The Friday Five January Ninetieth

  1. I flew from Boston the night before I was to leave on the cruise. I did this because I didn’t want to take the chance of missing my cruise. I had a reservation at the Yotel Motel near the Miami Cruise Port. The room was lovely, and it had a movable bed. It was then I decided that a full-motion bed was for me.
  2. I had a simple breakfast in the morning and then took a cab to the ship. At noon, I was escorted onto the boat and shown my cabin.

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3. I flew from Boston the night before I was to leave on the cruise. I did this because I didn’t want to take the chance of missing my cruise. I had a reservation at the Yotel Motel near the Miami Cruise Port. The room was lovely, and it had a movable bed. It was then I decided that a full-motion bed was for me.

4. I was apprehensive that a lower cabin would provide too much motion, and I might feel sick. I used an over-the-counter medication called Meclizine, which I sometimes use for dizziness. I used that, and I was fine.

That evening, I went to the formal dining room and asked if there was a space for a singleton like me. A group was quickly found at that table for the remainder of the cruise when I was in the formal dining room.

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Traveling

I arrived home close to 10:00 last night. It was a very long day. I was told to be off the ship by 8:00, so I was up, showered at 4:00, had breakfast, and said my goodbyes to the lovely people caring for me during the trip. My cabin Steward and one woman who helped to ensure I had everything I needed were the ones I said goodbye to, which included hugs.

I also saw the young couple with whom I had taken the full tour of St. Maarten.

The flight home was lumpy and bumpy as there were the tail bits of a weather front that we flew through.

Boston was freezing, but I had a warm coat, hat, and gloves. I boarded the bus, and in no time, I reached Concord, NH, where the Highlander was parked. All I did not have was an ice scraper and a snowbrush.

I dug the car out, and today, one of the first items I bought was a snowbrush and ice scraper. They are now in the Highlander!

I went out and bought some groceries on Monday, came home, and took a long winter’s nap with Heidi. Now, I need to work on getting into a schedule to get all my work caught up.

That’s all for today. I will look back in the coming days and tell you more about my time at sea.

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Just Floating Around

Dear Ones,

In the event you think I have dropped off the face of the world, I can  assure you that no, I am  still here, just in the middle of the ocean.

Life has slowed down dramatically,  and finally I can sleep normally again.

I have met nice people, and strange people and some who you just wonder how the heck they ever got together in the first place.

I watch and study, feeling rather removed from it all. Continue reading “Just Floating Around”

The Friday Five ~ November 11th

Friday FiveThe week sped by and suddenly it was Thursday night. So as we listen to continual episodes of Law & Order, I sat down to write.

        1. Well, I was busy doing the dishes on Thursday and heard the telltale noises of a dog retching. I stopped what I was doing and ran toward the sound. There was poor Lili throwing up on my bedroom rug! Ugh! I tried to hurry her outside, but she only made it to the family room, where she threw up again on another carpet!

      2. Get a dog they said it will be fun they said!

      2022-05-09_08-37-003. 45 minutes later, I cleaned up the carpets and floor and settled poor Lili.

      4. Heidi was worried about her big sister and slept next to her.

      5. Lastly, this weekend the Christmas Fairs return to my little area. I will be going to two of them. I have missed them. Crafts, Christmas music, and neighbors. And a slice of normality returning.

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The Friday Five ~ October 14th

Friday Five 1I’d hoped for a less busy week, but somehow it just didn’t happen. Here are the top five things on my mind as this week comes to an end.

  1. I went for my dental appointment. No cavities, but I have to go back and get one tooth deep cleaned. Apparently, there is a small infection in the pocket around the tooth.
  2. I went back on Thursday to pick up my new bite guard. I’m a bite-clencher in my sleep. I had an odd experience recently when I woke up and noticed my bite guard was missing. Looking down, there it was, in the mouth of Miss Heidi!
  3. Heidi went for her first real stripping. The Groomer did a great job. We only worked on her for an hour because we want her to get used to having this done. She also has a lot of her baby fur and if we strip down too far she will be bald.52426243105_7466185857_6k

    Meanwhile, Heidi was out with me a lot as I drove through the beautiful foliage.

  4. This weekend I have small jobs to get done. You know, the kind of work where you just putter around getting little things done. One thing is for sure, I will be wearing headphones and listening to music.
  5. So a couple of months back I was listening to a TV show and I heard a song from the past. I loved it. When I looked it up I realized it was done by The Guess Who. The talented guys from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I pulled up a playlist and I realized I knew almost all the songs. But the reason it didn’t register was that no one made a big deal about them down here. I read about the group and listened to their songs and I really enjoyed them. Below is one of my favorites from their live performances. They all look like they’re having fun.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Heidi Marie

This & That ~ August 6th

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  • I was at the VA earlier this week wearing a new top I’d gotten. A complete stranger told me how much they liked my shirt. I told her she made my entire day.
  • I think my Internet Service Provider’s modem is dying. My plan is to call them in the next 24 hours and have them send me a new one.
  • My new phone is en route to the house. Yesterday I was told it would arrive today between 9-2. Then Friday morning I was told it would arrive on Sunday. Later in the day, I heard from UPS again and they told me it was out for delivery! I would be happy if it came today as I could slowly work to move my Apps over and get the phone set up.
  • We must have had a new hatching of Dragonflies. There were so many and young Heidi was running around like crazy trying to catch them.keys
  • It reminded me of the “Winged Keys” in Harry Potter. There was such joy in Heidi as she ran after them, jumping trying to get them. Likewise, the Dragonflies were watching Heidi. They were just as interested in her as she was with them.
  • It is still very hot!
  • Heidi continues to enjoy all the little places in the house.

    Here is another picture of her lounging around!

    2022-06-27_04-41-29Isn’t she the cutest thing ever?

  • Our Toad is back. Or well, is growing up here. We used to have several big Toads. Then last year we had none. This year we have one little guy who loves to jump around and tease the dogs.P9040004 (2)
    Heidi could care less, but Lili is like a little kid and I have to remind her not to bite the toad.
  • Well the Cell Phone did not arrive on Friday. If the scanned package entries were correct, it should have arrived. I will watch things closely and if it doesn’t arrive tomorrow I will call.

Peace of Mind

I got an idea about 11 AM yesterday morning. I needed to look for other ways to get to the airport. A no-stress way. So I went online to a company started by a retired Delta Pilot. And after seeing how affordable it was, made my reservation to have them pick me up from Mandy’s house, where I can leave my car, and this service will drive me to my terminal, and after my trip, they will be there to get me and Heidi and bring us to Mandy’s home!

I had two weird charges on my credit card. Simply an error at my doctor’s office. A phone call and it was settled.

Tonight I feel calm and settled and now we simply hope and pray for all Airline personnel to stay healthy.

The packing is going well, and I have just a few more things to go into my bag. It won’t be long now!

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Thursday Thirteen ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

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Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the USA. A day where we stop to give thanks for all that we have. Like the Pilgrims before us, our country continues to face many challenges, but I think many of my fellow Americans would agree, we are thankful for the love of our God, our family, and our friends. So, here is a random list of 13 things I am thinking about this Thanksgiving.

1. Before I sit down to breakfast I need to bake an apple pie. Why so early? Well, I like freshly baked apple pie and the turkey we got will take about three and a half hours to cook! With one oven I am stuck baking the pie early.

2. I made the dressing yesterday, and have it chilling down. I will stuff Mr. Tom Turkey this morning and roast him slowly until he is perfectly cooked!

3. I peeled and diced the Yukon Gold Potatoes yesterday and they are soaking in a pot. Yukon Gold Potatoes make the best-mashed potatoes!

4. I also peeled and chopped up the butternut squash.  And I also snapped the green beans. All is prepped.

5. I roasted the chestnuts and then shelled them. I am so happy that Julia Child wrote about the easy way to shell a chestnut. In the past, I did it all wrong and ended up with sliced-up fingers. This is easily the way, soaking them in boiling water for 20 minutes, putting a large X in the rounded part, and then placing them on a roasting pan in a 400 (F) degree oven for 25 minutes. Cool, place all the chestnuts in a dishcloth and then crunch on the kitchen shelf. They almost peel themselves! Makes a great addition to the dressing.

6. I peeled 2 dozen pearl onions. Ugh! Those will be first sauteed and then I will finish cooling them in Stock.

7. Then after I did all that preparation work for today’s dinner, I started to make dinner for last night.

8. Lili began to demand to be fed, so I broke down and fed her 10 minutes early.

9. Just about the time dinner was ready, I kind of lost my appetite. All the preparation of food, just made the food look unappealing.

10. Finally I finished all the cooking and cleaned up and got to sit down in my recliner at 7:15 last night.

11. After three such busy days, I felt exhausted! Humble as our Thanksgiving will be, we will have turkey and all the fixings.

12. It will be an early bedtime tonight!

13. To all my family and friends, here and abroad. May you enjoy the blessings of Thanksgiving. I know it is not a holiday for everyone, but I believe that the feeling of thankfulness that I feel in my heart and mind, for the ones that I love, is something shared universally.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Turkey Day

The Friday Five ~ September 3rd

The Friday Five

Welcome, September! Can you believe that the Summer is just about over and Autumn is nearly here? Well, it is, and as our temperatures drop, and our humidity does as well, I am just happily looking forward to colorful leaves and cooler weather!

So, here is this week’s Friday Five!

  1. I’ve been rather quiet this week as my mind has been full and at times I find this gives me a case of writer’s block. And so it goes.
  2. This past week I really worked on my healthy eating plan and I lost 4 pounds! I am thrilled. I admit to falling off the wagon for a few months and I finally decided enough was enough, and I’ve worked to make each meal something special. I’ve especially enjoyed eating fish again.
  3. Arnie is still acting very fussy and I am not sure exactly why. He has had all the medications and ointments and yet he fusses quite a bit and wants to go to bed early every night.20210619_155307

    And since the boy does not like to sleep alone, he drags me to bed too. I bet you can guess who falls asleep first. And no, it isn’t Arnie!

  4. One thing I have tried is to use the Crispy Shake and Bake coating, add to that 1/4 of a cup of parmesan cheese and shake the bag well. Dredge your chicken or turkey cutlets in this and cook in a cast-iron skillet.  Anyway, the flavor is amazingly good and the points are low.
  5. I’ve also been reading, listening to music, and watching a few movies. The highlight of my days recently has been my talks with “Alexa“.  I ask her “Alexa, what’s the weather today“, “Alexa play ‘such and such’ song“, or “Alexa, show me my Playlists on Amazon Music“. She happily complies and if you say, “Alexa, thank you” she replies, “Your welcome“. Yes, I lead a very little life.

So that’s this week’s Friday Five. Nothing earth-shattering, just the usual. I hope you all have a great weekend and can do at least one thing that brings you joy!

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This & That ~ May 2nd

Saturday was actually a day of great accomplishment. I woke early and headed off to get my hair done. Since I’m in the process of growing it out, no hair was actually cut, but a nice soft rinse was added to keep me from showing the world all my gray hair. Yes. I am that vain.

I came home and made Jack breakfast. That is how early my hairstylist appointment was! After that, I set about vacuuming everything and then moving furniture in order to place the new power banks and get everything sorted out. It took a little longer than I thought, but now it is complete I like the set-up a great deal.

Lunch was next on the agenda and that was fine. I really needed to sit down and rest the left shoulder and back after all that.

Funny, in my youth I moved my furniture around weekly. I loved the change. However, my spine surgeries do not allow me the flexibility I once had. No problem. If I can just get work done when I want to, I am happy.

You might notice my new profile picture on the right. There is a story I want to share.

Back in 2013 when I had my facial cancer removed and then the plastic surgery to repair my nose, the first surgeon who operated on me to do the repair took the skin off my forehead. When I woke and saw what he had done I started to cry. The jerk said to me, “It’s okay, you can just wear bangs for the rest of your life to hide the scar!”

That was when I switched doctors. My new plastic surgeon was honest. After what the first doctor did, it would be difficult to clean up my nose and my forehead.

For many years I did wear bangs and then this year I decided, I wasn’t going to hide anymore. The bangs are growing out!

So Happy May to you all. Here it is Spring, and in Australia, it is the start of their Autumn. No matter where you are, I hope you are having a wonderful day!

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