WHATCHA DOING TODAY?

[Annarchy]

Good Morning everyone. Crystal clear stars out, a cold 40*. 
 

I will try to get the frames in, to be able to cover the gardens.  Nothing special, just some tent stakes, to hold the sheets off the foliage at night.  Even in the winter, most day time temps are in the high 60’s to low 70’s. I usually remove the sheets during the day.  I hope I didn’t wait too long to plant the winter garden, we’ll see.  The jalapeños and tomatillos are producing a lot.  Not quite ready to be picked yet.  Oh, and there are 3 cantaloupes now.  

 

Luna definitely knows the command, “Go pee”.  Yet, she is still having a leakage problem when she has to go.     I’m going to mention it to them, about having her checked for an UTI, it’s starting to develop an odor, and she’s drinking a lot of water.  I doubt she would if she didn’t have a problem.  They should be here, tomorrow afternoon, to pick her up.  

[Mt_Rider]

We climbed up from subzero to 15* today.  It was clear/sunny from the start....helps...but we're reallllly cold compared to normal in late Oct.  ATV snowplowing guy stopped by but since it was only couple inches since he plowed and supposed to warm up...we didn't think we needed another.  He said he'd do a quick couple runs on the steep driveway for free.  He's been just down the road and stopped by.  Nice guy, I'm thinking.   

 

Got my truck up from down in barnyard tonite.  Kept it out of snowplowing way.....but that #3 didn't happen.  Chucked off a lot of ice/snow from windshield.  Tried to walk dog but....not good leg function.  DH and Koa had been to town tho....so she'd been entertained and also went to the park.  DH finally got new windshield wipers for his car.  Like I've been saying for 2 months....    At some point, we'll have to replace his cracked windshield.  There was an undeclared crack when we bought it....it was snowing hard that day and didn't see that [way up near the roof line] nor did we see hail damage.  Car dealers......crooked racket!  Still would have bought it but paid less!  Only got ONE key too....cheaters!  Crack is slowly growing, of course. 

 

We're on our way down in temperature again tonite.  Then gradually we'll be warming up.  Kiddies are gonna freeze if they go door to door this year.  Safer all around if they go to Halloween or Harvest parties INSIDE. 

 

MtRider  .....whew, I'm TIRED! 

[The WE2's]

Hunkered down today.  Hubby stayed home...rain/sleet most of day and now turning into snow flurries.  He's got some concrete blocks in the back of his truck if we needed to get out here in town, but he ain't goin' no place out of town in this junk!  Step mum's fancy phone's battery went toes up so she can't communicate with us via FB nor phone etc.  Her daughter (my step sis) is able to stay in contact through some sort of satellite thing, so we had her get the message that hubby won't be driving there in this kind of weather.  He'd be working outside in the rain and snow...NOT!  He'll get it finished before too long.  I think Sunday and Monday are supposed to be pretty nice days.

 

[The WE2's]

Fixed meatloaf with 'taters and green beans for supper...comfort food!  Sprained my left wrist lifting my small cast iron pan full of meat loaf into the oven...glad I have wrist braces (the heavy duty kind) for both hands.  Rubbed some comfrey salve on it earlier and then put the brace on it for awhile.  I'll rub more salve on it shortly.

[Ambergris]

Am visiting a friend in Texas.  It sure is colder here.  Luckily, having a hostess my size, I only had to pack undies, rather than a suitcase full of newly bought (smaller size) cold-weather outerwear I wouldn't generally need at home.  I had Amazon pack them, actually, since I needed smaller size undies too, by delivering a packet of new ones. 

Also, she has a hot tub.  What an eye-opener!  I went through all my stretches and got a lot further than before, and suffered not one single cramp or spasm during or afterward.  So this is what all the hype is about.  

I'm not used to watching a lot of TV, but we are going from channel to channel, listening as much to how things are being said as to what is being said.  We're hearing significant hyperbole and at least some inaccuracy from both ends.  I do not enjoy inaccuracy or hyperbole from either end of the spectrum.  Being around people who can notice and discuss margins of bias without getting angry or defensive is wonderfully relaxing.  

Edited October 31, 2019 by Ambergris

[Mt_Rider]

1 hour ago, Ambergris said:

 I do not enjoy inaccuracy or hyperbole from either end of the spectrum.

 

Agreed!!! 

 

  We have warming sunshine today.  Woke to MINUS 5* but it climbed up rather quickly today with the sun rising over eastern ridge behind us.  With all the snow, it doesn't feel that warm yet but thermometer in the sun reads 50*. 

 

MtRider  ....I DO hate to have Autumn aborted prematurely! 

[Jeepers]

Glad you are able to get away and visit some of your friends Ambergris. So you really enjoy a hot tub, huh? I've never been In one but have heard they are soothing. Closest I've been is a jetted tub and I liked that. I'd like to get a jetted tub sometime in my future. The tub sets right over the crawl space so it shouldn' be too difficult to get one instaled. That's pretty far down on my need list though. 

 

I can sure tell winter is here by my body. My neck has been pretty tame for the last few months. Today I woke up with a stiff achy neck. Really hurts. I also have an achy jaw so migraine is probably waiting to join in too. Sigh. Gonna be a long winter for me I'm afraid. 

[Annarchy]

Mmmmmm....hot tub.....  very relaxing. 
 

I hope you don’t get a migraine, Jeepers. And that you feel better quickly. 
WE2, I hope your wrist quits hurting.  
 

Luna’s owners flight got delayed, so they are due in today.  
 

We had a fire pit last night.  This morning I used the coals to make chicken & biscuits in the Dutch oven. Then, the wind picked up and has been blowing all day. 

[Annarchy]

Luna’s “daddy” came.  I gave her a big hug & cuddling.    Gunny seems a little quiet tonight. Soon, he will have another “forever” playmate.  His name is Storm, a German Shepherd, about 1.5 years old.  I have to train another dog.  He is being neutered and chipped. Then, hopefully, my baby brother, a long haul truck driver, will be able to pick him up in KY and drive him here to AZ in 2-3 weeks.  He has a pup, she’s a deaf boxer that rides with him.  
 

On the, wonderful, lighter sigh of life....  DH proposed!  Again! On his knees!  Every single year! 37 years & counting!    I’ve been blessed!  

[Ambergris]

What a wonderful man!

[Littlesister]

Be careful with those hot tubs. They say do not stay in them no more than 15 minutes.  My DH cousin's wife got in one and stayed in it for almost an hour and when she went to get out, she was so relaxed that she fell and broke her ankle. They had to put in rods and took her a long while to be able to use that foot.  

Had a rough night last night. DH was having a hard time with the fluid and just could not get to sleep. So was up with him most of the night.  And Halloween was something else.  We went from having just 2 to maybe 6 kids for past several years with one year with no kids. To having 4 car loads bus in a slew of kids putting us over 60 kids. Cars everywhere on street. Neighborhood next to us had over 140 kids with half being bussed in. Don't know why parents bring their kids to other neighborhoods for trick or treat but a lot of folks here was not prepared for that. 

Didn't get a lot done in house today, but did get the work done on the car. That put my whole morning in the shop. But everything is good. Still need to go get the inspection done. Have to go to a different place for that. But shouldn't take long for that. 

We had a bad storm last night.  Though it was only 6 tenths of an inch of rain, it was blowing sideways with winds 60 to 70 miles an hour.  Current lost for about 2 hours, but generator kicked in. Thinking we may need to get new battery for the generator. Noticed it was hesitating a bit. It is getting about that time for a new one.  Thinking of maybe buying an extra for emergency situations. 

Annarchy that is so sweet that your DH proposed like that and everyyear for that long. That just goes to show how much he loves you.   My DH was sneeky. though it was a second marrage for the both of us. Daughter and I was at his house for Christmas and he had talked to my daughter, she was 12 at the time, about him marrying me. She was all for it. So they plotted to put an engagement ring in the tree where I would not see it. And nope I never saw it. He had me go look at all the tree decorations and there it was, well hidding. He had done things like that almost every year. Been married almost 35 years now and loving every minute of it, even though we both have slowed down in our old age. 

[Jeepers]

Yep, Annarchy has a keeper. He must feel the same way!  

 

Sorry you had such a tough night Littlesister. We had heavy wind and rain here but no storms. Now it's just cold.

[out_of_the_ordinary]

We're trying to remember to set our clocks back an hour tonight. 

 

We finally were able to get our a/c  out of the window today.  Weather kept not cooperating.  Then the circus next door was at it yesterday.   Finally, thankfully, nothing going on this morning.   So much warmer upstairs already! 

 

 

 

 

[Littlesister]

Got clocks set back an hour. Though I like the way it is now. I do better on this time than falling back.  So today I have been trying hard to catch up on house work. Switched out the summer clothes to winter clothes and went through all the ones we don't wear any longer or are worn out.  Stripped bed and got sheets and blankets washed.  Had to run to pharm. to pick up the RX's. Now that the pharm. close to us closed. I have to go a way down the road and fight traffic to get to the next closest pharm. Got things together to start in on Monday cleaning out kitchen cabnets. Was hoping to start that job today, but DH gets cold easy these days. So decided to get the winter clothes out.  So much to do and so little time. I don't remember ever being this far behind before. But the driveway had to be done. Still work outside to do but will have to put off most of it till spring.  Will try to do what I can when time permits for outside work. Did get the bigger garden weeded and ready for mulch as soon as we can use the driveway. Got about 2 weeks before we can drive on it. 

[Mt_Rider]

I really hate the time change.  And I am not usually able to change my watch....just remember to "subtract one" for all these months ahead.     Mebbe I'll try to dig up the directions.  That is a computation that I really don't need to tax my brain with...  Numbers have never been my friends.   

I got a few small things done today.  Might not seem like much but better than getting zero done.  Have had so many zero days with Fall Fatigue.  Ought to be a law that Fall Fatigue HAS to stop if we get inches of snow.       

 

DH now works the weekends so he's gone.  I did the ducks  and walked the dog at 5 tonite.  Still only about a half mile round trip, but I'm getting further than "to the next driveway".....as I had been doing.    I was scraping and stomping to break up ice in the driveway where I could.  I've boot-scraped enough snow out from around the trash bin at the road.  That way it doesn't just refreeze each nite. 

 

What I really have to do is get the turkey I cooked yesterday, all cut up and put in Ziplocks.  Deboning meat is so tedious.  And it's a big one!

 

MtRider  ...got to 55* today.    10* at nite tho.   

 

 

 

[Ambergris]

Maybe put a tiny (-1) sticker on it.

[Mt_Rider]

LOL  Ambergris.   I DO use sticky notes for sooooo many things.  You hit it right but....I also acclimate too easily.   Unless I move the sticky notes around....I begin to 'not see' them rather quickly.     

 

Wow...up to 60* today.  NICE!   Course we still have a large percentage of snow cover.....which can make it FEEL cold ...just looking at vast whiteness.  The snow is sinking...melting from under.  Glad to have a lot of driveway brown again. 

 

Another thing off my To Do list:  I dug out the tote where I had the BRILLIANT idea of storing my lamp oil and Coleman fuel.  Set it on the N edge of driveway....a spot that got no direct sun.   Set about a dozen small and larger containers and put a tote box over it.  Cement block on top.  Worked quite fine in summer and was further from the house...not too close to trees.         ......WINTER arrived and guess what got buried under snow when new snowplow guy came?  Well.....I forgot it was there.....  So now it's back closer to the house and up on the tray under the defunct BBQ grill.  Just to keep it from getting frozen to the ground with all our freeze/thaw/freeze.  AAAAND I just now remembered:   I was going to put all that up in the now-vacant goat house.     Yanno....when ya get a brilliant idea and then forget it..... 

 

  Probably going to change that cuz goat house is a much better idea!!  I keep forgetting that it can be used for other purposes now.  

 

MtRider  ....not feeling quite so accomplished now.    Mebbe I'll go looking for the watch instructions....

[Littlesister]

Was in the 30s this morning. And warmed up to low 60's this afternoon. DH was cooking collards at market, So got clothes started and then started cleaning out the upper kitchen cabnets. Put in new shelf paper. And went through the dishes I haven't used in a couple of years. going to pack them up to put in shed for the grandkids. I have one grandchild that is planning to buy a house when she and her DH get transferred. So she will be wanting some things that I have packed away for her now and will see if she wants any of those other dishes that I am going to pack up tomorrow. Got the cabnets more organized now and going to start the lower cabnets and last 2 upper cabnets tomorrow.  The last 2 upper cabnets has all my can goods that are the oldest. Going to go through those and get them all to the front. Then the cabnets under the side cabnets has a few can goods and pastas that we are going to be using up this winter. Going to clean that up and make sure all the older foods are to the front.  The 3 closets that house our food storage will get done after the first of year. Been at it since 5 am this morning, so I am very tired right now.  

And I hate this time change, it was dark at 5:30 tonight. So now we have to deal with that for about 3 months before we start seeing it stay light a bit longer.  Wish they would have left the time like it was.

[out_of_the_ordinary]

I found out today that my wonderful integrative medicine doctor retired.    I called to make an appointment and it was a recorded message for a phone number of where to order a copy of one's medical records.     No other information.  No referring to someone else (that sure would have been helpful).    I've been going there for 20 years.   I don't fit in the neat little boxes for the regular medical doctors.     to find the right new doctor for me.  

 

Jeepers, Giant Eagle has Del Monte canned veggies 10 for $8 when you buy 10.

[Mt_Rider]

Wow....that had to be quite a shock, OOTO!!!  And the big NOW WHAT question.    that you'll find someone.  A referral would have been greatly helpful! 

 

I had a LOW energy day.  Took long nap.  Not sure what time I went to bed or got up ....cuz of time change.  Befuddled for a while until I can wrap my head around it.  I go by daylight......all year round we do animal chores in evening so as to return to house as it's getting dark.  The time, of course, varies greatly.  This shift doesn't help me anticipate tho ...   

 

Still warm days and not below 20* at nite.  I'll take it!  Lots of snow yet to melt...but it's disappearing slowly. 

 

Don't think I got anything done today.  And I haven't actually got the energy to be annoyed.   

 

MtRider   

[The WE2's]

Yesterday some friends threw a birthday party for hubby!  They chose a Mexican menu...complete with a little sombrero for him!  Was an absolutely beautiful day...couldn't resist a picture of their pond from their deck.  One of our friends was ill and couldn't come so we sent her a "fiesta" jar of taco mix...and I made the little fella with a cutie orange and stuck it in the little sombrero!  Gonna share some pics with ya's...

[Jeepers]

Oh My Goodness. Just look at the two of you! What a lovely couple you make. Thanks for sharing. You look just like a younger version of my D-ex Aunt Katie. She is the 'fun' aunt. Loves camping and fishing and doing homemade things too.

 

She and my MIL (Katie's sister) could do anything. Or if they couldn't it wasn't for lack of trying. My MIL once got out her bolt cutters and made a full size mattress into a twin size one for my son. When my lamp shades were old and ratty and we couldn't afford new ones, she covered them in burlap with brown lace trim. And they looked great.

 

Good old days when times were bad. Apologies to Dolly Parton. 

[Littlesister]

Wow.  Mexican Birthday.  Love the jar.  The two of you look so sweet together. I know you guys had a great time with your friends. I love mexican food as long as it's not to spicy. 

 

I am still working on kitchen cabnets.  Used to be able to get it done in one day and now I will be 3 days getting it done. Got all the cabnets with food in it done and new shelf paper down.  Had to move some food around from back of house to kitchen. So the older food would all get used up first.  And yes the cold weather is here and it's not really that cold yet but my hands are killing me. They said I need knuckle replacement. But I am not going there. As long as I can use my hands I'm good.  Though I am not to good on the key board again tonight. Off to the pots and pans tomorrow morning. And then get the summer clothes put in dresser in spare room. So much to get done and feel I will never catch up.  But it is what it is. I will get there eventually. 

DH is swollen bad today and had to take double on his fluid pills.  But was able to get out and vote. We picked a time when it wasn't very busy, so it would be easy on him.  In and out in no time. No waiting. 

[out_of_the_ordinary]

On 11/4/2019 at 8:28 PM, Mt_Rider said:

Wow....that had to be quite a shock, OOTO!!!  And the big NOW WHAT question.    that you'll find someone.  A referral would have been greatly helpful! 

 

 

MtRider   

Yeah, I'm taking this hard.  I don't trust doctors as it is and then to find out that will be able to deal with all my health issues... 

 

I always figured if/when they closed, they'd let people know ahead of time to make arrangements and refer/offer advice.   (Doc is 80, so I feel guilty even being upset!)  But I truly will miss them.   He was so very passionate about helping people and sharing his knowledge.  I felt so welcomed there and they were so encouraging about stuff I wasn't even there for, like homeschooling, and when DD was smaller, breastfeeding. 

 

But I need my records first.    I called the records storage place and they are mailing me a release form to fill out and mail back.  I hope that process goes quickly.   And I'm hoping and praying that maybe the doctor's office put a note or something in with my records recommending someone.   I'm having some concerning issues today.  My pulse is elevated and my blood pressure is up quite a bit, too.   We have a blood pressure monitor so I keep checking it.   I'm wondering if I'm having a problem with my thyroid medicine or ????? .  But the doc to call is no longer there.   Tried looking online at integrative medicine doctors or doctors that deal with allergies and thyroid stuff and it was very overwhelming.    

[Littlesister]

Out of the Ordinar:  We have gone through what you are going through.  I hope that things go a lot smoother for you in finding a new doctor. Not many good ones left around here. The doctor I worked for was also mine and DH family doctor. he was 81 when he had to retire for medical reasons. Bad part was when Obama pulled that obama care and our edlery patients couldn't find a doctor that would still take mediare. We to found ourselves in that boat. We did find one doctor in area that we had all our patients go to and then to hang in there till hopefully things changed and they could find better doctor.  We have changed doctors  3 times since then. Hoping this one will be better. He is internal medicine and takes care of both thyroid and diabetic also. The doctor I worked for was internal med. That might be your best bet is to look for internal medicine doctors verses a family doctor. They take care of a much wider range of illnesses. But beware not all are that good.  Will be praying that you will find the right doctor soon..Also I will tell you what DH's neuro doctor told him to do for the high Blood pressure. Drink a small glass of wine. It should bring your BP down. He said if it does not take it down to go to ER. You could try drinking a small glass and try relaxing.  Hopefully it will go down.