I hesitate to begin a new entry as my computer has been acting up so much, I can be typing away and all of a sudden it shuts down. So I'm afraid I may be typing this a little at a time and hope I don't lose anything in between saves.

My plan to do my fall cleaning a little at a time so as not to exhaust myself failed. I found when I went to clean something I discovered that what I had previously cleaned was no longer as clean as I wanted it to be, therefore I cleaned it again as well as the new part and after a few sessions like that, I wasn't making much headway. You see, I'm a retired perfectionist who seems to be jumping back on the job from time to time. There was a time I was truly a perfectionist, then I got married and had three children and several pets over time and it just became too overwhelming to continue to obsess. This weekend Hubby was out of town to referee a hockey tournament and I decided it was time to just clean the place from top to bottom and stem to stern and be able to stand back and say...it's clean. Mission accomplished...the little turquoise house is CLEAN...or as clean as it can possibly be with three dogs in the house. I on the other hand am exhausted, and if I get to finish this post, I will call it a day and put my feet up for the rest of the day. My hands ache from scrubbing the floor and something between my shoulder blades screams every time I try to take a deep breath and my head aches from lack of sleep - the dogs get me up every morning at 5:00 a.m. I must say though, it does feel good to look around the house and see nothing out of place and be able to walk across the floor and feel nothing under bare feet except clean floor.

Well, my computer shut down...just like I feared. I have now put on my brave face and am typing on Hubby's Mac. I know nothing about how they differ from PC's only that most people seem to prefer one over the other. I am hoping for my purposes I won't come across anything I am not used to. I am struggling with the keyboard, it is quite different than mine and the screen, is too far away for me to see properly. I am near-sighted and Hubby is far-sighted and he has the screen set up so it cannot be moved or adjusted. I am making so many mistakes with the keyboard and having a hard time seeing them. If that's not enough, he has a weird mouse...it has a roller ball under the thumb and grooves for the fingers to rest in at the natural angle of the hand - great in theory, but difficult to get used to. I just discovered that I can make the typing area larger, but it does nothing for the type size and since I'm typing in yahoo notepad, it doesn't give options for that. I decided it would be best to put it back the way Hubby had it, since it's not nice to make adjustments like that on a computer that doesn't belong to me, so I clicked on the - symbol and instead of making it smaller, it disappeared entirely! One would think that since + means larger, - should mean smaller...evidently not...one must click on + again!

 Hubby should be home sometime today - I will however be quite anxious until he walks in the door, since I know he was responsible for way too many games and will be exhausted driving home. 

Well, with all the difficulty I'm having on here, I think I will close and wish you all a great rest of the day and a good week ahead. I hope Mac here and I will learn to get along better - if not, you may not be hearing much from me in the coming days...weeks...months. Now...let's see if I can post this without losing it or losing my sanity.

In Rememberance

I'm so proud of my son honoring 
his grandmother by walking in 
the Alzheimer's Walk this morning. I want so much to be able to join him next year!

Happy Fall!

It's another chilly morning, but the sun is making a short appearance and I'm so happy to see it...my mood improved greatly! My to do list is steadily growing...so much to get done before the snow flies.

I haven't said anything to Hubby yet because he's busy manning a time-trial race this morning, but it's quite cold in here. The thermostat is set at 62 and the temperature last time I looked was 58. I'm thinking...shouldn't the heat be coming on now??

Bill Cosby is coming to town in May. Hubby and I love him! How I would love to go! Tickets are already on sale and going fast. Daughter sent me a text yesterday saying we should get our tickets now. I'm like...HOW? I have to pay for a refrigerator, Christmas is coming, I'm needing to have work done on my back again, students aren't breaking down the door to get in here...and, selfish as it sounds, if I have to choose between seeing Bill and buying a laptop, I think the laptop will win. First of all, I need a reliable computer hooked to the printer for my business and second I will be able to enjoy doing things on it long after Bill leaves town. 

I'm heading out for a short while today to run a few errands and pick up pasties for supper. Hubby has been requesting them for a few days now, so I think tonight is a good night to give in. When I get home I'll try to do some more cleaning and I have to make ham and cheddar chowder for Sunday dinner. Oh! and bread...I have to make a loaf of bread. 

Well, I'm off to fill my hand warmer with more coffee. Have a wonderful first day of fall! 

It's Here!!

I was up at 6 this morning and took Suki outside only to find hail near the front porch. I thought it was snow at first glance! I ate breakfast, vacuumed, showered then wiped down my kitchen cabinets with Pledge oil (thus completing my kitchen cleaning project) and started a load of laundry. I won't be hanging it out today....rain, rain, hail, rain, rain, rain.....

The refrigerator was scheduled to be delivered between 9:30 and 10:00...it was 10:30 before it arrived in a down pour. It took the boys another 20 minutes just to take all the tape off of it. It is quite a bit larger than what I'm used to. I like how all the compartments inside are clear. The day the old refrigerator died, I had harvested the remainder of our kale to save it from the predicted frost that night and now I have to finish blanching and freezing it. 

Hubby came home to get the car for some errands and brought home two bags of groceries. I unloaded the small apartment sized refrigerator downstairs that we've been using and unplugged it. It's been a long week hauling food up and down the steps and up and down the block, but one thinks twice before going to the refrigerator for a snack! 

I'm not sure what the evening holds all I can say is "tut, tut, it looks like rain"! 

I was thinking this was last year, but it was October of 2010 that I took this walk with my two walking buddies, Suki and Gilmore. It was the most perfect fall day ever. I hope we have a chance to do this again this year.

Fall Scurry and Thankful Thursday

A cup and a half of coffee, now a cup of hot tea...it's the start of that time of year when I need to have my hands wrapped around something warm. It's another dark, damp day and Hubby and I watched the geese fly from the lake in droves this morning. I'm beginning to wonder if we will not get our Indian summer this year. 

Most of my friends here have a daily plan for blogging...Tuesday Ten, Wordless Wednesday, Thankful Thursday...if they don't mind, I think I'll join them when I can. Kris posted this morning about her mom coming to visit and though the thought tugged at my heart and brought tears to my eyes, I am so very thankful for the relationship my mom and I shared and for the time God allowed me to spend with her. We were freakishly close, our tastes in movies, crafts, clothes, food...just about everything was the same and there wasn't anything we didn't enjoy doing together. Thank you God for the mother you gave me...for her patience, love, understanding and gentle guidance.

I feel a bit like those geese and the other birds and animals, scurrying around, preparing for the cold months ahead, trying to get everything done before the snow flies. My plan for the day was to finish work in the kitchen and possibly spend the afternoon in my studio with my heritage scrapbook project. It's the perfect type of day to hunker down with old photos, pretty paper and glue, but instead, I have decided I will brave the weather and head into town to visit the jeweler and see about getting my mom's wedding rings cleaned and repaired. This is one of the things she asked me to do and I regret not being able to do it while she was still here to enjoy them, so I will do it now and hope she can see that they were and are important and mean a lot to me.With the weather the way it is, I am afraid if I don't look into it now, it might not happen until spring and I don't want to wait that long...I've waited too long as it is. I will also see about picking up a Christmas gift I saw for my son. I made a little money teaching this week, I just hope the jeweler won't charge much. 

So, if I get home in time, I'll still do the cleaning, I want to get that done before the refrigerator comes tomorrow and I'll have tomorrow to scrapbook. 
Off I go...

God's Promise

Genesis 9:11 

And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

¹² And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

¹³ I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

¹⁴ And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

¹⁵ And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

¹⁶ And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

¹⁷ And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

I saw the most beautiful rainbow yesterday - oh how I wish I had my camera with me! This entire week we have had and are supposed to continue to have rain everyday. Yesterday as I was heading out to the bank and to my massage therapist, the sun came out as it continued to pour down rain. I knew somewhere there had to be a rainbow and as I was turning into the bank parking lot, there it was...big and gorgeous and full! Because of where I was I could see nearly the entire bow. I love rainbows...such a beautiful token of God's promise to His creation. 

I had another massage yesterday - they will be rough until I can get back in shape again. Massages are not as relaxing as I once believed them to be...they are a lot of work! I am having a weird reaction while she's working on me and even she can't figure out why. I woke with a slight headache this morning - I think it's the weather - it's been dark, cold and rainy all day. It was only 60 degrees in the house most of the day...yes, I can turn the heat up, but I refuse. It's still warm enough to throw on a sweater and solve the problem. It was one of those days I just felt like curling up with a good book. I did wind up going to the recliner for a bit and with a cup of hot tea and a warm pack for the back of my neck to ease my headache, I fell asleep for about 20 minutes or so and woke just in time for my student to arrive. The sun didn't shine until supper time, but I was grateful I could do supper dishes by the warmth of the sun streaming in the kitchen window. Speaking of kitchen, since my new refrigerator is scheduled to arrive on Friday, I have been busy this week cleaning and scrubbing the kitchen so it will be all clean and nice for 5 minutes after the delivery LOL! No, I've started my fall cleaning and decided the kitchen was a good place to start for that reason. I am hand scrubbing the kitchen floor in small sections so as not to further do damage to my back. I do spring cleaning and fall cleaning. I usually get the urge about the time the chill hits the air. I think sometimes it has to do with a nesting instinct. I figure I have to be inside for the next 7 -8 months, it better be clean and comfortable. I hope to finish the last section in the kitchen tomorrow as well as lemon oil all the cabinets. 

It's been a bad week for teaching. I've had 2 no-shows and 1 sickie and it's also the "off" week for those only taking lessons every other week. At this rate, I'm never going to get my savings built up again, what with my therapy to pay for and Christmas coming. 

It's 8:00 and nearly dark. Hubby is out on the trails so I hope he gets home soon. 

No students tomorrow, just some errands to run, the kitchen to finish and maybe some scrapbooking to do...depends on how much time I decide to play on the computer. Oh, and I think it's time to put out my fall home decor. Question...do you change your decor by season and if so, how much? 

Have a good night everyone,

Top or Bottom?

No...this is NOT an X rated post! ;-)

Thursday evening Hubby got into the freezer to finish off the sherbet and found it was in liquid form! We checked the plug, checked the outlet and determined the refrigerator had died. I knew it we were on borrowed time. I think it was the original to the house which means it's a 1970's model and believe me, it looks it! I was so glad he discovered it when he did, because I had just gone to the store and actually found a roast and a pork steak that were 4H prize winners from the fair. They ought to be real good pieces of meat.  Anyway, we unloaded the whole thing and as we were doing so, Gilmore started pacing, but because we were so busy, we didn't realize what his problem was...he had to GO! Since we weren't paying attention to him and since we were blocking the path to the basement, he went all over the living room and hall floor!! SOOOOOOOO...Hubby carries the groceries to the shop apartment where our old refrigerator still lives and I clean up the smelly mess off the floor!! 

After much shopping and debate, here is the link to my new refrigerator: http://www.sears.com/kenmore-19.7-cu-ft-bottom-freezer-refrigerator/p-04678093000P?prdNo=6&blockNo=6&blockType=G6

We went shopping Friday after work, but had to go out again this morning because Sears was closed by the time we got there last night. I won't have it for another week, but they will take the old one away and deliver the new one. We had to pay a little more for that option, but we think it will be worth it in the long run. We got 10% off for the grand opening sale and it is interest free on our Sears card if we pay it off it a year. 

We went back and forth between the top and bottom freezer. I like the convenience, but it seemed as though I lost some freezer space with most of the bottom freezers. This one is deeper than most, so I liked it much better. It's going to be bigger in the room which will take some getting used to. Hubby is going to ask daughter's boyfriend to help him take the old one out to the yard tomorrow after lunch so I can clean the floor underneath and get it ready for the new one. 

It's been a busy day. I did my floors this morning and I got the roast going for tonight. Hubby went to the store for an onion and he stopped by the shop to bring home the roast, then went to the garden for fresh carrots and rutabaga. I also started a lasagna in the crock-pot for lunch tomorrow. The house smells great right now!! YUM!! Then we went to town and bought the refrigerator and had lunch at the Sears store because it was a grand opening and they were giving out free hot dogs. After that, Hubby needed jeans so we went to Shop-Ko where we found jeans on sale for $19.99 each...he bought two pair. Last stop was the Co-Op for pantry items. Hubby isn't much of a shopper, so it was in, get what we need and out, but that's ok, it was nice spending a Saturday morning together for a change. 

We had a light freeze last night so we had to cover the tomatoes and peppers with old sheets. I spent yesterday afternoon harvesting and blanching kale to save it from frost damage. I only got a few bags ready for the freezer and now, until we get the new refrigerator, I am out of freezer space. I just hope it stays good enough in the refrigerator for a week until I get a chance to blanch and freeze the rest. It's 62 right now with sunshine, even though I'm in considerable pain with my shoulders today, I'm still thinking of going for a walk. It's just too nice to sit here in the basement at the computer. I'll try to get back and visit with you all at your pages soon.

The Invisible Woman Speaks

As I sit here, trying to come up with something to write about, I find myself empty of anything newsworthy or edifying.

It seems I'm invisible lately.  

I have spent the week trying to heal and find myself frustrated 5 days after the fact, still having to move slowly and gingerly. I find sitting more painful than standing, but standing gets old after a while. 

I'm home alone today. Hubby and daughter took a friend of Hubby's to ride the difficult bike trails. They should be gone most of the day. I'm happy not to have to cook or wait on others for a while. I actually wish I had someone to wait on me for a change. 

Blessings are my students return next week and I start two new ones that will take the place of those lost. I'm still only breaking even and not quite that because some of my returning students are only coming every other week now due to financial difficulties. Still, I'm counting that as a blessing that they are at least coming. 

Another blessing is two friends of Hubby's were doing trail work this morning and brought a load of wood for our wood stove from trees they cut down; every little bit helps in keeping us warm this winter. 

Accessory Labor

Labor Day. A day that most people spend relaxing and enjoying picnics, me...I usually labor at one thing or another. This year it was re-organizing my jewelry and accessories. That doesn't sound like much work, I understand, but you have to realize, I'm a jewelryholic! Recently I blogged about finding a large vintage jewelry box at a rummage sale and I dearly LOVE it! The project was to decide what needs to be moved to that box and what needs to stay in my freestanding box and what was I going to use the small wooden box for that I had been using for my most precious pieces. Not only do I love to accessorize my outfits, but my mother used to also love jewelry and she bought many pieces for me and if for no other reason, because she gave them to me, I can't part with them. My Hubby and children have also given me a few of them, and I will not give those away either. Now, it seems I am also inheriting some of the pieces that I gave my daughter's, they no longer like them, or think they have a use for them, so they are offering them back to me.  Because they are nice things and usable, I'm taking them...besides, perhaps one day they will wish they hadn't parted with them. To further complicate matters, I decided after 4 years since my mother's passing, it was time to incorporate some of her jewelry that I had inherited into my boxes. I had been wearing some of it, but decided I'd get more use out of it if it was easier to locate. Some of her things actually belonged to her mother and grandmother. Wearing the things that she promised me I would one day own makes me feel close to her. I was so happy when I finally decided that my most precious pieces, including the things of my mother's that I can wear, now live in the vintage box. The wooden box holds the remainder of my earrings, the little blue box you see up there holds jewelry that I've had since I was a little girl and it tucks nicely into the bottom of the earring box, and the freestanding unit holds some necklaces, some rings, jewelry repair and cleaning things, and other trinkets, scarves, etc. My mother's two boxes still hold what is left of her things that I don't currently have a use for, but, because they were hers, I cannot part with them. Note the loaded charm bracelet laying in front of them, most of those charms she either bought or were given to her during the second world war. Lastly, I have a set of hooks behind the door that hold all necklaces and bracelets that don't tarnish. 

My project was nearing completion and I was working in one of the drawers of my stand up jewelry box when I felt my lower back tighten into a knot and I could barely move after that. I could walk, but barely, and it hurt like mad! First thing this morning I called my chiropractor and she took me at 1:00 today. It felt better this morning than it did last night, but I wasn't taking any chances. 

Even with my back pain today I did my chores...floors, dishes and laundry (including hanging it on the line), it just took me a lot longer and I had to be careful, moving slowly and knowing my limits. 

While I was out hanging clothes, Gilmore made a mess in my studio...poop spray EVERYWHERE!! The most difficult part of my day and the most painful was cleaning up that mess! It took a whole roll of paper towel to sop it up, then I had to steam clean the whole room. I guess I'm going to have to start keeping the door to that room shut! 

In the basement I have a canvas bag that holds my hand held steam cleaner hanging on a hook at the bottom of the steps. Last night, a HUGE wood spider spun a web and then this morning, sat at the top of one of the attachments staring me down!! I found the spider spray and went after him with a vengeance! It looked like he crawled down one of the tubes and quite frankly, I didn't want to go looking for him. When Marc came home for lunch he said he loved me and I asked him how much LOL! I asked him to clean the web off of the bag and inspect it for the monster, which he did and said he couldn't find anything. He said he took every item out of the bag and shook everything out. HMMMM...I don't know where it went, but I hope it's dying a gruesome death someplace where I'll never have to see it again! I think I'll find a spot for my bag in the living-room closet. 

I am disappointed that I cannot seem to arrange the pictures in this entry through the paragraphs like I can at Multiply. I don't like how they are all grouped together at the top. 

Well, my back is telling me it's done for the night. I will try to read everyone's entries sometime tomorrow if my back allows.