Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Lazy Rainy Thursday

Today we slept in.  Did yoga after golf Wed and was out if gas by 9pm!  Ran couple errands.  Walked the dogs.  I walked pup about 3 more miles after we walked 2 chi's.  Just as I got home it rained in earnest.

Great day to rearrange bookshelves.  Cleared out few more things.  Have taken trunk full each week, now I have another to take to Goodwill!

Sat with blankets and hot tea on covered back patio and read for an hour.  I like listening to the rain.  We are feeling more "pinch me" moments.  I guess it stinks in slowly,  this idea of retirement.   That's ok, I want to savor it and be in the gratitude as long as I can.

Tonight, we signed up for Netflix and binge watched Schitt's Creek.  We enjoyed it and are finally feeling like we aren't facing endless to-do lists.

I will feel better when we get our dormer windows trim replaced (couple places worn out), get edge of siding called at foundation edge and get all our trim outside painted...oh, and finally get a check.  We picked up inexpensive saw today.  We decided we want to paint our gas fire pit so we can enjoy the patio a few more weeks.  We need to ssndvoff some rust and get it spiffed up a bit.

Tomorrow's Friday, not that it matters.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Reading

I am right now finishing up Patti Boyd's memoir,  Wonderful Tonight.  It is pretty interesting,  but I like hearing about early Beatles,  George Harrison and Eric Clapton each wrote songs (two of my favorites ever) about her.  Something and Wonderful Tonight.

I recently finished Burt Reynold's memoir.  It started a bit slow.  Like he was doing a lot of name dropping, but that is essentially how he organized his thoughts.  By person...then I got used to it and enjoyed it.  He is pretty blunt and entertaining.

Sally Field was his one big regret.  He had a few others. 

Now I have put in a hold for Sally Field's memoir!  I can't wait!  Hers looks to be really good.

Another book I am putting on my list: 

Our faith is not a facade we erect to convince ourselves and others that pain doesn’t hurt—it is an oak tree that can withstand the storms of doubt and pain in our lives, and grow stronger through them.
   -The Scars that have Shaped Me
       --Vaneetha Rendall Risner

Going to NFL party today and taking the pup so she can run.

Have a great Sunday!

Friday, February 16, 2018

My Eyes are Bigger than My Suburban

So, we had more confidence in the cargo abilities of the suburban than it actually has.  We could only fit 2 of the bookcases in, but we got all the last of our books loaded too!  Next time we go down, in 2 weeks, we can take the other 2 bookcases.  DH was disappointed, but I reminded him how great it was that after this load we will have all our books down at RH.  And the only thing worse than books, might be hanging clothes to move!
 
Anyway, we have a plethora of books.  But my DH loves books and has a nice collection of encyclopedias and was not even open to consider getting rid of them.  Also we both love similar mystery/crime novels and have a nice collection of fiction and so we have allowed for half and half.  I truly do plan to get back into reading in earnest once we are retired and I am not reading at work every day.  I have an advanced degree which required a lot of boring reading and I dreamed of the day when I would be able to read fiction.  That day is close!  And not a moment too soon.  I truly am getting to a place where my age and chronic condition are making me feel like I could not continue to work much longer, even if I wanted to!  I am sure it is just a culmination of the past year stress and intensifying that I know we will literally be unable to avoid as we continue to move stuff, finish fixing up projects of RH, fix projects of CH we are selling, list/show/sell CH, live in temp location while DH finishes his last few months, get all my licenses/CE moved to retirement state, finish taxes, worry about my DGM and the effect of all this on her, continue to help her with her books, etc.  My stomach just hurts thinking about it.
 
So, I take a deep yoga breath.  Practice my meditation.  Continue my walks (I walked after work yesterday!).  And do the little day to day steps to help all this happen.  I.E.  we are following the money we are waiting on from the sale of our expensive car - we are using it to pay off our phones and other costs, like the expense of getting our downstairs CH carpet stretched and cleaned.  In this same month we have gone from expensive service with large cellular provider to the plans at WM.  Going from $207/month to $120/month.  But, we did have outlay of significant costs of my new phone and DH year old phone he had to pay off.  My intention is to wean off my phone more, of the couple year life that these phone essentially have.  After 2 years both my last 2 models got very slow and do not hold a charge.  I do not have IPhone, which was what the media focused on few months ago - but I seriously doubt this problem/feature/design is limited just to iphones. 
 
One of the big reasons I have been tethered to my phone was the constant activity required to sell stuff.  I am finished doing that.  Although the cash was nice, it came with it's own cost (serious time drain!).  I have pretty much officially changed over my wardrobe to what I think will be useful casual (daily stuff, walking, yoga, kayaking, hiking and golf), from my corporate wardrobe.  I hope to never look back, but if I do, I can buy new stuff!  Just last night I used my last credits from clothes we sold to buy a 2nd hand hooded raincoat and a pair of slightly used Bean boots.  I am so excited!  I just go through in my mind what I will get rid of...and I will prob get rid of a couple coats that are duplicative and sort of dressy that lack waterproof/hood.  I will also get rid of pair of cheap/non waterproof boots and a pair of slippers to make room for new. 
 
So, that are some things that make me happy while I am dreading/anxious about my looming to-do list.  Hope you all have a great Friday.  I will have a great weekend, but I will be tired from loading and unloading, a little unsatisfied we could not get all the bookcases and starting a strick elimination diet due to my stomach issues I have had for over a week.  I just have to focus on my gratitude, my God and His plan.