SoCS – Better Late Than Never

Linda is our hostess for SoCS.  Saturday was a joyous day for me. My daughter and the 3 Z^s came over to celebrate Z²‘s birthday. Her prompt fit right in with my day.

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “ring.” Use it as a noun or a verb. Bonus points if you use it as both. Have fun!

Z² drove up to the house on Saturday. My daughter texted that they had arrived because they know my Ring doesn’t work. First the voice part quit working and it sounded like the person talking was under water. Then the doorbell part quit working. The Ring was a few hundred dollars  when I bought it five years ago. I don’t know the expected lifespan of the device, but it definitely is out of it’s warranty period. 

This was the first time my daughter didn’t have to drive to my house. Her daughter, Z² , happily took the wheel. We went out to lunch and then came back to my house for brownies and ice cream. I made dark chocolate brownies and  gluten free brownies.  I didn’t add walnuts because the birthday girl doesn’t like them. 

It was a terrific day. Seeing the teenagers act like kids playing in my backyard, made my heart happy. I even talked them into posing for a picture. I wanted to copy one that I had taken years earlier.

Three generations

I was in a great deal of pain all day, but the joy I felt spending time with my family made it worthwhile. When they left, I crashed and took some CBD. 

SoCS – Silent Letters

Linda is our hostess for SoCS. You never know what task she will present us with. Saturday she asked that we think about silent letters.

 

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “a word that contains a silent letter.” Choose a word that contains a silent letter and use it in your post, or write about words with silent letters in general. Enjoy!

Life changes as we get older. And damn it, not all the changes are easy to handle. I wish I had half the problems and twice the solutions. You’d think that by now I would be numb to bad news. Sadly, I am not. When doctors talk to you in that voice designed to make you stay calm, it is a sad indicator of unwelcome news to come. I have no doubt that I will move forward the best I can. But… just once, I’d like them to tell me some good news.  

Of course, for me emotional problems exacerbate physical ailments. My fibro seems to start a campaign to attack new areas with pain just as I tell myself I am getting a handle on my feelings. My head is swimming with serious worries about loved ones. It would be helpful if I were able to get some restorative sleep, but unfortunately, I struggle with insomnia. Physical pain, emotional pain, and a lack of sleep are the trifecta for a difficult existence.

I am in the doldrums right now. I hope to not stay here long. I am keeping myself busy working on chores. I get pleasure from accomplishing tasks. I am focusing on finding moments of happiness. This weekend, I am going to see my grandkids to celebrate Z²’s 16^th birthday. The day will be filled with good memories. I can use some positive energy to fill my bucket.

 

 

 

SoCS – Why?

Linda is our hostess with the mostest. She has come up with yet another fun SoCS  challenge for today.

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is to start with the word why.

Why do people run lights and put other’s lives in danger?

Why do wealthy white men think they should dictate what women do with their bodies?

Why do parents think it is more important to be a friend to thier children than to teach them responsibilities?

Why does a pedicure at a salon make me feel so refreshed and joyful?

Why are all my favorite treats not good for me?

Why is it 91 F at 8:30 in the morning? Where is the global thermostat so I can turn it down?

Why is it that retirement keeps me so busy?

Why do doctors keep finding more ailments in my body?

Why is it that the golf course is still watering the grounds and not savimg our precious water?

Why do the ants love to come in my house when it gets hot outside?

Why does my chin keep sprouting?

Why does Annie not understand that I don’t want her chasing her toys in the extreme heat?

Why does the high school below my house have a practice fire drill in 103 degree heat?

Why can’t I just toss out items in a junk drawer instead of needing to go through it?

Why can’t I burn off pounds as quickly as I add them?

Why does this extreme heat wear me down so much?

Why does every new med have side effects?

Why is my insomnia even worse in the heat?

Why is it so difficult to keep my brain functioning when my body is worn out?

Why doesn’t everyone who can, get vaccinated, do it?

SoCS – Bagged

Linda is our wonderful hostess for SoCS. She says:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “bagged.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

When I saw the topic, I wondered what on earth I could write about. My first thought was “bagged” as in drunk. I don’t drink alcohol so that didn’t make sense.

I then thought about all the extra stuff I bagged up and donated to the thrift store. I had bagged seven or eight large donation bags with scrapbooks already in my garage. After it got too hot outside to work, I went to my sewing room. I’ve cleaned out that room numerous times. There is still much that needs to go. I bagged up 12, 18-inch dolls to be included in my donation. I had purchased them at thrift stores to re-gift with clothes I made for them. I enjoy making doll clothes. I kept 5 of my favorites to give as gifts this next holiday. I also bagged up fabric to give to a friend who makes quilts of valor for veterans. The linen closet is outside my sewing room. I figured I should see if there was anything that needed to be donated in there. I found a few purses that fit the bill.

One item I found in my sewing closet was outdoor stuffing. I had torn apart some outdoor cushions when the exterior fabric was too far gone. I bagged the stuffing to be used later. I am very much a reuse and recycle person.

By the time I finished all my gathering, I had 24 bags to take to the thrift store. I dropped off the fabric to my friend first, then continued to the thrift store. I rarely donate to the Goodwill near my house. I know that they do not treat their workers well and make huge profits that go into their own pockets. Instead, I make the trek to the Veterans Thrift Store. I want my donation going somewhere that helps those in need. The gentleman collecting the items brough over 4 grocery carts in total to take my donations. Then he told me he had no donation receipts and wanted to know if I wanted my things back. I laughed and told him I didn’t need the receipt. It was my chuckle for the day.

I had to come inside early these last few days. The heat meant I could not stay outside long. I decided to make Annie another outside bed. I brought two old seat cushions I stored in my garage upstairs. I hand sewed them together. Then I added some of the stuffing in the crease area. I sewed a patch on both sides to keep the cushion even. Then I sewed a thin layer of outdoor fabric to the bed. I used scraps from my outdoor fabric bag to make a cover for my project. Unfortunately, the fabric was super thick, and I broke something on my machine. Tomorrow, I will take it to the repair shop. I NEED my sewing machine. I had to finish enclosing the cover by hand. I don’t think Annie will care that the last part is not machine sewed.

The blog is now, in the bag.

 

 

SoCS – Where I Am or Where Am I? A Saturday Ramble

Linda is our Host for SOCS. Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is …

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “—amble.” Add letters to the beginning of “-amble” to make another word or use it as is in your post. Enjoy!

My life personal life “issues” have been on overload lately. Adding the awful SCOTUS to my list of worries, just makes concentrating even more difficult. It feels like my emotions are in shambles. I love blogging and it has been a life saver in many ways in the past. I know why I’ve not been up to blogging. SoCS is the perfect opportunity to ramble on and get my feet wet again. I am missing the blogging community.

I foolishly think I am doing OK. I tell myself that because I am physically putting effort into my yard, I am dealing with my emotional pain. Ha-ha. When I am working hard, my brain takes a short vacation from my worries. They don’t really go away, but I try and fool myself that I am handling it. I wish I could scrub away my problems like I scrub my patio tiles.

I am working on holding my boundaries to keep my sanity. I am saying “NO” to things that don’t feel right to me. I am saying nothing to poor decisions being made by others. It does no good to offer my 2^cents when I am not listened to. It just makes things worse. In a long conversation last night, my tongue hurt from literally biting it numerous times. I am still proud of myself for keeping my side of the street clean. I dearly love some individuals who are making decisions that are counterproductive to their well-being. I have been notified of some people defaming me for standing by my boundaries. Day by day, the dramas are more disheartening. I need to find some peace.

My poor dog is terribly frightened by fireworks. Her whole body shakes and her heart rate is off the charts as the explosions go off. She runs around the house trying to find an escape from the noise. Every night as Disneyland lights off their fireworks, poor Annie gets stressed. I went out yesterday and purchased some things to try and help her. I bought a thunder shirt. She is on the edge of the size requirements. I bought a large, but it was a bit too big. I returned it and purchased a medium. I followed the directions on the package and give her a few treats when I put it on her. The pet store had a couple of types of CBD doggie meds. I took a gamble and purchased the one with more CBD but without Melatonin. I also went to the vet and purchased some prescription drops. I obviously won’t be giving Annie both meds, but I hope to find what’s best for her. I gave Annie the CBD tonight. She slept through the early fireworks but awoke as they continued. She was pretty mellow but still unhappy with the noise. Tomorrow, I will try the med later in the evening. The fireworks were extra-long tonight and Monday will be much worse.  I want to find something that works well so that I don’t need to scramble on Monday to help her stay calm. The fourth is a wonderful holiday celebration, but not for my dog.