Author: Kay Krause

Had an unexpected guest last night.  The guest that I extended late check-out privilege to had a long day yesterday due to the rain delay.  He decided to go ahead and spend another night.  He came in after I went to bed at midnight.  I had told him I didn’t have anyone needing his room for Sunday night.  I was surprised to see him this morning!  He is a sweet kid and I’m glad he felt comfortable staying another night.

My other guest works for the State Department.  She was most pleasant and we enjoyed visiting with her as we sat in the swings and enjoyed the sunset last night.  She was hoping to see the stars but there was too much cloud cover for her to see most of them.

Both were gone before 10:00 this morning.  I stripped the two beds and threw a load of laundry in the washer then went into town to get some groceries.  The sheets are now drying and the towels are washing.  One more guest tomorrow night then I will have a break from guests for over a week except for my long-term boarder.  After the guest leaves Wednesday I need to hand-scrub that bedroom and bathroom floor. I have two sore knees from yesterday – I rubbed blisters on both knees.  I ended up hand-scrubbing the coffee-room too as it was really dirty.  Still need to do the great room downstairs – maybe I can do that Wednesday after I get the bedroom and bathroom done.

It is nice to have lots of empty space on my calendar this week.  Hopefully I will have some extra energy and get some extra cleaning done for the next wave of guests coming in.  I have three weeks booked already in August.

Got 1/2 inch of rain yesterday afternoon and only light sprinkles this morning.  Every drop helps.  Slight chance of rain yet later today and tomorrow.  I invite the rain to come stay and play on the prairie.

Had to buy store eggs today.  My last guest wanted to fix eggs this morning and I only had one egg left in the basket.  I walked down to the chicken coop while it was raining this morning and picked up another egg for him.  I am fixing stuff for Pioneer Bluffs for Saturday and didn’t have enough eggs for what I want to fix and take there.  Hopefully we will get enough from my chickens so I can have real eggs for breakfast everyday.  The chickens have cut their egg production to about half of what I was getting when it wasn’t so hot.  With the water restrictions I haven’t been running the sprinkler in their pen to help them stay a bit cooler.  My guests sure enjoy eating fresh, country eggs for their breakfast.

I didn’t sleep very much last night so may end up taking a nap today.  I was up from 3:00 to 6:00 this morning and was finally able to get two more hours of sleep before I got up at 8:00.  Getting harder for me to manage my day on only four or five hours of sleep.  It is a cloudy, damp day out and is perfect weather for napping.

Feeling a bit of restlessness for the first time in a long time.  I know what it is from and am using it to remind me to stay present and not get ahead of myself.  Sometimes I am able to stop the monkey chatter for a bit the restlessness causes.  I’ll take that as a sign of personal growth.  My mantra right now is “right here – right now – all is well”.  What more can a person ask for?

Grateful for pleasant and fun guests, grateful for the bit of rain the prairie received yesterday, and grateful for every egg my chickens decide to gift me with.

 

My dad and son guests were on their way back to Tennessee by 6:30 this morning.  Both gave me a big hug before they left.  I have their room ready for the guest arriving this evening.  I hand-scrubbed the floors and have the rugs in the dryer.  Beds are made and toilet swished.  That was easy!

My single guest was up and out of the house by 7:30 this morning.  He didn’t get here until after 10:00 last night.  He is playing in a disc golf tournament in Cottonwood Falls today.  He is coming back late afternoon to take a shower before he heads back to KC this evening.  Since I don’t need his room tonight I gave him special late check-out privileges.

The other two guests left for Mass at 8:30 this morning.  I’m not sure what their plans are for the rest of the day.  I think they were going to go ride the bus at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve at 11:00 so they could see the buffalo.  Haven’t heard yet if the girlfriend is heading back home today or if she is staying for a bit.  They sat out in the swings last night and watched the sunset and then got the telescope out and enjoyed the stars for a long time last night.  It has been a relaxing weekend for them.

Need to do some more cleaning upstairs and I also need to clean the coffee- room downstairs yet today.  I have the essential cleaning done already so what ever else I get done will be a bonus.  Found more dirt than I expected to in the bedroom so I must be overdue for a good cleaning in the rest of the house.

Have a friend of Kathy’s coming in for Tuesday night than I have a ten-day break from other guests except for my long-term boarder.  It will be nice to have a break.  I don’t really have anything much on my calendar but am feeling the need to be able to completely relax and not be “on duty”.

I am going to KC Friday to have lunch with some dear friends and do a Costco run.  Saturday I am volunteering again at Pioneer Bluffs for a concert.  I am making chicken salad, potato salad, broccoli salad and a fruited cabbage salad for the dinner we are serving prior to the concert.  I booked the weekend off so I wouldn’t have to work around guests.  I haven’t cooked much for the last five months so wish me luck!

It has felt good to move my body today and clean the house.  I have been sitting way too much lately.  Finally feeling good again today and have more energy than I have had for the last couple of days.

Got two more sets of tea towels pressed and tied and two more sets stamped.  May need to get some more embroidery thread soon.  I still have a lot but not two of the same color.  Good thing embroidery thread is cheap.

Best get back to cleaning before I lose my motivation to get it done!  Gotta strike while the iron is hot!

Grateful the guests are out of the house and the bedroom is cleaned, grateful for the energy to get some cleaning done today, and grateful for the hugs I got from three of my guests today!

Quiet day at home.  All four of my guests were up and out of the house before 7:30 this morning.  I didn’t hear the dad and son come in last night nor did I hear them leave this morning.  They are going to be exhausted as they had been out in this heat all week and staying up late and leaving early every day.

I have the two bedrooms and bathrooms refreshed.  Just waiting on the last load of towels to dry so I can get them put away and then the rooms will be ready for them all to return.  Not sure what their plans were for the day.  It rained a bit last night and so far it is nice outside.  Still have a chance for a bit more rain but not looking very likely at this point.  Only got 1/4 inch but I will take every drop I can get.

Have a guest coming in this afternoon for one night.  He is a returning guest and it will be fun to see him again.  Have another guest coming in tomorrow night for one night.  The dad and son leave tomorrow morning to head back to Tennessee.  I will have lots of cleaning to do in the morning.  The basement is pretty dirty.

I crashed last night and got more sleep than I have been getting.  I woke up a few times but was able to go back to sleep rather quickly.  Nice to get a good night’s sleep without taking a sleeping pill.

I didn’t feel very good last night.  I was bloated and gassy which is unusual for me.  Not sure what caused it.  I feel a bit better this morning but still not back to my new normal level of energy.  May need to move my body a bit and see if that helps.  I don’t have much motivation to do so however.  Maybe I can find some soon!

Have two more tea towels to finish and these two sets will be done.  May get them done today and two more sets stamped.  They have been my saving grace this summer as I feel like I get something done but don’t have to expend a lot of energy to do them.  I knitted during the meeting yesterday.  Finished a shawl and started a wash rag.  Had to rip out the wash rag as I dropped a stitch and couldn’t seem to get it picked up.  I wasn’t too far along and it was easier to start over than mess with it.  The tote in my closet is full of shawls and blankets and I don’t want to start a second one.  Need to find a home for them somehow.  Not to mention finding a home for all the tea towels I have made.

Still feeling a bit unsettled and ungrounded today although I am better than I was yesterday.  I keep coming back to my breath and centering myself when I catch my mind wondering down a lane I don’t want to go.  Playing the “what if game” is pretty pointless until I know something for sure.

Grateful for the bit of rain that fell on the prairie overnight, grateful for tea towels to embroidery, and grateful for sleep!

Cleaned the laundry room this morning and found way too much dirt.  I can’t remember when I last cleaned it – obviously I had waited too long.

Went to the board meeting at Pioneer Bluffs this afternoon.  Lots of things happening there right now – the board has really gotten engaged and are doing lots of work behind the scenes.  I did a much better job staying quiet today.  It was fun hearing all the committee reports and what all is happening.

Over 100 degrees out again today.  I was surprised how green the grass was at Pioneer Bluffs.  My yard has been burned up for weeks.  Their grass is still green and growing.  They have had lots more rain than I have gotten.  I do have a 50/50 chance for some rain tomorrow and the high is only going to be 90.  I will welcome every drop that comes my way.

My long-term boarder’s girl friend came this afternoon while I was gone.  I had told him to tell her to come on in and make herself at home.  They are resting so I haven’t got to meet her yet.  Not sure how long she is staying.

My little guest that is playing in the disc golf tournament had a good day yesterday.  I hope he places in the money today.  He is such a cute kid.  Lots of pressure to play in a big tournament like he is in.  He told me he had fun yesterday which is the important thing.

I took a nap yesterday so had trouble falling asleep last night.  Finally took a sleeping pill around 1:30 and got a couple of hours of sleep after that.  I could fall asleep right now if I would let myself.  Will try to stay up until at least 9:00 tonight so I can break this cycle.  Sure wish sleep wasn’t so hard for me.

Feeling a bit unsettled and ungrounded today.  I know what is causing it and I just need to keep reminding myself all is well and allow things to be what they are.  Need to stay present and not look ahead of myself.  Sometimes that is easier said than done for me.

Have a guest coming in tomorrow for one night and then another one coming in Sunday night for one night.  The dad and son check out Sunday morning.  Guess I will be doing lots of laundry and cleaning this weekend.  Kathy has a friend coming in Tuesday for one night.  After that I don’t have any guests for over a week except for my long-term boarder.  It will be nice to have some down time from guests.

Grateful for all the fun stuff that is in the works at Pioneer Bluffs, grateful for having a clean laundry room, and grateful all is well on the prairie today.

 

Have my to-do list done for the day.  The two bedrooms and bathrooms are refreshed.  Went into Cottonwood Falls to go to the bank and get a cashier’s check to pay my share of the Australia and New Zealand trip.  Went to Walmart and got cat food and lettuce. I vacuumed the steps leading to the basement.  Nothing else on my list for the day so guess that means I get to play the rest of the day.

Had an interesting couple of conversations regarding my hay yesterday.  My neighbor has burned it every spring until this year.  Not sure why he decided not to do so this spring.  As payment for burning it I gave him my share of the hay.  Since he didn’t burn it this year I decided to find someone else to cut it and take the hay in exchange for a promise to come do the burn for me next spring.  At the Moon Rising Party a local rancher that came to the party knew of someone who he thought might take that deal for me.

Yesterday someone was cutting my hay.  The rancher happened to be driving by and stopped to make sure the guy he had talked to about doing the job had gotten hold of me.  The guy had not.  Come to find out my neighbor had given the guy that cuts his grass permission to cut my yard.  The rancher talked to the guy cutting the grass and the rancher is now going to take my hay and will come burn for me next spring.  The guy doing the cutting will haul the hay to the rancher’s place.

My neighbor called me last night.  It was an interesting conversation to say the least. He had forgotten I had told him I was going to find someone else to cut and bale this year.  Oh well, it got cut and is going away and I have someone to burn next spring.  It all ended well.

Roxy had gained 15 pounds from her last year’s check.  Thinking not running the neighborhood is causing her to gain weight.  She behaved herself and was fairly easy to manage taking her in and out of the Vet’s office.  I did have to lift her up to get her in my car to take her to town.  She now weighs 80 pounds so that wasn’t something I would want to do everyday.  She got right in the car for the trip home.

I had to get HeartGuard and tic medication for both dogs this visit.  That stuff is expensive!  Spent almost $500 between the cats shots and medication and Roxy’s shots and medication for her and Star.  There goes my profits for the month.  Star went in January so I am set for the rest of the year except for tic medication for all four in October.

Still have an open week in July with no bookings other than my long-term guest.  I think I am going to block those days off and take some time off.  I am struggling a bit with keeping myself grounded and have a feeling of being unsettled.  I think I need a short break to see if that helps.  I have three weeks booked in August and won’t get much of a break then.

This heat hasn’t helped as I don’t go outside much.  Now that my yard is cut and baled I need to get out and do the hard mowing which is the areas in the very front yard the tractor couldn’t get to.  It is way too hot to do that mowing right now unless I am up and at it by 6:30 each morning and quit by 8:00.  I’ll see how next week unfolds and see if I can get out and get it done early in the day.

They were able to bale the grass today and they only cut it yesterday.  Usually it has to dry longer before they can bale it.  My yard looks completely yellow where they cut.  No green left in it to be found.

Have a meeting at Pioneer Bluffs to go to tomorrow afternoon.  Only have two more meetings after this one and my time on the board will come to an end.  I am not going to renew my term.  Board work is important work for a non-profit but it isn’t something I enjoy so I am not going to do more of it.  I like jumping in and jumping out on short-term volunteer projects and not knowing all the stuff that happens behind the scenes.

Grateful the yard is cut and baled and the hay is going away to someone who will burn my pasture next spring, grateful my to-do list is complete for the day, and grateful I can book myself time off when I feel the need to do so.

 

 

I am in a cranky mood today.  I finally fell asleep around 1:30 this morning and slept hard for five hours.  Maybe I got too much sleep?  May put myself in time-out and go back to bed for the safety of me and those around me.

I am taking Roxy in for her annual visit to the Vet this afternoon.  Trusting I can corral her and get her in the car.  She can be hard to handle at times.  Maybe since it is going to be hot again today she won’t have enough energy to fight with me.

Two of my guests are still here this morning.  The kid plays his first tournament at 2:00 this afternoon.  Both he and his dad are extremely nervous and a bit wired today.  They are out in the back yard warming up.  Dad brought a disc golf basket they are shooting at.  I wanted to tell Dad he needs to keep calm as the kid will feed off of him but it really isn’t my business to do so.

A friend sent me an email today wanting to do lunch sometime in August.  I talked her into coming out and spending a night during the Persoid Meteor Shower instead.  I love visiting with her and it will be fun to have someone to watch the Meteor Shower with.  Trusting the skies will be clear and we can see lots of them.  Two years ago I had a retreat designed just for Meteor Shower watching and it was an amazing night.  We saw one about every 30 seconds all night long.

Need to get up and move my body and work off some of this tension I am holding.  This week has had two surprises for me and I need to release them and remind myself all is well.  Sometimes it can be hard to hold my ground and center when life happens.  Allowing myself to feel what ever is coming up and staying present with what is.  And this too shall pass!

Grateful for a friend that is coming to visit in August, grateful for the work I have done with myself in the past so I know how to handle myself when life’s surprises happens, and grateful for a house that needs cleaned so I have a reason to move my body!

Have the two bedrooms refreshed and ready for the guests to return later this afternoon or evening.  Need to do some cleaning of my part of the house but not in the mood to do so – yet.  Maybe I can find some motivation to clean later today.

Got the two finished sets of tea towels pressed and tied and two more sets stamped.  Have three of seven of the first set completed.  So glad I have these to work on to keep my hands busy during this hot summer.  Sure haven’t had to do much mowing this year.

I am taking the cats to the Vet for their annual shots and check-up this afternoon.  Miss Ellie is so big it will be a challenge to get both of them in the small pet carrier.  I’ll have to go back to the Vet later this week or next to take Roxy in for her annual check-up and shots.  The cats and dogs need their tic medication this month too.  Good thing I have had some guests this month so they can help pay the vet bills.

Today is 150 days on Bright Line Eating Plan.  Tomorrow will be my fifth month anniversary on it.  I have lost 33 pounds so far – only 8 to go.  I went almost two weeks before I finally released a pound this morning.  At this rate it may be Christmas before I reach goal weight – if then.  Oh well, nothing changes much when I get to goal weight so it will be what it will be.

I will have to go shopping for some new clothes when I hit goal weight.  I don’t like shopping and I hate trying on clothes.  Anyone a fashionista and want to go help me?  I tend to buy the same old thing every time I shop.

Have been working on identifying myself as a person who has a right-sized body.  I still don’t see the weight loss in myself except occasionally.  I know other times when I lost weight I was so uncomfortable being thin that I regained the weight so I would feel more like myself.  I don’t want to do that this time so have been doing some reading and work on myself to accept myself as a person who has a right-sized body.  It changes a label I had identified as “me”.  Not sure I can fully claim being a thin person yet but am closer than I have ever been before to stepping into that and accepting it.

I have been able to identify myself as a person who no longer eats food that contains any sort of sugar or flour.  I also identify as a person who avoids processed foods. That makes it easier to resist them when they are offered to me.  Most people understand food allergies these days and I just say I have a food sensitivity to flour and sugar.  Not sure everyone understands it but most do.

Chase County is now in a burn ban until further notice.  We are also on water restrictions and are being asked to reduce as much water usage as possible.  This drought is starting to get serious.  No rain in the ten-day forecast and temperatures are to remain in the mid to upper 90’s for the foreseeable future.

Tomorrow is the drawing for a free night stay for two people at Starry Night on the Prairie.  To enter the drawing you need to go to the Starry Night on The Prairie Airbnb Web site and like comment and share the Airbnb link post.  This post has had more people look at it than any I have ever posted before.  Last count over 4,000 people had seen the post.  Thanks to all that shared it to help me get the word out about my Airbnb.  Business has been much heavier than I expected.

Grateful for Vet’s that take good care of my critters, grateful for 150 days of eating on the Bright Line Eating Plan, and grateful for all my friends that shared my Starry Night on the Prairie Airbnb website link on Facebook.

Both sets of guests showed up around 9:00 last night.  I sat at home all day for nothing!  One of these days I will learn to continue to live my life and not let my guests dictate what I do.   Didn’t do that yesterday but maybe I will remember to do so this weekend when more guests are checking in.

All three of them are out and about today and I don’t expect them back until late afternoon.  Nice to have an empty house during the day.

My long-term renter’s girl-friend is coming Friday and both of them are staying the weekend.  I think the plan is she will go back to MO either Sunday or Monday but their plans seem to change quickly.  Good thing I didn’t rent out the queen bed room for the weekend.  He ask if she could bring his dog with her.  I told him we could try it and see if it works.  The last time a guest brought a dog it didn’t work so well.  Maybe this one won’t piddle on my floor and bark all the time.

Went into Emporia this morning to get some groceries.  I picked up some jelly jars so I can make peach jam when the CO peaches come the end of the month.  I won’t eat it but I like to gift it to special friends.  I love making jellies.  Something so satisfying when the lids pop and seal.

I have the two rooms refreshed and laundry done and put away.  Running the second load of dishes for the day.  When five people eat and cook it creates more dishes than I am used to.

Almost have the last tea towel in another set done.  I will need to stamp two more sets this afternoon when I get it done and get these two sets pressed and tied.  I ask myself each time if I want to make more or not and so far the answer has been to make more.  They are piling up quickly.  I dropped my favorite needle yesterday and can’t find it.  I remembered to pick up some new ones at the store today.  My fingers are sore from adjusting to the different needle I have been using the last two days.  Trusting one of the new ones will work.  I have to get big eye needles as I have a hard time threading the needle.  I like a sharp point on the needle and sometimes the big eye ones are dull.

Should probably find something productive to do.  I have been sitting too much doing embroidery work.  My back has been getting sore from sitting so much.  Too hot to go outside and do anything and I haven’t been in the mood to clean.  The dust is thick again as it is so hot and dry outside.  I have made peace with the dust and almost don’t even notice it anymore.  You could write your name in the dust on my coffee table today – and probably on the floor too.  May be time to clean it up!

Getting into more of a rhythm with hosting.  Feeling more relaxed with each set of guests that comes.  Still can’t quite do my “normal” thing when guests are in the house but working my way towards that.  I don’t want to cross the line where I don’t keep the house really clean for my guests either.  It would be easy to slip into that mode.

Grateful for peach season, grateful for fresh peaches, and grateful for tea towels to embroidery so I feel like I am accomplishing something!

 

 

 

Happy birthday Jason!  You started out huge at over 10 pounds and have lived a huge life ever since.  Enjoy your day and many more years to come.

My guests checked out around 10:00 this morning.  Have the sheets in the dryer and the second load in the washer.  Haven’t heard from two of my guests as to what time they might be arriving.  The other two will be here around 3:30 or 4:00.  Should have plenty of time to get the two bedrooms cleaned and flipped before the guests get here.

My guests last night really enjoyed sitting out in the swings watching the sun set and the stars pop out.  The man knew quite a bit about the stars and enjoyed using my telescope to get a good look at the three planets he saw.  We enjoyed watching the Cottonwood Falls fireworks from the deck.  Several other people were shooting off big fireworks too so we watched those for a bit.  The family had s’mores before they came in.  The dogs and cats got lots of extra pets and hugs from the mom and the son.  They both volunteer at an animal shelter in KC once a week and love animals.  Not so sure the dad was as fond of animals as his wife and son are.

Once I get the rooms flipped and the guests checked in I have nothing on my to-do list for the day.  Loving all the empty space that has opened for me lately.  I had been missing it.  I am so much more grounded and happy when I have lots of empty space.

Haven’t lost any weight for 11 days.  I wonder if I will be able to lose the last 10 pounds I wanted to.  I would be OK if my body decides to stop where it is at now.  With my thyroid missing and my metabolism running very slow I don’t think I will get to add food in so I can stop the weight loss.  Time will tell I guess.

Had a power surge and lost what I had written. Guess that means it is time for me to stop writing today and go enjoy my empty space.

Grateful for having guests coming – even if it means more cleaning and laundry, grateful for the weight I have already lost, and grateful for the power returning quickly so the house will stay cool and I can get my laundry done.

Quiet morning at home.  My guests are on their trail ride at Flying W Ranch.  Kathy is at Pioneer Bluffs giving a tour.  It is nice to have a quiet, empty house this morning.

I have an issue I need to figure out how to deal with.  For some reason I have a strong, negative reaction when my guests get into my personal refrigerator.  Not sure why it triggers something in me.  I heard my guest this morning getting ice out of my freezer at 6:00.  I have a bag of ice in the guest refrigerator downstairs he could have used.  It really started my day off on the wrong foot.  Wish I could figure out why this little issue triggers me so much.  I tell my guests when I check them in  that my refrigerator is off-limits.  Some guests honor that but others don’t.  It doesn’t feel like it should be such a big deal – I share the rest of my house with no issues.  One of those things that make me wonder about myself!

Got invited to go to the lake tomorrow.  I have to flip two rooms so need to stay home and get that done.  Sometimes it sucks to work!  I still have trouble thinking of what I am doing is work – except when someone invites me to do something fun and I have to stay home to do laundry, clean and check-in guests.

Going to be yet another hot day on the prairie today.  No relief in sight as the ten-day forecast has all 90 degree plus days on it.  No chance of rain soon either.  I can’t remember a summer that has been this hot for so long.  Guess we were overdue for a hot one.  Wonder if that means we will have a long, cold winter?

I am having trouble accessing my Airbnb calendar so I can check availability and block some days off for me.  I switched to guest and checked the calendar and it is showing I am fully booked beginning in August forward.  I thought it was strange I hadn’t gotten any more bookings.  I just sent a note to support to see if they can help me.  I haven’t accessed support before so trusting they will be able to resolve it easily.

My mind is so quiet and empty today I can’t hang on to a thought long enough to capture it.  Good thing I don’t have a busy day as I’m not sure how productive I could be.  Good day to sit and be!

Grateful for a quiet morning at home, grateful for tea towels to embroidery so I can keep my hands busy, and grateful for the fan blowing cool air on me today.

Went into Emporia this morning to pick up a prescription and some batteries for my bathroom scale.  Stopped and got a pedicure while I was close by.  She didn’t do a great job but my feet aren’t as rough as they were.  Maybe if I had a pedicure more than once a year they wouldn’t get so rough.

Made an appointment for next Tuesday to take the cats in for their annual vet visit. While I am at the office I will need to make an appointment to take Roxy in for her annual visit.  Decided not to try to take Roxy and the cats at the same time.  There is a limit to my madness quota.

Got my Visa for the Australia trip.  Nicole had reminded me yesterday I needed to take care of that.  Their website was easy and I got notification right away that I am set and ready to go.  It is a paperless Visa that is accessed via my passport records by Immigrations in Australia.  New Zealand doesn’t require one.  Now I need to transfer some funds from savings to checking so I can pay the balance of the trip.  It is due August 1.

Signed up to have access on-line for my new prescription and medical plans.  Now to remember user names and passwords!  Still not sure how my prescriptions get transferred to the new insurance but I refilled all of them this week so have some time to figure that out.  I will set an alert on my calendar extra early when it gets close to getting them refilled again so I have time to get refills of everything.  Still trusting that I can get off of some of my medication when I go see the Cardiologist in August and my family Doctor later this month.

Kathy cleaned out the chicken coop for me today.  She said she had been out exercising and was hot and sweaty so decided to go ahead and get it done.  I was up early enough to go out and do it this morning but decided to listen to a Webinar for a class I am taking and forgot about going out and cleaning the coop.  Thanks Kathy – I appreciate you!

Realized this morning it has been a bit since I changed the sheets on my own beds.  I make so many beds I forget the beds I am making and changing sheets on is not my own.  I love fresh linens on a bed.  Think I will treat myself today and get them washed up.

So far I have a very light schedule next week.  I will have three guests in the house all week next week but other than freshening up their rooms daily I don’t have much on my calendar.  It will be nice to have a quiet, slow week.  Feels like a long time since I have had empty space several days in a row.  Sunday will be busy as I have to flip two rooms but thankfully the guests coming in Sunday afternoon are both staying all week so I won’t have to flip the rooms again until Friday and Saturday.

My handyman is picking up the doors I ordered tomorrow and will stop and get the glass pieces and quarter-round on his way home.  I am getting excited about seeing the stained glass pieces up.

My other handyman has not come back yet to finish staining and installing the baseboard in the basement.  He put the piece in and said he would be back within a couple of days and finish it.  If he doesn’t come this weekend I’ll have to call him Monday and remind him to come finish the job.  I have already paid him for the work – thinking I should have held part of it back so he would have some motivation to come finish the job

Saw a beautiful rainbow last night.  We missed the pop up showers that were all around me.  The consultation prize of a rainbow is beautiful but I really need the rain.

Considering biting the bullet and ordering some sort of shades for the west windows in the living room.  I need to do something to reduce my electric bill.  Anyone have any expertise in shades and or blinds and want to advice me?  I haven’t done so before because I don’t know what I am doing and don’t want to ruin the look of the windows by getting the wrong thing.  Thinking they might have to be custom ordered due to the size of the windows.  I don’t want to order the wrong thing and be stuck with them because they were expensive.  Are their companies that would come out and measure them for me and help me pick out the right thing?

Still staying in my peaceful valley.  Had one day last week where I was grumpy and felt like I took a quick dip in the muck pond.  I was able to recognize I had fallen in and was able to regroup and get out of it quickly.

Grateful for kinda smooth feet, grateful for easy on-line access to get a Visa and information about my medical plans, and grateful for a clean chicken coop.

 

 

 

It has been a productive day for me today.  Got up at 6:30 and went out to mow.  Finished up around 8:30.  I couldn’t tell where I had mowed on the outer parts of the yard and decided not to go all the way to the edge like I normally do.  The yard looks better.  I found some grass that needed mowed – most of it is dust piles.

Went into Emporia with Kathy to get some groceries.  Remembered to get the girls a watermelon.  They need the extra fluid during this heat.  They love watermelon!

Went into Cottonwood Falls and got my driver’s license renewed.  Got to drop my weight for the new license by 60 pounds from the one I had gotten two years ago!  I had to take my passport, social security card, birth certificate, and an electric bill that proves my current address.  I will receive the new Real Driver’s License in about two weeks.  Wonder if I have to take the same documents next time when it is time to renew?  I’m glad I had changed my name back to my maiden name or I would have had to take a marriage license too.  I’m grateful the Chase County Treasurer could take care of it for me so I didn’t have to wait in line in Emporia.  Sometimes living in a small town pays!  No wait today.

Got the guest bedroom and bathroom cleaned and ready for the guests coming tomorrow.  Made the bed and swished the toilet.  They won’t get here until around 6:00 tomorrow evening so have all day tomorrow free.

Almost have the last tea towel in another set done.  I’ll stamp two more sets when I get this last one done.  Still enjoying making them so I will make some more.

Watched some fireworks around the horizon last night.  I enjoy them more from this distance rather than being around the loud bangs and pops.  Chase County is doing their display Saturday night followed by a street dance in front of the Courthouse.  I’ll have to remember to tell my guests about it as I bet their children would enjoy going to it.  Doubt if I go in.

I may go into Emporia tomorrow and get a pedicure.  My feet are rough and cracked.  They are catching in the sheets when I roll over at night.  I have been working on them to sand them down but they need some serious work done to them.  Anyone want to go with me tomorrow and get a pedicure with me?

If I wake up early again tomorrow morning I want to get out and clean out the chicken coop.  It is due for it’s monthly clean out.  Way too hot to do it in the heat of the day.  It was nice out this morning mowing as it didn’t warm up until around 10:30 or so.

I have enjoyed my empty space day with no guests checking in or out today.  I’m glad I have guests coming back though as I only need one or two days every so often with nothing on my calendar.  I can relish them more when they aren’t a daily occurrence.

Grateful for the ease I was able to get my driver’s license renewed, grateful the yard is mowed and I was able to get it done before it got hot, and grateful for this empty space day!

 

My guest checked out around 10:00 this morning.  She was a very pleasant guest.  I enjoyed the short visit I had with her this morning.  Found out she is 38 years old.  She looked like she was in her early 20’s.

Drove to Manhattan today to visit some friends.  I stopped at the Home Depot to look for oak quarter-round.  I found some that is 1/2 x 3/4.  I got enough of it in case it works.  I think it will work better than the 1/4 x 1/2 I had found in Topeka.  This is real oak and not polyurethane like the stuff I got in Topeka.  The strips were 13’ long so had to drive with my passenger side window open so they could stick out.  Stopped at the grocery store and found some cable ties to secure them a bit so they wouldn’t flap around in the wind on the way home.  It worked and I got them home with no worries.  If these pieces of quarter-round don’t work I give up.  I did hear back from the lumber yard in KC I had asked about them and they told me they didn’t have the right knife to cut them for me.  6 trips to the Hardware so far and I will have at least one more to return one or the other pieces of quarter-round.

Had a nice visit with my friends.  They are getting ready to go to Maine to their summer place.  I’m going to try my best to get out there to see them for a few days this summer.  I had planned on driving and taking a long road trip but with the trip coming up to Australia I decided I couldn’t do both.  I may fly out for a few days now instead.  I’ll see how booking go and if I can find five or six free days to get away.

Tomorrow I have absolutely nothing on my calendar.  No one checks in or out.  I will enjoy my day off!  I do still need to clean the room the guest checked out of today as I haven’t gotten that done yet.  More guests are arriving Friday so I will need to get ready for them.  Have another 17 day stretch of non-stop guests coming up starting Friday.

I am tired tonight.  I don’t think I will stay up long enough to watch for fireworks all around.  I heard some pops and bangs while I was in Manhattan and have heard some since I got home this evening.  Fireworks are not one of my favorite things.

If I can sleep tonight I want to get up early tomorrow and get out and mow the yard before it gets too hot.  I have patches here and there that need mowed.  I’ll probably end up mowing all of it.  I haven’t mowed it for several weeks.  Most of it is brown and dried up.  Sure haven’t had to spend much money for mower gas this year so far.

I have a very quiet mind tonight.  Thoughts come in and leave very quickly.  Can’t hold on to much.  I like when that happens!

Grateful for my dear friends I got to visit with today, grateful I may have found the quarter-round I have been looking for, and grateful for a completely empty space day on tap for tomorrow.

 

 

My long-term boarder gets to have the rest of the week off after today so he checked out this morning and won’t be back until Sunday afternoon.  After working so many hours last week I am sure he will appreciate an extra long weekend.

My other guest got in last night a little after 7:00.  She is a very lovely young woman from Germany.  I couldn’t see her picture very well on the Airbnb site and for some reason had thought she was going to be a he.  It was a surprise to see a woman when she came in.  We had a nice conversation this morning over breakfast.  She is out and about seeing the Flint Hills Tallgrass Preserve today.  She was a foreign exchange student when she was in high school and is going to visit the family she lived with while she was in school tomorrow.

No other guests coming until Friday afternoon so I will have a couple of free days this week.  That will be a nice break for me.  I have the two rooms refreshed and flipped so once the towels are out of the dryer and put away my hosting chores for the day are done.

I did get another booking for the last weekend in July.  The Airbnb site has finally started to raise the rate, especially for weekends.  This will be my first booking at the higher rate.  Glad to know people will book at that rate.

My feet ached last night for the first time in a long time.  Not sure what caused them to hurt.  I finally got up and took some Advil so I could get them to quiet down so I could sleep.  I didn’t get much sleep but at least got some.

Got my electric bill yesterday.  Ouch!  I don’t remember one as high before.  We didn’t catch much of a break from the heat for the last 30 days.  Can’t remember a summer as relentlessly hot as this one has been.  No end in site yet either.  Time to turn up the thermostat a degree or two to see if I can somewhat limit the damage for next month’s bill.

Not much else I have to do today.  I have been sitting way too much lately doing my embroidery work but nothing else seems to make me want to get up and do something else.  Too hot to go outside to do anything.  I can always find some cleaning to do but I have to wait till the mood hits most times to do that.

May run over to Manhattan tomorrow to visit some dear friends.  I’ll see what time my guest leaves tomorrow.  I have until Friday to flip her room so should be able to get away for the afternoon.

Still trying to find some real red oak 1/2 inch quarter-round.  A lumber yard in KC said they could make some for me but I have to go sign the purchase order and pre-pay for it and then would have to go back in 15 days to pick it up.  Not sure it is worth two trips to KC to get.  He is to give me a price quote so I can decide if it is worth it.  I’ll check with the hardware store in Manhattan if I drive over there tomorrow to see if they have any.  Who knew it would be so hard to find.

Got a notice from Social Security that the Medicare charge will start being deducted from my July Social Security check.  Not sure why they deduct it early.  I’ll have to pay that plus my health care insurance payment for July.  That along with the high electric bill will take my extra spending money in July.  Good thing I have lots of guests booked for July – I’ll need that income to keep the lights and A/C on.

Wish I could find some motivation to do something.  It seems to have evaporated in the heat.  Evidently the lazy days of summer have found me and I have stepped into embracing being lazy these days.  Guess if something exciting comes up I will get motivated to do something.

Grateful for a couple of free days on the calendar for this week, grateful for the lazy days of summer and the rest for my body they provide, and grateful I can afford to keep the lights on and the A/C on!

 

Came home from the concert just as it was starting.  I was peopled out.  They really didn’t need me to help – everything was under control.  I helped clear plates from the tables for a bit but couldn’t see anything else that needed done.  The mosquitos were starting to come after me so I decided to come home.

My guest was here when I got home.  He is only staying until Tuesday this week.  Since the holiday is in the middle of the week the crew decided to take a long weekend and hit it hard next Monday.  I have a guest coming in this evening who is staying until Wednesday morning.  That will give me Wednesday and Thursday evening free with no guests!  Friday starts another long 15-day stretch with no break from guests.  I am ready for two days of no laundry or cleaning required.  Of course, someone can always book those days without notice but I will cross my fingers that the two days stay free.

Got the two beds that were used Saturday night washed up and remade this morning.  Am waiting on towels to dry and I will be almost ready for the guest to arrive this afternoon.  Need to run a broom over the floor, dust and swish the toilet yet.  The rugs are in the washer.

Went into Emporia early this morning to get a few groceries.  I wanted to get that done before it got hot and the store got crowded.  They didn’t have much lettuce for the chickens so I will have to go back mid-week to get some more.  The girls don’t have to have their daily treat but they seem to enjoy it.  They need to up their egg production or I will cut them off of from their daily treat.  It is put out or shut up around here!

Want to finish getting my business records caught up today.  The house is quiet today and it will be good to get that project finished up before I forget about doing it.

Feeling a bit drained this morning.  Am going to try to drink several bottles of water today and see if that will help.  I feel bloated which is unusual for me.  I didn’t sleep very good last night again.  Maybe I am just tired.  I need a quiet day with no one around I think.  I feel a bit talked out and like I have been around people too much.  Time to recharge and refill.

Grateful for a quiet day at home with no demands on my time, grateful for fresh, clean water to drink, and grateful for the beauty of the prairie around me today.

My first guest was gone by 7:30 this morning.  I have her room flipped and ready for my long-term boarder to return later today.  The other two guests are still here.  I have until tomorrow afternoon to get their room flipped so no worries.  The two of them had stayed here before when I had the retreat center.  I always fixed breakfast for them as part of their stay.  I had totally forgotten to get things to fix breakfast for them this morning.  Good thing my granddaughter likes pancakes and I keep mix on hand for her.  I fixed them bacon, blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs.

Got the two sets of tea towels pressed and tied up this morning and two more sets stamped.  I have been sitting and doing embroidery work most of the day.  My little guest has enjoyed watching me do it.

I am going to Pioneer Bluffs around 4:00 this afternoon to volunteer for the concert that is happening there this evening at 6:30.  My long-term guest called and said he was on his way to my house.  I will be gone by the time he gets here so I told him to come in and make himself at home and I would see him later this evening if he is still up.  He leaves for work around 6:00 so he may be in bed before I get home.  So nice to have guests I can leave alone in the house and not worry about things disappearing.

We got 1/2 inch of rain on the prairie overnight.  Every drop is very welcome. It is only forecast to reach 88 today so a little break from the extreme heat we have been having.  It will make sitting out and listening to the concert much more enjoyable.

Got a notice from my Veterinarian that the cats are due for their annual shots.  I will call tomorrow and get an appointment for them.  Roxy is due the middle of July for her shots too.  I will need to buy flea and tic medication for all of them this month.  I know where my profits are going this month!  Grateful I have enough guests to pay for the Vet needs this month.

Got my prescription plan information in the mail Saturday.  I will need to find a quiet hour and read through it so I can learn how to get my prescriptions transferred in a timely fashion.

This week is fairly empty at this point.  I have a guest coming in tomorrow and staying until Wednesday morning and then two more coming in Friday afternoon.  Other than that not much on my calendar.  I am so ready for a quiet week full of empty space.  I feel like I have been on the fast track since I have been back from Italy.  Time to slow things down – real slow!

Worked on catching up the paperwork for the Airbnb.  Not done but got a good start on it.  I need uninterrupted space to do it and it looks like I will have some time this week to finish that little project up.  Makes tax preparation time so much easier if I keep up with recording my data at least quarterly.

I changed out the trash this morning and noticed my trash can is not very full this week.  I need to get down to the barn tomorrow and find somethings to help fill it up.  Some weeks I fill it with trash and don’t have room to get rid of old records.  I am getting close to having all the old records out of the barn.  I have a second trash can full of branches my nephew cut down for me last week.  I will roll it down and see if my trash man will take them.  If he doesn’t I will have to figure out a way to get them taken some other place.

Felt very light-headed this morning.  Took my blood pressure and it was 90/70.  I skipped my blood pressure pill this morning.  Am thinking with all the weight I have lost I may not need as strong of pill as I have.  I will keep an eye on my blood pressure and if it remains low without the pill I will make an appointment with my family doctor and see what he recommends.  It sure would be nice to get rid of some of the medication I am taking.

Grateful for the rain the prairie received last night and the cooler temperatures today, grateful for a quiet week ahead full of empty space at last, and grateful for a chance to be in service this afternoon at the concert.

 

Damn it!  I called Home Depot in Topeka today to see if they stock 1/2 x 1/2 oak quarter-round.  The guy on the phone said they had it in stock.  I told him how much I needed and he said no problem – they had plenty on hand.  Drove to Topeka this morning and found out they didn’t have it in stock.  You have to special order it.

Found some 1/2 x 1/4 inch oak molding that might work although it is polyurethane and not real oak.  Picked it up in case it will work.  If not, I will have to special order the real thing.  I hate shopping for stuff like this as I don’t know what I am doing.  Doesn’t help when the clerk at a store misleads me.

Stopped at Hy-Vee and picked up a few groceries and drove home.  I forgot grapefruit so will now get to go to Emporia to get that.  Some days are harder than others!

This is day 140 on the Bright Line Eating Plan.  I have lost 32 pounds since I started February 11 and 52 pounds from a year ago.  Nine more pounds to go to goal weight and then maybe three more pounds after that to reach the lower level of a three-pound target weight.  When I get a bit closer I will start adding food to slow the weight lose.  As slow as I lose it I may wait till I am much closer to goal weight. With my low functioning thyroid levels taking off weight is hard.

Nothing else on my calendar that I wanted to get done today.  I may take a nap today.  I have not slept very well the last several nights.  I was on a roll for a bit getting five to six hours of uninterrupted sleep but that hasn’t happened for almost a week now. I am back to sleeping for two hours and then laying in bed awake for two to three hours.  On a good night I get another two hours of sleep but some nights I haven’t been able to get the second sleep.  It is harder to deal with less sleep now that I remember what it feels like to get more sleep several nights in a row.

Have two more tea towels to embroidery to complete another set.  When I get those two done I will need to stamp two more sets and press the completed two sets.  They are starting to pile up but as I am still enjoying making them I will continue to do so.

My guest is a very pleasant young woman.  She went for a long hike at the National Prairie Preserve this morning.  Last night she enjoyed the Cowboy Music Jam at Emma Chase Friday night music.  She is headed out to go explore Manhattan in a bit.  She leaves in the morning.  Love guests like that who are not in the house much and when they are they are quiet and fun to visit with.   I have two guests coming in early evening that are only staying one night.  I’ll have lots of laundry and cleaning to do tomorrow afternoon.  Only need to make sure one of the two bedrooms are flipped by evening tomorrow so have extra time to get the second one done as the next guest to use that room doesn’t arrive until Monday afternoon.

Need to take some time soon and get my book work for the Airbnb caught up.  I have a bunch of receipts I need to get recorded so taxes are easier to do next year.  I realized I have my sales records on Notes on my iPad and probably need a back-up copy of that in case Notes fails.  Can’t believe it is mid-year already and time to get that stuff organized.  I try to do it at least four times a year so it isn’t such a big job come tax time.  It is easier for me to do when my memory can kinda help me a bit.  I have a poor relationship to time these days and anything that happened in the past is gone from my memory.  I can’t tell you how long ago something happened with any degree of accuracy anymore.

I get to deduct household repairs and utilities from my Airbnb income based on the number of nights guests stay.  Those expenses are also easier to track if I record them quarterly. I didn’t do any business the first quarter of this year so didn’t bother to record those expenses so need to do six months to get caught up.  Projects like that go easier if I am in the right mood.  Maybe the mood will strike soon and I can get it started.

Got my medical ID card from the Medicare Supplement program I enrolled in.  Noticed on my mail digest I am getting my new prescription information in the mail today.  Nice to get confirmation that I am ready to go August 1 with those two companies.  My Medicare on-line account is not showing I have made my choices yet.  I’m sure it will get updated soon.

Still basking in the glow of the energy of the full moon.  The moon was really bright again last night.  I had left the outside lights on for my guest last night as she wasn’t home yet when I went to bed.  When I woke up around midnight I thought it was so bright out because I had turned the lights on.  Got up and turned them all off and it was still bright outside.

Grateful my Medicare supplement enrollment process is completed, grateful for 32 pounds released this year, and grateful for having enough business with the Airbnb that I need to record tax deductions and income.

 

What a beautiful evening we had last night.  There were six of us for dinner and then two more beautiful young women joined us for the sunset and moon rise part of the evening.  The sunset was a bit disappointing to me as there was a cloud bank just above the horizon so we didn’t get to see the sun slip into the horizon.  However, the moon rise made up for it as it was glorious.  We sat out for at least an hour after the moon came up basking in it’s beauty.  Got out the sage stick and those who chose to were smudged.

The two young woman who joined us later in the evening spent the night camping out in the yard.  They slept in the swings for part of the night and in their tent for the rest of the night.  I was afraid they were going to get eaten by the chiggers which are really bad this year so I showed them the beds in case they wanted to come in.  They stayed outside all night.

One of them was from Lincoln, NE.  She and her friend had planned to spend the weekend together and she had searched for a full moon event on Google.  It didn’t turn anything up close enough for them to attend so she searched Facebook and found my party.  Her friend is going to Vet School at K-State.  Both are in their early twenties and have such beautiful souls.  It is always refreshing to me to see young people who get it.  Gives me much hope for the future of our country.  We had a good conversation about energy work and about life and death and our beliefs about it.

My long-term boarder got here last night around 7:30.   They had managed to restore power to all the customers in the Eureka area.  As he had worked 40 hours in three days they gave him Friday off.  He packed up and headed for home last night.  His fiancé had been on a trip to England for three weeks and he was anxious to see her.  He will be back Sunday evening.

Have a guest checking in this afternoon between 3 and 4.  She is staying until Sunday morning.  Have two more guests coming in tomorrow evening and staying until Sunday afternoon.  Have another guest coming in Monday that is staying until Wednesday.

I have the queen bedroom cleaned and the bed made.  Towels are washing.  The guests coming in tomorrow are using the same room she used last night so I don’t need to clean that room.  The kitchen is cleaned up from the dinner last night and the house is back together again.  That was easy!

The doors I ordered for the stained glass are in already.  I need to find the oak quarter-round pieces so my handyman can get started on that project.  Nicole has a friend that does woodworking and he was going to check out a place in KC this weekend to see if he could find what I need.  I’l slip up there sometime next week to pick the pieces up if he can find what I need.  I will also make some phone calls today too to try to track down where I can find it.  Topeka or Wichita is closer than KC so may go there instead.

My nephew is here finishing up some yard work for me.  Glad it is a bit cooler today although I’m not sure it is that much cooler.  I will be glad to have the projects he is working on done.  Feel like I have crossed off lots of things on my to-do list this month.  Love when that happens!

My heart is full of gratitude for the beauty of last night.  I don’t know anything I love more than having friends over to share the beauty Mother Nature displays out here on my little corner of the prairie.  It reminds me each time I have friends over to slow down even more and take the time to sit and enjoy the gifts in front of me.  Living here it is easy to take for granted my view and forget to stop and enjoy it.

Grateful for the two new friends I made last night, grateful for those that came to see the full moon rising, and grateful for the guests coming and going.

My long-term boarder didn’t get in until 10:30 last night.  He had left to go to work at 1:30 in the morning!  What a long day he had.  He was out again and on his way to work at 6:00 this morning.  I didn’t talk to him when he came in.  I figured the last thing he needed was conversation after that long of a day.  Trusting today will be a bit shorter for him – especially since it is to be over 100 again today with a heat index of 108.

Set everything out for the Moon Rising Party tonight.  We are going to eat inside and then move outside around 8:00 when it cools down a bit.  I will talk someone into grilling the hot dogs on the little BBQ grill I have.  We can do s’mores while we drum if we can handle the fire pit being turned on.  I’ll make lots of extra iced tea and get lots of ice this afternoon. The sunset last night was beautiful and the full moon was glorious.  Glad it will be a bit darker when it comes up tonight so we can see it better.  Come join us if you can!

Had a request from a man who has a 12-year-old daughter to spend the night tonight.  I told him I was full as I didn’t think I could offer a peaceful retreat for them with a house full of guests.  Still may have all the beds full – haven’t heard for sure from two women that were thinking of coming.  Have guests coming and going all weekend long.

Next week I need to find a day to run to KC to get some oak 1/2 inch quarter-round.  So far I don’t have any guests next Thursday so will probably go then.  The doors I ordered should be in next week and need to get the quarter-round so my handyman can start working on the stained glass pieces.  I’m excited to get them up.

Summer days like today will keep me busy making sure all the critters have fresh, cool water.  I will dump out the chicken water two or three times today and replace it with cool, fresh water.  The metal tins that hold their water heat up along with everything else on days like today.  The dogs are chilling in the garage while I charge their collars.  The cats are hiding some place outside and aren’t moving around much.

I mowed the little fenced area this morning.  It has been bugging me for several weeks and with guests coming to watch the moon rising tonight I decided it had to get mowed.  We will be out on the deck watching the moon rise and wanted it to look a bit better.  I need to tend to the flower beds but thinking those will have to wait.  I can’t grow flowers in them as the rabbits and other wild life eat them as quick as I can plant them.  I tried planting shrubs and even those got eaten.  Best I can do is keep the weeds out of them and put fresh mulch down occasionally.  I didn’t lay any new mulch this year.  Maybe this fall I will get to it.

Called Medicare yesterday to make sure I was enrolled in the prescription plan.  They show I am however I haven’t received any information from the plan.  I got a copy of my application from the Supplement Plan Company but I haven’t received any more information from them either.  Trusting it will all get sorted out and I will not have any hiccups come August 1 when I switch coverage.  Medicare didn’t have record that my Supplement Company had enrolled me yet.  When I get the information from the prescription company I will need to get all my prescriptions transferred so I can get timely refills.  I will make sure I have refilled them all before August 1 so I have time to get through the change without running out of medication.

Have been enjoying my empty space the last few days.  Something has shifted in me and I can now sit with being and not feel any pressure to do.  Trust that will continue.  It feels like it has taken me a long time to be able to step into empty space with a grateful heart and enjoy the space.

Grateful for the beauty of the full moon last night and looking forward to sharing it with friends tonight, grateful for a quiet, peaceful spot to sit in and relish my empty space today, and grateful for the friends that are coming tonight to enjoy an evening on the prairie!

My four guests left very quietly this morning.  Neither one of us heard them leave.  They were very polite and quiet.  The two kids were well-mannered.  The husband said he wished they had planned to stay two nights as he loved the views and wanted to spend more time looking in the area.  Maybe they will stop on their way home.  They had driven in hard rain for several hours today and had come from just outside Detroit.  The A/C in their car had gone out and they were hot and exhausted.

Didn’t get much rain last night.  There was a beautiful full rainbow in the front yard. It looked like one end of the rainbow was in my yard.  We watched the clouds come and go but thankfully all the strong stuff stayed south of me.  There was a tornado in Eureka for the second time in three years and El Dorado received some impressive sized hail.  Glad I got the consultation prize and saw the rainbow instead.  Sure need rain though.

Have the two bedrooms put back together again.  Working on doing my personal laundry now.  Sometimes I forget to do that.

My long-term boarder got called out at 1:30 this morning to go help restore power in the Eureka area.  His work project is on a strict deadline but they must have some sort of contract that requires them to lend support in case of a disaster.  He had come home from work yesterday exhausted and had gone to bed early.  Glad he got a bit of sleep before he had to go out.  I don’t expect him back in until late tonight.  Such dangerous work linemen do.  I’ll breathe easier when he is back safely.

Going to be over 100 today and tomorrow.  Not safe for anyone to be out working in. Don’t plan to leave the house today again.  I will need to run into Strong City tomorrow morning to get some ice for the Moon Rising Party.  May need to move the first half of the party inside.  It always cools down outside about an hour before the sun sets.  We may eat inside and then go out around 8:00 to drum.  No use sitting in the heat when the house is nice and cool.

Finished another set of tea towels last night.  Need to press them though.  Have started another set.  When I get this set done I will stamp two more sets.  Sure enjoying working on them.  It makes a cool project to do when it is so hot outside and yarn feels too hot.

Nothing more on my to-do list for the day.  I got the basement cleaned and beds made so have my chores done for the day.  Even got my own bathroom cleaned this morning.  I didn’t sleep very good last night so may end up taking a nap.  I feel a bit hung over for some reason this morning.  Probably due to the storm that passed through last night.  The energy in the air was really heavy for a while.

Got another Airbnb booking.  This is for July 2 – 4 by a man from Germany.  I had hoped I would get a four-day break next week but guess not.  When I give up my time I remind myself every booking pays a bit more towards my Australia trip and it makes it easier to accept them.

Nicole called me yesterday and we got our trip to Australia booked.  We leave November 2 and return November 20.  Takes two days to get there and we get home before we leave!  That time thing is interesting!  Reminds me what an illusion clock time is.  We chose to add most of the optional tours.  We skipped the sea food buffet cruise as neither one of us will eat sea food.  Nicole is allergic to shrimp and I don’t care for it.

The trip to Italy gave me confidence that I can travel and stay on plan.  By then I will be on maintenance and will have more wiggle room in what I eat.  We will probably do lots of walking again which helps.  I also learned in Italy what food I need to take with me to supplement in case I can’t find BLP food.

Got a notice that Strong City is asking it’s citizens to voluntarily restrict water usage.  Not sure if that applies to me or not as I am on Rural Water.  I do try to be careful how much I use.  I sure do a lot of laundry though.

I continue to sit in my peaceful valley.  Life feels so simple and easy for me right now.  Last year was a year of chaos for me and it is nice to have found some quiet, peaceful space this year.  I will anchor in to this space so I can come back to it when life happens again.

Grateful for quiet and easy guests, grateful for the rainbow the storm gifted me with, and grateful for the peaceful valley I am in.

 

Met my potential long-term boarder last night.  He is very polite and nice.  He joined my son-in-law, granddaughter and I for dinner.  I ask my son-in-law to help me change a high ceiling light bulb and the guest ended up doing it with my son-in-laws help.  They tied some yarn around the suction cup and were able to get the suction cup off easily.  Think I might enjoy having a man around for a bit!.  He is staying through Friday this week and will be back next week.  He still doesn’t know how long the job will last so we will play it week to week for a bit until he knows.  I took the queen room off the Airbnb site and will add it back on when he is gone.  I think his staying here will be a good fit for me.  Trusting within a week or two we will both be comfortable with each other and adjust to each other’s preferences.

Have four guests coming in this evening to stay one night.  They plan on leaving early in the morning.  They are traveling through and only need a place to stop and rest for the night.  That will be an easy visit for me.

So far I don’t have anyone but my long-term guest for Wednesday night.  Have at least one and possibly three guests coming Thursday night.  All will be checking out Friday morning.   Another guest comes in Friday night and is staying until Sunday.  Two more are coming for one night Saturday.  Another busy weekend on the prairie!

Joined Kathy’s walking group this morning for a three-mile walk.  I could tell I haven’t been out walking for a bit but I was able to keep up and finish the walk without feeling out of breath.  Felt good to get out and walk again.

My handyman came last night and brought out the baseboard to install.  He is coming back over the weekend to stain it and to fix the leaking kitchen faucet.  He does nice work and is easy to talk to.  So grateful to my friend for hooking me up with him.  Seems like little projects beyond my skill set pop up frequently around here and it is nice to have someone I trust I can call to come fix them.

The garage faucet that was dripping has stopped dripping.  I still may have my handyman take a look at it.  I don’t want it to break off in the winter time when the garage freezes.

So far the forecast is still for sunny skies Thursday evening so we should have a beautiful, clear view of the moon rising.  Come if you can and join us.  Think we will turn the drumming circle into drumming for rain.  Last time we did that it worked.

A couple I met while I was serving a dinner at Pioneer Bluffs called me last night.  They want to come stay for three nights the end of July.  I referred them to the Airbnb site and they are to call me back if they have trouble getting signed up so they can book that way.  They were really fun to talk to and I will enjoy seeing them again.  They do have two dogs they want to bring with them.  Trusting their dogs will behave better than the last dog a guest brought.  If not I may not allow dogs again.

Need to give the bedrooms downstairs a lick and promise and make sure they are ready for the guests arriving later today.  I will have all day tomorrow to flip the rooms to get them ready for guests arriving Thursday.  I like when that happens as it gives me lots of time to get everything washed up and replaced.

My Cardiologist office called this morning to give me the results of the heart stress test.  I called them back and had to leave a message so haven’t talked to them yet.  I saw the written report and think I understood it to say they didn’t really find anything.  It will be good to get verbal confirmation of that though.  Still hoping he will take me off the blood thinner when he calls or at least at my visit in August.

We are in a thunderstorm watch for the next couple of hours.  I keep checking radar hoping to see some red and yellow areas in my neck of the woods but so far it is all way southwest of me.  Think all I am going to get is high humidity and even higher temperatures.  It is like a steam bath outside today.

Listened to a live Facebook feed from one of teachers today.  She put into words what I had experienced in Peru when I did the San Pedro Plant Medicine.  Always helpful to understand what happens and why.  It was a good thing and something she recommends all women need to do.  Most women tend to hold stuff that is not theirs and we need to find ways to release it.  I am really starting to tell how beneficial that trip was and am reaping the benefits of it in deeper ways each day.

Grateful for all the guests that are finding their way to my little corner on the prairie, grateful for my handyman and his repair skills, and grateful for all my teachers and their words of wisdom that help me make sense of how life is unfolding for me.

Got another booking for this week last night through Airbnb.  A mom, dad and their two children will be spending the night tomorrow night.  They are traveling from Ohio to New Mexico.  She said they would be leaving very early Wednesday morning to complete their journey.  Should be easy guests as they won’t be here very long.

Am taking a short break from cleaning the house.  I have the floors in the kitchen, dining room and living room done.  Need to dust and wash down countertops and those three rooms will be clean.  Have four bathrooms I still need to clean today before I can finish my to-do list.

The handyman I hired came out yesterday and fixed the deck board.  He even put stain on it for me.  That was easy!  He is to come out sometime later this week to install the missing baseboard in the basement hallway.  He ordered a part for my leaking kitchen faucet and will fix that when the part comes in.  I’m grateful I found him as he does nice work and is easy to work with.  I will keep his number on my speed dial.

Ellexia came out and played yesterday afternoon.  She might be calling me later this morning to come pick her up so she can come back out later today.  Her mom had to work last night and tonight and needs to sleep all day.  Ellexia gets bored when she doesn’t have someone to talk to.  Invited Tim and the other kids out for dinner tonight but not sure anyone but Tim and Ellexia can come.

Feeling a bit disappointed in someone today.  They lied to me about something very minor and it feels like they have something they are trying to hide from me.  Life sure is easier when people are up front and honest – even when they think it is something you don’t want to hear.  Guess their behavior is a good reminder to myself to just put stuff out there – even when it is hard to say.  Truth is always easier than lies.

Don’t have many people coming to the Moon Rising Party.  Lots of people have expressed interest but haven’t committed.  Hard to know how many hot dogs to buy. Guess they freeze well so if I have leftovers they won’t go to waste.

The man who might be staying here for several months is coming tonight to see the house and for us to meet and discuss the possibility of his staying here longer-term.  He sounded really nice and easy to deal with when I spoke to him on the phone.  I’ll see where this goes and if Kathy and I both feel comfortable with him.  Having someone stay here three to six months feels like a long time and I want to make sure both sides will be comfortable.

I haven’t heard from Sutherland’s yet about the special order of the doors that the stained glass will go in.  If I go into town to pick up Ellexia I will stop by and see where they are with it.  I need to get some groceries for dinner tonight so will have to run in sooner or later today.

Finally got an inch of rain last night.  First real rain I have gotten for over a month.  My part of Chase County is in an extreme drought condition again.  One inch of rain won’t change that but it is a start.  It might help lessen the chance of wildfires for a day or two.  Supposed to warm right back up mid-week and get back into the upper 90’s.  Is it time for fall yet?  Not a fan of extreme hot temperatures!

Grateful for the rain the prairie received last night, grateful for my handyman and his very competent work, and grateful I decided to join Airbnb and the extra income it is bringing me.

I had a delightful time at the Core Star Reunion last night in KC.  I got to see some friends I hadn’t seen for a long time.  Two students from my class were there so I got to catch up with what is going on in their life.  One of them told me I looked ten years younger than I did when she saw me last five years ago.  Maybe I am doing the reverse aging thing and didn’t know it.  I’ll take that!  It is always good to stop and take time to reconnect to friends.

While I was in KC I stopped at Costco for a few things and went to Kohl’s.  I got two new pair of pants – size 4!  Holy smokes!  I don’t feel like they should fit me but they do.  Several people at the reunion almost didn’t recognize me – it was fun to watch them do a double-take.  Maybe someday soon I will feel at home in my smaller body.

Stopped at Sutherland’s on my way out-of-town yesterday afternoon to order the new doors that the stained glass will go in.  I had called them earlier in the day to see if they had them and they said I had to come in so I could pay for them before they could place the order.  When I got there the guy looked up and found what I needed and then told me he would have to write out a purchase order and get it approved by his manager and I would need to come in Monday to pay for it so they could order them.  Now why didn’t he tell me that over the phone?  Guess I get to go for trip number 4 on Monday.  I need to take some stuff back anyway so I would have had to go back sooner or later.

My guests checked out around 9:00 this morning.  I will spend most of the day doing laundry and cleaning.  I have been spot cleaning the house the last week or so and it needs a deeper cleaning.  I have my potential long-term guest coming in tomorrow afternoon.  Not sure if he will begin his long stay or if he will leave on Tuesday.  He didn’t know his plans yet as he has a business meeting Monday that will give him more details about the job he will be doing in this area.  If he checks out Tuesday I will have a couple of days before my next guest arrives Thursday evening unless someone books between now and then.

Other than the Moon Rising Party Thursday evening I don’t have much on my calendar for this week.  I do want to clean each room really good this week but other than that I have lots of empty space.  I will cherish it as it seems like it has been a while since I had several days of empty space in a row.

The rain missed us again last night.  Forecast shows 100% chance of rain for later tonight so crossing my fingers and my toes we will get a measurable amount of rain.

I have a faucet in the garage that has decided to drip constantly.  Will have to get someone out Monday or Tuesday to get it fixed.  It is right above the dog’s water bowl so at least the drip is good for something as it fills the dog’s bowl up once or twice a day.

The guests that checked out this morning were dreaming and trying to figure out reasons so they could come back out here to visit.  Two of them said they had slept better here than they ever do at home.  One wants to bring his wife out for the meteor shower in August.  I’ll see what happens but it is nice to know they would be willing to come all the way from New Jersey to stay here again.  They did say if I was full they didn’t think they would come to another disc golf tournament here as staying here was even better than the tournament was – what a nice compliment!

Feeling a bit scattered-brain today.  I am tired as I woke up at 5:00 and couldn’t go back to sleep.  May need to take a short nap today – going to and from KC in the same day always wears me out.  The drive home went really fast but it is still tiring.  I can always relax better when the house is empty of guests too.  Even when the guests are not needy I stay on alert to make sure their visit is going well.

Grateful for the Core Star Reunion last night and the chance to reconnect with friends, grateful to fit into a size 4 pant, and grateful for a day of empty space and nothing urgent on my to-do list that needs to be done today.

 

Dang!  My plan to use the bedroom doors for the stained glass won’t work.  The hinges are 1/4” lower than the doors in the library.  The hinges are reset and can’t be moved without looking weird.  I’m glad my friend thought to check it before we proceeded with removing doors.

I am going into town this afternoon and ordering two new doors from the hardware store in town.  I was going to try to find some in KC but then I would have to drive a truck back up there to pick them up.  If I get them in Emporia my friend can pick them up in his pickup for me.  Not sure I want to know how much they are going to cost.  I also need to order some oak quarter-round.  I had picked up pine and my friend told me it would be very hard to get it to match the doors as pine stains darker than oak does.  Oh the things you learn when you attempt to do a project.  I am also going to return the nails I got as he wants to use the air gun to put the nails in as it won’t leave hammer marks.  Trip 3 to the hardware store coming up!

I had ordered curtains and rods for the library doors so when they got moved to my bedroom I could have privacy.  Guess I will return them unopened when they arrive next week.  Won’t need them now.

There was another huge storm system that came through KS last night and we got barely a trace of rain.  I was watching radar for a bit and the storm seemed to split just outside Strong City and go around us.  We have another chance on Sunday for some rain.  One of these days we will get lucky and get some rain.

My guests were up and out before 8:00 this morning.  They didn’t even fix breakfast before they left this morning.  They enjoyed Kathy’s hot tub last night.  The storm was coming in while they were out in it.  Not sure I would have been sitting in it during the lightning that was going on.  It is under the deck and the chances of getting hit were slim but I wouldn’t have taken that chance.

Two loads of laundry are done and put away.  The last load is ready to go in the dryer.  I’ll have more to do tomorrow after my guests leave.  Not sure how early they will be leaving to start their long drive back to New Jersey.  They seem to have enjoyed their time on the prairie.

This afternoon I am going to KC to go to a Core Star Energy Healing School reunion.  It will be fun to see some people I haven’t seen for quite some time.  It is a picnic so thinking I will eat before I go.  That way I know I can stay on plan and will spend my time visiting with others instead of worrying about eating.  If I can’t get what I need at the hardware store in Emporia I will need to do some shopping before I go to the picnic. Have a few things I need from Costco but not sure it is enough to fight the Saturday Costco crowd.  I’ll see how much I can people this afternoon.

Finished the set of tea towels I was working on. I stamped two more sets and still need to press the two sets I just finished.  I am always surprised at how fast they work up.  The stack of finished sets are piling up.  I’m sure I will eventually find a home for them and repay myself the cost of the materials I use making them.  Not thinking it is a get rick quick process!

Don’t forget about the full moon rising party coming up next Thursday.  We are eating around 6:00 – hot dogs and s’mores – drumming at 8:00 and the full moon comes up at 9:30.  I still have beds available if you want to make a night of it.  Bring a covered dish or a bag of chips and if you want an adult cold beverage bring some with you.  Forecast shows sunny skies for that day.  RSVP appreciated but not required.

Tomorrow is an empty space day for me.  The guests will be gone in the morning and no one else checks in until Monday afternoon.  I always appreciate a free day when I have no where I have to go or anything I have to do.  Since I have started working more I have fewer of those days.  Makes me appreciate them more when they appear.

Grateful for empty space so I can recharge my soul, grateful for my friend’s expertise and help, and grateful for a chance to get to reconnect with old friends.

 

 

For some reason this feels more like a Saturday instead of a Friday.  Thinking it is because my weekend guests came in on a Thursday.  When you don’t do much everyday blends into the next and it is hard to keep track of what day it is.

Two of the three guests arrived a bit early yesterday.  They checked in around 1:15.  They had driven straight through coming from New Jersey.  The other one arrived around 2:30.  All three are very nice and I have enjoyed their company.  They fixed dinner last night while I was with some friends in the library.  They managed to find everything they needed to cook with.  They also cooked breakfast this morning and enjoyed some fresh eggs.  We sat outside around the fire pit for quite a while last night visiting.  They stayed up later than I did so they could enjoy the night sky.  Two of them got in Kathy’s hot tub and relaxed.  They are easy guests and are the type I can leave alone in the house.

Got the stained glass pieces all cleaned up.  They are shining again!  My friend is going to pick them up this afternoon and get started putting them in the doors.  I ordered curtains for the doors that will be moved to become my bedroom doors.  I don’t usually like curtains but will need something so my guests won’t have to see me sleeping and getting dressed.

Finally lost another pound today.  Down 30 pounds from when I started Bright Lines on February 11.  11 more to go to get to goal weight and maybe another three after that.  I’ll see what my body wants to weigh when I get there.  I would be happy at my first goal weight.  The last three would give me some wiggle room.  I have found on this plan my weight tends to go up and down one or two pounds frequently.

Nothing on my calendar today once I finish laundry and put away the guest towels.  The rest of their rooms have been tidied up.  I am going to have lunch with Kathy and a friend of ours.

Tomorrow afternoon I am going to KC.  The school where I went for energy healing training is having a reunion and I am going to the picnic they are having Saturday evening.  It will be fun to see some of my classmates and other friends I have met through Core Star.  May go up a bit early and do some shopping if I can think of anything I need.  If not I will just drive up for the picnic and drive home.  Nicole is camping this weekend so won’t get to see her.  I will probably end up driving longer than I stay in KC.

Loving the cool weather we had last night and this morning.  Almost had to put a jacket on to sit out on the swings last night.  After so many days in the mid to upper 90’s it is a big relief to have a bit of a cool down.  It is forecast to be back in the 90’s by Tuesday and then stay there for another long stretch.  Wish we had gotten some rain with the cool down but I will take the cool down anyways.

Had a beautiful Summer Solstice ceremony last night with a dear group of friends.  We celebrated our own lights and the progress we each have made.  Sometimes I forget to look back and fully appreciate how far I have come!  I tend to focus on how far I still have to go.  I barely remember how I used to be 10 years ago now.  I don’t recognize that person any more.  I like where I am now much better.  I have so much more joy and peace in my life now.  My mood is much more stable.  I can now practice a pause most times and not rush into things where I don’t need to go.

Grateful for friends I can celebrate Solstice with, grateful for easy guests again, and grateful for empty space on my calendar today – I will cherish it today!

 

Went into Emporia this morning to pick up the quarter round my friend will need to install the stained glass pieces in the doors.  Got the amount he recommended I get.  On the way home I remembered we forgot to double it as he will need it on both sides of the glass.  Went back and got some more.  Two trips to the hardware store and counting!  I did remember the first time to pick up nails so he can attach it.  Got two different sizes as I’m not sure which he will want to use.

Picked up some Brasso while I was at the Hardware store and have been working on getting the stained glass pieces cleaned up.  They had been stored in a basement and have tarnished on the lead parts.  They are cleaning up nicely but it will take lots more time and patience to get them completely clean as they have lots of little groves to clean out.  I finally decided to lay them flat on the dining room table instead of pushing on them while they were standing up.  I was afraid I would snap them in pieces.

We are going to put them in the bedroom doors and then move the library room doors to the bedroom and put the stained glass pieces in the library room.  They will be pretty when guests come in the front door.  Too bad most of us go in and out the back door!  Using the bedroom doors will save me from having to find and buy new doors to use.  I looked on-line last night and was having trouble finding plain solid oak doors.  Most of them have panels of some sort on them.  Found some out-of-state but the shipping cost was almost as much as the doors are.

Finished the set of tea towels I was working on yesterday.  Still need to press them.  Have another set stamped so I will start working on them.  I sure enjoy making them.  Not sure yet what I will do with them but I’ll figure that out sometime or other.

Got enrolled in my Medicare drug coverage plan this morning.  The site kept kicking me off last night but I didn’t have any trouble this morning with it.  Only going to be $25 a month for drug coverage – one of the drugs I currently takes cost $510 a month.  Think I will come out ahead on this deal.  Cancelled the medical insurance I get through the Affordable Health Care Act effective August 1.  I think I am all set and ready to go for the switch to Medicare come August 1.  Good to have that decision made and taken care of.  Trusting I did it enough in advance that I will get insurance cards by August 1 so the transition will be smooth.

Need to finish cleaning the rest of the house for the three guests that are arriving later today.  I have the beds all made up and ready.  Kathy cleaned the big areas downstairs this morning for me.  Won’t take me long to finish the upstairs.

Have a long-term guest coming Monday.  He may be here for three to six months.  His finance will be staying with him part of the time too.  He lives in MO but has a contract job in Emporia starting next week.  He is coming out Monday night to stay one night and we will discuss arrangements and if we both feel comfortable will proceed from there.  He may be going back to MO on the weekends sometimes so that would free that room up occasionally too.  That would solve my desire to double-book rooms as he will book directly through me instead of Airbnb and the other two rooms would be listed on Airbnb for others to book.  I changed my listing to only show four beds available in two bedrooms.  It will be an experiment to see how I like having a long-term boarder.  I will discuss with him a way out on both sides in case it doesn’t work for either side.  I plan to put him in the room upstairs with the queen bed.  That way if I have female guests they might feel more comfortable not having him on the same level as they stay.  Since he will be working long hours during the week he really won’t be around very much, especially if he goes home on the weekends.

It is always a learning experience running an Airbnb.  This is the third long-term request I have received but so far the only one that has gone this far.  The other two backed out before we got this far.  I will appreciate the guaranteed income and trust it will work out for both of us in a fun way.

Grateful for almost being old enough to switch to Medicare, grateful for the potential of a long-term boarder, and grateful for figuring out a way to get the stained glass windows up without it costing so much!

Woke up in the middle of the night hearing the wind blowing.  Checked radar in case I needed to move my guest to the tornado safe room.  The storm was still quite a ways from me.  I was surprised when I woke up later and realized we hadn’t gotten any rain.  It was a big system that seemed to be heading my way.  It must have fallen apart before it got here.  Only got a few sprinkles late morning from the other system that passed by.  If you got rain today, consider yourself lucky!

My tea towels came in last night so got two more sets stamped.  Pressed the set I had finished earlier in the week.  The set I am working on now is going quickly and should have it finished by tomorrow.

Went into Emporia a little after noon to finish up getting enrolled in my Medicare supplement plan.  Accomplished that!  Still need to finish up the drug plan D.  Everytime I hit the enroll button it kicks me out of the system and I have to start over.  I will try again in the morning and if I can’t make it work I will have to call them.  I’ll be glad when this process is finished up.  I need to notify my current insurance to terminate my coverage the first of August.  Then I should be all set and ready for Medicare!

I had ordered a chocolate basket from the Sweet Granada yesterday so I stopped and picked that up and took it to the family that returned my stained glass pieces to me.  I so appreciate their generous gift.  Took a dozen eggs to a friend that delivered the stained glass pieces to me yesterday as a thank you to him.

As I was pulling in to the driveway when I got home my guest was pulling out.  She hadn’t been able to reach her in-laws today and she was worried about them and decided to check-out early and go to KC so she could check on them.  I was sorry to see her leave as she is the type of guest that I would like to stay for a long time.

A dear friend came over this afternoon to see the stained glass pieces and help me decide where to hang them.  We made a plan.  I need to go get some material and then he is going to come over and do the work for me.  I have the best friends!

Today is day 130 of Bright Line Eating.  I have lost 29 pounds so far.  Haven’t lost any weight for eight days now.  I stalled out like this one other time.  I keep telling myself if really doesn’t matter what I weigh today as if I stay the same or lose nothing really changes in how I eat.  I plan on eating like this for a long time.  My body will decide at some point what it wants to weigh.  Still thinking with my thyroid issue I will not be able to add much food back in once I get to goal weight.

Have three guests coming sometime tomorrow.  They haven’t let me know yet when they are arriving.  I might send them a message and see if they can give me an approximate time.  If they respond I might have time to go to Topeka and get the material I need so my friend can get the stained glass pieces up for me.

Sometimes I wonder about myself.  I started a load of laundry this morning and as I was walking out of the laundry room something made me look again.  I had put the dirty clothes in the dryer with a packet of soap instead of in the washer.  Glad I noticed it before the heat of the dryer melted the laundry soap packet.  Not sure I have done that trick before – trust I won’t again!

Got the chicken feed and oats put into the smaller containers this morning.  Lifting three 50 pound sacks was my exercise for the day. I had also gotten a 50 pound sack of black oil sunflower seeds but didn’t have enough empty buckets to put those in.

This day has gone by quickly.  I need to do some cleaning so the house is ready for the guests coming tomorrow afternoon.  They will be here until Sunday and then I will have a few days free before the next set arrives next Thursday.

Still in my happy, peaceful valley where problems seem to be easily solved.  I don’t have much monkey chatter in my head right now.  Some day I will figure out how to stay in this valley.  Guess when I do leave it I appreciate it all the more when I am able to return to it.

Grateful the Medicare enrollment process is almost done, grateful for a kind friend who volunteered to hang my stained glass pieces, and grateful for my happy, peaceful valley.

My guest checked out around 8:45 this morning.  Her ride showed up earlier than she had expected.  I was glad it did as Kathy was going into Cottonwood and I needed to go into Emporia.  My other guests was up and outside before sunrise.  She left shortly after sunrise to go find a place to paint.  She hasn’t returned back to the house yet.

We had a very pleasant evening sitting around the fire pit watching the sunset.  Both guests joined us and enjoyed a glass of wine.  It cooled off nicely and Mother Nature put on a colorful display last night.

Went into Emporia this morning and met with my friend so he could help me choose my Medicare Supplement.  I forgot to take my Medicare card with me so I will have to go back tomorrow to finish the process.  I was very pleased with the rate.  I will pay more per month than I have been paying but when I factor in the much lower deductible I will come out way ahead of what I have been paying for medical insurance and out-of-pocket expenses.  Still need to find a prescription plan but he gave me an estimate and I think it is affordable too.  What a weight off my mind this has turned out to be!

Stopped and got chicken feed, oats and sunflower seeds at Bluestem before I came home.  Made a quick stop at Walmart to pick up some more half and half and sugar packets.  I have been doing laundry and cleaning since I have been home.

A dear friend is delivering the stained glass pieces this afternoon.  Trusting I will find the perfect place to put them.  I can’t remember how big they are.  It will be so good to see them again.  I trust they are as beautiful as I remember them being.  They are sunflowers which I had stopped decorating with but I still love sunflowers.

Almost have the seventh tea towel of the last set done.  The tea towels I ordered are supposed to arrive later today – just in the nick of time.  I get dangerous when I don’t have something productive to do!

I have to go back to town tomorrow to finish up my enrollment since I forgot my card.  Nothing else on my calendar for tomorrow though.  I am ready for a “being” type of day.  It has felt like a whirlwind around here since I got home from Italy.  Much busier than normal for me.  I am still adjusting to my new job of hosting people.  Only had six completely empty days in June.

Attempted to add a second site to the Airbnb site so I could double book.  Only problem is I can’t figure out which site is which since I duplicated the site.  Sometimes the calendar shows one site and sometimes the other and I can’t figure out how to switch between them.  Since I have bookings it won’t let me cancel one of them.  May need to send Airbnb a note and ask for help.  I’ll get on my laptop after a bit and see if that makes a difference.

I decided to go with Nicole to Australia and New Zealand – no surprise – right?  I had it on my list of things to do before I turn 70 and don’t expect to get another chance to go.  Next year might be a year for no travel – I had thought this year would be but that isn’t the way it is turning out.  We have decided to go in November and will get the trip booked soon.

I blocked the days off my Airbnb calendar so no one can slip a booking in.  I put the days I had taken off in July back on as I will need all the business I can get to help pay for the trip.  I trust I will have some days off during July like I did in June.  It really doesn’t take much of my time to host.  Even though I have more guests on more days than I did when I did the retreats it doesn’t feel like I am working near as hard as I did hosting retreats.

Rain is in the forecast for overnight and tomorrow.  I would welcome every drop.  You could break an ankle falling into the cracks in my yard.  I drug hose around to the front of the yard yesterday so I could give the glads a drink.  They just started blooming and deserved a cool drink.

This has been a good week.  Great news from the Endocrinologist yesterday, getting the stain glass pieces back today and finding out my healthcare costs will decrease for next year!  I am one lucky lady.

Grateful to the people who were so very kind to offer me the stained glass pieces back, grateful to my friend that helped me get enrolled in Medicare Supplement today, and grateful I get to go on another adventure later this year.

My guest finally found me last night – or maybe I found her.  She called and confirmed directions so not sure how she got lost but she did.  I couldn’t figure out where they were so had them go back to Strong City.  I drove in and they followed me to my house.  First guests that couldn’t find me!   Her 86 year-old grandfather was driving her out here so maybe that explains part of it.

She called the Chase County Transportation van and it came and picked her up and took her to town so she could get some lunch and dinner.  She doesn’t have her own car.  I didn’t know the Chase County van would come out here to pick someone up.  Nice to know in case a future guest needs it.

Went to Topeka to see the Endocrinologist this morning.  She said I am her patient of the month.  She is very pleased with my blood levels, a clear ultrasound and my weight loss.  I will repeat the ultrasound and blood tests in October and then go see her again next February when we will repeat everything again then.

Had an interesting conversation with her regarding me going off processed foods, flour and sugar.  She ask what prompted me to go off sugar and flour.  I told her it was my belief that sugar feeds cancer and I needed to do my part to make sure the cancer didn’t come back.  She told me there was a study done with breast cancer patients and it found the patients that were able to go off processed foods, flour and sugar had a much lower reoccurrence of their breast cancer.  It doesn’t 100% prevent it but it does lower the risk.  The same study has not been done with thyroid cancer patients but she said in her own practice she sees the same type of results as the patients that give up sugar, flour and processed foods have a much lower reoccurrence rate.  Wonder why she didn’t suggest that road to me last time I saw her?  Glad I figured it out on my own though and she validated I am taking a solid preventive step to help prevent a reoccurrence of the cancer.

She ask if I wanted her theory on my atrial flutter.  Of course I said yes.  She said when I was in the thyroid storm it probably did some damage to my heart’s electrical system.  Statistically over 60% of people who have a thyroid storm develop atrial fib.  Most of those (80%) don’t have any future problems once their thyroid levels are managed. Some continue to have issues.  That would be me!  She said to keep following the Cardiologist and she will keep checking my thyroid levels often.  Her hope would be as my body continues to heal and stabilize the number of atrial flutter episodes I have will continue to decrease.  Ablation, which is the only permanent fix,  is usually only done if atrial fib is a daily occurrence.

The Cardiologist office finally called me back today.  He had been out of the office last week.  I had ask to have my blood thinner medication dose reduced as I am bruising so easily.  The nurse said the Cardiologist doesn’t want to do that yet.  I have an appointment with him in August and I could ask again then.  I was hoping with the stress test results back that he would take me off of it completely.  Guess I will see what he has to say in August.  Not sure I agreed to stay on this medication long-term.  I haven’t had any atrial flutter since early in my trip in Italy so it has been almost a month now without an episode.  Atrial flutter increases the odds of having a stroke so the blood thinner is a precaution, however, taking the blood thinner has its own risks too.

Got a surprise phone call today.  When I lived at the house on 15th Ave I had two stain glass windows custom-made and put in the entry way.  The lady that lives there now has completely remodeled the house and they don’t fit with her decor.  She offered to give them back to me!  Not sure where I will put them as I don’t remember for sure what size they are.  A friend offered to help me get them out here for me.  I bet I can find a place for them.  I remember how much I loved them and I can’t believe I am going to get them back.  What a nice gift!

Have another guest coming in later tonight and staying until Thursday.  The guest that is here now will be leaving tomorrow morning.  At least I don’t have to flip a room quickly tomorrow as the next set of guests don’t arrive until Thursday.  I will only have to flip one room on Thursday.

Tomorrow I am going to visit with a friend and he will help me make my Medicare insurance supplement decision.  I will be glad to get that taken care of.  I am anxious to know how much it will cost!  Not sure I want to know but knowing is always better than guessing.

Nicole ask me to go with her to Australia and New Zealand later this year.  Hadn’t planned on taking another big trip this year but hard to say no.  I’ll need to think about it for a bit and decide.  Going to Australia and New Zealand is on my 70 things to do before I turn 70 list.  The offer is very tempting.  Guess it doesn’t matter if I spend the money this year or next year!  Maybe if the Airbnb stays as busy as it has been I will make enough to cover the cost.

Last night I had blocked off two weeks in July from my Airbnb calendar.  I accepted a 13 day stay in August and already had a five-day stay in August on the calendar.  July has two weeks booked already too  I realized I needed to block off some time to get a break so I didn’t burn out.  If I decide to go to Australia and New Zealand I may open those days back up.  I had thought about taking a road trip in July but will need to decide if I want to do that or the bigger trip later.

Overall this has been a great day.  Good news from the Endocrinologist and I am so happy about getting the two stain glass pieces back.  I never dreamed that might happen.  An invite to go to Australia and New Zealand doesn’t happen every day either.

Grateful for my intuition that lead me to go off flour and sugar and for finding a program to help me do so, grateful for getting the stain glass pieces back, and grateful for being ask to go to Australia and New Zealand – oh the possibilities!

My guests left this morning around 9:45.  As soon as they left I stripped the beds and started the sheets in the washer.  Then I quickly went into Emporia to pick up the prescription I needed for this afternoon.  Stopped and got a few groceries and came home.  Put the sheets in the dryer and the towels in the washer.

A lady called yesterday and wanted to come last night and stay for two nights.  She didn’t show up when she said she would be here.  She finally called sometime after 9:00 and said her brother-in-law had a heart attack and she had to rush to Topeka to be with him.  She ask if she could come today and stay until Tuesday.  I’ll see if she shows up.  Not sure what her story is and why she is needing a place to stay.

I have a guest checking in tomorrow afternoon and staying until Thursday.  She is an artist and will be out painting most of the time.

The guests that checked out today were a mom and her two sons.  The boys sure liked gathering eggs.  I warned them about the rooster the first time I took them down to the coop.  I showed them the stick I always carry while I am in the coop as a precaution.  I think they were kinda hoping he would come after them so they could wack-a-doodle him.  I’m glad he didn’t as he can do real serious damage to someone quickly.  The boys fixed scrambled eggs for themselves and their mother last night for their dinner.  They did a great job cooking and cleaned up after themselves nicely.  They said the eggs tasted better than normal.

When Kathy and I were getting the dog crate out of the barn Friday night the door to the barn blew shut and caught me in the ass.  During the night I rolled over and I woke up from the pain in my ass.  I have a small bruise so far with a knot down deep.  Since I am on a blood thinner I will need to pay attention to it and make sure it isn’t bleeding inside.  So far it isn’t swollen – just sore to the touch.

Worked on tea towels again yesterday.  Have three of seven complete and a fourth one almost done.  I ordered some more tea towels.  I decided it is a fun hobby and gives me a cool project to work on during the summer when it is too hot to knit.  I’ll eventually find a home for them or get them sold.  I have lots of embroidery floss I need to get used up.

Art Day is at Prairie Past Times this afternoon.  Think I will text the guest that is supposed to be checking in and ask her to call or text me when she is close to my house.  That way I won’t have to stay home and wait for her like I did yesterday.  I am slowly learning how to continue to do the things I want to do while having guests in the house.  It feels like a balancing act to me right now and I have been tipping the scales in favor of the guests.  I need to get it more in balance or I will burn out from having guests in the house.

Tomorrow morning I have to be in Topeka by 10:45 to see the Endocrinologist.  Since all the tests came back good I am thinking it will be a very short visit.  I think she will  order a repeat of the same tests to be done in three months and then I can go to an every six month schedule for one year and then an annual schedule after that.  Can’t believe it has been nine months since they found the cancer when I had my thyroid removed October 4.

Another hot day for Kansas today.  Going to cool down to the 80’s this week with a chance for rain on Tuesday and Wednesday.  The clouds rolled in yesterday but didn’t bring any rain with them.  My yard is pretty much burned up with only the parts closest to the house still green.  Cuts down on the amount of mowing I have to do but it isn’t very comfortable to walk in.

Grateful for the delight my dogs and chickens bring to my guests, grateful my cancer is gone, and grateful for my washer and dryer that helps make flipping rooms easy.

The first set of guests have checked out although I am babysitting their dog for a couple of hours.  They were going to the Tallgrass Preserve for the bus tour and couldn’t take the dog on the bus.  Kathy helped me bring up a crate from the barn for the dog last night.  The dog whines off and on but since he peed on my floor once already he is not getting out.

Have the second load of laundry going so I can get the beds made up for the group of guests that are checking in this afternoon.  May not have the towels put away before the next guests arrive but should be able to have the beds made up.  Have the rooms all cleaned up and trash emptied so it won’t take long to finish up once the laundry is done.

Tomorrow I will get to repeat the bed making process as the guests coming this afternoon are only staying for one night.  I have a single guest checking in late Monday afternoon.  She is staying until Thursday and I have four guests checking in Thursday who are staying until Sunday.  Another busy week on the prairie coming up!

Pressed the two finished sets of tea towels last night and stamped another set.  This will be my last set unless I order some more tea towels.  I almost ordered a bunch more tea towels today but am going to sit with it a bit longer and then decide if I really want to make a bunch more.  Not sure what I would do with them.  The tea towels are getting so expensive to buy I now have to charge $50 a set just to recover my costs plus just a little for my time.  I am probably making $0.50 an hour for my time!  Not sure people will pay that much for a set although I did sell one set at that price to a guest.  She is from the West Coast and I am sure prices are a bit higher out there then they are here.  They are a very high quality tea towel but not sure I would pay $50 for a completed set.  I can only give away so many sets.  I do enjoy making them though.

Sent a note to the neighbors I buy straw from to see if they would be interested in mowing and baling my front and side yard.  I told them they could have the hay if they would burn the pasture come spring time and give me 10 bales of straw which I use for the chickens.  She is going to discuss it with her husband and then get back in touch with me.  My next door neighbor used to burn it and arrange for someone to mow and bale it.  He didn’t burn it this spring so am exploring options  If anyone knows of someone who might be interested in doing it let me know.  It is about 20 acres so not sure it is big enough to drive equipment here from very far away.

Another very hot and humid day out today.  Thinking I will stay inside until evening today.  I need to go into Emporia and pick up a prescription but may wait until tomorrow to do that.  Not sure what time my guests are arriving this afternoon but I know they are checking out early tomorrow as they want to be in Council Grove by 8:30.  I’ll have lots of time tomorrow to go into Emporia to pick it up.

Got the name and phone number of a handyman from Cottonwood Falls from a friend.  I need to call him this afternoon to see if he would be interested in replacing a deck board and a base board for me.  Both of those projects have been on my list of things to take care of quite a while and I just haven’t been able to find someone to take care of them for me.  Seems like there is always little projects like that I need to find someone take care of.  I don’t have the tools or the know how to do them myself.

Sitting in my peaceful valley today.  My mind is quiet and the monkey chatter has quieted down  Love when that happens.  Wish I could learn how to make it happen but am always grateful when it does.  I appreciate these moments of quiet in the house more now too since they don’t happen as often as they did before.

Grateful for easy guests – even when they bring a dog that pees on my floor, grateful for a house that cleans up easily, and grateful for the oasis of peace I have found within again.

 

 

 

The house is clean and ready for the first set of three guests to arrive this weekend.  They are only staying one night and they told me they didn’t think they would be here before 5:30 or 6:00 this evening.  Three more will arrive tomorrow afternoon but are only staying one night.  One guest comes in on Monday late afternoon and is staying until Thursday.  Three come in on Thursday and stay until Sunday!  I will be doing lots of laundry and cleaning this week.

Ran into Cottonwood Falls to cash a check.  Picked up my updated business cards.  I changed Spiritual Retreat Center to Airbnb on them and removed my website address as I don’t use that any more.  Stopped and got a bunch of bananas for the guest fruit bowl.  Have some children coming this weekend and most kids like bananas.  If I have time I will need to run into Emporia and pick up a prescription.  Not sure when it will be ready so may need to do that Sunday instead.

I am tired today for some reason.  I slept OK last night in two parts again.  I was up early today.  The sunrise was beautiful!  The sun is way to the North – Solstice is next Thursday so it has almost reached its northern most peak and will slowly start the journey back south.

On Thursday, June 28 I am having a moon rising party.  I am providing hot dogs along with the fixings for s’mores.  I will also have iced tea and water.  Please bring a covered dish to share if you can – a bag of chips works too!   All are invited to come around 6:00.  The moon rises around 9:25.  We will drum the sun down starting around 8:00 and then move to the east yard around 9:00 to watch for the moon to come up.  I have a few more beds available that night for only $28 a person (plus sales tax) if you want to come and stay over.  I would appreciate a head count so I know how many hot dogs to get.  Bring some friends and come enjoy an evening on the prairie.  You are welcome to bring some adult beverages with you if you would like to stay cool that way.

Not a fan of this hot, humid Kansas summer this year.  We never received our good spring rains – wonder if they will come in July this year.  Not sure I want to know what my electric bill is going to be this month.  The A/C has been working overtime.  I don’t do well in this heat although I am tolerating it much better this year than last year when my thyroid was in overdrive and I was sweating buckets.

Monday I get to drive to Topeka in the morning to go see the Endocrinologist.  I haven’t heard the results of the Ultrasound but all the blood work came back really good and I am expecting the same from the Ultrasound.  My appointment is at 11:00.  I just heard from the guest that is coming in that day and she told me she won’t be here until after 5:00.  That gives me more time to get home without racing back to beat her here.

My Airbnb rate keeps slowly creeping upwards.  I do their automated rate and the more bookings I get the higher the rate goes up for future bookings.  It started really low so I am happy to see it go up a bit.  I will continue to monitor how the automated rate works and I always have the option to set the rate if I don’t think they are raising it enough.  I certainly don’t want to cheat my guests but compared to the other Airbnb rates in Chase County I am way too low right now.   I almost have enough reviews to get the Super Host Label.  Not sure others pay attention to that but I bet some do.  Most of the guests I have had don’t have reviews on them yet.  Guess we are checking each other out!

Went on-line and ordered my car tags this morning.  No matter how you pay they charge an extra fee for it.  They even charge a fee if you purchase your tags in person.  That feels wrong to me somehow.  Not sure why they can’t factor their credit card and banking fees into the fixed rate and call it good.  Oh wait – it is the government.  Guess they don’t have to make sense.

Sitting with a quiet mind today.  May go lay down for an hour and rest.  My kidneys are still a bit tender and I feel tired today.  Going to be a week of busy days around here and I may take advantage of a quiet, empty house this afternoon and take a nap.

Grateful for lots of guests booking and coming to share my house with us, grateful for the views I have on the prairie where I can see the moon rises and beautiful sunsets, and grateful for my A/C that works hard to keep me cool during this hot, humid heat wave Kansas is in right now.

 

This has felt like a long day.  Was awake between 1:00 and 4:00 again this morning.  Finally got a bit more sleep after 4:00 but not good sleep.

Cleaned the guest bedrooms this morning and got them ready for the guests that are arriving tomorrow.  Kathy cleaned the downstairs living room and kitchen.  Tomorrow morning I will clean the upstairs living room and kitchen.  The guests aren’t coming until after 5:30 so have lots of time to get ready for them.  They check out Saturday morning and then three other guests check in Saturday afternoon.

Went to a board meeting at Pioneer Bluffs this afternoon.  We sat in the barn for our meeting today for some reason.  It wasn’t too hot but it was plenty warm.  I had promised myself I would keep my mouth shut but wasn’t able to do so.  I know, no surprise to those of you that know me well!  Trusting I didn’t offend too many but felt what I said needed to be said.  I don’t think serving on a board is something I do very well.  I am not a strategic planner – I am more of a take action and ask forgiveness type of gal.

Didn’t get home from the board meeting until a little before 5:00.  Fixed my dinner and then headed into Emporia to pick up a prescription and go to an informational meeting on Medicare.  I need to get enrolled soon with a prescription plan and a supplement plan.  The meeting tonight was very helpful and I now understand the options better.  I did not know that Plan A deductible can be charged every sixty days and there is no maximum deductible.  Now the premiums for the supplements make more sense to me.  I made an appointment to finalize my choices for next week so I can get this done.  A friend of mine put on the seminar this evening and is going to help me get enrolled next week.  Grateful to know the right person at the right time to help me through this maze.

Have had some pain in my kidney area off and on today.  Thinking my kidneys are protesting about the medication that was put into my system yesterday during the Nuclear Heart Stress Test.  Have been doing my best to drink extra today to help wash that crap through.

Have two bookings for 2019 already!  Made another booking for June today too.  I really need to look at the calendar and plan ahead so I can have time off for me.  My mentor is coming in September and I found out when today so I blocked those dates on the Airbnb calendar so I can get free to go to KC to see him while he is in town.  I am also going to KC on June 23 for a Core Star Reunion so I can see a friend coming in from Florida.  I remembered to block that day too.  Need to decide if I want to get away for a couple of weeks this summer and if so I need to get those days blocked so I can get away.  Had an inquiry about a stay for five nights in August today.  He hasn’t confirmed yet so I still have the option to block some days if I decide soon to do so.  I am thinking of a road trip to see a friend in Chicago and then going on to Maine to see some friends that spend the summer at their lake house in Maine.  Haven’t gotten the urge to take another trip yet but if I don’t decide soon I might not be able to get away.

Didn’t hear back from the Cardiologist about lowering the blood thinner medication dose so guess I will call the prescription in tomorrow and get it refilled at the higher dose.  At least the insurance company gets to pay for this refill.  Got a notification from my Doctor’s office that I had a ghost appointment with the Cardiologist today.  Not sure what that was about and didn’t have time to call them today.  Thinking it might be the time a Cardiologist spent to read the results of the stress test I had done yesterday.  Didn’t hear any results yet but my Cardiologist is out of the office this week.

Only have two more tea towels to go to finish the set I am working on.  I will need to get some more stamped if I want to make another set.  Not sure how many blank tea towels I have left.  Maybe I have enough sets made for a bit anyhow.  They keep my hands busy and I feel like I accomplish something at the end of the day when I finish one or two a day.

Thinking about the different ways people think and go about life.  Reminding myself we all operate on ranges and just because someone has a different range than me doesn’t make either one of us wrong and the other right.  Helps me remove my judgement when I remember that.

Grateful for friends that help me out navigating the maze called Medicare, grateful for lots of bookings coming in for my Airbnb, and grateful for the friends I have made while serving on the board for Pioneer Bluffs.

Finally got a good night’s sleep last night.  Slept in two parts but it was good sleep both times.  Woke up before the alarm went off feeling rested.

I was at the Emporia hospital by 8:45 this morning to check in for my nuclear heart stress test.  They took me back right on time at 9:00.  Put an IV in me and gave me some contrast medication.  I had to wait 30 minutes and then they took a 15 minute series of scans of my heart.  Back to the waiting room to wait my turn on the treadmill.  After an hour they called me back, got me all wired up and then we sat and waited for the person to come to the room so I could do the tread mill part.  Waited an hour for her to come in the room.  The tread mill part only took 10 – 15 minutes.  Partway through they put in more contrast medication.  Back to the waiting room for another 30 – 45 minute wait then the final set of scans and I was done.  I didn’t leave until well after 12:30.  Lots of hurry up and wait going on today.

Never felt any chest pressure or pain during the day.  Thinking it will all come back clear with no significant findings.  Trusting I can go off my blood thinner medication and not even have to get them refilled.  Still haven’t heard back from the Cardiologist if he will lower the dose if I do need to stay on them.

Stopped at the grocery store to pick up a birthday cake for a dear friend to take to a meeting we will be at together tomorrow.  Came home and my nephew came over.  He is going to clear out my lagoon area.  I let trees grow in it and it needs mowed.  I didn’t know how important it is to keep that area cleaned out.  Now I do so Dean is going to get it cleaned up for me and then I will mow it weekly.  One more thing I can cross off my to-do list.

Got another booking this morning – this one is for the first weekend in July and only one person.  That will be easy!

Tomorrow I have two meetings to go to – one in the afternoon  and one in the evening.  Friday I have to clean in the morning as guests are coming in the early evening.  Another couple of busy days in front of me.  Should have a quieter week next week but I can’t count on that as guests can book anytime.

Nothing I have to do the rest of the day.  May sit and do some more tea towels.  Have two done of the set I am working on and a third one over half way done.  It is so relaxing to do embroidery work for me.  The only time I cuss is when I have trouble threading the needle.

Glad the heart stress test is done.  Thinking I am on the back side of all of these medical issues.  Time for me to be healthy for a bit and enjoy life.  Getting closer and closer to my goal weight and getting on with my life happy, thin and free!

Grateful the heart test is done, grateful my nephew is here taking care of a project for me, and grateful I have nothing that needs done for the rest of the day.

What a long night.  For some reason I could not fall asleep last night.  Not sure if it was the storm or what was going on.  I finally fell asleep lightly around 5:00.  Even then I saw every hour on the clock until I finally gave up around 8:45.

Ate breakfast and then decided to get the mowing done before I took my shower.  There was a pair of athletic shorts in my closet.  I thought they were the ones I had bought to wear when I was training for the Camino.  I knew they would be too big and thought I had thrown them out but decided it didn’t matter what I wore mowing so I put them on.  They fit perfectly which puzzled me until I looked at the tag.  They were Tagen’s shorts – size 16 in boys.  Thanks buddy for being my size now.

It was dusty and dirty mowing today.  I didn’t think the outer part of the yard would need mowing but it did.  It was dry enough I left tracks in the grass so I could tell where I had just mowed.  Ate my greens today while mowing.  May take me several days to get all the grass and dirt out of hidden body crevices.

Came in around noon and had lunch.  It is another not too hungry type of day but I managed to get my salad down.  Walmart didn’t have any good cucumbers yesterday so got a cauliflower crumble mix that was really good and made my salad taste a bit different for a change.  I try not to make my food taste extra good as that seems to trigger me to want to eat more.  I want it to taste OK and not yucky but not especially sexy and exciting either.

Didn’t go do Kathy’s walk with her this morning.  Wanted to get the mowing done before it got too hot today.  There is a nice breeze this morning and I kept comfortable mowing.  It is to warm up again this afternoon.  We got lots of lightning last night, a bit of thunder but little if any rain.  It all went around us.  Maybe next system will be kinder to us and give the prairie a drink of water.

Got another booking for this week.  The lady that was here with her dad last week is coming back for one night and bringing her two boys this time.  They are going to the dig site together on Sunday.  Since I have three other guests Friday night I will have to flip the two bedrooms quickly on Saturday once the first guests leave.  June has turned into a very busy month for the Airbnb.

Nothing else I have to do today except make up the two beds.  It is too early to clean house for the guests that are arriving Friday.  I might have to take a nap if sleep decides to find me.  Sure wish I could solve my sleeping issue.  It has gotten a bit better but when I have nights like last night I remember how hard it is when I can’t sleep at all.  Luckily it happens lots less than it used to.

Kathy had gone to a media advertising seminar a couple of months ago so she could learn how to better promote Pioneer Bluffs weddings.  One thing she learned was doing a give away gets you more hits than paying for a Facebook boost.  I decided to try it yesterday and I am blown away by how many people have clicked on the post I created with a give away.  I am almost up to 2,000 people.  I never reached that many when I tried the Facebook boost and paid for them to send it out.  It will be well worth the one-night stay for two people to help get the word out about my Airbnb.  If you liked, shared and commented on the post THANK YOU!

Most of the baby birds in the nests by the back deck have flown away.  I will miss hearing their little peeps but won’t miss getting dive bombed by their parents as they tried to protect their babies.  There are two hummingbirds down by the feeder off the lower deck.  They come to the feeder twice a day.  They are so fun to watch flutter around.

Got notice that insurance finally paid the ER hospital bill.  I ended up only having to pay $181 of it.  Much better than the $2,400 I was billed originally.  Glad to have met my deductible for the year.  Too bad I have to switch off this plan August 1 and start the deductible over with Medicare.  Not a good year for me regarding doctor bills.  Not sure with the change in tax law if they are deductible this year or not.

Sitting with a quiet but tired mind today.  I love to mow as it bounces away any thoughts I have in my head and helps to quiet my brain.  It was especially bumpy mowing today with all the cracks in the yard.

Grateful the yard is done, grateful for a successful Facebook post that is helping spread the word about my Airbnb, and grateful for my health insurance deductible being met and their help in paying the hospital bill.

My guests checked out around 10:30 this morning.  No one else is booked to come until Friday so should have a couple of days of no guests.  It was a long stretch of over two weeks with guests every night.  It went fast though and was very manageable but I will enjoy the empty house for a couple of days.

Have one bedroom put back together and need to finish up the second one.  The sheets weren’t dry before I had to go to Topeka for my ultrasound.  It was a quick trip up and back to Topeka.  The test only takes 15 minutes at most.  Didn’t stop anywhere before or after except at Walmart in Emporia to get a few groceries before I came back home.

Nothing on my calendar for tomorrow!  Empty space at last.  May go walk with Kathy’s group in the morning unless I decide to get the mowing done while it is still cool out.  We may get some rain tonight so may not be able to mow if it is too wet – at least I can dream it will be.

Finished another set of tea towels this morning and have one of seven done on another set.  The only problem with doing tea towels is that I sit too much.  My back has been sore and thinking it is from sitting too much.  I forget to take a break and move my body.

Last week I was really hungry most days and could have eaten another plate full at each meal.  This week I am not hungry at all and have to make myself eat all my food.  Sure wish I knew what caused that to happen.  I eat pretty much the same thing every day do not thinking I triggered myself to be hungry.

Sent a note to my primary physician this morning to see if he would lower the dose of the blood thinner I am on as my legs look like I am a battered woman.  He referred me to the Cardiologist to have him handle it even though my primary doctor is the one that started me on the blood thinner medication in the first place.  The Cardiologist is out of the office this week.  His nurse was going to forward my message to him but she wasn’t sure he would respond.  My medication runs out Saturday.  They aren’t the type of pills that can be cut in half and I didn’t want to get a refill at the higher dosage in case he will cut the dose for me.  Guess I will wait till Friday to see if I hear back from him and will have to get them refilled if I don’t.  They are so expensive I hate to potentially waste them if he cuts the dose next week. Good thing insurance will pay for them this time though.

Wednesday morning I have my stress test.  Thinking I probably should have cancelled it.  I had the Atrial Flutter episode on April 13.  Two months after the fact seems unnecessary at this point.  Surely something would have happened by now if it was going to.

Thursday I am going to a board meeting at Pioneer Bluffs in the afternoon and an educational seminar about Medicare in the evening.  Friday three guests arrive for one night.  Best take advantage of empty space tomorrow as I won’t have any more until next week.  I will need to clean house sometime this week too so it is ready for the guests that arrive Friday.

Next week I go back to Topeka on Monday for an appointment with the Endocrinologist and then a guest arrives that afternoon and is staying for three nights.  No rest for the weary around here!

Another hot summer day today.  Almost 100 out today.  Crossing all my fingers and toes the storm that is forecasted will happen and we will get some rain on the prairie tonight.  It is really dry and dusty out.

Grateful for a quick and safe trip to and from Topeka today, grateful for empty space all day tomorrow, and grateful for the promise of rain tonight.

Three guests have checked out and the other three are at a birthday party picnic for the day.  Have three beds made up and the last load of towels is in the washer.  The other three guests leave tomorrow morning.

I feel like I made two new friends over the weekend.  One of the three guests that checked-out today I knew.  She has house sat for me before.  She told two of her friends about this place and they joined her for the weekend.  What nice woman they are!  We had a delightful conversation over breakfast this morning.

Sounds like the Symphony was a hit last night.  Kathy had a grand time as did the volunteers.  Heard it will be in Chase County next year.  The guests that stayed are going to book all six beds for next year when they get home so they can come back and stay again and bring other family members with them.

I sold a set of tea towels to the guests that are leaving tomorrow.  They reminded her of her grandmother!  Wonder if that makes me old?  One reason I do them is because my grandmother taught me how to make them and I think of her when I make them.

I am fixing dinner for a family that had a parent die.  Have part of it fixed and will finish making the other things I am taking later this afternoon.  Have already done two loads of dishes today and will have at least one more load to do, if not two.  Have spent the weekend doing laundry and dishes!

Have to be in Topeka by 2:45 tomorrow afternoon for my thyroid ultrasound.  Trying to think if there is anything I need while I am in a big city.  Not sure when my guests are leaving so don’t know if I can get away early and do some shopping if I think of something I need.

Today is 120 days of eating on the Bright Line Plan.  I have lost 28 pounds so far.  Have another 13 – 20 to go.  Not sure where I want to end up yet.  1 am 13 pounds from the first goal I set but may go down another 7 after that.  I’ll see what my body wants to do and how I feel.  Still struggle to see myself lighter than I was.  When I look in the mirror I don’t see much difference.

Going to be another hot day out today.  Forecast calls for it to reach 96 today with 20 plus MPH winds.  The guests from Washington state are sure struggling with our heat and humidity.  It doesn’t usually get this hot back where they live.

I slept really hard last night from about 9:30 – 1:00 and then didn’t sleep much after that.  I have been doing some embroidery work this afternoon and my eyes are tired.  May need to find something else to do for a bit so I don’t fall asleep sewing.

Have three more guests arriving Friday this week but only for one night.  I will need to clean again on Thursday so I will be ready for them.  Next week I have one guest coming Tuesday and staying until Friday.  After that I have some down time as of right now.  That seems to change quickly though.

May run into Cottonwood Falls in a bit.  They have some old-fashioned demonstrations going on by the courthouse this afternoon.  Might be fun to see what is going on.  All my recyclable containers are full and need dumped so I need to run into Cottonwood and do that anyways.

Never did get my mowing done so will need to get that on my list of things to do some early morning this week. Sure too hot to mow in the afternoons.

Grateful for the release of 28 pounds, grateful for the guests that came to stay and became friends, and grateful a set of tea towels moved out quickly.

All six guests have checked-in and are out and about this afternoon.  The group from Washington State only had three instead of the four they had told me were coming.  The youngster didn’t come.

Have towels washing now so I can finish getting their rooms reset.  Made breakfast for two of the guests.  They wanted eggs, bacon, toast and fruit.  Easy!  Tomorrow I am making Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats as the three that will be eating are all leaving at different times.  That way it can be ready by 7:00 and they can eat when they want to.

Stamped two more sets of tea towels this morning so I have something to do when I feel like sitting.  Pressed two other sets so have three sets now ready to give away or sell.  I found a set I had done several months ago when I was digging out more tea towels to stamp.  I had forgotten about them.

Ran into Emporia around noon to get some groceries.  One of my friends lost her mother-in-law yesterday and I offered to take dinner to them Sunday evening.  Only going to feed five so not much food is needed.  Have eggs and potatoes cooking now.  I’ll get part of it put together this afternoon while my guests are out and about and finish the rest tomorrow afternoon after three of the guests check-out.  The other three have a birthday party to go to tomorrow afternoon.

I decided not to go to the Symphony tonight.  Just not in the mood to people today.  I’m sure it is beautiful but not today for me.  Kathy is using one of my tickets and is going with some friends of ours.  I know she will enjoy it.  The heat doesn’t bother her like it does me.

I screwed up and ate some bacon for breakfast and lunch today.  I didn’t even think to check the ingredient list on the bacon package to see if it had sugar in it.  Thinking from the way my tummy is reacting to it and the headache I have the bacon has sugar in it as well as some artificial flavoring of some sort.  I hadn’t had much processed food lately and the bacon is really bothering me.  Good reminder not to eat junk food and I now have to include bacon as junk food for me.  My body has gotten used to one ingredient foods and doesn’t tolerate processed food any more.

Looking forward to Monday – Thursday when we don’t have any guests in the house. It has been over two weeks since we have had a break.   It has gone well and fast but I will enjoy an empty house for a couple of days.

I’m tired this afternoon as I didn’t sleep much again last night.  I might take a short nap this afternoon while the house is quiet.  I stayed up until 11:00 last night as the guests from the west coast didn’t get here until almost 10:00.  The other guests were up by 7:00 this morning.  Hard to balance both ends!

Grateful for learning new things my body no longer likes me to eat, grateful one breakfast is done and only one to go, and grateful I have an empty house this afternoon so I can recharge my soul.

 

My guests left at 7:30 this morning.  What nice guests they were!  I hope they come back again.

Got the beds stripped and the sheets washed and put back on the beds.  The towels are in the dryer.  Bathrooms had been cleaned and floors dusted.  Almost ready for the six guests to arrive this afternoon and evening.  Need to do a few more final touches to the bedrooms and clean the kitchen floor.

Finished the fifth tea towel in the set of seven I am doing embroidery work on.  Two more to go and the second set will be completed.  Bought some more patterns to iron on for two more sets.  I like having sets on hand to use for gifts.  Don’t think I will make 35 sets like I did one year though!

Saw a post on Facebook this morning that showed a recipe for removing stains.  I saved it in case I needed it some day.  When I was putting the sheets back on the beds this morning I noticed some dip stains on a sheet and pillow case.  Tried the recipe and it worked like a charm!   The recipe is Dawn dishwashing soap mixed with hydrogen peroxide.  I used my vegetable brush to scrub with.  The stain came out easily even after the sheets had been washed.  That was easy!

May go out and do some mowing.  The whole yard doesn’t need it but up close where it is still green needs mowed.  Most of my yard is already burned up.  No rain in the forecast.  We only got sprinkles yesterday from the big system that went around us.

Need to get some invoices typed up for the non Airbnb guests I have coming this weekend.  I sure like that Airbnb handles the payment for most of my guests.  Saves me credit card fees.  They also collect sales tax so I don’t have to worry about reporting that.

Going to be another hot summer day today.  The high 90’s are forecast for the Symphony tomorrow.  Not sure I want to be out in that heat and crowd.  We sure are getting our summer early this year.  Maybe it will turn cool and rainy in July.

So far I am really enjoying being an Airbnb host.  I am surprised how easy it is to allow my guests to share my kitchen.  I have learned to ask them to leave the dishes in the sink when they are done.  That way I can load the dishwasher myself and put things back where I can find them again.

Not making lots of extra money but the little bit that is coming in is helpful.  Of course buying a new bed and bedding cut into my profits this month!  At least I had the income to cover that expense though.  When I decide to sell the two twin beds I will recover a bit of that cost.  I haven’t heard if the twin bed foundation is repairable or not yet.  One of the metal hooks in it had ripped out and the board it was attached to broke.  The set I have is not made any more so not sure how they can fix it.

Grateful for easy guests that become friends in the course of their stay, grateful for how easy this house cleans up and goes back together again, and grateful for solutions to small problems that appear before I knew I even needed them.

 

Volunteered at Pioneer Bluffs for a while last night.  I left when the music started as I wanted to get home before my guests came back to the house.  It was fun interacting with the guests that came to hear the 312th Army Band but I was peopled out.

Went to KC this morning to have lunch with two dear friends.  Always a good day when I get to spend time with them.  We ate at Ya Ya’s in Overland Park.  They have a side dish of sautéed vegetables. When I told the waitress I needed 10 oz of them she said she would check with the chef.  When she brought them out she said the Chef had weighted them for me to make sure I had enough.  Love that type of service!  I also had a piece of grilled salmon on top of the veggies.

I stopped at Costco after lunch and picked up a few things and then headed home.  Stopped in Emporia to get groceries so I can make breakfast Saturday and Sunday for two of the guests that are coming over the weekend.

Dropped a jar of mayonnaise in the garage when I was unloading the car.  The dogs were going to help me clean it up but they kept having to spit out glass.  I think I got it cleaned up before they actually ingested any glass.  I was sorry I broke it and didn’t get to try it.  It didn’t have sugar in it and mayonnaise without sugar is hard to find.  Maybe next time!

I buy chicken tenders at Costco and then repackage them into the right-size serving for me and then freeze them.  I spilled chicken juice all over when I picked up the empty container.  Yuck!

Didn’t sleep very good again last night.  Sure was hoping going off caffeine and sugar would help me sleep better.  Some days I manage to get a good night’s sleep but not for the last couple of nights.  I’m a bit cranky and tired this afternoon.  Making two big messes didn’t help my mood much.

My two guests will be leaving in the morning and I have six more coming in tomorrow.  Four won’t be here until after 9:00 as their flight is scheduled to land in Wichita at 7:00.  The other two are coming mid-afternoon.

Still haven’t decided if I am going to the Symphony Saturday.  It will depend on how needy the group of four guests are and what their plans are.  If they plan on being gone all day and evening Saturday I will probably go for at least part of the evening. It will also depend on if I think I can be around people and handle a crowd.  Some days I can and other days I can’t.

Have four tea towels completed on the second set I am working on.  I didn’t do much yesterday but embroidery.  Felt good to have a day where I could sit most of the day.

Monday afternoon I have to drive to Topeka for a thyroid ultrasound.  It will take over an hour to drive there and the test only takes 15 minutes.  Glad my medical insurance deductible is finally met – this ultrasound will be 100% paid for by my medical insurance.

So far when my guests check out on Monday I don’t have any other guests scheduled until Friday.  It will be a nice break to have no guests for a couple of nights.  That can always change though.

Grateful for a safe trip to and from KC today, grateful to get to spend time with my dear friends, and grateful for restaurants that make staying on plan easy!

Empty space at last!  Nothing to do until 5:00 this evening!  The house is empty and I am so enjoying the peace and quiet.  My soul is being refilled!

Went down to the chicken coop this morning to put up the mesh tarp I bought earlier this week.  It will give them some more shade from the hot, summer sun.  All three water containers were empty so had to make two trips down with a five-gallon bucket of water to fill them up.  Picked up four eggs while I was down there.

Got the guest room reset this morning and their towels washed up and replaced.  They are neat people so not a lot to do to reset their room.  They are only working at the dig site until noon today then will come back to the house for the afternoon.  They are returning to the dig site tonight for a lecture of some sort.

I took a short nap yesterday and had trouble sleeping last night as a result.  I thought I was tired when I went to bed but had trouble falling asleep and then kept waking up off and on all night.  Makes for a long night when that happens.  Now today I am sleepy again. Will do my best not to take a nap so I don’t repeat this cycle.

Have two tea towels of the next set completed and the third one almost half done.  Sure makes my eyes tired to do embroidery work these days.  Never used to have that problem.  Must be a sign of my old age!

Got a note from my Endocrinologist yesterday regarding the results of the three blood tests I had done last week.  She said there was no sign of cancer in any of them!  I appreciate the fact that she always takes the time to send me a note regarding the tests she orders.  Some Doctors don’t do that.  I have my Ultrasound Monday and then see her the following Monday.  Two trips to Topeka coming up for me as well as a trip to KC tomorrow.

I am surprised I don’t need to mow this week.  It has been almost a week since I mowed but the grass isn’t growing much right now.   We really need some good rain.  It is turning brown already in lots of spots.  Way early in the summer for it to be doing that.  We never have received a good long day of rain this spring.

It is going to be a hot one today.  I wanted to get out and take another long walk but I waited too long and it is too hot to do so now.  My heart was racing a bit after doing the chicken chores this morning.  It hasn’t done that since I was in Rome.  Sure wish I knew what caused it to do that.  Maybe the Nuclear Heart Stress Test I am having next week will tell me something.

Sitting with a quiet mind today.  Drawing energy from the peace and quiet around me.  Basking in “being” and not “doing” today.  I forget how important it is to my soul to allow myself to take the time to “be”.

Grateful for an empty house this morning, grateful for a note from my Doctor, and grateful my soul is being refilled and recharged!

Joined Kathy’s walking club this morning.  I walked over 3 1/2 miles with a group.  Sure is easier to walk when you have someone to talk to and no hills to climb.  Easier walking in town than on gravel.  I worked up a sweat today walking as it is warming up today.

I was going to wear my Fitbit on my walk this morning but it was dead.  I had forgotten about it and haven’t charged it since I got home from Italy.

Last night I took a walk down the gravel road a bit and my knee started hurting.  I iced it overnight and it felt better this morning.  I did OK on my walk this morning although it started hurting on the back half of the walk.  I’m glad I was able to finish the walk without it yelling at me too bad.  Not sure what I did to it but am trusting it will get over itself and allow me to continue to move my body.

Came home from walking, changed clothes and headed into Emporia to meet a friend for lunch.  We had a nice lunch at Radius and got caught up.  Hadn’t seen her for a bit so it was nice to spend time with her.

Stopped and got some things from Hobby Lobby on my way home.  I had gotten some new pillow covers in Italy and needed some pillow inserts.  Also needed some more embroidery floss.  Some colors I use frequently and seem to have trouble keeping enough of those colors on hand.

Started embroidery on another set of tea towels this morning.  It is nice to have a little project to do inside when it gets too hot to be outside.  Makes me feel like I have accomplished something when I get a set made.

Have the rest of the day and most of the day tomorrow completely free.  I am so ready for some empty space!  Not much on my to-do list so I can fill this time “being” instead of doing.  Seems like it has been a while since I had a full 24 hours of empty space.  My soul has missed it.

Left a message for my trash guy to let him know they had missed picking up my trash last week.  He left a message for me today telling me he has two trucks and runs two routes.  One of his trucks had broken down so they had to run a double route last week and were rushing so fast they drove right by my place.  Trusting it won’t happen again!  The trash is extra smelly this week since it is two weeks old.  Need to wheel the second cart down to the curb yet today.

I sure could take a nap this afternoon.  I was really tired when I went to bed last night but didn’t sleep very well.  Not sure I want to take a nap though as I won’t sleep tonight if I do but am really struggling to keep my eyes open.  When I don’t have anything I have to do it is hard to stay awake.  My needle work makes my eyes really tired.  May have to get creative and find something else to do this afternoon so I can stay awake.

Tomorrow night the 312th Army Band is putting on a concert at Pioneer Bluffs.  It is free and all are welcome to come.  Smokestack is selling a BBQ dinner at 6:00 and the concert begins at 7:00.  Thinking there will be a crowd there.  I am going to go help host before the concert begins but may not stay for the concert.  I’ll see how things go.  They are going to set up chairs in the shade but you might want to take your own chair in case they run out of chairs.

It has been so long since I had empty space I am not sure what to do with myself.  So many options and none of them appeal to me right now.  Sitting and “being” feels like a luxury to me.  Refilling my soul in the silence and beauty of the green prairie!

Grateful for being able to move my body this morning, grateful for a friend to have lunch with, and grateful for empty space and having the luxury of “being” and not doing this afternoon.

The guests that arrived last night are very nice.  It is a daughter and her father.  They are volunteering on a dig site in Council Grove.  This is the 12th year they have done this hobby together.  Grandma stays home with the daughter’s husband and two kids as neither the grandma or husband enjoy their hobby.  We sat out in the swings last night and enjoyed the sunset and visited.

Had two more inquires about stays this morning.  One stay is for April, 2019.  Thinking it is for the Glass Blown Open dates which haven’t been announced yet.  One is for next weekend.  Haven’t got a confirmation from either yet.  The one for next weekend have a dog they want to bring.  They said it would sleep in their truck.  Not sure that will work if it is as hot as it is supposed to get.  Will see how this one turns out.

Going into town this afternoon to do my errands and get a haircut.  Tomorrow I will need to go back into Emporia as I am meeting a friend for lunch.  Wednesday evening I am going to Pioneer Bluffs to help with an event there.  Thursday I am going to KC to have lunch with two dear friends.  Friday six new guests check-in.  What happened to the empty space I was going to have this week?

Next week is busy too as I have to go to Topeka Monday for my thyroid ultrasound, I have my nuclear heart stress test Wednesday, and a meeting at Pioneer Bluffs on Thursday afternoon as well as a meeting about Medicare Thursday evening.  Maybe July will be less busy!

I went into Emporia yesterday to get groceries.  My guests ended up leaving around 11:00 so had three free hours and got that chore over with.  Didn’t know if I could leave the guests checking-in yesterday or not and decided to take advantage of the free time.  Luckily they are easy people and it will be no problem leaving them in the house alone this week.  They will be coming and going to their dig site all week.

Finished making a set of tea towels.  Just need to get them pressed and tied.  Have several more sets stamped it the urge hits for me to work on them.  I enjoy making them but am having some trouble with my eyes.  If I forget to take a break I have trouble seeing far away for a bit when I do stop.  Threading the needle is a challenge too!  It is hell to get old sometimes.

Need to make a Costco list for Thursday.  If I don’t write out a list I have little chance of remembering what I wanted to get.  Even with a list I still forget things sometimes.  My memory sure isn’t what it used to be.

I dropped my iPad case and broke off a little piece of it.  Now my iPad keeps slipping out of the case that contains my keyboard.  Going to have to figure out how to tape it on or something.  Good news is my iPad didn’t crack when I dropped it.  The problem is the corner that broke is the corner that has the buttons on my iPad I need access to.

Still negotiating with my neighbor about adding rock to the driveway.  He wanted me to pay half but he gets his whole driveway done and I only get the bottom half of the driveway we share done.  I ask him today if they could do my half too and if so I would pay half.  He still owes me money for trash and hay.  He seems to forget about that!

Nice to have my house clean and nothing that needs done today.  I reset the guests bedroom this morning so that task is done.  Maybe I will take the next couple of hours and “be”.  I am forgetting how important that is to my soul.

Grateful for another set of wonderful guests, grateful for time to “be”, and grateful my grandmother taught me how to embroidery.  I think of her often when I am making the tea towels.

Kathy and I went to the Rodeo Parade yesterday afternoon.  Always a good time!  I had taken two plastic bags in case the grandkids came so they would have something to put candy in.  Gave one to some friends that walked by and the other to a family standing near us to watch the parade.  Their girls got lots of candy and were thankful they had a bag to put it in.

Came home and took a long nap.  I was surprised I was able to sleep last night.  Making up for a couple of nights with little sleep.

I didn’t hear my guests come in last night.  I was up until 11:30 and they weren’t back yet when I went to bed.  Not sure what time they came but they were up before I was and I got up at 7:30.  I fixed them eggs and fruit for breakfast.  Not sure if they expected breakfast to be included but he asked if I could fix something for them.  Eggs and fruit are available for my guests to eat but usually I don’t cook the eggs.  They seemed to appreciate them.

He was able to complete his second DK 200.  He had cut four minutes off his time from last year so he was pleased with how he did.  He said the head wind was brutal at times though.

Their flight doesn’t leave until late afternoon so I told them they could extend their check-out time if they wanted to hang around here instead of at the airport.  They are sitting outside on the swings enjoying another cup of coffee.  It is a beautiful day on the prairie and hasn’t gotten too hot yet.  It got down to the 50’s last night!

Haven’t heard what time the guests that are arriving this afternoon will be here.  They are coming from Lawrence so don’t have a very long drive.  I need to get some groceries but that may have to wait until tomorrow as I may not have time between guests to run to town.  I have enough food to get me through until tomorrow so no worries.

Kathy and Sophia went for a long walk this morning at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.  I may get out this afternoon and take a walk after my guests leave.

Kathy helped me give the girls some fresh linens yesterday.  It was so cool yesterday morning after the rain we decided it was the perfect day to get the coop cleaned out. When I do that job monthly it is a fairly easy job to do.  The first clean out after the winter deep straw is a tough one.  Kathy even cleaned out the water containers so they are nice and clean.  Her grandkids named the two new chickens Macaroni and Cheese.  The baby chickens still like to come up and get petted when I go down to the coop.  They seemed to be doing well.  So far the rooster has left them alone.

This first week with guests here all week has gone very fast.  One more week to go!  The guests coming today stay until Friday and then six more check-in Friday night with four of them staying until Monday.  Then I have over a week of no guests before a guest comes the next week for three nights.  When the guests are out and about during the day it makes it easy for me.  A bit more of a challenge when they hang around all day.  Still learning when I can leave and when I need to stay around.  Really depends on the guests and what they are doing.

Haven’t decided if I am going to the Symphony on Saturday.  I have tickets but not sure what I want to do.  Part of it will depend on the four guests that are coming Friday and what their plans are for Saturday.  The other two guests are volunteers at the Symphony so they will be gone all day and evening.  I did agree to fix breakfast for two guests both Saturday and Sunday morning.  Need to remember to get groceries so I can do that.

Quiet day on the prairie today.  Bright blue skies and not as hot as it has been.  After I get all the laundry done and the bedroom flipped I will have some empty space between guests.  May just stay home and “be” for a bit.  Nothing pressing on my to-do list.  I have been working on doing some embroidery work and only have one and one-half tea towels left to do to finish the set.  May finish that this afternoon.

Back to my peaceful valley where my mind is quiet, solutions to problems appear quickly, and life seems simple for me again.  I can never figure out how I get here or how I leave it but certainly welcome it when it comes back to me.  It feels like a moment of grace in this busy, chaotic world I live in.

Grateful for the wonderful guests I hosted this weekend, grateful for a clean chicken coop, and grateful for the grace and peace that has found me yet again.

Four of my guests are check-out and on to new adventures today.  The other two are participating in the DK200 and won’t be back until much later tonight.  I have the beds stripped and laundry running.  Two more guests check-in tomorrow afternoon.

Got lucky again and had very nice guests.  Kathy and I sat outside and watched the stars come out with two of them.  The other four went to bed early as they had to leave the house before 5:00.

We had quite a storm blow through a little after 4:00 this morning.  It woke me up.  We had strong wind, hard rain and hail again.  I checked radar in case I needed to get my guests to the safe room.  There was a huge system northeast of me but we just caught a little tail end of it.  Didn’t end up with much rain.  The start of the DK was delayed a bit to let the storm pass through.  It is nice and cool out this morning but I bet it heats up later.  Trusting those out on the road already doing the 350 were able to find some shelter during the peak of the storm.

Two of my guests were riding the DK50 and one was doing the 200.  I will have to check the leaderboard and see if I can find their names.  The other two guests were a delightful mother and daughter spending time together.

I have some errands to do so may run into Emporia today.  I have been up since 4:00 when the storm woke me up so may need to take a nap.  Want to go to the Rodeo Parade this afternoon at 2:00.  The errands may have to wait until Monday if I decide to take a nap.

Need to give my girls some fresh linens.  This might be a good morning to do that as it is so cool right now.  When I went down to gather eggs last night I found a dead chicken in the pen.  I had noticed when I got home from Italy one was acting weird.  Never know for sure what causes them to die.  Hate when it happens.  Trusting it is an isolated incident and others won’t follow suit.

Grateful for the guests I had last night, grateful for a cool start to the day, and grateful for the little bit of rain we received – every drop helps break the drought.

The grandkids came out around noon yesterday and spent the night.  Didn’t get my cleaning done like I had planned but had way more fun!  I hadn’t seen them for a bit so it was nice to have them come for the night.  They got in Kathy’s hot tub with her and spent an hour or so in it.  We didn’t do anything special, just hung around.

After they both fell asleep in my bed I went into the new guest queen bed to sleep.  Wasn’t long before Ellexia joined me.  The bed is very comfortable.  I trust my guests will like it.  It is taller than I anticipated it would be though.

Tagen helped me set up the twin bed in a guest room to replace the one that had broken.  He is getting big enough to be a good helper.  Ellexia helped me make beds.  She likes to be my helper.  She surprised me this morning and made my bed for me.

Took the grandkids to town this morning around noon.  I mowed for a bit this morning while Kathy was still here.  Rushed home from dropping the kiddos off and finished the mowing and cleaning.  Ellexia had helped me clean a little bit this morning.  I didn’t get the house as detailed clean as I would have like to but it is clean enough.

Came in from my second mowing and took a shower and cleaned up.  It is hot out there today.  I am surprised how dry it really is.  When I cut the grass I uncovered lots of brown spots.  If we don’t get a good couple inches of rain soon my yard is going to dry up and it will all turn brown.

Started my second load of dishes.  Always forget when I cook for the grandkids I dirty lots more dishes!  Have extra laundry to do from the extra towels they used too.  Small price to pay for having them come visit.

One set of guests are arriving around 4:00, another around 7:00 and I haven’t heard from the third set.  Check-in time is 2:00 and I like to be ready in case they come early.  I barely made my 2:00 time today.  Once I get done writing I will do some little detail cleaning jobs I skimmed over this morning.  May not get to all of them though if someone shows up.

Debating about setting up a second Airbnb site.  I can’t double-book the two rooms using the Airbnb site I have now.  The only way I can do so is to set up one room on one site and the other room on another site.  Sometimes guests want both rooms but usually they only want one.  Seems like if I have to clean the house for one room I might as well have both rooms full.

Am going to try to get to the rodeo parade tomorrow afternoon.  Last year my friends from California were here and we went to the parade.  It was fun to watch!  I’ll have to see if the grandkids want to go with me.  They would get lots of candy if they go.

Need to remember to call my trash man and find out why he didn’t pick up my trash this week.  He has never missed it before.

Should have more empty space next week.  I have guests all week but they will be gone during the day.  Have another full house next weekend to get ready for but since I cleaned today I will only have to spot clean.  I feel like I haven’t had much empty space since I have been home from Italy.  I am ready for several days of nothing on my calendar.

Grateful the house is clean and ready for my guests, grateful the grandkids came to spend the night, and grateful the mowing is done for another week or so.

Anyone catch the moon last night?  I stayed up to watch it rise and it was so worth it.  Big, orange and breathtakingly beautiful.

My guest went to work this morning and returned to the house about two hours later.  For some reason the new job isn’t going to work for him.   Not sure if he decided that or if his new boss did.  Poor kid still has to pay rent until the apartment can be rented to someone else and  he lost his security deposit on the apartment that he never moved into.  He packed and left for Iowa around 10:30.  Sometimes things just don’t work out like we want them to.

I now have plenty of time to get his room flipped for the guests arriving tomorrow.  I will need to set up another twin bed to replace the one I took out of the room that had broken.

The mattress cover, sheets, bedspread and blankets for the new queen bed have all arrived so am getting them washed up so I can get that bed made up.  Cleaning the rest of the house today too.  It is a manual labor cleaning day around here.

I do need to go into Cottonwood Falls and go to the Post Office, get gas for my mower, and stop at Kansas Graphics so I can get new business cards ordered.  My old ones have my old website address on them and call this place A Spiritual Retreat Center.  I need the new ones to say Airbnb instead and remove the website address.  I will clean for a bit and when I need my next rest I will go into town and get those errands taken care of.

We got a little rain overnight so am going to wait to mow until tomorrow morning so it can dry out just a bit.  Sure is hot and muggy outside today.  I don’t like this type of weather.

Got another booking for three nights the middle of June.  This guest is a single woman who is coming to do some painting of the landscape.

Got the results of my thyroid antibody blood tests results.  The level has dropped to below 1.  It was 4.6 when I first had it checked.  Good news!  It can take up to three years for it to get down to zero but it is headed in the right direction.  My TSH level was 1.242.  When I was in the ER it was over 2.1.  Not sure what causes it to vary so much.  My ultrasound is June 11 and then I see the Endocrinologist on June 18.  Should be a short visit as everything is looking good.

Feels good to be moving my body and cleaning today.  I can tell I got in better shape on my trip to Italy with all the walking I did.  My heart seems to have settled down and isn’t complaining about me moving like it did for a bit. Sure have more energy finally.  I am recovering from the trip faster than I normally do.  Thinking my body is appreciating my efforts to lighten it’s load.

Today is Day 110 on the Bright Line Eating Plan.  I have lost 26 pounds so far.  My first goal is 15 pounds away.  Still not sure that will be my final goal.  I will decide that when I get there and see how I feel.  Once I get to goal weight I continue eating what I have been but gradually add more food to my day, one additional food a week, until I find the right amount that will allow me to maintain my goal weight.

Grateful for Amazon and my delivery arriving as promised, grateful for the rain we received last night – every drop helps break the drought we are in, and grateful for the good news from my blood tests.  Starting to feel like the cancer diagnosis is in my rear view mirror.

Happy birthday to my daughter Nicole.  What a joy it is to be her mother.  I am grateful she choose me 35 years ago.

Had a strong storm come through last night.  Lost power for about two hours.  My guest came up and watched the lightning show with us.  He is a very pleasant young man.  Glad he felt comfortable coming up.  He is from Iowa and is used to storms like we had last night.  He had been watching a movie downstairs when the power went out.  Didn’t get much rain but it hailed and we had strong winds and rain for a bit.

The chicken fence bent over during the storm but not enough to be of concern.  Sometime Kathy and I will go out and attempt to push it back up.  I tried to do it alone this morning and needed more muscle.  I need to get a wind proof tarp to replace the solid one Kathy had put up on the fence.  When the wind blows the solid ones make the fence heavy and it bends.  The tarps with the holes in them are much lighter and don’t effect the fence so much.

The dogs electronic monitor boxes beeped to remind me the power was off last night.  We found Sophia and Starr and got them in the garage.  Couldn’t find Roxy.  She was around this morning.  Not sure they would run away anyways but didn’t want to take a chance.

Have a lunch date today.  We are driving out to the Chase County Fishing Lake and having a picnic.  Beautiful day to do so.  I had opened the house last night after we lost power. It was nice to have fresh air in the house.  Closed the house back up this morning so the A/C won’t have to work so hard to keep it cool when it warms up this afternoon.

Have a request for a 13 week stay from a traveling Physical Therapist.  They are waiting to see if they get the contract before they commit.  I hadn’t anticipated getting long stays like that but am willing to try it once.  If they are like my guest this week it will be no issue at all.

I will need to mow Friday morning.  Not sure when the six guests I have coming in Friday are arriving.  If I get out and get mowing early I can have it done before check-in time at 2:00.  I also need to do some cleaning inside before they come.  Would prefer mowing to cleaning inside.  Need to remember to get gas for the mower today while I am out and about.  Also need to get the backyard fire pit propane bottle replaced.  I had to put a new one on for my guests last weekend.

Got the second bedroom beds made up.  Took the sheets off the two twin beds in the room that I am putting the queen bed in. When the delivery guys come they are going to move the two twin beds downstairs for me and take the broken frame back with them to fix.  I am doing the bed shuffle this week!

Lost another pound!  I have lost six pounds since I came home a week ago.  Fastest six pounds yet.  I had thought hard about going to Italy as I didn’t want to disrupt my eating plan.  So glad I went.  Maybe next time my weight loss stalls out I will go out-of-town for a couple of days and see if that jump starts it like it did this time.  15 pounds to go!  26 pounds released!

Still don’t see the weight loss on myself.  I did notice my legs looked thinner last night in the bath tub but I don’t really feel different yet.  I have read that it can take several months to adjust to being in a right size body and for my mind to accept my new body shape.

Sent a note to my guests that are coming in ten days.  I didn’t know if they needed four twin beds or a queen and two twin beds.  She just answered and said they would use the queen and two twins.  Perfect!  I have two other guests here for two nights during her stay that needed two twin beds.  It all worked out just right.

Running an Airbnb has certainly been a learning experience.  It is so different from a retreat center.  Much easier for the most part.  I am not used to working though and it is a challenge doing what I want to do and having guests.  Some guests I feel very comfortable not being here and others I feel I need to hang around.  I never know until they come which camp they will be in.  Luckily most fall in the I can leave them camp.  Just hard to make plans and commitments not knowing which camp they are in.

Having to buy a new bed kinda cut into the profits I was going to make during this long stretch with guests.  If I get the 13 week guest maybe I can get ahead then.

Grateful for the rain we received on the prairie last night, grateful the wind didn’t do any damage, and grateful for another pound released.

My guest arrived right on time last night at 5:00.  He is a very quiet, polite young man.  Haven’t heard or seen him much.  I was up when he left this morning for his first day at his new job at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.  He wasn’t sure when he would get back this evening.

I joined Kathy’s walking group this morning and walked about 2 1/2 miles from Cottonwood Falls into Strong City and back to Cottonwood Falls.  Felt good to get out and walk.  My heart behaved itself this morning and didn’t get too fast while I was walking.  It wasn’t too hot out this morning but if I keep walking I need to get some shorts to walk in.  I wore my jeans today and they are too hot.  The shorts I have from the training I did to walk the Camino are way too big for me.

I went into Emporia after the walk and ordered a queen bed.  I got a frame for it instead of a head-board and foot-board.  If I don’t like it without the head board I can order that at a later time.  They are going to deliver it tomorrow afternoon and take the broken twin bed frame back with them to fix.

Decided to put the queen bed in the bedroom upstairs.  I have several guests coming that are staying for several days or up to a week and both sets of guests that are coming wanted twin beds.  If I put the queen upstairs I can have the booked guests stay downstairs.  May end up playing bed shuffle later but that is what I will start with.  I ordered a mattress cover, sheets, blankets and bedspread on-line this morning.  They should arrive by Thursday so I can get them washed up and the bed made up before my guests arrive Friday afternoon.

I decided to hold on to the twin beds for a bit and see how the queen works out.  I think there is room to set up a twin in the same room with the queen if that would be needed.  I have the space to store them so might as well hold on to them and make sure I won’t need them.

Went to the Doctor’s office and had my blood drawn for my thyroid blood tests.  The lab was busy so had to wait for about 20 minutes for them to call me back.

Found the printer cartridge I needed at Staples.  Glad I wrote down the model number in Notes on my phone as I couldn’t remember what I needed.

Picked up groceries and then headed home.  Glad to get home before it gets too hot out.  I am sleepy this afternoon so may go take a nap.  I woke up at 5:00 this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep.  If I don’t take a nap I will want to go to bed before 7:00 tonight.  I want to stay up until at least 9:00 so I can watch the full moon rise.

I have been doing some embroidery work.  If I do it too long at a time without taking a break it takes my eyes a long time to be able to see in the distance clearly.  May need to set a timer so I remember to take a break while I am sewing.  Making another set of tea towels.  I am out of sets of them finally and like to have them on hand for wedding presents.

Need to finish making up the second bedroom downstairs.  The guest had slept on top of the bed instead of on the sheets so had to wash the bedspread.  It is clean and ready to be made up.  Have until Friday to do it so no rush.

Feels so good to be able to sit and “be” this afternoon.  Haven’t done enough of that lately!  Still feeling a bit drained from my trip.  Wasn’t good planning on my part to allow guests to come over the weekend before I had time to fully recover.  I keep forgetting to book off time for myself on my Airbnb calendar.  So far after June 11 I don’t have any more guests coming until July 8.

Grateful for how easy it was to get a new bed delivered, grateful for Amazon and how easy it is to order what I need without having to go shopping, and grateful for quiet guests who don’t have any requests or needs.