Category: Friday Five

It is now one very hot summer. The dog days of summer? Probably yes. We had a rainy July, and now August finds us being cooked with our temperatures in the 90’s with Florida-type humidity! All I can say is ugh! So, here we go, this week’s Friday Five.

1. I was actually pretty productive this week. At least until the heat arrived. On Monday I loaded up the Highlander and made a run to the Recycling Center. I have decided to just do it on the same day each week. As the load I took was really big.
2. Tuesday found me getting my hair done. No cutting yet. Just some creative coloring. My goal is to grow it out so I can wear it up or in a ponytail or braids. Apparently, for an old thing such as myself, I still have a ton of hair!
3. I changed sheets, washed and dried them, and even did four more loads of laundry. I washed, dried, folded, and put everything away! That in itself is amazing.
4. I’ve been listening to a lot of music lately. I know I am getting old as the music I enjoy comes from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I know there are a few from the 90s, but not much. Ah, music! It helps me to get into a wonderful calm place!
5. This weekend I plan to sit and read for at least two hours each day. LOL. Now if I actually accomplish this, I will be amazed.

Have a wonderful weekend!

My oh my, what a week it was. I had planned on having a quiet week, but as it turned out, I was busier than I have been in a while. So, here we go with this week’s Friday Five Plus 1.

1. On Tuesday I drove Jack to the prosthetics shop, as he needed new shoes. When you have had an amputation, you need special shoes so you can walk correctly without injuring your foot or the other toes. The Staff was wonderful and his new shoes will be coming in a few weeks.
2. After the appointment, I took Jack to the grocery store. Three isles in and he was fading fast, so I paid for the groceries and then drove home. He asked to go the back way, which was fine, but then as I started to go that way he did not recognize the route for a bit.
3. Upon arriving at home, he mentioned he wanted potato salad. Ah, well, he’d finished up the last bit the night before, so I set about making more. That’s when I realized I had no celery. So off I went to the grocery store (locally) to get the things I had not gotten earlier because Jack needed to get home.
4. My new coffee maker arrived. Those of you that have known me a while, know I have bad luck with appliances.

   In any case, our old machine was leaking after a literal meltdown inside. It lasted three years. We liked it though, so we bought the same model.

5. At the grocery store today they had a plethora of farm-fresh vegetables! They also had sales on melon, blueberries, cherries, and grapes. So I stocked up. They also had split whole chickens. So that is what’s for dinner tonight.

+1. Currently, our Main Street is being repaved, and all the man-hole covers are being replaced before the paving. Now if they had waited 5 weeks our little town would be empty of tourists, and they could get it all done quickly. But, I was out on Thursday and I needed to stop at the Post Office. I started to park across the street when one of our local policemen waved at me and yelled something. Once I could pull away from the parking spot, I pulled over to him and asked where I could park to go to the Post Office? He said to “Go around and then park near the church.” So I began to do a U-turn when he started yelling at me again. “You can’t do that here!” I started to cry. Not great big ugly sobs, but tears sprung and I must have gotten to him because he spoke kindly to me and said, “Just back up now, go down to Waukewan Street, and then take Waukewan Avenue to park.” So I did and tried to catch my breath. When I got inside the Post Office the Clerks were telling me that they were stuck, not being able to get out to have their lunches. Until they finish the paving, I will be avoiding Main Street.

So I will be kicking back, and catching up on things this weekend. Housework, laundry, and perhaps start reading a book on my tablet.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Well, that sure was a quick month! Imagine on Sunday it will be August and then it is time to begin the planning for summer to end, buy school supplies and clothes for kids as they (hopefully) return to school.

But here we are, and this is what’s happening!

1. Today, Friday, I am off to see my Glaucoma doctor. She will decide if I will need another laser treatment. Personally, I am hoping not. But we shall see.
2. After that, I am going to visit with Mandy and my darling grandchildren! I really miss them all, but I have found leaving home is not so easy anymore.
3. I found the most beautiful Lamb Chops at the store and when I get home on Friday night I will cook those up for our dinner. We haven’t had Lamb since before Covid came to call.
4. This week a new summer dress I ordered via Amazon arrived. It is even prettier than I thought it would be.I have found during the last year I enjoy daydreaming my way around Amazon and I have gotten some nice things at good prices. This little dress is so soft and yummy!
5. I will give my hand through the weekend and if it is no better on Monday I will make an appointment with an Orthopedic Hand Surgeon.

I know I did a long list on Thursday, but those were more general types of thoughts. This is now my Friday Five for the week ending on July 16th.

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. The biggest story here in most of New Hampshire is the rain! Day after day, rain. However that being said, Thursday found things so hot and humid, it may as well have rained, as I chose to stay in with the air conditioners.
            2. I simply cannot tell you how much better Arnie is doing! When I sent away for the Cranberry/Pumpkin Extract, I admit being skeptical that this would work. It took about 2-3 weeks, but it is working and Arnie is doing so well.
            3. Today’s movie was a 1985 film called “White Nights”.
               It stars Mikail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, Helen Mirren, and Isabella Rossellini. The movie was pretty good. The music was super, but the dancing was the best.
            4. We’re starting the search for a nearly New Highlander XLE. I love my Highlander and was a new one, but things like leather seats, a backup camera, and automatic Bluetooth. I will keep you posted.
            5. And last but not least, this is Race Weekend here in the Lakes Region. It means a large influx of tourists filling our hotels and campground and grocery stores and of course the races down at the Loudon Racetrack!

         So that’s it for the week. I hope your weekend will be a nice one, wherever you are!

         

Another week has flown by. Several things kept me busy, so I will simply just get to this week’s Friday Five.

1. I simply cannot believe how much having Strep Throat has kicked my butt. I’m now several days into my antibiotics, but I remain tired and my throat is still somewhat sore. I cannot recall having ever had strep throat, so this is somewhat new to me.
2. Jack’s ulcerated toe is doing much better. His podiatrist also ordered him new shoes, as he has special shoes due to his amputated toe. Because of the Pandemic, it has been a long time since he had a new pair. This was probably a contributing factor in the formation of the ulcer on his toe.
3. I have finally stopped the wretched Crows and Ravens from pilfering my suet feeders. I have feeders with V-shaped roofs on them, but that did not stop the larger birds. They would fly in, hang upside down and chow down! They would clean out the suet block in under two hours! Then, I had an idea. First I placed a frisbee over the top of the feeder and then I moved my feeder poles into the trees. I simply hang them carefully in there and the only birds that can get to the suet are the much smaller birds. Now I am feeding the little songbirds that I want to. Also, I must note, the feeders go out after breakfast and stay out until after dinner. So far this has worked and we have not had a bear problem.
4. After last weekend’s fireworks problem with our neighbors, sweet Lili has remained a little bit of a psychological mess.  She scares easily and is having a fair bit of separation anxiety. This particular neighbor never liked Lili, so I’m pretty sure he could care less, but it does make us pretty upset about the entire fiasco. Especially after reviewing our town’s Firework Ordinance. He was far from legal shooting off fireworks in his yard that fell into our yard. He also did not have a permit or authorization from our Fire or Police Cheif!
5. Not too much else for now. Once the rain stops I hope to have nice enough weather to hang out some laundry. It won’t be today, but hopefully over the weekend.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Well folks, here we are the first Friday in July! How did that happen? When older people tell you that time is racing by them, they are not joking! This year especially is flying by me. So, without further adieu, here is what is happening in my Friday Five Plus 2!

1. The first part of the week Jack returned to the Orthopedic doctor for evaluation of his Dupuytren’s Contracture. He had injections of  XIAFLEX a few weeks back. I’m not thrilled with the results, but Jack said he thinks it is a little better. Still, with a price tag of $7000.00, the darn finger should be straight, able to play the piano again, and also dance a jig! Maybe I expect too much.
2. The heat has just about killed us. Well, not killed exactly, but it sure has wiped us out. We have air conditioning and we are doing what we did when we lived in Florida. We are staying where it is cool.
3. On Wednesday, my dryer died. I mean, the drum was still moving, but there was no heat. It’s a gas dryer, and as I listened I could not hear the igniter start. So we talked it over and decided to call our appliance repairman, Barry. If he deemed we needed a new dryer, we could book him in advance to do the propane fix and set it up. But we asked him to stop by and check it out.
4. I actually woke up sick on Wednesday and felt, I could do a little laundry, and well, this was when I found the trouble with the dryer. My throat is sore, I’m slightly feverish and I feel blah. However, when the dryer quit, I was hanging up two loads of laundry, no rest for the sick!
5. Thursday was slightly better. Barry called me and said he could come by after lunch to diagnose the dryer and evaluate whether or not we should repair or have a funeral for this machine. Before he arrived, I masked up (So as not to share my sore throat with anyone) and went to get the mail and a burger and fries for Jack from McDonald’s. Let me just say that our town is chock a block full of Tourists. I would still be out fighting traffic if two nice individuals hadn’t stopped and allowed me to pull into the traffic.

Now here are my Plus-Two!

+1. So after getting the mail, I went to McDonald’s and ordered Jack’s meal and a chicken sandwich for myself. I had to wait. They felt bad and asked if there was anything they could get me? Yes, a Strawberry Shake. When they finally brought everything out, I asked how much for the shake and they said it was on the house! I went home and we sat down to watch Roger Federer play tennis at Wimbledon and what happened next was shocking! Arnie grabbed the top roll of the chicken sandwich and started to run off. I stopped him, grabbed the bun, and scolded him. He has never done this before. His mother the great and wonderful Greta, was always trying to steal food! Oh yes, and the Strawberry Shake felt good on my throat.

+2. Barry arrived and after replacing the ignitor, and cleaning the inside of the dryer (the place you never see because it is behind the dryer drum) he fit a new belt and got it all back together and the dryer works like a new machine. And it saved us a ton of money. I’d looked into another dryer last night and for what we have it would have been at least $1000.00 to get a new one, plus installation fees. This machine is all fixed, working perfectly and I sure hope I will get another twenty years with it? That would be nice!

So there you are. The week that was. Some good moments and some not so good, but in the end, it all worked out!

 Have a great weekend everyone!

This week flew by and it was a good week. A lot of things were accomplished and  I actually had one day where I almost felt like life was close to normal. So, here we go with this week’s Friday Five.

1. As I wrote before, I wiped my Cell Phone and did a Factory reset. That was not easy, but I did it and I learned so much. And to top it all off, my phone is working very well!
2. On Wednesday I met up with my lovely ladies. We had voted to go out for lunch once a month during the summer. This past Wednesday was our luncheon. Oh, what fun I had. We joked and laughed and told each other stories from our pasts. I felt so light-hearted and free. It was wonderful!
3. After weeks of trying to do things to keep the crows and ravens from emptying my suet feeders, I finally figured out what I could do to keep them away. I have now placed the feeders in the tree branches. The crows and ravens do not want to go into a tree to get at the suet, lest they get tangled up. Now my smaller songbirds and woodpeckers are happily back to feed!
4. I had a kitchen cabinet door where the top coupler that holds the door came apart. I tried just screwing it back together, but that was a no-go. So, I got out the gorilla glue and glued the pieces together. I am waiting two days for the glue to dry and seal, and then the problem should be fixed. This has happened before and this solution is a good one.
5. And lastly, what a horrible thing to see part of the condo complex in Florida that pancaked and fell. 51 people missing and the rest of the building totally uninhabitable. So much destruction. So many dead. Such a terrible tragedy.

So that is it for the week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

This week was an incredibly busy one. Each day was full and I covered a lot of ground. So, here are the top things in this week’s Friday Five.

1. Monday was Jack’s first appointment with his new Primary Care doctor. I’m doing all the driving now, but I also wanted to go in with him for his appointment. Jack has had an infection in the toe next to the one that was amputated and I felt he needed to get on some antibiotics. I should get paid for my diagnosis. Sure enough, he was put on a strong antibiotic. And an appointment to see his Podiatrist was made. On our way home, we stopped and got gas and groceries. What a long day!
2. Tuesday I was trying to get some housework done and I actually did get some basics gone. But there is still more deep cleaning to do.
3. Wednesday we were off to the VA again to see Jack’s Podiatrist. The doctor debrided the infected area on the toe until we could see the ulcer. It is not very large, which means I got to it in time (I hope!). Jack now has to allow me to clean and dress the toe daily and finish all the antibiotics.
4. Thursday was another kind of crazy day. Sheets were washed and beds were made, I went to get some fresh fruit and popcorn at the grocery store which I like. The last time I shopped I got Jollytime Popcorn, and it was terrible. It was very salty and it tasted like crap! I like Orville Redenbacher’s Kettle Corn Mini Bags. It’s the best of the diet popcorns out there. I also went to get the mail at the Post Office, only to find out that I had paid my property taxes and was 5 cents short! Needless to say, I stopped and left the nickel to pay the town what I owed.
5. And last but not least, today Lili is going in for a dental and her shots. I know the trip out to my Veterinarian will be crazy as Lili is not a good car rider. But I also know the ride home will be nice and quiet as she will still be sleepy. Thus ending another long and busy week!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Another week has gone by. Somehow we survived the heat. But as this week ends, thus begins “Motorcycle Week”.

1. I went with Jack on Wednesday for his hand procedure. It was the non-surgical procedure to “cure” Dupuytren’s Contracture in his left hand. I did not expect what happened, (his skin tore!) and all of the blood. Now Jack has a one-inch cut at the base of his finger. Honest to goodness, if he had done this at home I would have taken him in for stitches. Now I have to dress his hand and clean it until it heals. No stitches involved.
2. I usually do okay with these things, but watching this done and all the blood, well, I felt a little faint. That is the first time that has ever happened. At least the bleeding has stopped and it looks a tad better.
3. I keep working, making tweaks on my bird suet feeders. I love feeding the birds, but we have several crows and a raven that like to fly upside down and clean out the feeders. I’m attempting to train Lili to chase them off!
4. I had a major update on my phone yesterday and suddenly all my pictures disappeared! I was frantic. I headed to the Verizon Store and asked what was going on? Somehow the Google Pictures had been turned on and had taken all my pictures and sent them to the cloud! And worst of all, if I reach my limit there is a fee to store them there! I already use Flickr, so once home, I turned Google pictures off! I have an SD Card in my phone with plenty of backup space.
5. I have no plans for this weekend. I want to watch tennis, and also maybe a movie or two.

Have a great weekend everyone!

This week really sped by for me. It’s not that I was too busy, but I just found that the hours of each day sped by. So, let’s look back as we come up with this week’s Friday Five.

1. It was the Memorial Day Holiday on Monday. We didn’t have any big plans, so we just hung out and watched “The French Open Tennis Tournament”. I love to watch tennis, even though I have never played.
2. Tuesday was my beauty appointment and I just have to say, I really love going and spending a couple of hours on myself.

   So very relaxing!

3. Wednesday I met up with my friends for our weekly meeting. WW may have dropped us all up here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, but these 12 wonderful women bring light and hope to me every week.

   We sit outside and this is our view!

   We have become very good friends during the Corona Pandemic. We are so lucky to have each other.

4. I did something to my new cell phone and I couldn’t access my SD Card. Back to Verizon, I went. There was simply a conflict. My old cell phone had shifted material over to the new phone and some of the old programs no longer work on the newer cell phone. Jessie was nice and she got me all taken care of.
5. Tomorrow I will be heading down to see my grandchildren. It’s a little rough because I have to drive down and back in one day. 76 miles down and 76 miles back. In my youth, this wouldn’t have bothered me, but I do get tired. But, I can sleep on Sunday. For now, I can do the down and back in one day so I can be with my grands and daughter!

Have a wonderful weekend!