Starry night on the prairie

Had trouble sleeping last night. I slept good for about three hours but then couldn’t sleep much the rest of the night. I would fall asleep for about 15 minutes and then wake up and be awake for a couple of hours. I went back to bed this morning around 9:30 and got another hour of sleep or so. Hoping this was just a weird night and won’t repeat anytime soon.

Went to Walmart to pick up a few things. I’m always proud of myself when I can find where I want to go and get back home again without getting lost. I also stopped and got my car washed. The machine didn’t go a great job but my car looks better. I also vacuumed the car out. With all the moisture we’ve had we have managed to track lots of dirt in the car.

Jim went to church and then had a meeting he had to go to. When he got back home we took a four mile walk. It was in the low 60’s today and was a beautiful day to get out and walk. My feet held up OK. They still hurt at times, especially at night, but walking doesn’t seem to set them off any more or less than if I don’t take a long walk.

I would like to get up to walking 10 miles a day before we go to CO this summer. I’m pleased I can go four miles already and not be worn out when we are done. We will keep adding some distance and see what happens. Jim helps to motivate me to get out and walk – I appreciate that.

Tomorrow I have to go to the library to play on a Chrome book. I got a keyboard today as the Chrome doesn’t have a numeric pad and it is much easier to enter numbers on a pad. Walmart had one for only $10.99 so it didn’t cost much. If it makes it easier for me to correctly and quickly enter the information for the clients it will be worth it.

I have done all the wedding planning done I can do for the next couple of weeks. The remainder of the things on my list can’t be done eight weeks ahead of time. I have ordered several dresses so trusting at least one will work. Once I finalize the dress I will need to get a pair of shoes. I need to decide on a punch recipe and get the supplies for that, make the mints and buy the nuts. As far as I know that is all I have left to do.

Ellexia has the flu and has been running a high temperature all day. I trust she will be feeling better soon. I’ve heard there are some nasty complications happening with kiddos that get the flu. Wish I was closer so I could help watch her this week so her mommy can sleep.

Grateful the wedding plans are completed for a bit, grateful my feet carried me on a four mile hike, and grateful for what little sleep I was able to get last night.

Went to a military promotion ceremony this afternoon.  A friend of Jim’s is in the Reserves and was promoted.  The ceremony was held at the church where our wedding is going to be.  They had a reception in the same area where ours will be so it was good to see how the traffic flowed and where to set things up at.

Before the ceremony the family had gone in to sit in their assigned seats.  I was out in the reception area waiting for Jim to finish a conversation he was having with someone.  I was looking around the area and noticed they had forgotten to put forks out for the cake they were going to serve afterwards.  I went in the kitchen and found some and put them on the table.

The guy that got promoted was hoping to have his father pin him but his father got put in the hospital.  They set up a phone so the dad could see the ceremony.

There were about 40 – 50 people there.  I kept an eye on the cake to see how much they used.  I’m still not sure I ordered enough cake.  I would hate to run out yet I don’t want too much left over.  They had a 11 x 14 sheet cake and didn’t quite serve all of it.  They had fairly big pieces though.  The one I ordered is a two layer 12 x 12.  Sure would help to know how many people are coming.

We were by Lowe’s afterwards.  Jim got a new microwave oven that has a vent for the stove attached.  It requires a cabinet above it so he found a plain cabinet to hang above the microwave.  He also got a piece of plywood to build a box for the dishwasher that he is going to install.

We talked at dinner about what needs to be done to the kitchen after the dishwasher and microwave gets installed.  Jim needs to get the cabinet doors made and then sanded and all the cabinets painted.  We will need to remove the linoleum and bring the wood floor back to life.  He also needs to do something to the counter tops and put in a backsplash of some sort.  The walls will need repaired and painted.  After he broke it all down for me I have a better idea of what needs to be done.

It is exciting to see some progress being made though.  Our goal is to have the kitchen done before the wedding in March.  We would also like to finish the back room but am not counting on that.

Tried a new recipe for dinner tonight.  I had thawed some chicken tenders.  Went on-line and found a recipe.  I dipped the tenders in butter than rolled them in a Parmesan cheese spice mixture and baked them for 25 minutes.  They were good although I will adjust some of the spices next time.  Made an easy dinner.

We took a two mile walk before dinner.  My feet are a bit sore from yesterdays long walk but I am doing my best to ignore them.  It was warmer walking today than yesterday.  It sprinkled a bit while we were at Lowe’s but by the time we took our walk the rain had moved on and we didn’t get wet walking.

Tomorrow morning we will go to church.  They have their annual meeting after worship followed by a lunch of some sort.  Hopefully when we get home from church we will get some more work done in the kitchen.

I hope next week won’t be as busy as this week has been.  We didn’t find much time to get much work done on the house.  I have to go to tax school on Monday for two hours so I can get my hands on a Chrome book and learn some basics.  Thursday I go to Subaru school to learn about the systems in my car.  Other than that I don’t have anything on my calendar.  We have tickets to a piano concert Tuesday night.

Monday I hope to mail the invitations to the wedding and reception in Strong City.  I’ll have to remind Jim to get the rest of the wedding invitations addressed so we can get them mailed Monday.

Grateful to have spent some time in the reception area of the church so I can plan better now, grateful progress is being made in the kitchen, grateful for another nice walk today.

Decided on a wedding cake today.  I’m not sure I got a big enough one but will wait until it gets a bit closer and order another one once I have a better idea how many people are coming.  The lady at the bakery told me how many it served and the size of the piece.  It feels really too small to me.

We took a three and one-half mile walk today.  It felt good to get out and stretch my legs.  We went at 4:45 and didn’t get back until after the sunset.  It was getting pretty cold before we got back.

Got the paperwork to reserve the church filled out and the check written for the deposit and fee they charge.  The preacher is bending the rules a bit to accommodate us.

The photographer the preacher recommended can’t do the pictures.  I think I will book the lady I found on-line.  Jim is a bit shy about paying her fee but I really want good pictures and want a professional to take them.

I spent the afternoon looking for dresses on-line.  I ordered two more from a different company.  One is perhaps for Nicole’s wedding and the other might work for my wedding.  The first two dresses I ordered haven’t shipped yet so have no idea when I might get them.  I trust I can get the dress finalized soon.  I will still need to get some shoes but can’t do that until I decide on the dress.

Last night Jim got a door hung in the bedroom for the bedroom closet.  Tonight we are going to tear out some of the kitchen cabinets to make room for the dishwasher.  We looked at Lowe’s today for a hood for the stove.  We may go back and look for a combination microwave and hood.  Jim was going to tear all the cabinets out and build new ones but has decided instead to paint what is there instead.  That will save lots of time.  We hope to have the back room and kitchen done before the wedding.  That would be exciting if we can make that happen.

Anyone have a really good punch recipe?  The one I usually use has cranberry juice in it and Jim doesn’t like cranberry juice.

My to do list is almost complete.  I still need to decide if I want to order personalized napkins or not – probably won’t.  I also need to decide if I want to carry a bouquet of flowers – probably won’t.  We have flowers for the alter and the reception area already taken care of.  I can’t make the mints this far in advance.  I will pick up the nuts when it gets closer.

We are having a family dinner Saturday night before the wedding and we need to decide if we are going out or cooking at home.  I am fixing a brunch for family Sunday morning at the house.  Sunday night we will have pizza or something like that.  We need to decide about Saturday night so we can reserve a table somewhere if we are going out.

I need to decide what to serve for the reception.  I have a baker confirmed and will need to give her details when it gets closer and I know how many people are coming.

The bits and pieces seem to be coming together.  I sure would feel better if I can find a dress.  I may have to go to a store and try dresses on – yuck!

Grateful for a long walk today, grateful to get the wedding cake confirmed, and grateful my to do list is getting smaller and smaller.

Had a busy day today.  The electricians showed up before 9:00 this morning.  Jim had them add some plug ins to the bedroom, kitchen and back room.  They also added a plug for the new dishwasher.  They didn’t finish until after 3:00 although they were gone for almost two hours during the middle of the day.

A third photographer called me this morning to give me a bid.  He was over an hour late calling and he was later last night than he said he would be.  I don’t think I will go with him even though his bid was $25 less than the prompt person.  I don’t want to have to worry if they are going to show up or not.

I went to tax school this afternoon.  Other than getting my ID number it was a waste of time.  We were supposed to get a tutorial lesson on how to use the Chromebooks but they don’t have enough to go around and the guy teaching the class was a bit clueless.  I can go in next week on Monday or Wednesday and play with one on my own.  Thinking I will do that.

I did get a quick chance to visit with one of the other new volunteers.  She had not been impressed with the training either.  I said something about next year and she said she wasn’t sure she would be back.  Trusting she will get the support needed and will have a good experience actually doing the returns.  She is a retired accountant so has the expertise they can use.

We met with the preacher for our second marriage counseling session.  We got the results of our personality tests back.  She had us predict our weak area and we nailed that.  The results were interesting but expected.  She gave us some homework to do before we meet with her again in two weeks.

She gave us the church’s wedding rules.  I asked her a lot of logistic questions.  I need to find a woman from the church that has helped with receptions before and knows the kitchen we will be using.  They have most everything I need but need to pick out the table cloths I want to use ahead of time.  Trusting a few women from Jim’s choir will agree to help us serve and set things up for us.

Came home after the meeting with the preacher and put the kitchen back together again.  The electricians had to move a bunch of stuff to do their work.  We moved some items Jim never uses to the high shelves to find room to put some more stuff away and clear off the kitchen counter tops.  The kitchen looks better.  It would look even better if the stuff that is never used could be removed but Jim isn’t ready to do that yet.

The invitations to our reception in Strong City came in today.  I thought I ordered the same design as the wedding invitations but the reception ones are much bigger.  Luckily they are below the limit that would require extra postage.  Not sure how I got a bigger size – oh well.  They will work.

I got most of them addressed and hope Jim will finish the wedding invitations this weekend so we can get them all mailed the first of the week.  That will feel good to have them in the mail.

The lady at the Subaru dealership that is going to teach me how to manage all the systems in my new car called today and needed to change our appointment.  We are going on Thursday next week instead of Tuesday.

Jim is at a meeting of some sort right now.  I need to get dinner started soon so it will be ready when he gets home.

Tomorrow we meet with the bakery and will order the cake for the wedding.  I think we are going to Langston afterwards.  Jim wants to deliver some letters to some staff there that he doesn’t have their home address.  He wants to introduce me to some of his friends there too.

Saturday a friend of Jim’s is getting promoted and having a pinning ceremony.  His friend is in the Army Reserves.

Grateful the reception invitations are ready to mail, grateful for our session with the preacher – she is fun to visit with, and grateful the electrician was able to finish there job today.  One big step taken to get this house finished!

Two months till the wedding!  Oh my!  I can do this!

Had a productive day making lots of phone calls today.  The refrigerator line got fixed yesterday.  Finally able to cross something off my to-do list.

Called the Chase County Treasurer Office and let them know the post office won’t forward my car tag.  They were able to call the state office and the state is to mail it to my OK address.

Contacted three different photographers.  I want family pictures taken before the wedding.  One was way too expensive, the other gave me a quote, and the third one didn’t get back to me until late tonight.  We are going to talk tomorrow morning.

Made an appointment with a cake baker in Stillwater.  It is the same baker I used when I got Jim’s birthday cake and he loved it.  We meet with her Friday morning.

I called my car insurance lady to let her know the card I received showed my insurance was only effective until 1/20/2020.  My annual plan expired 1/20/2020 and somehow they didn’t send me the correct card.  I am covered and she emailed me a new card with the correct dates.  So far she says I don’t owe anything more by adding the new car.  Not sure I understand that but I’ll take it as long as I have coverage.

I addressed some wedding invitations today.  The rest are people that Jim wants to invite and he hasn’t decided on a final list yet.  He promised to work on them this weekend so we can get them mailed the first of the week.  The reception invitations should be in Friday so I can get them addressed this weekend and get them mailed the first of the week.

Someone from the Subaru dealership called me today to thank me for buying the car and to see if I had any questions.  I went out to sit in the car and started asking him my list of questions.  It was quickly obvious that he wasn’t going to be able to answer my questions.  However, he made an appointment for us with their Technical specialist that supposedly can answer all my questions.  We will have to drive to Oklahoma City to make the appointment but it will be worth it.  There is a possibility Service needs to look at the car too as the Blind Spot detector system only works part time.  We go next Tuesday at noon.  I find it interesting that sales people don’t know how the cars work.

We have a busy day tomorrow.  A photographer is calling in the morning to get some more information so he can give us a quote.  An electrician is coming in the morning to do some work in the back room and to add a plug for the new dishwasher.  I have tax class at 1:00.  I’ll have to leave early as we have a meeting with the preacher at 2:00.  We also have to pick Jim’s car up as he took it to the shop today so they can put new headlights in it.  Hopefully we will have some time to do some work on the house.

Friday I have an appointment with the bakery so I can tell them what we want for the wedding cake.  Not sure if they make sheet cakes or not – may have to serve cupcakes or cut round cakes.  Cutting round cakes makes a mess and is a bit of a hassle.  I prefer to serve sheet cakes.  I’ll see what they can do.

I decided I want to make the mints for the wedding so need to get the ingredients to make a sample batch.  I’ve made them before but it has been a long time.  I wish I could taste them but they have powdered sugar in them which I don’t eat.  I’ll have to ask some friends to try them and see if they are OK.

By the end of next week I want all these little details firmed up and decided on.  The invitations will be mailed, a photographer will be booked, the cake booked, hopefully the dresses I ordered will be in and one of them will work, and Jim’s ring should be here.  I still need to get a pair of shoes and take care of a few other little decisions but the bulk of the plans will be in place.  My goal is to have most everything taken care of before I start doing taxes the first week of February.

I feel better about all the wedding plans tonight.  It feels good that some things are almost booked and confirmed.  Still have more things to take care of but it feels like the big things are almost done.

We didn’t get anything done on the house today though.  Both of us were a bit tired and needed a rest day to catch up from the weekend.  Jim plans to do a bit of work when he comes home from choir practice.  He was gone for an hour or more this afternoon as he had an eye doctor appointment.  Not sure we will get much done tomorrow either though as we are both busy then too.

Got a light dusting of snow overnight.  Most of it melted off today though.  It was in the mid to upper 30’s today but is to be in the low 50’s tomorrow.  Hopefully we will find some time to take a long walk sometime tomorrow.

Grateful I was in the mood to make needed phone calls today, grateful I may finally be able to figure out next week how my new car works, and grateful for to-do lists that help keep me on track and get things done.

Back in Stillwater, OK. Had an uneventful trip home except for the stop at McDonald’s. I hadn’t had lunch and was hungry. We each ordered a quarter pounder at 3:12. At 3:30 Jim went up to the counter to find out where it was. We finally got them after another seven minutes. Not impressed! The energy in the store was very low and borderline rude. So grateful it is not my work any more.

Went to the court house this morning to get my new tags. They gave me another temporary tag. The state will mail me the tag within 30 days. Trusting it will get forwarded to me in a timely manner. They weren’t 100% sure the mail would forward it. May have to make another trip to KS sooner than expected if it doesn’t come on time.

When I got the mail when we got to Jim’s I found out the Forester insurance was active 1/20/19 and expired 1/20/20. Not sure what it up with that as the card they faxed to the dealer had different dates. I’ll have to call them in the morning and find out what is going on.

Called the plumber this morning before we left. He was going to send his son out this afternoon to fix the refrigerator line. Haven’t heard if he made it or not.

Got the wedding invitations. I’m not sure I like them as they are a bit hard to read but they will work. Jim is working on the invitation list so will need to get those out the first of next week. The reception invitations will be in later this week so will get those out next week too. I have been working on that guest list and need to start pulling some addresses so they will be ready to address.

My new shoes came in and fit. I put them on when I got here but haven’t walked much in them yet. They feel good so far. I can tell they have more support in them than my old pair. Trusting they will help my feet not hurt so much

I have a long list of things I want to take care of this week. We meet with the preacher again on Thursday afternoon. I have a list of things to ask her about the logistics of the church so I know what I need to come up with for the reception and what the church has on hand.

It was good to be home on the prairie for a five day weekend. Thinking time is really going to go fast this month with all the wedding planning and tax preparation shifts I will be working. Two months from tomorrow is the wedding and not much is ready.

Grateful for another safe trip from KS to OK, grateful for the time I had on the prairie, and grateful I no longer own a McDonald’s.

What a busy day!  Glad the house is quiet again and I can relax a bit before bed time.

Went into Emporia this morning.  First stop was Kari’s to try on dresses.  They only had two that I wanted to try on.  I got tickled at the lady that was helping me.  She asked me my size and I told her I had no idea.  She looked at me and guessed a size 12.  Since we are getting married in two months she said I would need to get a dress from stock as they didn’t have time to order one.

I tried on a size 12 dress and it was way too big.  I’m not sure they could have altered it enough to fit.  I didn’t like the dress anyways after I put it on.  The second dress was a size 6 and it fit but it wasn’t what I was looking for.  They didn’t have anything else I liked.

While we were there Jim tried on wedding rings and got sized and asked some questions so he would know what he was looking for.  He didn’t find anything there that he was interested in.

After the dress shop we stopped at Staples to drop off an empty ink cartridge to be returned.  Went to the bank and got some cash for my housesitter.  Stopped at Bluestem to get dog food and went to the Vet’s to get flea and tic medication and Heart Guard.  Our last stop was at the grocery store.

After we got home and had lunch we took a two mile walk.  It was 28 out today but with the wind chill it felt much colder.  It was good to get out and stretch my legs but it took me a while to thaw out when we got back to the house.

I went dress shopping on-line when we got back from our walk.  Found a new to me place and ordered two dresses.  They can be returned within 30 days of receipt and I will get all my money back so figured I can’t go wrong trying.  Trusting one or the other will work.  Neither one was very expensive.  If they don’t work I’ll have to go to KC or Oklahoma City and go shopping.

Jim got on-line too and found a wedding ring he liked and got that ordered.  He has been working on the guest list for the wedding.  I may have to order some more invitations so have been encouraging him to get the list completed so I have time to get more in if needed.

Tim Ellexia, Jason and Jason’s girlfriend and kids came out for dinner.  We had a nice evening.  I got rid of all the leftovers which was nice.  I fixed meat loaf, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole and beer bread muffins.  I had gotten a cheesecake at the grocery store and served it with fresh strawberries.  Everyone cleaned their plates so guess it was good.

Tomorrow I will go to the court house in the morning and get the tags for the new car.  I also have a load of recycling to dump.  We will leave for Stillwater sometime in the early afternoon.

Our next trip to KS will be mid February.  I made an appointment to pass off my tax planner to my accountant for that weekend.  Ellexia has a gymnastics meet then too so we will get to watch her perform.

It has been nice being on the prairie for a few days.  I’m sorry we have to go back to Stillwater tomorrow.  I would love to stay here for a bit but we have things on our schedule there we need to get back to.  I have a feeling time is going to go fast the next two months as we prepare for the wedding.  I will start doing taxes the first week in February so will be extra busy doing them.

Grateful I found a dress on-line I liked, grateful Jim got his wedding ring ordered, and grateful the kids came out for dinner tonight.

Today my buddy Tagen turns 14.  He has a very big heart and a gentle spirit.  He is several inches taller than I am now and still growing.  It is a delight to watch him turn into a man.

Baked a double batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for Jim this morning.  He should have enough to take home with us Tuesday to get him through until we come back to KS in four weeks.  I baked a double batch of no bake chocolate cookies to take in to Tagen.  They are his favorite cookies.

Jim worked on his slide project most of the afternoon.  He is organizing them before he starts the process of transferring them to a different media as a back-up.  This project has been a trip down memory lane for him.

I attempted to transfer photos from my old laptop to my new computer but didn’t have any luck.  When I am home next time I will schedule some time for my technical support person that does house calls to come out and do that for me.

Figured out the problem with the ice maker and water dispenser on the refrigerator is tied to the broken water softener.  When the plumber shut off the water softener water supply it turned off the water supply to the filtration system which is where the refrigerator line gets its water.  I sent a text to the plumber to see if he needs to run a new line and hook the refrigerator line into the main water supply.  I’ll see what he has to say tomorrow.

We ran into Emporia this afternoon to deliver Tagen his cookies.  Unfortunately Tagen was at his dad’s house so he won’t get the cooking until he comes back to his mother’s house on Wednesday.  I was sorry not to see him on his birthday.  Ellexia was fun to visit with for a bit.  I had given her a cookbook for Christmas and she and her dad had made pancakes and chocolate chip cookies using recipes out of that book today.

Tomorrow I have an appointment at the local bridal shop to try on dresses.  Not sure they will have what I am looking for but worth a shot to try.  While I am in town I need to get some more dog food – that is the only critter feed I need.  I also need to get some cash from an ATM to pay the house sitter and stop by the Vet office and get some flea and tic medication for the dogs and cats.

Tuesday I will get my new car tags and dump recycling before we head south.  This visit home has been too short.  It has felt good to be on the prairie and where it is quiet.  I enjoyed the moon last night and the sunsets I have seen.

We plan on coming back to KS on February 13 and staying until Monday, February 17.  Ellexia has a gymnastic meet that Saturday and I would love to watch her at least once this season.  Monday the 17th is a holiday so we won’t be doing taxes.  I may try to schedule an appointment with my accountant on the 14th so I can get those handed off.  I will need to come back March 5 as I have a dental appointment that afternoon.

The wedding is only a little over two months away.  Starting to feel a bit of pressure to get some things taken care of.  The invitations should be in OK when we get back.  I want to spend the next two weeks getting as many details taken care of as I can before I start doing taxes February 3.  Time has a way of getting away from me.  If I can find a dress tomorrow I will feel a bit better.

I have been able to stay on my eating plan the last two days.  I sure feel better when I do that.  Seems to be easier to do here than in OK – not sure why as I do the cooking both places.  Haven’t been tempted to snack like I am in OK.  Maybe because I can find more things to do here and I am not used to snacking in this house.  Sure would like to take off the 15 pounds I have gained the last six months.

Grateful for a quiet day on the prairie, grateful for my grandchildren and the wonderful humans they are becoming, and grateful cookies were successfully made today.

I had a rough night last night.  Woke up in the middle of the night crying.  Not sure if it was from a dream or what.  I had been close to tears for several days.  I allowed myself to cry it out.  Felt much better this morning.

Went to KC today to help Nicole pick out a wedding dress.  She is going to make a beautiful bride.  She had invited her mother-in-law-to-be to come join us.  It was a fun morning with those two.  Geoff joined us for lunch and than we toured the wedding venue.  I am so excited about their wedding.  They are really doing a nice job planning and have lots of special details planned.

Stopped by Lowe’s on the way home to get a new water filter for my refrigerator.  When I tried to fill my water mug with water this morning the water was running very slowly.  Put in the new filter when I got home and am not getting any water out of it now.  Took out the filter and still don’t get water.  Now I have to decide if I want to call someone out to look at it.  It may wait until April when I will be home for a longer amount of time.  The refrigerator is only a little over a year old.  Ugh!

When I got home from KC Jim and I took a two mile walk.  After sitting most of the day it felt good to move my body.  It was cold but the wind had slowed down and it was bearable.  Came in after our walk and fixed dinner.

Before I left for KC this morning I played with the new computer.  Figured out a few things but still have more to figure out.  I was playing with it tonight and it needed to restart in order to update the updates.  I am on a 24 minute remaining delay as it updates.

Anyone really good with Apple computers?  I need some help learning how to do some things.  Jim knows what he knows with his but I want to do some things he doesn’t know how to do.

Jim played with his slide project today.  He got lots of boxes sorted  and dated which is his first step in getting them transferred to the computer.  I’m not sure he is going to dispose of the slides once he gets them transferred but not sure I understand his master plan.  Guess I don’t have to.  He has been taking many trips down memory lane as he reviews the slides.  Fun for him to do!

Monday I am going into Kari’s to try on some dresses.  Not sure they will have anything I want but decided to see what they have.  I looked briefly at David’s Bridal today but didn’t see anything even close to what I think I want.

The papers for my new car came in so will go to the court house in Cottonwood Falls on Tuesday to get my car tags taken care of.  Trusting they will take the temporary insurance card as I haven’t received the insurance bill and the annual insurance card yet.

We have a down day tomorrow with nothing on our calendar.  It is Tagen’s birthday so hoping we will get to see him.  Can’t believe my little buddy that is taller than I am is turning 14 tomorrow.  How can that be?

We return to Oklahoma Tuesday afternoon.  The drive back and forth is getting a bit old for me but have lots more trips in my future.  It is only a three-hour drive and the scenery is beautiful so it really isn’t too bad.  Just a bit unsettling to me to split my life into two different states and places.

Grateful for a fun day with Nicole in KC today, grateful for tears that release what ever it was I was holding on to and no longer needed, and grateful for a nice walk this evening.

I am home on the prairie.  The roads were nice and clear all the way.  We did run into some light rain but none of that freezing stuff.  Grateful to be home.

It was a bit of a frustrating ride to KS though.  Jim drove my new car and he is having a pretty steep learning curve with it.  It has more beeps than his car does and I can’t figure out how to turn them off for him.  It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks sometimes!

When we got here we unloaded the car.  Jim brought lots of slides to work on.  Not sure I understand what he is doing with them – something about putting them into order and eventually he wants to put them on the new computer.

I set up the new computer but I was on my last nerve and it didn’t go well.  I have an apple iPhone and iPad but haven’t used an apple computer for a long time.  I finally had to walk away and I will try tomorrow when I am better rested and not so worn down.

We went to Ad Astra for dinner.  Service was a bit slow but the food was good.

Tomorrow I have to leave around 8:30 to go to KC to meet Nicole.  Trusting the roads will be clear and easy going.  It will be a fun day although a long one.

I am beyond frustrated tonight.   Think I will call it a night and go to bed and wake up in a better mood tomorrow.

Grateful for a safe journey home, grateful I didn’t snap completely today, and grateful tomorrow is a new day!

It has been a quiet day at home.  After the three days of training I needed a quiet day to recharge myself.

Jim had a physical this afternoon so he was gone for about two hours.  This evening he had a political event the Friends of the Library sponsored.  As he is on the board he needed to attend.  I stayed home as I have no interest in local Oklahoma politics.

I was bored a bit while he was gone earlier today so got out my tax books.  There is an optional certificate I can get if I pass another test.  It deals with the clients that have a Health Savings Account.  You get two chances to take the test and didn’t think I had anything to lose to try it.  I passed with 100% on the first try!  I sent an email to the guy that tracks all that to let him know I have my certificate now.

We are going to KS tomorrow afternoon.  The forecast is calling for rain, sleet and snow until noon so will probably take our time getting ready to leave.  I would like to get home before dark though as the roads will probably start to refreeze after dark.

Last night I ordered the invitations for the reception we are going to have in Strong City the weekend after we get married.  I used the same invitations I am using for the wedding and just changed the wording.  Now that it is on the calendar it is starting to feel real and I am thinking about all the things I need to do to pull it off.  We decided to do an afternoon reception instead of an evening one.  It feels more informal which suits both of us better.  The reception in Strong City will be at our house there.  I haven’t decided what else besides cake we will be serving.

My Ktag came in today for my new car.  The KTA keeps asking for my tag number which I don’t have yet.  I haven’t gotten the papers from the dealer yet and don’t know if I can get the tags without it.  I will go into the Court House Monday and see.

When we get back from KS next week I will have two full weeks free before tax season starts.  I hope to get most of the wedding plans settled before I start doing taxes three or four days a week.  It really shouldn’t take too long as we are going to try to keep it as simple as possible.  I sure would feel better if I can find a dress I like. Not sure what I am looking for so it may be a challenge.

So looking forward to getting back on the prairie for several days and nights.  I have missed it greatly.

Grateful for a quiet day at home today, grateful I passed the test I took today, and grateful I am going to the prairie tomorrow.   

Happy birthday to my brother Chad.  He turns Medicare eligible today.  It’s like getting a nice pay raise.

Tax school is finished!  Class ran about thirty minutes longer than it was supposed to today.  I was ever so grateful to walk out of the library today knowing those long three days were behind me.  I do have to go back for one more session next week.  We will be using Chrome books this year to do the taxes on and there is a learning curve with them.  Not sure why they didn’t have us use them during class so we could get used to them but they didn’t think of that.  They are going to dig them out for a couple hours next week and let us play on them so we won’t look completely stupid in front of our clients when we start doing taxes in February.

I was sleeping really good this morning when the alarm went off.  I had slept for a couple of hours and than woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep until around 5:00.  I am grateful I got a bit more sleep before I had to get up.

I did get some lists made during class and feel a bit better organized.  I have a list of about ten things that are pending meaning I am waiting on someone else to do something so I can finish what I am trying to get done.  It helps me to keep a running list so I don’t forget to get something taken care of.

I need to think about packing some clothes for our short trip to KS Friday.  I brought most of my clothes to OK with me a month ago so will have to pack some to take to use while I am in KS this weekend.  It will be good to be back on the prairie for a couple of days.

Saw the winter weather warning forecast for KS for Friday.  Trusting we will be able to make it to Strong City safely.  May need to adjust a bit for the winter storm that may be coming through.  It has been so mild in OK that I forget it is still winter time.

When I get back to OK next week I will need to start making some wedding plans.  I have a list of things that I will need to pull together.  We are going to keep it as simple as possible but there are things I need to get ordered and arranged for.  I want to take advantage of all five kids being in the same place at the same time and get some good family photos taken.  One hard thing about having the wedding in OK instead of KS is my normal vendors are not available.

We meet with the preacher again next week and I have a list of logistics about the church to ask her.  I’m not sure what equipment and supplies the church has available and what I will need to bring in.  We are having a simple reception at the church following the ceremony and will serve cake and punch.

Grateful tax school is done, grateful for to do lists that keep me organized, and grateful for my brother Chad.

Two days of tax school down.  One day to go.  It was a long day today.  We didn’t get out until 4:30 this afternoon and we started at 9:00.  We only got a 45 minute lunch break.  This afternoon a lady from the Oklahoma State Tax Department came to teach us how to do the state returns.  She covered lots of topics that we won’t see but were of interest to some of the guys in the group.  The one thing I needed to learn which is a rebate of $40 per tax payer under a certain income she didn’t cover!  Ugh…….Most of the clients that will come in will qualify for that rebate and in fact that is why they come in.  I’ll have to ask someone tomorrow to show me how to do that form.

This morning I was able to track with the instructor most of the morning.  He forgets we don’t all know what he was talking about and did a poor job of showing us what he was talking about.  It feels like I was in a foreign language class and not understanding most of it.  Again he taught us a bunch of things that he said we probably won’t see.  Why do they do that?

After class I went to Best Buy.  I wanted to get a new computer.  I decided to get a desktop one instead of a laptop.  I take my iPad with me when I travel and can’t see me taking a laptop in addition to the iPad.  The new desktop will allow Jim to load all his photos and negatives using PhotoShop in it and have plenty of storage room.  We can share the desktop and it will get much more use than if I got a laptop.

The guy that helped me was very good.  He didn’t try to over sell me and offered good advice without pushing it.  He looked like he was 12 years old but am guessing he is a college student.  I opened a credit card so I could get a 10% discount on the computer.  I got an Apple as that is what Jim has used for years.  I will have a bit of a learning curve with it but I don’t use a desktop much anyways.  I’ll be excited to get home later this week and get it set up and running.

Jim and I took a one mile walk when I finally got home this evening.  We stopped and watched the sunset half way through our walk.  After sitting all day it felt good to get out and walk.

I ordered wedding invitations last night.  Seems like a big step to me somehow.  We don’t expect any friends or family from KS to come to the wedding except for my kids and will host a reception in Strong City the weekend after our marriage in Stillwater.  We set the date for the wedding for March 22, 2020 at 2:00 p.m.  Something very synchronized about all the 2’s in the date and time!  We will have a reception in Strong City on the 28th in the afternoon.

One of these days soon I need to start shopping for a dress to wear.  I don’t want a traditional wedding dress but want something soft – probably knee length.  Anyone have any good ideas where to go look?  I prefer either short or long sleeves and I don’t want a low neck line.  Flowing skirt works best for me.  I so rarely wear a dress I don’t know where to go to look for one.  HELP!

Tomorrow I have my last day of tax school thank heavens.  Not sure I can handle much more.  I did my homework and worked two problems this evening that we will be going over tomorrow in class.  I still need to continue to work problems in the sample workbook but am finally starting to feel comfortable with them.

I did a problem in class today and didn’t get the results I expected to.  I asked one of the experienced guys to check my work.  He couldn’t find anything I did wrong so he had me delete the form we were focusing on and re-enter it.  This time it showed up properly even though I re-entered it the same way it had been.  When the program hiccups like that it doesn’t make it easy for me.

Thursday Jim has a doctor’s appointment and Friday we are driving to Strong City.  Saturday I am meeting Nicole In KC at 10:30 to do some of her wedding stuff.  Jim and I will return to OK on Tuesday.  It will be nice to spend a few days on the prairie.

So far this trip home I don’t have too long of list of things I want to do.  I will need to restock critter feed and go to the vet and get the dogs and cats their flea and tic medication.  I hope to get to see the grandkids while I am home again too.  They have busy schedules so will see if we can make that happen.

I’m tired tonight.  I woke up around 3:00 and couldn’t go back to sleep.  Finally took another bath around 4:30 and got a bit of a second sleep from 5:15 – 6:30.  I’m ready for a goodnight’s sleep.  Maybe tonight is the night.

Grateful tax school day two is over, grateful I got to see a beautiful sunset tonight, and grateful tomorrow is the last day of tax school.

 

 

Went to tax school today. It was a long six hour class. We did get a one hour lunch break.

I have trouble understanding why the first problem we would work in class is one the instructor said we would never see doing taxes. Why wouldn’t we start with a return that 90% of the returns we do would be like?

When class was over I chatted with one of the first time ladies. She wasn’t going to come back tomorrow as she was so frustrated. I visited with her for about 15 minutes and talked her down. It will be interesting to see if she shows up tomorrow or not.

The test we have to take is so ridiculous. It deals with cases we just won’t see. I guess it is fun for those that have done lots of taxes for lots of years but for the newbies it is overwhelming.

Two more days of class! I think I can! I think I can!

The fun part was getting to know some of the people in the class. The guy I sat next to was fun. We helped each other with the problem we were assigned to do. He only does taxes once a week for a couple of hours so hadn’t done lots last year.

Several of the people in the class know Jim and came up to me to introduce themselves to me and tell me why they know Jim. That was fun to meet them.

The weather did not behave as forecast for the day. It barely reached 50 today and has been spitting some moisture. Had a minute or two of light hail this afternoon. The forecast is still showing tomorrow will reach the low 60’s but not sure I believe it.

We put the old cat in the big dog crate last night. She has forgotten how to use the litter box and Jim was getting tired of cleaning up after her. The crate is big enough to hold a litter box, her food and water and a lamp for her to sleep under on a big blanket. It was nice to go in the kitchen this morning and not be afraid of stepping in cat pee. She didn’t seem to protest being in the crate.

Going to try to use the air fryer for dinner tonight. I haven’t tried using one yet. I’ll see if I like it. I looked up some recipes and am surprised at the time it takes to make things in it. Trusting the taste will be so good the extra time is worth it.

I have tax school again tomorrow all day. I have some homework to do tonight but needed to clear my head before I attempted it. Not sure the teacher today taught me what I needed to know to do them although he felt he did. I learn best by doing, not by listening.

Jim is outside working in his shop. I need to get dinner started soon.

Grateful day one of three tax school days are done, grateful for the fun people I met today at tax school, and grateful Katy seems content in her new small home.

Went to church this morning.  They held worship in the Fellowship Hall for some reason.  It felt much more informal.  Today they served communion and celebrated baptism vows.  It was a nice service.

Jim sends out a holiday letter each year and got them out last week.  In his letter this year he mentioned our engagement and upcoming wedding.  We got lots of congratulations today before and after worship.

Two of the choir members have been to Disney World several times.  Jim mentioned I am taking Ellexia this summer so both of them were giving me hints as to where to stay, etc.  I looked up prices today.  Ouch!  It is expensive to stay at a Disney property and the tickets alone are astonishingly expensive.  How do big families afford to go?

We took a one-mile walk this afternoon.  It was a bit windy and cool but not bad.  I had taken my sweater off before I put my coat on and I am glad I did as I would have been too hot with a sweater and my coat.  All of the snow we got yesterday has already melted.  It is to be in the low 60’s for the next two days.

Ellexia text me the football game score as the game was played today.  She had almost given up on the Chiefs before they got their act together and came back big and won.

Tomorrow starts my tax class.  It is from 9:00 – 3:00.  I have been told we break for lunch but in the letter I got that isn’t mentioned.  I’ll play it by ear and go with the flow.  We are to take laptop computers with us but I didn’t bring mine from KS.  There are a few in the library so hopefully I can get on one of those and follow along with the teacher.  Sure trusting they will walk us through some returns.

Looked up OK marriage license requirements.  Found out they cost $50 but if you attend a premarital counseling for at least four hours they only charge $5 for the license.  We have counseling with Jim’s preacher scheduled so maybe that will count.  They don’t require a blood test or a waiting period but the license is only good for 10 days and we both have to be present to sign for it.

Once we get the date officially firmed up I want to find a photographer as I want some family pictures.  Jim’s choir members all want to come to the wedding so guess we will have a little bigger ceremony than I had planned on.  I’ll also need to line up a cake, punch, etc for a small reception afterwards.  I am going to plan a bigger reception in Strong City sometime this spring for my friends back in KS.  I can’t ask them to drive three hours to come to the wedding.

My cranky mood was gone this morning.  I am grateful.  I hadn’t felt that blue and down for a long time.  Little things bugged me all day and I was tempted to over react to those little things.  Grateful I was able to stop myself and go quiet instead.  I need to do some journaling and see if I can figure out what set me off besides the full moon.  Maybe I don’t need a story and can accept that something old and dark moved through me.  All is well today!

Grateful for all the well wishes we received today, grateful for Ellexia’s Chiefs updates, and grateful my cranky mood is gone.

This has been a cranky day for me. Not sure why I have been cranky all day but I have been. Maybe it was the effect of the full moon yesterday. Little things bothered me all day long. I am glad this day is about over.

Didn’t get much done today. Did some practice tax returns but didn’t do them correctly as my answers were different than the correct answers. I have class next week and am hopeful they will cover the practice returns and teach me what I did wrong. Most of the problems are returns that I won’t see doing the real thing.

We were invited to the home of a long time friend of Jim’s for dinner. I had a nice time. The couple both teach English at OSU and have traveled the world and were interesting people to talk to. She fixed white chicken chili for dinner. I took strawberry cheesecake for dessert. It’s nice to meet new people in town.

Tomorrow morning we will go to church in the morning. Not sure what we will do in the afternoon. Hopefully it is to be warmer and we can get out and walk again. Jim tried to get me out today but it was too cold. We got about an inch of snow overnight. It did warm up to the upper 30’s today but that is too cold for me.

Monday my tax classes start. They run all day Monday through Wednesday. Trusting they will be productive. I’m glad I got the tests done so I won’t have to worry about passing them. I do need to continue to work problems and learn what I have been doing wrong.

Most of the tax volunteers are male in Stillwater. I don’t remember having any male volunteers in Emporia. Not sure why the difference here. Trusting they will be as fun to work with as the women were in Emporia.

Grateful this day is almost over, grateful to have had a nice dinner with two new friends, and grateful tomorrow is a new day and my crankiness will be a thing of the past.

Took a 3.2 mile walk around Boomer Lake this morning while it was still warm out. It sprinkled a bit on us but not enough to get us wet.  Had to take my sweater off as it was in the mid 60’s.

Stopped at a diner downtown Stillwater for lunch and than came home.  As soon as we got home I went to the library to meet with the tax coordinator.  She gave me the answers to the two remaining tests I have to take.  As part of the test you have to complete a return and than write down the answers.  While I was entering my return the power to the library went off.  It flickered back on twice but than stayed off.

Came home and Jim had power here.  Took my tests and got that done.  Now I can study the information without the stress of the test.

We have been invited to a friend of Jim’s house for dinner tomorrow night.  The hostess asked me to bring dessert so we ran to the grocery store to get supplies.  The temperature has dropped to the high 30’s and there is a cold rain coming down.  Glad we got our walk in this morning when it was fairly warm.

The PA had told me I couldn’t hurt my foot so took her at her word and went ahead and walked over three miles on it.  They didn’t hurt anymore afterwards than they did when I started.  I haven’t checked to see if they are swollen or not.

Got my tax prep worksheets done for my own taxes.  I’ll have to go home sometime in February after I get all my forms in the mail and pass them off to my accountant.  Feels good to have them done.

I ordered a new pair of tennis shoes today.  I have been wearing the pair I have on now for over a year.  The foot doctor had recommended them and said I would do better not wearing any other type of shoe. They are starting to wear out as I have worn them everyday for over a year.  Hoping the new ones will help my feet feel better.  I ordered the same type that I have been wearing as they fit nicely.

Haven’t done much else today.  We worked long and hard yesterday but not so much today.  Does feel good to have my tax tests done with a passing grade.

We are to get some ice and snow this evening and into tomorrow.  Sounds like the prairie got lots of ice already and more winter stuff is headed their way.  We have had a very mild winter.  Guess we are overdue for a touch of winter weather.  It is to warm back up next week.

Turns out the tax coordinator is a good friend of Jim’s.  They have served on the friends of the library board together for several years.  It is a small world after all!

Grateful my tax tests are completed, grateful I can stay in the rest of the night, and grateful I was able to walk over three miles today.

Had a rough night of sleep last night.  Slept hard for two or three hours and that was it.  Woke up around 4:00 with a bite of some sort on my arm.  It caused a quarter sized welt and itched like crazy.  Got up and put some lavender oil on it as that was the only oil I have with me in Stillwater.  Calmed it down some but than I couldn’t go back to sleep.  Finally got up at 5:30 and took a hot bath.  My bite felt better but I didn’t get any more sleep.

I stayed up and worked on my taxes.  Got the rental properties information entered into my tax worksheets.  Still need to do the Airbnb information.

At 9:00 I was at the library for my first tax preparation class.  The guy teaching it didn’t know I was coming.  It was a helpful class and one that I would have really appreciated if this was my first year.  In addition to the six new people there were six experienced people there so each of us had a tutor to help us through as needed.  We only worked one tax problem but it was more than we had done my first year.

I thought the guy that taught the class could have done things a bit differently to help teach the class better but with the tutors there I think everyone got through it.  One return almost wasn’t enough practice though but it was better than nothing.

Found out that if I turn the answer key into him instead of entering the information myself I will get help on the answers I miss before the test gets graded.  In Emporia they taught to the test.  Here they don’t do that.  I will see what is covered in the classes next week and decide how to proceed.  You get two chances to take it so I may give it a go by myself and than get help if needed for the second test.

The guy also offered to hold another test prep class if we decided we wanted it.  I’ll see if they offer that.  My problem with the test is it asks questions that we don’t have to really know the answer to as the computer figures it for us. It does give me experience using the tax manual to look things up but I struggle with why I need to know the information and it is hard to give it much of my energy.

I have several more returns to practice on from a book they gave me.  They are going to send us the correct return information so we will know if we are doing them correctly.  That will be very helpful to me.  I never did find out last year if I was doing them right or not.

The first couple of days they have a tutor sitting besides the new people to help them through the process.  That will be nice too!

Several people came up to me afterwards and introduced themselves to me.  They go to Jim’s church and recognized me from attending the church with Jim.  That was sweet of them.  I don’t remember names unless I see them written down so couldn’t tell Jim who they were.  I looked one person up in his church directory that has pictures of the members of the church.  The directory is several years old but I recognized the lady that introduced herself to me.  Couldn’t find a picture of the man.

The people that I met today look like interesting people.  Lots of men volunteer.  Most are retired professors from OSU.  It will be nice to get to know some locals.

We worked outside cleaning out the garage.  We threw stuff away, tore down and recycled old shelving units, and cleared most of the stuff off the back porch and got it in the garage.  Jim still has a bunch of sorting to do and a bunch more stuff to throw out but at least it is out of the way now.

I came in at 2:30 and laid down for a minute.  Had a headache again and wanted to see if I could get rid of it.  Fell asleep and slept until 6:15!  When I woke up my headache was gone.  Jim kept working while I slept.  He put in a long day of work outside today.  I wish I could help more but I have no idea what can be thrown away and what he wants to keep.

Fixed an instant pot recipe of chicken pot pie that is cooking now.  Trusting that it will be a good dinner.  It doesn’t have flour or sugar in it and has lots of vegetables.  I have been slacking eating my vegetables.  I sneak them in dinners like this.

Tomorrow I am going back up to the library to do some more tax returns for practice.  The lady that runs the site said she would be there and we were welcome to come in and practice.  They are hard for me to do on my iPad and I didn’t bring my laptop with me.

Grateful for a long nap that compensated for little sleep last night, grateful for my first tax class and the nice people I met today, and grateful for the wonderful smells coming out of the kitchen right now.

 

 

 

Got a good report from the PA at the surgeon’s office today.  I have officially been dismissed but am to return if my feet get worse or if the healing doesn’t continue.  I told her today I still don’t trust my feet to get me where I want to go pain free.  She reminded me it will take up to one year for them to completely heal and feel normal again,  I am five months out with my left foot and only two months on my right.  The swelling is finally going down on the right foot although the PA noted some swelling today.

She told me to keep pushing my feet to their limits and even though they may act up and set me back I can’t hurt them.  She said it was all part of the healing process and it will get better slowly.

I enjoyed driving my car to OK today.  It is so much more comfortable riding in then the Prius ever was.  Still not understanding why the lane centering device turns itself off for brief times and why the blind spot detecting system works inconsistently.  I need to call the dealer tomorrow and ask.

I was going to go dress shopping in Wichita after my doctor’s appointment but after I stopped for lunch I wasn’t in the mood to go shopping.  I will confess I am rarely in the mood to go shopping.  Just couldn’t make myself do it today.

I got back to OK around 4:00.  Helped Jim build some shelving in the garage.  It was a nice day today although it was a bit windy.  Felt good to be outside for a while this afternoon.

Tomorrow I have my first tax preparation class.  It will be good to get this process started and to get to meet the people that I will be working with.  I think the training is only in the morning but am not sure.  I never got the email with the details.  I haven’t gotten the details of the training next week either so am assuming I will find out more about that training tomorrow.

I brought my own income tax worksheets back to OK with me along with the backup information so I can get my taxes ready to take to my accountant.  I want to get them done before I go back to KS on the 18th so I will know what other information I need to track down while there to complete the forms.

I’m still not getting mail on a regular bases here.  I got the renewal policies for my homeowners insurance which told me the invoice would arrive under separate cover.  I haven’t gotten the invoice yet.  If I don’t get it by Monday I will have to call my agent and see if I can pay her over the phone and give her my banking numbers.

Feeling a bit more grounded today than I had been.  Going back to the prairie always fills my soul.  I look forward to getting back in ten days and staying for a couple of days.

Grateful for a safe trip to the prairie and back to OK, grateful for feet that are slowly healing, and grateful to be back with Jim.

 

I am back home on the prairie. Only going to be here for one night but it is good to be home again. I forget each time how much I enjoy the open space and big sky.

Jim sorted through his dark room supplies this morning and threw some old supplies away, recycled some and boxed the rest up for me to bring to KS.

I left Oklahoma around 12:30 and headed north. It was fun to drive my new car on the highway. I am learning how to manage all the beeps and buttons. Had to get the manual out before I left Jim’s house to learn how to get the gas tank lid open as I knew I needed to stop to get gas. You use the key fob to do so. Who knew?

Stopped at the bank in Cottonwood Falls to get some cash before I came home. I drove the car around back and unloaded the car that was full of Jim’s dark room stuff. Checked all the critter feed supply and was pleased to discover nothing was needed. Gathered up some things I want to take to Oklahoma with me tomorrow and put them in the car. Went through the mail and opened several Christmas cards and bills.

Went into town to pick up a prescription at Walmart. My thyroid medication at Walmart is only $10 for a 90 day supply. It is cheaper there than using my regular pharmacy and insurance. Doesn’t make sense to me but I’ll take the $10 price for 90 days any day. The line was about 12 deep when I got there. I was glad I had allowed extra time. My blood pressure medication is more expensive at Walmart than through my regular pharmacy and using my insurance. Thinking our pharmaceutical system is very broken!

I met Tim, Ellexia and Jason for dinner. Jason brought his girlfriend and her two side kicks. I’m glad I got a chance to meet her. We had a nice dinner at Bruff’s. It’s always a good day when I get to see my kids. Michelle has to work tonight and was home sleeping. She has had to work five 12 hour shift days in a row. Wow! Don’t think I would survive that.

Almost have my list of things I need to do while I am home completed. After I finish writing I will bake some cookies. My kitchen is much easier to do that in than Jim’s.

The house is quiet tonight. I tried to watch the news but had to turn it off. My soul is craving quiet tonight. The news wears me out after a bit.

Have felt off-centered and a bit cranky the last two days. Forgot the full moon is Friday and am thinking that might be pulling me off. Jim was probably glad I needed to go north for 24 hours. I’ve had a headache the last 24 hours that doesn’t seem to want to go away. Not sure what that is about. Trusting it will be gone when I get up in the morning.

I need to be in Wichita at 1:00 tomorrow afternoon for my doctor’s appointment. I will leave around 11:20 or so. I hope I can sleep in a bit but we shall see. I’ll stop for lunch in Wichita before I head south for Stillwater. I’m coming back to Strong City in ten days and will be here for four or five days and than head back to Stillwater. I think Jim is going to try to come with me next time if the cat is better. I am taking my huge dog crate down tomorrow and if she is still peeing on the floor we are going to crate her with a litter box in the crate until she remembers what the litter box is for. We aren’t sure if she is upset because Jim has left her home alone so much or if it was the UTI she had or if she is just getting old and senile. Whatever it is it needs to stop.

Thursday morning I have my first tax preparation tax class. The weekend is free and am hoping we get some work done. We have been slacking too much lately and not making much progress. Beginning to understand we won’t get the house ready to rent by April. So many projects are left to do and it seems it is hard to stay focused and get them completed. We fight a lot of fires at that house and jump around on projects.

My heart is heavy and sad thinking about the world situation tonight. I will never understand the need for war and do not believe it ever solves a problem. I can’t wait until there are more women in power than men. There is a better way forward but we have to do things differently than we have always done them.

Grateful for a safe trip home to KS today, grateful for a family dinner tonight, and grateful to be back on the prairie tonight.

This has been an interesting day.  It started off a bit slow and lazy.  We finally got outside and worked on doing some shelving work in the garage.  We didn’t get too far but got it started.

At 2:00 we met with the preacher that will be marrying us.  We may try for a March wedding.  Trying to coordinate the five kids schedules and the preacher, the church and our schedules is a challenge.  Who knew the date would be the hard part?

Jim needs to confirm with his sons if the day we have in mind will work.  I text my kids and they are all going to see if they can make it work.  Flexibility is a key part of all of this.  We want to do a family dinner the night before and have an early afternoon wedding the next day.  All five kids will have to come from out of town to be here.  I appreciate their accommodating us.

The preacher is going to have us do a series called Prepare and Enrich.  It is some sort of personal assessment we each do and find where potential strengths and weaknesses of our relationship might be.  We will discuss the results with the preacher in a series of meetings with her.  We meet with her again in two weeks to get those sessions started.

We have been outside since we have been home from the meeting with the preacher.  Jim is working on shelves and I have been scrapping windows.  He had to go get some brackets and hit my new car and locked the two cars together.  Luckily there is a rubber protector where he hit my car and no harm was done.  He feels really bad!

I fixed chili in the crock pot this morning so when Jim comes back from the hardware store we can have dinner whenever he gets hungry.  The house sure smells good.

Tomorrow early afternoon I am headed for Strong City.  I’m meeting Tim, Ellexia and Jason for dinner tomorrow night.  I have two prescriptions to pick up, I need to go to the bank, and restock critter feed while I am in town before dinner.  My surgeon’s appointment is at 1:00 Wednesday afternoon in Wichita and I will return to Stillwater after that.

I’ll be back in KS the 17th as I am going to KC on the 18th to do something with Nicole.  Not sure how long I will stay that time or if Jim is coming with me.  It will depend on how the cat is doing.  The cat didn’t pee on the floor today so progress is being made.  We’ll see if she can keep that up.

Thursday morning I have my first tax preparation class.  I am excited to get to meet some more people from Stillwater and find out how they do their program.  Trusting I will remember how to do taxes.

Next week I have class from Monday to Wednesday.  Not sure if they are all day classes or only half days.  I haven’t gotten any information on the classes yet.  Not sure why communication seems to break down but it is broken.  Trusting things will sort themselves out soon and I will get in the loop as to what is going on.

I will have to get going if we are going to get married in March.  Still thinking we will  have a very small wedding and plan receptions on a different date afterwards.  That may change.  Jim has lots of friends here in Stillwater so he may end up inviting them to attend the ceremony.  He hasn’t decided what he wants to do yet.  I am a planner and he tends to be a procrastinator.  I understand being a procrastinator as I can also be one at times.  Have no idea what I want to wear to the wedding.  We really need to decide how big it is going to be as that will drive part of my decision what to wear.  I hate trying on dresses and have no idea where to go to find one.  I will not be wearing a traditional bridal dress.  Jim will not be wearing a tuxedo either.  We are way more casual than that.  I kidded him and said I might spring for a new pair of blue jeans.

I called and got car insurance for the new Forester lined up today.  Also chatted with the Sirius and got a year’s extension of the free service lined up.  They had a special deal that I get a free Amazon Echo and the Sirius service is only $5 a month for the first year.  Much cheaper than their normal pricing.  I have four free months until I have to start paying for it but the deal had a time limit and if I prepaid today they honored the deal.

Feeling a bit unsettled tonight.  I think the thought that I am getting married this year is finally soaking in.  Part of me is terrified I will screw this one up too and part of me is so very happy and confident it will work this time.

Grateful for a wonderful, compassionate preacher, grateful for five kids that are willing to drive or fly miles to be here to celebrate with us, and grateful there was no damage done to my car.

Went to church this morning.  There was only one service at 9:30.  The associate preacher had a good sermon today.

After church we went to Tulsa to the Gilcrease Museum to see a special Doretha Lange exhibit.  Today was the last day for it. She became famous for the pictures she took during the depression.  Some of them made me cry.  They were powerful!

Jim drove my new car to Tulsa.  I don’t think he likes it.  I had to turn off the change lane indicator and the power eyesight cruise control.  They kept singing to Jim and were driving him crazy.  He didn’t like all the bells and whistles.  He complained most of the way to Tulsa.  I spent the trip looking up how to turn things off for him.  At one point we thought we were getting a warning light about the power steering system but it wasn’t that.  I had to laugh at him.  I saw a side of him I have never seen before.  Change doesn’t come easy to him sometimes.

I drove home and the trip was much easier although he wanted me to drive in the left lane as it was smoother.  We missed the turn to Stillwater and had to go a different way home which pissed Jim off.  He was talking about the church and forgot to tell me to turn off.  We made it home even though we had to come a different way than he had planned.  Oh well!

We stopped at a place called The Tavern and had a hamburger for a late lunch.  It was a bit pricey but the burger was good.  A touch fancy for my simple taste but I was hungry and it hit the spot.  Not sure we will need dinner tonight as we didn’t have lunch until 3:00.

Tomorrow afternoon we meet with the preacher to see about her availability and the church’s availability.  We also have to meet with the preacher four times before she will agree to marry us.

Tuesday I am going to Strong City for the night and than coming back to Stillwater on Wednesday after my doctor’s appointment in Wichita Wednesday afternoon.  I’m meeting Tim, Ellexia and Jason for dinner Tuesday night.  It will be a quick trip home.

Thursday I have my first tax class.  Sure hoping the classes are productive and will make things easier this year.  I will have to learn the differences between KS and OK state returns.

I’m going back to Strong City the weekend of the 18th as I need to be in KC on the 18th to meet Nicole for an appointment.  Not sure if Jim will go with me that weekend or not.  It will probably depend on how the cat is doing.  She seems to have forgotten how to use the litter box consistently and he doesn’t want to make the house sitter clean up pee all day.

It was another beautiful day in Stillwater.  Mid 50’s and bright blue skies.  It has been a very mild winter so far.  I did see where Wichita got a bit of snow a day or two ago.   Thankful we missed it here.

Grateful for photography that tells stories that we can’t forget, grateful for a car manual that kinda tells us how to operate the car, and grateful for a safe trip to Tulsa today.

I was tired last night and went to bed around midnight.  As soon as I laid down I woke up and couldn’t sleep.  I finally got up around 4:00 and took another hot bath and took a NyQuill.  Between the two it knocked me out and I slept until noon.  Have felt a bit draggy all day though as I ended up with too much sleep.

We worked on cleaning out the garage today.  Jim found all sorts of treasures he had forgotten he had.  Threw away a trash can or two of stuff, loaded the Element with a load to take to the ReStore and have a big pile for recycling.  Still not done but progress was made.

I helped some but most of it Jim had to do as I would have thrown away too much stuff.  I cleaned out my Prius and than used a Scotch Brite pad to attempt to remove the bug splats.  I still need to take it to a car wash to finish the cleaning and to vacuum it good but it looks much better.  Found out I was missing my insurance card.  I had to provide one Thursday when I purchased my new car so the car insurance agency faxed the dealer a copy.  Glad that happened as I am now legal in that car again.

Worked on my tax prep stuff today a bit.  Got my test certificates printed using Jim’s computer.  For some reason they wouldn’t print from my iPad.  I still need to do some more practice exercises but got a start of them today.  Not sure what the training will cover so not sure how much to do in advance.

Had lunch around 4:30 so am not hungry for dinner.  I’ll probably get hungry in another hour or so and it will be too late for me to eat tonight.  I have some celery and peanut butter I can eat if I need something small later.  Had some hamburger thawing but will save it for tomorrow.  We had one of the containers of left over White Chicken Chili for lunch.  It was really good – I think that is one of those things that the left overs taste even better than the first serving does.

Finally got a piece of mail that was forwarded today.  Maybe that is the only mail I had that needed to get here.  I’ll see when I get home what is there.  Hope I don’t miss any bills and get a late fee.  Seems to take a long time to get things from KS to OK.  I noticed on the confirmation notice I received that the Post Office thinks this is a permanent move and not a temporary move.  I am rather certain I checked the temporary move box and entered the dates.  I’ll have to go through this process again when we go back to KS full-time in April.

Tomorrow we will go to church in the morning and than finish cleaning the garage.  We need to get the stuff off the back porch and into the garage.  Than Jim needs to empty the back room of dark room stuff.  Some of it will go into my car and I will take it to KS when I go Tuesday.  He has a hard time parting with stuff.  He is also much more responsible about finding the appropriate place to send things off to.  He doesn’t like to put things in the trash and some things are hard to recycle so he hangs on to them.

Monday we have a meeting with the preacher to check on availability for a wedding date and to start the counseling process she requires before she marries someone.  I think she requires at least four sessions.  She is fun to visit with so am looking forward to conversing with her.

Tuesday I am driving to KS and spending one night in Strong City.  I have a doctor’s appointment in Wichita at 1:00 on Wednesday and than will return to Stillwater.  I have several errands to do while I am in KS.  Jim is staying in OK to care for Katy, his sick cat.  I look forward to driving my new Forester.  I ordered a new KTAG sticker for it.  Need to remember to stop and get a manual ticket on the turnpike.

Grateful for sleep at last, grateful the garage clean out project has started, and grateful my Prius is cleaner than it was.

This day went by fast.  Not sure why but before I knew it the sun was setting.

Met with the lady in charge of the local tax preparation program today.  She answered a lot of my questions about how they run their program and what her expectations of me will be.  They do things a bit differently than Emporia does.  They don’t make appointments so everyone is a walk-in.  They run the program mornings and afternoons on Mondays and Wednesday and afternoons on Tuesday.  They also do one Saturday morning a month.

They take however many of us volunteers that are available to work each shift.  They prefer we each work at least two shifts a week but several work all five.  It is no big deal if I need to be gone.  They also review each other’s returns instead of having a person that only does the reviews.

Found out their training is different also.  I need to take the ethics tests on my own as they don’t cover that material in class.  Came home after I met with her and took both of the ethics tests.  I got 100% on each of them so that is good.  I am still a bit confused about the other tests I have to take.  I’ll see how comfortable I am with the material and may go ahead and attempt to take them before our training.  You only need 80% to pass and you get two chances.

Thursday next week is a class for the first timers.  I am going to go to that even though I am doing them for the second year.  I need to get a password, etc. as I am not fully in the Oklahoma data base.  It will also give me a chance to meet some of the people I will be working with and get comfortable with them.  The following week is the three days of training that I will need to attend.  Their is someone coming from the state of Oklahoma to teach us how to do the state tax return.  That will be different for me this year.

After I was done with that meeting I stopped by the grocery store and got things to make White Chicken Chili for dinner.  I used the rest of the roasted chicken I had gotten at Costco yesterday.  We ate part of it last night so it gave us several meals.  What a deal – they are only $4.99.  The White Chicken Chili turned out really good.  Had enough left over to freeze one container for a meal in the future and still have one container for lunch tomorrow.

Finished making the jig saw puzzle I had been working on.  There were two missing pieces when I was done but finally found them this evening..

Need to spend some time reading the manual to my new car.  It has some buttons that I don’t know what they are.  Luckily a Subaru and a Toyota almost run the same so the lights, wipers, etc. are in the place I expect them to be.  The learning curve hasn’t been too steep.

We have an appointment to meet with the preacher next Monday.  She requires four counseling sessions before she will perform a wedding.  Still trying to nail down a date but am getting closer to finding one.  We will find out Monday what her availability and the church availability is.  Once we have a date and place I can start planning.

Still haven’t gotten any mail that I had forwarded.  Hope I didn’t make a mistake in having the mail forwarded.  Seems like it should have caught up with me by now.  I’ve been here two and one-half weeks.  Maybe tomorrow will be my lucky day and I will get a bunch of it.

Not sure what the plan is tomorrow.  We really need to get the garage cleaned out so we can get the back porch cleared.  Jim got distracted today and played with his wood chipper instead.  That job needed done and it cleaned up the back yard.  There are so many tasks it is hard to know which one to do first.

Grateful to have the tax preparation project started, grateful for good White Chicken Chili, and grateful I found the missing two pieces to the puzzle.

I bought a new car today.  We headed to Oklahoma City around 11:00 this morning.  Got to the car dealership around noon and didn’t complete the deal until close to 5:00.  I am exhausted.

The salesman was a very pleasant young man.  He got a sense of what I was looking for and pulled up a Forester Premium and the Outback Premium.  I drove the Forester first.  I fell in love with it.  I liked the visibility and how it handled.  I was surprised when I drove the Outback that I didn’t like it.  It was too much vehicle for what I need and felt a bit pretentious to me.

The car has a weird cruise control that adjusts to the car in front of me.  It also has lane control.  The car can basically drive itself although if you take your hands off the steering wheel it beeps at you.

I like the side blind spot alert on the side windows and the back-up mirror.  I didn’t have either of those on my Prius.  It doesn’t have GPS but when I plug my iPhone in the GPS shows on the control panel of the car.  I have unlimited cell service so no problem.  I do have Sirius radio which I will enjoy.

I didn’t like the business manager.  He tried to sell me the extended warranty and to get me to pay for some sort of service that needs done at 36, 000.  When I told him I didn’t want any extras but understood if he had to pitch them to me anyway his whole tone changed.  He told me that his Subaru customers are smart and over 90% buy the extra warranty and prepay for the service.  He didn’t call me stupid but he implied it.  If that had been the salesman I would have walked out.

The salesman did give me some wrong information a couple of times.  I bargained the price down and asked about KS sales tax.  He told me the $399 fees would cover them.  When the sales manager came to finalize the price it jumped $399 from what the salesman told me it would be.  What a game they play!  Not my favorite thing to do.

We did go out for lunch at some point during the negotiations to give them time to get the paperwork ready.  I had hoped it would speed up the process when we came back but it didn’t seem to.

We stopped at Costco and picked up a few things and than headed to Stillwater.  By than it was dark and I turned on the head lights on the car.  They are much better than the ones on the Prius.  The car handled beautifully.  I think I will enjoy it.

My GPS took me a different way home than the way we came.  Jim didn’t approve of the different route but hung it there and we made it home.  I never know why the GPS routes me differently but assume there must have been an accident that they were routing us around.  We went through two toll booths – one had an attendant but the other you had to throw cash in the box.  I had no coins so put in paper bills.  I hope they don’t come knocking on my door with a ticket.  There was no attendant and I didn’t know I needed change to pay to get off.  What is a gal to do?

Feels a bit like I wasted the day.  Didn’t get anything done around here.  Glad the car purchase is complete though.

I got an email from Carlos today.  I had met Carlos the first day on the Camino and we walked together for the first week or so.  I had sent him an email over a year ago and hadn’t heard back from him.  It was a delightful surprise to get his email today.  Brings back wonderful memories.

Jim and I are trying to nail down a wedding date.  We need to check with the preacher and church and see what is available.  We may move it up to the end of March as our summer seems full already.  Good thing we are going to keep it simple and it won’t take much to plan.

Jim is feeling better today.   He had gotten his shingle shot December 31 and was very achy and tired all day yesterday.  He took a four hour nap yesterday and slept for nine hours last night.  Grateful he is feeling better today.  It is rare that he doesn’t feel good.

Grateful for a new car, grateful to have heard from Carlos, and grateful Jim is feeling better.

 

Happy New Year!  May 2020 bring many blessings and much peace to all mankind.

We stayed up till midnight and celebrated the start of a new year.  I was in bed by 12:10!  Jim stayed up for a bit after that.  We stayed in and had a quiet, peaceful evening.  Neither of us enjoy crowds and I don’t like cold.

We got up and going this morning when the Lowe’s delivery man called and said he would be here in 30 minutes to deliver the new refrigerator.  I emptied everything out of the old one while they took off doors and frames to be able to get the old one out and the new one in.

When they were successful we sorted through all of the contents in the refrigerator and eliminated many jars and containers of unknown origins.  After we got the refrigerator put back together we tackled the freezer.  Jim was pretty good about dating the meat and leftovers.  We threw away over half of the contents of the freezer.  At least now we both know what is in it and will work to use the rest of the meat up soon.  Have lots of room for new stuff now.

The freezer is an old fashioned type that you have to unplug to let defrost.  I worked on that this afternoon and chipped the ice away.  It finally got all melted and I put the freezer stuff back in place.  We have lots of freezer space now.

Jim got a shingles vaccine yesterday and has been achy and tired today.  After we had lunch he went to take a nap and has been sleeping for over five hours.  Hope it is just the vaccine and not the flu.  He wouldn’t take some ibuprofen before he laid down.  Trusting he will be feeling better when he finally wakes up.

I went to JoAnn Crafts this afternoon while Jim was sleeping.  I had been given a gift certificate and wanted to use it up before I forgot about it.  The gift certificate purchased enough yarn for three more baby blankets.  That will keep me busy for a bit.  I wanted to get some fun fur that I use as trim for the blankets and shawls I make but they don’t sell it anymore.  That stuff has become hard to find.

Have been working on a jig saw puzzle today.  Gives me something to do and keeps me from eating all day.  For some reason the last couple of days I have been hungry all the time.  We still have some Christmas treats laying around and I have been tempted more this week than I have for months.  I have almost two years of not eating sugar or flour under my belt and I don’t want to blow it now.  So far I have resisted the urge to have just one white chocolate covered pretzel.  I can resist it!  I can resist it!

Did two loads of laundry today but nothing else productive this afternoon.  It was a nice day out but a touch windy.  My feet have been fairly quiet today probably because I have stayed off of them most of the afternoon.  They were cranky during the night again last night.

I need to figure out something for dinner.  I am waiting for Jim to get up before I start anything as I don’t know if he will feel like eating anything or not.  I have some left over taco meat and will make a taco salad if not.  There is also some left over chicken that needs used up.  We are committed to using up left overs and not wasting so much food.

Ellexia just FaceTime with me.  I love when she does that.  She had a sleep over last night and wanted to share all the details with me.  Sounds like they had a fun evening.

Not sure what is on the agenda for tomorrow.  We may go car shopping unless we find a project of some sort to work on.

Grateful for a new year full of promise and hope, grateful for a new refrigerator and a clean freezer, and grateful for my granddaughter who was full of excitement and wanted to share with me.

Got up early to see Thomas one last time before he flew to Washington, DC.  Jim went back to bed afterwards but I stayed up.  Feeling like Jim was the smart one now as I am going to struggle to make it until midnight.

We ran a bunch of errands this afternoon.  I was almost out of Epsom salt so we went to Walmart to get that as well as a few groceries, we dropped some mail off at the post office, then went to Lowe’s to get a new refrigerator, tried to get some glass for a storm window but couldn’t find what we needed, and went to the kitchen store downtown to get a good can opener.  Our last stop was at Walgreens so Jim could get his shingles vaccine and to order some prints so Jim can do his annual Christmas letter.

I fixed tacos for dinner tonight.  Jim worked outside for a bit while I was fixing dinner.  He tried out his repaired chipper to make sure it was fixed and did some cleaning in the garage.

I finished knitting another blanket.  Not sure what I am going to do with it but it helps keeps my hands busy so will continue making them.  They will find a home sooner or later.

Katy, the cat, seems to be feeling better today.  She seems to like her medication and takes it easily.  We give it to her twice a day.  She is still peeing on the floor but am hopeful she will start using the litter box again soon.

Next week I have a doctor’s appointment in Wichita on Wednesday,  Thursday I have tax school.  Jim needs to stay with Katy to give her her medication so am thinking I will drive to KS on Tuesday and than come back to Stillwater on Wednesday.  I need to pick up some mail at home and get the dogs and cats their tic medication.  I also need to bring my tax stuff to Stillwater so I can get that project started.  Tim had picked up a prescription I am going to need and I need to get that to bring back too.

I had planned on staying in KS from Wednesday until Saturday but I found out about tax school so need to go to Plan B.  I have to go to the doctor again the end of January so will try to come home for a few days then if it works better.

I will be going car shopping sometime soon.  Not sure if we will make it this week yet or if we will wait till next week.  There is a special show at the Gilchrist Museum in Tulsa that Jim wants to see so will probably go see that and than car shop in Tulsa.

I found the books that I thought I had brought with me but couldn’t find.  They were still in Jim’s car.  I’m grateful I found them.  I have missed having a book to read.

Not sure what we are going to do tomorrow.  Sometimes the list of things that need done is so big it is hard to know where to start.  The refrigerator is going to be delivered sometime tomorrow so will need to transfer all the stuff to it.  I need to get the freezer cleaned out and defrosted.  Maybe tomorrow will be a good day to get that project done.  It is to be nice tomorrow so may get another set of storm windows put back on.  We need to get that done before winter weather hits.

I’m so confused as to the day of the week.  I’ll be glad when next week comes and things feel a bit more normal.  I was surprised Lowe’s will deliver on New Year’s Day.

My feet continue to be cranky if I am on them very much.  I looked back through my blog and discovered my left foot stayed cranky through week ten and into the start of week 11.  Tomorrow is eight weeks since surgery so guessing I have at least two more weeks of discomfort to endure.  I have been surprised the left foot has gone back to being cranky but thinking it is because my gait has changed so am using muscles I didn’t used to use.  Sure trusting by the first of February both feet will be quiet and I can start walking long distance again.

Grateful Thomas had a safe trip home, grateful Katy is feeling better, and grateful I found some books to read.

Finally got a few things done today.  Jim emptied his dark room from his old house yesterday.  We unloaded the car today.  Most of it probably needs thrown away but he will sort through it tomorrow and see what can be salvaged.

The people that have been repairing Jim’s limb chipper finally called and told Jim that his chipper was ready to be picked up.  They have had it since August.  Thomas helped his dad pick it up and get it unloaded from the car.

Thomas helped us put up a set of storm windows.  We still have two more sets of windows to do but got one more set done today.

It was a bit cold outside today as it barely reached 40 today.  It was also a bit windy.  I had to wear my heavy coat, hat and gloves to try to stay warm.

Not sure what our plan is for tomorrow.  Thomas will stop by in the morning on his way to the airport so he can say goodbye for this trip.  We have enjoyed having the sons around for the last week.  It is always bittersweet to let them return to their own lives but it will be good to get back to our normal routine.  We have lots of tasks to choose from to do.

We both took a nap this afternoon.  I hadn’t slept very well again and it felt good to take a good nap.  My feet have both been cranky today and the right one is swollen again.  I am so tired of feet that are cranky.  Surely one of these days they will calm down.

I got a bit of cleaning done this morning but still have lots more to do.  Maybe while Jim sorts his dark room equipment I can get some more cleaning done.

We took Katy, the 18 year old cat, to the vet today.  As we thought she has a bladder infection.  Trusting the antibiotics will help her feel better soon.  She was acting a bit better this morning.  Hoping by tomorrow she will be lots better.

Hard for me to believe that tomorrow is New Year’s Eve.  This year went by very fast.    Not sure if it is because I am older or what but time sure seems to go fast.  Sometimes I just want to grab time and slow it down.

2020 will bring big changes for me.  Planning a wedding will be at the top of my to do list for next year.  We will have a family only ceremony but will plan two receptions – one in Stillwater and one in Strong City.

Grateful to have gotten something productive done today, grateful Katy is feeling better, and grateful for a long winter’s nap.

 

Went to church this morning.  They only had one service today at 9:30.  I especially enjoyed the preacher’s sermon this morning.

Took a nap this afternoon as I didn’t sleep very good last night.  Only slept for about an hour but it sure felt good.  Feel much better this evening as a result of getting some extra sleep.

It has been windy and cold today.  We missed the snow KS got but it sure felt cold enough to snow here.  I have add to add a couple extra layers today to be able to stay warm.

Thomas came over for dinner tonight.  I fixed roasted chicken, Brussels sprouts and baked potatoes.  The chicken wasn’t quite as good as it was last week but it was OK.

Didn’t get much done again today.  Am almost finished knitting a twin sized blanket. It was too cold to work outside today.  Jim went through a closet and a dresser drawer and found some clothes to throw out and has a big box to take to Goodwill or some similar donation place tomorrow.  Have many more dresser drawers to go through but it is a start.

Katy, the 18 year old cat, seems to be feeling a bit better.   She actually ate her dinner tonight.  We are taking her to the Vet tomorrow afternoon as she had some blood in her urine yesterday.  She sleeps most of the time under a lamp and sitting on top of a furnace vent.

Tomorrow Thomas is coming up to help Jim put the storm windows back up.  Hopefully that project will go fairly smoothly and they can get them all back up.  I have some more detail cleaning I would like to get done if Jim is working outside.

I need to run to the grocery store tomorrow and pick up a few things.  We have been eating lots of leftovers and trying to get the refrigerator cleaned out.

Thomas goes back to Washington, DC Tuesday morning.  It was nice having the sons here for the holidays but it will be nice to get back to our normal routine too.  We don’t have any plans for New Years Eve.  We will probably celebrate in our quiet way here at home.

My feet felt a bit better today but both are still a bit stiff and tender.  They are very sensitive to touch and have been hanging them over the end of the bed at night as they yell at me if the blankets touch them.  I keep reminding myself to be patient with them but my patient quotient seems to be running low.  Wednesday will be eight weeks out from the last surgery so hoping improvement will come shortly afterwards.  The swelling was a bit better today so that is good news.

I thought I had brought several paperback books with me but can’t find them.  I must have left them on a table at home.  May need to borrow Jim’s library card and go get something to read.  I hate buying new paperbacks when I have piles of them at home I get at the library book sale for next to nothing.  I miss having a book available to read.

Grateful for Sunday afternoon naps, grateful for a nice dinner with Thomas and Jim, and grateful Katy is feeling a bit better today.

 

I am stringing together a long stretch of not doing anything days.  Starting to give me a bit of anxiety I think.  I do better when I have tasks to do during the day and accomplish a bit of physical labor.

David and his girlfriend left for Berkekey late morning.  I wish them safe travels.  They traveled three days to spend three full days here and will have three travel days to get home.  It was wonderful meeting his girlfriend and seeing David again.

We went to Boomer Lake and tried to take a walk. My foot wasn’t having it though so only walked about a mile.  It swelled up again when we got home.  Dang it!  Need to remember to stay patient a bit longer and let it continue to heal before I push myself walking.  I only set it back when I walk too far and it swells again.  I am seven and one-half weeks out from surgery.  Maybe in another week or so I will be able to start pushing it a bit.

Thomas came over this afternoon to pick up his Christmas presents.  He is packing a big box that will need to be shipped to him as he doesn’t have enough suitcase space to take everything back in.  He stayed and visited for a bit.

Jim took a nap after David left this morning.  Jim had stayed up late last night and was worn out.  Glad he got some extra rest.  It has rained most of the day and was a good day to take a nap.  I’m tired tonight and probably should have laid down for a bit myself.

Katy, one of Jim’s cats is sick.  She has blood in her urine and is having trouble getting to the litter box.  She is 18 years old and doesn’t act very energetic right now. Jim text the Vet this morning but we didn’t hear back from her.  He has had her since she was a baby so it is like a member of his family is sick.  All she seems to want to do is sleep.  She isn’t eating very well.  I’m gad we are here in Oklahoma so he can be with her right now.

Finished knitting the baby blanket I had started several weeks ago.  Have a twin sized blanket 3/4 done.  Now that I know the church here will take prayer shawls I will work on getting lots more made so I can get rid of the yarn I have on hand.  When I go back to KS for my doctor’s appointment I will bring more yarn so I can get a bunch made up.  I love to empty totes.

Had some left over scalloped potatoes so heated them up, added cubed left over ham, and then added some eggs.  It turned out good and got rid of some left overs.  Tomorrow I need to come up with something fresh to eat for dinner.  We have been having lots of leftovers.  We ate the left over taco meat from last night for lunch today.

JIm and I are working to come up with a wedding date.  It seems complicated with our schedule and looking at our five kid’s schedules.  Ummm…  may need to come up with Plan B.  If we get married in Stillwater we will plan a reception of some sort in KS and will reverse that if we get married in KS.  He has a preacher here that he wants to perform the ceremony so will have to see when she is available and if she would travel to KS.  His sons will need to fly in regardless of where it is at and my three kids are all in KS.  Maybe we just need to pick a date and leave it up to the kids to make it work.  Not thinking we will have many guests other than family.  We will do a reception of some sort after the ceremony that guests can come to.

Still not sure I have wrapped my head around the fact that I will be getting married sometime in 2020.  I’ve been single for almost five years.  Kind got used to being single.  It will be a huge change for me but one that I welcome.

Grateful for a rainy day, grateful for visits from Jim’s sons, and grateful Christmas 2019 is over!

 

Another quiet day after a hard night.  I broke down and took pain pills last night.  My feet were sensitive and throbbing.  Both were a bit swollen, especially the right one which is the one I just had surgery on.  I looked back at my blog from when I was seven to eight weeks out from having the left one done and the same thing had happened then.  It must be part of the healing journey.  That helped me relax about it.  They are a bit better today although they still hurt.

We ran errands mid-day.  Took recycling material and dumped it off, delivered a tub full of prayer shawls to the church, went to the grocery store and picked up the stuff out of Jim’s old dark room.

When we got home I took a short nap.  Felt better when I woke up.  All day I have been foggy and not with it.  It is a side effect of the pain pills.  It finally has cleared.

The sons and a girlfriend came over for tacos tonight.  It was an easy to fix meal and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  We got the kitchen cleaned up and put back together and are relaxing for a bit.  The sons were both meeting old friends tonight.

David can’t tow my Prius with the car they are driving so will have to figure out another way to get the car to him.  I’ll put off buying a new car until we can figure out a plan.

My teacher/mentor called me today.  It was good to talk to him.  I hadn’t talked to him for over a year.  He calls periodically to check in with me to see how I am doing. I appreciate that.  He used to come to KS once a year to teach a workshop but didn’t do so this year.  Hoping he will come next year so I can see him and his beautiful wife again.

Nothing on the calendar that has to be done tomorrow.  We haven’t made any more progress on working on the house so hoping tomorrow we can get back to that.  I like days where I can see that I did something.  I’ve had too many lately where I can’t say what I did all day.

I’ll be glad when the holidays are over and things kinda return to “normal”.

Grateful my mentor called me today, grateful for pain pills, and grateful for naps.

It has been a quiet, lazy day today.  Not sure I accomplished much of anything today. I slept for three hours last night than was up most of the night.  Finally got back to sleep around 5:30 and slept until 10:00.  When you get up that late the day goes by quickly.

Cleaned up some of the clutter that was made yesterday and did some knitting.  Didn’t even go for a walk today.  It was a bit cooler out today and I felt cold inside all day today.  Sure hope I’m not coming down with something.  When I woke up in the middle of the night I didn’t feel very good.  Have felt better today except for getting the chills off and on.

I might be selling my Prius to one of Jim’s sons.  There car is about to die and I am ready to get a new car.  Mine is almost seven years old.  It will make a wonderful car for Jim’s son and I will get a new one.  They came over and test drove it today and will let me know tomorrow if they want to drive it to CA when they drive home Saturday or if they have decided not to take it or They may wait and fly out and drive it home.  Either way works for me.

I am going to look at several cars but think I want a Subaru Outback.  I haven’t driven one yet so may change my mind.  Jim likes to buy cars so he can help me.  I learned when I got the Prius to not just buy the cheapest one on the lot.  I want a few extras and will pay extra to get them.  I don’t need all the bells and whistles though.  We will have to go to Oklahoma City to find a dealership as there isn’t one in Stillwater.

Trusting tomorrow I will find some energy and get something done.  I don’t like days when I don’t do much.  Jim did some computer work this afternoon and didn’t get outside as he had planned to.  It is to be cooler tomorrow but we need to get something done.  The to do list is long and we can’t waste everyday by being lazy.

Ellexia texted me a couple times today and we FaceTime for a bit.  When she gets bored she reaches out to me and I help her kill some time.  She had cleaned her room and showed it to me.  Wish I could have been closer I would have gone and gotten her and spent some time with her.

Grateful for a lazy day today, grateful for my granddaughter Ellexia, and grateful for getting a second sleep this morning.

 

Jim asked me to marry him last night.  I said yes!  Not sure when we will do the deed but probably sometime this summer.

The candlelight service at the church was lovely.  They sang some of my favorite Christmas carols, served communion and ended it with Silent Night and Joy to the World using the candles to light the church.

Today was a beautiful day in Oklahoma.  It was over 70 degrees out and sunny with bright blue skies.  We took a one mile walk this afternoon after we wrapped all the presents.  Felt so good to get out and walk again.  My feet haven’t felt up to walking lately.  We picked up a lot of cans and bottles along the sidewalk.

The sons came over late afternoon.  We opened gifts and have dinner cooking now.  Waiting on the girlfriend to get here and than we will have dinner.  The sons treated me very nicely and gave me some nice gifts.  Jim spoiled me as usual and gave me some thoughtful gifts.

Jim and one of the sons are sitting out on the back porch waiting for the other one to come back with his girlfriend.  Loving this spring like weather for Christmas.

It has been a very pleasant, relaxing day.  I like the low key atmosphere and the love shared between us all.

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and trust your day has been wonderful.

I’m grateful Christmas is over for this year though.  I truly am blessed and excited for 2020!

Grateful Jim asked me to marry him last night, grateful for the visit by his sons, and grateful for the beautiful day!

Had a wonderful dinner with Jim’s sons and a girlfriend last night.  The food was good, the company awesome and the conversation was lively.

My foot was sore and swollen when I went to bed last night.  Both feet complained most of the night.  I finally got up around 6:00 and took another hot bath and took some more ibuprofen.  I finally got about four hours of sleep after that.

Today has been a quiet day.  We did run to Walmart to go to the grocery store to get supplies for tomorrow evening’s Christmas dinner.  The store wasn’t as crowded as I feared it might be.

Put the Christmas tree up this afternoon and got it decorated.  Still need to wrap the rest of the presents but we have the rest of the evening and tomorrow early afternoon to get that job done.

Cleaned out the refrigerator when we got home.  Way overdue task!  Found room for the things we purchased after we threw out the stuff that was way past its useful life.

Went out to the back porch and laid down on the swing.  It was almost 70 degrees today and a great day to get some fresh air.  I fell asleep and slept for an hour.  Making up for the sleep I didn’t get last night.

Tonight we have to be at the church at 10:00.  The midnight service starts at 11:00 but Jim sings in the choir and they have a quick rehearsal before.  I’ll take some knitting and knit while he is in rehearsal.

Tomorrow the boys will be over late afternoon and we will all fix dinner together.  Ham, scalloped potatoes, bean soup, roasted vegetables and a green salad is on the menu.  The boys both like to cook and are good at it.  We should have a nice feast.

Traffic is finally starting to slow down on the road in front of the house.  It has been unusually heavy today.

Still doesn’t feel like Christmas to me.  Not sure what Christmas feels like but I don’t feel like I have found my Christmas spirit this year.  Good thing it will be over tomorrow.  Some years it doesn’t find me and that is OK.

Mindfulness is my word for 2020.  I want to be mindful of the words I speak, mindful of the food I eat, mindful of the thoughts I think, mindful of my friends and family, and mindful of my footprint I am leaving on their earth this trip around the sun.

Grateful for a quiet day at home, grateful for naps, and grateful for family.

We got as much of the floor done that we could do using the power nailer. The rest will have to be done using finishing nails. We returned the power nailer and air compressor. Stopped by Lowe’s to pick up some more wood.

Jim has been working on finishing the floor since we have been back from the hardware store. The floor has gone much faster using new wood. We did find that the pieces were not a consistent size. Once we figured that out and used the same sized pieces in a row the project moved along much faster. The inconsistency in the size of the pieces really made what should have been a simple project a real challenge.

Before Jim left to pick up Thomas he got the washer and dryer moved back into place and hooked up. Still have about 12 more boards to lay and the floor will be laid.

We took the sander back without using it. We decided to finish the back room floor and than remove the linoleum from the kitchen floor and get that floor cleaned up and than we can rent the sander again. Ran out of time to get all that done this weekend as the floor took much longer than expected.

Jim’s son got in from CA last night. The other one is flying into Oklahoma City from Washington, DC this afternoon. Jim will leave in a bit to go pick him up. Both sons and a girlfriend are coming over for dinner later tonight.

While Jim is picking up Thomas I will get the house cleaned up. I haven’t finished my detailed cleaning project yet but it looks much better now than when I started. I also want to dip some pretzels in white almond bark.

I fixed a pot of vegetarian spaghetti sauce for dinner tonight. I have a spaghetti squash to roast later and will fix traditional spaghetti noodles too. I also have the stuff to fix a big green salad and garlic bread. It will be fun to see the sons again and meet the new girlfriend.

I finished my Christmas shopping today. I had two last gifts I wanted to pick up for Jim. I got one when we went to Lowe’s for the additional wood planks and stopped and got the last one while I was out going to the grocery store. Traffic is really heavy in Stillwater today. Glad I found what I was looking for and my shopping is now complete. I might get some things wrapped while Jim is gone this evening too.

Tomorrow we don’t have plans except to go to church tomorrow evening. Jim has to be there at 10:00 for choir practice and the service is at 11:00 pm. I’m looking forward to going to Christmas Eve services.

Wednesday the sons and girlfriend will come over mid afternoon and we will have dinner together. They need to decide tonight what they want to eat so I have time to go to the grocery store tomorrow to get what we need. Jim is more of a last minute planner than I am. Makes me nervous to wait this long to get groceries.

Jim just called. He has been stuck on the turnpike for 30 minutes and hasn’t moved. Lots of ambulances and rescue trucks ahead. He is going to be late picking up Thomas and dinner may be at 10:00 tonight. Good thing it is spaghetti and it can wait. Frustrating for us yet sad for those that are injured and hurt.

That will give me more time to get some cleaning done. May get the pretzels dipped and a few presents wrapped too.

Still can’t wrap my head around the fact that Christmas is Wednesday. It was in the 60’s here today – felt more like spring than Christmas. I’ll be glad when Christmas is over. It is not my most favorite time of the year.

Grateful the floor is almost done, grateful my shopping is done, and grateful both sons will be here later tonight.

I have spent the afternoon helping Jim lay a wood floor.  My job has been to use the nailer gun that is powered by an air compressor.  We are about half way done and Jim had to run to the lumber yard to get more wood planks.  We need to get this job finished tonight as the air compressor needs to be returned in the morning.  May be a late night.

We have figured out how to make it go a bit faster.  The wood Jim got was seconds and several have been warped badly.  If we cut the long pieces into two or three smaller pieces they fit better and it doesn’t take so long to fight with them to try to get them straight.  Once we figured that out the project has moved along a bit quicker.

I think I am going to be sore tomorrow.  I’m using muscles I forgot I had.  Jim has had the hardest job though as he has been on his knees pounding the planks together and than having to get up and cut them to fit.

It is interesting to me to learn how to do a project like this.  Yesterday Jim finished laying the underlay board.  Tomorrow he will sand the floor and apply the first coat of polyurethane.  It will take three coats to complete the job.

After the floor gets done we need to Sheetrock the ceiling and walls.  One of Jim’s son will probably help him do that project as I’m not sure I am strong enough to be of much help.  They may choose to work on a different project too.  We have plenty of projects to choose from.

We went to church this morning.  Every time I go I meet more people.  Haven’t gotten all the names figured out yet but am working on it.

We went to Walmart after church as Jim’s car starter needed new batteries.  We got a few things for the stocking stuffers while we were there.  Not sure we have everything we need but we will find some time and sort it all out and see what we still need.  We still have two days to shop.

I made taco soup this morning and put it in the crock pot.  Sure made the house smell good all afternoon.  I had a bowl while Jim went to Lowe’s.  He said he would eat later.  I don’t like to eat very late at night and he prefers to eat late.

It will be nice to see Jim’s sons.  One of them is driving in from CA today with his girl friend and the other Jim will go pick up at the airport in Oklahoma City tomorrow late afternoon.  Not sure when they will be over to see Jim other than Christmas Day evening they will be over to have dinner with us.

Tuesday night we will all go to the Christmas Eve service at the church at 11:00 pm.  Both sons will sing in the choir with Jim.  I look forward to attending a Christmas Eve service.   It is one thing I have missed since I stopped going to church years ago.

Jim will be back any minute now so best wrap this up so I am ready to go back to work and get this project done.  Maybe by midnight the floor will be down and ready to be sanded tomorrow.

Grateful for this new learning experience, grateful my body is allowing me to do physical labor without complaining too much, and grateful Jim’s sons will be here soon.

It has been a slow energy type of day.  Neither one of us had a lot of get up and go.  We both managed to get some things done but at a turtle pace today.

Jim dropped off a load of recycling material while I went to the grocery store.  The store wasn’t as busy as I feared it might be.

I detail cleaned the bathroom today.  Hung a new shower curtain in it.  Feels good to have that room done.  Still have more rooms to clean but didn’t have it in me to do more than one room today.

We worked on clearing out the back room so we can start laying new floor tomorrow.  Still need to move the washer and dryer and than Jim needs to put the boards on part of the floor that the new floor will be laid on.  Hopefully it will be ready for us to start laying floor after church tomorrow.

We still have a stack of Christmas gifts to wrap and stocking stuffers to buy.  We still have three days – right?

I fixed baked chicken breast for chicken.  I used a new recipe and it was some of the best baked chicken I have ever had.  You brine the chicken in salt water for 15 minutes before you bake it.  After you bake it you let it rest for 10 minutes.  It was really juicy and tender.  I printed the recipe so I can use it again.  I found it using a google search.

I made the Rollo pretzel bites today.  Still need to dip the pretzels in white chocolate.  May do that yet tonight or else wait until Monday.

My feet have quieted down and not been so cranky today.  The outer part of my right foot hurts. Not sure why it hurts there.

Have been knitting on a blanket – it is almost half done.  I’m surprised it is going as fast as it have been as I haven’t knitted this pattern for a long time.  Brought enough yarn to make four blankets but not sure I will get them all made up.  Also have some tea towels to work on if I need another project for my hands.

I’m tired tonight.  Never felt like I woke up all the way today.  Hopefully I will go to bed early tonight and find more energy tomorrow.  We have a lot to get done tomorrow and it would help if I could move a bit quicker.

Today was Winter Solstice.  I listened to a solstice meditation this morning.  I still need to choose my word for the year and set my intentions for next year.  I’ll try to remember to do that when I take my bath tonight.

Grateful for Winter Solstice as it means the light will start to return, grateful I got one room detailed cleaned today, and grateful for a new recipe that was delicious.

We are back in Stillwater.  Got going earlier than I anticipated this morning and we arrived in Stillwater before 2:30.  Jim went and picked up a sander and a wood floor nailer thingy from the rental place.  Tomorrow we are going to lay a new floor on the back room and than possibly remove the linoleum from the kitchen and sand the wood floor in there.  We will see how much we can get done.  It will depend on what type of unknown issues we run into.  When you remodel a one hundred year old house there are always surprises in store.

Lots of traffic on the Turnpike this afternoon.  We each drove a car down.  I hate to caravan on the highway so we didn’t try to do that.  Jim had to stop twice and I stopped once for gas and to go to the bathroom.  Most of the time I was able to maintain my speed and the trip took the normal three hours.

I brought a lot of stuff this time.  I will be here for three weeks this time.  Brought yarn to work up, extra clothes and Christmas presents.  Both cars were full so it was a good thing I decided to drive my car too.

It was nice to be back on the prairie for a few days.  My heart is full and refilled from being back on the prairie.  The moonlight on the snow was beautiful and I reconnected with Mother Nature through the sunrises and sunsets.

Tomorrow is Winter Solstice.  The light will start to return following tomorrow.  I am so ready for it!  I need to set my intentions for the coming year tomorrow and decide what my word for the year will be.  Several words are rolling around for me but I haven’t found the correct one yet.  I’m sure I will by tomorrow.

My foot has been a bit better today although it is still a bit cranky.  It is hurting on the  little toe side of the foot today.  Not sure what is up with that.  I think both feet are adjusting to me walking “normally” on them and they have to reset their old habits.

We have a big stack of Christmas presents that need wrapped.  One of Jim’s son will arriving Sunday evening and the other Monday evening so will need to get them wrapped before they come over.  We don’t have the tree up yet either and I need to finish the house cleaning project.  It will be a busy weekend for sure!

I started knitting a blanket last night.  I haven’t used my big needles for several months.  I have been knitting baby blankets that use size 6 needles.  My hands will have to get used to the big ones again.  The pattern is so engrained in my memory that it happens without thought.

Need to put together a grocery list and go to the grocery store tomorrow.  We have stuff for bacon, eggs and hash browns on hand so that will be dinner tonight.  The hardest part about cooking is deciding what to fix.  Once I know what to fix the rest is easy.

I have two or three more presents I would like to go get sometime before Wednesday.  No big deal if I don’t get them though.  We do need to get some stocking stuffer things for the sons and a girlfriend that is coming.  When we need a break from doing the floor we will run out and take care of that.

I bought some pretzels and white dipping chocolate and want to get those made tomorrow before we have to move the stove so we can do the kitchen floor.  I also got Rollo’s and pecans to make that treat for the sons.  I love those things.

It felt like I had come home when we got here this afternoon.  Both houses feel like home.  They couldn’t be much more different from each other but both feel like home.

Grateful for a safe journey home today, grateful tomorrow is Winter Solstice and the light will start returning a bit more each day, and grateful progress is being made on the remodel project inside the house.

Remembering with much love my son-in-law Chris who transitioned on this day three years ago.  He taught me one never knows how much time one has left and I need to make the most of everyday I have as I don’t have the promise of a tomorrow.

The kids came out for a nice dinner last night.  Tagen wasn’t feeling very good but Ellexia was a ball of energy.  It was nice to see them and spend a bit of time with them before I leave again for three weeks.

I had made a list of things I wanted to take to Oklahoma with me and have been gathering stuff up.  I have almost finishing packing.  The car is going to be fully packed.  I have another doctor’s appointment in three weeks so will be back for a few days in case I forgot something.

I worked on finishing up my tax prep work.  Have almost all of it done now.  Just waiting on a few last December bills to come in so I can record those amounts.  Next time I am home I hope the tax prep packet will be ready and I can get it to enter in all the data my accountant needs to do my taxes.

Baked Jim a batch of cookies this morning so he will have cookies for the next three weeks.  My kitchen here is easier for me to bake in than his is.  I have more counter space.  Ran out of Crisco and oatmeal so only could do a single batch.

Did three loads of laundry today.  Need to do a bit of cleaning and than will be ready to leave again for three weeks tomorrow.

Got the results of my blood thyroid level back.  It is 2.8 which is right where it should be.  MD Anderson recommended I keep it between 2.0 and 2.5 but the doctor in Topeka wants it closer to 3.0 for heart health protection.  I will have it checked again in May when I go see my Endocrinologist for my annual visit.

My foot is hurting today.  It is a bit more swollen this morning than it has been.  I have been trying to stay off of it more today and give it some TLC.  I’m sure I overdid it a bit yesterday.

It is almost 50 degrees out today!  The moon was so pretty on the remaining snow last night.  I saw the sunrise again this morning and it was spectacular.  I love the colors in the sky during this time of year.

Winter Solstice is Saturday.  I am ready for the light to start to return and for the days to get longer each day.  I did some deep inner work this season and feel ready to get refilled with light and love.

Grateful for the live of Chris and the lessons and love he taught me, grateful for good blood test results, and grateful to be almost ready to leave again for three weeks.

Had a productive trip to Emporia today. Got my hair cut, had a blood draw to check my thyroid levels, went to the bank, got dog and chicken feed and went to Walmart and got groceries. We were gone almost three hours.

The Plumber came out this morning to check the water softener. Evidentially it melted a gasket which was the dirty stuff that ended up in my bath tub last night. The plumber doesn’t work on water softener although he installs them. He is going to try to find someone to come fix it. It is only three years old and unfortunately no longer under warranty.

I messaged my neighbor that is on the same water district I am to see if they use a water softener. They do not. I will see if it can get fixed and if not I won’t replace it at this time and see what happens.

When we got home we put the groceries away and Jim loaded up the chicken feed into the containers I use to carry it down to the coop. We did chicken chores together and than scrapped the sidewalk and deck so when the kids come tonight they won’t slip and fall.

My foot was a bit swollen this morning and is rather tender this afternoon. I have tried to remember to stop and prop it up off and on during the day. If I remember I will put some ice on it later.

Michelle, Tim and the kiddos are coming out for dinner tonight. They wanted cream chicken and biscuits so that is what is on the menu. I have the chicken cooked and the potatoes peeled. It is an easy meal to fix.

Last night I sorted through my yarn totes. Found one tote full of prayer shawls that I am going to take to Stillwater and donate to Jim’s church. They have a prayer shawl ministry. Threw the contents of another tote away. Gathered enough yarn to make five blankets that I am going to take to Stillwater to work on this winter. Still have too much yarn but am working my way through at least part of it.

I am working on my list of things I want to take to Stillwater when we go back Friday. We will be back in KS in three weeks. My surgeon’s office called this morning and said the surgeon wants me to see the PA in three weeks. He didn’t mention that to me when I was in his office yesterday. We will probably come back on that Wednesday and than return to Stillwater the following Saturday. Hopefully that will be the last appointment I will need.

When I got up this morning and came in the dining room I noticed the sun was rising. The colors both in the east and to the west were breathtaking this morning. I enjoyed the sunset last night too. They are reminders to me why I love living here in spite of all the water issues.

Grateful to have worked my way through my errand list today, grateful the kids are coming out for dinner tonight, and grateful for my plumber that comes when I have issues.

NO MORE BOOT!  The Doctor was most impressed by how fast I heal.  I don’t have to wear the boot anymore.  I am to take it easy for another two weeks and not walk miles.  He didn’t even tell me to ease into not wearing the boot this time.  He didn’t order any more physical therapy but if I think I need more I am to call his office and they will order it.  Going to wait until next week to decide if I need more or not.

I am to go back in six weeks if things don’t continue to progress.  He said to continue to expect it to swell at times but that I should see gradual improvement over the next  six months.

We stopped at a diner in Newton for lunch and than drove home.  The roads were all clear except for my driveway.  I didn’t have any big snow drifts in the driveway so we were able to get into the garage without issue.

Went downstairs to check the booster pump.  It appears to be working properly.  Checked the water softener and found water where the salt should be.  Damn it!  Fix one thing and find another thing broken.  I called the plumber and left a message.  Hopefully we can get it fixed before I leave Friday.  What is it about this house and water issues?

The prairie is so pretty with it’s blanket of snow.  The sun is shining today and it is a beautiful day to look out over the prairie.  When I have been gone for a bit it feels so good to get home and have this view to look at.  I forget every time how much I love looking out my windows at the prairie.  I can feel my soul being filled this afternoon with all the light and beauty around me.

Got through my mail.  Only found one bill that needs paid and found two checks that will need to be deposited.  I notified the post office to temporarily forward my mail to Stillwater starting Friday.  Hope things find me and don’t get lost in the mail.

I had ordered a few things and most of the things were here.  Still waiting on another package or two to come in.  Trusting everything will arrive tomorrow or Thursday.

Tomorrow I am going into Emporia at noon to get my hair cut.  Am having my thyroid levels checked since I will be gone for several months.  Have a long list of errands to run while I am in town tomorrow including going to the bank and getting critter feed.  Also need to pick up a few groceries.

The house is quiet this afternoon.  Jim’s house is fairly quiet but it is near a major road and one can usually hear traffic noise.  It is nice to be back in the quiet.

I will run down and see my chickens and than find the dogs and cats to give some attention to later this afternoon.  They love my house sitter so don’t think any of them even noticed I was gone.

I had trouble falling asleep last night and had to get up early this morning.  May go take a nap this afternoon.  I can sleep in tomorrow morning as I don’t have to be in town until noon.

Grateful for a great report from the doctor and getting out of the boot, grateful to be back on the prairie, and grateful the booster pump is fixed.

I went to physical therapy today.  The therapist was much gentler on my foot today.  She tried to work some of the swelling out of it.  Did the normal stretches and balancing therapies.  She said she could see an improvement – not sure I noticed much of any improvement.

After PT we went to Five Guys for a hamburger.  I had never eaten there before.  The burger was huge and very good.  I had them use a lettuce wrap instead of the bun as I don’t eat flour.  It was a six napkin burger – juicy and messy.

Other than PT I didn’t do much today.  I have worked on some knitting to keep my hands busy but haven’t done any more cleaning today.  I still may get something done but am not counting on it.

We have to be on the road in the morning before 9:00.  I want to allow a bit extra time in case the roads are still slick.  My appointment is at 11:00.  It spitted snow here today but not enough for any accumulation.

We will probably take the turnpike on into Emporia tomorrow as the turnpike is usually easier to drive on than the small highways.  If we go through Emporia we will stop and get groceries and maybe critter feed so we won’t have to come back into town on Wednesday.

We are coming back to Stillwater on Friday so won’t be home very long.  The kids are coming out for dinner Wednesday night so I can see them one more time before Christmas.  Not sure when I will get back up to KS so wanted to see the kiddos this time.

I have been working on the tests I have to take before I qualify to do taxes.  Some of them require I enter the information and I can’t work on those as I don’t have a password to enter the site yet.  I’m almost done with the others that I don’t need the system to do.  I have my first tax meeting on January 9 and than the full training starts January 13 – 15.  We will probably start doing taxes around the first of February.  I look forward to doing them again.

When we get back here Friday we are going to lay a floor.  Jim arranged to rent the equipment he needs to lay the floor while I was at PT.  After we get the floor down we will put up Sheetrock on the ceiling and walls.  I learn a lot working with him and it is usually fun to do so.  His sons will be here next week and hopefully they will help a bit too.

Sure trusting I can fit into my jeans tomorrow.  I have been wearing sweat pants since surgery and feel like I have gained at least five if not ten pounds.  OUCH!  Time to get back on the wagon and get them off.  I’m disappointed in myself I allowed that to happen again.  I had hoped I learned from last time.  At least I was able to get it off before I gained it back again.  I absolutely do not want to buy new jeans if they are too tight.  I’ll have to wear my sweat pants for another couple of weeks if they don’t fit while I take off the extra pounds again.

Looking forward to going home tomorrow.  It is hard to live in two different worlds.  The good thing is both worlds fit me.  I do look forward to mainly staying here for the next three to four months.  Then we will mainly be in KS for three months or so.  Maybe that will help us decide which house fits us the best.

Grateful physical therapy is over unless the doctor orders more tomorrow, grateful the forecast is for sunny skies in KS tomorrow, and grateful I will get to tend to my chickens tomorrow afternoon – boot free!

As feared I didn’t sleep well last night.  That is what I get for taking too long of a nap yesterday.  I didn’t take a nap today so trusting I will sleep well tonight.

We went to church this morning.  They only had one service today so had to be at church at 9:30.  The choir didn’t sing today so actually got to sit with Jim today during the service.

Came home afterwards and after lunch did some cleaning while Jim sorted through several totes of books.  He condensed them and has a big pile to take to the library for the book sale.

This evening we went back to church for a chili feed and carol sing.  Jim led the carol sing.  It was an enjoyable evening.  I am getting to know more people and ran into several people I have gotten to know.

Tomorrow I have physical therapy at 2:00.  It may be my last session.  I’ll see what the doctor says Tuesday.  My toe bends up easily but not so good down.

Tuesday we go to Wichita for my last doctor’s appointment and than on to Strong City for a couple of nights.  We will come back to Stillwater on Friday.  The first of Jim’s sons comes in Sunday evening and will be here for a week.  The other one comes in Monday.  It will be fun having them around for a bit.

When we are here I can envision myself selling my house and moving here full time.  When we are in Strong City the same thing happens!  Guess we will keep both houses for a bit and continue to go back and forth and see where we end up long-term.  It does feel like we live in two different worlds though.  Not sure I want to do that permanently.

I have a list of things I need to get done when I get back to Strong City.  Not sure when I am returning so need to plan for not returning for a month or more.  I’ll have to do a feed haul while I am home so that the critters all have a month’s worth of food on hand.

I hear the prairie got a cover of snow today and more snow is predicted for tomorrow.  We got a light sprinkle this morning here but no snow.  Trusting the roads will be clear by Tuesday morning.

Need to remember to pick up and bring my address book back to Stillwater as I want to send a few Christmas cards next week.

Grateful for a church family that accepts me and welcomes me, grateful the time in my boot has almost come to an end, and grateful for libraries that will accept used books.

Got a private message on Facebook yesterday asking me if I used to be a foster parent.  Turns out my second foster child was adopted by this lady.  Wow!  That was way back in 1989.  I had the daughter for six weeks.  I had picked her up at the hospital when she was two days old.  I remember meeting the adoptive parents but we only spent about thirty minutes with them.  She is going to send me a picture she took that day and a current one of her daughter.

That stirred up lots of memories for me.  I originally went into foster care to take care of infants that were waiting adoption.  We had two infants and then the agency we were fostering through stopped that program.  We than began fostering older children.  I loved taking care of the infants.

Had a nonproductive day today.  Did some knitting this morning but was lazy and didn’t do any cleaning.  After lunch decided to take a nap and slept for almost three hours.  Must have been more tired than I realized.  Trusting I will eventually sleep tonight.  We have to get up by 8:30 so we can go to 9:30 church tomorrow.

Fixed a new crock pot recipe for dinner.  It had boneless chicken thighs, green salsa, and spices in it.  Served it over rice.  It was good.  I was afraid it was going to be too spicy but it had lots of flavor but wasn’t hot spicy.  I’ll fix it again sometime but not sure I would want to eat it everyday.

My foot is feeling better tonight.  It woke me up a couple of times last night but has been quiet today.  Hopefully it has gotten over the fit it was throwing for being manipulated in therapy Thursday.  Hopefully Monday the therapist will be a bit gentler with it.

So looking forward to Tuesday and getting permission to quit wearing the boot.  It is time to retire permanently my boot.  I keep thinking about walking pain free come spring time.

Tomorrow we have church in the morning and again in the evening.  They are having a chili feed and than a Christmas carol sing that Jim leads.  I love Christmas music so should be a good time.

Grateful for Facebook and the new connection that was made, grateful for Saturday afternoon naps, and grateful a new recipe turned out great.

 

It has been a beautiful day in Stillwater today.   No wind and the temperature was in the low 60’s.  We worked outside most of the afternoon.  Have two more sets of windows ready for the storm windows to be put back up,  We are making slow progress.

Jim has a laptop that he hasn’t been able to print from.  I worked on that for a bit this afternoon and got it working.  I also got the printer connected to the new router.  I always feel more than satisfied with myself when I figure something like that out.  Ever so grateful for Google and finding how to instructions.  Now I need to figure out how to get my wireless printer at home to work.

Did some more detail cleaning today.  Making slow progress on that project too.  The house is starting to take shape with clean windows and being cleaner inside.

My feet hurt last night.  They didn’t like anything touching them and woke me up to tell me so several times during the night.  They are better today although they both are still complaining a bit.  Decided not to push them and skipped taking my mile walk today. Sure trusting that by tomorrow they will stop complaining and I can get a long walk in.

Need to take a trip to Walmart either tonight or tomorrow.  Kinda hate to go tomorrow as I bet it will be filled with Christmas shoppers.  I need some more tape to wrap my foot with and have a list of other things I want to pick up too.  I might chicken out and not go and just get some tape at the grocery store and call it good.  The other stuff I need can wait until next week.

Sunday we have church at 9:30 and than again at 5:30.  Maybe we can get to the movies Sunday afternoon.  It was too nice outside today to take the time to go this afternoon.

I have felt a bit achy all over today.  Tagen is home sick with a cold.  Trusting I am not getting something.  I think it is just my feet hurting and spreading their discontent all over my body. My balance was a bit off when I was outside today.  Just one of those days I guess.

If I think about it I might pick up some Christmas cards when I go to Walmart.  I haven’t sent cards out for several years but the urge is hitting me to do so this year.  We will see if I can get my act together enough to actually get some mailed this year.

This weather is throwing my off.  It feels too warm to be mid December.  We are to get some snow back home Sunday and Monday.  There is a chance for freezing rain here.  Maybe that will help me find some Christmas spirit.  Each year it gets harder and harder for me to get into the spirit of Christmas.

Grateful for beautiful December days that I can be outside most of the afternoon, grateful to have solved some computer issues for Jim, and grateful progress is being made on our to do list around here – even if the progress feels turtle speed slow.

I had physical therapy at noon today.  I was at the clinic for over one and one half hours.  At the end my therapist stretched my toe and bent it against it’s will.  OUCH!  I have much more flexibility in it now and I also have a lot more pain in it.  Hopefully it will calm down soon and maintain the new flexibility.

We went out for lunch after therapy and stopped at the grocery store for a few things.  Jim is now outside working on windows.  I have been inside doing some cleaning.  We only have ten more days before Jim’s sons come home for Christmas and the house isn’t ready yet.

We don’t have anything we have to do tomorrow and Saturday.  Sunday we go to church in the morning and again for a special hymn sing in the evening.  Monday I have physical therapy again and than Tuesday we go to Wichita for my last doctor’s appointment.  We will go to Strong City for a few days after I see the doctor and than come back to Stillwater next Friday.

Finally feeling more like myself today.  This has been a tough week for me for some reason.  It is good to be feeling good again.  I hope I don’t have to take a pain pill this evening as they depress me and drain my energy level.  I keep reminding myself this foot journey is almost over and to hang in their just a bit longer.

The window project has taken much longer than expected.  Hoping we are getting close to finishing that project so we can move on to the next one.  The list of projects is long and each project seems to take longer than planned.  One of the hazards of home repair I guess.

The internet worked great this morning.  The new router seems to have increased the internet speed.  Grateful I was able to get the router installed and up and working.

I tried getting hold of Ellexia yesterday to wish her a happy birthday but she didn’t have her phone turned on.  Trusting she had a fun day and the clothes I ordered for her fit.

Picked up my training material so I can start studying for my tax tests I have to pass so I can do taxes in Oklahoma.  As I read through the exercises I just have to shake my head.  None of the cases come even close to the reality of the type of cases I actually do.  Wish they would let us spend our training time on real world cases instead of unusual cases that we will not see.  I’ll have to start studying the material.  My classes are in the middle of January so have lots of time to get through it and prepare myself.  I’m so grateful the lady in charge in Stillwater reached out to me and will let me do taxes here this winter.

Feel a bit like I am living in two different worlds.  Both feel comfortable and like I am at home.  Not sure I would want to live like this for a long time but am managing it OK for now.

I had a fun time at the choir party last night.  I have gotten to know several of the people that were there and had some good conversations with several of them last night.  They are all nice people and interesting to talk to.  Most are associated somehow or other with OSU.

Grateful for more flexibility in my big toe, grateful for friends of Jim that accept me, and grateful some more cleaning got done today.

Woke up to no internet this morning.  It happened yesterday and the internet company was able to trouble shoot and get it going.  This morning they discovered the router was bad.  We went to Best Buy to get a new one.

Came home and installed it.  Had a bit of trouble.  It was the first one I have installed using a cell phone instead of the main computer.  Had to download an app and work my way through.  It didn’t install the first time.  After some frustrating moments I discovered the new router has an on/off button.  Duh!!!  Once I turned that on things went better.  Took about an hour to get it up and running but by golly I did it!  Technology isn’t Jim’s strong suit!

Painted a beam on the back porch this afternoon.  It required some ladder work.  It felt good to have something productive to do.

Made deviled eggs to take to the choir party tonight.  They are something I can eat so that may be my dinner if there isn’t anything else there I can eat.  I know several of the choir people so it will be a fun evening.

Tomorrow I have physical therapy again at noon.  I want to go see the new Mr. Rogers movie in the afternoon or evening tomorrow.  If it is a nice day we may have to wait and go in the evening so we don’t miss outside work time.

Got a phone call today from the Stillwater AARP tax person.  I found out when the meetings are to get certified to do this year’s taxes.  I’m excited she called me and look forward to doing taxes again.  They don’t do them in the evenings and are going to try doing them on Saturday’s this year.  I hope they can use me several times a week.

Christmas is two weeks from today.  We need to get a tree up at Jim’s house so we will have it when his two sons come for Christmas.  We still need to go get stocking stuffers and wrap the gifts we ordered and than we should be ready for Christmas.  Not sure what we are fixing for dinner but have time to sort that all out.

This year seems to have flown by.  So much has changed in my life and I anticipate even more change for 2020.

Ellexia turned 10 today!  My goodness it seems like it was only two or three years ago when she was born.  She is so bright, creative and fun to be around.  She also has a huge heart and is a kind soul.

Grateful for Ellexia and her presence in my life, grateful I heard from the tax people so I can be in service doing taxes next year, and grateful to have had a painting project to do today.

One more week before I should get released from wearing my boot.  I am ready!

Walked a mile tonight.  Adding 1/4 mile each time I go out for a walk.  Uneven surfaces still challenge me a bit but they are getting easier.  Neither foot complained during or after our walk.  Felt like pushing it a bit and going even farther but resisted as I don’t want to set myself back.

Got two storm windows inserted this afternoon.  They are old windows and they don’t like to move back into place.  I learned how to use a caulking gun and placed the caulking on the storm window frame than held it in place while Jim screwed the frame back on.  Hopefully the weather is nice again tomorrow and we can get at least one more set of windows done.

Have felt a bit sad and disconnected for some reason today.  Thinking it is the effect of the full moon that happens Thursday as well as the last two weeks before Winter Solstice.  Allowing it to be what it is and remembering not to resist the sadness.  And this too shall pass!

Tomorrow night Jim has a choir Christmas party to go to.  I get to go too.  We have to take some food so will need to go to the grocery store tomorrow and fix some things to take.  Still not sure what we are taking.

We made chili this morning and put it in the crock pot for dinner tonight.  It was really good and the house smelled really good all afternoon.

Thursday I have physical therapy again at noon.  Hopefully it will be my next to last therapy session.  I will find out Tuesday if I need more or not.  We are going to KS Tuesday and staying until the weekend so if I need more I’ll have to see if the place in Emporia can fit me in next week and than schedule more the following week in Stillwater.

The full moon Thursday happens on 12/12 and the moon will hit 100% full at 12:12.  I looked up the significance of the number 12.  Wow!  Maybe that is why I have felt a bit out of sorts the last two or three days.  Looking forward to the new energy that the full moon brings in.  I’m ready for some calm after this storm of emotion I have been feeling.

Grateful for being able to walk a mile relatively pain free, grateful for the range of emotion I can allow myself to experience, and grateful two windows are put back together again.

Spent the morning not doing much.  We worked on straightening some cords and eliminating extra ones behind the desk.  Other than that it was a quiet day at home.

I had physical therapy this afternoon.  They were busy and it felt a bit chaotic at the center today.  They had me wear both tennis shoes and do some balancing exercises.  I was able to do them easier today as compared to last week.  I’ll take that as progress. My toe was a bit swollen and I didn’t think it was moving as well as it had been.  All part of the healing process I guess.

We don’t have anything on our calendar for tomorrow.  Jim has a long list of things he wants to work on.  It is to be a bit warmer tomorrow so hopefully we can get outside and get some things done.  We really need to get the storm windows back up before winter hits.

I slept for about three hours last night and than woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep until 7:00 this morning.  Woke up at 8:30 and couldn’t sleep any more.  Sure makes for a long night when I don’t sleep through.

I brought a couple paperback books with me this time.  I finished one of them and am almost through a second one.  I also started knitting another baby blanket yesterday so have that to work on when the mood hits for me to do so.

I feel like I have gained five pounds this week.  Not sure if that is true or if I am just bloated.  When I don’t wear my normal jeans I can’t gauge my size.  Hope the jeans fit when I finally get back into them.  I am not eating flour or sugar but am having trouble keeping portion size in check and have been snacking occasionally.  My body has been telling me enough with the cheating.  It really does function better when I stick to foods that it likes.  Maybe the motivation to go back strictly on plan will find me soon.

I need to call and get a haircut for the time I am home next week.  All of a sudden my hair has gotten long and unshapely and badly needs cut back into shape.

Feeling a bit better today.  The last two days my energy level has been really low and I have felt like a slug.  Had more energy today although I am tired tonight.  I was starting to think I was coming down with something and am glad to realize I am not.

Grateful for physical therapy and my improving balance, grateful for quiet days at home and grateful to be feeling better today.