Starry night on the prairie

Got both kids to sleep by 9:30 last night.  We all slept in the king sized bed.  Around 3:00 I got up and moved to Tagen’s bed.  Both kids kept creeping closer to me and I was getting crowded.

I took my shower at 6:30 and then woke the kiddos up.  Tagen wasn’t feeling very good this morning but he rallied and was able to go to school.  Ellexia had time to eat breakfast before we had to leave.

Got both kids dropped off at the right spot and on time.  Both had smiles on their face when they got out of the car so I will call this morning a success.

I went by Sutherland’s to look for new bathroom faucets.  They had one but not the right color.  I’ll have to look when I get to a bigger city next time.  Went back to Michelle’s house and waited until it was time to go to the Senior Center for my tax preparation shift.

I did four returns today.  Ran into some new things but was able to figure out how to handle them.  I did have one that neither of the experienced people there could figure out how to do it.  At least that made me feel better as I was stumped.  Not sure how it is going to get resolved and neither of the leaders knew what to do either.

After I was done doing taxes I went out to the country house to do chores.  I ate lunch and took care of the critters and then came back into Emporia.  Went to the grocery store and got some food to fix for dinners the next couple of nights.

Ellexia got a ride home with her neighbor so I didn’t have to go pick her up.  She came in, got a snack and left again to go play with the neighbors.  She is to be home at 5:00 so we can have dinner.  Tagen went to his dad’s house tonight.

Ellexia brought home a note that Little Caesar’s is having Village School Night tomorrow night and we need to eat there.  Guess I know what she is having for dinner tomorrow night.

Today is my one year anniversary of eating the Bright Line Way.  Bright Lines represent four things that I will not do.  1.  No sugar or artificial sweeteners.  2.  No flour or flour products.  3.  Limited quantities.  4.  3 meals a day and no snacks.  On the year that I have followed this program I have lost 52 pounds.  I plan to eat this way the rest of my life so I don’t call it a diet as much as a lifestyle eating plan.

I weigh less now than I did when I got pregnant with Jason when I was 21.  It has become fairly easy and automated for me to follow the plan.  I learned that wheat and dairy are not my friends.  They are both allowed on the plan but I discovered my body doesn’t process them easily.  I limit how much fruit I eat as it is too sweet for me.  I can handle grapefruit, bananas, apples and berries.  I eat lots of veggies and I prefer mine cooked for the most part.  I eat nuts, meats, eggs, and beans as well as healthy fats.  I am rarely hungry and food has become pretty automated for me.  It has been a good experience for me and I am grateful I found it.

Today has been an easy day.  The kids were super helpful getting ready for school and telling me where to go to drop them off.  Taxes went easy too and I am feeling more comfortable doing them.  I even got to see a dear friend at the Senior Center today.  My cough is much better although it is hanging on for dear life.  I’m not so tired today and feel my energy coming slowly back.

Grateful for successfully getting the kids to school on time and with smiles on their faces this morning, grateful for the rain the prairie received today, and grateful for Bright Line Eating and the weight it helped me lose and keep off.

Tagen spent the night last night.  He was asleep by 10:00 and I followed shortly after. I woke up at 7:00 and got up.  Michelle and Tim brought Ellexia out around 7:45.  They woke Tagen up so they could say goodbye as Michelle and Tim left on vacation today.  I fixed the kiddos waffles for breakfast.  They hung out quietly all morning.  We had macaroni and cheese for lunch and then we came into Emporia.

Both kids are not feeling very well today.  I haven’t felt very good today either.  I lost my voice this morning for a bit and it came back and left again.  I have been really tired again today but thinking it has more to do with what I have been eating then my crud.  For some reason the last two days I have been wanting food I haven’t eaten for a year.  I had a bunch of potato chips today.  Chips are allowed but not in the quantity I ate them today.  Yesterday I ate some Chex Mix.  Again not much, but I hadn’t eaten stuff like that for a year.  Why now?

I have been really tired the last week and am thinking my will power is completely drained.  I realized today I have been eating lots of peanut butter the last week and am realizing that peanut butter must be a trigger food for me.  It must have led me to crave other foods.  Dang!  I was really liking peanut butter.  Somehow I will have to climb back on the wagon and clean up my diet.  Two bad days in a years time.  I need to put this in perspective.

Not sure what Plan B will be tomorrow if one or the other or even both kids can’t go to school.  I am scheduled to prepare taxes at 9:00 so have something I need to do.  Guess I will create Plan B tomorrow if it is actually needed.

I am ready for bed and it is only 6:30.  I could fall asleep right now very easily.  Both kids are about to crash too.  Maybe I can go around and move all the clocks up two hours and trick them into going to bed two hours early.

We have had an easy day today.  The two kids didn’t even fight with each other today.  Neither one has eaten a bunch either which makes me suspicious that they really don’t feel good.  Ellexia went and played with the neighbor kids but Tagen laid on his bed all afternoon.

Day one is almost in the books.  Five to go!  I can do this!

Grateful it is almost bed time for all of us, grateful day one is almost done, and grateful bodies heal quickly!

I slept most of the night again.  Woke up a few times to go to the bathroom.  Finally woke up around 6:30 and stayed awake.   Decided to get my shower and eat breakfast and go into town a bit early so I could get some groceries before my tax preparation shift.

It felt like I was trying to cough up my toenails this morning so decided to get a face mask to wear while doing taxes so I wouldn’t cough all over someone.  I couldn’t find any at Walmart so had to go to Walgreen’s to get some.  Stopped and got an iced tea to keep my throat moist and went to the tax place.

Only did two returns today – both were easy.  I was able to watch the review process today and learned something both times.  Both clients got money back so they were happy.  One of the returns I did was for an ex-employee.  It was nice to see her.

After I was done doing taxes I went for a quick lunch and then went to watch Ellexia’s gymnastic meet.  I sat with her for over two hours before it was time for her to do her 5 second routine.  She placed fifth which isn’t bad considering this was her first meet.  I brought Tagen home with me as she had another event at 5:30 this evening and Tagen had been at the Symphony since 7:00 am and was done with it all.  Tagen and I have been chilling at my house this afternoon.

I am feeling better this afternoon.  I woke up coughing this morning but it seems to have finally quieted down.  I think I am on the last days of this crud – finally!

One of the clients that came today saw my mask and told me to stay far away from her.  She was not kidding!  I then heard her tell the leader that she didn’t want me to do her taxes.  Geez!  I wore the mask to protect her not alarm her.  I don’t think I am contagious anymore anyways.  Whatever!  I guess when something is free you get to be demanding.  The clients I did take were most grateful for my service and made up for the one rude lady.

Next week I do taxes Monday, Tuesday and Saturday mornings.  I was to have done them Wednesday evening but since I have grandkids they found someone else to cover that shift for me.  I am getting more comfortable doing them already and it is becoming fun to interact with the clients.  This is a good volunteer job for me.

Sitting in my peaceful valley enjoying having my grandson out here with me.  I have been texting my Match guy and laughing at his sense of humor.  I was in service to others earlier today and got to see my granddaughter perform.  Life is good!  I am blessed.

Grateful for feeling better each and everyday, grateful for time spent with grandchildren today, and grateful to have been in service to others today.

Finally a day that went according to plan A.  I went into the Symphony office this morning a little after 9:00 to help finish the Newsletter.  We were done around 11:45.  Stopped at Ad Astra for lunch and the Director of the Symphony was there.  She invited me to sit with her and ended up buying my lunch.  How nice was that?

Came home and rested.  My cough got activated this morning and I was worn out from coughing.  It finally quieted down this afternoon.  Went out and did chicken chores and walked down to get the mail.  It is cold outside but the sun has been shining all day which makes my soul feel warm.

When I first got up this morning and was walking to go to the bathroom I looked out my bedroom window.   The sun was just cresting above the horizon.  I consider it a sacred moment and an honor to watch the sun rise.  I actually slept for ten hours straight last night.  I was exhausted last night for some reason and went to bed at 9:30 and fell asleep almost immediately.  I didn’t wake up until 7:30 this morning.  I think I could get used to sleeping at night!  I’m tired again this evening so hoping for a repeat.  If I have taught my body how to sleep all night having this crud will have been worth it.

Tomorrow I have a tax preparation shift from 9:00- noon and then will go watch Ellexia do gymnastics for a bit.  Tomorrow is my last day off for a bit as I will be watching the grandkids all week.  I do need to make a Walmart run sometime tomorrow.  I haven’t been for two weeks and my list is getting long.

I finally got the kitchen cleaned up this afternoon.  I was so tired I went to bed with dirty dishes in the sink.  I rarely do that.  I also hadn’t folded and put away the laundry that I had washed yesterday.  Got things put back in order and needed to sit and rest a bit before I fix dinner.  When I move around a bit my cough comes back.  Uhhh….  I’m so tired of this crud!

Trying to think of some things I can fix the grandkids for dinner while I am watching them.  I would prefer we didn’t go out every night for dinner.  I am still not very hungry and nothing sounds good.  I was going to make a list and get stuff tomorrow but may have to get stuff day by day if I don’t get inspired soon.

Sitting in my peaceful valley.  I seemed to be camping out here for a bit which is fine with me.  The flu kinda knocked the stuffings out of me and I haven’t had the energy to take on anything other than sleep.  Puts things in perspective for me when I get sick.  Am starting to push myself a bit though as one can’t sit forever.  It felt good to walk to the mail box today.  Maybe next week I can start my training again.  I’m afraid that went away quickly when I got sick.  Maybe that is what caused me to get sick?  Doubt it but maybe that will become my story!!   Ha!

Grateful for the beautiful sunrise this morning, grateful the Newsletter is completed, and grateful my house is back in order.

Woke up to a cold house this morning.  The thermostat only showed 56 in the living room.  I immediately called the furnace repair man.  They weren’t sure they could get here today due to the icy roads.  However around 10:00 he showed up and got the furnace fixed.  Somehow water gets in the line and there is a safety shut off valve that closes.  No parts needed and my furnace was working again.  Jones Heating and Air is the best!  They always take good care of me.

I stayed home for a bit to make sure the house was really going to warm up.  Then I went into Cottonwood Falls to work on the Symphony Newsletter.  I worked from 12:30 until 4:45.  Came home and did chicken, dog and cat chores.  Man!  It was cold out there today.  Luckily I didn’t slip and fall on all the ice.  Felt good to get chores done for the day.

I am tired tonight.  I slept really good last night.  Only remember waking up once during the night and I was able to go back to sleep rather quickly.  That is rare for me but I kinda liked it.  My cough is still hanging around.  It is looser today and almost feels like I have asthma.  Maybe by tomorrow it will lessen and I will be over this crud.  This is day eight and that is enough for me!

Tomorrow I will go back in to the Symphony office and help get the last of the Newsletters sealed.  Hoping to be done by noon.  I don’t have anything I have to do in the afternoon but am thinking I may need a nap.

Saturday I have a tax shift to do from 9:00 – noon.  Ellexia is competing in a gymnastics meet Saturday and if she has an event in the afternoon I may go watch her.  Sunday morning I start my week-long babysitting with the grandkids gig.  Have a feeling next weeks will go by quickly.

I heard thunder and saw lightning for a bit last night. It was all followed by an old-fashioned ice storm.  It was a winter wonderland outside again today.  Most school districts around cancelled school and the sheriff’s office recommended no travel until noon.  The roads weren’t bad when I went to town at 12:30.

Bone chilling cold out there today.  My hot bath will feel especially good tonight.  My bones still feel a touch cold from this morning.

Grateful my furnace repair man was able to come so promptly and get heat back in my house grateful for space heaters and ovens that provide heat, and grateful for a hot bath to look forward to.

Well this day didn’t go as planned.  Woke up to another freezing drizzle type of day.  Decided not to drive into Cottonwood Falls to do the Symphony Newsletter.  My Prius  does not handle well on ice and decided it wasn’t worth the risk.  I’ll try it again tomorrow.

I was to have a shift preparing tax returns tonight from 5 – 8 but that got cancelled due to the icy roads.  I was grateful as I wasn’t looking forward to driving home in the dark on black ice.

So instead I ended up spending a quiet day at home.  I should have finished up my personal taxes but didn’t have the motivation to do so.  I really am not sure what I did all day long but here it is evening and the day has passed me by again.  I did go back to bed for a bit but didn’t ever go back to sleep.

Both Jason and Nicole called me today to check on me.  I am not sounding as good as I feel yet as when I talk I start coughing.  My voice is still a bit hoarse but is getting stronger.  Another day of rest didn’t hurt me one bit.

It was cold doing chicken chores this afternoon.  I drove down to the end of the driveway to get the mail and to bring the trash can back up to the house.  Just wasn’t in the mood to walk in the cold to bring it up.  The exercise would have been good for me though.

Starr has another bloody nose.  She has dripped blood all over the garage again.  I need to get her annual visit rescheduled and have them check her out to see if we can find out what is wrong.  She is starting to get a bit thin which has me a bit worried.  I am thinking by next week I will have the strength to handle her and take her in.

Thinking of suspending my Airbnb account for a bit.  My heart is not in the Airbnb right now.  I had raised the rate to discourage people from booking.  I have three more bookings that I will honor but am thinking that may be it.  My Match guy has a couple of trips he would like us to take this spring and summer and that sounds much more fun.  We haven’t nailed down dates and I don’t want to miss going on a trip because I get a booking.  If someone wants to stay and I know for sure I am going to be around I would probably accept the booking but not wanting to lock myself into future dates.  Airbnb books a minimum of three months out.

Tomorrow I am going to spend the day stuffing the Symphony Newsletter if I can get to their office in the morning.  This moisture is to move out of here by morning and the sun is to return.  I’m ready to get out of the house for a bit.  Other than getting out for a bit yesterday I have been home all the time for a week now.  Time to rejoin the world.

I was tired most of the day today.  No energy to do anything productive at all.  I’m ready to get back to normal – whatever that means.  I didn’t sleep well last night so at least my sleeping is returning to normal for me.  My cough is annoying the hell out of me.  I skipped my morning cough medication dose to try to wean myself off of that stuff.  I will drug myself up tonight so I can sleep some.  I wasn’t very hungry again today.  I could’t Do a big dinner tonight  just wasn’t hungry.  Ended up having a spoon full of peanut butter and a banana for dinner.  Better than nothing which is what I really felt like having.

When I shake my head it feels like I have a fly buzzing in my ear.  I bet I have some fluid trapped in my ear.  Drives me crazy!  Oh the little annoyance things of life.  And these too shall pass…..

Grateful for a quiet day at home, grateful Jason and Nicole called to check on me, and grateful I am returning to normal.

 

Did my first shift as a volunteer income tax preparer.  It didn’t go as planned but it ended well.  I did four or five returns.  Due to a scheduling clitch there were three preparers that all were doing their first shift with only one experienced reviewer there. The poor reviewer was kept hopping from person to person and trying to do the reviews on top of it.  Not sure why that was scheduled that way!

After the first one it was fairly easy.  The computer had a few hiccups that complicated things more than anything else.  Had a server error and had to log off and back in.  Luckily the work had been saved.  Another time I had to enter things several times as the save button wasn’t clicking correctly.  Evidently both issues are known to the system and a fix is on the way.

The people I worked with were most appreciative of my efforts and only one was in a bit of a hurry and got a bit impatient but it was all good.  Most of the returns were simple social security income ones although one had five income sources for the couple.  All my people got money back even if it was just the Homestead credit on the KS return.  The look on their faces when we confirmed that news was priceless.  Glad it was all good news!

I wore a mask again today as my cough is bad today.  It feels more like outer airway cough and not a deep cough.  My cough is annoying as hell but not a concern other than that.  The mask prevented me from coughing on someone else and having to wash my hands all the time.

I got done with my last client a little before noon and was able to leave.  The others still had clients to finish up.  The total system had crashed for about 10 minutes but had come back up.  I stopped at Dillon’s and got the few groceries I needed since I was on the East side of town.  The sidewalks and roads were getting slick due to the freezing drizzle that was falling.  I was glad to get home and tucked inside.

I ate lunch when I got home and then took a two-hour nap.  Just got up a bit ago.  I need to go down and do chicken chores yet this afternoon and then I will stay tucked up in the house.  I don’t like icy roads or sidewalks.  The chickens will need water this afternoon so will strap on my ice skates and head down their way when I get this done.

Tomorrow if I am feeling up to it I will go work on the Newsletter in the morning for a bit.  I have an evening shift tomorrow that starts at 5:00 of doing tax returns.  I’ll see how I feel tomorrow and will play it by ear to see how long I last at doing the Newsletter.  I am not as tired as I have been but was able to take a good nap today.  Slowly recovering and am not going to push myself too hard too soon.

Haven’t gotten anything done at home again today but didn’t have anything that had to be done.  I may call the plumber later today if I feel like talking to someone on the phone.  He may be able to have access to faucets easier than I do.  It would save me from having to go shopping.

It is a yucky day on the prairie today.  I was surprised when I came outside to go home at noon to find the roads slick.  We have had a freezing drizzle all day.  My windshield froze over when I tried to spray away the dirt on the way to town.  There is an ice coating on the grass and trees.  The sun has taken a vacation and won’t be back until Friday.  Dark, cold and dreary outside.  Winter has reared it’s ugly head one more time this year.  May this be its last blast of the year!

Grateful I was able to successfully complete the income tax returns I did today, grateful for a safe trip home on icy roads, and grateful for a mid-day nap which has refilled me and refreshed my body and soul.

Baby steps!  I got out of the house and went in to stuff the Newsletter this morning.  Only lasted a little over an hour.  Came home and crashed for three hours.  Didn’t make it back this afternoon and didn’t make it to another place I wanted to go today. But I guess I am making progress!

While I was sleeping I vaguely remember the pest guys coming in the house to do their thing.  When they scheduled the visit I didn’t think I would be home.  They came on in like I had told them to.  Later this afternoon the office called to check on me.  I guess they saw me sleeping and not moving and were concerned as I hadn’t moved when they talked.  I appreciated their concern and follow-up phone call.

Got my laundry folded and put away and the dishwasher loaded and the kitchen cleaned up this evening.  I actually fixed a normal dinner of grilled chicken and green beans.  Wasn’t able to eat all of it but felt good to attempt it.  Baby steps!

I am feeling better.  Still very little to no energy but the cough seems better today.  I wore a mask while I was stuffing Newsletters so I didn’t take a chance on giving this crud to someone else.  I don’t think I am contagious anymore as I have been fever free for three days now but am not willing to take a chance.  This stuff sucks!

I did manage to carry down a 25 pound container of chicken feed to the girls.  Only had to stop and rest once on the way down.  Thankfully they didn’t need water today so didn’t have to carry that too.  Funny how the simple things I normally do feel like huge obstacles today.

Tomorrow is my first day of income tax preparations.  Trusting my brain isn’t too foggy and I can muddle my way through it.  It is for a three-hour shift – I think I can stay awake that long.  I need some groceries so hoping I can stop at the store on the way home.  That may be asking too much though.  I’ll see what happens.

Drove the car down to get my mail again today.  I just didn’t have the strength to walk down and back.  Tomorrow I have to take the trash to the curb so will have to figure out a way to make that happen or else skip trash pick-up this week.  Oh the simple challenges of life!

My Sonos system is not working right.  I need to unplug my router and internet boxes and reset them to see if that will help.  The box is downstairs and haven’t felt like walking downstairs to do so.  Maybe I will yet tonight.  I really am feeling better but have absolutely no extra energy.

My life has been so simple these last few days.  Rest, nap, eat, rinse and repeat!  Sleeping 16 – 18 hours a day which for me is almost unheard of.  I normally get by on 3 – 5 hours a night.  Making up for lost sleep?  The days go by fast when I sleep that much.

Grateful for lots of sleep to help heal my body, grateful I was able to get out of the house for a bit today, and grateful I have been able to do what has to be done and allow the rest to wait for me to feel better.

Another day full of naps, resting and drinking fluids.  I am feeling better but have absolutely no reserve energy.  Walking down to take care of the chickens exhausted me.  It is over 65 out and I sit inside cuddled under a big sweater.  No temperature again today so think I am no longer contagious.  Didn’t make it to the grocery store yet.  Sounds like way too much effort.

Tomorrow I was to go help stuff the Symphony on the Prairie Newsletter.  Haven’t decided it I am going to attempt it or not.  Thinking if I go I would only last an hour or so.  Who knows – maybe tomorrow I will be feeling a lot better again.  I am tons better than I was last Thursday and Friday so on the mend.  Step by step.  Patience, grasshopper, patience.

Tuesday I am to do my first shift of preparing income tax returns.  I will send my leaders a note tomorrow if I am not feeling a lot better and warn them I may not make the full three-hour shift.  At least it is a sit down job and if I don’t have to talk to much I might be able to make the whole three hours.

Have a leak under one of the bathroom sinks in the master bathroom.  The faucet needs replaced due to another issue.  When I feel better I will go to town and get two new ones and then call the plumber to have him come replace them.  Hoping the leak will be fixed with replacing the faucet.  Seems like it is always something that needs fixed around here.

It was a Spring like day on the prairie today.  No worries though as winter is to return in two or three days.  The cats have been outside all day enjoying the sunshine and warmth.  It is cloudy and reminds me of a rainy spring day.  The wind was in a hurry this afternoon although it seems to be calming down this evening.

I hit a new low on weight this morning.  I lost three pounds yesterday.  I tried to eat more today – so far I have eaten three times and will eat one more meal this evening.  I really didn’t want to lose anymore weight but when I get sick I tend not to eat.  Nothing really tastes good and I get tired after I eat.

Haven’t accomplished a thing again today.  Good thing I didn’t have anything that had to be done as I doubt it would have gotten done.  Just don’t have the energy to do anything.  I can’t remember being this drained for a long time.  Nap, rest, eat, nap, rest, eat seems to be all I can do today.

Grateful for a taste of spring today, I am so ready for full ponds and green pastures, grateful I am recovering and my temperature has stayed normal today, and grateful for all the love and concern others have expressed.  Your prayers and cares have helped me kick this shit out of my system.  Thanks!

Feeling a bit better today.  Still sleeping more than I am awake.  I managed to wash, fold and put away two loads of laundry today as well as load and unload the dishwasher.  Man!  I was productive today!  Ha!

Went down this afternoon to do chicken chores.  Came back to the house with a chill.  Finally took a hot bath to get warmed up.  I haven’t run a temperature today so am thinking by tomorrow I should be good to go – slowly.  I put on a pair of Tagen’s sweat pants after my bath.  They fit nicely.  He is outgrowing them.  May have to ask him to give me his old ones that are getting too small for him.

Th wind has finally calmed down a bit.  It was in a bit of a hurry when I was out earlier.  I considered walking down to get the mail but thought better of it.  Just walking down to do the chickens wore me out.  Figured I wasn’t ready to walk a half-mile to get the mail.  Maybe tomorrow I will be ready to do so.

As I put Vic’s Vapor Rub on my feet I thought of my mother tonight.  She always treated our colds with a humidifier tent and greased us up with Vic’s.  I can still feel her cold hands rubbing it into my chest.  She would bring me a cup of hot tea sweetened with sugar.  Dad would bring me warmed bourbon to cut a cough.  The smell of it was enough to make me stop coughing.

Today was Jason’s step-mother’s Celebration of Life Ceremony.  I was sorry to have to miss it.  I didn’t want to take a chance that someone would catch this crud from me.  Not sure I had the strength to drive, park and walk either.  I talked to Jason this morning for a bit.  Trusting it was a grand ceremony that honored a beautiful soul that is gone too soon from this world.

The sun just disappeared from the horizon in the west.  Oh how I love watching the sun set every night.  There is a beautiful after-glow tonight with a pink rim around the entire horizon.

Thinking it is almost bed time for me.  It is only 5:50 but I didn’t take an afternoon nap today.  I got up this morning, ate breakfast and went back to bed for three hours.  My body is craving sleep and allowing me to get lots of sleep.  Wonder why it doesn’t do that when I am not sick?

Got frustrated with myself for a bit this afternoon.  I am already tired of not having any energy and not feeling well.  I sure wouldn’t make a very good long-term patient.  Tomorrow I will start pushing myself a bit and see how I respond.

Trusting tomorrow I will have turned the corner on this crud and start feeling better for longer periods of time.  I will have to ration my energy next week so I don’t overdo.

Grateful for a beautiful spring-like day on the prairie, grateful for my grandson’s sweat pants that fit me, and grateful healing is happening in my body.

I am feeling a bit better today although I don’t have much energy.  I did go to the doctor this morning.  I have a virus so not much he can do for me.  I did get something to help calm my cough.  My stomach hurts from coughing so much.  I haven’t had much of an appetite.  I did manage to get a cup of soup down this afternoon.

Went out to do chicken chores after my nap this afternoon.  It is absolutely beautiful outside.  I drove down to pick up my mail as I didn’t think I had enough energy to walk down and back.  No wind and mid 50’s.  Supposed to be even warmer tomorrow.

My temperature has stayed below 100 today.  Thinking by Monday I will be on the road to recovery.  The doctor did say I may have a rough weekend.  All I feel like doing is sitting or sleeping.  I am working to drink a lot of fluids even though food doesn’t sound good right now.

Being sick always humbles me a bit.  I take my good health for granted sometimes and having a set back like this always catches me a bit off guard.  Trusting this crud will pass quickly and I will be back to my normal level of physical activity soon.  I am a bit encouraged that today has been better than yesterday.

When I was in town I was going to stop and pick up a few groceries but after going to the doctor and the pharmacy I was worn out and came home.  Maybe tomorrow or Sunday I will feel I can handle walking through the grocery store.  I have plenty of food on hand – just not a few things that I would like to have.

I will continue to rest and drink lots of fluids.  This too shall pass….

Grateful for the beautiful day today, grateful this virus is going away, and grateful I can rest as needed.

Woke up with a chest cold this morning.  I had noticed last night I had a dry cough.  It hit me hard this morning.  Temperature of 101 – 103, chills, headache, and cough.  Damn!  I don’t have time for this right now.  The next three weeks are full of things to do.

I got up this morning, took some Tylenol and went back to bed.  Rinse and repeat all day long.  I did manage to get my chicken chores done and drove the car down to get the mail and bring the trash can up.  Think it is nap time again – that little venture wore me out.

I haven’t been sick for over a year.  I used to get this crap three or four times a year but only had it once early last year.  Trusting it will pass quickly and not return for another year or two.  I am not a good patient.

I did manage to eat breakfast but couldn’t get my lunch down.  I have some soup I will heat up for dinner and see if I can get some of that down.  When I don’t feel good I tend not to eat.  I have been trying to drink lots today and flush this out of my system.

Trusting this is a short-lived bug and by Monday I will be on the mend.  Luckily I don’t have anything on my calendar until then.

Grateful for the warmer temperatures today, grateful for Tylenol, and grateful I could go back to bed and rest all day.

My Match guy just left to head home to OK.  The house always feels so big and empty when he leaves.  We had a great time again.  He didn’t get here until almost 8:00 Sunday evening.  Monday we went to KC to have dinner with Nicole.  We just drove up for dinner and drove home.  Tuesday we took a three-mile hike.

We took Sophia with us on the hike.  On the way home we saw a big pile of white something on the first bridge.  It was Starr.  She had gotten out of the electronic barrier.  I attempted to hold her collar to walk her home and that didn’t last long.  We rigged up a way to put both dogs on one leash.  Starr is not leash-trained and that didn’t last long although it gave my Match guy a good workout.  We finally let Sophia loose and put the leash on Starr.  Even that was a challenge to get Starr safely home.

Other than our hike we didn’t do much Tuesday or this morning.  It was too cold to spend much time outside.  He read part of a book to me – I love listening to him read out loud to me.  We fixed a bean soup for dinner last night and I fixed bacon, eggs and hash browns for breakfast Tuesday and Wednesday morning.  He has choir practice tonight so he needed to get home.

Not sure when he will get back up here or I will get down there.  I start my volunteer tax prep job next week and he starts teaching his Osher classes next week.  We will both be busy for the next seven weeks.  We are taking another trip together towards the end of March.  This time we will be going east to visit Kathy in KY, his son in Washington DC, and his brothers in Asheville, NC.  It seems a long ways away though but time should go by quickly as we will both be busy.  We will stay in touch via emails, phone calls and text messages.

We are still getting along really well together.  He is very easy to be with.  We have lots in common although we are starting to figure out our differences too.  So far the differences are things that we can tolerate and even appreciate in the other.  Haven’t had our first disagreement yet.  When we do something or say something that the other doesn’t agree with we have been able to talk about it and understand where the other is coming from.  If nothing else we appreciate the honesty each brings to the table.

It is up to 14 degrees today from a low earlier of 2.  The wind is light so it wasn’t too bad when I was down doing chicken chores earlier.  It is to warm up nicely by the weekend.  I am ready for spring and green grass.

The Symphony office called and told me they are doing their annual newsletter next week and asked if I could help again.  I will help as I can between my tax prep duties.  The following week I am going to be babysitting Ellexia and Tagen while Tim and Michelle take a vacation together.   Those two weeks will go by really fast.

Tomorrow morning I must have Starr at the Vet office at 8:15 for her annual shots.  I always ask for the first appointment of the day so the office isn’t crowded as Starr is not leash-trained and I can’t control her very well.  They are helpful and accommodate my request.

I need to go buy some groceries either today or tomorrow.   If I wait until tomorrow I will have to make two trips to town as I can’t leave Starr unattended in my car.  She would destroy my car if given half a chance to do so.

Sitting in my peaceful valley this afternoon.  Already missing my Match guy and he just left! He brings such joy and fun to my life.  Makes my life feel richer and more complete somehow.  Learning to go with the flow and stay present with what is.  The future still feels a bit complicated which is my reminder to stay present.  No one knows with 100% certainty what the future holds.  I can only stay present and enjoy every rich moment that presents itself to me each and every day.

Grateful for my Match guy and the joy he brings to me, grateful to find ways to give back to the community I live in, and grateful for the lessons life gives me to remind me this moment is where life happens.

Went to my last Pioneer Bluffs Board Meeting this morning.  It only lasted 20 minutes.  Came home, fixed a crock pot of soup and took a long nap.  I only slept for three hours last night and needed more sleep.  Feeling much better this afternoon after my nap.

It was almost nice walking down to take care of the chickens.  The wind is a little brisk but I love the blue skies and bright sun shine.  It was almost 50 degrees out.  Maybe the wind will help dry up the mud some.  The coop is slippery it is so muddy.

Got the sheets on my bed washed and changed and the rest of my laundry done.  Finished cleaning my house – or at least as much as I planned on doing.  Now I get to sit and wait for my Match guy to get here.  He had a meeting he needed to attend this afternoon and got a late start to head this way.  It will be good to see him again.

Got some weather-stripping to try to stop the air leaks around the doors in the laundry room.  I put some up this afternoon.  I need to remember to hand test it when the wind is blowing tomorrow.  My laundry room is either the warmest or coldest room in the house depending on which direction the wind is blowing.  Not sure I put the stripping on correctly.

Feeling a bit disconnected this afternoon for some reason.  Maybe my long nap disoriented me.  Still in my peaceful valley place but feeling strangely alone today.  Glad my Match guy is coming tonight.  I must need to get out more and be with others.  It is reminding me of my year’s goal which is to secure ”we”.  Hard to do when I spend most of my time alone.  Have been finding it hard to get out and go places lately.  Trusting when it warms up and the weather is better I will get out more.

Grateful for the friends I made while serving on the board at Pioneer Bluffs, grateful my term of service is complete, and grateful my Match guy is headed this way.

Got my laundry room cleaned this morning.  It was way over due for a good cleaning.  The cats have fresh litter and the mud is cleaned up for now.  It is still muddy out so may be repeating my cleaning soon.

Sent a text to the grandkids and their mother inviting them to lunch so we could celebrate Tagen’s birthday.  Michelle decided not to go but I picked up the kiddos and we had lunch at Applebee’s.  They were so good and both ate most of their lunch. They wanted to come out to my house afterwards so I brought them home for the afternoon. I have a meeting tomorrow morning so they can’t spend the night.  I’ll take them back into town this evening.

Tagen is officially taller than I am now and weights 16 pounds more than I do.  He has grown about an inch since Christmas.  My little buddy is growing up quickly!

It is a nice day out today.  Mid 40’s and bright sunshiny day.  Tagen was out hitting baseballs for a bit.  I’ll take them out with me to do chicken chores in a bit.  It sure is muddy out though.  I’m grateful for the mud as it means we have had moisture which the prairie needed.

Grateful the grandkids came to spend the afternoon with me, grateful they are both happy and caring kiddos, and grateful to be their G.

 

It has been a productive day for me today. I went to Emporia this morning and crossed off nine things on my to-do list.  I got the flea and tic medication for the dogs and cats, made an appointment tot take Star in for her annual check, got some Pop-Choc from the Sweet Granada for part of my grandson’s birthday present, got a three-inch binder to put my tax preparation guides in, got groceries, filled the car with gas, got the medication for my bunions, went to the bank to cash two checks and dropped off the recycling stuff.

I took a nap this afternoon instead of cleaning so I will have to clean house this evening and finish it up tomorrow.  My Match guys is coming Sunday evening and will be here until Wednesday afternoon.  I have my last Pioneer Bluffs Board meeting to go to Sunday morning.  Saturday I need to track Tagen down and give him his birthday presents.

I am sitting in my corner chair in the living room watching the sunset.  It is a rosy pink color this evening – stunning.  It was a beautiful day out but still a bit cold for my likes.  The wind came back and the wind chill was a factor again today.  At least it wasn’t as cold as it was yesterday.

Still sitting in my peaceful valley.  Having a volunteer project to work on feels good.  I still have a lot to learn about taxes but am feeling better about it.  All I can do is my best and see what happens.  There is a review process that happens after I prepare a return so if I do make a mistake the reviewer will catch it before it causes problems for the person I am to be helping.  I will be glad when the first couple of returns are done and I am comfortable with the process.

One downside of doing this volunteer project is it will limit the amount of time I can spend with my Match guy.  He is teaching classes every Tuesday and Thursday for six weeks starting February 11 so he will also be busy.  We are planning a trip together back east towards the end of March.  I hope we don’t go eight weeks without seeing each other though.  I have a couple of three-day stretches when I don’t do taxes and he doesn’t have class so we will have to figure something out during those times.  I may have to switch a day or so with another volunteer so we can spend some quality time together.

Grateful for all the things I was able to cross of my to-do list for the day, grateful for a nap, and grateful to have found a way to be in service to others.

 

What a fricking cold day.  The cold combined with the wind made chores a very cold job today.  It looked so nice out until I stepped into the wind.  My hands were ice cubes by the time I was done with chores.

Got a text from CVS telling me they can’t fill my new prescription as it is too soon.  Evidently Walgreen’s processed it through insurance even though it was to have been cancelled and transferred.  Walgreen’s hasn’t let me know if the script is ready to be picked up.   I wasn’t in the mood to get it all sorted out today.  Maybe I will be tomorrow.  Good thing it wasn’t an urgent situation and I needed to have started the medication sooner rather than later.

When I was doing breakfast cleanup I realized my feet were getting wet.  Looked under the sink and found water dripping out onto the floor.  When I cleared everything out from under the sink and turned the water back on to see where it was coming from I found it coming from the bottom of my garbage disposal.  Called the plumber and he said it needed to be replaced.  They were able to come out this afternoon and take care of it for me.  Scheer Plumbing is the best.  I think my house was missing them.  They hadn’t been out for over a year.

Went to class tonight and am feeling a bit better about being prepared to start doing income tax returns.  I was able to input a sample return and found it to be rather easy.  The leaders promised they would start me with simple returns and not give me the harder ones until I was ready.  I think I can, I think I can.  If you want your income taxes prepared for you for free call the Emporia Sr Center and they will schedule you.  There is no income test or age requirement.  Anyone that lives in KS can have them done for free as long as your return is within our scope of what we can do.  We can’t do rental properties that require depreciation or a small business that has inventory considerations.  Most returns we can do.

I will need to go to Emporia tomorrow.  I didn’t allow enough time this afternoon to go to the vet’s office to get flea and tic medication.  I’m hoping I will have a prescription to pick up for me tomorrow too.  I also need a few groceries.  I hope it is warmer tomorrow.

Grateful for my plumber that always takes care of me promptly, grateful for volunteer opportunities, and grateful this day is almost over.

It has been a more productive day for me than normal.  The sun finally returned from its vacation and has been busy melting the ice and snow this afternoon.  The skies are back to being bright blue and the wind has moved on to greener pastures.  It is a beautiful winter day out.

Got some house cleaning done finally.  Still have more to do but it is nice to have some done.  Got the rental properties tax information gathered and that part of my tax prep is done.  Also got my medical costs added up for the year.  All the critters have been taken care of for the day.

Called the Doctor’s office in Wichita today to get my prescription sent to the correct pharmacy.  They called me back and took care of it.  The pharmacy had to order the medication and will let me know when they receive it.  I took some Advil this morning and for some reason it upset my tummy a bit.  Don’t think I want to take pills for six weeks if it is going to react like that.  Trusting the topical stuff will work. I wore my new tennis shoes today.  My foot is sore – I had gotten used to going barefoot most of the time.  I will push through and see what happens in the next six weeks.

I have tax class tonight at 5:30.  Not sure if I want to eat dinner at 4:30 or wait until after class to eat.  I normally eat at 5:30.

I have four dozen eggs if anyone needs some.  The girls are back to laying between 10 and 12 a day.  Without having house guests the eggs are starting to pile up.

Had trouble finding the study guide I was to use to do my tax prep homework.  I finally called one of the leaders and she helped me find it on-line.  I loaned my laptop to Nicole and was using my iPad on the site.  It kept kicking me off.  I am going to class tonight very unprepared.  I’ll have to beg forgiveness tonight.  They received the paper copy of the guide I need last week and since I missed class I didn’t get my copy.  Guess I know what I will be doing tomorrow – catching up!  Good thing I learn fast most of the time.

This week has gone by fast.  Being retired the days of the week don’t make much sense to me anymore.  Most days I do the same thing – not much of anything!  Good thing my iPhone tells me what day of the week it is or I would have no clue most days.

Still sitting in my peaceful valley.  It has been an easy day full of grace and ease.  I like days like that.  Feel very grounded and centered today.

Grateful the sun returned today and the roads are clearing, grateful for a productive day, and grateful for grace and ease when it shows up in my day.

 

It is another winter day on the plains of KS today.  Rain changed to sleet and ice today and it is now snowing.  It will look like a winter wonderland in the morning if the sun shines.

When I went down to do the chickens before I left for Wichita I was carrying an empty five-gallon bucket back up to the barn.  The wind caught the bucket and I almost took flight.  I had a Mary Poppins moment!  The trip to pull the trash can down the driveway was a challenge.  The walk back up was brutal as I was walking into the wind.  Glad I did it before I left for Wichita.

The foot doctor gave me a bit of a reprieve.  He recommended a pair of New Balance wide shoes and he prescribed a tropical anti-inflammatory medication.  I am to try those two things for six weeks to see if my bunions will calm down.  He said they are very inflamed. If it works I can put off surgery for as long as I can stand the pain.  If it doesn’t work the only other option he recommended was surgery.

If I do surgery I will have to be non-weight bearing for two weeks and on crutches and then I wear a boot for six to eight more weeks.  He said the first two weeks are rough but then recovery seems to go smoothly.  It will be a rinse and repeat thing as both feet need fixed.  He recommends 12 weeks between surgeries.  If and when I decide to have surgery I call his office and they will put me on the schedule.  I am going to cross my fingers that the new shoes and anti-inflammatory medication calm things down.

I stopped at the New Balance store in Wichita and got a pair of shoes.  The guy that helped me seem to know what he was doing.  He had me try on three different options.  The pair I got had the most give in the bunion area and allowed it the most room.  The foot doctor recommended I not wear any other shoes for the six-week trial time.  Tennis shoes go with everything – right?  I will continue to wear my muck boots to do chicken chores but that doesn’t take long so I won’t be in them for long each day.

I drove through rain that turned to ice for about 40 minutes on the way to Wichita.  Once I got to Newton and on into Wichita it was clear.  It started sprinkling as I left the doctor’s office though and rained and iced on me all the way home.  My wipers had trouble keeping my windshield clear of ice.  I played it safe and drove below the speed limit most of the way.  I kept testing my brakes and never did slip and slide.  I was very grateful to get home safe and sound.

The college closed the campus so my class for tonight was cancelled.  I am to do homework tonight or tomorrow and the instructors will briefly answer questions tomorrow night over the material they were going to cover tonight.  Class tomorrow night might run a bit over as they have two nights of information to cover.

The good news it is to be 41 tomorrow and the sun is to return from the short vacation it took today.  That should melt the inch of snow we are forecast to get tonight.

It is so nice to be tucked in for the night.  I have the fireplace on and the house is nice and cozy.  Grateful for a safe trip to and from Wichita in the winter weather.  Grateful class was cancelled so I can stay in tonight.

I had one of those moments this morning that I realized how I have progressed in my inner journey.  I was able to put into words something that had triggered me and find a way to communicate it.  I wouldn’t have been able to do that several years ago – maybe even one year ago.  That felt good!

Grateful for a safe journey today, grateful for a chance to avoid surgery – at least for a bit, and grateful to be tucked into my cozy house tonight.

A friend came over yesterday afternoon and taught me a work-out routine.  I am a tad sore today but not bad.  It was easier than I expected it to be.  I will do the routine three times a week.  Once I get it down my trainer will come back and make sure I am doing it correctly and teach me some different ones to do.

I have never been able to stick to an exercise plan.  I realized I need to treat it like I do flour and sugar.  For today, I choose not to eat food that contains flour or sugar.  Maybe tomorrow I will choose to eat it.  So for today, I choose to work-out.  Tomorrow I may choose not to.  Thinking about working out the rest of my life is too overwhelming and depressing.  One day at a time!

I watched the full moon rise.  It came up before the sun set so wasn’t a great moon rise.  As the sky got darker the moon got brighter and more beautiful.  Unfortunately clouds rolled in during the eclipse so I didn’t get to see the blood-red moon.  When I got up during the night the living room was very bright as the full moon light was reflecting off the snow on the ground.  My Match guy went out and watched the eclipse and called me and gave me a minute by minute description of what he could see.

This morning I went into Emporia and picked up a few groceries.  I didn’t do any other errands while I was in town.  I need to go to the bank but they were closed today.  I have my laundry done and am starting on doing some housework.  With all the mud outside my house has gotten tracked up and dirty.  I still need to get the two guest beds put back together.  I seem to be moving slowly these days.

The snow is gradually melting off the prairie today.  It is only 35 but there is a brisk wind.  I’m glad I need to carry a bucket of feed down with me when I go to the chicken coop so I don’t blow over.

I had to change a light bulb in the living room last night.  I have trouble with the extension pole.  It twists to keep it extended.  The top part of it came undone and was stuck to the light bulb in the ceiling.  Luckily it had a long string on it so the suction cup would let loose.  I couldn’t get it back into the bottom of the extension pole.  I got a suitcase to put on top of my short step-ladder and that was enough height that I could use just the top part of the extension pole and reach the light bulb.  I was able to successfully change the light bulb.  I am always ridiculously proud of myself when I figure something like that out and it works.

My Match guy sends me a letter everyday and I always send him one.  For some reason the letter I got from him this morning triggered something in me.  I can’t quite put my finger on what it was and why I got triggered.  I have finally learned when someone says something that triggers me it is a clue to myself to look within and find the range that has a tension point in it and expand the range.  I’ll have to sit with this one a bit more to discover what that range is.  I love learning new things about myself.

Still in my peaceful valley today although I feel like I am at the edge of it and occasionally step out of the peace.  So far I have been able to tip myself back into it.  I didn’t have a big reaction to the full moon this month which is a bit unusual for me.  I did have a crying jag last Thursday so maybe that released the emotion I had been holding and had little to come up during the full moon period.

Grateful my first day of exercise is done and it was easy, grateful I was abl to change a light bulb, and grateful for an opportunity to learn yet another range I need to bust open within.

I passed the two tax preparation class tests I needed to take.  One I had studied for and the other I couldn’t find the material to study but had a copy of the test.  The answers seemed pretty common sense so I decided to try it.  You get two tries before you are kicked out of class and only need 80% correct.  I missed one out of 10.  Trusting the tests we take during class this week will be that easy.

It is a beautiful winter day on the prairie today.  The moon was so bright last night I didn’t have to turn a light on when I got up to go to the bathroom.  I was awake for a bit before the sun came up and the pre-sunrise colors were amazing.  I fell back asleep before the sun came up.  The moon was close to setting in the west and was wonderful to watch.

I’m excited to see the full wolf moon rise tonight and then watch the lunar eclipse that will be happening.  Clouds are to roll in sometime this evening so trusting they will stay away from the moon.

After I do chicken chores I need to get after my income tax records and finish them up.  Once I start my volunteer job I won’t have as much free time and I would like to have my taxes done before I start that job February 4.

It was like an ice skating rink walking down to do chicken chores yesterday.  The pen mud had frozen over and was very slick.  Even the snow on the grass was slick.  I walked very slowly and carefully and managed not to fall.  It looks like things are melting a bit today so the trip down and back may be easier today.  I had to chip ice away from the door to get it opened yesterday.  They will need water today so am trusting I can get it down there safely and then not spill it all over when I fill their container.  I have been known to do that.

Tuesday I go to the foot doctor in Wichita.  It is to snow Tuesday late afternoon.  Hope I get down and back without weather issues.  I have tax prep class in Emporia that night.  I hate driving in snowing, ice or rain.

I need to go to town and go to the grocery store.  I’m waiting to see if I need to babysit Ellexia tonight if Michelle gets called into work.  I may wait until tomorrow to go if I don’t babysit as the roads will be clear by then.  I haven’t checked my driveway to see if I can get out.  Thinking I can as the snow really didn’t pile up too deep close to the house.

Still sitting in my peaceful valley today.  I feel refilled and balanced today.  I love when that happens and wish I knew how to make it happen.  Stopping and resting and allowing myself to be seems to help me find that space again.  Life seems to be in perspective for me today.  I can stay fully present in this moment and the worry about the future seems to have receded.

Grateful for the beautiful moon last night that lit my house, grateful for passing my two tests, and grateful for the peaceful valley I find myself in today.

Happy birthday to my grandson Tagen.  He turns 13 today.  He has grown into a sensitive, gentle young man who I am very proud of.  Love my little buddy!

It has been a lazy day so far for me.  I’m still a bit tired and unmotivated to do anything.  Guess it is a good thing I don’t have anything I have to get done.  I need some groceries but am not going to get out in this cold wind.  Trying to work up the courage to walk down and feed the chickens.

Roxy was scratching at the door so I went to see what she needed.  She was coated in ice so I let her come in for a bit.  She has been sleeping in front of the fireplace for over an hour now.  Her coat is nice and dry and warm now.  The other two dogs are hiding out under the heat lamp in the garage.  I closed the garage door so the garage will stay a bit warmer for them.  The cats looked outside and turned right around and jumped up to their warm spot above the washing machine.  I haven’t seen the chickens out in the pen yet today.  It is too cold for beast or man out today.

I keep telling myself if I go down and take care of the chickens I then can take a short nap.  So far even that carrot dangling in front of me hasn’t gotten me out of my chair.  I did manage to eat breakfast and lunch but that is all I have done today.

The prairie must have gotten about two inches of snow.  It is hard to tell as the wind has been gusting to 40 MPH or more and has blown the snow around.  I still had a bit of snow left from the last snow storm.  The sun has come out this afternoon so maybe that will help me find some energy.

I’m excited for the full wolf super moon Sunday evening.  There will be a lunar eclipse that night too.  So far the weather forecast is showing clear skies.  If anyone wants to come out and watch it with me holler.  I will be around and would love to have company to share it with.

Sitting in my peaceful but sleepy valley this afternoon.  Life on the prairie always seems extra quiet when I come home from being with someone for a couple of days. I love the quiet of the prairie but also love being with someone.  Wish I knew how to be in two places at the same time.  I do feel my soul being refilled and balanced as I sit in the sunshine in my chair this afternoon.  Maybe that is all that I can get done today.  Maybe that is enough!

Grateful for the sunshine this afternoon, grateful for my grandson, and grateful for a day of rest and recharging.

 

Home again after being with my Match guy since Monday evening.  We had a grand time.  We took several hikes, went to see a huge herd of bison, saw a bunch of deer, went to a concert, made a jigsaw puzzle, and enjoyed each other’s company.  It was hard to say goodbye and come home this morning.

He continues to impress me with his compassion and awareness of my feelings.  I had a moment last night and he handled it beautifully.

I stopped at Costco in Wichita to pick up two things.  The road construction in that area is terrible.  Ended up taking 21st Street North to get to a different Turnpike entrance as Kellogg is hard to get to.

I hit light mist and fog just north of El Dorado.  It has been lightly raining ever since I got home around 2:30.  The forecast shows it will turn to snow sometime this evening although accumulation is not predicted to be more than an inch or two.  The chicken coop is a muddy mess.  Most of the snow has melted and there is water standing in much of the yard.  It should all freeze up tomorrow as temperatures aren’t to get over 20 and will dip to single digits overnight tomorrow night.  Thankfully it is to warm back up Sunday and stay more comfortable next week.  I am not a fan of cold weather.

I have done three loads of laundry and have one more load to wash.  I so appreciate my friend staying in my house while I was gone.  The dogs and cats do better when someone is here all day and evening and not just have someone drop by for ten minutes twice a day.  All the critters seemed happy and content when I got home this afternoon.  One of the chickens had laid a fairy egg.

I am really tired this evening.  Betting it will be an early bath and bedtime for me unless I catch a second wind and find some energy.  I’m glad I have a quiet weekend planned so I can rest and recover.

Tuesday next week I go to my foot surgeon to find out what he says about my bunions.  They flare up and are painful at times.  Even a light blanket over my foot at night hurts.  Sure hoping the doctor recommends something besides surgery but not really counting on it.  Guess I will find out Tuesday.

I have tax preparation class next week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings.  That will make next week go by quickly.  I still need to take my two tests from this week’s classes that I missed.  I’ll do that either tomorrow or Sunday.  I’m too tired to do it tonight.

Sitting in my peaceful valley this evening.  Contemplating where this relationship with my Match guy is going and how it might unfold.  I am aware of the need to continue to choose each moment and not get ahead of myself by trying to figure out how the future will unfold.  It still feels complicated to look too far ahead which is my warning to stay present and not get caught up in the details of how the future will unfold.

Grateful for my Match guy and the many ways he shows great compassion for me, grateful for my house sitter that allowed me a chance to get away, and grateful for a safe journey to and from OK.

Getting packed and ready to head to OK this afternoon.  My trainer is coming at 1:00 to teach me my first set of exercises.  When she leaves I will do evening chores and head south.  Glad I decided to go today as tomorrow we have a chance for a freezing fog overnight.  Rain and more snow may be coming in later this week so may have to come home a day early – or stay a day or two longer.  I’ll see how it plays out.

Have been doing some housecleaning this morning to get my house ready for the house sitter.  Got the sheets on my bed washed and the bed made up so if she wants to use the master bedroom it is clean and ready for her.  Still have a few more things to take care and I need to finish packing and then I will be ready to go.

I am feeling much better today.  The restlessness from yesterday is gone. I only got one sleep though so am a bit tired.  My first sleep was a good four hours long though.  Just couldn’t get a second sleep last night so I have been up since 3:00 this morning.  May be a long day as I don’t have time to take a nap.

Not sure if I will blog while I am gone or not.  I may have other things to do.  I’ll see how the week unfolds.  We are going to a symphony concert in Oklahoma City Tuesday night.  Thursday we are going to the Osage Prairie which is about 80 miles away to see a herd of over 2,500 buffalo and to take a long hike if the weather permits.   I bet the week goes by pretty quickly.

Didn’t get my tax preparation test taken yesterday.  I was too restless to settle down and get it done.  I have until a week from tomorrow to get it done so will probably wait and do it this coming weekend after I get home.  Thinking I won’t want to spend time while I am gone doing homework.

Glad I was able to climb out of the muck pond I took a quick dip into yesterday.  I hadn’t visited the muck pond for quite a while.  Getting out and playing in the snow helped me walk out of it quicker than I have been able to before.  I’ll take that as a sign of personal progress.

Back into my peaceful, excited valley today.  I am full of anticipation today.  Looking forward to a fun couple of days away.

Grateful for my house sitter that will allow me to get away this week, grateful for clear driving weather today, and grateful to be able to see my Match guy this evening.

It is another cold, cloudy day on the prairie.  High is in the low 30’s.  The wind blew hard for a bit last night but seems to have quieted down this morning.  I went out to do chores and my footprints from yesterday were covered over on my path down to the coop.  There is a layer of ice below the snow.  I walked down my driveway to get my mail.  I can get out if needed today but will probably wait to get out tomorrow.  I’m glad there isn’t a big drift in my driveway that I needed to shovel.

I am having a restless day.  Getting out and doing chores and taking a short walk helped a bit.  I can’t seem to settle on doing anything today.  I feel like a cat on a hot tin roof.  This is my third day of staying in and not seeing anyone.  Maybe I do need to get out today.  Don’t really have anywhere to go except to dump my recycling and that can wait till tomorrow on my way out-of-town.

I need to settle down and get my homework done and take the two tests that I need to take.  One I studied for and am ready to take and the other I still need to read the information.  I am too restless to do so right now.

I quit eating cheese yesterday and my tummy is much better today.  I had been off dairy for almost a year and decided to try some cheese.  Evidently that wasn’t a good idea.  I had eaten some cheese on my trip to CO and NM and had noticed my tummy was loud then too.  The more often I ate cheese the worse it got.  Glad I figured out what was going on.  Wonder if other dairy products will bother me too?  Thinking they will but I am stubborn enough I will probably test it out.  At least if I get the same reaction I will know what is going on quickly.

Made a packing list for tomorrow.  Need to do laundry in the morning so I can get packed.  Hope to be on the road by 4:00.  It is a three-hour drive if I don’t make any stops.  Trusting the roads south of here will be clear and easy driving.

My trainer is coming tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 to teach me my first set of exercises to do.  I didn’t get to town to get my weights so will have to improvise with what ever we can find to use that weights two or five pounds.  I am looking forward to getting started and to see if I can stick to some sort of routine.  I have never stuck with one yet but am going to give it a chance.  I have been on Bright Lines for over 11 months now – the longest I have ever stuck with a dietary change.  If I can do that I can do this – right?

It does help to stick to my goals when I have a solid reason for the change.  I have a belief that processed foods that contain flour and sugar would cause me to have a remission of the thyroid cancer so avoiding them is in my best interest.  I also believe that if I can firm up my body and build muscle strength I will enjoy life more and life will be easier for me.  It will help prevent falls and will strengthen my bones.  That, at least, is my story and I am sticking to it.

I’m excited to see my Match guy tomorrow night.  Time goes so fast when we are together and seems to drag when we are not together.  I bet this week flies by and it will be Friday and time to come home before I want it to be here.

Sitting in my peaceful valley today although it feels a bit more restless than peaceful to me today.  Getting out and moving my body helped burn off some of the restlessness.  I still feel it bubbling up inside though.  I will allow it to be what it is and not make a story up about what is causing it.  It seems to go away faster when I can do that.

Grateful my driveway is driveable without having to shovel, grateful I discovered what was upsetting my tummy, and grateful tomorrow is Monday and I get to see my Match guy.

 

The prairie got about 5 inches of snow overnight.  There was no wind during the night so all the grass is covered which is unusual.  It is a beautiful winter wonderland outside today.  The wind has picked up this afternoon and is blowing the snow around.  Trusting it won’t cause it to drift my driveway shut.

The board meeting I was to go to at Pioneer Bluffs got postponed.  I’m glad as I now get to stay home all day and not try to get my little car out.  I don’t have any where to go tomorrow either so that will give the roads until Monday to get clear for me.

I went down to take care of the chickens.  There were places the snow was almost up to my knees as I walked down the yard to the coop.  The snow made the overhead fencing sag so I brushed the snow off the fencing.  I got a snow bath in the process.  I have a major repair job that will need to be done to the fence when the weather is better.  The chickens stayed inside today but gave me 8 eggs on this cold and snowy day.  Good girls!

I have been working on putting a jigsaw puzzle together today.  Got my housework done yesterday and didn’t really have anything else to do so I got a puzzle out to make.  I moved the table I am working the puzzle on in front of the fireplace and I have been staying nice and warm.  The snow makes the prairie feel very quiet and peaceful today.  I am enjoying the snow since I get to stay tucked up inside.

The dogs have been staying in the garage most of the day under the heat lamp.  That is a bit unusual for them as they love the cold weather and snow.  Don’t blame them though for staying where it is warm.  The cats wanted out until I opened the door and they saw the snow.  They both turned around and jumped up to their warm shelf they like to sleep on.  Smart cats!

I do need to make a packing list for Monday.  I don’t need to take much as I am only going to be gone for four nights.  Not leaving until late Monday afternoon so still have plenty of time to pack.

Guess I should give some thought to making sure the house is nice and clean for the house sitter.  I will wash my linens Monday morning and make my bed in case she wants to use my bed.  Maybe with the snow the dust will be settled for a bit and the house will stay clean a bit longer.

Nice to have an unexpected free day at home.  I was also going to babysit the grandkids tonight but Tim had to go to KY so they aren’t going to the dinner party they had wanted to go to.  I have had a fairly busy week for me and hadn’t had a full day at home with nothing to do until yesterday.  Now I get three in a row!  If I still baked this would be a good day to bake something.

My tummy has been making the loudest noises lately.  Trying to decide what I am eating that is setting it off.  Thinking it is either cheese or peanut butter.  I added both of those foods to my diet about the same time and am not sure which one is causing my issues.  I left the cheese off my salad today to see what happens.  So far my tummy is acting better.  I wonder if I am lactose intolerant and never knew before.  The cheese I had been eating is the only dairy I eat.  I don’t count eggs as dairy.  I will hold off eating cheese for a week or so and then try it again and see what happens.  May have to do the same thing for the peanut butter.

Sitting in my peaceful valley today.  It has been an extra quiet day on the prairie for me today.  Snow must act like a muffler for outside noises.  It was fun to get out and stomp around in the snow for a bit when I did chores.  My winter overalls came in handy today as I stayed nice and warm outside.

Grateful for the beautiful snow that fell overnight with no wind, grateful for a free day at home, and grateful the power has stayed on and my house is nice and cozy warm.

 

 

Went to my first training class to learn how to be a volunteer tax preparer last night. We quickly moved from one site to another so we could use computers.  We got signed on to the training sites and created our personal accounts and passwords.  Played with the site a bit.  Seems pretty intuitive to use.

Found out there are two additional classes next week.  I am going to be gone so will have to make other arrangements.  Luckily those two classes seem pretty simple.  I looked at one of the two tests today and feel really confident I can pass it.  I will be doing homework while I am in OK next week.

The following week we have three classes that teach us the heart of preparing the returns.  I am glad I will be here for those three classes.  Just wish they would have told us about the additional five classes when they told us about the first one.

I told them I would work lots of hours when I am in town as I will be gone some during the two and one-half months we will be preparing returns.  Not sure when I will get my schedule.  I was unclear if they do the schedule a month at a time or a week at a time.  They seem pretty flexible and welcome us to work only when it is convenient.

It was nice seeing my Marine and his wife last night.  Her daughter was also with them so I got to meet her.  We had a good conversation after they got here.  They had planned on staying until tomorrow but had truck troubles and needed to get home by early afternoon.  The weather was also a bit dicey as snow is predicted both in KS and MO for tonight and tomorrow.

I have sheets washing and trash done.  Will get the beds made and the floors and bathrooms cleaned this afternoon.  Don’t have any other guests scheduled at this point until April.  That can always change quickly though and I like to keep the rooms ready just in case someone books.

Today marks eleven months of being on the Bright Lines Eating Plan.  I lost 50 pounds during that time and have completely changed how I eat.  It gets easier everyday to stick to the plan.  My main two bright lines above all else is to avoid any type of flour or sugar.  I do cheat occasionally and eat a snack, although that is rare.  I no longer weigh and measure my food like I did at the beginning.  As long as my weight remains stable I am good to go.  I have set an upper weight limit for myself and if I hit that I have to go back to being much stricter with what and when I eat.  So far I haven’t gotten there.  It has been almost five months since I hit my goal weight and I actually am 9 pounds below that goal today.  I haven’t lost any more weight for over a month now so thinking I have hit my bottom weight.

Someone at the meeting last night that I knew and hadn’t seen since I lost the weight  commented on how thin I am.  That still feels weird when someone says something as I still don’t see myself as thin. I have read that it can take up to two years to change your own self-image after a major weight loss and see yourself as others see you.

I am staying tucked inside today.  The rain makes the prairie feel very quiet today.  The Pioneer Bluffs Board Meeting scheduled for tomorrow may get postponed depending on weather.  Some of the board members live in KC and it may be difficult for them to get there.  We are supposed to get up to five inches of snow overnight.  Snow seems to be hard to predict though so I will believe it when I see it.

I finally slept really good last night.  Got two good sleeps in – each about four hours.  As usual though when I get extra sleep I feel extra tired today.  May take a nap on this cold and wet day.  Perfect napping weather!

Sitting in my peaceful valley today.  Feeling a deep sense of contentment today and feeling all is well.  The rain is giving the earth a winter drink, the house is quiet, the critters are all tucked inside and content, and nothing needs to be done.  Nice to have a day like this.  I’m looking forward to seeing my Match guy Monday evening.

Grateful for the visit from my Marine and his family, grateful for a volunteer opportunity that feels like it will be rewarding and meaningful, and grateful for the rain on the prairie today.

There was a beautiful sunrise this morning.  It was shades of red and gray.  I thought it would be a cloudy day later and I was right.  The wind is picking up and the temperature is starting to drop.  Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow and snow on Saturday.  Guess it is winter time – I was confused for a bit and thought we had jumped right to spring.

Got the storage room cleaned out last night.  I must have brought up six loads of stuff to donate.  My little car was packed full when I took it in to Goodwill this afternoon.  Feels good to have that load of stuff out of the house.  I may find some more stuff now that I can get to it.  When I get the beds out of there I will do some more sorting and tossing.

I was equally loaded coming home as I stopped at Bluestem and got 200 # of chicken feed, 100 # of dog food, and 200 # of water softener salt.  I was riding low coming home.  I also stopped at Wal-Mart and got a few groceries.  Trying to get everything I need so I can be gone most of next week.

I also worked on the furnace room and got it straightened out a bit.  I still have some work to do in that room.  I listed the full twin set and the twin set of mattress and box springs on Facebook.  So far one person may be interested in the full twin set.  It would be nice to get those pieces out of the storage room so I can get to my yarn.

Gave the dogs their HeartGuard and charged their collars today.  The collar that wouldn’t charge two weeks ago charged today.  Not sure what the deal is but am grateful it charged today.  Those collars have worked well up until a month or so ago when two of the three got out of the border and went for a short trip in the pasture across the street.  Never did figure out how that happened.  They have been sticking close the last couple of days.

I have my first meeting to learn what I have volunteered for this evening at 5:30.  It will be one of those days that I make two trips to Emporia in the same day.  I try not to let that happen but decided to get the car unloaded and the critter food home before dark.  Trying to decide if I want to eat dinner before I go or eat when I get home.

My Marine and his wife and her daughter will be here later this evening.  Not sure if I will be home before they get here or not.  It will be so good to see them again.  They are staying until Saturday so we will have all day tomorrow to visit and catch up.

Thought about running to KC tomorrow so I could go to Costco but decided I will be going right by one on my way home next Friday and I can stop then.  No use driving miles when it isn’t absolutely necessary.

Still sitting in my peaceful valley.  It felt good to lift the feed sacks today on to the cart and then out of the car.  I got help getting them off the cart and into the car.  I am looking forward to getting stronger so that job is easy.  Got my first work out in today lifting 500 pounds of stuff.  Yesterday I did six trips up and down the basement stairs.  Guess I am off and running!

Grateful for the beautiful sunrise this morning, grateful for getting the storage room and furnace room straightened out, and grateful for the dog collar working correctly again even though I don’t understand why it started working again.

Went into coffee this morning with other Chase County women.  Had over 15 show up today so it was a big group.  Beautiful to see the women care for each other in big and small ways.  It makes one’s life much richer to have a wonderful support system like these women are for each other.

Have been working on cleaning out my storage closet.  I had cleaned the guest bedrooms around Thanksgiving time and had piled extra stuff in the closet and am just now getting to the pile.  I need to sell a twin sized box springs and mattress and a full twin bed set including frame, box springs and mattress.  Anyone interested let me know.  They are very clean and in like-new condition.  Just need them out of my way.

I have lots of extra bedding for twin beds to get rid of too.  If someone needs twin-sized blankets, bedspreads or mattress covers let me know ASAP.  Otherwise I am taking it all to the Goodwill.  I don’t like not being able to get into that room and need it out of my way.

My Marine and his wife are coming to visit me this week and staying overnight for two nights.  I am excited to see them again.  He still doesn’t know what his work situation is going to be and is still hoping to get assigned to work near by again.

This week is going by fast as I have been busy everyday.  Tomorrow evening I have my first meeting with my new volunteer opportunity.  I will be trained on how to prepare simple income tax returns – primarily for senior citizens.  I don’t know what the time commitment is so trusting I can work it in between my trips to OK to see my Match guy and his trips here.  Trusting they will be flexible with my scheduling.

Saturday I have my last board meeting at Pioneer Bluffs.  I will miss seeing some of the people on the board.  I plan on continuing to volunteer so I will be able to stay in touch with the board members that come to the events.

Sunday is my only free day this week.  I leave Monday late afternoon to go visit my Match guy for several days.  A dear friend is going to housesit for me this time while I am gone.  I prefer that over someone who just comes twice a day to feed the critters.  Since this is a short trip I was able to find someone that could come stay in the house while I am gone.

I hit my shin on the marble edge of the tub last night when I was getting out of the tub.  I had a big goose egg on my shin last night.  It is still there this morning although it is smaller and is tender to the touch.  I finally put some ice on it last night as it was aching and keeping me awake.  At least today it only hurts if I touch it.  Sometimes I am clumsy!

After I finish cleaning out the closet I need to clean out the furnace room.  For some reason stuff has gotten piled up in that room too.  Drives me crazy when I go down to get something and can’t get through that room easily.  I keep forgetting to sort it out.  For some reason I have some extra energy today and want to take advantage of it.  It is too cold to go hike so I will burn it off inside instead.

Anyone have any 2, 5 and/or 10 pound dumbbells they want to get rid of?  I need to get some before Monday and would prefer to get used ones instead of new ones.

Saturday afternoon I need to stock up on critter food again.  I am down to my last bags of dog food and chicken feed.  I like getting four to six bags of each at a time so I only have to get it every other month or so.  Guess if it snows Saturday as predicted all that weight will help keep my car on the road for the ride home.

Sitting in my peaceful valley today.  Loving the extra energy I have today.  It is about time my energy level rose back up again.  Nice to get a few projects done around here.

Grateful for the deep support system the Chase County women provide for each other, grateful for the extra energy I have today so I can get some projects done around the house, and grateful my Marine and his wife are coming to visit me.  I have missed them!

Another beautiful day on the prairie although it is a touch windy today.  For January I’ll take a day like this anytime.

Met the trainer today.  She is more of a Wellness Coach than just a trainer.  We had a good conversation.  Found out her mother’s dad was a brother to my step-grandfather.  It is a small world!  We just talked today and she is coming back next Monday to get me started on some exercises.  I need to get some dumbbells of different weights so I can be ready for her.

She is also working with a friend of mine who recommended her to me.  My friend wants to work out with me once or twice a week.  That will help keep me going.  Maybe I can finally find an exercise routine that I will stick to.

She is going to start me on light weight lifting three days a week and yoga type stretches three days a week.  I have lots of empty space and have the time to make this happen.  The challenge will be when I am with my Match guy.  He likes to walk but doesn’t do strength training.  Maybe he will join me?

Not sure how often I am going to meet with the trainer.  Guessing once I get started we will only need to meet monthly so she can evaluate my progress and change things up as needed.

She not only teaches strength training but also has her clients look at their emotional well-being as well as diet.  I have done a lot of that work and need to focus on the strength part.

She just got her Master’s in December and is figuring out what to do next in her life.  She is fun to visit with.  I wish I knew what she knows at 28 when I was 28.

Besides meeting with her for two hours today I haven’t done much.  A friend came by to bring me something and stayed and visited for a short bit.  Haven’t crossed anything off my to-do list today yet.  I sure seem to be stringing lot of non-productive days together.  Good thing I don’t have anything that has to be done.

Sure could take a nap this afternoon – I still may go lay down for a bit.  I was sleeping really good this morning when I got a text at 7:15 which woke me up.  I couldn’t go back to sleep after that.  One blessing from waking up that early is I got to see the sunrise.  Winter sunrises are spectacular on the prairie.

I have somewhere to go in the morning for a couple of hours but will have empty space in the afternoon.  Maybe tomorrow will be the day I can get something done.  I did get the trash pulled down to the end of the driveway for pickup tomorrow.  That counts as a half-mile walk – better than nothing I guess.

Last night I rolled over in bed and hit my bunion on the footboard of the bed.  It is very tender to the touch today.  It was a bit sore when I was walking to the mailbox.  I’ll be glad to get it taken care of and an anxious to see how the doctor proposes to do that when I go in two weeks.  Some nights I can’t sleep because my foot aches and the bunion part is so tender that even the weight of the blanket makes it hurt.

Sitting in my peaceful valley today.  Can’t figure out why I don’t have any motivation to get anything done but decided to just allow it to be what it is and not push myself.  Maybe my body just needs rest.  It has been a crazy couple of months around here.

Grateful for finding a trainer, grateful for empty space that allows me to “be”, and grateful for mild winter weather.

Got my car taken care of today.  I had the oil changed and the tires rotated.  As part of the oil change they vacuum and wash my car.  I almost didn’t recognize it when they were done.

Ran a few errands while I was in town.  I was gone for almost four hours which is two hours longer than I had planned.  Everything seemed to take longer than normal today.  Glad I got through my list.  The only thing I didn’t get was a new rain gauge – Walmart doesn’t carry them in the winter time I found out.  I was tired by then and didn’t stop somewhere else.

It has been a quiet afternoon at home.  I finished putting together a puzzle I had started yesterday.  That gave me a moment of feeling like I did something today.  I didn’t get anything else I was going to do done however.  It can all wait till another day I guess.  Maybe I’ll get motivated and do something yet tonight.

Tomorrow a personal trainer is coming to my house for a meet and greet.  I trust I will like her.  Setting up the appointment wasn’t easy though so I am cautious about her.  She didn’t communicate very easily.  I’ll see how she is in person.

The chickens gave me 10 eggs today.  I have three extra dozen if anyone needs eggs.  It was so warm today I thought about cleaning out the chicken coop but am thinking we still will get some winter weather.  I use the deep straw method during the winter and add fresh straw on top of the dirty straw each month.  It is always deep by spring and that first clean out is a hard one.  AFter that I clean it out once a month and those don’t take long.  The deep straw adds heat to the coop for cold winter days and nights.

Later this week I will need to replenish my chicken and dog feed as I am going out of town next week.  I buy a month’s supply at a time and am starting to run low.  I might have enough to make it through next week but don’t want to ask the pet sitter to have to go get some.  I think I spend more on critter feed than I do my own groceries.

Got a reminder that it is time to take Star in for her annual visit.  She is not leash trained and it is always an adventure taking her in.  I usually ask for the first appointment of the day so the office isn’t full of other animals.  Last time I took her in she pulled her collar off and went running through their office.  Maybe I need to find a vet that does house calls.

Still in my peaceful valley.  Life seems easy right now although my energy level is not as high as I would like it to be.  Not sure why my energy level has slipped down again.  Thinking I got too busy for a bit and my body just needs some quiet, down time to recharge.  I was able to hike over six miles Saturday so when I demand my body to move it does so.

Grateful for a clean car that has fresh oil and rotated tires, grateful for my productive chickens supplying me with a bounty of fresh eggs, and grateful winter weather has taken a long vacation.

 

What a lazy day this has been.  I woke up early but stayed in bed.  Got up to pee and take my thyroid pill and went back to bed.  Never did go to sleep but didn’t feel like getting up.  Wrote a long letter while I was in bed.  Finally got up around 11:00.  Took my shower and fixed breakfast.  I haven’t accomplished anything else today except to throw a load of laundry in and fold one load.

Thinking I need a rest and relax day today.  Seems like I need lots of those types of days these days.  I may even go take a nap this afternoon.  Feeling like I could sleep if I went to bed.  Talk about a lazy day!

Tomorrow I have an appointment to get the oil changed in my car.  AFterwards I will go into Emporia to have the tires rotated and pick up a few groceries.  At least those two things will get me up and moving tomorrow.

Tuesday I have an appointment with a personal trainer.  A friend recommended the trainer to me.  We will have a meet and greet to see if she is the one for me.  One of my personal goals this year is to get my body into better shape.  I can walk for six miles and more easily but I don’t have much muscle strength.  I have lots of saggy skin from the weight loss and am thinking it would look better if I had some muscle. I have never been able to stick to a physical fitness plan other than the walking I did to train for the Camino.  Maybe this will be my year for that to finally happen.  I hope to work with a personal trainer weekly for at lest the first half of the year until I can learn what I am to do to accomplish my goal.  I tried a trainer another time and it didn’t work.  Trusting this time I will have better luck.

Thursday evening is my first meeting to find out what my new volunteer job will involve.  I don’thave much information yet about it so am excited to find out what the training will be like and how much time commitment is required.  I have several small trips planned and need to make sure I can honor my commitment to them before I go too much further.

Sure glad the weather was nicer yesterday than it is today.  The wind is in a big hurry today and although it is in the 50’s outside it doesn’t feel like it is.  The sun comes and goes behind some cloud cover today.  Sure lucked out yesterday and had a perfect hiking day.

Trying to drink some extra water today.  For some reason I feel a bit dehydrated today.  I always forget to carry water with me when I hike.  The hike may have caused me to be a bit dehydrated today.

There is a chance my Marine may be coming back to stay with me.  He is hoping to find out this week if that might happen.  I don’t have any guests booked until April right now.  It would be nice to have company again – this house can feel mighty big and empty when I am here by myself.

Sitting in my peaceful valley today although I can feel some restlessness in the background.  Allowing it to be what it is and remembering not to write a story about it in my head.  If I can honor the feelings and allow them to be what they are they pass much quicker.  Choosing to stay present in this very moment also helps.  I find my mind trying to figure out the future sometimes and if I can bring it back to this moment in time I feel more grace and ease with myself.  Sometimes that is easier said than done though.

Grateful for a lazy day at home alone, grateful for my mentors and teachers that have taught me skills that I can use to make my life more full of grace and ease, and grateful for possibilities of all sorts that lay ahead of me.

 

My Match guy left for his home late this afternoon.  He had wanted to get on the road headed home by 3:00 but it was closer to 5:00 before he left.  Neither one of us wanted him to leave.

We took a six-mile hike at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve this afternoon.  65 degrees in January is perfect hiking weather.  We walked out to Windmill Pasture and the buffalo were right by the side of the road.  When they started acting like they might want to cross the road we were on we walked on.  We sat down about a mile up the road from the buffalo and talked for a bit.  Turned around and walked back.

On the way back we ran into two guys hiking.  We talked with them all the way back to our cars.  Made the walk back go really fast and easy.  One of the two we met has tickets to the Symphony in June.  I gave him my business card in case he wants to book a room.  So far that weekend I only have one of the four guest rooms booked.

Am doing some laundry and have a load of dishes running.  I need to get my house back into order a bit.  I was noticing this afternoon I need to do the floors in the kitchen and living room again.  May or may not get that done tonight as I am tired tonight.  I slept over six hours straight last night and am more tired than normal tonight.  That usually happens when I get more sleep than I am used to.  Maybe I can repeat that tonight and get two good night’s sleep back-to-back.

Nothing on my calendar I have to do tomorrow.  Next week is starting to fill in though and I have something everyday to do.  That is unusual for me but I’m glad I will be busy.  The house feels very big and empty tonight with me home alone again.

Sure had a fun couple of days with my Match guy.  We really didn’t do anything special – just hung around the house and did some hiking.  I enjoy the simple pleasures of life and so does he.  The weather was perfect to be out today.  We enjoyed the sunset and stars last night and the sunrise this morning.

I’m going to his house the middle of January so we can go to a concert together.  Plan on staying a couple of nights although I’m not sure what my definite plans are yet.  Still over a week away so I will figure it out when it gets closer.

Spending time with him makes me understand why finding a companion is important to me.  Life is so much more fun when you do it with someone you enjoy being with.  Wish we didn’t live so far away but maybe that is good as we have to make the best of the time together we do get.  In between face-to-face time we email, text and talk on the phone.  Somehow those conversations are different from the ones I have in person with him.

We are both taking this nice and slow and will see how it all unfolds for the future.  So far we haven’t found much to disagree about.  I’m sure those things will be uncovered in time.  Then we have to ask ourselves if one can live with our differences.

Grateful for the beautiful hike to see the buffalo up close and personal today, grateful for the time I had with my Match guy this week, and grateful for sleep last night.  May it find me again soon!

Another post a day late.  Had a wonderful day with my Match guy Friday.  We were lazy and didn’t even have breakfast until 11:00.  We finished putting together the 1,000 piece puzzle late last night.

We went to the Chase County Fishing Lake and walked across the dam to see the waterfalls.  They are running and were beautiful.  Went down to Pioneer Bluffs and toured the grounds there.  We had dinner at Ad Astra.

The stars were out in full force last night so went outside after we got home from dinner and looked at the stars.  We had watched the sunset earlier.

He will be going home sometime early afternoon.  I will miss him.  We have had another wonderful time together not doing much.  We both like silence and are comfortable sitting in silence together.  That is nice.  He makes me laugh so we shared many moments of laughter and fun.

The house will seem big and empty to me after he leaves today.  I’m going to his house in two weeks to go to a symphony concert.  I’m glad to know when I get to spend time with him again.

Grateful for a walk to the beautiful waterfalls, grateful for watching the sunset and seeing the stars with my Match guy, and grateful for this time we got to spend together.

This is a late entry as I am actually writing it early morning on Friday.  Yesterday got busy and I didn’t take the time to write.

My Match guy is here so my time was spent with him.  After a late breakfast I got the house ready for a Pioneer Bluffs Committee meeting that was held at my house in the afternoon.  We had a good meeting and got some plans in place for events that will be held during the first half of 2019.

After the meeting guests left my Match guy and I took a three-mile walk.  We were out walking while the sun set.  The colors were amazing again last night.  It was a bit brisk outside but felt good to get out and walk.  A car drove by while we were walking and stopped to make sure we were OK.  I appreciate the locals doing that.

After our walk we fixed dinner and then started putting a puzzle together.  We spent a quiet evening putting the puzzle together.

It was nice to spend a quiet day at home with him.  We have fun doing nothing together.

Grateful for a long walk yesterday, grateful for a beautiful sunset and grateful for a chance to spend more time with my Match guy.

My Match guy will be here any minute so this may be a short blog!  I have ham and bean soup ready and the cornbread is in the oven.  The house smells divine!

Delivered Chad’s Christmas treats to him today.  I only recognized one McDonald’s employee at the Turnpike store.  Sat and visited with Chad for about an hour.  Good thing his boss didn’t mind him visiting while he was working.

Stopped by and got some groceries and came home.  Dropped off my recycling stuff on the way home.  Had double the normal amount as I had driven around with the first batch in the back of my car for over a week.  Finally remembered to drop it all off today.

Cleaned the guest bedroom and bathroom as well as touched up the rest of the upstairs.  The house is all clean and ready for my guest tonight.

Sophia ran past me down the driveway chasing a stray cat this afternoon when I was out doing chicken chores.  Not sure what is up with her shock collar – maybe the thrill of chasing a cat overrode the shock she should have received leaving the yard.  The other two dogs didn’t follow her.

Grateful my Match guy will be here soon, grateful the new recipe for ham and bean soup turned out delicious and grateful more Christmas treats left the house today.

Happy New Year’s Day!  It is a cloudy, very cold day on the prairie.  At least the wind has slowed down a bit this afternoon.  My guests wanted to go to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve this morning to watch the sunrise.  They wisely decided to stay in bed and watch the sky lighten a bit instead as it was too cloudy to see the sunrise.  They left around 9:00 and were going to go on a hike.  The wind was in a big hurry this morning.  Hope they didn’t freeze on the prairie this morning.

They were a nice young couple.  They stayed in all night.  They had brought some champagne and snacks and they watched Milo and Otis.  That is about the most exciting movie I own!  They like to get away to some place quiet on New Year’s Eve and celebrate the new year together quietly.  My type of people!

I fell asleep around 11:00.  My Match guy called at midnight at my request.  We talked for a few minutes and then I went back to sleep.  I was able to sleep in until 8:30 this morning although I didn’t sleep straight through.   I did get more sleep than I normally get.  Trusting 2019 will be the year I solve my sleep issue.

It has been a lazy day again for me.  I started working on my taxes last night but haven’t gotten back to them today yet.  I have sheets in the dryer but haven’t gotten the guest bed made up yet.  Not much motivation to do much again today.  I did get my chicken chores done.  The girls gave me 12 eggs on this very cold day.  They even came out for their lettuce treat.  They have more motivation than I do.  I do have a loaf of banana bread baking.  Had some bananas that needed worked up and banana bread freezes easily.  I won’t eat it but it is nice to have a loaf on hand in case I need to offer something to guests.

A friend gave me the name of a personal trainer.  I sent the trainer a message but haven’t heard back from her yet.  Trusting I can find someone who will help me get an exercise plan set up and teach me how to do the exercises properly.  One of my two goals for this year is to build my core strength and build some muscle.  Hopefully it will help make all the sagging skin look better.  The main reason I want to do it though is so I have the strength to lift the chicken and dog feed sacks easily and to be able to walk even further than I can now.

My Match guy is coming to visit me tomorrow.  He had originally planned to come Thursday but moved it up a day.  We are both anxious to see each other again.  He will stay until Saturday.  It will be fun to spend more time with him.  He makes me laugh and laughter is a good thing for me.

Thursday afternoon a committee from Pioneer Bluffs is meeting in my house for our committee meeting.  I am almost finished with my commitment to Pioneer Bluffs.  My last Board meeting is January 12.  I will continue to volunteer for them but not be on the board.  Board work is not my cup of tea.

I shut the garage door with the dogs inside last night so the garage would be a bit warmer for them.  It was nice not to hear the dogs barking all night long.  May need to shut that door more often.  They hang out under the heat lamp on some blankets in the garage when it gets really cold.  I happened to see all  three of them under the heat lamp last night so I was able to shut them in.

I am going to fix ham and bean soup tomorrow for dinner.  Still have some ham left over from Christmas and Nicole gave me a good recipe so thought I would try fixing the soup a bit differently than I normally do.  It will be cold enough tomorrow that a hot soup for dinner will sound good.  Need to give some thought about what to fix for Thursday and Friday night since my guy will be here.  I normally eat the same thing every meal – not sure he would appreciate that.

Glad the New Year is here and the holidays are officially over.  Once January is done I always feel spring is close.  Counting the days until Spring already!  Guess I have a case of Spring Fever.

Sit sitting in my peaceful valley although the road through my valley today has felt a bit rocky.  Working to remind myself to stay present to what is and not get ahead of myself into the future.  When I stay present all is well!  What more can a girl ask for?  I don’t have a crystal ball and to look into the future and get nervous is silly.  Who knows what might happen?  Someone told me to “choose every moment”.  That feels like it has movement to it and I like that idea.  Right here, right now I choose to be present in this very moment and be grateful for all I have.  Beyond that who knows what may happen but I do know that right here, right now all is well!

Grateful for a good night’s sleep, grateful for lazy days, and grateful that right here, right now all is well!

My guests left early this morning.  Last night they didn’t think they would leave before 8:00 but they got gone before 7:30.  I came out in my pajamas to tell them goodbye.  He hugged me and is planning on returning in May when he comes to KS to turkey hunt.  They also booked a room for December 2019 when they return for her family Christmas.  They left the sweetest thank you note for me.  I love when my guests come as strangers and leave as friends.

I got their bedroom and bathroom cleaned today as I have two more guests coming in this evening.  They didn’t think they would be here until 9:00 pm.  I hope they can find my road – it is hard for me to find at night.  Not sure if they will be staying in tonight or if they are coming to go to a party nearby.  Check-out is at 11:00 tomorrow morning so they won’t be here long.

My baby brother Keith and his son Abraham came to pick up some New Year’s Cookies I had made.  I also gave them some fudge and left over cookies.  I have one more delivery to make and then most of the goodies will be out of the house.

It is a cloudy, windy, wet day on the prairie today.  Not looking forward to walking down to take care of the chickens.  I have to fill their water container every other day but think I will fill it today as it is to be bitter cold tomorrow.  That way if their door gets frozen shut they won’t run out of water.  The high tomorrow is only to be 20 with a wind chill pulling it down even more.  No precipitation is predicted at this point but that seems to keep changing.  Earlier today snow was predicted for Thursday this week but now that has been taken out of the forecast.

No plans for tonight as I don’t know what my guests will be doing.  Some guests I feel comfortable leaving them in the house alone and others not so much.  I never know which way I will feel until I meet them in person.  I am not a party person anyways so doubt that I would have gone out even if I didn’t have guests coming – especially since it is to be really cold tonight.  I am a wimp when it comes to getting out in winter weather.

Trying to convince myself to make it to town to get groceries today.  I won’t want to get out tomorrow in the bitter cold.  Maybe after I take care of the chickens I can convince myself to go.

Need to clean my living room and kitchen a bit more.  I think the guests are staying upstairs in the room with the queen bed but need to check the room with the double bed in case they decide they want to stay downstairs where it is more private.

May start working on my taxes this afternoon and tomorrow.  I got my planner so I can start filling in the blanks and pulling information together.  I like getting that task done in early February so it is done before the tax preparers get really busy.

Feeling much better today than I was yesterday.  Taking a long hike with my guest yesterday afternoon helped blow the cobwebs out and changed my mood for the better.  We were out walking during the sunset.  It was one of the top ten sunsets ever last night and even more beautiful viewed from the openness of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.  Back to feeling my normal self and so looking forward to 2019 and the changes it will bring me.

Grateful for guests that become friends, grateful this house cleans easily, and grateful I live close to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve so I can hike there and clear my head and fill my soul.

 

New Year’s Eve!  Time to do a final reflection of 2018 and look forward to 2019.

I started 2018 with a lot of doubt about my thyroid cancer that had been discovered after the removal of my thyroid in October, 2017. I had gone to MD Anderson Cancer Center in December 2017 for a second opinion about further treatment options and was waiting the results of that visit.  I had gone to Peru in December 2017 and had taken Ayahuasca and San Pedro and had done a lot of self-healing and purging.

I finally got the results and recommendation from MD Anderson mid January.  To my relief they changed the type of cancer from the scary type to the common type and their official recommendation was no further treatment was needed.  That validated what the Shaman had told me in Peru.

On February 11 2018 I stopped eating any food products that contain any sort of flour and any sort of sugar.  I had done some research and had come to the conclusion that sugar can cause cancer to grow (not saying that it causes cancer to start) and for me to be able to give up sugar permanently I also needed to give up flour to cut down the cravings for sugar.  I am proud to say it has been a successful journey and to my knowledge have not eaten foods that contain flour or sugar.  When one eats out you never know for sure but I do my best to order clean food.  I lost 50 pounds as a result and am smaller than I have been since I was in high school.  I had lost 20 pounds in 2017 so am down 70 pounds from my all time high.

I had a bit of heart problems in April.  However after all the tests were done the Cardiologist dismissed me from his care in August.  In hind site it felt like I was having a reset to my heart and all is now well with it.

In May I went to Spain, France and Italy with Nicole.  My favorite spots on that trip were Tuscany Valley in Italy along with Venice and Florence.  I didn’t care for Rome or Paris.  I am a small town girl at heart and have learned I prefer the smaller towns and the countryside to the bigger cities.  Many memories were made and it was a fabulous adventure.

The summer was one full of guests.  I only had two or three nights a month when I didn’t have a guest in my house from June through November.  The first summer of doing the AIrbnb was a great success.  I met so many nice people – some of whom have become good friends.  I especially fell in love with my Marine and his wife.  He stayed for six months with me and now feels like one of my kids.  There is a chance he may return in 2019 if he gets an assignment close by.

In November Nicole and I traveled together again – this time to Australia and New Zealand.  Of the four trips we have taken together I have to say this was my favorite sight-seeing adventure.  The countryside was beautiful.  Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef and seeing the fairy penguins come ashore on Phillips Island were the two highlights of the trip for me.

December found me traveling with my Match guy for over two weeks.  We explored CO and NM and had a grand adventure.  We are still seeing each other and text, call or email daily.  We are finding ways to be together – either he comes to my house or I go to his.  He may help 2019 be a very good year for me!

I don’t really set New Year’s Resolutions.  I honor Winter Solstice and set intentions for myself that way.  2019 is the year for me to secure “we”.  I have done lots of inner work on myself.  I have secured No, Done and I.  Now it is time for We.

In addition to We I want to become physically fit and strong.  I need to find a trainer and get myself in better physical shape.  Losing the weight has helped me want to become more active and move my body more.  I can easily walk 4 – 6 miles without becoming tired.  But I don’t have a lot of body strength and muscle and want to work on building my core strength.  If anyone knows of a good personal trainer let me know!

So looking forward to 2019 and the changes and adventures it will bring me.  I am ready for change!  Bring it on 2019!

 

 

Another night of little sleep.  This is getting old again!  I am tired today and have little motivation to do anything.  I went back to bed around 10:45 and slept for an hour.  I will take what ever sleep I can find at this point.

I was going to deliver my brother’s New Year’s Cookies to them today but can’t find the motivation to do so.  I will go to town tomorrow and take them.  Need to go down and give the chickens some water but am procrastinating by writing instead.  Where did my get up and go runaway too?

Got the house cleaned up and the trees taken down yesterday evening.  Christmas 2018 is officially in my rear view mirror.  I’m glad it is over.  My spirits are a bit low today – probably from all the fun yesterday.  Thinking my body is just tired and is asking for extra rest.  Other than taking care of my guests today, cleaning their room tomorrow after they check out and then checking in the ones coming in tomorrow I don’t have anything on my calendar until Thursday.

Feels like all I have done lately is sit and do nothing.  I don’t like cold weather and have been staying inside too much.  My guest said he was going to come back to the house around 4:00 today and ask if I would take a hike with him.  I’ll see if he shows up or not.  It will do me good to get out and move my body.  It is in the mid 40’s with bright blue skies.  The wind is in a bit of a hurry though so feels a bit colder than it is.  If I go for a walk I’ll have to dress warmly.

My left foot is still bothering me.  I don’t see the foot doctor until Jan 22.  I will be anxious to hear what he has to say.  The bunion part of my foot feels better if I don’t wear shoes and put pressure on any part of the big toe.  However, where I had the neuromas removed likes me to wear shoes or the bottom of my foot aches.  I might dig out my flip-flops and try those to see if I can please both parts of my foot.

I sound like a bitch today – I just reread what I have written so far and all I have done is complain.  After Christmas blues have struck.  Funny since I don’t like Christmas and don’t do much to celebrate it.  Betting it has more to do with the short days.  I keep reminding myself everyday is a little bit longer and the light is returning.

Got my tax planner in the mail yesterday so I can start pulling my information together to get ready to have my taxes done.  I like to take them in the first part of February so they are done and out-of-the-way.  Wondering how the new tax law will impact me this year.

I have volunteered to be a volunteer tax preparer for AARP.  I go to my first meeting Jan 10 to find out what I have to do and get my training process started.  I have been looking for a volunteer position and this one feels important and one that will use my skills.  I have no idea how much time I will have to commit to yet.  Should have some answers after my meeting Jan 10.  I do plan on being gone off and on so am trusting they can work around that or else I will have to back out.

My tummy is feeling a bit unsettled today.  I made myself eat lunch but am thinking maybe that wasn’t a good idea.  It is making all sorts of sounds and is singing to me.  I had ham yesterday and I don’t normally eat ham.  I was able to avoid eating any Christmas treats.  I’ll be glad when they are all out of the house.

Still haven’t gotten out my Christmas cards.  I need to dig them out and set them on the counter so I dom’t forget about them.  Maybe I should have gotten Valentine cards and sent those instead.  Not sure why I procrastinate on things like that like I do.  It really doesn’t take that long to do them.  I have spent more time thinking about doing them then it would have taken to do them.

One of those days I guess.  Better days ahead!  Today is just a tired and cranky pants day.  I’ll stay away from people so I don’t spread my sour mood to others.  Tomorrow will be a good day.

Grateful to be able to go back to bed when I needed to this morning, grateful for the quiet afternoon, and grateful this day is over half done!

Christmas 2018 is a wrap!  The kids, Craig and his girlfriend Nancy and the grandkids came over for lunch and presents.  We had a fun afternoon together.  I still have some dishes to do and a bit of clean-up to do and the house will be back in order.  I will take the Christmas trees down later today and can put Christmas 2018 in my rear-view mirror.

Still have too many Christmas treats left over.  I have enough New Year’s Cookies for my brothers left that I won’t have to make another batch.  That is a good thing!  I will deliver them tomorrow and give my brothers the left over treats too.  There is even enough fudge left that I won’t have to make another batch.  It will be good to have that stuff out of the house.  I managed to not eat a bite of the Christmas treats but need the temptation gone.

I made a big batch of ham salad with some of the leftover ham after lunch was over and sent it home with the kids.  Nicole took the ham bone home as they are going to make ham and bean soup.  Have one container of ham left that I will need to do something with.  Got rid of most of the other leftovers.

Fixed bacon and eggs for my guests this morning.  I don’t usually fix their breakfast but since I fixed dinner for him the first night he was here they expected me to fix it today.  No big deal – I have plenty of eggs and bacon on hand.  I have enjoyed my guests again.  They invited me to stay with them if I am ever in western NE.

Glad I didn’t clean house before the day started.  Sitting in my chair with the sun shining in through the west windows I am seeing lots of things I need to dust and am seeing all the dirt on the floor. Cookie crumbs, popcorn, etc got dropped from the days celebration and had I cleaned it this morning I would have had to clean it again tonight anyways.

We did a grab bag type of Christmas for the adults this year.  Seemed to have worked nicely and everyone didn’t have to buy so many presents.  Everyone already has so much stuff that no one really needs anything.  There was a nice assortment of gifts brought and it was fun watching people open them.  The kids opened their gifts while we were doing the exchange.  They each made out like bandits and enjoyed their gifts too.

I feel a big sense of relief that Christmas is over.  It is my least favorite holiday season.  I always get a bit depressed during this season.  Probably due more to Solstice and the darkest day than Christmas itself.  But Christmas has way too many expectations that seem to come with it and the commercialization of Christmas turns my stomach.  I try each year to simplify what I do and give.

Now I can turn my attention to the New Year. 2019 feels like it is off to a great start.  My Match guy is coming Thursday evening to spend two nights.  It will be good to see him again.   We have a lot to talk about.  I am planning on going to see him for a couple of days the middle of January.  He has tickets to a symphony concert and he wants me to go to the concert with him.  My life is certainly not boring these days!

Was good to see Craig and his girlfriend today.  Craig and I talked briefly and we both agreed we are both happier than we have been for a long time.  I am happy that we can celebrate Christmas as a family together and everyone feels comfortable.  Not all divorced couples can do that.  I shared with Craig that I had met someone.  He wished me well just as I had wished him well when he told me about his girlfriend.

Feeling a bit empty this afternoon.  It was a bit chaotic and loud in the house for a bit today when everyone was here.  The house feels very big and empty this afternoon.  My guests are out and about and probably won’t be home until late evening.  I will slow things down and take my time finishing up the cleaning and putting the trees away. I have empty space on my calendar except for caring for my guests and preparing for the guests coming the 31st.  I am sure I will get refilled quickly.

The sun is shining this afternoon which always lifts my spirits.  The grandkids helped me gather 10 eggs while they were here.  The wind has slowed down and it is beautiful although cold out.  I need to walk down and get the mail and get some fresh air.  That will help lift my spirits too.

Grateful everyone was able to come for the day and share Christmas together, grateful Christmas 2018 is done, and grateful for the possibilities 2019 is bringing to me.  Time to look forward to all the changes headed my way.  Feeling like I need to fasten my seat belt and enjoy the ride!

Another night of not much sleep.  I was really tired last night and was hoping for good sleep.  I slept for two hours and then was up most of the night.  Darn!  I’m tired today.  May take a nap later.

Went into Emporia this morning after my guests got up and left the house.  I finished my Christmas shopping and picked up a few groceries.  Still need to bag and wrap the gifts to get ready for tomorrow but I am oh so close to being ready now.

My guest ask if I would go hike with him this afternoon at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.  I told him I would go for a short hike.  It is only in the mid 20’s and the wind is still in a big hurry.  I’ll have to wear my heavy overalls if we go.  I’m not sure if he was serious or not.  I’ll see if he returns and wants to go.

Still need to make my New Year’s Cookies.  I got tired last night and decided not to make them.  I’ll make them this afternoon once I know if the walk is on or not.  I want some for Jason tomorrow as they are one of his holiday favorites.  The other two kids can take them or leave them.

Remembered to buy myself an electric knife today.  I’m not sure what happened to the one I had.  I must have given it to Craig when I divided the kitchen after the divorce.  I am fixing a whole ham tomorrow and it is easier to cut with an electric knife.

Lost the extra weight I had picked up.  Back down to my lowest weight this morning. My BMI was 19.5 so am at the lower limit of where I want to go.  I’m surprised the weight came back off as I have not been moving my body much lately.  This dance of weight is a challenge for me right now.  The more active I am the more I can eat but it is hard to know how much to add without adding too much or too little.

I will be glad when Christmas season is over.  I will probably take the trees down tomorrow afternoon after everyone leaves.  I do not like Christmas and am always happy when it is over.

Still want to make one more batch of fudge but I need the sun to shine for that.  Thought this afternoon was going to be clear but so far it is still cloudy.  May not get it made until Sunday.

Sitting in my sleepy, peaceful valley this afternoon.  Life feels easy again and like I am in the flow. Trusting tomorrow will go easy and will be fun for all that come.  It is always good to see all three of my kids at the same time.  I want to try to get some pictures taken tomorrow – I usually forget for us to do that.

Grateful my Christmas shopping is done, grateful I lost the extra weight I had gained, and grateful for my peacefully valley.  I trust I can hang out in it for a bit and completely refill and recharge my soul.

Had lunch with my neighbor today.  Always good to catch up with her.  I enjoy our conversation and friendship.

I had ordered the grandkids their Christmas gifts and both packages were delivered today.  I cut that a bit close.  Glad I will have something to give them.

Ran into Emporia to pick up three other Christmas gifts.  Getting close to being ready for our family Christmas on Saturday.  Need to make a final decision tomorrow as to what to get and get it done.  Will need to wrap a few things and then I will be ready.

When I got home from lunch my neighbor dropped me off at the end of my driveway so I could wrestle the trash can up the drive.  The wind was blowing around 35 MPH and it was spitting ice pellets.  I think that was the longest driveway walk I have taken out here.  My ears were frozen by the time I got to the house.  The trash can has bad wheels and in the wind it was hard to keep it upright to pull.  My hands are still cold from the attempt.  I got it done though.

The wife of my guest showed up as I was returning from Emporia.  They are nice people.  I enjoyed the conversation I had with the husband last night and this morning.  Feels weird to have guests in the house again.  I hadn’t had others except for my Marine since October.  This couple leaves Monday and another couple arrives for one night Monday evening.  So far I don’t have anyone else booked until April.  That feels OK to me right now.

It was raining hard when my guest showed up last night.  He had lots of stuff to unload from his truck so I had him park in the garage.  I had to move my car to the other side so his long, big truck would fit in the garage.  I gave him my garage door opener so he can come and go as needed.  I sure trust I remember to get the opener back from him before he leaves.

The wind is in a big hurry this afternoon.  The windows are shaking and the swings are rocking hard.  It is only in the mid 30’s.  The forecast had told me it would reach the 50’s today but there is no way that is going to happen.  I’m glad we didn’t get the snow Western KS got today.

I need to get brave and go down and take care of the chickens.  At least I don’t have to fill their water container today – just need to take them their lettuce and gather eggs.  I may need rocks in my pockets to get down to the coop without being blown over.

The dogs are muddy critters today.  They must have been rolling in the mud puddles in the back yard.  I still have water standing in the back yard.  They have been hanging out under the heat lamp in the garage this afternoon.

May get my New Year’s Cookies made this evening.  It is a good day to be standing over a hot pan of grease.  If I get them made I can get them delivered to my brothers on Friday.  They seem to enjoy them each year.  I always give them some fudge too – both recipes are from my mother.  Trying to carry on that family tradition while I can.

Ready for the sun to come back from the vacation it has been on the last couple of days.  Winter has arrived on the prairie.  Trusting it will be short-lived and allow the sun to return with a bit of warmth.  I don’t like cold weather.

Need to go get busy and get a few things off my list done.  I have been rather lazy this week and haven’t done much.  My body seemed to need rest this week after all the excitement and adventures I have had for the last two months.  Finally feeling better and more rested and centered.

Grateful for neighbors that become good friends, grateful for guests that become friends, and grateful for this time of year when getting together with family is important and we make happen.

 

 

Went into Emporia this morning to run some errands and get a haircut.  Tried to get a pet collar fixed but the lady at the store didn’t know any more about them than I did.  Her boss was supposed to be there at 11:00 so I left and went back after my haircut.  The boss wasn’t there yet so came home.  I had purposely purchased the collars in town so I could get help if I needed it.  That plan didn’t work out.  I could have saved a lot of money if I had ordered them on-line to start with.  So much for local service.

While I was driving home a relation of the couple staying here tonight called to tell me he left a package for my guests on my front porch.  I was a bit anxious coming home as I was afraid the dogs would open it.  Luckily he left it on the front porch of my neighbor’s house.  It was wet but safe.  I text him to let him know he left it at the wrong house and to let the guests know to come to the right house tonight.  I put in the directions what color my house is and which way to turn on the driveway.  Guess they don’t read all of the directions.

Need to do a bit more housecleaning this afternoon.  Also want to make another batch of chocolate dipped peanut butter balls and Ritz cracker/peanut butter things.  Then my holiday baking will be done unless I decide to do one more batch of fudge.  Can’t do fudge today – need a sunshiny day to make it turn out right.

Heard it start to rain around 4:00 this morning.  The rain stopped for the most part while I was in town but now it is very foggy and misty out.  More rain is headed my way according to the forecast. I went to check how much rain I had gotten this morning and found my rain gauge was gone.  Not sure how long it has been missing.  Will have to add one to my list and pick one up next time I am in town.  I like knowing how much rain I get.

Time to give some serious thought about our family Christmas that is happening Saturday.  As of right now I have two presents ordered but not here yet.  Still have some decisions to make and some gifts to figure out.  Nothing like waiting till the last-minute.  I keep changing my mind what to do for my kids.  Time to decide and make it happen.

I was concerned about yesterday.  It was the first Christmas Day that I spent totally alone all day.  Had a couple of phone calls and texts but didn’t see anyone else.  I did much better than I thought I would do with it.

Sitting in my peaceful, quiet valley today.  Feels like something has shifted inside again – in a good way.  I feel calm, balanced and life seems easy today.  Major changes are coming my way and I feel energized about them.  Time to take some risks and do things a bit differently than I have been.

Grateful for the pick-me-up a haircut always gives me, grateful for the rain the prairie is receiving today, and grateful for the changes that are coming my way.  Helps to keep life interesting.

Merry Christmas to one and all!  Trusting your day unfolded in a beautiful way for you.

I have spent a quiet day at home.  I didn’t sleep lots last night so I took a nap today.  It  is a beautiful day on the prairie today.  After I finish blogging I am going to go out and do chicken chores and take a walk.  Rain is to come in tonight and tomorrow and then it is to cool down a bit.  Need to take advantage of this beautiful day and get outside and move my body.

I charged the dog collars today and found one of them isn’t working.  I will have to go to town tomorrow and see if the store I purchased them at can help me fix it.  Not sure why the second dog was able to get through the electronic fence.  I put the collars on a bit tighter to see if that will help.

Did some housecleaning this morning.  Have a bit more to do but am almost ready for my guests to arrive tomorrow evening.

Plan on making some more Christmas treats when I get done with my walk.  I have the ingredients and need to use them up.  The kids will usually take home the leftovers for me so things don’t go to waste.

For some reason I have gained four pounds this week.  I haven’t been eating off plan so am not sure what is going on.  I did eat rice Sunday night and Soy Sauce.  Maybe that did it.  Grains don’t seem to agree with my body.  I felt very bloated last night.  It seems to be better today.  I’ll have to get my suggested menu out and double-check that I am not eating something not on plan if the weight doesn’t come back off quickly.  I haven’t had this happen before so am not sure what is going on.  It could be I have been lazy the last couple of days and haven’t moved my body much.

Ellexia FaceTime me and gave me a video tour of her presents.  She got a new phone so she called me on it so I would have her new number.  She likes to talk to me and share her day with me.  I enjoy talking to her.  Actually I don’t talk much – I just listen to her talk.

Kathy called me this morning and we had a nice visit.  Always good to hear from her.  She is having a grand time seeing her grandchildren and children.

‘Tis the time of year for reflection and planning for 2019.  It feels like 2019 will be a big year full of change for me.  I’m excited to see where 2019 may take me.  Time for me to break out of another box or two that has felt closed around me.  Time for me to get out into the world more and connect with others in a more meaningful way.

Grateful for this beautiful Christmas Day full of peace and quiet, grateful for family, and grateful for the potential 2019 offers me.

Sure doesn’t feel like Christmas Eve to me.  We are having our family Christmas this Saturday.  I haven’t caught my Christmas spirit yet – maybe by Saturday I will find some.

Went into Emporia around noon today to get groceries.  I waited longer than I should have to go to town and it was crazy busy.  I got what I needed and got out-of-town quickly.  I had thought about getting something for lunch while I was in town but decided to get out of town.  Too many people for my liking today.

Finished putting the puzzle together I had been working on.  Still haven’t gotten any cleaning done but I am getting my laundry done.  At least I can say I did something today – right?

I have been tired the last few days.  It hit me today I am feeling like I did when I first started Bright Line Eating.  I must have been eating some sugar and flour on all my travels and am going back through a detox process of some sort.  Trusting it will be short-lived and my energy will return quickly.  I fell asleep in my chair for a bit this afternoon – woke myself up snoring.  I hate when that happens!

Did a meditation this morning and thought about 2019 and what changes I want to make in the New Year.  I want to add in some strength training of some sort – haven’t decided what that will look like yet.  Also have another big change I am contemplating making.  I will do some research on it after the first of the year and see where it goes.  Time for me to change things up again.

Two of the three dogs got through the electronic fence barrier again today.  I am going to have to walk the yard and see where they are getting through.  Maybe the charge on their collars is not holding for two weeks and I need to start charging the collars more often.  I’ll have to investigate what is breaking down and get it fixed so they don’t get run over.

Received a gift today.  Something is happening tonight and tomorrow that feels like a strong message to me.  I feel like I have been given permission to make a big change now.  I smile when I think about it as I’m sure that isn’t how the person involved meant for me to interpret their action as.  I will take my lessons from the Universe in however they show up.  This one feels right on several levels.  2019 may turn into an interesting year for me.  Bring it on – I am ready to make some major changes.

Things are still going well with my Match guy.  We continue to text, email and talk to each other.  He will be coming to see me sometime the end of next week after his sons return home.  It will be good to see him again.

May make some more Christmas treats this evening.  Not a good day to make fudge as it is too cloudy but I can get two other treats made.  Got some oil to fry the New Year’s Cookies in so I will get those made sometime this week.  I need to deliver them along with some fudge to my two brothers that live in Lebo.  That is as close to giving them a Christmas gift as I get.

Sitting in my quiet, peaceful valley this afternoon.  I was rattled for a bit this morning until I realized what was happening was really a gift.  Makes it easier to accept their behavior when I can see it like that.

Grateful for meditation and the gifts it can bring to me, grateful for my Match guy and the way he makes me smile, and grateful for the peace and quiet of the prairie today.

I was surprised to hear it rain last night.  I had checked the forecast in the morning and nothing was predicted and hadn’t checked it again.  There was a light coating of ice on the ground this morning and it was foggy most of the morning.  The clouds have rolled on out and the sun has burned off all the ice this afternoon.  It was fairly nice out when I went out to do chores.

Got 11 eggs from my girls today.  They are earning their keep again.  It sure is more fun to gather eggs when I get a full bucket.

It has been another lazy day for me.  I have been working on the puzzle I am putting together and not getting much else done.  Good thing I don’t have much on my to-do list.  I am getting out of the house this evening to go to Ad Astra for dinner with some friends.  I haven’t been out of the house for several days so it will do me good to get out and be around people.  I think I have recovered enough that I can be around people again.  Sometimes I have to put myself into time out for the safety of those around me.

I slept like a rock last night.  I must have gotten at least six hours of sleep without waking up.  Wow!  So that is what most people do at night.  I felt well rested this morning when I got up.  I am tired this afternoon but I normally am when I get extra sleep.  My body seems to say give me even more sleep – I must be greedy!

Ordered the grandkids Christmas presents last night.  They are to arrive by Friday this week.  I will only have one day of grace as I need them by Saturday afternoon.  I cut that one too close!  May need to make a quick trip to town Saturday morning if they don’t show up on time.

Still haven’t gotten any Christmas cards fixed and in the mail.  I keep forgetting to work on them.  No big deal I guess if I don’t get them out.

Need to go to Emporia tomorrow to get some groceries.  I was going to go today and decided the stores may be less crowded tomorrow morning.  Don’t need too many things so I should be able to get in and out quickly.  Need the tires on my car rotated sometime soon – they are overdue.  Maybe I can get both accomplished tomorrow.

It has been a challenge to get back on my eating schedule since my two vacations.  I have eaten the same thing at home for several months and all of a sudden it is getting hard to eat.  Need to give some thought as to how to change it up a bit.  Sure is easier to fix meals when I know ahead of time what I am going to eat.  Grocery shopping was also much easier.  May give it another week or so and see if I can get back into my normal routine.  I got used to eating at different times each day and I ate a bigger variety of food while traveling.  I haven’t gained any weight but I liked my routine from before.  I’ll see how this plays out.  I will be glad when the Christmas treats disappear on Saturday.  I haven’t been tempted to eat them but if they are around much longer I might be.

It has been a good day today.  I haven’t even cried today – I did the last two days.  I watched the full moon rise last night.  It wasn’t visible for very long as it rose into a cloud bank.  Glad I got to see it for a few minutes before it disappeared for the night. I looked for meteors but it was cloudy again so I didn’t get to see them this time.

Grateful for lots of eggs from my girls, grateful for lazy days, and grateful for lots of sleep last night.  I almost felt “normal” for a change!

I seem to be stringing together days where I get nothing much done.    I have a puzzle going but other than making a batch of fudge and taking care of the animals I can’t say I have accomplished anything today. My body seems to want to rest and be quiet so that is what I am doing.

I didn’t see any meteors last night.  The clouds were restless and moving through the sky most of the night.  The almost full moon was bright when it wasn’t under the cover of the clouds.  I will check again tonight and see if there are any if the clouds clear out.

Jason called me this morning to let me know his step-mother passed away.  He was with his biological father when it happened.  I’m glad Jason was there but I sure hate for him to have to experience this.  Hard time of the year to lose someone.  She was a kind and funny lady and will be missed by many.  Rest In Peace Rita!

It hurts my heart to know one of my kids is hurting.  After I talked to Jason I had a good, messy cry.  Had one yesterday too.  Must be the full moon and Solstice working their magic on me.  While I was in the midst of my cry my Match guy called.  He got to see another side of me.  He was very kind and handled me well.  Sometimes a girl just has to cry to get rid of the emotion trapped inside.

I had a headache most of the day after my cry – one of several reasons I don’t like to cry.  It is finally going away.  I am tired now and sure hoping I will get a good night’s sleep.  I didn’t sleep very well last night.

Got a booking for two people who are coming New Year’s Eve.  Wonder if they are going to stay here to welcome the New Year’s or if they have a party near by to go to. They come in the day the other two leave.  I haven’t had a guest for a bit so it will be interesting to have guests again.

The two packages I had mailed arrived to their destination today – only one day later than promised.  As busy as the Post Office is this time of year I’ll take that.

Have the ingredients to make another batch of chocolate dipped peanut butter balls but haven’t found the motivation to do so yet.  I did make one batch of fudge today that looks like it turned out OK.  Still need to make at least two more batches of fudge before next Saturday.  It is one of the kids favorite Christmas treats and I like to send extra home with them.  I always make some for my two younger brothers too.

Need to get my Christmas presents for the grandkids ordered.  We are having Christmas a week from today.  I can always run to KC next week if I don’t find what I want on-line.  I don’t like to go into stores when they aren’t busy – let alone during this time of year.  It felt like I had lots of time to get them ordered but all of a sudden I am only a week away.  Time to get moving!

Sitting in my peaceful valley today.  It had a few rocks and boulders to navigate around today but came through and found my peaceful place again.  I feel my soul being slowly recharged.  It had gotten fairly empty with all my travels lately.  I always forget how much I need alone time to get fully recharged.

Grateful for the peace and quiet on the prairie and in my house, grateful and proud of my son for being present for his father, and grateful for being able to release my emotions and allowing them to be what they are.

I didn’t get home from babysitting until after 12:30 last night.  Saw several deer near the highway on the trip home.  Luckily they stayed off the road and I didn’t have to play dodge ball on the highway.  Had trouble falling asleep and if I did fall asleep I didn’t stay asleep very long.

Got up in a grumpy mood.  My Match guy text me and was able to help lift my mood a bit.  I finally was able to have a good cry and felt a bit better.  Sometimes it seems like crying is a good way to release what ever it is that I am holding on to.

I didn’t attempt to do anything today.  I could tell I wasn’t going to get much done so declared it a lazy day and did nothing.  I started a zig saw puzzle and have worked on that off and on all day.

Took a short hike this afternoon and then took a long nap.  Tonight there is a meteor shower if the clouds don’t overtake the sky and I want to go out and see if I can see any.  Tomorrow night is the full moon and today was Winter Solstice.  Thinking the energy of all of that pulled me down for a bit this morning.

My phone rang as I was waking up from my nap.  The dear friends I met on the Camino called to bust my chops about saying I was going on a retreat when I went away with my Match guy.  It is always a delight to talk to them.  They helped turned my day around.

Nothing much on my calendar for the next week.  I do need to clean the house for the guests that are arriving December 26 but I cleaned it really good before I left earlier this month so will just need to touch it up.

Nice to have a long stretch of empty space ahead of me.  I may get my income tax records updated and ready to go and get my files cleaned out.  I also need to clean out my storage closet and get rid of some things in it.  When I did a bed shuffle I piled things up in the closet and have never gotten rid of the extra stuff.  I don’t like not being able to find things so need to get that room sorted out.  Anyone need a twin bed set?

Found three eggs in the roosting area of the coop today.  I threw them out for the chickens to eat.  Not sure why three of them decided to lay their eggs while roosting.  I have seen an egg there before but this was the first for three at once.  I hate wasting eggs but that is a real dirty part of the coop and I didn’t want to use an egg that came from that part of the pop.  Chickens love to eat raw eggs so guess that will serve as their Christmas present.

Found my peaceful valley this evening.  It was a rocky morning but a nap gave me a new perspective.  Maybe my word for 2019 should have been sleep!  It sure seems to be a struggle for me to find good sleep consistently.  May go into music at Cottonwood Falls for a bit tonight.  I need to make myself get out and be around people more.  IF I go I will enjoy it – it is getting out the door that is hard for me.

Grateful for dear friends that call and lift my spirits, grateful for naps that revive my tired body, and grateful for empty space that recharges my soul.