Round two of taking a melon baller to remove more flesh today.  They took two from around where a previous sample was removed.  At least it's done.  This time things are bit less comfortable post procedure, but I'll survive this part -- I just want to get the same negative results.

On a brighter note, I got a call the other day from the fire company -- turns out I won with one of my lottery-based calendars!  A check arrived today.  Good timing as I will have more medical bills arriving shortly.

I have how many days until Christmas?  Well crap.  The good news is we know what we are going to get for Avery, and we have ideas for relatives that ask and for Santa - now to spot it at a price that makes me leap.  Santa is officially at the mall, so we need to find a time to get up there this coming weekend before the insanity begins.  I guess I need to put a few dresses on her and see what fits/can be used as a holiday dress.  Every year she's in a weird limbo between sizes this time of year that seems to resolve itself in January or February.

The weather was a bit chilly last week, but we had a decent day yesterday.  I should have gotten my Christmas wreaths out over the weekend, but that didn't happen.  Maybe if I pull them off of the storage rod and bring them upstairs I can squeeze it in over lunch one day this week.  I guess there is no rush until after Thanksgiving and removal of the pumpkins from the front of the house.

Jackson visited the vet last week to check his mouth/teeth.  Since then he has been taking steroids to settle things down in there so we can get a better diagnosis.  He seems to be more at ease, so I'm hoping he's feeling better.  He sure loves laying on my lap.  I really can't wait to find him his forever family and permanent lap.

I can feel that I was stretched out yesterday.  It doesn't hurt, but I'm aware of it.  Honestly, I feel like I will get results similar to my monthly massages - which are actually less expensive and, let's be honest, more relaxing.  Ask me again in a couple more days.

I got up a bit earlier today than I would have liked, I'll attribute it to being a bit tender.  I'm using this window of time to bake up some squash and to relax on the couch.  I need to get in gear after we return from Jujitsu this morning and get the Halloween decorations into their bins and away.  I think I may pull out some Christmas now (minus the tree)..

I booked one cruise for next summer using the next cruise booking I made while on Icon.  They continuously evolve these programs, and not in favor of the person booking, that's for sure.  While I appreciate a lower deposit being taken, there is little other benefit to doing a next cruise booking.  In theory I got an extra $100 off the price... but the price they calculated differed from what I was able to see online if it were a new booking.  I also had to push back to still get the $225 onboard credit that was showing for this sailing when walking the booking process online.  I think I'll stick to just booking what I find when I find it.

I also just ordered glasses online for the first time!  At my last visit my script didn't change, so to save a few bucks I stuck w/ my current glasses.  They're comfortable, I like the way they look, and the styles that were available weren't quite what I wanted.  Hopefully I made the right choice on lens coating through Zenni.  I am pleasantly surprised how easy it was to calculate my PD w/ their tool and to enter my script.  Fingers crossed.

A neighbor recently went to the StretchLab and raved about it, so it's been on my mind.  Between my shoulder, tight neck, periodic lower back, tight calves, and recent tight forearms I thought this might be an interesting thing to check out.  I go for a massage once a month as 'maintenance' otherwise I end up so tight that I will have a side of my neck spontaneously feel like it's shredding and I can't turn my head for a few days.  This isn't something that happens because I slept funny, I've literally had it occur when I was sitting at a red light relaxed in the driver seat.  It feels like a charlie horse or cramp comes on with a wave of pain and then ow and movement restrictions for days.

Anyhow, so I booked myself an intro visit for early Friday afternoon (fortunately it's a decent price to give it a try).  I am posting this pre-visit as a bit of a reminder to report what I thought of it since my posting is often sporadic.

I also never followed up on my ... do I call them biopsies?  Both came back ok, but the doctor has requested that I (non-urgent) return to get a larger sample taken.  Now that bits are nearly healed I will be heading in two weeks for that.  Fortunately, there was a bit of discomfort during healing, but nothing substantial.

Avery's free trial at Jujitsu/Muay Thai has ended and she agreed that she wants to continue, so that's exciting.  It's been 10 days and I already see her gaining confidence in what she's being asked to do.  The fact that there is a smile on her face the whole way though the Jujitsu classes is icing on the cake.

Finally, I want to give an updated on our foster Jackson.  He has been here for a while now.  He's started to really enjoy sitting in my lap and cuddling.  He's such a sweet boy.  The good news is his name has come up amongst several folks applying to adopt in the past week, so I am hoping he has something happening in the near term and can get on with his forever.

I know I have friends and acquaintances who strongly disagree with me - or former "friends" I guess as I lost two of them on facebook in the past 24 hours, and yet I celebrate today -- not with a desire to offend the people who disagree, but because I too had fear of the alternative and strongly feel this is the best path for our country.

In 2016 I didn't vote for him, I went third party.  I woke up in the middle of the night and saw the numbers in Pennsylvania and my heart sank, I really did not want Hillary to win.  In 2020 I voted for him gladly.  In 2024 I was not only excited to go vote but I was doing his dance all day and my stomach turned all day with anxiousness and eagerness.

Ultimately, I want what is best for all of us.  I want our country to be free and prosperous.  Either way, it doesn't matter who is in office, but rather who is King and He continues to reign and continues to love each and every one of us.

There have been so many lies and twisted words in the past so many months.  I'm so glad the telephone calls, texts, door knockers, fliers, billboards, and youtube ads are over.  I believe he will do what he has promised and is capable of doing so... let's see what happens.  (Caveat, he never said he was going to do some of the things claimed I'm not talking about those things).

I'm not stupid.  I know the path forward isn't all sunshine and rainbows.  I am pleasantly surprised that we aren't hearing reports of things being on fire, honestly.  I think we'll see the wheels that have been turning to prop up the economy pulled out from under just in time to blame everything on the new guy (after 4 years of blaming everything on inheriting things from the previous guy).  God please protect us.

Today a check for $1000 showed up from my insurance company.  I had left a voice mail earlier in the week and hadn't heard back from them.  I don't want to sound ungrateful, as that was such a wonderful surprise...but, what about the $400 car rental?  Like I said, this is a nice relief.

A few months ago I had my yearly appt w/ my lady doc.  She noted something she wasn't sure about, asked if she had mentioned it before (because it wasn't in my records), and asked if I wanted her to take a sample/biopsy or if I wanted to see a dermatologist.  I already had the derm appt scheduled and the thought of getting numbing in my nethers and having a core sample taken didn't seem too appealing, so I waited.

Well, today was the derm appointment.  I ended up getting numbed and a core sample taken.  Fortunately, I hadn't allowed it to bother me up until this appointment, but now I get to wait for a week to see how big of a deal this is.

This past weekend was our first ventures in Halloween.  It was good timing as the weather was still quite pleasant.  It has since gotten a bit chilly and started with the intermittent cold rains.

First, on Saturday we hit the Halloween parade and then walked the Houston Pumpkin Festival attractions.  We couldn't stay long as we had other plans later in the day, but it was nice.  Then on Sunday it was the second Kid's Day at Hundred Acres Manor.  I learned that Avery is 110% not ready for a real haunted house.  It was cool to walk through the haunt during the day with no jump scares.  I understand why they cover the gory stuff, but it was sad to not get to see those details.  We had a good time, and it was nice to hit a local Halloween offering.

I really wanted to get to Kennywood this year - and was targeting the Halloween season, but that doesn't look so promising with our current schedule.  I guess there are two more weekends that I could make it happen... but it is kinda chilly at this point.

I ordered top soil to fill holes (Zero!), smooth the edges around my concrete so I don't twist an ankle, and to put down on the spots where the grass died this year (I'm hoping it will help grass take again).  I had originally ordered 1 ton, but after a "are you sure that's enough" from my favorite egg I promptly second guessed myself and got 2 tons.  Aside:  1 ton was probably plenty.

I did have the guy who mows my lawn do some spreading to address the issues highlighted above when he came to mow, that helped me out, but there was still plenty left.  Last night I moved several wheel barrows (my old as heck with a mostly deflated/won't hold air tire wheel barrow that is).  I'm filling in light spots in the flower beds, adding some quality soil around some of the larger plants, filling the gap behind the curb along the street, adding soil at the base of the fire hydrant and water pipe where there was a gap, and putting down a line of soil along the fence.  I'm also topping off my garden buckets.  This took quite a bit away from the pile, but I defn have more to move.

I am feeling okay at the moment.  That means I'm going to be in excruciating pain tomorrow, doesn't it?  At least that exercised helped me get a better night's sleep last night.

One.  More.  Payment.  I have called and gotten that final dollar amount and I'm queuing up the last payment from my bank for my mortgage.  I'm so excited.  It was such a weight off my shoulders back at the old home to have this off the table.  To know that I could take a much less lucrative job if bad things happened and still make ends meet is an amazing feeling.

I guess it's time to talk about our cruise.  We were on Icon of the Seas, one of the biggest/newest ships - and quite different from the others in the features it has.  I wasn't sure going into it if I would love or hate some of the changes, and I gotta say, it was really nice.  We had a great time, despite the sadness that surrounded that timeframe.

The infinite balcony?  I liked it.  I don't know that I would like it as much over water, but over Central Park it was quite nice.  The chairs and footrest there were super comfortable and I spent a lot of time sitting and relaxing in those seats.  I don't think I sat on the couch even once.

The elevators?  Pretty cool.  You use a pad to select the floor outside of the elevator and it tells you which elevator to go to e.g., "Elevator B".  This greatly reduced wait times and the frequency of crammed/overcrowded elevators.

The shows?  Ice rink is circular, so that allowed for different things than the rectangle.  Pretty decent.  Wizard of Oz was excellent.  The Effectors was decent.  The aqua show amazing as always.  The aqua dome is up much higher on this ship than others and fully enclosed, making for a very different experience.  Comedians were good - this is the first time I've spotted an early show that I could drop Avery at Adventure Ocean and catch the comedians.

The food?  Dining room continues to become more mediocre, but there are lots of other options onboard, some included.  I loved hitting Surfside Bites instead of the Windjammer on day one for a snack - and it was so good that we ate there again.  The other free eatery at Surfside was great for breakfast too.  We went to the Hibachi in Izumi ($) for lunch and it was amazing.  We also went to Hooked ($) for dinner on the last night - it was a ton of food, quite good.  The creperie is yummy, but the quick chinese and sandwich place were less than awesome - my monte cristo was actually kind of gross.  Playmakers wings were HUGE and their fries were delicious.

The drinks?  Desserted ($) was not worth it.  It was just a messy messy milkshake that wasn't very tasty.  The lemon post had some unique and tasty drinks as did the lime and coconut - there is a frozen lime and coconut that I liked even more.  I also had 3 interesting concoctions at the Point and Feather along the promenade - can't think of what I only had maybe 2 lavender daquiris from the Schooner bar if that tells you how busy I was elsewhere trying different drinks.

The pools were JAMMED (I never did hit the adult only pool at AFT), but the water slides weren't bad despite some lines.  They are nicely shaded for the most part, so we didn't get sizzled.  Lots of waterflow, so I didn't get stuck like I did on Liberty - two are racer-style, two are tube where you ride together, and two are plunge.  The last two Avery wasn't tall enough for, but it was ok, we enjoyed the others.  Miniputt was nice.  Avery hit the rock wall several times.  Surfside was fun and also nicely shaded, but we're right on the cusp of outgrowing that area.

Cococay was lovely as always.  We returned to the free slides and the large pool for a majority of our time.  We also popped in at the little lake-like area and the beach proper.  St Maarten was super hot.  I hadn't planned a lot there, so we just jumped off for a little while and shopped around right at the port.  St Thomas was cancelled due to propulsion issues with the ship.  I hadn't planned on getting off there anyhow, so my only loss was having the ship more to ourselves.  Turns out they cancelled the sailing after ours to go for repairs.  That... and the hurricanes that have come through since?  I think our timing was amazing to get one more trip in for the year.

I really want to write a bit about our trip... but here I am this morning missing Saffy. It's been two weeks since she left this earth.  I probably did this to myself as I was digging through photos from the first year of her being with me (in Jingletown).

It's odd the dumb things you do that make you sad after loosing a pet.  I did a deeper clean on my bedroom on Saturday morning and as part of this I packed up a few extra beds that were in there to give her options for comfort.  I'm sure there is still plenty of her fur in there, as I didn't move the bed, but I felt like I was kicking her out of our bedroom.

I don't know where that Saturday motivation came from, but it also had me trimming things outside.  I now have two garbage cans full of cuttings (hopefully they'll take them from the bin and won't make me try to cram things into garbage bags).  I still need to tear down plants as the colder overnight temps are coming, but I didn't get there yet.  I will probably pull the tomatoes off later this week as I monitor the anticipated temps.

Now if I could carry that deeper clean along through the other rooms, that really needs to happen.  I'm hoping to be in a position to get someone coming to do the periodic cleans again relatively soon, I hope.  It really is a load off of my shoulders to have that support.

The piece of information missing from my post memorializing Safyre is that I wasn't here when it had to happen.  Avery and I were away on a cruise.  In the post prior perhaps you could sense my anxiety which was the uncertainty combined with my upcoming absence.  While she wasn't doing great, she was still doing the stairs w/ me walking behind her and needing a bit more support and encouragement... so I really thought we weren't to that point yet.

Within 36 hours of dropping her (and Zero) at the kennel, shortly after I got to Florida they were calling saying she didn't want to eat.  Then she wasn't standing on her own.  Then a wound on her hip, which I thought was a hot spot, opened up oozing and my favorite egg brought her home from the kennel, spent the night with her, and got her into the vet's office.  While there another wound that we had no idea existed opened up and the vet said they were bed sores.

I was able to video in and see the state she was in.  Hopefully she could hear me and/or see me.  I realized looking at her face that she was definitely hurting and it was time.  I'm grateful my favorite egg was able to be there with her since I wasn't, but I'm so heartbroken I wasn't there when she needed me.

Our trip was good, I'll post more about that after I've had a bit more time, and maybe that way was the best for me long term.  This one really really hurts.

Safyre Qwynn, Saf, Saffy, Roo, Safaroo-Kangerpuppy
She joined me on January 3, 2009, but we celebrate her "birthday" on the 4th.  I thought she was maybe a year when I got her, but it is so hard to tell, so I don't have an actual age for her.  From what I learned from the Huntingdon Humane Society is that she was initially in there as a stray, adopted out, and returned because "it just wasn't working out".  I can only imagine it was a family that was not experienced with a siberian.

I wasn't looking to get a third dog.  I don't know why I was looking at Petfinder the day I spotted her.  But I knew I needed to go see her.  When I went I took Danika with me.  They met briefly through a fence before joining together in a play area where they immediately romped and had a blast.  Danika needed a friend to play with (since she and Vixen didn't get along) and I had room in my world for this wild child.

I'd call her gray and white.  They named her Keesha at the shelter.  Those bright blue eyes and little dark spot above her mostly open face made me think of a diamond which led to the name Safyre.  She spent the first night in a crate - cried a little - and then from there she started sleeping with me (and continued to for quite some time).

She and I were good cuddle buddies.  I've never had a dog that would curl into your side so perfectly.  Then when I would flip to my side so did she - pressing our backs together.  We continued on this way for many years, until I decided to feng shui myself (for lack of better phrasing) into a real relationship.  If there wasn't room in my bed for someone, ya know?  But the fact is, Saffy made it okay for me to be single and sleeping alone.  She healed me a great deal.  Periodically we do still cuddle up and I enjoy it immensely.  While I was pregnant it was hard to cuddle just right and I think it frustrated her a good bit.  At one point she got kicked pretty solidly and then she stopped cuddling into my side with her head on my belly like she used to.

I know you shouldn't have a favorite child.  So let's just say she and I really got each other.  We needed and loved each other in the same way.  It didn't take long to realize that she was meant to be mine - that's why I spotted her when I wasn't even looking for another dog.

If my age guestimates are right that made her nearly 17 years old, and the oldest Siberian I've had in my family, beating Vixen by a few months.  She was a trooper, despite the aging issues she's suffered, like having an eye rupture!  In recent months she's had a hard time holding her poos and getting up from a sleeping position has gotten more difficult.  She was still doing the stairs with me behind her for reassurance and an occasional boost.

I took her to the kennel while I headed out on vacation with some concern, and I had gotten her a hamburger from Wendy's as a token of affection just in case earlier in the week - but no feeling that there was anything imminent.  The day of we noticed a spot at her hip that I thought was a hot spot, so I had sent meds to keep that in check.  Turns out it was a bed sore of some sort.  It ruptured the day after I took her to the kennel, so it was being tended to. Then she wasn't able to stand.  My favorite egg came and brought her home as to take her to get checked the next day and during that time another spot that we didn't know existed opened and was clearly causing her discomfort.

With the heaviest of heart I had to decide to let her go when I wasn't here.  Technology being a blessing I was able to video in so she could see and hear me and I could see her.  I am still so sad that I wasn't here with her and for her.  My heart is broken either way, but I didn't get to say the goodbye I wanted.  Coming home from vacation my house has a hole in it.  Zero is clearly noting her absence.  She will come home once she has been cremated.

Through the years...

Like I said - she was the best cuddler ever.

The little booger liked to dig when she got a chance, so we were constantly fighting.  I'd fill the hole and she'd open it back up.  This stopped in later years, thank goodness, but it is who she is.

She was quick too - one heck of a sprinter when she was young.  She would get a crazy look in her eye and then the zoomies would ensue.

She scared me a few times when she got away from me and ran off. My "nightmares" were dreams of her being missing or running away.

She was a healthy girl through the years with the exception of the eye in the past year and a steady decline as one might expect for her age.  She's had a few teeth fall out in the front, but never had broken teeth or any need for care in that regard.

She got on well with everyone - people, dogs, and even the cats that I brought into our home in the past few years.  Heck, I think she was more irritated about Zero joining us than Church.

She loved to go to the Meadows for ice cream and would jump up placing her paws on the ledge at the ordering window.

Saf even walked well on leash.  She wasn't perfect, but compared to other sibes she didn't pull much and walked along side me nicely.

There were moments when she would give me a look like my mother would.  Perhaps Mom was working through her from the great beyond.

I'll never know what her life was like before she came to me, but I hope she was as happy in her life with me as I was to have her.  Saffy will receive an individual cremation and will get her own container to stay with us forever.  I pray to see you at rainbow bridge Saffy.  You were a good girl and one of my very best friends ever.  I love you more than you could know and there would never have been enough time with you.  My heart is broken.

1/4/2008 - 09/23/2024

For a long time before my mother passed I prayed that her time would be peaceful.  I prayed she would be at home and not long-suffering.  Sure, her COPD wasn't ideal, but in the grand scheme when you see people suffer through months of cancer or years of dementia -- I still feel like my prayers were 100% answered.

I find myself saying similar prayers for Saffy.  It's been a bad 24 hours for her and she's really struggling.   She was pacing the room at 5am and didn't go when I brought her down and took her out.  This time she doesn't want to eat, even the  moist food.  I did get some pain meds in her, even though they are supposed to be taken with food, so she is at least resting now instead of trying to pace and slipping/sliding about.

I know it's rare that a decision doesn't need to be made for a pet.  The whole peaceful passing in their sleep thing doesn't tend to happen, but it could, right?  The thought of taking the very best buddy I've had to a vet's office just isn't okay.  I've been through it 3 times.  I watched and tried to comfort Vixen as she fought the sedative.  I sat beside Satin and Danika as they passed, unable to stand up on their own -- Danika in the back of my car thanks to COVID and the vet not allowing people into the building.  I just want Saffy to be here at home.  I suspect a point will come when I know she needs my help and I will of course, do what is right for her so she doesn't suffer, but I hate it.  Here's praying she bounces back like she did this time last year or that resolution comes quickly.  Speaking of last year (yes it was late August), I really thought she was gone then.  Since she's had her struggles, like with her eye and some days were better than others, but she kept pressing on.

Barnabas had his first trip to the vet (under my care) today.  Can you believe he's been here for a full year?  I was worried he wouldn't be the angel that Church is at the vet since Barney tends to disappear if someone he doesn't know comes to the house.  Much like Church, he was willing to walk right into the carrier (the time using the carrier when he was a foster paid off!) and he sang the song of his people on the drive to the vet.  At the office he wasn't quite as chill, but didn't have an issue at all.

I learned he doesn't have a few of his front teeth, which is interesting. We also need to keep an eye on his weight, which doesn't overly surprise me.  So proud of my little black voids.

Saffy has been hanging in there.  Some days are better than others, that's for sure, but she's still walking the stairs on her own with me behind her.  As to not leave him out I will say that Zero is still his crazy self.  My very routine-based nature helps keep some of his insanity in check... unless it's time for dinner.

As to the garden, the tomatoes are all coming in a steady stream now.  The lantern flies are insane here.  They're here and there on the house and also sitting in piles, I can hit 4-6 in one swat of the fly swatter.  Sitting outside you periodically get hit by one that jumps onto you, it's kind of unnerving.  I've probably killed over 100 of them each warm day for weeks at this point.  Tonight I sat out back and noted some large black ants coming and going, so I'm trying to carefully put treatment out for that.  Then I saw wasps going into the brown paper I have hanging on the deck to deter the carpenter bees!

Work is busy.  Time keeps flying by on me and I'm trying to keep up.

Am I making the kid soft?

The past few nights have been cooler, so I have turned off the AC and opened the windows.  The upstairs does get a bit warmer, it's true, but nothing like the heat of the summer when I was a kid and we didn't have central air.  I remember laying in bed unable to sleep from the heat. Run the window AC just long enough to cool it down and then turn it off and try to fall asleep.

Avery has gotten back out of bed 2x so far tonight because she's warm.  She does have a fan running in her room and I would put money down that her room is a good 10-15 degrees cooler than the memories I am reflecting on.

This weekend I started trimming things back as I do leading into the fall.  4 dog food bags full of russian sage, a dead cucumber plant, brown fronds from decorative plants in the back, and dead sunflowers.  There are many more bags where that came from.

The weather has taken a cooler turn getting us into the upper 40s at night.  Hopefully the nice weather can hang on so I can get the rest of my tomatoes ripening on the vines. I also had some lettuce seed itself that is growing nicely at the moment, so I'd like to get something out of that.  I have 3 green peppers out there that could probably be plucked at any point, one very nicely sized white onion, and a good handful of snap peas.  The rest is tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes - and I'm here for it.

With the CSA baskets I've been cooking up green beans and peppers this week. I tried cooking up the cherry peppers .... dang they're hot, I just can't do it.  Hopefully neighbors are willing to give them a try tomorrow.  I also made some zucchini fritters last night that turned out quite tasty.

With the long weekend I finally got caught up on laundry and checked off a few things on the to do list.  We also hit the pool with Avery's bestie - a last minute plan that I'm grateful for.  This was my first visit to the pool this year.

Avery returns to the podiatrist on Thursday, hopefully her wart is gone, I don't want her to suffer the numbing and removal.  She did take the ear piercing like a champ -- and they remain pain free and looking healthy!

Poor Saf.  We've been getting her nails trimmed regularly so her feet aren't sliding out from under her.  Well, when she's tired or feeling weak she drags her hind foot a bit.  A recent trim and a bit of a drag on the concrete and she's gotten herself bloody.  On one hand it's a good thing, because this means she has the energy to pace/do loops.

I noticed a bit of blood on the back stairs and deck the other day, but when I checked everyone's feet they looked ok.  Today there is defn more.  I am guessing the one was trimmed just a little too far which is a bad combo with a bit of a drag thanks to the heat really taking it out of her.  I cleaned her up and put one of the little booties on that foot.  Hopefully that will help her out.  Watching her get old stinks.

We were supposed to run tonight for Avery's first singing lesson, but the instructor messaged that she isn't feeling well.  That's a bit of a mixed bag since I had ordered groceries for pickup at the end of the lesson; I guess we're still running up to that plaza.

My bestie is now 7.  She had a great party this weekend with her friends and given her desired theme (Halloween) I am prepped a bit earlier than normal for Halloween.

School is in full swing now too.  It's odd that she's gone, but I get a little more focus on work.

How quickly the summer flew by.  It's officially time to start trimming things back outside every week.  I tore down the plants that were done or not looking promising (broccoli, pumpkin).  The tomatoes are browning and finally turning enough to make it hard to keep up in consumption -- but we'll give it a go or make a small batch of sauce.

This past CSA bag came with cherry hot peppers. I'm hoping they won't kill me -- so I'm looking for a recipe.  One of my favorite egg's uncles made stuffed ones at a gathering at one point - they were amazing.  I should just ask for that recipe!

I don't think I commented on this but I just made a call on it, so I have official information.  I am booked for Icon of the Seas.  I did so w/ a Surfside guarantee and I was excited because it is a new neighborhood and right up the alley for someone traveling with a 7 year old.  Historically on the Oasis class this area was the Boardwalk balcony and it was considered to be an upgrade from Central Park balconies.

Well, Royal has flipped things a bit and I disagree with it strongly.  When my guarantee was assigned I got a Central Park room.  I called the TA and they said it was an "upgrade".  I stewed for a while and today finally called RC to ask/confirm that this is the case.  It is, and that's pretty dumb in my book.

I mean, Central Park is fine if that's what I got a sweet deal on -- at least it was when you got an actual balcony and not just a window that opens and sucks all of the air conditioning out of your room.  No one wants these rooms, it's been widely known since Icon started sailing.  If you want to upgrade me and me not be displeased with it -- put me in an over water balcony.  Central Park is a downgrade, and it was even before the change to infinite balconies.

At one point RC had "upgrade preferences" that you could configure.  Basically you could say "if I'm in an interior and you have an available upgrade to a promenade view interior I do or do not want that to happen".  I'm pretty sure options included changes when in neighborhood balconies.  They've tossed those old preferences -- and never mentioned that they were now OBE.

Either way, I get to go on a cruise -- I will keep on cruising, but for sure I will warn people that they could get hosed w/ this type of a guarantee AND I will be sure to mention this in my post cruise survey (who knows I might end up thinking the Central Park infinite balcony is the best thing since sliced bread.  I doubt it, but I might.)

Here it is, the end of the last weekend before school starts.  I managed a bit of time to get into the hot tub to relax.

I spent a bit of time tidying browned leaves etc out back today.  I will count that as a step to ready for next weekend.  Along with the brown/dead pieces so went the broccoli and cauliflower -- they weren't going to do anything for me -- and the lettuce that went to seed.  Tomatoes are a very regular gather now.  I am glad I have a variety of plants as the sweet 100s aren't producing a ton.

With company coming on Saturday and Sunday this coming weekend I need to spend time each evening tidying and getting things in order. I also need to pull out the Halloween decorations -- a Halloween themed birthday party is an excellent excuse to get decorating.

Kiddo's birthday is in two weeks. If I told you I just started trying to figure out what we're doing for it I feel like you wouldn't believe me, at least not if you know me well.  Sorry to say, but you'd be wrong.  I literally just made a little invitation graphic to send to a few of her friends.  Just a low-key small gathering here.  Hopefully we will have nice weather and can play outside.  This means I have stuff to get done around here inside and outside.  I also need to get some things ordered for favors etc.

Avery told me the other day she wanted a Halloween theme.  Yes girl.  I can do that.  Of course whatever bakery I turn to will think we're crazy, but I'm good with that.

Saturday was a busy one for us.  Avery met a new friend from Camp Splash at the trampoline park (we were originally going to go to the park, but we are at last getting lots of rain so we wanted to be indoors).  We also had to go to evening mass to celebrate the end of Summer Fun Week at the Church.  From there we were off for a short visit with her bestie Luke.  Having gotten church in on Saturday allowed me to sleep in a bit today.

Never underestimate the therapeutic value of clearing out your underwear and sock drawers.  I also finally pulled all of the tank tops from the one drawer.  I haven't worn one in a year... they're gone.  Kiddo also started trying on school clothes from last year to see what all still fits - most everything is still good to at least start the school year so far, at least with regard to dresses, skirts, and short, we still need to go through the tops.

As we headed downstairs today I started by emptying the toy box and the set of drawers next to them.  So many little garbage toys purged!  There is still a ton all over the floor at the moment, it's time to continue sorting and purging.

Next up I need to get cooking with some of the goodies from my Friday CSA haul.  Since we were gone the week before I got a double dose this week.  There was an obscene amount of many things, but high on my list is peppers.  I think I'm going to make some stuffed peppers - the larger peppers I'll do rice and ground beef style and the longer sweet ones I'll do with my chicken cream cheese goodness.  Guess what I'll be eating all week if I can keep moving here this afternoon and get all of that made?

I probably should be doing some general cleaning as I've been working longer days (due to the pile on my plate and running Avery to Summer Fun Week) and neglecting the routine cleaning activities.  I think I really need to get someone in here to support general/routine cleaning again.  I just can't keep up.

Scheduled the kiddo with her pediatrician, can't get her in until October, so the school forms will have to wait.  Got her an appointment for a hair cut next week - may need to do one more round of blue in the tips tonight (in the mean time).

This morning she made an odd comment (as a 6yo does) about needing to keep her one foot on the rug in the bathroom because it needs the cushion.  Fortunately I didn't dismiss it and asked more.  Apparently her heel has been hurting.  I take a look and there is definitely a harder patch and a small brown ring.  I think it's probably a plantar's wart.  So now we also have an appointment for that with a podiatrist.

Back again!  Our second cruise this year is complete.  It was a short 4-nighter out of Bayonne to Halifax Nova Scotia.  We went with my favorite egg and his parents - their first cruise!   A great time was had by all.  Found an amazing tour provider and we learned a ton.  Liberty of the seas had excellent food and over the top amazing singers/dancers that were part of Saturday Night Fever.  5 stars!  It was a long drive, but dealable.

Also notable - I realized that Saturday (July 27, 2024) was my parents' 50th wedding anniversary!

Tomorrow I take the car for repairs, run the kid to another vacation bible school, and we head into a week with various appointments.  I guess I need to get a few more on the schedule to get us ready for the new school year.

We did get enough rain to fill my barrel while I was away. The plants were wilted but survived my absence.  I pulled a few more cukes and tomatoes upon my return, but little else.

We finally have a cooler temps.  We've had crazy heat for so long that the mid-70s as the sun set this evening felt cold.  It's been a struggle to keep the moisture in plants, so this little break is significant.  Tonight I gladly agreed to walk along with Avery while she rode her bike (she's getting much better and more confident).

I wish it had cooled off earlier as I spent one evening earlier this week sweating it out as I cleaned the inside of the car.  To say it's been a while since I flipped seats etc puts it lightly.  I even scraped the melted crayon out of the console.  The good news is when I drop it off to get repaired I need not feel embarrassed.

I need to follow up on the CSA basket from last week - I found a kale recipe.  It was actually a chicken and spinach recipe but I swapped out.  Matter of fact, it was so friggin good I might re-make it this weekend to use up more of the kale.  The kale chips I made were even tolerable.  Maybe this is just a more mild kale than I've ever had before.  I also made a wicked good sauted scape and parm linguine last night.

Because I am getting the texts as I type I'm going to share my frustration however... apparently everyone else getting CSA baskets can pick up immediately after it arrives mid-morning.  So I'm the only one who works?  *sigh*

I never did report on my hood's 5th of July party.  It was hot and I sweated outside from around 2pm to 11pm, but it was a blast and well worth it.  I love my neighbors.  I have been eating leftovers of what I made for the past week (fruit salad, haluski, and broccoli salad - the last I need to toss at this point).

This week has felt hectic.  Avery had a half-day VBS that had me running around 9am and noon each day.  It made it harder to get my hours in so I could take Friday afternoon off, but I did it.  Before we headed back to the church this evening for their final program we made our way to the Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens.  I've never been before and I'm angry with myself for not going before.  This place is a treasure -- and close to me, rather than in Pittsburgh.  It's still crazy hot out there, so the less than 2 hours we spent there was enough for now.

Today was the first day of my newly found CSA!  Someone in town posted, looking for interested people as they wanted to be a stop.  Of course, I'm in!  Today we had some potatoes, tomatoes, a red and a white onion of good size, tons of garlic scapes (yay!), a beautiful large head of lettuce, and a huge bundle of.... kale (y.a.y.?).

My garden on the other hand is a mixed bag.  I have another pot (this would be the 3rd one) of potatoes that I need to dump as the greens have completely dried up and died off.  Some of the tomato plants are starting to really take off size wise and are forming fruit.  I have more cukes forming.  Peppers are just starting to form (other than the cubanelle that wintered over and has two ready to pick).  As to the other things in my garden... let's just say, if I didn't mention it, you can assume nothing has changed.

I found it interesting to compare my garden's progress to that in the Botanic Garden's growing area.  Their peppers are killing it, but my beets are far ahead of theirs.

Lower of 2 repair estimates:  ~$4700

My insurance (keep in mind, the other person's insurance should be the one paying but they are playing stupid nearly 2 months later):  ~$2400

Right now I'm stuck w/a $1000 deductible, so where is the other $1300?  Oh, and don't forget I will need a rental while I am without my car.  That's about $500 a week.  Avery has a camp the week the car is going in, or I would try to go without a car.

This past weekend has me feeling young.  It is short lived because I cannot keep up that pace.  Saturday night we hung out with the (best ever) neighbors - the adults out back and the kids playing away.  This ended up being a pretty late evening, but we still needed to get up on Sunday for church.  This meant I 100% got a nap on Sunday afternoon.

Avery and I had Sunday evening plans near the airport so I took the opportunity to hit At Home and get my code orange Halloween fix!  Admittedly I already got a Halloween fix from Cracker Barrel this past week.  Our plans were meeting up with two friends from college; one was picking his son up at the airport and it was so good to get to sit and chat.  I can't believe how old we all are at this point.  Life flies.

I pulled 4 sweet 100 tomatoes yesterday, so Avery and I got our first taste.  Boy were they yummy!

Today I pulled 4 cucumbers (which look pretty ratchet looking - short, fat, stubby, and starting to get orangy-yellow).  I guess I left them on the vine too long, but I was hoping they would get a little longer.  I also plucked one rather large beet - the others remain too small.  I then planted a few more beet seeds and some lettuce in the bucket from the failed radishes.

Well dang it.  That's what I get for being motivated and trying to cross what should have been a 10 minute task off of my to do list.  I have needed to clean my dryer vent for a VERY long time.  Today, I busted out the tool I purchased and got to it.  Suffice it to say I made it worse.  The end of the vent cleaner popped off and is now somewhere along the vent under Avery's bedroom.

I guess I'm not finishing laundry today.  Trying to find a handyman around here is a difficult task.  This is compounded by the extreme number of scammers that post vent cleaning services on facebook.  Anyone miss having actual phone books to try and find legit businesses?  I've left 4 or 5 messages and sent a few texts/fb messages.

I guess the good news is I could find someone reliable and start getting some of the other things on my to do list addressed around here.

Progress!  Within 24 hours of calling my insurance and requesting their engagement I have already gotten a few calls and their claims estimator was here before 9am today.

This is one of those things I didn't want to learn about... let's talk about Pennsylvania's laws surrounding car accidents.  Apparently, not bothering to call the insurance back is a viable strategy... that's what I'm seeing.  If they don't respond they might lose their insurance, but if fault cannot be established then Pennsylvania treats it as no fault.  What does that mean?  It means I'm f'd and get to pay my deductible.  It also means that because I don't have rental coverage, I get to go without a car while repairs are going on or I get to pay for that too.

I strongly encourage you to not be at the wrong place at the wrong time when someone decides they want to abruptly be in your lane - 0/10

Let's talk about the garden.  Most everything survived the crazy hot temps while I was gone.  There was one pot of potatoes that I harvested as the plant all died away, getting way less than we should have, but still more than what was seeded.  The basil tried to flower while I was gone - as did a few of the turnips... but when I pulled the turnips most of them didn't create much of a bulb.  *shrug*

I have several sweet 100 tomatoes starting to change color.  There was a single solitary snap pea ready to be plucked and others soon to follow.  Many other tomato plants launched and have gotten to a decent size with blossoms.  I finally have a decent stalk of lettuce, not much, but I could make a salad or two.  The cukes have a few started.  The wintered over cubanelle has several peppers of decent size at this point.  The other pepper plants are still relatively small and not starting to produce.

The cauliflower and broccoli is still a fail again this year.  The pumpkin seeds are flowering, but not developing.

What really grew while I was gone?  Weeds.  I filled a decent sized dog food bag full of weeds to put to the trash today.  I also dead headed my three rose bushes which were crazy blooming earlier this summer.

We are back on dry land once again.  Avery headed out a week and a half ago - a sweet price allowed us to fly to Baltimore for our departure on Vision of the Seas for 9 nights.  With some advice from someone I know through work we sat on the right of the aircraft and had an interesting view of what remains of the Key bridge.  We were also careful to be on the port side of the ship to see the Dali as we sailed out of Baltimore (and a closer view of one side of the remains of the Key bridge.

Our sailing took us to... Bermuda (overnight, but still a relatively short stop having arrived around 2pm and leaving by 1pm the next day). Here Avery and I went to Warwick Long Bay/Jobson's Cove - my favorite pink sand as it is much more less touristy than Horseshoe.  We then rode the bus the rest of the way into Hamilton and took the Ferry back to King's Wharf.  On Sunday morning we rode with another passenger to attend mass at St Joseph's, the oldest Catholic church in Bermuda.

I had wanted to go out right in King's Wharf after church, but I had gone down in the middle of the night prior from both ends.  I feel I was food poisoned, but others kept pushing the idea of Noro.  Frankly, given how it presented and how quickly it passed (better after 24 hours) I still think it was food poisoning.  It was very overcast while we were in Bermuda and the seas were less than favorable for a few days (the Atlantic can be a bit finicky), so the temps stayed relatively dealable.

In Nassau Bahamas we got our first real taste of heat.  Again a relatively short stop.  This was my first time there since they made extensive renovations to the pier area.  We ran outside of the protected area long enough for some power shopping before we returned to meet our tour - where we boarded a pirate ship - one that Avery took over as Captain on after a mutiny.  I was very pleasantly surprised by this excursion, it was better than I expected.

Finally, we stopped in Cococay - which is always a delight.  There were passing rain storms, but a pretty darn nice day. Similar to our last visit, we stuck to the free water slides and the large pool.

This itinerary gave us several days at sea.  As I mentioned, several of those days were a bit rough, which means the rock wall and pool were closed at times. The final day had nice weather, but due to a poo accident the pool that allows the kids was closed.  Regardless, we had a wonderful, relaxing vacation.  Yes, the girl did get enough time on that rock wall to conquer the blue and orange paths.

The trip back was interesting.  I have never encountered so many Karens in one place.  Baltimore airport TSA is an interesting animal... still not as awful as Miami.  Glad to be home with the critters.  Churchie missed us a ton.  Barnabas admitted overnight he was happy we were back.  Jackson was meowing and happy to see us.  Zero didn't get worn our nearly enough at camp.  Saffy did ok and is resting back up.

My dear readers would know that I had a frozen right shoulder a few years ago.  You would also know that I'm having some loss of flexibility and pain in my left shoulder for a while now.  The knees, they hurt.  I feel bloated and uncomfortable about 50% of the time anymore.   I'm tired more often than not, but I find myself often waking up in the middle of the night and again by 5 or 6am.  My sinuses are constantly swollen and basically close up at night so I am now snoring, which I never did, and also getting woken from this issue.  I'm emotional and anxiety ridden - if I didn't know better I would think it was PMS.  I'm forgetting things and disorganized lately, which is 100% not me.

Sure, I'm overweight and that is probably a lot of it.  I'm not the type of person who would dive into hormone replacement etc, but when I asked "at what point that is advantageous" at my recent doctor's appointment it was indicated as "not needed unless I was having problems" (after I noted that I haven't been having as many hot flashes as I was there for a while).

Ok.  I felt a little dismissed, but I took that answer.

In one of my favorite communities (The Why Files if you must know) the topic of testosterone replacement was going on in a chat - and basically how doctors were offering it to several of the men in the group because their levels were slightly lowered.

Now I'm a little pissed.  Seriously?  You don't feel like getting down and dirty as often as you used to and maybe don't feel like yourself and the medical establishment jumps to solve that for you.  I, frankly, feel like shit more often than not and I'm left to trying various approaches on my own to deal with various symptoms.

I am not a "wah, I am so oppressed" type of person.  But I will point you back to the long touted "signs of a heart attack" that rarely match the typical symptoms a woman feels under similar duress and say that our medicine isn't doing right by women.  Fact is, I bet my insurance wouldn't cover those types of treatments unless we hopped through all kinds of tests and met a ton of criteria.... but if I were a dude and wanted female hormones... this world is so f'd.

I should have given an update on our foster, Jackson.  He continues to want more and more attention and loves to receive pets.  He still does not want to be picked up, but this weekend he put a paw up on my lap.  I'm calling it progress!

I also should have updated on my car issues - I called my insurance last week to ask for their assistance nudging things along as I continue to receive radio silence from the other person's insurance company.

This weekend was a complete blur.  I did wrap up my day early on Friday, so I was able to get some light cleaning activities completed - I also started pulling materials to assess my readiness for upcoming vacations.

Saturday we went to a housewarming for a friend of my favorite egg - with a little bit of shopping on the way back.  Sunday we went to visit my favorite egg's parents - also with a little bit of shopping on the way there.  I also returned from their house with several tomato plants that are further along than mine are and some chives to add to my garden pots.

Trellis I ordered to provide the clingy plants (read pumpkins and cucumbers) some purchase has arrived, as has a new mailbox, so I have some work to do in the next few days.  I have fought with my mailbox since moving here.  The back access would always flop open.  I had glued it shut numerous times.  Well, now the front is flopping open.  I'm just going to replace the whole sha-bang so my mail can stay dry.

I pulled a few radishes from a pot a few days ago both to give space to other growth and, frankly, because they were plenty large.  I can't believe I harvested something before June!  I also took a pass plucking wild strawberries from the yard.  It's nice to know they are there and doing well (and there would be more if I didn't mow for a few weeks).

I continue to struggle to get lettuce, basil, and beets going right now.   Well, except for the volunteer lettuce that has decided to grow in other pots, but it isn't enough to give me full salads.

The kid is out for summer.  Graduation was lovely.  She doesn't seem to be excited at this point, I'm not quite sure how to read on this one.  Maybe she doesn't quite get it (yet).

Still waiting for the other person's insurance company to interview them...a week later.  This is ridiculous.  I get the feeling this will drag on for a long time.  What do people do who are in accidents where their car isn't usable?  I got my first estimate for repairs.  Dang.  I know everything is expensive, but it's just overwhelming.

No!

As I tend to do lately, I ran out this morning to grab some groceries.  After I decided to grab some Starbucks.  Well, as I was leaving someone tried to switch lanes at the red light leaving the plaza into my car.  Fortunately, no one was hurt, no airbags were deployed, and she's drivable, but poor Serafina.  Of course there are mismatches with the individual, his license, the insurance, and the car -- this is probably going to be unpleasant.

My insurance company thinks it is likely I will have to file through them, but we're trying - so here I sit on hold for the insurance company provided.  Unfun.

Saffy's eye doesn't look horrific anymore, but you can tell there is a difference there.  Medication continues and she still otherwise seems to be herself, that is a blessing.  I got another Mother's day with her.  Anyone who doesn't believe in Momming or Dadding for the 4 legged kids can keep walking.  Is it different?  Yes, but my love for her is still quite strong.

Avery brought home a cute little hand decorated clay pot with a flower in it from school.  Her Daddy made sure that she had a card and tulips, and took us for Mexican and ice cream this evening - but only after I got myself a nice nap on the couch.  It was a good day.

The prognosis is depressing.  We got into the vet this morning.  The terramycin was a good action to have taken, but not one that changed our path.  I saw a tinge of red in the weeping/goo today - but it was less goo, so I had hoped for better.  Our vet is not an optimological specialist, but she indicated a corneal perforation - basically an eye rupture.

We could gone to emergency care as it would be a long time to get into specialists, but nothing would help her sight in the right eye at this point.  At nearly 16 1/2 and 34 lbs anything they would try to do would likely involve anesthesia which is just too much for her.  We will instead treat for pain (although she seems to be reasonably comfortable other than it being easy to tell she cannot see on that side) and inflammation, ensure we don't have infection, and allow for healing of the active issue.

What caused it is unknown - it could have been an injury (I'm thinking Zero being a doof and catching her with his teeth as he does on us sometimes) or bumping into something and honestly I'm hoping that's the case, because it could also be a growth behind the eye causing pressure.  Not the near mother's day gift I wanted.

I should also note that we learned that my brother's memorial will be happening on the 9th in Nevada.

It's almost like she can read and saw me type that "Saffy was doing well". Today (go figure it's a Sunday) we woke to a very goopy eye.  Yesterday we noted her giving some hard blinks after stepping outside into the rain - definitely not showing any infection at that point.  Fortunately I have some terramycin here from the cat rescue, which I immediately deployed to get us through until tomorrow.  I will gladly replace with a full tube and this serves as a good reminder to keep what you can for critter first aid too.

Time continues to fly.  I think it is officially safe to put the tomatoes outside, so I can get them into larger pots this weekend (I hope).  Since my last post I have put in more potatoes, beets, lettuce, turnips, white onions, onion starters, asparagus, watermelon and pumpkin, and cukes.  Some things have sprouted quickly.  Other things I have already re-seeded once and don't seem to be taking off (like my beets and lettuce).  The broccoli and cauliflower have barely grown since moving them to the larger pots.  It's already so stinking hot out I don't have high hopes for them this year either.

Avery has another playdate tomorrow, so I need to get some cleaning done this afternoon/evening.  I really need to get back with a cleaning person to keep myself caught up.

Yesterday we celebrated Barnabas' first birthday (or at least the guestimate of when he was born).  I need to get some new good pictures of our foster, Jackson for his listing.  He has become much more comfortable.  Other than not wanting to be picked up he is lovey and enjoys me rubbing his belly.  I finally got a few of his nails trimmed, but he's reluctant (but gentle when I try) to let me trim the front.  Not to be left out of the conversation is Church, who has become more needy - inserting himself between me and the keyboard even as I write this.

Saffy is doing well.  She's had a few days where you can tell it hurts a bit to come up the stairs, but she's been a trooper.  Zero is still 110% Zero.  Our four baby robins under the deck will be 2 weeks old come Sunday or Monday, so it's time to start taking him outside on leash to protect them when they leave the nest.  Oh!  ...and I spotted my hummingbird.  <3

Avery just finished another round of swimming lessons.  Remind me to not spend my money on more there.  There was one kid who couldn't listen and wasted the instructor's time trying to keep him contained when it wasn't his turn.  3 more weeks of school and I will have a first grader.  We're getting a bit of summer-itis, but she has been willing to press on when I remind her time for school work is short.

After that... it's count down to cruises!  It really looks like Baltimore is on track to be opened back up in time for our sailing.  Fingers crossed.  I guess I need to book a pre-cruise hotel w/ a guarantee.

Productive!  I had a bit of inspo on Saturday and managed to get a few things checked off of my to do list.  I attribute it to my excitement to get to see my work pal and her family for dinner (they were staying close to the airport so we made plans to catch up).  Bathroom floors got scrubbed, as did baseboards downstairs; then all of the ongoing stuff (dishes, laundry).  I've been trying to pull weeds on the regular to keep in front of them.  I also got the hummingbird feeder clean, filled, and put out - hoping to welcome my old friend soon.

The weather here has been rather chaotic (chaotic evil that is) lately.  The grass is growing like crazy from all of the rain.  Fortunately we haven't seen any flooding in my immediate location but very near by there are definitely people having troubles.  Another storm rolled through last night (after a picture perfect weather day).  I woke at 12:30am to the sound of hail hitting the windows and I ran out to get my small veggie plants out of the path.  Yes, there was talk of bad weather, but north of 80, nowhere near this far south.

Another big news event is that I caved and booked Icon of the Seas... and in September (after school starts).  The price screamed "do not pass this up" and I leapt.  We will gladly do school work onboard.  Other parents indicated it was easy to get approval for time off; hopefully that will be my experience as well.  It will be fun to experience a Surfside balcony.  Avery is going to have a blast on this ship.

I enjoyed having a few days off for Easter.  I didn't achieve much.  Sadly, most everyone in our neighborhood seems to have gone away so there wasn't anyone to play or interact with outside (when it wasn't raining).

We had a nice Easter.  My one sister then came in on Monday and left earlier today.  Still waiting (and hoping) for more information on my brother's passing.  I don't think we're getting anything and it will be up to us to memorialize him.

It warmed back up yesterday - we were at 66.  Sure today it is raining again and there is promise of chilly temps in the next few days, but it was good to get outside to play last night.  I also took this opportunity to wheel my 3 large black planters with potatoes in them out front.  The growth is easily 8-10 inches on some of the sprouts but very yellow (they definitely are in need of a little bit of sunlight).  I am eager for a nice stretch of weather so I can get the broccoli and cauliflower into larger pots outside - both of which seem to be doing well in the basement under the grow lights.

If you know anything about me you know I am an only child, but I also have a varying number of siblings depending on how you ask the question.  Some are newer in my life, some I have always known about, some are very close, and some are complete unknowns to me.

All that to then say, my brother passed away.  I guess he's been unwell for a while (COPD like my mother had).  He's never been good to himself.  We've never been close, I've never had a desire to be.  I saw how he (intentionally or not) hurt Mom's heart when I was younger.  He's about 4 hours away from me.  I don't know that they'll have anything for him, I don't know if I would go.  I think going to life celebrations is more for the living (your own mourning or to offer comfort to mutual loved ones - and neither of those situations really apply here).  I feel a bit heartless feeling this way.  I'm sad for his loneliness in recent years.  I'm sad for his kids and grandkids who didn't know him.

Again.  Again my failures at humor have me feeling shitty about myself.  After making what I thought was a witty reply I got the response of "always the cynic".  I'm not that bad/negative, am I?  I really was trying to make a joke.  Someday maybe I'll learn to just shut up and not say anything.  Is that possible?

Hey internet, be proud of me.  I have made some progress with 'deep cleaning' here at the house.  It isn't something the average person would see if they visited, but it makes me feel so much better.  In the past few days I have emptied all of the top cabinets and two of the lower cabinets (including the deep one that runs alongside the dishwasher), wiped down the shelves, and reorganized/inventoried/purged as I put things away.  The sink cabinet was done when we changed out the faucet.

My cabinets are always full full, but there is definitely breathing room now.  I still need to do the following lower cabinets:  tupperware and bagged snacks, the coffee/tea/booze cabinet, and the island cabinet which is my pots/pans and Avery's easy to grab snacks.

It snowed again today.  Just a dusting that disappeared and now it is dusting again.  Fortunately, I went to Church last night or I would have been angry when I remembered that we changed the clocks.  After cathecism I took to making a batch of Easter bread.  It's my Mom's recipe, but not one I've ever tried making.  I am notorious for bread not wanting to rise for me. I left it sit for 30-40 minutes each time,on top of a heated stove, and still it didn't puff like I would have expected.  It is a bit denser than hers was.  It tastes ok, it just isn't how I remember it.  I also made some quick meatballs and buccatini (per request from Avery).  Anyone else noticing that the ground beef seems to be all water?  Are they injecting it like they do chicken?  Man the meatballs shriveled up.  Literal shrink-flation.

I made final payment for one of my summer cruises yesterday - yet another sign of spring being near.

Today is all about swimming.  I filled out the paperwork for Avery to spend a few weeks at Camp Splash this summer; they do it at our local pool).  I love that they do it for so many weeks and we can sign up for numerous outside of our vacation times.  I also signed her up for another round of lessons at the high school.

I am waiting to get the dates for vacation bible school as that will fill her calendar further.  I may need to look around for another camp or two this summer.  I think it will be a good way to expose her to different things while keeping her off of the couch while I work all summer.  Can I trust her outside w/ her friends right now?  Sure, to an extent and in small doses.  I worry about the influence of one of the older girls on her and the temptation to be misled is definitely there.  Maybe next summer I will feel better about her being outside w/o my supervision.

All that to say... it's beginning.  I know once I start running in 10 different directions for her it will only "get worse", but I'm excited for her to explore the things she enjoys and find interests that she will grow in.

What a beautiful day.  Well over 70 degrees and sunny.  Windows open and the house hit 72!  I dropped off from work at 4 to enjoy and take Avery out to play with her neighborhood friends.  Fortunately I had planned ahead and the slow cooker was tending to dinner.

The flowers and blossoms are already starting.  The birds are out solo - shame on me for not reporting my first single robin sightings a few days ago, it just felt so early.

Foster boy Jackson is doing very well the past few days.  It is time for me to get his write up completed (hopefully he will find forever before the next round of trappings takes place).

Last year I had two large containers of potatoes.  This year I am going with three (stealing the one that was used for the non-producing pumpkins last year).  As I turned over the dirt I found several large potatoes. How on earth.  I had gone through them last year after the plants died off.  I guess something was left behind that ended up growing potatoes larger than anything I harvested.  Too bad they were outside to freeze the rest of the winter.  Mental note:  take a second pass on the potato buckets as it gets truly cold outside.  I put these containers in the garage for now, which gets cold, but not freezing.

I put some tomato seeds and old sweet 100 stragglers into dirt, more peppers, and some cauliflower and broccoli.  If you recall, last year I learned that I need to get the later two going very early to get them in before the heat comes.

According to my Clyde's Garden Planner I can't put the potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower outside until ~April 7.  Hopefully by then I have little plants going.  I will wait a few weeks to do something in prep for carrots and beets.  I may want a few more large buckets -- I want more beets!

I should also note that a few of the peppers that I attempted to winter over this year appear to still be alive.  Fingers crossed.  The second grow light is now plugged in over the seeds, which will spill over giving these a bit more/extra light.

A wee bit of snow is flying this morning after a few really temperate days -- we're talking going for walks with the kid on her scooter and wondering if I needed my coat.  Yeah, yeah, it's February, ok.  The weather alert emails have been coming, which gives me anxiety since kiddo has a birthday party to attend in a few hours.

After that I am hoping to get back here and find the motivation to get a few seeds into dirt and under the grow light.  I really should have taken advantage of those nicer days to get this done outside, but I didn't think about it until just now.  I am debating between using the little plastic seed starter cups and toilet paper rolls, which I've seen as a viable "hack".  While I'm waiting for the girl to get up this morning maybe I'll start cutting some of those rolls in prep.

It's Valentine's day and the first day of Lent.  While this combination meant I didn't go Valentine myself a cake or ice cream I did get to have fish fry, yum.

Happy lent to all!  Are you doing anything special or "giving something up" for lent this year?  I'm not so much giving something up as I am hoping to use it as a reset.  There will be a cutting of daytime eating because it's way too easy to grab a pretzel or other portable munchie when I get up to stretch or put the dogs in or out X times a day.  I simply eat too much and it's showing both physically in weight and physically in my ability to be comfortable and general aches.  I sure wish they would come up with that magic pill.  Attempts at weight loss is hard and way too time consuming.

Today I am feeling old and pensive.  If it was still a thing for me, I'd think I was pms-y.  I discovered (by accident) of someone's passing (a year and a half ago) - it's a meaningful person from the past, so that has me bummed, moreso to think about how long ago it was that I could say I really knew them.

Work is in a state we used to stress through on a regular basis.  If you've ever been in a place where you feel pretty sure you're okay but you aren't 100% sure -- and you know that others may not be... well it weighs on me.

This evening in the car a song that the frat bros had on constant rotation my junior year was on the radio.  Avery recognized it - something from school that used it - and she asked me if I knew that song.  Boy it took me back to a time, a place, and all kinds of feelings.

Well it happened.  Avery dropped her first cuss word in a moment of frustration.   I have no one to blame but myself.  I haven't purged distasteful words from my vocab and they come out in my moments of irritation (messes from the dogs, idiots in traffic).  I feel horrific about it, like big time bad about it.

After she went through her penalty/timeout and apologies, I apologized to her for not doing better and asked her to tell me about it when I say things I shouldn't.  I'm hoping she can help me by keeping me honest.  I know she's destined to be a lot like me -- and there are worse people to be like -- but gosh I want her to be so much better than me.

The floors (upstairs bathrooms and laundry room) are done!  Of course in doing so they had to take the toilets out (and replace the wax ring etc).  Just that amount of time being drained and disconnected both of them decided to have issues when put back together -- go figure!  The one in Avery's bathroom was leaking from the bottom down the supply line (gasket).  The one in my bathroom needed a new flapper all of a sudden and new guts -- again.  I swear I've changed each toilet at least 2x since I moved here, this is at least the 3rd time in that bathroom.

I like it!  I like that it isn't as slick as the vinyl; my callused feet would often slip on the vinyl.  I like their work.  But most of all, I like the way it looks.  I guess writing my end of year posts does get in my head, for good.

School was, in fact, cancelled on Friday.  Blizzard packet #3 is now complete.  The good news is it is a bit warmer and there was enough snow for Avery to go play w/ a few neighbor friends last night.  I knew her boots were an 11, but I was hoping they would still work this year.  That's a big no.  Can I just say that kid's snow boots are inordinately expensive for all the more often they get to be worn?  I online ordered a pair from our favorite consignment store, so we just have to run and snag them.  I'm buying big so they will last another winter.  We may need some thicker socks this year.

In other news, our fosters Pickle and Summer just left.  Pickle wailed a bit in the carrier.  Poor guy.  I'm so glad they're going together.

Wednesday ended up being a 2 hour delay.  I'm glad they went!  Other than it being cold the roads were clear.  I love having her home, but it's tiring when I have to get work time in and we are responsible for doing school work.  We have another storm that is coming in - snow expected overnight tonight.  This and the fact that it warmed up a bit (20s) means there should be some snow for Avery to play in this weekend.  It also means I'm wondering how things will play out for school on Friday.

It's funny, one day she's bummed when I tell her school is cancelled and excited to go back to school.  The next day she's bummed I woke her up because school isn't cancelled, only delayed.  I'm glad you love home/me as much as you do school/your friends kiddo.

Saffy had her yearly vet appointment yesterday.  I (and the vet) am pleased to announce that the vet indicated her heart still sounds good and strong.  She was due for her rabies and a few other things, but we have backed off on a few things that aren't necessary given her age.

Avery was off yesterday for MLK day.  Late last evening we got the call for a 2-hour delay.  It is pretty cold out there and there is a fresh layer of what looks like snow from a distance but is more pellet-like up close.  (As I type this I can hear the firetruck horn down on the main road.)  Fortunately yesterday she slept til 11am (she did the same on Saturday morning too - I hope this isn't a signal that she fighting something off).  After that she worked on some of her homework for the week and got to watch a bit of TV until I wrapped up my day early.  (Update:  Remote learning again today.)

Also, I made a leap.  I had a flooring company come a while back to look at my carpet (I was hoping they could re-stretch the living room to resolve that transition issue and perhaps fix the spot in my bedroom - unfortunately they felt the carpet would just rip).  I stopped into their store the other day to look at their flooring options.  It feels crazy to trust a company to do your whole house (and that is crazy expensive) so I am baby-stepping.

They are scheduled to come replace the flooring in the two bathrooms and laundry room upstairs.  I went with one of those pieced together floors that is water proof, but also has what looks like grout lines.  I forced myself out of the dingy beige toned one and went with one that has both gray and slight brown tone to it - but it's bright.  I think it's going to look great in the laundry and Avery's bathroom, I just get nervous because of the brown tile in my shower.  Hopefully it goes well and I am enthused.  If so I will have an easier time pulling together the bank to replace all of the other flooring (all the carpet upstairs, the carpet downstairs, and the fake wood downstairs).

Today was our first "snow day".  It was really some sleet and wind right at freezing temps this morning that did them in.  I have to say how impressed I am.  Long gone are the days of watching the news ticker for delays and cancellations.  I woke to a voicemail from the school district (they provide transportation) indicating they were on a 2 hour delay.  I also had an email from her school indicating a two hour delay.  While I was in the bathroom I got the phone call from the school reiterating the 2 hour delay.  I hadn't even looked out the window yet to get an inkling there could be weather issues.

After getting a bit of work in I woke her with plenty of time... but also just in time to get the call indicating that the school district was closed.  If they're closed we don't have their transportation to school so I went ahead and emailed her teacher to let her know she would do a remote learning day (I was not driving that way if the roads were gross).  About 40 minutes later the call came saying that her school was closed too; at this point I was driving to help my favorite egg drop his car at the dealership for something to get checked.  The roads were a bit sloppy but it had warmed up enough that it was fine.

It definitely took that hour first thing in the morning and a long rest of the day to get my hours in while also taking breaks to facilitate her remote learning.  I would give her the info she needed (since she can't read well enough just yet) and help her understand two sheets and return to work while she finished it and then got to watch some tv.  Loop this 5 times and we managed to finish her work around 2pm. 

A few months ago I purchased a new faucet for my kitchen sink.  Note I said purchased, not installed.  Today my favorite egg said, let's install that... sigh.  It leaks right at the handle and into the cabinet below.  Not sure if it is a bad cartridge or what.  I ordered another (fortunately, the same one is still available both on Amazon and Home Depot), but it won't be here until Friday the 5th.

I quickly learned that if I don't have running water I would be quite challenged to do dishes in a manner I find acceptable - and that was with me bringing pitchers of water from the 1/2 bath.  At least I had the presence of mind to get things going for dinner before we started that task -- too bad I hadn't made and cleaned up from dinner first.

This right here is what I hate about home improvement.  Further, I have to admit, if I had tried to replace this myself I wouldn't have gotten very far as there were pieces of the old one that he had a hard time getting loosened - I would have been doomed.