Starry night on the prairie

I am embarking on a new journey and decided to blog again to capture my journey. I am in training to become a Certified Elder Doula, a Certified Death Doula and Elder Care Consultant as well as a Certified Forgiveness Course Instructor. All of them are under the same umbrella of helping people plan how they want to live and die.

Death is a human experience we will all go through at some time or other. It can be a beautiful thing if our fear around it can be released and we do our work before the time comes. My training will allow me to help people figure out what kind of quality of life they want should they become ill and what they want or don’t want to happen to them when the time comes.

It is such a gift to our family members to express our thoughts and wishes ahead of time before the family is in a crisis mode dealing with the imminent death of a loved one.

I have been looking for something new to come into my life for some time. I have a desire to give back to my community and needed to find a way to do that. As a community at large, we don’t deal well with death. We don’t talk about it, we rarely plan for it, and often we don’t know what to say or do when it happens. It is almost like we are surprised every time someone dies. Sure, unexpected and untimely deaths happen, but I am talking about death that follows an illness or death of an older loved one. There can be a real gift to all involved when death happens under Hospice or another type of umbrella that allows the death to be a human experience and not a medical crisis.

As a nation it feels like there is a lot of unresolved grief happening. Our institutions seem to be falling apart – there is a death happening before our eyes. It represents the collective energy that we as a country have about death. Ignore it and it might not happen! Guess what? It does happen and will happen to each of us at some time or other. Death is the one human experience that we can not escape from. We might as well prepare for it and be ready!

My work and training as an energy practitioner seems to fit right in with this new training that I am doing. At the end of our life, our physical body begins to diminish, and our spiritual body of energy begins to grow. When one can remove the fear from the dying process, it can become a beautiful thing – for both the person making their transition and the family left behind.

I am looking for a few brave souls that will allow me to talk with them about death and about what decisions they want their family to make for them when that time comes. I have to do some case plans for my class. If you are interested, hit me up and let’s talk.

I’m not sure yet how and what my practice will look like as I complete my training. It is going to take me about two months to finish all the training. If you know of a need or a way that I can put this in service to the community please share with me. I’m open to all ideas at this point. At some point in my training we write a business plan and I will need some suggestions and help with that.

I welcome all ideas and thoughts from all religious and non-religious souls. Some of us have strong beliefs and preferences for what may happen. I find it fascinating to hear from others what their beliefs are about what happens when a person dies. I’m open to all possibilities and beliefs.

Today my lessons were on Advanced Directives and naming a Medical Power of Attorney. The instructor stressed the need to name someone that will be able and willing to honor your wishes and not impose their own desires. She also stressed how important it is to ask that person to do that honor for you and that it not be a surprise to them. You really need to have a conversation with them so they know what your wishes are so they can carry them out for you. When I finish my training I will be able to help people with those decisions and help facilitate discussion with your family members so all know your wishes. What a gift that will be for your family members to know what you would want.

I will also be learning about all the options after death and how to help someone plan their own burial, cremation, home care or funeral home, green burial or casket, or what ever your choice is. You can even preplan what music, if any, is used, funeral or no funeral, wake or no wake. You have lots of choices if you plan ahead. You can even write your own obituary – or not!

Last week my lessons were on the three stages of dying and how to help a family through them. The class talked about deaths that happen through a hospice type setting. Knowing what is going to happen throughout the dying process helps keep the fear at bay for all involved.

Not sure how often I will be blogging but decided to capture this new journey for myself. It will be interesting to me to see if my views of dying change. Writing helps me process what I am learning and the questions, doubts and Ah Ha moments I have during classes. You are welcome to come along with me on this new journey. Maybe we can learn together.

Learning about dying teaches me to appreciate, with even more gratitude, each day I can live life to the fullest in a healthy way. One never knows when my time will be up and I need to continue doing my inner work so when my time comes there are no words left unspoken, no deeds left undone, and no regrets about the choices I have made.

It has been a busy day around here today. Jason, Melissa and her parents came out this morning with two cars full of wedding stuff. They got everything unloaded and sorted. Tables are set and things are where we can find them for tomorrow (I think).

Jason and Jim helped me make potato salad. They cut and peeled potatoes, chopped onion, celery and sweet pickles. I made deviled eggs. The work went fast with two extra set of hands.

Tomorrow morning I need to go to my neighbor’s house and pick up the cakes and then go into Strong City and get a couple bags of ice. I will make iced tea and lemonade and set up the beverage bar. I need to remember to put the meatballs and BBQ sauce in the crock pot first thing in the morning so they will be ready by noon. Not much left to do other than that.

I hope I remember to change into my fancy clothes before pictures at 1:00. It would be like me to forget! We are doing pictures at 1:00 and the ceremony is at 2:00. We will follow that with cake and punch and then everyone can relax and visit until dinner time. Dinner is being delivered at 5:30 so we will probably eat around 6:00.

I’m expecting about 36 for lunch and 24 for dinner although either number may change. We have enough food for how ever many show up.

Melissa is coming out yet tonight to decorate the swing set for the ceremony tomorrow. It was too windy earlier today to get it done then. Trusting the wind will stay slow the rest of the night and into tomorrow. The forecast is showing light winds all day tomorrow – sure trusting they are right on that part of the forecast.

It seems I have waited for this day to come for a long time. It is so nice to see Jason find someone that makes him happy. They are so good together. I think that is all a parent can ask for is that their children find someone that makes them happy.

So looking forward to a full day tomorrow with all my family here.

Grateful things are ready for the wedding, grateful all the kids will be home tomorrow, and grateful the weather will be perfect tomorrow.

We had a beautiful sacred ceremony last night. We prepared ourselves for the work ahead of us over the next three months. It is time to go internal and find those areas inside that feel uncomfortable and then transform our relationship with them. We went outside and used the smudge stick to clear our energy of stuck places. We ended the ceremony by watching the moon rise. It was huge, bright orange and amazing. I slept better last night than I have for a long time.

I have had another productive day. I got the yard mowed up today. I did a bit of it last night and finished it this morning. Jason came out and he and Jim did the weed whacking while I mowed. Nice to have that project crossed off the list.

I got the iron painting done. The only thing left to paint is the posts in the swing set if I decide to do that. Not sure yet. They are taking the swings down tomorrow so it will be easy painting if I decide to do that tomorrow afternoon. We will see how the day goes and if I have the energy to do so. There are marks on the posts where the wind blows the swings into the posts. They would look better painted up but not sure I will get that done.

Got the outside of the windows on the lower level washed. We have barn swallows that live down there and the windows are usually a mess. The swallows have migrated away so maybe the windows will stay clean until Saturday evening. Still need to do the upstairs windows in the living room, dining room and kitchen.

Tomorrow Jason, Melissa, her mother and the preacher and his wife are coming out to get things ready. They are doing some decorating, removing the swings, and helping me set up tables for the lunch and dinner. Let the preparations begin!

Tony is acting better each day. He is eating more and acting more like himself. We have to give him wet cat food each meal to get him to eat enough before we can give him his insulin. Jim isn’t too happy with that as the wet food is much more expensive. That cat is becoming an expensive dependent. Too bad we can’t deduct him and claim him as a child on our taxes.

I keep going over my list for Saturday making sure I haven’t forgotten anything. I will make the potato salad and deviled eggs tomorrow so they will be ready. Still haven’t decided if I am going to bake a chocolate cake or not. We will see how the day goes. I’m really trying not to have so much food left over this event. I usually way over order food. Not sure how many I am feeding for dinner so not sure what to prepare. Have a feeling we may have lots fewer than expected so will have lots of left overs. I hate running out of food so will deal with left overs if needed.

Dropped my blood pressure again today. It only went down to 100/50 today. It is taking its time to come back up. Sure wish I knew what was causing that. Guess I will call the doctor sometime soon if it continues doing this. It seems to happen the most when I am active and then get hot. I get light headed and then a touch nauseous. Sitting down and resting is the fix. After a bit I can drink something. I’m pretty good about getting 100 oz of water down a day so don’t think I am getting dehydrated.

The girls are really slowing down laying eggs. Only getting between 12 – 16 a day right now. Won’t be long and I will be lucky to get 2 – 4. Next cool snap should bring on their molting. I need to get their coop cleaned out next week so they have fresh straw when their molting begins.

Tomorrow will be fun as we start the wedding preparations. I’m really getting excited for the festivities on Saturday. It is always a good day when all my kids are here and we are together. It is an extra special day to welcome Melissa, Dylan, and Cody into my family. I gain a daughter and two grandchildren Saturday!

Grateful for the Fall Equinox Ceremony last night, grateful the iron painting is done, and grateful for Jason’s help getting the yard ready.

Tony ate better this morning and has been acting better today. He handles getting his shots well. I think we are adapting to this new routine with him. We both set alarms on our phones to remind us to feed and shoot him every morning at 8:00 and again every evening at 8:00. Wonder how long it will take before that becomes routine?

I got the living room deep cleaned today. Found lots of clutter that had accumulated and needed relocated somewhere else. Good to have that room done. Still need to do the Kitchen and wash all the cupboards down. I am almost done deep cleaning the whole house. That feels so good.

My handyman came this morning and put the woodwork that had been taken off so the sheet rock could be repaired back on. He also fixed a loose deck railing. Good to have those two projects crossed off my pending list.

I went to Emporia and paid the caterer for the meal they are delivering Saturday evening. I picked up a few things at Walmart and then came back home. I have an errand to run tomorrow and then I think I am good until last minute stuff to do Saturday morning. I have to make a potato salad and deviled eggs Friday and may bake a cake. I think we have too many desserts already but we will see what I decide to do. Saturday I will have to go get ice and pick up an order but then I should be good to go.

Jason is coming out tomorrow afternoon to help me get things mowed and trimmed. Jim is working to get a book shelf/TV stand thingy built for the study. He still thinks he can get it done before Saturday. He has to varnish it once he gets it sanded and all put together so not sure he will make it but we shall see. No worries either way. It would free up a card table but I can make do without it if needed.

It is a perfect fall day on the prairie today. We have the A/C turned off and the windows open. I loved hearing the coyotes sing during the night. There is a light breeze and the fresh air is blowing in. I know the dust is coming in to but not much I can do about it. I will have to do a light dusting job Saturday morning.

I’m looking forward to this evening as several friends are coming over so we can do ceremony to celebrate the Fall Equinox. I love doing sacred ceremony with my friends. My soul needs some time with like-minded friends. When we are done we will go outside and watch the moon rise and use the smudge sticks. That will put me in a great mood to start the weekend of celebrating Jason and Melissa’s wedding.

Think I will go out and do some more iron painting. I had pushed that aside to make sure I had time to get the house cleaned. It is so nice out that spending time outside seems inviting right now.

Grateful the woodwork project is done, grateful the house is clean, and grateful for Fall Equinox and the reminder to stay in balance.

Tony was missing this morning. I looked all over the house for him and couldn’t find him. Finally found him locked in Jim’s bathroom downstairs. He had been trapped in there overnight. He didn’t eat very well this morning and has been very lazy today. If he does the same thing tomorrow we will call the vet and see if they can check his blood sugar. He acts like it is too low but I’m not sure what his new normal behavior is yet.

Giving him his shot was easier than I anticipated. He doesn’t flinch when we inject him which makes it much easier for us.

I took my car in to have the oil changed and the tires rotated. I took a book with me and read for the hour or so it took to do my car. The time went by quickly. I asked the guy if they could remove rocks that get trapped in the brakes. He knew immediately what I was talking about and said no problem. So next time I get a rock in the brake I will take it to them.

Got the staircase woodwork cleaned today. Did the dining room too. Washed all the chairs and cleaned the bottom of the chairs and tables. Still need to do the living room and kitchen and then the house will be clean. I will either finish tonight or tomorrow.

Thursday I have reserved for mowing and washing windows outside. Friday I need to make deviled eggs and potato salad and start thinking about serving dishes, etc. Saturday will be here quickly – I’m getting so excited. I think things are organized enough that I will get to just enjoy the day and not be stuck doing much in the kitchen. It helps that we simplified the menu and it will set out easily and quickly.

I do need to go to Emporia either tomorrow or Thursday and pay for the meal they are delivering on Saturday. I keep trying to think if there is any thing I need from town last minute and the only thing I can think of is ice. I don’t have room to get it until Saturday morning. That will only take 15 minutes to run into Strong City and get bags of ice.

Feels good to have most of the house deep cleaned. I so enjoy having a very clean house. Just don’t have the energy to keep it that way all the time. I used to try to do so but I gave that up. Having the Airbnb helped motivate me to clean more often.

I promised to help Pioneer Bluffs with their newsletter next week. Jim is going to Stillwater and after all the hustle this week it will be nice to have a sit down project to work on for a couple of days. It is to be ready mid week so that will give me something to do next week.

Tomorrow night I have some friends coming over so we can celebrate Fall Equinox. It is helpful to have a community during this time. We will name and claim those things within we want to change our relationship with. Somehow naming them out loud to others seems to give it more power and intention. I have learned to choose wisely as things shift around the things I name.

We had fish for dinner tonight. Jim gets breaded fish baked in the oven and I grill myself a piece of salmon. I’m not sure it is either one of us favorite meals but it is easy and filling. I grilled myself some apples tonight. Now those I could eat every day.

Grateful the car was serviced today, grateful some more cleaning got done, and grateful giving Tony his shot was easy.

Tony is home! We picked him up this afternoon. The Vet’s office was a bit disorganized today. They were going to go back and just give him to us. We told them we needed to be taught how to inject him, what to feed him, etc. We waited about 30 minutes to be taken to a room.

The Vet came in (not the one that has been treating Tony) and she handed us the insulin. We had to slow her down and tell her to start from the top and tell us all we needed to know. It took her a bit to realize we didn’t know anything about caring for him. She told us how to give him a shot but we didn’t get to practice or actually see it done. Hopefully at 8:00 tonight we can figure it out.

The insulin he is on costs $125 a bottle. It should last for about two to three months although the bottle says to throw it out after 60 days. We will ask next week when we take Tony in for a follow up if we have to do that. They gave us 100 free needles and a box to dispose of the old ones in. The Vet said we could use the same needle twice.

He can’t have food on demand all day for a bit. We will feed him twice a day at 8:00 am and 8:00 pm and then give him a shot. After he stabilizes for a bit he might get to go back to grazing his food. We will see what happens.

They had him on a dose of 5 units but this afternoon his sugar dropped to 50 so the Vet said to try 4 units for the next week. We take him back a week from tomorrow for a blood sugar check and the dose may get adjusted then. Crossing our fingers that we will get through this first week OK and not put him in danger.

I had a really bad night of sleep last night. I even took a NyQuill and that didn’t help. I had the shakes a couple times during the night. Took three hot baths and that didn’t help. Sure hope the worse is behind me and tonight will be an easier night to find sleep. I have had a NyQuill hangover all day.

I got 12 dozen Snickerdoodle cookies baked this afternoon. That is about all I have done today. I have my cleaning bucket ready to go so after dinner I will get the woodwork on the stair case cleaned and the two bathrooms downstairs cleaned. Tomorrow I will start on the upstairs and get it cleaned. I have two days left to get that done.

Thursday I will mow and get the outside work done. Friday I will make the potato salad and deviled eggs and do any last minute cleaning. Saturday is the day!

Tonight is the full moon and Wednesday is Fall Equinox. The energy is stirred up right now. Maybe that is why I couldn’t sleep last night.

Grateful Tony is home, grateful the cookies are all baked, and grateful for what little sleep I did get last night.

I got four hours of sleep in two attempts last night. This is getting old. Sure wish I could solve my sleep issue.

I made 8 dozen peanut butter cookies this morning. Three different cookies made now. I will probably make a batch of Snickerdoodles either later tonight or tomorrow and then the cookie project can be crossed off my list of things to do for the wedding.

I went back to bed after I baked the cookies and slept for 2 hours. I didn’t wake up on the right side of the bed and have been cranky all day since my nap. I even tried going back to bed this afternoon but that didn’t help.

I went to Emporia after my nap and got the things on the list for wedding as well as a few things I needed. I had to go three different places to find one of the things I needed but I found it. Glad to have the groceries bought.

Came home and put everything away and then went downstairs and deep cleaned the great room. I hand mopped the floor. I sat on my ass and scooted across the floor to try to save my knees. I really don’t want to get blisters and then have scabs on my knees in the wedding pictures. It is good to have that room clean and looking nice. Next up is to vacuum the steps and wash the woodwork on the stair case.

I fixed a meat loaf for dinner. I was hungry for one. It isn’t Jim’s favorite meal but it is one of mine. He got some corn on the cob and fried left over baked potato with his so that made up for having to eat meat loaf. I have lots of leftovers for my lunches this week and some tucked in the freezer for another week of lunches.

I am feeling the effects of the full moon which is tomorrow night. The Fall Equinox is Wednesday. Lots of energy in the air right now pulling me into the dark side. This is the time of the year where I go deep inside and work to change my relationship with some habits and patterns I have. Not always easy work but oh so necessary. As I look back over the last couple of years I can tell how much I have changed as a result of the work I have done. Not sure if there is a finish line with this type of work. I am beginning to think the finish line is death.

Grateful the great room downstairs is clean, grateful the groceries for the wedding meals are taken care of, and grateful for the inner work I have done and continue to do.

Tony is still in the hospital. They switched to a more expensive brand of insulin yesterday hoping that will help bring down his numbers. Jim asked them to keep him until he has 24 hours with his levels stabilized. Hoping we get to bring him home Monday. Wonder how much the insulin will be? That darn cat!

Had trouble finding sleep last night. If I could fall asleep I couldn’t stay asleep. I finally gave up early this morning. I tried taking a second hot bath and even that trick didn’t work last night. Hate nights like that.

This morning I painted the mailbox and put new letters and numbers on it. It sure looks better now. The old letters had worn out and were unreadable. I had to go to the hardware store in Strong City to get some numbers and red paint for the flag. Glad that project is crossed off my pending list.

I made a double batch of Oatmeal Raisin cookies this morning and a double batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans this afternoon. I am baking four different kinds of cookies for the wedding lunch next Saturday. Half way done. Am going to bake some Peanut Butter and Snickerdoodles tomorrow and then I will be done. Slowly but surely I am getting things ready. We are on the seven day count down now.

I may go down when it cools off a bit and do some iron painting tonight. I still have that project to finish up. I hate ladder work and that is what is left. I keep procrastinating on it. It is to be cooler next week so maybe I can find a couple hours next week and get it done.

I took a nap this afternoon but had trouble finding sleep. I fell asleep about 10 times and kept waking up. I finally gave up and got up. Maybe tonight will be the night that sleep finds me.

Still have some cleaning that needs done but am trying to time it so I only have to do it once. I can’t wait until Thursday to do it all so will do the rooms this weekend that I can close the door and not let anyone go in them. I’m about out of those rooms.

Am going to take my car in to get the oil changed and the tires rotated Tuesday morning. I had to cancel that appointment when I got the rock in my brake last week. Second time is a charm – right?

Grateful the mailbox project is done, grateful half the cookies are baked and in the freezer, and grateful for what sleep I did find.

The Vet called last night to tell us they still haven’t been able to get Tony’s blood sugar below 300 with two shots a day at a pretty high dose. He is switching Tony to a different brand of insulin today to see if he can get better results. Jim called the owner of Tony’s brother, who was also diabetic, to find out what brand they used with him. We found out today that the new brand the vet switched Tony to is the same brand they used with his brother. Crossing our fingers this will do the trick. I am anticipating Tony will remain in the hospital over the weekend. He needs to be stable for at least 24 hours before we bring him home.

The Vet hasn’t called this afternoon with our daily update but I anticipate he will soon. They have been very good about keeping us informed about how Tony is doing and what they are doing to help him out.

I went out and painted this morning. I was going to paint the black iron but waited too long to go out and it was too hot to be on a ladder. So instead I painted the top board of the railing of the deck. The new paint doesn’t match the other paint that was on there and am hoping it won’t be too noticeably different. It sure made the deck look better although now I notice the bottom needs painted again too. Don’t think I will attempt that unless I get all the black iron painted and still have a couple of free days. The wedding is a week from tomorrow so am on the final count down.

I took a nap this afternoon. I got some sleep last night but it was in bits and pieces. When that happens I don’t feel very rested. My blood pressure dropped again today while I was painting. I have noticed when it does that it makes me feel exhausted. Sure wish I could sleep at night as easily as I do most days when I nap.

The plumber called today and said he had some free time and could come fix the pipes in the barn if I still wanted that done. I did so he came out this afternoon. Jim now has a bathroom to use in the barn. We will have to figure out a way to heat the bathroom this winter so the pipes don’t freeze and break again. Jim said something about base board heaters for the bathroom. Not sure what those are but will add them to my to do list and next time we are in the city will look for some.

While the plumber was here he discovered a breaker box in the furnace room of the barn that I had forgotten about. He flipped a breaker and we now can use the water hydrants on the sides of the house. Yay! Two things crossed off my pending list that have been on there for a long time. It is a good day when that happens.

Jim went to town this afternoon to get some lumber. He is going to build some shelving units for the study. Right now we have the TV sitting on a card table and it is not a pretty site. Not sure what all Jim is going to build but he said it will match the desks he built earlier that we each have in the study. He loves to build things like this and will enjoy the process of doing so. I will enjoy seeing and using the end results.

Jim wants a bacon, tomato and fried egg sandwich for dinner tonight. That will be easy enough. He is stopping at the grocery store while he is in town to get some bread. I will eat bacon and eggs instead as I don’t eat bread or tomatoes.

I did a bit of cleaning downstairs yesterday and will do some more today. With Tony gone the house is staying cleaner longer. Hoping when he comes home next week he doesn’t undo all the work I have done this week. If so I may throw him outside for a couple of days. Just kidding – can’t do that to the poor sick boy now. I will just have to touch up what he messes up.

Jim may run down to Stillwater this weekend. I need the tables and chairs I have down there for the wedding next week and he needs to water his plants good. I doubt that he stays more than one night but he may stay two. We still have some things to do around here before the wedding that I need Jim’s help with.

I’m grateful we are hosting the wedding as it is helping to motivate me to get some projects done. It will be so good to finally cross the deck painting project off my to do list. It has been on there forever it seems.

No plans for the weekend other than painting and cleaning. One of these days soon the house will be all clean and the deck will be done and I will be out of things to do. Time to think of another big project to start working on. I have no idea what that might be though. I have considered trying to find a job that I could do from home. It still looks like we are going to get to stay home much of the fall and winter again and I might as well earn some money if so. I’ll put that intention out there and see what happens.

Grateful for the painting that got done today, grateful for the plumbing fixes that got done today, and grateful Tony continues to get great care at the Vet Hospital.

We haven’t heard from the Vet yet today so we don’t know if Tony gets to come home today. I doubt that he does at it is so late now. They seem to be having trouble getting his levels to stabilize. Hope they call soon so we know what is going on. Jim is starting to get a bit worried.

I went out this morning while it was still cool and painted the rest of the top of the swing set. Good to have that project completed. I then did some more black iron painting. I keep finding more areas that need painted. It is beginning to feel like that part of the painting will never get done. I am to the point of needing to do ladder work now and can only do that when it is cooler out. Last night I went out after dinner and painted for an hour and am hoping I can do that tonight.

I cleaned out under the stairwell closet in the basement today. Jim climbed in it for me and helped get everything out and used the vacuum to clean the floor. I threw away a sack full of crap and organized what I kept. I store the kiddos toys in it. Most of the things haven’t been used for years and don’t anticipate they will be so got rid of most of them. Feels good to have that little area cleaned out and decluttered.

Little by little things are coming together for the wedding. I counted tables and chairs today and realized I am coming up short. Nicole is going to bring some and two other people have offered to let me borrow some. Jim may get down to Stillwater to get the two tables and stack of chairs we have down there and bring those up. If he does that I think I have what I need.

I counted tablecloths, cups, plates, and plastic ware today and am in good shape with all that. I don’t have anything left on my list that needs tended to until the day before the wedding. I will need to buy some groceries the day before and do some cooking but other than finishing painting and cleaning I am good to go. It helps so much that Melissa and her mother are doing lots of things for the big day too.

More painting and cleaning is on the agenda for tomorrow and through the weekend. I am beginning to sound like a broken record. The house is almost done and the painting is getting close. I think I will be ready for the wedding the 25th.

I have some hamburger thawed for dinner tonight. Not sure what I am going to do with it. Might just grill hamburgers – that is one of my favorites.

Sitting with a bit of restlessness this afternoon. Not sure where it is from or what it is trying to tell me. I feel like I have a lot of bits and pieces of things that need tended to but nothing I can do to move things along at this point. Fall Equinox is next week as well as the full moon. I keep reading memes and reminders about letting go and changing my relationship to things that bug me. I start to pay attention when the same message shows up and that message has shown up about five times this week. I need to spend some quiet time determining what internal habit I need to change my relationship with. Sometimes when I force things I can see what is obvious so I need to back off and let the answer come to me slowly and quietly.

Grateful for the swing set is painted, grateful Tony is getting the care he needs, and grateful the storage area got cleaned out today.

Tony earned himself another night in the cat hospital. His glucose levels have not dropped enough yet. They are going to increase his dose again tomorrow and see what happens. That darn cat!

I went out and painted the top of the swing set today. I made it all around the outside and will go back out when it cools down tonight to do the inside. My blood pressure dropped while I was painting and it wasn’t safe to be on the ladder any longer. It sure looks nice where I have painted so far.

I opened the can of black iron paint and discovered the paint had turned into a solid rock in the can. Jim is in town now getting some lumber and some more black paint. It sure will be nice to get both of those painting jobs finished up. Maybe by tomorrow night I will be done with both projects.

I took a long nap this afternoon. I got two sleeps last night but was up between sleeps for three hours. I got up and finished reading a book I have been reading. I was grateful I was able to get a second sleep after that but felt tired when I got up this morning. It was a good nap day so I took advantage of it.

We saw and heard lightening and thunder last night but got hardly any rain. The deck was a bit wet this morning but the grass didn’t even get wet enough to stay wet very long. Hate when we miss a golden opportunity to get rain. We have slight chances in the forecast over the next ten days for more rain but nothing that looks too promising. We sure need some rain to help close the cracks in the yard.

Jim wants scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns for dinner. That will be easy. He is staying home until Tony gets out of the hospital and we get a routine with Tony established at home. At this rate, Jim might not make it to Stillwater before the wedding. I have some folding chairs and two tables down in Stillwater that I could use for the wedding but if he doesn’t make it I will figure something else out. I can always use my dining room chairs if we have to.

It was nice to be able to stay home all day today and not leave the property. If feels like it has been a long time since that has happened. I didn’t go anywhere yesterday but it felt like a busy day with the kids coming out for dinner. Today has been very quiet and nothing urgent to do. I like those days the best.

We had fun with the kids last night when they came out. The food turned out good and it was nice to do a normal thing. Ellexia and Tagen had fun after dinner climbing on the big hay bales that are still on the property. We watched a beautiful sunset before they left. It was nice to be with Michelle on her birthday.

Took care of another wedding detail today and have an email to send to take care of one more. The napkins for the lunch and dinner came in today. Little by little things are falling into place. The end of next week will be busy doing last minute cleaning and cooking but it will be fun.

Nothing on the calendar for the rest of the week and through the weekend. I love having Jim home and having a stretch of empty space days ahead of us. We both have little projects we are working on and this gives us time to do them. We both work at turtle speed most of the time and take lots of rest breaks between working. Good thing someone doesn’t pay us by the hour – it would get costly to them as we don’t work very fast these days.

Grateful to have gotten some painting done today, grateful Tony is getting the care he needs, and grateful for some empty space days ahead of me.

Happy birthday to my oldest daughter Michelle. I am so proud of the woman she has become. Can’t believe she is 41 years old. Where does the time go?

I went to Emporia this morning to take Jim’s cat Tony to the vet. I dropped him off so they could run some tests on him to see if he is diabetic. They called me about 30 minutes after I dropped him off to tell me that he is diabetic. They are going to give him insulin today and see how his levels are later this afternoon. He may need to stay a day or two so they can figure out the correct dosage of insulin. I’m glad I took him in and had him checked. I think we caught it before there was any nerve damage done.

I went to the library book sale and purchased two paper grocery sacks full of books for $20. I must have gotten 30 books or more and most are in like new condition. What a deal. Found some by some of my favorite authors I don’t think I have read yet. At that price I’m not out much if I have read it before. I always pick up several new authors to try too. Some years I think I pick up books I donated earlier in the year to the book sale.

Stopped by Bobby D’s to confirm my catering order for Jason’s wedding day. The manager wasn’t in so wasn’t able to do so. I will go back by or call them later to get that task done.

Since I was parked by the post office I went in and got some stamps. They weren’t busy and it was a good time to get that task done.

Dropped the Chex Mix off at the kids house. Tim was off today so got to visit with him for a bit. They are coming out for dinner tonight so will get to see all of them later.

Got my haircut. Always feels good to get that done. I enjoy visiting with my hair dresser.

Stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few groceries for tonight’s dinner and then came home. Jim was going to leave for Stillwater today but after finding out about Tony decided to stay home for the next couple of days. He wants to go to the vet and learn how to take care of Tony and learn the whole shot thing. Not sure now when he might go to Stillwater. It will depend on when Tony gets to come home.

It was good to get all my errands done but I came home tired. Being in town wears me out faster than anything else. I think I get to stay home for a few days now and not have to leave the prairie unless I go with Jim to pick up Tony. We will see what happens. Usually when I plan on staying home for three or four days something comes up and I end up going to town.

Before I went to town I went to Cottonwood Falls and picked up some Coneflower plants from a friend that is thinning out her garden. Jim is going to plant them for me this afternoon. Thanks Vicki – we will think of you when we see them blooming next year.

It is a bit cloudy out and not so hot today. I think I will go out and paint for an hour or so this afternoon. We are to get rain overnight but it should have time to dry before the rain comes in. I need to do something productive and start marking things off my to do list in preparation for the wedding. Time is flying by and the wedding will be here before I get to everything if I don’t get started.

Need to get dinner organized and fixed. I think I have a free hour or so before I need to get it started. It will be fun to have the kids out and get to see Michelle on her birthday.

Grateful for Michelle and all the joy she brings to my life, grateful we discovered Tony’s diabetes before it got too out of hand, and grateful Jim is hanging around for a few more days to learn how to care for Tony.

I got a text this morning at 7:00 telling me the tow truck was on the way to pick up my car. I got up quickly and took a shower and got dressed. Jim got up too. The driver showed up at 8:15. He seemed to know what he was doing and got the car loaded and on its way to Topeka.

I called the dealer around 11:00 to make sure the car arrived and to see if they had an estimate as to when it would get done. I also asked if they had a permanent fix to this problem as this is the second time a rock has gotten stuck in between the brake shoe and shield. The guy had no idea when they might get to it other than sometime today and there is not a fix. He said it was really rare that it happens a second time and he has never had it happen a third time. Wonder if I will be his first? I sure hope not. It is a pain to have to drive to Topeka to pick the car up.

They called at 2:45 to tell us the car was ready. We left at 3:00 to drive to Topeka and pick up the car. The guy told me when I picked it up that I could take it most anywhere that can put the car on a lift and they can reach in and take out the rock. He also told me it is safe to drive even though it squeals like a pig when I drive it. He assured me it won’t damage the breaks.

We got back home by 5:00. Talk about a quick trip to Topeka and back again. It is nice to have my car back.

Tony, Jim’s cat, has been peeing huge amounts and drinking lots and lots of water. I am taking him to the Vet tomorrow to have him checked to make sure he hasn’t become diabetic. One of his litter mates was diabetic. They have to keep him for a bit to do the testing and if he is diabetic they will need to keep him even longer so they can get him stabilized before he comes back home. They didn’t tell me when I might be able to pick him up if he is not diabetic.

I am to have Tony at the Vet at 10:00. I will then go to the library book sale before my 11:30 haircut. I’m glad the library book sale is on for this year as my supply of books to read is getting very low. I think it is bag day tomorrow. I have a few groceries to stop and get and then I will come home.

Jim stayed home today so he could take me to Topeka to get my car. He will leave for Stillwater sometime tomorrow and stay for several days. I am trying to talk him into staying until next Tuesday or Wednesday but we will see what he decides to do.

I got some deck painting done last night. I haven’t made it out today to do any more. I may go out when it cools down a bit. It is a touch windy today and wasn’t sure I wanted to be on a ladder in the wind and heat. Usually the wind calms down later in the afternoon and I can get out and get a bit more painting done.

I took a nap this afternoon. Jim woke me up as the dealer had called telling us the car was ready. I had trouble sleeping again last night although I did manage to get a couple hours of sleep. That is better than the last couple of nights.

I’m fixing fish for dinner. Jim will get oven baked fish and I will grill myself a piece of salmon. Jim likes tater tots with his fish and I like sweet potato fries. Makes an easy meal to fix.

I have the wedding meals planned and a grocery list made. I may pick up a few things from the list tomorrow while I am at the grocery store. I need to go to Bobby D’s and confirm the catering order. Maybe I will have lunch there tomorrow and take care of that then. Less than two weeks from the big day – I am getting excited.

When I go to town tomorrow I need to drop off the Chex Mix I made for the kiddos. Tomorrow is Michelle’s birthday. I invited them out for dinner tomorrow night but haven’t heard yet if they are coming. Since it is a school night it can be more trouble than it is worth to come out.

Grateful Jim took me to Topeka today, grateful to have my car back, and grateful for the library book sale.

Melissa and her mother came out today and we finalized the wedding plans. I am fixing a light lunch and then a dinner. We should have about 35 people so it won’t be too big of an event. It will be fun to host their wedding and serve the meals.

I am going to having Bobby D’s cater the dinner. Melissa is making cheesy potatoes and Bobby D’s will bring the meat, beans and broccoli salad. I will make a couple of desserts and call it good.

For lunch I am fixing meatballs in BBQ sauce, potato salad, and deviled eggs. Melissa’s mom is bringing a veggie tray and a hamburger dip with chips. We may come up with a few more things before the wedding day – we will see what happens.

After the wedding we will serve cake and punch. Melissa is making cupcakes and decorating them using her peacock theme. Hoping the guests can stick around and enjoy dinner with us too.

Jim took me to town to get some groceries since my car is not drivable right now. I was out of yogurt and fresh fruit. They had Jonathan apples today – yay! That is the only apple I like to eat. I bought two bags full. I love to fry them or eat them raw. I ate one when I got home. I will be anxious to see how my tummy acts with me eating them raw. So far – so good.

I went out late afternoon and finished painting a part of the deck that has been bugging me for a long time. It is good to have that done. Next up is to finish the black trim. If I have time before the wedding the swing set needs repainted. We will see what the weather does and how my time management skills are. I should be able to get it done.

Jim has worked this late afternoon washing the deck below and getting rid of the bird nests that were in the rafters of the deck. He is going to wash the windows and get rid of the bird poop. The birds have migrated elsewhere so it should stay clean now.

My blood pressure dropped while I was painting. I had to come in and sit for a bit. Not sure why I am having trouble with that lately. I blame everything on my missing thyroid but not sure I can this time as my thyroid levels are good. It goes down to 80/45. This afternoon it recovered quicker than it did last time I dropped it. Not sure if the heat had anything to do with it or if something else is going on. I wish I had an owner’s manual for my body with a trouble shooting guide.

Ellexia requested Chex Mix this week instead of cookies so got the ingredients to make that when I went to town. The grocery store was out of Rice Chex. I had one box at home so will make do with that. I have it mixed and baking now.

I am fixing tacos for dinner tonight so that will be a quick dinner to fix. I will grill a hamburger for me but Jim will get the real deal. It is one of his favorite meals.

Not sure if Jim is going to Stillwater tomorrow now that he has to take me to Topeka to get my car. I will ask the tow truck driver if I can ride along to Topeka with him. If not, Jim will have to take me. He may just keep on going down the turnpike and go to Stillwater from Topeka. Part of it will depend on what time things happen. I haven’t heard from the towing company yet so am a bit concerned they won’t show up early tomorrow morning. I may try to call tonight and see if I can find out what is happening. Hard to plan when I don’t know what they are doing. It won’t take long to fix the car once it gets to the dealer. Trusting it will get fixed tomorrow and I will get it home somehow tomorrow too.

Tuesday I am getting my hair cut. I assume Jim will be in Stillwater by then and will stay for a week or so. I will continue to paint and clean. We are to get some rain Tuesday and Wednesday so may do more cleaning than painting if that happens. Both need done so I will flex as needed.

Grateful the wedding plans are made, grateful I get to host the wedding, and grateful some deck painting got done today.

It has been good to have Jim home today. We went to Bluestem and did a feed haul. Came home with 350 pounds of chicken and dog food. It took Jim a bit to get it all sorted into smaller containers in the barn. Good to have feed stocked back up again. They only had one bag of dog food so will have to get some more of that next time I go to Bluestem. The supply of chicken feed should last over a month.

When we got in the driveway on the way home we heard a screeching noise coming from the back of the car. Jim got out and I drove the car forward a bit. We both recognized the sound as a rock in the brake hub. This happened before. I came in and called Subaru tow line. The car will have to be towed to the dealer in Topeka on Monday. It will take them five minutes to fix it.

Jim was going to head to Stillwater Monday morning but now I need him to take me to Topeka. He might take me to Topeka and then head south after that. Dang it anyways. It will waste three hours of our time to go get the car. I was supposed to take the Subaru in to get the oil changed on Monday. I called and cancelled that and I will reschedule once I know when I will get the car back for sure.

I had asked last time this happened if there was something that could be done to prevent this from happening. They service manager told me he only knew of one other car that had it happen twice. Wish I could hit the lottery and win that instead of this exception to the rule issue.

I fell asleep in my chair this afternoon. I had another night of little sleep last night. I was restless most of the night. Guess my body decided it finally needed a bit of sleep this afternoon. Hope I can sleep again tonight.

I cleaned another bedroom today. Good to have one more room crossed off the list. Slowly but surely I am getting this house clean again. Now if Tony, Jim’s cat, will cooperate and help me keep things clean I will be good to go.

I am grilling chicken for dinner tonight. That will be an easy dinner to fix. Jim will get a baked potato with his and I will eat a veggie. I have done much better not cheating the last two days. Feels good to be back on plan.

Melissa and her mother are coming out tomorrow so we can finalize wedding plans. Her mother hasn’t seen my house so it will be good for her to do so. Then she and Melissa can have a visual of what things look like and will be able to make their last minute plans. Only two weeks to go. I’m getting excited now that I have a dress to wear.

I’m trying to talk Jim into staying in Stillwater for ten days straight and then stay home for a longer time. I will need his help the couple of days before the wedding. He would have more work days in Stillwater if he would stay longer at a time. We will see what he decides to do.

Jim held Miss Ellie, one of my cats, and I cut off the clumps of hair on her back. She has a matting thing going on and I must have cut out 7 or 8 clumps of fur. She tolerated it well today and let me work on her. Miss Ellie looks a bit like a toddler that got hold of a pair of scissors and gave themself a hair cut. We need to catch Bell, the other cat, and do the same to her.

It reached over 90 again on the prairie today. I am ready for the rain that is to come in Tuesday and Wednesday. It is time for our fall cool down. Summer can go away for the year as far as I am concerned. I’m ready for sweatshirt and jeans weather and to turn the A/C off and open up the house.

Grateful the feed supply is stocked, grateful the car can be fixed, and grateful Jim is home.

Got the yard mowed today. It was a bit hard to mow in places as I couldn’t tell where I had mowed. Some parts were high but it is mighty thin in most places. It sure was a dusty job today. I came in when I was done and took a shower. I had dirt in way too many places it didn’t belong on.

Jim will be home around 7:45. He is only coming home for two days and then will need to go back to Stillwater. The guys will be back on Monday to finish his bathroom and he will need to be there for that. It will be good to have him home for a short while.

Other than mowing I haven’t gotten anything done. I went downstairs to clean and discovered Tony, Jim’s cat, had made a mess. Tony loves to play in his water and he dumped it over and then tracked paw prints all over the basement floor. Decided not to clean downstairs until last minute as what I have already cleaned is dirty already. There were paw prints all over upstairs too as Tony had walked in the shower and then tracked all over the bathroom and bedroom with his wet paws. Damn cat!

No plans for the weekend. Jason and Melissa might be coming out Sunday so we can finalize wedding plans. Other than that we plan on hanging around here and not doing much. May make a feed run Saturday afternoon as we are about out of dog food and sunflower seeds for the girls. If we don’t make it to town I can get them Tuesday when I go to town for my haircut.

Once the kids decide what they want for their wedding day meals I will need to make a list of things to get ordered or made. That will be fun. Once I have the number of people to expect I can start planning on where to put tables, etc.

Monday I take my car in to have the oil changed and the tires rotated. Tuesday I have a hair cut. Not sure what else is on the calendar for next week but it looks like another quiet week. Painting and cleaning will fill the days that I need something to do. I’m getting good at doing nothing most days though.

Both grandkids are back to school. Ellexia got to go back Wednesday and Tagen went back today. It must feel good to them to return to normal schedules. Trusting they both can finish out this year without more absences. I haven’t heard how many Covid cases the schools currently have.

Grateful the yard is mowed, grateful Jim is on his way home, and grateful Ellexia has healed and recovered from her bout with Covid.

I went to Topeka today to go see my Gastroenterologist. She listens well and makes recommendations that are reasonable. She right away offered to do a Colonoscopy to check to see if there is something else going on. However, we talked some more and both of us decided to hold off for a bit.

She thinks I have developed a gluten intolerance and a lactose intolerance due to not having a thyroid. It can cause the symptoms I have been having. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done except for life style change. Fortunately I have already made that life style change for the most part by not eating flour or sugar. I need to add grains and dairy to the list of foods to avoid. I have been cheating a bit lately and eating food with flour and my body is saying not your food any more. I had rice for lunch and immediately bloated up and started cramping.

She had thyroid cancer and had her thyroid removed too. She have the same Endocrinologist. It is nice to have someone that understands all the issues I have had since I had my thyroid removed.

If my symptoms continue or get worse all I have to do is call her and she will schedule the colonoscopy for me. If I have IBS there is not much that can be done for it. She did mention another thing that might be going on. It is Microscopic Colitis which can be treated. However, she said my symptoms aren’t completely consistent with that diagnosis.

She gave me the name of a probiotic that she wants me to try. It is expensive – $121 for a two month supply but she said it was worth trying. I will get some ordered and see what happens.

I got to Topeka early so stopped at a Party City and got some napkins for Jason’s wedding party. Then I went to Chipotle and had lunch. I next went to Dillard’s at the mall to look for a dress to wear to Jason’s wedding. I found two. One was on sale so I got both. One is long sleeved and the other short sleeve so the weather will dictate which one I will wear. Both are fancy but not so fancy I can’t wear them most any place I might wear a dress too. I haven’t had a dress on since Nicole’s wedding a year ago June so not sure when I might wear a dress again but nice to have one on hand in case I decide to dress up sometime.

While I was walking out of Dillard’s I spotted a purse that I fell in love with. It is the perfect size and my phone fits in it nicely. My other purse is several years old and the strap is broken and held together with a clip. I splurged and purchased a new purse. I spent more on myself today than I have for two years!

The store was almost empty of customers which was nice. I was afraid I would get inside and not be able to handle being around people. I had the whole dress section to myself except for one clerk. I took my time and found the two dresses. They both fit in the size I picked out. That was easy!

After the doctor’s appointment I drove home. Traffic was light and it was a fast and easy drive home. I used to go to Topeka at least once a week but hadn’t been for a while. I still find Topeka much easier to get around than Wichita. Wish Topeka had a Costco – I have to go to KC or Wichita for that.

I haven’t gotten much done at home this afternoon but decided not to do anything. I am tired. I woke up at 6:30 this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. I’m tired and needed some down time to recover from being in the city today. Maybe tomorrow I will get the rest of the basement cleaned – or not.

Remembered to make an appointment to get the oil in my car changed. I also called and scheduled a haircut for next week. I kept forgetting to write those two things on my to do list and kept forgetting to get them scheduled. Nice to have them on the calendar for next week.

Jim will be home tomorrow evening. He is having some work done on his bathroom in Stillwater and won’t be able to leave until the guys finish up tomorrow afternoon. It will be good to have him home again.

We don’t have any plans for the weekend. Jason and Melissa may try to come out Sunday so we can finalize wedding plans. Both of them have been sick and they may not be able to come. We still have two weeks to decide what the plan is so no worries if it has to wait another week. They are trying to keep the wedding simple and easy and as stress free as possible. I’m all for that!

Grateful for a doctor that listens and hears all that I have to say, grateful to have found a dress to wear to the wedding, and grateful for a new purse.

I went to Emporia before noon and had my blood draw. My TSH is 2.0 which is perfect! It is about time I hit the range it is to be in. I will continue taking the liquid three times a week and the pill four times a week. That combination seems to be the right one.

I stopped and picked up a few groceries since I was in town and then came home. I put away the groceries and did chicken chores. The girls gave me 14 eggs this morning and I will pick up a few more this evening. They like this cooler weather and are laying a few more daily now. It won’t be long though before they start molting and quit laying for several months.

I took a car full of recycling material to Cottonwood Falls this afternoon. It is good to get the garage cleaned out. I am always amazed at how much recycling material we accumulate.

Have done a bit of cleaning off and on today – more off than on. Maybe the urge will hit this evening and I will get lots done. I didn’t sleep very well last night and am tired but decided not to take a nap. I need to move my body some more today and see if that will help me sleep better tonight.

Tomorrow I am going to Topeka for a 2:15 doctor’s appointment. I may leave early and do some shopping before my appointment. I’ll see what mood I am in tomorrow morning and if I feel like shopping. It is one of my least favorite things to do so won’t be surprised if I decide not to do so.

Jim will be home either Friday or Saturday evening. He wasn’t feeling well today and wasn’t able to get a lot of work done today. He may decide to stay until Saturday to make up for not being able to work much today. We have no weekend plans so it doesn’t matter which day he comes home. Next week is totally free too. It is nice to have a long stretch of empty space days.

I got an email today asking if I want to do taxes for AARP next year. Not sure what I want to do about them. They were unable to do any last year due to the virus. I enjoy doing them but not sure I want to commit to them next year. I don’t think I have to make a decision right away so I will sit with it for a bit and decide later what to do.

I want to give a shout out to Tom Maloney. He is celebrating his 85th birthday today. I met Tom and his wife Carolyn when I walked the Camino six years ago. We have stayed in touch and have visited each others homes. Tom is the youngest 85 year old I know. He walks 5 – 6 miles every other day and is very active. I want to be like him when I grow up.

Grateful for Tom and Carolyn’s continued friendship, grateful my TSH level is finally in range, and grateful for the eggs the girls are giving me right now.

Jim left for Stillwater around 1:00 this afternoon. I took a short nap after he left. It is hot out again today and I didn’t feel like painting this afternoon. My blood pressure is still a tad low at 105/56. Getting out in the heat didn’t seem like a good idea.

Again the house feels big and empty with Jim gone. He will be back either Friday or Saturday so he won’t be gone long. I have to go to Topeka Thursday so that day will go by quickly. Tomorrow I need to run into Emporia and have my blood draw so my thyroid levels can be checked. I’ll pick up a few groceries while I am in town.

Cleaning and painting is on my agenda for this week. I would like to finish up the downstairs so all I will need to do the week of the wedding is do some touch up cleaning downstairs. It will be good to have it all deep cleaned.

One thing I do need to do this week before I go to Topeka is try on some dresses I have. I need to see if one of them will work for the wedding. If not, I will need to get one in Topeka while I am there. I hate trying on clothes and shopping so hoping one of the dresses will work. Guess I can make one work if I have to. Not sure what I am looking for and not sure it matters much what I wear. All eyes and attention will be on the groom and bride and not on the mother of the groom.

I have a couple of letters I need to write this week. I have so enjoyed writing letters again. One of the ways I coped with the Covid restrictions and isolation was writing letters. I have reconnected with some people that are important to me. It is so fun to receive a letter in the mail and even more fun to mail one to someone special.

I keep reading conflicting reports on how careful one should be if you are fully vaccinated. You hear of break through cases all the time yet I read an article today that said the chances of having one is slim to almost none. This is such a new virus that the science seems to keep changing daily. For now I am going to continue to take precautions although I am feeling a bit safer about taking a risk here and there. Still not ready to eat out often but will do so occasionally.

Grateful for my air conditioner on this hot day, grateful for the post office and their ability to deliver letters to others, and grateful for afternoon naps.

Today has been another quiet day on the prairie. We did manage to give the girls some fresh linens this afternoon. It is always good when we get the coop cleaned out. The coop was dry so it was easy to remove the old stuff.

I made Ellexia some strawberry jam butter cookies. The other day she wanted me to make a pie that tasted like strawberry jelly. I never did figure out what she was asking for as I have never made a strawberry pie before. The jelly cookies were the only thing I could think of that was close. talk the cookies in to her this evening. She liked them but that wasn’t what she was talking about.

I finished the puzzle I have been working on for the last couple of days. Glad it is done as now I might get something more productive done around here. Jim is leaving for Stillwater tomorrow early afternoon so I have no more excuses to not get my house cleaned this week. I’ll be glad when that gets done too. I also have some painting outside I want to get done this week.

I took a NyQuil last night and had a drug hang over today. I had a bit of low blood pressure after I came in from helping Jim clean out the chicken coop. It got down to 85/45. I laid down for a bit and then when I got up I drank a bunch of fluid. It finally came back up a bit. Not sure if my thyroid levels are messed up or if it was a side effect of the NyQuil.

I am due to have my thyroid levels checked this week so will either go in tomorrow or Wednesday and get that done. Thursday I go to Topeka for a doctor’s appointment.

I grilled hamburgers for dinner tonight. That is still one of my favorite meals. Simple and easy and oh so good.

With Jim gone this week I won’t fix much for dinner. I might grill myself a piece of salmon and have a veggie and call it good. I have some chicken I can heat up for another dinner.

It will be another quiet week with Jim gone. It is amazing how different my life is now that he is part of it. I lived out here a lone for several years and didn’t think much about it. It feels very empty now when he isn’t here.

Grateful the girls have fresh linens today, grateful the puzzle is done, and grateful for hamburger.

It has been a lazy day on the prairie. I took a nap this afternoon and worked on the puzzle most of the day. Didn’t get much done except for fixing dinner. I fixed a pot roast so that didn’t take much time. Had some friends over for dinner. It was nice to have conversation with others.

Jim has been after me to have friends over more often. Once I know when he is coming home next weekend I will find some other friends to have over. He wants to get to know my friends better. Covid has kinda put a damper on being with friends. As long as we know they take precautions and are vaccinated we feel comfortable having others over now.

The new beef is good. This was the first roast I had fixed using the new beef. It was tender and flavorful, just like it should be. I have eaten some of the hamburger and we have had one package of steaks and all is good. It is nice to have a freezer full of good beef.

No plans for tomorrow other than cleaning out the chicken coop and doing my weekly egg delivery. Jim is leaving Tuesday morning to go back to Stillwater so I will do more cleaning then. I need to go to Emporia Tuesday for a blood draw and then I am going to Topeka Thursday for a doctor’s appointment. I will pick up what groceries I need when I am in town on one or the other of those days.

It only reached 80 today. I had put jeans on and a long sleeve shirt this morning. I wore a sweater most of the day. I don’t do cold very well these days. We still have our air on inside and we keep it set at 78 but that is too cold for me unless I am up and moving around. I dread the thought of winter coming on soon.

I sure have been noticing it is getting dark earlier and earlier. Fall Equinox will be here soon. I miss the late evening light.

Grateful for friends to break bread with, grateful for beef fresh from the ranch, and grateful for empty space days.

It has been a quiet day on the prairie. We had a beautiful rain overnight and this morning. I am thinking we got around two inches all together – maybe a bit more. No water in the basement although I don’t know that we got enough rain to really test it. We did have standing water in the swell in the backyard which pleased Jim.

I made a big batch of Snickerdoodles this morning. We should have enough to keep Jim in cookies for a week or two. He does like cookies.

I put a whole chicken in the crock pot and let it cook all day. I love pulled chicken. Makes an easy dinner with lots of leftovers for lunches.

Tomorrow night some friends are coming over for dinner. I am fixing a pot roast with carrots and potatoes. She is bringing a salad. I have a dessert ready so it will be an easy meal to fix and serve. It will nice to have some conversation with friends. That is what I have missed the most through the pandemic. This couple have been extra cautious too so we feel safe having them over.

I went to Emporia this afternoon to pick up a few groceries. It was a quick trip to the grocery store and home again. I went to the small grocery store and stayed away from Walmart. I wasn’t in the mood to have to dodge people in the isles today.

I am working on putting together a puzzle. I can waste a lot of time doing that. Time goes by quickly when I get engrossed in the puzzle. This one is extra hard as the pieces are not square and even. You never know what to look for as the piece can only fill half the spot. The puzzle has a lot of the same colors although it so color is not even a big clue. It will take me a week or so to finish this one.

Jim is going back to Stillwater on Tuesday so I put the cleaning project on hold until he leaves again. I will have time next week to get the rest of the house deep cleaned. I’m over half way done. When the wedding gets closer I will have to redo some rooms but if they have been deep cleaned I will only have to pick clean them.

Next Thursday I have to go to Topeka for an appointment with my gastroenterologist to rule out IBS. Tuesday I need to go to Emporia and have lab work done to check my thyroid levels. It sure seems to take a lot to keep my body going these days. If it wasn’t for doctor appointments I wouldn’t get out much.

I took a nap this afternoon. I sure wish I could fall asleep at night as quickly as I do when I take naps. I slept for an hour and one-half. I had slept last night – just not for long stretches without waking up for long stretches. Sure makes for a long night when I do that.

Grateful for cookies in the freezer, grateful for pulled chicken leftovers, and grateful Jim is home for the weekend.

Not a very productive day for me. I fixed the kids spaghetti and meatballs and deliver that along with some bread and a pumpkin pie. I did go to Emporia to get some groceries this morning but other than fixing dinner I haven’t accomplished anything today.

I swapped with a neighbor some eggs for some home grown tomatoes. I think I got the better end of that deal. Nice to have friends that I can exchange goods with. Jim wanted a bacon and tomato sandwich for dinner tonight when he gets home.

Jim is headed home now. He should be here by 7:45. It will be good to have him home for the weekend. I think he is planning on returning to Stillwater next week to get some more work done. He had to do more yard work this time than he had anticipated and didn’t get much done inside. Maybe next week he can get more done.

We had a nice thunderstorm or two or three roll through last night. Not sure how much rain we got but guessing close to two inches. The cracks in the yard are still there but they closed a bit. Sure could use another couple of inches but I am grateful for what we got. The forecast is showing 100% chance for rain for Saturday so we will see what happens. It is hot and muggy out now with some clouds trying to work their way to me.

I got woke up at some point last night from a big crack of thunder. I had trouble going back to sleep but finally did. I have felt tired today and not well rested. May be another early night to bed for me.

No plans for the weekend. I may or may not get some cleaning or painting done. If Jim is going back to Stillwater next week I will probably wait and do it then.

Jason and Melissa were going to come out Sunday and we were going to finalize some wedding plans. Melissa is sick and they won’t be coming. She had to get Covid tested today but I haven’t heard the results. Not what she needs right now but it is what it is. Things will work out – sooner or later for them.

Six years ago I was walking the Camino de Santiago. I have been rereading my blog from that adventure and reliving the walk. I had not anticipated all the gifts the Camino would continue to bless me with after my walk. Most days I have some memory of something that happened on the Camino and it helps me make better life choices. What an adventure that was.

Found out a friend died from cancer and her memorial service was today. They had moved to Wichita some years ago and I lost touch with them. I was so sorry to hear about her passing. She was an angel on earth and will be missed by many friends and family. Her son used to work for us and he was one of my favorite crew people.

Ellexia continues to heal and recover from her bout with Covid. She hasn’t run a temperature for several days now. She is still more tired than normal but otherwise doing well. Her cough seems to be lingering too but it doesn’t slow her down too much.

Grateful Jim will be home soon, grateful for the life lessons given to me on the Camino, and grateful for the rain the prairie received last night.

I left the house at 7:30 this morning so I could be at the Vo-Tech for my dental cleaning appointment at 8:00. I had the best technician today. She was wonderful. It took five hours to get everything done. She was patient, kind and easy to visit with. She restored my faith in the Vo-Tech program. Her name is Becky. It only costs $20 to get your teeth cleaned. It does take longer than an hour but they do a great job. Call the Vo-Tech if you want to make an appointment.

I had an hour and half for lunch. I went to Wendy’s and got a bowl of chili. Then I went to Brown’s Shoes and got a pair of shoes for Jason’s wedding. I then went to Dunkin Donuts and got the kiddos a dozen donuts and delivered them to the kiddos. Went back to the Vo-Tech and finished my appointment.

I came home tired. I got some good sleep last night but wasn’t ready to get up when the alarm went off at 6:45. It is too late to take a nap so I will power through and go to bed early tonight.

The plumber came while I was gone and replaced the booster pump. Hoping this one won’t leak after just a couple months like the last one.

Did the chicken chores and gathered 16 eggs. They still had water but are drinking lots of extra water in this heat. They go through at least five gallons a day now. I need to give them some fresh linens this weekend.

Had a package I ordered from Amazon not show up. Their tracking said it was delivered Tuesday but I can’t find it if it was. I contacted Amazon and they issued a refund. I ordered the product again. They told me if it does show up I don’t have to return it. Grateful they took my word for it and didn’t give me any grief.

I haven’t gotten any thing else done today. I will probably do some cleaning in a bit but needed to sit and rest for a bit. Too much stimulation being around a roomful of people at the Vo-Tech today. I am appreciating the quiet of the house this afternoon.

Jim is coming home tomorrow evening. The kiddos requested spaghetti and meat balls so will fix that tomorrow afternoon and take it to them for their dinner. Good think Jim likes spaghetti and meat balls too as that is what he will get too. It is easy to fix and the kiddos will eat lots of it which makes me happy.

We don’t have any holiday weekend plans. I guess when one is retired everyday is a holiday. I had forgotten it was a holiday until someone asked me if we had any plans.

Feeling a bit out of touch with the world. With Jim gone I don’t talk to anyone most days and haven’t had the TV on to watch the news. It makes me wonder how I would have handled the whole pandemic situation if I hadn’t had Jim with me.

Grateful for the wonderful care I was given at the Vo-Tech today, grateful I found a pair of shoes for the wedding, and grateful Ellexia is recovering so nicely.

My friend left before I got up this morning. We enjoyed having dinner together last night and visiting. I have met the nicest people by having the Airbnb. This friend is one of my guests from several years ago that has become a dear friend.

I have spent the day cleaning. I got the guest room that was used last night cleaned and the bed remade. I cleaned the master bathroom – yikes was it dirty. Feels so good to get it cleaned up again. Will do another couple rooms yet this afternoon. Making good progress on my cleaning this week.

I got some good sleep last night. I was up going to the bathroom several times. I was afraid for a hot minute that the C-Diff had come back but so far today I haven’t had to go again. Yay! Trusting it will stay that way and last night wasn’t the start of a reoccurrence. I have an appointment with the Gastrointestinal Doctor next week to see if something besides C-Diff is going on. I was thinking of cancelling that appointment as I haven’t had any problems lately but after last night thinking I still need to go see her.

I have hung around the house all day waiting for the plumber to show up with the new booster pump but so far no plumber. He may still show up this afternoon. I will be gone all day tomorrow so hoping he comes today.

Jason and Melissa are coming out Sunday afternoon so we can plan the wedding. Melissa hasn’t spent much time in this house and needs to get more familiar with it so she can know how to plan for her wedding day. It is fun to make plans and look forward to their upcoming big day. The wedding is only three weeks from Saturday. It will be here before I know it.

Jim is coming home Friday late afternoon. Not sure he got enough work done in Stillwater but he is planning on going back next week again. Little by little things get done.

My dental cleaning appointment got changed to tomorrow. I have to be there at 8:00. The student is thinking we will have to go into the afternoon to get it all done. It is only the second cleaning she has done this school year so they have to get checked often. We spend a lot of time waiting for the instructor to come check her work. Trusting this student is better than the one I had last year – she can’t be any worse.

Ellexia continues to recover nicely. They are thinking she will be able to go back to school next week. She will have lots of homework to catch up on. I hope this doesn’t start her school year off so far behind that she struggles to catch up. She is a good student so hoping her teachers will work with her and help her catch up and not her get too overwhelmed. Tagen has to stay out until the 9th or 10th.

Don’t have much on my calendar for next week other than going to Topeka for a doctor’s appointment on Thursday. I also need to get my thyroid levels checked sometime next week. I will continue to work on deep cleaning the house and try to get that job done next week. I have some deck painting to do when I get the cleaning done. Seems like there is always something else that needs tended to.

I’m still feeling a bit restless but am thinking it has to do with the Covid situation. I am back to feeling anxious when I get out in public. I see so many people carrying on as if the whole Covid situation is behind us. Then there I am staying home most of the time. Can’t seem to find a comfortable balance for myself. Right now I feel best when I am tucked in at home with limited interaction with others. Guess I have to listen to my intuition and do what feels best for me in the moment.

Grateful for the privilege of being able to stay home when that feels right for me, grateful Ellexia is recovering, and grateful for a guest that became a friend.

Today has been a more productive day for me after a night of little sleep. I finally gave up sleeping around 3:00 and got up and made a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies for Tim. When I was done cleaning up the kitchen after making the cookies I went back to bed and found two hours of sleep. I’m tired this afternoon but decided to power through it and hope I can sleep tonight.

This morning I took the cookies to Tim, filled the car with gas, went to the bank, stopped at Bluestem and got a bigger watering can for the chickens and then went to Walmart for a few groceries. It was nice getting all my errands taken care of.

It rained on me for a hot minute while I was out and about but the wind blew the clouds away and by the time I got home there was only blue skies left. Oh so close to getting some rain but we didn’t get enough to count.

When I got home I went downstairs and cleaned a guest bathroom and bedroom. I have a friend that may be coming to spend the night tonight. I also got the hallway hand scrubbed. It was a bit of a mess downstairs due to the repair of the sheet rock. Still don’t have the woodwork trim up but it is what it is. It was nice to cross some more rooms off my deep cleaning list.

I didn’t find anything to throw away or to donate but I will keep looking. I have some totes of yarn to go through tonight if I get the urge and feel like throwing things out. I have to be in the right mood to do that and not sure I am there today.

Ellexia woke up without a temperature over 100 today for the first time since last Friday. She still is having some muscle pain in her legs but over all is recovering nicely from her bout with Covid. Fingers crossed her older brother doesn’t get it next. If she keeps her recovery up I bet she gets to go back to school next Monday.

My nephew let me know the new booster pump came in. Not sure when the plumber will come bring it out. Sure hope this one lasts a bit longer than the last one did.

I need to bake Jim some Snickerdoodles either tonight or tomorrow. I am out of them in the freezer. Good thing I like to bake cookies – I seem to end up doing it a lot.

Don’t think I have to go anywhere tomorrow so will get some more cleaning done. The house is starting to feel cleaner to me although I still have over half of it to do. Maybe tomorrow I can knock off most of the basement.

Thursday I have a dental cleaning at the Vo-Tech. I have to be there by 8:00 and she is expecting it to go into the afternoon. They are just starting this year off and are still slow. I sure hope she is better than the last one I had. Don’t think she can be worse.

Not sure if Jim is coming home Friday or Saturday. He has so much work to do in Stillwater he probably should stay most of the month of September and get lots done. We will see what he decides to do. We don’t have much going on here so it is a good time for him to be there working.

I noticed Chase County has six new Covid cases this week. Hope it isn’t hitting the school kids like it is in Emporia. Way too many are not vaccinated in Chase County and aren’t taking precautions. I don’t think the school kids here have to wear masks but I could be wrong. Not sure what it will take before people get with it and do the correct thing to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Grateful my errands got taken care of today, grateful Ellexia is improving daily, and grateful for the cleaning I got done today.

Jim left for Stillwater around 1:30 today. He is coming back on either Friday or Saturday. I have a long, quiet week ahead of me. Hope to get lots of deep cleaning done. Jim was a bit nervous leaving thinking about what I might throw away while he is gone. I promised not to throw away any of his junk or treasures.

I gave away my two Christmas trees and a sack of ornaments this morning. Jim has a tree and we don’t need three of them. Feels good to have freed up three totes in the storage room.

I found two totes of stuff from Mom. I thought it was old paperwork that I could get rid of but discovered both totes were full of old photographs from mom’s childhood and lots of old family pictures of my siblings. Dang it anyways. Jim was delighted with my find. I don’t recognize most of the people in the photos. Next time I see my two Aunts I will have to show them the pictures and see if they recognize who they are. Maybe my cousins and siblings will want some of them.

Got the sheet rock painted yesterday. The bathroom paint matched so I don’t have to paint the whole bathroom with new paint – yay! Now Jim needs to get the woodwork trim put back up and that project will be complete. He worked on the woodwork preparing it before he left. I think it needs to be varnished before he can put it back on. Maybe it will get done before the wedding in September.

Ellexia continues to run a 100 – 101 temperature but is eating and drinking well. She had bad leg cramps this morning. Not sure if that is another side effect of Covid or if she is getting dehydrated. Running a temperature for several days can cause dehydration. Good thing her mom is a nurse and keeps a close eye on her. Tagen continues to show no signs that he has gotten Covid.

Tomorrow I need to go to Emporia and go to the bank and pick up a few groceries. That may be my adventure of the week. Feeling the need to tuck back in and not be out unless I need to be. Way too much virus spreading in the community right now and very little mask wearing happening. Good think I like to stay home.

It is partly cloudy today but I’m afraid all the rain went around us again. The cracks in the yard are getting seriously deep and wide. I watch where I am going as I’m afraid I will break my ankle in one of them. It is hot and muggy out today – not a good day to have to work outside. I need to remember to water our flower beds this evening after it cools down a bit.

Feels weird to sit in this big house by myself. The house always seems to grow big when I am home alone for an extended time.

Grateful more stuff found a new home, grateful Ellexia continues to heal and recover, and grateful for this quiet, empty space.

Ellexia continues to run a temp between 100 and 101. She doesn’t act too sick thankfully. She was able to eat pancakes for breakfast. Trusting she will continue to recover and not get any sicker. Her daddy will be staying home with her and Tagen this week as he gets paid. Mom has to go to work tomorrow.

I got the new sheet rock painted today. It will have to dry overnight and then I will decide if I need a second coat. I know the hallway paint is the right paint but I am not sure about the bathroom paint. I need better light to check. It is cloudy on the prairie today so don’t have any natural light to help me out. I’ll check in the morning. If it is not the right shade I will have to go get a gallon of paint and paint the whole bathroom. It is a small bathroom so that won’t take long if I need to do that.

Jim is working on sanding the woodwork trim that was removed and getting it ready to put back on. He is going to Stillwater tomorrow so doubt if he gets it on before he leaves but we will see how far he gets tonight. It will be nice to have that project completed and everything put back together and crossed off my pending list of things to do.

I will do lots of cleaning while Jim is gone this week. I came up with a little project to do so will work on that project too. I have two pencil Christmas trees to give away. Not sure if the lights that are on them all work or not. If anyone is interested in them let me know and they are yours. If no one wants them I will put them in the trash. They are about seven feet tall and slim. They come in three parts. I am betting that between them you could get one to work with the lights.

When I clean the storage room I want to go through the totes again and get rid of at least half the stuff. I don’t even know what I have down there any more so it is time to go through them and clear stuff out. I can only hold on to so much stuff. I also need to go through my remaining yarn stash and clear part of it out. I don’t knit like I used to and there is no used hanging on to yarn just in case. Anyone want yarn? Let me know and I will save some for you.

We are grilling steaks for dinner tonight. I want to try our new beef and see how it tastes. We had some hamburger last night and it was good. They sure cut it differently this time. Hoping the steaks are as good as the ones last years. We are having T-Bone steaks tonight – last year we didn’t get any T-Bones.

Had another restless night of sleep last night. Not sure why I am struggling to sleep again. Hope my thyroid levels aren’t going too low again. I have felt restless all day today and have wanted to eat all day. Not a good thing for me to do. Sometimes that is my first clue to low thyroid levels. I am to get my levels checked in another week but if I am still restless tomorrow or Tuesday I may get them checked this week. I don’t want to start having another thyroid storm.

When I was doing chicken chores this morning it started sprinkling. Didn’t last long and never did get beyond the sprinkling stage. Darn it anyways. We sure could use a couple inches of nice, gentle rain. At this point I would even take a downpour. It was a bit cooler today. Forecast calls for upper 80’s and lower 90’s this week. Still too hot for me but headed in the right direction.

I need to do my egg delivery run tomorrow at noon. I only have one dozen extra eggs right now. I am barely getting a dozen a day right now and one of my customers will take six dozen a week. This may be the last week I can provide that many for her. We will see if the chickens will produce a bit more with the cooler temperatures this week.

Wonder when we will hear about getting out booster vaccine? I have heard from a few people that they have already received theirs. Not sure how they managed that. We got our second shot the end of February so are six months out. We are already taking precautions but thinking we need to double down until we can get our booster shots.

Grateful the painting got done today, grateful Ellexia seems to have a mild case of Covid so far, and grateful for a full freezer of beef.

Got the office deep cleaned this morning. Found lots and lots of dirt on the floor. Still need to dust all the bookcases but the hard part is done. That room seems to get the dirtiest of all in the house. We use the sliding door in there to go in and out a lot and seem to track lots of dirt in with us when we come.

The handyman came this morning and finished sanding the sheet rock he put up yesterday. After it dries a bit more the walls will be ready to paint. That will give me a project for a day or two next week.

I went into Emporia late morning to get Tim and Michelle a few groceries. The Health Department called them while I was shopping. They found out neither Tim nor Michelle have to quarantine since both have been vaccinated. If they develop any symptoms they have to get tested immediately. Tagen has to quarantine for 14 days. Ellexia has to be quarantined for at least 10 or until 48 hours after she is symptom free. Michelle can work at her day job. Tim is taking time off with pay to take care of Ellexia and Tagen.

Ellexia looked good today. She is still running between 100 and 101 temperature and has a cough but doesn’t feel too bad. Sure trusting she will have an easy course of this. The next three or four days may be telling. We will see what happens.

Since I was in town I dropped off the two boxes of stuff I had taken out of the pantry at the Salvation Army. Good to have those gone and out of the house.

Took a nap this afternoon. I didn’t sleep very well last night and was still tired. I feel better now.

It isn’t quite as hot of a day as the last several have been. We are partly cloudy and it feels like a thunderstorm might be brewing. We sure could use the rain. The cracks are wide and deep in the yard.

Now that the dusty part of the sheet rocking is done I can start cleaning downstairs. I will try to get one room done a day next week. I wash all the floors by hand, scrub the woodwork, and look for things that can go away.

Had to call my plumber yesterday as the handyman discovered our booster pump is leaking – again! We just had it replaced earlier this year. Not sure why it failed again. The plumber is getting a new one ordered and will bring it out when it comes in.

I picked up 10 eggs when I went down at noon to gather eggs. One of them was cracked so the girls got to eat that one. I am having trouble getting enough eggs to meet my customers demand. Won’t be long now before the girls start to molt and the egg production will drop to one or two a day. I had to buy store bought eggs for the kids today as I didn’t have enough to share. I hate the thought of eating a store bought egg.

Feels good to be getting my house deep cleaned. Jim keeps saying the house isn’t dirty but I can sure tell the difference when I clean. I love having a very clean house but rarely go to the trouble of cleaning it thoroughly often enough. The wedding in September is giving me the motivation to get it done. Hoping I can find more stuff to give away before I am done. When I get to the storage room I have some totes to go through and I know I will find a bunch of stuff I am ready to part with then.

Still not sure if Jim is going to Stillwater next week. He needs to go but seems to have trouble getting there. We will see what happens.

Grateful Ellexia is doing OK so far, grateful the sheet rock project is completed, and grateful another room will get crossed off my cleaning list by the end of the day.

My 11 year-old granddaughter tested positive for Covid this morning. She has a cough and a 101 degree temperature. Trusting her recovery will be quick and smooth. So far she is feeling tired but not too bad. She has been able to eat and drink so far. May it stay that way!

Her older brother has to quarantine now too. They have been down this road before when Michelle was sick last August. Dang it anyways.

Jim and I had decided when we came home from CO last week to not have contact with the kiddos for at least a week to make sure we didn’t bring something home with us. Grateful we stayed away over the weekend but sad I won’t get to see them for at least two more weeks. That will make six weeks without my grandkids hugs. That is hard on a grandma’s heart.

Jim had a 9:00 doctor’s appointment in Emporia. He took the grandkids some no bake chocolate cookies I made last night for them. He also stopped at Walmart and got a tool to help him remove the flat tire from the mower so it can get fixed. Hoping to get the tire repaired before I need to mow again – right now the grass isn’t growing as it is too hot and most of it has burned up.

Yesterday I cleaned out my pantry shelves and got rid of lots of things I didn’t want/need. I have two boxes of things to drop by Goodwill next time I am in town. Today I took everything up and off the floor and scrubbed the floor and woodwork. Took the trash can outside and hosed it down. The pantry looks and smells fresh and clean now. One room done, many, many more to go!

Only picked up 5 eggs this morning and I didn’t go down until 10:00. I think the girls are on a heat strike. Can’t say that I blame them. It is way too hot out there. I got hot playing in the water when I was washing out the trash can.

My handyman came today and has been working all day repairing the sheet rock in the basement. We had to tear a lot out when I flooded earlier this spring. Now that the drainage system is fixed I can get the repairs done. When he gets done I will have some painting to do. It is good to be getting that project done. I’ll be able to cross one more thing off my pending list of things to do.

It is so hard knowing the kids are going through a tough time and not being able to be there to help. This virus is still alive and well and spreading throughout the community. I sure am getting tired of taking precautions but today proved to me why it is still vital that we do so.

Grateful the pantry is clean, grateful Ellexia is not too sick, and grateful for my handyman.

As expected, today has been a rest and recovery day. I took a good nap early afternoon. I went to bed early last night, woke up in the middle of the night and was up for two hours and then had a second sleep. I got up at 7:00 this morning as I couldn’t sleep any more.

I am working on cleaning out my pantry. I have filled one trash bag so far, have a big pile of things to donate, and still have some shelves to work on. It will be good to have it cleaned out. It tends to become a catch-all place and most of what it catches we don’t use/need.

Got a call from my old internet company today. They are going to waive the early termination fee and stand by what their technician had told me. I appreciate that. They owe me a refund and will issue a check sometime soon.

It is another hot day on the prairie. Temperatures have been close to 100 and with the heat index, over 100. Too hot for me to be outside today.

I have a chicken that has lost her comb. It came off about two months ago and had healed over. Yesterday I noticed it was bleeding again. Not sure she will survive the winter without it but we will see what happens. Not sure what caused her to lose it. The other chickens tend to pick on her and they may have injured it when they did so. She now hangs out in the nesting boxes to stay away from the others. Guess their are bullies in all species.

It won’t be long before the girls start molting and quit laying for a bit. They usually molt around Fall Equinox and then slowly start laying again after Winter Solstice. If it is really cold around Solstice they delay starting to lay again until we get a bit of a warm spell. Their egg production has really slowed down already. Part of that is due to the heat and the rest is due to their internal preparation for molting. I sent my egg customers a note to let them know my days of supplying their egg needs are limited.

Tomorrow Jim has a doctor’s appointment at 9:00. That will be an early start to the day for him. I am going to continue deep cleaning the house. I’m picking one area a day to clean and work my way through the house. My deadline is Jason’s wedding on September 25. If I start now, I can do this.

We are having grilled chicken tonight. Too hot to cook inside so I will grill it outside. The front porch is in the shade in the afternoon and evenings so it won’t be too hot to be out cooking. Not sure what I will fix to go with it but I will figure something out.

No plans for the weekend or into next week for that matter. Jim might go to Stillwater early next week unless he changes his mind again. He has trouble leaving. He hasn’t been down there for a long time and really needs to go check on some things. He hired someone to help him remodel his bathroom and he needs to go pick out somethings so that job can get finished.

Feeling more grounded today. I am a bit lost as to what to do with myself though. I don’t have any projects going right now, other than cleaning the house. It will be good for me to have lots of empty space. It seems like we have been on a bit of a roller coaster lately and it is time to slow things way down. With the virus the way it is, it is time for me to tuck back in and stay home most of the time.

I look forward to getting my booster shot. Hopefully the health department will contact us soon and get that scheduled. I haven’t heard if they have made a plan on how they will proceed – they might not have one yet. We got our second shot the end of February so should be among the first to get our booster. We will see what happens.

Grateful for a rest and recovery day, grateful to be getting the pantry cleaned out, and grateful the internet company resolved the termination fee.

I am back home on the prairie. Nicole is doing well. Still having bouts with pain but that is to be expected. She has done a great job keeping off of her foot, keeping it elevated and icing it often. She has had some bleeding but not enough to need a dressing change tomorrow. She is handling being on crutches like a champ and can even do steps if needed.

We both felt like she was ready to be on her own tomorrow so I came home after Geoff got off work today. It was fun spending time with her but it is oh so good to be back home on the prairie.

It was helpful that I had been through the surgery Nicole just had. I did mine in four surgeries and she is doing a two-for-one so will only need two surgeries. It isn’t an easy surgery to recover from but it does get better day by day.

I don’t have anything on my calendar for tomorrow so it will be a recovery day for me. I feel like I need a day to get grounded and get all of me home again. Then I need to start cleaning house and thinking about Jason’s wedding the end of September.

Someday soon I need to have my thyroid levels checked again. I have been alternating the new liquid Synthroid with the tablet. My levels feel appropriate but I have been fooled before. I hope I have found the magic formula to keep my levels more balanced.

Grateful for the time I got to spend with Nicole, grateful for a safe trip home, and grateful to be able to sleep in my own bed tonight.

I went to KC this morning early. I left around 6:45 and got to the surgery center at 8:15. Surgery was done around 9:30 and went well. I brought her home around 10:30. We stopped and picked up her meds and then got her tucked in on the couch.

She had two Neuromas in her foot. Her doctor said that was very unusual. I told him I had two in each of my feet too. When he got ready to leave he turned around and said you had two too? He shook his head as he left. Maybe he will remember Nicole as being the unusual case with two Neuromas.

Nicole and Geoff took a quarter of our beef so I brought that up in coolers today. I got it all put away in their small freezer. All but three packages of hamburger fit. Guess they will be eating a bit more hamburger this week than normal to use up the extra packages.

Nicole ordered Chipotle’s to be delivered for lunch. It is one of my favorite places to eat so that was a nice treat. We watched TV and movies this afternoon and had a quiet, chill afternoon.

Geoff fixed a nice dinner. He roasted veggies with chicken. Yummy!

I went to Kohl’s to look for a dress to wear to Jason’s wedding but didn’t find anything. I might go out tomorrow evening and look at a different store but will see what happens. I really don’t like to shop so may order something on-line instead.

I don’t know if I am going home tomorrow evening or not. Nicole may need to go to the doctor on Thursday for a dressing change. If she does then I will stay so I can take her. We won’t know until late tomorrow if that needs to happen. I will play it by ear and go from there. I don’t have anything going on at home on Thursday so no worries either way.

I knitted three dishrags today while I was sitting. One at the surgery center and two at Nicole’s house this evening. Gives my hands something to do and time goes by quicker. I have more yarn to make some more tomorrow.

Nicole’s dog and I are coming to get to know each other. She sure was interested in me today and we are slowing getting to be friends. I took her out to potty several times and that seemed to help break the ice between us. She wants to “help” Nicole by licking her sore foot.

Trusting I will be able to find some sleep tonight. I got a couple hours of sleep last night but couldn’t find my second sleep. I am really tired tonight so maybe I will crash and get lots of sleep tonight.

No plans for tomorrow other than hanging out with Nicole. It will be another quiet day at her house.

Grateful surgery went well, grateful for a safe trip to KC, and grateful for this time with Nicole.

I had a busy morning. I went to Emporia at 9:30 to deliver some peaches to Jason and his family, dropped off some packaging material to Tim, filled the car with gas, and stopped by Walgreens and Walmart. Then I went to Olpe to pick up our beef.

The Meat Locker is in new hands this year. They were to have processed it the same as last year but not sure they did. I will be anxious to taste it. I got lots of T-Bone steaks this year – last year they cut them into KC Stripes and Tenderloins. I asked them to cut the roasts smaller this year but not sure they did. I didn’t get any stew meat this year and I did last year. Hopefully the taste will be as good as last year.

Came home and sorted the meat and then counted it. I have two different people each taking a quarter of it so needed to know how to divide it up. A friend came over and picked up her quarter. We traded peaches for some home grown tomatoes. Yummy!

After they picked up their beef I delivered eggs to my regular customers. I gave them both some peaches as a bonus today. I have managed to give away or eat most of the box that I got. I will take the remaining few with me to KC tomorrow.

I drove by the rental house to check out the foundation repair. It looks nice. We only have the burn pile clean up to do and then I don’t plan on doing anything else to the house this year unless an emergency repair needs done. The property sure looks different than it did when I purchased it earlier this year.

Got a response back from the CEO of the Y Camp. I am angry right now at the situation. He did not read my response and continues to blame my bank for the hold. He did not accept any responsibility for the actions of his staff. I can handle it when someone screws up if they admit it and apologize but when they blame someone else and fail to step up to the plate I get angry. I am working on letting go of this situation as my anger won’t change anything. It will be hard for me to go back next year with the way things are now. The Y Camp is very important to Jim so I need to let this go. I will work on that.

It is very hot on the prairie today. It is in the mid to upper 90’s. I need to go down and give the chickens a watermelon when I get done writing. It helps them hydrate. Their egg production has dropped due to the heat. Hoping they will pick back up again when it cools down in another couple of weeks. They will be molting soon and will quit laying for a couple of months.

I still need to pack for my trip to KC tomorrow. I have a list so it won’t take long once I start pulling things out. I did laundry earlier so everything is available and clean to pack.

I took a short nap this afternoon. I slept hard for about three hours last night but struggled to get a second sleep. I only slept about 30 minutes this afternoon so hoping tonight I will sleep more. It is frustrating when I am tired but can’t find sleep.

Got a response back about our master bathroom shower. The company I ordered it from is running way behind. The shower material is in but it will be at least another month before they can install it. I told them about the wedding September 25 and that I didn’t want construction happening then. I asked them to either have it done before that date or wait until afterwards to start it. I bet they wait till afterwards but guess it is what it is.

Someone claiming to be from my insurance company called me today. She said a nurse wanted to talk to me but I needed to give her my birthdate and social security number. I have no idea if she was from the insurance company and refused to give it to her. They called me so they already have that information. It may have been legit but I don’t give out that information unless I call them and they need to confirm who I am. When they call me, I don’t play that game.

Feeling a bit ungrounded this afternoon and a bit cranky. Part of it is due to poor sleep lately and part of it is due to the heat. I don’t do well when it is this hot out. Maybe it will do me good to go to KC for a couple of days. I don’t seem to have much motivation to do anything right now. Hoping when I come home later this week I will be more grounded and ready to get some projects done.

Grateful for a freezer full of beef, grateful for fresh peaches, and grateful for fresh tomatoes.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and greetings yesterday. I had a quiet day at home. Got the yard mowed in the afternoon after Jim pumped up the tire. The air held while I was mowing. It felt good to get out and mow. It was dry though and my eyes are still a bit raw from all the matter that blew into them.

Today I have been cleaning up little areas. I got my desk cleaned off and organized. I have an updated to-do list so I feel a bit more organized and know what is going on. Feels good to make some progress on things pending.

Finally figured out what happened with the Y Camp and their billing. They had posted to my account Thursday evening and the bank put a hold on the funds they were going to charge. When we checked out Friday morning the clerk made an adjustment of $1 and then charged my card. The two amounts weren’t the same so the bank didn’t release the hold so that caused the bank to withdraw twice. The hold should drop off Monday and all will be back to normal. Frustrating experience though.

It is a hot one on the prairie today and is to be even hotter tomorrow. Thinking I like the temperature in the mountains better than in KS right now.

Tomorrow I have to go to Emporia and pick up a few things and then go to Olpe to pick up our beef. Trusting I will figure out a way to get it all in the freezer. A friend is taking a quarter of it tomorrow and I am taking another quarter to Nicole and Geoff on Tuesday. Just have to keep that quarter frozen overnight. Might have to store some things in the cooler overnight but I think I can make it all fit.

I need to call the old internet people tomorrow and find out why they billed me over $100. Hope to get that resolved tomorrow. I also need to find out when our new shower is going to be installed. They had told me it would be three months out and we are almost five months out now. I’m hoping to get that project done before the wedding which is September 25.

Tuesday I am going to KC to be with Nicole as she is having foot surgery Tuesday morning. I will stay until Wednesday or Thursday evening – depending on how she is doing. I have some shopping to do while I am in KC. I will take care of that when Geoff comes home in the evening.

Starting my fall house cleaning project. The wedding is giving me an incentive to get it all done. If I do one room a day between now and the wedding I will get it all done without pressure. I go through my house once a year looking for things I haven’t used all year. I figure if I haven’t used something within the last year I don’t need it. I reorganized all the closets, drawers, etc. and reduce the clutter. Jim is living in fear right now – LOL!

We are having fish for dinner tonight. I have to turn the oven on to bake it so will bake cookies after dinner since the oven will be on. Jim is down to his last bag of Snickerdoodles.

Did anyone see the moon last night? It was so bright that when I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom I didn’t have to turn any lights on. I had trouble sleeping this morning and got up for a bit and watched the moon set. I love the full moon on the prairie – it cast some wonderful moon shadows last night.

Changed the batteries in the dog collars and clipped their dew claws today. The new clippers I got really work nicely. They are the easiest ones I have ever used. We are raking buckets of fur out of the two dogs right now. This morning I was petting Roxy and pulling handfuls of fur off of her.

Finally feeling like all of me has gotten home. I was a bit ungrounded yesterday morning. Mowing helped me reconnect to the ground. Feels so good to be home and settled in again.

Grateful the mowing got done yesterday, grateful for all my friends and family that took time out to wish me happy birthday, and grateful to be still alive after 68 years on this planet.

We got home around 7:30 last night. It was a bit of a frustrating drive home. We tried to stop in Goodland for dinner and a potty break. There was a new Steak and Shake restaurant but when we tried to get in we discovered they limited service to Drive-Thru only due to lack of staff. They didn’t have the bathrooms open. We went next door to McDonald’s and discovered the same thing. Luckily there was a gas station close so I used the restroom but they didn’t have any food.

We drove on down the road and attempted to stop in Hayes. There is major road construction going on and getting into places was a challenge. We needed gas and the first gas station we pulled into was two lines deep at each pump. We went to the next one and the card reader was broken. We had to drive down the road a bit to turn around. We finally found a gas station at the end of the line. By then we had passed all the restaurants and we decided not to go down that road again. We drove on home and gave up trying to eat.

Got the car unloaded and stuff put away. Fixed some tomato soup and called it dinner. Took my bath and went to bed.

When I got up this morning I had an email from my bank telling me my account was overdrawn. That shouldn’t happen so I checked to see what was going on. The Y Camp had double charged my account. I called them and they denied they did so. They screwed up our account last year too. It took us three times at the desk this time to get the pet charge removed. I am so frustrated with them. If Jim didn’t love that place I would never go back. Jim sent a letter to the CEO of the Y Camp and the CEO promised to get to the bottom of it. We will see what happens. Not what I wanted to deal with today.

I went through my big stack of mail and found a bill that I don’t understand from the old internet company. I will have to call Monday and get that sorted out.

I got a letter from the state of KS today and have no idea what they were trying to communicate to me. I’ll have to call them Monday and figure it out too.

I went down to get the mower out so I could mow the yard and discovered I have a flat tire. That has never happened before. I’ll have to wait to mow until Jim can get the tire off and take it in and get it fixed. I may have to call the service guys to come take care of it. We will see how hard it is to remove a mower tire.

On my way down to the barn I noticed a big limb on my little peach tree is barely handing on. Not sure if it broke during the storm we had last night or if it happened a bit ago when a different storm blew through. Jim will have to saw it off. It took out about half the tree.

We drove into Emporia and got some groceries. I found Walmart almost impossible to be in today. A guy in one of the motorized carts all but ran over me and he didn’t even seem to notice what he had done. The isles were full of people and it was a challenge to get around the store. I got what we needed and got out of there. I came home and put myself in time-out. I am cranky now!

We stopped and got a case of CO peaches while we were in Emporia. I will need to share them with others as I don’t think I want to make peach preserve this year. I sure enjoyed eating the peaches while we were in CO the last couple of weeks. They are one of my favorite fruits but I like them fresh and the season is short.

A neighbor has lots of extra tomatoes on her vines and she has a sore neck and can’t can right now. We went over and picked a nice bag full of them. I took her some of the peaches as an exchange. I think BLT’s are in our future. Jim likes his with a fried egg on top of it. I like mine with just bacon and tomato – no bread or lettuce.

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with things today. It will all get sorted out but am finding coming home to be as hard as getting ready to leave. It has not been an easy day so far.

It is good to be home. Trusting the rest of the day will go easier and smoother. Sometimes things can just feel hard for me. Now that I know I can stay home until Monday morning maybe things will calm down.

Monday we have to go to Olpe and pick up our beef. Tuesday I am going to KC early to be with Nicole while she has her foot surgery. I will stay in KC until Wednesday evening or maybe Thursday evening, depending on how she is doing. I have some shopping to do in KC while I am there. I need a dress and shoes for Jason’s wedding that is coming up the end of September. I will probably do a Costco stop on my way home from KC. I may end up just ordering something online if I don’t feel it is safe to go to the stores. I sure didn’t see much mask wearing in Emporia today which is what we saw also in Estes Park. My anxiety is getting high again about being around the masses of people that have not been vaccinated.

September will be here soon. We don’t have any plans for September yet and the way the virus is looking I doubt that we make any plans. Still hoping Jason will get to have his wedding as planned. They may have to postpone the reception if the virus hasn’t settled down by then.

We have a trip to TN and NC planned for October but not sure we will be able to do it. Neither one of us are willing to take risks to travel right now. It is to go to Jim’s 50th college graduation reunion but there is a chance that it will get cancelled.

I’m looking forward to a long extended stay at home with little on the calendar. Time to do my fall deep house cleaning and tuck in and stay home.

Grateful for a safe trip home, grateful for CO peaches, grateful for garden fresh tomatoes and neighbors willing to share.

This day hasn’t gone as planned or hoped but it has turned out to be a good one. The weather didn’t cooperate with our plans to go into the park this morning. It looked cloudy and rainy and not a good day to hike up high. Thunderstorms with lightening can move in fast here and Jim is very cautious about taking me hiking when that may happen.

Jim and I decided to drive to Boulder and spend the day. We needed to get away a bit and we both enjoy the drive to Boulder. We ended up having lunch at 5 Guys and sat outside to enjoy it. We were just about finished eating when it decided to rain so we rushed to our car for cover and then drove back to Estes Park.

We stopped in Estes Park at the Safeway gas station to use the points we had saved up while we were here to get $0.40 a gallon off our gas. Filled up and then came back to the cabin. I packed two boxes of kitchen stuff and then laid down and took a nap.

I am fixing tacos for dinner so that won’t take long to fix when it is time to do so. We have spent the rest of the afternoon reading, knitting and mentally preparing ourselves to leave tomorrow morning.

We did stop by the Admin Building to check over our bill and see if they could get my credit card to work. Last year they couldn’t get it to work and it took 30 days to get the bill settled. I’m glad we stopped by as we found several errors on the bill. We got those fixed. We have to stop by tomorrow morning and return the WiFi booster thing we borrowed. I will pay the final bill then.

We will need to finish packing tonight and then do the last minute packing in the morning. It seems like packing up to go home is always easier than packing to come as we just have to grab what is ours and pack. It won’t take long to finish up.

I have been a bit disappointed again this year with the Y Camp. Every department seems to be running a step behind. Part of the problem is being short staffed but I’m not sure that is the whole reason behind it. Things have just felt a bit out of step with the staff. I understand how hard it is right now with the Pandemic and all to keep up with everything. I hope other guests haven’t noticed it as much as I did and that their future business isn’t effected by it. If Jim wasn’t as in love with this place as he is I would strongly consider not coming back again. He has been coming here since he was 5 and it is his second home.

It will be very good to head for home in the morning. We hope to be on our way before 10:00 but we will see what happens. It will be hard for Jim to say goodbye to his sons. With this new phase of the Pandemic it is hard to know when we might get to see them again.

The grandkids started school today. I am a bit nervous about seeing them as they are now being more exposed to the virus and there are so many in the community that have not been vaccinated. I truly hope their schools don’t experience a rash of cases but I fear that is what is going to happen. I will cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Saturday we will have to go to Emporia and get groceries. Monday we will go to Olpe and pick up our beef. Tuesday I am going to KC early in the morning so I can be with Nicole when she has her foot surgery. I am staying until at least Wednesday late afternoon and maybe until Thursday afternoon. After that I will tuck into my county home on the prairie and not get back out much until this latest wave of COVID cases has settled down again.

It has been a wonderful respite in the midst of the summer to come to the mountains. I am always amazed at how fast our little cabin feels like home. Life seems simple here. It has been a very relaxing time but I am ready to go home. Their simply is no place like home.

Grateful for the beauty of the drive to Boulder, grateful for this time away from home, and grateful to be going home tomorrow.

Jim and I drove up Trail Ridge Road and hiked on the tundra by the gift shop. My favorite place to hike is the tundra. We walked up to the peak of the hill and could see for miles in all directions and see nothing man made. It was a bit windy up high today but not too bad.

We saw an elk herd in the distance grazing. Saw some snow fields but they weren’t close enough to touch. There are still a few flowers blooming here and there but I could almost feel the season starting to change today. Snow will be flying before too much longer up there.

There was a traffic jam on Trail Ridge and as we got closer to the road we discovered there was a coyote running down the road. We were close enough to the road that Jim yelled at the coyote and it took off down the tundra.

We saw a huge elk herd coming back down the road on our way back to Estes Park. There must have been at least 100 in the herd if not more. We stopped at several of the pull offs just to admire the beauty. I’m not sure we will get backup there this year.

Tonight I fixed a chicken in the crock pot and served it with a big pan of roasted veggies. Simple, easy to fix food that seemed to hit the spot with all tonight. I roasted all the leftover veggies in the refrigerator. Trying to get rid of as much food as I can before we leave Friday morning.

Tonight the kids got some firewood and are hoping to find an open fire pit on the grounds so they can have a fire to gather around. They are to text us soon to let us know where to meet them. I brought some warm pants I will put on to go out. It has dropped to 62 already and is still dropping.

We got a few sprinkles today on the way down Trail Ridge Road. We left the tundra in time to not get wet. Tomorrow the forecast is calling for more rain.

I took a short nap when we got back to the cabin. I woke up around 2:30 this morning and didn’t go back to sleep until around 6:30. Everyone fixed their own breakfast this morning so I didn’t have to get up and do that.

Jim and I took about a 45 minute walk around the grounds before dinner. I was feeling a bit restless and dinner was cooking and I didn’t need to do anything for it so we took a walk. I’m grateful I have felt like walking this week and have had lots of chances to do so.

I got a pass again for tomorrow at 9:00. I wasn’t sure what our plans were so got one for Bear Lake as that gives us the option to go to Bear Lake or up Trail Ridge Road. If it isn’t raining we want to get one last hike in. I hope we get back fairly early so I can start packing things up.

I am fixing tacos for dinner tomorrow night. We have some leftover chicken from tonight and I will also fix some hamburger. It will be another easy dinner to fix and serve.

Friday morning we will head for the hills of home. It will be good to get home. I’m glad we only stayed three weeks this year. Last year we stayed four and it felt like it was one week too long. Three weeks feels just right.

One more full day and then home. All good things must come to an end. The best part of going away is getting to go home.

Grateful for the beauty of the tundra, grateful for easy dinners, and grateful for naps.

Another beautiful day hiking in the mountains. We drove up to Bear Lake and found a parking spot. That is hard to do some days. We walked around Bear Lake and then hiked up to Alberta Falls. They are beautiful. I could sit beside them for hours and listen to the waterfalls.

We hiked back to Glacier bus stop. Jim raced ahead of us and got the car at Bear Lake and drove down to pick us up. That kept me from having to hike 1 mile uphill. Bless his heart.

Then we drove to Moraine Park and went back to the place where I could put my feet in the very cold Thompson River. It was a cooling and relaxing way to end our day. We drove back to our cabin and have been relaxing.

I fixed sausage burritos for breakfast this morning. I had some time after I finished preparing breakfast and before our park pass time so went and did our laundry. While I was waiting for the laundry I folded kitchen towels, wash cloths and hot pads. Made the hour plus time that I was there go by quickly.

I stopped and got a bag of ice at the store in the Admin Building on my way home. I was going to pay cash but they have stopped taking cash as a COVID precaution. But the lady waiting on me didn’t have a mask on. She said they hadn’t mandated them yet and besides that she didn’t think they did any good. I trust she stays well in this time of increasing Delta cases.

Thomas and Judy are fixing dinner tonight. That will be a nice treat. Tomorrow we are all doing different things so breakfast will be eat what ever you can find. I am going to put some chicken in the crock pot in the morning before we leave and then roast some veggies when we get back and call it dinner. That will be easy. Thursday night we are having tacos and then we leave Friday morning. Thomas is going to an Airbnb in Denver for a week so he is going to take the leftovers with him. That will be nice and feel like we wasted less food.

I got an 11:00 Trail Ridge Road Pass for tomorrow. We are going to sleep in a bit and then drive up Trail Ridge Road. Jim wants to hike on the tundra some more. I think it will be David, Jim and I going up as Thomas and Judy have some things they need to do tomorrow. I haven’t heard what we are doing on Thursday yet. It is to rain on Thursday so we might just take a quiet day in the cabin and start the packing process.

It is easier to pack to go home then it is to come out here. We just have to grab anything that is ours and put it in boxes and load them up. It won’t take long and we may wait to do it Friday morning. If it doesn’t rain we will probably take one more hike somewhere. We haven’t hiked much on campus this year so may do that and not spend the day in the car.

As I expected the time this week is going by quickly. I think we are both ready to go home though and look forward to seeing the dogs, cats and chickens and sitting in the quiet of our little house on the prairie. I miss seeing wide open spaces. I get a bit claustrophobic in the mountains at times.

Next week I am going to KC on Tuesday and staying until Wednesday evening or Thursday to help Nicole. She is having one of her feet operated on Tuesday morning. Her husband has to work and we didn’t want to leave her home alone. They have a puppy that needs to be let out often and not sure she can manage it with a sore foot for the first couple of days. The puppy isn’t fully leash trained and might trip her up.

We don’t have much else on our calendar when we get home. With the virus going the way it is we won’t be adding much either. Time to tuck back in and stay safe.

Grateful for the beauty of waterfalls, grateful for cold mountain rivers, and grateful for this time away from home with Jim and his sons.

We got up early this morning and had breakfast and then headed for Trail Ridge Road. The line was the longest it has been for us so far. It took almost an hour to get through the line and into the park. The traffic was light once we got into the park.

We had a pass to go to Bear Lake but decided to go up Trail Ridge Road instead. We drove up to the Ute Trail and instead of hiking the Ute Trail we hiked on the opposite side of the road on the tundra. I had forgotten how much more fun it is to hike on the tundra. No path to follow – you get to create your own. We were the only ones on that side of the road so had the whole tundra to ourselves.

We saw a herd of about 20 elk. It was a female herd with some calves although there were a few young bucks in the group. So majestic to see them in their own habitat in the mountains.

We found a small batch of snow. I had Jim take my picture and I sent it to the grandkids. They were surprised you can still find snow this late in the summer.

We got back to the cabin around 1:30. Thomas fixed lunch for us using some leftovers they had brought with them from yesterday.

Jim and I then went to the grocery store after everyone decided on menus for the rest of the week. We had trouble finding Rice Vinegar – asked four different people until we finally found someone that took us to it. Trusting we got everything we needed but the store is still there and open if not.

After we put the groceries away I fixed a Ham and Corn Chowder in the crock pot for dinner. I then laid down for about 30 minutes but couldn’t sleep. The sons are playing miniature golf for a bit. I bet they will enjoy that.

At 5:00 I will try to get us a pass for tomorrow. Sure hope the line to get in isn’t so long tomorrow but guess it will be what it is.

Not sure what they want to do in the park tomorrow – they just asked me to try to get a pass. Jim is hoping for a long hike but not sure all the extra guests have that in mind.

It was a beautiful day here today. It reached the low 80’s down below and was in the lower 60’s up on top. It is to be nice again tomorrow and then rain is coming in for the last two full days we are here. That may change some plans but we don’t have any solid plans so will go with the flow.

Our time here is quickly coming to an end. Friday will be here before I know it. To tell the truth I am ready to go home. The virus spread is continuing to get worse and I will feel safer being at home and staying in. I’m glad we got to come but it will be oh so nice to be home sweet home again.

Grateful for the beautiful hike on the tundra today, grateful I found a snow patch I could put my hands on, and grateful for this time with Jim’s sons.

Another quiet day around the cabin. Jim went and got a few more groceries for me mid-day. We will have to make another grocery run on Tuesday once we figure out what the sons want to eat.

The Urgent Care Clinic called today to make sure we had gotten our negative COVID test results on-line. They did a nice job treating us yesterday and I appreciated their phone call today. They had told us they wouldn’t call if it was negative.

I have spaghetti and meat balls, French bread and peach cobbler ready for dinner tonight. I cooked a spaghetti squash for those of us that don’t eat flour and will fix some regular spaghetti noodles too. Thomas and his companion are resting for a bit. They had to get up at 3:00 this morning to catch their early flight and needed a nap. When they get up and come back to our cabin we will have dinner.

We walked down to the library to return the four books I checked out last week. I finished the last one this morning. I also mailed some post cards to the grandkids. Hoping they will get them before we get home Friday.

I made peanut butter cookies earlier today. Not sure they turned out ok. Jim said they were a little dense. I used a hand mixer instead of my big Kitchen Aide so not sure they got mixed as well as they should have been. They are being eaten so guess they aren’t too bad.

It was so good to see Jim’s sons today. They got here around 3:30. We finally got to meet Thomas’s girlfriend. We had met her over Zoom but that just isn’t the same as hugging her in person.

I got a pass for Bear Lake for tomorrow morning. We can enter between 9:00 – 11:00. Not sure where we are going tomorrow but the Bear Lake Pass gives us the most options. Somedays I can’t get a Bear Lake pass for that time – I got lucky today.

Need to decide what to fix for breakfast tomorrow. I brought the waffle iron with me so will probably fix those tomorrow. I also have some good Fanestil bacon. Need to talk to the sons and find out what they like to eat and then tomorrow make some menus and go to the grocery store.

Tomorrow night I have the stuff to make a Ham and Corn Chowder. I will put it in the crock pot before we take out in the morning so it will be ready whenever we are ready for it tomorrow night.

Got a note from my handyman tonight. He has worked the last two days fixing a part of the foundation on the rental house. He needs to get one more block and that project can be crossed off the list. The only other thing on my list for that house is cleaning up the burn pile. Once that gets done we aren’t doing anything else except repairs that come up. Maybe one of these days I will get to make the full rent and not spend it on fixing things. I got that house six months ago. I kinda missed my deadline and went way over budget. Not sure I will invest in another property. Learned that lesson!

I knitted three wash cloths today. I’ve made eight since I have been here and I ‘m sure I will make lots more this week as I am out of books to read. Knitting is easier than reading when we have guests. I have plenty of yarn so don’t think I will run out of it.

We got some light sprinkles today. It threatened rain most of the day and was cooler today than it has been. It is to be mostly sunny Monday and Tuesday and then rain chances come back into the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday. Seems like up here rain can pop up any time but it usually doesn’t last very long. We did hear some thunder today – I love to hear it echo over the mountains.

Looking forward to getting back on Trail Ridge Road tomorrow and doing some hiking. I sat too much today and need to get out and move my body more.

Grateful the sons had safe travels today, grateful our COVID tests were negative, and grateful one more thing got crossed off the rental house to-do list.

Last night Jim and I took a long hike around campus. We walked to the stables and then down to the cabin Tom and Sandy had last year and back around the administration and laundry buildings. We both needed to move our bodies and process some things.

This morning we got up early and went to the Urgent Care Clinic to get our COVID tests. The receptionist, nurse and NP were all fun to be around. The registration process seemed to take a long time and we had to wait about 30 minutes for our turn. All in all it took almost one and one half hours. We should get results later tonight or early tomorrow morning.

We then went to the grocery store and picked up the things I needed to make dinner for tomorrow night and Monday night. We will have to go back to the grocery store one more time once the sons arrive and we know what they want to eat the rest of the week.

Came back to our cabin and put the groceries away. We had a bit of lunch and then laid down to take a nap. We had just gotten asleep when Jim’s son called. Jim talked to him for a while and I tried to go back to sleep but wasn’t able to.

This afternoon I have been knitting a bit and reading. Jim walked down to the laundry and got fresh sheets for our bed. I boiled some eggs so I can make some ham salad. That might be what we have for dinner. I have gotten lazy and have quit planning what we are going to eat. With company coming tomorrow I will need to get back on top of that.

We had a brief thundershower this afternoon. Even got a bit of hail with it. Jim was down at the laundry when it hit so he stayed inside and found someone to visit with. That never seems hard for him to do. I love the smell in the mountains when it rains.

Once it clears up we will go take another long walk. It does me good to get out and stretch my legs after sitting for most of a day. I’ve been pleased that I can walk at least four miles without having to gasp for air or getting tired. Maybe I can keep that up when we get home.

I FaceTime with Ellexia for a little while this afternoon. She starts school on Thursday. She is both excited and a bit nervous about starting sixth grade. The middle school building must look mighty big to a sixth grader. They let the sixth graders start a day early so they can explore the building when it isn’t so crowded. Tagen starts school Friday. Hard to believe he is a sophomore.

Tomorrow morning we were going to go to the Denver Airport to pick up the sons. Just found out they have decided to rent a car instead. That will make things much easier for all of us and will solve our problem for next Friday when we were going to try to load three people and their luggage in our already full car to go home.

I am fixing spaghetti and meat balls for dinner tomorrow night. Late morning tomorrow I will put the sauce in the crock pot so all I have to do for dinner is fix the bread, make the salad and cook the noodles. I got a spaghetti squash today that I will roast for those of us that don’t eat flour. Easy, simple dinner.

I had gotten some CO peaches last weekend and made a peach cobbler for our guests. I got some more peaches today and plan on making another cobbler sometime this week. I also got the ingredients to make a banana pudding. That should keep all in sweets for the week. I want to bake some cookies tomorrow morning. Jim is almost out of the ones I brought from KS.

Not sure how the week will unfold. I will try to get park passes each day but one never knows if that is possible. We will come up with alternative plans if I can’t get passes. Jim wants to do several long hikes with his sons. I will be happy to stay behind as I slow them down way too much. I could make a long hike but not at their pace.

It will be nice to have company with us starting tomorrow afternoon. Jim is getting so excited about his sons coming. He hasn’t seen them since December 2019.

Grateful we were able to get our COVID tests done this morning, grateful to get to visit with Ellexia for a bit, and grateful we don’t have to drive to Denver tomorrow.

We have spent a quiet day in our cabin today. I went down to the laundry and folded towels while my own laundry was washing and drying. As usual they were most appreciative of my service.

I laid down and took a short nap this afternoon. I didn’t sleep well again last night and didn’t sleep much this afternoon. Not sure why my sleeping is bad again.

This afternoon Jim went with me to fold more towels. He sorted the towels and carried the ones I folded to a different table. That made the process go much quicker for folding. We folded six or seven bags full. We had to stop as the table we put them on was overflowing. A lady had come and filled a big cart full of them but we folded a bunch more and filled the table.

Jim isn’t sure folding towels would be what he would want to volunteer to do for four weeks or more next summer. Not his thing.

This evening Jim’s sons asked us to get COVID tested before they arrive Sunday morning. We scrambled around and found a place we can go in the morning and get a rapid test. The results come back in 8 – 24 hours. Not sure what we will do if the results aren’t back before they are scheduled to fly out Sunday morning. We will cross our fingers and hope that the results come back tomorrow evening.

We had leftover chili for dinner tonight so another day of not cooking. We need to go to the grocery store tomorrow and pick up some things so we can cook while the sons are here. The place we go for testing is right near the grocery store so we can take care of both things in one trip.

We need to do some consolidating in our cabin tomorrow to prepare for our company. We are using the second bedroom as a storage area as the bedroom we are using is small. May need to stash some things under the bed to find room for all the things.

We realized today that when we leave next Friday we are taking the son’s and one girlfriend to somewhere in Denver. Our car was full coming out with all the stuff we brought with us. We are going to have to do some very creative packing to have room for all our stuff, three extra people, and their luggage. The trip to Denver will take a little over an hour so guess we can be crowded for that long of time.

We leave for home one week from today. Once the sons get here time will go by very quickly.

Rain arrived on the prairie last night and today. I have heard various reports of rainfall totals. Some places close got over 5 inches and some only got 1/2 inch. I hope we got enough to test the new water drainage system and can start the repair of the sheet rock when we get home.

It clouded up here this afternoon but so far no rain. Rain is in the forecast for the next couple of days. It cooled down a bit today and only got to the mid to upper 70’s today. For some reason the high 70’s feel warmer here than they do at home.

Grateful to have been in service again today, grateful for a quiet day in our cabin, and grateful we found a testing site for tomorrow.

We went out last night around midnight and drove to Moraine Park to watch the Persoid Meteor Shower. We didn’t see many meteors but the star gazing was wonderful. The Milky Way was so pretty and the stars felt like they were down around my ears. We stayed out for about 30 minutes and then came back to our cabin. It was worth the trip even without a great meteor shower display.

I was up at 4:00 am so went out on the deck to see what I could see. I saw one meteor. Not sure if we missed the good ones or if there wasn’t a great display this year. Some years are better than others.

I went down this morning and folded towels for an hour and half while Jim slept in. The volunteer I was working with took me back into the laundry room when I asked him if we were almost caught up. There must be 200 plus bags of towels waiting to be folded. Oh my! One of the laundry managers came by and we got into a discussion. Evidently there was a large group of over 1,000 people on campus the end of July and the laundry has been behind ever since. They are running short staffed too. She told me they have volunteer positions year round if I was interested.

Jim and I are talking about volunteering for next summer. We might see if we can come this fall for two weeks and see what it would be like. We will see how the COVID situation develops. Guess there was a youth on campus that tested positive and lots of families are having to quarantine as well as some staff. Events are starting to be cancelled on campus as a result.

I was grateful the Emporia school board did the right thing and mandated mask wearing for Emporia schools. They are not allowed to offer remote learning this year due to our crazy state legislature. I wonder how many school kids will have to die before they wise up and change their minds. I was not surprised to see many angry parents upset with the school board at their decision. Emporia voted for Trump in 2020 so red minds rule here. Sure makes me wonder when this will all end with so many vaccine hesitant.

After stopping for gas and some batteries, Jim I and drove up Fall River Road early afternoon. Unfortunately Jim had to follow a car all the way up that went 5 – 8 MPH. That made it a frustrating drive up for Jim. You would think the driver would get the hint and pull over and let others pass when the line behind them gets long but this driver didn’t get it. The speed limit is 15 so it made for a long trip up today. There is no way to pass a pokey driver.

We went in the gift shop at the top but didn’t buy anything. It was very windy at the top today. The temperature dropped from 82 to 59. Came down Trail Ridge Road and then went into Estes Park and walked downtown. Ended up getting two puzzles and some kitchen utensils. Downtown was busy but not overly crowded. We wore our masks. Saw others wearing theirs too but most did not.

Came home and have been relaxing for a bit. I laid down for a bit but couldn’t fall asleep. Not sure what we are having for dinner as I didn’t plan anything. I have some bacon and eggs I can fix if nothing else comes to mind. We have some leftover green chicken and some chili we can eat. We won’t starve.

I didn’t get a pass for tomorrow so will hang around here for the day. We can walk to Moraine Park if we get the urge to take a hike. I am a bit sore today from yesterday’s hike so we didn’t hike today. We might go take a hike after a bit around campus.

I’ll probably go fold towels again in the morning. I need to do our laundry either tomorrow or Saturday so it is done up before the son’s arrive Sunday. Folding towels makes the morning go by quickly and the help is very appreciated. I feel better knowing I did something productive at the end of the day.

We also need to clean the cabin either tomorrow or Saturday to get it ready for our guests. We will need to go buy some groceries too. Can’t decide what to fix and need to make a list before we buy groceries. Not sure we can get by not cooking with the son’s here.

I called the company that did the repair to my backyard drainage system this morning. They hadn’t cashed the check that I mailed August 1. Turns out they have a PO Box and I mailed it to their physical address and they haven’t received it yet. I mailed another check to them today. I trust they will get this one. I’m glad I called. They deserve to be paid promptly.

I sent an email to the Gastrointestinal doctor I saw last year. I want them to check me over and see if I have something else besides C-Diff going on. They got back to me today and gave me an appointment for September 9. The Infectious Disease Doctor told me she thinks I may have IBS but she doesn’t diagnosis that.

Hard to think that a week from tomorrow we will be headed back to KS. Both Jim and I got a bit homesick last night looking at the stars. We have a wonderful view of the stars every night off our back deck. I kinda miss that view as well as the chickens, dogs and cats.

Grateful for a safe trip up Fall River road and home again, grateful to have been in service today for a bit of time, and grateful for the beauty of the night sky last night.

We hiked from Bear Lake to Bierstadt Lake today. It was a nice day in the mountains for a hike. It was a two mile hike to the lake and then two miles to where our car was. We parked at the Park and Ride and rode the bus up to Bear Lake. Somehow we ended up at the Park and Ride place. Jim isn’t sure how that happened.

The bus was almost empty. I had been concerned about riding it due to the closed space and the virus but no worries. We didn’t have to wait long for the bus and were able to find a parking spot in the Park and Ride lot easily.

Once we got pass Bear Lake we didn’t run into many people on the trail. Occasionally someone would be coming down the trail but not often.

About 30 minutes into the hike I got the dry heaves. Not sure why I do that – this is the second time that has happened while hiking this trip. After I stopped and rested for a bit I was able to go on and it didn’t happen again.

I slipped and fell once but only scrapped my wrist a bit. Nothing else hurt but my pride.

The trail we hiked on was rocky in places. Reminded me of parts of the Camino. I had forgotten my hiking poles and missed them. Lucky for me most of the trail was down hill. I am terribly out of shape after being sick with C-Diff for so long. I made it though!

Bierstadt Lake is beautiful. We were entertained by some wood ducks that Jim fed some crackers to. There were three boss ducks that chased away the two little ones. They were fun to watch.

After we got back into the car we drove up Trail Ridge Road for a bit. We went to the salt lake area to see if the big horned sheep were there. Didn’t see any sheep. We did see a small herd of female elk with some babies and a couple of mule deer here and there. We didn’t see any moose today.

We then drove into Moraine Park and went down the trail in the car. Found a beautiful spot at the end of the trail where we could sit on a fallen tree limb and put our feet in the cool mountain stream. My feet appreciated the cool water. We must have sat there for 30 minutes or more. I think my favorite mountain spot is sitting besides the creeks and rivers that flow through the mountains.

Came home so we could get a pass for tomorrow. They release a limited number of them every afternoon at 5:00 for the next day. I missed out on the 9:00 pass but managed to get a pass for Bear Lake for 11:00 – 1:00. I want to drive up Fall River Road tomorrow but we will see what happens.

I fixed a crock pot of chili before we left this morning. I had a small bowl of it when we came back. It turned out OK. Nice to have dinner ready for us when we get ready to eat later.

Jim is taking a nap. We want to go out tonight after dark and find a place away from light pollution and watch the Persoid Meteor shower. Jim has been seeing a few the last couple of nights.

We are over halfway through our time here. Time will really go fast when Jim’s sons arrive Sunday. It will be so good to see them and get to spend some time with them.

My sister Kathy was going to come home in October for a week or so but due to the virus has had to change her plans. Damn virus anyways. I think she made the correct decision but it is so hard to not be able to gather with our loved ones again. I wonder how much longer this is going to go on? I’m starting to get concerned about the plans for Jason’s wedding the end of September. Maybe by then things will be headed back in the right direction.

Jim and I are both vaccinated but I still feel vulnerable due to my thyroid condition. This latest episode with my levels getting too low hasn’t helped my confidence that I would do OK if I got the virus. Guess we will have to play it safe and do the best we can to keep from getting it and go from there.

Jim and I had planned a trip to go to his 50 year college reunion the third week in October and then go visit his family in North Carolina. Not sure yet if we will be able to go or not. We may wait to the last minute to decide what to do. If the virus threat remains like it is now I won’t be able to go.

Grateful for a beautiful day to go hiking in the mountains, grateful to be able to put my feet in the mountain stream, and grateful for the wood ducks that entertained us for a bit today.

Another quiet day around our cabin. Jim went to the big grocery store to pick up a few things we needed. I stayed behind. We are going back to taking more precautions against COVID. We aren’t seeing lots of mask wearing here and decided only one of us would go in the store at a time.

I went down and folded towels at the laundry department again today. The volunteer working was so grateful. They are struggling to keep up with demand this year as they are so short staffed. It made the afternoon go by quickly for me and I felt like I was useful.

I fixed a casserole of sorts from leftovers for dinner tonight. Cleaned out three leftover containers and a leftover baked potato. Sure made for an easy dinner. I like using up leftovers and not wasting food. I have some hamburger thawed for tomorrow so I think I will make chili in the crock pot before we leave for the day.

I managed to get a 11:00 – 1:00 Bear Lake Pass for tomorrow. I attempted to get a 9:00 one but didn’t have any luck so grabbed the 11:00 time slot and was successful. It sure makes planning what you are going to do the next day hard when you don’t know if you can get a pass or not. The problem with the 11:00 pass is the trail we want to hike on has limited parking so we would have to take the shuttle bus to get to the trailhead. I’m not sure I am comfortable doing that. I don’t know how crowded the bus will be and if others will be wearing masks. Guess we will decide tomorrow if we want to chance it or not.

It got up into the 80’s today and is forecast to do so again tomorrow. 80’s in the mountains feels hot to me. It is to cool down the high 60’s for the rest of the week as we have a chance for more rain. I trust the rain will clear out at least for part of the time next week while Jim’s sons are here.

If I get up early tomorrow I may go back down and fold towels for an hour or so before we leave to go hiking. It gives me something productive to do and it seems to help out the volunteers.

Tomorrow night or Thursday night I want to go into RMNP late at night and get away from the light pollution of the city and watch for meteors. Jim has been seeing a few off the deck already even with the lights around. I bet the night sky is amazing away from the city. You don’t have to have a pass to get in to the park after dark.

Today is my baby brother Keith’s birthday. It is also my cousin Molly’s birthday.

I am sitting in our cabin looking southwest at the afterglow of the sunset. The colors are pretty amazing this evening. We still haven’t gotten a clear view of the distant mountains due to the smoke in the air from the wildfires in the west. The sunset is outlining the far mountains tonight and giving us a pretty view.

I am almost done with the second of four books I checked out from the campus library. I am so glad I found out about the library here. It saved me from having to purchase some books to read. I’m reading a John Grisham novel now. His books always capture my attention.

I brought four skeins of cotton yarn to make 50 washcloths while I am here. I have only made four. Reading has seemed more interesting to me this time than knitting. I may get tired of reading and switch to knitting yet but so far reading is more fun for me.

I’m so discouraged about the COVID situation. Things are really getting bad in parts of the country. This all could have been headed off if only more had gotten vaccinated. I’m getting concerned this new outbreak will allow a new variant to evolve that won’t be stopped by the vaccination. I’m starting to prepare myself mentally for another winter of lockdown and not seeing the kids or grandkids.

Guess we will all take this one day at a time and see what happens. One has to learn how to live with COVID. We all get to make choices that feel right at the time. No one has a crystal ball that will tell us ahead of time what the consequence of our decisions will be.

Grateful to have found a way to be in service while we are here, grateful for leftovers, and grateful for books to read.

Had another quiet day today. I did manage to get laundry done today. I asked if I could fold towels while my laundry washed and the volunteers working quickly showed me to the folding room and let me have at it. I folded a huge cart and a huge bag full of bath towels, hand towels, wash cloths and bath mats. It made the time go by very quickly. They told me I could come back anytime I got bored.

The couple volunteering today just started their six week commitment last week. They are from Arkansas. Both worked in the medical professional before they retired. They were fun to visit with as I folded towels. I may go back down in the morning if I get up before Jim and want something to do. The couple working told me they had more towels ahead after I was done today then they had since they had started working.

The camp has been very short staffed all summer. There is a pile of dirty laundry outside the laundry department waiting to be sorted and sent to the cleaners. I don’t know how they have enough laundry to keep going.

We talked to the human resource department today about volunteering next year. We are not sure we want to stay in the dorm like housing nor eat in the cafeteria three times a day. We were hoping we could get a discount on a cabin but they don’t do that. Not sure if we will sign up or not.

We went to the museum to look around. Jim had an interesting discussion with two of the volunteers working there.

We walked down to the Ad Min building and walked around campus for a bit. It clouded up and we headed back to the cabin. Got sprinkled on a bit on the walk home but it never did rain.

I felt a bit better today. I had a brief hour or two where my blood pressure dropped to about 106/66 but part of the day it was too high. I am going up and down like a yo yo right now. I expect this will last for another couple of days at least.

The doctor responded to my message and told me to go back on the pill form of my thyroid medication. When I get back home I can go back on the liquid form and then have my levels checked.

I took a late nap this afternoon. I probably won’t be able to sleep for a long time now. I hate when I do that. I read one of the books I checked out yesterday. I should have put it down earlier and napped then but the book was good and I wanted to finish it.

Jim had leftovers for dinner again. I sure have gotten away with doing little cooking while we have been here. The kitchen is barely equipped so I guess that is a good thing. I had served ice cream to our guests last night and we didn’t have a scooper to get the ice cream out. We had to let it sit out for a bit to soften up before we could get it out of the container.

I forgot to get on-line at 5:00 to get a park pass for tomorrow. If we decide to go on a day trip we will have to get up and be out the door before 8:00 to get into the park before 9:00. The timed entry system sure puts a damper on what you can do when. Not sure what we will end up doing tomorrow now. Guess it depends on how early we get up and get going. There are several places around campus we can hike if we don’t make it into the park early enough.

This week is the meteor shower. Jim said he saw one last night when he was sitting out on the deck. Thursday will be the prime night to view them. We may go into the park after dark and find a spot to sit out and watch for them away from the city lights.

Got a call from the meat locker in Olpe to let me know our beef is ready to be picked up. It will be good to have steaks on hand again after we get home and get it picked up.

Grateful my doctor responded to my message and helped me with a plan for the next two weeks, grateful I was able to lend a hand today by folding towels, and grateful for a good book to read today.

We had a delightful dinner tonight. Some friends of Jim who used to live in Stillwater were in camp this week. They are leaving for KC tomorrow morning. They came up and joined us for dinner. I had briefly met them before and it was nice to get to know them a bit better.

I fixed green chicken, baked potatoes and roasted some vegetables. They had fresh peach cobbler with ice cream for dessert. They brought up the fixings for a green salad. All the food turned out perfectly.

Today we hung around the cabin. I did some cleaning in the bathroom and kitchen and found lots of dirt that was here before we came. We went to the library on campus and I checked out four books to read. I started one of them this afternoon. The library is really nice. Next year I won’t need to bring any books – I can just go get what ever I want from the library. I donated the five paperback books I had brought with me and read last week.

Tomorrow I think we are going to hang around and do laundry. We want to explore some volunteer opportunities for next year and possibly for the rest of the week. Jim wants to meet the chaplain and visit with him. We will probably take a hike in the afternoon on campus and go visit some of our favorite places around here.

Tuesday we are going on a long drive up to Rabbit Ears Pass and make a big loop to Fort Collins and then back up to Estes Park. Driving through the mountain scenery is always fun.

Sometime later this week I need to give some thought about meals for when Jim’s sons are here. We will need to go to the grocery store and get what we need to make them. They are coming in on Sunday and we will have to drive to Denver to pick them up. Jim is getting excited to see them.

My blood pressure came down today and is back to my normal. The bottom number is still higher than normal but the top one is much lower. My heart rate is still a bit faster than normal but that could be because of the altitude. I skipped my thyroid medication again this morning. I think I will take the pill form and not the liquid form tomorrow. I plan on sending a note to my Endocrinologist and see what she wants me to do. Thinking the liquid form dose needs to be reduced but not sure if she can call in a new script in CO. I think it can wait until I get home in two weeks and can get my TSH levels checked and we can go from there.

I’m starting to get concerned about when I might get to see my grandkids again. With COVID getting bad again I am thinking it might be a while. Dang it anyways. Jim and I plan to isolate a bit when we get home from CO just in case we picked something up while here or on the way home. The kiddos start school and they will be more likely to be exposed. With my recent health issues I feel pretty vulnerable right now. This is getting hard!

Grateful for dinner with friends tonight, grateful my blood pressure came back down, and grateful for the library on campus.

What a difference a day makes. I had a horrible, no good, rotten day yesterday. Things felt hard all day. I finally had a long cry last night and got it out of me. I hadn’t sunk that far into the depths of despair for a long time.

We went to the big grocery store this morning and got more groceries to hold us over for the next couple of days. Jim’s friends are coming over for dinner tomorrow night – that will be fun.

This afternoon we drove Trail Ridge Road. It took us over 15 minutes to get through the gate but then things opened up and there was little traffic. There was a very thick haze of smoke hanging over the mountains today. You couldn’t see the far peaks very well.

We saw six moose today! We stopped to see a mother and her baby who were at road side. I had spotted one or two moose before but never six. We also saw a huge cow elk herd. It was a good day for wildlife viewing in the park today.

We stopped at Grand Lake and walked the sidewalk. It was busy but not overly crowded. We walked through a few of the shops but didn’t buy anything. I love the laid back feel of Grand Lake. Brings back lots of memories of the times I went to Shadowcliff for a retreat for several summers in a row.

We were shocked to see the fire damage in the forest that was done last fall. Grand Lake was lucky it survived. A lady in one of the stores said the only reason they didn’t burn was the back fire the fire fighters used to safe the town.

The trip back through the park was as easy as the trip in. We had one little area where traffic was backed up – all because there were four male mule deers on the side of the road.

When we got to Estes Park we went to Moma Rosa for dinner. We were afraid we wouldn’t get in but they were able to seat us right away. The food was excellent as was the service. That is the first meal we have eaten out for a long time.

We are now back at our cabin for the evening. It was a wonderful, relaxing day of driving through the park.

It feels good to rejoin the world today. I wasn’t sure I wanted to after yesterday. Not sure what caused me to crash and burn. I am keeping an eye on my blood pressure as it keeps going higher. I am not sleeping very well. I feel wired a bit and am having trouble slowing down. I was agitated all day yesterday and didn’t know why. All are signs that my thyroid levels are getting too low. I skipped my medication this morning. I may skip it again tomorrow if my blood pressure is still high. I will contact my Endocrinologist Monday and see what she recommends. If my blood pressure gets too much higher and if I start running a temperature I will have to go to ER to get some help raising my levels.

In September of 2017 I went into the start of a thyroid storm and what is happening now is feeling familiar. I’m not there yet but will keep a close eye on things and get help if needed. Back in 2017 is when I found out I had thyroid problems and ended up having my thyroid removed and the cancer was discovered. I have had trouble since keeping my levels in the range that they recommend. I either run too high or too low.

Tomorrow I need to go to the library on campus and check out some books. I have read the five books I brought with me. I also will cook for our guests that are coming for dinner. I have planned a simple menu so I won’t be spending much time in the kitchen. We will probably take a hike on campus tomorrow afternoon if the weather allows.

It felt weird eating out tonight. We just haven’t got back into that routine since the whole COVID thing started. I can count on one hand the number of times we have eaten out since March, 2020. It was a nice way to end a nice day today.

Grateful for the moose that showed themselves to us today, grateful for a fun trip to Grand Lake and back, and grateful to be back to myself today.