Just a little meme

 

 

Hermione posted this meme yesterday - and as I have nothing much to say today - thought I would share my version......... 

 

 

 What can you see out of your window?
a pot of golden mums - sitting on the front steps - celebrating the Fall season

Choose five words to describe yesterday.
cleaning / filing / washing / organising / baking

 
The most memorable death in your lifetime (other than family)?
I  lost suddenly and shockingly 2 friends this summer (not from covid) Made me realize - yet again - how fragile life actually is - and how important it is to live each day to it's fullest 

 
Tell us 3 things about yourself that your readers don't know.
I am a published children's book author, I HATE green vegetables and refuse to eat them, I used to do ballet and jazz ballet

What was the last conversation you had with someone.
It's first thing in the morning - and no one except us are up and about - so it has to be a conversation with Sir Steve about his appointment this morning and what time he's picking me up (I am going with him) 

Tell us about a kindness from someone.
Our neighbour dropped off a Halloween gift bag for the lil one - and a bag of cherry tomatoes from her garden

What was the last song you heard?
Bryan Adam's 18 Till I die 

 
What is the most expensive item you have bought in the past month?
groceries - hey what can I tell you??!!  we lead a boring life (grinning)
besides - saving my pennies for Christmas shopping.

 
What three things would you take to a desert island?
camera / books / sunblock (HEY I'm fair and burn easily!!)

 
What are your plans for the weekend.
shopping.... watching football... trying a new restaurant (well ordering and picking it up - still can't bring myself to eat IN)

Well that was fun...........

Liquid Diet

 

 

I have been on a liquid diet for the last 3 days.... not liquor liquid diet...just a clear liquid diet.  It was easy at first (cause I was sick) and not so easy by the 2nd day dinner time.  Mind you I had made glazed baked ham for dinner and it smelled SO good !!  I sat sipping my chicken broth while the lil one and Sir Steve gobbled down the ham..... le sigh.  Today I am adding soda crackers to the chicken broth diet and despite my hunger it doesn't really appeal........ mind you today neither does the baked ham.

A couple of years ago my family doctor talked to me about intermittent fasting.. he's a big fan ..... believes it can help control weight/sugar and cholesterol. I didn't bring up my eating disorders...... after all he was giving me permission to not eat right??? Except Sir Steve keeps an eye on my eating/ food intact.  He's subtle and not the least bit heavy handed about it.... which is a good combination.  He recognises that most of the time my not eating is not actually a choice.  This summer has been a delicate balancing act of eating/not eating.  And because of it I had lost about 10 pounds.  (not complaining because I would like to lose another 10 pounds) 

I got on the scales this morning - cause I wanted to know how much weight I had lost doing this liquid diet.  4 pounds - 4 pounds in three days!!!  I had a moment - just a brief moment - calculating how many more days on this liquid diet would get me down those 10 pounds.  Then logic stepped in..... my muscles ache and I have no energy - so no way can I do any more days of this.....I have to start introducing solid foods..... but for someone like me - this is very tempting.

(wanders off thinking maybe a little pasta tonite............... )

 

It's Monday - AGAIN

 

 "Bee Positive" is gonna be my motto for this week - welllllll at least I'm gonna try!

We had a reasonably quiet peaceful weekend....... 

Saturday we went back to the country to do the final winterizing - it's a bit hard to believe that Fall is here - the leaves are only just starting to turn... last year I stopped and took a picture of the road in........ the leaves were a pretty yellow - this year not so much............

After a couple of hours of storing garden furniture in the shed - vacuuming from top to bottom - and shutting the water off - and spreading moth balls in drawers, in cupboards, on window ledges, on the beds (in an effort to discourage the mice) ....... we locked the doors and headed back to the city. 

The rest of the weekend we just vegged - watched the TV shows we had 'taped' from last week and had a quiet time - recharging our batteries for the week ahead.

There was some stress though - I'm beginning to think there is always gonna be stress - le sigh.  On Saturday the lil one's school posted that they had a case of Covid........ GAH!!  and I hate - HATE - the protocols that are in place.  IF the lil one had been exposed we would be notified - otherwise we aren't told anything!!  I would like to know what grade level the exposure was in - was it a student? a teacher? Admin?? I mean come on!!!  we get no information at all!  how stressful is that??!!

Then the other bit of stress - Sir Steve's sister (who lives in BC) contacted him a couple of weeks ago and said she would be travelling to Quebec at some point and hinted that perhaps we could all get together.  Sir Steve said sure just tell us when you plan on being here................. she didn't respond.

Yesterday she contacted him and said she was in our corner of the world and thought maybe we could meet up sometime this coming week??!!! Then she said sometime this week actually meant before Wednesday.  Really??!!  Sir Steve works all week - Tuesday the lil one has swimming lessons and Wednesday is her competitive dance class.  When exactly are we supposed to fit in this vist??!!  IF she had let us know ahead of time - we could have arranged a visit on Sunday - maybe.  Anyway Sir Steve said it just wasn't possible.  So she said maybe next time........... I figure she's a little pissy about it.  BUT ya know - in my mind if you really want to see someone you plan ahead - you don't do it last minute.

My motto this week - remember - Bee Positive - I'm gonna try - I'm honestly gonna try!

Sunday Sentiments

 Just some random thoughts on a Fall Sunday...........

 

 

A Week of sighs......

 

 

I started the laundry on Monday morning - bright and early  - and I finished it late Tuesday.  I swear I did do laundry all summer -- but GAH!  all the  linens from the trailer had to be washed before storing ... and I had all our weekly laundry to do as well.  le sigh

Then Wednesday morning I went with Sir Steve to his doctor's appointment.  We have some follow up appointments that will be booked whenever the hospital can squeeze us in... and the specialist has recommended that the family doctor prescribe some new pills..  

The lil one has tried manipulating me again..... le sigh.  I need to adopt a whole new way of interacting with her.....  only for now I'm at a bit at a loss.... le sigh again.  This step parenting is getting old let me tell you.

AND our covid numbers are soaring here in our little town.  It's totally scary.   Two of our schools have an outbreak and one daycare.  Last night Sir Steve told me one of our senior's residences has an outbreak as well.  All that to say we have 63 active cases!  I just want to curl up in the house and never leave it......... (except my family leaves it every day - le sigh again!)

Today I am going to bake some chocolate chip cookies........ and will take a doggie bag to the trailer this weekend (we're going up to finish the winterizing for a day) my SIL will love me! 

Closing Weekend

 

I was looking forward to this weekend - our last weekend in the country.  The weather was forecasted to be sunny and warmish.  and after Friday's good news I was most definitely looking forward to the weekend.

BUT 

The weather man was wrong........ oh the sun did peak out from behind the clouds occasionally -  but it was cold - sweatshirt wearing cold.  le sigh.  So the end of summer was cloudy and cool - pretty much the way the summer had gone.

We did have campfires in the evenings...... Friday night was warmish - Saturday not so much.  We did work hard to pack up all the 'stuff' we need... filling bin after bin .... and bringing home TONS of laundry and sorting.  The fridge got washed - the stove got cleaned - the bathroom cleaned for the last time - the kitchen scrubbed of all crumbs and sweet smells of food - cause the mice don't need much of an excuse to move in for the winter.  Next weekend we'll close off the water and winterize the trailer - and I will spread tons of moth balls around to try and discourage those pesky mice.  

Then we headed home with the cars laden down with bins.  I was dreaming of a warm house.  When we got in - the house felt cold - damp and cold.  I turned the furnace on.  An hour later the house didn't feel much better.  I checked the thermostat.  The temperature had not moved up one notch!  Sir Steve changed the batteries on the thermostat - then he went downstairs to check the furnace.  It wasn't working.  le sigh.
The furnace company was called - the repair guy will be here this morning before lunch.  AND then hopefully we will have heat again.

I decided it was time to decorate for Fall - nothing much just a little table center piece....... 

 

Our Thanksgiving is 3 weeks away - time to plan........ eldest daughter and SIL will be coming here this year..... lots to be thankful for this year !

YES!!!!

 

 Originally more than 10 years ago - I was told I had cancer.  I was also told that "MY" cancer would continually reoccur.... and it was important that I not miss a scan.  June 2020,  I was told that it had been almost 5 years since my cancer reappeared.  My then doctor was surprised...... he admitted that if I had asked him if my cancer would go into remission when we started this journey together he would have said 'NO'   Yet here I was almost at the 5 year mark and I was cancer free.

I transferred to a new doctor in my new city.  I don't do change well and that contributed to my anxiety this morning.  Sir Steve made arrangements for the lil one to get to the bus.... and off we went.  The registration staff was amazing and got permission for Sir Steve to accompany me all the way to the OR.  He couldn't come in with me - but knowing he was just outside waiting for me made it easier.

To be honest I miss the staff and doctor at Kingston General - they were so empathetic and kind.  This staff not so much and the head nurse in the OR was truthfully a right royal bitch.  The doctor was ok - and he got the procedure done in record time.  AND there was no cancer.  NO cancer - NONE! I don't have to go back for another year.  I am doing the happy dance - trust me !!

 

 

That Time again......

 

 

Over the last 2 weeks I have been cleaning........... and I do mean CLEANING!!  I started in the laundry room - better known as the 'catch all' room.  I emptied it .... sorted out the junk.... then washed down the walls ..... sorted out the shelves .... washed / scrubbed the floor and put it all back together.  It looks so nice now!!  I almost look forward to laundry day.

I more or less emptied the lil one's room.... did the walls .... pulled the mattress off the bed and vacuumed the frame/platform - and the mattress ... tidied and sorted and put it all back together.

Then I did the kitchen....... le sigh.  It was filthy!  How does a clean freak's kitchen get so damn dirty??!!  Cleaned the oven... the stove... the cupboards.. the fridge.. the pantry.... washed the floors and wiped down the walls.  

Yesterday I was pooped - so I only shampooed the living rug... and wiped down the walls - polishing the floors and all the rest of it will wait till next week.

For me cleaning is very therapeutic. In my first house I had real wood panelling in the kitchen - when I felt out of control or stressed I would oil all the panelling... a bit like Karate Kid - oil on - oil off.  It always soothed my soul.  

As much as I was thrilled to see the lil one go back to school - it has created a whole new world of stress.  Her mother didn't send her to school with any masks so she had to wear the dirty ones from Friday.  She didn't take her water bottle to school (it was in her mother's fridge) so the teacher gave her a styrofoam cup to drink out of...... She apparently isn't getting her math work done and the teacher isn't doing anything about it??!!! GAH!!  AND her school bus is overcrowded with 3 kids to a seat........ and 2 different schools on the same bus at the same time??!!!  So much for covid precautions....... le sigh.

Sir Steve teases me saying IF I didn't have anything to stress over - I would stress over not stressing.  All I can say is - we're gonna have a very clean house by the time I get this stress under control.  (maybe the worst will be over after tomorrow - the day of my cancer check up)

On the bright side - Sir Steve heard from the doctor over one of his medical issues........ they're gonna adopt a wait and see attitude...... in 6 months he'll have more blood tests.  Today he is going for some 'special' xrays (the doctor's words) and he has an appointment with same doctor next week.  Hopefully he'll get some answers....... and get some relief from the pain (in his left knee and right ankle)

Life marches on....... 

I'm Back - sort of

 

I know - it's been awhile since I posted - and thank you to those of you who checked in with me by email while I was absent.

We're back in the city ......... and I am glad... it was a rough summer for me... mostly cause the weather didn't cooperate - lots of rain and cold temps.  

Last week the lil one turned 9!! and she had 2 parties with us........ and enjoyed 2 birthday cakes! and 2 special birthday dinners.

 

She also climbed on the school bus for the first time in over a year.  I loved THAT!  and I love her new school hours - from 9 - 4 (well those are the hours she's out of the house) Her old hours were 7:30 - 2:30 and for some reason 9 - 4 feels much much longer and I seem to be getting so much more done!  THAT lifts my spirits - I love a clean tidy house - and all the cleaning seems to be helping with my issue of loss of control.... which means I have been able to eat again... which is a very good thing!  Sir Steve has registered her in swimming classes and dance again.  She is back on the competitive dance team!!  Hopefully she'll get to compete this year. 

 I saw youngest daughter and grandkids a lot this summer - twice at the campsite and last weekend we ran down to Quebec to celebrate my middle grandson's birthday.  It was so good to be together as a family again. 
(god only knows how long it will last - considering how the covid numbers are climbing again!! School has been in for only 4 days and we already have 2 schools with covid!! UGH!!)

There hasn't been a whole lot of 'fun and games' between Sir Steve and myself... no play and yeah no sexy times either.  Colour me sad.  BUT Sir Steve is dealing with some health issues ....... and it is time for my yearly cancer scan (this Friday) and that's always a major worry for me (and Sir Steve too)  There are days that my spirits plummet - cause ya know - I'd just like to get 'back to normal'..........(please tell me THIS isn't our new normal)

Now I think I have you all brought up to date on our life............ I promise to try posting something/anything more often............