It's been a full year without Saffy.  I still miss her, a lot.  I can't believe so much time has passed and yet, it feels like forever since she was physically here.

We were blessed w/ a visit from my Texas sister and my Lock Haven sister last week.  Not only did we get to enjoy their company, but my sister also made me ham pot pie -- one favorite my mother made that I never mastered.  It was delish!

After they departed on Saturday we joined Avery's bestie and his family at Oktoberfest here in town.  Last year I missed this event for a cruise.  While I'd rather be on a cruise, I was glad to get to attend this year.

The weather remains warm, at times overly so, but generally pleasant.  I've been getting tomatoes from my plants, pulled a few peppers, I have more basil to dry, and potatoes yet to be harvested, I guess I best get on top of things before the weather changes.

I also got a quote to fix some siding and trim related issues outside.  I haven't tackled the flooring yet, so I feel guilty spending on this other to do, but frankly, the wind around here feels like those fixes are pressing.

I finished up my work day and one of those random spurts of energy and enthusiasm hit me.  My target?  My downstairs windows! I pulled the curtains from the dining room and office to wash them.  Then I proceeded to clean the windows (top and bottom inside and bottom outside, plus the tops outside where I could reach).  I even took a hand held vacuum to the tracks and sucked the dust and dirt out.

I had been debating if it was time to buy new ones, they're over 10 years old (they were in my dining room at my last house too), but I decided that my want was frivolous and I should just clean them (the dog tends to rub on them and grunge the lower part up a bit).

Unfortunately, the washer thrashed my dining room curtains.  I guess trying to make the right choice has been thwarted.  The good news is you don't see dirty curtains through my clean windows and you can peep in at a few spots.  Time to go shopping I suppose.

I had a decent weekend, rather, my stomach did - but Sunday night made up for the reprieve.  Enough so that I scheduled with my doctor this morning and made my way to his office.  I left there with no surprises given my research, which is good I guess, but it also left with a script for pantoprazole.  I took one right away and I'm feeling okay at the moment, but the real test is bed time.

At least I felt well enough this weekend to partake in Avery's birthday cake!  My baby is 8, how can that be? We visited with her Nonni on Saturday and indulged her simple requests for meals on Sunday.  I also felt well enough on Friday that I was putting things out side for people who could use them to come take.  The weather has cooled significantly, so I really need to keep getting things dealt with in the basement.  Bending over with my weight hasn't been pleasant for my stomach/breathing or my back, but adding in extreme heat and I was so not doing it.

School has started off well.  We have also started with some chores and adding responsibilities (like being in charge of getting everything out of the backpack and putting everything back in.  Simple enough but it's all about the responsibility of it.  She has happily come home the two days this week and kicked off getting her homework out of the way - something I always did too, I'm happy to see her free up the rest of her evening.

Foster kitties poo went out again yesterday, so I'm hoping for word that they have the all clear and I can submit their biographies and we can get on finding them forever families.

It wasn't just a milestone birthday, I think it was my best if used by date.  I've spent the last week feeling "sour".  I'm not someone that tends to get heartburn, I only had it a couple of times while very pregnant even.  My stomach is usually an iron fortress.  That feeling is so unnerving.  Being woken feeling like barf is on the horizon isn't a good time.

Tums don't do anything.  My favorite egg gave me a tablet of what he typically takes claiming it will deal with it immediately and nada.  I hate to admit it, I'm going to have to call the doctor.  I know they'll tell me it's acid reflux and related to my weight.  Should I bother?  Is it a waste of money to go?  I'm not finding anything else it would be.  It's just ridiculous how quickly it started and with fervor.

Zero's mouth looks normal again.  His bodily functions have gone back to normal and he's eating again although with less vigor and insanity, which is prb a good thing.

My little waves of feeling the burn continue.  Last night was burning and burps.  Talk about a neon sign telling you to lose weight.  How do people get much larger than me if I feel as miserable as I do right now?

This past weekend we got to spend some quality time with my sister M, who came fully prepared to celebrate Avery's birthday.  We hit a few of the antique shops here in town, grabbed a delightful bite at one of the local Mexican restaurants, and popped into Marshalls.

While at Marshalls I spotted a beautiful set of spooky sheets, but of course they weren't in the right size.  I've been very calm and focused this spooky season.  I had two items - now this a third - that I'd love to get.  Michaels has been slow rolling some of the other lines and I haven't gotten my eyes on the items I'm digging.

This week we have started to wake earlier each day in preparation.  Two blows hit - the first is that her best gal pal is in the other classroom, the second is that while we have the same bus number it won't be our driver from last year.  Today is meet the teacher, so we will be taking some supplies in.  Avery is a bit like I was - she's excited to pick out her supplies and seems excited to go back in some capacity.  It's going to be a great year!

Zero managed to get stung by something this morning.  He looks like he got "smacked in tha mawth".  1/2 of a benadryl has been deployed.  Poor doofy boy.

You can't make it up.  Zero has been *ahem* lose this afternoon/evening.  C'mon man.

The abnormal amount of splatter today has settled down -- if you don't count me spraying ketchup across my work desk.  Never trust one of the heinz tear and squeeze options on the dipping vessel.

 Yikes, bad start.  Last night I woke shortly after falling asleep - there was a bit of reflux (because I ate too late in the evening coupled with being overweight) and I felt pukey.  So I lost a bit of sleep until I got myself settled and gratefully I didn't lose said dinner.

This morning the dog (as he regularly does) chugged too much water and yacked part of his breakfast back up.  Now Barney threw up (not a regular occurrence).   It's 7:03am.  Slow your roll Friday.

Back again!  Avery and I are back from our second cruise on Symphony out of Bayonne.  Same itinerary as June, but this time we traveled with my sister, her guy, and my long time bestie, her hubs, and their son.  This trip we were assigned a Central Park balcony as I only had a neighborhood guarantee.  We had great placement close to the forward elevators on deck 11.

We stayed onboard in Port Canaveral (again), walked around doing a bit of shopping in Nassau, and took to our typical slides and pool in Cococay.  We had a bit of rain in Cococay, but got lucky as the seas were calm and travel to and from was clear.  It was a nice trip.

This marks the last hurrah before school starts back up.  Just a week and a half of sleeping in and chilling at home before we get back to it.  While we were gone I got the bus schedule.  We're excited to have the same bus number, I'm hoping it comes with the same driver.

Now that we're home and settled back in - I thought for sure the dog had caught the chipmunk, but it turned out that babies rabbits were instead left in our yard.  He got two of them.  When I heard the squeal of the third I managed to move him, but no clue if his Mom will find him.  The foster kittens all grew like crazy in my week away - especially Mercury!

The garden looks pretty sad.  Not much to be had to date, the chipmunk destroyed the rest of my beets, the cukes are wilting.  I pulled the carrots before the chipmunk went for them.  I have some potatoes still to harvest and finally a few pepper plants (from seed) are starting to bloom and grow fruit.  At least my basil is finally going crazy.

I continue to fight the chipmunk.  He's knocked off most of my roma tomatoes the second they start to ripen, and I just found a very green one.  I read somewhere that they're thirsty in this heat.  Ok ya little crap.  If I give you water will you knock it off?

To my surprise my mint is growing again.  If you've ever had mint you are assuredly saying "to your surprise?  Really?  You can't kill that stuff."  Well, the bucket I had sat outside all winter and made it to the end of July before it started to grow again, so I am surprised that it's growing, I truly thought it died off.

I've pulled some beets and onions.  I see another beautiful cuke on there that I'll probably pull tomorrow (back off chippy).  The brussels are behaving like my attempts at regular cabbage always did - it looks like they want to start to form, but that's where they're stalled out.  My peppers are finally making good progress and look like they're ready to blossom.  Hopefully there is time to get some fruit.

I found an amazing recipe for zucchini - although my first attempt was a bit garlicky (and for me to say that means a lot).  I ate the leftovers today and I want more!

This week Avery is at our church's VBS.  Hopefully she has a blast.  It doesn't sound like they have a ton of kids going/signed up.

I enjoyed some of Ozzy's music.  I enjoyed some Black Sabbath.  I was not a mega-fan by any stretch.  It is still a moment when you hear that Ozzy passed away.  When other big names passed away (e.g., Michael Jackson or Prince) I had a moment being bummed that I never saw them perform.  I can at least say I saw Ozzy (and Black Sabbath) at Ozzfest back in 1997 and I think 1999.  I know for sure 1997 because Type O was there and I attended with my fresh/still healing bright green O tattoo.  Even back then it was odd to see Ozzy on stage, he seemed to wander a bit lost -- but it was still a pretty cool thing to see.

It's been interesting the past few weeks, I suppose because of his last concert I was seeing some related things pop in my youtube feed.  I enjoyed watching Ozzy, Sharon, Jack, and Kelly watch the first episode of the Osbournes.  It's remarkable how Jack and Kelly have "turned out".  Can you imagine 1).  being Ozzy's kid?  2).  being a teen and put on that show for the world to see?

One thing I've grown to realize across the years is that there is something I really like/appreciate about Sharon.  While I have no doubt that she loved Ozzy (and I still don't understand what the deal was with their divorce -- or not -- maybe another mandela effect), I have to give her credit for remaking his career and bringing us Ozzfest.  I appreciate her sense of humor and admire her for not being a victim to all of the bull with her parents -- she just seems genuine.  Not to ignore the accusations over the years of her being an ass -- and I'm very glad she got the hell away from the crazy-ass View.  I put her on my list with the likes of Betty White of people that I can't help but find interesting.