Once again, I cannot believe it's been so long since I've written here. Good news/bad news: I've written hardly anything, anywhere. Finally wrote and mailed a letter to Loretta this week. Fingers crossed I'll write more soon (hoping to pen one to Andrea and another to Doris by weekend's end). SIGH.

On my mind: 

Struggling to get some "house" things done: new roof, mower repaired, lawn care, animal/pest removal. Ever try to find the right person for the job? As a homeowner, it seems to be both a crapshoot and just plain luck. I've followed up on many suggestions for someone to do something, only to find out that person was awful or had severely critical reviews. Sadly, I'm getting to critical mass on a couple: the roof is leaking and we now have both mice and a groundhog. UGH!

Health issues have blossomed and grown. Yeah, part of the aging process. But some are at critical mass (just like my house ones, eh?). Dang! Right now, dealing with a sinus infection that has affected my hearing (lots of noise in my ears, too) and my energy level (to almost none).

All things I'd rather not think about and so, I'm in stuck mode.

Miss my husband; miss my wonderful animals. Grateful for sunny days.

Another day in. I'm excited. Just finished listening to Oliver Sacks' book Gratitude. It's absolutely wonderful and inspiring. Got me up and moving -- I was just going to waste the day because, well, I felt like crap emotionally. Ugh!

Discovered I had three more books available, so I immediately downloaded them and started reading one: The Secret, Book and Scone Society, the first book in a new series by Ellery Adams. Two chapters in, I'm hooked! Here are a few quotes that caught my eye and heart:  In response to how she selects a pastry, Nora says she only wonders, "Can I eat that without having to put my book down."  Truly a wise method! To a potential client/reader: "...books, once opened, reveal our communal story. And, if you're lucky, the words in those books will force you to grapple the hardest truths of your life." And, best of all: "Becoming a reader is a change for the better. Stories are like people. If you don't approach them with an open mind and a healthy dose of respect, they won't reveal their hidden selves to you. In that event, you'll miss out on what they have to offer." Wonderful words echoing my feelings and thoughts I less eloquently tried to share with readers over the years. Oh, how I wish I'd  had those words to share at some book group gatherings!!! Looking forward to settling in later and finishing the book.

Going to do a little cleaning up around here and then write some letters. It's April 11th and I haven't written much despite wanting to write a letter every day since April is National Letter Writing Month. Feel inspired by Mr. Sacks' words, so going to shake the doldrums and get writing. Wish me luck, bonne chance, buena suerte, powodzenia and more. Now to enjoy a cuppa and begin!

April 7, 2020

Oh, my goodness. It's been a year? Worse, it's now a weird world. How do I focus on this piece in this crazy time? Maybe just mention a few bits and pieces of how the past year went.

• read over 100 books last year -- Yay! Enjoyed so many that were out of my usual preferences
• move to advance level in Tai Chi
• lost my last furry friend, Shadow, in December 2018
• stopped writing, including writing letters, my most favorite way of communicating
• developed more and more severe allergies and struggled with bronchitis for over five months now; have a very annoying, aggravating, blah, blah, blah cough that will not go away!  
• because of above, had to stop going to classes and meetings except those online -- miss them

So, this is me and my life for now.  Like many, I am trying to make a new life out of a restricted structure with health issues compounding it. Not a fan of being hobbled, so I am constantly on the lookout for fun things people are doing (and there are many!) and am trying a few.  Started making all kinds of recipes and meals I haven't made before or in a long time. Happy results most of the time. Also, decided to start wearing my "good" clothes everyday, clothes I usually wear out in public or for special occasions. I'm really enjoying this!

Well, a brief update. Hope to start writing more (deja vu, eh?) here and elsewhere. And reading more. Finished a mystery last night: Tea Cups and Carnage by Lynn Cahoon. A fun read with a very interesting twist! 

Well, need to eat since I haven't eaten since tea and a bagel this morning. Sigh. Have a wonderful day!

C

Brr.. and a Reading Challenge

January 30, 2019 Brr...it's bitter cold here and with the wind, it's even worse. Just learned about this reading challenge and decided to join in the fun! I learned about it from Care's Books and Pies blog. This year's challenge is being hosted by Andrea at carolinabooknook.

What's In A Name Challenge 2019

The challenge extends from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019.  

The rules: You can sign up any time, but only count books that you read between those dates. Read a book in any format (hard copy, ebook, audio) with a title that fits in each category. Don’t use the same book for more than one category. Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed, it’s encouraged! You can choose your books as you go or make a list ahead of time.

Below is the list of categories from which choose your books from - with some examples I might read.

• A precious stone/metal  (ex.,  Ruby, The Five Red Herrings [Sayers])
• A temperature  (ex. In Cold Blood, Farenheit 451)
• A month or day of the week  (ex. The Wednesday Letters, Light in August)
• A meal  (ex., Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Eat, Pray, Love)
• Contains the word “girl” or “woman”  (ex., The Only Woman in the Room, Third Girl [Christie])
• Contains both the words “of” AND “and” (ex. ,Of Mice and Men, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil)

I'm a little late to the party, but I think I can get one read between tonight and tomorrow. Then, maybe I'll create a list; if not, I'll just pick one and read it as the year goes along. 

January 2019!

Where does the time go? It sounds so stupid now, but I fully intended to write more, especially here, and yet.... Sigh.

Read what I wrote last July and could not believe how much happened in the time in between. Sadly, Huck died. I felt awful; could not stop crying. Ended up not going to any classes or events for over a week. Just couldn't face seeing people being alive and happy and thinking about all the ones I'd lost, especially recently. Then Shadow's health began to decline, and he eventually died December 1st. I just couldn't seem to find my balance and didn't realize it until I pretty much stopped doing anything that I enjoyed or that made me happy. ("One of the saddest things in life is the things one remembers." Agatha Christie)

But life and time goes on and here I am. Brrr... it's winter here. I mean really winter! Our temps have been below 10 degrees lots of nights and some days. And then there's the wind chill which has reduced the temp often. In fact, the experts are warning us again that the wind chill is expected to be so low for the rest of the week that exposed skin will freeze immediately! I am so done with winter. I need to research possible places to go next year for maybe December-January and possibly February, too. Where to go?

Well, I've lost momentum. Agatha Christie is running through my mind; I need to get reading. The Last Mrs. Parrish is the next book for the mystery book group and we're meeting next week. Yikes!

July 21, 2018
Back again! June flew by. This year I celebrated a BIG birthday! I was going to celebrate by doing something really special, but the Sunday before, Father's Day, I went hiking at Clark Reservation with Susan. We had pretty much finished, deciding not to do the last leg of the hike (we'd been walking for almost 2 hours).

At the end of the Table Rock trail, we came to a spot where one has to jump about 2' to get off. One of the young guides insisted on helping me and I accepted although it flashed through my mind I shouldn't (reminder: listen to my inner voice). Anyway, she sort of took hold of my fingers and I started down. My foot slipped on the rock (I hadn't slipped once before and it is quite a long bunch of rocks) and I started to fall. She let go of me and I fell this way and that, ending up on my left foot. Ouch! I'd had enough, so did not want to go to the emergency room (and never thought of going to an Urgent Care site -- dang!), so asked Susan to take me home. She wanted to stop, so I compromised with a stop at Carvel's in Dewitt. Delicious!

Went to the dr. Tuesday when I realized it really looked horrible (black, red, very, very swollen) and was extremely painful. Yay! No broken bones, just a very bad sprain. The NP wrapped it and sent me home. Put ice on it -- hilarious! Ever put an ice pack on an ankle? It won't fold around of sit for very long and IT HURTS the bruise. Left the wrap on for two days, then noticed my toes were turning a lovely blue shade, so took it off. Since then, I've wrapped it lightly off and on. 

Still, the week went by quickly and okay, and my birthday was fine. Got a few cards and calls, but not a single one of either from a family member. No surprise, I know, but still...... Got a call from a friend I hadn't heard from in over a year and a card from a childhood friend who very randomly sends me one, so I never know about her. I write her occasionally (well, used to), but she never writes back. I faithfully sent her a birthday card every year, but because she seldom sent me one, I stopped. Then she started sending me one nearly every year. What? Very odd.

Still going to figure out some trip and place to go and just do it. Have to plan because Shadow's (cat) health issues have worsened and he takes more medication.  

Talked to Joan several times recently. She says she's really interested in moving up here or somewhere in between Bingo and here in the very near future. She had asked me to send her info for places, but I hesitated, then never did. I did not want her telling her kids that I had sent her the stuff without bothering to say she asked for it (I'm learning, eh?). Anyway, she called to talk about this, so I just suggested she write down names and I went on line and looked up places in several towns. We'll see if she bothers to call or email them

Still working on trying to live my best life, however many years I may have left.  I've got to stop letting my grief keep my inactive. Missing Richard is okay, I just can't let it limit me. To that end, I finally called a grief counselor again, and she scheduled me the very next day (yesterday). Good visit. She mostly listened, but was very kind and respectful. I like her style.

Lots of stuff to do around the house. The plumber got the kitchen sink issue resolved (very expensively, sorry to say). So, now I need to get bids/information for repairing or replacing the roof, repairing the deck and spraying the fence. Also, need to get the snow thrower and mower serviced because Huck is no longer able to do anything. 

Fran and I are finally going to get together next week to celebrate my birthday. Going to see a review of Buddy Holly songs (I think it's one guy, but not sure). Should be fun!

June 12, 2018
The day before Richard's birthday. Been a tough year (two?). Last December, Joey died; Chuck (Richard's cousin and our friend) also died. I still grieve for Joey and think fondly of both men. Chuck and Richard were very close when young and when Rich and I first dated. Rich's parents helped Chuck when his wife was very ill, often taking meals over for Chuck and the kids.  Chuck's parents were long gone, so Perry and Doris' kindess was greatly welcomed, especially since we no longer lived in that area.

Been struggling with loss ever since Joe died. I can only think that it is due in part to missed opportunities. I was actually going to visit Joe and Frank this year. Probably not at Derby time because there is always so much going on I don't get to spend a lot of time with them. And, of course, I doubled back to missed opportunities with Rich. Ugh!

So, what's new? After a lousy fall and winter (sickness, family issues, deaths, grief, more sickness), I signed up for courses this semester. Back to book clubs/groups. I attend only a couple, but read the books for four. Still having trouble with my vision (after the cataract surgery); some days, my eyes just don't feel good while reading, and even get headaches after just a little while of reading. Taking Tai Chi again. Yay! Also, I am taking a course in pictorial calligraphy. Supposed to be practicing as I type...tee hee. It's mostly about strokes and how to use them to make some basic designs -- leafs, feathers, trees, pastries, etc. The fall course will cover letters and numbers. I'm progressing very slowly and poorly even though the instructor regularly compliments my efforts! (She wants me to succeed, especially because of my hand--she said so. Hmmmm......)

Shadow is hanging in there. Or should I say doing well for a 19-year old cat with hyperthyroidism and kidney disease? He's been a blessing despite his big paws which carry litter all over the house and the never-ending struggle to get his pills down his throat twice a day! He's napping at my side as I type, which is another blessing because he has picked up the habit of walking across the keyboard. Crazy!

A beautiful day even though the temp is too high for this area this time of year. It's okay, though, because the humidity is low--yay! Stopped in The Distillery for coffee and apple crisp while a friend's car was in for maintenance. Brought up an interesting discussion about coffee out today: in most restaurants, it is not hot enough. It wasn't today; she nuked it to warm it up. Sometimes it's bitter (it was today). I drink coffee out because no one (except me) makes a decent cup of tea today. Tea out is usually awful, partly because no one boils the water anymore and also because most of the teas are run-of-the-mill tea bags. No thank you! The apple crisp was wonderful, though. 

Well, another entry, another promise: I am going to try and write on this with some regularity. I daren't promise every day though I hope to do so. So, off to write some letters -- I'm way behind on replying to people, also. Grief. It really did take over my soul. Wish me well.  Best.