Author: Kay Krause

The flooring guy that laid the new floor at Michelle’s house called me at 9:00 this morning to tell me he was almost done. I headed into town so I could pay him. He did the whole floor in under three hours. It sure looks nice.

I didn’t have anything else to do in town so came back home. I had trouble waking up this morning and finally decided to go back to bed and take a nap. Things felt hard this morning and sometimes it is best to put myself in time-out for the safety of myself and those around me.

Kathy invited some of our dear friends over for a birthday celebration this evening. We had a great time visiting with them. We enjoyed an ice cream birthday cake and snacks and wine. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends.

Tomorrow I am going to help a friend move. I was just there and know how hard that day will be for them. Trusting I can lighten their load a tad bit.

Friday I am going to lunch with a friend and then going to Emporia for exercise. A local group is doing a fundraiser concert Friday night that I plan on going to. I don’t think I have any plans for the weekend. Hoping I can have two stay at home days. Those seem to be hard for me to find these days.

It has been fun checking Facebook off and on today and reading all the birthday greetings. That is one of my favorite things about Facebook. It will take me a bit to respond to all the greetings but each one was much appreciated and read.

Feeling very grateful for the privilege of being on earth with the people I love and know. Each birthday feels like a celebration of surviving all of life’s challenges for one more year. I no longer take that for granted.

Grateful for all who wished me a happy birthday this year, grateful the flooring project is complete, and grateful for one more year on this earth this time around.

Kathy and I did a drive last night to catch the super moon rising. We went to the Prairie Preserve but didn’t have a good enough east view. We then went to V Rd and 210. There was a haze on the horizon so didn’t get to see lift off but got to see it shortly afterwards. I climbed up through the sun roof to watch it.

It was a beautiful evening to go outside and watch the moon rising. The only thing I miss about the country house is the views.

Roxy had a rough night last night and had trouble settling down. She wanted to go outside about five different times. She didn’t do anything when she went out. I finally took her out to her pen around 11:00. Then Sophia wanted to go out with Roxy. They were quiet for a long time but around midnight started barking so I had to bring them back in.

I left for KC a little after 9:00 this morning. Traffic was light and I made good time. I stopped at Costco to get a new vacuum. The dog hair is driving me crazy. As usual, I found other things I didn’t know I needed.

Met two dear friends for lunch. It had been a long time since we had met together. It was good to catch up with each other and visit. Did my soul good.

I went to my attorney’s office at 1:30. I signed two papers and was out of there by 1:35. Headed home. I stopped for gas in Gardner and then stopped at Tagen’s house to check his room. Came home after that.

Kathy helped me get the new vacuum put together. They use pictures as directions and it took a bit to figure it out. We tried it and was disappointed with it. Then Kathy took it in her room to see what it would do on that carpet. When she tried it again on the red rug it worked perfectly. Not sure why or what happened to make it start working right but am grateful it did.

It has a lot of plastic parts so am not sure how long it will last. It is a Dyson and was one of the better rated vacuums for pet hair. We shall see how this works.

I turn 71 tomorrow. I always think of Mom on my birthday and wonder what her labor was like when I was born. One of the many questions I wished I had asked her! Kathy invited some friends over tomorrow evening to help me celebrate. I am looking forward to that.

I drove the new car to KC today. I have a list of things I need to ask the lady that will explain how the car works to me sometime soon. I need to make an appointment with her and go back to Wichita to figure a few things out. The lady has sent me about five texts trying to get me to come see her. I hadn’t driven the car enough to have any questions for her until today. I’ll try to get that taken care of one day next week.

Kathy and I took the dogs on their walk this evening. I started out with Roxy and went west. Roxy spotted Kathy getting Sophia and heading north and Roxy had to turn around and walk the same direction as Kathy and Sophia. Roxy is giving me a run for my money these days.

I may go help some friends tomorrow but am not sure yet. If not, I will have a quiet day at home. The flooring is being laid in Tagen’s room tomorrow so may have to go to town to pay him. Not sure how he bills.

It felt good to get the deed transfer crossed off my pending list. The flooring in Tagen’s room will get crossed off tomorrow if things go as planned. Kathy got some grass seed planted today so that little project is started. Most everything else on my pending list is waiting for someone else to do something to make it happen.

I was reminded again today how important it is to my soul to regularly schedule time with dear friends and family. I have been self isolating too much lately and need to rejoin the world.

Grateful for time with dear friends today, grateful for a safe trip to and from KC, and grateful the deed transfer is taken care of.

Got up and walked the dogs one by one for their morning potty walk. Took Sophia downtown and stopped at the gas station to ask for a recommendation of someone that could fix my lawn mower. BJ offered to come by the house and check it out for me later today. That was easy!

I called the contractor that might be able to fix the foundation at Michelle’s house. He isn’t sure when he will be able to go look at it but said he will put it on his list. I’ll have to remember to get back in touch with him after a few weeks to remind him if necessary.

My license plate came in for my new car today. I couldn’t find my Philips screwdriver to help me attach it to the car. I have a power drill and bit set so Kathy helped me figure that out and we got the new plate attached. Grateful for Kathy’s help and proud we were able to get that job done.

I also called and made my annual appointment with my eye doctor who is a retina specialist in Topeka. For some reason his office can’t book out ahead longer than four months so I have to remember to call every year to get my annual appointment. I will go to see him in November.

I went to town for my 2:00 exercise lesson. Did my 50 minutes and then went downtown. I stopped at the Chiropractor for my weekly adjustment. Went to the library to drop off eight boxes of books for the Friends of the Library. I went in the library as the friend’s building was closed. I asked for a cart so I could easily get all the boxes inside. There wasn’t a cart available so they had me drive around to their back door.

When I got to the back door someone came out and said they didn’t have a free cart so they were going to meet me at the Friends building. I drove there and someone came and helped me carry in the boxes.

Then I went to Bluestem to get grass seed and a Phillips screwdriver. I couldn’t find the screwdrivers so I asked for help. The young man that helped me talked over my head when I told him I needed a Philips screwdriver. He was telling me all the differences of all the different screwdrivers they had and I had no idea what he was saying. I don’t talk screwdriver. I found a set that seemed OK. Then I asked him for a star screwdriver. I didn’t want one that you had to put a head in the screwdriver as I tend to lose the parts. Turns out there are two or more different size star heads. Who knew? Dang, that wasn’t easy.

Went to Walmart and got some things for a lunch I am fixing later this week. Came home afterwards.

Stopped by the gas station to pay for the lawnmower repair. Found out that the problem was water had gotten in the gas can I used to fill the mower. When BJ came to fix the mower he couldn’t get it started here so he took it to the shop. He also took my gas can with him. He dumped out the gas can and was letting it dry before he put gas back in it. He told me so far I only owed $0.58 unless I wanted him to fill up the gas can. He didn’t charge me for his labor. I will go back Wednesday and pick up the gas can and will make sure I have some cash on me so I can tip him good. What a delightful thing it is to have Dieker’s in town and provide such good service.

When I got home Kathy had already finished mowing the yard. That was easy – at least for me!

So far it is clear out today so will go to the Prairie Preserve later today to watch the super moon rise this evening. It isn’t so hot out today so it will be a good evening to be outside.

Tomorrow I am going to KC for lunch with some friends and then going to my attorney’s office to sign some papers. That will be a long day but a fun day as I will get to spend time with two dear friends. I need to remember to stop by Michelle’s house when I come back through Emporia to make sure Tagen’s room is ready for new flooring on Wednesday.

Wednesday is my birthday and Kathy has invited some of our friends to come over for a little get together. That will be fun. Thursday I am helping some dear friends move. Friday I have to go back to Emporia for exercise. This week has gotten busy for me.

It has felt like a productive day getting lots of little things taken care of. Who knew figuring out which Philips screwdriver to buy would be the challenge of the day! Oh sometimes, it is the little things that trip me up.

Grateful for the wonderful service BJ provided fixing my lawn mower, grateful Kathy knows how to use a power drill, and grateful I was able to make some phone calls today.

Another night of little sleep. Man, this is getting old quick.

I spent the morning getting ready for family day. Did some much needed housecleaning. Brought in a table and chairs from the shed so we would have enough places to sit and eat. Fixed the spaghetti sauce, made a salad and fixed the garlic bread.

It was fun having everyone here today. We fit in my little house! Not sure how I am going to fit 24 for Thanksgiving but 8 was no problem. The food was good, the conversation around the tables even better.

Jason and my neighbor Phil tried to get the lawn mower started but it would not work. I will have to take it in sometime this week and get it fixed. Geoff looked at my yard and told me how to fix it. I will need to stop in Emporia and get some grass seed one of the days I go to town this week.

We had a brief rainstorm roll through early afternoon. I was surprised when it rained. We missed most of the storm though.

I took a nap after everyone left this afternoon. I’m still tired so trusting I will be able to sleep good tonight. When I got up from my nap, I did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. I used paper plates so I didn’t have lots of dishes to do.

Tomorrow I have to go to town for exercise at 2:00. I have a load of stuff to drop off at the Friends of Library book sale and I need to go to the Chiropractor as I missed going last Friday. If I think about it, I will stop and get grass seed after I get my car unloaded.

Tuesday I am going to KC for lunch with two friends and then meeting with my attorney to sign some papers. I don’t think I have any other errands to run while I am in town but between now and then I may think of something I need.

I need to remember to call the foundation guy tomorrow and get that project started. I may stop by and make sure Tagen’s floor is ready for the new flooring that is to be laid on Wednesday. He hadn’t move some stuff that needs moved yet and I want to make sure it is ready to go so that project doesn’t get delayed.

If I remember and the skies are clear, I may go out to the Prairie Preserve tomorrow night and watch the moon rise. It will be a Super moon. I am missing keeping touch of the rhythm of the moon. It is impossible to see the moon rise from where I am now.

Feeling a bit ungrounded tonight. Not sure why as I had a fun day. It feels like something is brewing inside and I can’t put my finger on what yet. Sooner or later I will figure it out – or not. Sometimes it is an emotion that needs to be heard and released and it takes me a bit to figure it out. I will continue sitting with it and allowing whatever to rise.

Grateful for family days when all the kids and grandkids come home, grateful the food turned out OK today, and grateful for all the ways I am blessed beyond measure.

Another night of little sleep. Man, this gets hard after several days of little sleep. Sure wish I knew the cause and had a cure.

I walked Sophia this morning and Kathy walked Roxy. Sophia finally did her business. She was in a mood to sniff and smell and follow her nose most of the walk. It is hard to walk her when she does that. My shoulder is a bit sore this afternoon from her pulling on the leash this morning.

I went to a friend’s house mid morning and helped pack some things. I brought home some papers to shred and several boxes to drop off at the Friends of Library book sale. I’m so grateful my move is over and I am on the other side of all that work. It is very rewarding when it is all done but it is tons of work.

I took a short nap in my chair this afternoon. I don’t feel very rested yet but I knocked the hard edge off. Maybe tonight I will sleep long and hard.

I haven’t started getting ready for family day tomorrow. I want to make a dessert this evening and do some house cleaning. I have a tendency to put off house cleaning too long and then I don’t get it all done. Hopefully, no one will notice! I do need to go out to the shed and get a table and four chairs to set up so everyone will have a place to sit and eat.

I have managed to get two loads of laundry washed and dried. I don’t have them folded and put away yet though. I haven’t had much energy to do much yet.

It is another hot one today. The ground has a lot of water on it and when it warms up, the humidity is high. I need to remember to have Geoff and Jason look at my lawnmower tomorrow. I ran it out of gas when I was mowing earlier this week and now I can’t get it to stay running. It will start and then it stops quickly thereafter. Wonder what I did to it?

Geoff is trained in landscaping and is going to look at my yard and tell me what I need to do to fix the bare spots and around the new sidewalks. I have more weeds than grass in the yard and need to fix that too. I don’t know about keeping town yards. I only know how to mow. I may need to hire someone to help me fix the bare spots if it is very complicated.

So looking forward to tomorrow and having all the kids here. We haven’t had a family day in a long time. I think we were together mid April for one but haven’t done so since. We were all together at Craig’s memorial service and celebration of life but we were rather distracted then and didn’t get good time together.

Looking forward to my trip to KC Tuesday and having lunch with some dear friends. It has been a very long time since we were able to make that happen too. It will be good to get the paperwork to transfer this house deed from the LLC to my personal name taken care of too. One more thing I can cross off my pending list of things to do.

Other than being tired this has been a good day. I have been able to hold myself above neutral all day. Any day is a good day when I can do that. I love finding ways to be in service to others. I feel more productive on those days.

Grateful for a short nap this afternoon, grateful to be of some help to my friend, and grateful tomorrow is family day.

I went to KS Graphics at 9:00 this morning to help stuff the Pioneer Bluffs letter. It was a single page that was already folded. We got over 2,100 letters stuffed and sealed in about three hours. There were four of us working so it went fast. We visited and laughed together.

I went to Emporia for my 2:00 exercise session. I like this week’s video as it is mainly yoga and standing stretches. The time goes by quickly and I feel like I get a good workout in.

I skipped going to the Chiropractor. I was tired and still needed to get groceries. Driving downtown and waiting for the Chiropractor seemed too much in the moment so I went and got the groceries I needed and came home.

I got stopped with road construction for about 15 minutes coming home so the drive home felt like it took a long time. I had forgotten something at the grocery store so had to stop at Dollar General and get it. Luckily they had it in stock.

I didn’t sleep well again last night and am tired this afternoon. I’m sure one of these nights soon I will find lots of sleep. Trying hard not to take a nap this evening and I will go to bed early. It is cloudy and a bit of rain is coming through so is perfect sleeping weather. It sure feels later than it is.

Tomorrow I am going to help a friend for a couple hours in the morning. Other than that, I will have a quiet day. I do have some house cleaning that I need to do in the afternoon. The kids are all coming home Sunday so will do a bit of baking and getting ready for Sunday. So looking forward to having all the kids and grandkids here for lunch Sunday in my new house.

Next week I have exercise in Emporia on Monday. Tuesday I am going to KC to meet with my attorney and am meeting some friends for lunch. Thursday I am helping my friends move and Friday I go back to Emporia for exercise. Friday evening there is a concert here in Cottonwood Falls that I want to go to.

It felt good to do a volunteer service project today. I have been slacking on volunteering lately. I need to find a regular volunteer gig somewhere. It is getting time for me to come out of my self imposed hibernation and rejoin the world.

Able to maintain at or above neutral all day today. I didn’t get a lot of quiet time today or yesterday so am pleased that I was able to stay above neutral today. I will have tomorrow afternoon to recharge and be ready for a fun day on Sunday with the kids.

Grateful to have worked on a volunteer project today, grateful to get to visit with some old friends today, and grateful for a productive exercise session today.

Last night at 10:00 we lost power. A storm rolled through and brought another inch of rain. The power came back on about midnight. I had stayed up waiting for it until 11:45 and decided to go to bed. I had just fallen asleep when the lights came on and woke me up. Had trouble finding sleep after that for a long time.

Went to a friend’s house this morning and helped pack a few boxes. I remember being there four months ago. What a job it is! They treated me to lunch at Jacalito’s afterwards. What a fun morning it was.

Am working on getting the yard mowed this afternoon. It is hot outside and I work for a short bit and then come in and cool off and then go back out. Sooner or later I will get it done.

The newsletter for Pioneer Bluffs is ready to be stuffed so will be doing that tomorrow morning. I have to be in Emporia at 2:00 for exercise so may or may not get it finished before I have to leave. After exercise I will go to the Chiropractor and then go buy groceries for family day on Sunday.

I need to do some housecleaning Saturday. I will bring in a card table from the shed and some folding chairs so everyone can sit at a table for lunch. This will be the first time the kids will see the house since I moved in. I’m so looking forward to family day.

Found out the basement foundation company I used two years ago to fix one of the rentals is out of business. No wonder they didn’t answer their phone. The past owner was kind enough to respond to my email and give me the name of someone else that might be able to help me out with a foundation problem at one of the rentals. I will call them tomorrow. The hot water heater got fixed today so progress is being made after the disaster on Tuesday. The flooring is going down next Wednesday.

Feeling a bit more grounded tonight. Still tired though as sleep has been hard to find the last couple of nights. One of these nights soon I will crash and get lots of sleep. Have been able to keep myself above neutral today all day. It felt good to be in service for a bit this morning. I need to find more ways to do that.

Grateful for the time spent with some friends today, grateful the hot water heater got fixed at Michelle’s house, and grateful for a lead on a foundation repair guy.

It has been another long day. I had trouble finding sleep again last night although I did get more than I had the night before. I really didn’t want to get up and going this morning.

I took the dogs for their walks, one by one. We ran into a lady walking two dogs – one dog was on a leash but the other one wasn’t. I have run into her before. Her dogs are friendly but Sophia is hard to control around the dog that isn’t on a leash. I luckily spotted them and was able to detour around them and came home the long way.

Went to Emporia at 10:30 for my 11:30 exercise session. They were flagging traffic again today so had to wait about 10 minutes. I was towards the back of the line so it was slow going all the way to Emporia.

I stopped by the flooring place and paid for the flooring for Tagen’s bedroom. They were a bit slow in figuring out what I owed but they got it done.

Went to exercise and did my thing for 49 minutes today. I liked today’s exercises as it felt like I got a good workout in. We did a lot of yoga and standing exercises today.

Afterwards I went to a thing with Jason. It lasted from 1:15 until 4:00. It was somewhat productive but no resolution yet. Hard to see your kiddo have to go through this.

Came home afterwards. Kathy needed to return a pickup to a house that was on my way home so we agreed to meet at that house. I waited about 30 minutes and Kathy called and said she couldn’t cross the tracks as there was a train that wasn’t moving. She went back home. I came home through hill and dale. Not sure how I figured out a way home but kept following the line of cars ahead of me and they got me home. It took over an hour to get home.

Michelle let me know her hot water heater isn’t working since the power went off the other day. Dang it anyways. I’m getting really tired of having to fix things. I will be very happy when I am done being a landlord. Still haven’t been able to get hold of the basement contractor. His phone gives me four little beeps and then cuts me off. Not sure what that is about.

I am really tired tonight. It is probably more mentally tired than physically but I have absolutely no energy tonight. I am drained again. It is over 100 again today and what little I was outside today got to me. Trusting I can rest the rest of the evening and refill and recharge.

Tomorrow I am going to a friend’s house to help her pack. That will be fun for me. I need a day of doing something productive and of being in service. Friday I have to go back to Emporia for another round of exercise. Sunday the kids are coming for family day. That will be wonderful! I am fixing spaghetti and meatballs for lunch so that will be easy. When I am in town Friday I will stop and get what I need to fix lunch.

Next week I am going to KC Tuesday to sign some papers with my attorney there. I am meeting some dear friends for lunch before my afternoon appointment. That will be a fun day.

Feeling a bit unsettled and ungrounded tonight. When it cools down a bit, I will take the dogs for walks and see if that will help ground me. I’m hanging on to the neutral level but barely. I’m betting with some body movement and quiet, I’ll climb back up again yet today.

Grateful for a good workout this morning, grateful to have gotten to spend some time with Jason today, and grateful I figured out a way to get home around the blocked train tracks.

Wow! What a day. I had trouble finding sleep last night. Not sure I got more than an hour or two during the whole night. I had trouble falling asleep and if I managed to fall asleep I would wake up shortly thereafter. Makes for a very long night when that happens.

I gave up around 6:00 and got up. I enjoyed listening to the rain and thunder and seeing the lightning. That was some storm that rolled through this morning. We really needed the rain.

Around 7:15 Tagen called. They had lost power at their house and so the sump pump was not working. Emporia got over 5 inches of rain very quickly. The basement flooded due to the sump pump not working and Tagen had three inches of water on his basement bedroom floor. Yikes!

I had to go to Emporia for a haircut at 10:30 so I went in early so I could stop by the house and see what needed done. By the time I got to the house around 9:30 the electricity had come back on and the water was gone. But the carpet was a soppy, wet mess.

I went to the carpet store and asked them what type of flooring they recommended. They said to put in vinyl planking so I picked one out that I liked. They gave me the name of an installer. I called the installer and he said he would come by tomorrow to give me a bid.

I took a sample of the plank to Michelle to get her approval which she gave. I then went to my haircut and then came home.

The installer called around 2:00 this afternoon and asked if he could come today to measure the floor. I drove back into Emporia and met him at the house. He quickly measured the floor. He told me the carpet needed removed ASAP. I told him we might have someone that could do it later today but I wasn’t sure if they were going to be able to come. I asked him if he could do it. He first said he couldn’t do it until Thursday and he didn’t want it to wait that long. His wife was with him and she said something to him. He asked if I could get the room cleared of all the little stuff quickly. I told him yes. Next thing I knew he said he would be back soon.

I got to work taking things off the dressers and the bed. I happened to have some boxes in the car so I got those and used those to put things in. Tagen helped me move the night stands out of the way.

Fifteen minutes later the installer showed back up with his wife and son and they got to work removing the wet carpet. He knew how to cut it into pieces that they would be able to carry to his truck. It took them about 30 minutes to get the job done. I was so very grateful he was able to get the carpet out today. I gave him a good tip when I wrote the check to give him for the deposit on laying the floor. He is coming back a week from tomorrow to lay the new flooring.

While I was helping Tagen clear the room, I noticed some towels up against the floor and the wall. Michelle had mentioned something earlier today about a little water leak. Found out there is water coming in from a crack in a wall in the corner of the room. Dang it anyways. I attempted to call the basement repair guy but his line was busy all afternoon long. I bet half of Emporia tried to call him today. I’ll try again tomorrow. I will have to get that problem resolved too.

Dang, somedays rentals are a pain in the ass. I’ll have to check to see if insurance will cover any of this. I don’t know yet how much the flooring is going to cost and I can’t remember what my deductible is. I’ll have to check on both of those things tomorrow too.

Downtown Emporia flooded today too. I wonder how many people had a wet basement today in Emporia? It is rare we get five to six inches of rain in only a couple of hours. The ground was saturated and there was no place for the water to go. Loosing electricity didn’t help at all today either. What a mess!

Hoping Jason’s house’s basement didn’t flood. He is going to check tonight and let me know. I don’t know if he has a sump pump or not.

Tomorrow I have to go to Emporia for exercise at 11:30. I need to go by the carpet store and pay for the planking. The installer said he gave them the measurements so they will know how much I will need.

I am tired tonight. I hadn’t planned on making two trips to Emporia today. Grateful the installer came through and helped me out big time today. I told him he was my miracle of the day. I gave his wife a hug and thanked her for suggesting they could do the job.

I think I will do my exercise video and then eat dinner and go to bed very early tonight. I may fall asleep during exercise if they aren’t very exciting this week. Sure wish I knew why some nights I can’t find sleep.

Grateful for an installer that really helped me out today, grateful the water damage wasn’t worse, and grateful for a haircut today.

Got up this morning and took the dogs one by one for their walks. I walked about one mile altogether. They both did their business.

Went to my doctor’s office for my annual physical. As I predicted, I’m not sure it was worth going to other than he sent in refills for my prescriptions. I will do a mammogram in October but don’t need any other tests done this year.

He did have me do a blood draw. His nurse called with the results this afternoon. My cholesterol is elevated but that is normal for me. I won’t take statins and the new medication that you inject didn’t work so not a lot they can do for me. Last year he had me start taking garlic and fish oil but my numbers didn’t change from a year ago so think I will discontinue taking them. He didn’t say to continue.

My thyroid level was 3.06 which is just about what it was five weeks ago. It seems to have stabilized a bit which is good news. I prefer it to be closer to 2.0 but 3.06 is close enough.

I stopped at Walmart after my physical and picked up a few groceries for the week. While I was at Walmart the foundation bid guy called and said he could come early. I told him to head my way and I finished up quickly and headed home.

Got the groceries put away and he showed up. He was a nice young man and seemed to know what he was doing. Unfortunately the system they use to fix a sinking foundation won’t work for my house as there is not enough crawl space. They need 18 inches of space and I only have 14. He was going to try to sell me some sort of waterproofing system but again it isn’t going to work due to the short space.

Now I am not sure what to do. I need a metal beam put in a very tight space. The guy today said they could cut a hole in the floor and go in that way. Now to find someone that can do that.

I did ask him what happens if I don’t get it fixed. He said it might hold out for another 20 years but if many more rocks fall away, it might cause the floor to totally collapse. What to do?

I asked the guy if the house needs a whole new foundation put under it. He said it really did but he wasn’t sure who could do it. IF I do choose to do that, he recommended I have it dug out deeper so it could be waterproofed. His company won’t lift a house that is set on a limestone foundation. Not sure it is worth putting that much money into a house that is 125 years old anyways. What to do?

While the guy was here he asked me if I had a drill with a star bit. He had forgotten his. I said I did but when I found my drill, it was dead and I couldn’t quickly find my drill bit set. I called a friend and they had one so I ran over and borrow his. After the foundation guy left, I made some no bake chocolate cookies and took to my friend when I return his drill. I so appreciated him loaning it to me so the guy could do his thing.

I sent a request to my attorney in KC Saturday to do some deed work on this house. He already has a draft ready for me to approve. I will find a day to go to KC soon and get those signed and taken care of. That was easy and fast. I appreciate people who respond quickly and efficiently.

Haven’t gotten much else done today. I picked up a pizza at Walmart and that is what Kathy and I had for dinner. That was easy. I am not a big fan of pizza but for some reason it looked and sounded good today. Not sure it tasted as good as I hoped but it filled me up and was easy to fix.

I have to go to Emporia in the morning for a haircut. I don’t think I have anything else I need to do while I am in town tomorrow since I got groceries today. I will need to do my exercise video tomorrow sometime. It will be a challenge to remember to do it weekly at home since I have had 26 weeks of going to the gym three times a week to do it. We shall see how quickly I can adjust to this new schedule.

Tagen wants spaghetti and meat balls Sunday so now I know what to fix. That will be easy. I will get some bread and stuff for a salad to go with it and we will be good to go. I look forward to having all the kids here for the first time in this new house. There will be eight of us so I will set up a card table and everyone will be able to sit at a table to eat.

I turned the A/C on last night as I was getting ready to go to bed. The house had warmed up to 81 and I knew I wasn’t going to sleep with it being that warm. It got over 90 today so I am grateful I turned it on last night so it could keep the house cool today. It sure was nice having it off for two days in the middle of August though. That doesn’t happen very often.

Sitting in a good head space tonight. I am still a bit stumped as to what to do with the foundation but that will sort itself out sooner or later. My list of pending issues is getting much smaller and it feels like I am getting to the end of home improvement projects. Time is opening up for me again and I feel lighter of responsibility.

Grateful my physical is complete for the year, grateful for the guy that came today was able to admit he couldn’t do the job, and grateful for a dear friend that loaned me a drill today.

It has been another quiet day at home. I relish the weekends when I get to stay home for two days in a row. I did take Sophia for a long walk this afternoon. It is cooler out and she was able to walk for over a mile today without panting too hard.

I did a bit of cleaning again today and some laundry but most of the day I didn’t do much. It is nice to slow down and rest and be quiet.

I sat outside for about five minutes this evening. I have turned the A/C off and house is a bit warm tonight. I got bitten about five times by mosquitoes and had to come in. I am going to have to take a bath soon to quiet down the bites. I itch all over now. The mosquitoes hadn’t bothered me all summer until tonight. They made up for it tonight.

Tomorrow I have to be in Emporia by 9:45 for my annual physical. I doubt that it will take more than 30 minutes. I kinda laugh at the word physical as the doctor will barely touch me. He gets to chart it as a physical and will get reimbursed for more than a normal office visit. Oh well, I will check that off my to do list for the year and go on with life.

Tomorrow afternoon a guy is coming to look at the foundation to see if there is anything they can do about the big slope in the corner of the dining room and my bedroom. I don’t know about this type of thing but thought I would get it looked at. Have no idea what can be done and how much it might cost. The house is almost 125 yers old so thinking the original foundation is overdue on needing some propping up.

Tuesday I have to go back to Emporia for a haircut. That will be fun as I enjoy the conversation I always have with the guy that cuts my hair. It feels a bit like a counseling session to be honest.

Wednesday and Friday I go in for exercise. Grateful I am down to twice a week now instead of three times a week. I will have to remember to do the video at home on either Monday or Tuesday.

I will need to stop one of the days and get a few groceries. Friday I will need to get the stuff to fix dinner on Sunday when all the kids are coming home for a family day. Still haven’t decided what to fix. I asked them for ideas but no one had any. I’ll figure it out – sooner or later.

I’m going to make a couple phone calls tomorrow and try to find a different management company for my remaining rental. I just don’t trust the lady that is handling it now. Not sure how to find someone but I will make some calls and see what I can find. If all else fails, I will manage it myself.

Feeling a bit ungrounded tonight. I need to find somethings to add to my calendar as too much free time is not always in my best interest. I still struggle to balance between lots of empty space and having too many things to do. Right now I have too much empty space.

Grateful for two stay at home days this weekend, grateful for the cooler temperatures, and grateful for my quiet life.

This has been a rainy, cool day on the prairie today. I turned off the A/C and opened the windows. Rare for the middle of August in KS but I will take it. I have a bit of fall fever today.

I got up fairly early this morning and took the dogs one by one on their morning walk. I walked about 45 minutes all together. It was so nice and cool and easy to walk today.

Did a bit of housework today. I can always find more to do but got what was bugging me taken care of.

I sent a couple of emails to get some business matters taken care of. My attorney responded right back. Not sure why he is working on a Saturday but I appreciated the quick response.

I have been doing a beneficiary review of all of my accounts. I try to remember to do that each year in my birthday month. I even pulled out the will and trust paperwork and read through them to see if there is anything that needs changed in them. I discovered two of my CD’s didn’t have a beneficiary designated so took care of that. Those things are easy to miss and it can cause problems should something happen to me.

I still need to write up a personal effects disposition directive. I am not sure I have much that the kids will want but if I had one, the few things I do have will then go to the right person. I am not too attached to physical things so I’m not sure I care what happens to my things. However, if it would make it easier for the kids, I will write one out.

I will need to find a day to go to KC soon. My attorney is preparing some papers that I will need to go sign. I have some dear friends in KC that I haven’t seen for a long time so may try to time it so I can have lunch with them. That would make the long drive worth it.

Hard to believe the grandkids will be starting school next week. This summer went by quickly. Ellexia will be a freshman and Tagen will be doing his second year at the Vo-Tech completing his welding program. I trust they both will have a successful and fun year.

Life seems to be slowing back down for me. Most of the house improvement projects I had going on are completed. The foundation guy is coming Monday so that may start another project. I still need to get the porch rebuilt but that is going to happen later this fall. It is good to have a brief respite from a long pending list.

Grateful for a cool August day, grateful the house is a bit cleaner today, and grateful for the peaceful valley I am finding myself in.

Sophia woke me up at 5:45 barking. I ignored her for a few minutes but she was not quieting down. I got up and took her for a six block walk. She didn’t do much but chase squirrels. I left her outside in her pen and came back in and tried to get some more sleep.

At 8:00 I got a text from my realtor telling me she sent an email from that needed my immediate attention as it was a document for the closing today that needed signed and returned. I took care of that.

I took Roxy on her walk and then put her outside with Sophia. Sophia was acting like she needed to go again so I took her on another walk. This time she did her business.

Late morning I got a text from my realtor that she had deposited the funds from the sale of the rental house. What a relief!

I went to Emporia around 1:15. I needed to stop and pick up a prescription from Walmart if the traffic wasn’t being stopped. It wasn’t but I was behind a camper going 50 on Highway 50. Traffic was heavy enough that I couldn’t pass them for the longest time.

I picked up my prescription and then went to exercise. This was my last three days a week at the gym week. Next week I go down to two sessions a week with a trainer and do the other session at home.

After exercise I headed downtown. I stopped at the chocolate store and picked up a thank you gift for my realtor. I added a note card to it and then dropped it off at her office downtown.

I went to the bank where the funds had been deposited and opened a CD. Rates are good right now and I wanted to catch them as high as possible. There is always a chance they will lower them next week. It seemed to take a log time to complete the paperwork for that but finally got that taken care of.

Went to the Chiropractor after I was done at the bank. He had lots of people in front of me but the line moved through rather quickly. I probably had to wait 15 – 20 minutes. Got my weekly adjustment and could finally head home.

Coming home they were doing construction again. I hit the line that was just starting. I could see the end of the line that had been let through in front of me. I had to wait for about 20 – 25 minutes for my turn to go.

It sure felt like a long trip to town but I got everything taken care of. It was a huge relief to get the funds from the sale of the rental house invested. I will make as much if not more having the funds in a CD than I did from renting it. I won’t get the tax benefits of the depreciation though but that is OK. I won’t have the risk of something else breaking and needing fixed either.

I took a nap when I got home. I was exhausted and knew I wouldn’t be able to stay awake until bed time. Felt good to sleep for an hour.

It only reached the mid to lower 70’s today. What a nice break from the heat we have been having. It isn’t supposed to get back to the 90’s until mid week. We may get some more rain tomorrow.

No plans for the weekend. I need a couple of stay at home days. I have some house work that needs done and hoping the mood will hit and I can get that done.

Monday I have my annual physical in the morning and the foundation repair guy is coming in the afternoon. Tuesday I have a haircut in the morning. Wednesday and Friday I have to go to Emporia for exercise. A week from Sunday we are having family day.

Sure felt good to get the funds invested today. Owning and managing my rentals has not been the same since my business partner retired. They have been great investments for me but it is time for me to simplify and slowly get out of the rental business. I still have three more but Jason lives in one, Michelle lives in another one so that only leaves one not occupied by family. My plan is to do something with that last one next year. Michelle and Jason are on a rent to own plan so hoping that may happen within a year or two for them too.

Next week I need to find out how I changed the deed on the house I am living in from being in the LLC company to my personal name. I want to get that taken care of soon too. The attorney that did my trust can take care of that for me so will call his office sometime next week and get that process started.

I am going through all my bank accounts and making sure all my beneficiaries are up to date. I haven’t checked them for a bit and just want to make sure they are all OK. I try to do that every year around my birthday as a reminder to myself. I always feel reassured when I double check them that everything is in order.

I did remember to send my insurance agent an email today and cancel the insurance on the house I sold today. He sent a confirmation back so I know that is being taken care of.

The Chiropractor said my whole body was tight today. I trust that knowing the sell went through OK today will help my body loosen up a bit. I like knowing how things are getting simplified in my life. It has been a process to get here and I’m not sure I am reaping the benefits of my work yet, but I know the end is in sight.

Grateful the house closed as scheduled today, grateful this is the last week for three trips to Emporia weekly, and grateful for cooler days in the middle of August.

Had trouble finding sleep again last night. I had trouble falling asleep and then if I did manage to fall asleep, I would wake up again and couldn’t go back to sleep. Sure makes a long night when that happens.

Went to Emporia for exercise at noon. The 45 minutes went by fairly quickly. I stopped at Walmart afterwards and picked up some groceries and then came home.

Got news that I am closing on the sale of one of the rental houses tomorrow as planned. That is a relief. I have been impressed with my realtor, Angie Blankley. She really worked hard to make this deal happen and offered some compromises that made it work. She restored my faith in her realty company. This is the first time I have worked with Angie and I would definitely work with her again.

I realized today that what was going on with this sale was another test from the universe to see if I was going to stick to the boundaries I had set. I had a habit of caving in and letting others walk over me. I have learned to set my boundary and to allow others to do what they need to do and remember that it isn’t on me what they chose to do. I had forgotten that again! Grateful I stuck to my boundaries and the deal went through. Great reminder for my soul.

Tomorrow I have to go to Emporia again for exercise. I am grateful that starting next week I only have to go twice a week for exercise instead of three. That feels like it opens up another free day for me. In another 13 weeks I will go down to once a week for the last 13 weeks of the program.

While I am in town tomorrow I will go to the Chiropractor after exercise and then go to a bank and invest some funds with the proceeds of the sale of the rental property. I also need to stop by my insurance agent and cancel the insurance on the rental house I sold. I also need to contact my accountant and find out what my tax liability will be due to the sale. Not sure if am looking forward to hearing that number.

I need to find a different property manager for the remaining rental house I have. Anyone know of someone that does a good job? I am very disappointed in the person that has been managing my properties since my business partner retired. I need to cut ties with them and find someone that will do what I am paying them to do.

Since I have decided not to build and will remain in this house long-term, I need to contact an attorney and get this house moved out of the LLC and into my personal name. That will trigger yet another tax event. I don’t think I want to see how much taxes I am going to have to pay this year.

I cleaned out my refrigerator today. Found lots of wasted food. I hate when I allow that to happen. I was doing really good for a bit using what I was buying but got off track the last two weeks. Hoping I can reground and get back with it.

No plans for the weekend. The foundation repair guy is coming Monday to give me an estimate on the cost of repairing the foundation of this house. I don’t envy them that job as the crawlspace in this house is not very big. I’m sure they have seen that problem before and know how to work around it.

I have my annual physical Monday morning. Not sure it is necessary but I will go to it and cross that off my list of things to do. It is time to have my TSH checked again so will have him do that with the other blood work he will order and save me a stick.

Sitting in a better place today after realizing what was up with the back and forth of the sale of the rental house. I needed the reminder that the universe has my back. I get impatient and forget to allow things to unfold in their timing and not mine. One of these days I will get this lesson!

Grateful the closing is proceeding as planned, grateful for a realtor that works hard to make a deal happen, and grateful for another lesson from the universe.

Hard night to find sleep. I was so tired when I went to bed but had a lot of trouble falling asleep and then staying asleep.

Took Sophia with me to walk down to City Hall to pay my water bill. We got to Main Street by the bank and I saw the big dog that bothered us Sunday. I stood between Sophia and the big dog so Sophia couldn’t see it. The big dog went on by on the other side of the street.

I forgot about the white/black/gray dog that was with the big dog Sunday. Next thing I knew that dog was coming across the street towards us. I was in the middle of the road and got a tight hold on Sophia. I yelled HELP twice. A man immediately came out of the School Board office to see what was wrong.

He came out into the street and got between Sophia and I and the growling white/black.gray dog. We were able to get to the City Hall office safely thanks to his help.

I went in to pay my water bill and asked the ladies there to call the Sheriff to see if they could pick up these two dogs that have been running loose since Sunday.

I left the office and went back over to the School Board office and the man that helped us was still outside. I expressed my deep gratitude for his help. Another guy that was standing out with him told me he had been running the other day and a dog came after him.

We were able to walk safely home without seeing any other dogs. I then had to take Roxy for her morning walk but I was able to do that safely.

I went to Emporia for exercise. I stopped and picked up more boxes at McDonald’s. I had used the ones I had on hand to put meat in yesterday and needed to get some more to stick in my storage unit. I went ahead and took all they had so I can help a friend out if they need more boxes for their move later.

I did my exercises and then came home. While I was exercising my realtor called and had yet another counteroffer on the rental house I am attempting to sell. I accepted her proposal.

Later this afternoon I got a text that the buyer has still not accepted the counteroffer as she has yet one more bid she is waiting for. The buyer asked for an extension for closing. I refused the extension. The buyer is the one that wanted to close quickly and I am tired of her “one more bid” stick. Take it or leave it, I don’t care.

We are to close Friday but still don’t know if that is going to happen. This buyer seems to want a new house for the price of a used one. Not going to get that from me. When you buy a house, you take a risk. Life doesn’t come with guarantees nor does a house. Put up or shut up is my motto.

Not sure what I will do if this deal falls apart. I may have to take the house off the market and get everything fixed and then list it again at a higher price. Sure would rather not go that route but will if I have to.

Can you tell I don’t like the process of selling a house? I set my terms and clearly communicated them yet they push the boundaries. I don’t play that game. The buyer of my country house did the same thing. What is up with that?

I took a nap this afternoon. I needed it. This mornings trauma with the dog situation wore me out. It sure would be nice to be able to walk my dogs in this town without having to be on guard for trouble with loose dogs. One of these days that situation is not going to end well.

Tomorrow I have to go back to town for exercise. I am hoping to know for sure about the closing on Friday but that may or may not happen. It will be hard for the closing company to do the final paperwork with this little of notice. We shall see how this plays out.

Feeling a bit ungrounded and out of sorts tonight. I don’t like sitting in the in-between space and having no control of the outcome. I am attempting to allow what ever feelings I have about it to be heard and then leave my body. Easier said then done sometimes.

Grateful for the man that came to my rescue today, grateful for afternoon naps, and grateful one way or another this deal will be over soon.

This has been a long day. I left home this morning before 8:00 and got back around 6:00. Too long for this introvert to be away from home!

I went to Olpe and picked up the remaining 3/4 of the beef. They were efficient and got me loaded up in little time. Drove to Nicole’s house from Olpe.

I got to Nicole’s house around 10:30. We unloaded all the beef and counted and sorted it. Nicole had found buyers for part of it for me. Got it put away in a big cooler and Nicole’s freezer. We had a bit of time to sit and visit before I had to leave for my KU appointment.

Any day I get to spend some quality time with one of my kids is a good day.

Went to my appointment for the KU research program I am participating in. I was one minute late getting there but they didn’t seem concerned. I first met with a coordinator who asked me some basic questions about the program. We had to kill about 10 minutes before the testing lady was back from lunch and ready for me.

She then turned me over to the testing lady. I had over two hours of mental cognitive testing. Some of them I felt OK with and some of them I don’t think I did so well. Good thing it really doesn’t matter how well I did. When a problem or test was hard for me, I guessed and moved on. It wasn’t worth getting stressed over. I wished I could see my results and how it compared to the test I did six months ago but they don’t share the results.

The lady that did my testing was fun to visit with. She was born in Venezuela and came to the states when she was 10. She has done a fair bit of traveling the world so we shared travel stories. She had also worked at McDonald’s for a time so we talked about that too.

After the testing was complete I went to Costco and found a cart full of stuff I didn’t know I needed. Stopped at Chipotle for lunch/dinner and then drove home. Traffic was moving but heavy until I got south of Gardner and then it was normal from there to home. So grateful I don’t have to drive in that traffic daily.

I got the car unloaded and the freezer stuff put away. Haven’t unpacked and put away the rest of the stuff. It may wait till morning as I am wiped out. Wish I had a stay at home day tomorrow but I have to go to Emporia at 11:30 for exercise. I need to stop afterwards and pick up a few groceries and then I can come home and chill.

I got a company to return my call today and they are coming next Monday to give me a bid for the foundation work that needs done. Have no idea how much that might cost. The slope on the floor is very noticeable and it really needs to be fixed. I will have them inspect the rest of the foundation too and see if there are any other soft spots that need attention. This house will be 125 years old next year and it is probably overdue for some repairs.

Didn’t hear from my realtor today so not sure if the closing is still happening Friday or not. Sure seems like we are cutting it close but maybe that is the normal these days. It will be a relief to get that property sold.

Need to walk down to city hall and pay my water bill tomorrow. Kathy works tomorrow so I will need to walk the dogs in the morning and can take one of them with me to pay the bill. I love that I can walk to wherever I need to go to take care of business in this small town.

Feeling a bit scattered and like part of me hasn’t gotten home yet. Maybe I left part of my brain at the testing site! Ha! I was grateful I was able to do the testing and not get attached to the outcome and worry about how well or how poorly I did. I’m sure after a good night’s sleep I will feel complete in the morning.

Grateful for a safe trip to and from KC today, grateful the beef is all distributed and where it needs to be, and grateful that the testing is complete for another six months.

Got up early on the correct day this time. I took the dogs for their morning walk. We ran into two dogs unleashed this morning. Both encounters turned out OK but I get scared each time it happens. Sure wish people would follow the leash laws in Cottonwood Falls. I can’t tell if a dog is friendly or is going to cause a fight.

My realtor came by as promised. I signed a bunch of papers. We are going forward as if the close is going to happen Friday. The buyer is still waiting on one more bid before she will commit to accepting my counter offer. My realtor thinks we are good to go. We shall see.

A little before noon I headed to Olpe. I got stuck in construction traffic at the bridge leaving Cottonwood Falls. Since I had nothing better to do while I was waiting to go, I looked at my phone and checked the voice mail from the Meat Locker. I realized the meat locker closes for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00. Decided to go on to Emporia and have lunch and then go to Olpe.

I got stuck in construction traffic on Highway 50 for about 20 minutes. Finally got to Emporia and stopped for lunch. I was able to kill enough time between the two construction zones and lunch that by the time I got to Olpe they were back open.

I loaded up 1/4 of the beef and came home. This time there were no construction zones so got home in good time. Kathy helped me carry my 1/8 of the beef in the house. She took the other 1/8 to a friend’s house for me. Good to have the freezer restocked.

For some reason I am really tired this afternoon. I am going to try to stay awake as I have to leave for KC early in the morning and don’t want to stay up late tonight. I shall see if I can stay awake until an early bedtime.

It is over 100 again today. Yikes! Enough with this hot weather. I don’t do well in the heat.

I need to find six boxes for tomorrow to put the beef in. I used 3 clothes baskets today and 1/4 of the beef fit in those three baskets. Tomorrow I am picking up 3/4 of a beef so will need lots more places to hold beef in. I think I have some empty boxes in the shed out back. When it cools down a bit, I will go look and see. May have to get creative if I don’t have any. They put the beef in heavy plastic sacks so I guess I could get by with just that if needed.

Tomorrow morning I have to leave by 8:00. I will stop by Olpe and get the beef and then go to Nicole’s house to drop it off. I have to be at my KU appointment at 12:15. The testing may take up to three hours. I can’t remember last time if it took that long or not. I may stop at Costco afterwards if I am not too exhausted.

Other than exercise I don’t have any other plans for the week. I still haven’t gotten started on making aprons so maybe I can get that project started. I need to do some housecleaning one of these days. The dust is getting mighty thick again.

I’m still struggling a bit to let go of the anger I have towards the company that I had hired to manage my rental property. Many of the things the inspections found were things the management company should have noticed and had taken care of. They were going to rent the house to new renters once the garage doors got replaced. They never mentioned the other things that needed done.

Once this house sells, I still have one other rental property in this management companies care. I need to find another management company to take care of that last house. I’m not ready to sell that one yet as I have a potential buyer in mind but they won’t be ready to buy for another year.

I still get surprised when people don’t act and behave the way I would. One of these days I need to remember not to trust people so much. The person that I have dealt with from this management company has not proven herself to be trustworthy and I didn’t push it. Shame on me. Hopefully my lesson has been learned and I will remember this lesson and carry it with me in the future.

Grateful for fresh beef in my freezer, grateful the close is still scheduled as planned, and grateful for learning another hard life lesson.

I woke up with a start this morning. I thought the realtor was coming in 5 minutes. I quickly showered and got dressed. When I came out to the living room I realized it was Sunday and she is coming Monday. Darn it anyways. Oh well, it got me up and awake quickly.

Kathy is working hard in the yard cleaning up around the new sidewalks, It sure looks nice where she has gotten cleaned out. Now we need to backfill a bit but not sure what to use. Any landscapers out there that can advise us? There is anywhere between a two and six inch drop from the sidewalk to the ground that needs filled in with something.

I heard the dogs barking this afternoon. It sounded like an alarm bark so I went out to see what was the matter. I didn’t see anything but it was hot so I brought the dogs inside. When we rounded the front of the house the dogs spotted a huge dog running loose at the end of the block. They both took off at a dead run. I got pulled a bit and finally had to let go of the leashes as I was not going to be able to keep up with them or pull them back in. Not sure how I managed to stay on my feet.

The dogs ran to the corner where they met up with the big dog. Thankfully all they did was smell each other. Along comes another big white dog. They smelled each other but didn’t get in a fight. I yelled for the dogs to come back and they did! I was proud of them. I put them in the house.

Not sure if these dogs run loose a lot or if they just got away from their owner. I didn’t see if they had a collar on or not. Even when dogs are friendly, they can cause problems. So very grateful I didn’t get pulled over and go down.

This has been another quiet day at home. I haven’t done much again today. It is nice to have two back to back stay at home days to recover and recharge in. I have a big day coming up Tuesday and will need extra energy for that.

Tomorrow the realtor is to come in the morning. I’m not sure if I will have papers to sign or not as I haven’t heard if the buyer accepted my counter offer. Hoping I will find out tomorrow. After she leaves, I am going to Olpe to pick up my 1/4 of beef. I will take half of it to a friend’s house and then stock my freezer up with the rest.

Tuesday I go to KC and take Nicole 3/4 of the beef and then I go to KU for the mental acuity test. It will be good to see Nicole for a hot minute.

I need to remember to call and get a hair cut appointment some time this week. My hair has reached that point and needs to go. Hoping I can find a time after exercise so I don’t have to make two trips to town in one day.

I need to find a contractor to do some foundation work. I have some floors that have a pretty steep slope to them and need it propped up from underneath. Anyone know of someone that does that type of work? I don’t know where to start to find someone.

This week may be interesting with the finalizing of the sell of the rental house. Trusting we can make a deal and continue with the closing on Friday. That would be easy for me if that were to happen. If they back out of the deal, I will have to find suppliers to do some work on the house and then list it again. This house has been a thorn in my side since I bought it in 2015 and I am ready for it to go away.

One of these days I need to clean my old car out and transfer things to the new one. Not sure when Kathy is going to turn her car in. I think she has until the end of September before she has to turn it in. She is done paying off the lease so no real reason to turn it in early.

I ordered a new K-Tag for the new car. I need to inform the car wash place of the new tag number and new car next time I go to town with the new car and have time to stop to do that.

Grateful for a quiet day at home, grateful I wasn’t hurt when the dog event happened, and grateful for the work Kathy is doing in the yard.

This has been a lazy stay at home day for me. I have allowed myself to do nothing all day today. I did clean the living room and dining room floors but other than that I haven’t done much.

I was hoping to hear from my realtor about the counter offer I gave the seller but I haven’t heard anything yet. It will probably be Monday before I hear something. I am figuring out a back up plan in case the buyer rejects the offer. Sure wish I had a crystal ball and knew for sure what to do. The good news is I am not in a position to have to sell the house and can let it sit empty for a bit if needed.

The tree guy stopped in last night and gave me his bill. He said he was done. I see some more branches in the trees in the front yard that look liked they should have been cut out but I am tired of this project. I will have him come back another day and take care of them. His bill was not as high as I expected it might be so that was good.

The tree guy did recommend I keep the area around the back trees mowed well so the little stuff coming up is kept under control. I went out this morning and mowed for about 20 minutes. It is hard mowing as there is no grass, just the little stuff and mini trees. I also mowed inside the dog pen. I got most of it cut down before I got too hot and had to come in.

No plans for tomorrow. Trusting I will get to stay home all day again. I want to get started making some aprons if the mood hits. I pulled out the pattern and looked at it today. Patterns have really changed since the old days. Not sure I like the way they suggest to make it so may make some modifications. We shall see what happens.

Monday the realtor is coming for me to sign some papers and hopefully I will find out if we have a final deal. We are scheduled to close Friday so time is running out to figure things out. After she leaves, I am going to Olpe to pick up my 1/4 of the beef that is ready.

Tuesday I have to go to Olpe and get the rest of the beef and take it to Nicole’s house. After that I have to go to KU for the mental acuity test. That will take about 2 – 3 hours. I may stop at Costco afterwards but I may be too wiped out to stop.

I have to go to Emporia Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for exercise. My trainer is still on vacation Monday so we shifted that session to Thursday. This will be my last week of going to the gym three times a week. I’m looking forward to having one more free day a week.

Things have felt heavy for me today. I miss having someone to help me talk through situations like the sell of the rental house. It feels like I have had to make lots of financial decisions this year and it is easy for me to second guess myself. Everything always works out sooner or later. My mentor always taught me that the best thing you can do is make a decision and roll with it. Adjust if things aren’t going right but most of the time, doing nothing is not the best plan. I have learned how to pause before I make a major decision but then roll the dice and roll with it, sooner rather than later.

I still get uncomfortable sitting in the in-between space which is where I am with the rental house right now. Maybe that is why it feels heavy. Doing my best to allow what I am feeling and know that this too shall pass.

Grateful the tree guy finished the job, grateful for two stay at home days, and grateful it is to be cooler tomorrow.

Another hot summer day in Kansas. I am ready for fall and cooler temperatures but am trying to figure out a way to skip over winter. I hate the bitter cold as much as I hate the heat. Maybe I need to find a place to escape for a month or two this winter.

Ellexia and I baked chocolate chip cookies last night. She is a big help in the kitchen now. She said they turned out really good. I don’t eat them so will have to take her word for it.

We had a good time together last night. She helped me take the dogs on a walk. She decided to sleep in my bed with me instead of on the couch as the dogs snore and she was afraid they would keep her up. She went right to sleep last night and slept in for a bit this morning. She was a good bed partner and didn’t move around much at all.

I fixed her blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast. I hadn’t fixed that for a long time. It is her normal breakfast order when she stays over.

I took her back home this afternoon when I went to town for exercise at 3:00. I am grateful she came and spent some time with me. I can’t believe she is starting high school in two weeks. Where does time go?

My realtor got back to me today with the results of all the inspections. I added them all together – yikes! I made a counter offer and am waiting to see if it is accepted. This is the part of selling real estate I don’t like. Not sure if the buyer will accept my terms and conditions or not. I am never quite sure what to do in cases like this. The good news is I don’t really care if I sale the house quickly or not. That helps bargaining a bit easier as I am not in a desperate place to sell.

The meat locker called to let me know the beef is ready to be picked up. I will go down Monday and get my quarter and then I will go back on Tuesday and pick up Nicole’s 3/4. It will be good to restock my freezer.

The tree guy was here when I got home from Emporia. Not sure how long he has been working and what is plans are. Maybe he will come in and share them with me but I am not sure he will. One of these days he will get done and give me a bill for all his labors.

Exercise went by fairly quickly today. The substitute trainer left me alone most of the time. The trainer is to do the exercises with me and he kinda does them but more not than does. Oh well, at this point I know what I am doing and it really doesn’t matter. Grateful in another week I only have to go twice a week and will do the video at home the other day each week.

I walked down to the court house this morning and got my new car tags. They gave me another temporary tag and will mail the permanent one within ten days or so. The guy that waited on me used to work for the Subaru dealership in Wichita and knew the people that helped sell me my car. I had to pay some additional sales tax as the sales tax rate in Wichita is less than the rate in Chase County. I hadn’t planned on that.

I ordered a new K-Tag for the new car. The turnpike has gone cashless and the K-Tags make it a bit cheaper to travel on the turnpike. I still need to notify the car wash place about the change in car tags. I’ll take care of that after the new tag comes in and I am in Emporia.

No plans for the weekend. I am hoping I can stay home both days. I don’t have exercise on Monday but I am going to go to Olpe to get my part of the beef. Two days at home sounds heavenly to me right now.

I am a bit cranky this afternoon. I realized it is the first time that has happened since I came home from Costa Rica. I think it will pass quickly. I am tired and frustrated with a couple of things. I will allow myself to fully feel these heavier emotions and then this too shall pass.

Grateful the beef is ready for me to pick up next week, grateful the car tags are on their way, and grateful for the time I got to spend with Ellexia.

July flew by so quickly. Hard to believe a month ago today I was in Costa Rica starting my adventure there. In some ways that feels like it was months ago and other ways like it was yesterday. I don’t have a good relationship with time these days and don’t trust I can judge how long ago something happened.

I was going to meet up with Tagen for lunch at noon. I decided to go to town early so I could get some fabric to make some aprons. I took Michelle some peaches and hamburger and decided to drop it by her house before I went shopping since it is so hot outside. Tagen and Ellexia were up and moving and decided they wanted to eat early.

We went by the Tech College and paid the last of Tagen’s fees that are due before school starts August 12. He was awarded a $500 scholarship as he got all A’s this summer. That was nice!

I took advantage of having some muscles with me and went to Walmart and picked up two big bags of dog food, two cases of water, a heavy container of kitty litter and a big bag of cat food. Tagen lifted that stuff into my cart like it didn’t weigh anything. He lifted it out of the cart and into my car. Wished I could have brought him home with me to get it inside the house.

We went to Bobby D’s for lunch. Jason was available so he joined us too. I had a delightful meal with all of them. Service was fast and the food was good.

I took Tagen home after lunch and Ellexia and I went to the store to find some fabric so I can make some aprons. We found some and got that and the thread to make them with and then came to my house. She is going to spend the night and I will take her home tomorrow when I go in for exercise. She helped me get some of the stuff into the house. Kathy got the wheelbarrow and we loaded the two big bags of dog food in it to take around to the back door and put inside the back porch. Good to be restocked on critter feed and supplies for a bit.

Ellexia and I are chilling inside this afternoon. I took Sophia for a walk so she could do her afternoon business. It was too hot for Ellexia to go with us. We might venture to Dollar General in a bit to get some food for dinner. Not sure I have much kid friendly food in the house right now.

I got the title to the new car in the mail today. Early next week I will go to the Court House and get my license plate.

I got an email from the travel insurance company today requesting more information so they can pay out the claim. I had gotten a similar one from them last week and then the next day they sent another email saying the claim had been approved and the funds will be deposited in my account. I think I will wait another day or two to respond and see if they reverse themselves again.

Still haven’t heard from the meat locker in Olpe. Not sure what is going on there. I will call them Monday if I haven’t heard from them by then. Sure trusting the meat will be ready by Tuesday so I can take Nicole her part of it when I go to KC for the exercise program testing.

No plans for the weekend. I am hoping to get two stay at home days back to back. I haven’t gotten one of those this week and need them. I don’t have to go to town Monday for exercise as we moved it to Thursday. Maybe I will go for a trifecta and get three stay at home days in a row.

It was fun to have lunch with my crew today. I so enjoy any time I can spend with my kids and grandkids. The grands are so grown up and are so well behaved.

I am tired this afternoon. I think if Ellexia wasn’t here I would take a nap. I had trouble finding sleep again last night. Maybe tonight is the night where I can sleep. I never know from night to night how hard it will be to find sleep.

I didn’t get drained while I was in town today which is progress. I hit the traffic construction site at bad times and had to wait for 10 – 15 minutes each way. Sure will be glad when that project gets completed and it only takes the normal time to get to town.

Grateful for time with part of my family today for lunch, grateful Ellexia came home with me to spend the night, and grateful Tagen’s college fees are paid and he is ready to start his second year soon.

I had lots of trouble finding sleep last night. Could not fall asleep easily and if I did, I kept having to wake up to change the dream channel. Rough night for sure.

Took the dogs on their walks one by one this morning. Sophia did her business but Roxy attempted to but couldn’t do it. I felt a bit light headed during both of their walks and that has continued most of the day. This happens to me occasionally- can’t quite figure out why.

The sidewalk guys came back last night and finished up that project. Good to have that done. I am pleased with how they turned out. We can’t pull open the dog pen door but we can push it open. I am a bit concerned that the slope in front of the porch is going to hold water but I will wait until it rains lots to see. I may have to have them come back and fix that.

I went to town for exercise at 2:00. I left a bit early so I could get a load of boxes from McDonald’s for a friend that is moving. I was able to get a big stack of them. I had some extra time so went to Walmart. I am going to attempt to make some aprons and needed a few supplies for that project. I need to go back and get some more fabric but ran out of time to do that today.

Exercise went by quickly today. I have a substitute trainer. He got me started and left me for about 15 minutes and then came back and joined me. He almost did the exercises with me. We visited the whole time and it went by quickly.

I stopped for lunch when I was done with exercise and then went to my friend’s house to drop off the boxes. I came home and have done nothing since. It is hot and humid out this afternoon. We got a bit of rain this morning but the heat has evaporated it by now.

I put a chicken in the crock pot this morning. I’m attempting to clean out my freezer and found one that needed cooked up. I’m not hungry but I’m sure I will eat on it tomorrow. Kathy enjoyed a sandwich she made with it tonight.

Tomorrow I am meeting Tagen for lunch and then we are going to go pay his fall class fees. Most of the fees have already been paid but for some reason he still owes a bit more. He starts class August 12 so it won’t be long for his school to start.

Still haven’t heard from my realtor about the sale of the rental house. We are to close a week from Friday. Trusting the inspections have gone OK and we don’t have to negotiate anything.

Haven’t heard from Ellexia so not sure if she is coming home with me tomorrow or not. If she does, we will have to stop and get her some snack food. I don’t have much in the house to keep her fed. I learned long ago that one of the secrets to having happy kids around is to have lots of their favorite foods on hand and keep them full.

Still haven’t heard from the meat locker about the beef. I sure hope it is ready by next Tuesday so I can take Nicole’s 3/4 of it to her then. If it isn’t ready, I’ll have to make a second trip to KC in August.

Nothing planned for the weekend. I haven’t had a full day at home all week so hoping that can happen this weekend. I do better when I have a couple stay at home days during a week.

Next week I have to go to KC on Tuesday for a mental acuity test as part of the research program I am in. It lasts for three hours and is exhausting to do. I trust I will remember to offer myself some grace and go with the flow and not let it bother me when I don’t do well. I won’t see the score and it really doesn’t matter how well I do or not. I just need to remember that while taking the different tests.

After next week I go down to only two supervised exercise sessions a week and will do the third one on my own at home. I am looking forward to not having to go to Emporia three times a week for exercise. 13 weeks after that I go down to once a week. That will be even better.

I’ve been able to maintain at or above neutral today. Haven’t felt my best today with having low blood pressure all day. Sure wish I knew what caused that to happen occasionally and what I could do to help raise it when it does happen. I have had to be careful when I stand up after sitting for a bit today as I get very light headed. So far, I haven’t hit the ground!

Grateful the sidewalks are done, grateful for the little rain we got this morning, and grateful for McDonald’s fry boxes.

Last night I had trouble falling asleep. Around midnight I heard Kathy going to the bathroom. I decided to get up and go chase the northern lights. Kathy was having trouble sleeping and decided to join me. I put on some sweat pants under my PJ’s and off we went.

I drove us out to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. The night sky was absolutely breathtaking. The Milky Way was on full display. I got a picture of the northern lights but not a very good one. I think we were about an hour too late as they had been more visible earlier. However, the night sky was worth the drive by itself.

We only stayed for about 15 – 20 minutes and then came home. Both of us were able to go to sleep after we got home. Maybe we both needed a taste of the outdoors under the stars. I miss that view!

This morning the sidewalk guys showed up early and did some fill in work around what they poured yesterday. We had a short rain storm come through so the pouring of the cement got delayed a bit. They were able to get it poured later this morning. They need to come back and finish filling in around what they poured today and then they will be done.

I had a pile of branches, etc. in the yard and they offered to haul them off for me. I took them up on the offer. We were going to burn it but it seemed simpler to let them make it go away.

A neighbor next door hired them to make a big pile of rocks he had in his yard go away.

I went out to a friend’s house this morning and helped packed some books. Not sure I was much help but I enjoyed the conversation. Afterwards we went to lunch at the Grand. That is always a nice treat to have lunch with a dear friend.

We got the dogs out to their pen this morning before the cement got poured. We can walk on our sidewalks later today so will be able to bring the dogs back in later today. This morning Kathy took Roxy for a walk and I took Sophia. It was not too hot when I was out walking then. It is starting to warm back up again this afternoon though.

Tomorrow I have to go to town for exercise at 2:00. My times got adjusted as my trainer is on vacation the rest of this week. I hope I remember not to go at noon which is my normal time. I told my friend I would stop at McDonald’s and get a bunch of fry boxes for her while I was in town. They make the best packing boxes and are free.

Haven’t heard from the meat locker yet so my beef must not be processed yet. They said they were gong to cut it this week so will wait till I hear from them to go get it. I have to go to town Thursday and Friday too so can get it whenever they call.

I’m going to a retreat in Sedona in the middle of December. I kinda want to make a road trip out of it but am a bit unsure about what weather I might encounter. It might be best to not risk it and fly. I love New Mexico and want to go visit there again. Maybe I should do that in September and then fly to the retreat.

It is nice to have the sidewalk project all but finished. Trusting the tree guy will get over here soon and finish up that project too. Slowly but surely this place is getting into shape. I am on a list to have my front porch rebuilt and I might have a privacy fence put in this year but other than that I don’t have any other projects planned. Next year I may have a garage built but I want to make sure I am going to stay here before I invest in a garage.

Haven’t heard anything about the sell of the rental property. We are to close August 9 so only have a little over a week before that date. Not sure if the inspections have been completed or not. No news is good news, I guess.

Once it cools down a bit, I have some yard work that will need to be done. I have lots of bare spots in the yard now that I need to figure out how to cover. The whole yard needs lots of work as it has lots of weeds in it. I need to spend a couple days just picking up little broken pieces of glass, nails, etc. out of the yard. Wish I was a landscaper and knew what to plant where.

Slowly but surely this place is getting put in better shape. I’m still very grateful I moved here and am enjoying having less to tend to.

Grateful to have gotten to spend some time with a dear friend today, grateful the sidewalk is all but done, and grateful for the rain we received this morning.

The sidewalk guys were here early this morning. They had some more prep work to do before the cement truck came. They banged on my door at 7:30 so I could plug in their extension cord. I wasn’t up and dressed and ready to go that early. They got their prep work done and then sat around and waited for the cement truck to come. They got over half of the sidewalks poured. They left around noon but then came back and did some more prep work and have started taking the wood sides away. Thinking they will be here early again tomorrow to hopefully finish up.

I went to town around 1:15 for exercise. I got to town a bit early so had time to go through the car wash and get gas before exercise. Did my 40 minutes of exercise and headed downtown.

I stopped and had lunch and then went to the Chiropractor. Stopped by Walmart on the way out of town and picked up a few groceries and came home. My car thermometer said it was 101 out today.

I am going to help a friend out in the morning and then we are going to lunch when we finish a little project. That will make a fun day for me. I love meeting my dear friends for lunch.

Wednesday I have to go to town again for exercise. Thursday I am going back to town to meet up with Tagen and get his college fees paid and then we are going to lunch. Friday I will return to town one more time this week for exercise. I’m trying to talk Ellexia into coming home with me Thursday to spend the night but she won’t commit to coming yet. I’m sure she is waiting to see if something better comes up for her to do. Spending time at Grandma’s house isn’t as much fun when you are 13 as it was when you were 3.

One day this week my beef should be ready and I will drive down to Olpe to pick it up. The rest of it I will pick up when I go to KC next week for my KU mental acuity test. Nicole managed to find buyers for 3/4 of the beef.

I was able to stay above neutral while I was one for over three hours today. I came home feeling very drained though. It is too hot to be out and about today.

Grateful the sidewalk project will be done this week, grateful groceries are restocked for the week, and grateful to be hooking up with a friend tomorrow.

I slept mostly through the little thunderstorm that came through this morning. I heard the thunder a couple of times. Grateful for what little rain we received.

This has been a rest day for me. Can’t say I have gotten a thing done today. I watched a couple of movies and played games on my iPad for most of the day. Nice to have the privilege and luxury to take rest days whenever.

I baked some peaches this afternoon. They are so good I could eat the whole pan. They only have peaches, butter, cinnamon and pecans in them. Sure would taste good over some ice cream but ice cream is not on my list of foods that I eat. This is as close as I get to getting peach cobbler these days.

Tomorrow I have to go to Emporia for exercise at 2:00. I have a few groceries I need to stop and pick up and will go to the Chiropractor after exercise. I might not have to go back to Emporia this week after Monday as my trainer is going on vacation. I’ll see if the backup guy has me come in or not. He isn’t too reliable and even if he schedules, he has a tendency to cancel at the last minute.

Hopefully the sidewalk guy will get the concrete poured tomorrow. It might take him two days to get it all done. Then he will have some cleanup work to do after it sets up. It will be nice to have flat sidewalks to walk the dogs on at night.

Trusting the tree guy will come back one day soon and get that job finished up. That job has turned into a long project. He just has the trees in the front yard to do. He does have to wait for the sidewalk guy to get done before he can get his truck into the yard and do his thing.

I had contacted a guy about building a dog fence way back last May. He told me he wouldn’t be free to do the project until early July. I haven’t heard from him yet so wonder if he forgot or is still tied up. I’m grateful I found some material to make a pen for the dogs and didn’t wait on him to show up. If he does get hold of me, I will have him build a privacy fence by the tree line on the west side of the property. If he doesn’t get in touch, I will wait and do that next year.

Haven’t heard from my realtor about the sell of the house in Emporia. I’m assuming the inspections are being scheduled and no news is good news. We are to close August 9 and that is coming up quickly. It will be good to have that property in new hands.

I will need to get hold of my accountant again after the sale goes through so she can figure capital gains tax on that property for me. I will need to send some tax estimates in so that will be covered. Not looking forward to getting my tax return next year as I have had lots of exchanges going on this year.

I also need to figure out how to change the deed on this house from the rental company I own to my personal property. Since I am not going to build and plan on staying in this house long-term, I need to transfer ownership to my personal name. That triggers another capital gain I think. Yikes! Getting out of rental properties is complicated and expensive.

No big plans for next week. I am going to a friend’s house on Tuesday for a bit and then we are going to lunch. Other than exercise, I don’t think I have anything else on my calendar. I’m sure something will come up sooner or later this week – it always seems to.

Can’t believe August is here this week. July went by so fast. August always seems to be a month of change with school starting and the summer season winding down. I will be grateful when the hot days of summer are behind us. I don’t like winter but I love autumn.

Grateful for a rest day at home, grateful for fresh peaches, and grateful for a quiet week ahead.

Had trouble sleeping last night. I was kinda expecting that after taking such a long nap last night. If I could fall asleep, I would have a weird dream and wake myself up to change the dream channel. Makes for a long night when that happens.

Have done some cleaning today. I wish I could teach the cats to wipe their paws when they are done using the litter box. They pick up the litter with their paws and it gets spread all through the house. The dogs need to learn how to wipe their mouths after they get a drink. Wonder who gives these types of lessons to critters?

Still have some cleaning to do but got a start on it today. With all the sidewalk work going on the dust has come into the house. I think I will wait until after the concrete is poured the first of the week to dust or I will just have to do it again.

I got notice that the travel insurance company needed more documentation to pay my flight cancellation claim. I didn’t react to it the day I got the notice and the next day they sent me notice that the claim has been approved and the funds are being released. I haven’t seen it show up in my bank account yet so I wonder which notice I should respond to.

The sidewalk guy came and worked for about an hour today. He got the back patio ready to be poured. He still has some work to do in front of the house but he said he would have someone work on that while the concrete was being poured. He may have it all poured Monday but may need to come back on Tuesday to finish it. Not sure how long it needs to set before he removes the boards and rebar that supports it. There is a lot of dirt work that will need done afterwards too. Trust that he will finish the job promptly and completely.

Still thinking I will go to Pioneer Bluffs for music tonight but I still have an hour to change my mind. Things sound fun until it is time to go and then they don’t seem so appealing. I must be getting old!

No plans for tomorrow. Hoping I can finish up some cleaning. I need to mop the kitchen floor by hand and get it really clean. I haven’t done that for a bit and the mop just isn’t doing it for me. Thankfully the kitchen isn’t very big so it won’t take me long to hand mop it. I also need to get the freezer reorganized and make room for the beef that will be ready next week.

No plans for tomorrow. It is good to have some stay at home days to totally refill and recharge. I am starting to get restless and know I need to find some things to put on my schedule soon. It is time for me to rejoin the rest of the world in a more productive way.

I had a peach for lunch today and it was wonderful. Most of them aren’t ripe enough yet but this one was perfect. I love to bake them in butter and sprinkle cinnamon on them and add some pecans. The only problem is I can eat too many cooked liked that. I have extra peaches to share if anyone would like some.

Sitting in a good head space today. Things have felt relatively easy for me today. That is always a good sign that I am regulated and above neutral. I am still adjusting to the slower pace I seem to be moving since my trip to Costa Rica. Time is still feeling like it has slowed way down for me yet the month has flown by. Not sure I understand how that works but I like the slower pace and quieter mind.

Grateful some cleaning got done today, grateful the sidewalks will be poured Monday, and grateful for an easy day.

I had a quiet morning at home. I did take both dogs one by one on walks this morning. Both did their business and we came home.

The sidewalk guys were here early this morning. They finally got the Bobcat running and they finished up preparing the sidewalks for concrete. They are to be poured Monday. They are coming back tomorrow to get the back patio ready.

I went to Emporia around 11:00. I had a couple of things I wanted to get done and was hoping to get them done before exercise so I could get home quickly. As I was pulling out of the driveway, the sidewalk boss flagged me down. He asked if I could pay part of the remaining 50% I owe him so he could pay his crew. I told him I was going to town and I would stop and get some cash.

I went to town. I got stopped for construction for about 15 minutes as I was towards the front of the line. Once I got moving, I was able to go almost normal speeds so the drive to town only took the extra 15 minutes.

I went to Walgreens to drop off the heart monitor package to be returned via UPS. Found out they only take FedEx. I didn’t have enough time to go to CVS. The peaches from CO truck was here so I stopped and got a case of peaches. Ouch. They are expensive this year.

Went to exercise and had to wait 15 minutes for my trainer to come as I was early. Wasted my extra time but didn’t have enough time to go downtown.

While I was doing exercise my sidewalk guy called and asked where I was at and why I wasn’t home yet. I told him I had at least another hour or two in town and he said he would meet me in town then. Dang it anyways. I was doing him a favor and he gets like that!

After exercise I headed downtown. I stopped at CVS and dropped off the package. The UPS guy was there picking up packages. I’m not sure if mine went out today or not. There was no one at the front counter when I dropped it off as directed by a sign.

Then I went to the bank to get the cash for the sidewalk guy. It takes the bank about 15 minutes to release cash. I called the guy and told him where I was at and to come meet me there. I finally got the cash and didn’t see him. I went outside and he was across the street. I had to cross the street to give it to him. I gave him about 1/3 of the final payment.

I then went to Bobby D’s and had a salad for lunch. Service was better today and the salad was delicious and fresh.

Came home and was wiped out so I took a long nap. I doubt I need to go to bed tonight but it sure felt good to sleep good for a couple of hours. Going to town seems to drain me fast. Four hours in town is about three hours too much for me.

The only plans I have for tomorrow is to go to Pioneer Bluffs for music at 6:30. We shall see if I go. Going always sounds like fun until it is time to leave and then sometimes I can’t make myself go.

Next week looks like another quiet week with only exercise on my calendar. My trainer is going on vacation and will only be there Monday so there is a chance I will only have to go to town Monday. The guy that takes her place isn’t always reliable and often cancels class.

Feeling my energy levels starting to come back up after my long nap today. Wish I wouldn’t get so depleted going to town. It will help when the road construction is done and the trip to town isn’t so long. I’m grateful July is almost over. That makes me know that this heat wave will be over soon enough too. One more month of heat and then fall will start showing itself.

Grateful for fresh peaches from CO, grateful for long naps on hot days, and grateful the heart monitor is on its way home.

Today is the last day I have to wear the heart monitor. My skin will be grateful to get a break from the tape that sticks the sensor to me. I think I am to wear it tonight and can remove it in the morning. I will get it boxed up and when I go to exercise tomorrow, I will take the package and drop it off at Walgreens.

I walked to the court house and voted this afternoon. I carried an umbrella to shade me from the hot sun. It is a hot one out there today. There was only one contested contest on my Democrat ballet. Most of the positions didn’t have a democrat running.

I cleared off the dining room table this morning. That seems to be my catch all place in this house. It was good to get it off loaded. I also got my desk cleaned off and some paperwork done. I have a bad habit of setting things aside and forgetting to get back to them to take care of them.

I sent an email to my insurance agent and got car insurance for my new car. He sent back the insurance card. I have to wait for the title to come in before I can get the new license tags.

I ordered six meals from a company called Metabolic meals. They came in today. The amount of packaging it takes to keep things cold is troubling. Not sure I can continue to order them. I’ll see how good they are and then decide. They are expensive but about what you would pay for a meal at a restaurant. The ones I ordered are gluten free and low carb.

The sidewalk guys worked again today. His Bobcat is giving him trouble. One of the guys worked on it all morning. They all left before noon and then returned. The guy worked on it some more but had no luck. They are coming back this evening with a mechanic. They have the south sidewalk boarded and smoothed out and ready to pour. They are hoping to be able to get the bobcat fixed and everything ready so they can pour concrete Monday. They haven’t started the back patio – I trust they haven’t forgotten about that part of the job.

It is another hot one today. Not sure it reached 100 but it came close if it didn’t. Next week we are to be above 100 most everyday. Yuck!

I had a fresh tomato out of my neighbor’s garden for lunch. It was SO good but I am paying for it this afternoon. My body does not like me to eat fresh tomatoes. My stomach has felt like it is on fire all afternoon. Small price to pay for such goodness but I doubt that I will eat another one.

Need to get my freezer cleaned out and ready for beef later next week. I am only keeping 1/8 of it and it will all fit on one shelf. I think I have plenty of room if I reorganize things a bit. I always feel rich when my freezer is full of beef.

I finally reorganized the panty cabinet in the kitchen and made room for Kathy to have a shelf for her things. I am embarrassed I didn’t think to do this a long time ago. I have been working hard to decrease my backup supply of things as I don’t have lots of extra room in this house like I did before. I don’t like putting food on the back porch as that room isn’t insulated and things will freeze this winter.

I need to reorganize the shelves above the washer and dryer. I kinda threw things up there when I moved in and haven’t taken the time to put them in better order. I used to buy things in bulk but in this house I don’t have room for that. It is hard to tell what I have right now and I certainly don’t want to buy duplicates.

Tomorrow I have to be in town at 1:00 for exercises. Not sure I have anything else that I have to do. I don’t like going to town for only one thing but sometimes that is the way it is.

Sitting in a good head space today. It felt good to get a few things done and the house back in order. With such a small space, it doesn’t take much for it to look cluttered and clutter bothers me. Things felt easy for me today and it was a good day to get things done.

Grateful I have car insurance for the new car, grateful the dining room table is cleaned off, and grateful for the privilege of voting.

The sidewalk guy showed up early this morning. He wanted to get most of his work done before it got too hot today. They are getting lots done but have no idea how much longer they will need.

I went to Emporia for exercise at 12:00. It took me about 40 minutes to get to town due to the road construction. That makes a trip to town feel like it takes a long time.

I did exercise and then headed down to Jason’s office. I got lucky as he was free and we went to lunch. Service was a bit slow so Jason didn’t get to eat all his lunch before he had to get back to take care of a client.

After lunch I stopped at Walmart and got a few groceries and then came home. It is a bit of a challenge to get in the house with my hands full of groceries with the front sidewalk torn out.

I came home exhausted. I laid down for a bit but didn’t fall asleep but felt a bit more rested when I got up. Being in town for four hours is too much for me these days.

The tree guy was here when I got home. I went out to talk to him but he was high up in his lift. I asked him to come in and talk to me when he got done but he left and didn’t come in. Not sure if he didn’t hear me correctly or what the deal is. The sidewalk guy was gone when I got home.

Nothing on my calendar for tomorrow so I can recharge and rest. I don’t have anything on my to do list so it should be a quiet day at home. Friday I have to go back to Emporia for exercise at 1:00. I don’t think I have any other errands to run so it should be a quick trip to town and back.

I might go to Pioneer Bluffs Saturday evening for the music. I love listening to Annie Wilson and Jeff Davidson sing. It will depend on how hot it is – I don’t do heat well.

My car thermometer said it was 94 while I was in town. Next week the forecast is calling for it to be 103 – 108. It will be a good week to stay inside and only come out if I have to.

I can’t believe July is almost over. It has flown by. Won’t be long before the kiddos are back to school. I need to check with Ellexia and see if she wants to come spend a night or two with me before school starts.

Sitting in a good head space tonight. I have recovered from the exhaustion the trip to town caused. Not sure why it was so exhausting. I’m grateful I was able to refill so quickly.

Grateful to get to have lunch with Jason, grateful the sidewalk project is moving along and grateful the tree guy showed back up.

It has been a do nothing day for me today. I can’t think of a thing I got done today. I have binged watched ER most of the afternoon. I was overdue for a do nothing day and today seemed to fit the bill.

The sidewalk guy showed up a day early. He got most of the south sidewalk torn out. He needs to figure out a place to dump the remains tomorrow. I tried to call City Hall for him but it was just after 4:00 and I got their answering machine. Their mailbox was full so I couldn’t leave a message. He can figure it out tomorrow.

Tomorrow I have to go to town at noon for exercise. I am meeting up with Jason afterwards to drop something off for him. Then I will need to stop and pick up a few groceries.

I did take the dogs on walks twice today. Once this morning and again this evening. Trusting I wore them out and they will sleep good tonight. Kathy also took them on walks a couple times today.

The neighbor that lives behind my house brought over a sack of tomatoes and cucumbers. Yummy! I will have to get some bacon tomorrow and make a BLT. I haven’t had one yet this year.

My head feels empty tonight. I can’t hold a thought long enough to act on anything. It feels good to have been able to slow my head down and give it some space. It feels like I am juggling several things right now and needed to set them all down for a day and let go. The next step in each of them is not in my control and letting go feels like a good reminder. Things do have a way of working out if I can step back and allow them to do so.

Grateful for an empty space type of day, grateful for fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, and grateful the dogs help me get outside and walk.

I wrote my blog last night and then when I went to copy it to Facebook the blog post disappeared. It wasn’t in the trash file of my blog so not sure where it went. I was too tired to rewrite it.

The sidewalk/concrete guy showed up yesterday morning at 8:10. He quickly measured everything I want done and presented me with a bid. He doesn’t take checks so needs a cashier’s check or cash. He can start later this week. The bid was high but I have nothing to compare it to as I can’t find anyone else to do the job. I told him I would get the dollars today and meet up with him.

I went to Emporia late afternoon Sunday to drop off the deposit check for the garage doors for the property I am selling. I stopped and saw Jason for a hot minute while I was in town.

I took both dogs on long walks this morning. I sure am enjoying these cooler temperatures and hope they continue for a bit longer.

Today I had to be in Emporia at 11:00 for exercise. Afterwards I went to the Chiropractor and got my weekly adjustment. Then I walked to a bank and got cash for the sidewalk guy. He came and met me downtown.

I tried going to Bobby D’s for lunch. I sat myself as their sign directed and waited for a few minutes to get waited on. Some people came in after me and they got waited on right away. That triggered my sense of fairness so I got up and left.

Went in the post office and attempted to mail a letter. The line was not moving as both clerks had customers that they were having issues of some sort. I left and decided to try again later.

Drove to Olpe and placed the orders for cutting the beef that Jane dropped off last week. I put 3/4 of it in Nicole’s name and only 1/4 in my name. Nicole has friends that she is splitting it with. The guy made it easy and got that task done. I went to the Chicken House to have lunch but they were closed. They are only open Wednesday through Saturday now.

Came back to Emporia and tried the post office again. Had better luck this time and got it mailed. Decided to go home instead of eating in town.

Stopped at Jacalito’s in Strong City and had lunch. It was delicious and served quickly as I was the only customer in the store.

Came home and took a very long nap. I might not sleep tonight but it will be OK. I was drained and needed some good sleep and didn’t want to wait till tonight.

No plans for tomorrow. The sidewalk guy may show up and start doing his thing but that shouldn’t take any of my effort or time.

I have three more days of wearing this heart monitor thingy. I had to charge the battery for the sensor last night so I left it off all night. I have a rash and blisters under the tape where the sensor attaches to my body. I will be very happy when the day comes I can take it off and leave it off for good. It itches all the time.

I don’t think I have much I have to do tomorrow. My to-do list is pretty short these days. I always have a bit of cleaning to do if the mood hits.

I have been slacking on doing my home exercises lately so need to get back into the swing of getting those done. I am almost halfway through this program and need to find the motivation to finish this up strong. In another couple of weeks I will go down to two sessions a week with my trainer and I will have to do one a week at home plus the two short home sessions I am to do.

My builder sent another email trying to get me to come to the office and talk more about the house plans. Guess he doesn’t want to take no for an answer. I am not going to bother to respond. He didn’t respond or take note of my emails so don’t feel like I need to respond to his.

Sitting in a good head space tonight. I will be juggling the sale of the rental property and managing the sidewalk guy this week but those are both projects that have been on my list and am grateful for movement in them. Slowly but surely things are getting removed from my pending list and getting done. It always feels good to get something scratched off that list.

Grateful to get to spend some time with Jason yesterday, grateful the sidewalk guy showed up and that project can move forward, and grateful the meat cutting orders are in.

I am having an issue with Facebook. They sent me a notice that they deleted one of my blog posts as it violates their rules somehow. Not sure how or why. I asked them to review it and we shall see what happens. Ummm…. The things that make you go WTF?

This has been a quiet day at home. About mid afternoon I realized I was still in my pajamas. I had put some sweat pants on under my PJ’s to take the dogs out this morning and forgot to get dressed. Too late now to get dressed!

I got several little things done around the house. I had a list of things to take care of today and have gotten most of them done. Still have a couple more things to do.

I got an offer on the rental property that was just listed yesterday. The offer is for full listing price and is a cash offer. They want to close in three weeks. They did request lots of inspections so we shall see where this goes. As far as I know the house should pass all the inspections but you never know. I have a bit of negotiating room if I have to fix something but not a lot.

It would be a real relief to have that property sold this quickly. Fingers crossed I can sail into a smooth closing in August. I was surprised to get an offer this quickly. My realtor thought we would get an offer within two weeks but didn’t expect to get a full price offer. You can never count on closing happening as expected so we shall see what twists and turns may be ahead of me.

I had to go out to the shed and find some old papers from when I had the basement fixed on this property. I was able to find what I needed! I need to get out to the shed again and see if I can figure out a better way to organize it and if not, get rid of some stuff in there. I don’t like a crowded space and that shed is over full.

Mid afternoon I couldn’t find the phone that is the data sender for my heart monitor. I thought I had put it in my sweater pocket and it wasn’t there. I turned my chair over looking for it and it wasn’t under or in the chair. I looked all over the house and even went back out to the shed in case I had dropped it when I was climbing over stuff to get to the box of papers I needed. No luck. Then I went to the bathroom and discovered the phone was in my pants pocket. Duh!

Kathy and I decided together we might have one full operating brain. Earlier she had lost the cat food and looked all over for it and then finally remembered she had put it in an empty kitty litter container. Duh!

I didn’t make it to town today. Decided not to make a trip just to drop off a check that will sit in a box until Monday. I have to go to town Monday for exercise and will take it then. Just couldn’t make myself go to town today. I wanted to go to the Spirit Fair but even that didn’t help me get out of the house today.

We had a light rain on and off this morning. This afternoon has been cloudy and only in the 70’s today. It is a nice break from the heat. Kathy said it felt like winter. Not sure it got that cold!

No plans for tomorrow so am hoping it will be another stay at home day. I might remember to get dressed tomorrow but we shall see! Monday I have to go to Olpe to the meat market and give them my orders for processing the beef. I will go to exercise and then the Chiropractor. While I am downtown I will drop off the check for the down payment of the new garage door for one of the rental properties. I don’t think I need any groceries but by then I may need to pick up a few things.

I tried calling the guy I had gotten a lead on that might do my sidewalks. His mail box is full so I sent him a text. So far, no response. I’ll try calling him again on Monday if he doesn’t get back in touch.

Nice to have a quiet day at home. Nice to have a pajama day! One of these days I will start filling up my calendar again but it still feels really good to have lots of alone time at home. I will find something that I can gradually ease into and attempt to come out of hibernation. This down time is giving me time to allow the learnings from Costa Rica to integrate and settle in.

Grateful for a quick offer on the rental property, grateful for a pajama day, and grateful I was able to find the papers I needed in the crowded shed.

Quiet morning at home. I took the dogs on their individual walks this morning. Kathy had left her phone at home so Sophia and I walked downtown and dropped off her phone.

My substitute trainer canceled on me so I will need to do my exercises at home today. I still had to go to town as I needed to meet a couple and attempt to help them solve a problem with their taxes. Not sure I accomplished much when I worked with them today. We kept running into roadblocks with IRS. I brought home some papers and will write some letters on their behalf and see what happens.

I stopped at the grocery store downtown when I was done instead of going to Walmart. I wasn’t in the mood to face Walmart today. The store had what I needed or a close substitute so I got what I needed and came home.

I turned off Highway 50 on V Rd and went south to avoid the road construction. It looks like they are getting close to being done so am hoping only one more week of that to deal with. It makes a long trip to town when it takes 45 minutes instead of the normal 22.

The realtor that is listing one of my rental houses in town called me and asked some questions. The garage door needs replaced on this property and she told me that the garage door people need a 50% deposit down before they can order the garage door. Wondering why my rental property manager didn’t tell me that a week ago? I am so frustrated with the property manager. If this house sells, I will only have one house with her but I may try to find a different property manager. The one I have is incompetent.

Now I will need to make a trip to Emporia tomorrow to give them a check so the door can get ordered. Dang it anyways. I called the owner of the realty group and complained however I am not hopeful that anything will change.

My Camino friends from CA called me today. It is always a treat to talk to them. They lead a very active life and have been on the road lately with lots or reunions and graduations and family affairs.

Other than a trip to Emporia tomorrow to drop off a check, I don’t have any plans for the weekend. I do need to write some letters on behalf of the couple I saw today and see if I can find them some help. Otherwise, it will be a quiet weekend at home.

I drove my old car to town today. I don’t like driving the new car as it has temporary tags on it. I will get insurance finalized next week and get it tagged and then I will start driving it. Kathy won’t need the extra car until September so I will have two cars to choose from between now and then.

Feeling a bit frustrated with the real estate situation. It helps remind me I am doing the right thing to sell one of the properties. I may list the other property soon too. We shall see how the selling of the first one goes first.

Next week looks quiet for the most part. Nothing besides exercise on my calendar so far. I have a few things that I want to get done so may have time to get those projects started.

My brother called me and gave me a lead on a concrete guy that might be able to replace my sidewalks. I need to call this guy and see if he might be interested in the job. Grateful to have a lead. The other lead I got the guy won’t come to Cottonwood Falls.

I do need to go to the meat locker early next week and place cutting orders for the beef that they are processing. I will try to remember to do that Monday after I do exercise.

I am enjoying the slight break in temperature that is happening. It is so much easier to walk the dogs when it isn’t over 90 out. They behave better when it is cooler for them.

Still able to maintain for the most part above neutral. Dealing with the property manager’s incompetence and the roadblocks with the couple I worked with today was a challenge. I did dip below neutral but was able to bounce right back up again. I will take that as a sign of growth and progress.

Grateful to have been in service today, grateful for the realtor I am dealing with, and grateful for my friendship with my Camino pals.

• Wednesday, January 22, 2024
• Tuesday, January 21, 2025
• Monday, January 20, 2025
• Sunday, January 19, 2025
• Saturday, January 18, 2024

This day turned into an adventure. Kathy rode along with me when I went to Topeka this morning to look for a new car. We got to the Subaru dealer and a guy met us at the door. He had the personality of a frog. Kathy asked about her lease and if she could return the car to this dealership. He said no but a person sitting near him said yes.

I then told him I wanted to see a new Forester Limited and a Forester Touring. They had none in stock to show me. I asked when they might be getting one and he turned me over to someone else. She looked it up and said maybe next week but….. Neither one of them seemed too interested in telling us about them so we left.

We got back almost to Emporia and I decided to go to Wichita to see what they had. I offered Kathy to take her home but she decided to ride along.

We got to the dealership in Wichita and a young man approached us. He quickly introduced us to a salesman and told the salesman he would pull up a Forester Limited for us to look at. The salesman had us wait a minute or two and then took us out to the car.

He did a good job of listening to me and not overselling the car. He was tempted to tell me way more than I wanted to know. He showed me the differences between what I have now and the new design of the Forester. I asked about the difference between the Limited and the Touring models and he didn’t think there was enough of a difference for the additional price point of the Touring model.

This salesman was a young man around 37 years old. He has five children ranging in age from 2 to 16. We had a fun conversation with him about the challenges of being a parent and how it changes as we age. He thanked us when we were done for being fun clients for him.

After a bit we went back inside and I asked him to give me some numbers. It looked like it was going to take a bit so we left and went to Chipotle for lunch. We came back and met with the first guy and I negotiated a price. I told him Topeka would take $2,000 off and asked if he would. He quickly said he would check with his manager but expected him to say yes. Maybe I should have asked for $3,000 off.

We agreed to the price and then the fun began. He said he needed to send someone over to confirm I had insurance. The guy showed up and tried to convince me to let him get me some offers for insurance. I have the five houses and now two cars and it felt too complicated to even go there. I politely declined his offer.

Then the first guy came back and offered me some sort of service package. I declined that as it is too far to bring the car to Wichita for things Dieker’s can do here.

We then got sent to the closer. He offered me an extended warranty package that only went to 60,000 miles. I declined and told him that was too short for that much money. He looked up another one for 100,000 miles for only $50 more and I accepted that one. I am never sure if these are good deals or not.

He had me sign 20 papers and then I wrote the check. It took them another 20 minutes to get the car ready for us.

I went back to the salesman and he hooked me up with Starlink for three years. He introduced me to the lady that can explain all the buttons and gadgets. She is to call me in a couple of weeks to see if I need to come back for Subaru School as I call it. We finally got done and got out of there. They didn’t tell me where the car was so we had to hunt it down. Luckily Kathy was with me so she drove my old car home and I drove the new one.

We stopped at the Towanda service area to fill the old car with gas and then came home. I was able to figure out most of the buttons and dials. Kathy asked me if it drove nice when I got home and I told her it started, it drove, and I am home. Honestly it drove like a car should.

The dogs had their legs crossed by the time we got home as we didn’t get home until around 5:00. I hadn’t intended to be gone all day. Kathy took them for a quick pee walk. Then each of us took one of the dogs so they could do their business. I took Sophia and she filled my doggie bag. Kathy isn’t back with Roxy yet.

Buying cars has really changed since 2020. Not sure if the dealership doesn’t have the popular Forester in stock as a way to drive up the prices or what is going on. The dealership in Wichita was to have gotten six of them this week but they got delayed until August 24. You no longer have options to choose from – all Limited models have the same options.

My old car will serve Kathy well and save her lots of dollars. She will turn in her car sometime soon. She may drive it back east when she goes in September and then fly home to KS. She has until the end of September to decide when to turn it in.

When we got home, I synced up my phone to the new car. I managed to do that with no issues. The car charger is a base and I just have to lay my car on it for it to charge. This car also has a navigation system which my old one did not. I like the redesign of the Forester. It was a new design for 2025. This car should serve me for the next ten years at least.

I have been gone all day so got nothing else done today. Tomorrow I have to go to Emporia for exercise in the afternoon. Wonder if I can just talk to the substitute trainer again or if I will actually do the exercises?

No plans for the weekend unless I go in to the Spirit Fair that is happening in Emporia Saturday. The temperature has finally cooled off a bit and it will be a nice weekend to get out and do something as it won’t be so hot.

Grateful I was able to find a new car today, grateful for a salesman that was fun, and grateful Kathy went along for the ride today.

I took both dogs on their morning business walk and both did their thing. I took Sophia first and remembered I had forgotten poo bags. We turned around and went to the front door. Roxy was sitting there. I hadn’t gotten the outside cage door closed properly. Grateful I forgot the poo bags so I came back to the house. Grateful Roxy didn’t run away.

Went to Emporia for my 2:00 exercise class. Traffic was backed up where I get on Highway 50. Found a little opening and got in line. Luckily it was moving the whole time and I didn’t have to wait for the flag man. The line was three miles long though so it stayed congested and slow all the way to Emporia.

I had a substitute trainer today. I asked him if my other trainer had told him I just got back from Costa Rica and that I had done ayahuasca. We started talking as he was curious about my experience. Next thing I knew the video we were to have been doing was done and time was up and I barely did any exercises today. That was fun!

Went to the clinic and had a blood draw to get my thyroid levels checked. They came back at 3.01 which is good. Still just a touch high but close enough to call it good.

The drive home was another slow drive. Again I didn’t have to stop for the flag man but traffic was slow going for the last couple of miles. I turned off at the Strong City cemetery and came home the back road. At least that way I could move at the speed I wanted to and not be in a long line.

Took a nap this afternoon. I fell asleep in my chair and then moved to my bed as my back was sore. Slept some more in the bed. Not sure if I will sleep tonight but it sure felt good to get a long nap. I didn’t sleep well last night.

The couple I have helped a couple times with their taxes let me know they ran into another tax problem. I am going to meet with them Friday after exercise. Trusting I can do something to help them. Things sure don’t seem to go easy for them sometimes.

I am going to drive to Topeka tomorrow to look for a new car. Their prices seem to be cheaper than Wichita. I am thinking I will have to wait for a bit to get one as the inventory levels are so low at all the dealers right now. Wondering if that is the new business model the dealers operate with now.

No plans for the weekend although there is a Spirit Fair in Emporia I might drive in to go to. I would love to hook up with other like-minded people close by.

I had to charge the battery on my heart monitor last night. The phone like device that transmits the data from the monitor kept telling me the monitor was not operating correctly and to fix it or call customer service. I finally had to turn the damn thing all the way off to get it to shut up. They need to have a way to tell the phone device the monitor is being charged so it will shut up. The button to turn the device off is hard to use. It did feel good to change the patch on my chest that holds the monitor. It had been itching and the skin was really red when I took it off. It feels better today with the new patch.

Life continues to have slowed down for me since the ceremony in Costa Rica. I feel myself moving, reacting and living at a much slower pace. I feel the simplicity of my life is really the right thing to do for me at this time. I saw a meme on Facebook today that said “Simplicity attracts wisdom” and that resonates with me deeply.

Grateful for a fun exercise class today, grateful Roxy stayed safe, and grateful my thyroid levels are improving.

It has been a bit cooler today. We had just a touch of rain this morning. I took my car to the station to have the oil changed and walked home. I was glad I had grabbed an umbrella as it started sprinkling before I got home.

The realtor that I am listing the rental house in Emporia came by this morning to go over the contract. These contracts have really changed since I have sold a house. I didn’t use a realtor when I sold the country house. She is going to do a couple things to the house to get it ready to show and hopes to be able to list it by the end of the week.

I walked to the post office early afternoon and took my brother’s birthday package to mail. It is almost a month late – oops! I then walked down to the station and picked up my car. They needed my permission to change the air filter which I gave them. It only took them a minute or two to take care of that. I paid and then drove it home. It is always nice to pick up the car after their service as they vacuum the inside and wash the outside.

I went out to take the dogs for their afternoon walk. They both politely declined my offer. They wanted to come inside and take a nap. Both of them have been rolling in the dirt and need a bath.

Did a bit of housecleaning today. Still have more to do but I think there is always more cleaning that one can do. I need to get a different rug for the living room. This one shows the dog hair too much and drives me crazy. It is hard to vacuum it all up. Their hair is starting to get longer from when I had them shaved the first part of May and they are shedding like crazy right now. Wonder what this winter will be like when their hair is long? Yikes! Not sure I want to know how bad that will be.

Am thinking about buying a new car and then leasing my car to Kathy. Her lease is up in September and she will need to do something different then. She likes my car and it would save her some dollars each month. I may go to Topeka Thursday to look. However, the inventory levels are low at most of the Subaru dealers. From what I see on-line, Topeka is cheaper than Wichita. Wonder why? I have time to wait on one if needed.

Tomorrow I have to go to Emporia for exercise at 2:00. Not sure I have anything else I have to do while I am in town. I may stop at the Toyota dealer and look at cars there. I have enjoyed my Subaru but I always drove Toyota before and want to see what they have too.

We are to get a break from the heat for the next seven days or so. That will be nice! I don’t do well in the heat and will enjoy getting out and walking again if it cools down a bit.

I am working on cleaning up my eating habits since I came home from Costa Rica. The acid reflux thing scared me and made me realize I have to treat my body better and only feed it things that are good for it. So far, I have not cheated and eaten anything containing flour and sugar. I also quit drinking iced tea and have been drinking iced water with lemon. I still have six more pills to take for the acid reflux and so far, so good with no returning symptoms. My cough is getting better so I think between the medication and the change in my diet I am on the right track.

Got a note from my local rancher that she took a steer to the meat locker to be processed. I have 1/2 of it sold and would like to find buyers for 3/8 of it. It will be about $400 – $420 for 1/8 – that is a rough estimate. That will give you about 90 pounds of processed beef. Let me know if you are interested. You can specify how you want it cut if I know by next Monday.

I have lots of free time on my calendar right now. Let me know if I can be of service to you in any way. I do better when I have a few things a week on my calendar and right now all I have is exercise.

Still able to maintain above the neutral level of consciousness. Things that bothered me before seem to not be bugging me right now. I feel more like an observer when they happen and don’t get pulled into the chaos. Trust this will continue. I kinda like it!

Grateful the car is good to go, grateful Gene’s package is finally on its way, and grateful fresh beef will be here soon.

Quiet day at home this morning. I had to go to Emporia for exercise at 2:00. I did exercise with my trainer and then ran a bunch of errands.

I stopped at the bank where my business account is and changed my address. They wouldn’t let me do it over the phone.

I went to the Chiropractor for an adjustment. I hadn’t seen him for over two weeks but he didn’t find a lot to adjust.

I stopped by Jason’s office and dropped off his birthday present. I didn’t get to see Jason as he had a client.

I went to Walmart to pick up a prescription and get some groceries. Got what I needed and went to my car. I put a watermelon in my car and then turned and got some more things to load. The watermelon rolled out of the back of my car and hit the ground. Luckily it only split a bit open and didn’t completely split apart.

Came home and put things away. The watermelon was much easier to cut open since it was split. Maybe I will have to try that trick every time I get a watermelon.

It is hot one today. My car thermometer said it was 103 on my way home from Emporia. The road construction guys had quit working by the time I headed home. It was nice for the drive to take the normal 22 minutes instead of the hour that it sometimes can take when I have to wait for the road construction.

I have decided to list one of my rental houses in Emporia. It is a three bedroom, two bath house with a full basement and is located on West 18th Ave. If you know of someone looking, let me know. The realtor is coming over tomorrow with papers for me to sign so I can list it.

I am working hard to simplify my life. The market is high right now and it feels like a good time to sell this property. The renters had moved out the end of June so I am not displacing anyone. If it doesn’t sell within a month, I will rent it out again.

Tomorrow I need to drop my car off at Dieker’s for an oil change. I will walk home and then walk back up when it is done. I don’t have anywhere to go tomorrow so they can take as long as needed to get it done.

My trainer found someone to cover her Wednesday and Friday so I will have to go to town both of those days. I was kinda hoping I could do my exercises at home but I will go to town. I sure will be grateful when I get to cut down to two days a week of going to town come the middle of August when I am halfway through the program.

Nothing much on my calendar for the week except exercise. It is a good time to stay inside out of the heat. We might get a bit of a break in the high temperatures later this week. They will be very welcome.

We brought the dogs in around noon today. They are becoming sissies and no longer tolerate the heat like they did when I lived in the country. There aren’t as many cool places for them to hide in town. When I took them out at midnight last night it was still plenty warm.

I am still able to hold myself above neutral since I have been home from Costa Rica. When I do drop below, I don’t stay there very long. I’m sure sooner or later it will become more of a challenge but I am going to enjoy it as long as it lasts.

Grateful my errands got completed today, grateful there was not a flag man on the way home from Emporia, and grateful the watermelon was salvageable.

It has been another quiet day at home. It was way too hot to go outside today. I haven’t done anything again today. It is nice to take two quiet days in a row.

My trainer let me know she will see me tomorrow but will be gone Wednesday and Friday. That will be a nice break for me. I’m sorry that it is happening though because her brother died.

I will go to the Chiropractor when I get done with exercise tomorrow as I might not have to go to Emporia any other day this week. That sounds nice! I need to take Jason’s birthday present to him when I go to town tomorrow. It is only a week late but better late than never.

I fixed Kathy and I steaks for dinner and I used the cast iron skillet. They were a bit chewy but OK. I haven’t gotten the grill hooked up since I moved and it was too hot to mess with it tonight.

Life continues to move at a turtle pace for me. The days feel like they are two or three as long. I will need to adjust my mind to this new slow pace and figure out ways to allow this slow pace to guide me and allow it to show me a new way of being.

Grateful for another day at home, grateful for learning about this new way of being slow, and grateful I will get some extra days at home this week.

This has been a do nothing day at home. Other than doing my exercise video I don’t think I have accomplished anything. It was definitely a rest and recovery type of day.

Since I have been home from Costa Rica, time has slowed way down for me. The days feel like they are two days long. I got up late this morning and it still feels like this day has been two days long. Our leader of the retreat told us the pulse of the earth is much slower than we normally go. I wonder if I slowed down to the pulse of the earth rhythm.

No plans for tomorrow. I do have some housecleaning that needs done when the mood hits me. This house doesn’t take long to clean – I just have to get myself started and get it done.

I don’t have anything on my to-do list right now. Not sure if that feels freeing or terrifying. I am ready to take on something new again. It is time for me to get back out into the real world and find something to occupy my time.

I would like to find someone replace/repair my sidewalks. Does anyone know of someone that does that type of work? I would appreciate a lead so I can get that project on someone’s list to do.

The refund from United hasn’t hit my bank account yet. Trusting it will come through next week. The travel insurance website says it takes 3 – 5 days to process a claim and I haven’t heard from them yet. Trusting they will come through next week too.

I finally have my brother’s birthday package ready to mail. His birthday was June 25 so I am very late getting it off. I will walk it to the post office Monday and get that taken care of.

Grateful for a quiet day at home, grateful for an empty to-do list, and grateful for the valley I am walking in right now.

Hot summer day in KS today. It is to be close or over 100 for the next five to six days. Too hot for me!

I got notice that United is refunding the flight that was cancelled. It hasn’t hit my bank account yet but trusting it will soon. They only refunded about 1/3 of the price but at least it is something.

The flight I booked on Southwest by mistake got refunded. Now I am just waiting on the travel insurance to see what they are going to pay out.

I put my heart monitor on this morning. They have simplified them from the last time I wore one. I have had to wear a sweater all day though as I need a pocket to put the phone like monitor in. It kept falling out of my pants pocket. I think I only have to wear it for 10 days but can’t remember for sure.

I got a notice from the Chase County Treasurer that my property taxes were over due. Oh my! I had paid the taxes on the country house early so they would be paid well before we closed on May 3. I went to Emporia and paid the taxes on the rental properties and completely forgot to go back to the Chase County courthouse to pay the taxes on my house in town. Luckily I got it paid before the delinquent payers get listed in the public publication.

As I was going to town for exercise I got a phone call from the back-up trainer to tell me my trainer had a death in her family and wouldn’t be there today. He was going to substitute but had a conflict so I need to do the exercise at home today. I needed groceries so I went ahead and went to town. I didn’t go to the Chiropractor as he is closed between 1:00 and 3:00 and I didn’t want to wait in town for him when I was done buying groceries. I will do the exercises later tonight when I cool down from my town adventure. I hadn’t bought groceries for several weeks so had a long list today and a full cart. I had to get dog food, cat food and cat litter in addition to stuff for me.

No plans for the weekend other than stay inside where it is cool. There is an event at Pioneer Bluffs Saturday that sounds interesting but not sure I want to be out in the heat. I’ll see what my mood is like and decide last minute if I go or not.

Still have a bit of a cough. It goes away for a while and then comes back and I cough lots for a bit. I haven’t had any more acid reflux symptoms but evidently I did some damage to my throat earlier this week and it is still healing. I trust it will go away soon.

Had trouble finding sleep last night. Sophia woke me up at 6:30 as she wanted to go potty. I got up and got dressed and then took her on a mile walk. When we got home I offered Roxy a walk but she declined. I took her for a shorter walk around 9:00. They both did their business this morning.

I am attempting to give up iced tea. I got some lemons and have been enjoying ice cold water with a lemon slice. Feeling a bit like my tank is empty this afternoon as I haven’t had any caffeine since Monday. It will take me another week or so to adjust and then I will be good to go. I am working hard to get back to eating on plan to help avoid another acid reflux flare.

I will be getting a whole beef from my local rancher later this month or early August. I only want 1/8 of it for myself so have lots extra to find a home for. Let me know if you might be interested and I can give you a price estimate. I never know how much it will weigh until butchering day. If I know ahead of time, you can specify how you want it cut. This is grass fed beef born and raised in the Flint Hills and does not go to a feed lot for finishing.

Still finding new ways I am reacting as a result of the plant medicine experience. Something happened today and I was able to pause and then react calmly and not get thrown off track. I love when that happens. Have a feeling I will have many more experiences like that coming up soon. I am definitely feeling more capable of speaking up for myself and that my people pleasing ways have changed.

Grateful groceries are replenished for a bit, grateful the pet food is restocked and grateful my taxes are paid.

This has been a day of taking care of lots of little things. I was behind on my paperwork and needed to get caught up and get my desk cleaned off.

I took my car to Dieker’s to get the tires checked. The guy at the desk looked a little lost when I was explaining the problem. Luckily the owner was there and heard my story and knew what to do. He took my car right back to check things out. One tire was a couple pounds light. He took care of that but didn’t pull the tire off. He said to come back if it happens again and he will pull the tire off. Sometimes when a car sits for a week or more this can happen and it doesn’t really mean anything is wrong. I’m so grateful for small town service.

While I was waiting for them to finish my car I walked over to Prairie Rose and looked at fabric. Fabric bolts remind me of my mother and takes me back to the day when I was young and we would go to a store and pick out material for mom to make into my clothes. I found some lovely material that I got to make an apron. We shall see if I get it done!

I got my suitcase and backpack unpacked and cleaned out. I put my tennis shoes in the washer and washed them. They were beyond muddy and dirty. They didn’t get completely clean but look better. I don’t know if they will be wearable or not but it was worth a chance to try washing them.

I walked to the court house early afternoon to get my car tags renewed. I didn’t qualify for one of the new license plates this year but got the sticker. The young man that helped me was very efficient and quick.

I had been sent a letter telling me I qualified for two years of free identity monitoring due to a security breach. This is the second one I have gotten this year. I had another one that just expired so decided to use this one. I tired 20 different ways to register it on-line but kept getting an error code.

I called the monitoring company for assistance. It took them about 15 minutes to get me enrolled. I hung up but when I attempted to reset my password I got an error message again. I had to call back and they had to delete the old account so the new one would work. I finally am enrolled. That process was way harder than it should have been.

I attempted to change my address with three different companies. One I have to do in person. One had already gotten the change. The other I had to call. I got transferred twice and then the person transferred me yet again and I got cut off. I called back and the same thing happened. I finally figured out the website and did it myself. Dang, it was not easy either.

Dealing with user names and passwords is not my favorite thing to do. There simply has to be an easier way.

A dear friend brought over a cantaloupe out of her garden. I cut it up this afternoon and it is so, so good. Nothing like fresh cantaloupe out of a garden. I ate it and then remembered my acid reflux. Crossing my fingers it didn’t stir that back up.

I haven’t had any acid reflux symptoms today again. I do have a cough that I read acid reflux can cause. My throat and esophagus must be burned a bit and it is going to take some time for it to heal. I didn’t have any problems during the night which I am very grateful for.

This day has felt like it is going on forever. Time is moving very slowly for me today. I have gotten lots done and still have lots of daylight left to do things in.

I was able to stay above neutral all day even with dealing with all the complications of changing my address. I must still be on my Ayahuasca high from my trip! Whatever is helping me stay above neutral, I’ll take! Trust it will continue for a long time.

My heart monitor came in today so I will get that unpacked and figure out how to apply it tonight before I go to bed. I think I have to wear it for 10 days and then send it back.

Tomorrow I have to go to Emporia for exercise at 2:00 and then I will go to the Chiropractor and I need to get some groceries. Anyone know if the Colorado peaches are here yet? Sure would love to get a box of those soon.

No plans for the weekend. It is to be close to or over 100 this weekend so will be a good weekend to stay inside. I have some housecleaning that needs done so may get that done.

Grateful for a productive day today, grateful for my A/C, and grateful to stay above neutral all day today.

Feeling much better today. No acid reflux symptoms today. I have been able to eat and felt good afterwards.

I have to take morning thyroid medication and then wait 30 – 60 minutes before I can eat. For the next 14 days I have to take a pill for the acid reflux 30 minutes after I take my thyroid medication and then wait 30 minutes to eat. Geez!

I went to Emporia at noon for exercise. Luckily the exercises this week were mainly stretches and were easy. I almost didn’t go in but am glad I went. I’m still very tired. I am behind reporting my exercise time to KU. That is on my list to do tomorrow.

I slept the clock around last night. I woke up a couple of times but was able to go right back to sleep. I hope I can do that again tonight and then maybe by tomorrow I will feel rested.

I didn’t do anything while I was Emporia except exercise. I need to go to the Chiropractor but I didn’t make it to town soon enough to do that today. I got delayed with the road construction. My Chiropractor closes his office between 1:00 and 3:00 everyday so I couldn’t go after exercise. Friday I have exercise at 2:00 so I can go when I get done.

Nothing on my calendar for tomorrow so I will get a stay at home day. It is badly needed. I still haven’t fully unpacked my suitcase and put it away. I will get that taken care of tomorrow. I have some paperwork on my desk that needs some attention that I hope to get to.

When I was walking Sophia this morning, we walked downtown so I could pay the water bill. I had until tomorrow to get that taken care of.

Southwest Airlines removed the charges for that flight from my account. I haven’t heard from either United or Priceline about the refund for the return trip. I will give them a week or two before I start nagging them for the refund. I’m sure lots of people need refunds and they are beyond busy right now. I filed a claim with my travel insurance company but haven’t heard back from them either.

I went to a friend’s house for happy hour this afternoon. It was good to touch base with some friends and catch up with their comings and goings. I hope to become more intentional about staying in touch with some friends. I have lots of empty space to do that now.

Able to stay above the neutral level today. I feel myself moving slowly yet purposefully throughout the day. I didn’t get triggered today when something that used to trigger me before came up. I will take that as a good sign that something inside has shifted.

I will continue to offer myself grace and allow myself to get fully home. I have a mountaintop experience and it is going to take some time to integrate it into by beingness.

Grateful the acid reflux has quieted down, grateful for exercise class today, and grateful I have the luxury of going at a slow, quiet pace.

Home sweet home! I finally got home at 4:00 this morning. This trip had a couple more adventures in store for me. I need to remember to be careful what I ask for as I wanted an adventure.

My flight out of Miami finally departed into the air at 11:00. They had some complications with fueling that took a bit to sort out. The good news on that flight was that the flight was only about 50% full which meant we had plenty of room for carry ons and most rows did not have anyone in the middle seat.

We landed and I got to the place to meet the shuttle bus to take me to the parking lot. It took a bit for it to show up so I got to my car at 2:00. There is road construction going on just outside the airport and it took me two tries to get through it and on the correct road home. Thank heavens for GPS.

I stopped at the McDonald’s on the Turnpike at Lawrence and got two iced teas. I needed the caffeine in them to keep me awake for the trip home.

Just outside Topeka the low tire pressure light came on. I wasn’t sure what to do as there aren’t a lot of fix it places open at 3:00 am. I kept driving and about 20 miles down the road, the light went back off. When I am up to it, I will take the car to Dieker’s and have them sort it out. It is due for an oil change anyways.

Walked in my door at 4:00 this morning. It sure felt good to be home. I took a hot bath and went to bed. I hadn’t slept well the last night in Costa Rica and was running on low.

I finally fell asleep around 5:15 and at 6:00 I woke up feeling sick. I had the worst case of acid reflux I have ever had. It felt like I was having a heart attack it hurt so bad. I attempted to vomit but all that came up was sticky acid stuff. I looked it up on line and it said to try some baking soda in hot water. I drank that and about 10 minutes later the pain got better so I knew it wasn’t a heart attack.

I couldn’t lay down so I sat in my recliner and attempted to sleep but didn’t have much luck. Kathy got up and we talked for a bit and about 9:00 I told her I needed to go to urgent care. The pain was still there, although not as intense as it had been, and it was not going away. I didn’t trust myself to drive myself to town as I am going on almost 48 hours with little sleep.

We both got dressed and she took me to town. The clinic was empty so I got right back. The nurse practitioner that saw me didn’t touch me or comment about the fact that my blood pressure was 188/98. She said she would send a prescription to Walmart and it might help if I got some antacids. If things aren’t better by Friday, I am to call my doctor.

We went to Walmart and I picked up my prescription. I also picked up some ginger tea and some antacids and Kathy got a few things she needed and we came home.

I don’t understand how Good RX works. The prescription was going to be $65 with my prescription insurance but with Good RX it was only $15. How come it works that way? I don’t pay for Good RX but most times that is what I end up using because it is much cheaper than what my insurance that I pay for covers.

I am working on doing laundry and getting unpacked but it is going slowly. I had a cup of tea that I added some Manuka honey too and am feeling better. I tried to rest in my chair this afternoon and got a bit of sleep but not near enough yet. I’ll try to stay up now until early evening and then go to bed and hopefully pass out and sleep the clock around.

I haven’t eaten anything today. I decided a day of fasting would be good for me. I think what caused all this is the iced tea that I drank yesterday after not having any for a week. I ate lunch/dinner at the Miami airport sometime yesterday early afternoon and I hadn’t eaten since. I was fed all this organic, wonderful goodness while in Costa Rica and the commercialized American food along with the iced tea hit my stomach the wrong way.

I will be very careful about what I eat tomorrow and trust that the worst of this is behind me. My throat is sore from all the acid and is reminding me to be careful of what I eat and drink. I also have a cough from the burning of the acid that is annoying me.

I have had enough adventure to last me a long time after today. I am welcoming my quiet, boring life with open arms and ready to step back into it.

My real estate property manager let me know that one of the properties needs a new garage door installed. The tenants moved out and evidently had backed into the old one and it is damaged beyond repair. I have seriously been thinking about selling that property and this might make me do it. This particular house has required lots of investment put into it and I’ve just about run out of patience with it.

I am to go to town tomorrow for exercise but unless I am feeling much better by morning may cancel. I don’t have enough energy to exercise right now. Trusting I will get a good night’s sleep and will feel more human tomorrow and will be able to go.

No plans for the rest of the week but recovery. It is going to take me another day or two to get all the way home. I am looking forward to some quiet days at home and things slowing down.

Still very grateful I went on this trip and had such an unexpected adventure. It made me appreciate my quiet life I normally live.

Grateful Kathy drove me to town, grateful to be feeling better this afternoon and grateful to have gotten home safely.

I am sitting in the Miami airport. My flight to KC is on a delay. They are hoping to have me out of here by 10:15. We shall see if that happens.

Happy birthday to my son Jason. I’m sorry I have to miss his birthday this year. I’ll have to catch up with him later this week to celebrate.

United ended up cancelling my flight late last night. I couldn’t rebook until they did that. Nicole looked up some options for me and messaged them to me.

I’m not sure how I am going to get reimbursed for the cancelled flight. I booked through Priceline. They are telling me the refund will come from United and United is telling me the refund will come from Priceline. I’ll figure all that out another day. The flight that United moved me to got cancelled this evening too so I am grateful I found a different airline and option.

There was a Southwest flight that I booked but when I double checked it afterwards, realized I had booked it for leaving from Puerto Rica instead of Costa Rica. The airport code is one letter different. Ooops! Luckily I was able to cancel it and got my money back. Grateful I discovered it before I showed up at the airport this morning and I couldn’t get home.

I then booked an American flight that connects through Miami. Doesn’t feel like a very direct way to get home but it will get me there – sooner or later. The flight from Costa Rica to Miami left on time and arrived on time. We hit turbulence again but only once. The flight attendants were doing the beverage service when it hit and had to suspend it for a bit.

Immigration line wasn’t too bad. The Customs line was long but they rerouted us to a line that felt like it was a mile away and that line went fairly quickly once I got there. The lady at the security line was cranky. She was tired of telling people that the bins were only for loose items and not to put your back pack in them. Most all other security lines want you to put your back pack in a bin.

I got patted down when I went through security. I forgot and used baby powder this morning and the detector always picks that up. She patted me down and released me and off I went. They didn’t open my bags.

I had dinner at a TG Friday. It was OK. They at least had iced tea! I wanted to get one to go but the waiter was really busy and I didn’t ask for one. I had stopped at a Peet’s Coffee place to get one but they gave me iced coffee – yuck!

I still have two hours to wait until my flight departs, if it arrives as they think it might. I won’t get into KC until close to 1:00 now. I will see how tired I am. I may end up getting a room and not driving home tonight. I would like to make it home tonight but not sure I will be able to stay awake to drive.

This trip has been unusually full of unexpected adventures. I will certainly remember this trip for a long time for many different reasons.

It will be good to get home – sooner or later. Grateful that I will have a rest and recovery day tomorrow with nothing on my calendar. It is going to take me a day or two to get all the way home – mentally, spiritually and physically.

Grateful one flight is done and only one more to go, grateful I found iced tea for dinner, and grateful I am almost home.

I am sitting in a hotel room in San Jose, Costa Rica. My flight home tomorrow is to leave at 11:05. There is a hurricane that is to hit southern Texas tonight and tomorrow so it might be interesting to see if a plane can get to Costa Rica from Houston in the morning to pick me up.

I can’t change flights to a different airline until United cancels the flight I am on. I have travel insurance that will help me do that if that should happen. I keep checking the weather forecast for Houston and it doesn’t show 100% chance of rain for tonight or tomorrow except for one hour. Hmmmm…. We shall see what happens.

We left our cabins around 8:20 this morning. We got to the tiny little airport at 9:25 for our 9:50 flight. Almost as soon as we got there they took us to our little plane and we boarded. We landed at 10:00 as we took off at 9:40. This is the first airline I have flown that departs and arrives ahead of schedule.

The retreat leader is staying in Costa Rica another couple of days so we said goodbye to her at the tiny airport. The other two and myself said goodbye at the San Jose airport. Both of them had flights today and were hoping to make it home late evening tonight.

I went to the shuttle bus area and was able to find my shuttle after waiting for a bit. I had been told it would be a blue bus but it was green. One of the guys helping people find a taxi let me know that it was the shuttle I was to get in. He helped me load my bag into the shuttle.

Hotel check-in is not to happen until 3:00 but the lady at the desk recognized me as one of the people stuck in the elevator and she found a room for me right away. That was nice as I really didn’t want to sit in the lobby for four hours.

I came up to my room and took a short nap and then went down to the hotel restaurant and had lunch/dinner. The food was good and the service was nice. Got a big bottle of water and came back to my room.

I went down to the third floor and got a bucket of ice. I had iced tea for lunch. They blended the juice of either a lemon or orange into the tea but it was delicious and oh how I needed some iced tea. It has been a blessing to have iced water this afternoon. I missed ice!

I am finishing up reading a really good book by Jodi Picoult. She has become one of my favorite authors. Her books always have an unexpected twist at the end and I am waiting for that to happen in this one.

Looking forward to getting home, hopefully tomorrow. I am preparing myself mentally that I might not make it home tomorrow but we shall see what happens. This airport is even smaller than Kansas City is and there are not lots of options for flights.

This has been an amazing trip and one I will remember for a long time. I like vacations that are adventures and this one has been full of adventure and unexpected happenings. So far, all is well even with the adventures.

Still shifting through in my head all that has happened this week and all that I learned about myself. I have a deeper appreciation of the quiet, simpler life I am creating for myself. I am grateful I am not in my 30’s and having to figure it all out and balance raising children and healing myself. I have a lot of respect and admiration for the young women I met who are doing just that.

Grateful for this opportunity to have this adventure, grateful I have nothing pressing I have to be home for immediately, and grateful I have travel insurance in case I have to change plans tomorrow.

This has been a rest and recovery day. I had a 90 minute massage this morning from the same lady I had one from Wednesday. She did a fabulous job again and helped me work out the soreness in my body.

We had lunch after my massage and then three of us sat at a table and visited for two hours. It was a delightful conversation with two other like-minded women.

I came to my room when we were done visiting and have enjoyed some quiet time in my room. The only other thing on the agenda is dinner at 6:00 and then we will probably have some sort of closing ceremony.

Tomorrow my flight to San Jose is at 9:50. I will then return to the hotel where I got stuck in the elevator and spend one night before returning to the airport for my 11:00 flight to Houston on Monday.

I got a notice from the airlines that the hurricane may disrupt flights starting Sunday and last for a couple of days. They recommended rebooking to a different airport. They will waive rescheduling fees. The only problem is, their phone lines are backed up with hold times of three hours and when I used the website they have no other options available.

I may or may not get out Monday morning. I am going to check at the airport Sunday when I am there to see if they have any options they can offer me in person. This may get interesting. I do have travel insurance that will pay me up to $300 a day for expenses I encounter if I get delayed for over six hours. This adventure I am on may continue for a bit. Good thing I don’t have anything pressing to have to get home to.

I can also attempt to find another airline that goes to a different US city as the travel insurance will pay for that. Maybe I will get to stay in Costa Rica for a bit longer. Good thing their airport is small and easy to navigate and there are hotels close by.

Not sure I would come back to Costa Rica. It is too hot for me. I am here during the rainy season which helps cool things down each day. I can’t imagine what the hot, dry season is like. I love the flowers and greenery and all the creatures and the choir they sing at night. Just can’t handle the heat, the bugs in the room, and the bugs that bite me when I am outside.

Still processing the healing work I did yesterday. At one point, my inner child came out to play. I had walked up the steps to the bathroom and there were water puddles in places. I had to stomp through them and wanted to stay out and play in the rain. It was fun letting my inner child out for a bit.

I am attempting to not put a story in place about what I was releasing. I learned before that I will find out what I released when something happens and I find myself responding differently than I have in the past. That is how I know my behavior pattern got reprogrammed and I will now behave differently. A story about what I think may have happen feels like I am putting limits on what reality is and closes off new possibilities for me.

When I got something out of my suitcase earlier, I noticed a whole lot of little tiny ants in my suitcase. I emptied it out and wiped out the ants but as I am typing some are coming out of my iPad keyboard case. YUCK! I hate bugs inside. Now I feel like I have them crawling all over me.

Wish me luck for a safe and on time return home. Not sure I want to spend a couple more nights in San Jose or Houston but will deal with what ever happens.

Grateful for a quiet day to recover, grateful for another wonderful massage, and grateful I got travel insurance.

Wow! What a day and what a ride! Not sure I can capture the experience in words.

We left our place around 10:45 to go to the Temple where the plant medicine Ceremony was being held. It was to have started at 11:00.

We finally got started around 1:45. Everything runs on relax time here and happens when it happens, not necessarily at what time the clock says.

There were seven participants, three helpers and the leader. We were in an octagon shaped building that had a fire pit in the middle of it. Each of us had our our own mat, blanket and pillow.

They opened the ceremony with song and prayers and blessings. Then we each went to the leader to be served our portion of the plant medicine. I took half of the small cup. Some took a full portion of the big cup and some took a full portion of the small cup.

After everyone was served we all sat or laid on our mats and allowed the medicine to do its magic. It took me about 15 minutes to start to feel it working.

While we were allowing the medicine to do its thing, the leader and the helpers sang prayer songs that were absolutely beautiful. They called in the angels for us to support us during our healing time.

For me, the medicine did two physical things. I must have walked up to the bathroom at least ten times during the next hour or so. I am ready for a colonoscopy!

I also got the shakes. My arms and legs shook like crazy for what felt like hours but it was probably only 45 minutes or so. I would get a short break and have to go to the bathroom but as soon as I laid back down I started shaking again. At times I had to sit up to allow my head to shake.

The leader came over a couple times to check on me and encouraged me to allow the shaking for as long as I needed to. Like I had a choice!

It finally stopped and this time when I went to the bathroom on the way back to my mat, I went outside and stood on the wet earth for a bit and allowed the rain to cleanse me.

The leader offered most a second cup of medicine. I was unable to stand at that point and was still feeling the intensity of the little half cup I had taken an hour ago.

At some point they offered those that wanted a puff on Santa Maria (cannabis). I was in the midst of my shaking and didn’t notice when it came my way. At that point, I didn’t need anything else in my system.

The ceremony didn’t get over with until 7:45. Some of the group had taken a second full cup as well as something they snorted and it took a bit for the effects of all of that to wear off.

After the ceremony they fed us a delicious chicken vegetable soup with rice, salad and watermelon. After we ate we said our goodbyes and came back to our rooms.

I am exhausted and sore from all the shaking. I have a massage tomorrow morning at 10:30 for which I am very grateful.

It was a totally different experience to do plant medicine with all women and in the daytime as compared to my experience in Peru. I wish every woman could experience a room full of acceptance and unconditional love like I felt today.

I still need to process what all happened and to understand what my healing was all about. I have some ideas but nothing very firm in my mind yet.

Time for a shower and bed. Trusting I will sleep very well tonight.

Grateful for the love and support I was given during ceremony today, grateful for the courage to take the plant medicine and grateful for the women that do this work with such grace and love.

Happy 4th to all. It has been weird to not hear fireworks going off all day. I kinda like it though. Fireworks are not my favorite thing and it was good timing to escape them.

This has been a chill day. The retreat leader and I went to the river near by and sat out for a couple of hours. The other two retreat participants had their massages this morning.

I love being close to water but don’t enjoy getting in the water so I sat on the river bank for the longest time. The song Down in the River to Pray kept going through my head as well as It Is Well With my Soul. Such a peaceful, beautiful spot to sit and enjoy the beauty of nature.

I then went up to the Temple where we are doing ceremony tomorrow and laid down on one of the mats and took a short nap. The energy in the Temple is amazing and it was good to sit in it for a bit before ceremony tomorrow.

We came back to our home base around 12:30 and had lunch. The leader took the other two participants to the river but I stayed behind this time. I needed some quiet time by myself. I have slept, read and rested all afternoon

At some point we will have dinner. It is to be here at 6:30 but sometimes it comes at 6:00 and sometimes closer to 8:00. We are on relax time here so exact time doesn’t happen often. Not sure what the plan is for after dinner. We will probably have a group meditation or something like that.

Tomorrow is Ceremony that is to start around 10:00 and my understanding is it will go through most of the day. I’m sure tomorrow evening will be recovery time as will Saturday. I have another massage scheduled for Saturday some time.

Sunday we fly back to San Jose where I will spend the night at the same hotel I got stuck in the elevator. Monday I will fly home.

The time has flown by. It has been a wonderful combination of busy things and quiet time. Lots of personal learnings for me as well as lots of relaxation time where I had no responsibilities for anyone but myself. I needed that!

Grateful for this opportunity to spend time with like minded women and to allow time for deeper learnings and understanding about myself. I’m looking forward to getting home and putting my new learning to the test of my real life.

Being on the other side of 70 sure makes me realize how lucky I am to be there. I wouldn’t want the struggles these young women are facing. My quiet life in rural America feels even more like heaven after hearing about the struggles some of them are facing. Been there, done that! Survived to tell the tale!

Grateful for a quiet, uneventful day, grateful for the beauty of Mother Nature and the jungle, and grateful for the new friends I am making.

Today has been a blessed, uneventful day – the first one of this adventure. The others in the group were up in the cave until around noon so I had the whole place to myself in silence this morning. It did my soul good to have silence and no one around.

When they all got back we had lunch. They had quite an adventure last night and this morning. We had a strong storm come through overnight and they had to have some people come up with ropes to help them get out and on to the trail to come down. The trail was treacherous due to all the rain that happened overnight.

Both leaders told me today they were glad I had stayed behind as it was very hard hiking today. Makes me feel a bit better for having stayed behind.

This afternoon I had a 90 minute massage. She did a wonderful job and used just the right amount of pressure. Not too hard and not too soft.

We had a nice dinner tonight brought to us again. Afterwards we all opened up and shared our adventures and what our prayer is for ceremony Friday.

I realized by staying behind, I had taken care of myself and let that be more important than inconveniencing the two leaders that had to walk down with me and then walk back up again. A year ago I would have forced myself to go on and would have run into problems this morning trying to come down, if I had made it all the way up.

It feels like a confirmation to myself that I am, after 70 years, learning how to take care of myself and worrying less about what other people say and feel. I will always consider other people feelings and needs but there are times that I have to stand up for myself and put myself first.

Tomorrow is another chill day. We don’t have anything formal on the agenda. I think we are going to some river somewhere unless it is too full of water. We may go shopping a bit if the weather is bad and the river is too high. It only rained for about 30 minutes today which is almost like a day without rain here. Usually it rains 4 – 8 hours every afternoon and evening.

Friday we do ceremony again. This time in a space close to where I am staying so I will be able to go. Saturday is another massage and recovery day and then Sunday we return to San Jose and I fly home Monday.

So many lessons for me already this week. I’m so grateful I came and am having this experience.

Grateful for a quiet day alone, grateful for the four ladies I am sharing this journey with and grateful for a beautiful massage today.