May and Mother’s Day

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Somehow my blog post ended up being on Mother’s Day in the US. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there, be it biological, adopted, step, and fur babies. We are all mom’s. I will admit April slipped by … Continue reading →

May 2024- Already!

It’s already May the 9th. This year is flying by. I told a friend a couple of years ago that it seems like it’s always Thursday and here we are, Thursday again. And it’s in the 80s here with heat index in the 90s. Sunny. Though we expect storms tomorrow.

I really don’t have anything fun to write about this month. I had an auditor here last week for my official position and even though I know they always find some nit-picking things, it is still stressful to have them in your office digging around in your files trying to zing you. And the preparation is a pain too as they don’t tell you in advance what cases they want to look at so they all need to be shipshape. We tend to slack on hole punching files here sometimes. I complain ALL the time about that, but it’s like talking into a void.

The guy tried to write me up on two things that he said he didn’t think I was following the handbook. Advice: Don’t mess with lawyers because they will pull out the handbook and read you the words in there. 🙂 One thing said it had to be done in a reasonable time” and he tried to tell me that meant 30 days. The handbook said “reasonable time” and I said, “Define reasonable. If they meant 30 days, they should say 30 days.” The other was on my accounts receivable. I have a log I use on the computer. He said I’m supposed to be using a particular program. Nope. Read that handbook again, my man. The dude ended up backing off of those two things pretty swiftly. I’m an advocate for my clients, but also for myself. LOL

Nothing else much to report this month. I wrote over 14,000 words in April and these are the first words I have written in May that aren’t legal words. Last week was a bust and so far this week, it is again. I’ve had a lot of court and work to get ready for court. Since everything at work is electronic, at some point, I can’t deal with looking at a screen any longer. Whine, whine, whine. 🙂 I’ll get back on track soon as I always do.

Pets, pets, pets…

Mother’s Day is coming up. One of my favorite days of the year because we get the deck furniture out. It was also our Dude’s favorite day, RIP. He loved sitting on our swing and surveying his kingdom.

And it was a kingdom for him. He knew it’s boundaries and while he would occasionally breach them and go walkabout, he also fiercely defended them. He’d take on cats and dogs alike and was unafraid. Though occasionally, he’d take them on from the height of our pergola, spitting and growling. I think he knew his limits. Lol.

I’m not sure what has me chatting about our cat that passed away in 2019, but we still miss him and getting another pet isn’t something we’re ready for either. I’ve never bonded with an animal like I did with Dude. Hubby felt the same way. And neither of us is ready for another animal. Maybe someday. We’re not there yet.

In the meantime, I love other folk’s animals. Like our granddogs, pictured below.

Bo Steele is a big 6 year old puppy who still sleeps on my granddaughter’s twin bed with her, is exuberant about any visitors, and loves running around his yard.

Lily is a Bassett hound who adores her minions (aka owners.)

Then there’s Daisy. This dog is devoted to our son. Absolutely, totally devoted. She rarely leaves his side. He’s lucky enough that he can take her to work with him and only the promise of treats will pull her away. That devotion is so precious and I love her for being his constant companion.

And that’s not counting our great-grand dogs and cats. Our family is blessed with a plethora of animals to pet and love. So it’s all right that we’re not ready. We can always take a drive and hug a furry family member.

Have a wonderful month of May, everyone. I hope you get just enough rain to make the flowers and grass grow and enough sunshine to get outside and enjoy!

For more information about Laurie Ryan:
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ADDENDUM: Oh, my gosh, I forgot some granddogs! My daughter has one, Chase. Her daughter has another one, Molly. Both are absolutely precious and devoted to their minions. And they love pets. Molly, who’s young, loves running outside, as well. I don’t have a picture of Chase, but here’s Molly!

Attack of the Killer Washing Machine…

My golden girl does not like change. She likes her food bowls in exactly the right spot, her toy boxes (yes, she has many) placed where they have always been placed since she was a puppy, and her beds (yes, again she has many) placed in exactly the right spot, with the cushions fluffed at one end and flattened at the other. Her minions (hubby and me) oblige her without question.

Despite Vivvy’s love of the familiar, we hadn’t expected that trait of hers to extend to kitchen appliances. When our old washing machine finally gave up the ghost and started fusing the electrics, we set about choosing a new one. The machine was fitted while AJ and Vivvy were out for morning walkies and the problems started when they returned. Her Ladyship stopped at the kitchen door and would not budge. We thought something was very wrong, until we worked out that the new machine was the culprit. Unsure why, because it was in the same place and even looked similar, we tried coaxing her with treats (which she’ll normally walk through just about anything for), but no. We had to open all the downstairs doors so she could do a round trip avoiding the kitchen on her way to the back garden. Eventually, after employing many sneaky tricks, we got her to walk past it. She gave it the widest berth and the evil eye. Now, she’ll walk past it, but with her eyes closed! So funny. We think the reason for her reluctance lies in the reflective nature of the machine door, and wonder if the shapes and shadows she sees in that has been the reason for it spooking her out.

As if the month hasn’t been traumatic enough for her, I bought her a new drying coat – an absolute necessity because I don’t think we’ve had a completely rain free day here in the UK for months now. She hates wearing her raincoat during walkies, so I thought this drying coat post-walkies was the next best thing. It’s thick and cosy and you just wrap it around your sodden pup, fasten the velcro, and they are supposed to love it. Well, she stands frozen like a statue the whole time it’s on and when/if we can coax her to walk to us for a treat she waddles like a duck.

We love every day with Vivvy and she gives us so many laughs. This month has been no exception. Never a dull moment with our golden girl, but hopefully there’ll be no more killer appliances in her immediate future 🙂

Website: www.fayeavalon.com

April in Arizona

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I’m still getting used to Arizona vs Washington State. I seem to be climatizing a little better this year. But I still don’t know how people settled here without a/c. In pioneer days you could keep warm by having a … Continue reading →

Spring. What Spring?

Here we are in the middle of April: springtime. Such a shame in the UK the weather isn’t playing ball. As I write this, hailstones are hammering down in between heavy rain showers, the wind howling, strong enough to send pots crashing to the ground, and the temperature has plummeted in sharp contrast to the weather we experienced yesterday and the day before – the warmest days of the year thus far. Crazy. No wonder us Brits are obsessed with our weather.

At least Dave managed to mow the lawns and get the sweetpeas, carrots and onions into the ground at the weekend, whilst I was able to do some weeding and pruning and general tidying up. We did have leeks growing ready to be planted out, but some pesky slugs had better ideas and demolished all twenty of them overnight. We have been overrun with them and snails this year thanks to the all the rain.

I think, too, the weather is the cause of my current loss of mojo. No matter what I plan or want to do, I do not have the impetus. I need warmth to get me going, a bit like a lizard (I must have been one in an earlier life!). How I’ve missed not being able to sit out on the patio just after dawn and enjoy a quiet cup of coffee as I watch and listen to the birds and observe the wildlife in the garden. I need that special hour or two in the early sunshine to set me up for the day. So far, I’ve only been able to do it once this year, and I wasn’t outside for long. Hopefully as the weather improves (fingers crossed) I will be back up to par and raring to go.

Another reason for my low mood is because this month has seen me hit a milestone birthday. Birthdays are not something Dave and I celebrate, we don’t give each other cards or gifts; we don’t do anything special such as a meal out – Dave isn’t one for that, he’d much rather he or I cook a meal at home, but I cannot believe I’ve reached my platinum birthday. Where have all the years gone? The muscles may ache, the knees hurt climbing stairs and I don’t have the energy of a teenager anymore but inside my head I still feel like one.

That aside, it is lovely to receive cards and beautiful presents and birthday messages from family and friends. Talking of cards, I might have mentioned in the past my two older sisters are identical twins. Believe me, when I say there is a solid telepathic mindset between twins, as I have discussed in the past. My sisters often unintentionally dress the same, have been known to buy the same clothes, give each other the same gift; the list is endless. This year they even sent me identical birthday cards, and they were not together when they bought them! Spooky? No, it’s what happens with twins, and Dave and I are still laughing about it.

The crashing pot I mentioned earlier was a birthday present from unexpected guests who arrived on Friday morning. We love blue pots and this was a beauty complete with a pretty pink azalea bush in flower. It looked lovely on the little garden table between our two patio chairs. Not any longer. Oh well, a perfect excuse to visit the garden centre and buy another. Or two. Or three.

On the whole, I’m feeling better already writing this. Life is great. Yes, it has its ups and downs, its heartache and loss, but also it is full of laughter and fun, and family and friends are an important and vital part of it. There are so many good things to be thankful for, and it is true that life is what you make of it. I’m never down for long, it’s just that this year it seems longer than usual.

Meanwhile, the black clouds have been swept away, the sky is blue now and the sun is shining. The central heating may still be on but from here things can only get better. And they will, starting with this little springtime painting I’ve managed to finish in time for next month’s art exhibition! Till next time, take and enjoy your spring whatever you are doing.

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Jewelry, Gem and Mineral Show Treasures

Jillian here. Happy April. One time a very long time ago when my kids were still at home, we happened to be on vacation at a friend’s cabin in North Carolina and there was a gem show while we were there. There are also a lot of gem mines in NC and we mined at a couple and it was a blast. I bought a couple of pieces way back then that I still wear.

This past weekend, there was a jewelry, gem and mineral show here and I went and had a great time. I bought a few things on Saturday and went back on Sunday to pick up another couple that I was thinking about. Luckily, the admission ($4.00) was good for all weekend.

I didn’t take pictures of the sun catchers, selenite bowl, and jasper I got on Sunday but here are the pictures of my Saturday haul. A Madagascar banded agate, a selenite egg, an Australian Opal necklace with white topazes, an ammolite necklace from Canada, and a jade money frog. You put a penny in his mouth. His back legs are crossed so the penny is saved and thus, you save money. LOL. I just thought he was adorable. I also got a little heart rock car decoration. So cute. I think it goes on the visor but mine was too thick.

It was so fun to browse and choose what spoke to me.

Getting “Sprung”

Today is the first day of the rest of my hip life. 🙂 I saw the surgeon yesterday and got discharged. I’m walking without the cane around the house and my pain level is down. So it’s a win for me.

Now the real work begins though. Not that the last couple months hasn’t been work. It has! But I need to keep it going, with these three priorities:

1. Continue to lose weight. (Don’t want to wear out this new hip prematurely!)
2. Slowly increase my walking. (It’s spring, so getting outside won’t be too much of a hardship.)
3. Continue with my exercise regimen. (Since I used to work in physical therapy, I know how important this is.)

If I can keep up with those three things, my pain will continue to diminish and my health will continue to get better and better.

One funny outcome from surgery: I still haven’t gone back on the blood pressure pills I’ve taken for the last ten or so years. My BP coming out of surgery was pretty low. Too low really and for the first 2-3 weeks. Then it hit that perfect spot and it’s stayed there ever since. I’m hoping that keeps up!

So that’s my month (past, present and future.) I hope you’ve had an amazing month, with lots of laughter and just enough work to make the fun times that much more precious.

Have a wonderful April! Oh, I’ll leave you with this smile. My 93 years young auntie has been homebound (in rehab or her assisted living) since last August due to a bad ankle fracture. She’s finally reached the point where she can get in and out of the car. Not something I could help her with due to my own issues. Anyhow, last Wednesday, I sprung her and we went for a 3 hour drive, visiting family and getting contraband McDonald’s for dinner. She was sooooooo happy and we had sooooo much fun. I’m still smiling.

For more information about Laurie Ryan:
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Switch Off Sundays

A little while back I made the decision to turn off my smart phone on Sundays. Mostly, I’ve stuck to the plan (with a few teeny lapses) and have to say it’s quite freeing. My decision was made primarily because of a neck problem, and I found that too long scrolling/texting on the phone really tensed up my neck. On these phone free days my neck really does seem easier. Interesting.

Talking to a fellow dog walker who is also a retired occupational therapist, she predicts that one of the most lucrative jobs in the future will be in chiropractic, physiotherapy, and other linked professions. With so many people glued to their cell phones these days, she says that ‘text neck’ is a growing problem and doesn’t seem to be going away. You only have to watch people in public places to see evidence of that truth, and if you look at the angle of their neck while using the phone, it’s not a stretch to see that she just might be right about the very real need for corrective treatment in the future.

As a life-long yoga fan (celebrated the 52nd anniversary of my very first yoga class last September), I know basically what to do to ease neck pain and tension, but this ‘text neck’ is something else. It feels like the whole neck freezes and it’s really hard to work through the tension. Awareness of posture when using the phone becomes vital, too. It’s great finding ways to ease the tension, but then we have to learn how not to create that tension in the first place.

Being a writer makes this doubly challenging. Hunched over a desk not only creating stories, but working on promotion, learning the trillion and one changes in the industry that seem to pop up overnight, networking with colleagues and friends, research …. mostly that all takes place working at the computer.

Maybe I need to extend Switch Off Sundays to include working at the computer, but I’m really not sure I could do that. The stories beckon and don’t really care about my stiff neck. Ah well, as someone one said, we all have to suffer for our art… 😉

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Another Discovery

Tortillas – I can just hear you. Discover! Tortillas! Yep, until very recently the only tortillas I’d used was the crisp shells for taco’s.  Of course I love quesadillas but I never made them, only ordered them, and didn’t give any thought to what they were made from.  A foodie I’m not. 

Since Grant has been staying here and cooking I’ve been treated to amazing meals. And, he uses tortillas which I never did. A casserole that is delicious, and street taco’s are two of my favorites.  The other night he grilled kabobs and we wrapped tortilla’s around them and pulled them off the stick. Since then we’ve done the same with BBQed bratwursts.  Yummy.   

So, I started experimenting on my own.  I love fried egg sandwiches so used tortilla’s instead of bread.  Oh my gosh I haven’t had a sandwich with bread for about 3 weeks now.  I even made an open-faced peanut butter tortilla sandwich. 

Having fun with food is a great experience.  And spring is a great time, inside or out on the patio it’s fun to experience new food tastes.