Starry night on the prairie

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.

The internet at camp sucks. You have to get on-line at 5:00 pm to get a pass to get into Rocky Mountain National Park for the next day. Today I got a pass and entered my credit card information and then the internet crashed and it didn’t go through. I am beyond frustrated with the internet here. I told Jim if they didn’t get it fixed I won’t come back next year. I don’t have phone service here and the internet is my only connection to the outside world.

We stayed home all day today. I didn’t sleep well again last night and haven’t felt good today. It rained this afternoon off and on. It was a good day to stay home and rest. Not sure what our plans are for tomorrow now that we didn’t get a pass. We can enter the park before 9:00 but need to be at the gate around 8:00 to get in. Not sure that early in the morning works for us.

I need to go to the grocery store again tomorrow sometime. If I get up early I may go then. The store gets really busy after 9:00 or so and stays busy all day. Traffic through downtown Estes Park is very heavy during the day. Lots of people like to come to Estes Park in the summer time.

I knitted two dish rags today. Guess that will have to be my great achievement of the day. I am almost done reading the last of five books I brought with me. May need to go to the library on campus and check out some more books. We still have two weeks here and I will need something to read. I can always download a book on my iPad, if the internet will work long enough to do that.

Not sure what we are having for dinner tonight. We have some leftovers in the refrigerator that need used up. Nothing sounds good to fix. I need to come up with some ideas of what to fix before I go to the grocery store tomorrow. The kitchen here is equipped but barely. Certainly have to keep things simple.

I was wishing it was time to go home earlier today. Not sure what I am going to do for another week before Jims sons come. Hiking just doesn’t sound fun to me and there isn’t much else to do here. We don’t have a good view of the mountains this year so sitting out on the deck isn’t calling me either. All you can see is trees.

There is a mother mule deer that has twin fawns that we see most days. The babies are cute to watch. They are still young enough to have spots. They have been raised around camp and are not afraid of people.

It got up to 73 before the rain came in today. It is to be in the lower 70’s for the next couple of days. The rain wasn’t in the forecast but up here it is almost expected that we will get a brief shower most afternoons. It has cooled down this evening and is a beautiful evening out now. The smoke haze from the wildfires out west still hangs over the mountains.

One week down, two to go. I have had just about enough of doing nothing. I don’t do that well. If I am going to do nothing I would rather be home doing nothing.

Grateful for the twin fawns that hang around our cabin, grateful for knitting that keeps my hands busy, and grateful for the beautiful weather.

Jim left this morning at 8:00 to go hiking with his friend’s daughter. He got back a little after 2:00. I spent the day in the cabin reading and being quiet. Jim took a long nap when he got back to the cabin.

We took a walk after dinner tonight. The campus was quiet and peaceful. It had warmed up today so it wasn’t so cool this evening as it has been.

Not sure what our plans are for tomorrow. We didn’t get a park pass so will need to hike around camp if we go hiking. Lots of trails around camp to hike.

I’m in a cranky mood this evening. Not sure why yet. Probably have too much free time on my hands and nothing to do. I do better when I am a bit productive and I haven’t done much all week.

Our first week is over. We leave two weeks from tomorrow morning. Jim’s sons will arrive Sunday, August 15 so the last few days we are here will go by quickly.

I didn’t sleep very well last night. I even took a NyQuil and still couldn’t sleep. I hate when that happens. Maybe tonight I will sleep. One can always hope.

Grateful this day is almost over, grateful for some quiet time today, and grateful tomorrow is a new day.

Had a bit more active day today. We got a pass into the Rocky Mountain National Park for 9 – 11 this morning. We drove part way up Trail Ridge Road and stopped at the Ute Trailhead and took a four mile hike. I hadn’t walked that far for a long time. Going to the crest was not bad. The trail was very rocky and you had to keep your eyes on the ground to watch your step all the time. Sometimes I had to remind myself to stop and look up at the beauty all around me.

When we turned around to go back we had to walk uphill for a bit. All of a sudden I got very nauseous, light-headed and weak in the legs. I sat down for a bit. I thought I was going to lose my breakfast but my tummy finally calmed down. I was able to walk another little bit and then had to sit again. Once I got up after that I was able to make it the rest of the way with no problem. Don’t know if I had a bit of altitude sickness or what happened.

Came home and I took a short nap. It sure felt good to lay down for a bit.

We went over to Jim’s friend’s cabin and had a cocktail hour with them. They are good folk and it was fun to be with friends.

I did laundry when we came back to our cabin. It is good to have that job done. The laundry mat was not busy so it was a good time to go over and get that done. I knitted almost a whole dish rag while I was waiting for the laundry to finish.

Came back and folded laundry. We had a small dinner tonight as we had snacks earlier.

It is getting cool this evening again. It warmed up to the low 70’s today although where we were hiking was above tree line so it was only in the upper 50’s during our hike. The wind was a bit brisk at times too. I was glad I had two jackets with me as I got cold on the hike at times. The trail was not crowded and the people we passed were all pleasant.

Evening temperatures had been dropping to the lower 40’s. It is to be nice again tomorrow. Sure was good to see sunshine for most of the day today.

I attempted to get another pass into the park for tomorrow but got kicked off the website. Jim can get to where he wants to go tomorrow without a pass if he gets to the park before 9:00. He and his friend’s daughter are hiking tomorrow morning. I’m not sure if I am going or not. I don’t want to overdo and hurt myself. I’ll decide in the morning. They will be able to go further and faster if I don’t go. I may stay at camp and walk around here.

Our first week here is almost up already. Time is going by quickly. Jim’s sons arrive on the 15th. We are so looking forward to seeing them as we haven’t seen them since December, 2019.

Proud of myself for going four miles today. I have been very sedentary lately due to the C-Diff and it feels good to move my body again. Maybe this time in the mountains will jump start me to getting back in shape.

Grateful for the beauty of the mountains, grateful for a safe hike, and grateful what ever happened on the hike was short lived and I was able to finish the hike OK.

Woke up to light rain again today. It was in the 50’s when we got up. We decided to drive to Boulder to go to the Rocky Mountain High Store and to REI. It is a pretty drive down the mountains from Estes Park to Lyons. I especially enjoy the short grass prairie between Lyons and Boulder. The temperature in Boulder was in the mid 80’s.

Jim has almost come to like the GPS on my phone. He still prefers paper maps but has learned to listen to the GPS directions. It got us to both stores without issue today.

I got two new shirts at REI. I still struggle to understand how a size XS fits. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. I needed some long sleeve t-shirts so got two.

We saw another group of bull elks on the way to Lyons as well as a momma and baby herd. We have certainly seen more wildlife this year already than we saw last year.

We drove back to Estes Park after a quick stop at a third shop in Lyons. We drove through some light rain on the way home and it was sprinkling when we got to our cabin in Estes Park. I was glad I had on a sweatshirt and jeans.

Not sure what I am going to fix for dinner. Jim has his choice between scalloped potatoes with ham and scrambled eggs and bacon with toast. We will see what he decides to eat.

I got on the Rocky Mountain National Park Website and got us a pass to enter the park between 9 and 11 tomorrow. The internet in camp is poor but it came through for me finally. I had tried searching using Google and couldn’t get anywhere. I switched to Safari and got to the website in time to get the pass. So frustrating! I wish the camp would improve their internet service.

We are going hiking on the tundra tomorrow if the weather cooperates. If not we will drive up Trail Ridge Road anyways and see what happens. It is one of my favorite roads ever, especially when we take Fall River Road up to the ridge. It takes a while to drive as it is a rough road but the scenery is so worth it.

I am going on my third day in a row of my tummy behaving. I am so grateful for that. It finally feels like this last episode is over. I still have several antibiotics left so we will see what happens when I finish those. Crossing my fingers the yogurt is helping and I won’t have a relapse.

I have read two books so far and am halfway through a third one. I only brought five books with me so may have to switch to knitting for something to do while we are in the cabin.

I will need to do laundry either tomorrow or the next day. I need to go to housekeeping tomorrow and get some cleaning supplies so I can clean the bathroom. It wasn’t exactly spotless when we got here and I would feel better if I can get it a bit cleaner. We need to get fresh linens too. They make it easy to do that.

Hoping the weather clears up a bit for tomorrow. This cool weather has been a delightful change from the heat we left in KS but I am ready for some sunshine.

Grateful for a safe trip to Boulder and back today, grateful I was able to get a pass to the park for tomorrow morning, and grateful for all the wildlife we are seeing this year.

We spent a quiet morning in the cabin reading and sitting on the deck enjoying a bit of sunshine. It warmed up for a while today. It actually hit 73 today. I took a nap early afternoon. Kinda becoming a habit for me again.

We went to another cabin to visit some old friends of Jims who used to live in Stillwater. We had a nice visit.

We had a pass to go on Bear Lake Rd so we entered Rocky Mountain National Park. We had to enter between 4 and 6. The timed entry thing helps stagger the crowds but sure makes one plan ahead as to what they want to do during the day. Passes aren’t available for the next two weeks although at 5:00 every afternoon they release some for the next day. Last night I got on-line at 5:05 to get a pass and the only thing left was at 4:00. I need to remember tomorrow night to get on at 5:00 to see if we can get something for Wednesday. We can get on Trail Ridge Road before 9:00 in the morning or after 6:00 in the evenings without a pass. I love driving on that road. It has some of the prettiest views in the state.

We drove up to Bear Lake. About half way up it starting sprinkling and then the rain came down hard. There was lots of lightening and thunder. We took a chance and drove all the way up to the lake even though the sign said the parking lot was full. There is a shuttle bus stop part way up that has a big parking lot we could have stopped at and taken the bus up. I’m glad we drove as there were plenty of parking spaces at the lake parking lot. People were coming out as it was raining.

We hiked around the lake in a gentle rain. Most of the crowd had cleared out so it was a nice, quiet hike around the lake. I love the smell in the mountains when it is raining.

We drove back down after our hike and drove out to Moraine Park. We saw three big elk bulls and a herd of momma elk with their babies. Saw several mule deer too. Drivers do stupid things when they spot wildlife though. It gets dangerous quick when people just stop in the middle of the road.

Came back to our cabin and fixed left overs for dinner. It is still foggy and wet outside and a bit chilly. I’m grateful the cabin has a heater. Warm sweatpants felt good after getting wet on our hike.

It is to rain again tomorrow so we may go to Boulder to go to the Rocky Mountain High store. The sunshine is to return later this week and it is to warm up some. We still haven’t seen a clean view of the far off mountains due to the haze over the mountains from the wildfires to the north and west of here.

My tummy has been good to me today. That makes two good days in a row. I trust it will continue playing nice.

I didn’t have any shortness of breath again today while we were hiking. That is good for me to have adjusted to the higher altitude this quickly. It usually takes me up to a week to adjust.

Grateful for a hike in the rain today, grateful for the wildlife we are seeing, and grateful for a warm cabin to relax in this evening.

It warmed up a bit in the mountains today – got to mid 60’s. We haven’t had any rain today and it has been partly cloudy. Still don’t have a good view of the far mountains as there is a haze over them.

Jim and I took a nice walk this afternoon. I had a bill I needed to mail so we walked down to the admin building and dropped it in the mail. I haven’t been out walking since I got C-Diff the middle of June. It felt good to stretch my legs. We will go for another short walk this evening after dinner. I will work my way up to some longer hikes.

I was surprised I wasn’t gasping for air in the thin mountain air. It usually takes me a week to adjust but I don’t seem to be having trouble this year. I have noticed my heart rate is faster than it runs at home. I only got down to 47 overnight and usually I drop to 40. Daytime I have been running in the mid 60’s and at home I run in the mid 50’s. Part of that may be due to the higher altitude but my TSH levels are low right now and that can cause a faster heart rate too.

I have some green chicken cooking in the crock pot for dinner. It sure smells good. I have started eating yogurt twice a day and so far it seems to be going down OK. I need to go to the grocery store tomorrow and get some more. I like the plain Greek type and I add fresh strawberries and Rice Chex to it. I may get some frozen fruits to mix in too. Makes a nice breakfast and a good lunch.

It has been another quiet day in our cabin. I took a long nap this afternoon. I have been doing some knitting and doing a lot of reading. It is nice to not have anything that needs done. I don’t feel guilty doing nothing all day long.

I am really enjoying this quiet time away. No real plans this week. We did get a Bear Lake Access timed entry pass for tomorrow afternoon at 4:00. I was five minutes too late getting on the website to get a pass for earlier in the day. It is frustrating to not be able to go up Trail Ridge Road anytime you want to. The park is over run with tourists and they limit entry during the day. I love driving over Trail Ridge road so we will go for a nice drive tomorrow afternoon. We will stop some where along the way and take a short hike. I guess parking is a problem most of the time so we will see what happens. Flexibility is a good thing to have up here.

Jim filled the car up with gas yesterday and had to pay $3.89 a gallon. Wow! That is $1 higher per gallon than we pay at home. It cost over $50 to fill the car up.

My house sitter sent me a picture of the bill from the guys that did the drainage work in the back yard two weeks ago. It was more than Jim expected but less than the worse case guess. I hate spending money on work that you can’t see but it sure will be nice not to have water leaking in the basement. I sure hope this fix worked. Not sure what will need to be done if it didn’t work.

The handyman let me know he got the two traps installed in the drain pipes under the house. Neither the laundry drain or the bathtub drains had traps in them and the sewer smell was coming up into the house. Yuck! I am so grateful he could get those installed. Sure hoping we are coming to an end of things that are wrong with that house. I’m not making much money on it yet.

No bathroom runs today! No cramping today! It has been a good day. Maybe I am finally over this round of C-Diff and will keep my fingers crossed it won’t come back. I still have a couple more antibiotics to take so we will see what happens when I am done with them.

Grateful for a beautiful walk on the grounds of the Y Camp today, grateful for my handyman, and grateful for this quiet time away.

It has been a lazy day in the mountains today. I have needed to stay close to the bathroom today so have stayed in the cabin. It is in the high 50’s with rain off and on all day. A good day to stay in and be lazy.

Our cabin didn’t have any extra blankets. I was grateful we had a second bedroom that had blankets on the beds I could steal from and stay warm last night. It was in the low 50’s overnight and cold.

The rain is to move out over the next couple of days and the sun will return. Thinking tomorrow will be another day in the cabin and then hoping we will get out and about Monday. I have lots of books to read and knitting I can do so will stay busy.

I took a nap today just because I could. It felt good to snuggle under the blankets and warm up a bit. I am grateful I brought jeans, socks and jackets this year. The housekeeping department sent a guy over this afternoon to bring us some blankets. They were out of them when Jim went looking for some this morning.

The guy that brought us blankets is a college student. He said they are running very short of staff this summer and have been very busy trying to keep up with all the guests that have come. They have reduced services in an effort to stay ahead but we can tell things are changing. It will be interesting to me to see how this shortage of staffing continues to unfold and change the way we have become used to things being handled. Not only here at the camp but in all other areas in my life.

Life sure seems simple here in the cabin. We have easy food to fix and are warm and dry. No TV or distractions to bring the outside world in. The problems of the world feel a long ways away right now. Nice to escape the news for a bit.

I just read an article about our local hospital and the challenges they are facing transferring patients to a higher level of care. Not only COVID patients but those that need procedures that the local hospital can’t provide. The pandemic has certainly uncovered the weak areas in our society. I don’t think we can go back to the way things were before. We need some major policy changes to adapt to our new norms. It will be an interesting couple years coming up to see where this all shakes out.

Grateful for a quiet day in the mountains, grateful for a break from the news, and grateful to be reminded to be grateful for the simple things in life.

We had a safe drive to the Y Camp in Estes Park. We stopped at the big grocery store when we got into Estes Park and got what we needed and then came to camp. It took about an hour to get the car unloaded and everything put away. It is nice to be in the mountains again.

It is 57 here this evening. I’m grateful I remembered to bring sweat pants, socks and jackets this year. We drove through a bit of rain but missed the heavy stuff they had gotten earlier today.

As we drove into camp we saw a huge bull elk. While we were unloading the car their were three mommy mule deer and two babies in our yard. I love seeing the wildlife that is in the camp.

I made the trip with only needing one emergency bathroom stop. I think we stopped about six times altogether for gas, potty breaks and lunch. Traffic was a bit heavy around Denver but otherwise a pretty easy trip.

We don’t have any plans for tomorrow except to sleep in late and take a rest and recovery day. It will take me several days to adjust to the altitude. I have a bit of a headache this evening. I will need to drink lots of water tomorrow as that seems to help.

When we would stop and go into truck stops or restaurants I didn’t see hardly anyone else wearing face masks. I got funny looks from people as I wore mine. There sure seems to be a disconnect between the spread of the virus and people’s behavior. I understand everyone is tired of sheltering in place and wearing masks but until more people are vaccinated and the virus spread is slowed it sure seems appropriate to mask up again.

Grateful for a safe trip to our home away from home, grateful for the cooler temperatures in the mountains, and grateful for the wildlife that shares this space with us.

I went to the Infectious Disease Specialist in Topeka today. Not sure I learned too much but we do have a plan if the C-Diff should come back. She was not impressed with the care I have received. She kept asking why did they do that? I finally told her she needed to call the doctor and ask him as I just could take what they gave me.

If the C-Diff comes back she told me to contact her office and she would treat it with a different antibiotic than what I have been given. She doesn’t want me to take either of the two antibiotics that I have been given again. If the one she prescribes doesn’t work or if it comes back after that trial, then she will refer me to the Mayo Clinic. She didn’t know KU had stopped doing fecal matter transplants.

She didn’t see any reason why we can’t go to CO. She said to go to Urgent Care or the ER if it comes back and have them run a toxin screen. If it is positive for C-Diff they are to call her office and get instructions on how to treat me. Great! Now I get to tell the doctor what to do. Do you think they will listen to me? She didn’t understand why some of the doctors had just run the short test and not the toxin screen too. I didn’t have an answer for her.

So the long term plan is I have to have two more episodes before I can get referred! Yikes! Hopefully I won’t have any more but am not going to hold my breath.

She told me to start eating some Greek Yogurt daily as well as Kefir. When I have episodes I am to drink water that has salt added to it. She said the probiotics I am taking are probably just causing expensive pee but I can continue taking them if I think they are helping.

She did say my episodes have been relatively mild. I don’t think she was too impressed with what I have been through. If the next time I have it I end up in ICU then she will refer me after that time.

She mentioned the possibility that I may also have IBS but that a Gastroenterologist will have to determine that. Feel like I am running in a maze and can’t find my way out.

So the good news is we are leaving tomorrow morning for Y Camp in Estes Park, CO. We will be there for three weeks. It will be good to get away from the summer heat of KS and get to the cool of the mountains. I have a long list of things to gather up and pack this afternoon so we can leave in the morning.

Best get busy gathering the things on my list and start packing. I will keep my fingers crossed I don’t have an episode while we are gone and will be able to do some mountain hiking.

Grateful for a safe trip to and from Topeka today, grateful we have a plan of sorts, and grateful we get to go to CO tomorrow.

We got a lot done today to get ready to leave for CO Friday. We cleaned out the chicken coop in an attempt to reduce the number of flies buzzing around. Jim and the chickens are fighting over the fly strips he hangs. The chickens like to tear them down. I think the chickens are ahead 4 to 1 right now. He hung some more today so we will see what happens tomorrow.

We went to Emporia and went to the bank so I could deposit a check and get some cash for our trip. I remembered to get some quarters for the laundromat we will use while we are at the Y Camp. I stopped at Guion’s to get a new filter for our refrigerator ice maker. The water was barely coming out of the other one. Not sure the new one fixed the problem so may need to get a repair person out to see what the problem is.

The guys that sell those wonderful cantaloupe were in the parking lot at Guion’s so stopped and got one. It is SO good.

We did a feed haul at Bluestem. Trusting all the critters now have enough feed on hand to get them through the next three weeks.

Went to Walmart and picked up a prescription, some grapes and bananas and then we came home.

Tim needed something so he came out for a bit. I sent half the cantaloupe home with him as we won’t be able to eat it all before we leave Friday and I don’t have enough room in the cooler to take it. Got to hug the grandkids one more time before we leave.

I laid down to take a nap but wasn’t able to go to sleep. I had trouble finding sleep last night. Maybe tonight will be the night sleep finds me.

We have to be on the road before 8:00 tomorrow morning so we can be at my doctor’s appointment in Topeka at 9:15. I didn’t pull out more stuff to pack for our trip to CO until I know for sure we are going to be able to go. I sure hope I don’t ruin our vacation. I doubt that they can get any tests they may want to do scheduled very quickly so thinking we will be safe to go. I do hope the doctor will help me figure out what to do if the C-Diff comes back while we are in CO so I don’t end up in ER. From what I have read there really isn’t much that can be done to cure C-Diff except for a fecal matter transplant. Not sure I qualify for that yet but will find out tomorrow. Antibiotics can help stop an episode but don’t prevent another one from occurring.

If we get to go to CO Friday, I will be busy tomorrow afternoon packing and finishing cleaning the house.

This has been another one of those days I can’t remember what I was doing from one room to the next. I lost my phone in the car – twice. I lost my to do list. Some days just don’t feel very easy to me.

I have been off flour again for three days now and the stomach cramps are gone. I am thinking I have a gluten intolerance from this last round of C-Diff. No big deal really as I don’t usually eat flour anyways. I am struggling a bit to find other foods to eat right now as I was eating lots of crackers for a bit. For some reason grapes and bananas go down good as well as cooked chicken. That is about all I am eating right now. Hoping veggies will start getting added but right now they don’t sound good.

Last time I had C-Diff I found beans, dairy, and raw veggies didn’t sit well with my tummy. I still hadn’t been able to eat any of those foods although I can tolerate a few beans occasionally but found they caused me to bloat if I eat too many. Now I guess I add food that contains gluten to the list of foods that my tummy doesn’t care for. I’m grateful I figured out what was causing the stomach cramps and have been able to get them to stop. They were getting old and wearing me out.

I got caught up printing off my blog. I needed to go back through part of it so I could type out a timeline of this round of C-Diff. It is helpful to have my blog so I can recall when I had good and hard days. I keep a printed copy of the blog as one time I lost two years of my blog when the blog’s server crashed and they couldn’t recover my history.

Jim is outside setting up hoses so the house sitter can water his grass seed and the front flower beds without having to move hoses all around. Trying to make it easy for her to do the watering. Sure don’t want to see my water bill for this month.

Jim is eating left overs again tonight. Trying to get the refrigerator cleaned out before we leave. What doesn’t get eaten tonight I am throwing out tomorrow. Once we get to our cabin in CO I will need to start cooking again.

It reached the mid 90’s today with the heat index over 100. It was miserable out. I am not a fan of hot weather. I got a bit light-headed when I was cleaning out the chicken coop. I was sweating badly which is a bit unusual for me.

Two young people from Council Grove were killed in a motorcycle crash last night. One was 20 and the other 28. The 28-year-old had an infant daughter. I knew the 28-year-old and his mother. Man! Life isn’t fair sometimes. Every time something like that happens it reminds me to not take another day for granted. One just never knows when it is going to be your time to go. I have been thinking all day about them. I also have been thinking about my bucket list and how I spend my time. Haven’t come up with anything I want to do differently at this point but I sure think it it a good thing to think about occasionally.

Grateful our errands got done today, grateful the girls have fresh linens, and grateful to have figured out what was causing my stomach cramps.

The grandkids came out around noon today. I fixed them pancakes, bacon and eggs for a late lunch. Tagen brought his girlfriend with him. They were all so good for me today. They stayed inside where it was cool and watched movies and snacked all afternoon.

I fixed spaghetti and meatballs with banana pudding for dinner tonight. Michelle and Tim came out and joined us for dinner and then took the kids back to town. It was nice to get to spend some time with all of them before we leave Friday.

Ellexia helped me cook today. She scrambled the eggs and then helped me make the spaghetti sauce and banana pudding. She is a good helper and a good cook.

I didn’t get much else done today. I did type up my timeline of getting sick so I have that ready to take with me to the doctor on Thursday. I also typed up the house sitter instructions. Tomorrow I will be busy finishing the cleaning and gathering more stuff up for us to take.

We need to clean out the chicken coop tomorrow and do a feed run. It always feels like a lot of tasks need done before we can get away.

Things didn’t feel easy for me today. I made some iced tea this morning and spilled hot water on my leg. I kept dropping things when I was cooking. The good news is I didn’t have a bathroom emergency again today. I can tell my energy level is slowing starting to rise.

Jim helped me clean out the two freezers today. Not sure I made enough room but at least things are organized now. I found lots more chicken than I thought I had. Lots of frozen veggies too. I haven’t been eating veggies for over a month now. Some how we will make it all work when we get the beef when we return from CO.

I’m tired this evening. I didn’t take my nap today. The kids kept me going all day and I didn’t feel tired but now that they are gone and I can relax I realize how tired I am. It might be an early bed time for me tonight.

I went down to gather eggs this morning and when I opened the door to the nesting boxes didn’t find any eggs. I opened the door to the coop and found 12 eggs in the corner of the coop on the floor. Sometimes a girl will lay one on the floor and then the others follow suit. Silly chickens!

It was in the mid 90’s on the prairie today. The dogs and chickens struggled a bit today to stay cool. I gave the chickens a watermelon to eat – that seems to help them stay better hydrated. I thought about all the workers that have to be out in this heat all day and am grateful I can stay inside where it is cool.

Grateful to get to spend a day with the grandkids, grateful for our air conditioner, and grateful for the quiet of the house this evening.

Delivered 12 dozen eggs to four different customers today. Nice to clear out a bit of the egg stash. I so appreciate my customers. I got to visit with one of my customers for a bit. That makes egg delivery day even more special.

After I delivered the eggs I went to Emporia so I could have a blood draw to check my TSH levels. Got the results back this afternoon and they have dropped to 0.9. The first of June my level was 5.9. The new medication is working. I’ll be curious to see if the doctor reduces my dose or leaves it the same. It can be dangerous if the levels get too low so am thinking she will either have me skip one dose a week or will reduce the dose amount. Sure wish my body could find a dose that worked all the time for it and I could level out and not have to switch things up so much.

Took a nap when I got home. I was surprised I slept as I wasn’t too tired when I laid down. My body likes to sleep in the afternoons better than it does at night.

I am going to clean out the freezers tonight. Tomorrow is trash day so it will be good timing to get rid of the things that are old and freezer burned. I have no idea why both freezers are full and no idea what is in them. It will be a treasure hunt to go through both of them and find things.

We are having leftovers for dinner again tonight. I need to clean the refrigerator out too as we will be leaving for three weeks Friday. Jim is so good about eating leftovers.

I have managed not to eat any flour products today. It is so tempting to have some crackers as they are about the only thing that tastes good to me right now. But I am starting to think the cramping may be due to a gluten intolerance due to the C-Diff. The cramping has been much better today since I abstained from flour. We will see what happens over the next couple of days.

I only have three full days before we leave. Time to step it up and finish getting this house cleaned and stuff gathered that I want to take. I also need to bake the grandkids some treats and take them in. We need to do a feed run either tomorrow or Wednesday so will take the treats to the kiddos then.

I’m not sure either one of us is excited about getting away. Once we get there we will both enjoy it but we both love staying home so much it is hard to leave. I could be content not to leave this place for very long again.

I need to write out a time line of when things happened to give to the doctor on Thursday. I have found that helps them understand the flow of things better. Time has a funny meaning to me these days as I am out of step with time most of the time. I really can’t guess if things happened a week ago, a month ago or even a year ago. None of that seems relevant most of the time.

It feels heavy out. Much of the area around us is getting some nice rain but once again it went around us and we won’t get any. The ground is starting to crack and dry out. Jim has been watering the new grass seed he planted. I don’t think I want to see my water bill for this month. Yikes! I sure would love to have a strong down pour so it can test the new drainage system and I will know for sure the problem has been fixed. Doesn’t look like that is going to happen anytime soon though.

Feeling a bit better again today. No bathroom emergency runs. I can’t say I have lots of extra energy but I am not quite as drained as I have been. It helps that the cramping hasn’t been as bad today. Pain can sure wear a person out quickly.

Grateful the new thyroid medication is working, grateful for my egg customers, and grateful for to do lists that help me remember what needs to be done.

Another quiet day at home. I did go to Emporia this morning and got some groceries and some things I need for our trip to CO. I have started a pile of things to take to CO. It will be a huge pile before we leave.

No bathroom emergency runs today but the cramping continues. Sure will be glad when Thursday gets here and I can get some answers as to why the cramping is so bad. Not sure the doctor will have an immediate fix for me but to know that something can and will be done to help will be reassuring.

Parts of the prairie have received some nice rain today but so far it has gone around us. It sure feels like it could rain but not sure we will get any. It would be nice to let Mother Nature water our new seeded area of grass but am betting we will have to use the sprinkler tonight.

I am going to deliver 12 dozen eggs tomorrow. That will cut my stash way back. I am going to take at least 6 dozen with me to CO. I notified my regular customers that I was going to be gone and several wanted me to bring them some extras to get them through until we return. I will have to ask my house sitter to deliver 6 dozen a week to one of my customers. I didn’t have enough to give her enough to get her through while we are gone.

I was hoping to clear up most of the things on my pending list before we left but not looking like that will happen. I’m still waiting for several workers to show up and do some work for us. Thinking they will all want to come while we are gone. Part of the work can be done while we are gone but I don’t think I can ask the house sitter to have to deal with the replacement of the shower in the master bathroom.

I’m concerned I will ruin our trip to CO by having another major C-Diff episode. I am hoping the doctor I am seeing Thursday can help come up with a preventive plan so I can get through those three weeks without an issue. My body doesn’t seem to be responding to the antibiotic as well this time so not sure if that will be possible. Guess I will deal with what ever happens when it happens. Worry won’t make it go away.

Tagen wants chocolate chip cookies before we leave so will get those baked either tonight or tomorrow and take them to him. Ellexia hasn’t responded to my text so I don’t know what she might want. I have the stuff to make some peanut butter balls for them if I find the energy to get those made.

The house cleaning project is slowly happening. I sure wish I had a bit more energy and get up and go right now. I have very small bursts of energy that I can get a few things done but I wear out quickly.

Other than the egg delivery tomorrow I don’t have anything on my calendar until I go to the doctor in Topeka on Thursday. Grateful for the empty space to have lots of rest time to heal in. I took a nap again today – it seems to have become a daily habit again.

Read today that most of the major hospitals in KS are full again of COVID patients. One said they were going to have to reduce the amount of non emergency surgeries they will be doing due to staffing issues caused by all the COVID patients. I find this all so sad as the majority of people getting sick don’t have to get sick if they would have gotten a vaccine. Not sure what it is going to take to end this pandemic with so many refusing vaccines.

I have gone back to wearing a mask when I am out and about. Not many people are doing so. I have a feeling with the way I have been feeling lately that if I got COVID even with the vaccine I would get into trouble with it quickly. I just don’t seem to have much resistance these days.

Grateful to be reducing my egg stash tomorrow, grateful for my vaccine, and grateful Thursday will be here soon.

Summer has arrived on the prairie. It was 95 today with a hot wind. The yard is getting cracks in it again.

I went out and mowed three different times today and finally got it done. Sitting on the riding mower isn’t too hot but after an hour or so I would come in and take a break. Glad to have the mowing done. Unless we get some rain I doubt that I will need to mow again for a bit.

Took a short nap this afternoon. I have had tummy cramps most of the day and they are wearing me out. I can’t decide if I should eat or go back to a liquid diet. Sometimes if I eat they get better and sometimes eating makes them worse.

I fixed a pot roast for dinner tonight. Have way too many leftovers. I asked the butcher to cut the roast smaller next time if possible. We have trouble eating it all up. The flavor was really good but it was too rich for me to eat much of it.

I mowed a bit of the rocky ledge today. There is a plant that has fiberglass like fibers that fly all over when I cut the plant down. I took a shower when I was done mowing but am still finding little pieces of those fibers on my hands. I can feel them but can’t see them. I need to remember to wear gloves when I finish mowing the rest of them.

No plans for tomorrow. I will get some more cleaning done and start pulling things out I want to take to CO. I have a long list of things I am going to take.

Jim checked the temperature at the Y Camp and the high was 75 today. That sounds so nice! I will be glad to escape this heat. I need to remember to take some long sleeve shirts and pants as it gets too cool for me in the evenings there.

Last night after I took my bath I sat outside on the glider for a bit and enjoyed the full moon. It was a clear night and the moon created beautiful moon shadows across the prairie.

I need to check with the grandkids and see how there cookie supply is holding up. I may be baking cookies tomorrow to stock them up for the time we will be gone. I need to bake another batch of Snickerdoodles for Jim so we have enough to last him for three weeks.

Grateful the mowing is done, grateful for a crock pot, and grateful for showers that cool me down after mowing.

Another good day – no bathroom emergency runs today. It is starting to feel like the C-Diff is back under control. Trusting it will stay that way now. I see the specialist a week from today. I will be anxious to hear what she recommends as a permanent solution to all of this.

The handyman came late morning and fixed a water leak in the laundry room. It is good to be able to cross something off the pending list. I so appreciate him and the efficient way he works.

I met a friend for lunch today. We had a great visit. I need to remember to book lunch with friends more often. It is nice to get some girl time in occasionally.

Came home from lunch really tired so took a long nap this afternoon. I sure wish I could sleep at night like I can in the afternoons. I almost felt rested for the first time in a long time when I got up this afternoon.

Jim is out planting grass seed in the area where the digger guys worked. It is so hot I’m not sure the grass were germinate but we are going to give it a try.

Working on getting the house cleaned up. Attempting to do one or two rooms a day. I will leave the main part of the house until last. I have a week to go to work my way through the whole house. Finding lots of dirt as it has been a bit since I have felt like cleaning.

Summer has arrived on the prairie. We are in a hot spell that looks like it will be hanging around for some time. Grateful we are escaping to the mountains the end of next week. Extreme heat is not my friend.

Still struggling a bit to find foods that don’t cramp my stomach. I need to get off crackers but they are one of the foods that feel safe to eat. Flour products cause me to stay hungry all the time and crave more food. Just can’t handle much meat right now or many veggies. Still eating bland foods for the most part. Maybe in another day or two I will be able to expand my choices.

The door company that replaced my screen any fixed a door at the rental house finally sent me a bill today after I sent them a text to let me know I hadn’t received it. I got that paid and was able to cross that off my pending list. It is nice to cross things off and have a day when I don’t add something else to the list.

Need to put a feed run on my to do list for next week. I don’t want the house sitter to have to go to town to buy feed. I have a list started of things I want to get to take to CO so will get those things when I go to town to buy feed.

Found out some friends of Jim will be in Estes Park Y Camp the same time we are going to be there. It will be fun to have dinner with them one night and get to know them a bit. I have met them briefly before and know I will enjoy spending time with them. Last year two of Jim’s brothers were out there when we were but this year they will have left before we get there.

I’m a bit worried about how much hiking I will be able to do. I have been down for the last month and haven’t gotten much exercise and am horribly out of shape. Add the higher elevation and I may be sucking wind while I am there. Guess I will do what I can and not do what I can’t.

No plans for the weekend except cleaning house and staying cool. I need to clean out our freezers so they will be ready for the beef that is coming when we get home from CO. Not sure how I managed to fill both freezers and not sure what I have in them. Half of the new beef will be going to other places but I will need room to store it until they can pick it up.

Grateful the water leak is fixed, grateful for long afternoon naps, and grateful to be feeling good again.

It has been a quiet day at home today. A friend came up at 10:45 and we did a little mission together and had a nice short visit. I love days when my path crosses with a friend.

I took a nap this afternoon. I was wired last night and very emotional and had trouble getting to sleep. I slept hard once I fell asleep but was still tired when I got up. My nap took the rough edge off and I am doing better this afternoon. There is a full moon tomorrow – I think I am feeling the effects of it.

It has been nice to have the workers gone today. Jim’s cat Tony is back to acting normal. He didn’t care for all the equipment noise the last couple of days. Tomorrow our handyman is coming in the morning to take care of a water leak in the laundry room. Hoping that is the last of the repairs that need done for a bit.

Jim went to town while I was taking my nap and picked up some grass seed. We need to seed the area the workers dug up. Not sure how successful we will be getting it to sprout in this heat but will give it a try. My water bill will be high again this month as we will need to keep it wet for a while. Hoping it will sprout before we leave for CO next Friday.

Tomorrow I am having lunch with a friend. Not sure what I will be able to eat at the restaurant but not sure that is the point of the lunch. I love days when I get a chance to have a nice visit with a friend.

Summer has finally arrived on the prairie. It is in the high 80’s today and we are to cross over into the 90’s for the next couple of days. Things are going to dry up soon and start to turn brown. The pastures are still green for the middle of July. By the time we get home from CO mid August they will have turned brown from the heat and lack of rain.

I attempted to make cinnamon rolls yesterday but they didn’t turn out very good. I didn’t let the heated milk cool enough before I added the yeast and it ruined the yeast. They didn’t raise like they should have and they are heavy. I hadn’t had a failure of cinnamon rolls for a long time but things happen! Not the end of the world I guess – just disappointing. I might try again later this weekend.

I need to bake some cookies to take to CO. It is hard to bake in the small cabin kitchen and it will be easier if I bake them here and take them with us. I wish I had a bigger freezer in CO so I could take lots of meat, etc. with me. I try to keep meals as simple as possible while we are there and not have to spend lots of time cooking. The last week we are there I will be fixing meals for six. I need to give that some thought and figure out what will be easy to fix.

I have felt pretty good again today. Only one bathroom trip today so far. I did eat something that gave me stomach cramps this afternoon. I had eaten the same food yesterday and was fine. Not sure if it is what I just ate or if I have cramps just because. What a mystery to me. Sure hoping the doctor next week can help me understand what is happening and give me some useful advice on what to eat.

I sent a text to my door repair guy. He did some work for us at the rental house two months ago and replaced a screen on a door at this house over a month ago. I haven’t received a bill for either of those projects. It could have gotten lost in the mail but they have had trouble with billing in the past. They deserve to be paid for their work and I don’t want to cheat them.

It has been nice to have a couple of days back to back of feeling better. Reminds me what feeling good is all about. Trusting these good days will continue and I will be able to enjoy the trip to CO without having a relapse.

Grateful for friends that bring so much joy to my life, grateful for a quiet day at home, and grateful to be feeling better today.

The guys were here again before 8:00 this morning to finish the job. They worked all morning and I think they left around 1:30. Glad to have that project completed. It hit me today how much faith the owner of the business put in me that I would pay when the job was done. He didn’t require a deposit and is trusting that I will pay. They did a nice job and were very professional to work with. I sure am trusting they got my water leak fixed.

We have a big area in the back yard that needs grass seed put down. We will need to go to town tomorrow and pick up some seed and get that put down. I have extra straw we can use to put over it. We don’t have a city lawn by any means but I don’t want to leave such a bare area open in the back yard. Jason is getting married in my back yard the end of September and I would like it to look a bit better than it does right now.

Ellexia came out late morning to spend the day. Her daddy brought her out. I fixed them both breakfast when they came – blueberry pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs with toast. We took Ellexia back in around 7:00 tonight. Stopped at McDonald’s and got her some food before we took her home. We had a quiet afternoon together. I so enjoy her company when she comes to play for the day.

Jim didn’t get much sleep last night as he didn’t get to bed until very late and then got up when the workers showed up. He got a good nap in this afternoon. I didn’t take a nap today so hoping I will sleep long and hard tonight.

The infectious disease doctor’s office called today and I have an appointment for a week from tomorrow. If I have another rough day or two I am to call them and they will work me in earlier. We are leaving for CO the day after my appointment so hoping they don’t need to do any testing that can’t wait. We will see how this plays out. Getting well will take priority over vacation but hoping I don’t have to choose between the two.

I have had a good day again today. Only one trip to the bathroom today! Wow! That hasn’t happened for a bit. I had some mild cramping late afternoon but even that is better than it has been. I only have a few doses of the antibiotics left so hoping I don’t have a relapse when the pills run out. My biggest fear is getting out to CO and having another bad episode. I will talk to the doctor and see what they can do to prevent that from happening or at least give me a back up plan to use if it does.

Tomorrow is a quiet day at home. It will be nice to not have workers in the yard. I do have a friend coming over late morning and we are doing a little project together but that won’t take long. It will be nice to sleep in if I can in the morning. I may go to bed early tonight so will probably be up fairly early tomorrow.

Friday the handyman is coming to do a water leak repair in the laundry room. Other than that we don’t have anything going on this weekend. I need to start pulling things that I want to take to CO and I need to finish getting my house cleaned so it will be ready for the house sitter.

I called the meat locker today and asked them to cut the roasts as small as possible when they package our beef. We have trouble eating a full roast and end up wasting part of it. They had my order from last year so I didn’t have to do a new one this time. I sure am hoping the beef this year is as good as the one we got last year. It was the best beef we have ever had.

It is nice to cross a couple things off my pending list. Most days I cross one off and add two. Today I got to cross three things and didn’t have to add anything. I’m grateful!

Grateful the work on our drainage problem is complete, grateful Ellexia spent the day with me, and grateful I have a doctor’s appointment for next week.

The diggers showed up at 7:30 this morning. They worked until 4:00 and need to come back tomorrow to finish. All I kept thinking today was how much is this going to cost? Yikes! I’m not sure I want to know.

I have been impressed with the way they work. The boss man was here today and I liked the way he listened to the other two and together they came up with a plan. The guy that ran the digger machine is really good. It was fun to watch him operate it. He had a nice touch with the jaws and didn’t waste much motion. The south trench went fairly easy but they hit rocks on the north one. They had to go get the crusher to break up the rock. They have done a nice job of returning the dirt to the trench to cover it all up. They put a concrete barrier over the ends of the pipes so the mower won’t disturb the end of the pipe. Jim helped them mix the concrete and they used some he had on hand.

Jim said they knew what they were doing and he was impressed with the quality of their work. I will be anxious until it rains hard again and I know that what they did worked. Not sure what I will do if it didn’t fix the problem.

It is nice to think we can get the sheet rock fixed in the basement and it won’t get wet again. We won’t finish that part of this project until it rains hard again and we know we have completely solved our water issue.

I went to Emporia late morning and got groceries. I also picked up some yarn so I could make a bunch of dishrags while I am in CO. I’m not sure how much hiking I will get to do this year so am taking lots of yarn in case I stay behind and need something to do.

I canceled the appointment with the other construction crew as the job is already done. I sure hope I made the right decision with letting this crew do the work. They are local and I have heard good things about them.

I didn’t hear from the specialist in Topeka today. I will wait until the first of next week and if I haven’t heard by then I will call and see what is going on. I have felt better again today and haven’t had to run to the bathroom. I have only gone three times so making progress.

I took a short nap this afternoon. I had woken up at 5:00 this morning and wasn’t able to go back to sleep. It was a long morning today. The nap will help me get through the evening without falling asleep in my chair while I am reading.

I stopped at Panda Express and picked up some lunch for us. I had never been there before and was a bit confused as to how to order. The girl that took my order got confused too. We ended up with what I wanted but they split the two orders and we each got half of each which isn’t what I ordered. Not sure why that happened but oh well. The food was OK but not sure I would go back. It was a bit pricey and wasn’t exactly freshly made. I like the little Chinese restaurant on the east side of town better. They make your order fresh.

I have lost my debit card somewhere. Luckily I have a second one for a different bank account so I could pay for my groceries. I called the bank and cancelled the card and they are going to send me a new one. Sure wish I could remember when I used it last. It is probably in a coat pocket somewhere.

Got a bit of cleaning done again today. I am doing some deep cleaning projects that I had been putting off. The house doesn’t look cleaner yet but it feels cleaner to me since I am taking care of some hidden areas. Feels good to get some of those taken care of at long last. Since I have a house sitter coming a week from Friday I will need to get the rest of the house cleaned before that. I don’t like leaving a dirty house for the house sitter.

No plans for the rest of the week except lunch with a friend on Friday. I do have a couple phone calls I need to make if I can find the space to make them in. Some days I just can’t do the phone – today was one of those days.

Grateful the work is getting done on the drainage issue, grateful for continued healing of my body, and grateful Jim is here to supervise the workers.

I had a pleasant surprise today as the contractor that came out Friday called and told me he could bring his guys out this afternoon to start the work in the back yard. I really had thought it would be several months before they could get here to do the work.

The guys dug three different holes before they found the drain pipe they were looking for on the north side of the retaining wall. They then dug a hole on the south side to uncover the pipe on that side.

When the house was built the pipe was only put out to the end of the retaining wall and not extended out further like it should have been. The guys are going to come back tomorrow with the material they need to extend both pipes out to the end of the yard. The pipe is about six to eight feet deep and they will need to dig a trench that deep all the way through the back yard on both sides.

I’m so grateful Jim is here and has been watching what they are doing as I don’t understand any of it. Jim says they know what they are doing and their plan should work. He is going to have them extend the trench he hand dug through the middle of the back yard so we have better drainage there too.

I have no idea how much all this is going to cost. It had to be done to prevent more severe damage to the retaining wall and to the house. They found a lot of wet spots where the water has been accumulating instead of draining like it should, especially on the south side.

When I delivered eggs today I drove by the rental house. The handyman got the front porch painted and the steps repaired. The house is really looking nice. We still need to repair a small part of the foundation and burn the big burn pike and then I think we can stop working on it for a bit. We still have lots of rocks in the yard that need removed but I think those are going to wait. They won’t go anywhere and they aren’t causing problems. At some point we need to do some drainage control at that house too but I am out of patience and money and it is going to have to wait.

I am feeling better today. I’ve only gone four times which is a nice improvement from the weekend. Food is starting to sound good again but I am trying to be cautious and not push things just yet. I want to get several good days behind me before I start trying to add real food in again.

My doctor’s office sent me a note today letting me know they had faxed the referral information to the infectious disease doctor in Topeka. They gave me the name and phone number of the doctor’s office in Topeka and told me that office should call me soon to schedule an appointment. I didn’t hear from them today but I have been down this road before and understand it may take several days or more before they reach out to me.

When I went down to gather eggs this morning I found the chicken that has been getting picked on sitting in a nesting box. I picked her up and put her in a different box. There was another chicken in the same box with her so I picked her up too and put her on the ground. I gathered the eggs they had been sitting on and turned around and found an egg on the ground. The chicken I had picked up and put on the ground had just laid her egg. Talk about a fresh, warm egg!

We got all the smoke detector batteries changed last night. The taller ladder really helped make that job easy for me. We changed two light bulbs in the furnace room while I had the ladder out. Good to have fresh batteries in all the detectors. I got good at figuring out how to put in the batteries by the time I was done. This house has 12 smoke detectors. I’m so grateful the two tall ones don’t have to be changed for 10 years.

Ellexia may come out tomorrow for the day. She was going to come out today and then remembered she had somewhere to go. I need to pick up a few groceries when I go to town to pick her up. It will be fun to have her out for a bit. Maybe she can help me bake cookies while she is here.

I confirmed with my house sitter that she is still able to come take care of the house while we are in Colorado in August. I never worry about things when she is here. I’m so lucky to have found her.

It is nice to have a stretch of empty space days. My body has needed this quiet time to recover. I am almost feeling good enough to get some things done around here. It feels so good to feel good!

Grateful the contractor worked me in so soon, grateful the referral to the specialist is in process, and grateful to feel alive again.

A much better day today – only four emergency runs to the bathroom. I didn’t get woke up during the night so got some good rest – that always helps. I am sticking to eating crackers and chicken noodle soup again today but hoping to add something more nutritious tomorrow if things continue to slow down.

Last night Jim called me from the chicken coop. The girls were ganging up on one of the poor hens. The hen looked like she was either sick or hurt. I brought down a cat carrier and we sheltered the hen in the carrier over night. I expected that she would be dead when I went down this morning as chickens do not recover well if they get hurt or sick. She was still alive and looked OK. I let her out and she rejoined the others and acted like all was well. We will see if that continues.

Jim has such a tender heart. He hates to see a critter hurting. He was standing over her protecting her when I got down there.

I haven’t gotten much done again today other than a bit of cleaning here and there. I am reading a good book. I took a short nap again – seems to be my daily habit these days.

Got an email letting me know the beef we ordered has been taken to be processed. I need to call the processing plant tomorrow and adjust my standing order just a bit. I want to see if they can cut the roasts a bit smaller. We have trouble eating a whole roast. Other than that I really liked how they processed it last year and trust the beef will be just as good this year. Two of my kids take a quarter of it. One half lasts a year for Jim and I. It will be ready to be picked up when we get home from CO August 20.

Beef prices are up just a bit from last year which is good news for the rancher. I feel like we get it for a bit of a steal even at the higher price. I can tell you it isn’t the rancher making a killing off the high beef prices the stores are charging right now.

The guttering guy came and fixed the slop of the front side guttering piece at the rental house. Nice to be able to cross something pending off my list.

Sure hope the specialist calls me for an appointment tomorrow. I would like to be seen before we leave for CO July 30. Not holding my breath though as it seems these specialists are booked and it can take a month or more for an appointment. I hate the thought of continuing to have bathroom runs for another month but not sure what else I can do.

I can’t believe how mild the temperatures have been for the middle of July. I don’t think we have hit 100 yet this month. I’m not complaining as I like the milder temperatures but it is unseasonably cool. Wonder what August will be like?

Nothing on my calendar this week except lunch with a friend on Thursday. Not sure if Jim is going to Stillwater or not. He is shy about leaving me home when I am not back to normal. Maybe I can talk him into going. He really needs to get some things taken care of down south.

I feel like I am riding a roller coaster right now with good days and bad days. I never know how a day is going to go and it is hard to plan anything right now. It has been over a month since this all started and I don’t see an end in sight yet. Although it could end today and I just don’t know it yet.

Grateful for a quiet day at home, grateful the beef is coming soon, and grateful for a mild month of July.

Another rough night. I was up three times running to the bathroom. When I got up this morning I had a rough two hours. I was getting close to waking Jim up to take me to get some help when things finally slowed down. I haven’t gone again today. I told Jim at lunch today that maybe this was my last rough day. He looked at me like I had three heads. I told him one day has to be the last rough day – why not today?

After I got to feeling better I went out and mowed for over an hour. Came in and took a nap and then went back out and finished mowing. It is still pretty wet in places but Jim hand mowed the very wet part of the back yard so I wouldn’t leave mower tracks in the yard. We got her done.

Jim is working on digging a trench to drain water away from the house in the back yard. It is slow and hard work but he is managing to get quite a long trench dug. It is full of water already.

Got a bit more house cleaning done today. I keep working at it and sooner or later – probably much later – I will get this house back into shape and cleaned. I seem to have a small burst of energy occasionally that I can tap in to. I am amazed at how tired I get. I am working to listen to my body and rest when it needs it.

I only ate crackers, toast and chicken noodle soup today. I miss eating vegetables, fat, fruit and protein. If I can get my tummy to calm back down again for two or three days I will try eating real foods again.

The guy that had been renting my barn came and cleared all his stuff out of it. Jim is getting ready to start building his shop and we needed clear access to that space. I wasn’t getting much money for rent and it was more of a bother than helpful to have the guy have it full of stuff. With all his stuff out of it Jim can easily park his second car in the barn and keep it safe from KS thunderstorms.

Being sick humbles me. I realize how much I take my healthy strong body for granted. It is so hard to see things that need done and not have the energy to do anything about them. I don’t like depending on others and feel like that is all I do these days. I never know from one hour to the next what my body is going to feel like doing – if anything.

Grateful I felt good for most of the day, grateful the yard is mowed, and grateful for what I was able to eat today.

Got woken up by a phone call at 7:30 this morning. It was the contractor that I need to come out and help me fix my water issue in the basement. He showed up at 8:00 and walked around outside and inside. I think he came up with a plan but am not sure. He is to get back in touch with me. The other construction company is coming the 27th. I’ll see which one gives me a solid plan first and if they agree on the plan of approach. I’m grateful Jim understood what the guy was talking about because he lost me along the way. I don’t understand it all and just want it fixed. Hoping we can come up with a relatively simple fix and not the worse case situation he said might be happening.

My handyman came over at 11:00 to clean out the dryer vent and to install the two new smoke detectors. He found a water leak in the laundry room while he was cleaning the dryer vent. Dang it anyways! I get two things crossed off my list and have to add a new one. He took pictures of the leak so he knows what type of parts he will need and will come back another day to fix it. We put jars under the leak to catch the drips so it won’t ruin more wood moldings.

I sent a note to my doctor to let him know how I have been doing. I had 12 episodes Wednesday, eight yesterday and six so far today. He wants to refer me to an infectious disease specialist in Topeka. His office is going to complete the referral and then the new doctor’s office will contact me to schedule an appointment. I’m grateful he did that as I still think we haven’t gotten to the real cause of what is causing all my tummy issues. We will see how long it takes to get in. We leave for CO in two weeks so hoping I will get some answers before then but not going to bet that will happen. Sure hope this doesn’t interfere with our planned vacation.

I took a nap again today. I have trained my body to enjoy a nap most afternoons and it now demands that. I didn’t have anything pressing to do so why not sleep if I can. Jim had gotten up early o talk to the contractor but then went back to bed after that guy left. The bed has been well used today.

We got more rain this morning but it has stopped raining and feels like a steam bath outside right now. We have standing water in the back yard again. My neighbor got 3 1/2 inches so guessing we got about that too. Still too wet to mow but will probably be able to do so by Sunday if not tomorrow.

No plans for the weekend. I started doing some cleaning today and will work on doing lots more this weekend. As far as I know we get to stay home all weekend. I have some deck painting to do if I find the energy to get it done.

Next week Jim is going to Stillwater. He has something he wants to go to in Tulsa on Saturday next week and then will come home from there.

We leave for CO two weeks from today. Time to start gathering things up and making a list and pile of things we are taking. I will take too much stuff as always. We will cook at the cabin and it is helpful to take my favorite appliances with me.

I get so discouraged with this house at times. I can’t seem to get all the repairs it needs done to it before new ones add to the list. My pending list of things I am managing doesn’t seem to go away. I am at the mercy of others to get things done. Guess things will get done in their own time table and I get to practice being patient. Not my strong suit by any means.

Grateful two things got fixed today and only one thing added, grateful my doctor is referring me to a specialist, and grateful for the rain we got yesterday and today.

A rainy day on the prairie today. I am guessing we got close to 3 inches of rain today. There is standing water in the yard and in my basement.

I went to KC today. It rained on me off and on the whole trip up. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what speed I should have my wipers on. I stopped at Home Depot and got some new smoke detectors that have a 10 year battery life. My handyman is coming over tomorrow to replace them. They go in the living room and dining room and need a 20 foot extension ladder to reach them. Good that we will only have to do that every 10 years.

I stopped at Whole Foods and got another jar of Manuka honey. Last time I had C-Diff I think it helped me get over it so decided to give it a try again this time.

I went in Old Navy and looked around. I tried on a dress and the one I tried on was too big but wasn’t in the mood to get dressed and then find the same dress in a smaller size. I ended up not buying anything.

I went to Nicole’s house and we went to Chili’s for lunch. After we ate we went back to her house and visited for a bit. She had to get back to work so I left and went to Costco. Not sure what all I bought but managed to get a full cart full of stuff. Several things on my list were on sale so it was a good day to go.

Drove home through moderate to heavy rain all the way home. Stopped in Emporia to fill my car up with gas. It was not raining too hard when I did that. Came home and got the car unloaded and things put away and then took a long nap.

I bought some rotisserie chicken today so we had that for dinner. After dinner I baked Jim a huge batch of Snickerdoodles as he was out of them. He likes to help me make them. He dips the balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture and puts them on the cookie sheet. Good to have those made up for a bit.

No plans for the weekend. I am hoping to get some house cleaning done. I am sure I will find lots of dirt and dust. I will need to mow the yard again once it drys out a bit.

I felt better today although I went four times. I ended up with a count of 12 for yesterday. It seems to have finally slowed down again. Sure wish I knew if it was something I was eating or just spores that are hatching. A bit frustrating and disheartening for me to have a hard day like yesterday but encouraging when the next day is better.

Jim has been using the wet vac to mop up the water in the basement off and on all afternoon and evening. Sure hope the contractors can figure out a solution that is affordable and not too messy.

It was nice to get lots of rain today. We were getting rather dry again. I don’t think our drought has broken but it is sure nice to see full ponds again. The forecast calls for a bit of chance of rain over the next couple of days and cooler temperatures. Mid 80’s in July is unseasonably cool but I will take them. Hoping the heat of summer will hit while we are in CO in August.

I look forward to having a couple days of being home and not having to leave the prairie. Those are my favorite type of days.

Grateful to have been able to spend time with Nicole today, grateful for a safe trip home from KC in the rain, and grateful for a nap after a day in the city.

Mostly a quiet day at home. I did go to Emporia this morning to get my hair cut and pick up a prescription and a few groceries. It was good to get home. A friend I hadn’t seen for several years came in to the hair dressers as I was getting ready to leave so I sat and visited with her while the hair dresser cut her husband’s hair. It was good to see her.

I helped Jim replaced a long deck board this afternoon. I did some painting while the board was out and again when he got it in place. Jim sure is handy to have around when it comes to repairing things. The wood bees had eaten a hole in the plank and the dogs had dug it out creating a big hole. It is nice to have it replaced and looking good.

I took a nap again this afternoon. I haven’t had a bathroom emergency today but I have had six stools. Thinking I ate something yesterday that my tummy didn’t like. I have had mild to moderate cramping most of the day. Just when I think this stuff is over I have a day like today. Sure trusting tomorrow will be a better one. At least I wasn’t having to run to the bathroom – I will take that as progress.

We had leftovers for dinner again tonight. That makes putting dinner on the table easy for me. I plan on picking up some rotisserie chicken at Costco tomorrow while I am there and that is what we will have for dinner tomorrow night. I usually get two or three of their whole cooked chickens and put the meat in sandwich bags and freeze them. Makes lots of meals out of a $5 chicken.

Tomorrow morning I am going to KC to meet Nicole for lunch and do a Costco run. I also need to stop at Home Depot and get some 10 year battery life smoke detectors. I have a long list of things I need from Costco. I need to remember to take a freezer bag with me so things stay frozen on the trip home.

Jim didn’t make it to Stillwater this week. He is planning on going next week as he wants to go to an event in Tulsa a week from Saturday. He will come back to KS after that event. Not sure when he plans on leaving next week but am hoping he will get several days of work in on his house in Stillwater. He has a long list of things to do at both places.

I’m surprised at how tired I continue to be and how low my energy level is. I can feel it is starting to refill but certainly can’t run a marathon right now. I’m grateful I don’t have plans for the weekend as I am guessing I will be worn out when I get home from KC tomorrow late afternoon.

We leave for CO two weeks from Friday. I need to start making a list of things I want to take and start gathering things up. At the top of my list is sweat pants to put on in the evenings. I forgot them last year and struggled to stay warm enough at times. Jim is really looking forward to seeing his sons and their partners when they come the last week we are there. He hasn’t seen them since December 2019.

No word from any of my pending water fix it guys. I’m running out of time for them to get the repairs needed done before we leave for CO. Business must be good for them to cause them to run behind schedule.

My house needs me to find some time to clean it up again. It is reaching the point of no return. Maybe Friday and over the weekend I can find some energy and start getting it cleaned back up again. I just haven’t felt up to cleaning. Good thing the dirt waits for me.

Grateful for a hair cut and a chance to see a friend, grateful the deck board got replaced today, and grateful Jim will eat leftovers for dinner.

A quiet day at home. Still feeling much better and allowing my energy to return on its time table – not mine.

I painted three boards for Jim today. He is going to use them to replace some decking boards. The new deck paint is a shade or two lighter than the old but hoping they will blend in and not stand out too much.

Baked a double batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies to take to Nicole when I go see her Thursday. Tomorrow I need to bake a batch of Snickerdoodles for Jim. Good thing I enjoy making cookies.

Am getting my hair cut tomorrow morning. I finally got hold of my hair dresser. It always is a good day when I get my hair cut.

I got to stay home all day today – yay! Those are my favorite days. Jim made a trip to the hardware store to get some sort of saw that will cut the deck boards. I never realized there were so many different types of saws.

I have a broody hen that likes to sit on the nest and she gets cranky when we take her eggs out from under her. As I don’t have a rooster it doesn’t do much good to allow her to try to hatch infertile eggs. I lift her up and put her outside. Jim leaves the eggs under her. I told Jim I don’t allow anything to come between me and my eggs!

I’m making a list for my Costco run on Thursday when I go to KC. I haven’t been for a bit so the list is rather long. Maybe I can start going again monthly although with the rise in the number of COVID cases I’m not so sure I want to be around that many people. I am fully vexed but I don’t trust those that aren’t to wear a mask.

I finished another book yesterday and started another one. I hope the library has their book sale soon as my reading supply is starting to get low. I still have enough books for a couple of months but they won’t last through the winter. I have been taking the ones I read to the little library box in Strong City.

I laid down to take a nap this afternoon but didn’t fall asleep. I will take that as another sign my body is healing. I am still tired a lot but the need for sleep seems to be easing up a bit. It will take me another little bit before my full energy returns.

Grateful I got to stay home all day today, grateful for healing that is happening in my body, and grateful for used books to read.

Still feeling much better today. I had to take a nap as I got very tired this afternoon but no bathroom emergencies today. I went once and it was normal! TMI I know but sometimes I have to celebrate the little things in life.

Jim went to Emporia while I slept and did the feed run. The girls needed feed and oats and the dogs needed another bag of food. I’m grateful he took care of that heavy lifting chore today.

I sent an email to the guttering guy and told him about finding standing water in the gutters he put on the rental house. He responded and said he would send someone out this week to fix it. That was easy.

I’m going to KC Thursday to do a Costco run and have lunch with Nicole. We haven’t had lunch together since December of 2019. We are way overdue for a lunch date. While I am in KC I want to stop at Home Depot and pick up two new smoke detectors. They now make them with batteries that last 10 years without being changed out. I will replace the two tall detectors with these new ones and then not have to worry about them for 10 years. Thanks John for tipping me off about them.

It hasn’t been much of a productive day for me. I can’t think of anything I got done today except grill hamburgers for dinner. My energy level remains pretty darn low right now but I am ever so grateful the running to the bathroom has stopped.

I got rid of 11 dozen eggs today. I had four stops on my weekly delivery at noon. I have four dozen left. It is good to knock back the stash of eggs and not have so many on hand. I am going to bake some cookies tomorrow and boil a dozen for us to use.

I tried calling to get a hair cut appointment but kept getting a busy signal. I’m thinking my hair dresser is on vacation. I’ll try again tomorrow but may have to wait till next week to get in.

I think Jim is going to Stillwater tomorrow but he hasn’t committed fully yet. He is shy about leaving me if there is a chance I am not over the C-Diff. I have had two good days in a row and thinking I will be good to go. We will see what happens.

It was a beautiful day on the prairie with temperatures in the mid 80’s. I can’t believe it is July in KS with that low of a temperature.

So grateful to be feeling better at long last, grateful the guttering guy is going to fix their mistake, and grateful to my egg customers.

Another day of feeling much better. I haven’t gone once today! Things are finally slowing down.

Went to Emporia to get some groceries. I was out of bananas and for some reason they are what I am craving right now. Picked up a few other things we needed and came home and put it all away.

I helped Jim cut down little trees that are growing around the lagoon. It was the most physical exercise I have had for over three weeks. It felt good to move my body but man am I out of shape. I am thinking use it or lose it is correct.

Jim took a load of what we cut down to the rental house and added the limbs to the huge burn pile there. He has another load to take tomorrow and then that project can be crossed off my pending list.

I have to call the guttering guy tomorrow as one of the gutters is at the wrong angle and water doesn’t drain out it. The handyman found it when he was painting the eves. Trusting they will get out this week and get that fixed.

Jim got the light bulb in the garage door thingy put in today. We had brought home our tall ladder yesterday. Now we need to get the smoke detector batteries changed. I think that is something I can do so will start working on them tomorrow. We have two in the main living room and dining room that need the very tall extension ladder to reach the detectors. I will wait and have Jim help me with those two.

Tomorrow I will deliver nine dozen eggs to three different people. I will be down to five dozen after that. I’m grateful they are going out quicker now. The girls are only giving us closer to 20 eggs a day now and not the 26 – 28 they were laying for a bit.

We got a bit of rain today but betting we didn’t even get 1/4 of an inch. Some areas around us got over an inch but it seems to split and go around my little corner of the prairie. This coming week doesn’t hold much chance of rain. At least it isn’t going to be close to 100 this week. We are having a very mild July.

It is so good to feel good. I was hungry today and am afraid I ate some things I shouldn’t have but so far no cramping. If I have a good day tomorrow I can get back to eating on plan. I will have to detox the flour out of my body again.

Grateful for a full day of feeling good, grateful the little trees are gone from the lagoon area, and grateful the light bulb got changed in the garage today.

A quiet day at home. We did go to the rental house to bring home a ladder so I can change some light bulbs in the garage. The handyman is finishing up the painting today. Yay!

He sent me a text with pictures letting me know the guttering is not sloped correctly and was full of standing water. I will have to call the guttering guys Monday and have them come out and fix it.

I’m glad we went in as I was able to decide on the floor paint of the front porch and give it to my handyman so he could get that done. We are oh so close to calling it a wrap.

I’ve made four quick trips to the bathroom today. Feeling a bit better though. I got really tired early afternoon so laid down but wasn’t able to go to sleep. Maybe that is a sign of progress too.

Last night Jim and I sat out on the deck and watched the light show Mother Nature was putting on to the west and north of us. The power in the thunderstorms is wonderful to watch – especially when I am not in the path of the storm. We got some rain over night but I bet not even 1/4 of an inch. Areas around us got some nice rain but it broke up and went around us.

This has been another day of not doing much. I have been reading a lot lately and am quite content to sit in my corner chair and read. One of these days my energy will return and I will do something productive but until then I will rest and read.

Since my jury duty was canceled for Monday I have a free week ahead of me. I think I will plan a trip to KC one day so I can have lunch with Nicole and do a Costco run. I need to start thinking about getting a dress for Jason’s wedding but not sure I will be in the mood to shop next week. I still have over two months so no real rush. They are having a pretty casual wedding so I don’t have to find something fancy.

I will also call and get a hair cut scheduled for one day next week. I am overdue for one.

Jim went out and is mowing the lagoon area. We let it get away from us again this year and it is hard mowing as the weeds are very tall. There are lots of little trees that are growing up in the wrong place that need cut down too. So grateful Jim is willing to do that type of work around here.

I have been hungry today for the first time in a bit. Hard to know what to eat that won’t upset my tummy. I’m fixing Jim Tuna Noodle Casserole for dinner – I don’t think my tummy would approve of it for me so I will probably have chicken noodle soup again. I’m kinda getting tired of that though.

July has been relatively cool this year. We only reached 85 today and that is the temperature forecast for most of next week. I am grateful it hasn’t been 90 and over very often.

I’m not feeling quite so discouraged today. I am grateful my body is slowly healing and progress is being made towards recovery. It has been a long and hard three weeks for me. Trusting I will start recovering quickly now and will be able to put this behind me.

Grateful the rental house painting is done, grateful for the beauty of Mother Nature, and grateful my jury duty was canceled.

It has been a quiet day at home. My friend came and had three massage clients. Unfortunately I fell asleep while she was doing her last client and missed out on my chance to get a massage. I’m not sure why I am sleeping so much these days but will take the sleep. I’m sad I missed the massage though.

Jim went to the rental house late afternoon and did the final mow. He came home tired, hot and dirty. I’m glad we don’t have to mow again. He reported the handyman is almost finished with the painting of the house. Yay! What a relief to have that done. I will go look at it tomorrow. As we have time and energy there is more yard work that needs done at the rental house. All of it can wait though until it is cooler. After the handyman burns the big burn pile again I need to use the big rolling magnet and look for nails. I still need to get a small part of the foundation fixed but that isn’t urgent either.

My stomach cramping is better but I made four trips to the bathroom today. I took the last of the medication that I think is causing my sleepiness. I will be curious to see if the sleeping so much part of this goes away in the next couple of days. It has been three weeks since this all started. I can tell I am getting better but still not back to any sense of normal yet.

I fixed Jim stuffed chicken breast tonight. He was so hot and tired he didn’t eat much dinner. I had a few bites of plain chicken. I wasn’t too hungry either.

I did go out late morning and finished mowing the yard. I had mowed most of it last night. It is good to have that job done again. If we don’t get rain tomorrow as forecast I won’t have to mow for a bit. It is amazing how dry we are getting again.

No plans for the rest of the weekend. My jury duty responsibilities got cancelled for Monday so that frees up next week. I want to go to KC one day next week and do a Costco run and have lunch with Nicole. I need to call Monday and schedule a hair cut sometime next week. Trusting I will be feeling well enough to get those two things done.

I almost am feeling good enough to start thinking of coming up with a project to work on. I have a few minutes today where I had the energy to have done something but couldn’t come up with anything that needed done. It will be a switch for me now that the rental house project is wrapping up. That project consumed my time and energy these last six months. It is nice to have empty space again but I do like having a project to work on.

Grateful to see my friend today, grateful the yards are both mowed, and grateful for a moment of feeling much better today.

Happy birthday to my oldest – Jason. He came into this world weighing 10 pounds 2 ounces. I’m so proud of the man he has become. So looking forward to his wedding later this year.

I went to the doctor today. He wasn’t able to do much for me and still is thinking it is the C-Diff causing my ongoing problems and nothing else. I am to continue on bland foods, i.e. chicken noodle soup, rice and bananas for the near future. Once I can go several days without a bathroom emergency I can start trying to add gentle foods in. He encouraged patience.

My patience level is pretty low right now. I know progress is being made and things are slowly down but dang, I am so tired of this. I will allow myself to feel my disappointment and anger for today and then pull up my big girl panties tomorrow and deal. I can do this!

We called the people that Jim is buying a saw from when I was done with the doctor. Turns out we needed a trailer to haul the thing so they were kind enough to deliver it to Jim. How very considerate and kind of them. Jim was pleased with the condition of the saw and felt he got a good deal.

Once the saw was delivered Jim went back to town to run the errands we were going to run while we were in town. I needed two prescriptions picked up and some more bananas. He is picking up another gallon of paint for the rental house.

When I gathered eggs this morning there were four girls in the same nesting box. The other five nesting boxes were empty. How like humans chickens are sometimes. We humans tend to follow each other and not look for other options.

Tomorrow my friend is coming to do some massage work. It will be fun to see her again and to see her clients. I get treated to a massage at the end of her day. That will be sweet.

Jim is going to the rental house tomorrow to mow the yard one last time. I’m glad we can turn that over to our renter after this last mow. The handyman is going to paint tomorrow and may get finished by the end of the day. We shall see.

We don’t have any plans for the weekend. I have jury duty Monday afternoon unless they cancel it. I need to schedule a haircut but can’t do that until I know if I will be tied up in court.

I think Jim is going to Stillwater next week to work on his house there. He changes his mind often so we will see if he makes it. He has lots of projects to do here as well as there.

I called another company that does basement work to get an estimate. They are coming July 27 to look at the job. Hopefully one or the other of the companies will be able to do the work sometime soon and find out why I keep getting water in the basement.

I have a growing respect for people that have a chronic health condition. Thankfully, mine is short lived relatively speaking. I don’t do well when I don’t feel well for long periods of time.

Grateful for my body healing, grateful for chicken noodle soup, and grateful for Jason and all the joy he has brought to my life.

It has been a quiet day at home. I did go to Strong City this morning to talk to the Postmaster about the flag they put by our mailbox. Found out the carrier put the flag by my mailbox by mistake – it was meant for a neighbor. Glad we don’t have to move the mailbox 9 inches. Glad to cross something off my pending list and grateful we didn’t have to move the mailbox.

Went to the rental house to talk to the handyman but he wasn’t there. The house is looking really good painted up. I need to get him one more gallon of paint tomorrow when I go to Emporia. It is almost all painted up.

I haven’t done much again today but take a nap. This medication is knocking the stuffing out of me. I have slept more this last week than I did the whole month before that. Maybe they should sell this antibiotic as a sleeping pill. Still feeling a bit drained and very low energy. I am reading a book and struggling to keep my eyes open when I read. At least I haven’t had but one trip to the bathroom today.

We had leftovers for dinner. Still have another meal or two of leftovers in the fridge. I will try to come up with something fresh for tomorrow night though. Running out of ideas of what to fix. I am working to get the freezer cleaned out in preparation of the beef I have coming in August. Not sure I am making much progress. Not sure where I will put the beef but will figure it out when I need to.

I got hold of the guy that needs to come dig up my back yard to find the lateral lines for the drainage of the footings. He isn’t sure he wants to take the job but promised to come look at it. He isn’t sure when he can make it out. As long as it doesn’t rain a lot there is no rush. We didn’t get any of the rain that was in the area today and it doesn’t look like we will be getting any soon. It usually only leaks once or twice a year so there isn’t any rush. Just something that needs fixed sometime soon.

I’m still waiting for the plumber from Strong City to come install a water line from the faucet to the chicken coop so I don’t have to carry water so far. They had told me it would be a three week wait but I think it has been a month now. Good thing that wasn’t an urgent fix.

My regular plumber hasn’t made it back out to fix the water leaks in the barn either. I get tired of waiting for these guys to get out here. I hate to be a pain in their side but not sure how else to get them out here.

We still haven’t had the sheet rock repaired downstairs as we are waiting for the leak to be fixed.

I haven’t heard about the installation of our new shower either. They had told me that would take up to three months before they could do that job. I ordered it in May so they should be getting around to getting that job done soon. I sure will be glad when all these projects get completed. I don’t like loose ends and it seems like I have lots of them.

There is a common element to all of these repairs – water. Trusting this house will get into the flow of things soon and my water issues will go away.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with my family physician. Things are slowly down so it will probably be a waste of time. I am still struggling to figure out what to eat though and hoping he can give me some ideas about what is save to eat. Anything other than bananas, rice, or chicken noodle soup make me cramp. While I am in town I need to stop and get yet one more gallon of paint for the rental house. Truly hoping this is the last gallon needed.

Friday a friend is doing some massage work at my house. She used to live in the area and is back visiting and some of her former clients are coming so she can work on them. She has offered me a free massage in exchange for letting her work in my house. What a deal for me!

Next Monday I am to report for jury duty at 1:00 unless it gets settled and the jury gets cancelled. I will find out Monday morning. Hard to plan my week until I know my obligation to the court.

Three weeks from Friday we leave for Estes Park and will be there for three weeks. Sure would like to have the above noted things completed before we leave but I have my doubts it that will happen. I need to start making a list of things I want to take with me when we go. It will be nice to get away for a bit and be in the mountains.

Grateful for the sleep I have been getting, grateful the rental project is all but done, and grateful for repair guys that know how to get things done when they get around to it.

Another chicken noodle soup day. Six times and counting today. I called and made a doctor’s appointment for Thursday. Not sure there is anything he can do but I want him to get curious and make sure we aren’t missing something. Friday will be three weeks since this diarrhea started – that seems like a long time to me right now.

I went to Emporia this morning. I stopped at Flying J to get gas but the card reader wasn’t working so left and went to Casey’s. Then I went downtown to go to the bank that handles my rental property accounts so I could make a deposit. I stopped to see my business partner but he wasn’t in the office.

I then went to Sutherland’s to get another gallon of trim paint for the rental house. Stopped at Walmart to get some groceries. Jim wanted some fly strips to hang in the chicken coop so picked those up too. I picked up a prescription that was ready and then came home.

I went by the rental house to drop off the paint. That house is really starting to look nice with the trim paint going up. We are so close now to finishing up that project.

I was gone over two hours running all my errands. I ate some chicken noodle soup for lunch and then took a nap. I sure am getting lots of extra sleep right now. I’m not sure if it is the medication that is making me so tired or if my thyroid medication is working and my levels have dropped allowing me to be able to sleep. Whatever it is, I’m grateful for the sleep.

Jim is teaching the last of his three class series on religious history. He sure enjoys putting these classes together. He spends hours working on a 1 1/2 hour lecture.

I haven’t done much again today except for the trip to town. Going to town still wears me out. I don’t people well these days. The pandemic isolation caused me to lose what ever little people skills I had. I much prefer staying home and not being around people.

I have some chicken cooking in the crock pot for dinner tonight. These are the chickens I got from a local rancher that is starting an organic farm and raising humanly raised animals. The chickens are very small and don’t have lots of meat on them so I cooked two of them tonight. I like the leftover chicken to heat up for my lunches.

I’m still struggling to find foods that I can safely eat right now. What my body seems to tolerate best right now is graham crackers, rice, chicken noodle soup, and Rice Chex.. I don’t normally eat carbohydrates like that. I’m hoping I can tolerate the plain chicken tonight as I am craving some protein but haven’t found one that doesn’t cause my tummy to cramp up. I tried an orange the other day and that was a mistake. So far the banana I ate earlier has not caused trouble. I had some peanut butter the other day and that was a big mistake. I can’t seem to eat fatty foods right now.

Nothing on the calendar for tomorrow so will have another quiet day at home. Still waiting for the urge to get some house cleaning done but so far that hasn’t happened. May have to force the issue soon as the house is starting to bother me again as it is getting dirty and dusty.

I sat out with Jim on the back deck last night for a bit. The night sky was incredible- I love seeing the Milky Way over head. I had to put a jacket on as I got a bit chilled. Amazing that happens in July in KS. This weather has been delightfully cool for July.

I don’t think Jim is going to make it to Stillwater this week. He is shy about leaving me while I am still having issues. Hoping the doctor can figure out something else we can try Thursday and this all ends soon. I am ready to get on with the rest of my life instead of being worried about where the closest toilet is.

Grateful my errands have been run for the week, grateful for the painting the handyman is getting done, and grateful for the beauty of the night sky on the prairie.

Today has been a rest and recovery day. I haven’t had to run to the bathroom which is good news. I’ve been really tired today though and haven’t had much energy. Good thing there was nothing that had to be done.

I did my egg delivery late morning. The eggs don’t seem to be piling up so quickly on me right now. Tim took two dozen home yesterday and I used three dozen over the weekend so I could make deviled eggs and potato salad. I’m glad they are moving on out.

We went to the rental house this afternoon to see the painting work that the handyman is doing. What a difference it is making to the house. I’m getting excited to see it all done. The house really looks nice. Once we get the painting done we can turn the mowing over to the renter. We will have to mow it one more time and then that job will be done. When I go to town tomorrow I will need to pick up one more gallon of trim paint and then I think we will be done buying paint.

I fixed Jim stuffed peppers for dinner. I wanted to make some rice for me to eat and had some hamburger thawed and two peppers that needed used up. He said it was good – I had never made it before. I had chicken noodle soup with rice added. I decided to go easy on my tummy today and see if it would help it settle down. It seems to have worked but we will see how tomorrow goes.

I took a nap this afternoon. I seem to need lots of extra rest right now. I was sitting in my chair reading and fell asleep. It is only 7:00 now and I could go to bed for the night already. I still may although I’m afraid if I did I would wake up at 3:00 and not be able to sleep any more. One of the side effects of the second medication the doctor gave me last week is fatigue.

I kept smelling something icky in the kitchen. I finally figured out it was one of the pans of wheat berries that I sprout for the chickens. Not sure why this pan went bad – this is the first time that this has happened. Glad I figured out what the smell was so I could get rid of it.

I need to go to Emporia in the morning to pick up a prescription, go to the bank and get more paint. I don’t have many groceries on my list but will pick up the few I need.

Jim is buying a saw of some sort from a lady in Emporia and we will need to go pick that up tomorrow sometime. He teaches his last class tomorrow late afternoon. He sure enjoys teaching and spends lots of time getting ready for the classes. I think his next class will be in October sometime.

Feeling a bit discouraged again today. I am so tired of not feeling well and feeling so drained. I may call the doctor tomorrow and make an appointment. I have the feeling we are missing something. I need to talk to the doctor about what to eat. It is hard to find things that don’t make my tummy cramp when I eat.

Grateful for the painting that got done on the rental house today, grateful the experiment making stuffed peppers turned out good, and grateful I can rest whenever my body needs it.

We had a wonderful evening with the kids. Good food, good company and lots of fireworks and fun. The weather was perfect. It is always a good day when the kids come out.

Besides the fireworks we did there were lots of fireworks we could see all around us tonight. We had a good view of the fireworks the City of Emporia set off tonight.

I took a nap again today. I have had eight trips to the bathroom today and am feeling a bit drained again. At least I haven’t had stomach cramps today so progress is being made. I didn’t eat any flour today so hoping that will help me feel better tomorrow. Wish I could figure out the connection between my stomach issues and what ever causes them. Can’t seem to make sense of all of it. If things don’t slow down tomorrow I will have to go back on clear fluids for 24 hours and rest my tummy again.

We don’t have any plans for tomorrow – for that matter we don’t have anything on the calendar for the rest of the week except for Jim teaching his class Tuesday late afternoon. Hoping I am feeling better and can get to town to paint in the mornings.

Grateful for the time I had with my kids tonight, grateful for an empty space day tomorrow, and grateful for afternoon naps.

A much better day today. I am feeling almost normal today – at last! So very grateful for healing of my body.

Jim helped me give the girls fresh linens today. The monthly summer clean out of the coop is fairly easy as the straw is still dry and light. I love to watch the girls get busy and rearrange the straw when we are done. Hoping clean straw will help cut down the number of flies that are inside the coop.

The kids are going to come for dinner tomorrow night instead of tonight. Jason and his family will be able to come then so it worked out good for all. This morning I thought we were going to have hamburgers for dinner tonight and now we aren’t so guess we will have leftovers. No worries – I have several to choose from.

I took a nap today again. I can tell my body is working hard to recover and it needs extra rest right now. I slept fairly good last night but was up at 6:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep.

I haven’t done much today. The house needs some cleaning done to it if the mood strikes but so far it hasn’t. If I keep feeling good I may be able to get some painting done in the mornings next week. That would be nice!

I need to get back on my eating plan. I can tell I have been eating way too much food that has flour in it. It causes me to be hungry all the time and all my body thinks it wants to eat is more food that has flour in it. Now that my tummy has settled down I can get back on my regular eating plan and get back off flour. I will have to detox for a couple of days while my body withdraws from the flour cravings.

It was another beautiful day on the prairie with the temperature in the mid 80’s. It felt warmer than that to me though. I’m grateful for the sunshine and more seasonal temperatures. Hoping the upper 90’s aren’t seen for a bit longer.

I finally figured out why I don’t like fireworks. Someone posted something on Facebook that called them warfare and that rang a bell deep inside me. I am so against war and fireworks represent warfare. Not sure why I hadn’t made that connection before. I’m a bit slow at times. Makes me wonder why I don’t like Christmas and what connection I am missing with that.

Grateful for the healing my body is doing, grateful it worked out for the kids to come tomorrow night, and grateful the girls have fresh linens.

Not such a good day today. Eight runs to the bathroom and mild cramping. Wish I knew if it because I am eating the wrong foods or if that doesn’t matter. Maybe tomorrow will be a good day.

Went to Emporia to deliver a stool sample this morning. Stopped and got a few groceries and exchanged the propane tank for my grill. Came home and got everything put away. I took a nap this afternoon and am still a bit tired this evening.

I did manage to get the yard mowed today. I did it in three different sessions but stuck with it and got it done. Jim got out the push mower and did the edges. The yard looks nice tonight.

Fixed fish for dinner. I was able to eat about half the piece of salmon I fixed for myself. Not sure it was the right thing to eat but that is what I had.

I drank a gallon of fluids yesterday. Haven’t gotten that much down today but still working at it. It does help to be hydrated. Sometimes I can drink lots and other times I get a bit nauseous drinking.

Not sure any of the kids are going to make it out tomorrow night for dinner. No worries, we will grill hamburgers for the two of us if they can’t make it. I cooked some potatoes today so will make some potato salad – it happens to be something Jim really likes.

It was a beautiful day on the prairie today. Lots of blue skies and sunshine. It warmed up to the middle 80’s. I could get used to weather like this everyday.

I am a bit discouraged again today. After not going yesterday I thought I had turned the corner and was over this crap. Maybe this was the last of it and things will be better tomorrow.

Grateful the mowing is done, grateful I can stay home all day tomorrow, and grateful for the beautiful day we had today.