Month: August 2015

Zipping away

There was trauma in Fit Bit Zip land the other day…I actually lost it!

We were at our friend Max and his mom Norina, and I was sitting outside talking to her with the dogs. I knew I had it on all day at work, but was astonished-this never happened to me before.

We searched at home, and I texted Max as it was really the only place we were at. Well, Saint Anthony and Max to the rescue! He found it! It really was a frustrating loss, albeit temporarily, because I had 17,000+ steps on it. 

The problem with the Fit Bit Zip is the back. They have two small pieces of plastic that keep sliding off:Jim glued them once for me, but it seems once you have crossed over to wear on the device, or at least my type of wear,this can be a common malady.

I will be getting back to Fit Bit on this. They always have had decent customer service. I am counting on them! 

 

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Thirteen

Jim and I were married August 31,and tomorrow is our 13th anniversary.

We were younger, but now we are wiser. We have changed:weight gained, lost, hair changes,friends and family no longer with us,retirement,work,new houses,…life goes on. Zush has hung in with us, and Kasia joined us half way in.

Like any other couple, we have good and bad times, but we are here and the love is stronger than ever.

Happy Anniversary,Baby. 

 

Tech

We visited our friend, Max and his Mom, Norina, last night.

They lost their Dad/husband Mario, and we used to see him when he was in rehab, and took some video of him. As they really didn’t take anything like that when they were taking care of him, we let them know we had it. They came over this morning to see it and, now, we are saving video to the flash drive.

It is awesome how far technology has come. I am happy to do this for Max and his Mom , but it is bittersweet. Jim and I miss Poppa Mario: he was a character. I think we also wish we were able to have our Dads via technology. 

We miss them both. Below is a picture of my Mom and Dad.

  

Clock this Biologically….

So after doing time in Purgatory,aka my 10-6 shift, they decided to throw me a bone and put me on a 7-3 shift.

Of course, in anticipation of the return to regular hours, I couldn’t sleep, and finally fell asleep around 2:30.The alarms went off at 5am,and up I go to get the girls on the way.

We are in now, and the ferry traffic is picking up.the best part of all of this?

I get to leave at 3pm! 

 

Late August Morning

The weather has actually gotten a little cooler,and for me, that’s a good thing.

The girls and I had gone out for a walk, and  the first time I had jeans on since it got cooler, well, the air was delightful. It was awesome not to be out in a total flop sweat.

I had stopped and looked at the ground and I snapped a picture.I had a sign of fall on the ground right in front of me-an acorn! I know that “Indian Summer” is a breath away. Yes, you can put me in the column of folks who wait for the time of Pumpkin Spice lattes at Starbucks.

I am ready for fall!

  

A Find

I walk the dogs before work, and even when I don’t work, it’s the first thing I do every day. 

The other day, as I went past the house at the corner, I noticed that they had stuff outside. The owners have had the property out for sale for a while.

Basically everything I saw was trashy,ready for the dump….except for this chair. There was a little bit of the rattan across the bottom that had seen better days. Outside of that, it is a perfectly good chair that I am sitting in now.

If I had to put it on Flea Market Flip, I might have gussied it up a little. On the show, they’d have hot glued gunned the rattan, polyurethaned the chair or painted it, thrown in a few matching cushions, and in their spare time, added on a side car.**joking**

For me, this chair is just right!

 

Save Me

You ever get stuck with someone in a setting where there is no escaping? You HAVE to be here.

The self-drama, ha, I thought, I left behind me in the city.**God forgive my little jokes on Thee and I’ll forgive the big one on me.**

On the flip side, I ran into my friend Mark and his squeeze Eileen yesterday while at work. It’s funny how much you miss a genuine friend. Sure, you think about them and think about fun times but seeing them in person, well… It’s so easy to miss good friends.

The trick is to make new ones. 

 

Fit Bit in an Ant Farm 

I made a major error yesterday morning. I got up, threw clothes on,got the girls walked, and 65 minutes later, I realized I did not put my fit bit on. Quel Horror!  3500 steps flying into the air!

So I majored in taking the scenic route yesterday, in order to make up those 3500 steps. It is so infuriating to feel married to my fit bit, but the results are speaking for themselves. I just got my Great Barrier Reef  badge for walking 1600 miles.

I walk everywhere,everyday at my own pace. I am not a race walker, nor do I ever want to be. I have two knee replacements and my motto is you can’t hit s moving target. I admit there are times when I am bone tired and walking is the last thing I feel like doing.i walk enough during the week in the ant farm maze at work.

My 13 year old Zush and 6 year old Kasia love to walk. I don’t want to disappoint them either. We go out together for the entire pack benefit. I am not bad mouthing race walkers, because they are surely more fit then I will ever be.

As for me and my girls…we’ll catch up. 

 

Seventeen

I was one of those fortunate girls.

I loved my Dad and he loved me. Don’t get me wrong- he loved all of us, but Dad and I were buddies. My brothers weren’t really into actively following sports, so he was happy when he found a willing disciple in me. We spent a lot of good times together. At the bottom of this blog post, I have a picture of Dad in the car when we were at Penn State for a game.

It’s seventeen years ago today that I lost my Dad. I remember,in many of our talks, how he would tell me about life after he would be gone. I believed him and always kept it in my head. You only have one Dad and no amount of time can replace the hole left behind in your heart when he leaves.He didn’t tell me that, but it’s what I learned.

Miss you terribly,Dad, and will love you forever. Kiss Mom for me. 

 

So I come home..

….walk the girls, and meet up with my buddy Isa, and her precious son,Nathan. I was in a post-work coma, and the girls and I were functioning on auto-pilot.

As we were going down the street, all of a sudden, I hear noise like a young toddler. I turned around, and there’s Nathan and Isa. That was the first time I heard him even to attempt to call. It was really sweet.

Now we are in for the night. Work is done, my 15,000 steps are done… Life is good.

  

Cribbage

I often heard of the game, but never saw anyone play it…..until today.

When I walk my lunch half-hour, I walk the sky-walk.as it is the best way for me to rack up a couple thousand fit bit steps. Today, I came upon two older gentlemen in the area, a deck of cards, a container of wintergreen lifesavers, and a cribbage board. They were two of the sweetest guys, and the one reminded me of Dad a little.

I finished my walk with a spring in my step: it was nice to see guys having laughs and fun.

God bless ’em!

The picture below shows the skywalk to the left.

  

Friday/Sunday blues

So it’s Friday afternoon, or in my world, Sunday afternoon.

Another weekend, in my world, that chores were accomplished,I managed to get some quality time in with my girls, and my time has flown. I would’ve loved to go out to dinner tonight, but don’t see that having a chance to happen, so I am prepared to kick back and save my energy for getting through my week.

Here’s hoping you get a chance to enjoy your real world weekend. Time is fleeting, so savor every moment.

  

soda POP 

My Dad grew up during the Depression. The family couldn’t afford a lot of stuff, so he grew up knowing what a “treat” was.

One thing my Dad enjoyed was an occasional soda. The thing was his flavor range ran the gamut. Coca cola, Seven-up, but the real favorites were Black Cherry Wishnak, Island lime, A-Treat half and half, and Pennsylvania Dutch birch beer.

So today,while shopping on my Saturday, I felt him with me. This one’s for you, Dad.

  

My little corner of the world

  
This is my daily corner of the world.

Computer with windows operating system.scrap paper to take notes while on the phone,and Kindle to read my books to maintain my sanity, and let’s not forget coffee!

The windows are the plus, allowing me a sliver of view of the Cape May canal and bay. I get to see folks getting on and off the ferry. You know it’s awesome to see the weather up front,especially when storms are rolling in.

It’s a nice spot.

  

Men@Work

  
No, I don’t mean the 80’s band.

There are two trucks and a chipper and four men out front ready to take a dead tree down.

It is sad, as up to four years ago it was healthy and blooming and shady. Now, when it is windy, I scurry a bit to get past it, lest a dead branch falls and gets me.

We are always sorry to see a tree go down: some folks replace them, some don’t. The whole experience makes you savor any shade you have in your summer day.

By the way, yes, I have hugged a tree today:did you? 

 

Itchy

Yesterday’s bug bites have really made me crazy.

Witch hazel has fallen by the wayside, and I even threw alcohol on it through last night. Today has me going for bigger guns: clear Calydryl on my leg, and I have  a sneaking suspicion I’ll probably have to take a Benedryl before bed tonight.

What is really weird is I seem to be courting a rash on my leg. I am pretty sure there’s no poison ivy, but I probably will spend some time on Web M.D. tonight.

Hope I won’t be sorry to surf the web, but hey… beats Urgent Care.

State Bug of New Jersey and Wisconsin and…

..of course I am talking bout the mosquito.

Jim always seems to get chewed up.They seem to get him no matter what, and even though his best of intentions to wear long pants and long sleeves, he ends up scratching.

I have accepted the fact that mosquitos are here no matter what.I try to be wise about it and use homeopathic ways to prevent the bites and/or later treat them. I mea after 3+ cancers, how much poison do I need to throw on my body?

Unfortunately, the fact that I am writing this post means that, all of a sudden, the bugs have caught up to me and I am witch hazel-ing my bites to pieces.I have clear store versions of Caladryl and I am not beyond taking a Benadryl if I am really itchy.

Another reason why I can’t wait for October!

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Fitbit Zip…the saga continues…..

I realize that it has been a while since I have written about me and my Fitbit zip.

Yes, I still it wear it everyday.I average around 15,000 steps a day, but I have to admit that I am a little tired today and, although I have made my 10,000 steps for today, I will still strive to get on out there and hit the bit 15,000 steps.

I have been hit with the curse of summer shoes.If I wear flip-flops, I rub a blister.If I were my Sketchers, well, they rub me the wrong way once in a while. I will be wearing my Clarks sandals, as they seem to be the only shoe that isn’t bothering me right now.It gets even more aggravating, as tomorrow is my Monday and I am back to work and I really am not relishing the fact of sore feet.

I’ll let you know what happens….

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Thursday, er,Saturday night

So we lost our pal, Lola; her family came to bring her back home and the house is echoing from one less set of four paws padding around.

Now comes the part where we get back to normal, or at least try to get back to normal. I wasted an hour of my life fighting with Verizon.Yup, that’s kind of back to normal. Walking Zush and Kasia around for a bit, yup. kind of normal.Trying to figure out what I need to get done tomorrow, another stab at normalcy.Sadness at the fact that my weekend is half over, yes that is normal.

There is something to the concept of threading water to get through a month: I need to master it quickly

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Bittersweet 

Here are my friends Lola and Zush, or should I say they are friends.Kasia is their friend too, but she is just not in this shot. We have Lola stay with us for two weeks and she due to leave us tomorrow.

We were blessed to have Lola’s company for two weeks. As Zush is 13, Lola is 12 and they have been buds forever. I am teary writing this, knowing I am blessed to have the memories forever in my heart

Old souls are the best, and these two are two of the sweetest I know. I am blessed to share this time with them.

    
 

Rain Dance

We have gone a month and a half without any significant rain. Lawns of those who aren’t down here full time look like straw.

And then there’s today. We may just be privy to the rain that normally hits our neighbors on the coast. God knows we need it.

Which leads to my day today..any guesses to the amount of refund/cancellation calls I’ll get?

Film at 11. 

 

Must be work

When I left my job of thirty years, you could safely say I was a coffee drinker. Usually, I had at least two cups a day, and there was a Keurig on my desk and at my home.

Fast forward the first four months when I was “retired”, and all of a sudden I was into tea. Not bad.Something different.

Fast forward to the ferry life. They have a Keurig here, and going back to dealing with folks on the phone, well, suffice it to say I am back with coffee. It gives you something to do while you are waiting for folks to make up their minds on the phone…. 

 

That Kind of Day

The good part of a day at work?

When it’s over, of course!

I worked the 10 to 6 shift today and when I got home, well, I was wiped out. We had decided that we’d have sphagetti for dinner, and after I walked the girls, I’d come in and start dinner.

Our neighbor Jerry came to the house while I was walking the girls, and brought ribs he made! They were absolutely fabulous. To top it all, just one kindness like this made me forget one lousy day.

Time to pay it forward.

Must Be The Start Of August

There are ads on the television for back to school, every fourth post on Facebook is about pumpkin- flavored everything coming back and I am in my own little version of the fictional Amity and what do you think is on the AMC?

  
Yup, Jaws is on the television.

It officially feels like August for me now. The only bad part is I have work tomorrow.Oh well..you have to take the bitter with the better.

  

You Say To-mah-toe

Today is my Sunday.

I got all the pups up and fed, and then we went down to the bay for a walk. While I was getting them on leashes, I noticed we had a ton of tomatoes on the vines. 

 
When we finished our two mile walk. I gave the only swimmer of the day, Zush, a mandatory shampoo, as golden retrievers are infamous for itchy skin, and then turned my thoughts back to tomatoes.

One of my childhood favorites was a tomato sandwich on white Italian bread with a little mayonnaise…that thought had my mouth watering, and I tweaked it with a slice of Cooper sharp cheese…yummo!!!!! 

 
It was pretty darn good.if a sandwich can make my day, well, this trip down memory lane did.

Lola

Lola is our boarder who is helping keep my trolley on the track of late. They say God does things for a reason, and Lola hanging with my girls is , indeed, a blessing.

Lola is 12, a year younger than Zush, and a sweetheart.She really has been loving Camp Zushkash..sometimes I have to let her kick back and rest from walking…lol.

Nothing like rescue fur babies to make your life worthwhile! 

 

Censoring Myself

For many years now, I have been writing posts to this blog.

Usually I write about something that has come across my mind, life, whatever, during the day.

On occasion,I have had things that I would have written about, but I pulled back at the last moment,because I just don’t feel like fighting with people or explaining myself. I feel that my writing pretty much speaks my mind.

Right now, I am asking for prayers and good thoughts. I am going through some rough emotional waters right now and need to get through it.

Thanks.

Tomatoes, tomatoes…

Some cross my path in the office like the ones left in the big basket from the ship’s captain.Then one of my co-workers harvested her cherry tomatoes and brought a big supermarket bag full of tomatoes( albeit cherry ones) in the workroom. We keep watering ours, and the plums, Jerseys, and little cherries are coming in full force.

It’s bittersweet for me, as my Dad loved his tomatoes, and much to my Mom’s chagrin, used to stop at roadside stands to pick some up to take back home. He would cut up a big Jersey tomatoes and slice and cube it and eat it along with scrambled eggs for breakfast.Of course there would be a big slice or two of in his sandwich at lunchtime. He’d have a salad with a ton of tomatoes with his dinner.

Mom was like me: she was a purist.

Although I love a good slice of tomatoes on a tuna salad or a bacon cheeseburger, but Mom and I had our favorite.Fresh white bread with a little mayo and two big slices of tomatoes.

Think that’s on Thursday’s menu for lunch when I am home.

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My Angst Machine

  This phone haunts me.
In my prior job, I used a phone like this. It made me feel like a time life operator. For a while,I felt like it was on my head all day.

The calls never stop. I liked the view out the window looking out at the boats and water,and there’s something about the horn toot that reminds you of the Love Boat.

  • If only the phones would ease off…haha.

Hahaha who’s got the last laugh now?

Gentle reader, if you remember in a prior post I lamented about the death of my MacBook Pro.

Well, this evening, I called apple knowing I was out of warranty, but they were going to try to help resurrect my Mac.In the meantime, here in Jim’s office, I had three dogs under my feet and the desk.Jim wasn’t very happy with that, and was literally dragging my heart, my Zush, out of the office and as he did, the power cord fell down and we reconnected it.

Guess what?

Not only did the computer come on, but also it is charging.

I feel as though I have gotten wind back in my sails thanks to Zush and Jim’s short fuse. Otherwise, we would have been lamenting a potential trip to the Apple store. Instead, all we need is a new mac power cord!

Go figure!

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Jersey Tomatoes

In work today, there was a big red basket by the entrance to our building.

Someone had left a big basket of Jersey tomatoes by the door!

We were intrigued,as no one could figure out where they had come from or who left them It was almost like a whodunit.

After lunchtime, we found out that one of the ferry captains has a large plot of ground by his home and he farms it.
They had so many tomatoes that 50 of us has more than enough to take home thanks to his generosity.

Once again, it was nice to come across someone who “pays it forward.”

ferrytomatoes

Meeting of the Minds

I had gotten a schedule from work dated July 6th. It mapped out in the smallest of type, the schedule of work through the 22nd of August.

If you remember my complaint on an earlier blog, you needed a magnifying glass to decipher the schedule, and once I did, and had Jim double-check it for me, I wrote it on my calendar. I figured it’s all good, right? I’ll know my hours and when I am due in.

Today in work I saw a NEW schedule was posted and it went just up to Labor Day. It was a good thing that I came across it, as my scheduled time in changed a few times.There really was no logic to it, and now I am going to have to talk to a boss tomorrow to figure out what is going on.

I realize they have been doing for a long time, and I do know I am no rocket scientist, but to me, there has got to be a more simple way to help the over 50 part of the staff decipher the schedule.

And here comes August…

Bad enough that my “weekend” is over, but here comes August.

If you have read this blog for any period of time, you could recall that August is quite the bittersweet month for me. I lost my Dad in 1998,and I got married in 2002.When I was a kid, my Dad always took us to the shore during the last week of August.

The best part of August, though, is the promise of fall. You can muck through the hazy, hot and humids of August and know that sometime soon the fronts will be coming and cool things off.I know my Mom always would warn me against wishing my life away, but this is one summer that I can hardly wait until the first 70 degree day comes.

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