Don't You Wish Your Floor Looked Like This?

I had my second (and last, I hope) gum graft yesterday. My mouth hurts and I'm a little cranky. Maybe more than a little.

 

So, a brief post again today.

 

This is how part of our living room floor currently looks:

 

 

Our new flooring is going in a week from Thursday. Hooray! (The installers will be ripping up the rest of the carpet, so Lew is happy about that.) Between now and then I have to treat some of the exposed floor with a baking soda mixture. Fortunately, there is not a strong cat pee odor, but the flooring guy said the baking soda is a good idea.

 

But I will not be doing the treatment today.... It is "Too Cranky Tuesday."

 

Lucky Number 13

There were three awards presented at the chili cook-off yesterday:

• Most Original (a basket with a couple bags of chips)
• Judges' (a gift card to El Rayo)
• People's Choice (yearlong possession of the Golden Ladle)

How my chili fared:

 

 

I am now an award-winning cook! Can you believe it?! Ha ha!

 

And They're Off!

The chili cook-off contestants are making their entries.

 

Here's a photo of mine before it starts cooking.

 

 

What are those dark squares on the top? They used to be a "whole."

 

One of my secret ingredients. :)

 

And the slow cooking has begun....

 

 

May the best chili win the Golden Ladle!

 

Anticipation

Writing prompt: Anticipation.

 

Why did I think of ketchup when I first read this prompt? Ha ha!

 

My next thought was, "This would have been a great prompt for next Friday!"

 

Anticipation.

 

What a wonderful word to describe the time between Good Friday and Easter!

 

Anticipation.

 

Jesus dies on the cross... but we know the rest of the story. On Easter Sunday we will celebrate that story. "We serve a risen Savior," as the old hymn goes.

 

Anticipation.

 

And we live in a state of expectancy not just for Easter.... HE is coming again.

 

Smile!

Floors Galore, Part 2

I'm pleased to report that we are going with the flooring that I selected (see Tuesday's post). For the record, Lew did originally choose the wrong one, but he claims he really had no preference. I guess his actual preference was (and is) my happiness. (Thanks, Sweetie!)

To prepare for the new floor installation, I spent yesterday morning and much of today clearing "little stuff" out of our living room. I am storing most of it in the guest room upstairs. I still have a bit to do, but I have made great progress.

And this leads me to why this post fits in the "Throwback Thursday" category: I am apparently under the impression that my body is 25 years younger than it actually is. I am very sore and achy from lifting and carrying stuff and from going up and down the stairs multiple times....

I just hope this doesn't become "Throw Back Out Thursday!"

Dad 246: Under the Weather Report

(The title that I made up for this post could be a "before and after" on Wheel of Fortune, don't you think? Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Enjoying another sunny spring morning in the Northeast. The sun says Spring; the temperature says January. Still hovering around single digits on a nightly basis. Supposed to get start getting into the 40s on certain days. I'm ready for April.

 

I wish I could say the ground is free from snow. But I can't. We still have a fairly deep snow cover. Even have one small batch of snow on the garage roof. I do believe we will have some snow on the ground throughout the month of April. Enough about the weather and snow.

 

{Interlude}

 

Minutes after finishing the last paragraph I fell sound asleep. The reason is I'm fighting another cold. Boy, have I been coughing. Last night I felt ill and went to bed before 7 o'clock. I had a cold at the beginning of winter and now have a cold as I enter the spring season. Was able to get through the winter season in the snow with no ill feelings. Can't figure out how I caught this cold. I have not enjoyed the last three or four days. Did manage to get teeth cleaned yesterday. Not too happy that I have a small cavity to be filled in a couple weeks. Hopefully I'll feel better by then.

 

I'm still sleepy but must complete this blog post. I must admit my cough has subsided somewhat. I'm on my way to feeling fine once again. I hope!

 

I should stop writing as I have nothing more to say and my eyelids are closing again. It is time for another quick nap. There is nothing to stop me from another nap. Sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Floors Galore

Lew and I have agreed that we are going to replace the carpet in our living room with non-carpet flooring. (Regular readers of my blog may remember that we had a problem with one of our cats peeing on the carpet.)

 

Today I went to the flooring place and looked at vinyl tiles. I brought home two samples (same cost) to see which coordinated better with the flooring in the kitchen and dining room.

 

I have made my decision. Now I need to get Lew's opinion. If he picks the same one, then I'm all set. If not, I must convince him to see it my way. ;-)

 

To do: Select new flooring. Don't look back.

Perry Mason then Sydney Bristow then... ?

As I write this, I have only seven episodes left to watch of Alias!

I will finish the series this week, even if I have to do a binge-watching session.  I have enjoyed the show, but I am ready for it to be over. I want to know how it plays out.

Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? I'm still unsure! But I will say that I will miss my "friends" on Alias, even if they end up being bad.

I will have to find something else to watch on Netflix while I use the elliptical machine. Any suggestions? I do need a new TV-series-to-watch goal.

It's good to have goals.

Don't Be Jelly

Yesterday I learned a new word when a friend texted that her daughter was "jelly." I had no idea what she meant!

 

Do you?

 

If not, here's a hint: One could also spell it j-e-a-l-y.

 

Once she told me, it made sense.

 

Apparently the shorter term has been around for a few years, so I must have been living under the proverbial rock.

 

It's not really a shortcut, though. Spelling-wise it is quicker, but it's the same number of syllables to pronounce.

 

Anyway, my friend suggested I learn one new word a week from her 13-year-old daughter. Sounds like a great idea to me!

 

Jealous? ;-)

A Test Run

When I got up this morning, I went down to the kitchen to eat a banana and take my "heart medicine" (a.k.a. a square of dark chocolate).

 

Then I spent about 90 minutes preparing my test batch of chili (the church cook-off is a week from Sunday).

 

I had already decided what I wanted to put in my chili. I selectively combined two recipes and I also added a couple "secret ingredients" of my own.

 

I started my prep by lining up all of the ingredients on the counter and writing a few notes. Then I slowly added the ingredients, making sure that I could recreate the recipe later.

 

After I got the chili cooking in the slow cooker, I typed out my recipe on my iPad. My prep time will be much shorter next time.

 

"Next time?" you may be asking.

 

Yes! My chili recipe is a "keeper." Mom, Dad, Lew, and I ate my chili for dinner tonight. It wasn't bad. :)

 

My five minutes were up about five minutes ago!

A Lot of Ball

It's almost the most wonderful time of the year: March Madness!

 

I don't follow college basketball during the regular season, but I do love the tournament.

 

I printed a bracket yesterday. I will keep it up-to-date as well as I can.

 

This is the biggest weekend... so many games... the most fun opportunities for upsets....

 

There are probably games on right now. Stop reading this and start watching!

Dad 245: A Photo Study of Snow and Mailbox

(Dad took all of the photos on his tablet. Any captions are by me. Enjoy Dad's post!  ~  Tracy)

Derf Here! Another bright, sunny, very cold and windy day in the Northeast. Winds strong enough last night to blow a roof off an Auburn home. Cold to last for at least another week. At least no big snowstorms predicted. Boston did set a record for over nine feet of snow for the season. I'm ready for April.

Very little writing today if my editor agrees.. Will have some new photos to look at.

Spring is only two days away. Really!

Ken's (our seafood place) is opening Friday (scallops and fish) -- even though we can't see the place very well over the snow banks.

From our house, we can currently see the sign and the top of Ken's Place.

The snow is melting, so I'll show you better pictures of our designer mailbox.

Although it is melting, we still have a lot of snow on the ground. Here's some views of the homestead.

Please do not drive more than 35 miles per hour past our house!

This photo was taken out the window a couple weeks ago.
The snow was really piled up on Lew's deck!

And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

The Chore of Chores

Oh, dear, what a catastrophe!
Seven Franciscans trapped in the lava'try.
They were there from Sunday 'til Saturday.
Nobody knew they were there.

The above lyric is from the musical Nunsense II and has nothing to do with today's post -- other than the fact I started with it, of course. (I'm not completely sure I have the words right.)

Today I started -- drum roll, please -- spring cleaning! And it is mighty slow-going.

I began with my desk, which is upstairs in the back room. I have been wanting a peaceful place to do my Bible study and have quiet times, and my desk really wasn't cutting it. So I decluttered it and started reorganizing some things. I now have three bins of stuff that I need to find a home for. The trash bin may be an option for much of it!

I am already tired of spring cleaning. Maybe that's why the above song started to go through my head.... "catastrophe'.... and I wouldn't mind locking myself up in the bathroom until spring cleaning is done. Just tell me when it's over!

To do: Oh, dear, I must continue cleaning.

(By the way, my Aunt Debbie took me to see Nunsense II several years ago. I loved it!)

"Alias" Viewing Update

I've been watching the TV series "Alias" on Netflix.

Usually I limit myself to watching it while I'm using the elliptical machine, but today I also watched an episode during my lunch time.  The episode was the last one of Season 4.

I had finished eating and was holding a drink in my hand when the show ended. I am very glad that I was almost through with the drink, because I JUMPED during the very last scene. Not just a "tiny-ooh" jump, but a "my-butt-left-the-chair" jump.

There was a bombshell revelation immediately followed by a terrifying event immediately followed by the show's closing credits.

I did not see any of it coming -- except for the credits.

I was tempted to watch the first episode of Season 5 (the final season!), but I really need to start my other projects for the day.

I hope I can concentrate on what I need to do!

Happy Pi Day of the Century!

Highlights of Pi Day week:

 

Played with my cat Jerry by running around in circles.

 

Brought circle-shaped food (chicken-pot pie and a cake) to our housechurch group meeting on Thursday night.

 

Our friends across the street made a snowman!

 

 

Lew and I are now heading off to spend the evening with some friends. We are bringing circle-shaped food once again: pizza and a cake.

 

I canceled my t-shirt order because it wasn't going to arrive by today. But I am wearing a shirt with circles on it!

 

 

A Fortunate Sound

Writing prompt: Punishment and reward.

 

I am reminded of a childhood event that I don't remember all that well - except for one detail....

 

The screeching of the car tires.

 

This is what happened (from what I've been told): Some older kids in the neighborhood were crossing the street and I wanted to follow. I was far too young to be crossing the street by myself, but I went anyway. And I almost got hit by a car. The car was able to screech to a stop. I do remember the sound.

 

My mother was inside the house and saw the event (or at least heard the commotion) and wanted to kill me herself. Instead she called my grandparents, who came and picked me up and took me out for ice cream!

 

And there you have the difference between parents and grandparents.

 

Smile!

Pals

I am "throwing back" to the days when I spoke of my cats a lot more on my blog. It's been some time since I've shared a photo of them, and they both agreed it was about time. They were feeling sort of left out! ;-)

 

Kurt and Jerry, two sweet kitties.

 

Dad 244: Our Designer Mailbox

(MacGyver's got nothing on my father! Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! The early morning sun shineth brightly. The night temperature stayed above freezing. Supposed to be close to 50° today. Back to below normal the next couple days with possible snow on the weekend. Hope Boston gets a couple inches to set a new record. March snow will not last long. Daily melting is going well. I'm ready for April!

 

Anyone who has read my blog posts knows I wiped out our mailbox during the blizzard of 2015. This was accomplished while telling Lew how careful I always am while plowing. It was necessary for me to somehow rig up a temporary mailbox until I can redo this spring. Well, a few years ago I purchased a 1950s bicycle at an auction, attended by my son-in-law Glen and myself. The bike had a trailer. I settled on using the bike trailer in my temporary fix.

 

I attached the mailbox's broken post to the trailer and used 120 pounds of sand in buckets as the weight necessary to hold firm the box. Well, during the next storm the mailbox broke away from the trailer due to the town plow flinging the snow while cleaning the road. Back to the drawing board.

 

I bent some straight metal pieces into angle irons and reattached the mailbox. I also added a total of six bungee cords of various strengths to the project. Then I decided to build a protection from the town snowplow by attaching a couple pieces of wood. This has worked well and will last until permanent repairs are made (probably in April). I suppose I could leave the temporary as the permanent, but probably the neighbors would complain! Wish me luck. Enjoy the photos!

 

 

 

Well, Lew and I installed our new water pressure pump. We had a strategy and it worked even better than we thought it would. Another project accomplished.

 

Just a note to let you know that Glen, Deb, Josh, and Zack have been tossed out of their house due to the ice dam damage to their home. They are spending a few weeks in a complex set up for such messes. Removal of the asbestos will begin on March 30. After all the removal and drying out comes all the rebuilding. They seem to be handling it well. Certainly a lot better than I would be!! Really!! Geez!!

 

Off to the store! Sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

 

An Irrational Day

This Saturday – 3/14/15 – is the Pi Day of the Century.

 

 

Pi = 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679821480865132823066470938446095505822317253594081284811174502841027019385211055596446229489549303819644288109756659334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234603486104543266482133936072602491412737245870066063155881748815209209628292540917153643678925903600113305305488204665213841469519415116094330572703657595919530921861173819326117931051185480744623799627495673518857527248912279381830119491298336733624406566430860213949463952247371907021798609437027705392171762931767523846748184676694051320005681271452635608277857713427577896091736371787214684409012249534301465495853710507922796892589235420199561121290219608640344181598136297747713099605187072113499999983729780499510597317328160963185950244594553469083026425223082533446850352619311881710100031378387528865...and so forth...and so forth...and so forth...forever and ever....

 

 

I have ordered a special t-shirt to help me honor this occasion.

 

We're getting together with friends that evening, and I'm going to suggest we eat pizza.

 

 

I'm getting more excited as the day draws closer!

 

To do: Determine more ways to celebrate Pi Day.

 

 

A Time to Read

I recently learned that March is Reading Month! I have not read as much as I like the past couple months, so I am excited about this special month. I am planning to read a lot during the next few weeks. So excited, I am!

This is a good time to remind you of my "2015 Reading Challenge" page. If you click on it today - March 9th - you will see that I have only six categories completed. This means I'm behind on my needed-average of one per week. Reading Month will give me a chance to catch up and hopefully get ahead! (I am about to start reading "a book with a one-word title.")

It has been fun looking for books to fit the categories. So far I have identified what I wish to read for these:

• A book with more than 500 pages
• A book of short stories
• A book based entirely on its cover
• A memoir
• A trilogy
• A book from my childhood
• A book set in high school
• A book that takes place in my hometown
• A book I started but never finished

If you are curious about the book titles, they will be listed on my "2015 Reading Challenge" page... once I've read them, of course!

What will you be reading this month?

"Water" Fingers

I have been very clumsy lately. Last Saturday I wrote about losing a pair of sunglasses. On Monday or Tuesday, I almost spilled an entire cup of hot chocolate all over the kitchen. (I did spill some of it, but it could have been worse.)

Then one night I was trying to stop a small leak in my water bottle. I thought that I needed to tighten it, which was actually true. But instead of tightening it, I turned it the wrong way and loosened it. And water went all over the place.

Spilling water usually isn't too bad, but it's not helpful when you spill it all over the bed that you are about to sleep in for the night. (And, no, it's NOT a water bed.)

My initial reaction was to tell Lew to grab a towel -- and make it quick! He did. He sopped up as much as he could off the bed and the covers. I changed into some dry pajamas.

Lew's efforts couldn't make the bed entirely dry, so I sat up a little longer in the guest bedroom. By the time my side of the bed was "sleepable", it was after midnight.

So my helpful tip for the week: Don't adjust your water bottle while settled into your bed. It is a terrible idea.

Don't Miss the Miracle

I'm not using a writing prompt today, but I'm still going to limit myself to five minutes!

 

I want to share one more thing from the women's pilgrimage.

 

One of the practices we encountered was "imaginative prayer." To get a sense for what this means, we used an application (free!) called "Pray as You Go". The application has a section called "Imaginative Contemplation Exercises". We listened to the story of Jesus and Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52).

 

During the exercise, I imagined myself as one of the disciples. Given my nature, I began to think about where we (Jesus and the other disciples) were headed next. I was so intent on helping Jesus stick to the schedule, the next thing I knew Bartimaeus had already been healed of his blindness. And I had missed it....

 

I had missed the miracle.

 

What God told me that night:

Slow down.

Pay attention to what He is doing.

Pay attention to the needs of others.

Don't miss the miracle!

A Path For Prayer

I had planned on sharing earlier about the women's event we held at church the first weekend of February, but then "life" happened. I took a blogging hiatus after my mother-in-law passed away and I've just been trying to get moving again the past couple weeks.

 

We got the idea for our event from the book Sensible Shoes by Sharon Garlough Brown. I previously wrote a blog post about the book. (Click HERE to read that post.)

 

The characters in the book learn several different spiritual practices, one of which is a prayer walk. They used a labyrinth, so I made one! (I wanted it for the mini-pilgrimage that I did with the girls, but I also wanted to use it for the women's event.) I made it with a no-longer-used king-size top sheet, duck tape, and stick-on letters. I put clear packing tape over the letters to keep the letters from being kicked off by the kids (or by me).

 

One way to pray while walking the labyrinth: On the way to the center, focus your prayer on releasing your sin, tension, frustrations, etc. to God. In the center, receive from God – His blessings, His guidance, His comfort, whatever He desires to give you. Then on the walk out of the labyrinth, focus your prayer on returning to the world and serving God.

 

Here are a few photos of my creation! (This counts as a "Throwback Thursday" post, right?!)

 

The overview. The center is large enough to put a stool or small chair.

Entering the labyrinth. Yes, those are my feet.

The center. I ran out of Es so I used upside-down 3s!

Leaving the center.

 

Dad 243: "B" Boy Beats Buzzer

(The game my father mentions was the Class B State Championship. I wish I had watched it. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! We have a fresh coat of snow this morning. I'm not about to plow as it is only a dusting (to 3 inches) and the temperature today is supposed to approach 40°. That should take care of the new snow. Did not have to plow last Sunday as the Saturday night snow was only about 2 inches. I have not plowed for a whole week. We seem to be getting on the right track for warmer weather and less snow. It is about time. I'm ready for April!

We have just completed the coldest February on record. Only one day in the month reached the average daily temperature. I can see why the "global warming" people now use the term "climate change". I guess the change in seasons is now considered a problem after working so well for centuries. Did anyone ever hear of the word "cyclical"? Weather and seasons do seem to happen in cycles. Not a new concept.

Well, we have our new pump to improve our water pressure. The old one still works but makes quite a noise. If all goes well it will be installed this weekend. I was going to attempt it but I have an offer from Lew that I cannot refuse. He makes sense as it will be easier to accomplish the task with two people as opposed to moi alone. I welcome the help. Now we hope the old pump lasts until Saturday.

Well, we watched much high school basketball last week to finish up tourney time. We enjoy watching high school youth playing ball. One game that especially held my interest was a game involving Cape Elizabeth. (I worked at Cape high school for 11 years. The coach was in a geometry class of mine as well as in my homeroom for four years. That was way back in the 70s.) Cape was down by five with 52 seconds left to play. A couple hoops and some opponent's missed free-throws tied the game at 23 seconds. Then an unsuccessful drive to the hoop by the opposition gave Cape the ball with about 10 seconds left. As the player started down the court he noticed a fellow team player leading the mad dash to the hoop. A better-than-average pass over the defense to the streaking player was caught and put in the hoop as the buzzer went off. Congratulations to Cape! And to think I was going to go to bed because I thought the game was out of reach. A great way to end my day.

I think my proofreader and editor will not appreciate any further writing. Sooo....

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Josh's CrossFit Debut

Debbie, Glen, and Josh came up to the house for a few minutes on Saturday so that Josh could play us a video of his first CrossFit workout.

 

If I understand correctly, there is a different workout every week as part of this competition.

 

The workout Josh showed us was – in a word – insane.

 

For the first part, he had to hang on a bar and kick his feet up in the air, high enough to make contact with the bar. He basically was folding himself in half while working against gravity. He had to do this 15 times.

 

After that he had to do a couple different weightlifting maneuvers, for a total of 15 repetitions.

 

Then he had to repeat the entire workout as many times as possible in nine minutes.

 

Then he had six minutes to lift as much weight as he could. (I don't remember the technical names of all the weightlifting moves.)

 

I was very impressed with Josh's performance! He inspired me to continue my own efforts to be in good shape. But I won't be doing CrossFit.... I'm not that crazy! Ha ha! Smile!

 

To do: Keep exercising. (It's a good habit!)

A Jolly Good Show

Unless you live under a shell, you know that the season finale of Downton Abbey aired last night. Even my father knows this. He told me he slept through much of it while my mother watched it this morning.

Like my mother, I also recorded it so that I could watch it today. I watched during my lunch time.

I enjoyed this season of the show much more than last season's. But I do wish some story lines would finally be resolved -- the top one being the murder suspicions regarding Anna and Mr. Bates. Enough already!

My mother finds Mary annoying. I tend to agree, but apparently all of the single male characters on the show do not. They tend to fall all over her. Maybe she can finally settle down again next season.

Other questions: Will Mary ever learn the truth about Edith's child? Will Tom really move to America? Will Mrs. Crowley change her mind and marry Lord Merton? Or will she end up with the doctor? Will Lord Grantham get a puppy?

The world will have to wait and see.