Starry night on the prairie

We had a beautiful Thanksgiving Day with part of my family.  Only had 10 for dinner but all enjoyed it.  I am grateful for all who were able to join me today.  I managed to pull off dinner with ease.  My jet lag is still lingering so I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to pull it off.  I managed to send all the leftovers home with others.  Had way too much food for only 10 people.  I’m glad it all found a place to go.

Got the upstairs guest room and bathroom detailed cleaned and all linens washed.  Went downstairs and brought up the linens from one of the bedrooms to wash up.  I will get that room detailed cleaned tomorrow and finish washing all the linens.  May get started on the second room downstairs tomorrow too.  I love having a completely cleaned house.  It has been a bit since I have managed to get it all cleaned.

Next Wednesday I am going to leave for a private retreat for two or three weeks.  I am thinking I am going to not blog or be on social media while I am gone.  I found a person that will come take care of my animals twice a day while I am gone thanks to a referral by a friend.

I may be crazy for going so soon since I just returned home Monday.  This retreat will be a totally different experience and will be much quieter and will be on my schedule.  It feels right to get away for a bit and take a break from blogging and social media.  I will have my phone so if you need to get hold of me send me a text or email.

I really dislike Christmas and getting away from it for three weeks sounds like heaven to me.  I will have to get organized when I get home to get things ready as I haven’t given it much thought yet.  I have learned how to simplify what I do for Christmas.  We aren’t having our family Christmas until the 29th so will have two weeks to get it together after I get back.  No worries – right?  I haven’t decided it I am going to put my tree up this year or not.  May decide to do it tomorrow.  Seems a bit silly to put it up though since I will be gone and won’t be home to enjoy it.

Managed to eat on plan today.  I had fixed a big pan of roasted veggies so ate a big serving of those and some turkey.  I didn’t taste the other stuff I made so trusting it was all good.  Got rid of all six pies so I won’t be tempted to eat any of them.

I did miss eating a piece of pie mid-morning.  My mother and I used to do that together as we took a break from fixing Thanksgiving dinner together.  I really missed her today and that tradition we shared together.

I thought I had gained weight while I was in Australia.  I came home three pounds heavier than when I left but I am back to where I was when I left this morning.  It has been over nine months since I started Bright Lines.  Am so very grateful I found this plan and that it is working for me.  It is easy to do – even traveling and during the holidays.

Tomorrow I need to stock my critter food supply again so I can leave again.  Have a long list of things to get done this weekend so I can be ready to leave Wednesday morning.  The stores will be busy so will try to time my trip to town when I think the Black Friday shoppers are done.  There is no bargain big enough to make me want to get out and face all those shoppers.

My nephew is going to come repair my chicken coop fencing.  The snow that came while I was gone was heavy enough to pull out the staples that held the fence over the top of the coop.  He looked at it today and thinks he can get it fixed easily.

Jason saw a light bulb on the kitchen counter and ask where it needed to go.  A bulb had burned out in a guest room closet.  He is tall enough to reach it easily.  Thanks Jason!  I appreciate your help.  I am lucky to have people show up just when I need them.

I am a bit teary tonight for some reason.  Can’t decide if it because I am still not sleeping very well and am very tired, the effect of the full moon tomorrow, or if something else is behind it.  Doing my best to allow it to be what it is and not create a story around it.  I keep reminding myself the lower and deeper I can feel allows me to feel even higher levels of joy.

I have been surprised how big and empty the house feels to me right now.  Guess I got used to others being here.  Feels a bit heavy to not know when I might have others here again.  Funny because I really enjoy time alone.  I’m sure I will adjust to living completely alone again.  Didn’t anticipate it would feel like this though.

Grateful for a beautiful day with family and good food, grateful for the help I received today and will receive soon, and grateful for being able to go on a retreat and give myself some time to play.

A night of very little sleep last night.  So frustrating.  I thought I was really tired but I slept for one hour and was up for most of the night.  I did get another hour of sleep around 6:00 but it only lasted an hour.  Maybe tonight will be the night.

I did eat on schedule today.  I wasn’t really hungry but am trying to remind my body it is on KS time now.  My ankles aren’t as swollen today so I am on my way to recovery.

Went into Emporia around 11:00 and picked up my granddaughter.  She came out to help me bake pies and break the bread for the dressing tomorrow.  I fixed her blueberry pancakes while she scrambled herself some eggs.  We got six pies baked and three loaves of French bread broken into pieces.  She has been really good today and we have had fun.  Her daddy is coming to get her later this evening.

She helped keep me awake this afternoon.  I really wanted a nap but decided to try to get through without one to help increase the odds that I will sleep tonight.  That plan may not work but it is worth a try.

I will put the turkey in the oven late tonight so it will be done in the morning when I get up.  After it cools down a bit I will get it carved up and will warm it up before dinner.  That frees my oven for all the other stuff I will be making.  The house already smells divine from the pumpkin and pecan pies we baked.

Not sure how many people are coming for dinner.  Probably only have around 20.  I would prefer 35.  Come on over if you don’t have a place to go.  I will have plenty of food and would love to have a house full.

I haven’t gotten much housecleaning done yet.  May get some done yet tonight after the little one goes home.  I don’t want to go to bed at 7:00 so will need to keep myself busy.

I trust I have tomorrow under control.  I have my list – checked it twice.  It will be what it will be.

My Marine moved out today.  There is a chance he will get to come back after the first of the year.  He left some stuff here so he has to come back at least one more time for that.  It is going to be so weird to have this big house to myself again.

I want to do a deep clean again and wash all the linens and hand clean all the floors.  I don’t have any guests scheduled to come until December 26 so should have plenty of time to get to all the rooms.  It would be nice to have a completely cleaned house by Christmas.

We enjoyed watching the sunset tonight and then watched the almost full moon rise in the east.  What a beautiful day on the prairie this has been.  We had a fun afternoon together.

Grateful I had a helper today to get started on dinner for tomorrow, grateful for the beautiful day on the prairie, and grateful for the time my Marine and his wife spent with me.

I was up and showered before 5:15 this morning.  My body doesn’t know what time it is.  I went to the grocery store before 8:00 this morning and was home and everything put away by 9:30.  Ready to start cooking tomorrow.

I took a nap around noon time.  Decided to allow myself to sleep whenever sleep can find me.  Thinking it may take me a week or so to adjust back to regular sleeping patterns.  I wasn’t hungry at noon so waited to have lunch until 3:00.  Not sure when or if I will eat dinner.  Time is an artificial thing anyways.  Most of the clocks got reset for going off of Daylight Savings Time but found one or two that hadn’t been changed yet.  I am confused anyways as to what time it is and it doesn’t help to have clocks be off to add to my confusion.  I have to turn my iPad off to get its clock to reset.  I was gone when the time changed and haven’t gotten used to the new sunrise and sunset times yet.

The best part of getting up early was watching the sunrise this morning.  Nothing says welcome home to the prairie like watching the sunrise.  It was spectacular this morning.  Looking forward to watching the sunset this evening.

Still processing in my head the adventure I took.  I had so many wonderful moments during this trip.  Not sure I did a good job blogging about all of them.  I didn’t have a lot of learnings about myself this time like I normally do when I travel internationally.  Part of it was due to being part of a group and part of it was English was the primary language so it didn’t feel so foreign.

It was interesting watching myself interact (or not) with the other members of the group.  There were eight couples and one mother/son couple plus Nicole and I.  I didn’t have a lot in common with most of the other women on the tour.  Four or five of them have done lots of international travel.  Some liked to shop most of the time.  Some came home with expensive opal necklaces or rings or both.  I don’t think they knew what to do with me as I don’t wear make-up, I don’t drink, I don’t like to shop, and I didn’t change clothes two or three times a day.  That’s OK as I didn’t know what to do with them!

We must have been asked 10 times where the rest of our luggage was.  Nicole and I each only took one carry on sized bag with us.  Most had two huge suitcases and two carry on bags.

My favorite days were the days spent away from the cities and I was out in nature.  The cities were beautiful in their own ways but didn’t hold my interest for long.  Too busy.  Too many people.  Too loud.  I preferred the small diners rather than the fancy, pricey restaurants.

There was one couple that Nicole nicknamed “The Littles”.  They were both very short.  They were usually late coming back from our potty stops and were rather pushy about getting on and off the bus.  Every group seems to have a couple like that.  After a while it got annoying to be around them.  Did our best to not them push our buttons.

I had a few good conversations with a few of the people in the group.  Most didn’t want to go very deep and I don’t do small talk very well.  They passed a sheet around at the end where you could exchange email and phone numbers with each other.  I choose not to sign up.  I don’t think any of the group will be exchanging Christmas cards with me nor I with them.  Most were nice people but I really didn’t click with any of them.  Thankful Nicole was with me.

I didn’t bring many souvenirs home with me.  I did buy a book to put with my other travel books.  This one has pictures of the Maori people in it with an inspiration quote or piece of wisdom.  It will help take me back to New Zealand and the memories I made there.

Physically this was the easiest trip yet for me.  I was able to walk miles each day and didn’t have to stop and rest or even get winded.  I was able to eat foods that mostly didn’t contain flour or sugar.  Not sure I was 100% as when you eat out you never know for sure if flour or sugar was added.  I didn’t eat enough vegetables most days but ate what I could find.  Ate too many white potatoes but sometimes that was the only choice.  My ankles were still swollen a bit this morning when I weighed – I gained three pounds on the trip but thinking in a day or two when I release all the fluid I will be back to what I was before I left.  I will consider that a success!  I have been drinking lots of fluids today to help flush out my system.  I felt a bit dehydrated this morning.  It is hard to drink enough when you are on an airplane and there are bathroom lines most of the time.

Need to go do some housecleaning.  I took the trash down to the curb and gave the chickens some fresh linens today.  Did four loads of laundry today.  Feeling a bit sluggish this afternoon even with taking a nap.  Trusting I can pull off making a dinner on Thursday.

I am extending an open invitation to anyone that wants to join me for dinner Thursday.  We are eating at 1:00.  The more that come the happier I will be.  If you don’t have a dinner to go to that day please come to my house.  I always have lots of extra food and have plenty of room for more at my table.  Holler if you need my address and directions.  I would love to see you – and anyone you want to bring with you.

Grateful for this beautiful welcome home day, grateful all my critters look well taken care of, and grateful to be home on my little, quiet, peaceful corner of the prairie.

Home sweet home!  What an adventure I had.  One of my better international trips.  Worth the long flight to get there and to get home but I am exhausted.  I have a busy week ahead so will work in spurts and rest in spurts.

We had about an hours delay leaving Melbourne so sat at the Melbourne airport for several hours.  When we arrived in Auckland, New Zealand we had only 45 minutes to make our connection.  We ran through the airport for 35 minutes stopping only to wait in line through immigrations and customs.  Made it to the gate with 3 minutes to spare.  Nicole and I were seated in row 58 of 60 rows so it took a long time to get off the airplane.

We were in row 58 or 60 again for the 12 hour flight from Auckland to LA.  Sitting next to me was a man who must have weighed 500 pounds.  He overlapped into the aisle and they couldn’t get the carts past him.  The flight supervisor came over to us before we took off and told us she was going to move us after we reached cruising attitude.  We got moved to a Sky Coach row.  The middle seat was empty so Nicole and I got to sit in reclining seats that had foot rests.  We could even lay down together.  Neither one of us slept much on the 12 hour flight but it was more comfortable than the crowded back row.

We had four hours in LA to get through customs and immigrations, claim our luggage and recheck it with a different airline.  We hit the airport at the right time and didn’t have lines for either customs or immigrations.  Sat for over three hours waiting for our last flight.  The airport was crazy busy with people starting their Thanksgiving travel.  We arrived back in KC around 7:30.  Went to Nicole’s house and I picked up my car and headed home.  I was home by 9:45.

I took a hot bath and went to bed.  Managed to sleep until almost 3:30 this morning.  Stayed in bed until 5:30 but couldn’t go back to sleep.  Got up and unpacked my suitcase and started laundry.  I wanted to see the sun rise this morning.  Oh how I have missed that view.

I’m going into Emporia in a bit and get my Thanksgiving dinner groceries bought before the store gets busy later today.  I will spend the day cleaning and napping and doing laundry.  Oh so good to be home doing normal things.

My Marine was asleep by the time I got home last night but I saw him this morning.  I am so sad that he is leaving this week and won’t be back.  I will miss him!

Grateful for the safe trip home, grateful my luggage made it home with me, and grateful for the beautiful sunrise on the prairie this morning.

Tonight was amazing. Well worth the almost three hour bus ride to get there. Had a young bus driver that had a great sense of humor and he helped make the trip go fast.

He took us to see a field of Roos. I wanted to see the big Roos in a pasture. Mission accomplished.

We then went to Philips Island. The sea shore views were the best I’ve seen this trip. It is what I expected New Zealand to look like. If it does we didn’t see that part. They had a long boardwalk you could walk on and see the beach from different angles. That alone would have been worth the trip tonight. We must have walked several miles on the boardwalks.

We went down to the penguin parade viewing area. At 8:33 they started coming ashore. They are fairy penguins. Only about 12 inches tall with White bellies and gray backs. They came ashore in groups of 7 – 12 at a time. They have the cutest waddle and made cute sounds. The babies in the burrows were calling to their parents. The parents were calling to their mates. They estimated about a thousand came ashore tonight.

We watched wave after wave of them come in. They were so cute. Everyone watching had big smiles on their faces while they watched them.

Slowly the stars started popping out. I ask one of the rangers to show me the Southern Cross and he pointed it out to me. The moon was about 3/4 full and shining bright. By the time we left the night sky was full of stars.

This night was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me. Even if it makes the long trip home a bit harder it was so worth it.  Being outside, under the light of the moon and the stars, watching the penguins, and being with my daughter brought me to tears. One of those moments I will think of often and it will put a smile on my face every time!

We have to be on the bus before 8:30 in the morning to start our trip home. We fly from Melbourne to Auckland and then to LA and finally to KC. If all goes according to plan we arrive in KC at 7:30 Monday evening. Sounds like an 11 hour day but have to add 17 hours to that to adjust for all the time zone changes.

Lots of changes in store for me. Losing both of my long term guests will be an adjustment. The house will feel big and empty with just me in it. I haven’t been alone in my house since my sister came in Jan 2017.  Having an empty house feels like it gives me more options and possibilities.

Travel day today.  Nicole and I went on a walk this morning and ate breakfast at a cafe instead of in the hotel.  The food in the hotel was barely edible and we decided we needed a good breakfast.  We found it!  Too much food to eat but what we did eat was very good.

Went to the Saturday market for a bit and looked around.  Neither one of us bought anything but it was fun to look.

Met up with the group at 10:00 and traveled by bus to the airport.  We had a three and one-half hour flight today from Cairns to Melbourne.  Flight left on time and all our luggage arrived.  Traveled by bus to the hotel in Melbourne and got checked in.  This hotel is much nicer than the one we just left in Cairns.

Had a group dinner this evening.  The food was interesting.  I didn’t recognize much of what was in the salad.  The tour director forgot to bring down the sheet that recorded what everyone ordered.  We were the last table served and ended up with beef.  I’m sure I ordered chicken as I don’t eat much beef.  I did manage to eat the mashed potatoes and the beef for dinner.  Several at our table were not able to do so.

I came back up to the room and took a bath.  Nicole went out for a walk.  I needed some peace and quiet.  When we came in to the hotel the streets were crowded and I wasn’t in the mood to people any more tonight.

Tomorrow we have a group tour to orientate ourselves to the city.  Then we have free time.  We are signed up to go see the Penguin Walk but may or may not go.   We have to leave at 3:00 and won’t be back until 11:30.  Not sure when we are going to get dinner.  We leave for our long travel day Monday morning so not sure I want to be out that late.  We will see what we find to do tomorrow and may cancel the trip if we find something better to do.

Hard to believe we only have one full day left in Australia.  The time has flown by.

Found out my Marine is going to get laid off work next week so he will be leaving me.  My student left too so I will have my house to myself again.  It will be weird to be alone most of the time again.

Grateful for another safe travel day, grateful for some peace and quiet time tonight, and grateful for this wonderful adventure I have been on.

Another long, busy day of touring.  We left the hotel at 8:15 this morning on a bus.  Drove 20 minutes to a train station.  Boarded a train and traveled through the rain forest on the train for one and one half hours.  We then got back on the bus and went into Kuranda and spent an hour at the markets there.  We got back on the bus and went to the Rainforest Station for three hours.  While there we rode a Duck through the rain forest.  We traveled on rough side roads and through the river on the Duck.  The guide pointed out the names of trees and animals as we came across them.

After the Duck ride we had lunch.  We had a chance to taste Kangeroo meat if you choose to.  Nicole did- I didn’t.  The unanimous consent at our lunch table was the meat was over cooked and wasn’t very good.

After lunch Nicole and I got our pictures taken with a Koala.  Nicole held it while I petted it.  Nicole said it weighted more than she expected it to.  The Koala was quiet and cuddly.  They weren’t busy so Nicole got to hold it for a bit longer than she would have otherwise.

We walked through the animal park.  It wasn’t very big – smaller than the other one we visited earlier in the trip.  We were able to pet a kangaroo that was out in the yard.

Then we went to watch five indigenous men perform and dance.  One played the didgeridoo, three danced, and the other sang and play the sticks.  They were OK.

One of the performers then showed our tour group how to throw a boomerang and each person in our group had a chance to try their hand at it.  The performer than showed us how he played the didgeridoo and threw some spears.

We went back on the bus and went to the Gondola ride for the trip back to the city.  The Gondola ride lasted over an hour and was a beautiful ride over the top of the rain forest.  Our bus met us at the end and took us back to our hotel.

Our tour guide hosted a wine and cheese event pool side for a bit after we got back.  We only stayed for a bit and then we walked downtown and found dinner.  We stopped at the night market on the way home and then came back to the hotel.

It was in the low 90’s today and when one was in the direct sunlight it was hot and intense.  It was comfortable in the shade when there was a breeze.  Both of us are tired tonight again.  It felt like it was a long day.

The highlight of the day was being up close and personal with the Koala and the Gondola ride.  The rest of the day was OK but after the wonderful day we had yesterday certainly not as exciting as that.

Tomorrow we have over a three-hour flight to Melbourne.  We have a scheduled group dinner tomorrow night once we get to the hotel.  We plan on taking a long walk in the morning before we leave the hotel at 10:15 as we won’t get much chance to walk around again tomorrow.  We only spend two nights in Melbourne and then we head for home.

Grateful for the opportunity to get up close and personal with a Koala, grateful again for the beauty of the rain forest, and grateful this day is over!

I was too tired to write last night so I will catch up this morning.  I only slept for about two hours Wednesday night.  I was sluggish and tired all morning long.

We left the hotel around 8:00 and headed to the wharf where we boarded a catamaran for a 45 minute journey across the Coral Sea to the Great Barrier Marine Park.  There we had two hours to walk the rainforest path, swim in the pool, walk along side the beach or go snorkeling.

I sat by the pool for about an hour.  I found a place in the shade and away from most of the people.  The island was really crowded with several huge groups of school children from Asia.  I had trouble peopling in the morning.

i did manage to walk down to the beach and stick my toes in the sea for a bit.  It was a hot day in the 90’s and the skies were bright blue.  I loved the different colors of the ocean – ranged from a brilliant blue turquoise to a deep dark blue.

We then boarded a different catamaran and took a 55 minute journey to the Outer Great Barrier Reef.  There was a limit of 300 people on this island so had lots more room to explore.  They hooked the catamaran up to a huge multi-level pontoon boat. No land involved really.

We ate lunch and then got on our gear to go snorkeling.  I choose to put on the full body stinger suit.  I put it on more for sun burn protection than sting ray protection.  Nicole helped me get brave enough to get into the water.  I do not like to put my head under water.  I did manage to a few times and the views of the corral were amazing.  I had put a life jacket on and floated around more than anything.

I finally went back to the boat and ask the lifeguard if I could just float without the flippers or the mask.  The wind was rather high so he told me the area to stay in so I wouldn’t get blown out to sea.  I floated around for a bit and enjoyed the beautiful water.  It was very relaxing and fun.

Taking off the wet Lycra suit was a bit of a challenge though!  They had outside showers and a very small inside changing room.

They had an under ground observation deck and we saw several sharks while in there. We also rode on a partially submurged submarine that gave us great views of the coral and fish.  Nicole got some really good picture of that.

We took a two-hour ride to get back to Cairns.  We choose to walk back to the hotel instead of taking the bus.  After we dropped out stuff off in our room we went back out and found dinner.  Ate at an Irish pub and had the best food we have found in Cairns.  I had baked salmon that was cooked perfectly and served with veggies.

It was a nice warm evening and we enjoyed our walk back to our hotel.  I crashed early.  Woke up two hours later and thought I was ready to go for the day.  Got up and took a bath and was able to go back to sleep for a bit.  The sun came up at 5:30 this morning and woke me up.

Today we are going to ride on the Kuranda Scenic Railway that goes through a rain forest.  We will see a native dance performance and have a BBQ lunch.  This afternoon we are going to the Koala Wildlife Park.  The evening will be free.

Only three more nights and we head for home.  Saturday we travel to Melbourne for two nights and one full day.  Monday we head for home.

Floating in the water at the Great Barrier Reef has been one of the better days of the trip.  The weather was perfect and the views spectacular.

Grateful for the beauty of Mother Nature, grateful for the chance to go down under and experience Australia and New Zealand, and grateful for my Marine and his wife back home that allowed me the chance to get away!

Another long travel day.  We slept in a bit this morning and then went down for breakfast.  We walked one last time to the Opera House area.  Nicole got a pair of Ugg boots.  Walked back to the hotel and chilled in the room for a bit.  We boarded the bus for the airport at 10:45.

Our flight from Sydney to Cairns left at 2:00.  It was a three-hour flight but we went back an hour so we landed at 4:00.  After everyone in the group claimed their luggage we were taken to the hotel.

This is the first bad hotel.  Our room smells like mold.  It gave both of us an instant headache.  We complained but the place is fully booked and they can’t change our room.  Not sure that would help as the whole place is old and a bit run down.

We met our tour leader at 5:50 and she led us on a walk downtown to point out restaurants, shopping, etc.  She was tired and distracted and it was hard to follow what she was saying.  Cairns is a small town and it is easy to find what we need.  After a bit we split away from the group and headed out on our own.  We were hungry so we found some where to eat.  The food was OK.

We walked around their night market for a bit and then came back to the room.  It is only 8:30 but feels much later.  I think we both hit the wall tonight.  Travel days seem to drain us.

I am looking forward to going to the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow and going snorkeling.  We will go to the inner Reef for two hours first.  It will take a 50 minute boat ride to get there.  Then we take another hour boat ride and go to the outer reef for three hours.  We should get home after 5:00 tomorrow evening.  Hopefully we won’t get fried in the sun.

My ankles swelled on the three-hour flight today.  I drank a lot of water with dinner so hopefully the swelling will go down by morning.  Feeling a bit rung out tonight.  Thinking the excitement of the trip caught up with me today.  Trusting my energy level will return for tomorrow and we will have a wonderful day in the water.

Grateful for another safe travel day, grateful for the heat and beauty we found in this city (it was 90 degrees when we got here today), and grateful this day is almost over!

This has been a long day full of adventure.  We boarded our bus at 8:00 this morning and headed out to the Featherdale Wildlife Park.  It was about a two-hour bus ride to get there.  We made a quick scenic stop and had one potty stop.  The Wildlife Park was small but full of animals and birds.  We fed the Red Kangaroo, saw Koala, a wombat and lots of other animals and birds.

We had lunch at a little village not too far from the wildlife park.  Then we drove up into the Blue Mountains and went to the Katoomba Scenic World.  After riding a cable car across a mountain valley we got into a cable car and went down a steep mountain.  We then took about a one mile walk through the forest.  Along the way were dinosaur eggs and replicate dinosaurs.  At the end of the trail we rode another cable car back to the entrance.  We then had over a two-hour bus ride back to the city.

Another long day sitting on a bus!  It felt good to get to walk a bit during the day.

We had dinner at a restaurant close to our hotel and then walked down to the Opera House to see the light display they put on after sunset.  While we were waiting for the light display I saw the moon!  It was a windy evening but not very cold.  We walked back to the hotel after the eight minute light show.

I am ready to take a bath and go to bed.  I hit overwhelm again today after being in a bus for so long.  I feel like a herded cat!  It was good to get out tonight on our own for a bit.

Tomorrow we travel to Cairns which is over a three-hour flight.  We fall back another hour again.  Thursday we will get to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef.  Friday we have a full day adventure riding the Kuranda Train and going on a rainforest tour and ending the day at the Koala and Wildlife Park.  Saturday we travel to Melbourne and Monday head for home.

Grateful for another safe travel day, grateful for all the sweet animals we saw today, and grateful for the beautiful weather we had today.

We met our group at 8:00 this morning for a short meeting with our tour guide.  We boarded a bus at 8:45 and toured around Sydney.  We made a stop at Bondi beach – I could have stayed there all day.  We got our first good glimpse of the Opera House and Bridge.  Went out and around the city seeing the sights of Sydney.  We ended the tour with a stop at an opal store.

Nicole and I then walked and took in the sights.  We walked across half of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, walked around and into the Opera House, walked through the Botanical Gardens,  took a ferry ride out into the harbor, saw a Dali art exhibit, and more.  We walked over seven miles if not more.

Came back to our hotel room and rested for an hour then went back out for dinner.  Walked back down to the wharf area and had a burger – it was really good.  Walked back to the hotel and we are in for the night.

The weather was absolutely perfect today.  Mid 70’s and bright blue skies.  The tour guide remarked about how clear it was today.  Our group was overdue for a picture perfect day and today we got it.

Tomorrow we go up into the Blue Mountains and to a wildlife preserve where we will get to see the kangaroos, etc.  It is an all day adventure.  Wednesday we travel to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

We are over halfway through this trip.  We head for home a week from today.  I was homesick a bit yesterday but did better today.  It was nice to have the afternoon free and not be herded in a group.  My feet are sore tonight but worth it.  I liked Sydney much better than Rome or Paris.  It is a city that has over 5 million residents but it doesn’t feel that crowded and busy to me.  Certainly busier than the cities in New Zealand but not like Rome or Paris.

What an adventure we are having.  Hard to believe this farm girl from Kansas is in Sydney, Australia with her daughter.

Grateful for the beautiful weather we had today, grateful for the chance to move my body today, and grateful for the beauty we saw today.

I skipped the morning tour of the city. I was starting to need some empty space and was getting tired of being herded. Instead I took a long walk by myself. Found a little park and sat on a bench in the sunlight. That felt so good.  Across the street their was a group doing Tai Chi outside. They were so graceful in their movements.

Came back to our room and took a short nap. I feel human and like I can people again. Nicole came back from the city tour and we went out to find lunch. Ate at a little diner nearby. The food was excellent.

Next up is a peninsula tour to see sea lions and penguins.  We will also see a castle and then take a one hour wildlife cruise.

The sun was out this morning but is hiding behind some clouds now. No rain today!  Low 50’s for the high.

Tomorrow we leave at 7:00 for a long bus ride to Christchurch and then a three hour plus flight to Sydney. We have a two hour time difference to deal with. May be a long day as we don’t get dinner until 7:30 which is 9:30 New Zealand time.

Left the hotel at 8:15 this morning in a 4WD vehicle.  We went to the backcountry with our final destination Skipper’s Canyon.  It is the most dangerous road in New Zealand.  Lots of wind, fog and rain today so the views were not as spectacular as they might have been on a clean day but still impressive when the fog lifted.  Lots of hair pin turns and steep drop offs on the side of the road.  It is an area where there was a gold rush in the late1800’s.

We had the chance to pan for gold but I stayed in the vehicle as it was very windy and was raining hard at the time.  There were a few brave souls in the group that tried their hand but no one found any.  The river is about twice the size it normally is right now due to the rain they have gotten the last several days.

We stopped for morning tea at a one-room schoolhouse and stopped so we could take pictures at another spot.  We all blew the fog away and it lifted a bit.

It was nice to get out into the country side and away from the city.  The outback here is very rugged.  There was a river flowing at the bottom of the canyon that we could hear all the time and had glimpses of it occasionally.  The waterfalls were really flowing again today.  At one point on the road th slate rock was tumbling down onto the road.  It is a place that gets rock slides frequently and the road gets blocked from the rock slides.  It was a relief to make it out before another rock slide happened today.

Beautiful countryside! Homes were few and far between.  The driver expected it might even snow on us for a bit in the high country but it didn’t.  We did have rain all day though – sometimes a light drizzle and sometimes much heavier.

It was nice to get back to the hotel and find some solid ground underneath my feet.  We had three hours before our next adventure to get some lunch and take a short nap.  Since it was raining we ordered room service and stayed in where it was warm and dry.

At 3:45 we left the hotel for our lake cruise aboard a steam-powered boat built in the 1920’s.  I sat at the front of that boat and listened to a guy play the piano.  He was good and it was relaxing.  We got off after about a 30 minute ride at a farm on an island.  We had a nice buffet dinner and then watched a guy demonstrate how they shear sheep.  The weather was too cold for him to actually shear the sheep though.  He had his dog bring down some sheep from the pasture behind him.

On the way back on the boat our whole tour group sat by the piano guy.  They had a sing along.  There was a big group from China there that started taking our pictures. We held up the song list in front of our faces.  One of the guys in our group started taking their pictures.  We all laughed until we were crying and snorting.  Our tour guide said he had never had that happen before.  Maybe we are famous and we don’t know it!  Never could figure out why they were so interested in taking our pictures.  One of the ladies even asked them but didn’t get an answer.  I told her some questions don’t have answers.  It was a quick trip back.  My stomach hurts from laughing so much.

Tomorrow we have to have our bags outside our door by 7:30 and be down ready to board the bus by 8:30.  We are headed to Dunedin via bus to spend the next two or three nights and then will drive to Christchurch and then fly to Australia.

Grateful for a safe 4WD experience today, grateful for the laughter we shared this evening, and grateful for all the memories Nicole and I are making!

This has been a long day!  We left the hotel at 7:00 this morning.  Lots of beautiful views along the way.  It took a five hour bus ride to get to our destination of the day – a cruise on Milford Lake.

Last night we had a meet and greet with our tour group followed by a group dinner.  There are 20 people in our group so a very manageable size.  No singles in the group.  There is a mother/son couple and everyone else besides Nicole and I are married couples.  The average age is probably 70.  Most are retired and pleasant to visit with.

This morning we went to the Auckland Museum and viewed an impressive collection of artifacts of the Maori people.  We saw a Maori Cultural Experience at the museum.  Seven talented young locals sang and danced for us. They were fun to watch and their dances told stories.

This afternoon we took a smaller bus on a West Coast Wilderness Experience.  We went to the Arataki Centre and enjoyed the panoramic views of the ocean and countryside.  We hiked through the rainforest.  The guide stopped frequently and pointed out the habitat and named the trees and plants we were seeing.  It was really good to get out of the city energy and get out into nature and take a long hike.

I got to see the tea tree bush that the bees eat from to make Manuka honey.  Since it is spring here the tea tree bush is starting to bloom.

We then went to see a beautiful tall waterfall.  The rainforest gets over 8 feet of rain a year and the waterfall is the run off of all that rain.  We went to a black sand beach and watch the waves come crashing in.  The waves were an impressive size today.  Our last stop was a beautiful view of both the sea and the ocean from atop a hillside. The guides this afternoon were fun and made the day enjoyable.

We got back to our room around 5:30.  We rested for a bit and then walked down the street to find dinner.  Ended up eating at a Mexican restaurant which was good.  Came back to our room.  I have a load of laundry washing in the machine across the hall from our room.

We have to have our bags outside our hotel room door by 9:00 tomorrow morning as we will be taken to the airport at 9:45 where we have a two hour flight to fly to Queenstown.  After we get checked in at our hotel in Queenstown we will have the rest of the day free to explore.

Nicole and I had commented Sunday that New Zealand reminded us of Japan.  There is a zen-like vibe going on here.  The locals are very friendly and accepting.  Found out today that their population is over 20% Asian now.

The weather was low 60’s today with partly sunny skies.  If you don’t like the weather here wait five minutes and it will change.  Had very light sprinkles for about one minute today.  The wind was brisk in places though.  I was glad I had a jacket with me when I got in the wind.

Auckland is by far the largest city in NZ.  It has over 1.7 million people.  It doesn’t have a big city feel to it though.  I have felt very safe out walking around.  It feels like it is a young city – I see lots of people in their 20’s and 30’s – not very many my age or older.  The cost of living is very high here though.  Minimum wage is $16.75 an hour. They have socialized medicine.  Property costs are very high as in the average house costs $900,000.

By the way Monday is a very good day!  By the time you wake up and start your Monday I will be doing my Tuesday!  The timey whimy thing kinda blows my mind a bit.

No nap taken today.  Trusting we will both get a good night’s sleep.  I got really tired for a bit this afternoon but am doing OK for the most part.  Most meals I am finding the right type of food to eat although I struggle to get enough veggies.  Doing the best I can – my main goal is to continue to avoid flour and sugar.  The rest I have to eat what is available and decided not to worry about it.

Grateful for a hike through the rain forest today and a chance to get out of the city energy for a bit, grateful for the beauty all around me here, and grateful the hotel has a laundry room right across the hall from my room.

We missed out on Saturday.  Left on Friday and arrived on Sunday.  The long flight was long but we made it.  I was able to get a few hours of sleep during all three flights so am feeling pretty good this afternoon.

I had pretty stinky feet though.  I didn’t think to take my shoes off on the plane.  I took them off once to see if my ankles were swelling – they were but not too bad.  I put my shoe back on.  About 10 minutes later I was smelling the stinky feet smell.  The lady in the aisle across from me had her feet sticking out and I thought it was her feet.  I finally smelled my hands and found the smell!  I had to go wash my hands to get rid of it.  Yuck!

The flight landed on time.  It was nice to get out of that plane after being in it for over 13 hours.  Immigrations was a breeze and no line.  They didn’t even stamp my passport.  My bag came right out but had to wait for Nicole’s bag for about 30 minutes.  The customs line was long and slow.  We finally made it through and met our tour director.  We boarded a nice bus and got to our hotel about 30 minutes later.

Luckily our rooms were ready for us so I was able to take a shower and put on clean clothes.  No more stinky feet!  We went to a nearby food court and had Chinese food for lunch.  I was craving veggies and the food was good.  Came back to the hotel room to rest a bit and then we are going to the Sky Tower.

It was so nice to leave the airport and get some fresh air.  We have either been in airplanes or airports since 1:00 Friday afternoon and needed some fresh air.  It will be good to get out and walk around town in a bit.  Both of us feel bloated and swollen and need to walk it off.

We have our first tour group meeting and dinner tonight.  Tomorrow we are going to the Auckland Museum in the morning and to the rainforest and the Arataki Centre in the afternoon.

They had a big storm blow through last night.  It is a touch windy still but beautiful blue skies and temperatures in the low 60’s.  What we have seen of Auckland so far I have liked.  Seems to be fairly clean and the people are friendly.  Looking forward to seeing more of it.

Grateful we arrived safely, grateful our luggage arrived, and grateful we were able to get into our hotel room early.  We are off to a great start on this adventure.

Sitting at the KC airport waiting for our first flight. We got here early so we could get our bags checked all the way through to New Zealand.  The clerk was very helpful and was able to accommodate us.  First victory of the trip!

I left home at 9:00 this morning so am 5 hours into my 28 hour travel day.  Only 23 hours to go before we arrive in New Zealand.  I think I can…..  I think I can……

I didn’t sleep much last night so am trusting I can nap on the flight.  I rarely can sleep on an airplane though.  Have enough trouble sleeping in my own bed.  Good thing I don’t require a lot of sleep.

Had to get patted down coming through security.  Finally figured out today it is because I use powder and the machine picks that up.  Man I am slow sometimes!  I have been getting patted down regularly and just figured out what caused it.  Sometimes when you travel you have to find cheap thrills!

Found the sweetest card in my bag from my Marine’s wife wishing me safe travels.  Thanks Kathleen!  I love you two too.  I am so grateful they found me and are going to take care of my house and critters for me while I am gone.  By the way, I think I left my bedroom window open.  Would you please check and close it for me – thanks!

We are off to a good start.  Trusting the rest of the trip will go smoothly.

Grateful 5 hours are over, grateful the clerk was helpful and grateful this adventure is officially underway.

All my bags are packed – I’m ready to go.  Leaving on a jet plane tomorrow.  Won’t be home again until November 19.

Have had a busy day doing last-minute things getting ready to leave tomorrow morning.  Did the laundry, picked up eggs, dumped the recycling material, filled the car with gas, did some cleaning, made a to-do list for the house sitters, etc., etc.,  I have my suitcase packed and locked so I will quit adding more stuff to do.  Think I am ready to go!

I am meeting Nicole at her house at 11:00 tomorrow morning.  We will go get lunch and then a Uber driver will pick us up and take us to the airport.  We want to get there a bit early as we need special assistance getting our bags checked all the way through to New Zealand.  We are flying in Group 5 from KC to LA and can’t carry on our bags.  Trusting all three flights will be on-time and we will have smooth flying.

I still need to pick out a book or two to take and download another book or two on my iPad.  I prefer the book in hand to reading on the iPad but need to have a back-up on the iPad in case I finish the hard copy books I take.  Nicole and I like to read the same stuff so we will exchange books.  I remembered my headsets so I can watch a movie more comfortably as another option to pass the time.  Trying to get in the head space of surviving over 12 hours non-stop in an airplane.  I did it going to Japan so I’m sure I can do it again.  Time to suck it up buttercup!

I checked my packing list twice and have everything on the list.  Guess if it wasn’t on the list I didn’t need it.

Tomorrow morning I need to wash the sheets on my bed and one of the guest beds and then get them made up.  I’ll do some last-minute cleaning tomorrow morning while the sheets are washing and drying and then take off for KC a little after 9:00.

I’m so grateful for Internet as it will keep me in touch with back home and makes things like banking easy while I am gone.  I blacked out dates on the Airbnb calendar for the rest of November and the first two weeks of December.  It felt like too much to have new guests as soon as I get home- especially with cooking Thanksgiving dinner that week.  I have a feeling I will need some down time when I get home to recover from jet lag.

I am feeling much better today.  Am a bit more focused and my energy level is rising again.  I was feeling pretty crummy Tuesday and Wednesday.  My urine was “dirty” according to the nurse – must be a new medical term.  They are going to grow out the culture and will see if the doctor chose the right antibiotic.  Too bad if he didn’t as I will be long gone before the results come back in.  Glad I went in and got something instead of trying to ride it out and possibility getting into trouble while I was gone.

I haven’t heard the results from the Ultrasound I had last week which is unusual – she usually gets right back to me.  Guess that will have to wait until I get home too.  I’m sure if it was bad news I would have heard something by now.

It will be nice to get away again and experience a new culture and two new countries.  The people I met from Australia and New Zealand on the Camino were fun people to visit with.  The guests I had from New Zealand were delightful.  So looking forward to going to where it is spring time and everything is green and warm.

Grateful my suitcase is packed and locked, grateful I am feeling better already today, and grateful this next adventure is beginning very soon.

Woke up feeling crummy this morning.  Went to the doctor – I have a UTI.  I normally would have given it a day or two to see if I could make it go away on my own but with the trip coming up Friday decided not to mess with it and went in.  Got a prescription. Hoping to get this stopped quick so I am going strong by Friday.  I got a bit dehydrated on the seven mile hike Monday which probably caused the UTI.

I talked to my doctor about my weight. He isn’t concerned yet.  He told me to come back in if my BMI gets below 19.0. It was 19.8 this morning so I’m still good!  That makes me feel better.  Someone had told me I am starting to look a bit gaunt.  I still have trouble seeing the weight loss in myself and don’t want to get myself into trouble by loosing too much.

While I was in town I picked up the two bags of dog food I needed to get.  A clerk helped me load them into my cart which I appreciated.  I struggled to get them out of the cart and into my car but I did it.

It is a cloudy day on the prairie today.  I noticed the trails at Tallgrass are closed today as they are burning.  So glad we were able to hike Monday and it was a beautiful day.  I could see the smoke as I was coming home.  I’m not used to fall burning.  More and more ranchers are experimenting with it as it kills different weeds than the spring burn does.

Started laying out clothes for my trip.  I need to try on some pants and make sure they still fit.  I will only take four outfits and then will wash them out at each hotel.  I don’t pay much attention to what I wear so I can wear the same thing several times on the trip and it won’t bother me.  The less I take the lighter my suitcase is to transfer around.

I think I have everything on my list so it won’t take me long to finish packing tomorrow.  Still need to call my banks so my debit and credit cards will work.  I got some cash while I was in town today.

Trusting I will be feeling better by tomorrow so I can start getting excited about the trip. Only have one more day at home to get things ready.  I can do it – I can do it!

Grateful for modern medicine when it is needed, grateful for airplanes that make it possible to travel to the other side of the world, and grateful for my little corner on the prairie to come back home to.

Quiet day at home today after all the fun Sunday and Monday.  I had trouble sleeping last night and have felt slow and foggy today.  It is cloudy outside which suits my mood inside today.

Haven’t gotten much done today other than making a phone call to straighten out a bill situation.  The company had been notified by the post office that I had moved and sent the bill directly to Kathy’s new address.  What a mess this is turning into.  Haven’t received the packet of bills Kathy mailed back to me and am still not receiving much mail here.  My mail is caught up in limbo.  Trusting I can get it all straightened out before I leave Friday.

Still processing the 24 hours I spent with my Match guy.  He has a lot of good points going for him. I haven’t been with someone before that can hear me like he does.  He can listen to me express myself and then feed it back to me in a way that I know he heard what I didn’t say too.  My mentor can do that for me.  The two of them are a lot alike in other ways too.

We can sit in silence together without it feeling awkward which I also appreciate.  We both need silence in our day so we can fill out own souls.  Nice to have someone that allows silence.

He has a wicked sense of humor that makes me laugh.  He can laugh at himself too.

He is a mainly retired college professor and is a deep intellectual man.  He thinks – I feel.  We are on opposite side of the range on this one.  I appreciate both sides of it and see the value in both.  We are both on the liberal side of politics.  He is more engaged in being aware of what is happening in the world than I am.

Not sure where or if we are going in all of this.  Time will tell.  Maybe it is a good thing I am leaving Friday and will be gone almost three weeks to give us both time to decide if we want to take another step together.

I am so new to all of this dating stuff.  It still feels a bit awkward to me and am not sure of myself.  It will all become clear what the next steps are – or aren’t over time.  Another good lesson in patience and trust for me.

Feeling a bit queasy today. I did manage to eat most of my lunch.  I was tempted to skip lunch but decided to try to get down as much as I can. I have lost another pound and really don’t want to lose anymore weight.  If I lose much while I am in Australia I will have to go see my doctor when I get home.  Trusting I won’t do so.  I didn’t lose any weight while I was in Italy this Spring although I lost six pounds very quickly after I got home from that trip. I don’t have six more pounds to lose this time.  Who knew stopping the weight loss would be such a problem?  At least the first round of blood tests all came back showing I am healthy with no immediate medical needs.

Need to get busy and get some items crossed off my to-do list.  Just don’t have any motivation to get anything done today.  I get up to go do something and forget what I got up to go do.  Just one of those non-productive days I guess. Maybe I will go take a nap and forget about getting anything done today.  I still have two more days to get things done – right?

Grateful for a day full of empty space so I have time to process the last 24 hours, grateful for all the love my friends have been sending my way, and grateful for non-productive days as they remind me to stop and listen to my heart.

Had a delightful evening last night with my Match guy.  After he got here we went for a two-mile walk so he could stretch his legs after the three-hour drive. We had dinner when we got back from the walk. Luckily the pot roast was delicious.  We then went out and sat in the swings and watched the stars come out. Had to take a blanket out though as it got cold after the sun went down.

This morning after breakfast we went to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve and took a seven-mile hike.  We stopped at the look-out point to rest and enjoy the beauty of the Flint Hills.  I did well on the hike even though I hadn’t walked that far since the Camino.

He left for home around 5:00 this evening.  We had a fun time together and will be spending more time together after I return from my trip to New Zealand and Australia.

I am tired this evening.  That long hike wore me out.  Thinking it will be an early bedtime for me tonight.

I have lots of things to get done the next three days so I am ready to go on my next adventure Friday.  I have a list so thinking I will get it all done.  Hard to believe it is almost time to leave.

I need to call a plumber to replace a faucet in the garage.  It drips at times and I can’t get it turned off tight enough.  Need to get it done before it freezes.

Need to get the guest room cleaned and reset tomorrow.  I don’t have any guests coming before I leave but I like to leave the rooms ready.

Grateful for a fun 24-hours with my Match guy, grateful for being able to hike for over seven miles today, and grateful for another absolutely beautiful fall day in KS.

A friend and I went to see War of the Worlds last night at the Strong City Opera House.  Aliens from Mars attacked the world.  The guy got his girl at the end of the movie and all is well!  Fun to watch a movie that was made the year I was born.  Special effects have come a long ways in 65 years!

Woke up just before sunrise this morning and watched the sun come up.  I love that time of the morning.  The fall sunrise colors are absolutely beautiful.  Such hope and promise in watching the sun rise.

Went into Emporia to get cat litter this morning.  I wanted to change their box so I dumped it out and then realized I was out of litter.  I was going to get dog food too but didn’t have room in cart for it and I didn’t want to go back in.  I will need to go to town later this week and I will get it then.

Did my weekly house cleaning chores today.  I didn’t get to them yesterday so had to do them today.  My Marine and his wife have been gone all day so it was a good day to get some cleaning done.

It has been another absolutely beautiful fall day today.  Mid 60’s and bright blue skies.  It is to reach the 70’s tomorrow.  I love this time of year. The stars were incredible last night.  Trusting they will be the same tonight.

I’ve got a pot roast in the crock pot cooking.  The house smells divine!  Not sure if we will eat before or after the sun sets.  Want to be outside to watch it set.  Guess it will depend on what time my date shows up. He text me to let me know he is on his way.  I invited my Marine and his wife to join us for dinner.  I’m going to fry some apples and heat some dinner rolls and call it good. I dipped strawberries in chocolate for dessert.  Nice and simple meal that will be easy to serve.

Starting to wrap my head around the fact that I am leaving Friday for New Zealand and Australia.  Other than the getting there and the travel to get home it will be a wonderful adventure.  Trusting the jet lag won’t kick my ass too bad. New Zealand is 18 hours ahead of Kansas time.  I will preview tomorrow for you while I am there and let you know how it is!

Sitting with great anticipation this afternoon.  I’m excited to meet this guy.  Working to keep my expectations in check and to allow things to be what they are.  This will be my fourth face-to-face Match date.  Trusting it will end better than the other three did.  I knew almost immediately when I met the other three that we weren’t going to have a second date.  Looking back I think I knew that before they showed up.  It was good practice for me though to have lunch with a guy.  Maybe they showed up to help me prepare for today.  Stay tuned to see how this one goes.

Grateful for another beautiful fall day, grateful for the chance to meet this guy, and grateful for the beauty of the prairie during this time of year.

Went into music last night for a bit.  As always it is a fun way to spend the evening.  They had a bigger than normal crowd last night.  Some of my favorite musicians were singing.

Went into Emporia this morning and got 6 sacks of chicken feed and 2 bags of dog food.  I wanted more dog food but that was all Bluestem had.  I still need cat food and litter so will get more dog food when I get that.  I dumped the chicken feed into the containers so it is ready to be taken down to the coop.

What an absolutely beautiful day today.  A perfect 10 fall day.  The forecast calls for two more days coming just like this one.  Doesn’t get much better in KS than this.

Spent three hours on the phone with my Match guy today.  We are both looking forward to meeting each other tomorrow.  It has been a long time that I have felt this comfortable talking to someone.  I also haven’t laughed this much in a long time.

I’m going to the movie War of the Worlds at the Strong City Opera House tonight.  I am actually going out three nights in a row!  Wow!  Not sure why I am all of a sudden able to get out but it has kinda been fun.

Need to go fix dinner so I can be ready to leave on time.  The afternoon went by very quickly!

Grateful for this beautiful day, grateful for the possibilities ahead of me, and grateful for the fun that is appearing in my life right now.

I went into Emporia last night to watch my granddaughter’s music program.  Ellexia had to talk into the microphone saying a memorized line and she nailed it.  It was fun to watch the kids perform and both grandkids seemed happy to see me.  Tagen even let me give him a hug in public.  Score one for G.

After I got home my Match guy called me on the phone.  We had a two-hour conversation that was delightful.  Still not sure where this is going but it is fun for now.  He is coming to meet me Sunday.  Maybe I’ll know more after that.  Working hard on allowing it to be what it is without any expectation of what it might become.

I had taken a nap yesterday afternoon and paid the price for it last night as I don’t think I slept much at all.  It was a long night!

Went to Topeka this morning to have an ultrasound done on my neck.  It has been a little over a year since I had my thyroid removed and the cancer was discovered.  I won’t hear results until mid-week next week.  Certainly not expecting anything other than everything looks great.

A friend had recommended a certain type of wine for the dinner I am making Sunday night for my Match guy.  I couldn’t find it in Emporia but found it at the second liquor store I went to in Topeka.  The friend knows wine so will trust it will be good.   Sometimes I wished I drank wine.

Took a very short nap this afternoon.  My neighbor called and woke me up which I am grateful for.  If I had slept very long I probably would just repeat what happened last night.  I got enough sleep to knock the edge off without sleeping really hard or very long.

Tonight is music night in Cottonwood Falls.  I have been going the last several weeks.  Working on getting myself out more.  I enjoy the music once I get there – it is getting out the door that stops me sometimes.

Another neighbor bakes the most wonderful pies.  I happened to see her post offering pies for today and mentioned it to my Marine.  He had me order a lemon and a chocolate one.  I went over and picked them up for him this afternoon.  I bet they will enjoy them this weekend.  His wife is coming back this evening.  She went home so she could work in their hometown this week.  I enjoy having her around so it will be good to see her come back later today.  They are hanging around here this weekend.

Lost another pound today.  I have only lost three pounds since a month ago so the weight loss is slowing down.  I had been averaging losing 6 pounds a month.  I’m 7 pounds below goal weight now.  All the blood tests I had done came back really good so don’t think anything weird is going on.  Am trying to remember to add 1 oz of nuts to each meal as nuts are calorie dense and are easy for me to get down.  If I need to I will increase the amount of nuts each meal.  If I remember right, I now weigh what I did when I graduated from High School.  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would see this number again.  Bright Line Eating Plan works if you work the plan!  It has been over 8 months now since I had any flour or sugar.  I eat three meals a day, don’t snack and I measure or weigh the portion sizes.  That’s all there is to it!

Think I will go out and take a long walk.  I haven’t moved my body for several days and am feeling the need to do so.  It is absolutely beautiful out this afternoon and a great day for a long walk.

Still sitting in my peaceful valley with a quiet mind.  I feel like I am floating down the river of life and easily navigating around the rocks along the path.  I never know how long I can stay in this energy so have learned to enjoy every moment I am in it.

Grateful for grandchildren and the chance to spend time with them, grateful for my Match  guy and the fun he is bringing into my life in this moment, and grateful for my peaceful valley of life and all the joy and peace it is bringing to me right here, right now!

A rainy day on the prairie today.  Good napping weather so I took a nap this afternoon.  I wsan’t tired but had nothing else to do.  I didn’t expect to fall asleep but I did.  Lazy type of day!

Went into Emporia this morning to run a few errands and get some groceries.  Couldn’t find the wine I was looking for.  I have to go to Topeka tomorrow to have an Ultrasound done so will look there for it there.  The liquor store owner had never heard of the wine I was looking for.  Maybe a bigger city will have a wider selection.

Tim let me know Ellexia has a music program tonight.  I will probably run into town to see that.  It is hard to get out of the house though with the rain.  I’ll see what I decide to do.  I’ll need to leave in about 30 minutes if I am going.

My Marine spent the day at home as he got rained out of work today,  He took a nap this afternoon too.  He had ripped a tear in one of the pockets of his tool belt and I suggested he take it in to Bruce to have him repair it.  I was going to take it in today for him but since he was home he did it.  Bruce did a nice job fixing the tear.  Love local service shops like his.  We might not have fancy wines but we have better service shops than the big cities do.

Got four loads of laundry done today.  My student isn’t coming out tonight so got her sheets washed up for the week.  I’ll pull the sheets off my Marine’s bed tomorrow morning.  Not sure what his plans are for the weekend.  His wife is coming here for the weekend and sometimes they stay home all day on the weekends and sometimes they are out and about.  This way I will have that job done for the week.

I leave for New Zealand a week from tomorrow.  Time to get serious about getting my list of things I need to do before I leave done.  I need to get five bags of chicken feed and four bags of dog food this weekend.  It takes a bit of time to get the chicken feed put into the containers I use to carry in down to the coop as needed.  Not my favorite job to do so I have been procrastinating.  Time to get it done.

Need to get the chore list written up too so everyone knows what they need to do.  I have a rough draft started so that won’t take too long to complete.

I had ordered two more pair of trail pants and they came in Wednesday.  I was able to get to the box before the dogs did this time.  They fit as did the two blouses I ordered.  Now I have everything I need so just have to fit everything into the suitcase.  Looks like rain is in the forecast most days there so will have to take my rain coat. I can always wear it if it doesn’t fit in the suitcase.  I only take a carry-on so have to be careful how much stuff I take.

Sitting in a quiet space tonight.  My head is quiet and the monkeys in my brain must still be napping.  The air is fresh and clean from the rain.  I’ve had the fireplace on part of the day.  Cozy, lazy day on the prairie.  Just what my soul needed today.  I have a busy couple of days coming up and needed today to refill my soul.

Grateful for cozy, lazy days on the prairie, grateful for sleeping monkeys in my head, and grateful for an upcoming weekend full of possibilities and new experiences.

Just had a bit of a head trip.  I could have sworn I blogged today but went to check it and nothing is there.  Hmmmmm…..

Went into Cottonwood Falls this morning to vote.  Feels good to get that out-of-the-way so I don’t forget to do it before I leave for New Zealand.

Went to a class last night on dry skin brushing.  Interesting concept.  I didn’t buy a brush as I know myself well enough to know I doubt that I would continue doing something like that long-term.  I’ll sit with the thought of it for a bit and see if I change my mind.  I know the lady that taught the class so can change my mind and get a brush from her later.

We got a sample bottle of a face oil mixture that I am enjoying using,   If I continue to use it I will go get some more.  My face seems to like it so far and I enjoy the smell of it.  It is made with essential oils so is light and not greasy feeling.  I have not done a good job of taking care of my skin and need to start paying a bit more attention to it.

The lady that introduced me to Bright Lines was there and I was able to talk to her a bit.  She joined the additional program after the boot camp ended and listens to the coaching calls on a regular basis.  She recommended I add nuts to each meal if I continue losing weight.  She told me that is what the experts recommend to others that are experiencing what I am.  So far I haven’t lost any more weight for a week now so maybe I have bottomed out.  If not I will try additional nuts for a meal or two daiily for a week and see if that ups my calorie intake enough to stop the weight loss.

I rented the barn to some neighbors and they came this afternoon to put a boat in it for storage.  They swept the floor and cleaned up the barn.  How cool is that?  I will enjoy getting to know them better as they come and go from the barn.

Other than taking a nap this morning I’m not sure what I did all day.   I didn’t sleep much last night so went back to bed this morning.  Trusting I will be able to sleep tonight.

Got my mowing done for the year.  I do need to push mow the little fenced area one last time this year.  I had forgotten about that area.  I don’t think the grass will grow much more this year as we got a hard freeze a week or so go.  I need to remember to get my mower taken in for service sometime soon.  If I wait until spring they get backed up and it takes a long time for them to get to it.

The guests that had booked for Saturday night cancelled already.  Good news for me is I still get paid for them coming.  Love when that happens!

Had a very interesting text exchange with my Match guy this afternoon.  I was able to say some things I don’t think I ever imagined I would say to a guy.  Wow!  He may be coming to meet me this weekend.  I’m anxious to see what he is like in person.  Hard to tell when you can’t see into someone’s eyes what they are really like.  I now understand what his purpose is for me and it may be an interesting weekend.  May be fun!

The Strong City old opera house is showing the 1953 War of the World’s movie this Saturday.  I am going with a friend.  Not sure why I am feeling the need to get out more now but I am.  Feels good to think about going out now.  Guess I am ready to do things differently on several levels now.  Exciting even!

I am feeling the effects of another big shift that has happened internally again.  I never am sure when these shifts happen or what the final straw was I let go of to make them happen.  I just realize all of a sudden I am able to do things differently then I did in the past.  I have a level of inner freedom I didn’t have before.  Thinking it has something to do with the class I took from my mentor last September but not sure.  The weight loss has freed me too somehow.  Wherever it came from I am grateful!

This weekend has the potential to push open yet another range I am in and have been stuck in for years.  Exciting times for me.  So far I don’t feel any fear about it.  I’ll see what happens!

Grateful for the privilege of voting and trusting my vote will matter, grateful for getting the barn space rented out to such nice people, and grateful for the possibility of breaking another range wide open.  I love learning new things about myself and experiencing new things.

Spent two hours texting my Match guy last light.  Had a good conversation.  Probably should have shifted to the phone but we didn’t.  He sent lots of photographs in between the word texts.  Was a fun evening.  Not sure where it is going but am allowing it to be what it is for now.

I am taking a lazy day at home today.  I even went back to bed to see if I could take a nap but didn’t have any luck.  I got two texts from other people and then the pest control guys showed up early.  Guess I wasn’t supposed to nap today.

Got three loads of laundry washed and put away this morning.  Have the guest rooms refreshed and the house work I was going to do today done.  Nothing else on my calendar until evening.  I may go in and advance vote this afternoon. I want to get that done before I leave for Australia and don’t want to forget to do so.  It is beautiful out and a good day to get out and do that.

I may go out and mow one last time this afternoon.  It needs done and it is a good day to get out and do it.  Not too many nice fall days left this year.  More rain is coming in later this week and I want to get it done before it comes.

Just had a couple book for Saturday night.  They are only staying one night so it will be easy.  The room is ready for them so nothing will need to be done to get ready for them.

Only 10 days before I leave for New Zealand.  I have a checklist full of things I need to get done before I leave.  I think preparing to be gone is the hard part of a trip.  If I didn’t have so many critters it would be easier.

The student that stays with me during the week is going home tonight to KC as her classes were cancelled.  She will be back tomorrow and Thursday night.  My Marine will be here tonight though.

Having a quiet day was just what my soul needed.  I feel more grounded and centered this afternoon than I have been for a bit.  More options seem to be open to me right now.  Feel like I am floating in the river of life and life is easy right now.  Love when that happens!

Grateful for this beautiful day, grateful for guests booking, and grateful for the peace and ease in my life today.

My Marine and his wife got home last night.  It was good to see them – I had missed having them around.

Went to KC this morning to help Nicole with her project.  We ran a lot of errands and finished up part of her project.  I couldn’t help her finish the rest as I didn’t know where stuff went.  I don’t envy her the job in front of her but they will get it done.

On the drive home I had to pull over and snap a picture of a partial sundog.  There was one on both sides of the setting sun but I only captured the one on the left.  I don’t see them very often so had to stop and take a picture.

Had a bit of stop and go traffic coming out of KC but luckily it cleared out pretty quickly and I made good time coming home.  City energy wears me out.  It is always good to get back to my quiet little corner on the prairie.

Not much on my calendar for the next three days other than the normal Airbnb hosting duties.  I hope tomorrow is as nice as today was so I can go for a long walk.  I love this time of the year and want to take advantage and get outside and enjoy it.  The trees are turning in KC and some were beautiful.  I don’t have many trees around me so I really notice them when I go to town.

I have a quiet mind tonight – or maybe it is just tired.  I am enjoying listening to the night sounds tonight.  The moon is almost full and is shining brightly on the prairie tonight.  All is well on my corner of the world.

Grateful to spend a day with my daughter, grateful to get to see a partial sundog tonight on the drive home, and grateful for a safe trip to and from KC today.

I had a date today!  I met a guy for lunch at Radius.  We had lunch and then drove out to my house.  Spent the afternoon together.  He was a nice man but not the one for me.  I thought I was a minimalist but he takes it to a whole new level.  I felt like a hoarder.  He does like to travel in his RV stateside, is a pilot and has his own plane.  But he is very frugal – to the point it would not be comfortable for me.  He also seemed to be adverse to hugging which is a requirement I have.  Good practice for me though.

His wife died less than a year ago and I think he needs some more time alone to process his grief.  He talked a lot about her.  Maybe he just needed someone to listen to him.

My overnight guest left around 6:30 this morning.  He had to drive to Hillsboro to pick up his son’s friend and then go to the KC airport.  We had a nice visit last night for a bit.  I alway enjoy returning guests.  He ate the partial bag of party mix I had on the counter.  I ask him to taste test it for me – he gave it his approval.

I was up early this morning and got to see the sunrise.  It was spectacular!  Fall sunrises and sunsets are the best I think.

Got the room downstairs flipped and cleaned and ready for the next guest to come in.  Don’t have anyone booked for that room for a bit.  I had blocked off most of November for my trip and keep blocking off next weekend and then put it back on the calendar and then take it off again.  I don’t even remember which way I have it right now.  I will have my two long-term guests this week so I don’t really care if I have weekend guests or not.

Still texting the college professor.  He still has potential!  We haven’t shifted to phone calls yet but he likes to write and so do I.  We mainly converse using email but have started short texts during the day.  Fun!

Had a guy with the profile name of BigandHard contact me.  On his profile he says his sex drive is in over-drive.  I chose not to communicate with him.  He looks like he is trying to act like he is 16 instead of 65.  I don’t need a boy toy!

I’m going to KC tomorrow to help Nicole with a project she is working on. Other than that I have a rather quiet week ahead of me.  Friday I go to Topeka for an Ultrasound.

I need to call and find out why I haven’t received the results from the blood tests I had done Friday.  She didn’t take much blood and I am wondering if they only did one of the three tests ordered.  I got the results on one of them back but not the other two.

It was an interesting day.  Kinda fun to go out to lunch with a guy.  He did buy my lunch but only left a $2 tip.  Did I mention he is frugal?

Grateful for the dating practice, grateful for a returning guest and our conversation, and grateful for learning another attribute I do not want from a man!

My guest arrived around 1:30 this morning.  I didn’t get up to greet him as he has been here before and knew where his room is.  We had a nice visit this morning.  Always fun to see returning guests.  I may not see him again as he won’t be home tonight until late and he has to leave early tomorrow morning.

Made nine gallon bags full of Party Mix this morning.  I always give each of the kids one at Thanksgiving time and wanted to get it made and in the freezer before I left for Australia next week.  Sure smells good!  I won’t eat any of it this year – not on my food plan.  The kids enjoy it though.

Need to go into Emporia this afternoon and pick up a few groceries.  I need to stop by the Verizon store and add international service to my phone for November so I can stay in touch back home while I am gone.

I ordered two more pair of trail pants for the trip.  I only had two that fit and don’t want to have to wash them out every night.  We stay three nights at most of our hotels so will have time to wash out at each hotel.  I also ordered two more blouses.  I had gotten two skirts but didn’t have a blouse to wear with them.  Think that finishes up my list of things I wanted to get for the trip.

Put on my calendar for next week to stock up on critter food.  I don’t want to forget to do that.  I’ll need almost three weeks of critter food on hand before I leave.  That will be a car full when I get all of that.

It always seems a bit complicated to plan for everything so I can leave the country for a bit.  Luckily my Marine and his wife are going to take care of things around here most of the time I am gone.  A dear friend is covering for a weekend.  So very grateful for all of them as it makes it possible for me to get away.

Still exchanging emails with the same Match guy.  He is an interesting man and we have the love of the land in common along with other things.  He requires lots of quiet and solitude like I do.   I’ll see where it goes.  At least he dosen’t appear to be a fraud at this point!  Progress?

Another beautiful Kansas fall day today.  I may go over to the Prairie Preserve and take a long hike.  I haven’t done that for a bit and am feeling the need to move my body this afternoon.  It is a bit windy but not too bad.

May get out and get the mowing done this afternoon.  The grass is starting to turn brown after the frost we had a week ago.  I want to trim it all up one last time and then get my mower taken in and tuned up so it will be ready for the spring.  Sure was a short mowing season this year.

Sitting in a quiet space this afternoon.  My head is really quiet and doesn’t have much monkey chatter going on today.  I enjoy days like this except I find it hard to get things done as I can’t remember what I was thinking about doing.  I like the empty space internally though.

Grateful for a returning guest that feels like a friend came to visit me, grateful for a perfect fall day today, and grateful for empty space and all the ways it comes into my life and the gifts it has to offer me.

It has been a productive day so far.  Went into Emporia at 8:30 to get my blood drawn.  I got gas but forgot to stop and get groceries.  Went to Strong City and Cottonwood Falls before I came home.  Stopped to talk to the Postmaster about the mail forwarding situation.  He recommended Kathy cancel the forwarding request and I send her the mail weekly.  He said there is not much he can do and he has seen situations like this before and they rarely are able to fix them,

I dumped my recycling containers and then stopped at KS Graphics to pick up the missing mailing piece.  After I got home I ate breakfast and then finished the mailing.  I took it into the post office in Strong City so it will go out today.  Always feels good to have that project complete.

I have been working on doing laundry and resetting two rooms downstairs.  The third load of laundry is washing and only have one more load to throw in.  When the sheets get dried I will make the beds and clean two bedrooms and bathrooms.

Lost another pound today.  I hadn’t lost any for a bit so trusting I am close to hitting bottom.  I’ll find out later today if the blood tests show anything is amiss.  I keep trying to add more food but struggle to eat all that I am to eat already.  If I keep losing I will try to add in a fourth meal and see if that will help.  Not sure when I would add it though as I don’t get hungry.  Maybe the trip to Australia will help.  I didn’t lose any weight when I went to Italy.

I’m tired today.  I slept two sleeps last night but didn’t get my sleep tank filled.  It is cloudy and misty out and thinking that is causing me to be sleepy.  I need to get up and go clean and move my body and wake it up.

Quiet weekend ahead.  Although I will have a guest he won’t be around much.  May see if the grandkids want to come out and a bit.  I haven’t seen them again for several weeks.

Feels good to have had a productive morning.  I was feeling like I was behind this morning when I got up as I hadn’t done the dishes before I went to bed last night.  Got my to-do list done though and it is just barely past noon.  Not sure why some days I can get lots done and other days I can’t seem to do anything.  I even made two business phone calls this morning!

Grateful for a productive morning, grateful my to-do list for the day is completed, and grateful for completing my service project of the day.

I had the most delightful evening yesterday.  I sat out with my guests in the swings last night and watched the sunset and the stars pop out.  We turned the fire on and must have sat outside for two hours visiting.  We walked around to the east side of the house after the sun went down and enjoyed the after glow of the sunset.  Mother Nature painted a beautiful sky last night.

The husband came up this morning and we had another deep conversation.  I got the sense of being in the right place at the right time doing my deep soul work with him today.  I love when I know what I am doing is absolutely what I am to be doing right now.

After they left this morning at 9:30 I drove to KC to help Nicole with a project.  We got done by 4:30.  We did an errand and then went out to dinner together and then I drove home.  The trip home went fast tonight but I am tired now.  I woke up this morning a little after 6:00 and couldn’t go back to sleep so got up and took my shower.  I worked on the mailing I am doing for Pioneer Bluffs.  I am missing one piece or I would have finished stuffing the envelopes.  I will pick up the missing piece in the morning and get that project finished up.

Tomorrow morning I have to run into Emporia first thing and have a blood draw.  I have to be fasting so will do it as soon as I wake up and get dressed.  I need to stop and get a few groceries while I am in town.  Then I need to go into Cottonwood Falls to drop off the recycling stuff and pick up the missing mailing piece.  I have four loads of laundry to do tomorrow as well as cleaning two bedrooms and bathrooms.  My guest coming in tomorrow won’t get here until almost midnight so have all day to get the room ready.

I have been carrying on conversations with three different Match guys today.  I told one about my plan to drive to all 48 states and spend one night in each state in a National Park.  He asked me if I was inviting him to go with me.  Then he told me he slept in the nude but would accommodate me if that bothered me.  I asked him if he snored.  He responded that he only snores when he is drunk which is most of the time.  I then told him it wouldn’t work for him to go with me as I needed a back-up driver and if he was drunk all the time that wouldn’t be much help.  Man!  Hoping he was joking but who knows!  He looked a bit arrogant in the picture he posted.

Another one immediately sent me his phone number and wanted to switch to texting.  I told him I was too busy today to text but would try to remember to do so tomorrow.  When I checked his profile tonight it is unavailable.  Think I will forget to text him tomorrow as I haven’t had good luck texting someone who’s profile disappears like that.

The other one is a college professor.  The message he sent me yesterday made me smile as he talked about the Flint Hills.  He said “the Great Plains are subtle.  You must gaze.  And they grow in you slowly.  And soon you are blessed by being in them and with them.  And if you stand quietly, even on the rare windless day, you can hear the land”.  Does he get the Flint Hills or what!  Love how he put that.  This one has potential!

Kathy sent me a text today.  She had forwarded her mail and received a bunch of my mail.  I’ll have to go to the Post Office tomorrow and see if I can get that sorted out.  I wondered why I hadn’t gotten much mail the last week or so.  May have to cancel her forward request and I will just send her a package of mail weekly instead.

Have a quiet weekend planned.  I will have a guest here all weekend but he won’t be here much.  My Marine and his wife will be back Sunday evening.

I need to get myself organized for New Zealand.  I leave in two weeks.  I am going back to KC Monday to help Nicole finish her project.  I need to double-check and make sure I have everything I need as this will be my last chance to get something in KC before my trip.  I need to try on two pairs of pants to make sure they still fit.  I had gotten two skirts but not sure I have blouses to wear with hem so need to check that out too.

I am tired tonight. Trusting I will be able to sleep good tonight.  I did a lot of moving around today which was good.  Sitting in my peaceful valley tonight.  Still feeling the warm glow from the guests that left this morning.  I love when I can have deep conversations with my guests.  Feels like I made two new friends today.

Grateful for the work I do with my Airbnb, grateful for being in service today, and grateful for the fun I am having with my Match guys.

It has been a busy day so far on the prairie.  I slept for my normal 3 hours then woke up around 1:00 this morning.  Finally got back to sleep around 5:30.  I sure didn’t want to get up when the alarm went off at 7:00 this morning.

Did chores and ate breakfast and headed to town.  I had a haircut at 8:30 and then volunteered to help with the Friends of the Library Book Sale from 9:00 – noon.  Came home with one more sack of books – this sack was only $5.  They are having a very successful sale this year and we emptied a lot of boxes this morning.

I have guests coming sometime late afternoon to spend one night.  Trusting they will leave fairly early in the morning so I can get to KC and help Nicole with her project.  I know my guests are going to ride the bus at the Reserve at 11:00 tomorrow so maybe they will leave early for that.

My student guest didn’t come out last night and won’t be here tonight.  She is planning on coming tomorrow night.  I need to send her a message and let her know I may not be home until late.

Sent a note to my primary doctor and ask him to add checking my lipid levels and potassium to the blood draw I am having done for my thyroid antibody test Friday.  He agreed to do so.  I have been having lots of leg and foot cramps the last several weeks.  May need to decrease my blood pressure medication again as it is getting too low at times again.  Yeah!   I would like to go off the cholesterol medication too.

My hairdresser asked if I was OK health wise today.  He could really tell I had lost more weight.  We had a discussion about weight and how we view our bodies.  I alway feel like I have had a counseling session when I get my hair cut.  I suggested possibly changing my hair style and he talked me into keeping it the same.  He knows I do not like to mess with my hair and the way I wear it is about as easy as one can go.

Need to take the recycling stuff into Cottonwood Falls and dump them.  It is so nice out today I am looking for things to do outside.  I carried several sacks of books for customers while I was working the sale just so I could get outside for a minute.  Wish it was dry enough to mow today but I still see some standing water.

Dumped a couple of boxes of old business records in the trash bin before I hauled it down to the end of the driveway last night.  Since I have been the only one here I didn’t have much trash so took advantage and got rid of a couple of boxes and filled the trash bin.  Some weeks I don’t have enough room to do that.

Sure want to take a nap this afternoon.  Am going to do my best to stay up though so maybe I can sleep tonight.  Going to and from KC in one day always wears me out.  Good news is I have nothing on my calendar for Friday other than flipping the guest room as I have a guest coming in Friday night.  He won’t arrive until almost midnight so I will have all day Friday to get the room flipped.

Just remembered I have a newsletter to fold and stuff for Pioneer Bluffs to do Friday.  I may get part of it done tonight and tomorrow morning before I leave for KC.  I’ll see how fast I can go.  It doesn’t have to be done until Monday so no real pressure to go fast.  I will have to go into Emporia Friday morning for a fasting blood test.  Guess I do have some things to do Friday!

Only got one egg from my girls yesterday.  I gave them their first warning.  Three warnings and I will seriously consider doing away with them.  Their food is expensive if I don’t get anything in return.  They are starting to molt and will probably not be laying much for the next 8 – 12 weeks.  Must be sabbatical time for them.  The slackers!

Just a little over two weeks before I leave for New Zealand and Australia.  I did start my packing list last night.  I need to arrange international cell service for the time I am gone too.  Gotta keep up on my Match communications and the Airbnb reservations.  Probably wishful thinking on both parts of that!

Felt good to be in service today.  I really would like to find a non-profit that I could spend some good quality time with each week and feel like I make a difference by showing up.  I enjoy volunteer work and want to add more of it to my schedule.  I like short-term commitment projects better than every Monday for the rest of my life type of commitments.

Sitting in my peaceful valley today.  Tired yet content.  Feeling more grounded, centered and more confident again.  I am getting clearer in my head what I am looking for on Match.  I reworked my profile today and feel it captures me better than what I had before.

Grateful to have been in service today at the library, grateful for guests arriving this evening, and grateful for this beautiful fall day.

Finally got some good sleep last night.  It came in three parts but I will take what I got.  Nights go by faster when I sleep most of it.

I went to the library book sale this morning and got three grocery sacks of books for $30.  I am helping with the sale tomorrow so will probably pick up another sack or two then for $5 a sack.  Hard to beat that price when new books are often over $10 per book.

Drove to Wichita after I shopped for books.  I needed to do a Costco run.  It seemed to take a long time to get to Wichita this morning for some reason.  Thankfully the trip home went fast.  I got off at the Cassoday exit on the way home and stopped at the  gas station there to see my friend.  She gave me a tour of the new kitchen they are putting in.  I got the car unloaded when I got home and things put away.

I have been messaging with a guy from KS the last two days.  Think I will stop the conversation though as he seems to be as boring as watching grass grow.  I’m sure he isn’t what I am looking for!  His idea of a grand adventure and mine are worlds apart.

Got another scammer message.  I recognized the pattern they use now so I reported him.   Not sure it does any good to report them but it makes me feel better.  Sure wish the scammers were for real as they are really good-looking.  But I reminded myself this morning I don’t have to settle for the really boring ones either!  This is a lesson in patience for me.

Made an appointment to get my hair cut.  He can work me in before my shift at the library tomorrow morning but that means I have to leave the house by 8:00.  I haven’t had to be up and out of the house that early for a bit.  May need to set my alarm tonight.  Now that I eat breakfast I’ll have to be up by 7:00.  I have to take my thyroid pill 30 minutes before I can eat.

The Endocrinologist is not going to change my prescription level right now.  I am a bit higher than she likes to see but she decided to ride it out and see what my levels do over the next couple of months.  If they are high again next time she will change my dosage.  I am to have it rechecked in December.

It has been a week since I lost any more weight so trusting I have hit bottom and won’t lose much more.  She recommended that if I lose another three pounds I am to go see my general practitioner and see what he wants to do.

It has turned into a beautiful day in KS today.  Temperatures are in the low 60’s and the sun is shining nice and bright.  It is a touch windy out here on top of the hill on the prairie.  We got a good hard freeze last night.  It was really pretty this morning when the sun came up and was shining on the frost on the ground.  Looked like a winter wonderland for a bit.  If it was dry enough I would go out and mow but I still have water standing in places in my yard.

Nothing I have to do for the rest of the day.  I am ready for the guests that are coming in tomorrow evening.  I picked up some Worcestershire Sauce at Costco today so may get the Chex Mix made either today or tomorrow.  Want to start making my Christmas baking list so I can start picking up a few things at a time off that list.  That way it doesn’t feel like it costs so much. !  Ha!

Christmas is not my favorite time of the year.  I am not a good gift buyer and the whole commercial part of Christmas wears me out.  I do need to start thinking about what I want to give the kids and grandkids for Christmas this year.  Maybe I will get inspired and think of something really cool.  Not holding my breath though.  I rarely come through that way.

Sitting in a good place today.  I had a pep talk with myself on the way to Wichita and reminded myself to be patient.  Good things take time!  I do need to make an effort to get out more.  Sometimes that is a real challenge for me.  I usually enjoy the day when I do get out but it is hard to put my feet out the door to go.  Not sure where to go sometimes.  I hate small talk and going just to go.  I much prefer a purposeful adventure.

Grateful for our local library and their book sales, grateful for my Endocrinologist and her prompt response, and grateful for the chance to learn yet another life lesson and open more ranges.  Sometimes the process feels yucky in the moment but I alway appreciate the lessons afterwards.

Sent a note to the Endocrinologist last night about not being able to stop my weight loss.  She responded this morning and wanted me to go in for a stat blood draw.  I drove into Emporia mid-morning and had the blood drawn.  Just got the results and my TSH is higher than it should be but not in the dangerous range.  I was concerned it was too low and my metabolism was too fast.  I haven’t heard from her office to see what she wants to do.  I’m thinking she will increase my medication dose to suppress my levels but she may take a wait and see approach.  I appreciate the way she responds so quickly to my messages.  My primary doctor doesn’t do that.

I must have more blood drawn Friday to check the Antibody levels.  Wish they could have done both today but insurance wouldn’t have paid for it as it was four days too early!

Glad to know it isn’t low thyroid levels causing the continued weight loss.  Low thyroid levels is what caused my thyroid storm way back when all this started over a year ago.  It can be life-threatening in not caught soon enough.  Back to the drawing board trying to figure out how to stop the weight loss.

Did some cleaning downstairs this morning.  Found two light bulbs burned out which led me to clean some light fixtures in the bathrooms.  I get distracted easily!  Still need to do the floors and the house will be ready for my student to return tonight and the guests coming in Wednesday night.  My Marine won’t be here this week so no use cleaning his room until next weekend.

Got a dusting of snow overnight.  Most of it is gone already as the sun is shining very brightly this afternoon.  We are to have a hard freeze tonight.  It is too wet to mow so will have to wait and mow one last time after things dry out a bit.  I am not ready for winter yet!  Glad I will be gone during November – maybe that is when most of our winter will happen his year and I will get lucky and miss it.

Got some groceries while I was in town today.  I picked up a few things for our Thanksgiving Dinner.  I always make the kids Chex Mix and send a gallon bag home with them on Thanksgiving.  I picked up the stuff to make a big batch but forgot Worcestershire Sauce so can’t get it made until I go back to town.  I make it ahead and freeze it.  I used to love that stuff but won’t be able to eat it this year.  That stuff is getting expensive to make!

May go to Wichita tomorrow and go to Costco.  I am almost out of chicken tenders and a few other things.  Thursday I am getting a late start to go to KC and am not sure I will have time to go while I am in KC.  Anyone want to ride along tomorrow?

Have some more cleaning to do today.  I didn’t sleep much last night as I took a nap yesterday.  I am really tired today but am going to attempt to keep moving and not give in to taking a much-needed nap.  It starts a cycle that I don’t like!  Nights sure are long when you can’t sleep.

Have you ever noticed the synchronization of the memes that are on your Facebook wall?  I get many of them from different sources and am always amazed how they carry the same message – especially when it is a message I need to hear.  Today they all seemed to be saying to stay true to myself and to keep my standards high.  I needed to hear that today!  Thank you Universe.

Grateful for the prompt response from my Endocrinologist this morning, grateful for the way the Universe sends me messages so I can hear them loud and clear, and grateful for the bright sun shining today.  My soul needed that today!

Quiet day at home today.  I finally got some sleep last night.  My first sleep was about three hours long and my second sleep was about the same.  It has been several weeks since I got six hours of sleep in one night.

It is rainy and cold outside today.  I thought about going to Costco in Wichita today but I don’t like driving in the rain.  It is to be nice both Monday and Tuesday so will wait and go then.  Think I will stay tucked inside today and be a hermit for the day.  I need my soul and body to sync up and sitting in the peace and quiet of my little house on the prairie helps me do that.

My Marine and his wife dropped off a vehicle this morning.  I was still in bed.  I’m glad I knew they were coming by or it might have scared me to hear them come in.  They are headed to AZ for the week so my Marine can go to class.  It will be a quiet week here without them.

Watched a movie on Prime Video this morning.  Worked on some embroidery work while I watched the movie but it didn’t hold much interest for me.  Not sure if it is the pattern I am working on that I don’t like or if I am done with embroidery work for a bit.  Maybe I burned myself out on it doing so much earlier this year.  If it starts getting cold I can start knitting again and get some more yarn worked up.  I want to get the tub of yarn in my closet worked up this winter.  Have more downstairs too but can’t get to it right now.  I gave away all the dish rags I had knitted to family members last Sunday.  Need to get started making another big pile of them.

Wonder if we will get the snow predicted for later today.  Sure seems early to get snow.  What happened to fall?  Thinking we might have a real winter this year.  We haven’t had a really hard winter for some time.  Not my favorite time of the year with the long dark nights and short days.  I gather my energy from the sun and that is hard to do in the winter time.

Got the heat lamp hooked up for the chicken coop yesterday.  I need to bring the water containers that are outside in the pen up to the house so I can get them cleaned out and stored for the winter time.  I closed the windows so the chickens can stay a bit warmer and drier.  Need to take some fresh straw down and scatter in the coop so they can stay warmer.

Wednesday two guests are coming for one night and Thursday I am going to KC to help Nicole with a project she is working on.  Friday a repeat guest is coming in for two nights.  One of my long-term guests will be here next week too.  So grateful for my guests as this house feels mighty big and empty with just me here now.

Friday I will need to go into Emporia for a blood draw.  Time to have my thyroid levels checked.  I want to send the Doctor a note on Monday to see if she wants to add any blood tests to what she has already ordered.  It crossed my mind that maybe the reason I am having trouble stopping the weight loss is because my thyroid levels are not in balance.  Not sure what tests she ordered so I want to check and see.  I may need a medication adjustment.  The thyroid controls your metabolism.  I’ve lost 17 pounds since I saw her in June.  I have an ultrasound scheduled for the end of October.

The Emporia library has their fall book sale going on.  Bag day is Tuesday so will go in and get four or five bags full so I have reading material for the winter.  I am helping with the book sale on Wednesday morning.  Last spring I was glad I had paid the $10 a bag price as they were pretty sold out by the time the bags were only $5.  I probably should go in today and pay the $1 – $3 a book price but I’m too cheap to do that.

I need to call and make an appointment to get my hair cut.  Trying to wait to get it done until the week before I leave for New Zealand but it is really bothering me so may go ahead and get it done this week.  Less than three weeks before my next big adventure starts.  Time to make a packing list and make sure I have everything I need.  I need to try on a couple of pair of pants and make sure they still fit.

I get home the week of Thanksgiving and want to do most of my Thanksgiving dinner shopping before I leave.  I’ll have to have my Marine set the turkey in the refrigerator while I am gone so it will be thawed so I can cook it on Thanksgiving.  I’ll buy everything but the perishable stuff before I leave so my list will be fairly easy to get the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  The stores get so crowded I hate to shop then.  Once my list is complete it always feels like the hard part of fixing dinner is done.

Feels like I am having a life course adjustment.  I took the wrong path for a couple of weeks and feel like I am back on the right path again.  Not sure what is over the hill I am climbing but trusting it is exactly where I am to be.  I learned on the Camino to take one step at a time and to stay fully present.  That helped make the climb possible.  The present moment is all we ever have.  I plan for  the future but there is no guarantee I have a future.  This moment, right here, right now, is all there is.  I kinda like my peaceful moment of today.  I am attempting to secure in to it and lock in this feeling so I can return to it if needed.

Still need to do some work on securing “we”.  I can only do that work when “I” is secure.  I got rattled a bit and need to come back to “I” before I can do “We”.  One step forward and one back!  It is all good!  I love learning about myself and my habitual patterns.  Discouraging at times yet I have to look back to where I was a year ago and can appreciate the progress I have made.  You can’t eat the whole elephant in one setting!  One bite at a time!  One day at a time!  Sometimes one moment at a time!.

Grateful for my guests that come stay, grateful for the wisdom of my higher self, and grateful for the teachings from my mentor.

Damn!  My Match guy turned out to be a fraud.  I had started getting suspicious a few days ago.  He followed the same pattern the other guy had followed.  His profile disappeared as soon as we made contact.  A quick trip turned into an unexpected additional long trip overseas.  Only a brief phone conversation and a delay in meeting face to face.  This one was so cute I was hoping my intuition was wrong but I pulled the plug this morning.

I am surprised what I am feeling is relief.  I guess my higher self knew what was happening and helped protect my heart.  This guy was just too good to be true.

The quiet of the house even feels differently today.  There is a peace to it today that hasn’t been here for two or three days.

I reactivated my Match account but not sure it holds much interest to me right now.  Thinking I will take a break until I get home from my trip in November and decide then if I want to proceed.  I need to figure out why I am attracting the scammers.  At least now I know their pattern.

Went into Cottonwood Falls for the Fall for Chase County Event that is being held this afternoon.  The sun was shining and it felt good to get out of the house and walk up and down Main Street for a bit.  Stopped in at Prairie PastTimes and a lady was singing.  I had heard her before and she is really good.  Sat and listened to her for a bit until my ass got sore from sitting on a wooden chair.  Saw several friends as I walked up and down the street.

Came home and got the two beds made up.  I was able to salvage the sheets the dogs opened the package they were in.  One of the flat sheets has some light grass stain on it but it is the back-up set anyways that probably won’t get used.

Only got four eggs from my girls today.  I need to get the heat lamp hooked up yet today while it is fairly nice outside.  We are to get a hard freeze this week and I don’t want to have to thaw water.

While the Match experience is disappointing I did learn some new things about myself.  That is always good!  I have been surprised at myself that old thought patterns still activate and run when I get insecure.  They don’t feel like my truth anymore but they sure can get me headed in the wrong direction for a bit.  It is getting easier to stop them and turn them around but I do have to stay awake and alert to do so.  I also need to work on some of my insecurities and the way I view my body.  Not good enough came back into my mind again.  I still struggle to see my new body shape and when I get insecure all I see is the loose skin and wrinkles.

Life is an interesting journey isn’t it?  Full of life lessons if I am awake and ready to learn them.  Knowing and trusting when I am ready the right partner will appear and I will wonder why I even thought it would never happen!

Grateful for my high self and the wisdom it gives me when I listen to it, grateful  for all the friends I have in Chase County and the hugs I got today from them, and grateful for life lessons and the ability to grow and expand my ranges – even when the lessons suck!

Happy birthday Mom!  Hard to believe you would have turned 89 today.  You always lived your life as if you were 20 years younger than you were.  I think of you everyday and am so very grateful for the time we spent together and how we became best friends.

This morning I worked on resetting the two guest rooms.  My guest that was to come in for the weekend cancelled so I will have the house to myself this weekend again.  Good news is I will still get paid for the weekend stay even though she won’t be here.  Now that is an easy guest!

I went to Pioneer Bluffs late morning to help do some data entry.  Ate my lunch and then attended the Board meeting.  Only one more meeting to go!  Found myself in the observer role at the meeting today.  Interesting to watch the dynamics at play between other board members.

When I got home I found the package of new sheets I had ordered in the yard.  One of the two inner packages had been totally opened and the sheets and pillowcases were in the grass.  The other inner package was still mostly intact.  Two of the pillowcases had holes in them.  I treated the sheets with a stain remover and threw them in the washer.  I’ll see if I was able to salvage them.  Seriously need to teach my dogs some better manners.  It is rude of them to open someone else’s packages.

My Colonel (match guy) is on his way out of the country for a work assignment.  He had WiFi on board so we have been texting this afternoon.  I realized on the way home I had been holding some fear about fitting into his life style.  I also realized I will be asking him to make some major life changes to fit into my life style too.  That seemed to help me release the fear I was holding.   So far I haven’t found much to not like about this guy.  He is helping me get outside my comfort level and is helping me find ranges I need to open.  I always appreciate that!  I am really looking forward to meeting him face to face when he comes to visit me the end of the month.

My Marine won’t be here next week as he is going to AZ for class.  It will really be weird not to have him around in the evenings.  I don’t even want to think what it will be like when he moves on after the first of the year.  I have come to love both him and his wife.

I am going to KC next Thursday to help Nicole.  I had forgotten to book off Wednesday and Thursday night so guests wouldn’t book.  I had a couple instant book for next Wednesday night.  I’ll still be able to go to KC but won’t be able to leave very early unless the guests get out of the house early.  I seldom have mid-week guests so didn’t think about blocking the time off.  Sometimes I forget I work!

Another quiet weekend by myself.  Not sure what I am going to do tomorrow.  Have laundry to finish and some cleaning that needs done but other than that nothing on my to-do list.

May need to break down and turn the furnace on this weekend.  It is to get down to the mid to upper 20’s both Sunday and Monday nights.  What happened to fall temperatures?   We went from summer directly to winter!  Not ready for cold weather.

Sitting in my peaceful valley tonight.  I’m grateful I figured out I was sitting in fear and able to release it.  Funny how a little mind shift can help.  I have been observing my monkey mind chatter and attempting to quiet it when I play a self-doubting old mind tape.  I can spin out of control pretty quickly with my thoughts.

Grateful for my mother and all the ways she cared for me, grateful for figuring out where my fear was coming from and being able to release it, and grateful for knowing the chatter in my mind is no longer my truth.

In honor of the third anniversary of walking the Camino de Santiago I am going to repost my entry from October 11, 2015

500 miles traveled mainly on foot! My journey on the Camino is finished!

I left this morning a little after 8:00.  It was just barely light enough to see the ground as I traveled down a tree-lined path.  Thankfully there were not a lot of big rocks I had to walk around.  It was cloudy but dry this morning.

I walked slowly all morning, savoring the last miles of the Camino.  I knew I couldn’t be there for the noon mass so decided to walk slowly.  As people passed that recognized me we would stop and give each other a hug.

It started sprinkling late morning but never did rain hard today.

About two miles away from Santiago my feet were really hurting and I needed to sit down for a bit.  There was an outdoor restaurant and I thought the building next to it was the inside part of the restaurant so I went inside.  It turned out to be a simple little church.  As I walked in I felt a wave of emotion flood through me.

I found a pew and sat down.  I immediately started crying.  Relief, sadness, you name it and I felt them all flood through me.  There was a man beside me and when he got up to leave I stood up so he could get out of the pew.  He gave me a hug as he left as he could see I was crying.

His hug felt like I was hugged by God.

When I finally stopped crying and came outside he was gone.  I walked the rest of the way alone into Santiago.  The trail was empty at this point so I got to walk in silence and alone!  Perfect for me today!

I saw an Italian restaurant and decided to stop and have lunch before I reached the cathedral.

Inside the restaurant was one of the ladies I had met a day or two ago that rode a horse yesterday.  Sitting beside her was the man from the church!  We had lunch together and I was able to tell him how much that hug meant to me.

His name is Daniel and he is from Ireland.  His wife died of cancer 12 years ago and he raised his four children by himself.  The youngest will be starting college soon.

He ended up walking into town with me and we got our Compostela together.  He shared his story with me on the walk into town.  We shared tears and hugs after we received our Compostela.

It was a beautiful ending to my Camino.

While I was at the church this afternoon I got a deep sense of coming home to myself.  Camino complete!

I didn’t sleep much at all last night.  Stayed in bed late this morning trying to wring out one more hour of sleep.  Probably should have just gotten up and given up.  Sometimes sleep just can’t find me.

Went into Emporia after I ate breakfast and ran some errands and got groceries.  Glad those things are crossed off my list.  Don’t have much else that has to be done today.  Since the sun is shining today maybe my energy level will rise and I will get motivated to do something.  Need to move my body today and warm up.  It is in the 40’s today outside.  Only going to reach the low 50’s for the high of the day.  More rain is in the forecast starting tomorrow and through the weekend.  May bundle up and go outside for a long walk. I feel like I haven’t been outside much lately due to all the rain.

Just had the best surprise of the day.  The friends I met on the Camino from California FaceTime with me.  It was an absolute delight to see their beautiful faces and talk with them.  I love technology when things like that can happen.

Made tentative plans with my Match guy last night for us to meet towards the end of October.  He is going out of the country on a work assignment for 14 days but when he gets back we are going to arrange a way to meet before I leave for New Zealand on November 2.  Trusting we can make this happen.

I am not sore today after my fall yesterday.  Very grateful for that!  I had fallen after tripping myself in a vine that was growing around the water pump by the barn.  I had filled a five gallon bucket of water for the chickens.  Thankfully the water went one way and I bounced the other way.  I went all the way down and landed on my shoulder first.  I was able to carry the bucket of water down to the chickens after the fall and I used that arm to carry it with so I knew nothing was broken.  I got lucky!

I got a notification that the shoes I had ordered had been delivered.  I went outside looking for them last night but couldn’t find the package.  Sometimes they take my packages to my neighbor’s house.  As I left the house this morning I saw my package in the front yard – opened.  Lucky it didn’t rain last night and ruin the new shoes.  They were completely out of the box and have dog slobbers on them.  I think I can clean them up after they dry.  I am going to have to teach the dogs how to read – I didn’t see their name on the package!   Thinking I will give them each some wrapped, empty boxes for Christmas.  They love to open packages.

My Note From the Universe today reminded me of the beauty of sitting in uncertainly.  The timing of that note was spot on.  Lots of uncertainly in my world right now.  Doing my best to allow it to be what it is and sit with it.  Goes against my habitual pattern to  do nothing with it.  At times it feels good to be able to do so and other times my practical brain wants me to throw in the towel and do something.  Reminding myself to stay out of resistance and action and to sit with the uncertainly and allow it to be what it is.

I also have a habit of going to the worse case outcome and assuming that is what will happen.  When I catch myself doing that I stop, pause and say a positive mantra.  I have so many habitual patterns to break.  Love when I discover them as it is hard to change something you don’t know about.  It is getting easier and easier for me to break out of the habitual pattern.  The hard part is recognizing them for what they are.  For some reason the Universe is giving me lots of opportunities to break my ranges wide open right now.  Sometimes it feels overwhelming but when I can stay grounded and centered it feels right and easy.

Grateful for FaceTime and the chance to see and visit with my dear friends, grateful for the bright sunshine today, and grateful for the ranges and habitual patterns that I am breaking open in my life right now.

My two guests last night arrived around 8:30.  I showed them their room and didn’t hear anything from them until this morning.  They had been driving all day and were ready to crash.  They came up this morning and fixed breakfast and then left.  Easy guests to have around!  This was the first time they had stayed in an Airbnb.  They booked another one for tonight so they must have enjoyed their visit.

Have been working on laundry and cleaning today.  The guest that was coming in this weekend cancelled so I will have the house to myself again all weekend.  My Marine is going to AZ for training Friday and won’t be here all next week.  Nothing on my calendar to do this weekend.  Sounds like it might rain again and be a bit cold so not thinking being outdoors will be something I will want to plan to do.

A friend came over for a business lunch today.  Always nice to have company to eat a meal with.

My Marine took me with him looking at the flood water yesterday afternoon.  He was looking for deer but we didn’t see any.  We had to turn around twice as the water over the road was either running too fast or was too deep to drive through.  The hills are beautiful right now with the shades of gold and red appearing.  Lots of water in the ditches.  Nice to see the creeks running and the ponds full.

The water that was coming up through the floor in the closet has stopped coming up this morning.  I am leaving the fan on it to help it get dried out so I don’t develop a mold issue.  The water ban in Chase County has finally been lifted.  So grateful the water tables below ground are full again.

I slept better last night than I have been but am very tired this afternoon.  Seems like when my body finally gets some sleep it wants more and more of it.  Not sure if I will give in and take a nap or not.  I need some groceries and may run into Emporia today to get them taken care of.  If not today, then I will have to go in the morning.

The wind is sharp today.  It is to get down to 33 tonight and there is a freeze warning out.  Not sure I am ready for winter – what happened to fall?  More rain in the forecast for the weekend.  It may be a bit before I will get to mow my yard again.

Got a phone call from the Pharmacy about the grievance I had filed.  Not sure I bought his story but got the medication discontinued so it won’t get refilled.  My Doctor had sent new prescriptions when I switched to the new company and then the pharmacy I had before transferred the prescriptions.  Somehow when one or the other scripts were entered the permission to fill box was checked automatically, even though my web page didn’t show that.  Sounds fishy to me!  Still may look to change prescription companies when it is open enrollment time to do so.

Dropped another pound this morning.  I am now five pounds below goal weight.  The weight loss has slowed down so am trusting I won’t keep losing weight.  My BMI was 20.3 this morning and I don’t want it to get below 20.0.   I am slowly starting to see myself as a thin person although I don’t think I am completely there yet.  I have added food to each of my meals and can barely eat all of them so not sure what I will do if I keep losing weight.  Who would have thought I would have this issue?  Wow!  I have been eating the Bright Lines Way for eight months now.  Rarely do I get an urge to cheat or really even think about cheating.  My body seems to like what I am doing.  Have lots less aches and pains and have lots more energy than I did when I started.  I have lost 46 pounds in 8 months and 66 pounds since a year ago.

Sitting in my peaceful valley but feeling a bit restless today. Had a caution flag wave at me yesterday and need to process it.  I have learned to stop, ground and center myself when those come up for me.  Sometimes I am just cranky and tired and they don’t need anything done about them but sometimes I really need to pay attention.  Stopping and listening to my wiser self tends to work best when I am grounded, centered and well rested.  I’ll see how this one plays out.  I am very aware of my impulsive habit and am giving it some attention so I can break that pattern.  Thinking the restlessness is due to sitting with the urge to do something NOW about it instead of pausing.  Always something new to learn about myself.

Grateful for easy guests, grateful for finding the Bright Line Eating Plan, and grateful for the teachings of my mentor.  When I pay attention my life is easy flowing – even when it sucks!

Received a request for two people to stay for one night.  They will be arriving this evening and checking out in the morning.  They are traveling from Boulder to St. Louis and wanted to spend some time at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve tomorrow morning.  Hopefully the rain will end and they will get to walk some of the wet and muddy trails.

Dumped out 4.25 inches last night from my rain gauge and already have over 2 more inches in it with the forecast showing rain all day today.  My back yard looks like a swimming pool.  I have a little bit of water coming up from the floor in the back closet in the basement.  I mopped it up last night and put a fan on it.  Had to mop up even more this morning.  Thinking the water table below the house is finally full.  The good news is there is no water in the hiddy hole room.  That used to be the room that leaked.  Some guests sealed it for me and it has held nicely since.  Thanks Robin!

My Marine went to work this morning but returned quickly as his work day was cancelled.  He is taking a nap and then is going to go out and look at the flooding around the area.  Typical KS behavior during floods!  Lots of roads are closed around here and I bet more will flood by the end of the day.  It is hard for the ground to absorb six to eight inches of rain in a short period of time.

My Match guy had to go to DC today.  He got called yesterday and received a request to come.  He sure lives in a different world than I do.  I can stick my head in the prairie and ignore the world’s troubles for the most part.  He is directly involved in some of the nasty stuff.  It will be interesting when I finally get to meet him and hear more about what he is doing – at least the part he can share.

Got the guest rooms cleaned for the guests coming in this afternoon.  Due to the rain lots of spiders and other bugs are coming in to find dry ground.  Swept them all up.  Once the towels are dry and put away the rooms will be ready for them.

Nothing else I have to do today.  The guests won’t be here until after 7:00 so have all day free.  May take a nap again as I didn’t sleep much again last night.

Star, my pure breed Great Pyrenees turned two years old today.  She is finally considered full-grown.  Guessing she weighs close to 100 pounds if not over.  She is the trouble-maker of the three dogs.  She needs to learn some manners!

Just noticed my socks are wet and don’t match.  My feet were cold this morning so I put on my thick hiking socks and no shoes.  When I went down to mop the basement I must have gotten them wet.  It is nice to finally be able to go barefoot.  Before I had my feet operated on I couldn’t go without shoes as it hurt too bad.  The new Birkenstock’s I got have been very comfortable.  I ordered some lined croc like shoes that should be here tomorrow.  Hoping they will be comfortable too.

Sitting in my peaceful valley today.  I can feel myself opening new ranges all the time.  When I am well-grounded it feels good to do so.  Change is the one constant in this world.  Reminding myself to go with the flow and stay out of resistance.  I sometimes want to figure everything out ahead of time and have found that wastes my energy.  I have to trust myself more and ride the waves.  Life is a mystery and I’m not sure we are to know all the answers.  Sometimes sitting with the question is much more productive for me.  Answers eventually find me – or not!  The Universe has its own sense of timing and when I can match timing that life is easier.

Grateful for guests, grateful for my Match guy, and grateful for being able (at least in this moment) to embrace change and open new ranges within.

My rain gauge has over 4 inches in it.  I haven’t dumped it this weekend.  More rain is in the forecast.  The gauge only holds 5 so I will need to dump it to make room for the additional rain headed my way.  Grateful for rain!

My Marine got home last night.  He got slowed down due to the rain.  I was tired and didn’t wait up for him.  I must have slept good for a bit as I didn’t hear him come in.

Woke up in the middle of the night and found an email from my pharmacy.  The email was notifying me that a prescription order was being processed.  The only problem was I hadn’t authorized the refill and I no longer take the medication.  I called them although I really wasn’t expecting anyone would answer.  They did and I explained the problem.  The clerk said she would request the order be caught and cancelled but there was no guarantee that would happen.  I ask to speak to her supervisor.  She wasn’t very happy with me but transferred me to a different person.  That person told me the same thing.  When I expressed my disappointment in her answer she did some more investigation.  She found out that the medication was not on automatic refill but that someone had requested it.  When I insisted I had not requested it she mentioned something about a grievance I could file if the medication was shipped.  I told her I wanted to file a grievance now.  She finally cooperated and wrote up the paperwork and gave me a case number.

This morning I received an email telling me the order had been cancelled.  Not sure they would have caught it if I hadn’t file a grievance.  Wondering if I should change prescription companies at the end of the year.  I am not impressed with their service.

I was more concerned about the insurance cost getting charge to my account and putting me in the donut hole for a medication I wouldn’t be able to use.    I trust the grievance will uncover what happened and how the medication got approved to order.  I’ll see how it turns out and if I am not satisfied in their response I will change companies.

I went into Emporia this morning to go to Walmart.  I needed a few more pair of jeans.  A few pair I had are too big for me now.  Trusting I have hit the bottom of my weight loss journey and the jeans I got today will be the ones I will be able to wear all winter.  I picked up a new shirt.  When I went to checkout I discovered the price tag was missing.  The clerk came over to help me and punched in numbers to make it $5.00 after I told her I would get it next time.  What a bargain!  She also found a coupon for me as I had purchased three greeting cards.  I don’t usually see that type of service at my local Walmart.

This is an empty space type of day.  Am doing some laundry and cleaning but other than that nothing that has to be done.  My whole week is like that.  By Friday I may be going a little stir crazy.  Anyone have something they need help with?  Lunch anyone?  Hit me up!

Still texting with the Match guy.  I kinda thought he would call yesterday afternoon but didn’t.  He seems to take two steps forward and then pulls back.  It is kinda scary to move forward together.  I feel like I have been doing the same thing.  Am I ready for a relationship?  Still not sure but that has never held me back before.  I’m not sure I am ever 100% ready for something new.  Sometimes one just has to jump and see what happens.

May go back to bed for a bit.  I slept hard from 9:00 to midnight and then only off and on the rest of the night.  I’m glad I woke up though as it got the medication order stopped.  I am overdue for a sleep crash.  It has been several weeks since I got more than three or four hours of sleep in one night.  My sleep tank is running on empty.

The sun is trying to come out and play for a bit.  It is nice to see it.  It has been on vacation for several days.  Nice of it to check in on the prairie.  I always feel better when the sun is shining.

Still in my peaceful valley today.  The empty space feels healing to me right now.  I feel the need to do a deep meditation and deeply ground myself to Mother Earth.  More change is headed my way and change is always easier for me if I can stay centered and grounded.

Grateful for rain on the prairie, grateful for getting my medication stopped, and grateful for empty space that feels healing.

Just got home from the reunion.  Had a smaller than normal crowd today with lots of food leftover.  I took a chocolate sheet cake, a meat loaf and roasted vegetables.  Gave away most of the cake and meat loaf.  Saved a bit for my Marine.

It is always a delight to see my two remaining Aunts.  Both are finally starting to slow down a bit and look closer to their age.  Still can’t believe they are in their 80’s.  I love them both dearly and so appreciate them.

It has been a foggy and rainy day on the prairie today.  Got another inch of rain overnight and today.  Rain continues to be in the forecast for the next couple of days. The ground is getting soggy for the first time all year.  This will help fill the ponds for the winter time and hopefully fill the water table below ground too.

I had to turn the fireplace on this morning and again when I got home to take the chill out of the air.  Not used to 50’s yet.  Like them better than the 90’s but not sure why we had to swing so quickly to them.  What happened to the 70’s?

I was going to go to Pioneer Bluffs tomorrow to help clean up but they decided we didn’t need to do so.  I now have been gifted a completely empty space type of day for tomorrow.  I have a meeting to go to Friday afternoon if my guest doesn’t plan on arriving early.  Other than that this week is empty space!  That hasn’t happened for a bit.  I will have my normal Airbnb hostess duties to do but nothing else that has to be done all week.  Sometimes when I have lots of empty space I can find trouble to get into!  Trusting this time I will cherish the empty space and find something productive to do with myself.  Anyone need some help?  I’m free!

Thought of Mom today.  I used her recipes to make the chocolate sheet cake and meatloaf.  Felt like I took her with me to the reunion by making her food.   My Aunts are so much like her when I spend time with them I feel like I got to spend time with Mom.  I felt her with me today.

Both of my baby brothers came to the reunion today.  It was nice to see them.  We live so close yet rarely spend time with each other.  There were two babies that had been born this year at the reunion.  The family continues to grow!

I have a quiet mind this afternoon.  The roller coaster I had been on earlier seems to have leveled out.  Found my peaceful valley again.  Trusting with the empty space week ahead of me I can secure myself into this space and place and hold my center.

Grateful for the family that gathered today and the love and laughter that was shared, grateful for a week ahead of me full of empty space and that it feels like breathing space to me, and grateful for my peaceful valley and the peace of heart it brings to me.

Just got home from the Pioneer Bluffs Fall Festival.  I did the chicken chores when I got home.  Didn’t need to take lettuce to them as they were already roosting since it is dark out.  Only got 6 eggs today – the slackers.

I went to Pioneer Bluffs around 10:30 this morning.  I didn’t have anything I needed to do here and decided I might as well go early and help.  Set up tables, chairs, etc helping get ready for the Festival.  We lucked out and the rain held off until the very end of the day.  It was a tad bit chilly in the barn but as long as the doors stayed closed it was bearable.

Not sure how many people showed up – guessing a little over 100.  People came and went all day long so it was hard to get a good estimate on numbers.  This Festival was very different from what we have done in the past.  Seemed more authentic and true to our purpose this year.

Part of our rebranding is to become the Ranching Heritage Site for the Flint Hills.  The entry room of the granary was remodeled as part of that effort and two new kiosk were added that tells our story.  People seemed to be impressed with what we had done.

We were short volunteers for the afternoon.  I was greeting, serving desserts, keeping an eye on the coffee and water and selling calendars.  Not sure I did anyone of them well.  I have forgotten how to multi-task.

Got rid of both pies and both pumpkin pie cakes.  Got several comments on them – they were well received.  Glad I haven’t lost my baking touch.  It had been a bit since I had baked a dessert.

Got a chance to talk to several of the guests and other volunteers.  It was a nice day for me.  Time went by quickly as I stayed busy most of the time.

Late afternoon I got my first phone call from my Match guy.  We have been texting up to this point.  Was nice to hear what his voice sounds like.  We didn’t get to talk very long as I was busy and he was getting ready to go to a dinner meeting.  Betting we spend more time on the phone tomorrow.

Last night I took a dip in the muck pond for a bit.  Didn’t stay in it very long.  Had a good cry and felt better.  Not sure if it is the new moon, all the political shit happening, all the change that is going on around me or what but I got pulled off-center for a bit.  I didn’t sleep much again last night but am doing much better today.  Sometimes I think I just need to hit bottom so I can kick off and climb higher afterwards.  At least this time I recognized immediately what happened and was able to immediately surrender and climb out quickly.  I used to live in the muck pond.

Felt good to be in service most of the day today.  Hoping the physical activity I did today will help me finally get a good night’s sleep tonight.  I look forward to my soaker bath tonight to warm back up again.

Tomorrow I have a family reunion to go to.  This is one of my favorite days of the year.  My mom had three sisters and this is when the four families get together.  We keep growing in numbers every year.  I will need to get up and going in the morning as I will need to fix some food to take.  At least I know what I am going to take – that is always the hardest part.

Monday I am going back to Pioneer Bluffs to help clean-up.  Everyone was tired tonight and decided it could wait until Monday.  The rest of next week at this point is fairly empty.  I have one new guest coming in Friday and staying until Sunday.  Two of my long-term guests will be back Monday evening and staying until Friday morning.

I have less than a month before I leave for Australia and New Zealand.  I need to make a list of what I want to take and make sure I haven’t misssed anything.  May need to make one more trip to KC to finish up before the trip.

Grateful for a fun day at Pioneer Bluffs and a chance to be in service, grateful my trip into the muck pond yesterday was short-lived, and grateful for the rain the prairie received last night.

It has been a productive morning.  Have the last of five loads of laundry washing.  Made up two beds with fresh sheets.  Moved one of the twin beds out of a room and moved the recliner into that room.  This way one of my long-term boarders will have more room in her room.  She studies at night so thought the recliner would be more comfortable for her than laying on the bed.  Set out the heaters in each room as it has been getting cool at night.

Baked two pumpkin pies for the Pioneer Bluffs Round-up tomorrow.  Am going to also bake two pumpkin pie cakes this afternoon to take.

The house is empty except for me until Monday evening.  It has been a while since I had the whole house to myself for more than a day or two.  The house feels mighty big and empty to me today.  I am remembering why I want to find a life partner.  I enjoy empty space and an empty house but not sure I want to live like this the rest of my life.  Feeling a touch lonely today for some reason.  That doesn’t happen often.  Thinking it is because of the guy I am texting with.  I find myself projecting into the future with him.  Not sure that is a wise thing for me to be doing.  Way too early for that!  When I catch myself doing so I come back to my breath and the present moment.  Right here, right now is all I have and know is true.

Got the chicken coop cleaned out yesterday.  The girls love to rearrange their fresh linens.  Wish it made them lay more eggs.  Only got four eggs yesterday.  They are slacking on the job!

I went through my files and pulled the bills from 2017.  I will box them up and take them down to the barn for storage.  Sure doesn’t take long to do that task now – when we had the stores that task was an all day project.  Almost time I can start getting rid of the 2012 records.  That will only leave the 2013 records which is the year we sold the stores in April of that year.  The shelves in the barn are starting to get emptied out.  Feels good to get rid of that energy from the past.

May take a few minutes and update my tax records for this year.  I do that quarterly and if I stay on top of it I can get that task done in 30 minutes or so.  Sure makes tax prep at the end of the year easier.  I do want to call my accountant and check in with my projected income numbers to make sure I don’t need to pay an estimated income tax payment this year.  I think I am good but wouldn’t hurt to check.  I hate paying penalties for stuff like that.  It is hard to estimate the sales number for the Airbnb.  I think I can come close for the year now though.  Having to replace two roofs on the rentals will help at tax time too.

Not sure what I am going to do this afternoon.  Haven’t finished all the cleaning I wanted to get done but have a good start on it.  Hopefully the urge to get that finished up will hit me and I can cross that off my list.  I love having  a completely detailed clean house.  Wish I didn’t procrastinate on getting it done.

Sitting with curiosity as to why I feel lonely today.  Allowing it to be what it is.  Knowing it has something to teach me.  Softening my heart and allowing energy to flow freely in and out.  Knowing all is well.  I have been curious about the self-doubt thoughts that have been surfacing lately.  Many are old tapes that seem to be playing again.  So far I haven’t fallen for my old stories about myself.  When one pops up I have been replacing it with a positive mantra.  Being grounded and centered helps make that practice easier.

Grateful for a burst of productivity today, grateful for having learned some practices to keep myself out of the muck pond, and grateful for being able to allow my feelings to be what they are.  They dissipate much quicker when I can do that.