I am going in tomorrow for a few hours in order to give blood.
Before cancer, I always used to donate blood.After my radiation and chemotherapy, I stopped. I assumed that they wouldn’t want my blood. A few years ago, I found out that I was eligible to
give again, and so I did.
I know that blood is needed to save lives. I am thankful I am still here:this is just a little way of paying it forward.
I take a flip fitness class on Wednesday night.It is designed for all levels,even for those who might have to exercise in a chair.The idea is to move your body off the sofa.
I was feeling pretty lousy before I went and wanted to go. Due to the cold weather, we didn’t have a full class but we had fun.The best part is that I know I’ll sleep pretty well tonight, and when I leave the class, I feel as though I have some motivation for the week.
Things change, and as things go on, and sometimes change leads to depression, I feel better when I go to class, and am thankful for the opportunity to attend it.
My husband’s phone was a disgrace.
He inherited my old iPhone 4,which was slightly worn when I gave it to him and I went to the iPhone 4s.In the meanwhile, in the midst of building Undisclosed Deux, he managed to give it a few good drops that ended up cracking the glass.
I mean, I worked him off of a flip phone, and the phone he turned into splinters, so what I did was get me an iPhone 5c and give him my 4s, because he is more comfortable with that format.Never mind that trying to transfer things, well…we won’t get into it tonight. Suffice it to say, we both have new phones.
Well, I guess the fact that it was 33 out made me feel that way.
The movie about Day After Tomorrow,with Dennis Quade, would have adored the ice formations in the bay this weekend.If you wanted rocks for your liquor, all you had to do was go down to the jetty and there was all the rocky ice!
Also there were those of us who preferred to play in the snow:Kasia was crowned Queen of Snow Dog Angels-she love it.Zush just savored the coolness against the skin.
Suffice it to say, I’ll be happy when it’s gone….
.and I am here hanging out.
First wash and dryer loads were done successfully today.YAY! That marked a step in the right direction. It was as if I kind of said this is my house, and I am here. It was kind of a liberating thing.
The only weird part is when you are used to old stuff and noises and now you have new equipment and noises and you realize how behind the times**kind of**you are.Plus the fact that I never really paid attention to noises because they were pretty much the same.
I have been on the laptop futzing around and I have knitting in the corner I should be working on, books I can be reading…I’d go outside but the polar vortex tells me otherwise.
Stay warm, friend!
You’ll never guess where I am.
Nope.Not at my usual corner where I try to type this at.
I am in Undisclosed Deux, sitting at my Corian counter in the kitchen and it really feels great. It also feels a little surreal, knowing all of the angst that we put into this place, but it feels great.
We stopped at the local grocery and I bought some staples for here and there is actually stuff in our brand new refrigerator.Not one like we bought twelve years ago in a scratch and dent spot that looked pretty good, i.e., you couldn’t tell where we got it but my brand new, freezer on the bottom, refrigerator on top appliance,
It’s kind of funny that when we first moved here into the old house it was a blizzard and here we are on the first weekend** kind of** in the new spot, there is snow on the ground and temperatures that I don’t even want to think about.
Guess a new journey has begun.
Yup, call it what you will: polar vortex, icebox, or just too damn cold.
While we are between houses, our bed currently has its’ head by a window, and you can just feel the cold air.Fortunately for us, we sleep underneath a down feather comforter,so our body heat is trapped and we are warm BUT oh, that morning slap of cold air.
Being a December baby, I normally love cold and snow.Now, being a 54-year-old person,heh, I think there aren’t enough polar fleece shirts and thermal underwear to keep me warm.There is no happy medium, you know?
Well, as it is January,days are getting slightly longer: can spring be far behind?
While I was home today, I got a text from my buddy Margo,as I call her.
We are both in our fifties: we go back to our mid to late teens together.Typing that seems kind of odd, but it is true. We have known each other that long.It is incredible how we talked to each other, hung with each other, listened to Frank Sinatra together, got into trouble together (as IF) and went through some years together.For a period of many years, we pretty much fell out of contact;we both got married and moved into different areas.Facebook brought us back together and that was funny.Like all good friends, it’s as if we picked up where we left off.
I am blessed to know Margo.
She’s good people!
Ok, so we had the formula down pretty well.
Eggs,
Bread,
Milk…
Day off?
The city, in its’ wisdom, has decided non-essential personnel, such as yours truly, need to stay home tomorrow so the roads and streets can be worked on. That news was almost as good as the old days when you sat by the radio and your Mom had it tuned to the news station. You had a big smile on your face when your number was announced on a snowy morning. You had a day off.
As I type this I have a big smile on my face.
You really can feel like a kid again, thanks to a snow day.
We came back up this afternoon and the weather EVERYWHERE we normally be at is going to, or rather, calling for snow.
Again.
Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about eggs bread and milk, but what is funny is that, once again, I am working late on a day where there is a ton of snow called for.It’s like I am a magnet for it, when I have to be in the office late.
This is NOT how I want to come back after four days off: here’s hoping that it’ll be a good week for all.
My Mom left me two years ago today.
There is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss her and/or think of her. Perhaps it’s because my Brother Bob and I took care of her for close to five years after she slipped into dementia.
There is so much I know she experiences from a higher vantage point: her children, her Philadelphia grandsons,her sister, her family,her church.I am sad because she never got down here with Jim and me,but am taking some comfort she’s up there,watching with my Dad.
My parents always said that we’d miss them when they left us.The only thing? They didn’t tell me how badly I’d miss them.
R.I.P. Mom.
Miss you guys every day.
Undisclosed Deux is almost completed.
It really is surreal.
Here I sit in the back cottage and I can catch the internet if the wind blows right. It’s hard to believe that the cottage days might be over this time next week. I would like to say that the kindness of neighbors have gotten us through it. Folks have helped us, fed us and been there for us, and it only solidifies that we have made the right move.We have also made new friends through this time, and it is amazing that we have connected with folks that are in our age bracket who have accepted us for what we are.
It’s a good feeling.
It would be a really good day to stay in bed and vegetate…but I won’t.
When you have a lot going on, and you have decisions to make, it’s easy to stay in bed and pull up the covers.The day must go on, though.Dogs must be walked, house must be straightened,bags must be packed, and the sum of that is that, at 54,the days of staying in bed for a few hours are long gone.Funny how when you are younger you yearn for responsibility.My parents would always tell me to appreciate those days. I look up to heaven and tell them, I did-really. You would just give to have a day to go back to little or no responsibility.
We are heading down later to deal with the contractor and move a step closer to Undisclosed Deux. Each day brings us closer.Here’s hoping that all will be well for us all.
I went to my Flip Fitness Class tonight and boy am I beat.
It’s a good thing: it gets me off the sofa and out of the house and with a bunch of friends and we are all in the same boat. What is really funny is that after we have been together for a while, we start laughing between each other and talking about stuff and it was nice to hang with folks like me.
I am glad that my friend Kathy got me into going to class.I am ready to go to bed once I finish this, because I am tired in a good way.
Being out of a home you lived in for eleven years and “squatting” for six+ months has been a rough gig.Sure,it’s great to have a roof over our heads.I am tired, though.
I admit I miss a second television.I have turned to this computer for entertainment for the mere sake of staying married.I really miss a full kitchen.I made broiled pork chops tonight in a toaster oven-not an easy feat and they managed to turn out good.I miss a good “stay in for 30 minutes” shower.
Jim reminds me that this will be over soon enough.
**sigh**
It was a long day today.The only break I had ? I managed to catch the early express train home and that was an unexpected surprise,
The trick was, after I came home, to walk the girls, then I came back in to make us a somewhat healthy dinner. After all, I started the day with heat to tweak my metabolism. I went and filet a bone in chicken breast or two.We had a baked sweet potato and mixed vegetables. There has to be some thought to make a “healthy” dinner so I am going to give it a shot.
We’ll see how far this goes.
.
So I have gone back to exercise class after the break.
I have decided to tweak stuff a little more: I am adding heat to my diet! They say that your metabolism, when you are over 50,may need a little help, and upping your intake of spicy food might help.Taking one tiny step for me, I had jalapeno cheese this morning.Granted I know I am going to have afterthoughts about eating this, but I figure you have to start somewhere.
I’ll keep you posted.
Allegedly, if all the planets line up in order**notice tongue in cheek** my plumber band other folks will be working up finishing the house this coming week.
I for one, have heard so many stories that it’s hard to believe. The Corian countertop is to be delivered Tuesday or Wednesday and the electrician is due down Thursday. Can it actually mean escape from the cottage?
Stay tuned!
Of late, I have been telling anyone who asks me about the Undisclosed Location II and its’ construction that if they ever are thinking of building a new home, talk to me and I will talk them out of it.
Of course, I won’t, but the road has been a long one.
Jim is meeting with the builder now in the house and I am out in the cottage.The two of us reviewed what has to be brought to his attention: I am of the mindset that if the builder was on top of things, he shouldn’t need to have it brought to his attention.Jim agrees with that, but he has more finesse with the builder than I do.
One of the things that really is a hoot is we spent a couple of hours each day looking for new furniture and found stuff we liked,only to realize when we got back that it wouldn’t FIT into the new house.**sigh** So we have to go back this weekend and tweak our choices again.
Jim says we’ll look back at this and say we got through it one step at a time.
I, for one, will just be glad when it is finished.
It’s been a hell of a week weather wise.
I remember worrying g about the cold this time last week when we were headed down to Undisclosed Deux, but somehow we all fared well.Monday and Tuesday were no picnic either, with the office buildings in town turning streets into wind tunnels.
It is allegedly an icy mix now, rain and ice mixed.Tomorrow it is supposed to be sixty and raining.They always say Mother Nature is upset by what we do down here.I am starting to believe it.We’ll go back down today, but I’ll have to make sure to have plenty of towels to dry the girls up and plenty of dry clothes for Jim and myself.
January…it sure keeps me on my toes.
The holidays are over.
I had been attending a local exercise class, which took a break over the holidays. Tonight the class resumed.
Was I ever glad! I needed it desperately there is the flow of blood that actually runs through me, despite the fact that my body is in a knot most of the time. The exercise has made me more aware of my body and the state of it. I feel better when I do it.
I am glad to be back!
We had a few bumpy days.
When the ice was dominant, we both had slips and falls that we are both feeling.The only way that we’d feel better is staying in a hot show for an hour or two.We keep trodding along, though,talking about our newest angst that the builder has stirred up for us.
I will be glad when things are over and we get settled in our new digs.We can only do so much here and it’s time that we actually had a real kitchen again.I am sure the dogs wouldn’t mind running in a year behind a fence to play.Jim and I wouldn’t mind relaxing on our deck. I can hardly wait.
**Hanging by the end of my fingers**
I worked late tonight.
Add onto that the fact that the regional rail system lost power for a bit due to the weather. There were 1,000,000 people, or at least it felt like this, with me on the platform, waiting for the train.The last time I was on a train that crowded was when the Philadelphia Phillies won the world series in 2008 and people flocked to town to their victory parade.
I hear the wind howling as I sit here by the window typing.I have to get up early tomorrow so I hope this wind isn’t going to keep me up .
.
I’m beat!
…although I have to admit,that coming off of five days away feels like I am a kid coming back from winter break.**if I only knew then what I know now**
The weather is freaking out, to put it bluntly. I am working 9-5 today. Coming in the temperature was in the 50’s. When I leave at 5PM, it’s due to be 36. Overnight it’s going to the single digits and let’s not even go to wind chill factor.
I am determined to catch up on work and just see what tonight and tomorrow will bring.
We went out to breakfast this morning, and knowing we were going out to a friend”s house tonight to watch the play-offs, I did something foolish.
I had three cups of coffee.
It’s 12:52am and I can’t believe I was that stupid.Usually I am the tired one, looking to go to bed early.I figured, I am going to be around folks, so stay up and socialize.
Hah!
Thank God tomorrow is Sunday, but I know getting up in the morning is going to be rough.
New year’s resolution? You’ve got it…I am a cup a day girl-that’s it!
..but to anyone in the mid-Atlantic states, New England and possibly the midwest, this is no shock. You, my friend, like me, are in the middle of it.
Waking up at 7am today had the temperature at ten, count them, TEN degrees.Fortunately it’s due to get up to the low thirties: I never thought I’d see the day where that constituted a heat wave. Jim is smart: he is in Undisclosed Location Deux, where the heat is actually installed, but it is his reward for going outside. Me? I am in here while the fur girls are curled up in their beds.
Hope you are around some hot coffee or cocoa this morning: stay warm.
to check on the contractor…in the blowing snow and frozen temperatures! Have the dog bed, water, food, blankets, etc., so hopefully we’ll be good….stay tuned!
It’s 16 degrees out and 2:30 am.
There’s six inches of snow out.
New Jersey has declared a state of emergency.
I am hoping we are staying in tomorrow, because it is ridiculous to even think of traveling in it. I know it’s going to fun**read heavy sarcasm here** taking the girls out in the morning.
Layers will be the word of the day.
They are calling for a storm, a winter storm.
Uh-huh…
I shudder to think of the amount of folks in line at Shop Rite and Acme getting staples as though it were the end of the world.Yes, I have been guilty of that in the past, but there gets to be a point where fighting the crowd isn’t worth it.We went Monday night to Shop Rite and got some staples so we are set.
We are due to go down to Undisclosed tomorrow, so of course it is going to snow. Jim jokingly asked me if we are going down, and then answered the question by saying ” Nothing stops us.”..lol
I will keep you posted on what we get and where we get it, I’ll be the first one to laugh if it is only a little bit. As John Bolaris, former Philadelphia weatherman knows, the weather can come back and bite you in the butt.
I hope all of you had a safe and happy New Year’s Eve.I won’t go as far as the priest we had for Mass this morning who said something about anyone who needed ice packs…I think he was revealing too much of his age!
Jim had the girls out for a good walk this morning and is up playing his guitar.The girls are curled up peacefully sleeping and I have a pot of home-made applesauce on the stove. Our dinner today will be the traditional pork,sauerkraut,potatoes and applesauce.We need all the luck we can generate with our move this year.
Here’s to 2014-hope it’s a good one for us all.
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