Thursday in the Park

[BookSaver]

Good morning, villagers ~
Yesterday was LEGO Club in the afternoon so the rest of the day was more or less organized around that. 3Ds and Emails, normal daily stuff, and made sure the recycle bin was full to go to the curb last night.

The other LEGO volunteer did not show up. For total attendance, I had *tada!* 1 boy and his mother arrive over 45 minutes late. Library staff and I speculated that the kids were tied up with Boy Scout camp, church camps, family vacations, summer forgetfulness, etc.

I filled time stenciling labels for the storage bins and sorting pieces that we used last week. The children's librarian came down to make a poster, and we discussed plans for the end-of-the-summer-program party Friday evening, and tossed around some ideas for scheduling next summer. I remember looking at my watch 45 minutes in and thinking if no one showed up soon, I would close early. The boy came in shortly after that, and he seemed to enjoy the opportunity to build with his pick of all of our pieces. He was very responsible about putting away all the pieces he used. All I had to do for clean up was to put the lids on all the bins and take them back to the storage room, and put away a couple folding tables that I had set up.

I watched 2 old episodes of Dr Who last night. Trying to get caught up on the Matt Smith Doctor before the new Peter Capaldi one starts.

Today's 5x5:
* exercise
* wash my hair
* go to The Big City for fasting blood draw
* omelet for breakfast somewhere near the medical lab
* errands in The Big City including groceries

I have a library book due tomorrow but I'm only halfway through it. The weather is supposed to be beautiful today. I will put a breakfast bar in my purse, take a couple bottles of water and my sun hat in the car. After a few hours of running errands, I will stop at a park somewhere and read my library book at a picnic table for at least an hour.

[DeeClutter]

Sounds like a good reward after a lot of running around, Booksaver.

I've done my round robins and all my morning routines. Now it's nearly time for me to leave. Have an appointment at 10:30 in a town about 20 miles from -for a perm. Going to town to get the mail and gas first (gas is on sale on Thursdays so try to make that my "once a week".) Tummy's not so great this morning so hope it quiets for the time of my appointment.

[Emptynester]

Good morning all.

Back from walking the dog. It is warm already so have th ac on.

Not much going on here - just keeping cool.

[DeeClutter]

Stay cool, MT. No problem with that here today. Hope Mr MT is feeling better.

I just learned last night (when we were playing dominoes with dfriends) that dh was knocked off the top of a dumpster yesterday (he & a 'helper' were putting a mattress in the dumpster & the helper pushed too far & dh fell to the ground). He was wincing last night and finally 'fessed up. Said the soreness was just setting in. Could have been much worse I guess. Said the helper felt bad enough.

While on the subject of recuperating from owies -the guy dh saved 2 1/2 months ago, went back to work this week on a very limited basis. So pleased for him that he's made this much progress. Anxious to see him again and I'm sure we will.

Gotta run>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Lady Maverick]

Good Morning!

Yesterday ended up being so packed that it was a struggle to find time to eat. And having a diabetic in the family means eating is something that we don't skip!

Two doctors appts went well but with opposite recommendations from what we were expecting.
** DH saw a urologist and received recommendation to keep waiting and let kidney stone work its way out naturally. Doc did give him some meds that is suppose to help it along. DH got another xray so they can continue to track location and size of the stone.
** TMI warning.....you may want to skip!!! LO saw his pediatrician and is being sent to the BIG city to see a pediatric urologist. Good news - LO pediatrician doesn't think there is any problem with LO kidney and/or bladder. It is the other "equipment" that needs adjustment. LO pediatrician said LO needs to be circumcised. He showed me why and said it was the worse he has ever seen (been a doctor for 30+ years). He said until it is done LO will continue to have problems. Sooooo. we are waiting for a call from big city pediatric urologist for an appointment. I'm trying to keep this in perspective. Trying not to think too much about the short term pain LO will go through with this procedure. Trying to keep thoughts on blessings of LO NOT having kidney/bladder problems now and the cure for LO problem is a simple surgery.

Sooo putting thoughts of that aside and looking at today -
I woke up this morning feeling wonderful and followed the first hour of timed cards. Then I got sidetracked into reading about LO upcoming procedure - researching the options and jotting down questions to ask at his appt. Breakfast was an easy protein/fruit smoothie. Then I picked up and delivered LO and cousins to DMom home and got them loaded & seat belted into DMom's van.

DFriend pulled into our driveway when I was pulling out. DH and him are still talking an hour later.

Next up -
** 3 minute general tidy in bathroom
** DW loaded & running
** LOL twirling

[Harriet]

Oh, LadyM, NOT a problem - time to simply be grateful there is an answer and that's that. How blessed you all are, and just move on. Pediatrician will likely be brilliant about the short-term pain you mentioned. Make sure a nice treat happens afterward. That's always in order!

What med is dr recommending for dh? That is good news, that dr thinks there is something that can be done without invasive procedures.

((Mr. DeeClutter))

BookSaver, don't be discouraged if Legos are not the draw in July that they were in Feb. I think that would make sense and have nothing to do with what a great program idea this is.

Waiting on AC/Heat folks (inspection checkup). Like others, they also give you a "range" of when they might arrive, which holds you at home for hours. Oh well.

An assortment of reasons I did not sleep well last night. Decided to get up and stay up at normal time anyway. This day probably can't pass without a nap.

[Lady Maverick]

What med is dr recommending for dh?

Tamsulosin .4mg capsules.

Next up -
** Update FB church group with announcements & pictures
** Newspapers to the garden (using as base under mulch)
** 3 minute general tidy in dining room

[Nancy]

Last night I was thinking of the park and black berries I could be picking but it is too hot already. So I need to work this early into my schedule.

I seem to have some sniffles not coping to well with the
added hazyness bc of fires to the S & W of us.

Hens are happy I need to bag up apples and get them out of here might be what is bothering me. Sigh 113* down town yesterday here 99* today I can blame lack of mojo & irritabality on the heat.

Laundry dry folded it today. I have done the a.m. routine cannot believe how fast the place regresses! ACK!

Time to move hose again coffee is gone.

[helia]

Oh, ((LO)) And ((LordM)) (I'm figuring the Lord goes with the Lady. . . )

Good afternoon/morning all! I'm sitting on the edge of the outdoor terrace of our hotel right now. Breakfast is also served on this terrace. It is smack dab against the road, so I can see and hear all the tourists walking by and the occasional motorcycle, car, or bus driving by. I'm on the 2nd floor - only this is called the 1st floor. One thing I like about this hotel is the beautiful painted ceramic tiles on the floors. Dd18 finds it gaudy, but I love the bright colors! The rooms have the tiles too; our room has a different pattern than the kids' room. Maybe I'll take a photo of it before we leave tomorrow.

Today, we did the Pathway/Walkway (I've heard it both ways) of the gods. We hired a driver to take us to the higher starting point so we were mostly hiking down and toward Positano. It was beautiful. The path goes along the bluffs above the ocean and connects 2 (or more?) villages. There were lots of panoramic views of the ocean and the little coastal villages. It was HOT though. We left the hotel at 8:30 and started hiking at 9:30. I was quickly dripping with sweat! The humidity was high. I finally decided to wear my hat in the sun, even though it made me more hot. Dh and ds wore the backpacks. Signs said it was a 3 hour hike, but we did it in about 2:10, including 2 water breaks. At the ending point, we had lunch in a nice restaurant that overlooks the ocean. Yes, we walked in a hot, sweaty bunch, but we were served anyway.

We caught the bus back down to the village where our hotel is. That was an experience; the roads are really about the width of one lane in the USA, maybe a smidge wider. And the road we were on had many sharp curves. It wasn't too steep, though. There were a couple times when oncoming traffic had to back up, a couple times when we were within inches (or an inch?) of a vehicle going the opposite direction. Fortunately, the vehicles slow down when passing so close to each other. The bus seats 10 people, so most of us stood and held on with both hands to keep our balance. It was much smaller than a standard US city bus.

I took a nap this afternoon, followed by a shower. I didn't sleep well last night. I think eating so late doesn't always agree with my digestion. Anyhow, I just checked email and there's not much going on today. Dh has checked us in to our flights tomorrow - to NL.

Someone mentioned Europeans disliking Americans. We haven't found that much - or maybe those who dislike Americans keep away from us. LOL! When an Italian understands that we live in the USA, s/he is often eager to talk to us. Maybe they're eager to practice their English? A nun in one of the churches we visited in Naples told us about her niece who lives in FL and who will be joining the army next year. An old man sitting at a restaurant in Naples, wanted to know where we were from. When he finally understood NL and US - and we lived in the US, he was excited and told us a lot of things in Italian, which I can't tell you b/c I don't know Italian. But he was very friendly and enthusiastic. We did understand "wife" and "New York City," so maybe his wife had been in NYC?? He was one who had trouble believing we were from the US. Even after we felt we finally got nationalities straightened out, he pointed at dd18 and said, "German?"

Also, dh's family has strong and positive ties to the USA; his father came here to do his schooling b/c after WWII, the universities in NL were a mess. He also worked at IBM for many years, and dh and his 3 elder siblings were all born here. They moved back to NL when dh was 18 months old b/c dh's mother really wanted to be in her home country, which I understand. Anyhow, one of dh's aunts on his father's side married a US serviceman and lived in the US. Another aunt on his mother's side married a Canadian serviceman! I believe it was the Canadians who freed the Netherlands. They eventually settled in Italy as missionaries, but even more eventually, they got divorced.

From conversations with dh's extended family, cousins and aunts, etc., as well as with other Europeans, even GG, I have come to realize that Europeans do hold stereotypes and misunderstandings about Americans. For example, GG told us she came to the USA expecting all Americans to be overweight. Even dh's sisters don't fully understand the US educational system. Then again, there are all sorts of Americans; it's impossible to cover their thoughts and habits with one blanket statement. And the same is probably true the other direction. I used to think Italians were kind of lazy and laid back, but I now know 2 Italian professors who are driven and hard working and striving to stay at the top of their field. (One is one of our physics prof friends.) There are reasons they are not with universities in Italy, though -- but that is another story.

We had a funny experience at an Italian restaurant in Naples. We sat down and the waiter approached and just starting talking to dh in Italian. We were given no printed menu at this restaurant. Dh answered in pseudo-Italian/English. When the conversation was over, we all asked dh what he had ordered, and he said he wasn't sure. . . LOL! That is very much like dh!! He thought he'd ordered mixed appetizers. Well, then the food started arriving. Plate after plate of food arrived. To be exact, 10 plates of food arrived, and we realized there were 10 appetizers and we'd gotten them all. Then, dh said we would need to order a first course. I asked if we could skip it - and he said that would be rude. So, everyone ordered a first course, except for me. I just nibbled off others' plates. We didn't have to order a second course, thank goodness. . . . The waiter seemed very enamored with us and kind of gave us a blessing as we left the restaurant. These are the kinds of experiences that make traveling in a foreign non-English speaking country so darn interesting!!

Well, I've used up a lot of computer time. I'll see how you ladies are doing.

I might put photos on fb. I have mixed feelings about that. I don't know if friends would enjoy that or not; I don't want people to think I'm showing off - but some friends have enjoyed pictures of our travels in the past. A fb friend posted a photo of her son's AP test scores on fb. I thought that was quite tacky. . . They were strong - but not even stellar, at least not all 5s.

Adding. . . We will be traveling tomorrow and then at dh's family's summer house tomorrow evening - Sunday, the day of the party. I may not be able to get back on the internet for a few days.

[Lady Maverick]

Helia - It is great to see a CI from you! I love reading about your travels and experiences. I most likely will never get to experience it so it is the next best option I have!

friends have enjoyed pictures of our travels

I am definitely one of those! And I never think you or anyone else is showing off or bragging by sharing travel experiences.

I probably post too much on FB. I sometimes wonder if other consider my posts tacky or TMI, but general shrug and decide they are welcomed to UNfriend me with no hard feelings on my part.. I enjoy sharing joys in whatever form they come!

Next up -
** Cantaloupe cut up
** squash processed
** Lunch prep'd (taco's)