TIMING THURSDAY

[ellyphant]

You're all putting me to shame with all you've accomplished already today. Will be working on rehearsal dinner invitations. Those need to go out soon. Still have to find a dress for myself. Glad it's my son getting married first, so we can ease into these wedding responsibilities. The groom's family doesn't have that much to do...

About coyotes...we had them in woods behind our former house. Would often hear them howling at night. Last summer, when DH moved for new job and left me there to keep the grass cut, I became a little concerned upon seeing one lounging in our backyard. In our new location, I worry more about bears! Always try to make lots of noise when going outside, just in case...

[Cowinkie]

Good morning ya'll..

Yesterday Sweetie and I ran some errand together. I made lunch for the both of us and then I was so tired I took a nap. Very unusual for me. Late in the afternoon I had a foot dr's. appointment.

I had my bunion operation done several years ago . Then early last fall it began to bother me again. That's when I went back in and the dr stuck a needle in my foot. Worst pain I ever, ever experienced. I told the dr. the next time he had to do that again, he would have to catch me first. Well the foot's been hurting for a while. And its annoying because all my shoes/sandals hurt my foot. Anyway the dr wants to inject my foot again...other solution would be surgery...and I told him he would have to knock me out to do it. He agreed. So I am waiting to hear when my out patient appointment will be. We discussed future treatments for my foot. Seems like having a joint replacement is on order. However I told the dr. if the injections continued to work I would rather keeping getting them. Being off my foot for 6-8 week does NOT fit into my plans right now

I need to have my name changed on my Social Security card so today Sweetie and I are taking a trip to their office which is about 30 miles away. My office choices were either downtown Phoenix, which is the 5th largest city in the US, or Scottsdale. Scottsdale is further away, but easier to get to. Plus there are a few stores in that area I would like to stop at...so I'm gonna combine the two.

The coyotes were singing outside my house last night. We live on the edge of a national "forest" I laugh at that cause its really a desert. Anyway there was a lot of yelping going on. The pups should have been born by now but I don't think they quite know how to sing yet. I know many people complain about them. I understand they snatch family animals and such, but I see them as part of nature. I moved into their land knowing they would be around. Their natural run is along side of my community because it connects several large pieces of land that they hunt on. I run into them early in the mornings or late at night when I am walking the dogs. Sometimes I see them walking up and down our sidewalks. All of our homes have 6 ft cinder block fences so I don't worry about the coyotes getting in my yard. Most designed communities have these walls. We have a mama bob cat that lives not too far from us and she sometimes walks our streets. She likes to sit on TOP of the cinder block wall in my neighbors yard. People who live on the edge of the desert have all sorts of stories to tell about the wild life here. Deer, havalinas ( not spelled right, but are wild pigs that travel in packs sometimes 30 or more) deer, snakes, rabbits, desert squirrels...sort of like a chipmunk....mountain lions, pack rats, that eat the wires in your car, owls, eagles and hawks are just all part of the the desert life around here. And as Norma can tell you, both of us can look out our doors and see the "wilds"


Which reminds me....yesterday I was sitting outside over at my friends across the street when I looked up and saw 8 Harris Hawks circling the area together. They are very social birds so most likely this was a family. I've only seen that many in a pack once before. They hung around for 30 minutes and it was a sight to see. AZ was the first state to insulate phone wires so birds could land on them without being electrocuted. The huge transformers have stands on them specifically for the hawks.

Gotta gather up my papers and run...cy'all later.

[DeeClutter]

The groom's family doesn't have that much to do...

Somehow, that just never rang true for us! Except for 2nd marriages, then they seemed to do everything themselves. Hopefully there are NO MORE! Just one more grandchild to go -I am really sure this time! But if it hadn't been for dbabyZoe's passing I'm sure this one would not be on the way. So far so good! Only 27 days to go -at the most. We know he will be delivered on July 11th unless he decides he wants to join this chaotic world before that!

DH is in for a bit of R&R before he takes a load of cans to the recycler in a bit. So strange to see him do that. Usually he'd come in for a bite for lunch, fall asleep for 10 minutes and then force himself up and out.

Think I'll go read for a little bit. Unfortunately my eyelids droop not long after I sit down to do that!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I've done some puttering around. Putting away some things from dh's trip and the gloves, etc. from anniversary Sunday. Did the ironing and now the spare bedroom is ready to be used for packing.

Gathered up a selection of games to bring with us. If the weather is bad, we'll need games to keep the 6 adults from getting on each other's nerves in that smallish space. At Whitepoint people can escape to the lodge or the boathouse but there isn't a public space like that at this place, just the cottages (which are actually like garden homes, all joined together in a long row.) At least we have 2 cars so can go off in separate directions as well.

[Emptynester]

Wow! Harriet - are you sure that is a coyote. Ours aren't nearly that big. More of the size of a fox. And most are ratty looking with lots of burrs.

Done with visits. Chiro and breakfast and then the nursing home. Unfortunately, ancient one was napping and then didn't know who we were. Conversation was very hard because of lack of hearing. Cut the visit short.

Now DH has appointment to take the truck in for tire balancing. They were supposed to do that when we got new tires in AZ but it drives very rough. Will also get new valve stems as they wouldn't put in steel ones that DH liked in AZ.

I have MH pretty much picked up so will work on counted cross stitch for awhile.

[Harmony]

Kathryn, isn't Whitepoint the place where the lodge burned down? Did they rebuild?

Lots more work done in the village than in my little house today. I'm on slow time after that very stressful, busy day yesterday.

I've done 1 LOL and hung up.
A few dailies. Check written.

Another brochure scanned and emailed off to gov't agency. Hopefully they'll approve and we can put in the tile order.

I have been wanting to time my nightly ritual of making lunches and cleaning out the coolers. When I first started doing this for DH, I had a serious case of donwannas. I just hated it, dreaded it actually. Now it's not so bad, after doing it faithfully for a number of weeks. I know I'm faster at it than I used to be. Tonight I hope to remember to time.

Going out to get a few groceries soon.

[lucylee]

Well, I already can't keep up w/everyone... but one thing I must respond to --
Elly -- I will NEVER put you to shame with all I've accomplished... noooo.... I think my purpose in the village is to serve as a bad example.

Today's PODA:
[ ] exercise/walk
[ ] morning routine & dailies
I've got to start following my routines again. I am just dwindling into a routine of nothingness... stare at the computer, play Suduko, read, stare at the computer... repeat...
[ ] iron dh's shorts for golf tomorrow
[ ] take SUV to get oil changed
[ ] deliver gifts to dfriend's house for tea Saturday
(I could just take the gifts on Saturday b/c I do plan to attend, but it is three large boxes of Fiestaware dishes. (Combined gift w/ds & ddil.) I love Fiestaware. I'm always envious when people select it for their weddings and I buy it. This was on sale, so I was able to get two place settings and two extra bowls for less than I intended to spend to begin with.

VERY true that tasks never take as long as I imagine... must keep that in mind constantly.

VERY glad I have never seen a coyote the size of a doe. I have seen them on roadsides, and around here, most are about the size of a German shepherd, I'd say.
Y'all have convinced me. I'm really glad I HAVEN'T seen one in the yard. * BOY, THAT WOULD PUT AN END TO MY MORNING WALKS!!! And I am even MORE glad I've never seen a BEAR in my yard. Wow.

Hope all goes well @ doctor, Indiana.

(((BIG HUGS))) Cowinkie, for your foot pain. My dmom needs bunion surgery. (I told her she needs more body work than the 63 Pontiac!)

Waving to ALL!!! BBL!!!

[Harriet]

Emptynester, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. He looked a lot like this guy in the top photo. But bulkier like the one in the third photo on the page, or this one. Definitely the coyote ears and long snout, but wolf-y, too. Plenty of body weight. He was a specimen male, no doubt. The female I had seen last year was not particularly small, not as large as a doe but much larger than a fawn, and she was what I would call "mangy". The neighbors said she had been rearing a large litter and that's why she was thin at the time.

Cowinkie, if we had come to a coyote place and started living, I could handle their presence just like the raccoons and foxes. But they are new here - this is only the second one I've ever seen - my mother lived to 94 here never having seen one, and disbelieved all the reports at first, saying if it could be true, her parents would have seen some, but they didn't. We hear about outdoor pets going missing, but who knows. A few towns away they say they have proof of small-pet deaths to coyotes, but you have to wonder. I know the hens would be a favorite food. Just typing "foxes" makes me think - I haven't seen one in years now. I bet the two can't coexist.

Reading down further on the page I shared first makes me think ours are bigger than the ones other parts of the country have???

lucylee, Sammie is a German Shepherd female, and this was bigger than she. Now, bigger than a male German Shepherd? No.

Dd13's friend's family came to pick her up to go watch the sister's horse-riding class. (Special-needs children pared with very docile horses.)

[helia]

What a great topic! The time difference here is 6 hours for me; I managed to stay up until about 10 pm last night and woke up at 6 a.m. this morning, all local time, so not bad!! I wonder if I can do that again tonight?

When I got up at 6, there were already people in the waves! It is almost 7:30 a.m. and the water is teeming with surfer hopefuls; they must be learning b/c the waves look pretty tame here. Our hotel is right on Waikiki Beach, too expensive IMHO, but dh feels fine about it as it is for work. He had to make his own reservations b/c the Hilton, where the conference is located, was full by the time he got around to booking the trip. It is a very nice suite, so we could cook, if we wanted. We're at least planning on simple bfasts and lunches on our own; that will help cut back calorie intake too.
Some of my clothes are starting to fit a bit snugy, which makes me unhappy. I need to stop enjoying my food so much! LOL!

--Ah, many of the surfers just grabbed a good wave.

I knew but didn't think about how long it would take to get here, basically 12 hours, 2 flights of 5+ hours each. They were uneventful.

Dd16 emailed us this morning, so excited b/c she got 100% on her APUSH project. She did very well in that class and thinks she did fine on her math final - and her grades have picked up in math as well, but her science class is on the line and it sounds like may still be on the line after the final. . . .We'll see. It is not an easy course (basic physics and chem) and is taught by the AP physics teacher, who has high expectations - a good thing imho.

Dh is off to an early morning meeting. We'll do something together when he gets back. In the meantime, I'll shower, try the room's coffee, have my devo. time, and probably go walk on the beach.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

We still see foxes here on occasion. I've never seen one on my property but they have been here, under the apple tree in the fall, feasting. Deer have been on my property too but since I'm in a subdivision (and not on the edge, but not in the middle either) these sightings are once a decade or so.

Coyotes are a big problem here now. The howling at night is amazing - stops you in your tracks when you pass by a west window and hear it (the closest fields are to my west.)

As for small animals going missing, the coyotes get the blame but we have fisher too, and they take their share of cats.

Harmony: yes, the Whitepoint lodge burned down and so the property is closed this year while they rebuild. The cabins were fine but the whole place is getting a face lift. I don't know what will happen to my 2013 reservation - they'll have to increase rates because the amenities in the cabins are being upgraded and they were already expensive.

For 2012 our reservation (booked in 2010) was cancelled and deposit was returned. The day after the fire, I booked us into another place down the highway about 7 miles.

http://www.quarterdeck.ns.ca/index.htm

It has an overpriced restaurant (a salad for lunch for 1 person, plus a dessert was $24 last time I ate there.) But the cabins all have complete kitchens so, although it is a lot farther from Liverpool, we will be able to cook our own meals. If the weather is nice and we don't want to leave, we don't have to (at Whitepoint, dinner started at $150 for the 6 of us so we would only eat there one or at most two times per visit, going into town instead but that meant leaving the property almost once a day, something we hated to do.

I spent the afternoon gardening. I'm pretty sure I burned my arms. But all but one garden has been weeded.