own for eating. Oh, we also have fresh farm eggs from a friend for our breakfasts and two nice quiches.
I did not make it to my yoga class on Tuesday. For the first time in many months I woke up in a 'funk'. Since I didn't want to spread my mood around, I decided to just stay home, curl up on the couch with a cup of tea, and read a book. I sat down with my book at 9:00 a.m. and did not finish reading until 6:00 p.m. I have not done such a reading fest in years and years and years. It felt really good. I was able to concentrate, and retain information, and thoroughly enjoy myself. It was wonderful. I hope I can do this again, though without the 'funk' leading the way.
Today is a special friend's 75th birthday. Happy Special Birthday, Special Jon!
Well, it's time to start prepping items for dinner.
So, that's it for tonight.
I've been to two physical therapy sessions; that's always a good thing. I've been to two Weight Watchers meetings; another good thing. I did our 2011 taxes (yea!), though I haven't submitted them yet. Mark and I spent the weekend running errands and doing chores around the house. We've taken the dogs for a few trips of running around in the field by Mark's office. I had a meeting with my Weight Watchers territory manager, and we also went to look at a potential new meeting site in Tumwater.
I've done lots of meal planning and grocery shopping. We have one friend staying here from last night through Saturday morning. We have two more friends showing up tomorrow night and staying through Monday morning. Then, on Saturday night, we've invited two more friends to join us for dinner, as well as the sister and brother-in-law of one of our friends staying with us. Whew! Last night we had shrimp creole. Tonight we're having chilies rellenos with black bean & corn salad. Tomorrow night is puttanesca with halibut and a green salad. Saturday's party dinner will be Cincinnati chile and corn bread. After that, everyone's on their own for eating. Oh, we also have fresh farm eggs from a friend for our breakfasts and two nice quiches.
I did not make it to my yoga class on Tuesday. For the first time in many months I woke up in a 'funk'. Since I didn't want to spread my mood around, I decided to just stay home, curl up on the couch with a cup of tea, and read a book. I sat down with my book at 9:00 a.m. and did not finish reading until 6:00 p.m. I have not done such a reading fest in years and years and years. It felt really good. I was able to concentrate, and retain information, and thoroughly enjoy myself. It was wonderful. I hope I can do this again, though without the 'funk' leading the way.
Today is a special friend's 75th birthday. Happy Special Birthday, Special Jon!
Well, it's time to start prepping items for dinner.
So, that's it for tonight.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Yoga day
I went to my first yoga class in Olympia today. I chose to attend a class for folks living with cancer. There were about eight of us there. Most are currently in treatment. One woman is two years 'out' from diagnosis. Another is ten years out. I am twelve years out now. Two of the women are Stage 4 breast cancer, and one woman has rather severe melanoma. All were in good spirits, even though two were given not so good news very recently. Everyone goes out to lunch after class. I wasn't prepared to go with the group today, but I will go with them next Tuesday. I really enjoyed the class. I needed it. I also need to get my home practice back on my daily schedule. I feel a little more motivated to do that after today.
For the first day of Spring, it was a really cold, gray and rainy day. Oh well. It's still not bothering me, though I, along with everyone else I've talked with, am ready for warm weather, hopefully with some sun thrown in.
I took the puppies to get their nails trimmed yesterday, and the three of us did really well together. I don't normally try to take the two of them somewhere together by myself, but now I feel like we can do some stuff together in the future as long as it's not too 'involved'.
I got really tired after I got home from yoga today and ended up actually falling asleep on the couch. Every so often I get these 'attacks' of the sleepies and just have to stop. This was one of those days. And I've been pretty tired for the rest of the day and evening. So, I think I'll call it a night and go upstairs, curl up in bed, and read for a while.
And that's it for tonight.
For the first day of Spring, it was a really cold, gray and rainy day. Oh well. It's still not bothering me, though I, along with everyone else I've talked with, am ready for warm weather, hopefully with some sun thrown in.
I took the puppies to get their nails trimmed yesterday, and the three of us did really well together. I don't normally try to take the two of them somewhere together by myself, but now I feel like we can do some stuff together in the future as long as it's not too 'involved'.
I got really tired after I got home from yoga today and ended up actually falling asleep on the couch. Every so often I get these 'attacks' of the sleepies and just have to stop. This was one of those days. And I've been pretty tired for the rest of the day and evening. So, I think I'll call it a night and go upstairs, curl up in bed, and read for a while.
And that's it for tonight.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Fun addendum
I forgot -- our good friends, Des & Judy, brought us a wonderful housewarming gift when they were here last weekend. It is a wild bird call clock. Now, this clock is waaaayyyy unique! The box it came in is perfectly correct. However, the clock itself is quirky. The 3 o'clock bird is a (get this) Red-Necked Pheasant!!!! Yes, it really is. And the 2 o'clock bird is a Morning Dove (so it can't tell you that it's 2 p.m.). And the 5 o'clock bird is an American Bob White (I wonder how Bob is doing?). Also, the 12:00 bird is an American Wild Turkey, only he gobbles at 11:00. We absolutely LOVE this clock (it's in our kitchen/family room). It is just as unique as the friends who gave it to us, and we love them, too.
A terrific day in Portland
We drove to Portland this morning to visit our special friends, Jon & Joyce. It was wonderful. Joyce recently celebrated one of her "0" birthdays. They were supposed to celebrate that special birthday here in Olympia with us and some other friends of theirs here, but the weather did not cooperate, with anyone on the West Coast, that weekend. So, we celebrated today in Portland. Jon will be celebrating a special "5" birthday in two weeks. We threw the puppies into the back of the truck and headed out about 9:15 this morning. It's only a two hour drive, so it's perfect for a puppy day trip. They love riding in the truck and going fun places, so this was close enough for us to go, then turn around and bring them home for the night. Joyce took us to a dog park about two blocks from their house where the dogs had a great time -- lots of mud. Yea!
Yesterday I had a marvelous day with one of my new Olympia friends. Jules picked me up at 11:00 a.m. to go get a cup of coffee and become better acquainted. Five and a half hours later she dropped me off back at home. We had a wonderful time just yakking and laughing at the coffee shop. Obviously, she is a friend I love spending time with.
We had snow again this week. Yuk! I was totally taken aback by it, too. I woke up Tuesday morning, came out of our bedroom onto the landing, and noticed that the front yard was totally white. It took me a moment to figure out what it was! I did not remember the weather person saying anything about snow on the broadcast the night before. Fortunately, it did not stick around and by noon I was able to go driving around Tumwater again to do some additional reconnoitering for a meeting space.
I'm really enjoying living here. Mark and I have been talking about places to retire when the time comes. We love Wenatchee, so that's an option. Mark likes Spokane because of the great and cheap golf, which I enjoy, too (the golf, that is, not the Spokane winters). But, we're also giving Olympia 'a chance' because we do like it here. Of course, we're waiting to see how well it dries out in Spring/Summer for golfing! (Tee hee)
So, life is an adventure, again. And, so far, this time it's another good one.
That's it for tonight.
Yesterday I had a marvelous day with one of my new Olympia friends. Jules picked me up at 11:00 a.m. to go get a cup of coffee and become better acquainted. Five and a half hours later she dropped me off back at home. We had a wonderful time just yakking and laughing at the coffee shop. Obviously, she is a friend I love spending time with.
We had snow again this week. Yuk! I was totally taken aback by it, too. I woke up Tuesday morning, came out of our bedroom onto the landing, and noticed that the front yard was totally white. It took me a moment to figure out what it was! I did not remember the weather person saying anything about snow on the broadcast the night before. Fortunately, it did not stick around and by noon I was able to go driving around Tumwater again to do some additional reconnoitering for a meeting space.
I'm really enjoying living here. Mark and I have been talking about places to retire when the time comes. We love Wenatchee, so that's an option. Mark likes Spokane because of the great and cheap golf, which I enjoy, too (the golf, that is, not the Spokane winters). But, we're also giving Olympia 'a chance' because we do like it here. Of course, we're waiting to see how well it dries out in Spring/Summer for golfing! (Tee hee)
So, life is an adventure, again. And, so far, this time it's another good one.
That's it for tonight.
Monday, March 12, 2012
A good week
Last week was busy. I drove around Tumwater two days to look for a WW meeting site. It was fun. I'm starting to get my bearings around town and don't always have to use the GPS. I got some stuff done around the house as far as continuing to move into the new house. There is still lots to go. And I got some office work done. I had an appointment with my new lymphedema therapist. I really like her. Yea! We also got our new Sleep Number bed on Saturday. So far, so good. It's quite comfy.
Our friends from Snohomish came for a weekend visit. While Mark and Des were watching basketball on TV, Judy refreshed me on how to play Cribbage, so all four of us played after dinner. It was fun, though I have a great deal of difficulty adding up cards to 15! Mark and Des went razor clamming on Sunday while Judy and I had a lovely, lazy Sunday. It was very nice.
I had a good time with the puppies last week, as is usual. They do such funny stuff. It is amazing how they totally understand what we are saying to them, react to what we ask them to do, and yet we are not intelligent enough to know what they are saying or always what they want. Who's the more intelligent mammal here? Ty is now channeling our first Lab, Bart, in that he starts to whimper when we get close to the place where we take the dogs to play by Mark's office. He is so funny. His new favorite thing is to go to the paper recycle box in my office and take paper out to play with. He continues to love cereal and tissue boxes best, though He thinks they are pretty cool. Brenna just watches him with a look on her face like 'puppies are so dumb'.
The weather has been usual -- some really nice sunny days, and mostly gray cold days with drizzle. But, I'm handling it. It's not really bothering me.
And that's it for now.
Our friends from Snohomish came for a weekend visit. While Mark and Des were watching basketball on TV, Judy refreshed me on how to play Cribbage, so all four of us played after dinner. It was fun, though I have a great deal of difficulty adding up cards to 15! Mark and Des went razor clamming on Sunday while Judy and I had a lovely, lazy Sunday. It was very nice.
I had a good time with the puppies last week, as is usual. They do such funny stuff. It is amazing how they totally understand what we are saying to them, react to what we ask them to do, and yet we are not intelligent enough to know what they are saying or always what they want. Who's the more intelligent mammal here? Ty is now channeling our first Lab, Bart, in that he starts to whimper when we get close to the place where we take the dogs to play by Mark's office. He is so funny. His new favorite thing is to go to the paper recycle box in my office and take paper out to play with. He continues to love cereal and tissue boxes best, though He thinks they are pretty cool. Brenna just watches him with a look on her face like 'puppies are so dumb'.
The weather has been usual -- some really nice sunny days, and mostly gray cold days with drizzle. But, I'm handling it. It's not really bothering me.
And that's it for now.
Monday, March 5, 2012
It snowed and other stuff
It did snow a little last week; there was about an inch or so on the ground Wednesday morning. Fortunately, it went away quickly.
I got to work another Weight Watchers meeting on Wednesday. It was fun. Friday was a WW staff meeting, so I got to meet a lot of the folks that work in Olympia.
Saturday Mark and I ran errands. Sunday we went to Mass at the Abbey at St. Martin's. It was pretty cool. Monks and all. Nice church. Good vibes. Then in the afternoon our friend Barb from Ephrata and her daughter Emily took us out to lunch. I had a really delicious pizza -- pesto with smoked salmon, goat cheese, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan. It was awesome.
Today I drove around Tumwater looking for a place to hold a weekly WW meeting. It was fun finding places and discovering things around town.
Life in Olympia is sort of starting to settle in. I like it.
I got to work another Weight Watchers meeting on Wednesday. It was fun. Friday was a WW staff meeting, so I got to meet a lot of the folks that work in Olympia.
Saturday Mark and I ran errands. Sunday we went to Mass at the Abbey at St. Martin's. It was pretty cool. Monks and all. Nice church. Good vibes. Then in the afternoon our friend Barb from Ephrata and her daughter Emily took us out to lunch. I had a really delicious pizza -- pesto with smoked salmon, goat cheese, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan. It was awesome.
Today I drove around Tumwater looking for a place to hold a weekly WW meeting. It was fun finding places and discovering things around town.
Life in Olympia is sort of starting to settle in. I like it.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Where have the days gone...
It's Tuesday night, and I can't really remember what I've been doing for the last few days. I went to Ash Wednesday service at a Lutheran church last week. I liked it. Then I went to Sunday Mass at a Catholic church this past Sunday. I didn't get that 'this feels like a fit' feeling. Mark got home Sunday afternoon and we took the puppies for a run at his office, which is on the campus of St. Martin's University, a Benedictine school. We stopped by the Abbey there and I think we are going to try a service there this coming weekend. We're still looking around for a place as comfy as St. Joseph's in Wenatchee.
I haven't been up to much. I cleaned house Friday and Saturday, put some more stuff away, did some paperwork, etc. Just sort of the usual. I have been cooking more, though. Like almost real cooking. I'm following recipes and making meal plans and that sort of thing. It takes a lot of time, though, which apparently is not a bad thing. I recently read that Americans spend less than 30 minutes a day cooking. So, my spending two-three hours making a real meal is ok with me. Plus, we're eating well. It's fun.
We may get snow tonight (1-4"). I hope not. It was very cold today, though.
And that's it for tonight.
I haven't been up to much. I cleaned house Friday and Saturday, put some more stuff away, did some paperwork, etc. Just sort of the usual. I have been cooking more, though. Like almost real cooking. I'm following recipes and making meal plans and that sort of thing. It takes a lot of time, though, which apparently is not a bad thing. I recently read that Americans spend less than 30 minutes a day cooking. So, my spending two-three hours making a real meal is ok with me. Plus, we're eating well. It's fun.
We may get snow tonight (1-4"). I hope not. It was very cold today, though.
And that's it for tonight.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Driving around Olympia
I went out to dinner with our friend Susan last night and we had a really good time. It's fun getting to actually know in person someone you've been in contact with for years via Christmas cards. She's lots of fun and a wealth of info and help in getting me acquainted with Olympia.
Today started out really good. My territory manager called at 9:00 a.m. (and I was up!) to offer me an assignment -- find a place to have a one-time-a-week meeting in the Tumwater area. Now, I have no idea where Tumwater really is, but it's not far from here. So, I get to drive around and look for places for a meeting space. This will definitely help get me oriented to my new home base. Yea!
Then I went driving around Olympia to find such fun places as the Thurston County Courthouse (new tag for the Jeep), the Social Security Administration (wrong info on their records), the mall (I bought a Sleep Number bed), and then off to my weekly Weight Watchers meeting.
Then it was home to talk with our financial advisor in DC, pick up puppy poopies in the back yard, play fetch with the puppies in the clean yard, and have some lunch. All in all, a pretty good day.
Weather report -- it was relatively sunny today, and sort of warm. It was a nice day. I'm adapting to this climate a lot better than I thought I would, or anyone else thought I would either, I think. I like it here.
Anyway, that's it for tonight.
Today started out really good. My territory manager called at 9:00 a.m. (and I was up!) to offer me an assignment -- find a place to have a one-time-a-week meeting in the Tumwater area. Now, I have no idea where Tumwater really is, but it's not far from here. So, I get to drive around and look for places for a meeting space. This will definitely help get me oriented to my new home base. Yea!
Then I went driving around Olympia to find such fun places as the Thurston County Courthouse (new tag for the Jeep), the Social Security Administration (wrong info on their records), the mall (I bought a Sleep Number bed), and then off to my weekly Weight Watchers meeting.
Then it was home to talk with our financial advisor in DC, pick up puppy poopies in the back yard, play fetch with the puppies in the clean yard, and have some lunch. All in all, a pretty good day.
Weather report -- it was relatively sunny today, and sort of warm. It was a nice day. I'm adapting to this climate a lot better than I thought I would, or anyone else thought I would either, I think. I like it here.
Anyway, that's it for tonight.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Pokin' along
Mark got off to Montana yesterday. I did absolutely nothing the entire day. Oh yeah, I did take a mid-afternoon nap. Whoo-hoo!
Today was more productive. I vacuumed up the piles of dog hair in the family room. I put some files away in my office. I went to Costco to get a new dog bed, but was so excited about finding the paperback edition of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest out that I forgot to buy the bed. I also made fresh tomato soup, and some pesto.
So, now it's just going to be a quiet evening with the puppies.
And that's it for tonight.
Today was more productive. I vacuumed up the piles of dog hair in the family room. I put some files away in my office. I went to Costco to get a new dog bed, but was so excited about finding the paperback edition of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest out that I forgot to buy the bed. I also made fresh tomato soup, and some pesto.
So, now it's just going to be a quiet evening with the puppies.
And that's it for tonight.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
To North Bend and back
Mark left this afternoon for Bozeman, only he got no farther than N. Bend. Snoqualmie Pass had mega snow, and multiple accidents. So, he came back home. He will try again tomorrow. Living on either side of The Pass in winter is a more than iffy thing if you need to get from one side of the state to the other. Always fun and games.
It's been a busy week. I worked three WW meetings and had a great time. I really like working meetings and talking to members and stuff. It's fun.
We managed to get some moving-in paper work done this week. We still have more to do. And, I managed to get stuff together for our annual review with our financial advisor. I am hoping it is what he/they want/need. Mark is thinking of retiring early; there is an early retirement buyout on the boards right now. I hope he can do this, too. He needs to quit working as hard as he does. He needs to enjoy his life. I really hope we can work this into doable numbers.
We took the puppies for a romp in the field at Mark's office this evening. The weather has been really crappy all week, so they haven't had any exercise. But, it was relatively clear and not raining this evening, so we went to play. They had a great time. Lots of muddy foot prints in the car. Oh well.
There's lots starting to go on in our new life here in Olympia, and it is all good. I'm happy about that. Actually, I'm just happy. Yea.
And that's it for tonight.
It's been a busy week. I worked three WW meetings and had a great time. I really like working meetings and talking to members and stuff. It's fun.
We managed to get some moving-in paper work done this week. We still have more to do. And, I managed to get stuff together for our annual review with our financial advisor. I am hoping it is what he/they want/need. Mark is thinking of retiring early; there is an early retirement buyout on the boards right now. I hope he can do this, too. He needs to quit working as hard as he does. He needs to enjoy his life. I really hope we can work this into doable numbers.
We took the puppies for a romp in the field at Mark's office this evening. The weather has been really crappy all week, so they haven't had any exercise. But, it was relatively clear and not raining this evening, so we went to play. They had a great time. Lots of muddy foot prints in the car. Oh well.
There's lots starting to go on in our new life here in Olympia, and it is all good. I'm happy about that. Actually, I'm just happy. Yea.
And that's it for tonight.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Another good day
We got up and had delicious waffles for breakfast. Yum. Then we
took the puppies to Chambers Lake for a swim and a walk. This time our
friend Susan and her dog Bella joined us. It was a nice sunny day, so
it was good.
Our friends Vince and Leslie and their daughter Tasha from Seattle came by yesterday afternoon after Tasha's soccer game in Tumwater. Then we all headed to O'Blarney's for a late lunch/early dinner. After they left, we joined other friends, Susan and Brian and Julie and Jon, at a sushi bar while they had their dinner. Another day and night of good fun.
We did a little shopping this afternoon for things we needed for the new house, and to get another carry-on bag since we seem to have lost one of the other ones. This one is blue, which I like.
Our good friends Teri and Ken lost their Kelly dog on Friday. We are very sad for them. She was a very sweet dog. She was just shy of 14 years old. She had a good life.
And that's it for tonight.
Our friends Vince and Leslie and their daughter Tasha from Seattle came by yesterday afternoon after Tasha's soccer game in Tumwater. Then we all headed to O'Blarney's for a late lunch/early dinner. After they left, we joined other friends, Susan and Brian and Julie and Jon, at a sushi bar while they had their dinner. Another day and night of good fun.
We did a little shopping this afternoon for things we needed for the new house, and to get another carry-on bag since we seem to have lost one of the other ones. This one is blue, which I like.
Our good friends Teri and Ken lost their Kelly dog on Friday. We are very sad for them. She was a very sweet dog. She was just shy of 14 years old. She had a good life.
And that's it for tonight.
Friday, February 10, 2012
A busy week & puppies pictures
I have no idea where the week has gone, but I was busy the whole time. I got a lot done in my office, which seems to take up an awful lot of time. I didn't get any more 'moving in' done this week. Hopefully, next week will be a bit more productive in that area, though I will be working four Weight Watchers meetings next week, so that will be taking up a good bit of time, too. I got to meet my new territory manager yesterday. Yea! Now there is a face to go with the emails.
Last night our friend Desmond came and spent the night with us before going to a meeting near here today. As always, it was great fun and conversation. We had Costco lasagna for dinner. Very yummy.
The weather has been off and on, sunny-gray-sunny-gray, rain. I realized yesterday that I kind of like this weather. Whodathunkit?
These are pictures of Brenna and Ty.
The big snow storm:
In the park at Chambers Lake:
Ty's first exposure to water:
Brenna with her birthday ball:
And that's all for now. Gotta get back at it.
Last night our friend Desmond came and spent the night with us before going to a meeting near here today. As always, it was great fun and conversation. We had Costco lasagna for dinner. Very yummy.
The weather has been off and on, sunny-gray-sunny-gray, rain. I realized yesterday that I kind of like this weather. Whodathunkit?
These are pictures of Brenna and Ty.
The big snow storm:
And that's all for now. Gotta get back at it.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Three days after Brenna's 10th birthday
There really wasn't much to distinguish today, hence the subject line -- because every day with Brenna is a special day.
I got a bit done around the house today, but was set back, schedule-wise, by a wonderful surprise visit from a new friend from yesterday's Super Bowl party. Julie stopped by and we had a great yak-fest for about an hour and a half. It was terrific. I am really looking forward to spending much more time with her, and with her and her husband, Jon.
I managed to get the master bedroom ready for us to move into this evening, after almost two months. It is really hard to believe we have been in this house for that long. It seems like just yesterday that we moved here. So, tonight, we will sleep in 'our' room instead of one of the guest rooms -- because Thursday night we are going to have a guest! Yea! (The other guest rooms are so full of stuff still to be put away that it was impossible to think about having someone stay in them.) Desmond is going to visit us and spend the night so that he can attend a meeting in this area on Friday. We are really looking forward to it. Desmond is (and Desmond and Judy are) such great fun to be with.
Tomorrow has to be another 'office' day. I have gotten quite far behind in my paperwork, again. It seems to be never ending. I thought computers were supposed to make our lives easier and paper free! Hah! That little bit of nonsense was first told to us in 5th grade when we were the first elementary class year to begin learning the 'New Math' -- 0's and 1's/On and Off. I'm buried in paper and absolutely cannot catch up with myself, or anyone else. I'm not sure life has worked out to be what they had anticipated.
Anyway, life is still discombobulated, crazy, unorganized, out of sorts, nuts, and a lot to deal with... but I'm doing my best, enjoying it, and it is good.
So, that's it for tonight.
I got a bit done around the house today, but was set back, schedule-wise, by a wonderful surprise visit from a new friend from yesterday's Super Bowl party. Julie stopped by and we had a great yak-fest for about an hour and a half. It was terrific. I am really looking forward to spending much more time with her, and with her and her husband, Jon.
I managed to get the master bedroom ready for us to move into this evening, after almost two months. It is really hard to believe we have been in this house for that long. It seems like just yesterday that we moved here. So, tonight, we will sleep in 'our' room instead of one of the guest rooms -- because Thursday night we are going to have a guest! Yea! (The other guest rooms are so full of stuff still to be put away that it was impossible to think about having someone stay in them.) Desmond is going to visit us and spend the night so that he can attend a meeting in this area on Friday. We are really looking forward to it. Desmond is (and Desmond and Judy are) such great fun to be with.
Tomorrow has to be another 'office' day. I have gotten quite far behind in my paperwork, again. It seems to be never ending. I thought computers were supposed to make our lives easier and paper free! Hah! That little bit of nonsense was first told to us in 5th grade when we were the first elementary class year to begin learning the 'New Math' -- 0's and 1's/On and Off. I'm buried in paper and absolutely cannot catch up with myself, or anyone else. I'm not sure life has worked out to be what they had anticipated.
Anyway, life is still discombobulated, crazy, unorganized, out of sorts, nuts, and a lot to deal with... but I'm doing my best, enjoying it, and it is good.
So, that's it for tonight.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Great Super Bowl party
We went to a really terrific Super Bowl party today and had a wonderful time. We met lots and lots of really nice people, many of whom will become friends. This was all thanks to our friends Susan and Brian. (We had dinner at their house last night.) There was an amazing sampling of food, along with beer, wine and margaritas. Lots of kids, who pretty much had a game room to themselves. Then there was the indoor TV, along with the outdoor TV. The weather was perfect. And as it began to chill a bit outside, the heater was lit. The moon was almost full. All in all, a great afternoon/evening.
Now it's time to clean up our kitchen, make Mark some lunch for tomorrow, and kick back.
Now it's time to clean up our kitchen, make Mark some lunch for tomorrow, and kick back.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
A really great day
We got up today, had a nice 'big breakfast' (that means we ate eggs), and then we took Brenna and Ty to Chambers Lake, which is just up the road from our house. This was Ty's first exposure to water other than rain. It was typical puppy -- trying to swim with his head straight up and splashing like crazy. We got some video as well as some still photos (I'll post those later when I download the camera). He really liked it, but then he is a Lab. Afterward we all went for a walk on the Chehalis Northwest Trail. It was a gorgeous day today -- totally blue sky and sunny and warm. Perfect.
Tonight we went to our friends Susan and Brian's for dinner. It was mega-yummy. They made this really delicious chicken and mushroom lasagna. We brought a salad. There was Italian balsamic vinegar and olive oil that they brought back from their trip to Italy in January for bread dipping. Amazingly good balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, too. Very fruity. Brian also made pepper jelly with goat cheese crackers. Yum. Nice contrast to the oil and vinegar. For dessert we had pomegranate sorbet with chocolate port. An amazing evening. Lots of fun and laughter.
We took their dogs, Marcy and Bella, pieces of Brenna's birthday cake. They loved it! Brian says Marcy can be a little picky about eating (she's 14 years old), so it was great when she wolfed it down. Yea.
And that's it for tonight.
Tonight we went to our friends Susan and Brian's for dinner. It was mega-yummy. They made this really delicious chicken and mushroom lasagna. We brought a salad. There was Italian balsamic vinegar and olive oil that they brought back from their trip to Italy in January for bread dipping. Amazingly good balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, too. Very fruity. Brian also made pepper jelly with goat cheese crackers. Yum. Nice contrast to the oil and vinegar. For dessert we had pomegranate sorbet with chocolate port. An amazing evening. Lots of fun and laughter.
We took their dogs, Marcy and Bella, pieces of Brenna's birthday cake. They loved it! Brian says Marcy can be a little picky about eating (she's 14 years old), so it was great when she wolfed it down. Yea.
And that's it for tonight.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Pumpkin's 10th Birthday
Today was Brenna's 10th birthday. We had a party, with hats. I will download photos and re-post them when I do. She got a red Kong ball, which she is loving. And she and Ty really enjoyed the birthday cake. They also got rawhide chew bones. No, we absolutely do not spoil our dogs.
I ran lots of errands today and had a good time doing it. The weather was gorgeous -- blue skies and warm temps.
I met two more neighbors today, and we already planned to have another puppy birthday party for Ty's 2nd birthday in June so that all the puppies and puppy parents could get together. Sounds good to me.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is on, so I'm going to go watch that.
Good night.
I ran lots of errands today and had a good time doing it. The weather was gorgeous -- blue skies and warm temps.
I met two more neighbors today, and we already planned to have another puppy birthday party for Ty's 2nd birthday in June so that all the puppies and puppy parents could get together. Sounds good to me.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is on, so I'm going to go watch that.
Good night.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Groundhog Day
It was beautiful today, and it is supposed to be like this at least through Monday. Yea!
I have been working on getting routine into my life. So far, I have managed to work a light yoga program into my day, and I'm working with weights to build up the strength in the arm I broke last summer. I'm going to my Weight Watchers meeting each week, too. The other things I want to incorporate are dog walking/training, meal planning/cooking well, and house caring-for. Small steps, small steps.
When I re-started my yoga, I realized right off the bat that I had lost my God-spot. This is a little, hazy, purple spot that I would always see when my eyes were closed and I was in the zone. It really bothers me that it's not there now. I have seen hints of it coming back, so I'm working hard to find it again. Today there was quite a bit of ambient gold light coming in from the sides, but I'm hoping that goes away as I refocus.
I made a birthday cake for Brenna today (she'll be 10 years old tomorrow). The puppies thought it was pretty fun -- they got to lick the beaters and have some little treats that I used for decorating the cake. I still need to find the party hats we used for The Girls' first birthday party ten years ago so that Brenna and Ty can wear them tomorrow. This is a picture of Brenna at her and Sweet Pea's 1st birthday party.
This is a picture of Sweet Pea at the party. The toys were gifts from their vet, our friend, Courtney. They were enjoying rawhide chew bones.
It's getting late and is time to clean up the kitchen and make Mark's lunch for tomorrow. So, that's it for tonight.
I have been working on getting routine into my life. So far, I have managed to work a light yoga program into my day, and I'm working with weights to build up the strength in the arm I broke last summer. I'm going to my Weight Watchers meeting each week, too. The other things I want to incorporate are dog walking/training, meal planning/cooking well, and house caring-for. Small steps, small steps.
When I re-started my yoga, I realized right off the bat that I had lost my God-spot. This is a little, hazy, purple spot that I would always see when my eyes were closed and I was in the zone. It really bothers me that it's not there now. I have seen hints of it coming back, so I'm working hard to find it again. Today there was quite a bit of ambient gold light coming in from the sides, but I'm hoping that goes away as I refocus.
I made a birthday cake for Brenna today (she'll be 10 years old tomorrow). The puppies thought it was pretty fun -- they got to lick the beaters and have some little treats that I used for decorating the cake. I still need to find the party hats we used for The Girls' first birthday party ten years ago so that Brenna and Ty can wear them tomorrow. This is a picture of Brenna at her and Sweet Pea's 1st birthday party.
This is a picture of Sweet Pea at the party. The toys were gifts from their vet, our friend, Courtney. They were enjoying rawhide chew bones.
This is a picture of all four puppies -- Bart, Chip, Brenna and Sweet Pea in the back -- right before the birthday festivities began.
It's getting late and is time to clean up the kitchen and make Mark's lunch for tomorrow. So, that's it for tonight.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The 'lost' week
Well, I did not manage to keep up with myself for the past week. It was a normal week. The usual -- errands, moving in (still), working in my office, cleaning (yes, I really did do some real cleaning), laundry -- the usual. Still no real cooking, but I'm not sure that will ever happen, even though we got our new Cuisinart 10-piece anodized cookware today, courtesy of Wells Fargo Mortgage. It is very cool.
We went to a really good retirement party last Saturday night for the guy that Mark replaced. There was a roasted pig (though I ate chicken) and lots and lots and lots of really good side dishes and desserts. Beer and wine was imbibed by all. Also, there was live music provided by a woman from the office and her band, including her 11 year old daughter, who also is a really good Caller for square dancing. Fun was had by all.
I'm trying to overcome the 'stigma' of joining a 'Senior Center.' There are yoga classes at the Olympia and Lacey senior centers that are taught by two yoga teachers from Wild Sage Yoga. While at Wild Sage the class costs $10 per class, it's only $5 per class at the senior center. I'm trying to deal with the 'age' thing in contrast to the 'money' thing. I'm going to mull it over for a few days and figure out what I want to do. I look at the pictures on the senior center web site and the folks really do look like they're in their 70s or 80s, so it's hard to make that choice. Of course, it might be a totally different reality at the center... Who knows. This aging thing is very weird -- the mind of a 12 year old, the body of a woman who is ageless...........(ha).
And that's it for tonight.
We went to a really good retirement party last Saturday night for the guy that Mark replaced. There was a roasted pig (though I ate chicken) and lots and lots and lots of really good side dishes and desserts. Beer and wine was imbibed by all. Also, there was live music provided by a woman from the office and her band, including her 11 year old daughter, who also is a really good Caller for square dancing. Fun was had by all.
I'm trying to overcome the 'stigma' of joining a 'Senior Center.' There are yoga classes at the Olympia and Lacey senior centers that are taught by two yoga teachers from Wild Sage Yoga. While at Wild Sage the class costs $10 per class, it's only $5 per class at the senior center. I'm trying to deal with the 'age' thing in contrast to the 'money' thing. I'm going to mull it over for a few days and figure out what I want to do. I look at the pictures on the senior center web site and the folks really do look like they're in their 70s or 80s, so it's hard to make that choice. Of course, it might be a totally different reality at the center... Who knows. This aging thing is very weird -- the mind of a 12 year old, the body of a woman who is ageless...........(ha).
And that's it for tonight.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
E.T. is home!
My beloved little E.T. car is now home. Yea! Let's hope the new distributor will fix his problem of not always wanting to start.
It rained pretty good today, so a lot of the snow melted away. Another yea.
Yesterday and today were very productive office days. I managed to get a lot of paperwork done and feel like I'm getting things organized. I have almost everything I need pulled together to do our taxes. I created the necessary 2012 files for various and sundry things. I got all the papers on the floor filed away where they are supposed to be. And I managed to get three loads of laundry done, the upstairs vacuumed, the laundry room vacuumed, a load of dishes done and put away, and just a bunch of odds and ends stuff done. Tomorrow will be another office day, but mostly reading papers that need responses, and then doing the responses. Things are beginning to fall into place. Now I am hoping to get some sort of routine going.
One thing I did figure out how to do today was add a photo to my blog, so here's a photo of the puppies -- Brenna (with the white face) and Ty (the puppy). Now that I know how to do this I may go back and put photos in some of my other blogs.
And that's it for tonight.
It rained pretty good today, so a lot of the snow melted away. Another yea.
Yesterday and today were very productive office days. I managed to get a lot of paperwork done and feel like I'm getting things organized. I have almost everything I need pulled together to do our taxes. I created the necessary 2012 files for various and sundry things. I got all the papers on the floor filed away where they are supposed to be. And I managed to get three loads of laundry done, the upstairs vacuumed, the laundry room vacuumed, a load of dishes done and put away, and just a bunch of odds and ends stuff done. Tomorrow will be another office day, but mostly reading papers that need responses, and then doing the responses. Things are beginning to fall into place. Now I am hoping to get some sort of routine going.
One thing I did figure out how to do today was add a photo to my blog, so here's a photo of the puppies -- Brenna (with the white face) and Ty (the puppy). Now that I know how to do this I may go back and put photos in some of my other blogs.
And that's it for tonight.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Roof fishin'
My most clever husband figured out how to get the puppies' rings off the roof -- he went fishing. He got out one of his fly fishing rods and some kind of lure and managed to hook the rings and bring them down from the roof. Yea, Mark! The dogs were very happy. Ty shook the rings for a long time. He is so cute.
Now, you have to realize that our two dogs are Labrador retrievers -- water dogs. And this afternoon, I sent the two of them outside to do their thing, and the silly young puppy, Ty, was standing under the patio table so that he wouldn't get wet in the rain! Sheesh.... He would be such a good Dock Dog because he loves to leap over things, yet he's afraid to get wet. I cannot wait to get him out into real water this spring. Brenna will show him what it means to be a water dog.
We're still dealing with unpacking and putting stuff away and not cooking (I love not cooking). It's kind of like an adventure, and somewhat fun.
There are still many, many people without power tonight, and I wish I could give them electricity. I know how hard it is for me to deal without power, because I am so very much a wimp. I just want everyone to be warm and comfortable, again. It's amazing how much damage was caused by the snow, and now the wind. Spring cannot come soon enough.
Sleep well.
Now, you have to realize that our two dogs are Labrador retrievers -- water dogs. And this afternoon, I sent the two of them outside to do their thing, and the silly young puppy, Ty, was standing under the patio table so that he wouldn't get wet in the rain! Sheesh.... He would be such a good Dock Dog because he loves to leap over things, yet he's afraid to get wet. I cannot wait to get him out into real water this spring. Brenna will show him what it means to be a water dog.
We're still dealing with unpacking and putting stuff away and not cooking (I love not cooking). It's kind of like an adventure, and somewhat fun.
There are still many, many people without power tonight, and I wish I could give them electricity. I know how hard it is for me to deal without power, because I am so very much a wimp. I just want everyone to be warm and comfortable, again. It's amazing how much damage was caused by the snow, and now the wind. Spring cannot come soon enough.
Sleep well.
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