January 2015 – thereisnosanityclause

Moonlight feels right, er, cold…

We are down here now, and I had walked the girls for a bit today.There were swaying trees in the wind that scared especially Kasia.I managed to do my 10,000 steps today on my fit bit zip despite that.

As I sat in the house today and heard the wind, I didn’t necessarily want to go back out.Jim took the girls out after dinner and I stayed in here and tried to stay warm.We went out tonight to pick up medicine from the drugstore, and the wind serenaded us all the way up.We got what we needed, came back home, and now are in tight for the night.

It’s a shame thought.The perk of being down the shore off-season is how quiet it is and very peaceful it is.When we were out tonight,I looked up in the sky and saw the beautiful moon and stars. You never had a chance to appreciate it in the city, but down here, it looks wonderful.
The only bad part? It’s so damn cold and windy!

Late Night Wars

We are home tonight watching television and we were looking for something different to watch.

We went to on demand and found Late Night Wars on HBO. It told the stories of the early nineties with Johnny Carson retiring, and the war to get Leno or Letterman on the tonight show.

This stuck a chord with me because I love David Letterman and actually saw his show in New York when he was still at NBC. I found his humor a little easier than Leno’s and never really followed Leno on the Tonight Show.

It’s funny that I am watching actors playing the actual people who were involved.They portrayed them, on the whole, pretty well.It makes for a pretty cool trip down memory lane.Now, with Letterman retiring and Leno gone, I like Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, both.The view back on the Late Night Wars is worth a quick watch.

Hitting a Wall

I am tired.

News flash, right?

Seriously, I need to get my act together and get back to unpacking and donating and washing and trying to figure out what to keep and what to trash.

Did I mention I hate moving?

The first 2 weeks it gave me something to focus on, and it was ok.Now we are almost at the one month mark and I went into the middle room, looked at it and closed the door and went back out. I mean, seriously….there has got to be a better way. I have convinced myself that a chunk of tomorrow will be dedicated to getting in there and clearing some of it out.I admit, it didn’t help today that my favorite show, Law and Order Criminal Intent, was on today which kept me toward the front of the house.I am going to try Netflix on my Kindle tomorrow and hopefully it’ll get me back in motion of fixing the house up right.

Film at 11.

LOL

The storm that wasn’t..

…at least not here.

Poor New England got their butt kicked with snow, but I remain oh, so thankful, I didn’t run out and buy eggs, bread and milk.It was a pleasant surprise when I woke up this morning and looked out our window.I slept like crap, probably because I was anticipating a long day.

The girls got out with me, and I capped off the fit bit zip at 10,142, because my legs were awfully tired from 18,000+ steps yesterday.Now I get to get a hot shower, and tuck into fleece sheets.The clipper that is due allegedly coming through tomorrow, so warmth is the name of the game.

Stay safe and warm,friends.Below,the girls on their morning walk.

Dodging the bullet…

…for a day.

Or at least three-quarters of a day.

Looking at the television, and seeing snow in Philadelphia, New York and other spots, when it came time for me to walk the girls in the rain, I was a happy girl. I even managed to get over 18,000 steps in today on my Fit Bit zip.

Because? Yes, I know “it’s coming.”The barometric pressure is coming down.The girls have been walked to the point of exhaustion.I’m beat too. Worrying about if we are going to lose power when the wet snow brings wires down.Do we have candles and flashlights?The house has everything and all we have to do is wait.

Stay safe,friends,especially if in the snow zone.

Laugh riot

I am watching Worst Cooks in America on the Food Network.

OMG!

I have never watched something so sad and funny at the same time.The people are supposed to follow what the chefs show them to do, and it’s crazy.I mean maybe I was fortunate that I like to try to cook and bake, because these folks on the show have genuine fears about certain issues of cooking, such as starting grease fires, and on the flip side, someone flips out because they have to deal with raw tomatoes and raw onions.Some of the contestants are making strides as they go along and some, well, let’s just say that I am waiting for them to be knocked off this week.

So Mom and Dad? If you read this from your heavenly clouds, thanks for teaching me some basics and encouraging me.If I hadn’t been, I might have ended up on this show!

Penndot-time of my life never to get back

One of the pitfalls of moving to another state was to update my prior state ID.

**Sigh**

We left Undisclosed this morning to go up to the city to get the mandatory new picture I needed to update my ID. We had a zillion things to do but because the state agency that handles this is only open until 4PM, we made the picture a priority.

There was the thorn in my day.I knew I was in trouble when we walked in and they were calling number 23 and I was number 53.

**Sigh**

The average age of the two people manning the stations was 75. Now that I am retired, I have to watch about bad-mouthing anyone older than me who works, because there but for the grace of God go I. But the old man who worked one of the stations was really, really, really slow.

After an hour and one half, I managed to escape.My only consolation is that the next time I do this, it’ll be, hopefully, in my new, adopted home state, and hopefully, things might run a bit smoother.

In sickness and health

My friend Juls has been getting over a bug for the better part of the week.

Jim has joined her, albeit long distance.

It started earlier this week, when Jim first got sick and thought it was just passing.It is times like this that I miss the proximity of our doctor, because he really didn’t look too good to me, and I admit I was a little scared. His color got a little better but then today it seems like he rebounded into it again.

Hopefully this will run its’ course and he’ll be feeling better soon. It’s in time for the nor’easter that is due to hit this area tonight and tomorrow.Nothing like feeling miserable and having miserable weather to accompany it.

Loose Dog? Don’t chase! Stop, Drop and Lie Down

Good advice!

No Dog About It Blog

Have you ever had a dog escape your arms or car or home? What is the first thing you do? If you’re like most people, you chase after them. They run and then you run. It seems almost instinctual, doesn’t it?

I’ve come to believe that it REALLY IS INSTINCT that takes over when we chase after our loose dog(s). It’s not just something we do when our own pets get loose, but something we do when a friend’s dog gets out of the house or when we see a stray dog running down the street or the highway. There is even a recent video showing police officers chasing after a dog on a highway in California. They never even had a chance of catching him. It was a losing proposition.

The problem with our first instinct (to chase) is that it rarely gets us closer to getting them. In fact, the…

View original post 828 more words

No snow day

We had some snow fall today.

The forecast had me out early walking the girls, or should I say, Zush led the way and we walked a ton today. Fortunately we came in to pass out just as the snow was starting to flurry.I spoke to a former co-worker who gleefully let me know school children in the city were being let out at 1:30PM. I lamented the fact that I couldn’t call in for a snow sick day, or vacation day, or whatever. We laughed about that.

So January is half way done.

Spring is just around the corner.

Organization

One of the few things they neglect to tell you when you retire from a desk job is that, despite your best efforts, you still will probably need a desk at home.

I had one at the old house that we sold in Wissahickon, and suffered with a tv table until we moved down here to Undisclosed.Since the house has been up, I have had the tendency to throw my laptop on top of the breakfast bar and plug-in and get started. Well, now that, well, for now at least, I don’t have to report to a desk in the morning, I still need somewhere to plant stationary and pens and stamps and the like.

We went looking at desks tonight but nothing rang any bells.In the meanwhile I bought a large accordion file with dividers in it to serve as a stopgap until the desk makes an appearance.

I seriously didn’t think I’d missing a desk so soon.LOL

Flea Market Flip

It took me a while to find this unscripted jewel of a show.

Flea Market Flip is shown on the GAC (Great American Country) channel on cable, and basically, I watch it for three reasons.Lara Spenser is the host, and in addition to being an excellent television anchor, she also is a Penn State University graduate.Secondly, four people are put in two teams of two , given $600 to buy things at a flea market, and then get a day to redesign them or repurpose them, and finally, these items have to go back to a different flea market and they have to try to sell them. The team that makes the most money wins $5,000.

Now, ideally, I am in a new home, with new furniture.There is no reason for me, right now, to run on out and try this. I have to admit that it is interesting to see people’s ideas of designs and also the idea of what money people are wiling to spend.I have to admit it is my current favorite show, and if you are doing any rehabbing of items,you might like this show.

Working out the glitches

We are going through the house and trying to put some things away this weekend.

There’s a pile for the attic, and we have made a few bags of donations to the local church, but how can you work at putting things away when you have to be a math major? Sure, there is common sense that x amount of handbags can only fit in such a spot.As my work career is not that far behind me at this point, and maybe, just maybe a job will be in my future, how do you figure out what you’d need without hiding it out in an attic.

You can go on-line and find out storage solutions and, honestly?There are the two of us and two dogs.Then there are 12+years of marriage to weed through and prior life things to keep.

I’d like to think that I don’t have to hurry about this, although it would be nice to have the house shape up a little better. A few short tables or bookcases, things of that sort, but in the meanwhile, working out the glitches seems to be the next step.

Stay tuned.

Mom

I read a post of Facebook today that made me close my eyes and take me back three years.

A friend of mine who is posted in the Vatican put on the Facebook message page that his father passed away. I wrote condolences from myself and Jim, and let him know that this is the week of the year that God looks for angels. Today is three years that my Mom passed away.

Three years.

I miss her every day.It’s a whole in my heart that I know might be healed over by the time I pass away.I find her in little things, and especially, while in the process of moving, I unpacked her sweater and sat with it on today.I made waffle batter this morning in one of her mixing bowls. Tomorrow I am going to look for a book to put her handwritten recipes in. I know she is at peace,and that is the only thing that makes the pain of loss a little bearable.

I keep a picture of her on the table by my bed, and see her every morning.It’s a shot of her before she fell into dementia.On the computer I see pictures of her in her hospital bed when she was in hospice.Today we got the new issue of AARP magazine and they had, on the cover,pictures of everyone who had Alzheimer’s/Dementia and they were people who had passed within the year.

I cherish the memory while God still blesses me with one, and cherish every day I am on two feet. I figure the best way I can honor her legacy is to keep going as best as I can.

Doesn’t stop her from missing me, though.

Fit Bit Batteries

The fact that I’ve been doing the fit bit daily since Halloween did not cause me to have shock at a message I got tonight when I synched it to my computer.

“Your zip battery is low.”

Well, with the exception of me showering or sleeping, my little fit bit zip has been working overtime, so I guess I’ll have to go around and look for a battery for it so I can keep on trucking’, as it were.

I have been watching Biggest Loser this season and noticed they wear something similar, but they wear it in a bracelet form around their wrist.I prefer my zip because it is of hard rubber and stays on my bra all day. Unlike a pedometer on a belt or shoe or whatever, you don’t have to worry about it getting lost through the day.

Battery shopping will be number on the list of things to do tomorrow.I feel better walking. Can’t quit what works!

New day

My gut was a touch bit better this morning…not much, but enough to move around.

The girls and I had some significant walks today, as the weather cooperated so we took in what we could, keeping in mind not to tax out Zush and her stitches.Jim, unfortunately, had to work so we went without him.

When you go through a stretch of a weather as we have, with apologizes to my Wisconsin family and friends, you get to appreciate a 35+ degree day.The sun coming down on the bay actually gave the illusion that the bay could have had July sun on it rather than January.

It was good to be home.

Fit Bit Flu

I was hit with a GI bug around 2am this morning.Not much fun.

The sleep I lost caused me to sleep a little later and wave “buh-bye” to 15,000 steps today.I realized from the get go that it is more important for me to get rid of this bug than to kick over another 15,000 steps.

I am going out now to give the girls their last stroll of the night with me.Jim took the first walk this morning, well, by default.It’ll be interesting to see what the final number is, as I just want to come back in, take a hot shower, watch American Idol, and go to bed.

Stay tuned….

Oh, BTW? My last number for the night is 10,269…not to shabby.

Fit Bit Bug

I was hit with a GI bug around 2am this morning.Not much fun.

Stay tuned….

CNN-post #JeSuisCharlie

I have been watching the coverage of the incidents in France and I can only shake my head in sorrow.

I go back and think to watching, or being glued to the television post 9/11 and although this doesn’t hit me directly, I still get that sinking feeling in my gut.How sad life can be. How sad life has become.They just had the maintenance man on who was there when his buddy got shot,and it was the buddy’s first day on the job and he was killed. He got the co-worker and then proceeded to lock both of them in a toilet, and at least the gunmen didn’t come back for them.

No one is safe anywhere in this world, and all I can do is love all my loved ones with every breath in my body.No one is guaranteed tomorrow.

Comcast yet again.

Now that we are down here at the Undisclosed location, we are trying to unpack and set things up.

Jim had his computer up and running all last week and today. As of 4PM EST, all of his emails,and there were many, have disappeared from his computer.We did nothing on this end, so as he is on the phone with them ,I can only SMH at a business who does this on a weekly basis. I mean, really? Xfinity should stand for where there service is set at-Xfinity: they’ll ship your email, your signal, anything that we foolish have paid them for to a service far, far away.Now I hear the girl telling him he’s going to have to wait two days. I feel for his frustration for a lot of his emails for work are in there and now they are gone.I guess Comcast doesn’t care about lost files, lost spreadsheets, or anything people need for life.

Oh, I am wrong.

They just care about taking the money and running.

So out of touch

I am watching the Golden Globes on television tonight.

I have seen the show “Transparent” and also it’s star, Jeffrey Tambor win.The show isn’t even on television.I believe it’s screened on Amazon primetime.Amazon primetime? What? I mean I realize that I know about Netflix and shows on there. I am so one color, I guess, that I had no clue that there are new ways to watch out there.

No, I am not going to end this that I used to walk 5 miles to school uphill in the snow.I just am watching this awards show and realizing how behind I am. Perhaps during this new chapter of my life, I might actually catch up.

Me? Obsessed?

In the continuing saga of my fit bit zip, I cut myself some slack when it was brutal cold on two days this past week and walked a wee bit over 10,000. They suggest you try to walk 10,000 a day. Coming from someone so full of angst, depression, and about a zillion other emotions, it was like a miracle pill because it kept my butt out of a chair and had me walking.I wanted to get that number!

That’s saying something.

I have a good friend who goes to the gym two blocks from her home, other friends who are runners, some walk with weights, but my big moment was WANTING to continue this since I started on this past Halloween.Usually I start something, with the exception of my behavior modification class, where I lost 40 pounds and then stopped when Mom got sick-mentally I just was too exhausted from caregiving to continue.When I lose interest I stop. The walking has been different.

Your steps are recorded on the fit bit zip and then you synch it to your computer.It doesn’t lie.If you did 5,000 steps it shows it. If you did 18,000 steps it’ll show that too.

The past two nights it has been pleasant and it the 20’s. Yes, I know, a regular heat wave.I felt like a slacker it I didn’t try to go to 15,000 because the weather was not quite that bad.I am proud to say I went over 15,000 steps both days.I don’t want to say I have an obsession with the number, but hey, it’s an accomplishment.

I will sign off for now, because I have to synch my fit bit with my Mac, and then I am showering and off to bed.I,like Charlie Bucket in Willie Wonka, have found my own golden ticket.

15,000 steps.

It’s a good number….for now.

Good night Sweet Prince.

A native son from my hometown of Roxborough went missing on the morning of Thanksgiving.

His name was Shane Montgomery and he was a 21-year-old college student.

He had seemed to disappear into mid-air and there had been a search in the area until January 3, 2015, when they found his body in the river in the area.No foul play: the death had been ruled an accident.

An accident.

I have three nephews who are now over 21 and I can not begin to fathom the pain and grief that Shane’s parents and family are going through.What is touching me even deeper is that I grew up two blocks from the mom’s family and know them from the neighborhood.When Jim and I got married and joined our parish, we became friendly with Shane’s Aunt Maryann and Uncle Fred.

An accident.

They found Shane the morning after I retired.I am now 100 miles away from my hometown and was unable to get there for the viewing and funeral.I was there is spirit, though.Tonight on Facebook, there was an even to light a candle for Shane. Yes, I did participate.To honor Shane’s memory, not to light his way to heaven because I truly believe he is there, and to send the candle flame to the Montgomery and Verbrugghe families.

Your son has become my nephew, and my heart is broken, as is yours.My candle is lit and my prayers are continuing for your family.

And Shane?

“Good night, Sweet Prince.”

Hail, hail the gangs all here….

We got through the day and the family is back as a whole.

Zush made it through her surgery,thank God.

We got through the day in different ways. Jim tried to work through the day and did a few things through the house.Kasia went through the day having a hunger strike because she missed her sister: it was the first time in 5 1/2 years they were apart for a good part of the day.I kept going back and forth through the house, praying and puttering and waiting to hear the outcome from the vet.

We got the call and were relieved that she made it through the surgery, as she is 13 in February and at that age we take nothing for granted. We picked her up at 4PM and the weirdest part is the only walk we can do is a potty walk on a leash and then back in. It’s hard because she is a walker, and the colder weather is her trump card.Normally she would run back to the house after a walk, but it’s going to be rough.

We are blessed that we are all together.

Wisconsinites need not apply…

…because it’s not THAT cold here tonight.

Oh yeah, forty mile per hour winds, blowing snow, and with a tip of the hat to my family in Wisconsin and my good friend Terry, another Wisconsinite,it’s pretty damn cold here.

My good friend(yes,I am blessed with a few choice friends) Kathy gave me this big ass coat that she didn’t wear. It is brown, not quite like a puffa coat, but ankle length and very insulated, and with its’ fur collar and cuffs,it is the saving grace of walking the girls in this weather.It was the saving grace in me getting the girls out today and also hitting 10,000 steps with my fit bit.

We’ll see what tomorrow brings….below is what the well-dressed dog walker is wearing these days.

How tired am I?…..with apologies to the estate of Johnny Carson

Mother nature is giving me a break.

If you have been following this blog with any regularity, you know I have been trying to do fitbit zip version walking daily since Halloween.I really have been getting into it, especially since I have seen eighteen pounds disappear since then.

Tomorrow,here at Undisclosed, it’s due to be cold. Not quite Wisconsin cold, but cold none the less.The girls will have to go out, but not as far as we have been.I will be bundling up, but as a sent a quick message to my friend and sister KJ earlier today, God wants me fit, not with pneumonia.

As it would only be day three of retirement, I think a little down time will be in order, and as Zush’s surgery is scheduled for Thursday morning, well, I will try to get some quiet one on one time with her.She is getting a ruptured cyst off of her left rear leg.Any prayers or good mojo that you can send for her would greatly appreciated.

johnnycarson

Got to get some eggs, bread and milk…

Argh!

The first “retirement” snow.

We are just due to have a small amount here at Undisclosed location, and the city is due to have two to four inches.

I had to laugh because I had the Weather Channel on and if I saw it this forecast while in the city, I’d run out for eggs, bread, milk and toilet paper.

I’m retired now, so what am I going to do?

Go out and get some kidney beans so I can make a crock pot of chili for tomorrow’s dinner.

The times, they are a changin’……..

Making our way

So keeping in line with my fit-bit walking, Kasia and I went for a long walk today while Zush was home with Jim to rest her leg. Her scheduled surgery is this Thursday so any prayers or good mojo you can through our way we would appreciate it.

We walked and walked and because it was just the two of us, we went onto the beach. As Kasia was leashed, we walked slowly and appreciated the stillness and solitude of the beach. It really served to soothe my soul and even Kasia was good in her beach exploration.Below are a few shots I took, or rather, one selfie of us and one of her ready to play

Going back to Jim and Zush in the house, I really felt at peace. It is good to feel blessed!

Moving daze…lol

The fun began.

So here I am with the rest of my life ahead of me and a big bunch of moved items.

**sigh**

I never have the energy or inclination to pack or unpack.Because I am a sentimental fool who has memories of basically everything and feel sad, albeit I do get excited at change, I admit, I tend to reflect quicker than I do look forward.I cherish the memories I do have, and especially having a Mom who had dementia, realize the importance of them.

It’s a new day, however, and it’s the classic “first day of the rest of my life.”

Pardon me while I get back to moving boxes and black bags.

Done

When I went into work on Tuesday, I went into my emptied cubicle.

I went to my computer, pulled a picture up, printed it up on the printer, and hung it on the outside of my cubicle wall.I wrote one statement on it.

“Gone fishing.”

**it was a picture of the Cape May Lighthouse.**

A few, and by that I mean only twice did I shed a little tear during the day because saying good-bye is always bittersweet. I had lunch with two of my “besties”, Elaine and Denise and had a fabulous time. After quitting time, I met with my friends Ed, Mark, Jon and Margaret, and we laughed over drinks.

It was a good day.The memories will always be with me.

Chrusciki , revisited

I went with Jim to see Cioci Frannie today.

Cioci is my Mom’s remaining sister and I wanted to pay a visit to her for New Year’s day.She just had a little plumbing issue, and Jim tried to help her out and it seemed to be of some help.

After we were done with the plumbing, I sat with Cioci and Jim and she offered us some Chrusciki.If you are a regular reader of this post, you’ll remember this time last year, as I posted about chrusciki when reminiscing about Christmases past.Today, as we sat at her kitchen table, the chrusciki were so bittersweet, as she wished us lots of luck in our retirement.

Funny how something so tasty has so many memories tied to it, and today, I made some more.

Tomorrow I end 30 years in my position.End of an era. I am packed up again with Jim and the girls and we are headed off to a new chapter of our lives.

I’ll have to make sure that I have a chrusciki recipe in my future.

Should old…you know the rest…

I am home tonight with my girls, as Jim took an entire SUV full of our belongings down to Undisclosed. I tried to talk him into staying down there for tonight, as I know tonight is amateur hour, and I am worried about his safety on the road.He is determined to come back tonight though…

The girls and I just got back in from our last walk of 2014, taking in some neon Christmas lights.

I wish you all a happy and healthy 2015!

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this: