Saturday...

I had another one of those not so interesting days... but that's ok by me. I went to Walmart and Raleys. I cooked beans and pozole. I cooked zuchinni. I had corn meal mush for breakfast with an egg stirred into it. I've decided to make some curtains for the living room.. not gonna cover the windows, just put some sort of like half way up so the dog can't see out. I simply cannot stand to hear him bark so so so much.

That's the sum of my day... late now and I need to put my head on my pillow and cover with my nice warm blankie..

I'll be back tomorrow... if not , don't forget to play "My Way." Yes Anna, Elvis did it right.

J

ooops missed a day...or did I?

I can't remember if I posted yesterday, but whatever I'm sure it's about the same as the day before... they're all pretty much the same. But today was warmer... no not warm, just warmer than it has been. Enough so that I left the doors open for a few hours. Let's see what did I do today.. Well I stuffed the doll.. yes I did, it's all stuffed. Washed three loads of clothes with bleach in one.. I like the smell of bleach. Makes me feel like the clothes are clean. Took the dog outside and used the hair remover glove on him. He fidgets a lot.. doesn't want to stand still. He likes being nosy. Wants to run and snap at bees. He didn't learn anything the time he ate the bee. Almost died that time. A saturday of course. We had to take him to the vet. He's an expensive little thing. We should buy pet insurance for him. But I digress.. was telling about my day and what I did.. Was that all I did? Made the bed, dishes, cooked asparagus and talapia. Made a bread pudding. What else? Hmmm took me all day to do those few things and to top it all off I'm wiped out tonight.

Tomorrow is another day.. I'll go to walmart probably and buy birthday cards.. lottsa birthdays in March.

J

It was a sunny day....

I slept like a log last night.. first time in forever it seems. Felt good too but didn't give me much energy. Maybe nothing will give me energy again. Doesn't seem like it. Couldn't be age could it? Nah...... nothing like that.

I didn't accomplish one single thing today.. went shopping but didn't find anything... stopped and bought a few groceries. Looked at the fat free stuff and decided most of them, especially cottage cheese was way too high carb.. do you know fat free cottage cheese has up to seven carbs a serving compared to the good stuff at three? Plus the sodium is higher.. I guess when they remove the fat they think they have to replace it with something... and maybe they do. I did buy fat free sour cream and have to tell you it's not all that good. Don't like fat free stuff and don't really believe it's better for a person... just working at getting ten pounds off. Maybe it's gonna take fat free.. don't know.

No sewing today... did work on trying to train the dog he absolutely does NOT have to bark when someone walks, rides the bike or even drives in front of the house. He does not have to bark when someone mails a letter fourteen houses down. I wonder if he's going to learn? Sometimes I think it might be smarter to put curtains on the bottom half of the window.. that way he couldn't see out but I could.. and the light could come through the top half. Our windows go clear to the floor so he really feels threatened when someone is walking by... I'm going to give this idea a bit more thought.

Isn't this just the most interesting blog you've ever read?

J.

Ok....Wednesday down, my oh my how they fly by

Now let's see what did I accomplish this fine day.... First of all I didn't sleep well so I was down to zero energy level. But I did manage to do a few odd nothings. Went to the pet store, found some dog food that has no corn, wheat or soy. Might be better for the dog. Bought one of the love gloves to brush away his loose hair.. I brushed and brushed but the hair just kept coming. I wonder when it would stop? I wonder if I keep brushing will I have a bald dog? Then I came home. Cooked. Set up the dishwasher and ran that. Washed the pots pans and plastics.. Made the bed. Took the dog out several times. Picked up a few things... then worked on the sewing machine. Then I sewed the rest of the dolls body. Tomorrow I'll put the stuffing in hopefully.

That's it. That's the whole of my very lazy and boring (to some) day. I don't get bored though. Even if I'm not doing things I'm thinking and that keeps me from getting bored. Have you noticed kids of today all say, " I'm bored." Never remember saying that or even feeling that as a kid. Wonder why that is?

I should go to bed. So sleepy. And my blankie is all nice and warm.

J

Tuesday.. fat tuesday I guess. For me every day is fat day

I'd be happy if I never had another fat tuesday... speaking of fat. .. I'll be watching The Biggest Loser in a few minutes. Now that's torture. It's too much. I know these people want to lose weight but is that really the way to do it? Through torture? And what happens when they go home? Can they keep up that level of exercise? I doubt it.

I worked on the sewing machine today.. might have almost gotten it set the way I want it. Now if I could just get it on a table that is the right height... always something. I sewed about half the dolls body before I became frustrated. What I want to do is make some sort of design on the dogs coverlet... the new one I'm making. Not sure what I should do with it.? Maybe I could embroider something. What I'd really like to do is make him a tie dye top... yes that's exactly what I'm thinking of doing. Maybe I'll tie dye a top for him at the reunion... good idea? Yes it is.

Ok.. time for me to pack it in and get ready for Loser.. Already watched our new President. I think he's gonna be ok.

J

Monday but feels like Sunday...

I worked on the dogs coverlet today.. first I sewed the velcro on and thought that would work, well it didn't. He chewed till he almost got it loose.. he has this thing about certain materials.. mostly plastic stuff. He feels impelled to chew them. Something in them that draws him to them. I kid you not. Anyway, took the velcro off and sewed in a piece of elastic which means the whole thing just slips over his head and it's easier. He's worn it all day so guess it's not bothering him. I also trimmed the back off a bit. Was gonna make another one but so far I haven't. Maybe tomorrow.

I actually started sewing the doll body today but I got frustrated. My sewing machine simply will not feed that material through it. It's very thin stretchy type stuff. I did get it adjusted for a stretch stitch but it won't work on material that thin. I remember before having trouble with a real thin material.. so now what do I do? Can't sew the bodies by hand cause they won't be strong enough?

Redoubling my efforts to lose ten pounds.

Rained again and the wind blew and the bathroom leaked again. He still thinks it's something to do with the vent up there. He actually went up and put some goop around it so maybe this time it will work. Hope so. Hard to use the commode with an ice chest in front of it... and the floor looks better without the old blue towels all over it. Always something.

That's it for this Monday, even if it feels like Sunday... we're going to watch the Academy awards tonight.... taped them. Easy to fast forward through the bum stuff..

J

Sunday

February is going at a breakneck speed.. Should look and see what day Easter comes on this year. Don't know why. When the kids were little we always made a big deal out of Easter. Now? It's not the same. I should probably make Easter dinner, but not sure I have the energy.

Rained today just like the forecast said. Gray and windy. Tiresome. I need sunlight. I'm waiting for the first of the month to go to GNC and check out some vitamin D... not sure what's the best kind or formula to get. I've read D-3 is what we should be taking. I should read more. Then I could make up my own mind. I should eat more sardines but oh how I hate sardines without crackers. I do like mackeral though and might get some of that. Need some low carb energy. I have a bit more energy when I eat a few grains, but I need to not eat the grains for awhile. Need my blood sugars more stable.

The dog seems better today but still is a little peaked. He did run once but I'm not throwing the ball or anything for him today. Would like to give it a little more time. I didn't give him any pain meds today. He has baby'd his leg a bit but hasn't cried. He's eaten good and drank lots of water. Don't want to give them to him if I don't have to.

I painted two snowmen ornaments. I cut out another dog coverlet, but dont want to sew it till I try it on him. Don't want to mess with his legs or anything today so will just have to wait. I brought all the pieces of the dolls body over to the card table where I have the sewing machine set up. Tomorrow I might start sewing it. That's if we don't start building the cabinet I want for the kitchen. Going now to get on the cardioglide. Need some exercise for this body. Air air air... my veins are screaming for oxygen.

J.

Update on the update...

Ok so we took the dog to the vet. They x-rayed his leg and nothing is broken. She says from the way he's standing and acting she rather thinks it's the shoulder muscle pulled. He is a wild little thing and does play really hard. He runs like a streak of lightning. She gave us some pain medication for him. I gave him half the tablet as per her instructions but I'm thinking tomorrow to give him only a quarter of a tablet. It's really put him out of it. Course he did have a hard day. Anyway that's the story today of our accident prone dog. Other than that... a pretty quiet day. Sun shone most of the day.

Rain coming tonight. Two inches at least they say. Oh Joy.

J

Update on the dog...

I know my dog is accident prone. But wait, he was doing good with the can and the No bark command. I was playing with him, tossing the ball and he was running to get it. He loves to play. When all of a sudden he stopped running and started crying. I thought he'd probably bumped himself on the coffee table or something. So I picked him up and he seemed fine. But when I put him down he ran right into his crate. He was in there about five minutes when he started crying and crying. I was thinking he'd gotten caught some way.. I went to look and he was holding up his left front leg. I got him out and he can't stand on that leg... he was shaking and crying. Finally I got him into a position where he stopped crying but was still shaking. Called the vet. (Saturday of course)... they will open the office to see him at 4:30.

I'll be back with the diagnosis. Please hope it isn't broken. This dog is a deer chihuahua.. he's taller than a regular chihuahua, but his legs are stick thin. I've read they aren't supposed to jump off of furniture or beds or anything because their legs are weak. But he jumps up and down all the time. Not really any way you can stop that.

J.

What's today, you say?????

Today is TEACH the dog NOT to bark day.. yep today is the day. At the end of today we will have a good idea of which one of us will go, if either. I am NOT willing to listen to his barking constantly. It simply cannot happen. I've been reading all day long and have come up with this idea.. Take an empty soda can...i only had a V-8 can, (same thing) clean it out, add at least 10-12 pennys. Tape the top shut and whenever he barks shake it violently and say, "NO BARK".... ok I did that once and you should have seen how surprised he looked. He ran to his crate and stayed there for awhile. He is now laying in the living room watching the neighbor go in and out doing something. Is this a good sign? I can only hope.

Stay tuned.
J

Does anyone ever really know another?

Doubt it. I doubt it very much.

Bad day today.. dog barked almost continuously with that awful shrill bark of his. He can't stand to see a car go by or anyone walk by... if someone fourteen doors down goes out to mail a letter he barks. My only alternative is to close the blinds. And I absolutely hate a dark house. I've always liked my house open and light. It's so depressing with everything closed up and dark. So what is the answer? I haven't any. He's a good dog. Smart to and fun. But when he barks all that fun and smartness doesn't mean a whole lot. I'm very tired tonight. Very very tired.

Friday... television isn't even much good tonight. Probably be cops or the friday night fights. I don't think I want to watch that. I'm not in a good mood now. Stuff happens. Tomorrow will be better. I need to do something outside the house. Need to go somewhere. Not take the dog. I feel tied sometimes. Hate that. But I know if we are to have peace we have to be the ones to make our own. No one is responsible for another. I'll find my way here, any minute now.

J

A Sunny Day.... Ahhhh

Yes the sun shone all day long... not quite as bright as it should have been but it was sun and it wasn't rain. No wind either. I opened up all the blinds and the dog had a ball just laying in the sun rays. He lays in one window till the sun moves and then he finds it in another window... Following the sun. He was still a little peaked this morning. Acted like he had a tummy ache so his diet today has been boiled white rice, yogurt and cottage cheese. He played ok so I think he's gonna be ok. I made his coverlet thingie... but ya'll have to check out my craft blog to see it.

I kept busy all day in hopes it would tire my mind... would like to not think sometimes. Just sit and be blank. Hard turning thoughts off sometimes. I used to think I was so superior because I could turn them off and just go on.. Maybe things change. Maybe it was just that the things I could so easily turn off were just little rocks in the road. Maybe I'd never encountered a real boulder of a thought. Lottsa maybes in this world. Not a whole lot of sure things. Day by day is the only way to take it.

J.

My day in a nutshell...

Didn't sleep very good. Why? There are no answers. Could have been one of many things. I did have pain in my knee. And I was listening for leaking ceilings.... and I got to thinking about the doggie coat thingie I want to make. Was wondering what I could do to it to make it better... Anyway I got tired of laying in bed wide awake so I got up at 4:30 a.m.

It stopped raining. Mac checked the leak and put some stuff on it that should take care of it. We went to Walmart and I bought some blue flannel and blue sort of denim like material for the dogs apparrel.. But doggie doesn't feel good tonight. Can't figure out what's wrong with him. No spunk and his nose is warm. What a touchy little dog he is. Maybe he got too cold or wet the last few days.. but he was fine this morning. Hard to know. He was good this afternoon too when he chased the vacuum cleaner all around. Maybe he's just tired.

I saw the sun for awhile today... I like that. Maybe we'll have sunshine tomorrow too before the new storm gets here on the weekend. Spring... where are you?

J

Ark plans needed....

Unstopping. That's what the rain has been for the last few days. We may get a break tomorrow. Hope so. I'm so very tired of wet, damp air.

Well... I made the pattern for the doggie coat. If it isn't pouring down rain tomorrow I think I'll go to walmart and get the material for it. Looks like it will be easy to make. Have to tell you the dog was not amused when I used the tape measure around his neck... he crouched down with his tail between his legs and his ears back.. think that was bad? You should have seen him when I tried the paper pattern on him...lol he looked like he was being punished. But he likes sweaters and in the morning when it's cold he comes to me to put his sweater on him. If this coat thing works I can see myself designing some neat little things for him to wear... why I might even start up a business. These little things that will cost less than two bucks to make sell for up to $15. I was looking at some online last night that were going for hundreds of dollars. Yeah, I could make a few bucks. People always want designer clothes for their dogs. And they also want one of a kind things.... hey, it's a thought, isn't it?

J

Rain, rain go away.. at least for a few days.

Enough already... that's enough. It has rained so much we are going to float away. Our bathroom roof sprang a leak. Well, not the roof actually but I think it's around the fan vent.. started with just a bit of a drip but now it's a big stream. We were up all night emptying the dishpan every half hour or so. Tonight we have an ice chest positioned under the drips and stream... but I still worry about the ceiling and what all that water is doing to it. Can't get up there and fix it till it stops raining... A break would be nice now.. Sun would help my mood and disposition too I betcha...

Other than watching the rain, I've done very little again today. But I did do 50 pulls on the cardioglide, twenty minutes on the exercise bike and about 15-20 minutes walking through the house with my walking sticks... 'bout drove the dog nuts. Funny thing he is. Speaking of the dog, I saw the cutest little coat for dogs... made from flannel. Opens flat and fits on with velcro. I think they would be so easy to make and I think I'm going to try one. At least that way I could pick my pattern and color of material. Ever notice the cute little sweaters and clothes for girl dogs? What do you see for boy dogs? Motorcycle jackets and army shirts. Nope didn't want those.

Time to turn on my blankie...

J

Bedtime, at least for me...

I did something today I've never done before. I wore those funky type pajama pants everyone is wearing. Course I didn't go out in them, but I wore them in the house. Boy are they ever comfortable. Only problem is though, they have no pockets. But I have to tell you they are so comfy I'm thinking of getting another pair. I found these on a sale rack at walmart way back around New Years... Cost me all of three bucks. They have funny little rabbits printed on them and the words Zen Master written all over them. Maybe that rabbit is some kind of cartoon character, don't know cause I don't keep up with that stuff. All I know is these are the most comfortable pants Ive ever had....

J.

Inaction...

"Irons rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind." ~Leonardo da Vinci, Notebooks, 1508

He's speaking here, of course about using our minds.. We know, or should, that mind exercises are absolutely important for several reasons. Keeping our minds active help to keep us young. There are many ways to keep ones mind active, reading, learning, word games, anything that challenges thought.

But I'd like to go one step farther and say this quote may also apply to our whole selves. Keeping our bodies active will help to keep us in better health. If we are inactive to the point of sitting most of the time our bodies become stagnant from disuse. It's true. And it's simple to prevent. We must move around. Do something. Anything, but move move move. I don't want to be the little old lady who just sits in her rocking chair doing nothing.

Now the question becomes one of motivation... How do we motivate ourselves? Maybe just knowing the consequences of our inaction is motivation enough?

J.

Daily Report....

What did I do today? Hmmmm well, I did check some photo albums. I want to print some pictures of last years family reunion and get those in an album. Haven't done that yet. And there are a few other events that need documenting like the Fourth of July at Ramons house. Then I have a baggie full of pictures from reunions of long ago that need to be put in an album. Also looked for a few pictures that I thought were stored on cds but to no avail. They aren't anywhere.

I wish it were spring. I'm needing sunshine so. I did read up on vitamin d and the symptoms it causes when one is deficient... I have all the symptoms almost. I think I'll buy a supplement. Maybe I'll get a bit of energy. I have none right now. No enthusiasm for anything. I need to change this, but am not sure how.

Wind above fifty miles per hour is forcast for tonight after midnight.. that should be fun. Last year the wind blew our shingles off and we had to get a new roof. Don't think that will happen this year. We folded up our chairs on the porch so they wouldn't blow around. I know we need rain, but I need sunshine. Spring can't come too soon for me. I want to smell the jasmine and watch the hummingbirds. I'll sit on my porch and be skinny enough to cross my legs. That's a biggie ya know.

J

Friday already... what happened to yesterday?

I guess I'm old because time seems to be going faster and faster. I get up in the morning and by the time I've turned around twice it's time to go to bed again. I guess that's a good thing because by that time I'm ready to lay my body down... but I don't take naps like lots of retired people do. The only time I might sleep in the daytime is if I'm sick. Maybe if I did take a nap I could stay up later. But actually I don't want to stay up later. There's nothing on TV worth watching late anyway. And one can only sit and write boring blogs just so long.. So why not go to sleep and then be able to get up at a decent time in the morning. I get up early at about 5:30 a.m. most days. Let me see what did I do interesting and extra today. Went to Kmart. Bought two pair of diabetic socks. Got filters for the heater. Went to Winco. Bought beef shanks, beans, jalepenos, salad, cauliflower, eggs, hominy and some brown sugar twin. Stopped at Walmart and got Macs low carb milk. That was my exciting day.. Windy. Was horribly windy last night and it spooked the dog. Sounds like the same out there tonight. Tomorrow has to be more exciting, doesn't it?

J

Thursday...

Nothing much going on here.. I was checking out some files on my computer... cleaning it up a bit when I came to a file which I had named, "Stuff I Like".... wasn't much in it. Wonder if that means I don't like much stuff? But the 'stuff' that was in it I really do like. Here's what I found stuck in that file....

The story of "The Little Match Girl"
The story by O Henry, "Gift of the Magi"
The story called, " A Cup of Christmas Tea"
A Poem called, "When Tomorrow Starts Without Me"
Copy of first Corinthians Chapter Thirteen
Funny email called, "God's Voice Mail"
A Poem called, "With Every Goodbye"

A short story I wrote about "Ice Cream"
A quote that says, " Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work." H. L. Hungt

And a copy of Kiko's resume....

Stuff..... that I like.

J

Valentines Day

Back when I was working, I had different activities for the residents. We had so many people living there from various backgrounds and different interests. Lots of the ladies had been volunteers of one sort or another when they were able to do things. They still had the spirit of giving in their hearts and were at their happiest when doing for others. I found out about a Valentines for Vets program and mentioned it to them. The idea was to make Valentines, sign them and send them to Veterans homes. They were so enthusiastic and put forth some of their best work. It was heart warming and yet sad at the same time. I had two ladies who had forgotten how to spell their own names. I had others whose handwriting was barely legible.. but they did the best they could and they did it with so much love... here's the letter I wrote on behalf of the residents....

February 8, 2000

RE: Valentines for Veterans

On behalf of St John’s Retirement Village and the Personal Care Unit, please accept these valentines for our Veterans, made with love and care in our craft and bible study groups by seniors ages seventy-five to one hundred. We are proud to be a part of the Valentines for Veterans Project again this year.

Sincerely,

Jenny Decaillet

Activity Director

St Johns Retirement Village
--------------------------------
I printed off several hundred valentines on my computer. The residents colored or painted and decorated them, then signed their names to them. It was such a successful project. We did that every year that I worked there.
J.

No Shopping for me today

I said I was going to the pet store and hospice store.... but I didn't. It was cold, windy and drizzly. Just didn't feel like doing it. Actually didn't do much of anything the whole day. Tried to figure out a place to set the card table so I can put the sewing machine on it. Don't want it in the way. That's as far as I got with that. I did play three songs on the keyboard which was fun. I don't play that often enough anymore. Ever feel like you've flat assed lost the day? I read a quote earlier....

Lives, like money, are spent. What are you buying with yours?
Roy H. Williams

Sort of made me wonder.... lost the day so didn't 'buy' anything today... how many days will I lose? how many do I have? That's why I hate wasting a day.

I think I'll go to bed and if I get up in the morning maybe I can make something of the day. And if I don't get up, play the song, "My Way".... but please not by Frank Sinatra. Nope don't like the way he sang.

J

A B.B.Blog....

Know what a B. B. Blog.... it's a blasted boring blog. That's what it is. I'm going to have to do a little better than this. I should think of a theme... no I already have blogs with themes. There's the dieting blog, the poetry blog and the crafty blog. This one should stay the multi-purpose blog, or the What... Ever blog. I guess my life is boring. I'm not ever really bored though even though sometimes I do nothing. Like today. I practically wasted the day. Hate wasting days. I like accomplishing at least one extra thing. Today it just didn't happen. Today I got so stressed with the dogs barking. ... Tomorrow I think I'll go to the pet store and get a mitt to brush him with. Need to get out of the house. Maybe I'll stop by the hospice store. Guess that's my plan for tomorrow. Does it sound exciting? Well... here's a picture for you..

J

Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!

Seems like a hard morning today... some days are like that. My blood sugar must be high. Hate feeling out of whack. Should get busy. Maybe exercise will help. I was doing ok till the dog started barking at every little thing. He has the most awful piercing bark that strikes me right in the gut and the head. At times like this I wish I didn't have a dog. I simply cannot stand that particular level of noise. I wonder how to teach him he does NOT need to bark at every single movement. If a car goes down the road, he barks. If someone four doors down goes out to get their mail he barks. If someone walks down the road or rides a bicycle down the road he barks. I'm afraid if I can't figure out how to stop that one of us is going to have to go. I hate caging him up too much. I don't want to lock him in the back room or anything, but I do know something needs to change. Can't have him barking like that. Don't want to and won't. It's simply not peaceful.

J

Boring Day..guess that's good

I've come to the conclusion that what appears to be a boring day to others, is really just a peaceful day for me. I like peace. I like quiet. Today I cut out the doll pattern and the pieces for the dolls body.. Marked all the darts etc and tomorrow hopefully I will begin sewing it. Wish I didn't have a bum thumb... would make life a lot easier... but then I suppose I should give thanks that I do have a thumb. Some don't even have hands. Still even though I am thankful, i'd like my thumb to work better. At some point I won't be able to do crafty things. Don't want to think about that.

Raining today.. really raining. Thunder and lightning earlier was pretty loud. Made me remember when we lived in the little house in the alfalfa field where Susie was born on Rd 25... we had a storm one night... lightning hit the transformer outside, travelled along the wires, into the house and broke every lightbulb in the chandelier in the living room. We heard a loud pop, suddenly everything went dark and we heard the bulbs shatter. My mom yelled at us to not move. She was afraid we would get cut on all that glass. Never liked lightning much. Don't like any kind of storms. I like spring when everything seems new again.

J

Busy Lives... a good thing?

Young families of today are busier than they were when I had my children growing up. I'm sure it's true. There are so many activities for kids to do... many more than there were years ago. School takes up more time because most school work is now done at home. Children put in a lot of hours. I'm not sure that's all good. I think children need to be encouraged to use their imaginations... everything shouldn't be planned 'for' them. Parents are so busy they hardly have time for each other, let alone extended families. I remember calling my Mom at least twice a week... and when she lived closer I called her daily. But maybe I had more time. I remember going to visit my Mom on weekends... taking the whole family and spending the weekend at Grandmas house. We always took food and did odd jobs for her around the house. Sometimes I only cleaned the stove, but I did something. Other times we worked in the yard or put down tile in the kitchen. Stuff. We did stuff. And sometimes we just barbequed or made other food...The kids loved going. I taught them Grandma was a special person, which she was.

Times change... not always for the better. It's sad in a way... that many kids will not have that sense of extended family... Hard for me as an older person to understand.

Past this old lady's bedtime. Seeya tomorrow.

J

The Everly Brothers have nothing on me...

Talk about dreaming, oh boy, I think I either had a lot of gas or my blood sugar was high, maybe both. I had a hekka time getting to sleep and then when I did I dreamed some majorly stupid dreams.. These are the bits and pieces of those dreams...

First I remember I was in Bagdad... They forced me to marry some woman and when I did they put a seal on my cheek. She listed all her childrens names but I wasn't allowed to list mine because they were americans and so they didn't count.. Then I was sitting at a table, a little round table in some bar... then I was in a big big big house with aqua colored mirrored 12x12 inch tiles. The walls were tiled half way up and there was a big shiny wood stove in the middle of the floor on a platform of some kind that was also tiled. No furniture anywhere, but lots of doorways and looking through those doorways I could see many more rooms all covered in the same aqua mirrored tiles. The lady who I married was scrubbing the floor and polishing it. She said I had to scrub too. I didn't want to. There were several other women polishing too. When I questioned why they were polishing the floor, they said it was their duty... it was what they were put on earth to do.. egads that's all I can remember. I woke up with a bad headache.

On a different subject, today I was trying to think of finger foods.. yes that's right. Stuff you can eat with no utensils except of course your hands.. Here's a few I came up with...

hot dogs on a stick
shish kabobs
cookies
candy
muffins
biscuits
pigs in a blanket
individual cheese cakes
popovers
cream puffs
doughnuts
fruit
raw veggies with dip
chips
chicken/tortilla rollups
chicken terriyaki on a stick
corn on the cob
sandwiches
fried chicken
stuffed celery
popsicles
ice cream cones
candy canes
fruit rollups
fish sticks
crackers
wraps
watermelon
deviled eggs
grapes
cheese
nuts
pita sandwiches
mini pizzas on english muffins
cakes
brownies
rice krispie treats
spring rolls
pizza
biscotti
chex party mix
tamales
tacos
burritos
chimichangas
quesadillas
asparagus
stuffed mushrooms
tostadas
cinnamon rolls
fried prawns
hamburgers
french fries
artichokes
cornbread

Hows that?

J

Another day...

First of all I have to tell you my dog had another incident today... he was chewing on this rawhide bone... when all of a sudden he began to yelp and cry.. I looked down and he had his teeth stuck into it and couldn't get it out. I had to pry his mouth open farther and physically pull that damn piece of rawhide out of his mouth.. Left his red sweater at Christina's house I think. Can't find it. He just loves sweaters and he begs me to put them on him when it's cold.. what a funny little thing he is.

I didn't do a whole lot today. We went to Anderson Walmart.. didn't buy too much. The 100 calorie bagels there were $2.44 compared to $4.79 at Raleys. I left a roast cooking in the crockpot so dinner was easy. Took half a pain pill when we got home and when it kicked in I decided to switch my cupboards.. I put the food where the dishes were and vice versa.. moved the microwave where the toaster oven was and vice versa...isn't this so interesting? Watched the biggest loser.. what torture those people go through. It's a little much I'd say. No one can keep up that amount of exercise for long. What happens when they quit exercising so much? I heard the winner from two years ago has gained 122 pounds back. What a shame.. Seems like if a person worked that hard to lose it they wouldn't let themselves regain it..

It's raining. I usually don't have energy when it rains. What do you get when you have a blank mind? I know, I know. You get this blog post.

Oh Oh Oh I remembered the most important thing of all.. the other recipe I found was for a snacky type food called Tumbleweeds.. You make it by mixing peanut butter chips and peanut butter, warm that in the microwave and stir it up good, then add peanuts and potato sticks. You know those potato sticks that come in a can.. you know the ones where once you start eating them you can't stop till there gone.. not that they taste so great, it's the salty crunch that keeps you going.. well anyway, you mix that all together and drop it by spoonfuls on wax paper and it sets up firm. Doesn't that sound so yummy to you? Sort of on the same theme as Haystacks I guess.

J

And random thoughts it will be....

Tonight my thoughts are on my dog... I think he's accident prone. Yes I do. This little guy is always doing something. Just the last few days he's had several incidents.. When we went to Oregon, first of all he almost froze to death in a motel with no carpets.. then Cambry's cat clawed his ear and he bled all over the place... he was traumatized for the rest of the day.. Next day, I was in the kitchen cooking and he was behind me, but I didn't know it and stepped on him.. not just a little step but stepped hard. He cried and avoided me for several hours. Yesterday he was pretending to kill his toy, growling and shaking his head when he suddenly bopped his head into the side of my desk. Tonight he was running like a fool, which he does sometimes when he wants to play... well he ran right into the corner of the wall.. bumped his head so hard and hasn't really felt good since. He lay on my lap for an hour and a half covered in a little blanket. Now he's in his crate asleep. Once he swallowed a bee and it stung him on the way down. We had to take him to the vet for a shot and some medication. I've had other dogs in my life. I don't remember any of them having so many problems. I wonder if they did and I was just too busy to notice? Hmmm now that's something else for me to think about...

J

Whew... I'm tired.

I cleaned my bedroom. Not just lightly, I mean I really cleaned my bedroom... the shades, windows, behind the night stands, close to the walls, dusted the whole thing, washed the closet door mirrors and the whole nine yards.. then I swiffered my bathroom and wiped out the wash bowl.. cleaned the glass shelves with windex and cleaned the toilet.. that was a good days worth of work. lol. I remember, not even long ago, I would clean the whole house in one day.. I'd start in the bedroom and work my way up. Everything would be vacuumed, dusted, every single thing would be clean.. Man I wish I could do that again. Ain't gonna happen I don't think. But this is boring. I also sat on the porch for awhile and read some Taste of Home magazines that I bought for 50cents at the flea market.. Love that book. No advertisements in it either. Just food. I love food. I found two recipes I want to try. Thinking of making them for the family reunion finger food potluck. One is asparagus rollups.. not in a tortilla, but in flattened bread with cream cheese and stuff.. rolled up, buttered, sprinkled with parmesan and baked... yum. The other is oooops....senior moment. What the heck was that? Well good thing I dog eared the page, I can go back to check.. now which one of those books was it in? I'll let ya know tomorrow.

J

Well I did it....

Yes, I opened the box that contains the pattern and material I will need to make my little doll named Violet. She's just as cute as I remember her. I think I might even cut out the pattern tomorrow. Silly I guess, but I'm looking forward to seeing if this one will be as cute as the one I did so many years ago... wonder how many years ago that was? Had to be well over twenty years. My hands don't work so good now. My thumbs are practically worthless so I know it's going to be quite a bit more difficult to sculpt now. But I am determined and will do it. And that's about what I did today... oh, wait, I did sit outside in the pergola for about half an hour while the dog looked for bugs or whatever it is he does out there sniffing at this and that. He loves it out there. But he's a barker and unfortunately this park,, which is a senior park, frowns on any kind of noise. Even if it's not all that much, they gripe and complain. Not much life around here. Most of the residents are too old to be lively. I don't care. I'm not lively either, but I don't complain about every little thing either. I'm not gonna sweat stuff that's unimportant... I don't care if they think my dog isn't a 'good' neighbor. The lady across the street is slightly bonkers anyway... she drinks I guess, and when there's a football game on you can hear her screaming and cussing all the way over here. I've never complained, yet she had the audacity to complain about our dog.. and he really does not bark much. He will bark if someone walks by too close. And he does bark at the mail man and the garbage truck.. He hates the ups truck too... but that's not an everyday thing.. People should lighten up. It would not only do us good, it would do themselves good. It doesn't cost much to be nice.. I can afford that.

J

Sunday Night

Home from a too fast trip to Oregon... those three grandkids up there have certainly grown up... they carry on such neat conversations and are so much fun. They had such a good time opening their Christmas gifts.. amazing how one opens a gift while everyone watches and then they each talk about that gift for a few minutes and actually seem to enjoy it with the reciever. Then they go to the next person and everyone watches... Never is there two people opening gifts at the same time. I think that's good. Anyway I think they are growing up to be great people. We had an amazing lunch of chili beans and homemade cornbread.. so good. They had ground their own corn.. imagine the taste. Eating like that makes me want so much to go back to those kinds of foods. It's good, whole grain and wholesome... nothing packaged or pre-made or full of preservatives and unnatural ingredients. No pop in the microwave, heat and eat stuff there.. They make their own bread, soups, stews, salads and beans.. they make tortillas and eat strawberries with cream. They eat real butter and lots of home made yogurt. I actually think our kids would do better in school and be less overweight if we'd all go back to cooking real honest to goodness wholesome identifiable food.

J