Finally a quiet day. After having coffee with my friends and going to physical therapy I spent an hour sitting in front of the fire and reading the latest Fanny Flagg book. Ahhh....
Sadie's new medicine seems to be working. She has actually gotten up a few times on her own and walked a little.
I’ve had such a busy schedule this week but I’m so glad yesterday that we took some time for family and friends. Our good friend had a knee replacement that has been needed for quite some time and we went to Coudersport (about an hour and half away) to visit with him. He is Don’s best friend from when they were kids. Their birthdays are one day apart. He was the best man in our wedding and has been a great pal over the years. He is doing so well and is pleased that he can straighten out his leg finally.
After our visit there we stopped in another town to see Don’s sister and husband who came up for a week from Tennessee. Ginny made us a lovely dinner and we had a great chat. Family is so important to us. Today I had my coffee friends up to play marbles. What a fun time. 
Those two monkeys climbing up the wall on the right are my two grandchildren. They are fearless. 
I’m so happy that they live where they do near Knoxville. There is so much for them to do around there. 
Can you believe that Sara is only six? She’s amazing!
She looks so funny with half baby and half adult teeth in her mouth at the moment. 
The 52 Moments prompt for this week is : in the corner: lived in. I think we bloggers always like to put on our best face when we show pictures of our house. Sometimes we sweep aside those “disturbing” things and only show exactly what we want to make us look like a fantastic housekeeper at all times. Now you know that just isn’t true. We all have things out of place at times and corners that get dirty. But let’s get real. 
I’m always thinking about how my life is different than my southern relatives. I’ll bet they don’t have a boot tray sitting in a corner by the back door. This is an absolute necessity for us northern folks unless you want to have dirt and snow tracked all over the kitchen. We are trained to immediately take off our boots or shoes on entering. And even with that it is a constant battle of wiping up the melted snow and sweeping up the little pebbles of salt from the sidewalk. And there has to be a small rug of some kind as a landing pad as soon as you get in the door. This is just everyday life in Bradford. It’s not just the boots it’s scarves and hats and gloves to keep up with. And we have SO MANY coats! One for each kinds of weather that we may encounter that changes sometimes hourly. 
Yes, it’s a mess. But it’s life. Cest la vie!
What would we girls do without our girlfriends? Today I had lunch at Kabob’s with my classmates. This newly formed group is having such a good time. Today we enjoy a great meal at our local Greek restaurant. I had chicken slovaki (tender hunks of chicken, a Greek salad, homemade pitas with tzatziki sauce, and basmati rice). Delicious! And as usual we laughed and talked for hours. Next week we will play games at Sandy’s house.
Today is miserable, rainy and foggy. I had my semiannual eye check (all is well) then I stopped at the library for more books and am now ready to settle down and read. A perfect way to spend the day. 
Are you getting hygge (hue-gah) in your life this winter? Light up those candles, cozy up with a warm blanket, enjoy board games with friends, and hold a warm drink. It's hygge time.
This Danish concept is really catching on all around the world. You know the Danes are considered the happiest people on earth and they embrace the concept of hygge. When I visited Denmark many years ago with my best friend who was Danish I got to experience hygge where each meal was served with lit candles and hospitality reigned. Actually that is where I was introduced to the word. It seemed that her relatives really knew how to slow down and enjoy life and each other's company. Now there are many books on the subject. Here are a couple.
So today I'm going to enjoy a warm cup of cocoa, cuddle under a blanket and of course, light a candle. How about you?
I had a dream. I’ve always wanted a big hutch for all my dishes. The small one that we had was from our antiquing days. It served the purpose and held a lot of dishes, glassware and plates all crowded in there. For Valentine’s Day Don got this one for me. I absolutely love it. It holds all my dishes and in the center drawers are all the tablecloths. I’ve dreamed of having something like this for years.
We are starting Sadie on a new drug today. Hopefully it will help the lupus. There are side effects that I am worried about but we need to do it anyway.
Here are some pictures of Sadie in her better days.
You really can tell about people by visiting their homes and looking at what they choose to put on their shelves. I never understood how someone could hire a decorator and then let them pick out all the “fancy” objects to place just exactly right on every shelf in the house. How non personal. I love to see what people cherish enough to display throughout their homes.
In the back bedroom are my personal pictures of family and friends displayed so that I can see them when I am painting there.
The shelves in the office are the place where I keep some of my reference books for photography,my printed out photos, and my health book. (Do you have a health book, by the way? It’s just a record of doctor visit and ailments. The mind isn’t what it used to be so it’s a good way to keep track.)
This shelf is dedicated to mostly fishing pictures of Don.
And these little birds sit on the shelf of the baker’s rack.
What do you keep on your shelves? Does it reveal a lot about your personality?
So… we have been having trouble with our phones. First there was a big buzz in the line while we were talking. Then the phone rang really funny, just a brr and then it hung up on whoever was calling. So of course I called the phone company who texted back and said the problem was in our house line. So we got new phones. Nope, that wasn’t it. So the repairman came today. After climbing the pole and working his magic he fixed it! AND…he also fixed my slow computer line. What a miracle worker. I have been putting up with slow internet for quite a while now. It is really fast now and maybe now I can stream better. I am a happy, happy camper.
Our trip to Buffalo yesterday was uneventful and quick. The vet examined Sadie and was pleased that she has improved with the steroids but wants to wean her off them and try a new medicine for the Lupus. We discussed her front paws and how the ligaments are not supporting them and he is doubtful that surgery can help them but will consult with a surgeon about that. She is walking a few steps long enough to go to the bathroom outside and she feels good enough to scoot around a little in the house.
I began my physical therapy for my hips yesterday. It involves sitting in a chair while electrical stimulatio does its magic for fifteen minutes. Then for another fifteen minutes I have a medicine patch with more electricity which burns a little but gets the meds deep in the hips. My bursitis is not as bad as last year but I wanted to catch it early before that happened. I want to be able to walk in the spring.
Our weather this week is very cold and will be in the twenties all week. We have been lucky so far that the winter has not been horrible. We have snow on the ground but the roads are clear. It's always a good day when I don't have to put on boots.
Do you remember ice skating as a child? If you lived in the north this may be a fond memory for you. It is for me. Getting a pair of ice skates from your dad was a very exciting thing. We had a cement patio out in the back of our house and he bought a plastic liner and plastic sides to make our own little skating rink. It really wasn't very big but to us it was the world. When I was a kid we spent all our time out of doors, even in the winter. We dressed for the cold and wouldn't come back in until the snow filled out boots and snow was down our necks. We would make snow forts and throw snowballs and see who could make the tallest snowman. It's funny now that I rarely see a snowman in a front yard. I never see the kids out sledding. Our town has an indoor ice skating rink so I'm sure the kids go there. I wonder if they even buy snow pants anymore. Things sure have changed since I was a kid.
The 52 moment prompt for this week is Door. I chose a photo of my garage door. I love to travel, go places and see new things but it is always gratifying to come home and drive up my own driveway. I push the garage door opener and ease my car inside safe and sound. My father had a saying that he always uttered when arriving again back home “Lafayette, we are here”.
I didn’t know what that saying means but my dad always said it when we arrived home. Linda has this saying on the door of her house. So I was curious and goggled it. Here is what I found.
Lafayette was the French commander who came to the aid of the revolutionary forces during the War of Succession, called the War of Independence, from Great Britain. Washington and Congress promised him that they would return the assistance when it was needed. There was no US involvement during the French Revolution so when US troops finally arrived in France during WWI, this was their calling card. It was uttered by General Pershing's Aide.
Ok, I am going to get political on you so if you are a Trump fan maybe you should skip this post. I care about our planet. I’m worried about global warming and how I will leave this planet to my grandchildren to live in when I’m gone. I believe that we are not good caretakers and our mistakes will have irreparable damage to our future citizens. Already we have more than one crisis….the weather changes, polluted water and oceans, bad land management, destruction of the rain forest. I am scared for the future. United States has not been a leader in environmental protection. We have an Environmental Protection Agency and they have tried to do all they can to insure that our resources will be there for years to come.
But the news the other night had me losing sleep…
The EPA has been roiled by turmoil during its first week under Trump, as members of the transition team issued what it has described as a temporary freeze on all contract approvals and grant awards. Trump's representatives also instituted a media blackout, clamping down on media releases, social media posts and other external communications issued by career staff.
AP reported Wednesday that Trump's political appointees have been scrutinizing reports and data published on the agency's websites for potential removal, especially details of scientific evidence showing that the Earth's climate is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame.
When the president calls global warming a Chinese hoax and cuts the budget of the EPA and reduces its workforce it sends a clear message that he isn’t interested in environmental issues. The “gag” order scares me and makes me wonder about suppression of our information.
No matter who you supported in the election you can’t justify turning a blind eye to the problems of the world. I don’t know how or if I can help but if there is a march for the environment I need to give my support.
Yesterday I called the book I was reading interesting. Today I finished it and was blubbering like a baby. I haven't read a book as good as this in such a long, long time. I don't want to spoil it for you but here is a brief summary.
In this bestselling and delightfully quirky debut novel from Sweden, a grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon - the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him "the bitter neighbor from hell." But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.
It's an easy book to read. I read it in two days because I couldn't put it down. It would make the most marvelous movie. I HIGHLY recommend it! It would be great for a book club. Run right out and get this one!
It is pretty. The snow is coming down once more. We are not complaining here in Bradford since it has been a rather mild winter for us. The forecast looks like snow for the next seven days. 
But I don’t have to go anywhere this weekend so I am looking forward to cuddling and reading. My current book is a Man called Ove. Interesting. 
Sadie update: Since the high dose of steroids Sadie is feeling so much better. She has a spark in her eyes again. Her paws have shrunk back to normal size and she is even attempting a few steps when she is put outside. She loves her water therapy in the bathtub to help her muscles retain their tone. We go back to Buffalo on Monday.
I wasn’t friends with these girls in high school. But we became reacquainted when I served on our class reunion committee every five years. As we were planning our 55th reunion this year one of the girls asked, “Do you like to play games” and suggested a game day. We have been meeting each month now at each other’s homes to play cards, marbles, and Michigan Rummy. 
We have had so much fun! All we do is talk and laugh. And eat too. This time it was my turn to host and I made a cheese board. 
My daughter in law gave me this beautiful cheese board for Christmas. I also served crackers. 
I don’t get a chance to use my pretty dishes much anymore so it delighted me to get them out of the cupboard. 
There are two types of people in this world…those that are completely organized all the time…and the rest of us poor fools! I think I’ve been saying “I’m going to get organized” for forty years. It’s not that I’m so bad…(at least I don’t think so). I can find things…(most of the time). My main area stay clean and clutter free (most of the time). But I’ve never gotten my house to the state where all the rooms (including the basement and attic) are pristine. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it will never happen and I don’t mind at all. (ok, I do mind sometime when something disappears and I can’t find it for days). I will keep striving and organizing every January till I die (and what is left will be someone else’s to deal with).
I have read a lot of clutter clean up books throughout the years so I do have a few tips:
1. Gretchen Rubin says “if it takes less than a minute, do it”. This has really helped me. I used to take something in the bedroom and lay it on the bed. It belonged in the bedroom and I got it that far. But I didn’t exactly put it away then so I had to deal with it later. Now if it only takes a minute I just do it then.
2. Have a place for things. Keys should be hung by the door. Books should go in the bookbag or on the shelf. I keep scissors in each room so that I can find them easily.
3. Don’t buy duplicates or things you really don’t need. No one thinks they do that but when I cleaned my kitchen out I had so many paring knives it wasn’t funny. 
4. When you get out of the shower take a minute to towel dry the shower walls and wipe out the tub. Then you don’t need to do so much scrubbing.
5. Do deep cleaning only when you feel like it. You need energy for that and you have to be in the right mood. Light a candle, turn on loud fast music and go to town.
6. Try to keep the daily clutter to a minimum. Corral things in baskets or trays till you have a chance to put them away where they belong.
7. I have a small basket near the kitchen where I put all those stray things that I come across all day and carry it into the bedroom and bath when I go that way at the end of the day.
Do you have any hints, ideas, or solutions that work well for you?
Me cleaning >>>>>Fantasy
Me cleaning…….reality.
I have a small confession. Santa brought me the best cleaning gift ever…a Rhomba. It’s a round miracle that cleans your floors with a push of a button. It’s a fascinating tool and makes my life so much easier. Don was skeptical but when he saw how much hair and dust that it collected he was won over. When it runs out of juice it goes back to its dock and recharges itself. I LOVE it!
Don and I have been married fifty one years. Even when I type it I can't believe it has been that long. We were high school sweethearts, stayed together while he served in the navy four years and I went to college and then married in 1966. It's amazing to me that through thick and thin we remained lovers and friends and love each other now just as much or more than we did then at the beginning. He is. A great man very devoted, and loving. He didn't have a good male role model growing up but was a great father to our two boys.
This is one of my favorite wedding photos..me kissing my dad goodbye as I go off with another man.
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