I was SO giddy this morning-tons of fun plans, today we went to the lake with friends and hung out, the girls are having a blast at day camp, laid-back weekend ahead with even more fun running around and as I was leaving the grocery store with snacks, I was feeling so relaxed and happy. I even thought, "The van just hit 160k miles and has been FINE, I am going to quit worrying about it until something major actually happens."
Well, I cranked it and BAM. The check engine light is not just on; it's flashing. That indicates a major engine misfire and is BAD. I called Matt, who said, "Oh, it did that on the way home from Clear Creek." Oh. It's already indicated an issue 2 months ago. GREAT. He said it went away after he filled up the tank. It stopped flashing almost immediately, maybe 4-5 minutes. But it STAYED on, even while I was cranking the engine, it was like the light itself was broken. I checked the gas cap and it was loose, so I went ahead and topped it off and cranked down the cap but the light never went off. We finished out our day, played and I got the kids fed and the girls dropped off and picked up Austin and came on home.
Got home and shut it off and left it off a while and restarted and no light. I don't know if it will come back on once it's been running more than a few minutes, I swear, I feel like there's a rock in my gut. I am SO bummed. It's not like I can zip over to the drive-in movie or run off to go hike in Tennessee with the engine misfiring, so I am taking in tomorrow morning to have a diagnostic run and see what needs to be done and how much THAT'S going to cost. Likely more than I have in the bank. So, back to credit cards and I guess I can be happy we were out of debt for 2 whole months. I am so sad for me :(
I know in the grand scheme of things, even a $1000 repair is better than having to get a whole new car and it's not the end of the world, but I spent the last several years planning to get us out of debt and imagining the fun we could have with 'all that extra money' which so far has gone to a new fridge, the AC repair, a lawn mower, a ukulale and all the stuff that goes with that, Ben's braces, new tires, dog fencing and so on. No 'fun' at all. Just bills and life and crappy timing. Waaaa
Okay, well I guess I have whined enough, I got it all out anyway. I just don't like how it feels (at the moment because it's still full-impact recent dramatics) that I am being punished for FINALLY letting down my guard and just looking forward to goofing off a while. I know, I HOPE anyway, that in a few weeks I will re-read this and be amazed at my histrionics. Fingers crossed for future introspective eye-roll!
Showing posts with label personal angst. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal angst. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
SOOOooooo many posts.
I am way behind because what do I like to do? Bathe, read, sit in a hammock and take photos of flowers. OMG! WHAT IF I HAD A BATHTUB IN A HAMMOCK IN A FLOWER BED WITH A BOOK THAT TOOK PICTURES?
This past weekend, there were many flowers to photograph and I only knew a handful of them, so I had to spend some time looking them up, then yesterday we were out most of the day and then this morning the van was back at the shop (if we don't have our teeth looked at or the van on a rack at LEAST once every 6 weeks, the world will stop spinning, it's my duty). So now, I am tackling the last of the photos and ID's and can start posting. As soon as I get the kitchen clean and the laundry done and the living room vacuumed and the marshmallows packaged to go out. The kids are helping. In fact, Jake has nearly taken over the gathering, washing and drying of laundry-though I still do all the folding. I like to lay out my plans and start on everything, then go back and forth until it's all done. I am very much not a single-task person.
Matt and I are low-carbing this week, which made the marshmallow orders that much harder, but I am down 6 pounds (day 4) and while I know that's mostly my water balance correcting itself, the lower numbers on the scale are really motivating to not eat that coconut and chocolate coated marshmallowy goodness. Just 4 pounds to my next goal and then it's maintain for a few weeks and do it again. Planning on 30 pounds total this year, I seem to do better with losing in a chunk and then keeping that off by adjusting my food and exercise levels to maintain. Kept 35 of the original 40 I lost off, so something in my wobbly plan is working. Of course that 5 pounds has come and gone like a yoyo on crack, I am anxious to get under that and not see the same range on the scale day after day!
It's the end of the day now, Matt is on his way home. Since I started this, I have indeed gotten the house cleaned back up to my needed level and I also went and had a nail pulled out of a tire and priced 2 newer tires, which I will get Friday morning because Mr. Holmes can not resist giving me a great deal. I put a can of freon in the van myself instead of dicking around with stupid mechanics who won't listen to me any more. It's blowing icy cold to medium cold-colder when the van is moving than when it sits still. My general consensus when I asked me about it was to wait a few days and add another can if I felt the calling. Since I was in the 'use a can to fix it' mood, I got some drain blaster and poured it in the hall tub. I don't ever use stuff like that because we have a septic tank and I like to think I am keeping it active and healthy, I even flush yeast down the toilet a few times a year. But by gum, that drain was SLOW and I know it's all hair. It was to the point that to have a bath, flipping the thingy was not really necessary. The water drained out so slowly, it was a moot point. It's slicker n'snot now, though. I will sacrifice a cat to appease the septic tank bacterium. I know just the one, too.
Hopefully I can start posting our weekend and all my new wildflowers soon, it depends on what I come up with to distract me with. I don't think I have eaten at all today...what's up with that?
This past weekend, there were many flowers to photograph and I only knew a handful of them, so I had to spend some time looking them up, then yesterday we were out most of the day and then this morning the van was back at the shop (if we don't have our teeth looked at or the van on a rack at LEAST once every 6 weeks, the world will stop spinning, it's my duty). So now, I am tackling the last of the photos and ID's and can start posting. As soon as I get the kitchen clean and the laundry done and the living room vacuumed and the marshmallows packaged to go out. The kids are helping. In fact, Jake has nearly taken over the gathering, washing and drying of laundry-though I still do all the folding. I like to lay out my plans and start on everything, then go back and forth until it's all done. I am very much not a single-task person.
Matt and I are low-carbing this week, which made the marshmallow orders that much harder, but I am down 6 pounds (day 4) and while I know that's mostly my water balance correcting itself, the lower numbers on the scale are really motivating to not eat that coconut and chocolate coated marshmallowy goodness. Just 4 pounds to my next goal and then it's maintain for a few weeks and do it again. Planning on 30 pounds total this year, I seem to do better with losing in a chunk and then keeping that off by adjusting my food and exercise levels to maintain. Kept 35 of the original 40 I lost off, so something in my wobbly plan is working. Of course that 5 pounds has come and gone like a yoyo on crack, I am anxious to get under that and not see the same range on the scale day after day!
It's the end of the day now, Matt is on his way home. Since I started this, I have indeed gotten the house cleaned back up to my needed level and I also went and had a nail pulled out of a tire and priced 2 newer tires, which I will get Friday morning because Mr. Holmes can not resist giving me a great deal. I put a can of freon in the van myself instead of dicking around with stupid mechanics who won't listen to me any more. It's blowing icy cold to medium cold-colder when the van is moving than when it sits still. My general consensus when I asked me about it was to wait a few days and add another can if I felt the calling. Since I was in the 'use a can to fix it' mood, I got some drain blaster and poured it in the hall tub. I don't ever use stuff like that because we have a septic tank and I like to think I am keeping it active and healthy, I even flush yeast down the toilet a few times a year. But by gum, that drain was SLOW and I know it's all hair. It was to the point that to have a bath, flipping the thingy was not really necessary. The water drained out so slowly, it was a moot point. It's slicker n'snot now, though. I will sacrifice a cat to appease the septic tank bacterium. I know just the one, too.
Hopefully I can start posting our weekend and all my new wildflowers soon, it depends on what I come up with to distract me with. I don't think I have eaten at all today...what's up with that?
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Second Childhood vs Insanity
I give you my single case-study, Katherine the Cat. She and another of our cats, Cleo, have both recently hit 10 years old. Cleo is just as crazy now as she always has been, she was starved for so long that she was little more than a skeletal model of a cat when we brought her home. During that time, something happened to her mind.
Kat, on the other hand, appeared sane, if a little eccentric at times. She did things like drop maimed-but-moving mice into the house via an open window and then leave. She used to sit in a tree directly over the kids while they played and yowl if they moved out of her watch zone. She would try to pull me out of the tub by my arm if she was able to bust down the bathroom door. If she could not open it, she'd mash her face under the crack and meow like she was on fire. She did other things, she'd wait until someone was asleep and either bite their feet or push her way under your hand, like a self-petting device. Or else she'd check your breathing by jamming a muzzle into your mouth.
Over the years, she's wavered in her levels off annoying. She routinely disappeared for days at a time, we'd see her on the barn roof or on top of the house, or way up in a tree. Then, she'd be back at the door, demanding entry. I have probably called for her 9,000 times and she's actually come twice.
For the past year or two, she's been nearly out of our lives. Setting up in one of the crates I keep dry bedding in out in the shed, she opted for a life of solitude. She and Muta have some kind of cat truce going on in which they will clean one another's ears and then stalk off afterward like it was the most disgusting thing ever. Other than that, she does not interact with anyone.
Starting about 6 months ago, she started coming back inside again. She has to be let out every so often as she will not use the litter box since The Spider Incident of 2006 during which, a spider got in the litter box.
Since then, I have changed her name from Lady Katherine Tallahassee Berryhill to Katherine Anne McGillicutty because she is NOT the same cat. Now, her evenings are spent sitting in front of the closed bedroom door doing fierce battle with her tail, which makes the door rattle like a crazed killer is outside and when we open it, she stares blithely off in the middle distance, as though nothing was going on. I only discovered the source of the rattling one night when Matt went to bed early and I stayed up to watch a movie with the kids.
She has a toy mouse she plays with, she has become addicted to cat treats, which we call Kitty Crack because she will climb your body to get to them. She will also carry on like she's dying if her food bowl is not filled with them. She has started needing someone to bless her food before she will touch it. It was okay for a while to bump the bowl and make it rattle, then you had to actually poke a toe in it, now nothing short of bending over to stir it with your finger will shut her up.
She wants toys hung on yarn so she can lay on her back and bat at them. She demands sacrifice of a towel from the dryer to lay upon and shed her sheddy bits. Not just a CLEAN towel, it must be warm as well. And be from a load that has fabric softener in it.
I can't tell if she's reset and become a kitten again or if she's gone over the edge and is borderline psycho. And I can't tell how she's managed to train us so specifically, the tiny dictator.
Kat, on the other hand, appeared sane, if a little eccentric at times. She did things like drop maimed-but-moving mice into the house via an open window and then leave. She used to sit in a tree directly over the kids while they played and yowl if they moved out of her watch zone. She would try to pull me out of the tub by my arm if she was able to bust down the bathroom door. If she could not open it, she'd mash her face under the crack and meow like she was on fire. She did other things, she'd wait until someone was asleep and either bite their feet or push her way under your hand, like a self-petting device. Or else she'd check your breathing by jamming a muzzle into your mouth.
Over the years, she's wavered in her levels off annoying. She routinely disappeared for days at a time, we'd see her on the barn roof or on top of the house, or way up in a tree. Then, she'd be back at the door, demanding entry. I have probably called for her 9,000 times and she's actually come twice.
For the past year or two, she's been nearly out of our lives. Setting up in one of the crates I keep dry bedding in out in the shed, she opted for a life of solitude. She and Muta have some kind of cat truce going on in which they will clean one another's ears and then stalk off afterward like it was the most disgusting thing ever. Other than that, she does not interact with anyone.
Starting about 6 months ago, she started coming back inside again. She has to be let out every so often as she will not use the litter box since The Spider Incident of 2006 during which, a spider got in the litter box.
Since then, I have changed her name from Lady Katherine Tallahassee Berryhill to Katherine Anne McGillicutty because she is NOT the same cat. Now, her evenings are spent sitting in front of the closed bedroom door doing fierce battle with her tail, which makes the door rattle like a crazed killer is outside and when we open it, she stares blithely off in the middle distance, as though nothing was going on. I only discovered the source of the rattling one night when Matt went to bed early and I stayed up to watch a movie with the kids.
She has a toy mouse she plays with, she has become addicted to cat treats, which we call Kitty Crack because she will climb your body to get to them. She will also carry on like she's dying if her food bowl is not filled with them. She has started needing someone to bless her food before she will touch it. It was okay for a while to bump the bowl and make it rattle, then you had to actually poke a toe in it, now nothing short of bending over to stir it with your finger will shut her up.
She wants toys hung on yarn so she can lay on her back and bat at them. She demands sacrifice of a towel from the dryer to lay upon and shed her sheddy bits. Not just a CLEAN towel, it must be warm as well. And be from a load that has fabric softener in it.
I can't tell if she's reset and become a kitten again or if she's gone over the edge and is borderline psycho. And I can't tell how she's managed to train us so specifically, the tiny dictator.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Short Update
Jake had his wisdom teeth removed today. I can't say pulled because they never emerged. He was a little loopy afterward, but seems totally over it already. I am amazed.
We went camping over the weekend, had a great time. Matt and I talked it over today and we decided to try doing all 22 miles of the Richard Martin Trail end to end and back. We are in talks with a friend who lives close enough to come bail us out if it's too much, just waiting for the right weather for it. There's some heat coming in this weekend.
I am down 45 pounds from 2 years ago. These long walks are really pushing the numbers, we do 10 miles on Sunday and I am still losing weight on Tuesday! I am glad, as I had stalled at 38-40 pounds for about 6 months. I am loving the longer walks, I dread summer coming in because we won't be able to walk all day when it's so darn hot and dry. Hopefully we will be able to just walk early, we can do 10 miles in less than 3 hours now. 5-8 in the morning should be cool enough most of the summer.
Sleeping around 7 hours a night now, with oak-pollen induced 10-12 hour comas from time to time. I have been reading several sleep books, one recently done one by a Harvard-trained doctor has been interesting, he recommends taking your average sleep (when you are not getting enough) and say you get up at 7 and sleep about 5 hours. He says go to bed at 2 no matter how sleepy you get and get up at 7. The next night, go to bed 15-30 minutes earlier and so on until you're back on a 7-8 hour a night schedule. It's called restrictive sleep and it resets your sleep schedule.
Waking up with an active brain is called hyperarousal and it's because your brain is in overactivation mode. There are relaxation and other things you can do to calm it down, though I have not had much success with any of them yet. Mainly-the pollen and long walks are knocking me out.
We went camping over the weekend, had a great time. Matt and I talked it over today and we decided to try doing all 22 miles of the Richard Martin Trail end to end and back. We are in talks with a friend who lives close enough to come bail us out if it's too much, just waiting for the right weather for it. There's some heat coming in this weekend.
I am down 45 pounds from 2 years ago. These long walks are really pushing the numbers, we do 10 miles on Sunday and I am still losing weight on Tuesday! I am glad, as I had stalled at 38-40 pounds for about 6 months. I am loving the longer walks, I dread summer coming in because we won't be able to walk all day when it's so darn hot and dry. Hopefully we will be able to just walk early, we can do 10 miles in less than 3 hours now. 5-8 in the morning should be cool enough most of the summer.
Sleeping around 7 hours a night now, with oak-pollen induced 10-12 hour comas from time to time. I have been reading several sleep books, one recently done one by a Harvard-trained doctor has been interesting, he recommends taking your average sleep (when you are not getting enough) and say you get up at 7 and sleep about 5 hours. He says go to bed at 2 no matter how sleepy you get and get up at 7. The next night, go to bed 15-30 minutes earlier and so on until you're back on a 7-8 hour a night schedule. It's called restrictive sleep and it resets your sleep schedule.
Waking up with an active brain is called hyperarousal and it's because your brain is in overactivation mode. There are relaxation and other things you can do to calm it down, though I have not had much success with any of them yet. Mainly-the pollen and long walks are knocking me out.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Slowing Down
Lately, I have been feeling like my to-do list has a life of it's own.
I mark off one thing and add three more.
I have been feeling like I am running just to stay where I am, and I am tired of it.
The other day I read this poem:
Pursuit, by Stephen Dobyns
Each thing I do I rush through so I can do
something else. In such a way do the days pass -
a blend of stock car racing and the never
ending building of a gothic cathedral.
Through the windows of my speeding car, I see
all that I love falling away: books unread,
jokes untold, landscapes unvisited. And why?
What treasure do I expect in my future?
Rather it is the confusion of childhood
loping behind me, the chaos in the mind,
the failure chipping away at each success.
Glancing over my shoulder I see its shape
and so move forward, as someone in the woods
at night might hear the sound of approaching feet
and stop to listen, then, instead of silence
he hears some creature trying to be silent.
What else can he do but run? Rushing blindly
down the path, stumbling, struck in the face by sticks;
the other ever closer, yet not really
hurrying or out of breath, teasing its kill.
I don't so much fear what's chasing me, but that feeling of rushing around and not doing anything of importance (to me) is eating at me. It IS important that the house is clean-I want healthy children and a dirty home is damaging in many ways. It's important that we homeschool, that we have days with friends, that we get to appointments on time. That our food is healthy, our bodies are moving more than sitting, that what we read and watch add something to our day, not just burn through time.
But deeper than that-what is it that I want from these years I have been given, what am I working toward and is it worth the pursuit? I don't want to look back and see wasted time and look ahead to empty days.
I mark off one thing and add three more.
I have been feeling like I am running just to stay where I am, and I am tired of it.
The other day I read this poem:
Pursuit, by Stephen Dobyns
Each thing I do I rush through so I can do
something else. In such a way do the days pass -
a blend of stock car racing and the never
ending building of a gothic cathedral.
Through the windows of my speeding car, I see
all that I love falling away: books unread,
jokes untold, landscapes unvisited. And why?
What treasure do I expect in my future?
Rather it is the confusion of childhood
loping behind me, the chaos in the mind,
the failure chipping away at each success.
Glancing over my shoulder I see its shape
and so move forward, as someone in the woods
at night might hear the sound of approaching feet
and stop to listen, then, instead of silence
he hears some creature trying to be silent.
What else can he do but run? Rushing blindly
down the path, stumbling, struck in the face by sticks;
the other ever closer, yet not really
hurrying or out of breath, teasing its kill.
I don't so much fear what's chasing me, but that feeling of rushing around and not doing anything of importance (to me) is eating at me. It IS important that the house is clean-I want healthy children and a dirty home is damaging in many ways. It's important that we homeschool, that we have days with friends, that we get to appointments on time. That our food is healthy, our bodies are moving more than sitting, that what we read and watch add something to our day, not just burn through time.
But deeper than that-what is it that I want from these years I have been given, what am I working toward and is it worth the pursuit? I don't want to look back and see wasted time and look ahead to empty days.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Not Sleeping
Just making a note, more for my own reference than general news.
I have not slept a full night, even with sleep aids, in the past month. I wake up around 2:30 or 3 a.m. and I am awake until 5 at the earliest, sometimes I never get back to sleep. I don't seem stressed-there's not some worry that creeps in and keeps me awake-my thoughts are all over the place. I am actually so tired my eyes burn, I have rubbed off about a quarter of my eyelashes (I hardly had any to spare to start with) because my eyes itch/burn most of the day.
I have not had caffeine of any kind in 6 weeks. I don't eat chocolate often and never after about 3 in the afternoon. I eat at least 2.5 hours before I go to bed. I do 40 crunches just before bed, but I have been doing that for several months and I do fall asleep fairly quickly. I usually run my last stint on the treadmill just after dinner, so 2 hours before bed.
I have tried melatonin and Valerian root, which do help with falling to sleep within 20 minutes of getting into bed. But I still wake up. I have tried Calms Forte with the same results. I can not get back to sleep at the 3 a.m. point even if I take more, though I usually fall asleep a few hours later, around 5 or 6 and sleep until 9.
On nights that I do not fall back to sleep, I am averaging 4 hours of sleep.
This happens often enough that I am aware it's a cycle of some kind. But I usually have 10 days to 2 weeks of bad sleep followed by the same stretch of generally good rest. I still wake, but am able to fall back to sleep within 20 minutes, often much less. This has been going on twice as long as normal.
I have not slept a full night, even with sleep aids, in the past month. I wake up around 2:30 or 3 a.m. and I am awake until 5 at the earliest, sometimes I never get back to sleep. I don't seem stressed-there's not some worry that creeps in and keeps me awake-my thoughts are all over the place. I am actually so tired my eyes burn, I have rubbed off about a quarter of my eyelashes (I hardly had any to spare to start with) because my eyes itch/burn most of the day.
I have not had caffeine of any kind in 6 weeks. I don't eat chocolate often and never after about 3 in the afternoon. I eat at least 2.5 hours before I go to bed. I do 40 crunches just before bed, but I have been doing that for several months and I do fall asleep fairly quickly. I usually run my last stint on the treadmill just after dinner, so 2 hours before bed.
I have tried melatonin and Valerian root, which do help with falling to sleep within 20 minutes of getting into bed. But I still wake up. I have tried Calms Forte with the same results. I can not get back to sleep at the 3 a.m. point even if I take more, though I usually fall asleep a few hours later, around 5 or 6 and sleep until 9.
On nights that I do not fall back to sleep, I am averaging 4 hours of sleep.
This happens often enough that I am aware it's a cycle of some kind. But I usually have 10 days to 2 weeks of bad sleep followed by the same stretch of generally good rest. I still wake, but am able to fall back to sleep within 20 minutes, often much less. This has been going on twice as long as normal.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Middle of the Month!
And I have taken...15 pictures. Eep! I did not even have a December photo folder until last night, how is that possible?
From Chick-Fil-A after skate Day on the 2nd.
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| This is one Chan asked me to take, it sent her into fits of giggles |
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| My hair, from when I tried to go 'light brown'. It was burgundy and was much worse than it appears here, the top was a purplish-pink! There were huge gaps in the back where the dye never set, it was a fiasco. Matt used a sick day to help me fix it. Thank goodness for Color Oops! |
The sunset from Southerland Station in Huntsville
From here down is from yesterday and our drive:
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| I feel I need more info! |
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| This mustachioed man has replaced my sweet baby! |
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| Drove all the way to Blountsville to the Frosty Freeze to have some fried pickles! |
Last night I hit 800 calories in one go for the second time this week! I was walking 3.3 MPH at 10% incline for an hour, then moved it to 5% and then to 1% and 3 MPH to cool down over the last 15 minutes.
My weight loss has not just been stalled, it's been like gladiator battle. I have lost and gained the same 7 pounds 3 times now. Well, 4 if you count the first time I gained it. So I joined myfitnesspal dot com because I really like the lay-out and they have user-submitted foods, so everything I eat is already in a database, no digging through the trash for the info on a box or running around online trying to find a restaurant item like with fitday.
I have been logging in EVERYTHING I eat, down to the sprinkle of cheese. It shows how many calories and fat grams I can eat in a day and still meet my goal of around 1.5 pounds a week loss. At the end of the day, it adds the food you eat and the exercise you do and says how much you'd weigh in 5 weeks 'if every day were like today'.
I have been at it 4 weeks now, logging daily (almost, I did skip Thanksgiving!) and so far, so good. Even keeping with my plan, I am have not dropped 1.5 pounds a week, though. (grrrr) So, this week, I opted to double my exercise for the whole week, going 4 miles a day on the treadmill. See if that will help...
My weight loss has not just been stalled, it's been like gladiator battle. I have lost and gained the same 7 pounds 3 times now. Well, 4 if you count the first time I gained it. So I joined myfitnesspal dot com because I really like the lay-out and they have user-submitted foods, so everything I eat is already in a database, no digging through the trash for the info on a box or running around online trying to find a restaurant item like with fitday.
I have been logging in EVERYTHING I eat, down to the sprinkle of cheese. It shows how many calories and fat grams I can eat in a day and still meet my goal of around 1.5 pounds a week loss. At the end of the day, it adds the food you eat and the exercise you do and says how much you'd weigh in 5 weeks 'if every day were like today'.
I have been at it 4 weeks now, logging daily (almost, I did skip Thanksgiving!) and so far, so good. Even keeping with my plan, I am have not dropped 1.5 pounds a week, though. (grrrr) So, this week, I opted to double my exercise for the whole week, going 4 miles a day on the treadmill. See if that will help...
Saturday, October 29, 2011
all about meeeeee
This has been an interesting weekend already and its only Saturday morning.
Ben and I nearly froze yesterday, so I finally called Mr. Woods, the guy who fixed the AC in the spring and described what's going on. He is backed up about a week and said we needed to call someone else to come out, but stayed on the phone with me and then Matt to talk us through a few troubleshooting things. The inside unit is blowing, but the outside unit is not coming on, so the house has been being heated via the heat strips in the attic, which over time will add up to a phenomenal bill.
We have to check the wiring between the thermostat and the outside unit because the signal is not getting through is what it boils down to. I was really pleased with how well I was able to plug the new bulbs into the van earlier in the week when I put on the new tail light-that's about the extent of my electrical ability. I redid the wiring in the camper a few years ago, but it has ONE wire system that goes to 2 outlets and an overheat light bulb. And it's all exposed.
Last night, we went into town and I dropped the kids off at Gina's and went to help Matt set up his drums. I hung out at a BAR for the next 5 hours. eep! Bobby and Gina showed up around 7:30 and Mark came in around 9:30, thank goodness I was not by myself. Richard, who has played guitar to Matt's drums for nearly as long as we have been married, is an electrician and he has no fear of wiring. He offered to come out today and look it over. Thinks it will be a simple fix. That's not what my brain was saying last night when I cried off all of my mascara, but then again, my brain is well known for its sabotage skills.
At the bar, I enjoyed myself mainly by people watching as chatting consisted of snippets between songs, yelling across the table or getting right in someone's ear. I never knew people danced like that, or that such unattractive people dressed up and went out anyway.
Also, in the bathroom hall, I was a little confused about if I was an Inboard or an Outboard. Once, when I was 9-10, we went to a really fancy seafood place and I went to the bathroom on my own and realized when I walked in the hallway and got to the door, it was the men's room. Then I nearly fainted from embarrassment and worried everyone would know what I had nearly done. I turned to go into the women's bathroom door at the opposite end of the short hallway and it was a kitchen entrance. The women's bathroom was on the whole other side of the restaurant. I was in a hall and everyone KNEW I was in a hall and I was too young to work there, so obviously they ALL knew I was in the men's room. I remember having to lean against the wall, I was SO horrified to go out and face the people who had probably all stopped eating so they could stare at me.
I finally slunk to the table and did not go to the bathroom until we got home, 4 hours later. I don't remember eating, though I don't remember a soul even glancing up either. THIS all stemmed from when I was in 1st grade, my mother taught at a church school and my brother and I were playing chase and he ran into the boys room and called me-this was just before the school opened and the signs were not up yet. I walked in and he said I was going to Hell for sure because I was unnatural and was in the BOYS BATHROOM which meant I was an easy girl and God hated me and would punish me. So the whole Inboard Outboard thing seemed a bad trick, I don't like having to think about which bathroom to use, I NEED to get it right. 6 year old inner Esther can't handle much more bathroom drama.
I enjoyed myself at the bar, despite my going into it with my hair unbrushed because of heater drama and being really nervous about being around that many strangers. I used to count cars in the parking lot and if there were more than 10, I would wait to grocery shop. Too many people. I have gotten over that, other than occasional relapses when I am really tired or stressed about something else, I can shop even in crowds, though I don't LIKE it. But a bar, that's crowded and you go to see people and to been seen. People go there to meet new people and to have fun with strangers. As introverted as I am, I spent most of yesterday in a panic about going. By the time the heating unit issue was revealed, I was a total mess of pathetic. I gazed longingly at my copy of Joe Hill's book and the pile of blankets on the bed and thought I could just...stay home. Go next time.
But, I got up and put on my shoes and wiped the rest of the mascara off my cheeks and marveled at how light my eyes go when I have a squall. Strangers eyes in my own head, a head I am well aware I barely have any control over. Sometimes my brain seems to be connected to Hannibal Lecter, when he whispers things and makes people kill themselves or cry so hard they choke to death on their own tongues. It will lash out, I imagine to amuse itself. It's favorite trick is to run a slideshow mixed with the kids or my pets injured or worse while I am trying to talk to someone about something mundane. I stop talking mid-sentence and have to start slamming mental cabinets and rolling down storage unit doors and slapping on padlocks. It's totally normal to worry about harm coming to those you love. It's not totally normal to talk about a loaf of bread and your brain pop up a field of grain, a threshing machine, a farmer in a straw hat, a child impaled on a scarecrow pole, a truck of wheat, a bakers oven, a row of fresh bread and our elderly cat's severed head.
I am VERY visual, obviously, my brain works all the time in movie snippets and still frames. I see photos I NEED to take, even if I can't always capture them the way I want. I think my brain is bored with my headspace. I read and think and do and move and take photos and plan and sleep and daydream and talk and read more and write and it's still just buzzing like an angry bee. Not enough, not enough, not enough. Not right, not good, not enough. Fail, fail, fail.
In other news, if the next 2 weeks go like the last 2 weeks, I will be able to announce the first 40 pounds are GONE by Jake's birthday! I have not been giving it much attention because it's sliding off again. 40 pounds. That's SO much weight. I can re-apply for life insurance and get a better rate. Insane. LOL! I am so pleased, but I am not done yet. Even Evil Brain has muttered a little 'hmmm' of impressed and has kept out of it lately. I honestly think it wants to see what it will be like with a different outlook, a different build. It's something new. LOL
Ben and I nearly froze yesterday, so I finally called Mr. Woods, the guy who fixed the AC in the spring and described what's going on. He is backed up about a week and said we needed to call someone else to come out, but stayed on the phone with me and then Matt to talk us through a few troubleshooting things. The inside unit is blowing, but the outside unit is not coming on, so the house has been being heated via the heat strips in the attic, which over time will add up to a phenomenal bill.
We have to check the wiring between the thermostat and the outside unit because the signal is not getting through is what it boils down to. I was really pleased with how well I was able to plug the new bulbs into the van earlier in the week when I put on the new tail light-that's about the extent of my electrical ability. I redid the wiring in the camper a few years ago, but it has ONE wire system that goes to 2 outlets and an overheat light bulb. And it's all exposed.
Last night, we went into town and I dropped the kids off at Gina's and went to help Matt set up his drums. I hung out at a BAR for the next 5 hours. eep! Bobby and Gina showed up around 7:30 and Mark came in around 9:30, thank goodness I was not by myself. Richard, who has played guitar to Matt's drums for nearly as long as we have been married, is an electrician and he has no fear of wiring. He offered to come out today and look it over. Thinks it will be a simple fix. That's not what my brain was saying last night when I cried off all of my mascara, but then again, my brain is well known for its sabotage skills.
At the bar, I enjoyed myself mainly by people watching as chatting consisted of snippets between songs, yelling across the table or getting right in someone's ear. I never knew people danced like that, or that such unattractive people dressed up and went out anyway.
Also, in the bathroom hall, I was a little confused about if I was an Inboard or an Outboard. Once, when I was 9-10, we went to a really fancy seafood place and I went to the bathroom on my own and realized when I walked in the hallway and got to the door, it was the men's room. Then I nearly fainted from embarrassment and worried everyone would know what I had nearly done. I turned to go into the women's bathroom door at the opposite end of the short hallway and it was a kitchen entrance. The women's bathroom was on the whole other side of the restaurant. I was in a hall and everyone KNEW I was in a hall and I was too young to work there, so obviously they ALL knew I was in the men's room. I remember having to lean against the wall, I was SO horrified to go out and face the people who had probably all stopped eating so they could stare at me.
I finally slunk to the table and did not go to the bathroom until we got home, 4 hours later. I don't remember eating, though I don't remember a soul even glancing up either. THIS all stemmed from when I was in 1st grade, my mother taught at a church school and my brother and I were playing chase and he ran into the boys room and called me-this was just before the school opened and the signs were not up yet. I walked in and he said I was going to Hell for sure because I was unnatural and was in the BOYS BATHROOM which meant I was an easy girl and God hated me and would punish me. So the whole Inboard Outboard thing seemed a bad trick, I don't like having to think about which bathroom to use, I NEED to get it right. 6 year old inner Esther can't handle much more bathroom drama.
I enjoyed myself at the bar, despite my going into it with my hair unbrushed because of heater drama and being really nervous about being around that many strangers. I used to count cars in the parking lot and if there were more than 10, I would wait to grocery shop. Too many people. I have gotten over that, other than occasional relapses when I am really tired or stressed about something else, I can shop even in crowds, though I don't LIKE it. But a bar, that's crowded and you go to see people and to been seen. People go there to meet new people and to have fun with strangers. As introverted as I am, I spent most of yesterday in a panic about going. By the time the heating unit issue was revealed, I was a total mess of pathetic. I gazed longingly at my copy of Joe Hill's book and the pile of blankets on the bed and thought I could just...stay home. Go next time.
But, I got up and put on my shoes and wiped the rest of the mascara off my cheeks and marveled at how light my eyes go when I have a squall. Strangers eyes in my own head, a head I am well aware I barely have any control over. Sometimes my brain seems to be connected to Hannibal Lecter, when he whispers things and makes people kill themselves or cry so hard they choke to death on their own tongues. It will lash out, I imagine to amuse itself. It's favorite trick is to run a slideshow mixed with the kids or my pets injured or worse while I am trying to talk to someone about something mundane. I stop talking mid-sentence and have to start slamming mental cabinets and rolling down storage unit doors and slapping on padlocks. It's totally normal to worry about harm coming to those you love. It's not totally normal to talk about a loaf of bread and your brain pop up a field of grain, a threshing machine, a farmer in a straw hat, a child impaled on a scarecrow pole, a truck of wheat, a bakers oven, a row of fresh bread and our elderly cat's severed head.
I am VERY visual, obviously, my brain works all the time in movie snippets and still frames. I see photos I NEED to take, even if I can't always capture them the way I want. I think my brain is bored with my headspace. I read and think and do and move and take photos and plan and sleep and daydream and talk and read more and write and it's still just buzzing like an angry bee. Not enough, not enough, not enough. Not right, not good, not enough. Fail, fail, fail.
In other news, if the next 2 weeks go like the last 2 weeks, I will be able to announce the first 40 pounds are GONE by Jake's birthday! I have not been giving it much attention because it's sliding off again. 40 pounds. That's SO much weight. I can re-apply for life insurance and get a better rate. Insane. LOL! I am so pleased, but I am not done yet. Even Evil Brain has muttered a little 'hmmm' of impressed and has kept out of it lately. I honestly think it wants to see what it will be like with a different outlook, a different build. It's something new. LOL
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Dam, Doughnuts and MNO with UFO's
We got to be the first field trip to Wilson Lock and Dam since 9-11!
Here the barges are at the bottom of the lock, 100 feet down!
Here the barges are at the bottom of the lock, 100 feet down!
In order to fit, the boat has to unhook and slide up next to the barges.
The gates shut, they are 115 feet high and there's 18 feet of water under that.
It takes about 20 minutes for the lock to fill with 50,000,000 gallons of water.
The valves are 15 feet by 19 feet.
The valves are 15 feet by 19 feet.
One the water levels are balanced, the upper gate is lowered and the barge is pushed on out. It takes about half an hour all total to enter and then get going again.
Private citizens do not have to pay to use the lock systems.
Private citizens do not have to pay to use the lock systems.
There it goes! The captain came out and tooted at us and waved like the Queen in a parade. We all cheered and waved back.
I did an eye enhance thing on Ben and turned him into Benjamin, the 7th Cullen. LOL
After the dam, we went to Krispy Kreme. It turns out, it was my own personal last visit. After eating whole foods for the last few weeks, the sugar and processed food made me really ill. Even the kids were hoping for a stomach bug so they could throw up. The doughnuts were not bad, just SO freaking sweet.
Yum! Oh, they look so good!!
Jake was enthralled by this on the way home. A house of games. Even though it was obviously out of business!
We also had Mom's Night Out last night. It was an Unfinished Object Night, I resized pics and worked on a document that needed proofing and chatted. I bought Cosmo, but in a group of 12 Christian homeschooling moms, the topic of things to try in the closet never really came up. *sigh* And there were photos, too.
We also had Mom's Night Out last night. It was an Unfinished Object Night, I resized pics and worked on a document that needed proofing and chatted. I bought Cosmo, but in a group of 12 Christian homeschooling moms, the topic of things to try in the closet never really came up. *sigh* And there were photos, too.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
2.5 years
away from graduating my first child.
We went over some things yesterday, I was trying to get a feel for where he is mentally and also academically. Khan Academy has helped about a billion percent. I know 100% is max, but it does not seem like enough. I am REALLY not good with math. Matt had said he would take over in high school, but he has not made a single effort to help. I am SO glad to have Khan, Jake is zipping right on through Algebra. He said last night he was going to go back 3 lessons and watch them again before bed because the new video had a concept that threw him and he wanted a review. *sigh* I am SO happy to hear him say things like that. Sunday night, he came in with a math problem written out and wanted me to check it. : ) I have tried to stay out of the way and only provide support, but it's HARD coming from my background as teacher's kid to just abandon the system and forge ahead, nudging my children out in front and not really knowing how it will all turn out.
Jake's gotten into the science part of Khan as well. The other day he explained how heart attacks worked when I was wondering what an infarction was. We are going to pull out the GED test Thursday for him to take, he did well last year-maybe could have passed it other than the writing. We have been working on that a little via e-mails. He sends me essays and such, I flesh them out and show him what they are looking for. I know he'd like to get his GED sooner rather than later. Then there's the SAT...I swear, for an unschooled kid, there sure are a lot of tests to get into college.
I know we still have time, that 18 is not The End, that he can take more time or he can change his mind and go a different route. Compared to where he was at 2.5 years ago-the difference is vast. Still, there are moments when I panic, when I know that I don't KNOW how it will turn out, that I have essentially bucked the system that was no good for *me* and in doing so, have gambled my children. I am reliant on each kid to pull their own weight and follow their own interests and fill in the blanks with knowledge and experience of their own choosing, some I help with, most they go about independently-more so now that they are a little older.
I always start down this road to panic, or just to worry, and about the second bend, I am rewarded with some definitive proof that they really ARE learning, that they are picking up the basics and immersing themselves in interests that are nothing I would have chosen for them. That's the point, I think. That they make their own choices all of their lives, that they don't wait for someone to tell them-they go and make their own decisions. I just hope the biggest decision in their lives-the one I made for them-the decision to unschool-was a good one.
We went over some things yesterday, I was trying to get a feel for where he is mentally and also academically. Khan Academy has helped about a billion percent. I know 100% is max, but it does not seem like enough. I am REALLY not good with math. Matt had said he would take over in high school, but he has not made a single effort to help. I am SO glad to have Khan, Jake is zipping right on through Algebra. He said last night he was going to go back 3 lessons and watch them again before bed because the new video had a concept that threw him and he wanted a review. *sigh* I am SO happy to hear him say things like that. Sunday night, he came in with a math problem written out and wanted me to check it. : ) I have tried to stay out of the way and only provide support, but it's HARD coming from my background as teacher's kid to just abandon the system and forge ahead, nudging my children out in front and not really knowing how it will all turn out.
Jake's gotten into the science part of Khan as well. The other day he explained how heart attacks worked when I was wondering what an infarction was. We are going to pull out the GED test Thursday for him to take, he did well last year-maybe could have passed it other than the writing. We have been working on that a little via e-mails. He sends me essays and such, I flesh them out and show him what they are looking for. I know he'd like to get his GED sooner rather than later. Then there's the SAT...I swear, for an unschooled kid, there sure are a lot of tests to get into college.
I know we still have time, that 18 is not The End, that he can take more time or he can change his mind and go a different route. Compared to where he was at 2.5 years ago-the difference is vast. Still, there are moments when I panic, when I know that I don't KNOW how it will turn out, that I have essentially bucked the system that was no good for *me* and in doing so, have gambled my children. I am reliant on each kid to pull their own weight and follow their own interests and fill in the blanks with knowledge and experience of their own choosing, some I help with, most they go about independently-more so now that they are a little older.
I always start down this road to panic, or just to worry, and about the second bend, I am rewarded with some definitive proof that they really ARE learning, that they are picking up the basics and immersing themselves in interests that are nothing I would have chosen for them. That's the point, I think. That they make their own choices all of their lives, that they don't wait for someone to tell them-they go and make their own decisions. I just hope the biggest decision in their lives-the one I made for them-the decision to unschool-was a good one.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Feeling Fine
I am so glad to be home, I really enjoyed my time off, but here is where my heart really is. I love being the mama and the wife. It feels so funny to say that, Matt and I were just talking today about how I had such different plans at one point and how we never would have married if not for Jake and how that turned out to be the best thing ever, for both of us. I am totally content to be who and where I am right now. It helps that I have hands-down the BEST kids in the Universe. I know other moms who feel the same way, so maybe I SHOULD say 'some of the best kids' but I am feeling biased. ; ) Go be happy for yourself. LOL!
Jake got his braces off this week and Ben got an all-clear from the dentist. That's all 5 of us, cavity free again! Goooooo Good Brushing Habits!
It's been a good week, lots of walking and planning and chatting with the family. Today we planned some house repairs, but barely got started thanks to having to go pick up things. I think we are set to get some stuff done in the morning, though. We have a couple window sills that need some new wood, and of course the house still isn't painted all the way around...we did mow at least! That list, mark one thing off and two more pop up. I am almost afraid to jinx us by saying what's been done or what's next because sure as I do, something ELSE will come along and jump the queue!
I am not enjoying the cooler days, I am glad it's not as hot and I am glad to have the AC off for a few days to save on the bill for this month, but it only means that winter is approaching. *sigh* I am sure I will have more to say about THAT.
In other news, I am finding myself uninterested in taking pictures of late. Matt printed his pics for the fair today and I did not even have a twinge of 'shoulda' about it. Don't care about the fair, don't want to pick up my camera. I don't feel depressed...I think I may be...done. I went to a photo show in Huntsville the other day and nothing there was new-I could have taken any of the shots. Even when I screw up a shot, I know EXACTLY what I did. I don't really have anywhere else to go-not that I can't improve or still learn-I just don't have the money to sink into it and I have topped out with what I have. Lovely snapshots. A middling amateur. I don't want to sell my work or rent my time. I am too selfish yet. So here I am-topped out and no real interest in going further. Maybe I just took too many shots last week.
Anyway, just checking in. I am BACK to my previous low weight, so now I just have 8 pounds to go to my goal weight. I am glad about that! I hope it keeps coming off this time. I'd like to never see certain numbers again! The only additions I have made since my last update when I had not lost a pound is that I am taking kelp for my thyroid and I have been eating avocado 3+ times a week. My next goal is getting rid of caffeine. *sigh* I am not an addict, but I DO like energy drinks now and then and chocolate is good. And Diet Dr. Pepper. I know they make caffeine free sodas, but they don't stock them out here in the boonies, so I would have to drive to town to get soda. That seems borderline insane if I did that. So...Sprite Zero and I will become acquainted for when I want fizzy drink. Though Sprite always conjures feelings of stomach flu and colds, as that was the only time I had it while growing up.
Jake got his braces off this week and Ben got an all-clear from the dentist. That's all 5 of us, cavity free again! Goooooo Good Brushing Habits!
It's been a good week, lots of walking and planning and chatting with the family. Today we planned some house repairs, but barely got started thanks to having to go pick up things. I think we are set to get some stuff done in the morning, though. We have a couple window sills that need some new wood, and of course the house still isn't painted all the way around...we did mow at least! That list, mark one thing off and two more pop up. I am almost afraid to jinx us by saying what's been done or what's next because sure as I do, something ELSE will come along and jump the queue!
I am not enjoying the cooler days, I am glad it's not as hot and I am glad to have the AC off for a few days to save on the bill for this month, but it only means that winter is approaching. *sigh* I am sure I will have more to say about THAT.
In other news, I am finding myself uninterested in taking pictures of late. Matt printed his pics for the fair today and I did not even have a twinge of 'shoulda' about it. Don't care about the fair, don't want to pick up my camera. I don't feel depressed...I think I may be...done. I went to a photo show in Huntsville the other day and nothing there was new-I could have taken any of the shots. Even when I screw up a shot, I know EXACTLY what I did. I don't really have anywhere else to go-not that I can't improve or still learn-I just don't have the money to sink into it and I have topped out with what I have. Lovely snapshots. A middling amateur. I don't want to sell my work or rent my time. I am too selfish yet. So here I am-topped out and no real interest in going further. Maybe I just took too many shots last week.
Anyway, just checking in. I am BACK to my previous low weight, so now I just have 8 pounds to go to my goal weight. I am glad about that! I hope it keeps coming off this time. I'd like to never see certain numbers again! The only additions I have made since my last update when I had not lost a pound is that I am taking kelp for my thyroid and I have been eating avocado 3+ times a week. My next goal is getting rid of caffeine. *sigh* I am not an addict, but I DO like energy drinks now and then and chocolate is good. And Diet Dr. Pepper. I know they make caffeine free sodas, but they don't stock them out here in the boonies, so I would have to drive to town to get soda. That seems borderline insane if I did that. So...Sprite Zero and I will become acquainted for when I want fizzy drink. Though Sprite always conjures feelings of stomach flu and colds, as that was the only time I had it while growing up.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Checking in
We walk almost every day, 27 miles in the past 10 days alone that I have track logs for, that's not counting walking we do here around the yard and such. Walks are my favorite because, in spite of the gnats and the sweat running down my back, they are the most enjoyable part of most days-the time when I can reflect without thinking I should be doing something else, and Matt and I talk and talk and when the kids come along, they chat away, too. Sometimes I listen to a recorded book, sometimes I just plod along. My speed has gotten better and I can walk longer and longer without feeling tired at all. We usually stop after 3.5 miles just because the sun is already down and we are in the dark.
I do ab work, kettlebell or yoga every other morning. I do 30 crunches nearly every night before bed and do arm curls when I watch TV. I started doing deep knee bends, but those are muscles I had NO idea were there and they did not want to be discovered, because for 2 days after my first 10, my knees would not lock when I walked and I looked drunk.
I went cold-turkey on sodas and after 2 weeks, I had one and I have been having one (in a can) every couple of days-all diet. I have had no bread, no corn or anything with corn in it, no rice and potatoes once, in sweet potato soup. No chocolate or candy, cut back on pasta to less than once a week, even the good kind with the extra stuff and no gluten.
I have oatmeal or Kashi for breakfast, even though my cholesterol is really low. For lunch I have soup or raw fruit/veggies and hummus most days. Dinner is more veggies, soup, stir fry with tofu, beans, couscous now and then with pine nuts and greens, tuna salad, bean burrito. I eat 1/4 cup of raw nuts every other day. I eat grapes, apples, cherries, muscadines, blueberries, raspberries, raw spinach, carrot sticks, soy cheese or an occasional whole grain tortilla with salsa for snacks. I drink water in 16 oz bottles and refill at least 4 times during the day.
I take cinnamon, kelp, B complex, D, flax seed oil and Valerian root daily.
In the past month, I have not lost a single pound. I will go down 2 pounds and right back up to where I was. I still have not figured the right combo-1500 calories a day and walking got rid of the first 30 pounds, and those could be ANY 1500 calories. 5 candy bars a day and I still would have lost weight.
I'd like to be losing pounds, I AM losing inches, I don't know how much longer I can keep my brain happy with the whole 'muscle weighs more than fat and I am building muscle'. I CAN'T be building it pound for pound. I need to see some results on the scale. I have to weigh-in by November 14 and need to have lost 13 pounds by then.
I am sleeping better, I am excited/nervous about the trip and that's keeping me awake a little, but over-all, I have been sleeping 8-9 hours a night and waking up early feeling just ducky. My moods are MUCH more stable, I don't know if it's all one thing, or a combination of things helping in that area. I feel calm these days about things that would have given me stomach aches before. Not EVERYTHING, the check engine light still makes me panic! But my brain does not go looking for trouble as it has in the past and that's a relief. It feels quieter in my head.
Over-all, I am pleased with the changes we have made and pleased with how well the kids are adjusting. Jake is getting too thin, I think. He lost 30 pounds last year when we did and Ben lost 7. Jake has lost more this year and has gotten a little taller/more filled out so now he has no fat on him. Ben has slimmed right down, too and Chan has always been slight, but no white sugar or gluten in 90% of their current diet has really changed how they look. Even Matt is slimming right up, his neck is much smaller-he stopped snoring again, yay! He has lost his belly, there's no handles on the sides now, just a rounded tummy that is getting smaller each week. *sigh*
I know I am the mama and that means my body will hold fat, I am in the pinacle of my fertile years, that last hoo-rah before things start slowing down over the next decade and menopause sets in. The good news is that my baby lust has FINALLY abated after 5 years of burning with envy over every baby I saw and poring over baby name books and learning all I could about baby photography and reading everything I could find about vasectomy reversals, being pregnant at 35 and so on. I am looking ahead, 6 years and Ben will be 18 and I will be 43 and done with homeschooling and being a SAHM. That's really young. That's a whole 3rd life to undertake. My childhood, their childhood and then??
I have only heard of one job that I immediately thought I would want. People who die in state-run hospitals usually die alone. Someone then has to go through their things, their homes, and find out who they are, who to contact. I would not want to tell people their relations died, but I would like to do the finding out part. A whole life, a mystery, a solution. That appeals to me greatly.
I leave Saturday for my trip, the kids are squared away for the week, field trips, play dates, Matt's taking time off. They will have as much fun as I will!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Oil Change
Yes, after Monday's fun, the next biggest event of the week was getting my oil changed.
This is actually big news because Mr. Holmes was closed until Monday getting his hip operated on and doing rehab after that fall back during the icy weather. He's still on crutches, but looks MUCH better than when I last saw him. Yay! Plus, he's open again so I did not have to find someone else to change my oil. Though I did postpone it to 5k miles, I have never gone over 4k in the past. It was cutting it close at any rate.
This is actually big news because Mr. Holmes was closed until Monday getting his hip operated on and doing rehab after that fall back during the icy weather. He's still on crutches, but looks MUCH better than when I last saw him. Yay! Plus, he's open again so I did not have to find someone else to change my oil. Though I did postpone it to 5k miles, I have never gone over 4k in the past. It was cutting it close at any rate.
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| Don't forget to feed the toothless gators |
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| Pink brackets |
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| Practicing a neutral expression in case they won't let him smile for his drivers permit photo next week. See the wasp sting remnant on his cheek? Owie. |
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| Jake rehangs the maypop, SO glad to have that out of the trunk. |
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| Still on crutches! He replaced my other rear tire today, it had a crack in it. |
I mapped out a new walking route on the way home. I need to step up my efforts, I have not lost anything at all this year and my recent blood work revealed unpleasant things about my future.
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