Starry night on the prairie

It has been a very busy day and it is only 3:15. Got a text from Michelle this morning requesting a few things from Walmart. I got up and got dressed and headed into town. Stopped by Walmart and picked up the things she needed then dropped them off on her porch.

Since I was in town I decided to go ahead and head to Olpe to pick up the beef that was ready. We ended up with over 500 pounds of beef. It filled my two freezers when I got home. It took me a bit of time to get it all unloaded from the car and into the freezer. The hamburger packages kept falling out – luckily I missed my toes.

When I got the beef all put away I mowed the yarn. I still have a little bit to finish but 90% of it is done. It was getting hot outside by the time I finished mowing.

Then I went down to the baby chickens and cleaned out the nursery. I picked up the paper they were on and put down the cottonseed hulls. As I put each chick back into their clean pen I checked them for pasty butt and cleaned the ones that were showing signs of it.

You should have seen the look on Jim’s face last night when I told him I needed to check the chicks butts. He didn’t offer to come down and help me this afternoon.

Came in from mowing and taking care of the chicks and took another shower. I was dripping sweat and was itchy from the grass I blew up in my face mowing.

Started some laundry and am cleaning house. Nicole and Geoff are coming in later tonight.

I took three calls on the Hotline last night – none of them urgent. I didn’t feel like I was doing a very good job last night. I felt impatient and like I pushed them off the line too fast. I quit when my two hour shift was up even though they were busy. Some nights are easier for me than others and last night wasn’t too much fun.

I dug out some tea towels and cut out the transfers so I can get some more stamped to embroidery. I had left the ironing board up to remind me to do that and I want to take the ironing board down so need to get the tea towels stamped. I also have some flannel pieces that need pressed so I can finish up this batch of face masks. I haven’t sewed on them all week. I am getting tired of the mess on a kitchen table and want them done and out of the way.

Michelle seems to be doing a bit better today although that is relative and subject to change quickly. This virus is a bit unpredictable and takes a different course everyday. Just hoping the other three In her house don’t come down with it too.

I need to go back out to the garage and sort through the beef. I didn’t count the packages when I put it away and still need to do that. We are dividing it up amongst the four of us and I need to get a good count of each package so I know how to divide it up. The guy at the processing plant in Olpe said he is booked up until June 2021.

I’m finally cooled down from all my work outside. I was too sweaty to be able to put a bra on after my second shower of the day. I think I have quit dripping sweat and can probably put it on now. Oh the joys of a KS summer.

I may go take a nap. I’m tired and kinda grumpy. Maybe a nap will revive me and give me enough energy to stay awake for a bit this evening so I can visit with Nicole and Geoff.

Last night around 1:30 we were still up so the lights were on all over the house. The doorbell rang. Jim answered it and it was some guy that said he had just moved to Emporia a bit ago. He wanted to know where Highway 50 went so he started walking. He got tired and saw our lights and came up to ask for a ride back into town. I called the Sheriff and they came to get him. Kinda gutsy of the guy to ring the doorbell at 1:30 in the morning. The sheriff showed up quickly and took the guy away. Weird!

I wondered if he had found out we run an Airbnb and was stopping to see if we had any beds available. Jim said he didn’t think the guy knew about the Airbnb. I trust he doesn’t come back in the middle of the night again.

Grateful for the beef in the freezers, grateful Michelle asked for some help, and grateful the yard is mowed and chicks have fresh linens.

Jim got home a little after 8:00 last night. It was good to see him. We got his car unloaded we had chili for dinner.

I had to work my volunteer shift on the Hot Line after dinner. I handled seven calls last night. We weren’t too busy when I logged on but they were getting busy when my shift was over. I usually stay on later but wanted to sit outside with Jim for a bit and watch the meteor shower.

Didn’t see lots of meteors last night before the clouds started rolling in. We checked radar and could see the lightening from storms over 100 miles away.

I got some good sleep last night at last. I fell asleep very quickly and slept most of the night.

Got a phone call at 7:45 this morning telling me my chicks had arrived. I got up and got dressed and went to pick them up. All of them arrived alive and looking good. I mixed up the sugar water and filled the watering containers and then filled the feed container. I sprinkled extra food on the paper they are on. One by one I took them out of the shipping container and dipped their little beak into the water. All of them started drinking right away.

Just as I was finishing i got a phone call from Tim. He had to take Michelle to ED as she was dehydrated badly. He couldn’t stay at the hospital with her so had to leave her at the door. She has COVID and was pretty out of it. Luckily after getting lots of fluids she perked up and was able to come home late morning.

Jim went back to bed after we got the chicks settled. I stayed up and got the new tv connected. I had trouble finding the USB ports on the TV. They were located on the side of a slot on the back of the TV. Once I found them I got everything up and running smoothly.

I took a two hour nap this afternoon. I was more tired getting sleep then I am when I don’t get sleep. It feels good to feel rested now.

I’ve been down several times checking on the baby chicks. They all seem to be settling in and are not peeping so loudly now. Tomorrow I will have to remove the paper they are on and put down the cottonseed hulls. Have to figure out a way to lift the water containers up off the floor a bit. They will stay in the small nursery for about two weeks and then they can have the run of the chicken coop. At four weeks I can let them go outside during the day.

I am fixing scalloped potatoes with ham for dinner. I called Tim to see if they wanted a pan of it too and found out Tagen’s dad and wife are bringing them over dinner tonight. A neighbor is fixing dinner for them tomorrow night. How sweet is that? It takes a village to survive COVID and I’m glad the village is stepping up to help them out.

Tomorrow the beef should be ready for us to go pick it up. Nicole and Geoff will be here late evening to spend the night. I’ll fix breakfast for them Saturday morning and then they will return to KC. I’m fixing dinner for Tim and kiddos Saturday evening.

It was scary getting the call that Michelle had to go to the hospital this morning. I’m grateful she got to come back home and trust she will continue to recover at home. This shit is dangerous and things can go downhill quickly.

Grateful the baby chicks arrived safely, grateful for the village helping to support Tim and Michelle, and grateful Jim is back home.

Oh what a night! Very little sleep. I took a nap from 9:00Pm – 11:00pmm so I could stay up and watch the meteor shower. I got to watch for about 30 minutes before the clouds rolled in and blocked the view. I saw several meteors but it wasn’t a great show like in 2016. I came in after the clouds rolled in and got on the Hot Line. I stayed on until 4:00 am as I wasn’t tired. Finally took a bath and went to bed but couldn’t fall asleep. Still haven’t slept. Hoping I can take a nap yet today so I can stay up for a bit when Jim gets here. He won’t be here until after 8:00.

I took 7 calls on the hot line last night. Two were intense but successfully resolved. I am feeling more and more comfortable with handling calls now. I have volunteered for 90 hours so far. Only 110 more hours to fulfill my commitment. I have a scheduled shift tonight. We have been very busy lately late at night and there are less and less counselors on each shift now. When the call is intense I only take one call at a time but when it is a routine call I take two at a time. Some people can handle up to four conversations at a time but I’m not there yet.

Did some house cleaning and laundry today. Have a crock pot of chili cooking for when Jim gets here for dinner. I wasn’t sure what time he would get away and needed something that was forgiving of time in case he was later than he expected to be. I told him this morning I would be surprised if he left before 5:00. He told me he would leave at 3:00. I was right this time!

Sure hoping the baby chickens will arrive tomorrow. It may be Friday though. I worry about them traveling without food or water for 2 – 3 days but they ship them successfully all the time and I have to trust they know what they are doing. It will be fun to have baby chicks again.

I should get a call either tomorrow or Friday that our beef is ready to be picked up. It will be nice to have a full freezer of beef. I still haven’t gotten the bill for the beef so not sure how much it is yet. Hopefully I will get the bill soon.

Nicole and Geoff are coming to spend the night Friday night. They are leaving after breakfast Saturday morning so it will be a short visit. They are coming to pick up their quarter of beef. It will be fun to see them.

Saturday I am going to take dinner to Tim and Michelle again. This time the request is for meat loaf. Not sure what I will fix to go with it – probably cheesy potatoes, corn and a dessert of some sort. Ellexia texted me last night to thank me for the dinner I took in last night. That was so sweet of her.

With all that going on it will be a busy weekend tending to baby chickens and cooking. I will enjoy every minute of it though.

Next week I have my annual physical and mammogram appointments. It is always good to get those done for the year.

It will be good to have Jim back home again. It is hard for him to leave his place in Stillwater and come back here. I think he feels like a man divided. I know the feeling as that is how I felt for the first six months this year. It is hard to live in two different places.

Grateful Jim will be home soon, grateful the baby chicks will be here very soon, and grateful I will have a full freezer of beef by weeks end.

I spent most of the day cooking in the kitchen. I volunteered to take dinner into Tim and Michelle. I fixed creamed chicken and biscuits, mashed potatoes, green beans and brownies. It takes me longer to fix a meal than it used to. I didn’t sample anything so trusting it was all edible.

I ran it into them at 5:00. Ellexia wanted to eat early as she was hungry. I stopped and got some groceries after I dropped the meal off and then came home and put everything away. I got the kitchen cleaned up and everything put away from my cooking adventure. All is back to normal again.

Got an email from my chicken supplier. The chicks were put in the mail this afternoon and should be here either Thursday or Friday morning. I trust their travel adventure will go smoothly. I’m sure they will be hungry and thirsty when they get here.

I haven’t gotten much else done today. Want to do some more cleaning this evening. Last night I was going to clean but my neighbor called and we went for a 3 mile walk instead. My legs needed stretched and it was good for my soul to move my body. I might take another walk tonight – we shall see. I really need to get some cleaning done.

I haven’t worked on face masks today. Needed to take a break for a day from them. They seem to sit patiently waiting for me to get back to them to finish them up. Have enough pieces for about 100 more. Then I will have to decide if I want to order more material to make more or not. Right now I’m not so sure I do but that may change. They do give me something productive to do when I can’t think of other things to do.

Jim picked up the TV I purchased on-line from Best Buy. The wall stand was back ordered and they are going to ship that to us. It will be nice to have a TV big enough to see the words on the screen.

I spent 20 minutes cleaning up Tony’s feeding station yesterday. When I went into the study today I noticed he had destroyed it again and it is a big mess. He is worse than a child at times. Tony is one of Jim’s cats. He spends most of his time outside but comes in to eat and sleep. If he doesn’t quit making a mess he may find himself eating and sleeping outside.

Jim is to come home tomorrow. His floor guys showed up a day early and got the job done today. He had some last minute things to finish up but will load up and head home early afternoon tomorrow. It will be good to have him back home.

So far today the skies are clear. I want to go out tonight and look for meteors as the Perseid Meteor Shower is this week. I hope they put on a great show this year.

I slept in bits and icees last night. I sure wish I could sleep for five or six hours straight without waking up and staying awake for an hour or so. I’m really tired tonight so maybe tonight will be the night I can get some good sleep. It has been several nights since that happened.

Need to take the trash down and track down Jim’s cats to give them their flea and tick medication. Those are the last two things on my to do list for the day. I have a wish to do list too but that one seems not to get done very often.

Feeling a bit better today although I am still not fully grounded. Am giving myself some grace and lowering my personal expectations of myself right now. Things keep changing and spinning around me and I struggle at times to keep up. Sometimes the best thing I can do is let go and block out as much as possible and remember to take care of myself. Harder to do that than it feels like it should be sometimes though.

Grateful I was able to take dinner into the kids tonight, grateful the chicks are on their way, and grateful Jim will be home tomorrow.

Happy birthday to my baby brother Keith. He turns 63 today. Trust he is having a great day. If I know him he is probably working in his garden today.

A member of my family tested positive for COVID19. Thankfully I haven’t been around them for the last six weeks. Their whole household is under a 14 day quarantine and no one is allowed to go anywhere and no one can come in the house. So far the symptoms are mild – I trust they stay that way.

I didn’t have any takers on my latest face mask offer so I took 100 of them to the High School today. I trust they will find a home for them. Not sure how the staff is protected and am guessing not all the students will have one. I left my phone number with them so they can call me if they need more of them.

I’m thinking the next big batch of masks I make will be children’s sizes and I will donate them to the grade schools. I’ll see if I do another batch. I’m at that point with this batch that I’m thinking I am done but I have been here before and started again. We shall see what happens.

I baked a batch of Snickerdoodle cookies today. I was anxious and needed something to do. The house smells good when I bake them. I love cinnamon and the house smells like cinnamon and sugar. I took the peanut butter cookies I made yesterday and dropped them off at Michelle’s house when I ran into town to drop the face masks off at the high school. I’m still feeling the urge to bake but not sure what to bake.

I have started my house cleaning project. I got the study almost done yesterday and have bits and pieces of other rooms done. Guess I will work off my anxiousness by cleaning this afternoon. I’m surprised how much dirt I am finding. I cleaned the main floor before we left for CO and have to keep reminding myself that was six weeks ago. It feels like it was last week.

I have an electric fireplace thingy that warms a room up nicely. If you know of someone that needs extra heat for the winter let me know. It is in great shape and has extra storage on both sides of the fireplace. We are reorganizing the study and I don’t have room for it any more. I can send pictures if needed.

I called the post office in Strong City this morning to alert them that I have baby chicks coming sometime this week. She told me they would call when they got them. Their mail arrives around 7:30 in the morning and I can come then to get them. Sure hope we don’t lose any during the shipping process. I have their nursery all set up and waiting for them. Just have to add sugar water and feed and plug in the heat lamp.

The Perseid Meteor shower is this week. I hope the skies clear during the night so the meteors can be seen. In 2016 it was a fabulous display and hasn’t been so good the last couple of years. The moon will be a bit bright which will cut down on the number visible but hopefully it will be a fun couple of nights to stargaze.

Feeling a bit anxious and pissed off this afternoon. If you are a tRump supporter I would stay away from me for a while. This whole COVID situation has been handled so poorly and now it has come home for me. I will spend some time making more masks as it is something productive I can do and feel like I am making a bit of a difference but it sure feels like it isn’t enough.

Grateful for my baby brother Keith, grateful for home made cookies, and grateful for the Perseid Meteor shower.

A rainy day on the prairie today. The clouds are moving on out and the sun is coming through this afternoon. It is to warm up and be hot and humid this afternoon. Didn’t get much rain though. More is in the forecast for the coming week.

I couldn’t sleep last night so hopped on the Hot Line. They were getting slammed. I took five calls in less than an hour. None were urgent type calls and two disengaged pretty quickly. I got tired so got off even though they were still busy. At some point I don’t feel I do a very good job if I am too tired.

I didn’t sleep very well again last night. I’m never sure why. I finally got up at 8:00 and went back to bed at 11:00 and got one more hour of sleep then.

The lady that borrowed my knee scooter brought it back today along with two rib eye steaks. I would say I got the better end of that deal. She had found the scooter to be most helpful and was amazed I had loaned it to her without knowing her. The scooter had dumped her off once. I’m glad I had warned her that might happen. I got dumped a couple times too.

I baked a batch of cookies for the grandkids. They aren’t home today so will take them in tomorrow unless they stop by today and get them. I was in the mood to bake today. Next up is getting some cleaning done. Once I get started I will be OK – it is the starting part that trips me up.

I now have 100 face masks completed. If you need some let me know and I will mail some to you. I haven’t made any kid sized ones yet though. If no one I know needs them I will donate them to the high school.

Starting to feel a bit disconnected from the “real” world today. Not sure why as I have spent lots of time alone before and haven’t felt that way before. Guess I have forgotten how to spend time alone.

Have had a touch of a headache today. Thinking it is the weather that is causing it. The wind has been blowing much of the day and it is hazy outside when it isn’t raining. Not my favorite type of prairie days.

Got the results of the nuclear stress test and everything that I read seems like it was normal test results. I see the Cardiologist the middle of September for a follow-up visit. I am guessing he will dismiss me again. I have quit wearing my smart watch to bed. If I don’t know my heart rate is below 40 at night I don’t have to worry about it – right?

I need to go into the study and write some letters. I figured out last night how to make the font bigger so it will make it easier to write letters. Please don’t tell me that is a sign of getting old when one has to increase the font size on the screen. Next thing you know I will be buying large print sized books.

I need to get up and move my body before I fall asleep in my chair. I am going to try hard not to take a nap today so I can give myself a better chance of sleeping good tonight. I am overdue for a good night’s sleep.

Grateful the scooter has been returned along with two steaks, grateful The nuclear stress test results were normal, and grateful I figured out how to increase the font size on my computer screen.

I think I burned up Jim’s sewing machine today. I heard a clunking sound and then it froze up and won’t move. It made over 600 face masks. Maybe it is just tired and needs to rest for a bit. I have another machine I got out. I didn’t realize how loud Jim’s machine was getting. Onward with the new machine!

The guy came back today and baled the hay he cut yesterday. I think I have about 20 – 22 bales. Last year he got 29. The grass was not as tall this year due to the drought we had in June and early July. It is fun to watch him bale it and have the machine poop out the big bales. That is what Ellexia and Tagen called it anyways when they were younger and were here and watched the process happen.

I mowed the tall grass that was still standing between what I normally mow and what the guy mowed. I’m glad that project is done. It is dusty and dirty mowing with lots of grasshoppers jumping on me. I took a shower when I was done but still am finding dirt on me in places it doesn’t belong.

I took a nap again this afternoon. I didn’t mean to but stuff happens occasionally that is not planned. I hadn’t slept very well last night and was tired after being outside mowing.

I got on the Crisis Hot Line last night and handled three calls. Two were normal teenager issues and the other was a single mom. I felt bad for the single mom as I’m not sure I was able to offer much help. Society doesn’t play nice sometimes with single moms and what she needed isn’t available.

Finished another 20 masks today and will probably do another 20 before the day is over. I have 80 made now so am ready to offer them to anyone that still needs a mask. Send me a message if you need some and I will mail some to you. I have a group that will take as many as I can make but I want to make sure all my friends and family have masks first before I donate them to the group.

It was a hot one today. Got up to the upper 90’s. If you add in the heat index it was almost 110 this afternoon. It is to be hot again tomorrow and then rain comes in Monday and stays around for most of the week. I’m glad the yard work is done.

I haven’t seen another person all day. Nicole called and I talked on the phone with her for a bit. I texted with Jim several times but haven’t talked to him yet. I remember when I would go days like this and not think anything about it. I have gotten used to having Jim around and it is weird being alone again.

I ordered a new TV and wall stand for the study today. Jim is going to use curbside pickup at Best Buy in Stillwater and pick it up and bring it home with him next week. That was easy! The TV I have now is a very small one and I can’t read the words on the screen from my desk. Is that a sign I am getting old? Maybe! I had a $40 gift certificate I wanted to get used up before it expired and this seemed like a good thing to use it on. Trusting I can get it all hooked up without issue. Sometimes I can manage those things and other times not so much.

Haven’t started cleaning house yet but am starting to feel the urge. Maybe tomorrow will be a good cleaning day as it will be too hot to be outside. I would like to at least get the main floor cleaned really well before Jim gets home the end of the week. I’m not sure he Yet understands my cleaning standards. Somethings are hard to explain to someone else.

Nothing on my calendar for the next few days. The baby chickens should be here Wednesday or Thursday. They will give me something exciting to do for a few days. Once they get to be a week old they take less work. I’m glad it is going to cool down a bit come Monday so their shipping adventure won’t be so hot for them.

The quiet today has done my soul good. I feel more grounded and centered than I have for some time. I’ve had some relaxing, quiet music on today and I have enjoyed that. It feels good to have some quality empty space again.

Grateful the hard mowing is done, grateful the hay got baled, and grateful for all the miles Of sewing Jim’s sewing machine gave me.

Jim left for Stillwater around 4:00 this afternoon. He will be gone a week. The house feels so big and empty without him here.

He waited to leave as he had a zoom call scheduled for 3:00. The lady never sent him the credentials to get into the call and never called to say what was happening. A bit frustrating to have waited all afternoon for a call that didn’t happen.

The guy came to mow the tall grass on the property today. I enjoy watching him work. He will come flip it over in a day or two and then come the third time to bale it. I have some mowing to do now that I only do after the tall grass is cut. I don’t like this mowing job as the grass is tall, it is rocky, it will be dirty and dusty, and there will be lots of grasshoppers, turtles, and snakes to watch out for.

I worked on making masks for a bit today. I have 50 of them made so far and lots more bits and pieces to put together yet. Slowly but surely I am making another big pile of completed masks.

I went into town this morning to go grocery shopping. I didn’t think I had many things on my list but ended up spending way more money than I had planned to and got lots of things that were not on my list. Always feels good to have my weekly trip to town over and done with. I picked a good time to go to the store as it wasn’t busy while I was there. I was able to get in and out fairly quickly.

I have nothing on my calendar for the time Jim is gone. I have lots of things I may get done that are on my to-do list but nothing that has to be done. It will be interesting to see what I do with this empty space time. Feels like it has been a long time since I had a full week of empty space and no one around to share it with me.

I had invited a friend to come spend a night or two but she decided not to come. She is in the middle of a journey and felt like she needed to stay home. I have a few people I need to go visit so may do that one or two days this coming week.

I’m excited the baby chickens will be here soon. I had to buy eggs today. Looking forward to having a fresh supply again in my backyard.

Our beef will be ready a week from today. It will be nice to have a full freezer of beef to eat. Grocery store prices have become outrageous for beef. Not sure who is getting rich off of the prices they are charging but it isn’t the local rancher.

I’m sitting in my corner chair looking at my dirty house and trying to find some motivation to clean it. Sure wish it would stay clean longer than it does. I do love a clean house though. Hoping I find the motivation to get after it this week and get lots of detail cleaning done. We shall see what the week brings.

Grateful for the guy that mows my tall grass, grateful for empty space, and grateful for lots of options for me to choose from on how to spend my time.

The chicken coop is set up and ready to welcome the new babies that are arriving mid-week next week. All I need to do is fill the water and food containers and turn the heat lamp on. I’m getting excited to get them here and get them settled in.

They will only need the baby corral for the first two weeks or so. Then I can open it up and let them have run of the whole chicken coop for the next four weeks. They won’t get outside until four weeks old and then I will have to put them back inside for the night. It may depend on the weather though. If it gets cold early they will have to stay inside until they are six weeks old.

I tore the other sheet into strips today. Still need to measure and cut the strips into pieces. Then I can press all the pieces and start the assembly process. I have half the ribbon cut and sewed so will need to do the other half of the ribbon. I’ll probably cut the ribbon into pieces while waiting on a Crisis Text call tonight.

Other than doing three loads of laundry I haven’t done much else today. I laid down and took a nap this afternoon. I have to stay up late tonight and this way I will be able to do so without getting too tired taking calls.

Jim has been outside working on moving gravel all afternoon. That is hot work today as it has warmed up again on the prairie.

Still not sure when he is going to Stillwater. He attempted to call the garage door people today but was having trouble getting the call to go through. Not sure what he found out if anything.

I finally feel like all of me got home. I can start to look ahead at the things I want to do here and get started on some long overdue projects I have to do. It is nice to feel settled and rooted again.

Need to go into Cottonwood Falls and take recycling. Friday I will need to go to Emporia and go grocery shopping. I don’t have too big of a list this time so it won’t take too long to get what I need.

I was happy to see Lyon County adopt a required face mask policy. Wish Chase County would revisit the issue and do the same in light of their increasing case counts. It may take someone dying before they do that though. We will continue wearing ours whenever we are inside a building.

I am going to fix ham and beans in the instant pot tonight for dinner. Jim wanted split pea soup but I don’t have any split peas. Have some at our Stillwater house but not here. I’ll make some corn bread for Jim to go with it.

Grateful to be welcoming baby chickens next week, grateful for face masks, and grateful to be home on the prairie again.

This day has not gone as expected but in the best of ways. The only thing I had on my to do list today was to clean out the chicken coop. I worked on masks too long this morning waiting for it to warm up a bit. About the time I decided to go down and get started Jason came out.

It was good to see Jason and visit with him for a while. He stayed for a couple of hours. When he left I laid down for a minute and 30 minutes later Jim woke me up. We had somewhere to go and it was time to get ready to leave.

We went to a friend’s house for an outdoor sing along. Ten of us sat in the shade of the trees and sang together. Several played various musical instruments. It was so relaxing and great fun. Jim got to meet some new to him people from the community. I took along my knitting and knitted two dishrags while enjoying the music.

Afterwards we invited the hosts over for dinner. I had a crock pot of white chicken chili cooking. They came over for dinner and we visited for a while afterwards. After they left Jim helped me clean up the kitchen and here it is almost 9:00 and the chicken coop didn’t get cleaned out today. There is always tomorrow.

I don’t have anything on my calendar for tomorrow except the Crisis Text Hot Line shift at 10:00 in the evening. Maybe I’ll get the chicken coop cleaned tomorrow. It is to be a bit warmer tomorrow but no rain until Thursday.

Thursday the air conditioner guy is coming to do the spring check up and to fix the stack on the barn. The new oven is to be installed Thursday too. It will be good to get those three things crossed off my to do list. All three have been on it for several months.

Jim still hasn’t decided when he is going to Stillwater. He keeps forgetting to call the two guys to see if they can come do the two pending projects he wants to get done while he is there. We will continue to play it day by day.

Found out today that the beef we have coming will be ready the end of next week. Nicole and Geoff are going to come down a week from Friday and will spend the night and then take their part of the beef home with them Saturday morning. It will be nice to have a freezer full of beef again.

I need to start cleaning house. I need to finish my spring cleaning – or maybe I will start my fall cleaning early. Every room needs a good going over and freshened up. I need to go through all the kitchen drawers and cabinets and put my kitchen back together again. Once a year I like to go through every drawer and cabinet in the house and get rid of stuff I no longer use. Helps keep the clutter down and it is nice to remember where everything is. It always amazes me what I find and what things I no longer use.

I need to write a few letters. I have written five since I have been home but have a bunch more to write and send off. I so enjoy writing letters and staying in touch with people the old fashioned way.

I have 30 face masks made and looking for a home. I cut out one of the two sheets and have the pieces ready to be pressed. I still need to cut two more spools of ribbon into the right sized pieces and sew them together. I have the other sheet to cut into pieces yet. Then I can go into mass assembly process again. Every time I get to this stage and think I doubt that I will make another batch and yet every time I have decided to continue making them. We will see what happens this time. I am getting tired of the clutter on my dining room tables.

Grateful Jason came to visit today, grateful for the friendship and music today, and grateful our friends joined us for dinner.

Went to Topeka mid day to have the Nuclear Stress test done. When I got there they took me back and started an IV and injected the nuclear medication. Then they sent me back out to the waiting room for an hour. The nurse told me to drink something and offered me Coke or Sprite. I told her I didn’t do sugar so she offered me a diet Sprite. I told her I didn’t do artificial sugar either. She looked at me like I had two heads. She then offered me the water fountain. I had brought water with me so went out to the car to drink 32 oz of water.

While I was sitting in my car drinking the passenger side door of the car sitting next to mine opened and their door hit my car. The guy in the passenger side glared at me like I had done something wrong. He went to get out and managed to hit my car with the door several more times. After he got out I realized he was physically challenged and had trouble getting out of the car. The only problem is my car was there before they pulled in. My car was well inside the lines. I didn’t react and after he went in the building I moved my car to another spot so it wouldn’t get hit again when the guy came back to get into his car.

After my hour was up they called me back and did a 15 minute scan of my heart. I had to lay with my arms above my head and not move. When that was over I did the Tread mill for 10 minutes. They kept increasing the incline and the speed every three minutes. My heart went from 60 to 140. I could have gone longer but I had reached the heart rate they were after. I had to sit in the room for a bit afterwards until my BP and heart rate returned to normal.

They injected me with more Nuclear junk and then sent me to the waiting room for 15 minutes. Had another scan done and then I was able to leave. I am to drink lots of water today to wash that stuff through my system. I have 64 oz down so far and am working on another 32.

The Turnpike has five construction zones between Emporia and Topeka. Traffic was light both ways but it is a pain to have to speed up and slow down for construction zones all the time.

Before I left town today I stopped by the Senior Center and dropped off 50 face masks for them. I was lucky to catch the Director at the Center as it was closed.

Stopped by the clinic before I left town and had my blood drawn so they could check my TSH level. Got the results back and it is 3.6. A tad high but not too bad. The doctor at MD Anderson wanted me to keep it between 1.5 – 2.5 but that is a hard range to stay in. It is safer to have it a bit high than a bit low. Not sure what the doctor will do about my medication level. I need to order a refill of my thyroid meds so hope to hear from her tomorrow. If not, I will call and ask.

Worked on making more masks when I got home. Jim had gone to town and bought a new wheelbarrow and had taken 18 loads of rock from the rock pile to the driveway to fill in where the rain had washed away the rock and left some holes. He is a tired puppy tonight. We were going to take a walk but he laid down on the couch and fell asleep. I think I will let him sleep for a bit.

I had forgotten to lay out some meat to thaw so ended up making BLT’s for dinner tonight. Jim likes his with an egg on top. I like mine without bread. It wasn’t fancy but it filled us up. I need to come up with some new ideas for dinner. I have run out of ideas and keep fixing the same things all the time.

Nothing on the calendar tomorrow or Wednesday. Still not sure when Jim is going to Stillwater. He forgot to call and see if the garage door can be installed and if the guys leveling the floor can come this week. He may wait and go next week. We will see what happens.

Thursday the air conditioner guy is to come do the spring tune up – better late than never I guess. He also is to fix the stack on the shop building that blew down in a storm we had in June. I had called them six weeks ago and they had forgotten about it. The oven is also to be installed Thursday sometime.

I’m hoping to get back down to the chicken coop tomorrow and get it cleaned out really good and get it set up for the babies. They will be here in a week. It is to get really hot this weekend and I want to get that project done before the next heat wave comes in. Not sure if Jim will get it leveled but I can get my part done and it will be ready for the babies.

Read Chase County now has 32 active COVID cases due to an outbreak at the jail. Trust the jailers that have it won’t spread it throughout the community.

Got my electric bill for June. It was $52. Not bad at all. My minimum charge is $32.90 so I actually only used $20 of electricity that my solar panels didn’t generate. I’m liking the savings I am seeing monthly. Last year my bill would have been at least $350.

Grateful the stress test is done, grateful for a safe trip to and from Topeka, and grateful for an empty space type of day on tap for tomorrow.

Yesterday my neighbor brought us over some squash, tomatoes and cantaloupe straight out of her garden. Yummy! The tomatoes are so big and good, the cantaloupe was ripe and sweet. My brother called today and is dropping tomatoes and cantaloupe off at Tim’s for me to pick up tomorrow. Can’t beat fresh produce from the garden!

We took a walk last night and couldn’t go past the low water bridge as water was running over the road. I bet it is clear by tonight though as it wasn’t too deep.

I have been working on making face masks on and off all day today. I have 50 ready to take to the Sr. Center when I go to town tomorrow. Have another 10 made too. I do them in bits and pieces and finish some up off and on so I feel like I am making progress.

We worked in the chicken coop today removing weeds that have quickly grown up since the chickens have been gone. I thought I could pull them but some were way too big. Jim brought the mower down and cut them down that way. He is also attempting to reclaim the garden space that has been overgrown with weeds for the last several years. It is hard, dirty work.

I have a peach cobbler in the oven for Jim tonight. Tim gave us a few fresh peaches when we stopped by Friday. It smells wonderful. I saved one peach out for me to eat. They are too sweet to eat more than one but I will savor every bite of the one I will eat.

I am grilling some burgers I found in the freezer for dinner tonight. Serving them with cantaloupe and fresh tomatoes. That will be easy!

Tomorrow I have to be at the heart center in Topeka by 12:30 for my nuclear stress test. I want to leave a bit early and drop off the face masks at the senior center and go by the clinic and get my TSH tested. I need to refill my prescription and need to know what dose to take. The Nuclear stress test will take several hours so won’t be home much before 5:00 if then.

I woke up at 5:00 this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. Finally got up at 6:00 and have stayed up. I could take a nap right now but am going to try to stay awake so I will sleep good tonight.

It has been in the low 80’s today. I saw the forecast for later in the week is calling for higher temperatures and by Saturday we will reach over 100. Yuck! Maybe I will go back to CO where it is much cooler.

I have been in a better mood today. I was able to let go of what triggered me yesterday. Still haven’t figured out how not to pick it up next time it happens but I will cross that bridge when I get to it. Maybe I will figure out a way to detour around it!

Grateful for the fresh produce that has found it’s way to us, grateful progress is being made on making face masks, and grateful progress is being made down in the chicken coop.

Got up and made Jim a double batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Glad to have that project done. A double batch will last him almost a month.

Made the left over pot roast meat from last night into roast beef salad. I makes a good snack to have around.

Am working on making face masks. Got another 15 or so completed. I am trying to get 50 made so I can take them to the Sr. Center in Emporia. I promised the Director I would make some for them when I got home from CO. I have over 40 made at this point so getting close to being able to deliver my promise.

Went out and finished weeding the swing set. Jim had done most of it yesterday. Then went around and weeded two more flower beds in the front of the house. Jim came out and helped me finish them up and he hauled the weeds down to the compost pile. I need to go back over all the beds and get the left over weeds pulled but they are now recognizable as flower beds. Ran into some sticky, prickly weeds in the north bed. Ouch!

Still haven’t made it down to finish up the chicken coop but we still have 11 days. We will get to it – just not sure when.

I only took three calls last night on the Hot Line. All three were slow responders so the conversations seemed to take a long time. I really wanted to do two more calls so I could level up but I ran out of patience and logged off. I worked three hours instead of the scheduled two. I might log on tonight and see if I can take two more calls. One of the three calls was rewarding for me but the other two felt like I didn’t make much difference. One never knows what the real story is and what the rest of the story will be however.

The full moon is Monday and I am feeling the effects today. I am cranky and grumpy. Doing my best to stay busy and not sit and think as I am over thinking everything today. Sometimes the full moon does that to me. I know what triggered me this afternoon and I need to let it go.

I have two letters I need to write this evening. I am going to attempt to get back to writing a letter a day. I so enjoyed that project and missed it while I was in Estes Park and didn’t have access to a printer.

I need to find a YouTube to learn how to thread my weed eater. I haven’t done it for a year and have forgotten how to do so. I really dislike using that thing but enjoy the results of doing so. Sometimes I have to suck it up and do what I don’t like to do.

Ordered some new bathroom rugs last night. Two of the rugs in the bathroom are stained and look dirty all the time. I have meant to order them several months ago and kept forgetting to do so. I looked on-line last night and found what I was looking for at a reasonable price. Trust they are a good quality.

Grateful the weeds are out of the flower beds, grateful the cookies are made, and grateful I know what triggered my grumpy mood.

What a busy afternoon. We went to town to do our errands for the week. Six stops and three hours later we were back home. I am more worn out than if I had stayed home and cleaned house. I really don’t like going to town.

We stopped by Michelle and Tim’s house for a minute. It was good to see the grandkids for a hot minute. I still am not used to Tagen being so much taller than I am.

We stopped at Bluestem and got baby chicken supplies. Then we stopped to get Jim a box of wine. Dropped some mail in the outgoing mail box. Went into Sutherland’s to get a special light bulb for Katie’s lamp and some lumber for Jim. Happened to see a freezer For sale and purchased it.

Went to Walmart to get groceries and a few other things. I don’t like the new organization of the store as I can’t find what I need now. I know I will eventually get used to it but it took longer than it needed to today as I had to back track. The one way isles are still new to me too. Can you tell I came home from town grumpy?

When we got home we unloaded the groceries and then Jim drove the car down to the shop to unload the chicken supplies and lumber he purchased. I put the groceries away and then drove into Cottonwood Falls to vote. The river is running mighty high but wasn’t over the highway yet.

As I was pulling into the driveway the Sutherland’s truck was pulling up to deliver the freezer. That was easy and quick. Gotta love local service.

I have a pot roast in the crock pot cooking. When we got home I added potatoes and carrots to it so dinner will be easy tonight. It smells divine and is making me hungry.

Jim is cleaning out the garage. It was a mess again. When I get done writing I am going out to pull weeds in the neglected flower beds. The ground is nice and soft and the weeds are easy to pull right now.

We got a nice rain again yesterday late afternoon. Don’t think we got as much as those to the south of us. It is monsoon season on the prairie right now.

Crossed a bunch of things off my to do list today. Still have a long list to go but feel like we made some progress. Maybe by the first of the week I will feel caught up.

I took seven calls last night on the Hot Line. I would finish one call and another would come in to me. I have another shift tonight. The three hours went by very quickly last night since I didn’t have time between calls. They were really busy when my shift was over but I didn’t stay on. I was getting tired and needed a break. I have learned not to over extend myself as I don’t feel I do as good of a job when I get too tired. If I get seven calls tonight I will level up again.

Got some thread so I can sew the ribbons together for more face masks. Tonight while I wait for my first call I will start cutting up the sheets into the correct sized pieces. I got the flannel all cut last night before my calls started coming in. The prep work in making masks seems to take a long time. I still need to cut more ribbon to size and then sew all the ribbon pieces together. Then I can start pinning and sewing the masks. If I work on them an hour or two a day I will get them worked up by mid week next week.

We don’t have any plans for the weekend other than getting the chicken coop ready for the babies. Jim is going to Stillwater sometime next week and is staying for several days. Monday I have to go to Topeka for the nuclear tread mill heart test. I don’t have much else going on next week except on Friday Best Buy is coming to do the oven exchange. It will be nice to have some empty space on my calendar.

Grateful I found a freezer today and they could deliver it so quickly, grateful the weeks errands are completed, and grateful for the privilege to vote.

We got the yard mowed this afternoon. I thought I was riding a boat in the back yard. I slipped and sliced a bit and found lots of standing water. It feels so good to have the yard mowed though. Jim pushed the mower and did the trimming and I rode the big mower.

I was going to go to town to get groceries but started watching the memorial service for John Lewis. I didn’t know it was going to last so long but I couldn’t stop watching it. I learned a lot about black history in America and feel embarrassed I wasn’t aware of more of it. The speeches were moving. It was so refreshing to hear a president speak in full sentences and didn’t make it about themselves. How far the bar has dropped these last four years.

It has threatened rain all afternoon but just now it has started raining. I came in from mowing and took a shower and put on jeans and long sleeves. Can’t believe it is the end of July. It looks more like May outside with all the green grass and water standing.

Tomorrow I will have to go shopping in town. I have a long list of things I need. Groceries, thread, Vote, Post office, and stuff for the baby chickens are all on the list as well as cat and dog food. I am hoping I can get it all done in one trip to town and then I can stay home for the next week and not leave the place. It feels so good to be home I don’t want to leave again for a long while.

I have started the next batch of masks. I am almost done cutting up one of the three sheets I will use. The other two are washed and ready to be cut up. Once all the pieces are cut I will press the material and then start putting them together. I promised someone I would give them 50 masks so need to get started making them so I can fulfill my promise.

I am having to mail the Y Camp a check for the balance due. For some reason their machine is not talking to my bank and no one can tell me why. I gave up and asked them for an alternative method of payment as I was beyond frustrated trying to get it resolved. I will mail their check when I go to town tomorrow. Sometimes the old fashioned way of paying works best.

I have a Crisis Hot Line shift tonight And tomorrow night. I changed my Wednesday night this week to Friday as I knew I would be too tired to take a shift when we got home last night. I went to bed early last night and fell asleep fast.

Feeling a bit behind with all the stuff I need to do. It seems to take me a bit to get caught up after being gone so long. I keep thinking of more things I need to do and add them to my to do list. I’ll get it done but forget every time it takes longer than I want it to.

Grateful the yard is mowed, grateful I was able to sleep last night, and grateful for the life of John Lewis – what an inspiration his service was.

We got back to the prairie around 6:30 tonight. We left Estes Park at 8:40 so it took a little less than 9 hours to get home. The drive home was smooth although we ran into very heavy rain around McPherson. We tried to hydroplane and had to slow way down for several miles.

Jim got a call from the Y Camp that the credit card they had on file was declined. I called my bank from a pit stop we made outside Hays. The bank had no record that the card had been tried. I called the Y back and they tried the card again with the same results. I had to hold for 10 minutes to talk to the bank person and 15 minutes to talk to the Y person. By then we had stopped for over 30 minutes to try to sort this out. We decided to come home and will attempt to sort it out tomorrow. After we hung up I think I figured out the problem is the zip code. Jim didn’t change his address with the Y Camp and the address on file with the credit card is different. Hopefully we can get this sorted out tomorrow. I was too frustrated and tired to do so when we got home.

It took us an hour to get the car unloaded and most of the stuff put away. I still haven’t unpacked my suitcase. I did sort through the Hugh stack of mail and opened the packages that had arrived. Everywhere I look there are things that need done but have decided it will have to wait until tomorrow. I am wiped out tonight.

The yard needs mowed as soon as it dries out enough to do so. It is really tall and will be fun to mow as I will be able to tell where I have mowed. I may be able to do it tomorrow afternoon but we shall see. The forecast is for more rain tonight and more again tomorrow. It is to dry out after tomorrow for the next five days so will get it done this weekend if not before.

My brother texted me yesterday with the name of his chicken supplier. I went to their web site and it was easy to order what I wanted. I got 10 Rhode Island Reds, 10 Ameraucanas, and 10 Amber Star chicks ordered. They also send one chick of a surprise breed as a bonus. They will hatch the week of August 10 and will ship within 24 hours of hatching. I should have them no later than August 13. We will have to get the chicken coop ready for them and I will need to go to the feed store to get baby chicken feed and some extra watering and feeding cans. It will be fun to have baby chickens again and I look forward to picking up 24 – 30 eggs a day come Christmas time.

I grilled some brats on the new grill for dinner and fixed tator tots with them. I will have to go to the grocery store tomorrow to stock back up. We are on clean out the freezer mode to get ready for our beef that is coming in two weeks. I’ll have to check tomorrow what is in the freezer and plan groceries around what is in the freezer.

After dinner we sat out on the deck and watched the storm clouds. Most of what we saw is way too far away to make it rain here. There are some impressive clouds to the south and way far out west. It is nice to be able to see the horizon again.

I am wiped out tonight. Sitting in a car for 9 hours is more tiring than working or hiking. Jim did all the driving again so all I had to do was sit. A bath and bed are going to come early tonight.

Grateful for a safe trip home, grateful the prairie is nice and green, and grateful my chickens have been ordered and will be here soon.

I am feeling much better than I was yesterday. No more blood in my urine and no pain or sense of urgency today. I even have more energy and have been hungry today. I didn’t eat much the last two days.

It was a rainy day in the mountains although it has cleared off late afternoon. We have stayed in so far and packed up most of the cabin. We still have our clothes, the stuff in the refrigerator, and toiletries to pack. We will get the car mainly loaded tonight so we can get off and going quickly in the morning. We hope to leave by 9:00 at the latest.

I took a nap this afternoon. When I woke up Jim was sleeping. It has been a good nap day in the mountains. We are getting ready to go for our last hike. When we get back we are cleaning out the refrigerator to find dinner. Not sure what we have in there but am hoping we find enough for both of us to have something for dinner. I have bacon and eggs if nothing else that need used up.

We finished the second puzzle this morning. It was a challenging one as the colors were subtle and the light in the dining room was not puzzle friendly. We both enjoy putting together puzzles.

My house sitter let me know she hasn’t been able to mow since the prairie has received so much rain. I told her I’m glad as I like to mow. I guess I know what I will be doing as soon as it is dry enough. Yay!

I keep forgetting to call and order my baby chickens. Guess I will wait until I get home now. The cell service here is very bad and any calls I get I usually get cut off.

We had a fire in the fireplace for a bit this afternoon but it kept setting off the smoke detector. The winds would shift to a downdraft and cause the smoke from the chimney to come back into the house. We finally decided to just let the fire burn out instead of listening to the ear splitting noise from the detector. The detector is too high to reach in the cabin.

Tomorrow we drive home. It will be so good to be back on the prairie but I will miss the beautiful Mountain View’s and fresh air. It is only in the low 60’s today here and that is a bit cool for my liking. Sounds like the prairie is getting lots of rain and is only in the low 80’s. I can’t wait to see the horizon and watch the storm clouds blow in. I have especially missed the sunrises, sunsets and the moon.

Grateful for the power of antibiotics and feeling better, grateful for the time we have had in the mountains, grateful to be headed home tomorrow.

Not one of my better days. Woke up in the middle of the night not feeling very good. Got up and read for a while. Took another bath to relax my body. Finally was able to get some more sleep.

Had blood in my urine again during the night and felt crummy this morning. I found an Urgent Care on-line and around 11:15 decided I better go in. They delivered excellent care although the paperwork process was lengthy.

I was surprised and pleased they were able to pull up my medical records listing my medications, allergies, etc. That makes so much sense that those records are accessible to providers.

I have a UTI as I suspected and they prescribed an antibiotic. They will culture the urine and will call me later this week if they need to change the antibiotic. The local grocery store we shop at has a pharmacy and I knew where that was so that is where they sent the prescription. After a ten minute wait there the meds were ready and I came back to the cabin.

The NP told me to rest today and not go on a long hike. Hoping tomorrow I will feel better and we can take one last good hike before we head home Wednesday morning. Usually it only takes 24 hours before the meds kick in and I feel much better. Trusting that will be the case this time.

The NP told me she sees a lot of UTI’s. She said it is easier than you would think to become a bit dehydrated in the mountains if you aren’t used to them and that can cause the UTI. Lesson learned!

So today is turning into another rest and recovery day. We finished the puzzle we had been working on last night and may start another one to work on this afternoon and evening. It is a beautiful day in the mountains. Rain had been in the forecast but has been removed. It is still supposed to rain tomorrow but maybe the same thing will happen then. I hate that I can’t hike on this beautiful day.

I finished my seventh book of the trip last night. I have some knitting I can do if we decide not to do the puzzle. I’ll see what my mood is like and what I feel like doing.

Still feeling a bit crummy this afternoon but better than I felt when I woke up. I think I will live and am sure I will be better tomorrow. Attempting to drink 96 oz again today and am feeling a bit water logged.

Grateful for Urgent Care that provided excellent care, grateful for pharmacies that provide medication to fight infections, and grateful for rest that heals my body.

What a beautiful day we have had. We drove up Trail Ridge Road all the way to Grand Lake, turned around and drove back out. It was raining most of the way up. We drove through the clouds today. At times you couldn’t see off the side of the road but on the other side of the road you could see for miles. It made for some interesting light patterns on the mountains which I loved.

We stopped at a trailhead on the other side of Trail Ridge and hiked for two miles. It had stopped raining for a bit and we needed to stretch our legs. The forest we walked through smelled so good due to the freshness of the rain.

We saw two huge buck elk on the way up the mountains. We saw a moose in the far distance when we got close to Grand Lake. Saw a small female herd of elk also close to Grand Lake.

I woke up this morning with symptoms on a UTI. I have drank 96 oz of water so far and think I have flushed it out. I will drink at least 32 more ounces before bed and if I wake up during the night will drink then too. Sometimes I can drink them away. Fingers crossed that is what can happen this time.

Last evening we hiked to Moraine Park. We drove the car to the trailhead so we could hike further on the trail. It was a delightful walk until the mosquitoes decided to eat me for dinner. They didn’t seem to bother Jim. What’s up with that?

I have chicken baking in the oven. I am hungry so hoping it cooks fast. We have some left over scalloped potatoes that need eaten to go with the chicken tonight. We only have two more full days here to eat up the last of the food we have. Thinking I will be hauling more home than I wanted to. At least we have a cooler to take it home in.

It is a beautiful evening tonight. The clouds have moved on out and the skies are bright blue. The air is so fresh from the cleansing rain we got during the day.

We stopped and got a few more bundles of firewood to get us through our last three evenings. We have really enjoyed the fireplace and the smell and sound of the burning logs. I have a gas fireplace at home and it just isn’t the same as burning wood. Gas is easier and cleaner though.

Not sure what our plans are for tomorrow. It is to rain again during the day. Hoping we can get out and take a long hike somewhere on campus. We are planning on taking another hike tonight after dinner if the chicken gets done relatively soon. Tuesday we will have to start gathering our stuff and packing the car so we can head out Wednesday morning. It will be good to get home.

Grateful for driving through the clouds today, high up in the mountains, grateful for the bright blue skies this evening, and grateful we still have two more full days to enjoy the fresh mountain air.

We had a nice dinner last night. The food all turned out OK although I thought the ham was too sweet. I used the glaze packet that came with it and wished I hadn’t. Not sure when we will see Jim’s brothers again. They both have long drives ahead of them today and in to Monday.

We have taken another lazy day in the cabin. It has rained most of the afternoon although the sun has peaked out now. We have had a fire in the fireplace and have been working on a puzzle. A perfect activity for a rainy day.

I did laundry late morning. The laundry mat was empty so it was a good time to go. Always feels good to have that job taken care of. I don’t think I will have to do laundry again before we leave but will have lots to do when we get home.

We will probably go take a long walk in a bit. We both need to get some fresh air and stretch our legs. I have been sitting way too much the last couple of days. Need to take advantage of this cool air and walk while we can. Only three more full days here before we have to head back to KS.

Both of us are ready to go home. I almost wished we had only stayed three weeks instead of four. We don’t want to leave early and have to pay for an empty cabin so we will stay until Wednesday but we thought about it for about a minute.

Tomorrow we have a park pass at noon. Hope the weather cooperates so we can take a hike tomorrow afternoon. We shall see. The forecast isn’t looking good at this point.

I have had a bit of a headache all day today. Thinking it is related to my sinus issues. Sure hoping that when I get home whatever I have been allergic to will not be in KS. I’m tired of blowing my nose. It is getting very sore and tender.

We are having hamburgers for dinner so that will be an easy meal to fix. We have some frozen potatoes that need used up so will fix them too. I am hoping we won’t have to go to the grocery store again before we leave so we may have some interesting combinations to eat to use up what we have in the freezer and refrigerator. Both brothers brought left over stuff to us as they both have such a long drive home they didn’t want to take refrigerator stuff with them.

It has been a restful, relaxing time in the mountains but it is time to go home. I am ready to settle back in at home for the long haul. With the number of cases climbing so fast I don’t think we will be able to do a fall trip like we had planned. Maybe things will turn around and we will be able to do so but not going to count on it. I still think things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better.

I’m concerned about all those people that were relying on unemployment to survive. The extra $600 Is going to expire and many will now have to make some very hard decisions about how to survive. My heart goes out to them. I sure wish Congress was a bit more connected to the real world and would have gotten another stimulus bill passed before they went home for a break. I just don’t understand how they can turn there back on so many hurting Americans.

Grateful for another lazy day in the mountains, grateful for puzzles to work on, and grateful laundry is done.

Another lazy day in the mountains. We both slept in a bit later than normal this morning. It has been cool and cloudy all day with sprinkles every once in a great while. Good day to stay inside and rest.

I took a NyQuil last night and have a hangover this afternoon. I slept a lot last night and have dosed off and on today.

Jim walked down to his brother’s cabin so I have some peace and quiet this afternoon. I fixed the scalloped potatoes for our dinner tonight and they are in the oven cooking. The ham is in the crock pot and smells divine. Jim helped me cut it to fit in the crock pot before he left for his brother’s cabin. We fixed a cucumber, tomato and onion salad and that will be dinner. Joe’s family is bringing some bread they got at the Farmer’s Market and some veggies. It will be a simple and easy dinner to serve.

I took five calls on the Hot Line last night. Two were intense, one disengaged quickly and the other two were normal calls. It is interesting to me that they seem to come to me in groups of the same crisis. I had three with the same type of crisis last night that I hadn’t handled before. Two of the calls felt very rewarding to me.

We have no plans for tomorrow. Hoping we can get a hike in around the Y Camp. I have been lazy and haven’t walked much the last couple of days. Sunday we have a pass into RMNP at noon but the forecast is for rain again so we might not get to do what we would like to do. We shall see what happens.

Then we will just have Monday and Tuesday next week to get our last hikes in and we will leave for KS on Wednesday morning. Time has flown by while we were here. It will be good to get back on the prairie though.

Grateful for a lazy day in the cabin, grateful for a last dinner with Jim’s brothers and families before they leave tomorrow early morning, and grateful for the Crisis Text Hot Line and the rewards it brings to me.

Just saw a complete double rainbow after a beautiful evening rain. I love seeing rainbows – especially in the mountains.

We didn’t do much today. Did go to the grocery store to get a ham for the dinner we are doing tomorrow night. Both of Jim’s brothers are returning to NorthCarolina Saturday morning so it will be our farewell dinner. It has been fun having them in Camp and spending time with them. It will be a quiet last few days after they leave.

We have a pass to go into RMNP at noon tomorrow but I need to be back by 3:30 to get the scalloped potatoes in the oven by 4:00. It is to rain most of the day tomorrow so we may not go into the park. We have one more chance on Sunday but again rain is in the forecast. We will see what happens.

Jim went over to see his brother Tom this afternoon. I stayed home and took a short nap. Tom went to order a pizza and found out they only took online orders. Tom called Jim and Jim called me to order it for Tom. I hope he got what he wanted. It got a bit complicated but he ended up with a pizza.

I did a 2.5 hour shift last night on the Hot Line. I took three calls – two were fun and rewarding. The other person disengaged just as we got started. I always worry that I said something wrong that turned them off but I hadn’t had a chance to say much to this one. Hoping they text back in when it is a better time for them to chat.

I have another shift tonight. I’m glad I took a nap so I can be more alert for the calls. They can get intense at times and if I am tired I have trouble thinking fast enough. I sure enjoy doing this service. I think I get more out of it than the texters do though.

Only five more full days at Camp and then we have to head home. So grateful we were able to stay four weeks this year but to be honest I am ready to go home. I am craving my prairie view and staying home for a long time. I’ve only been home for five weeks all year so far. It is calling me to come back and stay awhile.

I want to call and order chickens tomorrow. I need them to tell me a final price so I can go to the post office and get a money order and get it mailed to them. They ship on Fridays so should have them the Monday after I get home. Seems a bit cruel to ship baby chickens but they know what they are doing.

It has been a cloudy afternoon with rain off an on. While we were in town it rained hard for a bit. We sat out on the deck and listened to the rain after dinner tonight. Seeing the double rainbow ended another quiet, beautiful day in the mountains.

Grateful for a full double rainbow tonight, grateful we still have five full days to enjoy the quiet and beauty of the mountains, and grateful for the fire burning in the fireplace tonight.

Our guests left this morning around 10:00. It was hard to see them drive away. I so enjoyed our time with them and wish them safe travels home today.

This has been a rest and recovery day for me. I exchanged laundry and put fresh sheets on our bed. I have sheets to make up the two twin beds but haven’t done so yet. I vacuumed the living room and did some picking up.

I laid down for a bit this afternoon but wasn’t able to fall asleep. I think laying down helped though as my headache went away. It has felt good to sit in silence today. I enjoyed visiting with our guests but am talked out. I think I have forgotten how to be social.

We had bacon and tomato for lunch today. Our guests had brought some home grown tomatoes that were huge. They were so good. I had almost forgotten how good home grown tomatoes can be. I don’t eat bread or I would have had a sandwich but they were good with just tomato and bacon on the side.

We are going to Tom’s house for dinner tonight. It is nice not to have to cook again. I am getting spoiled by eating others food. Our guests fixed steaks for us last night that were delicious. Two nights in a row I don’t have to cook. What a treat.

We don’t have any plans for tomorrow except to go to the grocery store one last time. Friday we have a park entry pass for noon. We plan on taking a hike somewhere in the park. We will have to get back fairly early as Jim’s two brothers and families are coming over for dinner at 6:00. Both are leaving for home Saturday morning so this will be our farewell dinner for them. It will be weird not having them in camp.

Hard to believe we will be heading home next Wednesday. One more week! The time has gone by so fast. I am looking forward to going home though. I have been away so much this year that I am ready to go home and stay home for a bit.

I found a source to mail order some baby chicks. I will do that Friday. I’ll have to find a place to get a money order to send for payment. I think the post office can do that for me and I know where that is in Estes Park. I’m not sure if the post office on campus can do that but I will check. I’m hoping they will ship them a week from tomorrow and I should have them the Saturday after we get home. It will be fun to have baby chickens again. We will have to get the chicken coop ready for them but we will have a couple days to get that job done. I’ll also have to get baby chicken feed and cottonseed hulls and make sure my baby chicken feeder and water containers are still usable. I haven’t used them for four years. I plan on putting the babies directly into the big chicken coop and keep them out of the house. I haven’t done that before so this will be a learning experience for me.

I have a Crisis Hotline shift tonight. I checked last night when I was up in the middle of the night for an hour or so and they could have used me but I was too tired to hop on. Hoping we are busy tonight so my shift will go by quickly.

It is a bit cloudy this afternoon and looks like it could rain anytime now. Heard we got a nice rain the last two days back home. Maybe I will get to mow when I get home.

Feeling a bit drained this afternoon. I have gotten used to not being around other people. It was so fun to have our guests here though and I so enjoyed having them here. I am a bit tired today though. I will recover quickly and will be back to wishing I had guests around again.

Grateful for the guests that came and shared their time with us, grateful for a rest and recovery day, and grateful I get to eat “out” tonight.

Internet is back up – finally. It has been down since Saturday evening. I didn’t realize how addicted to it I have become.

I went into town this morning to check email as I hadn’t been able to check it for several days. Nothing urgent but I felt better checking on it. Did a quick check on Facebook to see if anything had happened. A friend had a horseback riding accident and was in the hospital for a week. But nothing else seemed urgent.

I’m not sure much happened over the last couple of days. We have been enjoying the company of our friends. We took a quiet day on Sunday and did a short hike around camp. Monday afternoon we went into RMNP and went up Fall River Road. We hiked at the rock cut and made a couple of other stops. It was a beautiful day for a drive through the mountains.

I fixed hamburger soup in the crock pot before we left and then fixed beer bread to go with it when we got home. Make for a quick dinner. We were all hungry after being out in the mountain air all day.

Today we have hung around the cabin and we all took a nap. Jim and I walked to both of his brother’s cabins this afternoon to deliver a fresh tomato our guests brought from KS. It was about a 2.5 mile hike. Felt good to get out and stretch my legs. I was breathing hard coming up the hill today.

Our guests are leaving in the morning. Jim’s brothers are both leaving Saturday. I can’t believe we will be heading home a week from tomorrow. The time has gone way too fast. It will be weird not having people here that I know to visit with. It has made the time here much more enjoyable to have friends and family here.

We are having Jim’s brothers and families up for dinner Friday night so they don’t have to cook on their last night here. I think we are going to get a ham to fix and I have a bunch of potatoes that need used up so I will make scalloped potatoes. It will be an easy dinner to fix.

I haven’t been sleeping well the last couple of nights. I think it was the decongestants that turned from making me sleepy to wiring me. I haven’t taken any today so have been plugged up but am hoping I can sleep good tonight. I have to pick my poison – sleep or breathing.

I’m grateful the internet came back so I can do my volunteer shift on the Crisis Line tomorrow night. I might check tonight to see if they need some extra help. For some reason it has been busier lately and they have more texters than counselors. Since I took a nap today I can stay up late tonight.

Grateful for the internet coming back, grateful for the hike we took around camp today, and grateful for the time I have had with our friends and family.

We had an uneventful night last night. No more bears came knocking at the door! I think both of us slept with one eye open though. We are both tired today.

We have some guests coming in later today so cleaned our cabin today. I went down and exchanged some linens so we would have plenty of clean towels and kitchen linens. I had a crock pot of chili cooking to serve them when they get here later. It sure smells good.

It has been warm here today – reached the mid 80’s which is much warmer than it has been. We have most of the windows bolted shut and the cabin feels hot to me this afternoon. Having the crock pot on is adding heat to the room too.

My sinus stuff is getting the best of me today. I am so tired of taking decongestants and sniffling and blowing my nose. I have had a sinus headache all day. Still haven’t figured out what I am allergic to up here but I wish it would go away.

I got up during the night and couldn’t sleep. I checked the Crisis Hot Line and they had way more calls than counselors so hopped on-line and took two calls. One I was getting close to getting to a calmer state and something happened and my responses wouldn’t go through. I looped in my supervisor and he couldn’t send any messages either. I had to end the conversation. I still think of the person I was texting with and feel really bad I wasn’t able to finish the conversation. The other texter was high on drugs and wanted me to come to their apartment and pop their hip. Not a very satisfying hour spent.

I had taken five calls earlier in the evening during my shift. Some were intense enough that I didn’t want to handle two calls at the same time. I am not used to handling two at a time yet and when the calls are intense I don’t feel I can do it. I’ve handled 30 calls in July so far and had only handled 50 in May and June. We have gotten much busier lately for some reason. Makes the time go by quickly when you don’t wait for calls.

Jim walked down to visit with his brother. One of his brothers came up here this morning to visit. I napped during that visit. I wasn’t feeling up to visiting this afternoon so Jim walked down by himself. I’m not very good company right now. Maybe with some quiet I will get to feeling better before our guests arrive.

I cleaned the cabin today. It cleans up easy as it is rather small compared to my house. It is nice to have it clean again. I don’t like clutter on the table and coffee tables and some how we seem to clutter them up quickly.

I have enough yarn to make about six more dish rags and then I will have to start a baby blanket. I have made one dish rag so far today and have another one started. It is cooler out on the deck so may go out there and sit and knit when I finish this.

A dear friend posted that her oldest grandson died yesterday. I have no idea what happened and I keep thinking of her. He was in his 20’s. I can only imagine the hurt and pain they are going through right now. They live in Houston so I won’t be able to go see her and give her a hug. It is so hard to watch your child have to go through something like that not to mention the pain she is feeling from losing a grandchild. Hard times for them right now. The Virus situation makes this an even harder time for them.

I am cranky today. Not sure if I am coming down from all the bear excitement from yesterday or if the sinus stuff is pushing me over to the cranky side of life. Whatever it is can go away. Maybe the arrival of my friends will distract me and lift my mood.

Grateful for some quiet time this afternoon, grateful for a clean cabin, and grateful my friends will be here soon.

I woke up in the middle of the night hearing Jim say “Get out of here”. I got up and went into the living room to see who he was talking to. He told me there was a bear in the window that had climbed halfway into the living room. When Jim yelled at it, the bear backed up and retreated.

Jim had heard a noise of an animal on the deck and it had woken him up. He laid in bed for a minute trying to decide what animal it was. When he heard a screen tear he got up and came out to see who was there. I slept through the whole thing and didn’t get the see the bear.

The bear tore two screen windows off and tore a gash down the screen door leading into the kitchen. There are bear claw marks on the window sill of the window he climbed in.

Jim called security and they came up and drove around with their spot light but didn’t see the bear.

Jim ended up staying up all night in case the bear came back. I got up at 4:30 and took over bear watch duty so Jim could get a bit of sleep. Hopefully tonight will be less of an adventure and we will both sleep all night.

Today we had to stay home so the maintenance people could repair the damage. Most of the locks on the cabin windows didn’t work so they either fixed them or made wood stops so we can sleep tonight knowing the bear can’t get back in.

We had a pass to go into RMNP at 2:00 this afternoon but didn’t make it. It felt more important to bear proof the cabin!

I took five calls on the Crisis Hot Line last night. They were getting really busy at the end of my shift but I was tired so went ahead and logged off. For some reason we have been busier the last three weeks. I’ve handled almost as many calls these last three weeks as I did the two months before that.

I went over and did laundry this afternoon since we were stuck at home. Jim stayed at the cabin and handled the repair guys. Someone from Wildlife called and talked to Jim to get the story. I guess there has been three other bear break ins in the camp over the last several weeks.

The outcome could have turned very serious quickly last night. Grateful the bear backed out and no real harm was done.

I cooked some chicken today and am going to make chicken pot pie for dinner in a bit. It took longer than usual for the chicken to get done.

My dear friends from the Camino FaceTime with me today. It is always fun to talk to them and catch up. They are doing well and have avoided the virus so far.

Tomorrow evening some friends from KS are coming in to stay for four or five nights. It will be fun to have them here. I’m hoping we will get out and take a hike tomorrow to make up for not getting to take one today. Maybe we will get out yet today and walk around the grounds for a bit.

It was an eventful night. I had commented to Jim after our hike yesterday that we hadn’t seen any wildlife. Guess they decided to come to us!

Grateful the bear backed out without hurting Jim, grateful repairs are being made so our cabin will feel safe tonight, and grateful to have gotten to talk to my Camino friends.

We hiked 4 miles today. It was a beautiful day to be outside walking. The trail was fairly easy and well marked. It was a gradual uphill and not too steep. We didn’t get to the destination we wanted to get to as we ran out of time but got to see some wonderful waterfalls. We hiked to Calypso Cascade in Wild Basin In RMNP.

Last night I handled 8 calls on the Crisis Text Hot Line. None were high risk texters and all seemed to go from upset to calm. It was a good night for me on the hot line. We were busy and I didn’t have to wait for a caller. I handled two callers at a time for most of the night. I am signed on for my shift tonight and so far we aren’t busy so will probably have to wait up to an hour to get a texter. I bet they get busy later. I am tired so may not be able to help them out much when they get really busy. I don’t feel I do a good job when I get tired.

I didn’t sleep much last night. My feet were aching and my mind was busy. I finally took another bath at 5:30 and was able to sleep for an hour after that. I got up at 8:00 and gave up. I laid down at noon and slept for an hour before our hike. I am tired tonight.

We had dinner at Jim’s brother’s cabin tonight. It was so nice to eat a meal someone else fixed. It is only the second time since the middle of March that has happened. For some reason someone else’s cooking always tastes better.

Tomorrow we have a timed entry pass at 2:00 to get into RMNP. Not sure what part of the park we will be going to. We want to do another 4 – 6 mile hike. I could have gone longer today but we had to get back to be at Joe’s house by 6:00 for dinner.

I need to do laundry either tomorrow morning or Saturday. I want to have it done up before our guests arrive Saturday evening. I also need to remember to clean the cabin a bit. I forget to do that! I am looking forward to having them come and keep us company for a few days. I have missed having long woman to woman conversations.

I got a client so need to give them my attention.

Grateful for a beautiful hike today, grateful for the family dinner that was held tonight, and grateful for what sleep I was able to find last night.

Another lazy day on the mountains. Haven’t done much today at all. Did get two dish rags knitted and have another one half way done.

We went grocery shopping this afternoon. Had to stand outside the grocery store to wait our time to go in. For some reason they are now limiting the number of people in the store. It was easier shopping today with less people in the store. Don’t know why they are enforcing limits now though and they weren’t earlier in the week.

We stopped and exchanged our bed and bath linens for fresh ones. Wish I had that service at home!

Yesterday evening we took a three mile walk around the grounds. We walked down to Tom and Sandy’s cabin and then walked home via the stables. It was a pretty night to be out walking. I had to walk fast when we started as I was cold but walking warmed me up. Saw a bunch of turkey’s down by the stables. They were eating their dinner along side the horses.

My allergies had gotten better yesterday but came back today with a double punch. Have had a bit of a sinus headache all day and have had to take allergy meds twice today. Sure wish they would go away and stay away.

Checked on the Crisis Text Hot Line last night and they were busy so I took four calls over the course of an hour and one half. All four were fairly easy and they were calmed down by the end of the call. I have a two hour shift tonight and then again tomorrow night. The later I sign on the busier they are. It is nice to get calls right away and not waste and hour waiting on a call. Last night I handled two calls at a time.

It has been cooler and a bit hazy most of the day here. Never did get any rain although once or twice we got a few sprinkles that didn’t last very long. I don’t think it reached 77 today. The fireplace will feel good again tonight. Jim went and got more wood so we can have a fire when we want.

We have 2:00 reservations tomorrow afternoon to get into RMNP. Jim has some place in the park he wants to take me to go hiking. We won’t be able to hike long as we are having dinner tomorrow night with his brothers at Joe’s cabin. That will be nice to eat “out” for a change.

I laid down this afternoon to take a nap after we got back from the grocery store but I wasn’t able to sleep. Hope I can stay awake long enough to do my hot line shift. The allergy drugs make me sleepy.

I actually fixed a meal tonight instead of eating left overs. It felt good to eat something fresh again. We went through most of our left overs so I get to cook again.

I am getting really good at doing nothing all day long. I don’t even feel guilty about it anymore. Sure hope I can break that habit when I get home though. Not sure I am cut out to do nothing all the time.

Grateful the grocery buying is done for several days, grateful for a cool day today, and grateful for fresh sheets on the bed for tonight.

Another lazy day in the mountains. It has rained off and on most of the day so we haven’t hiked yet today. Not sure we will get a very long one in this evening as it is to continue to rain for the next couple of hours.

I took another nap this afternoon and slept hard for about two hours. I slept some last night but not enough so it felt good to sleep on a rainy afternoon.

I did knit one dish rag this morning but I haven’t done anything else. I finished the book I was reading last night and haven’t started a new one today. I only have one book left to read. I have some on my iPad Kindle but I really don’t like reading on it. I still have yarn though so I won’t go crazy!

I have made 10 dish rags on this trip so far and have one more skein of dish rag yarn to go. I also brought two skeins that I can make into baby blankets. They take hours to make so that will keep me busy.

Still trying to find baby chickens. I talked to the guy that supplies Bluestem with baby chicks. Unfortunately he is coming July 25 and we won’t be back until July 29. I have one more source to try to see if they can get me some August 1. The guy I talked to today can ship them so I may go back to him however he won’t sex the Americanas and I want some of them but don’t want to end up with a bunch of roosters.

I am looking for a new upright freezer and am coming up empty on that too. Evidently when the Covid crisis hits a lot of people decided to get a freezer to stock up in case there was a meat shortage. My local guy said he won’t have any until at least October. I’ll try to make a few more inquiries and see if I can find one before my meat comes the middle of August. I may have enough room for it but wanted to get a new freezer as a precaution as my other freezer is getting rather old and I don’t want to lose a full freezer of meat.

My heart doctor’s nurse called today and said the heart monitor test was basically normal. It only caught my low rate at 46. The thing records only when I told it to and when I was sleeping and my heart rate dropped I didn’t push the button. When my Smart Watch would wake me up and I would push the button my heart rate had risen by then. Oh well, I’m glad I am staying in normal rhythm and not having AFib which is why I wore the monitor to rule that out.

Our first two weeks have gone by quickly. Only two more weeks to go! I’m so glad we decided to stay two weeks. We have been able to take quiet days and not feel so pressured to take advantage of every moment here.

We made five more park reservations for the next two weeks. If the weather is bad or we decide not to go we will only be out $2 each day. Got several at 3:00 and some for a noon entry time. I love Trail Ridge Road and look forward to getting back on it a couple more times before we go home.

Grateful for a rainy day and a long nap, grateful my heart monitor test came back normal, and grateful for knitting projects that keep my hands busy.

We went to the Rocky Mountain High Store in Boulder today. I learned something while there. When we gained entry to the storeroom the guy asked me what I needed. I told him gummies. He showed me the list of inventory and I immediately said darn, I should have asked them what kind they wanted. The clerk Immediately said I can’t sell you anything and you have to leave the store now. When I asked why he said he isn’t allowed to sell to someone that is buying things for someone else. Darn! Who knew?

I didn’t make that mistake at the second shop we stopped at. Got what “I” needed and left.

The drive to Boulder was beautiful. I especially like the scenery after Lyons as it opens up more. I was a bit claustrophobic on part of the drive today. I miss seeing the horizon.

Came home exhausted. I am learning that being around others drains me very quickly these days. I got so used to being just with Jim that when I spend time with others I get drained immediately.

After my nap we had leftovers for dinner and then walked up to Jim’s brothers cabin and visited with them for a bit and walked back. Saw a buck and a doe grazing in the grass just outside their cabin. It was a pleasant evening to be out walking. I could tell I haven’t walked for two days though as I was huffing by the time I made it up the hill and back to our cabin.

I did laundry this morning and got that out of the way. The laundry mat wasn’t busy and it was done quickly.

Not sure what our plan is for tomorrow. We will probably take a long hike in the afternoon. We have passes to go into RMNP for Thursday and Friday at noon on both days. Jim has some hikes in mind for those two days.

Traffic was heavy both going and coming back from Boulder. The road was not built for the amount of traffic that is on it these days. One slow camper can sure slow down a lot of traffic. Not many passing lanes and the campers don’t seem to realize they are slowing traffic and rarely pull over in the pull out lanes.

While in Boulder I called the Tractor Supply Store to ask about timing in ordering baby chickens. They had no idea of delivery lead times and didn’t seem to interested in finding out. I got on the suppliers website when I got home and found out they won’t have any before September 22. May check to see if Bluestem will have chicks before then and get them there.

Our first two weeks here is almost done. The time is going by very quickly. Before I know it our four weeks will be up and it will be time to go home. It was 96 in Boulder today. Sure feels better in Estes Park where the high was 77 today.

Grateful for a safe trip to Boulder and back today, grateful I got my shopping done, and grateful for our walk this evening.

A recovery and rest day for me. I fell asleep hard last night early but only slept for an hour and had trouble going back to sleep. Around 4:00 I took one NyQuil tablet. I finally fell asleep around 6:00 and slept until 10:30. Went back to bed at 1:00 and slept until 4:00.

Wonder if I will sleep tonight? Oh well, at least I got some sleep today.

Jim walked down to his brother’s cabin and I stayed here. Jim’s other brother and wife walked up and visited with me for a bit. Not sure when Jim will be back. We are having left over soup for dinner so I can heat it up when he returns.

I still feel a bit hung over from the NyQuil. They do knock me out but I feel drugged the next day. Good thing I only took one.

It has been cloudy and windy today. The clouds disappeared for a bit this afternoon but they are coming back. It is to rain tomorrow but we shall see. My weather app tells me it is going to rain in 45 minutes and then they remove it. Weather must be very hard to predict in the mountains.

I have done a bit of knitting and reading today but mainly resting. I needed a do nothing day. They are good for my soul.

We may drive down to Boulder tomorrow or Tuesday. I have a few things I need to pick up and there is a camera store that Jim wants to visit. It might do me good to rejoin the real world for a day. It is so easy while here to block out what is going on in the world and pretend all is well everywhere.

I did get another guest bed made up. Wow! Write that down – I did something today. LOL! I really do need to get out and take a walk after dinner tonight but not sure I can make myself do it. Some days are meant to do absolutely nothing and this is one of those days.

Grateful for a rest and recovery day, grateful for NyQuil and the sleep it gives me, and grateful for the beauty and quiet of the mountains.

My entertainment duties are done! We have had a busy 24 hours around here but it has been fun. The guests last night were a delight. We got to bed late and were up early this morning to fix them breakfast before they left to go horse back riding. They came back to the cabin after their ride so they could change clothes and then they were off to go over Trail Ridge Road.

I fixed chili and cheddar Broccoli Soup for dinner tonight for Jim’s two brothers and families. We had enough left over that everyone got to take home a container of each soup. Grateful they took it home so we don’t have to eat it for the next week.

We all had a nice visit during and after dinner. It was good to see the three Showalter brothers together again. We missed Jim’s sister Jane and his other brother John.

I took two short naps today. I haven’t slept well the last two nights and was really tired today. I had no motivation at all to do anything. Maybe tonight will be the I will get to sleep longer than two hours in a row.

Jim went up to Housekeeping and returned the bed linens and towels and brought fresh ones back. I have only made up one bed so far but will get the others made up tomorrow. I was lucky to get the soup for dinner made today.

We haven’t gone for a walk the last two days. Will definitely put that on my very short to do list for tomorrow. I need to stretch my legs and get some exercise.

It will be good to have a quiet day tomorrow. I am finding that being around others is still a bit overwhelming to me. After spending several months alone and not around others it is taking me a bit to adjust to being around others. I enjoy others around at the moment but feel overwhelmed quickly.

Grateful Joe and Linda and Sarah had a safe trip here, grateful for family that gathered around our table tonight, and grateful for friends that came to visit.

Our big adventure of the day was going to the big grocery store to get ingredients for all the guests that are coming in tonight and tomorrow night. The store was busy as usual and it took a bit of time to get checked out. We had a lot of sacks to carry in when we got back to our cabin. Traffic was heavy going to the store and coming home. It took a while to get through town to get to the store and back to our cabin.

We cleaned today. We had to request a different vacuum as the one we had wasn’t sucking up much. The replacement one works much better. Jim hand scrubbed the kitchen floor and I cleaned the two bathrooms. We got the counters and table cleared off. The cabin feels more spacious to me now.

Last night I handled five calls on the Hot Line. None of them felt especially rewarding to me. Some nights it is more fun than others and last night was not one of the fun nights. They weren’t bad or hard calls. The texters just didn’t engage much and it was hard to know what they wanted. One gave me a STOP which means I can’t respond any more. I never know why that happens or if I said something wrong. I am learning to just let it go and know what ever happened was what was to be.

I got a bit more sleep last night than I did the night before. I laid down for a bit this afternoon and had just fallen asleep when I got a phone call. Someone was looking for a room for Saturday night at my Airbnb. They were coming to town for a wedding tomorrow night that is expecting 250 guests. No way would I have let them come stay with me even if I had been home.

I finished reading my fifth book on this trip. I haven’t started number six yet. I have some knitting I may do next instead of reading.

The electricity keeps blinking off today. It has done that about five times. We had to have them come reset the internet once today. Glad I am not taking calls on the Hotline as that throws the calls back into the queue. The person that gets them can throw it back to me but then I don’t get credit for handling the full call even when I end up doing so.

Our guests tonight won’t be here until around 8:00. I am fixing tacos for them so it will be an easy meal to fudge the time with if needed. I will get everything but the meat fixed ahead of time and when I know they are close I will start the meat. It will be an easy meal to fix and serve. We got some ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert along with some cookies.

We stopped at Housekeeping on our way back from the grocery store and got a griddle so we can make pancakes for breakfast. I also got a crock pot that I need for tomorrow night’s dinner.

We may go on a walk this evening before our guests get here. We didn’t walk much yesterday. I am not very motivated to get out and walk as it is warm here today and my legs are still sore from climbing the mountain Wednesday. We will see what happens. It would probably do my legs good to get out and stretch them and walk a bit.

Time is already going by too quickly. Our four weeks here are flying by. Next week we are going to drive into Boulder. I have a couple of things I need from a store there. Jim wanted a couple things from a different store. A week from tomorrow some good friends are coming it to stay with us for a couple of days. After that we will only have one more week to go.

It is so nice to be able to relax and not feel like I should be doing something productive. I keep thinking of all the things we have to do at my house and at Jim’s house. It all seems to wait for us to get to it.

I haven’t heard from the Tractor Store about my inquiry into purchasing chickens. Next time I go to town and have dependable cell service I will have to call them. Sure would like to get a delivery of baby chickens around the first of August. Not sure what the lead time is so need to get things started before I get home.

It is another beautiful day in the mountains. It reached the mid 80’s today so it is a bit warmer than it has been. I’m sure by evening it will cool back down and I will be wishing it was a tad warmer. We have the fireplace cleaned out and a fire laid for lighting later tonight.

Grateful the grocery store trip is done and things are put away, grateful for guests that are coming in tonight and tomorrow night, and grateful for this quiet, relaxing time.

I ended up having a busy night on the Hot Line. I handled six calls. Luckily I only had to handle one at a time but as soon as I would finish one another one would come in. They kept me engaged last night.

I have signed on for my shift tonight but so far no calls have come through. We have way more counselors than texters right now. It will get busier later.

I had trouble sleeping last night. At some point I got up and took a second hot bath and even that didn’t help. I finally got a two hour nap this afternoon. Not sure why I couldn’t sleep last night. I had been sleeping fairly well for me.

This afternoon we drove into RMNP and drove up to Grand Lake. We got to Grand Lake a little before 5:00 and there was a long line of people waiting to get in so we turned around and headed back. We didn’t want to get caught in that traffic.

The park is very different this year. We did have to wait in line to get in for our 3:00 reservation but after that we didn’t run into many people or much traffic. It was nice. There were empty parking spaces in all of the pullouts and at the Visitor Center which is most unusual for this time of the year.

We saw a moose and two different elk herds. There were lots of cars pulled over to the side of the road. Everyone wanted to snap a picture of the elk and moose.

It was a beautiful drive to drive through the mountains. I love riding on Trail Ridge Road.

Grateful for a beautiful drive today, grateful for a busy night on the Hot Line, and grateful for the wild life we saw today.

Happy birthday to Jason, my oldest. He turned 45 today. Where does the time go? I trust he had a wonderful day celebrating and I look forward to celebrating with him when I get home.

We took a four hour hike this afternoon. Only walked a little over 4 miles but we climbed to the top of Eagle’s Cliff. It was rather steep and a hard climb for me. I would have never made it if Jim hadn’t been very patient and encouraging with me. I got nauseous and light headed at one point. Almost tossed my lunch. Coming down went much faster than going up. It was one of those hikes though where you have to concentrate with every step going up and down. I had to stop and rest many times going up but made it down with only one rest.

I thought I would have Jim go get the car when we got back on the road and still had a mile to go but I made it. Sometimes it helps to be stubborn.

It felt good to make it to the top of the mountain. I almost quit several times. I’m glad I didn’t as the view was incredible. It was worth the hard climb up.

Other than climb the mountain I haven’t done much today. Went to get fresh sheets for our bed and got extra towels for the guests we have coming in Friday night. A friend of Jim’s from church is bringing his young family out and Jim offered them to stay with us while they are in Estes. They will come in sometime late afternoon Friday and will probably leave Saturday morning. I’m glad we have the extra space and it will be put to good use.

I invited a friend and her husband to come out for a few days and they accepted my offer. It will be so good to have a woman to have a deep conversation with for several days. I think that is the thing I have missed the most during this shelter in place thing. They will be coming the 18th and will stay four or five nights.

Tomorrow we have a reservation at 3:00 to drive into RMNP. We like to park somewhere and walk out on the tundra. After the hike today I’m not sure how far I will be able to go. My legs are a bit rubbery tonight. Maybe they will recover in 24 hours and we can take a good long hike. I love Trail Ridge Road and would be content to just drive up to Grand Lake and back again.

Either tomorrow or Friday I need to do laundry and go to the grocery store. I will be cooking dinner for 6 Friday night, breakfast for 6 on Saturday and dinner for 7. At least I know what I am cooking which is the hardest part of the whole deal. I have a long list of things to get at the grocery store.

I’m working on the Hot Line tonight. Took one call and they disengaged quickly so am now waiting on my second call. We aren’t so busy tonight so am having to wait to get a texter.

Grateful for a long, hard hike today, grateful for Jim’s patience and encouragement during the hike, and grateful for rest time tonight.

Another lazy day in the mountains. I have only left the cabin for 10 minutes today and that was to drive down to the post office on Camp grounds to drop off the heart monitor so it can be returned. Otherwise we have hung around our cabin today.

Jim is waiting on a phone call from his son and once that is done we will take another long walk. Last night we walked over 3 1/2 miles. I did well – we live on top of a hill and that was a bit tough to end the walk having to walk uphill but I made it. Saw some beautiful countryside. We walked over the bridge that crosses Glacier Creek and the one that crosses Big Thompson. I love listening to the water as it rushes past the rocks.

Made hamburger soup in the crock pot for dinner tonight. The smell of it cooking made me hungry all afternoon. We had a bowl a bit ago and will probably have another one when we get back from our walk. Will have leftovers for lunch food for a couple of days.

I looked on-line at the Tractor Supply Store in Emporia and found out they can order chickens for me. I sent them an email asking when I need to order them for a August 1 delivery date. I tried calling them but got cut off due to the poor cell service here. When I hear back from them I can time my order so the chickens will be ready when I get home. They come in groups of 10 – I wanted to get 25 chickens so am thinking I will order 30. Usually some don’t make it – my luck though since I am over ordering they will all live. Can’t wait to pick up 25 – 30 eggs a day.

I checked the Crisis Hot Line last night and they had more texters than counselors so I got on for a bit. Took two calls and finished up a transfer call. I reached Level 4 Counselor. I have handled over 50 calls since I started in May. Level 5 happens when I handle another 50 calls. They still haven’t checked any of my calls and given me feedback. Sure trust I am doing the right thing. One of my callers last night asked if she could have my personal information so she could talk to me daily. She liked me! We aren’t allowed to do that but it was sweet of her to ask. Sometimes I so want to hug my callers.

I took a short nap this afternoon. I have been sleeping more here than I have for a long time. Wonder how long it will take me to break my nap habit when I get home.

It has been another beautiful day in the mountains. As usual it clouded up for a bit this afternoon but we never did get any sprinkles or rain. The clouds have moved on out now and it is clear out again. There are a few clouds building up again. It is rare to have a full day where you don’t get a few sprinkles mid to late afternoon.

Our first week is almost over already. I’m so glad we get to stay for three more weeks although I think I will have trouble breaking my lazy habit when I get home. I am getting pretty good and doing nothing all day long.

I am almost finished reading book number 4. I only brought 7 so may have to switched to knitting instead when I run out of books. I hate to pay retail price for books.

Grateful for another lazy day in the beautiful mountains, grateful for delicious soup smells all afternoon, and grateful I may have found a baby chicken source.

I still want to type June instead of July. I’m running 6 days behind I guess!

Had another quiet day in the mountains. We did go downtown to the shoe store. I tried on some shoes but the guy checked out my hiking boots and thought they were the right size and were still in good shape. Decided to save over $100 and not get a new pair. We don’t hike enough to need another pair.

We stopped at a bookstore and Jim got the calendars he likes. I got some post cards to send to the grandkids. Most everyone downtown were wearing masks. I still didn’t feel 100% comfortable being out and among people but did it to get it over with. I’m perfectly content to stay on the Y Camp grounds and hike around here. Town wasn’t as busy as I have seen it before but there were lots of people out and about.

Tried a new recipe tonight but neither one of us liked it much. It is called Chicken Crack – chicken breasts with dry ranch dressing and cream cheese cooked in a crock pot. When the chicken is done you put bacon bits and cheddar cheese over it. It tasted very salty and was way too rich. We managed to eat enough to get full but don’t think I will be printing out that recipe to make again. I expected it to be creamy but it wasn’t. The chicken wasn’t dry but I thought the cream cheese would make a sauce. Not sure if I did something wrong or not.

Took a nap again today. I finally figured out that the decongestants I am taking is probably making me more tired than normal. I’m still stuffy and snotty if I don’t take them. I sneeze many times a day and blow my nose a lot. The decongestants dry me out for a bit. I am trying to remember to drink more as I am dry inside and out. I’ve never had allergies like this up here before.

We will be taking a walk yet this evening. It is lightly raining now so am waiting for the rain to pass. It usually sprinkles every afternoon for a bit. Never rains much but I prefer not to walk in the rain.

I finished reading another book today – my third one since I have been here. I have another one started. At this rate I may need to go buy some more books. I only brought six or seven with me. Guess I can switch to knitting instead when I run out of books to read.

Went to the corner grocery store this morning to get ingredients for our dinner tonight. I was proud of myself for getting there and back to the cabin without getting lost. Jim usually does the driving and if I don’t drive I don’t pay attention to where I am going. This is my third time staying at the Y Camp and I am finally feeling like I know where I am at most of the time.

It was sunny and beautiful here today until the clouds rolled in this afternoon. We sat outside for a long time last night and looked at the full moon and the stars. It was a beautiful evening. The moon shadows were incredible.

I get to stop wearing the heart monitor tomorrow and will get it packaged up and sent back. I’m glad I got to wear it for a bit at home and trust it captured my low heart rates there. I haven’t had low rates since I have been in the mountains. In fact now I have too fast of a heart rate most of the time. It makes me tired when it beats so fast.

We have a moth problem in our cabin. They seem to swarm in during the evenings. We have a glass with an index card that we are using to capture them and take them back outside. Not sure how they manage to find their way inside. I hate to turn the lights on after dark as they swarm to the light.

It has been nice to have this quiet time with no chores to do. I can finally start to feel my body relax and sink into itself a bit. 2020 has been a stress filled year and it is nice to step away from some of that. I really wonder what the long-term mental health effects of the virus will be. It has changed me in ways I don’t fully understand yet.

Grateful for this down time, grateful I can send the heart monitor back tomorrow, and grateful for books to read.

We took a wonderful walk last night after dinner. We walked down to the Administration Building and then back up the hill. I was able to walk all the way without sucking air. We saw two mule deer on the way down.

I got up this morning around 7:30 and decided to go get my laundry done before it got crowded. I was the only one doing laundry so it was a good time to go. I switched out our bath linens for fresh ones while I was there.

I knitted a dish rag while I was waiting for the laundry to wash and dry. Made a total of four dish rags today. I hadn’t knitted for a bit and it felt good to have needles in my hands again.

This afternoon I went down and visited with Sandy while Jim and his brother Tom went for a long walk around the grounds. It was nice to have another woman to talk to for a bit. I have missed face to face visiting with my female friends.

Fixed leftovers for dinner tonight. Still have some more in the refrigerator but got rid of one container. Not sure what I will make tomorrow night.

Laid down on the couch after dinner to stretch out for a bit and fell asleep. I slept for two hours. Sure hoping I will be able to sleep tonight now. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.

Woke up in time to see the last of the sunset. The sky was filled with lots of reddish clouds above the mountains tonight. It was beautiful. I sat out on the deck and watched the clouds for about an hour and then came in to write my blog. Jim had laid a fire and had me light it. It got started with one match. I love having a fire pop and crack in the evenings. The warmth of the light and heat of the fire is inviting.

No plans for tomorrow although I do want to go to town sometime and get some sweat pants. I can’t believe I forgot sweat pants. It had been so hot in KS I forgot that the mountains get cool at night and didn’t think to grab some to bring.

I feel like I have taken a lazy pill. I have no motivation to do anything and am fully getting into this relaxing thing. Sure trust when I get home I can find my motivation again. Good thing there is nothing I have to do here or it might not be getting done. Living is easy and simple here.

Grateful for the beautiful sunset I saw tonight, grateful for the time I spent with Sandy today, and grateful for naps and leftovers.

What a busy night I had on the Crisis Text Hot Line. I handled two callers at a time for three hours. I lost track of how many calls I took but know it was at least six and maybe sight. It was the first time I was on the site where we had more callers than counselors. It sure made the time go by quickly. All of the texters were fairly easy although I had one strange one. None we’re suicidal and most had high anxiety. I was able to get them all to a cool calm before we hung up. That’s a good feeling.

It has been another lazy day around here today. Jim and I sat outside on the deck watching it rain for at least an hour early afternoon. I was huddled under a blanket as I forgot to bring sweat pants and it was chilly. I finally got too cold and came in and laid down under the blankets to warm up. I fell asleep and slept for two hours.

When I was waking up Jim came in and he laid down. He is taking a nap now. I wonder if the Rocky Mountain air makes one more tired. My O2 levels are lower here than they are at home. Does that make you more tired?

We haven’t taken our walk yet today. It is cool and cloudy out and looks like it might rain again anytime. It is to clear off by Monday and be nice and sunny again then. I’m so glad we will be here for four weeks so we can afford to be lazy for a bit and not feel like we have to take advantage of every moment here doing something. I do worry though that being lazy will become a habit for me and when I get home I won’t get back into the swing of getting things done.

I am reading another book today and almost have it finished. I brought some knitting to do but so far haven’t taken it out of the bag I brought it in. I should have brought yarn to knit a blanket – that would feel good on my cool legs. I don’t usually knit blankets in the summer time and forgot that it is much cooler up here than back home.

My headache finally went away this afternoon. I am still having some snotty nose issues due to allergies of some sort. Grateful I brought some decongestant medication with me. Hoping it will clear up soon. Have a touch of a sore throat and plugged ears this afternoon. I am trying to drink a lot of fluids are wash that stuff out.

Only have two more days of wearing the heart monitor. I’m tired of being strapped to it. At night I get all twisted up in the cords. Cell reception is very bad up here and it isn’t transmitting correctly when I call it in so not sure it is doing any good to wear it. Hoping we got enough when I wore it at home to give the doctor what he needs. My heart rate is faster up here than it is at home. I have only dropped to 48 since I have been here.

Grateful for these lazy days, grateful for rainy days, and Grateful for the sound of the rolling thunder over the mountains.

Had a good night on the Crisis Text Hot Line last night. I was on-line for three hours and handled five calls. All were rather simple calls although one was a prankster. I would get one call finished and another one would come in. Made the time go by very quickly. I have another shift tonight.

Woke up this morning around 6:15 and couldn’t go back to sleep. Finally got up at 7:15. Around 10:30 I got tired so laid down and slept for two more hours. Feels good to get some extra sleep.

My altitude sickness seems to be better today. I drank 96 ounces yesterday and I think that helped. Had a stuffy nose when I woke up. Used some Flonase and that seems to have helped. With all the virus stuff going around it makes me wonder if I had it – glad I am feeling better. We have taken precautions but that doesn’t always mean one is completely safe.

I am still struggling with understanding why the debate on face masks or no face masks rages on. If there is a chance they can help reduce the spread of this terrible virus why wouldn’t you wear one? I just don’t understand how helping keeping someone else safe violates your freedom. If we would have all done our part when this thing broke we would have contained it by now. Now with all the push to open everything too fast we are in worse position then we were before.

Jim went to the grocery store this afternoon. He came back and then went to walk down to his brother’s cabin. He and his brother are going for a short hike. Tom and Sandy are coming up for tacos at 6:00. Tacos don’t take long to fix so will get them started around 5:30 or so.

I have been lazy again today and haven’t done much. Finished reading a book and started another one. Took a long nap and have sat and looked at the mountains. Such beauty and grace in this area. We had a few sprinkles this afternoon and everything smells divine. Makes my allergies go a little crazy but that is a small price to pay for the wonderful earthy smell.

We don’t have any plans for any of the days coming up. Will probably take a long walk after dinner tonight. I haven’t checked to see if they are having a fireworks display in town tomorrow night. We won’t go even if they are. I wonder if there will be private displays around. Usually this time of year the fire danger is too high for them to allow legal fireworks. Fireworks are not my favorite thing anyways.

Rain is in the forecast for the next two days. Most afternoons this area gets a short thunderstorm. Rarely do they get much rain out of it. Keeps things cooled down. It does hail quite often though so if one is hiking you have to keep an eye to the sky to avoid getting caught in a hail storm.

I got a replacement debit card as my other one was expiring. Spent some time this afternoon changing the numbers on all my auto debit accounts. I hate that as you have to remember passwords and ID names. I think I got them all changed. I looked up my bank account and checked to see what accounts were auto paid. I only have one that I need to call Monday and make sure they have my new information.

Got my electric bill for June. Even with running the A/C most of the month and running it as low as 76 my bill was only $32.90 – the minimum charge. The solar panels are paying off. I don’t feel so guilty now lowering the temperature in the house knowing I won’t have to pay through the nose for it.

My O2 level has been ranging from 90 – 95 today. My heart rate has ranged from 47 – 81. I haven’t gotten out and done much so haven’t made my heart race yet. I did OK last night on our mile walk. It didn’t jump up high until we were almost home. I think I am finally adjusting to the altitude. My headache is almost gone.

It has been a wonderful day. I love staying home alone and enjoying quiet music from Spotify playing, reading a good romance novel and drinking fresh sun tea. Life doesn’t get much better than that.

Grateful for this restful time, grateful for the divine smells of the mountains, and grateful Jim is getting to spend some private time with his brother this afternoon.

A lazy day in Estes Park today. Neither one of us had much motivation to do much. We did take a short walk around the grounds. I got to see my first deer laying on the grounds. He just watched us walk right by him and he didn’t get up to check us out. I am having a bit of altitude sickness and didn’t want to go too far yet today. Feeling a bit better this afternoon but not ready to push it yet.

We have stayed around the cabin today reading, napping and resting. It does feel good to take a day and do nothing. It is nice to cocoon in our cabin and pretend all is well in the world. I looked at the news and decided to turn it off. Too much bad news out there.

The weather has been picture perfect in CO today. High was in the mid 70’s although at this altitude that always feels a bit warmer to me than that. It is cool in the shade and hot in the direct sun. I have been sitting on the deck and sit in the sun for a bit to warm up and then move to the shade. That is about all I have done today.

One good thing about being at this higher altitude is that my heart races faster. I don’t think it has been below 60 since I have been here. That is fast for me! When I get up and walk around it jumps up to 150 or higher. Maybe I need to live at 4,000 ft and hit the middle range.

None of the kids are going to be able to come out and spend some time with us. We have two extra bedrooms and a huge cabin all to ourselves. I like the extra space but hate paying for something that we won’t use.

I feel myself unwinding and relaxing. I’m so glad we are going to be here for four weeks and don’t feel pressure to go do things when I’m not feeling up to it. We will probably get out and do something tomorrow although I would be perfectly content staying in my cocoon and not going anywhere for a week or so.

Grateful for the beauty around me, grateful for this slow pace of life, and grateful for the quiet of the mountains.

We are at the Y Camp In Estes Park. We had a smooth drive today. We left around 8:20 and made it to Estes Park in about 8 1/2 hours. We stopped at the grocery store and stocked up and then checked into our cabin.

It took us a bit to get the car unloaded as the back of the car was full. I got all the groceries put away but haven’t unpacked my suitcase yet.

I had to put a sweater on this evening as it cools down quickly in the mountains. We have a large cabin for just the two of us. We reserved it way back the first of March before the virus hit and expected that several of our kids were going to get to come spend time with us. None of them can come now so we have lots of space.

We are both tired tonight. We may go get some fire wood and sit and relax in front of a fire tonight. Not sure we will do much tomorrow either and allow us time to adjust to the higher altitude. I have a bit of an altitude headache this evening. It usually takes me at least five days to adjust. I’m glad we will be here for four weeks as that will give me lots of time to adjust and then I can do lots of walking without sucking for air.

The cell service in the area is very bad. The internet is good so if anyone wants to get hold of me send me an email or FaceTime me. We do have a land line in the cabin and it gets good reception.

It will take me several days to adjust to not having anything that has to be done. I didn’t bring my sewing machine so I can make masks. I did bring some knitting, puzzles and lots of books to read. It will be nice to visit with Jim’s brothers and their spouses. We will go on lots of walks too when I have adjusted to the altitude.

Grateful for a safe journey today, grateful for the beauty around us, and grateful for the cool, evening mountain air.

Not one of my better days. I am not having an easy day today. Not sure why other than I am not looking forward to going to CO tomorrow. I am so torn about going. I’m sure once I get there I will be fine and will be glad I went but with all that is happening in the world right now it feels risky to go. I was just starting to feel good about being home and now I have to upset that.

Took the car to the service station in Cottonwood Falls to have the oil changed. I turned over 6,000 miles on it. Good to have that out of the way before we take off tomorrow morning. They vacuum and wash the car so it is nice and clean for our trip.

Have been gathering stuff up to take today. We are going to have a full car load. Going away for four weeks feels like a long time and I’m sure I am taking way too much stuff. I haven’t packed my clothes yet so need to do that this evening.

Worked on making the last batch of face masks this morning for a bit. Have the first seam sewed in them and need to start pinning them this evening. I won’t get them sewed up before we leave. I want to wait and use ribbons on most of them as I am out of the masks that tie. I’ll have to get more flannel and sheets when I get back so I can make another big batch of masks. Sounds like we will be wearing them for a long time to come.

My heart rate dropped to 33 for a bit last night according to my smart watch. Sure wonder what the heart monitor is picking up. I wear it until July 7 so it will be a while before I hear the results.

Got a call from the lady I am buying a calf from to butcher. The calf will go to the butcher shop July 24 so will be ready sometime the second week in August. The kids are going in with me and taking parts of it. Cattle prices are $0.90 per pound right now. Sure lower than you can buy in the grocery store. It will be good to have good beef again. I only have two packages of good hamburger left. I filled out the sheet that tells the butcher how I want it cut today and mail it back to the lady selling me the beef. She is going to take it in to the butcher when she takes the beef to him in July.

I tried reading the news today and got too angry and had to stop. It will be good to take a month’s break from the TV and the news. If something happens that you think I should know about email or message me. Otherwise I am going to pretend all is well in the outside world for a month.

I took a nap this afternoon when I got back from having my car serviced. I was a danger to myself and the world and needed to escape from myself for a bit. I’m still cranky but not quite as much as before my nap.

And this too shall pass…..

Grateful for the personal service the local service station offers, grateful for beef straight off the ranch, and grateful I will be in CO tomorrow afternoon and remember why I love it there.

I was up at 5:45 to get breakfast fixed for our guests. They ate and were on there way west by 7:10. It was fun to have them here for a short visit. I look forward to spending more time with them when we get to CO Wednesday.

Jim went back to bed as soon as they left. I stayed up and worked on making more masks and got laundry started. I went to the post office at 9:30 and mail 16 packages of masks. Spent over $60 on postage. Came home and took a long nap.

I’ve spent the afternoon making more masks, gathering things up that I want to take to CO, and making up the guest bed. I ground the left over roast beef and made it into beef salad (kinda like ham salad except you use roast beef). It is good and will make a good snack on our travel day Wednesday.

We are having left overs for dinner tonight and tomorrow night. Need to get the refrigerator cleaned out as we will be gone for four weeks. Not sure what is even in it but it will be interesting finding stuff and heating bits and pieces up. Might not be a balanced meal but it will get us fed.

Got the written results of the echocardiogram back. I had one done in 2018 and have been comparing the results. Not sure I understand all of it but nothing seems much different. I still need to look up a couple of things but I didn’t see anything too alarming. I am surprised the doctor’s office hasn’t called but maybe they only call if it is bad news.

The Clinic did call today and offered to change my mammogram appointment to the Emporia office. That wasn’t offered as an option when I booked on-line. I’m grateful they were able to do that for me and save me a trip to Topeka just for a 15 minute appointment.

This has been a rest and recovery day. I feel like I have a lot of stuff that needs done but can’t quite figure out what needs done. Decided to do nothing and sit with the feelings and see if they will calm down. So far it hasn’t. Maybe my body is trying to tell me something else. Giving it some room to relax and communicate with me. I’ve been a bit wired lately and maybe it just needs room to breath and relax.

Tomorrow I need to empty recycling and fill the mower gas cans as well as the car. We will need to get the car pack and loaded so we can leave fairly early Wednesday morning. It is only an 8 1/2 hour drive but we would like to get there mid afternoon so we have time to get settled before dark. We will have to go grocery shopping when we get there and need time to do that.

I send out 92 face masks in the mail today and 15 others were picked up by others at my house this week. I have material to make about 100 more when I get home in August. I ran out of the masks with ties and ordered some more ribbon. It is to come in Wednesday so it will be ready for me to use when I get home. Sounds like we will be wearing masks for some time to come so will probably get more material and make another big bunch of them to give away. Feels like a small thing to do to help keep other people safe.

I’ve made over 550 of them so far. I still get a thrill when I get one finished so as long as that continues I will continue to make them. I told Jim I am spending my stimulus check on material and postage to make masks. At the rate I am going I may spend all of it on this little project.

My heart rate alarm went off during the night again last night. I slept through the alarm but the app sends me an email to let me know it happened and what time it happens. Last night I went down to 40 for over five minutes straight.

I slept hard last night for about three hours, was awake for one hour and then slept hard again for two hours. The nap this afternoon was about two hours long so finally got some good sleep.

Feeling a bit restless this afternoon. Wonder what is behind this sense of urgency to do something? Not sure what the something is.

Grateful for the wonderful visit from Tom and Sandy, grateful for the masks that went out in the mail today, and grateful for long naps.

Jim’s brother and his wife came a little after noon today. We had a quick lunch and have visited all afternoon and evening. Jim and Tom went on a tour of the neighborhood and Sandy and I stayed at the house and visited.

Fixed a pot roast with potatoes and carrots with beer bread muffins for dinner. It was good. Had cheesecake with strawberries for dessert. Had ham salad sandwiches for lunch.

They want to be on the road by 7:00 in the morning so I will get up early to fix them breakfast before they leave. May go back to bed after they leave. I didn’t sleep much at all last night and am really tired tonight. Bet I sleep tonight.

I have 15 packages of face masks ready to take to the post office tomorrow to mail. I am giving away almost 100 masks this week! My supply has been wiped out. I pinned another 25 this evening but only have about 20 others left. I am out of the ones that tie and don’t have any ribbon left to make more of those. I still have enough flannel to make another 100 masks but that will have to wait until I get back in August. I’m grateful I found homes for the masks I had made.

It has been a fun day visiting with Sandy. I look forward to spending more time with Tom and Sandy while we are in Estes Park in July. Jim’s other brother Joe and his wife Linda will also be coming out for part of the time we are there. It will be like a month long family reunion. Fun times!

Grateful for this time with Tom and Sandy, grateful the meal turned out OK, and grateful it is bed time.

Another productive day. I’m on a roll! Haven’t had two back to back productive days in a long time.

Finished sewing over 20 more masks today. I have made over 500 of them so far. Have material to make at least another hundred. If anyone needs some let me know. I am leaving July 1 and won’t be able to send any until I get home July 29 unless I get them off Monday or Tuesday this week. Have over 100 on hand right now. I have some with elastic and some that tie.

Moved all the furniture in the living room and dining room and did the floors. Even moved everything off of the pantry floor and got it cleaned. I found lots of dirt. Sure feels good to have that project done. Still need to dust but the house feels much cleaner to me now.

Jim helped me get the tarp that had gotten caught in the mower out. It was easier than I had hoped it might be. I mowed a bit afterwards just to make sure it was working OK. Still have about an hour of mowing left to do but it is too hot to mow right now. It is 94 but with the heat index feels like 102. I don’t like when it is that hot and humid.

Had a bit of a thunderstorm blow through during the night. I slept through most of it although I heard the wind howling at one point. Jim got up and watched it. I do enjoy watching thunderstorms blow in. We sat out on the deck last night and watched the sky fill with clouds. It was lightning about 70 miles away that we could see. Got some rain but not lots.

I got the chicken coop shoveled out. Still need to take the hose down and spray it out good. The straw had dried out and was easy to clean out. Got two wheelbarrows full of dirty straw. Hopefully in the morning I’ll get down and get that job finished.

We went to Walmart this afternoon and got two carts full. Had to get four bags of dog food, meds for Jim’s cats, and a few things we want to take to CO. Spent over $300. Money seems to go quickly out the door these days. Shopping wears me out. I was glad to get back home. I guessed about 50% of the customers were wearing face masks. Did my best to avoid the ones that didn’t have on a mask.

Jim helped me make scalloped potatoes with ham for dinner tonight. It is cooking now. I still want to make another batch of banana bread. Got a double batch of snickerdoodle cookies made last night.

Our guests should be here tomorrow early afternoon. So looking forward to having them come. I’ll put a pot roast in the crock pot tomorrow morning so I don’t have to cook while they are here. I’ll make some beer bread muffins to go with it and call it good.

I am slowing starting to pull some things out that I want to take to CO. I have a list started. I want to avoid shopping in CO as much as possible. We will have to go out for groceries but am hoping that will be all the shopping we have to do.

Need to write a few letters before I leave Wednesday morning. Realized I won’t have a printer to print my letters while we are in CO. I’ll have to send emails instead. My handwriting has gotten so bad I don’t think anyone could read what I wrote if I tried to hand write a letter.

My heart range has been between 43 to 134 today. I haven’t gotten an alert for the last several days of it dropping below 45 and staying there for over 10 minutes. Maybe it is not going to act up while I have the monitor on.

Feels good to have moved my body again today and to have gotten the house cleaned. I so enjoy a clean house. I feel like I finally have reclaimed my space again and my body is all home now. I had been feeling I left bits of me somewhere else. Good to be back home in my body and grounded again.

Grateful the house is clean, grateful the mower is fixed, and grateful the chicken coop is almost cleaned out.

This has been a busy afternoon. I finally had a very productive day. I cleaned the guest bedroom and bathroom for the guests I have coming in Sunday afternoon. Got the hallway and entry way cleaned too.

Baked a double batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and a batch of banana bread. I’m going to made a batch of Snickerdoodles and another batch of banana bread yet this evening.

I sat down to sew up some masks and discovered I had pinned them wrong last night. Pissed myself off! Had to unpin them and start over. I wasted an hour of time last night and an hour today. Jeez, I hate when I do something stupid like that.

Jim cleaned out the garage and washed up the dogs food and water bowls. The food containers were just plain nasty. When I am home I run them through the dishwasher once a month but they hadn’t been cleaned since last December. Yuck!

Had a fun night on the text hot line. I took two calls from young girls that just needed someone to listen to them for a bit. One of them didn’t want me to stop talking to her. We are to limit our calls to under one hour but I went over with her. Sometimes I just want to reach through the screen and wrap my arms around them and let them know everything is going to be OK. They live with such intensity these days. Maybe I did too and just don’t remember it.

Made a batch of ham salad this morning. Jim really likes it and it makes a good quick snack. Grilled hamburgers on our new grill for dinner tonight. They turned out perfectly. We had one ripe tomato from Jim’s garden in Stillwater that was delicious. I had forgotten what a home grown tomato tastes like.

Tomorrow I need to clean the living room, dining room and kitchen. The floors really need done. I have spot cleaned them since I have been home in June but haven’t moved all the furniture and given them a good once over. They desperately need cleaned. I also need to do our bedroom and bathroom floors.

May need to run to town to the grocery store tomorrow. I need to decide what else to fix with the pot roast and potatoes and carrots for Sunday evening and what dessert to fix and then check to see if I have on hand what I need.

Made my annual physical appointment and my mammogram appointment today. They are in mid August. I haven’t had a mammogram for three years and I promised my Endocrinologist I would have an annual physical from my regular doctor. He doesn’t give a very thorough exam so not sure it is worth the time but it checks a box.

We didn’t get out to get the mower fixed today. Still need to get that done so I can get the mowing finished before we leave next Wednesday. I also need to get the chicken coop cleaned out yet. It got too hot to work outside this afternoon.

I forgot to wear my smart watch to bed so don’t know if my heart rate went too low last night or not. My rate has ranged from 40 to 128 today. I am sure anxious to know if the heart monitor reads the same as what my watch shows. I was kinda expecting the doctor’s office would call me today to tell me the results of the Echo but I didn’t hear from anyone.

Felt good to move my body and get some things done today. I have been lazy lately and have not gotten much done. It feels good to have part of the main floor clean. It will feel even better when the other half gets done tomorrow. For some reason I feel better when my house is really clean.

Grateful for the work I got done today, grateful for a fun night on the hot line, and grateful I moved my body today.

Drove to Topeka for my echocardiogram late morning. Lots of road construction on the KS Turnpike. My appointment took about one hour. The girl that did it was a rookie but her trainer came in and coached her. They told me they didn’t see anything that would prevent me from going home and that the doctor’s office would call me with results.

Stopped at Walmart to pick up a prescription on the way home. If you haven’t checked out GoodRX I would encourage you to do so. For some reason most of my prescriptions are cheaper using GoodRx which is free than If I use my insurance. The blood pressure medication I picked up today would have been $177 with my insurance but was only $43 with GoodRx. Don’t ask me to explain how they do that but I will take the savings.

Had one episode of my heart rate dropping below 45 and staying there for over 10 minutes overnight. I trust my heart monitor recorded that. I haven’t received a robo call today so am assuming the monitor is doing its thing.

Had a rough call on the text hot line last night. I had to get my supervisor involved. We went through the steps and I though the supervisor should do one thing and she told me to do another. I did what she told me to do but I need to figure out how to contact her and get an explanation of why she did it that way. I felt that the caller was not going to be safe. Maybe the supervisor had information I didn’t have and I have to trust them. I found her less helpful than the other two times I had to involve the supervisor. She didn’t provide any coaching to me and I had to wait what seemed like a long time between her comments to get guidance.

The second call I took was easier but the person was at work and sometimes took a long time to text back. I sent her some referrals and told her to look them over after work and to text back in if she needed more support.

I have a shift tonight from 10:00 to midnight. Hopefully I will get hold of a supervisor and get some direction.

One thing I don’t like is I was told my calls would be monitored and checked and I would receive feedback on a regular basis. So far as I can tell none of my calls have been monitored and checked and I have received only one piece of feedback during a call I got a supervisor involved in. I was reading on the network and a different supervisor was coaching us to handle it the way I had handled it to start with. Things like that frustrate me and make me go ummmm…
Thinking I will continue handling things as I have been and will take feedback under consideration and not as have to.

The main boss at the hot line was fired and things seem very chaotic and unorganized right now. I’m sure things will calm down. They have had a huge influx in the number of counselors and they weren’t geared up to handle them. Thinking in another couple of months a lot of the newbies will drop out and things will settle into a new normal.

Jim will be back around 5:30 tonight. I need to figure out what to make with the hamburger I thawed and get something going for dinner so we can eat when he gets here. I think I am going to make the three bean casserole that has bacon, beans and hamburger in it. I don’t think I have made that for him before.

KS has screwed up the payment for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. I got an email from them saying they had given me a week too much and that they were going to reverse the payment. That happened Monday. Today the payment showed back up again. Not sure what is going on. I would call them but you still can’t get through. Easy come – easy go – easy come! Hope they get their act together soon.

Sure could take a nap this afternoon but not sure I want to. I slept fairly good last night and would prefer to stay up and not risk not being able to sleep tonight. However I have to stay up late to work on the Hotline. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t take a nap. It will be a surprise to me what I do!

Grateful for a safe journey to and from Topeka, grateful for GoodRx, and grateful Jim will be home soon.

Sleep was hard to find again last night. I finally fell asleep around 6:00 this morning and had to be up at 9:00 to get ready to go to town for my haircut. I’m glad I had set my alarm or I would have missed my haircut.

It felt so good to get all the extra hair I had grown for the last five months cut off. I had him cut it short but not extremely short. It feels a bit extremely short though as it was so long before my cut. I usually only go 8 weeks between cuts so five months set a new record for me.

After I got my hair cut I went to the post office to drop off the heart monitor that didn’t work and mail a couple of letters. Then I went to Walmart to pick up a few things. One of my tower fans had quit working and I needed a replacement. I remembered to get potting soil and new pots so I could repot the geraniums. They were seriously root bound and didn’t have enough soil in their small pots. Also got cat food for Katy and sewing machine needles and pins.

Stopped at Fanestil’s Meat Market on the way home and got a roast to cook for Sunday night dinner. Wow have beef prices gone up. Betting the rancher isn’t seeing much of that increase. I asked for a four pound roast and the butcher went to the cutting room and cut one for me. It turned out to be 5 1/2 pounds so when I got home I cut it into two pieces and package it up so I could freeze them. I’ll lay one of them out to thaw Saturday and then cook it in the crock pot for dinner Sunday night.

When I got home I transplanted the geraniums into their new pots. Set the new fans up and carried out all the packaging and the old fan. I had also gotten another flat sheet for more masks. I had more flannel pieces to use up and needed more sheet pieces so I wouldn’t waste the flannel pieces. I threw the sheet into the washer to get it washed up.

My heart monitor came in so I got it hooked up and registered. I trust it is working correctly but I am struggling to trust the company that sent the monitor.

I laid down and took a two hour nap. I have a volunteer shift with the Crisis Text Hot Line tonight and knew if I didn’t take a nap I wouldn’t be very compassionate with my callers this evening and might not be able to stay awake until my shift ends at midnight.

I pinned together 20 more masks after my nap. I need to get started cleaning the house but so far that urge hasn’t hit me yet. Maybe this evening I will get the cleaning started. I would much rather sew masks though.

I walked down to the end of the driveway to bring up the mail and the trash can. I decided it was too hot out to clean out the chicken coop. If I get up early enough tomorrow morning when it is cool out I will do it then.

Tomorrow I have to be in Topeka by 1:00 for the Echocardiogram. I’ll have to leave here around 11:30 as I need to stop and get gas somewhere along the way. The test takes about an hour so should be home by 3:30.

Jim is coming back tomorrow afternoon. I don’t expect him to be back before I get home. I’ll have to remember to lay something out so I can fix dinner tomorrow night when I get home. I didn’t think to check my grocery list while I was at Walmart today. Maybe I can find something to fix – guess I can stop at the store on my way home from Topeka tomorrow afternoon if needed.

A week from today we will be in Estes Park for four weeks. I need to start making my packing list and gathering up what I want to take. I am looking forward to going but am sad to leave home so soon again. I finally feel like all of me has arrived back home and would like to stay and enjoy that for a bit. The cool evenings in CO sound delightful though and I am looking forward to spending time with family out there.

The spike in the number of Covid-19 cases is a bit alarming. I have a feeling it is going to be a rough six to nine months, if not longer, for most of the country. My heart is heavy thinking of all the families that have lost jobs, lost family members or who are sick. It is increasingly difficult for me to remember to continue to take precautions. Jim is better at it then I am and he reminds me.

Grateful for a hair cut, grateful for naps, and grateful Jim will be back home tomorrow.