Ten Things Thursday

How about some beautiful flowers and outdoor spaces? What I love the most about all of these is how beautifully manicured they are. 

Tuesday Thoughts About...

...My Fun Life---which begins at 9:00 a.m. 

9:00 a.m. my fun begins every day, 365! Yep, it's the truth. All fun!

Before 9:00 a.m. I've done all of my "business" and chores. All the UN-Fun stuff of life. 

By 9:00 a.m. I've made my bed and brushed my teeth.

By 9:00 a.m. I've gone out and walked.

By 9:00 a.m. I've tended to gardening chores and watered plants and flowers. Okay, this is actually fun, but has to be done before it gets too hot.

By 9:00 a.m. I've showered and gotten ready for the day.

By 9:00 a.m. I've had breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen.

By 9:00 a.m. I've started a load of wash, dried and folded it (not every day).

By 9:00 a.m. I've checked my emails.

By 9:00 a.m. I've made any necessary appointments.

By 9:00 a.m. I've already been to said appointments. I want the first appointment of the day and will wait a month for it if I have to.

By 9:00 a.m. I've  (we've) taken a car in for servicing or picked up a car.

By 9:00 a.m. I've caught up on the news (which is really UN-fun)!

By 9:00 a.m. I'm on a flight getting to fun! I always want the first flight.

So, you get it. I have just about everything I HAVE to do---done by 9:00 a.m.

Now the FUN begins.

After 9:00 a.m. I go up to my scrapbook room. 

After 9:00 a.m. I'll print pictures (which isn't always fun due to my finicky printer).

After 9:00 a.m. I'm working/playing on my computer designing scrapbook titles and writing journaling for my pages.

After 9:00 a.m. I'm working on my blog.

After 9:00 a.m. I'm out running errands--I always make them fun by adding a run through Starbucks.

After 9:00 a.m. I'll have a pool party.

After 9:00 a.m. I'm playing bridge (sometimes twice a week now).

After 9:00 a.m. I'll have an AYM meeting (A Year of Memories) monthly for 17 years now.

After 9:00 a.m. I'll have a "Circle of Friends" meeting (our journaling club) every month for 5 years now.

After 9:00 a.m. I'll have lunch with a friend (4 times with my "once-a-month" friends and 3 times with my "every-other-month" friends).

After 9:00 a.m. I'll watch some series while playing games on my iPad, or I'll be stitching, crocheting, checking Facebook, or catching up on blogs. I always multi-task while watching tv--always in the afternoon.

After 9:00 a.m. I might have a phone call now and then.

After 9:00 a.m. I make my lists and check them twice. 

After 9:00 a.m. I'll spend time reading.

After 9:00 a.m. --4:00 p.m. to be precise, Butch and I have happy hour on the porch or patio.

After 9:00 a.m. I might help a friend with a project.

After 9:00 a.m. Butch and I catch up on all the doings of the day.

After 9:00 a.m. Butch helps me with dinner. 

After 9:00 a.m. We watch exactly 2 shows.

After 9:00 a.m. I head to bed by 8 or 9 p.m. and listen to podcasts or a memoir while playing games.

After 9:00 a.m. I read right before bed until I get drowsy--usually 10-ish.

So you see? I can divide my life in to the "fun" part and "not so fun" part. Actually it's due to how I was raised. You had to do all of your work (un-fun) before you could play (fun). 

Luckily for me--I cannot complain--most of my life is fun! 

Ahhh, the life of retirement!

What about you? Does your life divide evenly? Or are you the type that intersperses the work with the fun? 

For me, I don't want to have the un-fun stuff hanging over my head. That's why getting it out of the way first thing works for me.

Monday Mystery

Well, I have a humdinger of a mystery for you today--the likes of which we've never heard of before. It's the strangest thing. 

It all began on Thursday around 5 p.m. Butch was napping when I woke him up since we were leaving at 5:15. A couple weeks before, he had agreed to drive some of my friends and me-- downtown for "Boozy Bingo" at the Nashville City Club where Justin is the Event Manager. You might recall that we did this last month and had so much fun! This time, I wanted to be able to have a couple of cocktails.

Anyway, Butch acted a little confused--sort of like you can be when waking from a deep sleep. I didn't really think much of it at first when he said he had no recollection of the plans. 

When we got in the car, he said he didn't know how to get to our friend's house--friends of ours for 35+ years. He's been there dozens of times. That alarmed me. On the way to Karolyn's, he asked me three more times what the plans were. Now I was really worried--something wasn't right. 

I got Stephanie on the phone and told her what was happening. She agreed that I needed to take Butch to the emergency room or at the very least, a walk-in clinic. He said he wasn't going. He could not answer some simple questions--like who the president is or the month, or how long we've been married along with many more (many of these asked by the doctors). 

We got to Karolyn's where she and Pam jumped in the car. I told them immediately to get out. They didn't know what was happening. I got out and quickly filled them in. Butch got out of the car and kept insisting that he wasn't going.

I kind of yelled at him to get in the car. I got behind the wheel and started for the hospital. He continued to complain, "Just take me home! I am NOT going to the hospital! I won't get out of the car!" I just ignored him--something was obviously very wrong.

Once we arrived, I got a male nurse to come out and get him. By then, he acquiesced. Stephanie and Nicky arrived soon after.

To make a very long story short, and after every possible test: chest x-ray, EKG, EEG, blood tests and an MRI--everything was perfectly normal. Except for one very alarming thing--his blood pressure was 209/124--dangerously high--stroke level high--which is what I thought was happening. But according to all of the tests, that was not it. Surprisingly, the blood pressure had nothing to do with it and was a separate issue.

Anyway, they kept him all night. The next day, after visits by 2 dozen (we counted) assorted doctors, nurses, techs, a priest (who gave us Communion) and other workers, he was ready to go home. The neurologist said that he had what is called TGA: Transient Global Amnesia or retrograde amnesia. It's a rare occurrence and considered a "one-off"--meaning it won't happen again. It's a period of time from 2-6 hours where you lose your memory. And when it's over, and your memory returns, you have no memory of anything that happened during those hours. 

As best as we can figure, Butch lost 4 hours--possibly 6. He came home from golf, we had a brief conversation where he told me that he played 9 holes and it was very, very hot! He then showered and went upstairs to watch golf--which is when he naps. 

When we were trying to piece together the sequence of events, Butch said he had no recollection of golf other than tipping the guy who put his clubs in the car. 

Saturday afternoon, he showed me his golf score card. He did not enter any scores for the last two holes. So either he didn't play them, or didn't record them. He has no idea. 

And then he said that he had laid out 3 sets of clothes including shoes to wear. Instead, he wore something completely different and his flip-flops. I remember thinking that was a little odd because he doesn't usually wear flip-flops. Plus later, I didn't know why he had all these clothes and shoes around--like he was packing for a trip. I didn't put 2 and 2 together until he realized what had happened. 

Now we're not exactly sure of the timeline. It could have been 6 hours that he lost. We'll never know. It will forever remain a mystery!

Lastly, about the blood pressure--he was sent home with instructions to take it every day and create a log, see his doctor within two weeks and a prescription for some bp medicine. 

I made the comment that even though it was a hassle to be in the hospital overnight, he's had every big test there is. It's reassuring to know that he's as healthy as we think he is! 

Alls well that ends well!

Something for Sunday

Just some random things.

Mindy has been working out at 5 a.m. for several years now. I don't recall that when she hit 1000 classes, there was any fanfare. I guess the new bar is 1100! 

The only thing I know about Barry's Boot Camp is that it's really hard. Really. Hard! Mindy makes a point to attend a Barry's every where she travels too! Congrats girlie! No wonder you look so good! Your deserve it!

Speaking of Mindy: 

She and Justin just went to Chicago for a long weekend. They like to go to a Red Sox game at a different stadium each summer. Based on her itinerary, they did a whole lot!

Comprehensive itinerary---I wonder where she gets that from?? Way to go Mindy--a chip off this very old block!

You've heard of "watch" dogs....

...well here you have Stephanie and Nicky's "watch" cat!! We could hear the hissing through the door!!!

Butch got this photo while out geo-caching from our recent trip to Paris.

Is this not the cutest thing? Outside of a pre-school. Even though I was not witness to this, I did say many, many little children on scooters with their parents--walking home from school. 

So, Elizabeth has been working at her dream job for a year now. 

She got this five star rating. I'm so happy she sent it to me. We are so proud tha she is living her best life! You know what they say (whoever "they" are)--"If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life!" 

Scrapbook Saturday

Some AYM layouts.

Nancy's--she's doing a monthly retrospective.

At the beginning of the year, I said that we would have challenges every month. I'm the one who has forgotten all about it.

Kudos to Nancy for doing the challenge about making a spinner!

Pam's layouts:

Pam did a spinner too. I'm the slacker!

Janet's layouts:

The right side lifts up:

I love this diamond technique. I don't know if she has a diamond punch or a triangle punch, but this looks great! I'm going to have to scrap lift this idea!

Jeanne's layout:

Friday Frustrations

It's been awhile since I've been aggravated. 

Let's start with Kroger. Every one on these rows of carts was jammed. I struggled to pull one loose so I could start shopping. Maybe it's time to replace them. What a pain--I barely have the strength to pull them apart.

And then there's this.

This is inside a fence and is a total mess. I have no idea what all this stuff is, but it's related to the pool. There's no roof on top, so leaves fall in. And all of those wires look dangerous to me. But mostly it messes with my sense of clean and tidy. I don't like messy things. 

It's all aggravating and frustrating!

Five Things Thursday

How about some RED table settings?

Not ony do I love the red for an Italian dinner, I love the idea of using cherry tomatoes as part of the centerpiece. And the lasagne noodles as place cards--genius! I hope I can rremember that sometime!

How cute would this be for a chicken dinner? If I lived on a farm, I would have to have these dishes on display!

Pretty fancy for pizza!

Watermelon anyone?

Somehow, I cannot see eating chili out of these bowls. I would feel like these would limit me to either everything watermelon, or at the very least---dessert/fruit. Still, a cute table.

I get a lot of these from two Facebook groups I follow: Beautiful table settings and Beautiful table settings in America. 

I just save the ones I think are pretty and then share them here once in a while! One of these days, I'll have to post some of my tables on the group. I'm more of a lurker when it comes to Facebook.

I'd love to see pictures of your beautiful tables. I'd even feature them here! 

What I Buy Wednesday...

...or rather, what Butch bought.

He bought this Shark carpet, upholstery cleaner and spot remover. 

I had two fairly large spots that would not come out with what has always worked for us. This took those stains out perfectly. Of course that made me happy. I wanted this white carpet, but it has been the bane of me!

So, typical of Butch, he finished the job and left it like this until the next day when it moved to here:

...it spent the next day here. He cleaned his recliner and that came out well too. Finally, he found a spot for it in the laundry room. 

This was definitely a wise purchase. Now maybe I can relax about the carpet!

And then, there was another BIG purchase just yesterday. I can hardly bear to think about it! We had a problem with our air conditioning last week. To make a long story short, it was leaking freon--which has now been out-lawed as of January 1, 2025. The thing is only 11 years old and we had to replace it. Do you know how much a heat & air unit is these days? A lot! A. Lot! 

Tuesday Thoughts

Me on Monday

So, on Saturday night, I had my first slumber party since I was a teenager. Heck, why not?? 

Butch was at the beach with Stephanie, so I decided to invite my friends for a sleepover. It had been a rough couple of weeks with the passing of a dear friend. We just needed some "girl time!" When I told Stephanie and Mindy about it, they were telling me all kinds of things that we needed to do. So--many--things! My head was spinning. There really wasn't enough time for everything, but we did quite a lot!

We started with "happy hour" at 4 p.m. on Saturday night. I made a run to the liquor store.

I might have overdone it, but you know about my multiples problem! Plus, when I discovered that we can now get Sipsmith lemon gin and Tanqueray Lime gin, I just had to get it. Our friends, Diane and Gren have been keeping me supplied for years--bringing it straight from England. Diane just brought me the Tanqueray Lime when she came in May. Last week, I discovered that it was almost gone! Nicky likes the flavored gins too. Now I won't have to be hoarding it! I'll admit that perhaps the wanting of it has to do with the lack of availability. Now that it is, yahoo!

Here we are from left: Susan, Pam, Karolyn, Nancy and me. We also decided to have AYM--we are very far behind this year. I was hoping we could get caught up, but that didn't happen. Maybe next time.

Of course, I had an itinerary. Around 5:30, we did face masks to replenish our skin:

 We ordered Chinese food for dinner and started watching "Nonna's" with Vince Vaughn while we waited. The movie was "cute" which is how I describe movies that basically are a waste of time. We paused it when our food arrived.

Once the movie was over, we headed to the pool for a night swim. The girls got on the floats, but not me. I knew that even though it was really warm out, it wouldn't feel like that once you were wet. I just stayed under the warm water. 

We were out for about an hour and a half. Everyone put on their pajamas. Karolyn had brought fresh fruit and amaretto dip which we used as our dessert after the pool. We talked for about another hour. Everyone went to bed around 11 p.m. I stayed up with Nancy for another hour and watched an episode of The Twilight Zone. I was nodding off. I cannot remember the last time I stayed up until midnight---probably New Year's Eve!!

The next morning, we had breakfast and did more talking. Around 9 a.m. I said, "Well, unless we're getting back in the pool, this party is OVER!" I've been saying "this party is over!" for years. No one ever wants to be the first one to leave and break up a party. I'm not shy about doing it! It's sort of become a joke!

We have been friends for 35+ years. We've seen it all and been through it all--together! A slumber party with your 70-something besties is a ton of fun. Young people--and by that I mean our 40-50 year old "children" think everything we do is so "cute"! You know--as in old people are so "cute!" I'm perfectly happy to be considered old and cute. We are still having a lot of fun! 

Maybe we should make this an annual event! 

What I Buy Wednesday

So. I love fresh fruits and vegetables. But, oh, are they expensive!

What we have here are 3 small zucchini, 1 red onion, 3 tomatoes, about 2 cups off fresh lima beans (so delicious), 1 cucumber, and a watermelon. You are looking at $32.68 worth of produce. It's worth it to me! Still, that seems like a lot.

Tuesday Thoughts About...

...continued aging! I know, I know, nobody wants to think about it. But that's the problem. There's so much to think about! 

When I was out walking, I noticed this:

Our neighborhood is 40 years old. Most of the front walks never had handrails. More and more people are adding them, but this is ridiculous!

Most people are doing nicer ones in keeping with the neighborhood.

This is our front steps. I am very careful when I'm going up or down--which is every morning when I walk. But this one is our next door neighbors house.

They are new and just moved in about 2 months ago. Recently, I invited Francesca over for a glass of wine. After awhile, she invited me to her house to meet her aunt--about my age. I ended up having another glass of wine there. It was near 6 p.m. when I announced I had to get home because I only had about 10 minutes to get in my pajamas! This was after 3 hours and 4 glasses of wine. When I was leaving, I told Francesca that I needed to take her arm as I started my "free-handed" walk down her long flight. 

I'm very careful and not afraid to ask for help!

Which leads me to "footwear!" If you are unsteady in your shoes, get rid of them!!! It's not worth a fall! Here's the story:

Friday night was poker night. We were at Jack & Connie's. Before I arrived, Connie actually fell into the couch by tripping in her sandals. Everybody was laughing as they told me. I started in on my lecture about being safe! Connie said, "But they're so cute!" 

She just laughed. It wasn't 15 minutes later that she stumbled and nearly fell again! I told her that "That's it! We're not taking you with us unless you change your shoes!" Or something like that. I could just see her falling on concrete downtown on our way to dinner! 

I know all about falling. But, the truth is, Connie is falling the most! She doesn't need to be tempting fate!

I recently gave up a really cute pair of shoes when I discovered that they were "slippy" when it was raining. I'm taking no chances!

At our age, you have to go for stability and safety! No shoes are cute enough to risk winding up in a cast---which is the least cutest footwear of all!!

Be safe out there ladies! Whether it's handrails or footwear--every thing can be treacherous these days!

Me on Monday

June by the Numbers

Books Read—12

5 star books:

Ask Not

Big Dumb Eyes

Criminal Conversations

Bits & Pieces

Podcasts—9 

Lunch Out—5

Dinner Out:—2

Bridge--5--I'm thrilled to be playing regularly again!

Documentaries/Movies/Series  

Hulu:

*****Paradise (2 episode)

Max

*****The Price of Glee (3 episodes)—I was a superfan—Gleek!

*****The Dark Side of Kids TV (5 episodes)

*****Spacey Unmasked (2 episodes)

*****Pee Wee Herman (3 episodes)

***A Body in the Snow (5 episodes)

****The Fall of Diddy (5 episodes)

***My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hartigay

Netflix :

*****NIckelback

***Nate Bergatze

Prime:

****Anne & Mary: a tale of two sisters

****The Fergie Story: Paradise Lost

***The Duchess of Windsor: the woman who stole a king’s heart

****Cursed Bloodlines (13 episode)

*****Ethel Kennedy

*****Forgotten Ellis Island

*****Bertie & Elizabeth

*****The Better Sister (2 episodes)

*****The Judd Family (4 episode)

*****Queen Victoria: Secrets of a Queen

*****Princess Alice: Mother-in-law to the Queen

*Medieval Mysteries

*****My Foolish Heart—my favorite movie of all time!

*****The Levy’s of Monticello

*****The Last Band on Stage (Chicago)

****G 20

***The Bondsman (2 episodes)

*****We Were Liars (4 episodes)

Peacock

Law and Order Organized Crime—1 episodes

Scrapbook Pages Completed: 0—zip-zilch!

Trips & Events:

Paris w/three girls and the sons-in-law!

Sisters weekend—7 of us!

The Barnsley Resort & Spa

Boozy Bingo