Starry night on the prairie

It may be an early bedtime for me tonight. I didn’t sleep much again last night.

I had set my alarm for 4:00 to put the turkey in the oven. I was awake at 3:00 and thought I would go ahead and put the turkey in the oven and hope I could get more sleep. That logic didn’t work but I was an hour ahead all day.

We had a nice dinner. I only had 10 today but it was nice to have a more manageable number of people today. We ate in the new room and had plenty of room. The only goof I made was forgetting to set out the cranberry relish. Everything else was edible.

We had lots of leftovers but most of my guests took some home. Thanksgiving leftovers are the best! I am going to make some ham salad tomorrow with the leftover ham.

No plans for the next couple of days. I need a rest and recovery day. I still have a few dishes to finish up but there is no rush for that. I may or may not get the last of them washed up tonight.

My shingles are much better today. No pain and just a little weeping. I am thinking the vaccine really helped make this a very mild case. I’m still tired but not sure if that is from jet lag or the shingles or both. It sure would help if I could crash and sleep for longer than three hours at a time. One of these days that will happen.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is a good excuse to eat as much as you can and to share the day with family and friends. It was nice to see Jason, Michelle and Ellexia today. Looking forward to our family Christmas the 13th. I will need to get going on making our favorite Christmas treats. I need to make a list and go shopping to get the supplies. I will wait till next week though as I don’t want to go close to any stores this weekend.

Looking forward to a couple of quiet days between the holidays. I need some down time to completely recover from my trip and today.

Feeling sated and happy this evening. I love having company and fixing a meal. It was a bit easier for me this year than last year as I am getting more used to this smaller house. I’m so grateful for my friends that came and joined my family today.

Grateful for another successful Thanksgiving feast, grateful for my friends and family that joined us, and grateful for a couple of quiet days ahead.

Thanksgiving baking has begun. I baked four pumpkin pies and two pecan pies today. I tore the bread up for the dressing and chopped the onion and celery. I have my alarm set for 4:00 as I will get up then and put the turkey in the oven. Hopefully I will go back to bed as nothing else needs to be done until 9:00 or so.

I took the cookies up to the Detention Center this afternoon. Afterwards I stopped at Casey’s and paid for the pizza. They had to split the order in two parts as the total exceeded their maximum order. Grateful that is taken care of.

Half of the Detainees will get pizza and a cookie tonight and the other half will get them Friday night. Close enough to be considered a Thanksgiving feast of sorts.

Next up for the Detention Center is the gift card to Walmart that they will get to mail to a person of their choosing in December.

Some guy from the Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation reached out to me via text message and wants to chat with me. Not sure who he is or what he does. He had gotten my contact information from the Kansas Reflector Editor. We are going to have a google meeting sometime early next week if I can figure out how to do that.

The car insurance lady that is handling the claim on Kathy’s car reached out to me today. I was struggling to take pictures using their app. Not sure what I was doing wrong but decided it wasn’t worth my time to figure it out. She sent me a different way of sending her photos. I still need to take three more and then I will attempt to send them to her. If that fails, they will send someone out to actually see the car in person. I probably ought to get some bids to fix the car before I accept their offer. Not sure how to do that but I will figure it out next week.

I think I checked everything I am making tomorrow and made sure I have what I need to make it. Not sure if any stores are open tomorrow or not. I will fake it at this point and adjust as needed if I did forget something.

I think there are only going to be nine or ten of us eating. Sure wish I could have found some more to come. I am attempting to downsize how much I make but if you know me, you know that is hard. If your plans have changed and you need a place to eat a turkey dinner, please come! We are eating around 1:00.

No plans for the weekend after tomorrow. I may go up to the doings at the old school Saturday. I didn’t get a call to work so I get to go and enjoy this year. Next week is looking pretty free. I do have to go to Topeka on Thursday for an eye doctor appointment.

Trusting the cooking will go smoothly tomorrow morning. I am out of practice cooking and things haven’t been easy lately. I spilled some pumpkin pie stuff on the cookie sheet and on the floor. Oops. Maybe that will be my disaster of the meal and tomorrow will be easy.

Had to dig my floor heater out and use it today. I have felt cold off and on all day. My shingles are doing well. The pain has been much less today and they aren’t weeping today. I think my tiredness is partly from the shingles and partly still from jet lag. I guess I didn’t know shingles causes fatigue along with the itch and pain.

Kathy and I test tasted the pies and they are edible. Trusting everything else I fix tomorrow will be so too.

Grateful to help the Detainees celebrate Thanksgiving in a small way, grateful the pies are baked, and grateful to take this time and remember all that I am thankful for.

I am Ms. Cranky Pants tonight. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed and it hasn’t been an easy day for me.

I wasn’t ready to get up when the alarm went off this morning. I had slept hard for a couple of hours last night and then woke up and struggled to go back to sleep. Finally did so and then the alarm rudely woke me up.

I had to be in Emporia at 9:15 for my bone density test and mammogram. I made it on time and didn’t have to wait long for them to call me back. Both tests went quickly and easily.

I then went up to the Clinic on the fourth floor and got a blood draw to check my TSH levels.

Went to Walmart for the rest of the my Thanksgiving groceries. Walmart was packed and parking was hard to find. I got what I needed and got out of there. I stopped and filled up with gas as they have the cheapest gas in town that I am aware of.

Came home and put everything away. My dining table is full of things I need to make Thanksgiving dinner. Thank heavens we are going to use that table as I’m not sure I can find the bottom of it.

I made Chex Mix this afternoon. I had the hardest time getting the butter unwrapped. Not sure what the problem was but the paper came off in small sections instead of one big piece. Sometimes the simple things in life give me a hard time! I always give my kids a bag of it for Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday season. Kathy and I enjoyed a bowl of it this afternoon while it was still warm.

My TSH results were 1.6. That is a touch low but certainly within range. My sweet spot is 2.0 – 2.5 so pretty darn close.

The doctor’s office called to let me know my mammogram was negative and the bone density test results were about the same as they were last time they did the test.

My neighbor’s insurance company called to get my statement about the dent the neighbor put in Kathy’s car. They sent me a link that I am to complete which includes taking photos of the car. I couldn’t make the camera part work. Not sure what I was doing wrong but I had no patience with it. I called the lady back and told her I am old and don’t do technology well. She didn’t call me back yet. I will see if I can make it work tomorrow when I am not so cranky.

My shingles didn’t really bother me today. I do feel exhausted and cranky but not sure that is because of the shingles or the jet lag. I didn’t take any more antiviral medication as it gave me really bad diarrhea. Trusting tomorrow I will have an easier day.

Tomorrow I will bake my pies and break the bread for the dressing. I need to sort things on the table out so I can find what I need as I cook Thursday morning. I made a list, checked it twice but need to make sure one more time I have everything I need. I am not sure what is open Thursday if I forgot something. Sure hoping I don’t have to go to town tomorrow.

I need to get the cookies to the Detention Center tomorrow so they will have them for their dinner tomorrow night. I also need to go to Casey’s and pay for the pizza.

I probably should do some cleaning tomorrow but we shall see if I get that done. Hopefully the people coming Thursday won’t care if the house is really clean or not. Phil was going to come over tomorrow and clean the new room and move his building stuff out of the way. I need to remember to put a heater in that room so it will be comfortable for our dinner Thursday.

The heating and air guy was to have come yesterday and if they didn’t they were to have called to let me know when they are coming. No word from them so not sure when they are coming. I hate when a business tells you one thing and then does something else.

Hoping this crankiness will be gone tomorrow. I could have ripped someone’s head off today if given a chance. I think I will take my bath early and go to bed and see if that will help. My sleep is still very messed up – even worse than normal. The price I pay for going on an international trip.

I feel cold to my bones tonight. I dug out the little room heater and have it going to try to warm myself up. Cranky and cold! I am getting old!

Grateful the Chex Mix is made, grateful all three test results were normal, and grateful this day is almost over and I didn’t kill anyone!

It has been a productive day. I wasn’t able to sleep last night so finally got up and made a list of all the things I need to do today and tomorrow. I thought it would help me sleep but it didn’t work. It did help me get a lot of things done today though.

I made six phone calls this morning and didn’t finish my business with most of them. I left messages and only one called me back. Not sure what is up with that!

I went to Emporia this morning to drop off the closing statement of the rental property I sold so the accountant could figure my estimated tax liability. I also deposited the insurance refund check.

I stopped by Price Chopper and picked up the cookies for the Detention Center Thanksgiving feast. The back of my car is full of cookies.

I stopped at Hobby Lobby and got a thing that will go in the new bathroom that has baskets on the shelves to add some storage to the new bathroom. I have one similar in the other bathroom that has worked well.

Went to Walmart to get paper plates, envelopes and napkins for the Detention Center. Since I was there I picked up a bunch of things the new bathroom needs such as toilet paper holder, shower grab bars, trash can, etc. I also picked up a few more things for my Thanksgiving dinner.

When I woke up this morning I realized the place that has been itching for the last couple of days has blister like things that are weeping. They are in a line on my chest at the front bra line. It dawned on me that they may be shingles. I looked it up on-line and sure enough that is what they look like.

It starts with a weird itch and can present with flu like symptoms. I was running a temperature on Saturday and felt like crap. I thought it was from the long travel day. Guess what – that is the early symptoms of shingles. The pain isn’t too bad most of the time although when it gets active it hurts.

I sent a note to my doctor and he prescribed a viral antibody. I have pretty bad diarrhea tonight and looked up the side effects of the drug and sure enough diarrhea is common. I don’t think I will take any more of them as the diarrhea is worse than the shingles.

Hoping things slow down soon so I can get some sleep. I have been up since 10:30 last night. I think sleep would solve several of my problems.

The accountant called before I had left town and I went back and picked up the estimated tax coupons. Ouch! When I got home I had an email from Social Security informing me of my Medicare rate for 2026. Because I sold my house and a rental my income was really high last year and as a result my Medicare rate went up over $400 a month. Ouch! Dang I hate paying the tax man! They will average my income again next year and the Medicare rate should come down a bit and then drop a lot more the following year.

Tomorrow I have to be at the hospital at 9:15 for my mammogram and bone density tests. After that I need to go back to Walmart to pick up the remaining things I need for Thanksgiving. It won’t take long since I got a few things today.

Wednesday I need to start cooking. I will do some cleaning tomorrow afternoon and get the tables from the shed moved into the house. I am only going to have around 10 people that I know of now so won’t need many tables and chairs.

It felt good to be really productive today and get lots done. I still have a few more things to take care of tomorrow but I finally feel like I am all the way home. I needed a productive day. Things had kinda piled up while I was gone and I had lots of little details to sort through and handle.

Feeling a bit crummy this evening. Hoping after a good night’s sleep I will be better tomorrow. I have too much to do to go down. I’m sure if the diarrhea stops I will feel better. Thankful that I took the shingles vaccine that will reduce the effects of this case.

Not the homecoming I wanted but I’m sure things will be better tomorrow.

Grateful for all I got done today, grateful I will feel better tomorrow, and grateful for vaccines that limit my risks.

This has been a day of sleep! I didn’t wake up until after 9:30 when I got a phone call. After the call I got up and moved slowly all day. I watched the Chiefs game and then laid down for a nap. I just woke up at 10:00. Not sure if I will sleep tonight or not. Still don’t fill completely rested but much better than yesterday.

At one point today, Kathy asked me if I felt like I was all the way home. I told her no! Hopefully after I get some things done tomorrow I will feel like all of me is home. I didn’t attempt to do anything today as I don’t trust my brain today yet. I couldn’t hold a thought long enough to carry through with anything today.

Tomorrow I have to go to Emporia and pick up the cookies I ordered for the Detention Center Thanksgiving feast. I got an email from them and they asked for some paper plates so I will get those while I am in town tomorrow. They also need some plain envelopes. Not sure why they don’t put letters in a card and use those put I will get some envelopes as they requested.

My accountant needs a copy of the closing statement for the last rental I had sold so I will drop that off for her. Last time they mailed me something it took three weeks to get here.

I have an insurance refund check that I need to deposit. Hoping I can close out this account soon. It is the one I used for the rentals and I don’t have any rentals left. I want to leave it open for a few months just to make sure I don’t have anymore rental business to take care of. It was a pain to get this account open and I don’t want to have to go through that again.

The hyacinth bulbs I had put over salt and pepper shakers are rooting nicely and starting to show a bit of green. I need to get some flower pots and potting soil to put them in. Hope I can find flower pots this time of year.

I need to stop by and get a blood draw to get my TSH levels checked. They may be a bit wacky with all the travel. Not sure I got all my medication in as I didn’t know what time it was sometimes.

I have some phone calls to make. Kathy’s car had gotten dented the day before I left for India. I need to call and get that claim started and find out what I need to do to get her car fixed.

My Cardiologist had called Friday while I was traveling with results of the heart monitor that I had worn two months ago. I will try to get hold of them tomorrow and find out what the results were. Not sure why it hasn’t been posted on My Chart but then again I am not sure why it took two months to get the results.

I need to call my heating and air guys and find out why they haven’t shown up yet. They had promised me they would get to the job within a week. That was almost three weeks ago. My calendar must be different than theirs is!

Tuesday I have a mammogram and bone density test. Afterwards I need to buy groceries for Thanksgiving. I can take care of a few more things off my to-do list then if needed. I may run out of steam while I am in town tomorrow and not get everything done.

I am still looking for eaters for Thanksgiving if anyone would like to come join us. We are going to eat in the new room. It is empty and the biggest space I have in this house. I can seat at least 24 people in there and so far I think I only have 12 coming. Please come join us! No need to bring anything but yourself and friends. We are eating at 1:00. Let me know and I will set a place for you at my table.

Grateful for a day of rest, grateful for Notes on my iPhone so i can track all that needs to get done, and grateful to be home.

This has definitely been a recovery day. I never did fall asleep last night. My body does not know what it wants. I can’t tell if I am hungry, tired, restless, or thirsty.

I am still in my pajamas as I knew I wasn’t going anywhere today. I did manage to get my laundry done and folded and put away. Now when I do decide to get dressed I have clothes to wear.

I took a nap around 3:00 this afternoon and woke up around 9:30. I am still exhausted so hoping I will be able to get more sleep later tonight. This time thing is really messing with me today.

Went through the papers on my desk and sorted them into piles. I need to make several phone calls Monday and deal with some of the things that came in. Have a couple other things to fill out and mail. Maybe tomorrow when I can think straight I will get them filled out and ready to mail.

I did remember to put the turkey in the refrigerator so it could thaw out by Thursday. I had forgotten to do that when i got home last night.

Recovery from international trips gets harder as I get older. Have a bit of a sore throat and the chills tonight. Thinking it is just my body saying what the heck did you put me through more than I am getting sick. I don’t have time to get sick right now. The next three weeks are going to be busy.

I’m sure tomorrow I will have most of my brain power back and I can get something done. I plan on staying home again tomorrow and give my body rest and quiet. I have something I have to do everyday next week and will need brain power to accomplish what needs to be done.

One of those days where I can’t hold a thought long enough to act on it. Guess that is the price I pay for being gone for two weeks and traveling across the globe.

Grateful for a day of quiet at home, grateful to know that I will recover but it may take a bit, and grateful to have another day tomorrow of rest and recovery.

I got home a little before midnight. I went through the mail and then took a hot bath and tried to go to sleep. It is now 3:00 am and I still haven’t slept. Decided to get up and blog and see if that will help me fall asleep when I try again. My body thinks it is 3:00 pm and not bedtime yet.

We checked out of the hotel at 8:00 Thursday evening in Nepal time. We got driven to the airport and went through customs and immigration and got checked into our flight. We ended up being done with all of that by 9:30 so we had a couple of hours to wait for our 00:30 flight.

Our first flight of the day was a rough start to the day. Something was off with the flight crew. They were cranky and the flight was full of cranky people. The guy sitting next to me must have been 6’4” tall. When we were served our meals he acted like he hadn’t eaten in days. His elbow covered my food. The seats were small and there was little room to sit, let alone to eat. I couldn’t see my food while he was eating as his elbows covered it. I wasn’t hungry so gave up trying to figure out a way to eat. The guy was oblivious to the problem he was creating for me. It was a long five hour flight.

We had a five hour layover in Dubai. We found a Hard Rock Cafe and had a meal. The food almost tasted familiar- not quite but it was good.

We started loading for our almost fifteen hour flight an hour before takeoff. We had to go to security again. The plane was a double decker with the rich people on the upper level that had a lounge and a shower. We were on the lower deck. The airline was Emirates which I highly recommend. The service was excellent and the seats were much bigger than our first flight.

There was a baby that looked to be ten-months old or so near us. He got tired of flying and cried loudly for at least an hour of the flight. I felt bad for his mother. She also had a four-year old to manage. I felt like crying after flying about ten hours of the long flight myself.

Both Nicole and I had an empty seat beside us on this flight so we could spread out a bit. That made the flight a bit more bearable but it was a fucking long flight.

We landed in JFK on time but it took a bit to get off the plane. We had to get on a bus to get to the terminal. The bus ride was over 20 minutes long. Then we had to go through customs and immigrations. Luckily neither one had long lines and we got through all that fairly quickly. We had to walk about a mile to get to our gate. We got there with about 20 minutes to spare.

Our third flight of the day was about two hours long. We flew from JFK to Detroit. That plane was full too and they gave us a small bag of chips and a drink. We landed a bit early in Detroit and had to walk a bit to our next gate.

We had enough time to get to the gate and then get a sandwich to eat. Our next flight was partly full and left on time. Again, it was only a little less than two hours before we arrived in KC around 9:30 KC time.

Nicole’s husband picked us up and we went to Nicole’s house. I picked up my car and drove home and got home around midnight.

It is a mind twister to me that it took us 24 hours by the clock to fly for 23 hours plus 13 hours of layovers. No wonder I can’t sleep! My mind and body has no idea what time it is and what time zone I am in. Time makes no sense to me right now.

We were lucky today in that all four flights were on time and we had no unexpected delays. Our luggage arrive at JFK that we had to check and we were able to hand carry on the last two flights. The day went as smoothly as it could have but it felt like it was one never ending day. I don’t know when to eat or sleep!

What an adventure we had. It will take me some time to process all that I saw. I certainly like Nepal better than India. The energy was lighter and the food was easier for me to eat. Nepal was cleaner in some ways although it would be a stretch to call Nepal clean.

The time with Nicole was the best part of the trip. This was our sixth trip together. She lets me go decision free for the most part on the trip. She helped navigate the airports, took care of my passport and all the details of the airports, and watched after me. I am usually the one that navigates things for others and it is a real treat to be able to follow instead of lead. My brain needed that vacation. We laughed, we cried, and made some wonderful memories together.

It is SO good to be home again. I have a busy week ahead with Thanksgiving on Thursday next week. I have a mammogram and bone density test on Tuesday. I need to pick up the cookies I ordered for the Detention Center Thanksgiving on Monday. I have several things that came in the mail that I need to take care of next week as well as preparing the Thanksgiving feast.

My family is having Christmas on December 13 so I will need to start getting organized for that. I ordered most of the gifts I am giving before I left and I have a pile of packages to open and sort through.

Phil had laid the flooring in the addition as well as painted it. He is starting to install the toilet. I love how that room looks. It will be the nicest room in the house and it is for storage. It will be so good to get the freezer out of my bedroom and the storage racks that are in the living room moved out. We will also be able to clear off the front porch that is currently loaded with storage stuff.

I will talk to Phil tomorrow and find out what the plan is to finish the rest of it. The shower tile still needs to be installed, the shower doors put up, the bathroom sink and vanity need installed and the trim needs put up around the windows. It needs a bathroom door and bathroom light fixtures. The heat and air guy hasn’t come yet so I need to call them Monday and find out when they are coming.

Maybe now that I have dumped this all out of my head I can sleep. I’m not sure if I am tired or hungry or just wired still from the adrenaline of coming home. I slept for 20 minutes at a time on the plane. Just enough to knock the edge off but not near enough sleep but can’t sleep now. It may take me a bit to readjust to my normal schedule. I am not the best of sleepers under normal conditions. Guess I will sleep when I can find it and figure it all out as it goes.

Grateful for a safe journey home, so very grateful to be home, and grateful for the time I got to spend with Nicole.

Nicole and I are sitting at the airport in Kathmandu all checked in and waiting for our midnight 30 flight to Dubai. The check-in process went very smoothly and faster than expected. We got to the airport way too early as we still have two hours before we depart. Better earlier than late!

We started the day by sleeping in. Nicole went down and had breakfast but I decided I better not eat as my tummy was still a bit cranky. When Nicole came back up we watched a movie on Netflix on my iPad.

We had hired a guide to show us around a market. We went down to the front desk to get a taxi to go meet the guide and we found out the guide was ill and couldn’t meet us. He had recommended a place for Nicole to get a tattoo so we headed that way in the taxi. Another couple from the tour joined us.

We got dropped off in a market of sorts that had lots and lots of souvenir shops. It was a very narrow road with a deep ditch on each side. Lots of people and traffic so it was a bit of a challenge to look in the shops, watch for traffic, and find safe places to place my feet.

We walked down to the tattoo shop and Nicole got a Nepal tattoo. The other couple and I sat and waited until she was done. The guy did a neat job and was quick.

After the tattoo we walked down the streets and popped in and out of some of the shops. I found some things I didn’t know I wanted. The couple that went with us found a spice shop and got something there.

There was a festival of some sort that was happening in Kathmandu today and we saw shrines that were carried by four men using bamboo poles. The streets were littered with leftover flowers they used to decorate the shrines.

After an hour or more of walking the streets we found a taxi to take us back to the hotel. As usual it was a bit of a scary ride back as traffic was particularly heavy in spots. I close my eyes and trust that all is well. It was and we made it back in one piece. The 15 minute taxi ride was 500 rubies or $3 US.

When we got back to the hotel we went to the restaurant in the hotel and had lunch. Another couple that had been on the tour came in and joined us. We sat and visited for over an hour. I had plain rice and some bread.

After lunch we went up to our rooms and I managed to take a nice long nap. Nicole watched a movie and rested but she wasn’t able to sleep.

At 8:00 we had to check out of our room so we packed up and went downstairs to settle our bill with the hotel. We sat in the lobby for about 25 minutes until our ride showed up to take us to the airport. Traffic was lighter than I had seen it and we got to the airport in about 15 minutes.

Our flight leaves at 00:30 to Dubai. It is a five hour flight. We have a five hour layover in Dubai and then a 14:30 hour flight to JFK. From there a two hour layover and a flight to Detroit and then to KC. I think we arrive in KC 36 hours from now.

The time thing is wacky though as we leave very early Friday morning here and arrive Friday evening in KC but we will have been traveling for 36 hours.

Not sure if I will attempt the drive home Friday evening or if I will stay over a night. It will depend on how much I am able to sleep on the flights.

This has been an amazing adventure. Sure wished I had packed my ruby red slippers and could make the next 36 hours go by quickly.

Grateful for an easy check-in process at the airport, grateful we didn’t have to run in the airport, and grateful I am almost home.

We went down for breakfast around 6:30 this morning. I ate breakfast kinda and then all of a sudden didn’t feel well. I spent the next two hours running to the bathroom. Needless to say I stayed home from the tour today as bathrooms are not as plentiful as I needed today.

I took some medication and things finally slowed down. By noon I was feeling OK. Thinking it was just stress and a reaction to all the weird food I have been eating.

I stayed in the room most of the day. I did take a walk down the sidewalk as far as I could go without crossing a street. I found an ATM that would accept my debit card. I have tried several before and none of them would work with it. Not sure what was up with that.

Nicole went on the tour today and got some good pictures so I could see what I missed. She found a spot to do some shopping and got what she was looking for.

Our group met for a final dinner tonight. I had a roll and some mashed potatoes. I didn’t want to push my tummy very hard as I have a lot of flying to do and I would rather not be in the bathroom all the way home. Not sure we will ever see any of the people in the group again after tomorrow. I didn’t really develop any real connection with any of them this trip. There were a couple that if the tour were longer I might have but there were also several in the group that I would not have regardless of how long the trip was.

Tomorrow we are meeting a guy and he is going to help us get around the city a bit. Nicole is going to attempt to find a tattoo place and while she is getting new ink the guy will take me shopping. Another couple on the tour are going to join us. We are all killing time until our late night flights.

We get to use our hotel room until 8:00 tomorrow evening. We get picked up to head to the airport at 8:30. Our first of four flights leaves at midnight thirty. We fly to Dubai where we have a five hour layover. From there we fly to JFK and then to Detroit and then to KC. All together it will take 36 hours. Then I have a two hour drive if I am able to drive. If not, I will spend the night at Nicole’s house and drive home Saturday morning.

This has been an adventure that I will never forget. It is going to take me some time to process all I saw and sort through in my mind all that happened. I am grateful I came and even more grateful I got to do this trip with Nicole.

Grateful to head home tomorrow, grateful I am feeling better tonight, and grateful for a day of rest in the quiet hotel room today.

We started the morning off bright and early as we had to be down stairs by 5:15 to leave for the airport for our Mount Everest flight. We got to the airport by 5:30 and got through security and got our boarding passes. It is a good thing we got there early as they had us board at 6:20. Our ticket said 7:00 flight.

We sat on a cold airplane for 30 minutes until it was time for us to take off. Our ticket said Kathmandu to Mount and back.

We all got aisle seats. The plane holds 76 people but they only take half that so everyone can have an aisle seat.

I got the seat that had lots of scratches on the window and the wing was in most of the pictures I took. I was disappointed to say the least. Luckily Nicole had a better seat with a clear window and no wing and got lots of pictures. The flight lasted a little over an hour. The first 30 minutes the left side of the plane saw the mountains and then the plane did a U Turn and then the right side of the plane saw the mountains.

We saw Mount Everest and a whole range of mountains. They gave us a paper that showed which mountain was which and the flight attendants were good about pointing out Mount Everest. One of them took my phone and went to another window and took a picture of it for me.

Before we got on the plane the guide said if the windows were scratched or if we had the wing in the picture to tell him as Gate One was to have priority seating. I took a picture of the scratched window and the wing and showed it to him when we landed. His response was That’s not bad. I felt unseen and unheard.

When we got back to the hotel I told the guide that has been with us all week. I told him this was the only excursion I signed up for and I was very disappointed. After a bit they came up to me and offered me a chance to go again tomorrow. I turned them down as I don’t want to get up that early again and Nicole got good pictures.

This was one of the highlights I was looking forward to all trip besides going to the Taj Mahal and I got the seat with a very scratched window and the wing. Oh well, another lesson in expectations.

After we came back we had breakfast and then headed out at 10:00 for the day. The first stop was at a cluster of ancient temples and palaces. We got to see the Kumasi, a young girl that was chosen to be the most important goddess. It was the first time in months that she had appeared so the guide thought we were very lucky. She looked to be about two years old and was dressed in red. I’m not sure what the deal is with her but the people in the very crowded room were beyond excited that we got to see her. I, on the other hand, almost had a panic attack as we were jammed packed into a smallish space.

After that we went to a 1,500 year-old Buddhist Stupa. It has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I really liked this stop. I walked around the Stupa a couple of times chanting. There was a very scenic view of the valley of Kathmandu but I didn’t stop at it and look. I wanted to meditate and enjoy the energy of the Stupa.

On the way down the 125 steps we had to walk up to get to the Stupa, there were lots of monkeys. It must be baby season as there were lots of mama monkeys with their babies. They were rather aggressive in trying to get food from people. Cute to watch but they were a little up close and personal for my comfort.

The tour guide sent me in a taxi back to the hotel after the Stupa. I didn’t sign up for the afternoon excursion. I came back to the hotel and had lunch and then treated myself to another massage. This one lasted two hours and she used hot rocks. It was one of the best massages I have ever had. It was much better than the one I had in India.

Nicole and I went back to the same restaurant we had an early dinner in yesterday and had dinner. I had the same thing as I had yesterday but it wasn’t quite as good but it was edible. We are both wiped out again tonight and hope we can sleep well tonight. Both of us are continuing to wake up around 3:00 or 4:00 and struggle to go back to sleep. Wonder what we will do when we get home?

Tomorrow we tour all day. We are going to Nagarkot and Bhatapur. We will have several hours of riding the bus again tomorrow. We will have a farewell dinner with the group tomorrow evening. People will start departing tomorrow night. I think Nicole and I will be the last of the group to fly out as our flight isn’t until midnight 30 Friday morning.

We arranged for a guy to meet us Thursday at 11:00 and take us shopping. We have had very little time to do any souvenir shopping and have no idea what is even available. The front desk helped us arrange this outing. That will be a fun way to end our last day in Kathmandu. We arranged for an 8:00pm checkout so we can freshen up before we leave for the airport at 8:00. It will be a long 36 hour journey home.

I have liked Nepal better than I did India. It is cleaner and the energy is lighter. I do miss seeing the cows in the middle of town though and on the highways. Kathmandu is primarily Hindu although they have a mix of other religions too. Conditions are stark but not quite as primitive as what we witnessed in India. The driver that brought me back to the hotel at noon does Discovery tours for Gate One and tried to talk me into coming back to Nepal and then going to Bhutan. He promised I would see tigers, etc. Not really to do that yet!

I am ready to go home. Today was a bit of a disappointment with the bad window and an even bigger disappointment with how the guide responded after telling us to be sure to tell him if we had a scratched window. The massage saved the day for me and the day ended on a better note than it began.

The best part of this trip has been the time with Nicole. I’m not sure how many big trips I have left in me. The older I get, the harder the trips are for me to manage. I practiced good self-care and didn’t do most of the excursions so I could have some extra down time. I’m grateful I knew to do that for myself as I would have run out of energy days ago without the extra quiet time.

For the most part I have been able to stay above neutral. I dipped today after talking to the first guide but I was able to recover. I was a bit concerned when I left home not knowing if I could stay above neutral. I have been able to but can tell I will be lucky to hold it all together to get home. I have a busy week ahead of me when I get home so we shall see how that all goes.

Grateful to see the Stupa today and feel the incredible energy around it, grateful to see Mount Everest even through a scratched window, and grateful it is almost time to click my ruby red slippers and head home.

This has been another long travel day. We left the hotel at 7:30 this morning and boarded a bus for a short drive to the airport. We flew from Delhi to Kathmandu, Nepal.

It was quite a process to get out of the airport and on to the plane and then another process to get off of the plane and into Kathmandu. Everyone made it through customs and immigrations. We flew out around 10:00 and landed and got out of the airport around 1:00.

We have a new tour guide that is from Nepal. Our other tour guide came with us so we have two guides here in Nepal.

Our first stop in Nepal was at a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pashupatinath. We saw one of the most sacred Hindu shrines in the world. The Temple, on the banks of the holy Bagnati River, a tributary of the Ganges, is home to Kathmandu’s funeral ghats, a series of cremation platforms.

We put on face masks for the ten minute walk from the bus to the river bank. On the opposite side of the river were the cremation platforms. While we were there a family carried in a body and we got to witness the beginning of the ceremony to cremate their loved one.

The oldest son or a male family member if there are no sons, is the one that starts the crematory fire. It was a sacred event and I was honored to witness it. The guide did a great job of explaining what was happening.

It made me think about the differences between how we Americans treat death and what I saw today. The bodies here are cremated within 24 hours of death. The family takes care of washing the body and preparing it for cremation. They witness the cremation and stay with the body until the cremation is complete which takes five to six hours.

Then the family moves into a mourning house for 100 days. During this period of mourning they wear all white. Sometime after that period they scatter the ashes.

The families are very much a part of the cremation. The guide said most families use this cremation place as the river flows into the Ganges which is a sacred river to the Hindu. They are starting to use electric crematoriums but 85 to 90% use the old fashioned spot on the river.

I was grateful for the face mask as the smoke was heavy. There were at least eight different ghats in various stages of cremation.

After we left this place we came to our hotel. The hotel is a luxury hotel and our room is nice. Nicole and I went to the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel. They have a beautiful infinity pool. We sat outside and had an early dinner. We had an American corn and cream cheese sandwich on the plane but that was all we had for lunch. We were both hungry and I like to eat early. The food was the best I have had on the trip. I had a chicken and avocado sandwich and Nicole had loaded Nachos.

Tomorrow we have to be downstairs by 5:15 for the flight around Mount Everest. We will eat breakfast when we get back to the hotel around 8:30. After breakfast we go on a tour of Kathmandu which will include visits to lots of Temples. In the afternoon there is an optional tour that Nicole is going on but I am going to stay behind and enjoy a spa treatment.

Wednesday we tour again all day and Thursday everyone starts home. We don’t leave until midnight 30 on Friday morning so will have a full day to kill before we leave. We are requesting the use of our hotel room for that full day so we can take a nap and then a shower before we leave for the 36 hour journey home. Not sure if they will allow that yet. Nicole wants to get a new tattoo while we wait. I may treat myself to another spa treatment.

My ankles swelled up again today. I have them propped up on some pillows this evening. They should go down by morning. I wish I could find some pressure stockings to wear on the flight home but not sure where I would look. I will ask at the spa tomorrow if they know of someone that sells them here in Nepal.

It has been a long day and watching the cremation was emotional. I am hoping I can fall asleep early tonight as we have to be up so early tomorrow morning.

Kathmandu is a valley surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the world. The temperature today was in the low 70’s and tonight it is to be in the low 50’s. Air pollution is still a problem here but not as bad as in India. I haven’t seen any cows in the roads yet. We did see a bunch of monkeys while we were on our way to the hotel. We also saw some skinny chickens running around and of course a lot of street dogs.

We were greeted on the bus with another lei. We kiddingly said we got laid three times so far on this trip! Wish I could bring them home as they smell so good.

The energy here is much higher than in Delhi. It feels very sacred here somehow. I did see homeless people and very elementary housing as well as the wealthy housing. So far I like Kathmandu much better than Delhi but I shall see after the tour tomorrow if that holds.

We are on the tail end of our trip. Two more days of official touring and then a free day followed by the long journey home. I should have brought my ruby red slippers so we could click three times and be home.

What an amazing trip we have had so far and still have two days to go. So many new experiences and memories made. The time with Nicole has been priceless and worth the price of the trip in and of itself but add in all the sights I got to see and I am one blessed mama.

I haven’t gotten homesick yet but I’m sure by Thursday I will be wishing I was home already. The trip home is the hardest part of these trips for me. Reorientation into my real world can be a challenge too. Guess it is a small price to pay for the privilege of world travel.

Grateful to have witnessed the beginning of a cremation ceremony, grateful for another day of safe travels, and grateful for the best meal of the trip so far for dinner tonight.

Another long bus ride today. We went from Agra back to Delhi. We made a potty stop about two hours in.

Our first stop of the day was at a Sikh Temple. This Temple has a kitchen run primarily with volunteers. They serve between 5,000 – 8000 people a day during the week and on Sunday over 20,000 people show up for a free meal. Everyone is served regardless of religion. It was a beautiful example of humanity at its best.

We got to tour the kitchen where they made the food. Ladies were rolling the bread dough into balls. Men were stirring huge pots of lentils. They had an automated machine that makes the bread.

We watched a group of people being served. They come in a big auditorium like room and sit in rows on the floor. Someone comes along and gives them a metal tray. Someone passes out bread and then they get their food. They get 15 minutes to eat and then the next group comes in.

After we toured the kitchen we went to the Temple where they were having services. We walked through the Temple and then came out and took some pictures. We went through a blessing line where we were given a small ball of some sort of food. We had to hold our hands a special way and then do a little blessing afterwards and then eat the ball of whatever it was.

After we left the Temple we went for lunch. As we were walking into the restaurant a little girl came up to one of the ladies in the group. The little girl was selling necklaces. She called the lady Mom and held her hand and kissed her hand. She made the lady pinkie swear that she would buy something after lunch. When we walked back to the bus after lunch the little girl came running up to the lady and she got her dollar for the necklace. It was cute to watch.

Lunch was at a nice restaurant. I ordered French fries and onion rings. Nicole got a pepperoni pizza. All were safe foods for me and not spicy. I am still full and I think I will skip the dinner tonight. I need some decompressing time alone.

Tomorrow our wake up call is at 5:35. We have to have our bags out at 6:05. Breakfast is at 6:30 and we are leaving the hotel at 7:00. We are close to the airport. It sounds like the check-in process may take a bit as security is very tight due to the suicide bomber that happened earlier this week in Delhi. We fly to Kathmandu, Nepal. The flight is less than two hours.

We will get checked into our rooms mid afternoon and get to stay at this hotel for three nights. Tuesday early morning we take our short flight around Mount Everest. I’m not sure what we are doing the rest of the day or on Wednesday. Thursday begins the trip home but our flight isn’t until midnight Thursday night. We are hoping we get to keep our room until early evening Thursday or else it is really going to be a long trip home. We fly to Dubai again, change flights and then fly to JFK. From there we fly to Detroit and then finally to KC. We arrive in KC sometime late Friday. I think it will take us 36 hours in total although we are going back in time for 11:45 hours. That time thing makes it weird.

When I got to the room today I repacked my suitcase and backpack. We have to have all electronics and cords in our carry-on. I guess they are really strict about what they allow. I hope I remember all the rules so I don’t screw something up. When we land in Nepal we have to get a Visa for $30. Our guide will be with us so all should go smoothly,

It is going to take me some time to process what I saw in India. It has been a very different experience for me in many ways. I’m grateful I came and got to see it but am also grateful I get to go back home to my quiet little town. Way too many people, too many smells, and too much noise and chaos here for me. I function best in the quiet and that can be hard to find here.

Got an email from the Detention Center letting me know they placed the pizza order and when they are doing the Thanksgiving Dinners. They are doing one on Wednesday and one on Friday. I need to remember to pick the cookies up on Monday so they will have them when they need them. I will also have to go up to Casey’s and pay for the pizza on Wednesday and Friday. I wonder if Casey’s has ever made 86 pizzas for one order before?

Everyone on the tour looked really tired today. Yesterday was a huge day with the Taj Mahal in the morning and then all but me went on another excursion in the afternoon and we all ended our day with a special dinner and entertainment. Hopefully tomorrow will go well and easy and all can get some good rest tomorrow night in Nepal. I’m so glad I stayed in yesterday afternoon and didn’t go on the excursion.

Kathy let me know Phil got the addition painted. I should be able to use that room for us to eat our Thanksgiving feast in. That will make that easier for me.

Three more tour days and then the long journey home starts. I will be ready to get home by then. I am on sensory overload and it will take me some time once I get home to decompress.

Grateful for another safe bus ride today, grateful to get to see the beautiful example of humanity at it’s finest, and grateful for a free evening tonight.

Taj Mahal Day! We left the hotel at 8:30 and arrived at the Taj Mahal by 8:45. The bus dropped us off and then we boarded a golf cart which took us to the entry. Walking through the towers to see the Taj Mahal was incredible. The energy was high and full of joy and love.

The local women wore their brightest and prettiest sari. The array of color from the saris brighten the whole place. We stood at the end of the water way that led to the Taj Mahal for a while just to take in the sight. The tour group hired a photographer to take a group photo and then he took individual pictures.

We walked down the water way and then up into the Taj Mahal. Inside reminded me a bit of the Sistene Chapel in Rome. You had to keep moving although not all did. It was crowded and hot and only one way out. I didn’t think the inside was as impressive as the outside. You weren’t allowed to take photos inside. I was so focused on the people around me that I am not sure I took in the inside of the building. There was a lot of pushing and shoving and I struggle in that type of space.

We wondered around the upper level of the outside for a bit taking photos. It was a beautiful clear day and the bright blue sky contrasted beautifully against the white marble. At times the sun would catch the inlay and sparkle.

We walked back to the entrance and met up with our group. Everyone’s energy was sky high.

Our guide kept telling me that there weren’t many people there today. He said by afternoon it would take over an hour just to get in and pictures were hard to take due to the huge crowd. I thought there were way too many people while we were there. By the time we left it was getting crowded.

We then went to a marble company. The families that work at this marble place doing inlay are descendants of the families that built the Taj Mahal. The guy that showed us how the inlay is made said they are starting to struggle to get the young ones these days interested in coming into the family business and they are having to go outside the families to find people to train.

The pieces they had on display were amazing. They gave us the hard sell again but we both resisted buying anything. One of the ladies on the tour bought a table that will be shipped to her.

After that we went for lunch at a place that had a wide variety of food. I found something that wasn’t too spicy.

After lunch they dropped me off at the hotel and Nicole and the rest of the group went on an optional tour. Nicole said it was really crowded at one of the stops they made. I was glad I had stayed behind to recharge.

I stayed in my hotel room all afternoon and read and rested. My laundry got delivered which was a relief. Now I have clean clothes for the rest of the trip.

Tonight we went to a surprise dinner. It wasn’t on the original agenda. They had two young ladies come dance for us. The restaurant provided a large array of food. I didn’t find much to eat as most of it was too spicy for me. I found enough though and came home full. After dinner the girls danced again. Then a henna artist came and applied henna to all that wanted it. I chose not to but Nicole got her hand painted.

When we left the restaurant to go home they had a small fireworks display for us.

Traffic was heavy again coming home but we weren’t too far away. It was good to get back to our room.

We will need to pack up again as we are going back to Delhi tomorrow. It is a five hour bus ride tomorrow. We are making a stop at a temple on the way. This temple serves 20,000 free meals a day as a community service. We will also stop for lunch somewhere.

I think we have the afternoon and evening free. We will fly to Nepal Monday morning. Security is tight right now as there was a suicide bomber in Delhi earlier this week. I have a feeling we will be standing in line for a bit and sitting a lot Monday with the flight.

We will spend three nights in Nepal and then start the long journey home.

Of the three wonders of the world I have seen, I would rank Macho Picchu as my number one, the Taj Mahal a close second and the Colosseum in Rome third.

We are heading into the tail end of this trip. So many wonderful memories have already been made and I am looking forward to Nepal and what it has in store for us. We are taking a plane ride around Mount Everest and I am looking forward to that.

Not sure I would come back to India but am grateful I came. It is a colorful, vibrant country. For the most part the people have been friendly and welcoming. I am not a good tourist I don’t think. I prefer having an experience of some sort rather than just sight seeing. I am not a history person and our guide is a history major and loved sharing history. He did a great job but it just isn’t my thing. I am grateful I came with Nicole or I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much.

Grateful I was able to have some down time this afternoon, grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Taj Mahal, and grateful for my quiet life at home.

This has been a long day of sitting on a bus. They broke the trip up with a few stops but we left this morning at 8:30 and didn’t get to our hotel until close to 6:00. My ankles are not happy with me and swelled up again.

Our first stop of the day was at Chand Baori which is one of the largest step wells in India. It is located next to the temple dedicated to Harshat Mata, goddess of joy and happiness. I choose not to walk the uneven steep steps into the well or up the steps to the temple. I am not a big history person so neither one were too interesting to me. I people watched instead which is much more to my liking.

We then went to an elementary school which Gate One, my tour group, sponsors. I have some cute video of the kindergarten class singing and reciting poems. The school is very very basic – no doors, very few books, they use mainly chalk and chalkboard. The teachers looked very young but the children were very well behaved. When we walked up to the classrooms all the children’s shoes were lined up outside the classroom door.

We then went a short distance to a restaurant. The place is a retreat of some sort and was nice and quiet. I managed to find some foods that I could eat.

We drove all afternoon to get to Agra. We are staying in a very fancy hotel for tonight and tomorrow night. I sent a bag of laundry out and trust it will be back tomorrow evening as promised. One never is quite sure if that will happen. I’m down to my last two outfits so not sure what I will do if it doesn’t come back before I leave.

I am skipping the dinner tonight. I need to decompress a bit so I can sleep tonight. I am on sensory overload again.

It is fascinating to me how many different types of transportation are used. On the expressway you will see buses, cars, trucks, lots of motorcycles, camels pulling a cart, horses pulling a cart, taxis, lots of cows on the road meandering down the road or lying on the median, bicycles, and tractors. I probably forgot a few.

Our tour guide had called Agra a village but he said today it is a town of 3.5 million people. Traffic was horrible as we arrived during evening rush hour. Many times I would see a motorcycle going the wrong way on the road. People, dogs, cows, and vehicles of all sorts all crammed together. You hear horns honking all the time. Nicole calls it organized chaos – I’m not so sure about the organized part but I didn’t see any wrecks so maybe it is.

I lost count of the number of men I saw peeing on the side of the road. I guess when you have to go you have to go. Not sure what the women have to do. I see about 10 men for every one woman.

Car seats for babies are not used. I saw a family of four on a motorcycle. The dad was driving and in front of him was a child that looked to be two. Mom was on the back of the motorcycle holding a baby. None of them had helmets on.

Saw lots of women carrying loads of things on their heads without holding the load with their hands. I saw a small pickup kinda thing pulling a wagon full of people in it. There must have been 25 people crammed into the wagon.

I thought a lot today about what is the role of government. We rail against regulations but I saw today what appears to be a total lack of regulations – or maybe it is unenforced regulations. Do we want to go back to no car seats for children, no seat belts for adults, men peeing anywhere and everywhere, six lanes of traffic on a road built for four plus motorcycles adding a couple more lanes. Trash is everywhere although they do hire people to clean the streets but getting it picked up and hauled away appears to be lacking. The rivers were full of trash. Housing standards appear to be non existent. What role should government play in all of this.

Homeless people make camps everywhere. Sidewalks are few and far between. Disability access is non existent. Should government regulate any of this?

We talk a lot in the USA about the government being too big and interfering with our lives and overstepping what they do. But when I see what I have seen for the last four days I wonder if we really know what we are asking for when we want the government to shrink and leave us alone more.

I asked about health care and they do have free government paid health care. The only problem is it is under funded and it can take months to get an appointment. Most of the working people purchase private insurance so they can get prompt care. They have free hospitals but the free hospitals in Delhi rarely have beds available as needed.

None of this has an easy answer. Government strives for some sort of balance but where is the measuring stick for that? The pendulum does seem to swing back and forth attempting to find some sort of balance between improving quality of life and interference.

This is what I thought about on the long bus ride today. I also felt my privilege and am not sure what to do with that feeling. So many here have so very little and I have so much. I wish I had the opportunity to interact more closely with the locals and understand their life style more. Looks can be deceiving and maybe their life is much richer and happier than mine in the ways that really count.

Tomorrow we are going to the Taj Mahal. We were given instructions about going there today. Evidently they are on high alert due to the car suicide bomber that struck in Delhi earlier this week. We were told not to take a purse in and only put in our pockets toilet paper, a credit card or a little cash, and our phone. We have to go through security and I guess they are very strict. No fingernail clippers, etc. It will be an adventure in many ways.

After the Taj Mahal we are stopping at a marble gallery and showroom. After that we will come back to the hotel and then there is an optional tour of the city. Nicole is going on the tour but I am going to stay behind. I am overstimulated and need some quiet time. Tomorrow night we have a dinner with some sort of entertainment – I think belly dancers and a chance to get a henna painting on my hand. That activity is included with the tour so I will probably go to that.

We are halfway through this adventure. Sunday we go back to Delhi and then Monday we fly to Kathmandu. We head home next Thursday. Our travel home is going to take over 36 hours plus my drive from KC. Fingers crossed I get some good sleep on the long flight home. We have a total of four flights to get home.

Grateful I was able to practice some self-care and skip dinner, grateful for all the new experiences I am having, and grateful for a quiet hotel room this evening to decompress in.

Another interesting day filled with new experiences. Our first stop of the day was Amber Fort. It is a huge old place made up of several adjoining castles. The bus took us part way up and then we had to get in Jeeps for the last part of the uphill road. The road was crowded and narrow.

The castle was neat but not really my thing. It was built back in the 1600’s and of course is empty. Some of the architecture and the garden were impressive. Amazing that they were able to build something like that back then. It was used as a summer residence and they built in an air cooling system using water and ventilation. We saw lots of couples having their pre-wedding day pictures taken. It was fun to see the brides in their colorful, beautiful wedding attire.

As we were leaving Amber Fort there were two snake charmers with their flutes and cobras. They talked Nicole and I into sitting by them and we got to see the cobras dance up close and personal. They had Nicole hold the box with the cobra in it. We both got to touch a snake. The snakes weren’t too active as it was still a bit cool in the shade.

Next we went to a textile place where they hand make rugs and hand stamp cloth to add a print. Both processes were fun to watch. It can take up to 2 years to make a rug out of silk. They showed us their finished products. They served rum and coke and some snacks. One way to lower someone’s impulses is to get them fed and drunk! It didn’t work on us.

They had lots of silk and cashmere products for sale. They were excellent quality but expensive. The salesmen really pushed hard for us to buy something. They will make a custom made shirt or pants and have them delivered to your hotel by 9:00pm on the same day. I didn’t find anything I had to have. I was glad I had gotten my shawls at a bazaar as they were much cheaper. I’m sure they weren’t as good of quality but they will do.

We stopped at a restaurant for lunch. This time we ordered off the menu and got food we could eat that wasn’t so spicy. After lunch Nicole and I came back to the hotel in a taxi. The driver was in a hurry and drove like a mad man. We were grateful when we made it back to the hotel alive. It was one of those rides where I kept my eyes closed most of the time. The driver wasn’t very friendly but he did get us where we needed to go alive.

Nicole and I each enjoyed a massage this afternoon. It is always an experience to get a massage in a foreign country as they do things a bit differently than they do in the USA. My lady got on top of the table on top of me to do my back. She gave extra attention to my head and feet. I really enjoyed the massage. My legs were sore from all the steps I have climbed and she helped work out the kinks. I’m not sure Nicole enjoyed hers as much. Afterwards she had me take a shower as I was a fully greased pig. I took another shower after dinner tonight and I still feel a bit greased up all over.

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant. We had the cutest young man waiting on us. I let him know I didn’t like spicy food and he was very helpful in making sure my dinner wasn’t spicy. We ordered ice cream afterwards and I think he was a bit confused about our order somehow. He ended up giving us each one small dip of ice cream free. We tipped him well.

The rest of the group went on an excursion this afternoon that you had to pay extra for. Most of them also went to a dinner and show tonight. I needed a break from the group and some down time. I’m grateful I stayed behind and got the massage instead. We are almost halfway through this trip and I needed to take a time-out and refill myself.

The rest of the group are nice people but still haven’t found anyone to have a deep conversation with. Most on the trip take lots of trips a year internationally. They seem more interested in taking pictures than the actual experience. To each his own I guess.

Tomorrow we head to the village where the Taj Mahal is. On the way we will be making a stop at a temple and a stop for lunch. It will be another long day on the bus. I am looking forward to Saturday when we spend the morning at the Taj Mahal. We get the afternoon and evening free as we aren’t doing the afternoon excursion.

Sunday we are on the bus all day as we have to go back to Delhi so we can fly to Nepal on Monday. We will have three nights in Kathmandu, Nepal and then begin the very long journey home.

I’m glad I am having all these new experiences and I am especially glad I came with Nicole. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed the trip if she wasn’t with me. India is a country rich in history and for the most part the people are friendly. I enjoy waving and smiling at the people on the street we pass while I am in the bus. Most smile and wave back. I did get the finger from one guy today.

We saw elephants, camels, goats, cows, chickens, monkeys, lots and lots of street dogs, and a horse in the cities. Makes for an interesting diversity in the city. The poverty is still shocking to me. The main downtown lacks infrastructure and the roads were not built for the amount of cars, tractors, taxis, buses, and motorcycles that are on the roads. There is always something interesting to look at!

Grateful for this experience of seeing a small part of India, grateful for safe travels so far, and grateful Nicole is with me on this experience.

We left the hotel at 7:55 this morning. Had to pack up and set our suitcases out this morning as we were on the move today.

We took a long bus ride to Jaipur. We stopped for a potty break around 10:00. We finally got to Jaipur around 12:45 and had lunch. It was the best meal for me yet as we were able to order off the menu. They had continental and Chinese food as well as Indian food. Finally found some food that wasn’t so spicy.

After lunch we went to a gem store. We watched them harvest the gem stone from the rock. Then we were given time to shop. Neither one of us found anything that we had to bring home.

Next stop was a typical India bazaar. Talk about sensory overload. It was very crowded and loud. The shop keepers were very aggressive in attempting to get you into their store. I was looking for some scarfs or shawls. The first store I stopped at the shop keeper told me one silk scarf was $15. I asked him how much for six and he told me $115. I decided that wasn’t a good deal. I started to leave and he dropped the price to $90. I said no and as I walked out he said $50. He pissed me off with his first offer and I left.

I went to a different store and this time I found shawls that I liked. The original price he quoted me was $325. He quickly dropped it to $225 when I got up to leave. I told him it was way too high yet. He asked me how much I would pay and I said $100. We settled on $125.

I was exhausted after the bazaar. Every step you took someone was on me trying to get me to buy something. In addition to the shop keepers there were the street people with their wares. We had also been warned that it is very easy to get pickpocketed so I had to stay aware of my purse at all times.

We then got brought to the hotel. We were met with a drummer and a guy in costume. They gave us a floral lei and put a drop of something on our foreheads. We got checked into our rooms and were able to relax a bit until our dinner at 7:00. My ankles had looked normal this morning but they swelled back up today after sitting so long on the bus.

The dinner was OK. I put some sweet and sour vegetables on my rice which was a mistake as it should have been called sweet and spicy vegetables. I managed to find a couple of other things to eat that didn’t burn my mouth.

Tomorrow we are going out for the morning to visit a temple and then go to a store that sells textiles. There is an afternoon optional tour of the city that we chose not to take. We booked massages instead. We get a two hour massage for $67. They will do 30 minute foot reflexology, a 30 minute head massage, and then a 60 minute deep tissue full body massage. That sounds much better to me than sitting in a tour bus for four hours. I am a bit sore today from sitting so much again and from doing all the high steps we did yesterday.

At lunch I got into a conversation with one of the men on the trip. I shared what I am doing with the Love in Action project. It was fun to share. He seemed very interested in the project.

We see cows most everywhere, even in the middle of the city. There were several on the side of the expressway. We passed some more slums today. Saw lots of people working in the fields. There were lots of fields of wheat that they irrigate during the dry months. In the median there were beautiful colorful bushes.

Jaipur is a town of 3 million people. The downtown part looks like it was built for 25,000 people. The streets are very narrow and very crowded. We had to cross a street to get to the market and it felt like I took my life in my hands to do so. We did see one accident on the highway this morning. I am amazed there aren’t lots more. The road was a two lane road that became four lanes at times and even six if you count the motorcycles that create their own lane. We saw luxury stores and then a block down there were stores that looked like poverty stores. Somehow it all blends together and works for them.

We get to spend two nights in this hotel. I like when that happens as it feels like I can settle in a bit. Friday we will be in the bus again and travel to a different city.

Grateful to get to experience all these new to me sites, smells and sounds, grateful to get out of the bazaar without being pickpocketed, and grateful for some quiet time in my room this afternoon.

I slept hard last night for about three hours and then I woke up feeling like I had slept all night. I was finally able to go back to sleep for a couple of hours but got woke up with a phone call. Never did go back to sleep. I think the call came in around 4:00 am here.

We went down around 6:30 and had breakfast. They serve a very nice breakfast buffet. I do get surprised with how spicy things are though. Certainly lots of different flavors for this food challenged person.

We left on our bus this morning at 8:00. Our first stop was Humayun’s Tomb. Lots of high steps and lots of walking. The tour guide gives us lots of history about what we are seeing but unfortunately I am not into that type of history and I tend to tune him out. Not sure I remember what the deal was with this place.

After that we went to Old Delhi and went to Jamba Masjid, the largest mosque in India. It was a beautiful set of buildings with lots of open space. Built for 2,000 people but they now can have over 25,000 people show up on special holy days. Grateful it was almost empty today.

The funnest part of the day is we got to take a rickshaw ride through a market. Our driver was a tiny man that had strong legs. The market was sensory overload for me. Such a mix of wealth and poverty – mainly poverty. The electrical wires fascinated me as they were haphazardly strung over the streets. No wonder our hotel had a couple of black outs during the night. The ride was a bit bumpy at times as the road had some good sized potholes in it. There were people everywhere and it is amazing that most get through it all without running into each other.

We had lunch at a nice restaurant that served us family style. Lots of different flavors and dishes. Most were too spicy for me. There was a lentil dish that at first taste was delightful but then it exploded into spice after a bit in my mouth. We ended the meal with a small dip of ice cream that had just a touch of chocolate sauce on it. That helped calm my mouth down.

After lunch we went to a Hindi Temple. That was my favorite site we visited today. The energy in the place was incredible although I sensed some sadness in the energy. Attached to the temple is a Hospice that people come stay when they are soul sick. They fast, pray, eat limited amounts of very healthy food. They can stay for up to 14 days.

Our last stop of the day was at the residence Gandhi was living at when he was assassinated. He had so many good quotes and I took pictures of them to remind myself of how to live.

We got back to the hotel around 4:00. We rested in our room until our group meeting at 6:00. The meeting was an introduction to everyone on the tour and then the tour guide did a sales job trying to get us to go on additional excursions. After the meeting we had a buffet dinner at the hotel. Again the food was plentiful but I struggled to find the foods that weren’t so spicy.

India is a fascinating country but the mix of wealth and poverty is striking. We went down a road that had the wealthy people’s houses and out in front of the fences that gated the houses in were people living on the streets. It caused a bit of a cognitive dissonance within me. My heart hurts tonight seeing how so many people live with nothing while others have so much.

Tomorrow we check out of this hotel and travel 250 kilometers or 155 miles to another town. We are stopping at another temple and also some shopping places. It will be fun to get out of the city and see the countryside.

There are only 11 people on this tour which makes it nice. Most all are friendly and fun to talk to. Most have done lots of traveling and we have that in common with them.

Still haven’t adjusted to the 11:30 time difference. I’m tired this evening so hoping I will be able to sleep all night and not just take a nap and wake up again two hours after I fall asleep.

If I don’t sleep, at least I will have a long bus ride and maybe will be able to sleep then. I would rather stay up so I can see the sights though. We shall see what happens.

Grateful for all the sights I saw today, grateful for all that I have, and grateful for this time with Nicole.

We made it to New Delhi. It was a long day with a 11.30 hour time change. The first flight from JFK to Dubai was twelve and one half hours of flight time. The flight from Dubai to Delhi was only three hours.

We flew Emirates and I highly recommend them. The first flight we had a double decker plane. It seemed to take a long time to board and unload as there were lots and lots of people on that flight. The service was the best I have experienced and the seats were very comfortable. They fed us lunch, snack and breakfast. The food was interesting but I managed to find enough to eat. Wine, beer and cocktails are included with the meal. They gave us a little goody bag that had a sleep mask, toothbrush, tooth paste, a bookmark and slippers. The only complaint I had about this flight was it was too cold.

The second flight was the same airline but a smaller plane. The seats were not as big and this flight was too hot. They served us one meal.

Immigration and customs were fairly easy. I put my passport in passport control and got completed right away. Nicole had to leave her fingerprints. We went through immigration and again I got through easy but they fingerprinted Nicole again. We suspect she got targeted because she has traveled so much. Customs was a walk through with no stop or bag search.

My bag was on the carousel by the time we got to it but we had to wait for Nicole’s bag for about 25 minutes. We had to check bags as Emirates only allows one bag brought on board and both of us had backpacks and a carry on.

A guy from the tour company met us when we came out of customs. The ride to the hotel was a bit scary. Three marked lanes for traffic was five plus motorcycles. I had to keep my eyes closed most of the time. You could have touched the car next to us most of the time. It took about 45 minutes to get from the airport to the hotel. It is very hazy and smoggy here. Saw beautiful buildings and slums.

When we got to the hotel there was a security guard and he made the driver pop the front lid of the car open as well as the back end. We had to put our bags through a security thing and a lady took us back one by one and used a wand on us.

The tour guy got us all checked in after we waited for about 15 minutes. We finally got to our room. I laid on the floor and propped my legs up as my ankles and calves are very swollen. It will take a day or two for them to go down.

I think we will skip dinner tonight. I feel all I have been doing the last day or two is sitting and eating. I’m too tired to manage a foreign restaurant tonight anyways. I did manage to sleep some on the flight but Nicole was not able to do so.

We meet our tour group in the morning. Breakfast is at 7:00 and we leave on a tour of Old and New Delhi at 7:45. I’m grateful we had the evening free and hope we both get a good night’s sleep and will be ready to see new sights tomorrow.

I’m too tired to write much tonight. I am very messed up as to what day it is and how we left Sunday morning and only flew for 15 hours yet it is Monday evening. That time thing messes with me.

Grateful for a safe trip, grateful for a quiet hotel that has hot water, and grateful for the sleep I am going to get tonight.

Left the house by 5:30 this morning. I stopped in Ottawa and got breakfast and I stopped to fill the car up with gas. Got to Nicole’s house by 7:30.

We left for the airport around 7:45. There was no wait for the security line so we had extra time at the airport before our flight. Our flight was about 15 minutes late but given the current flying environment that was good. The plane was not full which surprised me.

As we were sitting in the airport in KC I happened to notice my shoes don’t match. They are both black but different brands. Wonder how many people will notice? I didn’t bring extra shoes so will have to deal with unmatched shoes for the duration of the trip. It will give people a reason to remember me.

On the AirTran ride to catch the hotel shuttle there was a man dressed in NY style. I wanted to take his picture and compare to this country girl with mismatched shoes. We do live in different realities.

The guy that drove the shuttle bus from the airport to our hotel was a hoot. He is 76 and it takes him over three hours one way to get to work each day. He lives in Jersey. He kept up well entertained on the trip to the hotel with his life stories. One of his lines “What is one thing you were born with that you don’t want to become? An asshole!”

We got to the hotel and they were able to check us in around 3:00 NY time. We got a king bed instead of the requested two queen beds but we can deal with that. There normal check-in time isn’t until 4:00 and I didn’t want to wait an hour for a room with two queen beds.

There isn’t much around this hotel other than other hotels. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant. I had chicken Parmesan that was delicious. Unfortunately the portion was twice as big as I needed so I wasted half of it.

We need to be downstairs at 6:20 to catch the 6:30 shuttle. Our flight isn’t until 10:50 but from what we have been told traffic is horrible tomorrow morning and security lines back up quickly on Sunday morning. I would rather have an extra hour of sitting at the gate than checking my watch every two minutes and stressing about making it to our gate on time. We have to check our bag as they only allow one small carryon and we both have backpacks plus the carry on bag. That will take more time. They also wouldn’t issue a boarding pass as they have to check our passports before they can do that.

We will have a twelve hour flight to Dubai and then a three hour flight to India. There is a 11:30 time difference from home time to India. The time thing that I don’t do well with under normal circumstances gets really wonky when you cross that many time zones. We arrive their time Monday afternoon. I like getting in towards the end of the day so you can get checked into a room and lay down for a bit. I remember when I went to London and arrived at 7:00 in the morning and couldn’t get into my room until 6:00 that evening. That made for a long day.

Nicole and I are trying to psych ourselves out for the long travel day ahead. Neither one of us sleep well on planes but I am used to not sleeping. Somehow, someway, we can do this!

Next time I blog I will be in India. It still amazes me how you can travel to the different parts of the world and be in some place so different in just a day or two. Looking forward to seeing India and the adventures in store for us.

Grateful for safe travels today, grateful for this time with Nicole, and grateful for a clean hotel bed to sleep in tonight.

It has been a much quieter day today. In fact I still have my pajamas on. After a big day yesterday I needed a quiet day to completely refill and recharge. I leave at 6:00 in the morning.

Our neighbor across the street backed into the car that Kathy drives. She was kind enough to leave a note on the windshield and sent her son over this afternoon. She has filed a claim with her insurance company and they are to call us to arrange for it to get fixed. I told Kathy I would deal with all that when I get home. The car is very drivable as it only slightly dented both the driver’s door and the back seat door.

I so appreciate the neighbor being honest and letting us know what happened. She easily could have driven off and not said anything. There are still honest people in this world and I celebrate her tonight.

Phil got all the insulation put up in the back room. The dry wall guy is going to start Sunday. When I get home the room will look lots different. Phil picked up the flooring so that is ready to go when Phil is ready for it. I called the heating and air company and gave them Phil’s number to coordinate doing their work with him. I think Phil wants to be around when they do their work and with me being gone I may or may not get their call at a time that I can take it.

I am packed – I think. Everything fits in a carry-on and I am taking a backpack too this time. The backpack isn’t very full so have room to pick up some souvenirs if I see something that wants to come home with me. I rarely buy more than one or two little things. I have long since given up bringing gifts home to my loved ones. I found I spent too much time looking and deciding what to get and it took me away from being present to what is happening in my foreign travels. If I see something, I will get it but I won’t go looking for it.

Tomorrow Nicole and I fly to NYC on a mid morning flight. We have hotel reservations at a hotel near the airport. We will have to be back at the airport Sunday morning bright and early as they are recommending to be at the airport four hours before our flight due to long lines to check-in and at the security check points. We have a twelve hour flight and then change planes and another four hour flight to get to our first tour stop. We have a short time between these two flights so fingers crossed all will go smooth. At this point we will be on the tours timetable and they will help us deal with any delays or missed flights.

I have no idea what the agenda is after that. I do better when I go where the tour guide tells me to and if I can set aside any expectations of what I may see and do. At some point we will spend most of a day at the Taj Mahal. This will be my third of the seven wonders of the world. And then at some point we go to Nepal to see Mount Everest. We are taking an airplane ride around it.

Hoping I didn’t forget to take care of something before I leave tomorrow. I didn’t get the paperwork for the non-profit taken care of today. I didn’t feel like I have all my brain power today and I don’t want to rush the paperwork and screw something up. I still need to send an email to the attorney I am working with to let her know I set that all aside until I get back. I had a short conversation with the Captain at the Detention Center and he knows I am going to be gone for two weeks. I let him know about my experience with my guy from last night.

I should be able to blog most days on the trip. Travel days are hard as I won’t have internet but will post when I am able to. I do have international service on my phone so should be able to be reached if needed. It will be good for me to leave all this political bullshit behind for a bit. I promised myself to not read national news while I am gone. I need a break from it all.

Nicole and I decided today to not think about our return trip and if we will be able to get home until we have to know that. We decided worse case we can rent a car and drive home from JFK if needed. That is if we can make it into the country. We shall see where things stand then.

Grateful for this opportunity to get away for two weeks, grateful for the time I will get to spend with Nicole, and grateful to all that will be keeping an eye on Kathy for me while I am gone.

Oh my, what a day. I got very little sleep last night. I could not fall asleep until around 5:00 this morning. Sure makes for a long night when that happens.

Kathy and I picked up a friend and we headed to Wichita for lunch and then to go to the Van Gogh experience. Five others met us for lunch. The place wasn’t busy and we were able to have a nice, long leisurely lunch. Both food and service was excellent.

We had 2:00 tickets for the Van Gogh experience. By luck we had eaten at a place that was within walking distance of where we needed to go. I didn’t plan that but am grateful it was that easy.

The Van Gogh experience was worth the trip. The 30 minute immersion part of it was fabulous. I think all of us enjoyed it.

We got home around 4:45. I was just settling into my chair when the Captain of the Detention Center called. He had a person that needed a ride. They called back around 5:45 and told me he was released and ready to go.

I met him and we talked about where he needed to go. The first stop was to get a new phone. His phone had gotten left behind when the incident that got him into trouble had happened. We stopped at Walmart and took care of that. He was opening the box the phone was in and the little black thingy that opens the part to put the card in fell on the floor. He couldn’t find it so he took the phone back in the store and got another one.

He opened the second one and the same thing happened! This was not a good day for this guy. Luckily he found this one.

I got on my phone and investigated bus options. The bus no longer stops in Emporia. You have to go to Newton, Wichita or Topeka.

We attempted to purchase a ticket for the midnight bus in Topeka. But after he entered all his information they needed to send a confirmation code. He didn’t have the phone working and so couldn’t get the code to confirm the ticket. The other problem is the bus stop in Topeka is not a bus station and you can’t purchase tickets there. You either have to have it on your phone or print the ticket out.

I couldn’t purchase the ticket as we didn’t have a printer and he couldn’t take my phone. The tickets are not transferrable and it wouldn’t allow me to order a ticket in his name under my credit card.

Dang, they don’t make this easy.

I drove him to Topeka and we found a hotel across the street from the bus stop. I have no idea how he is going to get a ticket but hoping the hotel can help with the printing and he can figure out a way to get his new phone connected. He needed some code that was to have been in the box with the phone but he couldn’t find the code. Round and round the mulberry bush, where it stops, no one knows!

I got home around 9:30. I am wiped out! Not sure I was ready for this part of the Love in Action project but it was an interesting experience. I am grateful I could help him out and trust that he will find some solutions after getting some sleep tonight. He did have some financial resources so hoping he will get home safely.

Phil worked on putting up insulation this afternoon. I talked to him briefly and hope to catch him tomorrow. I need to let him know the shower tile will be delivered sometime next week.

Tomorrow I need to pack. I got the paperwork for the Love in Action non-profit today and need to read it and process it. I may put that on hold until I get back from India so I don’t rush it and miss something. I didn’t realize the Detention Center was going to need our services so quickly. I was kinda caught off guard when the Captain called but I’m glad I was able to help out. I learned this is going to be a bit more complicated than I anticipated.

Saturday morning I need to be at Nicole’s house before 8:00 so we can get to the airport and have plenty of time in case TSA is backed up. We are hoping our flight will be able to get in the JFK airport as the airlines have been ordered to cut 10% of their flights. So far they are saying the international flights will not be affected so hoping we can get out Sunday. We will allow lots of extra time to get through security at JFK.

Hoping sleep will find me tonight. I am exhausted. Driving to and from Wichita and then to and from Topeka was more driving than I normally do. Wichita was totally worth it and I highly recommend going to the experience. I love Van Gogh anyways and it was so cool to see how they presented his paintings.

I keep wondering what would have happened to this kid tonight if the Captain hadn’t called me. He had no way to get to the bus stop and purchasing a ticket is a challenge without a working phone. Man, it made me grateful for my life and the ease I can operate in.

Grateful for the time with my dear friends today, grateful to get to go to see the Van Gogh experience, and grateful to have been in service to a guy that was having a very bad day.

Another busy day. I went to Emporia around noon. I met Jason and Michelle for lunch. That was my reward for going to town.

After lunch I dropped off a set of keys to the realtor that is handling the sale of my last rental property. They let me know the closing has been moved to November 12. I am not going to change the utilities turn off date. They will just have to deal!

I stopped by Price Chopped and ordered the cookies for the Detention Center Thanksgiving project. The cookies were cheaper than I thought they would be which is a good thing as we are ordering more pizza than anticipated. Things do have a way of balancing out.

I went to Walmart and picked up the last few items I needed for my trip. I also got 20 more gift cards for the Detention Center project. I remembered to get some leftover containers for Thanksgiving.

On the way home I stopped and dropped off my payment for my water bill. Last time I mailed it the postal service took three weeks for the check to get to the water department.

A dear friend sent Kathy and I an invitation for dinner and a chance to watch the full super moon rise. Can’t resist that! Had a delightful evening watching the moon rise over the prairie. That is the only thing I miss about living at the big country house – sunrises, sunsets, moon rises and moon sets. For some reason tonight I could see the aura of the earth. Hadn’t seen that for a long time and it came without thinking about it.

While I was at Walmart I found some containers that will work to start my hyacinths bulbs. I want to force them to grow inside so that they will be close to blooming by Christmas. I think I found a spot to put them. This house doesn’t have lots of extra space but there is a shelf below the TV that I can use and only have to move a couple of things. Hopefully they will root and grow and be close to blooming by Christmas. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

Tomorrow a group of us are going to Wichita for lunch and then are going to the Van Gogh experience. Looking forward to a day with some of my closest friends.

Friday I will pack and run the last of my errands. I leave the house at 6:00 am Saturday morning to start my trip to India. Nicole and I will fly to NYC Saturday, spend the night at a hotel close to the airport and then fly to India Sunday morning. I read where the government is forcing a reduction of 10% of all flights starting Friday. Fingers crossed our flights will not be delayed or cancelled. It will be an adventure – perhaps more of one than expected.

Still haven’t heard back from the lady that was to build my little food pantry box. Not sure what is up with that but I will shelve that project until I get back from my trip. If she doesn’t have it built my then I will find someone else to build it.

Haven’t heard back from the attorney that is drawing up non-profit paperwork for the Love in Action project. That too can wait till I get back if needed.

I am tired again tonight. A couple hours in Emporia drains me. Tomorrow will be fun but I will come home exhausted. Hoping to avoid a trip to Emporia Friday but am thinking I may need to run to town again. I forgot to get trim paint today. It can wait till spring if needed but it would be nice to make the outside of the addition look complete. Phil got the high parts of the main color painted already. He is waiting on the trim paint to do the top of the addition.

I am hoping that with the election results yesterday our national politicians will get the message that we want the government to reopen and solutions given to the medical insurance crisis. I think the government will either get reopened next week or it won’t get open until after the New Year. We are headed to not having a functioning government even pretending to take care of business. Mid term elections are still a year away so we still have lots of time for the current administration to do lots more damage.

I still don’t have test results from the heart monitor that I wore a couple of weeks ago. If I remember I will call and ask about it. Wonder if it got lost when I sent it back via UPS. Guess it is a good thing it wasn’t urgent. Won’t be anything I can do about it if they found something until I get back from my trip. What’s three more weeks with an inconsistent rapid heartbeat anyways?

It was such a delight to watch the moon rise tonight. My soul needed that energy. It reminded me to slow down and reconnect with the natural rhythm of the earth. There is something about the energy of the moon that calls to me. I love that it ebbs and flows in its cycle.

Grateful for friends that share my love of the moon and invited us out to bask in the glory of the full moon, grateful my to-do list is getting shorter, and grateful for the election results last night.

Kathy got me motivated and we did the painting of the outside of the addition. Phil is going to do the ladder work. Sure feels good to have that taken care of. It was a great day to be outside painting. I need to get some white trim paint and do around the windows. I plan on going to Emporia tomorrow so will pick some up then.

I went and voted this morning. Didn’t have many races and many to choose from. I did some research before I left and made notes to myself so I could remember who to vote for. I didn’t see much campaigning going on but found a newspaper interview of the candidates for school board.

Kathy and I went up and got hamburgers and fries from Rick and Jenny. They had their food truck by the fairgrounds to catch the people that were voting. It was yummy as always.

The heat and air guy came and looked at the addition. He and Phil put together a plan A and a plan B. Not sure when they are sending someone to do the work. He said they had to schedule their skinny guy! The opening to the attic is rather small. Sure glad I don’t have to go up there and do anything.

Got a few little things taken care of off my to-do list. I need to go to town tomorrow and take care of several more. I only have three more days to get it all done. Yikes!

Tomorrow I need to have a blood draw to check my thyroid levels. I also need to get a gallon of trim paint. I need to order cookies for the Detention Center Thanksgiving feast. If I can make myself I will go to Walmart and get another 20 gift cards. I have all but 58. The Captain said their population has been low lately so may not need all 148. I will wait till the last minute to buy the final ones needed once I know the population size the day of the distribution of the gift cards.

I am working on my packing list. I am taking a backpack and a carry on so can’t take much. We will be staying two nights at the same hotel a couple different times on the trip so can have laundry done if I need to. It is usually pretty expensive to have done so will only use that service if absolutely needed.

Am working with my kids to set a date for our Christmas this year. It looks like it will either be December 13 or 20. I like to have it early and get it over with. Christmas is my least favorite holiday. I enjoy the time with my kids but dislike the way the holiday is so commercialized. I am not a good gift giver and don’t like the pressure of that. I love making special Christmas cookies and treats and sharing those. I don’t have room to put up a tree this year unless my addition is done by then. I will be pressed for time as I get home the 22nd of November and the 13th isn’t too far after that. I do have Ellexia’s gifts all ordered. Tagen wants cash or gift cards so he is no fun!

The closing for the rental house is set for Friday. I got the closing statement today so it looks like it is a go. What a relief it will be to only own one house. My realtor is putting the check from the sale in my bank account after close. I need to remember to transfer some funds around after the check hits that account. It is amazing to me that I can do that from India. We really are connected these days.

Feels so good to have most of the painting of the outside of the addition done. I’m grateful Kathy motivated me to do that today. It didn’t take long once we got started. Hoping I will see major progress on the addition by the time I get home from India. We may be able to use it and put up a long table for Thanksgiving.

Feeling more grounded and centered tonight. It was good for me to get outside and paint. I don’t spend enough time outside. I am starting to get excited about the trip. It will be very good for me to get away for two weeks and take a break from all that is going on here.

Grateful we got a good start on the painting of the addition, grateful we have a plan for air and heat for the addition and grateful the last rental house is set to close on Friday.

I went to Emporia to get my haircut this morning. Always feels good to have that done. Afterwards I went to the flooring store and paid for the flooring for the new addition. They will hold it until Phil is ready for it. I looked at tile for the shower walls but quickly got overwhelmed and left. I will need to do some research on-line to narrow down what I am looking for and then will go back. Way too many choices and it wasn’t laid out well. They combined floor tile with wall tile and it was confusing to figure out which was which.

I went to the sporting goods store at the mall and got some shirts and a rain jacket for the trip to India. Then I went to Applebees and had lunch.

I was going to go to Walmart but couldn’t make myself go in. Some days I can’t handle the energy in Walmart and today was one of those days. I stopped and filled the car up with gas and then came home.

I called the Captain at the Detention Center and had a good conversation with him. He is going to take care of arranging the order for the pizza for the Detainees Thanksgiving dinner at Caseys. I will be gone when that needs to happen. He gave me permission to bring cookies for the dinner too.

I let him know that 240 stuffed animals have been ordered and are on their way to the Center. I hope they have room to store all of them! The response has been overwhelming and I am grateful.

We also discussed the possibility of us helping the released Detainees get home. There are lots of things to consider if we step into this project. We both agreed to do some more research and when I get back from my trip we will meet and decide if we want to take this on. It has more risk to it than the other projects we have done has and we need to make sure all parties involved can stay safe.

The Captain is amazed at how much our little project has raised and all that we have done so far. He told me many groups have volunteered at the Center but few have made such a big impact.

I posted an update to the Love in Action project on the Love in Action Facebook page. I let everyone know I am working on getting state sanctified non profit status. This little project keeps growing and growing.

I will need to go back to Emporia either tomorrow or Wednesday to finish my errands. I was able to stay full today while in town but knew if I didn’t come home when I did I would drain myself. Best to make another trip on another day to protect my own energy.

As usual when I spend several hours in Emporia I come home physically tired. I am trying to talk myself out of taking a nap but may yet cave and take one.

The weather is to warm up tomorrow so Kathy and I hope to get some painting done. I would love to have that project finished before I leave Saturday but we shall see if we can make that happen. It may have to wait till spring as temperature dictates when we can paint.

The heating and air guy is coming tomorrow to see what needs to happen so we can get air and heat to the addition. I don’t think he is doing the work tomorrow as I think they are just figuring out what needs to happen. Not sure when they will come back and do the work. Phil plans on starting putting in the insulation tomorrow.

Still have lots of little things I would like to get done before I leave Saturday. The world won’t stop if I don’t get them done but I will be more relaxed if I do. I don’t like loose ends and feel more comfortable leaving if things are taken care of.

I’m grateful I was able to practice good self-care and came home before I completed all my errands. I have finally learned pushing myself beyond my limits has consequences. I will go back another day and do some more things on my long list.

Still wrapping my head around the fact that a week from today I will be in India. I looked up the time change and it is 11:30 hours ahead of time. I didn’t know countries did :30 time difference. Nepal is 11:45 hours ahead. Betting it will take me a bit when I get home to adjust to the time difference. I always find the time difference to warp my brain a bit. Reminds me that time is an illusion and a totally man-made construct to bring some sort of order.

The timing of this trip is divine. I need a break from the energy of this country. The detainee project has been so worthwhile but it also can drain me. I need to step away from it for a bit and come back recharged and ready to go again.

Grateful for a haircut and good conversation with my hairdresser, grateful for good conversation with the Captain of the Center, and grateful a few things got crossed off my to-do list.

This has been another quiet day at home. I am still in my pajamas as I had no where to go today and no one coming over.

I had requested Ellexia’s birthday and Christmas list from Ellexia and she sent it to me. I got all her birthday and Christmas gifts ordered, Most should be in before I leave next Saturday. Feels good to have that task done. Tagen hasn’t sent me a list yet. He better get with it or he might get a sack of coal for Christmas.

More stuffed animals were ordered for the Detention Center project again today. The Center is going to be pleased with all the stuffed animals they will be getting. Not sure how many families have small children that will receive one. They should be well stocked for a bit though.

Tomorrow I have a haircut at 10:30. After my haircut I need to have a blood draw to check my thyroid levels. I also need to stop and pay for the flooring for the addition so it is ready to go if Phil gets to it before I get home. I need to stop by the water department and have them stop billing me for water at the house that is selling Friday. I probably should pick out a paint color in case Phil gets that far while I am gone. I also need to get hold of the Captain at the Detention Center and get a few things resolved. Once I get his permission for a couple of things I will have a few more things to do before I leave Saturday.

Tuesday the guy is coming to see what needs to be done to heat and air the new addition. Phil said he will be starting on installing insulation this week. Dry wall should follow.

Thursday a group of us are going to Wichita to see the Van Gogh experience and have lunch somewhere in Wichita. That will be a fun day.

I leave early Saturday morning so Friday I will pack and finish up the last minute things on my list.

This trip had seemed so far away that I hadn’t really let it in. Now it is almost time for it. I am placing my trust in the air traffic controllers and the TSA people that we will manage to get out of the country without too much of a delay. We have a tight connection after our first long flight. Hopefully things will go smoothly and our tour group will figure out ways to get us where we want to get.

I did tell Kathy that with all my work with the Detention Center on behalf of the Detainees I could have been put on some list somewhere and I may have trouble getting back into the country. I’m sure all will be well and I will take that risk to help the Detainees.

I needed two quiet days back to back to fully fill my tank. I seem to leak energy more now than I have for a bit and it is hard to completely fill and hold my energy.

Kathy’s debit card got hacked and we have to go to the bank tomorrow and get it canceled and a new one issued. This is about the third time Kathy has gotten hacked. Wonder how she is getting targeted. I am grateful the bank security picked up on her hack and called so we could authorize them to cancel her card.

It feels like I have a lot of loose ends to tie up before I leave Saturday. Grateful I don’t have anything on my calendar for three days this week so hopefully I can get everything done. It usually feels like a lot of work to get taken care of before I can leave. Luckily I have international service on my phone so can stay kinda in touch while I am gone.

Grateful for all the stuffed animals headed to the Detention Center, grateful for to-do lists so I don’t forget something, and grateful the count down has begun for India and Nepal.

This has been a quiet, stay at home day. I even took a nap. I was cold and couldn’t get warmed up so went back to bed and piled on the blankets. I warmed up and fell asleep. It was good to have a very quiet day. It helped soothe my soul.

No plans for tomorrow except to kinda watch the Chief’s game. I am a kinda fan. I have a dislike for the dollars that professional sports players are paid in relationship to the value they bring the world. I can take them or leave them when it comes to watching them. I guess if I totally followed my values, I would boycott them completely. I didn’t have a TV for years but now that I have one again, I am a casual observer of professional sports.

More stuffed animals were purchased via Amazon today, These stuffed animals will be used by the Detainees to give to their children when they have their last visit before the Detainee is deported. I have no idea how many were needed but am thinking they have enough for now. The Center is to let me know if the supply starts to get low.

I need to write an update to the Love in Action project before I leave next Saturday. I am hoping to know this week if we can extend the program to helping the Detainees that get released to find their way home. The attorney I spoke with was thinking she would have paperwork for me to review before I leave the 8th. We won’t start the program, if we are allowed to proceed, until after I come home the 22nd. I want to supervise it carefully personally when we begin it so we can get the kinks worked out and then I will invite volunteers to participate. It helps to be able to share with them the things to expect and what to watch for to avoid. This extension feels like it will be rewarding on many levels and I am hoping to get volunteers on board so they can have a hands on experience with a Detainee.

I am hoping that the little free pantry blessing box I am working on will be ready to put up when I get back. The person I hired to build it kinda got off track but am hoping I can get her back on track and get it built the way I want. I’m afraid if we wait too long the ground will be too frozen to dig a hole to install it. I’m ignorant about those type of things so maybe it won’t matter.

This week the heating and air guy is coming to see what needs to be done so the addition gets heat and air. Hoping there is an easy solution to that situation and work on it can proceed promptly. That step is holding up the installation of insulation and drywall. I hope it warms up enough this week so Kathy and I can get the outside of the addition painted. I would love to get the dog pen moved to right behind the house before winter sets it. That makes it much easier to get the dogs in the house. I don’t want to have to walk through the yard in the snow.

I may call the cement guy to see if he can get a path laid from the back door to the door to the pen yet this year. Not sure how warm it has to be to be able to do that. That may have to wait until spring.

Need to review my Thanksgiving list and invitations before I leave. I love having a full table and so far have lots of room left for others to join us. I need to remember to write down the date I need Kathy to pull the turkey out of the freezer and move it to a refrigerator so it will be thawed enough to work with when I need it to be. I have my grocery list made for the perishable things I will get the day or two before Thanksgiving.

Ellexia sent me her Christmas wish list. I may try to get some things on it ordered so they will be sure to be here on time for Christmas. We usually have our early in December so won’t have lots of time when I get back before it will be time for our Christmas. I also need to talk to the kids and set a date. Their calendars fill up much quicker than mine does. I like to give them lots of notice so it is easy for them to get here.

I started a packing list for India. I think I have everything I need in the house so packing won’t take long. I travel light so won’t be taking much. I had lots of Halloween candy left over and plan on taking some of that with me. I am a coward when it comes to trying new food and India food seems exotic to me and I may not have the courage to try some of it.

I watched the Jane Goodall documentary that is on Netflix. It is wonderful. I hope everyone gets a chance to view it. She is the type of person you want to have over for a cup of coffee or a shot of whiskey. The impact she left on this world will be felt for a long time.

I was able to get back above neutral today and climb out of the muck pond. Trusting I will be able to maintain that this week. I realized I am emotionally tired again and my tank feels small. It doesn’t take much to drain it. I need to cut out the news again for a bit until I can make a bigger tank for myself again. This trip is well timed as it will allow me to step away from most things for two weeks. That should help my tank to expand.

I saw where most bigger airports are starting to have delays due to so many air traffic controllers and security staff calling out sick. I trust we will be able to make our flights and the delays will be minimal. Once we get to New York, we will be on the tour guides schedule and they are good at helping with delays and changing flights as needed. We are arriving in New York City in the morning on the 8th and don’t leave for India until the 9th so any delays will be on their hands. I will pack an extra portion of patience and will attempt to stay in a go with the flow mood. Delays are sometimes a part of the adventure. We will allow lots of extra time to get checked in on the 9th in case the lines are long.

My anger seems to have dissipated today. I am grateful I had the time and space to allow it to be heard and felt. I woke up with a bit of a sore throat today but that has gone away. I have finally learned that if I allow my emotions to be heard and felt, they dissipate much quicker than if I try to stuff them. Staying in anger does no one any good, myself included. I do much better when I find positive steps of action to take.

Grateful for a very quiet day at home, grateful for the love and work of Jane Goodall and the path she calls all of us to take, and grateful for the sunshine today after a week of cloudy skies.

This has been a hard day for me. I struggled to find sleep last night and doubt that I got more than three hours total with most of that coming after 6:00 this morning.

I got an email last night from one of my contacts at the Detention Center requesting donations of stuffed animals. They are seeing lots of Detainees that are being deported directly from their site. Most of the Detainees get one last visit with family who come to bring them a few of their belongings. Many of the families that come have small children and the staff would like to offer the Detainees a chance to pick out a stuffed animal to gift their children that they have to leave behind.

I went to our gift registry on Amazon and added a bunch of stuffed animals to our list and made a post on Facebook about the request. Less than 24 hours later 103 stuffed animals are on their way to the Detention Center. I’m sure more will be ordered soon.

If anyone wants to see what is on the gift registry, here is the link:

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fregistries%2Fgl%2Fguest-view%2F3J2NM0H5QMDOJ%3Fref%3Dgr_search_page_result%26fbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExRFQ2bkI4UnpnZVNiOVNXdgEeUpcGMKz86yP-9QjEOEdBI5sRHZXod9o09iD1A8e2jzEIP8LRsAtJjKyO1Yk_aem_dy4CLOJXyUFbQjYI0PNsfQ&h=AT2dvf7E-4R3IOD-s7lkSG8Gpy1S9y_LqxXpHfBPxxMwYxN8-vtD3nbMOsVHIULXpUCFwEm_QP4nxB77av2Dkmk6T2IJYQ9ldHxaeyBXIEqii6WRUzaisqob-GzVUDMRqRxz3abVU-J6qxOqHk__7E1iVK0f93KGmzM&__tn__=-UK-R&c%5B0%5D=AT2EPexPv3KOYymoxejJOf16gCR_oB5CgpI2NUBWUdlJoqKEwHa91POF3thIYfCx3xrGNt56au0fWMctuN6LFm09aegm3IXilBFvU96L3BXBcI8VRWzPkYqu8r138f9CjHi4EMbgTWkLwFATD0pqk9NiDPMnJFEVf7FVuYTLpE–iwfLtaHBKH6rKELjaFaA5VFJW8bQd35K7kq2vUDIxseakoznNw

I attempted to go to bed after taking care of all of that but I got triggered with the thought of children having to say goodbye to their parent and not knowing if and when they will see them again. What the hell are we doing in this country right now? I had to sit with my anger and let it be heard and felt during the night and it carried over to today. I am finally able to self regulate myself and come back to neutral.

Staying in anger does no one any good – especially myself. I had to get myself to accept what is actually happening in this country and put my energy into acts of love. The anger will not serve me or anyone else. There is nothing I can do about the policies that are being carried out. I can help give a detainee a stuffed animal to give to his child that he may not see again for a long time, if ever. Damn, it doesn’t feel like that is enough but it is damn sure better than staying in anger and doing nothing.

The lady that is building my Food Pantry blessing box texted me. She has a cabinet that was built to hold canned goods in her garage and wondered if that would work. I don’t think it is built to be outdoors 24/7 and I was afraid it would fall over. Her next idea was using a water barrel of some sort. She said it would look like a giant cupcake. Not sure I like that idea as I don’t think people would know what it was. We had discussed a bookshelf type of things with a back and a door and roof of sorts. Not sure how she came up with these other ideas. Hoping she can get back on track and get something close to what I want made.

The city lady called me today and let me know I do not need a permit as long as it is on my property and not between the street and the sidewalk. I appreciated her calling me back although it was three days after I contacted her the first time.

Kathy and I manhandled the dogs and took them to the Vet today. They both needed a blood draw to check for heart worms and they each got three shots. Both did well. They had a bit of trouble getting blood from Roxy – knowing her she stopped her blood for a bit so they couldn’t get it. We had to laugh at Sophia, she was raising her eyebrows one and then the other at us. I had never seen her do that before. She needs to get her brows done – they are looking like bushes.

Jason won a half of a hog in some raffle he had bought a ticket for. He was running around passing it out and brought some out to put in my freezer that I will take to Nicole next week when we leave for our trip. I don’t cook with pork much – not sure why. We ate a lot of it when I was a kid but just never think to cook with it now. Unfortunately Jason didn’t get a ham or any bacon which are my favorite cuts of pork.

Forty six years ago Craig and I were married. It is a bittersweet day for me. We had some wonderful times together until we didn’t. I am grateful we ended up being good friends at the end of his life. I cherish the good times we had together. We always joked that we wondered who treated who and who tricked who.

I went to the Dollar General store this afternoon to get some more candy. I always think I will run out. The clerk was telling me what a good job Trump is doing to get Congress open again. I clamped my mouth shut and didn’t say anything. You can’t argue with stupid! I left and in my anger, left my phone behind. I went back up to the store and asked about it but he didn’t have it. I came home and looked again and couldn’t find it. Kathy called it and we couldn’t hear it. Then I remembered the cart has a black thing on the seat of the basket and I probably left it there. I went back up and the clerk had it. Someone had heard the phone ring and turned it in.

While I was there I saw the Lieutenant that suggested we do the stuffed animal project for the detainees. I was able to tell her she had over 100 stuffed animals on the way and I was betting more to come. She almost cried when I told her. That made forgetting my phone worth it!

I have the candy all open and in a bucket ready to pass out. I probably should just go downtown and do trunk or treat but you are to decorate your car trunk and that sounded like too much work. We shall see how many kiddos show up.

Kathy didn’t have a good day today either. Something must be in the energy of the day that is pulling both of us off center. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

No plans for the weekend. I do hope I can paint but I think it is going to be too cold tomorrow. It is to warm up next week so hoping I can get it done before I leave a week from tomorrow. There is always next spring if not!

I was overdue for a dip into the muck pond to allow me to feel some strong feelings. I spent some time this morning in tears to help release them. I’ve taken some shots this last week over the Detainee project from people that think treating Detainees with love and compassion is an unwise use of my time and energy. I don’t allow their opinion of me to influence my actions but they can sting if I don’t keep myself above neutral.

I’m grateful I am going out of this country for two weeks on November 8. I need a break from all the energy in this country right now. It takes all my energy to fiend off the negative energy that is so strong right now. I think I am worn out.

Grateful for the generous supporters that immediately stepped up and ordered stuffed animals for the detainees to give to their left behind children, grateful I found my phone, and grateful I was able to climb out of the muck pond.

Last night Sophia decided she needed out and woke me up in the middle of the night. Both dogs came out the front door with me and went to their pen in the yard. I turned and opened their pen door but only Sophia walked through. Roxy had turned around and I thought headed to the front door. She does that sometimes. I got to the front door and she wasn’t there. She had run off. This is the first time she has ever done that.

I got up early this morning and thankfully Roxy was on the front porch waiting for me to open the door. She came in and wouldn’t look at me. I think she knew she was in trouble. I am going to have to start putting them on a leash when I take them to their pen. Darn her anyways.

This has been a busy day. I left this morning a little after 9:30 to go to Wichita and didn’t get home until 6:00. My first stop was Costco. I managed to buy a cart full of things I need for my trip plus things to stock the food pantry blessing box when it gets installed.

I then went to Chipotle for lunch. Stopped at Walmart to get 20 more gift cards for the Love in Action project. I had to wait in line for about 10 minutes. The lady that waited on me said they have a limit of 10 but if the register would allow her to ring up more than that she would attempt it. The register did and I was able to get all 20. Not sure why this Walmart has a limit of 10 when others have a limit or 20 or 50 depending on who is working. Thinking they need to firm up their policy on gift cards.

Took Kathy’s car to the Subaru dealership to find out why the check engine light is on and the eye sight thing wasn’t working. The coolant light comes on occasionally when the car is being driven. It stays on for a bit and then goes off.

When I was checking the car in and told the guy about the coolant light he acted like he didn’t believe me. He told me it comes on when you start the car if the weather is weird. I told him I knew that but restated that it comes on and goes back off when you are driving it. He kinda rolled his eyes at me.

An hour after they took the car back I got a text and they tried to sell me five more service options that would have cost almost $1,000. I declined all of them.

After about two hours had passed, he came in and told me I was right about the coolant light. Some thermo something or other had frozen open and was causing the problem.

I asked why the eye sight wasn’t working. He said when the check engine light comes on, it disables the eye sight device. I asked him if that was to get people to bring their cars in and he kinda smiled and said yes. Dang them anyways. It is dangerous to drive without cruise and the safety collision thing.

Finally after four hours of waiting they were done. Thankfully what ever they did was under warranty and it didn’t cost anything other than four hours of my time. The good news is the cruise control worked on the way home and the coolant light didn’t come on and the check engine light was off.

I saw deer three different places on the road between Matfield Green and Cassoday. Luckily I missed hitting them all three times. The first time I only saw one. The second time there were four or five and the third time there were three. This the season for deer at dusk.

Finally got home and unloaded the car. I had to make about eight trips from the car to the house to get everything unloaded. It is all going to sit where it is until tomorrow and I will sort it all out then and put it away.

I remembered to call the city about the blessing box permit. The lady that answered the phone didn’t know if I needed one or not and there was no one in the office that could tell me. I had called two days ago and left a message and never got a call back. Do I go for the third call or just assume I don’t need one? Why is this so hard to get an answer?

Tomorrow we are taking both dogs to the vet for their annual visit and shots. Kathy is to go with me and help me manhandle them. I also need to go vote.

Nothing planned for the weekend although I would like to do some painting if the weather cooperates and my body allows me to do so. Monday I have a haircut and then I have some errands to run. I need to pay for the flooring and get the amount I need reserved so it is ready when Phil is ready for it.

I still don’t have the results from the heart monitor that I wore and returned over a week ago. Not sure why test results seem to be taking at least eight days. Good thing it isn’t urgent – just my heart function!

Getting closer to being ready to leave for two weeks. Still have a few more things to take care of next week. It sometimes feels complicated to be able to leave for two weeks. Have several things pending that may or may not get resolved before I leave. I feel more comfortable leaving when I get things resolved but all are in the hands of someone else and I have no control over the timing. Good lesson on letting go and allowing how and when they unfold up to a higher power.

Grateful Kathy’s car is fixed and that it was under warranty, grateful I have the beginnings of things to put in the blessing box when it gets installed, and grateful 20 more gift cards for the Love in Action project are in the house.

This has been a sleepy, cool day. Have had little energy. I slept in and then took a nap. Finally catching up on some badly needed sleep.

I went to bed early last night and fell asleep right away which is very rare for me. Sophia woke me up at 11:15 and needed to go out. We walked a couple blocks and she did her business three times. She really did need to go out.

When I got up this morning Kathy had put Sophia in her pen. Kathy had enough of Sophia’s restlessness. Sophia really doesn’t like being inside all the time. Thankfully it was a windy day and the wind helped dry up the mud in the pen. Both dogs are inside this evening and we didn’t have to spray them off before we brought them in.

I got notification that a package I was expecting had been delivered. The only problem is it was delivered to my old house in the country. I hadn’t noticed they had my old address on file. I sent a message to the new owner and he told me he was home and I could come get it.

Stopped by Casey’s and talked to the manager. Love in Action is sponsoring a pizza party for the staff and detainees the week of Thanksgiving. They are going to be able to do the pizzas. They need a week’s notice of when the detention center wants to give them out. I sent the Captain a note and asked him to arrange final details with Caseys the week before Thanksgiving as I will be out of town. I still haven’t heard back from him from the other two emails I sent him. I need to remember to call him the first of next week and see what is going on.

Tomorrow I am going to Wichita to take Kathy’s car in for service. I plan on leaving early and going to Costco to pick up some things I need. I will then have lunch and then go wait for the car to be fixed. Hoping it is a rather quick fix and they can get to it promptly. Last time it was a three minute fix but it took them two hours to get to it.

Friday I take the dogs in for their annual shots. Kathy is going with me to help handle them in the Vets office. No plans for the weekend. Monday I have a haircut and a few errands to run in Emporia. I need to make a packing list for my trip. I leave November 8 early in the morning so I need to start getting organized.

I think I am heart sad today. It shook me when my attorney told me yesterday that this administration is going after non-profits that list helping Detainee in their purpose. What a world we are living in these days. I work hard to stay out of fear and overwhelm but I think today I fell into it. I’m grateful I realized what I did. Once I realize that I can get out of it.

I didn’t hear back from the city. I had left a voicemail asking if I need a permit to put up a food pantry blessing box. Should I take that as I don’t need one? If I remember I will call them tomorrow during business hours and ask them.

Sitting with heat ache over the hurt that so many people are feeling. The government workers who must keep working without being paid, the people who are losing food benefits, people whose health insurance is increasing so much they can’t afford it, the list goes on and on. Am attempting to find ways to help in little ways and adding drops of love in the big bucket of life. I can’t change a damn thing about what is happening on the national level but I can touch the lives of a very few in my community.

Grateful for lots of sleep today, grateful Casey’s will do the pizza for the detention center the week of Thanksgiving, and grateful for all that are working to helping those being disenfranchised during this painful time.

Another cool rainy day. I have a little pond in my side yard from all the water. Unfortunately there are lots of spots that got dug up either by the dogs or from the construction of the addition that have turned into mud pits. We have kept the dogs inside today and they are not too happy with us. They didn’t enjoy getting sprayed by the hose to get the mud off of them either but not sure they understand that is what will happen again if we let them go in their muddy pen.

I went to Council Grove and met a dear friend for lunch. Always a good day when I get to have a deep conversation with a friend.

I had sent my attorney a note asking about liability if I expand Love in Action to having direct contact with Detainees. I was especially concerned about liability if we transport them and an accident happened. In these days of conflict, I needed to make sure someone couldn’t sue me for liability.

My attorney doesn’t deal with this as his specialty so he passed me on to a colleague. The attorney that called does pro bono work for detainees and has a soft spot for the work I am doing. She was very easy to talk to and very helpful. She was going on about the responsibility that will come if I do a non-profit and I asked a few questions. She asked me what I had done before I retired as I had knowledge about LLC, S Corps, etc. It does help that I have dealt with this type of thing before.

She recommended that I file for a state non profit status. I will be assigned a state ID number and then I could open bank accounts and VENMO accounts under the name of Love in Action. That will keep it out of my personal accounts for lots of reasons. It would shield me from liability if something were to go amiss. The law firm typically charges up to $2,000 to do all the paperwork but she is going to do it for less than $500. Not sure how long it will take but she thought she might be able to have papers ready for me to sign before I leave for India the 8th. I told her it could wait till I got home if needed.

She is also going to draft a wavier that both the detainee and volunteer will sign if we house or transport them. This will protect the volunteer from liability.

As we were talking, she recommended I make the vision statement or goal of Love in Action to be very broad and not specify that it is for the care of Detainees. They are starting to see retaliatory measures taken against non-profits that care for the undocumented and detainees from IRS and other government regulatory departments. Again, taking this out of my personal accounts will help protect me if that should happen.

If this program continues to grow in the future, it might get big enough that I need to file for a 501 c3 status but that is a long way away. It has already grown more than I anticipated. We have raised over $8,000 now and I don’t see an end to that in the near future.

Still haven’t heard from the Captain of the Center to find out if this extension of our project is feasible from his end. He usually gets back to me promptly but may be out of the office at meetings or vacation. If I don’t hear back from him by the first of next week I will call him and see where he is at with all this.

I am exploring burner phones that we would give the Detainee to help them get home. I am ignorant of how they work and have been doing research on them. I guess you have to buy the phone plus a cell service SIM card of some sort. Makes sense I guess but I still have lots to learn. I am anxious to find out how many people we might be helping. If it is only a couple a month this will be doable but if the numbers are higher than that we will either have to raise lots of funds or limit what we can offer. It sounds like a burner phone plus a SIM card would be around $50 each time. Any experts out there that can help educate me?

I found a lady that will build and install a little pantry Blessing box in my yard. She thinks she has enough scrap lumber that she won’t need to buy anything to make it. She mentioned I might need a permit from the city to install it. I called the city but it was after 4:00 so I left a message. I should find out tomorrow if I need to file a permit before I can have it installed. Man, sometimes these simple ideas turn complicated. She is going to give the project some thought and get back to me with questions if she has any. We know a mutual friend and I told her he would vouch for me that I will pay her. I gave her the green light to proceed. Not sure how long it will take her. I’m going to be gone for two weeks soon so won’t be around to keep it full so no real rush to get it up before I get back from India.

The new addition shower faucet and shower head came in today. Phil is going to be here working tomorrow. I don’t understand the process and what gets done when. It is fascinating to me to watch him work and see the order things are done in. I need to have him give me the floor measurements tomorrow so I can go purchase the flooring I picked out and get it put on hold so it will be ready for him when he is ready for it.

Tomorrow is an empty space day for me. I do have a few more things I need to take care of before my trip to India. Maybe I can get a few more things crossed off my list tomorrow. I do need to go up to the Courthouse and vote.

Kathy has a pulmonary test Thursday so can’t go to Wichita with me. I will go late morning and go to Costco before the car appointment at 12:45. I trust the fix is fairly easy and won’t require leaving the car for a long time. I will have to find a way home if that is the case. Kathy will take my car to her appointment and I will drive her car to Wichita.

Friday I take both dogs to the Vet to get their annual checkup and shots. Kathy said she would go with me so it will be easier for me to handle both dogs. They do well on their leashes now but they are a handful to handle both alone, especially when they see other dogs which is likely in a Vet’s office.

No plans for the weekend. I have a haircut on Monday so will need to go to Emporia for that. Maybe I can finish up my errands after my haircut. I still need to get 78 more gift cards for the Detainee Christmas project. I would like to have all those in my hands before my trip. By the time I get back the stores will be busy with Thanksgiving and Christmas shoppers. They take a bit of time for the clerk to ring them up and I don’t like taking that much time when someone is waiting in line behind me. The lady yesterday told me I could get up to 50 at a time. That is 30 more than I was told before.

This week feels like it has been productive already. I got a lot done yesterday and even today feel like some steps were taken forward. I do much better when I feel like I got something done at the end of the day. I have been able to stay above neutral and that always helps.

Am struggling to sleep lately though and that is getting old and wearing me down. I am hopeful every night that tonight will be the night I sleep around the clock and most nights it is 3:00 or after before I fall asleep and I usually only sleep good for about two to three hours before the wake – sleep – wake cycle begins.

It still amazes me how things flow when I give up control or expectations of how things might proceed. The Universe does come through for me in ways I cannot explain. The key for me is to stay out of the way and to act when I feel the call to action.

Grateful for a caring and compassionate attorney, grateful for a dear friend I can share with, and grateful for how the Universe has my back.

This has been a busy day. I left for Emporia before 11:00 and didn’t get home until after 3:00. That is too much town for me in one day.

I started the day with a stop at the realtor to sign the papers for the sale of the last rental I own. We won’t close for another week or more but my part is done. The realtor is going to deposit the check in my account at the bank.

I then went to the flooring store and picked out vinyl planking for the new addition. I should have brought a sample home as now I am doubting my purchase. When I go to town next time I will stop and get one just to make sure it is what I want.

I then went to 629 and met Jason and Michelle for lunch. It is always a good day when I get to have lunch with some of my kids. We had a nice lunch and I got caught up with what is happening with them.

I then went to Bluestem and got four bags of dog food. That should last the dogs a month or two. Every time I buy that stuff the price goes up. It is a bit cheaper at Walmart but it is easier to get at Bluestem as they bring it to the car for me. Wish they would come home with me and carry it to the porch.

I got brave and went to Walmart. They are redoing their parking lot and it looked like Black Friday as there was little parking. I had to drive around a bit until someone pulled out.

I took my Thanksgiving list and got most of the non perishables on the list. I also picked up 20 more gift cards for the Love in Action project. I went through the line with a checker in hopes she could do the gift cards. She said she couldn’t I had to go to the service desk. The lady at the service desk wasn’t busy and heard the conversation and came over and got them started while I checked out the rest of the groceries.

I went over and paid for the gift cards and headed for my car. I am such a creature of habit that I couldn’t find my car as I had to park in a different spot than normal. I finally found it and got everything loaded up.

Went to the funeral home and Kathy met me there. We went in and got a paper notarized that hopefully will complete the transfer of the life insurance policy to the funeral home. Third time is a charm – right?

I drove Kathy’s car home as the check engine light was on and I needed to know what was happening so I could call the service department and tell them. We have to take her car to Wichita Thursday early afternoon. I think we will both drive and then while they are messing with the car I can go to Costco and get what I need. If it takes them longer than that trip takes me, we will go hang out with our Aunt until the car is ready.

As I was blogging yesterday a friend called about an idea for the Love in Action project. I had just written that I want to find another way to support the detainees and that request was answered with my friend’s phone call. I sent a note to the Captain to see if we can support the Detainees that get released and help them find their way home. They are brought in to Chase County from OK and Missouri as well as from KS. They have limited resources on them to figure out how to get home.

I suggested we might help them with transportation, feed them while they are waiting for a ride home, and/or find a play for them to spend the night if it is going to take their family member a bit to get here.

I put a post on the Love in Action Facebook page to see if the donors would support this additional project. The response has been overwhelmingly positive with many offers to help in anyway needed. A friend called this afternoon with an offer for very affordable housing for them as needed. I get blown away every time I post a request as the support is amazing. We shall see what the Captain says and where this additional project may lead.

I don’t think many get released but I have heard of a couple that have had to spend the night in the lobby of the jail waiting for family members to pick them up. Another guy was kindly put up for the night and fed at the local Hotel. I think we can do better for them and have a plan in place to help them get home safely.

Phil told me to contact the heating and air guys and have them come help him install the stuff so the addition is heated and cooled. They were initially scheduled to come this Thursday morning. They called back this afternoon and rescheduled for next week on Tuesday. Evidently the owner talked to the guy that had done my service that I had talked to about this project and he wants to make sure the addition doesn’t screw up the air flow for the rest of the house. I hope they don’t delay the construction too much. Not sure when they will do the actual work. Guess better a delay than to do the work wrong.

Tomorrow I am meeting a dear friend for lunch in Council Grove. That will be a nice treat for me.

Thursday I am going to Wichita to get Kathy’s car fixed and to go to Costco. Trusting the issue with the car can easily be resolved.

My empty space week is filling up! I am trying to get lots done before I leave for India November 8. I still have several more things to take care of between now and then. Made some good progress today but it is going to take another day like today to get everything scratched off my list.

It has been a busy but productive day. If I can find another day like today I can get my things taken care of and leave knowing things are done. Less than two weeks to go before my trip.

Sitting in awe again at the response from the Love in Action team. People are so generous and willing to do whatever is needed to help the Detainees. Trusting the Captain will accept our help and we can make it easier for the Detainees to get home safely.

Grateful for all I got done today, grateful I found my car at Walmart, and grateful for all the good people in this world supporting Love in Action.

This has been another cool, misty type of day. Not fit for man or beast! The dogs are on our shit list. They barked off and on all night. We finally caved this afternoon. I sprayed them off with the hose to get most of the obvious mud off of them. Kathy wiped them down with a towel. My house now smells like wet dog. They struggled to settle down when they came in but are finally sacked out. Anyone want two dogs? I think both Kathy and I would give them away today.

I made some broccoli cheese soup today. This weather has made me crave soup. I have plenty left over to eat on for the next couple of days.

It has been a quiet stay at home type of day. I did go to Dollar General to get a couple copies of the Emporia Gazette. In their Saturday edition they include the Chase Leader News. The rally that was held a week ago Saturday was front page. They printed the article that Sherman Smith wrote for the Kansas Reflector. Good to have a copy in print.

I have lots of errands to run in Emporia tomorrow. The main thing I have to do is sign the papers for the sale of the last rental property I own. I don’t think it is closing before November 7 but it will be good to have the signing out of the way. I leave the 9th so hoping it will close before that so I can get the check deposited before I leave. I also need dog food as we are on the last bag and Kathy will need some for sure while I am gone. I also need to pick out flooring for the new addition. I’m trying to decide if I want Phil to do the kitchen floor too. It has the original flooring from when I bought the house and needs replaced. Might as well get it done now. I also need to pick out a paint color in case it is ready to be painted before I come home. I also want to get 20 more Walmart gift cards if I have the patience to do that.

Kathy has a paper that needs notarized and we need to get that taken care of this week. I won’t drag her all over Emporia tomorrow so we will do her paperwork later in the week.

I have less than two weeks before I leave for India. It is finally hitting me that I need to get my act together and get ready. I will need to go to Costco one day this week and pick up a few things I need. I want to go visit my aunt while I am in Wichita. She is turning 90 this winter and I want to soak up all the time I can get with her.

I made a list of the groceries I need for the Thanksgiving feast that I will prepare. If I am in the mood to shop tomorrow I will get the non perishable things while I am at Walmart. Some days I can, and some days I can’t. I will only have five days to get it ready when I get home from India. With the jet lag that comes with that big of a time change I will be lucky to pull it off.

Giving some thought as to what is the next move with Love in Action. The Thanksgiving and Christmas projects are fully funded and we have plenty of funds left over. I would love to be able to find other ways we can support the Detainees but not sure what the Captain will allow. I asked him and haven’t heard back. Thinking we could do something the week of Christmas such as buying a couple cases of fruit to give the Detainees a special treat. Not sure Casey’s can do that much pizza a second time.

Beyond the holidays I would love to come up with something else to do. I know the population of the Detainees turns over weekly for the most part so each week we are reaching new Detainees with our note card project. I am wondering if the Captain would allow the Detainees to send their needs to someone via a note. Some do not have an address memorized where they can send a note. If they sent someone a note with the details we could attempt to local their family member. Just thinking out loud and not sure if any of this will go anywhere.

Wonder what the chances of the government changing course on SNAP and finding the funding after October 31? Between that and people realizing the cost of health insurance for 2026 without the subsidies and the raise in cost for all I have a feeling things are going to get hard for many. This might make things take a turn going into 2026.

Grateful for yummy broccoli cheese soup on a rainy day, grateful for another quiet day at home, and grateful for the possibility of expanding the Love in Action program.

Another cool, rainy day. The dogs are not happy with us as we have made them stay outside all day. Kathy did take them for a walk but it was a short one in the rain. I’m sure sooner or later we will break down and allow them in. I really dislike the smell of wet dog and muddy floors.

I took a nap today and am still in my pajamas. It has been another one of those days. Yesterday drained me and I needed a recovery day. Trusting tomorrow I will have more energy and get some things done. I did manage to write out a list of things I need to take care of this week.

I must be getting old as most of the new shows on TV don’t interest me. I am binge watching Boston Legal – I don’t think they make shows like that anymore.

This rain is filing the creeks and ponds. Wonder if that means snow is on the way and lots of it. Not sure I am ready for winter cold.

Next week I am going to Emporia Monday to sign papers for the sale of the rental. I have lots of errands to do while I am in town. I might have to make a second trip to get everything done. I can only handle so much time in town.

Tuesday I am meeting a friend for lunch. That will give me something to look forward to. I love having deep conversations with my friends.

Hoping the weather clears up and I can get some painting done one day next week. Kathy said she would help me paint and I think we can get it done in one day. Phil is going to do the very top part as I try hard to stay off ladders. Trusting Phil can get the electrical stuff done this week and start doing the insulation and dry wall. I am anxious to see the addition start getting finished up.

I need to make calls to stop the utilities and insurance at the rental property I am selling as soon as I know the closing date. They are hoping to move it up to November 7. That would be great if they can get it done before I leave for India.

I realized I need to get to Walmart five more times before I leave to get 100 more gift cards. I want to have them all taken care of before my trip. Walmart makes it hard to buy them and it takes about ten minutes each time to check out. I often don’t have the patience to deal with it. I want to get them before the holiday shopping season starts and the store gets busy.

This has been a quiet day – just what my soul needed. The crazier the world seems to get the more quiet time I need. I don’t like leaving the house when my central nervous system is unregulated and I can’t stay above neutral when I am out and about. I don’t want to add to the crazy that is out there.

I am trying to decide how I can help those that are loosing their SNAP benefits in November. I will check with the local food pantry to see what their greatest needs are. Wondering if all that will be in need will reach out for help. Those are the ones I would like to reach. Between the people that are having to work without being paid and those that are loosing benefits there will be more people seeking help than there is food for. I don’t think the shutdown will end until next year. When the new health insurance premiums hit due to the loss of the subsidies, there is going to be a huge demand for help. Damn, this all makes my heart hurt. I also feel very privileged knowing it won’t affect me directly.

Grateful for a quiet day, grateful my problems are small, and grateful to be a position to care for others.

A cool, rainy day. Just as I was going to bed last night I heard the first big crack of thunder. I am guessing we got up to two inches of rain based on the size of the pond in my yard. It continues to sprinkle this afternoon. I have the furnace on to warm up the house. It only reached the mid 50’s today. My blood is still summer thin and my body has felt cold all day.

Kathy and I drove to Olpe at noon to meet our two brothers for lunch. It had been a long time since just the four of us were gathered for a meal.

After lunch we drove to Hartford and went to a beautiful spot to scatter Gene’s ashes. They made the most beautiful pattern as they were scattered. The pattern remained for the longest time. It was quiet and peaceful. I think we all felt his presence with us.

Before we left the house for our trip to Olpe and Hartford, I opened the box that Max’s friend had packed his cremains in. Oh my goodness were they well packed. It took me about ten minutes with a knife in hand to get to the bag of ashes. I’m grateful I did that before I left and didn’t just take the box they arrived in unopened. Not sure I would have been able to get to them without a knife.

Kathy and I took the scenic route home and drove past our childhood home. We took the backroad to Emporia after that. It was a drive down memory lane.

Phil was here today working on plumbing. Next up is electrical and then I think he can start putting up insulation and dry wall. I have to go to Emporia Monday and will stop and pick out flooring while I am in town so it will be ready for him when he is ready for it. Maybe by the time I get back from India the addition will be done.

The mail man either skipped by us today or the mail is running very late, I put two thank you notes in the box to be picked up and they are still there with the flag up. Maybe the mailman got flooded out.

The lights just went off for a bit. They weren’t off long and came back on. I’m grateful they didn’t stay off.

No plans for the weekend. I need a couple of stay-at-home days. This week was too busy for my liking and I need to stay home for a bit. Thankfully, next week is fairly quiet. I have to take care of signing papers for the sale of my last rental property and I need dog food so will make a trip to Emporia Monday. Other than that, I don’t have anything on my calendar for next week.

Two weeks from tomorrow I leave on my trip to India. Oh my! Not sure my head is in the game so to speak yet. I do need to give some thought as to what clothes I want to take. I think Kathy and I are going to Wichita one day next week to visit our Aunt. I will stop at Costco and get the rest of what I might need.

Thanksgiving is the week after I get back and I still haven’t done anything about Thanksgiving yet. Found out today my brother that usually comes won’t be coming this year. If I want a full house I need to find some people to come. It takes as much time to cook a meal for 12 as it does 24. I love having a full house at Thanksgiving. Better get some invitations out if I want that to happen.

I realized too that Christmas is two months from tomorrow. Yikes! Better let that start hitting my radar too. I love Thanksgiving but really could bypass Christmas altogether. The kids usually all come home and we do a fun afternoon together. We stopped giving gifts years ago. The two grandkids are getting big enough that they really aren’t fun to buy for any more. There is a time and season for everything and my small family is moving into a new season. I need to give some thought to it and see what we want our Christmas to look like this year.

Sitting with lots of memories today of days long gone by. Being with my remaining siblings and scattering the ashes of our oldest brother tends to dredge up memories. I am grateful I had a mostly pleasant childhood with parents that did the best they could do with the limited resources they had. I have such a weird relationship with time these days that memories feel differently to me now than they used to.

Grateful for the life of my oldest brother, grateful for the day with my remaining siblings, and grateful for the gift of memories.

This has been a crash and burn day. I am still in my pajamas and at this point there is no use getting dressed. I slept lots last night and could take a nap now. I hadn’t slept well for several nights and it caught up to me today.

When I got the mail today I found two more checks making donations to the Love in Action project. When I got back inside my iPad dinged to let me know I had an email. Found another donation made to VENMO when I opened email. These three donations put us way over our goal to fully fund the Thanksgiving and Christmas projects for the Detainees.

I first called the Captain of the Center on July 11. Since then we have raised over $7,000 plus the donations that went directly to the Center via Amazon. I am blown away by the support of this project.

I sent a note to the Captain telling him the two projects are funded and asked him to put on his thinking cap and come up with more projects. I have a feeling with the publicity that the project got over the weekend that more donations will be coming in. I hope we can come up with a meaningful project that others will support.

I made a crock pot of chili today. When I got up this morning the house was down right cold. I had opened my window last night when I first went to bed. I wanted to get up and close it during the night but it was too cold to get out of bed to do so! I turned the furnace on when I got up and warmed the house up. I love cool nights and cool mornings. The chili hit the spot today – I love soup season!

I should have painted today but I didn’t have the energy to do so. This has been a busy week and I needed a quiet day at home not doing anything. If I don’t gift quiet space to myself today, I would have paid the price for it later on.

Tomorrow I am meeting my siblings for lunch at the Chicken House in Olpe and then we are going to scatter Gene’s ashes at a place in Hartford. It will be nice to have all my siblings together for part of the day.

After tomorrow I don’t have anything on my calendar until I leave for India on the 8th. That will give me lots of time to pack and go get anything I think I might want to take with me. I will probably go to Costco next week to pick up a few things. I do need to make a dog food run before I leave town too.

I have been thinking about faith and trust lately. It feels like they are becoming almost old-fashioned values and are becoming rare. I have lost faith and trust in our government. When Kathy had Covid I wanted to look up the latest recommendations about Covid and realized I couldn’t use the CDC website as a trusted source. That shook me then and I don’t think I have recovered.

Yet, I feel the faith and trust that many have put in me for the Love in Action project. Still not sure why they see me as a person they can trust. I know I am very leery of making donations to projects these days that I discovered on-line as there are so many scams out there. I discovered today that there are five fake Kay Krause Facebook pages that have been created in the last couple of days. All have the story from the Reflector posted on them as their only entry. Guessing they are hoping others will be fooled and will ask about sending donations. Damn them anyways! Be careful out there!

What a time to be alive. Things are falling down around us. We no longer have a functioning government. Neighbors are being pitted against each other. The noise of the chaos is loud.

Yet, there is a ribbon of love running underneath all of it. I see glimmers of faith and trust daily that is getting covered up from all the chaos in the world. May I continue to ground myself in that ribbon of love. May we all do so!

Grateful the Thanksgiving and Christmas projects are fully funded, grateful for the faith and trust others have put in me, and grateful I could take a rest day today.

I went to Ottawa for lunch today to meet someone who read the story on-line from the Kansas Reflector. We had a lob in common and spent over two hours together. It was nice to get out and meet a new friend.

On the way home I stopped at The Pome on the Range and got some apple donuts. When I got to Emporia I went to True Value and got two gallons of paint. I hope this color is a closer match than the two gallons I got earlier this week. I went to Walmart and picked up a few groceries and then came home.

I had to take a nap when I got home as I was wiped out. I had trouble waking up this morning and never did feel completely awake today. Trusting I will be able to sleep tonight.

A friend was going to the rally for Christy Davis this evening. It was a potluck in front of the court house. My friend needed a ladle for the dish she had brought as she had left hers at home. I ran one up to the event. I stayed and talked to several people and then came home before things really got underway at the rally. I was too wiped out to stay for dinner and to listen to Christy.

Tomorrow I hope to get some painting done. Phil came over late afternoon and did some more work. The back door lock came in and Phil got it installed. He told me to order a shower head and faucet set for the shower. Those will be in the 28th. Slow progress is being made on the addition. Phil hadn’t been able to work on it for several days so it was good to see him here today.

Friday my brothers are meeting Kathy and I for lunch and then we are going to scatter Gene’s ashes. It will be good to get taken care of. I think his estate is settled. I’m sure a few little things may pop up over the next couple of months but all the major stuff is taken care of.

I don’t think I have any plans all weekend or any thing on my calendar for next week. I may run to Costco next week and get a few things. I haven’t been for a bit and we are getting low on a few things. Other than that I hope to have a quiet week at home.

Not sure why I am so absolutely wiped out tonight. I may finish this up and go take my bath and go to bed. Having trouble keeping my eyes open.

This feels like it has been a busy week. I really do best when I have three or four days a week that I can stay home and not have to leave the house. I’m grateful next week looks rather empty at this point. This week started out slow but I have had something to go do everyday this week. I don’t function well these days being busy everyday.

It was fun to have a deep conversation with someone today. I think we are losing the ability to connect to our fellow humans and I’m grateful this person reached out to me. Not sure when our paths will cross again but it was nice that they intersected today.

This prison project is leading me on new paths. Just this week I have met three new people and have had deep conversations with them. Wonder who I will meet next?

Grateful for the opportunity to meet someone new, grateful to see the turnout for Christy tonight, and grateful I get to stay home tomorrow.

This has felt like a long day. I spent most of the afternoon in Emporia and I am tired tonight. Might be an early to bed type of evening.

I met Jason for lunch at 1:00. We ate at Bobby D’s. Service and food was fine. I always enjoy having a meal with one of my kids.

I went to True Value to get some paint. I forgot to take the paint sample with me. The guy looked it up as I remembered the color name but we decided that I shouldn’t get it. When he looked it up it showed six different variations of the color. They didn’t have any paint sample cards with the color I wanted left and I didn’t want to buy two more gallons of the wrong color. I am going back through Emporia tomorrow so will get some then.

I dropped off my heart monitor at CVS. They make that process easy.

I worked at the Friends of the Library Book sale from 3:00 – 6:00. I sat with a young man that went to school with Tagen. He was interesting to talk to and we had a good time. I was impressed with how he attended to the customers and helped them out.

Tomorrow I am going to Ottawa and having lunch with a lady that is interested in helping with the Love in Action project. Not sure what she wants to do but I will meet with her and see what she is thinking. She had an employee that got deported and was sent through the Chase County Detention Center a few years ago. We shall see where this leads.

I will need to stop in Emporia either on my way to Ottawa or on my way home and get the right paint. I will take my paint sample with me this time and maybe I can get the right paint. Third time is a charm!

Came home from the library book sale with two sacks of books. I picked out the first sack before my shift started. A lady that was working the sale and I were talking and she picked out another sack of books for me. I was looking for a particular author but neither one of us could find any of her books. I will get to try some new to me authors. The book sale must be successful as they didn’t have lots of books left this afternoon.

The toilet parts keep sticking when you flush the toilet and the tank doesn’t fill with water. If I messed with the parts, I could get it to fill but that gets old after a while. I sent a message to Phil and he came over and put in new parts. That was easy!

I’m tired this evening. Being around people for over three hours wears me out. I’m grateful I had a very pleasant young man to visit with. We weren’t overly busy but had a nice steady stream of customers come through. The time went by fairly quickly. I was glad when my shift was over and I could come home.

Nicole and I firmed up our plans for our trip to India in November. We fly to New York City on the 8th and stay over a night there. We then fly to India on the 9th and will get there on the 10th. It is just a little over two weeks before we leave. I need to give some consideration to my wardrobe and make sure I have what I need to take. May need to make a trip to KC or Topeka to do some shopping.

We are going to try to find a time later this week to scatter Max’s ashes. We shall see if we can get that done. If not, we will find another date soon.

Feeling a bit drained this evening. I’m not used to being around people all afternoon. All I interacted with were fun and easy to deal with. I spend so much time home alone that any interaction with people these days wears me out. I am going out tomorrow and Friday so will need the weekend to recover. So far next week looks empty so have some recovery time built in. Hoping I can get my painting done before the cold weather comes.

Just a little over two weeks before my trip to India. I haven’t given it much thought yet so need to get it on my radar and get things ready. I think I will need more mental preparation than physical stuff. It will be fun to spend the time with Nicole and see a new to me country or two. I’m sure it will be sensory overload for me but I think one needs to get out of their own safe box and explore occasionally. It shakes one up and that can be good for the soul.

Grateful to meet a wonderful, wise young man today, grateful to have lunch with Jason today, and grateful I can go to bed early tonight.

This has been a day! I did go to Emporia to get some paint color samples. I think I found one that will work. I have to go to town in the afternoon to work the Library book sale. I will go in early and pick up the paint. I hope this color matches. Anyone need two gallons of exterior paint?

When I got the mail today I got a bonanza! I got three checks and three Walmart gift cards for the Love in Action project. We have the Holiday projects almost fully funded. We only need 14 more gift cards. My personal goal was to have that project funded before I leave for India on the 9th of November. Grateful that will happen.

A dear friend I met on the Camino ten years ago called me today. It is always a good day when I get to talk to her. We talk via video feed so I get to see her beautiful face. She let me know she has been diagnosed with lung cancer. She is in the middle of getting it all sorted out and a treatment plan put into place. Dang, why do bad things happen to the best people? She is 86 and her husband is 89. They have 12 children and 32 grandchildren plus a few great grandchildren. Her huge family is surrounding her with love and care. I wished I didn’t live so far away. I might need to plan a trip to California when I get back from India.

I have spent time again today responding to many questions about the rally I did Saturday and the Love in Action project. Lots of interest and lots of people wanting to get involved. We shall see where this all goes. I put an update about the project on the Love in Action page and that usually solicits donations. The Amazon gift registry list is almost all taken care of. I will have a conversation with the Captain at the Center and see if we can do more for the Detainees.

Today has been a good lesson for me in remembering opinions are not facts and they are not truth. One person had read the article that was in the Kansas Reflector and had posted “Kay is one amazing lady”. The person that responded to that posted “One amazingly stupid, clueless, lost, ineffective, loser, idiot, dumb shit. She is what is wrong with our country, wake up and don’t get it twisted, you are the problem!”

Hmmmm…. I am guessing neither of these statements are the truth and both are opinions. The person that posted the second response is someone I have never heard of or talked to or met. The first one is someone I have visited with about the Love in Action project. I do get lost occasionally so maybe there is some truth in the statements! Ha!

Luckily most of the responses have been positive. We are a very divided country so I guess one should expect a few dings.

I was told today that the Kansas Reflector story went viral with tens of thousands of views. Not sure what to do with that. Guess I will keep doing what I am doing with the Love in Action project and let the dust settle around all this. I will do my best to keep up with the requests for information and help educate others about the Detainee situation as I understand it.

Two different people want to meet sometime soon and talk about the project. One is an individual that has had experience with a Detainee that was housed in Chase County some years ago and the other heads a big politically active group out of Wichita. Who knows where all this is going.

Tomorrow I will be at the Friends of the Library Book sale from 3:00 – 6:00. I need to go in early and shop for a sack of books, drop off my heart monitor at CVS for the UPS man to pick up, and pick up some paint. I usually find someone interesting to talk to at the book sale and the time goes fast. The rest of the week is empty space time. I may walk down to Christy Davis event at the Courthouse Wednesday evening. I’ll see how the day goes and if I can people.

Sitting with so much gratitude on how fast the Detainee Holiday project got funded. I had started early so I had plenty of time to reach people. The best part is that most of the donors are new donors. I have some very regular donors now that send money monthly. I get the sweetest notes from them. This project is taking on a life of its own and it will be fun to see where it goes from here.

I have been able to stay above neutral today even with the trip to town. I did take a short nap this afternoon. I find reading the comments can drain me if I don’t stay conscious. Getting the donations in the mail today was good for my soul!

Grateful I found a paint color that should work, grateful for the ongoing support of Love in Action, and grateful I know the difference between opinion, facts and truth.

I am wearing a heart monitor to see if the doctor can determine what is causing my fast heart rate with movement. The monitor is a little device that attaches to me via a patch about the size of my palm on my chest. My skin does not do well with plastic tape on it. I had to replace the patch as my skin was breaking out. The new position is better but the old place is all broken out and itches. Last night I took some Benadryl to try to calm it down. It worked and calmed the area down but it wired me. I didn’t sleep much at all last night.

I attempted to do some painting today but the paint does not match and is not even close enough to use. Not sure what happened as I took the gallon of the old paint in and they supposedly mixed the same color. I will have to go get some more tomorrow. Hope I can find some that matches better tomorrow or I am going to end up painting the whole house. Why is this type of stuff hard for me? Doesn’t seem to be that hard.

The editor of the Kansas Reflector did a nice job with the story he published. I’m grateful he also interviewed the people that attended and quoted them. The story has attracted a lot of attention and comments. Some of them missed the whole point of the rally. Most are very complimentary.

I have been busy answering questions and inquiries about how they can support the project. Several people have found the gift registry on Amazon and have purchased items for the Detainees off the registry.

I updated my numbers for the Detainee project. We have received over $6,500 in cash, check and VENMO. I am betting we have received over $3,000 of items sent directly to the Center via Amazon. After we pay for the Thanksgiving and Christmas projects we will have over $1,000 left over. This project will continue on into the New Year.

A lady and her mother from Wichita showed up at my door this afternoon. They had driven around Cottonwood Falls looking for the purple chair they had seen in the pictures that the Kansas Reflector had posted. Still not fully sure why they came here other than she was curious about the project and wanted to know how I got the Captain to approve the project. I had a nice conversation with both her and her mother. Her mother is probably in her 90’s and speaks four languages. She asked me if I was of German Mennonite ancestry. Spot on! We exchanged contact information so I will see if this goes anywhere.

Another person had emailed the Reflector and they forwarded the email to me. We made contact and I shared how she can follow the project on Facebook.

One of the guys that came yesterday was from Colorado. He is a singer and travels doing gigs. He had registered to attend on the No Kings site so I had his email. I sent him a note this morning thanking him for gracing us with his music during the rally. He sent the kindest response. He got the purpose of the rally and was most complementary of my attempt.

Another guy that came has become a habitual protestor. I think he is on day 168 or something like that. We made contact via Facebook and I shared the story with him too. He had interviewed me and posted it on his facebook page.

Still not sure where this project is taking me. At this point I am fastening my seat belt and hanging on for the ride. It has many lessons to teach me. One is to not let the negative responses of others get to me. I keep reminding myself I am not responsible for others reactions to what I say or do. What they say says more about where they are than what I am doing.

Tomorrow I am going to have to go to Emporia and figure out the paint thing. It is to be nice tomorrow so would love to get paint in the morning and be able to paint in the afternoon. The side of the addition I was painting today was a bit challenging. The ground is sloped and it was hard to find a place to set the paint can. I am going to have to use the hand held paint bucket instead of painting out of the big bucket. Not sure how I will get the ladder up against the wall but I’ll figure something out.

Tuesday I work the book sale at the library from 3:00 – 6:00. I need at least one bag of books to get me through the winter so I will go in early and pick some out. Sometimes I work out where the books are and can shop while I work and sometimes I have to work the cash register and can’t shop while I work. I don’t want to miss my chance to get a sack so I will go in early. If I get to work with the books I will get a second bag too.

I don’t have anything else on the agenda for the rest of the week. Hoping I can get the painting done this week. I realized yesterday that I have less than three weeks before the trip to India. Time to start getting excited about that! I need to do some planning so I can be gone.

Still digesting the rally yesterday. It is becoming clearer to me that as a society we have lost connection with each other. Covid isolated us and I don’t think we have recovered. Add to the isolation the political divisions and we are really separated. Somehow, some way we have got to relearn how to reconnect to others.

Grateful for what sleep I did get last night, grateful for the mostly positive response to the article, and grateful for the caring hearts of others.

Today was the day of the Hour of Love in Action rally as part of the larger No Kings Protests that were held all over the states and even internationally. We had 15 at our rally here in Cottonwood Falls. Interesting to me that most of the ones that came were from out of the area. One guy was from Colorado, one couple was from Belle Plain and one couple was from Wichita. Two came up from Matfield Green, two from Strong City. One guy was from Topeka and two others were from this area but not sure where.

We started gathering around 2:45. The editor of the Kansas Reflector came and stayed for the whole time. He was able to talk to most of the participants and took lots of pictures. He did another interview with me on tape. I always hope I am somewhat understandable when I do those interviews. Not my strength! Another guy that came also interviewed me for his Facebook page.

Two of the guys that came played musical instruments and sang for us to begin our rally. I led a short meditation after I explained what the Love in Action Project is all about. We then went out and did acts of kindness and love in the community.

We came back together afterwards and shared what we did and then it was over.

Kathy had gotten some gifts for a new family that moved into the neighborhood and took those up to them to welcome them into the community. The family wasn’t home but she left the package on the doorstep. I went up to Dollar General and paid for a person’s order. I kinda screwed up the credit card process and slowed the line down but people were patient. I also passed out a dozen roses along the walk down there. There was a man and his two little boys riding bikes and I gave each of the boys one to take home to their mother. People were gracious and accepted the roses with a smile on their face.

About six of the group had brought protest signs and they walked down and stood in front of the Court House and took their own picture with their signs.

I was given $60 in cash today and two Walmart gift cards for the ICE Detainees Christmas project. I hadn’t expected that!

Sometimes I forget how differently people think and act. I’m not sure most of the group was comfortable going out and doing random acts of kindness. I think it pushed some of them out of their comfort zone and they weren’t able to do it.

Not sure how people reacted to today. It will be fun to read the story that the Kansas Reflector runs if they decide to do a story. I know the approach I took today was very different than the “normal”. I’m grateful people found the courage to come to this rally and participated. They all seemed to leave with a smile on their face so maybe something was accomplished.

I’m glad I did the event today. I keep reminding myself I am not responsible for other people’s reaction. I do feel like I planted some seeds today. If and how they grow is not something I will ever know.

The group was interested in the Detainee Project and asked lots of questions about it.

No plans for the next couple of days. I am helping with the Friends of the Library book sale Tuesday afternoon in Emporia, It will be good to have a couple of stay-at-home days ahead of me. I am tired and need to recharge.

I’m sure more learnings about today will come to me as I process the day. It hit me square in the face today how differently I think and act. I do march to the sound of my own drum and my beat seems to be different than others. I will keep being me and see where this all leads.

Grateful for those that came today, grateful for the kind things that are present if we look, and grateful for a quiet day at home tomorrow.

Phil got the siding done on the addition. It is ready for me to start painting it. From the outside the addition will almost look done.

I went to Emporia this morning as I needed to get a new door lock for the back door. The old one needs a key to change the handle position and I have no idea where the key is.

I went to Commercial Street Diner for breakfast. I think this is my favorite restaurant of all times. The service is always great and I have never had a bad meal. As a bonus my favorite waitress waited on me today.

I needed to get two gallons of paint for the outside of the addition. I stopped at Sherwin Williams but they weren’t the ones I had gotten the paint from. I stopped and went through the car wash and then went to True Value. They had the paint I needed.

While they were mixing the paint I looked at the home stuff. I found a cross body purse for the trip to India. I love the purse I carry but my phone does not fit in it well. I found a small purse that my phone will fit in nicely.

After I paid for the paint and purse I went to Walmart to get some roses for tomorrow. I also got a small wallet to put my credit cards and cash in while I use the cross body bag on the trip.

Then I went to Sutherland’s and got a new door lock. I had taken the old one to Midwest Locksmith to see if they could get into it without the key but Greg called me and said no go. I was in the isle looking at the new door locks and the one I wanted was on the top shelf and pushed back a bit. A young family happened to walk up the isle. The dad was carrying a little 4 year old on his shoulders. Between the two of them they were able to reach what I needed. Helpers are everywhere!

Came home and when I went to go in the front door the door handle fell off. Turns out you need a key to the lock to turn it so you can fasten the hidden screw. Dang! Now I need another door lock. Luckily Phil was here working and he put the new door lock I had just bought on the front door and I ordered another one for the new back door from Amazon. Amazon is much cheaper!

Took a nap after I brought in the paint from the car. I had lots of trouble finding sleep last night. The steroids caused my face to flush and I was wired to go. Not sure I got more than two hours of sleep all night. I am grateful I was able to sleep some this afternoon. Maybe tonight I will be over the effect of the steroids and get good sleep.

The Cardiologist office called today to give me the results of the CT Scan. They read what I read from the report. Nice of them to call though – sometimes my regular doctor’s office forgets to do that.

I sent a note to my Endocrinologist to see if she can treat something the CT scan showed. She said I needed to go to a GI doctor. I had asked her for a recommendation but she didn’t say anything about that in her note back. I was surprised when a GI Doctor’s office called me this afternoon as a result of the referral she had sent in. My appointment isn’t until January but I am impressed that she referred me and that they called on the same day. Man, doctors are booked these days! There must be a shortage of doctors.

I forgot to get a gallon of the trim white paint so will have to pick some of that up next week. I am working the book sale Tuesday afternoon so will get some then if I don’t get to town before then.

Tomorrow is the rally. Really trusting that some people will show up for it. I am excited for it and anxious to see who comes. We start at 2:00 at 421 Plum St in Cottonwood Falls if anyone wants to come join us. We are doing a meditation and then scattering throughout the community being Love in Action. Kathy is going to have a fire going for us to circle around for our meditation. Trusting the rain will come before or after and it will be nice for the event. Guess we could use the empty new room if needed.

Sunday and Monday I hope to get the outside of the addition painted. Phil said he would paint the high stuff. I hate painting over my head. I get dizzy when I have to tilt my head back to see what I am doing.

Still sitting in awe of how the Love in Action holiday projects are almost funded. I had committed to doing them knowing I had the funds on hand but also knowing that if additional funds didn’t come in the project would have to wind down. I guess it is meant to continue on into the New Year and beyond. I will keep it going for as long as needed and funds continue to support it. The generosity of my fellow humans is much appreciated and a very positive thing in these hard days for many.

I got my Plan D drug insurance chosen and finalized for next year. I still need to do Kathy’s. I chose one that doesn’t cost anything and they will cover my three prescriptions for no cost next year. Still not sure how they do that but I will take advantage of it. None of the plans available cover my liquid thyroid medication. I will continue to buy it out of pocket and out of insurance coverage directly from the manufacturer of the drug.

I accepted an offer to sell the last rental house I own. The offer is much lower than I wanted but I want to get rid of that house before the end of the year. If I get it sold, this will be the last year of income taxes I will have to pay someone to do my taxes. Next year I will only have this house so no depreciation to deal with. Man it will feel good to be out of the rental house and only have this house to manage. The rentals were great investments but I want to simplify my life and what I am responsible for.

Grateful the rally is tomorrow, grateful the last rental house is under contract and grateful for long naps after a night of little sleep.

I got a call from my Cardiologist’s nurse this morning at 8:15 asking me if I could be in Topeka before 10:00 this morning. Luckily I had gotten up early this morning and could make it out of the door in 15 minutes and head north.

I got to registration at the hospital at 9:40. No wait and a very efficient person helped me. She took me back to the CT scan area when she was done collecting insurance information.

I didn’t have to wait long for them to call me back for the CT scan. They started an IV – they got me on the first poke! I waited for maybe five minutes and then they were ready for the scan.

We had a discussion about pre-meds. Years ago I had hives after some imaging material was put in me. I was told then to make sure technicians knew about that reaction. About 15 years ago I had a CT scan with contrast and they had an EPI pen ready in case I had a reaction. This time my Cardiologist prescribed two steroids pills that I took last night and two Benadryl that I took this morning. The hospital technician told me I didn’t need to have taken them and they would remove it from my chart that they were needed.

The scan only took about 5 minutes. They injected the contrast about halfway through. It sure warmed me up. I was afraid for a minute or two that I had peed my pants but got lucky! That stuff feels weird as it goes through my body.

They had me wait afterwards until the scan was read as if I had clots in my lung they would not have let me go home. Luckily there are none. They did find a couple other things that are areas of concern – I don’t think any of them are too serious but one in particular I will need to go see another specialist to address. Still don’t know why my heart races upon mild movement.

I then went over to the Cardiologist office and got fitted with a heart monitor that I have to wear for the next five days. They sure have improved them. No wires to fuss with and no box or phone to carry around. They are even water proof now. I probably won’t have to change it out or charge it since I am only wearing it for five days. I have a box to send it back next Tuesday to be read.

Went to Chipotle for lunch and then to a nearby gas station to get gas. It was $2.55 a gallon – cheapest gas I have purchased for a bit. Then I went to Walmart to get 20 more gift cards. This simple task has become not so simple. The lady that waited on me was not happy I had gotten so many as they are so much work for her. She rang in 16 of them but the last four would not scan. I had to pay for the 16 and then go get four different ones and she was able to ring those in. It is really that weird that someone buys 20 gift cards at a time? Wonder what they would have done if I had tried to buy all 148 at a time. Geez! I now have 45 cards in house and will slowly get the rest. I have to build up my courage again to face the clerks at Walmart!

Came home and got the mail. A very dear friend that I went to Core Star Energy Healing school with sent me a check for $1,000 for the Love in Action project. I was a puddle of tears in gratitude. That will more than pay for the pizza and cookies we are providing for the week of Thanksgiving. I had focused the fundraising efforts on the gift cards as that was easy to know exactly what I needed. I haven’t priced the pizza and cookies yet and was going to do that after I had the funds for the cards. Man she made it easy for me.

Then someone else purchased five things off the Amazon gift registry and send a VENMO of $100. We are getting so close to having all the funds we need for the Christmas and Thanksgiving projects and because of that I will still have funds for needs as they come up after Christmas. People have been so incredibly generous to fund this project. I am forever in their debt. Wish there was a way I could send a personal thank you note to all that have helped out. I tried tracking down addresses for those I only have a name for but that proved to be too difficult – especially when I don’t know where they are from or anything about them.

I called the doctor’s office that said they performed a removal of scar tissue of ovaries or fallopian tubes on Max. They had said they would call me back last week but failed to. I told the lady that if they didn’t have an answer for me today I would report it as fraud to Medicare. They called me back and said they had sent a corrected medical code to Medicare. I will let it all go and not proceed. Not worth my energy. I am thinking it was just a coding error but I didn’t like that they didn’t do what they said they would be calling me back. What has happened to integrity these days?

I think I get to stay home tomorrow. This week has been a busy one for me and I need a quiet day at home. I have a list of calls I need to make tomorrow. Trusting I will be in the right mood to do so. Some days I can and some days I just can’t.

Excited about the event on Saturday. I am reading more and more that 50501 is encouraging people to carry positive signs and to make the rally a fun event and one that is grounded in love. Maybe my idea wasn’t so weird after all.

So far next week looks slower. I am working at bag day at the Friends of the Library book sale on Tuesday. My book supply is dwindling so it will give me a chance to get another bag of books for $5. Sure can’t beat the price.

Sitting in awe and wonder tonight with the boost I got from the two big donations for the Love in Action project. This little project just keeps ticking and ticking. I feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders to have the Thanksgiving week pizza and cookies taken care of. Love does work!

Grateful for the love and support from so many for the Love in Action project, grateful I don’t have any blood clots in my lungs, and grateful for this absolutely beautiful fall day.

A simple trip to Emporia to the Cardiologist has turned into a long day. I got to my appointment at 1:15 as requested for my 1:30 appointment. They called me back around 1:20. The nurse was efficient and did her thing. I didn’t have to wait long for the doctor to come in.

He heard my history and concerns and then read the results of the stress test and echocardiogram off of my phone. We talked for a bit about what might be causing my fast heart beat.

He had me walk up and down the hallway a couple of times and they repeated the EKG. No change in heart rhythm but a much increased heart rate and increase in my blood pressure.

He decided I needed a stat CT scan to rule out a clot in my lungs. He also is going to have me get a heart monitor to wear for a few days.

I had to go to a different part of the building to get labs drawn to make sure my kidneys could handle the contrast material.

By the time I got out of the lab it was almost 3:00. Got home and took a short nap. The nurse called me and woke me up.

I had a reaction years ago to iodine contrast and they want me to have some pre-meds to lessen the possibility of that happening again. I had to go back to Emporia to pick up the meds. The pharmacy was out of one of them but the tech told me it was just Benadryl anyways. I have some of those at home. Had to wait a bit for the meds to be ready. I got them and came home.

Tomorrow I have to go to Topeka to have the CT scan done and pick up the monitor. They are going to call me in the morning to tell me when I need to be there. I reminded the nurse I am a little over an hour away. We shall see what they do in the morning. I hope they can work me in or else I will have to repeat the pre-meds.

The doctor kept asking me why they hadn’t checked for a clot in my lungs. I told him to call the other doctor’s and ask them. No one had mentioned that as a possibility. I can only do what they say to do!

My labs showed some numbers off that have never been off before. Evidently they aren’t enough for the doctor to be concerned about as they are proceeding with the CT scan tomorrow.

We shall see what tomorrow brings. The nurse is to call me tomorrow morning early. When I picked up the pre meds the pharmacist told me I might not sleep tonight. Nothing new with that!

Didn’t get anything else done today but the two trips to Emporia. Good thing I have all day tomorrow free so I can get the CT scan and monitor thing taken care of. I am hoping to figure out what is going on before I leave for India in November.

I got nine emails letting me know my Visa for India has been approved. Not sure why I needed them to tell me nine times. Maybe someone fell asleep while they were pushing the send button. Nicole purchased it for me – I will have to have her check her credit card statement and make sure she didn’t get charged for nine of them. That process was easy thanks to Nicole.

I was able to maintain at or above neutral today even with all the chaos and two trips to town. It helped that the Cardiologist listened to me and seemed concerned. This thing has dragged out since the first part of August and I hope to find some answers to all of it soon.

Looking forward to Saturday and the Hour of Love in Action. It will be interesting to see if others show up for it or not. It may just be Kathy and I. We shall see what happens.

Grateful for doctors that listen, grateful the medication the pharmacy was out of is easy to substitute and grateful the Visa was approved.

This has been another interesting day. It helps break up the week when “things” happen.

This morning the Chase County Sheriff called me. He had received intel that I was organizing another protest and I had not applied for a permit. I explained we were not marching at this one and told him we were gathering for a meditation and then scattering out into the community individually to do random acts of kindness. He backed off and wished me luck with the event. He even said he would have come if he was going to be in town. Still not sure if I would need a permit if we did march as a group. From what I have read, if we stay on public sidewalks and don’t block traffic a permit is not required.

When I got the mail today I got a letter from the state of Massachusetts informing me that Max’s state health insurance was canceled on May 4. That was the day Max died. But they included four pages of paperwork in case I wanted to appeal that decision. Sometimes the things humans do make me want to scream WTF! Wonder what I was to appeal? Really?

I went to Emporia to deposit the insurance refund from a rental I sold in July. It took the insurance company almost three months to get me the refund and they didn’t include interest. Wonder if I can be three months late paying without interest?

Got another donation for the Love in Action project in the mail today. Just about the time I think the donations are drying up another one comes in. This little project keeps on going and going. We now have funds for 90 of the needed 148 gift cards for our Christmas project. I think we can, I think we can, I know we can! I should have gotten 20 more while I was at Walmart today and forgot to do so. I have to go to town tomorrow again so will try to remember to stop then and get some. I can only buy 20 at a time.

Phil is working on the addition this afternoon. He has the bathroom roughed in and is getting ready to lay the shower drain. The two new windows were delivered. Progress! I keep reminding myself not to get too excited as it is still a couple months away from getting done.

Tomorrow I have to go to my annual Cardiologist appointment in the afternoon. If I remember I wills stop at Walmart afterwards and get some more gift cards. Not expecting him to do anything different. I still don’t feel like my blood pressure is under control but it is doing better than it did a month ago.

Nothing on the calendar for Thursday or Friday. Saturday is the Hour of Love in Action event at 2:00. I am getting excited for it and trust that some people will show up and join us. The editor of Kansas Reflector on-line newspaper will be here and will be writing an article about the event. Hope some will join us!

Read another article about how the algorithm that on-line social media uses is helping to divide the country. What I see on my news feed is totally different than someone else sees who has different views of the world. We assume all of us are operating with the same set of “facts” and that is simply wrong. Knowing this I feel a softening happening in my heart. I have been guilty of judging the “other side” thinking they knew what I know and they were making decisions that I can’t agree with. Man, it is hard these days to sort things out. It reminds me to hold gently to those things I believe as I may need to release them and pick up different ones.

Grateful to understand truth is not fact or opinion, grateful for the conversation with the Sheriff today, and grateful for the continuing donations for Love in Action.

I still have my pajamas on. It has been a rainy, stay-at-home type of day. Didn’t get much done again. That seems to have become a habit for me.

The Editor of the Kansas Reflector called me today for an interview. He is planning on coming to the Hour of Love in Action event on Saturday unless something comes up. I hope I answered his questions OK. I always second guess myself after an interview like this. I hope some people show up Saturday.

I need to go to Emporia tomorrow to deposit a check and pick up a few groceries. I also need to take some envelopes to the Detention Center.

I brought the dogs in this evening after they had been outside all day. Kathy was trying to go to sleep and they were barking and keeping her up. They are wet, smelly and dirty. Guess I will be cleaning house tomorrow. My living room smells like wet dog – yuck!

Wednesday I have an appointment with my Cardiologist. I am still having some trouble with rapid heart rate after moving around a bit. Things are calmer than they were for a bit but it still feels like something is going on. Not sure he will do much – he is usually rather conservative in treatment.

Got a note from the Detention Center. They touch base with me weekly to let me know if they have any needs. They told me they needed more stamps but then the Captain let me know he had two rolls in his office he hadn’t given the lady in charge. I ordered a few more decks of cards for them and added some more to the gift registry. I have some envelopes on hand that I need to take up to them. Other than that they are good for another week.

This has been another one of those days where my get up and go got up and left me. I have very little on my to-do list and am struggling to find motivation to do anything. Maybe one of these days I will find some ambition and get something done. Guess it is a good thing I have nothing urgent on my list.

Grateful the Kansas Reflector is going to do an article on the Love in Action project, grateful for a pajama day, and grateful for the rain.

I have spent the day remembering my mother. Her birthday was today – she would have been 96 today. She always looked much younger than she was. She was very self sufficient and hated to ask for help. No wonder both Kathy and I are like that. She knew how to stretch a dollar until it screamed. She became my best friend later in her life and I so enjoyed the time I spent with her.

It has been a quiet stay-at-home day. I haven’t done much at all. I even took a nap this afternoon.

Phil worked on the back room all day. He has it all boxed in now so I can really get a sense of what it will look like. Next time he comes to work on it he is going to hook up some lights as it is too dark to see really good in it now. The light fixtures I had back there before he tore the old porch off were plug in type and have really bright lights so they will be perfect for him to use as he works on it.

I finally got the check to refund me the house insurance on the house Jason bought from me. It is payable to the LLC so will have to take it to the bank in Emporia on Tuesday to deposit it as the banks are closed tomorrow. I think all my pending things are complete now. I haven’t been able to say that for a long time.

I only have two things on my calendar for this week. Wednesday I have a Cardiologist appointment in Emporia and Saturday is the Hour of Action in Love gathering. I am looking forward to that.

Ten years ago I happened to walk into the church in Santiago and got to see them swing the Botafumeiro that dispenses incense. It doesn’t happened everyday and it was a special treat for the end of my Camino walk.

Nicole got my Visa for India request processed for me this morning. We had to text back and forth as she needed information for the form. She had to do something to transfer my passport picture to them and she told me it was a challenge. I am not sure I could have figured all that out. I had to make a list of all the countries I have been to over the last ten years. I came up with 12 of them and I had forgotten Italy. Since Nicole was with me on that trip she added it for me. It is good to have that taken care of. The Visa for Nepal is one that we get when we get to Nepal.

Sometimes I think it is too easy for me to shut out the chaos of the world. I have greatly reduced the amount of media consumption I take in. I get too frustrated trying to find facts. It has begun to feel like the majority of the news is opinion and not facts. I wonder how many other people have tuned most things out from frustration and fear? I have a feeling that when people that have tuned things out find out what is happening to their insurance rates in the next couple weeks there will be a turning point.

Grateful for a quiet day at home, grateful for progress on the addition and grateful for Nicole’s help on the Visa.

I took a sleeping pill last night and slept lots. I was long overdue for a good night’s sleep.

I decided to stay home today. I wanted to hear the music at Pioneer Bluffs this afternoon but guess not enough to make myself to get out. I needed a quiet day at home.

Ten years ago today I walked into Santiago completing a 500 mile walk across Spain. To this day I still don’t quite believe I did it. I am a confirmed couch potato and to get out and walk 8 – 18 miles a day was way out of my comfort zone. It turned out to be the best thing I have ever done for myself.

Some of the lessons the Camino taught me I use daily. One step at a time is what I would tell myself when I had to climb up a mountain or continue walking on a hard day. I would ask myself can I take one more step? I always could.

When I had to climb a long, tall mountain or hill, I would pull my hat down low so all I could see was what was directly in front of me. Sometimes when a challenge looks or feels too big, dealing only with what is in front of me is the best way to proceed.

I had a map of the route that told me the elevation climb or drop, things about the trail and how far between were the rest areas. I learned when I anticipated it would be a hard day, it usually turned out that way. However, if I could stay present to what was and walk it out without anticipation, the day was easier. I don’t anticipate well! I do better not knowing what to expect and staying present to what is.

I met two of the most wonderful people that I continue to communicate with to this day. They gave me a touch stone at the end of a day and offered grace and understanding to me. I love them dearly and am so grateful I met them on the trail and we became friends.

One can get along in a foreign country without speaking the language. Smiles, eye contact and hand gestures go along way. I found the people in Spain much more friendly than those in France.

It still amazes me that locals allowed thousands of strangers to walk through their property and towns. It seemed to be a great honor of them to give directions and meet your needs. Sometimes the maps of where the place I was staying for the night were a challenge for me to find. I learned to ask for help – especially from an older person. They never failed to take my hand and guide me to where I needed to go – even if it was a long way. When they got me there they would kiss both of my cheeks and wish me Bien Camino.

They taught me how to ask for help. I have found since then that most people are more than willing to help. It was my own inner talk that told me they wouldn’t help. Rarely do I find someone that turns the other way and life is much easier when I ask for help.

I will always carry the memories of the Camino and the adventure that it was. I’m grateful I blogged during that experience so I captured the little things that happened along the way.

Grateful for the Camino adventure, grateful for the people I met along the way, and grateful for the life lessons it continues to teach me.

I never did fall asleep last night. One of those nights where sleep was impossible to find. I took a nap this afternoon which knocked the rough edge off but am still very tired. Tonight may be the night I sleep around the clock!

Met some friends for lunch today. It is always a good day when I get to spend time with them. It does my soul good to have good conversation with friends.

I got the deposit from the US Treasury for the savings bond Max had. He had gotten it from our grandmother in 1986 and it had long ago stopped accruing interest. Good to have that taken care of.

Still waiting on the refund on the house insurance on one of the rentals I sold in July. They sent the check to my old address and had to reissue it. I was told two weeks ago they had put a rush on it. Wonder what would happen if they attempted to slow it down if this what they call a rush? Sure wish they had to pay interest and late fees as it has been two months now since I canceled that insurance.

A dear friend dropped off two gift cards for the Love in Action Detainee Christmas project. Only 60 to go and I will meet my goal. We can do this!

Phil has worked all day and almost has the roof of the addition shingled. I sure hope he is able to work most of the days next week and make lots more progress. He is a handyman and has to pull off when others have emergencies. He has pulled off other jobs to take care of my emergencies so I understand that will happen.

The exercise bike found a new home today. A lady had requested it two days ago and said she would be by to pick it up yesterday. It was still there early afternoon today so I went to the next person on the list and they came and got it. The lady that had requested it first came back this afternoon to see if it was still there. She hadn’t communicated with me that there would be a delay so I assumed she changed her mind about wanting it. You snooze – you lose. Grateful it found a good home and is off my porch.

Did some paperwork organizing today. I had to make a few new files and did lots of filing. I don’t like it when I can’t put my hands on a piece of paper and things were piling up. Good to have things in their proper place.

Got notice that my prescription drug company is not offering a plan for next year. I will have to pick a new one on the 15th. It is a pain to change the insurance information and get all new prescription for the new company. I have looked at the companies offering plans and think I know what I want to go with. Enrollment opens on the 15 or 16. I’ll need to check for Kathy too and see what she needs to do.

I may go to Pioneer Bluffs tomorrow afternoon for their event. Chances are high that I will change my mind and stay home. Being around lots of people is not on my list of favorite things to do these days. There is a fundraising ranch rodeo on Sunday that I might pop in for. Again, chances are high I won’t go to that either.

Next week I have a Cardiologist appointment in Emporia on Wednesday. Other than that I have lots of empty space on my calendar. Next Saturday is the hour of love event at my house in the afternoon. Not expecting many to come but one never knows.

Feeling a bit disconnected today yet have no desire to be around people. I am very tired and I am probably feeling the effects from that more than anything. The energy in the world feels especially chaotic and challenging today. Things are coming to a head and it isn’t going to be pretty. I keep reminding myself that right here, right now I am safe. I am privileged to be in a position that I am in and don’t have to fear a loss of a job.

Grateful for dear friends, grateful the savings bond got cashed, and grateful for the privilege of being able to stay home all day most days if I choose to do so.

Had a quiet morning at home. Phil has been working all afternoon and almost has a roof on the back room addition. Yay! I love seeing progress being made.

Nicole called and we talked about the required Visas we need for our trip to India next month. I need a hard copy and a download copy of a passport picture. I had to go to Walgreens in Emporia to take care of that.

While I was in town I stopped at Walmart and got 20 of the needed 148 gift cards for the ICE Detainees project. Since I bought 20 at one time I had to go to the service desk to purchase them. The lady questioned me as to why I was buying so many. Wonder why she did that and if it was required or if she was just making conversation. Wonder what she would have said if I attempted to purchase all 148 of them at once. It took some time to ring up 20 of them. I will continue to get 20 at a time until I get enough.

I was able to stay above neutral for the trip to town today. Came home exhausted though. Being around people these days is so draining to me.

Nicole is going to call back either tomorrow or Monday so we can complete our Visa request. We do the one for India ahead of time and the one for Nepal is done when we get to Nepal. Nicole is experienced in doing these so she will guide me through the process.

We leave for India in 30 days although it will take us a couple of days to get there. Time really gets wonky when you travel that far away and change time zones countless times.

A lady came by and looked at the exercise bike I am trying to give away. She said she wanted it and that her husband would come get it today. He hasn’t shown up yet so we shall see if he comes.

No plans for tomorrow. I may go to Pioneer Bluffs on Saturday if I can people that day. They are having a panel of Veterinarians tell stories which should be fun to listen to. Afterwards a group that I would like to hear live will be playing. We shall see if I can make myself go.

Next week I have a Cardiologist appointment on Wednesday. Other than that I have lots of empty space next week. The 18th is the Love in Action Hour of Love. I look forward to that.

I probably ought to give some thought to Thanksgiving plans. My trip will be here before I know it and I need to get things organized before I leave. I get home the Saturday before Thanksgiving so will be under the gun to get it pulled together. I don’t multi-task like I used to and everything takes longer to do in this small house. Hoping the back room will be done enough that I can set some tables back there so I have room to fit everyone. My living room is crowded right now as I have the storage racks that belong on the back porch in the living room.

May go take a short nap. Struggling to keep my eyes open. The world energy is so chaotic and fearful and when I am out and about I feel drained. I am so grateful I have lots of empty space right now so I can refill and recharge while I am home.

It really feels to me that things are coming to a head and that the next couple months are really going to be crazy until things absolutely explode. My job between now and then is to stay full of light and love and not engage with those that are stuck. I don’t have to do anything – just be – and allow my light to shine.

Grateful to be back home this evening, grateful for Nicole’s help with the Visas, and grateful for lots of empty space.