April Made Me Do It!

I have not done any sort of writing in a very long time. I have even thought about taking this off line and being done with the whole thing. I discussed doing just that today, with my sister April. She felt that I should try and continue, so this is her fault! (Just kidding Sissy!)

This post is going to be in list style as it's 1:45 in the morning and I need to go to sleep.

1. I am recovering from a bout of CHF and a visit to the big hospital in Danville. I have a team of nurses, therapists and aides who are working hard to get me healthy again.

2. My house has never been cleaner. I hired a dear friend to come and clean. She has tackled every room... Every dresser, all the closets and my porch. Really, there are only a couple of drawers in e kitchen that she has not cleaned out and organized.

3. I have purged my closets of a good portion of work wear, shoes and handbags. Tons of household goods have also left this house... All given to those who can use it. Makes me happy to know someone else likes my things and ,asking good use of them.

4. Did I ever share that I finally won my case with Social Security Disability? That was a happy day. 

5. We did have to make a difficult decision about Cooper dog... He was becoming more aggressive and he went after DH one night while DH was assisting me with Punky dog, who had a bad dream and was crying and shaking. We put him down, as we realized he couldn't be trusted not to flip out and try and bite us. We've each been bitten by him a few times previous. It was sad, but had to be done.

6. I have been sick the last few days with a virus. The nurse checked me today and I had a good fever going. 

7. DH called from the freeway his morning on his way to work. Large trucks flew by, kicking a large rock that broke our windshield. Not good.

That's all I have.... Thanks for reading! 

Suzanne

Cozying Up

Yesterday was a long day and a long night. My DH worked a double shift and I could not manage to go to sleep alone in the house last night. (I think I was afraid I was "nod out" and not hear my alarm and forget to go pick him up. He insisted that I keep the car in case anything happened... like a 20 pound black and white dog running off into the night.

I did have a little bit of craziness last night. I reconnected with a girl friend from high school. We met on our freshman year and were very close for awhile. There was another girl that rode our bus and decided she wasn't going to let me have Mz. T as my friend. She drove a huge wedge between us and as I moved at the end of my sophomore year, we lost touch. I had thought of her over the years as her family had the adjoining acreage next to my Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Chet's 5 acre farmette. They moved at the end of the school year as well... to Montana.

We had reconnected back in the 90's somehow.... I don 't really remember. Anyway... along came social media and she friended me. We have briefly messaged each other and read and comment on posts. Last night I sat down, picked up the phone and dialed her up. We talked non-stop for 4 hours! It was wonderful, insightful, introspective and a great source of healing and reconnection. It was like when we were young girls, sitting and talking about life and our dreams.

Ms. T has struggled with health issues and suffers with some of the same maladies that I have, and she has other issues with back surgeries and fighting for mobility. Nobody said getting old was for sissies, that is for certain! She is also dealing with her mother having dementia and I was able to give her some insight and comfort in dealing with that issue.

Because of the phone call, I was not able to relax and sleep like I had hoped. I watched a couple of things on Net*flix.... and stayed awake. I went to get DH early, stopping to get him juice and breakfast. We cozied up to relax and snooze. I napped a couple of hours and DH is still sleeping. I will need to wake him soon so he will sleep tonight. The wind in howling and we are getting snow. I took Punky outside at noon and the cold was too much for her. She started to crash after she came back in, trying to warm up. I gave her honey and some snacks and food to bring her back to recognizing me, poor little dear.

As we ring the old year out and the new year in... we don't make resolutions in this household. We do discuss what we want to change and try to make a plan to carry that out. I am glad this year is over... glad to see some of my health issues improve and continue to work on others that need to improve. We are grateful to be able to have spent Grandma Jeanne's 95th birthday with her, and reconnect with DH's daughters. I am grateful for the wonderful husband and my Punky and Cooper dogs and how they are my essential spirit.

Happy New Year... and thanks for reading!
~Suzanne

Simple Woman's Daybook...

Simple Woman's Daybook...

FOR TODAY (September 29, 2013)...

Outside my window... it's been a partly sunny day with temps at about 65  degrees. Fall is here and the colors are coming in brightly on the trees.

I am thinking... that I need to get some of the housework under control, or that it's time to hire a housekeeper to help me keep up.

I am thankful for... a hard working husband that works seemingly endless hours to provide for us.

From the kitchen... there is a meatloaf in fridge and I am making at least one casserole to get through the week.

 

I am wearing... a grey long sleeve t shirt and black yoga pants and silver jewelry with hot pink running shoes.

I am creating... a cleaning list to keep me on track, and hoping to cut pieces for a new quilt.

I am going... to see my friends in Shickshinny today. They have a cute little second hand shop that I always find wonderful things to cheer me up and decorate my home.

I am reading... several books on my kindle.

I am hoping... to plan a little day trip for DH and I in the coming month, provided he gets a day off.

I am hearing... the television on HGTV, a fan blowing, and my DH somewhere in the house.

Around the house... the dishwasher needs to be ran and the house needs to be dusted and vaccumed.

One of my favorite things... snuggling on the sofa with my sweet Pomeranian, Punky!

 

A few plans for the rest of the week: Get as much cleaning and order put back to the house today and tomorrow. I have a day surgery on Tuesday and will be in bed for a couple of days at the least. Having a few meals done ahead and having things in order will go a long way in helping me heal. I need to make something with pumpkin in it for my DH... he loves the flavors of fall!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

Struggles

I don't really have much to say of late... other than I am having struggles on so many fronts. My health seems to waiver back and forth... good days and bad days seem to fight for balance. I went through a tough arthritic flare a few weeks ago that had me in bed and knocked out for days.

I also struggle with keeping up with house work and chores and keeping my husband ready for his grueling work schedule. He has been working 12 hours days... 21 days in a row. When he finally was able to use some vacation time, it was all spent on getting things ready for winter as he is not certain when his next time off will be. When I have a good day, I grocery shop. The rest of the time, I pack lunches and do laundry.

I have done some canning in the last few weeks. I just couldn't help myself from taking advantage of all the good produce that is grown locally. I just had to put some things up for the winter. That too, has taken it's toll on me. I get exhausted after a day of working... and need to sleep and nap for the next 2 days after that.

I also struggle with things from my past, things that are triggered by news reports. I have done a book outline, preface and have started to write in order to cope with all that troubles me. Someday, I will finish and be able to share it. But for now, it will be a memoir for my family.

I wish this post was more positive... but I do know that I can say that I have a wonderful husband who loves me deeply and takes such good care of me. I have my sweet Pumpkin-dog who adores me, and my silly Cooper-dog who entertains me as much as he drives me crazy. That is quite a lot in scheme of things these days. Yes, I am very blessed.

Thanks for reading!
~Suzanne

Pumpkin... the dog, not the vegetable.

My Pumpkin-dog has been sick for a few days. Needless to say, that has contributed to my aches and pains. (Meaning I've had to clean up a lot of messes at the bottom of the steps, clean carpets and get her out when she is able to communicate her needs during the day. Most messes were done while I was either sleeping or in the shower or just too plain stupid to figure it out.) Anyway... it has caused more than a few angry moments that included some shouting that I am not proud of... poor little confused dog.

I think we are on the upward swing of the episode of illness for her. I sure hope so because my back and right knee are killing me. The fact that we own a small spot-cleaning machine has made it easier for DH to help me. (I am still not suppose to lift or carry more than 10 pounds.) It's been a tough few days. Here's to baby aspirin and pepto bismal to help her out.

I've been trying to do a little more lately. DH does not like when I buy bananas for a whole week, so it seems like all I ever do is go to the grocery store. Yesterday I went to buy bananas and found they had his favorite energy drink on sale for 10 for $10. That's what I bought. And I took my own bags to the store... and the clerk put all 10 bottles in one bag. Along with the yogurt and a few other items. ALL in ONE Bag. I wasn't paying attention as I was distracted by looking at the flowers in the floral department next to the register I was at. I checked out and took my groceries out to the car. I tried to catch the courtesy clerk at the curb but he was on a mission to collect shopping carts. I lifted that bag full of quart sized bottles into my trunk. That move pretty much put me out of action for the rest of the day. (No, I didn't carry it into the house as DH was home.) But, I don't remember much of my drive home because I was hurting so much.

I have an ultrasound on my neck and collarbone tomorrow... right where my pain is. Holy cow, even using the computer and keyboarding is not comfortable. Time to end my little story, hydrate Punky-dog and grab the ice pack for my shoulder and neck.

Thanks for reading!
Suzanne

It's been awhile

I haven't been posting as of late because I haven't been feeling all that well. Most days, I feel like I've been ran over by a freight train. I ache all over, my right knee is barely holding on as it feels like my lateral ligament is about to let go at any moment. Fatigue grips most of my afternoons. It's all I can do to take a shower and get myself out the door to grocery shopping. If DH is still sleeping (as is the norm when he works 3pm to 3am) I struggle to bring in my purchases and put away the perishables. My day is pretty well shot after that... and I struggle with getting DH's lunch made.

I am starting to wonder if I don't suffer from fibromyalgia what with all the pain my joints are in or if in fact it's arthritis spreading. Most of my summer plans for the yard have been placed on hold due to how I feel and that DH is not home much. He works almost all the time... weekends included. And most of the time, it's a 12 hour day.

We did manage a fast trip to Connecticut for the 4th of July and DH's Grams 95th birthday party. It was a fun time and so many family were there to visit... it was a great party inspite of the heat and humidity. Punky dog didn't take to that heat/humidity combo... she had 3 nice cool dunks in the bathtub to help keep heat exhaustion at bay for her. (That meant I got to spend most of my day in a soaking wet t-shirt in front of the a/c to keep her cool. She's such a cute little dear-heart of a dog that I didn't mind. She is our baby after all!

I think the highlight of my week was seeing a couple of girlfriends from work for lunch this past Friday and having DH home for Sunday. We went out for dinner, it was a lovely evening but I've been exhausted ever since. I bought canning supplies to do some freezer jams, but have yet to go to the Amish market to buy anything. (There's always next year.)

That's all I have... sorry it sounds like a laundry list of aches and pains.
Thanks for reading...

Suzanne

Thursday This and That

1. I have become totally engaged on the Jodi Arias trial. I didn't know she was from Siskiyou County... the same county I went to grade school in and later lived with my first husband.
2. DH had vacation 2 weeks ago... we ended up not going anywhere. Instead we tore apart our guestroom and painted it. We moved our bedroom into that room. We are still working on putting stuff back into both rooms. (My house looks like a bomb went off.)
3. I decided to keep the car yesterday and took DH to work. He ended up having to work until 3 am... just my luck!
4. Things escalated with the neighbor kid and his Dad, who rang our doorbell yesterday to talk to us... the kid can no longer come to visit me because he was lying to all of us about his situation at home and his grades among other things. Makes me sad.
5. My bestest friend in life is graduating from college tomorrow in North Carolina. She's been working on her teaching degree for the last 5 years. She is graduating with honors. So proud of her!
6. One of my dearest work friends became a grandma yesterday. She is over the moon!
7. I have been buying flowers... and need to get my pots from the basement and get stuff planted.
8. Punky dog went to the groomers for a grooming session and they did exactly what I asked them not to do... they shaved her down instead of cutting half of her coat off... I know it will grow, but she looks like such a different dog when she's cut so short with the classic Pomeranian cut... and it changes her coloring.
9. I need to get 3 doctors appointments in this month... and have a huge ct scan coming up next month. I hate having to go to the doctor so much.
10. DH thinks he may have the weekend off... I won't get my hopes up until its here!

That's all I have for now... Thanks for reading!
~Suzanne

Cancelling

I am still not feeling well. I am not sleeping more than a few hours due to congestion and coughing. (TMI???)  I am still taking my antibiotics and using inhalers along with a decongestant. It's keeping some of the crap at bay... but I still am hacking up crud.

We are suppose to go to my friend Miss Jane's for Easter dinner. She has been following my progress on feeling better on Facebook. She left me a voicemail tonite to call her... and to not feel obligated to come on Sunday. She's also afraid that I could pass this on to her mother-in-law or her father, both of whom are quite elderly. I totally understand that issue and wouldn't want to pass this on to anyone.

DH and I discussed it briefly before he went to work today. We didn't come to any conclusion but now I have confirmation that I should cancel this visit. I need to plan on what we will have for our own Easter dinner... likely a ham and a potato casserole that won't be taxing on me. It's also a matter of still having enough air in my lungs. I went out with Punky tonite and made it to the top of the drive way. I came in and climbed the stairs and got winded... but I only had to rest a little bit and my coughing was as head splitting as it has been. So, there is a little improvement.

Tomorrow begins a 4 day weekend for DH... and some much needed time off for him. We are planning on doing some catch-up chores and laundry. (There's always laundry!)

Thanks for reading.
~Suzanne

Changing the View

We have had some delightful Springtime weather the last few days. It's been warm and sunny and quite therapeutic for me. I love feeling the sun on my shoulders... and it's been very needed!

DH has been very busy with work. He's been doing a ton of overtime... and working a double shift here and there. He's missed some of the sunshine trying to catch up on his sleep. We finally went and did a get-away day yesterday. We took a slow, meandering drive... and landed down near Reading.

DH took me shopping at a fabric store... and let me kind of go crazy inside. I did splurge on a few wonderful things, but really kept myself in check. There were so many wonderful kinds of fabrics and patterns and I wanted it all. I did get a cute pattern for a dress... but was so overwhelmed with one project I have wanted to do, that I didn't buy any dress yardage! (Silly me!)

It was a fun trip to the city... and included dinner at one of our favorite places to eat... Chipotle! I adore mexican food and love the simplicity of the menu and how healthy it is. I did indulge in guacamole... and loved every bite. We had such a nice time together... laughing and talking and sharing in the day. It was exactly what I needed after spending so much time at home in the last 3 months. I really have been housebound through the winter. I can't wait for better and warmer weather... to be able to work in the flowers of the yard and sit outside with a nice cold drink and play with Punky-dog.

Speaking of Punky... she had a much needed grooming session on Friday. The groomer did such a fabulous job on removing her undercoat... she looks and feels like such a different dog! She knows hows how nice she looks and enjoys all the praise and attention we give her as we tell her how pretty she is! She smells so wonderful... and her mani/pedi turned out lovely. She is such a pretty Pom!

I also spent time with one of my best friends from work... having dinner and a nice long talk while I waited for Punky to be groomed. It was a delight to be able to visit with her. It made me feels so good to share and laugh and feel normal for a change!

That's what is new... what's been happening here for the last few days.
Thanks for reading...

~Suzanne

Randomness... Again... (sigh.)

I am once again a second shift widow. This time I am now home instead of working full-time, so it's going a little bit better. At least I get to see my husband everyday for more than 5 minutes.

Although, my husband has been working very hard... 12 hour days all last week. Plus he's worked the weekends since the beginning of the year. He's so strong and loves the extra work. I worry... but he's insistent on signing up... plus his company does require some voluntary overtime. It's complicated, but if you don't sign up for it, it will count against you in a review.

I've been dealing with health issues again. I have been having issues with my back and my knee. And for the last two weeks, I've been having pain in my side. I went for an ultrasound which revealed that I do have an issue with my liver... Oh, goodie! Time to change up my diet and really work at getting things back to a more normal kind of life. (Whatever that is!)

Life has become a little more quiet now that we are back to one dog. And our little Pumpkin is revelling in all the attention. She is snuggled, carried, given treats, sang to and pampered beyond belief. She's had such a tough life in her first 6 years that she deserves all the love we can give her now. She loves it and is very contented.

The weather has also played a huge factor in my lack of blogging as I haven't really been anywhere except for buying groceries. Really... I don't leave the house except to take the dog out. I have done some work in my craft room... but nothing that is shareable. It's more practice work rather than a project to rebuild my skills.

We had a pretty intense ice storm last night... and it had a lot of wind with it. I had a hard time sleeping with the sound of ice hitting the windows. I did make a nice pot of chicken soup for dinner last night... the perfect thing for DH to come home to after a tough day at work.

DH just called me and he has to work until 3:00 am... he said he was covered in chocolate... even had it in his hair. Poor guy. He was just getting his lunch break at 10:00 when he called me. He didn't say what he was working on... but it sounds like a long night at the plant for everyone.

Thanks for reading... please stay blessed!
~Suzanne

Weekend in Review

This weekend has been a bit crazy around here... we caught the edge of the winter storm and had about 8 inches of snow down here. DH's family lives in Northeast Connecticut and they received about 40 inches of snow.

During the storm... DH had to be out in it. He had signed up for an overnight shift and ended up working over on his regular shift as well. He came home at 5 and ate dinner and got ready for his next shift. Because it was snowing so badly, I suggested that he leave early and rest at work instead of trying to get there during the height of it. He was going to take the car but ended up having to come back and get the SUV out of the garage and use it to get up the hill. He made it there quite fine and made it home in the morning at 7:30 to shovel and help the plow guy.

We decided to go up to Sam's Club yesterday and do some shopping. We had a ball and really enjoyed our time together. DH is quite fun to go shopping with as he loves to look at everything. He's very patient with me as I decide on what I need for the house. I did happen to find a 6 1/2 qt. enameled dutch oven at a very reasonable price. It did make it's way to our home.

When we got home, there was a call on the answering machine from Sophie's former Foster family. I had contacted them as I felt Sophie was not adjusting to life here as well as I had hoped. We decided to rehome her with their help. They had found 2 families that wanted her and we ended up taking her to her new home last night. It was very traumatic... and Sophie was not going to go into the house with us to meet her new family until I picked up my purse and started inside. Her new home has a large dog as well and a nice large fenced yard for her... and 5 kids to love her. it was hard on her to be cooped up with me with the cold weather and snow.

Today, I tried to sleep in but Pumpkin had other plans. One thing she learned from Sophie is how to wake me in the morning. Today has been a trial with Pumpkin as she is missing Sophie. She has decided to soil the floor on several occasions today instead of communicating her needs...  so I will have to start working with her tomorrow on her manners.

DH has worked today as well... he takes such good care of us. I appreciate how hard he works. I was able to also chat with several former co-workers this weekend, and I am so glad to be able to stay home these days as I heard several stories, all the same, about how hard and hostile the work environment has become. Very glad that I don't have to be subjected to the things I have heard.

Thanks for reading. Please be blessed!
~Suzanne

Pure Random Bits

It's Thursday... I was going to blog yesterday, but couldn't seem to get anything to come to mind. (Insert "Big Sigh" here.)

We are still in the adjustment phase with Sophie. She is adjustly rather slowly. We feel that she may not be adjusting well as she was very bonded to her Foster family. She's had a few issues with commands and listening. She actually got away from me one morning during the weekend. She would not come and instead, went running across the neighborhood. Not fun in jammies, slippers and a winter coat. She started to run around the entire house... so I stood at the front door and called up to DH to help me. She finally came to the door and ran inside. Crazy girl. We did have a good day yesterday with her being fairly comfortable with noises and the house sounds and wasn't too "barky." We bought her a rawhide bone... and finally got the first real smile out her. She recognized what it was instantly and got very excited about it.

We are all waiting to hear just how much snow we are going to get with the storm headed this way. They can't decided which weather model is correct... but we are going to getting "plowable" snow with this storm... anywhere from 3 to 6 inches or... 6 to 12 inches, but it depends on how it tracks. It's all very confusing to me... all it means to me is that I will not be going anywhere for a few more days. We went and did our shopping last night so we are ready for whatever comes our way.

DH has discovered that he may have some engine problems with his truck. It's been parked in the garage for a week... and he is going to work on it tonight. We will basically be using it for short trips while he tests things out... and so I am adjusting to being a one car family. I told him that it would fine once the weather gets a little better and I wouldn't mind having to take him to work on occasion. (That would be for going to doctors appointments or having lunch with the girls on Fridays!)

Once we get Sophie dog adjusted, I am going to be spending some time in my craft area. It's a little crowded in there right now to have a huge dog at my feet. We need to move Pumpkins crate to the living room in order to move my sewing cabinet... this place is so small... and it shows when I have to plan on where I am moving the dog crate.

Since this post is about random things... is anyone watching "The Bachelor" this season? DH and I have been watching and we both think Sean is being duped and is clearing not making good choices with keeping the drama queen known as Tierra. (Hello... her name is a "crown" associated with being a princess and... DRAMA!) I know... it's reality tv... and it's for entertainment. So... we are being entertained!

I think I've done enough randomness to qualify for a blog post! I am still staying at home... I am fighting a cough and chest pain. I also started a new medicine this month and today I "upped" the dosage per the doctor's instruction... and I don't like it. It hurts my side... very uncomfortable. So... I am on the sofa, wrapped up in a warm throw and have Pumpkin on top of me to warm me up. Life right now is slow and lazy... I am hibernating for the winter! Send a prayer up for DH as he just called me to tell me he's working late... and he's working on Saturday. He's going to be a tired man. Love him so much for how hard he works for his family.

Thanks for reading... have a blessed day!
~Suzanne

Adding to the Family!

We have been searching for another dog to add to our family for some time now. We tried to adopt a dog last January that did not work out. He was not happy here and consequently made the rest of us very miserable. We took him back to his owner after a week.

We talked about doing a puppy. We talked about just waiting. We looked for awhile and then stopped for awhile. I decided to go back on Craigslist and look... and had found several dogs that we liked. A few ads actually belonged to scammers wanting to take our money. That being said... I came across an ad for a Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd... a 5 year old female that is a housedog. We sent an email off and waited.

They responded the next day and arranged to bring her to meet us. She ended up staying and we are on day 3 of getting adjusted. She's a BIG dog... very tall and long, with a very large head. She's extremely intelligent... and is very protective already. She's attached to me all day until John gets home and then she ignores me in favor of the Big Dog. She is quite a picky eater and it's going to take time to get her tummy adjusted as she has a sensitive stomach.

Her coat is short but she does shed. Thank God that we just purchased a new Dyson animal quick vac! I think we will be getting a new Dyson animal vac soon to keep up with the fur. Punky is taking a rather wide berth for now... but does spend most of her day being attached to my right side. Having 2 dogs in the house again is very different... and Sophie-dog is keeping me very busy as I work on helping her learn the noises of the house and noises of wind and pine cones hitting the roof and snow plows and car doors. It will take some time for her to learn to take cues on what to be alarmed at. She does have pretty good house manners and some training. We are already working on improving her training skills.

We went to Petsmart and purchased her a new dog bed... but she's so long, it doesn't fit her. She did not enjoy going to Petsmart and had to go back out to the truck. She's not really been socialized all that much... so my plan to have a "therapy dog" will likely have to wait. It will depend on if I can get her trained to not be so timid and scared of new environments. So... with out further ado, meet our Sophie!

These photos were taken at her previous home... She was being fostered as her owner had a stroke and they were afraid Sophie would knock her over trying to be affectionate. It's my observation that Sophie is able to gage how to best interact... she is very gentle with me on the stairs and does not pull me when on lead. I can't wait for the weather to clear enough to be able to take her outside and work with her.

Thanks for reading... have a blessed day!
~Suzanne

A Long Overdue Daybook Post

FOR TODAY (January 17, 2013)...

Outside my window... it's 32 degrees, with 4 inches of snow on the ground.

I am thinking... it's time to start looking for another dog for our house... one that I could train for therapy work.

I am thankful for... a hard working husband that works seemingly endless hours to provide for us.

 

From the kitchen... I made chili last night and plan on making a Frito Pie with left-overs.

 

I am wearing... a black and pink dressing gown... still haven't hit the shower yet today.

I am creating... a new crafting area in the guest room... excited about that!

 

I am going... likely "nowhere" since it's cold and icy out. I like to stay in!

I am reading... the autobiography "Rod"... about Rod Stewart.

I am hoping... to plan a little day trip for DH and I in the coming month.

 

I am hearing... the laundry going in the other room and cars going by on main road.

Around the house... I am working on slowly cleaning things, dusting and putting things away.

 

One of my favorite things... is that Punky dog has become so bonded to me since I am no longer working. She loves to be next to me or even better... being in my lap for a belly rub.

 

A few plans for the rest of the week: To continue to get things back under control after being sick with the flu for 7 days. To be able to sit at my craft table and work on a project.

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

Our Busy Day!

Last night after DH got home from work... he decided to take me out to dinner. We headed north for his favorite place, Red Robin, for burgers. It was a delicious idea and afterward, we hit Wegmans to do our weekly shopping. Some parts of the store were pretty picked over but we managed to find what we needed. It was great because there weren't too many people and no screaming, crying children to be heard.

We had errands to do today... like head up to Shickshinny to my favorite little gently used gift shop, The Holey Cow. I had several things on hold that I needed to pick up... one of which was a 7 foot tall bird house! They pictures of it posted on Facebook and I told Jeff that I wanted it. There were 3 other people that saw it after me... all wanting it. One even offered to pay more for it, but Carole said nope!

After that... we headed west, had some breakfast at our favorite place and then went to price band saws. From there, we went to the Wal*marts to do some shopping for the stuff we didn't get last night. We headed towards home and DH dropped me off at the nail salon while he went up the hill to the auto parts store to get everything he needed to do an oil change for his truck. We ended up being gone for most of the day and we both wanted nothing more than to put jammies on tonight and chill out in front of the tv.

So... we are all snug and cozy on this chilly November night. Punky has has her dinner and is sleeping at the other end of the sofa from me. DH is in his chair with his lap top and we have reruns of Cosby on... while we both putter around. This is living! And we love it!

Thanks for reading... stayed blessed!
~Suzanne

Whoa... Wait a minute...

Where did that week go that just passed???? I swear that I just wrote something for this blog, and now here we are...with another week gone past!

I don't have much to share with you, as my life has been centered on work mainly. My hard working
DH has been doing just that as well... working. He's on a 3 week stint and so far, he hasn't been scheduled for the upcoming weekend. (let's all keep our fingers crossed that he actually has some time off.) He called me a little while ago and said he's heard a rumor that he going back to first shift starting Monday! If that's true... I may be able to keep working a while longer to have some what of a normal life again. That has me thinking of having regular meals again, I miss having great food because I won't make it just for myself.

One of my dearest friends is having surgery today for a bad varicose vein and blood clot removal. She's been waiting for this surgery for over 10 weeks and it's been because of her health insurance not being willing to approve her procedure. I can say that I am blessed to never have had an issue with my insurance not approving any procedures. In fact, I just received a summary report  from my last 4 day hospital stay from June... a nice little $75,000.00 stay... and I don't think I will have to pay for any of it... and there were no qualms about any of the procedures or tests I had. I'm keeping her in my prayers and my advice to her was to listen to her doctors and to take her pain meds... no being a hero, take the pills and rest, and you'll usually feel better sooner.

Another one of my friends... that is on the west coast, announced a huge surprise to everyone yesterday. She got married outside at the courthouse yesterday. We are all so happy for her and her new husband.... and all the adventure they have coming up in the next year. How about going on a delayed honeymoon to Dubai???? That is wonderful and amazing! So happy for them and for her 4 kids.

I am very tired tonite... I've been staying up too late the last couple of nights, hoping to see DH before I go to sleep. Needless to say, he's been working over each evening to cover the line he's working... they run until they are out of product which can be anywhere between midnight and one thirty or three am. So, I haven't been going to bed on time and waking up when he gets home. If I don't, we only really see each other in the morning as I get dressed for work. That's it... that's all the time there is during the week. On the weekends, it's more like 4 1/2 hours in the beginning of the day before he heads to work. It's a tough schedule and not one that I really care for.

Oh... we had huge thunderstorms on Sunday... ugly cloud to ground lightening strikes. We had a few strikes over head that caused the house to rattle. Poor Pumpkin was so frightened... she's was in my lap and cuddled under my arms with her head against my chest to seek comfort from her fright. The power went out twice... I hate when we have storms like that.

Thanks for reading... stay blessed!
~Suzanne

What a Trip!

The drive home last night was brought to us by Dorothy and her Ruby Red Slippers and Toto in her picnic basket. Oh * My * Goodness!!!

My ride home started off with a ton of traffic... it took me 3 lights to get from the industrial park I work in to get to the freeway on ramp that is literally less than an 1/8th of mile from that intersection. As I got on to the freeway and began to merge into the right hand lane... my fuel light went off. Great! And not more than 10 seconds after that, I received an EMS text on my phone that there were tornado warnings for my home area. Really Great!

I headed south anyway, going slower than the posted speed limit to see what my gas mileage was going to be... I drove over 5 miles before it even dropped down 1 mile on the gauge. I got off the freeway at the last exit before heading up the mountain so I could get some gas. I drove back about a mile to fill up. While I was doing that, I heard on the local radio that tornadoes were spotted 6 to 8 miles northwest of where I live and headed directly towards home. I figured I would get my fuel and then find a place to sit and ride the storm out.

Well... I pulled into the Taco Hell parking lot and pulled into the drive thru lane. As I did that, I noticed that it was quickly becoming very dark and very windy. I placed my order and then noticed some of the employees were outside with their cellphones taking pictures. It got darker, and then the rains started and the winds picked up. Thunder and lightening started in.... huge lightening strikes and thunder so loud, it rocked my car.

I sat in the parking lot for awhile until the lightening was overhead and was scaring me to death. I decided to take my chances and try to get to the freeway. I was able to make my way... but it was slow going, but at least as I drove south, I seemed to be driving away from the storm. There was debris on the freeway, but I didn't encounter anything of concern on the freeways. Once I pulled off the interstate, it was quite different.

What struck me first was that there was virtually no traffic on our 2 lane highway. The farther south I went on our road... the more stuff I saw, until I had to stop for the fire trucks and rescue workers who were clearing the trees from the road in front of me. I made it through the first light... and came to the second light. That intersection had some real damage... trees down, and loose power lines dangling in the wind. There is a monastery at that corner and they suffered extensive tree damage.

I traveled farther down the road, and made it home. I wasn't certain what I would find when I got here. I had trash cans from several neighbors west of me and lots of debris in the yard. All of our patio furniture was scattered in my neighbors back yard. Not just a little ways... but like, under their deck~ and I was certain my patio umbrella was a goner!

Coming into the house, I could see the high water and debris that came up from the heavy rains along the edge of the patio. The door at the top of the stairs was open, pulled open from the negative air pressure as the windows on the porch were open. As I stepped into the kitchen, I was met by a little red dog, cautiously peering around the corner from the hall, hoping nothing was there to scare her. She was so happy and relived to see me, she instantly jumped and twirled in circles. We were both glad I was finally home. We had heavy thunder storms during the rest of the evening... big boomers that shook the entire house and made my heart skip.

I've been to Kansas... and I've been to Oklahoma, but this is the closest I've ever felt to being Dorothy!

Thanks for reading!
~Suzanne

How Did It Get to be August???

I cannot begin to fathom that it's August 3rd! How did that happen? I haven't posted as I've been busy with work and trying to keep up with everything. Fatigue regularly kicks my tail... and before I know it, another week has passed with stuff getting piled up to do!

We really haven't done too much this summer with DH being out of work. We've done one fun day trip to the west... one day of yard sales... and we went out to a minor league ballgame with a wonderful luxury box on my company. We had a ball!

We've spent time at home... enjoying our flowers and working around here. DH has spent time working on his truck... but that's about it. We've really had a very uneventful Summer so far. We kind of "hid out" during some of the heat waves we have had...  I still don't adjust well to high temperatures or humidity... one of those "great" side effect hold overs from thyroid cancer.

I can't tell you when I will be back to blog again. It depends on my energy level and time available. Punky is doing well and thriving with being an only dog. We are still grieving the loss of Nolli-dog. I guess the most exciting around here lately besides going to the ball game, is that I backed into a low sign and scraped the right rear quarter panel of my new car from the bumper to the back door! Ouch!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

Hangin' It a New Way!

It's beginning to feel like Spring is in the air. It was a fabulous 50 degree day today and we even had a little bit of sunshine this afternoon. To celebrate the coming of Spring and all that it means... we dove into our first project of the year... we re-did my closet!

It's been on my "honey-do list" for quite awhile. I had added some organizers and shoe shelving last year... but this time we took everything out and started over. We are only doing a "fast -job" of it this time.  We are going to re-tape the dry wall and paint when we re-do the carpet in the bedroom this year. This time, we put in new closet rods with support brackets, raising one side higher to add a second clothes bar under it... adding so much more space for hanging all my cardigans and my assortment of t-shirts and tops. It's starting to look more like a closet instead of something that was pretty much slapped together and second thought. This house is over 45 years old... and has been a rental for over 24 years... closets weren't such a huge deal back then.

 I can't wait to get into my closet tomorrow and work at hanging things by category and color! (I know... weird, right?) We're both tired this evening... I ran errands and grocery shopped, and had to run back to the home improvement store with Punky to return one clothes rod that was broken in the package. It's been a busy day... but a good day too! Thank you to my wonderful Hubs for doing such a fabulous thing for me!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

A Slow-Down...

This week is usually one of the hardest of the year in what I do for work. Not too many people have money, and the rest of those who do have money, or do the doling out, are on vacation until after the first of the year. It makes collecting a very hard thing to do. It doesn't help that I have a brand new location in our system... and that the in-house A/R person is also doing my work. Tuesday was really bad... as I worked through part of my aging report, she was also working the same section. It became a race to see who could contact the most customers... she was told that I would be handling all accounts from now on... and I will make certain that's the case at the beginning of the month. For now, I will take the help.

Anyway... because it was so slow, I did some training, and I got to leave work early because the phones were so quiet. My boss asked me if I was interested in taking today off... and I of course said Yes! So, I get to enjoy 4 days off... and it won't involve going to a hospital or having a medical procedure. Today... I tried to be lazy in the morning... and then I needed to run a few errands and needed to go north. So I packed Punky up in her pink Rock Star coat and took her with me... stopping into my office on the way, to introduce her to my office mates. She was a huge hit... everyone needs to have a little "puppy break" during the day. (Of course, everyone was leaving at noon today anyway due to mandatory shut-down. I told you, it's been slow!) It was fun for me to share my Punky with the people I work with... and everyone was so happy and smiling when I was done. How fun is that?

I am also beginning to take down my Christmas decorations. I am so going to miss our Christmas tree this year. We both have enjoyed it so much... watching it evolve as we shopped for new decorations and we now have our own family tree instead of just all my decorations from years past. It's been fun to collaborate with DH and get his ideas of what he likes... he really enjoys being able to have a say about things like that... he always tells me that the decision is up to me... but he has a pretty good eye for design! I think the tree will come down on Saturday... that's usually when my Mom did it. But it was always after we watched the Rose Parade and had a good breakfast.

Oh... and speaking of breakfast, I had breakfast for dinner last night. We stopped into Cracker Barrel, and I ordered the cinnamon french toast... and oh my! It was so delicious. I only ate half of it, and enjoyed the second half for breakfast this morning. I will be having that again soon!

Thanks for reading... Have a Happy New Year... and be blessed!
~Suzanne