It's friday: time to make stories for Monday

[Harmony]

Now that I have all the OMM things cleared out...I am here to say hello!

LadyM, I'm sure glad the storm didn't hit you. Did you also see the spinner thing about the guy who was using it inappropriately and ended up in the ER? It got stuck where it shouldn't oughta be.

In the last several weeks I have had 7 appointments. It wasn't the time involved that was hard, it was the worry and stress it caused. Yesterday I had my last dentist appointment for a while. I'd woken up several times the night before with nightmares about the shot I got the last time. The hygienist was able to do the deep cleaning on that side without the shot. She just used that deadening gel. Was I ever grateful! Today was an ultrasound on my arm to see about the lump that is still there. It makes my arm ache.

Lots of projects wrapped up, at least as far as we can get them. It was helpful that DH spent the day here.

With all the appointments and things going on, I just was overwhelmed and quit helping DH. Well, that doesn't work for long. Today I had to catch it all up. Sent him off with a statement and put the check in the bank later. Several other things finished.

Did I tell you we have a bird's nest in our shop? And some little baby birds. Mother bird flies in and out and we have to leave at least a little space open when we put the door down. Today DH was back looking at the babies and she flew in and sat in front of him at his feet waiting for him to move. She had something in her beak. Babies are getting bigger.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

The clock is ticking. My keyboard is clicking. The windows are rattling. The traffic is sounding in the background. But that's it. At this moment, this is the most quiet I've heard in almost a week. I'm cherishing the silence.

But it is now time to step away from the keyboard and get to work on packing. There is a lot to do before leaving tomorrow.

First challenge: work on a grocery list (that is done on my tablet, not the computer.) For the past four days I've missed lunch each day. I'm going to try that for the trip. Big breakfast (most of the hotels are offering free hot breakfasts) and then a high protein dinner. In between, just fruits. nuts, and vegetables. Maybe hummus for the veggies or 'just peanuts' peanut butter for the fruit. No grains. I'll take plain microwave popcorn to pop for the evening if I'm still hungry. And we'll stop at a grocery store each day to pick up veggies and fruit.

I'll start the trip with cut veggies already to munch on so I need to buy a few more. I have a pepper, carrots and a cuke right now. And one banana for tomorrow. The apple that is left will be gone by bedtime.

I just realized I need to add tinned fruit and a can opener to my list! Dh isn't overly fond of fresh fruit but likes tinned mandarins as a dessert when he wants something sweet after dinner. I'm happy to let him have a $1 tin of those rather than a $5 ice cream or carrot cake. If he's having the expensive dessert, I'll join him but I'm not overly fond of tinned fruit so it is easy to pass on that.

Edited to add: I checked the weather forecast. There's 2 - 3 days of rain slowly moving east so it will affect us for the first week. If bad weather continues into the second week I'm changing the plan and coming home. There's no point driving all over the place and not seeing the sites we came to see because of the weather. The first week is mainly decompression so the rain won't really affect us until Thursday. That's when we'll want to start doing things.

[Nancy]

Sunny here have had rain the 2 days lrior excellent for digging plants out so I did a section transplanted some by the border wnere the stump was now it does not loom sp bare. Taking a bit of a brwather before I remove ones I took out will be several wagon loads. Lemon verbenia is taking over the hens and pullets are happy diggin in the roots for grubs and bugs. Okay back to it.

[DeeClutter]

Dee: I've missed something big. When I last was paying attention to your dd's house situation, they had bought a new place and were closing in just a few weeks. I also thought they successfully had sold their home. I kept thinking the move must have gone completely smoothly without expecting too much from you because I didn't recall a flurry of moving posts.

Glad I checked back on posts, Kathryn. You did have all that right. They put an offer of asking price on house they wanted, their house had 'sold' on the first day of listing. Then someone came in after their offer on the 'new' house offering to pay cash -same $$$$- and close in 2 weeks. So the others got that house. So dd/dsonil looked at a lot of houses and finally looked at each other and said, "Why are we letting the spirit of fear rule us?" The house they have is very nice and there was just nothing out there that came close to what they already have and they'd have ended up spending more money. So the decision was made to stay here. The offer from the people on this house -dd/dsonil explained that they found out there was an issue with the leach field which would have to be redone and that they couldn't absorb that cost and the others didn't want to pay it. So they backed off but if dd/dsonil ever decided to sell, these people have first dibs. So dd is going ahead with all the changes/repairs they've put off.

Actually the carpet for their bedroom, the great room, hallway and our room was due in at L owe's yesterday. Oh, it came in alright. Someone thought it was a regular order for the store not a custom order and cut many yards off it for another customer. So now they have to wait for new carpet to come in. I'm having doubts if it's going to get installed before we leave. They don't install on weekends and next week is Memorial Day. Meantime we're going to try to get the POD emptied at least into the garage (which I've secretly been working on 10-20 minutes at a time). Think there's room to store everything in there now. Think dd will be surprised when she goes out there.

Hope I've cleared that up, Kathryn. As for me, I'm very happy to be staying put. (Have the game on -come on, Senators!)

[Lynlee]

Friday's story in short form
helper came early.
We got caught up on things , after I downloaded some issues I've had lately.
Found the top of the dressing table.
afternoon - read and napped. It was a rainy day so good for that.
stayed up later than was good for me, but did get bathed and hair washed.

Saturday's story
tai chi
chat
groceries bought
and away
sunny day
birds excited
their noise
resounds.

[lucylee]

My story will be titled: Exhausted.
Ds is in charge of music at a local 3-day festival here and dh wants to attend all day every day. It's nice and everything, and we always have perfect seats under a big shade tree... but it IS exhausting. Every day, dh and I come home and take LONG naps.
Tomorrow dgs will want to come home with us and spend the night, but he may have to go to his own house till bedtime...

Dgs has been with us all day the first two days. Ddil hasn't felt well (allergies) so she has stayed home with dgd.
Dgs is growing up so much -- for the first time, he has really enjoyed the exhibits -- lots of hands-on stuff. He was fascinated with the lady who had some furs and animal skulls, etc. He just kept asking her to show him more -- "What's in THIS box?" She said she didn't mind, that he had made her day, bc the teenagers who were there with school trips were only interested in their phones and looking at girls/boys. She was amazed he could read some of the labels on her boxes -- red fox, squirrel, etc.
It's just so neat to see him so excited about learning and seeing new things. I've been going to this festival about 16 years, so I'm kinda bored with the whole thing until I started seeing it through his eyes.
Of course, he said his favorite part was "daddy's shows." I think he is pretty crazy about his daddy. Dgd is too.
Such a blessing to see ds be such a good parent.

Anyway, that's why I can't post much and keep up with the village very well right now. Trying to read along and stay aware of all y'all's doings lately though.

Dh is making it okay... but he doesn't feel too great tonight. Probably a little dehydrated, and coughing some (dust, pollen). I'm just tired.

[Harmony]

I just managed to make a hotel reservation and print out directions between it and DGSs school. Man, I am so out of my element doing that. I kept trying to get the hotel website and kept getting redirected to booking websites. Since there were no bargains anywhere, I searched for the official hotel and after much looking around found it. I so do not like it when I get the message, "quit clicking around". Very rude.

Kathryn, I do not know how you do that so much. I would go nuts.

Lucylee, you sure sound busy these days.

I spent some time going through all my clothes in the closet. I'm still trying to decide what to pack and what to wear up and back. It'll be hot that's for sure. I wonder if I can get DH to wear something besides jeans? Probably not.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Harmony: I'm just about nuts. So your reaction is normal!

I did the grocery list, charged my fitbit, watched the game (depressing) and price Australia flights (sure enough we have to change dates and still pay more because of dithering on dates.) This may fall apart.

Dh is home now and I guess we'll go to bed. Service is not done yet. Hope I can sleep, if not I'll get up and work on it but I'm tired.

I'm in a panic over tomorrow. We must leave here by 4 at the latest. I won't be up until 8. Sigh.... Groceries, laundry, packing, finishing the service, getting the apartment ready to go and packing up the accounting files so I have them in case I need to answer questions, will all keep me very busy.

Good night all.

(I'm hanging on until Monday. NOTHING is planned for Monday, aside from sitting in a hotel room all day long.)

[lucylee]

Harmony -- dgs has been at his own house the past two nights, we've just been picking him up to ride with us each morning.
Yes... busy... and next week we have Braves tickets M-Th.
I don't know how dh is managing all this but his heart HAS to be doing better, I think. I'm anxious to see what the next echocardiogram shows.
His weight IS increasing about a pound a day, and he is concerned about that, but he does seem to have more stamina than he did s minth or so ago. Like Dee said, he probably has not been eating perfectly lately, so it may be good and it may be fluid. But it's going to be next Friday before he can really settle back into a better routine.
He's doing the best he can though -- Cheerios for breakfast, a plain hamburger at the festival, scrambled eggs for supper.

He just said he might NOT go tomorrow after all.

(((Kathryn)))

[Nancy]

H is home I spiffed up the kitchen walked with the dog on the field.