Burp (!!)

Well, I did yoga yesterday in spite of the shoulder and chest pain.  Downward dog, one big burp and the pain was gone.  I thought it felt like a gas pain (!!)  It's super strange.  All I can think is the dentist??  This hygienist used the air blower a lot.  I'm not a big burper and to have an air bubble stuck all night is extra odd.  I'm glad it's gone -- it hurt a lot.  Every breath the sharpness radiated down my chest and arm so I could barely take a full breath.  

Volunteering went well.  I'm not signed up for next week -- too much on my schedule, but I'll do the following week again.

Lots and lots going on for the next week or so.  Once again, trying to enjoy the "busy" and not task it away.  Practice and more practice.  Also, trying to focus on each day and not worry about all the days to come.  When I say worry, my mind goes strange places.  I'll be so tired.  I won't be able to enjoy it.  I planned too much.  I can't wait for it to be over so I can have time to myself.  Just get through these days and things will slow down.  Too many details to juggle.

Why do I do this?  Zaps the fun out of everything.  And it's NOT true.  

Anyway ...

Weather is MUCH better in Asheville this weekend.  Dogs are all healthy.  Looks like a fun time.  Bed and mattress are set to be delivered on Saturday.  That's the last BIG thing until the end of summer.  All the rest of the furniture is on backorder until at least August.  (Maybe a side table or two coming and a grill from Costco, but not the "good" stuff.)  We're going to try our first outdoor fireplace fire with s'mores (of course).  Lots of firsts for the house this weekend.  I'll take pictures :)

Today is the morning drive, car unload, grocery shopping for the remaining things, ice maker repair and salad making (pasta salad for them, chickpea and lentil for me).  I prepped the chickpeas and cooked lentils already.  Lots to do, but manageable and FUN -- remember FUN!

Have a great weekend.  I'll be back at it Tuesday.  Stay well.  Later gators.

Shoulder Pain

Last night right before bed, I started having sharp left shoulder pain that radiates down my chest.  It feels like a gas bubble kind of pain.  I'm not concerned it's heart related because it's so sharp -- like nerve aggravation.

It's really bothering me.  I hope moving around helps this morning.  I slept fine and I expected it to be gone this morning, but it's not.  Not muscle pain -- which means it should go away quickly.  It's hard to take a deep breath.  If it gets worse, I'll have to cancel volunteering this morning.

Dentist is OVER - yea!  It took longer for the cleaning because of the extra time interval, but all is good now.  Got all my grocery shopping done at Target and then a quick stop at Costco.  I squeezed 10 lbs of limes for this weekend.  (Other arm or I'd think that's what my pain is about - plus, I've done it many times with nothing but a sore hand.)  Also, grated 2 big parm wedges from Costco.  Packed up all the stuff to take to Asheville.  STILL a car load, but it's getting smaller each time.  Mostly decor stuff and prepped food for the weekend.  I'll grocery shop in Asheville tomorrow, but I didn't want to have to go to multiple stores and try to find a lot of specifics.

Lots of full days in a row and I'm not used to it.  I'm reminding myself over and over -- life isn't a to-do list and don't rush through it all and wish it finished (except the dentist lol).  Also, there is NOTHING problematic with having a full schedule of fun, good things.  This limited belief is imprinted deep and hard -- I have to keep practicing at viewing it a different way.

Figuring out how to water a veggie "garden" is hard.  Each day's weather is different and I don't know if I'm getting it right.  Lots of random, non-gardener people grow a few plants -- it can't be THIS picky, right?!?!  I'll keep on trying to figure it out.  Going out of town so frequently doesn't help either.  And, I know once the plants mature they can handle variances better.  I google and google and it's not very helpful.  Stay tuned ...

Best get going this morning.  Both today and tomorrow are extra early days.  Have a happy day and stay well.  Later gators.

Dentist Day

My last dentist appointment was a bust -- super long wait (90 minutes) and I bagged after 30 when I learned it was no where near happening (they had a call-out and didn't say anything initially).  I rescheduled for a time after vaccinations.  My teeth FEEL yucky so, as much as I dislike the process, it'll feel good when it's finished.  I have three teeth with nerve pain and that's the worst part.

After the dentist, I'm hitting a trifecta of grocery shopping.  Target, Publix and Costco.  Costco is an add-on because I need limes for margaritas this weekend (I'll do SeedLip non-alcoholic version for me).  Target because I need a ton of cleaning products.  Publix for the usual stuff.  I'll be quick, but this is a BIG day out in the real world.  

Since I remembered Cinco de Mayo was coming, we're theming this Saturday's food.  I have a lot to prep for the weekend even though we're getting takeout for dinner.

We're leaving for Asheville early Friday morning because hubby needs to be on a video call by lunchtime. Tomorrow I volunteer for vaccinations so I don't have a ton of time for prep.  I made a chocolate sour cream and a lemon glazed cake for the weekend.  Freezing both sliced so that means leftovers for occasional desserts.  Squeezing limes today and tomorrow is final prep (farro salad for lunch, chickpea salad for me, salsa for the afternoon).

I ran with Duke yesterday and I'm sore today.  I knew I'd be -- it's been a few weeks since my last run.  I'm curious if it bothers the Peloton ride.

The Little Free Library came yesterday and it's so fun.  I'll paint it in June and plan to get it up and going by my birthday.  

I finished The Midnight Library.  The premise was so good and then it was a little flat with the same thing by the end.  I was waiting to finish it before I opened the Jen Hatmaker bookclub box for May.  Gift is an eye bag that can be heated or frozen.  I stuck it in the freezer.  Here's the book ... fiction story about Jesus.  It'll be an interesting bookclub discussion.  I started it -- only about 20 pages.  It doesn't have traditional chapters and that bugs me.  Always the little things lol.  I'll probably get used to it once I get into the book.

Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Finally (!!)

We finally finished the master bedroom wall.  It's not quite the masterpiece I planned (hah), but it works.  I wanted to do all "special" things -- personal and private since no one sees that wall unless they come in the bedroom.

I framed sheet music from the song my dad wrote for our wedding (love it).

I planned to frame our "love" letters we saved from college too.  Turns out the love letters are more like smut letters -- dang, we were horny youngsters.  There went that idea and stopped the creative framing ideas.

The stuff that I framed is all connected to us though (except the baskets which I found super cheap at a flea market with my aunts).  The small boxed art frames are from a local artist -- Krispy Cream and Chick-Fil-A (hubby's favorite).  Ski Utah -- Park City.  Painting of Parker (from DIL named after Park City).  Family photo and framed music.  The picture makes the one basket look wonky, but it's not --perfectly round.

The goal was a wall that was eclectic -- shapes, textures, depths and this fits the bill.

Done and dusted after 2 years (!!)

I found an outdoor console from Pottery Barn for our porch.  Everything I looked at was too big or not made for outside.  This is the right size and stays shaded.  I ordered a shade plant to put on the end that gets partial sun.

I visited the local farm my hairdresser told me about.  Bought 3 tomato plants and one cucumber.  Fingers crossed for better luck.  I also planted some lettuce seeds in a pot.  The farmer told me the greens bonked because of the night temps this spring.  He said the only way to learn to grow veggies is trial and error.  That made me feel better lol.

The little bird who built her nest on our porch shade had the babies.  We can hear them and she's bringing food like crazy.  The nest is too high to see them though.  It's so ironic that we FINALLY can shade the porch and we're on hold until the babies leave the nest.  Oh well.  She picked a nice safe spot from the hawks.  Good job, little mama.

The weather this week is back to spring in GA.  Allergies are back too.  I'm blowing like crazy.  Planning an outdoor park run with Duke this morning.  I'll be nose blowing like crazy.

Cleaning crew did a deep spring clean yesterday -- 5 hours.  House looks great but I didn't expect to be held up that long or pay that much.  I get it though and I'm happy with the results.  It was just 2 ladies instead of 4 so that made a time difference too.  They scrubbed baseboards, cleaned lights and ceiling fanes, moved furniture.  It was a thorough job and my back is super grateful. 

Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.  

Hello, Monday

We're back -- every weekend feels like a boomerang between ATL and Asheville.  Back home again.  We had the kids for a cookout here in ATL and that worked well.  Dinner was all Trader Joe's -- steak, loaded baked potatoes and salad.  I made cookies for dessert and had some new TJ cheeses for munchies.  It was great to see them.  Also fantastic that we're all vaccinated (!!)

We finished our to-do list at the Asheville house.  Only thing worthy of a picture is the front entrance.  PB mirror and silk flowers from West Elm (I think).  Shades went up in the carriage house -- I'll take pics once we get the room more finished.  Ordered a mattress -- bed and mattress coming next weekend.  Bedding on backorder until June :(

I still don't have anything close to a morning routine in Asheville.  Given the frequency of visits, I need to figure something out.  Part of the issue is hubby gets up with me and wants to be together all morning.  If I don't get a start to the day my way, the day doesn't feels as good.  He's a big talker in the morning, I'm not.  He likes music on, I don't.  He questions everything in the morning.  What time are you working out?  What time are you showering?  What are your plans today?  I need a minute before I'm ready to do that kind of thinking.  He also follows me where I go -- sit in bed, he comes in bedroom.  Sit at kitchen island, so does he.  Sit in family, yep, he comes too.  We aren't compatible in the mornings.  After a few mornings like this -- I get snappy and annoyed to be around him.  If I get space in the morning, all is fine. BTW, it's not him specifically.  He's the one around in the mornings now.  Used to include the kids lol.  I don't like being around anyone first thing.  Also, he's trying to be accommodating, but he doesn't "get" the need to be alone.  This isn't going to be an easy fix.

Since hubby is back in GA for a two weeks, we're doing a couple of things to the house here.  Finally hanging the pictures in the master bedroom today and we got a new table console for the patio.  I'll take those pictures this week.

Cleaning crew back today.  It's been a long time -- maybe 8 or 9 months.  I forgot how much I hate to "prep" for them.  It's seems ridiculous given how awesome it is to have a clean house.  Finding places to stick stuff to clear surfaces bothers me for some reason.  I'm not a clutter person, but I have working piles here and there.  Not on cleaning day.

I hear dogs up so time to get going.  Have a happy Monday and stay well.  Later gators.

No Company

Kids are postponing until next weekend.  One of their dogs is sick and that was the tipping point.  It's probably for the best (although disappointing) with the bad weather too.  We hope to have them for dinner on Sunday here in GA.

Yesterday, I packed the car, sat down to paint my nails and rest my back -- ding dong bell for delivery of a mirror for our front area.  Great -- came early, but I ended up needing to repack EVERYTHING in the car.  My back isn't happy today.  I'll try to keep it rested and stable today.

Walk with my girlfriend was just what I needed yesterday.  Sunny and crisp out and we walked for an hour.  That's long for her.  Good chat and good connection.

Since we aren't having the kids up this weekend, it freed up a little of my prep time.  I still need to do for Sunday's dinner, but that will be easier than a weekend of food.  I'm also back ahead of the cleaning crew coming so I can prep that on Monday instead.

This is a quick trip.  Lots of little touches to do.  Hang the mirror (!!)  Hang shades for the carriage house room.  Unload a bunch of decorative things (fun!).  Buy our mattress.  New locks are being installed this morning.  We had to move the ice maker repair though -- hopefully next trip.  We debated my trip up, but there's enough "work" to do and stuff to deliver to justify a trip.

Of course BIG storms Saturday and our overflowing trash wasn't picked up AGAIN this week.  The struggle bus is real for trash service at both houses - hah. 

Have a good weekend and stay well.  I'll be back next week.  Later gators.  

Last Minute Decisions

I had such a fun afternoon yesterday.  I saw my boys for lunch and we spent the afternoon retelling funny stories and chatting about the wedding.  Birthday gifts were a success (hiking shoes and a pair of shorts) and I made rice crispy treats for the first time in a couple of years.  That used to be my signature go-to and it had been so long I had to remember the proportions.

Today is up in the air.  All depends on this weekend.  What I need to prep, how long I'm staying, etc.  If they change the weekend, I'm coming home Sunday morning and having them for dinner here.  Something needs to get prepped today, but what needs to get prepped is still unknown.  My last minute decision making kid ... ugh ... how am I his mother?

Also, I'm bringing the cleaning crew back and they want to come on Monday (the only inconvenient day).  It's taken her a couple of weeks to adjust her schedule so I don't want to be picky.  What this weekend looks like will determine what I need to prep today.  And there's a significant amount of prep since they haven't been here in a long time.

This morning I'm walking with my girlfriend.  Times well since I need to be in that area to pickup backordered dog meds for Monti.  

My energy has been low again.  So far the menopause energy supplement is doing NOTHING lol (!!)  It's mostly hormones and I think less healthy eating too.  I've been having sweet stuff every afternoon again.  Sugar zaps my energy -- lesson noted AGAIN.

That said, I had a PR ride on the bike yesterday.  Energy for workouts is fine.  Energy for the day is low.  Hormones (and poor eating) make me uninterested in doing things -- mental energy.  But I have the physical energy to do them.  It's like the brain blahs.

It's cold right now.  I think most of the east coast is having a late spring freeze.  We are at freezing temps overnight.  I had to move my herbs inside.  The greens are a no-go.  I think temps were a problem.  Trying again next week (too cold this week).

Next week is filling fast.  I'm having a strange time transitioning from quarantine to full days again.  I'd say I'm not complaining about it, but I am a little.  I want somewhere in the middle.  Mindset is playing into this and I want to work on it.  Still thinking about The Life Coach School coaching for May.  A lot depends on what's going on with hubby and his job.  We should have some clarity soon.

Have a good day and stay well.  I'm heading on the road again tomorrow.  Looking forward to the weekend.  Another carload of stuff heading up -- an empty house needs a lot of stuff.  Later gators.

Birthday Boy

Today is my eldest's 27th birthday.  Wow.  Doesn't seem possible.  I'm meeting him at his apartment with Chick-Fil-A and his birthday gifts.  I'm also delivering the pressed bouquet for my DIL.

He was a cutie.  Hubby was about
his age in this picture.

We'll chat about this weekend when I see him.  Big storm moving through the east coast and we might bump the weekend visit back.  We'll see.  It's up in the air right now and you know how much I enjoy up in the air plans LOL.

Guess another opportunity to practice going with the flow.  Hah.

Volunteering was good yesterday but slow.  The head medical doctor stopped by last week and was upset at the lines.  He cut appointments in half and now it's too slow.  Hopefully, it gets fixed.  Administered 2nd doses of Pfizer again -- I like it when the peeps also have some immunity cooking when I'm so close to them (masked, but still).

My allergies were bothering me yesterday so I took Benadryl early evening.  I'm STILL groggy this morning from it.  Maybe I need to try Claritin instead.  Even though allergies are up, yellow pollen is fading fast.  The big rain on Saturday should bring the rest of it down.

Not much to say this morning so I leave you with a grooming picture of Duke :)  Later gators.

Volunteer Day

Good morning.  I'm up early to get a workout before I volunteer at the vaccine center.  I enjoy doing it, but I'm not super excited the morning of -- you know, messing up my morning routine and all.

I picked up the bouquet yesterday.  It doesn't photograph super well, but it's pretty.  Maybe not worth the price, but I like it.  Her husband makes the frame and she dries and styles the flowers.  I hope my DIL likes it.  The frame is chunky (which is awesome), but there isn't any mounting clips -- for the hefty price, I'd think that would be an option.

Duke's new groomer went well too.  The grooming is expensive, but the groomer is good.  Good grooming isn't just about the look -- groomers can give hot spots, bleeding nails, etc. if they aren't skilled.  I'm happy to pay for skill and support my friend's new store.  Now both dogs can be at the same place and it's a safer setup for Duke who's an escape artist.

I'm having a bit of a mood.  Those little pesky things this week and now some other irritations.  I need to go back to a big lesson I learned during the pandemic -- what I need comes from ME and everything else is icing on the cake.  When I "depend" too much on outside things (and people), I get disappointed and frustrated.  It might sound cynical, but it's the opposite.  When I don't get so vested outside myself, I can let things roll off much more easily.  If stuff works out, that's great.  If it doesn't, I don't get overly undone about it.

The details of these little things don't matter (that's why I'm sounding vague) and it would take a lot of explanation.  The problem this week is I am invested and I didn't detach enough -- now frustration and disappointment.  This comes up over and over for me.  At least I'm recognizing it now.  I can depend on myself to have a good day.  Focus inward and then the rest isn't as important.

It's a tough balance between isolation and connection.  I don't want to lose connections, but I don't want to spend so much time resenting connections (and commitments) that are broken.

Well, I rambled through this post and I need to get moving for the volunteer day.  Have a good one.  I'm going to try too.  Stay well.  Later gators. 

50-50

Yesterday was a 50-50 day (Brooke Castillo says life is 50-50).  The morning was good.  Took my first 45 minute Peloton ride.  Hard, but not too bad.  Grocery store runs successful too.  Longer walk with the dogs in amazing weather and got caught up with a friendly neighbor.  

Good morning.

Then late afternoon -- all of a sudden a few SMALL things got me feeling upset.  A couple of comments from separate things hurt my feelings.  But (here's the good news), I let myself feel sad.  Sat with it, went to bed with it.  It lingered in the background all evening and I let it be there.  Didn't distract, buffer, try to cheer myself up or talk myself out of the feelings.  Allowing feelings like that takes practice (for me, at least).  

And there was something oddly good about being able to sit with feeling hurt.  I was alone and didn't have to pretend I felt happy.  It was nice.

I'm feeling mostly better this morning.  Still a little sensitive and prickly.  Dreams were all related to my hurt feelings.  But I bet I feel better as the day goes on and the dreams fade away.

In other news ... 

We haven't talked books in forever.  I'm reading Unwinding Anxiety (Judson Brewer).  I listened to a podcast interview about the book and, once again, the podcast is the way to go.  The podcast is the book without all the fluff filler.  I'm about halfway and will finish it, but learning nothing new so far.

On the fiction front, I'm finally reading The Midnight Library (Matt Haig) and it's super interesting so far.  Really well written too with little chapters (something I love).

Speaking of books -- I'm doing a fun thing.  I ordered a Little Free Lending Library from Etsy.  I need to paint it and hang it at our house in Asheville.  I love this concept and the libraries are all around town.  I might get a nasty-gram from the historical society, but I'm taking that risk.  It'll hang on the carriage house railing which is not an history building -- it's basically a modified garage.  This feels good and it'll qualify for a crafty project.  It's a birthday present so my goal is to hang it by end of June.

Katie Couric recommended a menopause supplement company -- Kindra.  I started taking the energy boost for mental and mood clarity.  We'll see if I notice a difference -- only on day 3.  60 days for full effect (makes me think that's a sales tactic though).  Nothing in the supplement makes me concerned, so I feel like it's worth a try.  Problem solving these hormones as much as I can and as safely as I can.

Today I have Duke's grooming appointment and I'm heading to pick up DIL's pressed bouquet in the afternoon.  Lots of little chores and errands to fill out the day.  It should be a good one.

This week of alone time is life giving.  I can't tell you how much I need this -- even though I'm not sitting home alone.  

I'll end with a couple of dog pictures.  Have a happy day and stay well.  Later gators.

Loves to nap like a baby lol!

Patio in Asheville.
Full poodle fluff hair.

Curled up into a little ball.

Bedtime clinging b/c still nervous in the new house.

Good to be Home

I say this every time and I hope it continues -- love to go, love to come back.  The dogs give a big sigh when we get back too.  Both go to their favorite spots and sleep most of the day. 

My plants survived, but there's a problem with the greens.  They aren't growing at all.  I think they bonked and I need to start over.  Did I water too much?  Maybe I'll buy some small plants from the farmer's stand and try something different.  I'm so bummed.  The herbs are "developing" but not exacting big yet -- leaves are maturing and new sprouts are happening.  

I'll google more on all of this and see what the options are -- I hate to give up on the buggers if they just need a little time.

My new Peloton is MUCH easier to ride -- the resistance is calibrated differently than the other bike.  I googled this and it's common.  Nothing to be done -- they don't recommend you try to make changes.  Makes me wonder which one is off -- is my first bike extra hard?  I've wondered how some of the ranges are possible.  It's no actual problem as I ride to effort level anyway.  I also ended up with a slightly different seat adjustment so I'll change this bike over and see if that makes a difference.  When I see the instructors ride, they look higher than I sit so maybe my legs aren't at the optimal angle.  I'm curious.

I'm wholly focused on managing the transition to this AFTER time.  I'm wobbly at it.  When life feels like life BEFORE, I automatically go back to the way I was before.  I was working on changing that before the pandemic -- and I did -- and now it's too easy to slip back to old habits.

Part of the issue is the new house.  I don't have a morning routine set yet and that's a keystone to my day.  Setting up the basement with the Peloton and a meditation spot is helping.  I don't have a place to journal and I miss that in the mornings.  I like journaling to be private so I have to think how to make it happen.  Also, with the crazy showers, I don't start with a cold shower.  I notice a difference.  We're going to spend too much time there to not have a routine.

Maybe it would be fun to work on a different routine in Asheville -- a mix of new and old.  Something to think about.

I want to hold a priority (or at least a partial focus) on the simple "joys" and slowing down.  Cooking plant based meals, trying new foods, growing things (work in progress lol), reading, walks, nature, etc.

Also, as things pickup, I need to continue reminding myself that the FALSE BELIEF about being "busy" isn't true in my life now.  Busy doesn't equal overwhelmed and burnout.  I'm busy with things I WANT to do -- not busy with the grind of work, climbing a financial ladder, raising kids (homework, sports), etc.  I can "fill" the day and it can still feel comfortable and good.

Have a happy day and stay well.  Later gators.

Heading Home

I've been MIA, but I got my old charger to start charging again.

I've had a good few nights here, but I'm ready to head back.  

I finally did a little local store exploring.  My favorite stop is a vegan lunch-breakfast-juice bar.  Avocado GF toast with cashew ricotta and unusual veggies.  A mango lassi pie (like a cheesecake) and kale/pear/lemon/ginger juice.  YUM (!!)  This is my new favorite takeout and it's a 10 minute walk.  I also found 2 more coffee bars for good decaf iced americanos. 

I should be back to chatting this week (charger withstanding).  

Here are a few of the latest inside pictures.  Some of the decor is temporary, but since things are on backorder until AUGUST (!!) I wanted to set it up as comfortable as possible.  Our king bed comes May 1 so I'm happy to start that process.  We need to buy a mattress though and the bedding is on backorder.

New drapes -- they're dark gray.

You can see the new ceiling fan.

PB rug.

Curtains were left and I like the color.
They're too short though.  Staying for now.
Fireplace screen looks good.

Fireplace screen.
Mantel is a catch-all for now.
Looking for a picture.

Spare room with our old bedding
until new stuff comes.

We used the outside furniture.  It's nothing special (not as comfy as our other chairs), but it gets the job done to seat a group.  The patio is fantastic and the weather made it extra nice.  We can leash the dogs to the legs of the sofas and everyone is happy.

Peloton is delivered and I'll try it today.  I had to chat with membership peeps and I ended up being able to cancel my second membership.  This means logging in every switch -- we'll see if it works okay.  

I spit-shined cleaned the house too.  My back isn't happy, but the place looks good.  Not a lot of space to clean, but tons of nooks and crannies (on the floors and the moldings).  My knees are aching too.

Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Travel Day (Again)

I mentioned before -- fun to go, fun to be home, but the drive is a bummer because of the bathroom situation.  I finally feel comfortable going in a public restroom, but I have the dogs with me.  There's been a lot of dog theft from cars and I can't leave them alone.  

No bathroom breaks again.

And I got my monthly yesterday.  Ugh.

Anyway, I have another carload of stuff to bring.  Fun to tweak some of the decor (even if it's temporary). The computer charger should have arrived last night and, if so, pictures coming.  

Another short post because I'm not sure about the charger yet.  Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Short and Sweet

No charger yet.  On conservation mode for a quick hello.

Volunteering went well yesterday.  Second dose of Pfizer.  I was more prepared with a chair cushion and no back issues afterward.  The site ended up closing early the last time because of so many J&J adverse reactions.  CDC tested the lot and said it was fine.  It's interesting and a little eyebrow raising.

I'm signed up for the next couple of weeks -- once a week.  That works for me.

DIL's framed wedding bouquet is ready for pickup -- I'm excited to see it.

Another full day today prepping for the trip to NC tomorrow.  

Signing off to turn my computer off.  Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Hello, Again

It's been a couple of days -- hello :)

Here's a little recap ...

We got all the stuff finished that we planned.  Ceiling fan installed.  Hubby rocked this like a champ.  I HATED the other ceiling fan.  This one is okay.  Kind of wish I went with another one (don't tell hubby).  Ceiling fans are tough -- none are very good looking.  I tried to upgrade and it doesn't work well.  The problem is the very bright light -- more for a porch, I think.  I had no idea until we turned it on.  It takes a special light so no changing anything.  Good news is we only use it for the ceiling fan and a quick switch light.  It is what it is now.  I'll take a picture this week (I forgot, of course.)

"Fixes" on the clawfoot tub work well.  A cut pool noodle to direct any water off the wall, one continuous shower curtain and window shades.  This was a big win.  Water stays where it needs to and no one can see me shower (!!)  That said, the overall "look" of the tub is blocked by the shower curtain, but function comes first.

Big fail was the headboard delivery.  There was a mistake and it's not available.  We didn't find out until an hour AFTER the delivery window.  Ugh.  Ordered another one that will take 3 months to come in.  Furniture is massively back-ordered.

I ordered window treatments for the carriage house.  New blackout drapes and shades to be able to pull over the door windows when someone sleeps out there.  Glad to have that figured out.

Saturday it poured rain, but the day ended with a rainbow and a pretty sunset.

View from our dinning room.

View from our backdoor.

This is a big week for me.  Volunteering today (which is a back breaker sitting in that position and reaching).  I MUST clean this house before I head back to NC to clean THAT house.  All back heavy things.

I love Asheville and our new house, but it feels good to be home.  It's a quick turnaround to go back again for the Peloton delivery.  I wonder what it will feel like to be alone in that house (with the dogs, of course).  

After a year of "nothing" days, all this "going" is tough.  I'm craving a nothing week where my routine is the big news of the day.  It's hard to keep my healthy habits going strong.  Working on this transition (not figured out yet).

It's also my hormone week with my monthly expected.  This isn't helping -- AT ALL lol.  

I want to come back on Friday, but that means I won't see hubby for 2 weeks.  But, is it worth staying over Friday night for an evening together?  I don't know.  I'll have to see how things shake out.  As I said, I'm set to give the house a big clean and set up the beds a little better until the backordered quilts arrive (and the headboards).  The newlyweds are coming up the following week to celebrate my eldest's birthday and I'm trying to get things a little more comfortable for everyone.

In other news, my computer charger is on the fritz.  I ordered one to come tomorrow, but if it doesn't, I'll have to conserve computer time when I'm away.  It's an old computer so a compatible charger is hard to find.  

On that note, time to shut her down to conserve battery.  Happy Monday.  Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Asheville Weekend

Off for the weekend to work on the house.  Setting up bathrooms (hanging shades, trying to get clawfoot showers more workable), hanging drapes (then taking them down to be pressed), hanging a ceiling fan (wish us luck on this one) and cleaning.

I'm a bit nervous about the drive today and bathroom breaks.  This is a hormone week and I'm holding water in the mornings.  That means my body flushes out as the morning goes -- with or without drinking.  I had to come home mid-errands yesterday to run to the bathroom.  (I'll use a single bathroom in public, but not a big one because people take off their masks.)  I'll try to flush as much as I can with a sweaty workout.

Head home on Sunday and Monday is my next volunteer day.  I hope it's not the J&J again -- lots of sites reporting the same issues with adverse reactions.  Makes you wonder if this is a side effect of J&J -- syncope.  CO and NC had sites stop administration.  J&J is having a bunch of mass manufacturing problems too.  I'm not an alarmist about things, but this would pause me on getting this one when the Pfizer and Moderna are reasonably available in our area too.  BTW, everyone has fully recovered -- that's good news.

My eatable garden is fully outside now.  Wish the herbs luck with the transition.  I gave them outside time a little each day.  Hope they survive all that nature brings (weather, critters, birds).  The greens sprouted, but they are hardly growing.  Not sure what's happening -- looks like some googling is needed.   Still haven't eaten anything, but the basil smells like basil now.  I hope this move is the right choice.  Otherwise, back to seeds inside.

I'll probably be off line for the next few days.  When I go back next week for deliveries, it's just me so I'll be able to chat away.  I've got some chatty stuff to mention :)

Have a good weekend and stay well.  Later gators.  

Volunteer Recap

Volunteer first shift in the books.  First is the hardest because of all the unknown.  This was the first time this site administered the Triple J vaccination (Janssen, Johnson and Johnson).

90 minutes into appointment and 3 emergencies and 2 vasovagal episodes.  Holy cow (!!)  Nothing after that -- strange timing ... who knows.  Actually a little scary at first.  I had asked the nurse who was clinically certifying me if there were many reactions -- she had only one person pass out on all the shifts she worked.  Then this wave of crazy.  BTW, everyone seemed to be okay.  One woman had a seizure and they thought they might need CPR, but she left responsive and talking with the paramedics (don't know her medical history, of course).  

Anyway -- it's a turn and burn kind of experience.  I started out -- wow, this feels great to be helping -- bet this day flies by.  Looked at the clock and TEN MINUTES had gone by.  OMG!  It was good but the time felt SLOW.  Each person took less than 5 minutes and you never stopped (except when I helped with one of the emergencies).  Most of the clinic peeps were paid employees -- also a surprise.  They work full-time, 3 days per week, flex schedule.  Too much for me.  5 hours was enough.  I think I'll volunteer once a week if it continues to go okay.  Next shift is Monday.

I came home and mentally collapsed.  Lots of mental "stuff" on my mind.  I ended up eating a BIG bowl of pasta.  Don't ask why -- I have no idea what possessed me except buffering my mental rollercoaster.  Now I'm all gluten miserable.  Will I ever learn?  I don't know.  I'm going through a dinner food fatigue.  I need to get back to making MEALS for dinner.  It's kind of hard with the schedule this month.  I need to figure this out because a big pasta bowl tastes great, but I pay the price for days.

Of course, this also panics me about transitioning out of quarantine.  See, I can't keep up my good habits ... look what happened.  That might have been another reason I made the poor choice -- proving my worry is correct.  

Come on, brain.  Let's get our act together.  

Today is a few errands and prep for the car ride tomorrow.  Heading to Asheville with the dogs.  So far, we've done okay for the drive without stopping.  Fingers crossed this continues.  I have and up and back for the next two trips with them -- another worry chapter for me.

Serendipitously I bought 2 books on anxiety last week.  Unwinding Anxiety (Jud Brewer) after listening to  him on Armchair Expert podcast.  Tears to Triumph (Marianne Williamson) after hearing Brooke Castillo talk about how life changing this book was for her.  Guess my subconscious knew I was going to have a big old anxiety flare up.  I'll let you know more when I get reading them.

Have a happy day.  Stay well.  Later gators.

Volunteer Day

Yesterday was fun.  The market was fabulous and I got a few goodies.  Of course, my first time doing this kind of shopping again and maybe I was overly enthused lol.  Pictures soon.  Most vendors were priced well.  Shocked I hadn't heard of this place, but found out it opened during COVID.  So, yep.  Not many people know about it yet.

Super fun to catch up with my aunts too.  BTW, we all masked the entire time (per the regulations -- yea). The day felt "normal-ish."

I drove to the vaccination site to check out parking, logistics, etc.  Makes me feel better.  I also hired a dog walker (my neighbor has a business) to let the boys out mid-morning.  That "worry" is off my plate and I won't feel rushed to get home.  I'm looking forward to today.  Hope it goes well because I'd like to continue taking shifts while the sites are needed.

I'm up too early since Duke woke me up and there was no getting back to sleep.  I'll be tired tonight and that feels good.  Tomorrow is nothing on the calendar so I can get a regroup day before I leave for Asheville.  

I'm still mentally navigating how to do this transition back into regular life.  I'm not having an issue being out and about (with a mask and few people), but I am wondering what to bring back.  Mani-pedis?  Cleaning crew (b/c of my back)?  Massage?  Take-out?  Outside lunches? All the things I adjusted to doing without and kind of proudly so.  Now what?  When I'm with people, the push will be to do those things again.  I don't want that to take over my days -- I really, really want to be intentional with gathering.  This is hard and not sure what it looks like.  I also don't want to be one of THOSE people -- strange and preachy hah!

I decided to table the decision.  Live for a minute in a vaccinated bubble and take my time.  April is a full month working on the Asheville house and things will calm down come May.  Then I'll have a better handle on what makes sense.  Maybe a better idea of how to balance.  I want to return to a lot of things, but I want a better balance than I had before.  I'd been working on that before the pandemic too (with little success).  Sounds like something to work on inside of Brooke Castillo's coaching program.  I'm leaning hard to join in May.

That's my rambles early this morning.  Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Family Day

Today is brought to me by VACCINATIONS.

I'm spending a couple of hours with my aunties.  One local, one from out of town, all of us vaccinated. We're meeting at an outdoor flea market.  I'll be masked (not sure about them -- they are looser than I am with regulations, most people are).  I'm passing on the indoor lunch at a winery after -- no indoors yet (especially in GA).  

Tomorrow I'm volunteering for the Medical Reserve Corp to administer vaccines.  I'm oddly a little nervous.  I get this way with any new experience.  Will people be welcoming?  Will I figure out where to park?  Where to go?  I have no instructions on anything ... water breaks, bathrooms, badge, etc.  Should I bring food?  Should I eat before I go?  I'm not concerned about giving the shot -- could do that in my sleep.  Once I have the first experience and know what to expect, I'll be fine.  Enneagram 6ing HARD (as I do).  I probably won't sleep well tonight.  Might take a test drive over this afternoon to see the logistics -- that will help.

Hubby comes home for an overnight tonight.  He's getting his vaccine tomorrow and heading back to NC. The mass site he's going to is halfway to Asheville so he figured that makes sense.  Only downside is I signed up to volunteer expecting him to be home.  Dogs home alone until early afternoon is a push for Monti.  Guess we'll see what happens and if I can leave him for just over 5 hours.  

Saw this yesterday -- lots of peeps reposting.  It's good.  I'm holding a few lately that are tough, but necessary.

This is another "big" couple of weeks for me.  Anything feels big after a year in quarantine -- so there's that LOL.  Back to reminding myself this is GOOD.  This is FUN.  This is what I deliberately created.  This is NOT a task list to complete and wish away.  Out with aunties, volunteering, drive to Asheville with pups (both ways) and home to volunteer again on Monday.  Then back to Asheville to stay the week myself (and dogs and neighborhood bears) waiting for the Peloton delivery.  This will be the first time in the house alone with all electronics and such new to me (not an easy learn).  Putting on my big girl panties though.  Yep -- fun, good, productive.  And a little scary for my Enneagram 6 brain.  Good news is I don't let that worry stop me from doing anything, but I can let the worry stop me from enjoying it.  It's like holding my breath until it's all over -- then I'm glad I did it.  I want to be glad I did it AND enjoy the process.  I'm trying ... 

Because uncertainty is all over the map this week, I'm fretting over workouts too.  Things are timing strange and I don't know how to finagle everything.  Weird thing for me to be so wishy-washy over.  Get a little nervous and then everything feels nervous worthy.  One thing I know, meditation is a must to calm my charged up brain.

That's all the rambling from here.  Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Alone Time Ramble

Yesterday was incredible.  I missed being by myself with thoughts and podcasts and dogs and books.  It's something I crave regularly, especially after big "together" times.

I re-listened to a few podcasts yesterday.  Brooke Castillo classics and Armchair Expert with Jud Brewer.  All things centered on CHOOSING delayed gratification for your better good ... or for more authentic good.  True desires vs false desires.  I bought Jud Brewer's book too (comes today).  He deep dives into habits solidified early in life and how to change them -- spoiler alert ... being curious and mindful about what your brain is doing.  He says it way, way more clearly and more helpfully :)

I felt myself slipping this week after coming down from the wedding week and feeling sluggish from the 2nd vaccination.  I need to nip that in the bud -- and quick.

I also was playing a mental game because I had a couple glasses of wine at the wedding.  Nothing that made me feel unwell.  Sipped over a longtime.  It hit the spot.  I didn't drink at the Welcome Party.  BUT, that stopped my "count" and started activating my all-or-nothing.  I never wanted to stop drinking, I want to drink when a drink feels good.  Most of the time I use a drink to buffer something or to enjoy an experience more.  That's what I want to let go.  I am in the heart of this experiment -- what do experiences feels like if I'm not adding alcohol?  Can I learn to enjoy things for other reasons?  What do I need to practice?  What do I need to let go?  What do I need to learn?  This transition time is the most important time to be aware.

Anyway ...

I'm reading The Rose Code (Kate Quinn).  Recommendation from the PopCast.  WW2 code breakers.  I'm enjoying, but it's a long book.  Not much time given to reading lately, so looking to amp that up again.

Netflix recommendation from PopCast as well -- Kim's Convenience.  It's 3 seasons, comedy about a family that owns a convenient store in Canada.  It grows on you.  I'm about halfway into season 2.

Today is a Trader Joe's run and the both dogs have their yearly vet appointment (still curbside -- yea, vet!!).  I'll get a quick Peloton ride in first and a dog walk.  Otherwise, a quiet day again.  More cleaning and chores -- feels good to get the necessary things off my plate.

Have a good Monday and stay well.  Later gators.  

Happy Easter

I'm doing a load of nothing-to-do-with-Easter today.  Hubby leaves for Asheville.  Grand-dogs happily at home.

Me, my pups and house chores.  I'm going to tackle cleaning and such.  I'm jonesing for ALONE TIME after so much social pinging the last few weeks (wedding and the new house).  Podcast and cleaning sound really good today.

My energy is almost back to normal.  My heart rate is about 10-12 beats higher -- resting and during the workout.  Guess my body is still working behind the scenes on immunity.  I'll do an easier Peloton ride today.

Have to run and help hubby get out the door.  

Hope you have a good Easter (if you celebrate).  Stay well.  Later gators.

A Pet-Peeve and a Soapbox

Good morning.  

Things are quickly moving toward "normal" again and I'm a little freaked out.  Not so much about the pandemic, but more about suddenly leaving my routines in the dust.  My aunts are gathering next week for an outdoor flea market and invited me.  I'll go the the market (masked) and all of us vaccinated, but they are going to lunch and a winery too.  

I feel good eating and not drinking.  Lunch and a winery is what I want to avoid.  I haven't figured out how to manage a balance of before/after lifestyles yet.  Monti has a grooming appointment so I think that gets me out of the afternoon stuff (this time).

I'm afraid that when I get a taste of how it was, I'll go straight back there.  It feels super tempting.  I like NOT dieting, NOT yo-yoing, feeling good after I eat.  Eating out doesn't offer those choices -- not when I'm going out with people who aren't interested in a healthy restaurant (ie alternative restaurant).  A restaurant salad is okay, but not great.  Vegan meals at a regular restaurant means pasta.  

And my biggest pet-peeve (even before the pandemic) ... everything you do socially ALWAYS includes going out to eat or stopping for a drink.  Why?  Why can't we just go to a flea market?  Why can't we just go on a hike?  Why can't we just hang out?

Guess this is the point of such a long practice -- putting things in play when the choices are harder is HARD.  I could use life coaching on this.  Time to problem solve and figure this out.

Side note on life coaching ... my former LC who raised her rates almost 3 times what she was charging is having a bit of a crisis herself (per her Instagram).  She's paused most of her coaching -- it worked out that I'm not with her anymore (at the new way, way too high rates).  She's not in a good place to coach the integration post pandemic.

Side note on the pandemic -- not over yet so stay diligent.  My brother isn't careful (he thought he and his family had it last year early on).  He travels to gyms for his job -- no masks, doesn't care.  He and his entire family (including father-in-law) have COVID.  He exposed my cousin and his family (pregnant wife) and my aunt and uncle (vaccinated, but my uncle is a a transplant cancer patient) the day before they all tested positive.  Dumb and dumber.  My cousin had no business having him visit for the day (inside, eating, no masks) and my brother was arrogant thinking it couldn't reach him.  

I understand it's possible to contract COVID with precautions, etc.  But when you blindly don't care about ANY precautions, that's on you.  The adults all qualify for vaccines but they hadn't gotten around to doing it yet.  Two of them were first qualifiers and the rest early qualifiers.  Seriously?!  At least my aunt and uncle are vaccinated.  

That's my soapbox.  A pet-peeve and a soapbox -- falls just short of a rant LOL.

Have a good day and stay well.  Later gators.

Good Friday

I don't celebrate Easter religiously.  If the family is around, I'll make an Easter dinner (not this year).  I know it's Good Friday because hubby is off from work.  I find it an usual day for a company to give off since it's based so completely on a specific religion, but so be it.  (I know -- Christmas too, but that's become secular for many people.)

I feel blah this morning but this could be a number of things.  I haven't eaten as well this week.  Sofa slug sounds nice, but it makes me feel less good.  Maybe still some lingering vaccine side-effects.

I'm going to do a lite workout this morning to ramp up again.  This afternoon I'm headed to get Monti new dog food -- he hates the senior kibble I'm giving him.  My friend opened a dog boutique and I'll visit to see what she has that he might enjoy.  My shopping (errand) world is expanding (masked, of course).

I'm SUPER DUPER ready to do a re-evaluation of my goals list and make plans for the next few months.  I have an empty line in my 10 goals I write daily and I want to figure out something good.  I'll wait until hubby goes out of town this week so I'll have all the quiet time I need to reflex and plan forward.  Stay tuned -- I'll share as it goes.

Timing feels good -- wedding is over, Q-1 is done, vaccinations rolling out.  I'm excited to plan a few more things and get back to the 21 for 2021 list.  I'm also ready to start cooking recipes again.  Food fatigue is real and I don't want to fill that space with takeout and "junk" again.  I feel too good eating plant focused foods to let myself slip.

I think that's the most important part of this re-evaluation.  I want a NEW NORMAL that incorporates the best of The Before and The After.  I don't want now to look like before.  

Anyway ... I leave with this.  Stay well.

Yep ... soul family.

Three years ago.  Parker and Ellie
have crossed the rainbow bridge.  
I remember this hike -- LOVE them.

Vaccine Update and April 1

My second Pfizer shot went smoothly.  In and out in record time.  Well organized.  Looks like many states are fully opening vaccine eligibility by mid-April.  Yay!!

I had a little headache yesterday.  Today, I'm super body fatigued.  Don't want to hold my head up kind of fatigue.  Otherwise, I feel fine -- no headache this morning.  Looks like a sofa surfing day ahead -- which was planned, if needed.  Truth be told, this sounds nice.  March was a ball-buster month (in a good way) and a forced "nothing" day sounds good.

Overnight freezing temps for the next 2 night.  I had to bring my porch planter inside last night.  I'm one of "those" people now lol.  It's April ... in GA ... and temps below freezing.  Wow.  I'm not complaining -- I like cooler temps, but it's unusual.  Highs in the 50s though.  

Quick update on joining Brooke Castillo's life coaching program.  I planned to join in April, but this month is trip after trip to Asheville to work on the house (plus mega spending on the house supplies).  Not the best time to join.  The first month is the big month (checking out all the archived goodies).  In case I only stay a couple of months, I want to have a lot of time to watch the training videos.  It's on the table for May or June now.  

Next week I'm spending time revisiting goals and a plan going forward.  How to come out of quarantine.  What to keep.  What to ditch.  Focus forward with an adjusted normal again.  Stay tuned.

I also have a bunch of book and Netflix to chat about next week -- yea, fun!

Have a good day.  Stay well.  Later gators.

Boys looking adorable.

One last hair photo ...