Hot and Dry Here!

 My work computer system is down most of today, so i am taking a break to post this.  It is so hot and dry here, we are watering stuff about an hour or hour and a half a day just to keep our bushes, new plants and some young trees alive.  Was very dry June and July, had a couple good rains in early August and dry again.  My thoughts go out to all the people and animals affected by both the fires and the hurricanes.  What a disaster on each end o the spectrum!

One of my success stories is this cool trellis of ivy we have grown for nearly 3 years.  We started it in the spring of 2018 before we moved to this retirement house full time.

This past Friday we had a program for DH uncle who passed away early last week.  He had military funeral at the nearby national cemetary.  It was nice.  DH sister and his mom had been going through his house and papers and had moved some stuff to be salvaged out (dishes and a little furniture).  They saved the truly personal effects (keepsakes and pictures to be passed out when all the family was gathered.  After the service, we went to his house to finish this task.  His house was dark, dank and filthy.  Very sad.  Much of the trees and shrubs outside had become overgrown and an eyesore.  The cousins all split up the pictures and a couple of antiques.  He had 2 overgrown plants that i am going to take a cutting from and make a nice plant for his sister - DH mom.  SIL asked if i wanted the overgrown plants and i opted for cuttings instead.  This type of reminders make me 1)  sad because who is going to go through my stuff?  We don't have kids.  My sister?  My neice and nephew?  My SIL and her husband have no children either, she stated this weekend that she and her husband donating their estate to a charity.  Not a bad idea.  And make me feel 2)  more determined than ever to always be cleaning out and aware of my possessions.  

While DH brother was in town for the service, we played golf on Saturday.  It was HOT!  And i got off to a slow start.  Feeling hot and not hitting well.  I played with my new driver for the first time and it took a few holes to get used to it.  Then, viola!  It was really great.  I hit a few really nice drives, over 130 feet and seemed to really see progress with this driver!  Yay.  This is a picture of the many creeks running through the golf course we usually go to.  I got a 48 on the back 9, my best score every!  So happy.

We finished the show Merlin on Amazon Prime.  It was really fun and enjoyable.  We both got tired of some of the repeated plot lines and some of the gaps in reasoning some of the characters displayed, but we enjoyed the theme and the time period and characters immensely.  It is about young King Arthur of Camelot, his trusty sidekick Merlin and Gwenivere (sp?) and the Knights of the Roundtable.  I give it 7 out of 10 stars.  I just heard on the radio they are doing sometype of limited comeback show about West Wing (which is one of my very favorite shows ever) this fall re voting.  Will probably be too political for my taste, but we shall see.  We started Yellowstone last night and will enjoy catching up on that - the season 3 final episode aired this past Sunday.  It is a ranch family, father is screen legend Kevin Costner - and it started a little slow, but by 2nd episode I was hooked!  I told DH if we get to a point we cannot find something to watch this fall, we will have to designate a couple nights a week for just reading.  We have a huge collection of mystery and crime novels.  But i still seem to find several shows i want to watch, including Friday Night Lights this fall, and Homeland this winter.  

I just got a couple bags of small tomatoes for our friend who grows about 50 plants, since my work system was down - i made a 2nd batch of salsa.  I am going to take a jar to my high school friend whose step dad came home on hospice this past weekend.  She texted me.  I have a loaf of zucchine bread for her mom.  She is the gal i have distanced myself from and frankly have found it quite a relief to NOT be in daily multiple text/couple group text situations with her any longer.  She referenced the space she was giving me as i asked for.  I wanted to respond back that i did not request space, i requested RESPECT.  Maybe subliminally she took my request for respect and turned it into space.  Oh well.  I have known her since 3rd grade and love her mom and step dad.  It is sad.

My own dear grandmother is not doing great either.  She is slowing way down, unable to take care of herself daily and falling.  We have hired daily care for her and my aunt is arranging to have her moved into same building my aunt is, right next door.  

Well, my IKEA furniture should be here Friday and hopefully i will have before and after photos soon!  I haven't sold much lately or cleaned anything out.  But i will have to gear up for some fall clear out!  Here is another before and after (sort of)...

This cool round firepit area concrete was here before we moved in.  We usu store away the chairs when not in use to be able to mow around and move the water hose easily.  The firepit area had these 3 stacked concrete 'things' in a half circle around the far side of the concrete - i found them useless and inhibiting to movement.  We never sat on them.  DH didn't want me to get rid of them for some reason.  So we kept 2 of them for 6 years.  Recently i asked again if i could get rid of them and he said yes.  So a couple weeks ago i decided to surprise him while he was out of town.  Turns out i love using a sledg hammer.  I like the clean look MUCH better.  You can see all the temp fencing i have up right now trying to get some new grass to seed - its a mess.  And a lot of watering!

So I Have Been Busy Again

So I have been busy.  Chiefs winning the Super Bowl.  We watched from home.  This was after I came back from whirlwind trip to city to see my cousin whose mom died (my great aunt and my Granny's best friend). She was 95.

Then I got to see my Uncle who went on hospice and support my aunt.  I am so happy my uncle got to witness another Super Bowl win for his beloved Chiefs.

Then I had to turn around after the visit and pack and go to my Great Aunt's funeral back at the lake in my hometown.  It was nice to see my cousins and all our family from all over...Texas, Colorado, Ariona, Georgia, Missouri...  My sister and my cousins and I rented an Airbnb with a pretty view.

Then we did get to enjoy Super Bowl from our own home, DH and I (and our dogs!),

I have also been lucky enough to enjoy some pretty hikes lately.

I am getting spring fever.

This is what over $100 gets for a funeral now a days.  Crazy.

Salad Day

Just took a break with a friend at work and there was a bunch of left over Greek salad/hummus in the break room - score!  The food was from Zoe's and I just love their Greek dressing!  It had lettuce, tomatoes, diced red onion, feta cheese and Kalamata olives.  So good.

Thursday, DH had an appointment in the city early Friday.  So his folks were going to run by and feed the dogs for us, he went to see Granny and I met him over there on my way out of town - to home.  We visited with her an hour and he went on north and I went on south.  He got home Friday after apt and playing golf with is brother.  I enjoyed my house just me and the dogs.  Was nice.  We watched TV in bed!

Then Saturday I went to my other friend who passed from cancer (in August) - to his celebration of life.  It was fun driving up with and visiting with my sister.  We took DH convertible.  We also got to see lots of our friends, but it was really draining.

Maybe that is why I am just feeling out of sorts.  Sluggish and lethargic.  Plus I am puffy and yucky from eating bad.  I am starting back over on the no sugar thing.  I had gone with out eating red met until Saturday on the way home I stopped for a snack and ended up eating fast food, yuck.  So starting over there too.  Had not eaten red meat for almost a month.  I don't know why I am having so much problem right now eating for wellness.  I went to yoga last night, other than walking and being really busy doing projects around the house (DH mowed without me Saturday - surprised me so much!) I had not worked out officially since last wed yoga - so I went last night and sweated like crazy - then came home - had a light meal and watched tv show - then bed.  I am tired of this schedule, in 3 more weeks I will give my 2 week notice - so 5 more weeks in total.

At least it is still in the 90's and hot!  It was good weather to stay in and organize...last weekend I organized and cleaned out my spice cabinet.  This weekend I cleaned out and scoured the freezer part of the fridge - I need to do free standing freezer next weekend.  And we have a nice 8 by 8 ish storage closet off our garage - I cleaned that out, organized and swept the floor/shelves and re-arranged.  Got rid of a carload of knick knacks...and DH is clearing out his giant collection of encyclopedias so we can offer then for sale at his sister's store and empty out several of our bookcases.  We looked at the small yard house(new house) once again and decided that the storage was just so lacking - we could not do it.  So, we are staying in our current house.  But, DH agreed that we could continue to purge.  If we actually considered this house - we must both be in agreement that we could do with less.  So, I am going to continue to pare down excess and DH agreed, because someday we will want to move and find house with smaller yard (and probably less storage).  Mainly right now, I get tired of cleaning around stuff!

And for my own part...I am going to store nothing in our attic except 4 Christmas and 2 fall totes.  I told DH I was purging down so much, that if/when we do move, I will easily be able to quickly look and decide what I do NOT need to keep.  Experience, not things is my mantra. 

I do not regret that I plan to finish a few cheap money/labor intensive projects around my house that we will get to enjoy and that will make our house and yard look great. 

Oh, I forgot to tell this...my friend at work brought me a bag full of pears.  They are really delicious green pears with a pretty thick skin.  I got them all up and put in bags in my freezer for smoothies because they are pretty small just to try to halve.  I made DH and I pear and spinach smoothies and my little $80 bullet from Walmart did great!  We did not detect the skins or the spinach.  I was very happy with my inexpensive blender. 

Then, Monday we had peach, apple and banana smoothies and they were yummy.  I am going to get another giant supply of apples this week and so I wanted my apples still in the freezer used up.  Hope you are reaping some great produce as this harvest moon approaches!

Time Flies Even When You Are Not Having Fun

Have been crazy busy lately.  It's all good. 

I have stopped eating fruit early in the morning and stopped drinking coffee from the machine at work and I feel MUCH better.  I did have cheese Sunday morning and was bent over sick for rest of Sunday and all of Monday.  OK now.

Saturday we went to DH's aunt's funeral early in am, south.  Then we drove north to my hometown and to funeral of my classmate LJA.  It was bittersweet. 

Both funerals happy because I know they are with Jesus.  But sure is sad to say goodbye.

DH father is youngest of 7.  Is just himself and one brother left out of entire family.  We used to go to their reunions in small southern town of my homestate - they were really nice.  Can't believe almost all of the elders are now gone.  The cousin's have not kept up the tradition.  I am sorry about that.  My DH family is not social at all.  Well, of the 4 children, DH brother is social.  The other 3 - not at all.  Even my SIL I have to initate almost all interaction/socializing.  I am not good at this. 

After LJA funeral, DH drove home and my sister and I stayed and went to the dinner after and spent the evening at her husband and her lake house with 2 of my other girlfriends.  We invited several, but just us 4 with the widower.  Then, one of the guys came over and so it was 6 of us.  We stayed up talking and laughing until 2:30am!  My other childhood friend, from grade below us also stopped by and visited.  It was nice seeing he and widower catch up a little.  Widower told other friend that he would be down at the lake more and hoped to see friend more.  I know my friend liked that.  He had a difficult childhood and he craves friends to understand him.  Evidently widower was not in his late wife's trust and so now he has to move out of house in town (it will go to his son) and is moving down to the lake full time.  He grew up there, so he is aware, but I will worry because it is so quiet and isolated there in the winter.  My other friend grade below lives full time in Florida now.  But things will go as they are supposed to.  I just continue to pray for widower and for my other friends still struggling with cancer.  N was so sick he could not even attend L funeral.

Sunday morning, we rode in the boat over to other friend's in laws lake house and his wife fixed such a nice breakfast for us all!  (That is when I ate cheese - I KNOW better!).  Got home Sunday afternoon and crashed.  It was our anniversary.  DH had played golf earlier with his brother still down for aunt's funeral and he was tired.  I got home, did 4 miles walk in the heat and I collapsed.  So, we will celebrate our anniversary this weekend.

Monday, we mowed.  I went to bed early, then drove up to city 4:30am Tues.  Worked Tues - Thurs and here I am.  DH coming up to the city for his dr apt in am.  Will play golf again in am.  I will prob stay behind and clean house for my aunt I am staying with.  Then we will drive by lake 1 night and see Florida friend (his wife not coming till Sunday) and then get on home and relieve our dog sitter. 

Goodbye July, hello August.  Hope you have a great weekend!

Serious Family Meetings

So, having a great weekend at RH, except for the heat...and drought.  I have watered well, hope my small trees will be ok.

This weekend one of my BILs was also down, visited his folks.  We got on subject of funerals.   It is one of those conversations that are difficult but necessary.   I have become accustomed to discussing openly.  Some people have harder time.  Some people avoid.  Some joke.

How do you handle it?

Bouquet and Mother's Day

As a young person, I have done many nice things.  But mostly with fanfare and with expectations.  At least loudly.  For my nieces wedding, she carried a bouquet of some silk flowers and some handmade paper flowers.  I gave her a large bag of flowers and told her to help herself and get rid of whatever she did not use.  Included in this bunch were some of the ones that my grandmother, father and I bought for my dear late husband's funeral in 1993.  I have held on to them all these years, unable to let go.  This past winter I just got rid of his wallet.  Anyway, at the wedding Saturday I asked my neice what she had that was old - she said specifically the flowers from DLH funeral.  She never got to meet him, she was about 3 months old the first time I held her...at his funeral.  My heart is full.  Thank you Jesus.  What a way to spend Mother's Day and I know my mom was there, I could feel her too