Ready or not............

 

Don't worry I haven't forgotten how this movie ended.....

There will be no zooming off a cliff in our travel adventures, I assure you!  I did enjoy Thelma and Louise though.  Great movie.  

I've had my hair cut, a pedicure done, my clothes are all packed.  I did buy a couple of small bottles for shampoo/conditioner, but the caps don't close tightly, so I'm not going to use them.  The worst part is all the lotion, and hair products (yeah, there are 3).  I put them in zip lock bags, so no problem with spillage.  But they do take up space.  And now I have no room for tennis shoes.  So, maybe I'll find a cheap pair, as I've been assured we will be hiking.  My hiking shoes are too big to fit in the small space I will have left.  They are serious hikers that were great at the Grand Canyon!

There isn't much left to do, so I figured I will relax today.  

It's been so long since I've flown anywhere, I totally spaced the check in, so it's a good thing Southwest sent me a reminder!  How about that.  I got B, which is what I usually get anyway.  

I will be wearing a mask, which I really hate.  But being on a plane with a bunch of people...and I just got over the dratted virus.  I sure don't want to arrive with it.  From experience I know that being in a car with someone who's sick is a guarantee you're going to get sick too.  

So, since I am not really able to blog on my phone, I will be out until Aug. 9th.  I hope all of you take care of yourselves, and enjoy!

Love, 365

Road trippin'.......

 

This Sunday I will fly to Texas, and on Tuesday my sister and I will be driving to Pennsylvania.  I have not been on a road trip that long in decades.  I know this will be a one time event ~ likely neither of us will do this type of trip again.  

I have been anxious about what to pack.  I've never had to pack for 17 days away from home before.   When we went to the Grand Canyon, I had 4 shirts I never wore.  Never!  So I don't want to do that, but I've also packed too light and ran out of stuff.  Or discovered I brought lots of shorts and capri pants and not enough shirts.  My sister asked me if I was bringing a light jacket. It has been over 100 degrees here lately, and I had not even considered a sweater or jacket.  The very idea makes me want to faint.

I also bought packing cubes.  It seems like a good idea, as I can put shirts in one, shorts and pants in one, etc.  That way I don't have to dig through my luggage to find things, making it necessary to re-organize it every day or so.  

Romeo keeps presenting the worst case scenario ........ nightmarish stories about cancelled flights and lost luggage.  He is such a ray of sunshine :-)

So, I'm both excited and nervous.  I guess if I forget something that I really need, I will have to buy it.  

Love, 365

Alarming.......

 

Have you been in Target lately?  I go fairly regularly, but last week I noticed that they have put security doors on certain items.  Weird ones too, like razors and laundry soap.  How the hell do they walk out with a gallon of Tide?  How?

A few minutes of research showed the top 5 most common items for theft:

~designer clothing.  This does not surprise me.  Clothes can be easy to steal. 

~laundry detergent.  Ok, I guess even thieves need to wash their stolen designer clothing, right?  

~designer handbags. 

~deodorant.  Really?  I appreciate the usage of deodorant, but I don't see it as busting my bank account.

~laptops and tablets.  How in the world do you walk out of the store with a laptop?  How does this happen?  I guess I don't get it at all.

The list goes on and on.  You can go here if you are curious.... 

Anyway, being totally clueless to the stats, I was really shocked to see it.  If I want a gallon of Tide, how does having it behind a locked door prevent me from stealing it, once I've bothered an employee to open it and give it to me?  

I get why some people steal.  Some go for the thrill, some resell the items to make money, some just don't have any money.  Desperate people do desperate things.  

I also saw a photo of a grocery store in San Francisco with those same locked cabinets....I feel sorry for brick and mortar shops, who are trying their best to compete with Amazon and other online retailers, and now have to shell out money for these cabinets to try to cut down on theft.  

I know things are bad, but wow, I had no idea.  

Love, 365

Fun times and more bread.....

This delightful and lovely young lady is getting married in a little over a week.  She's a dedicated employee of my previous work place....dependable, on time, great with patients, and patient with the dentist she works for.  The office manager set up a surprise bachelorette party for her yesterday, and it was fun to be with most of the staff, trade stories, and catch up on what is happening.  One of our hygienists was not there, her husband traveled, and brought home not only some kind of crud (not Covid) and pink eye of all things.  She's been off a week...I will have to give her a call today and see how she's doing.

 

I certainly wish her and her fiance all the best, and many years together.  

Today I am baking a loaf of sourdough for our Priest's family.  His wife asked me if I bake often, and would I mind baking for them now and then?  She pays me for it, said she would buy bread anyway.  At $5, I give them quite the discount, as other home bakers I've read about sell for $7 up to $11.  I need to bake it today, you know, one of the hottest days we will have this week.  I just love turning on the oven when it's in the 90s, don't you?  Ah, well.  Yesterday I baked two loaves in the early morning, but really all that did was heat things up earlier.  I just hope it turns out better than yesterday's bread....but I did put a liner in the basket, and floured it liberally.  It'll probably be fine.  Probably.

As I was sitting in the kitchen writing this post I suddenly heard a loud BANG, jumped about 6 inches off of my chair.....the damned cellular blind broke.  Scared the crap out of me.  The cellular blinds I bought that don't have cords (you just lift them) have not lasted at all, probably because of how hot it gets here, and the intensity of the sun.  I have two blackout shades in the living room that I have had for 15 years (although I noticed the cord isn't working as well on one of them).  I will need to buy new ones, but first we have to decide on a color.  Drat.  How to pick a neutral color?  Gray is popular, but for how long?  Currently I have a muted cinnamon color, but I'd like to change that if I have to start from scratch.  I am leaning toward a med blue with gray undertones. I swear, every time I turn around, something breaks.  I already bought a new faucet for the kitchen sink, we need to replace the downstairs toilet, and now the blinds.  Recently the dryer repair.  Romeo is going to pile up all these chores and plans to do them while I'm out of town. 

 Awwww, the puppies have been born.  Momma had two boys (and so did I!).  So tiny and cute.  We will be traveling (yep, once again!) to pick him up in Sept.  Can't wait.

Well, I better get going.  Have a wonderful Saturday!

Love, 365

Triumphs and failures......

 

It really doesn't seem to matter how long you've baked bread, you have those moments when it turns out so good, you mentally review ~ "what did I do differently"?  Then there are the moments everything turns to shit, and you know what you did wrong, but it's way to late to do anything about it.  At least it's always edible.  Oh, it might not be that great, but you could make croutons or at the very least, bread crumbs.  As you may have guessed, I had the crap result today, because the bread stuck to the banneton (cane basket used for shaping) and by the time you get it out, all the lovely gas bubbles inside were shaken out as you desperately tried to release it.  Ugh.  

I am finally out and about again.....went to the church to help with the Greek festival baking, which I have really missed.  I can help out a couple of times next week, but then I will be gone for over 2 weeks on the road trip.  There's a lot of travel on my schedule for this summer.  I certainly hope that I don't get Covid again.  I really hate wearing a mask, but I will do so in the airport and on plane.  And I forgot to get my booster yesterday, so will try to do that today.  I tried to schedule it with the pharmacy, but the information they wanted me to provide was a no go for me, as I doubt their system security.  So, I will call, or just go down there.

I've started my packing (I leave in 9 days).  I am worried I won't be able to fit what I need for 2 weeks!  I'm not sure how we'll do laundry!  I guess we can do some when we get to my cousin's house.  My Aunt and Uncle had a dairy farm, and when they retired, they built a two bedroom retirement home just up the road from the farm.  My cousin then assumed the work of the farm.  He offered to let us stay at the retirement house (Aunt and Uncle passed away about 10 years ago), but what I didn't know is that there is NO furniture in it.  He is bringing two beds to put in for us to sleep on, but there's nothing else!  We will be spending non-sleeping time visiting with my cousin and his wife, or walking around the farm.  It's a lovely place, with lots of birds and trees.  We won't be there too long, about 3 nights.  

As you can see, this is a massive road trip.  I've not been on one like this in over 45 years.  My sister and I get along very well, or I wouldn't even consider it!  :D  Still, there will be issues, aren't there always?  I am concerned about the time frame, she wants to leave on Tuesday, but I think we should leave on Monday.  Just in case.  Because the burial is scheduled for Friday, and there always something.  An accident, or terrible weather  (like the flooding and rain they've had in the northeast lately).  I want to give it an extra day...we'll see what she says when we talk this weekend.

Well, I hope all of you have a great weekend!  I am looking forward to a surprise bachelorette party for one of my co-workers this afternoon.  The first time I will see them outside of the office since retirement!

Love, 365 

Trying something new.......but it's still bread :D

 

One day while I was cruising through the "food porn" on King Arthur Baking's website, I saw a kit they had on sale to make your own hamburger buns, including all but the water and the all purpose flour.  I was intrigued, and purchased the kit, and decided this weekend would be a good time to try it.  The dough is rising as I write.....and I have high hopes!  But then, I always have high hopes when baking, lol.

Sunday morning I ran another Covid test, and it is still positive.  But after some research, I have discovered that testing to see if you're no longer negative is not very accurate.  Apparently some of the virus is still hanging out.....you may even test positive for up to 3 weeks after having Covid, even though you are not infectious.   So, I'm no longer going to waste tests to see if I am negative but just go on how I feel and how long I've been feeling good (no symptoms).  Ugh.  I really hate this!  I am missing out on all the stuff I had planned.  But I felt pretty good this morning, and Romeo and I went on a 2 mile walk and I still feel good.  So, I think we're on the downward slope of this thing.  It has been two weeks since we tested positive.  Can you spell cabin fever?  Lol.

Yay!  The buns turned out great.  Next time I'll use an egg wash to help keep those yummy seeds on the buns.  We're having those burgers today, so I'll let you know how they taste!  

I will be going for my last booster later this week, in anticipation of my flight to San Antonio.  That trip is coming up on the 24th, less than two weeks away.  I am excited and a little anxious.  Figuring out the route and trying not to spend too much time in the car each day is not an easy thing.  And of course, you have to expect that things won't always go the way we planned.  We discovered that with our 2 hour delay due to accidents on our way to the Grand Canyon.  I would like to get to our final destination around 4 or 5, but that means really pushing it those first few days.  I can feel my butt getting bigger with all that sitting!  

I hope all of you have an enjoyable Monday!

Love, 365
 

It is NOT naked Wednesday......

 

The photo today brought to you by Moonfall.  Oh, my that was an awesome sci fi thriller.  I know it's not your cup of tea Peg, but maybe when it's free you should check it out.  Oh, come on and try it.  

I knew I was feeling better when I woke up at 5:30.....sort of my usual wake up call no matter if I'm working or not.  At least,  38 days into retirement it's still a habit that'll likely take a long time to ease out of.  Of course I thought it was Friday until I looked at the phone :D  I never knew how much my work schedule helped me with what ever the day of the week it is, lol.  

Mid morning I mentioned to Romeo that I was going to clean the fridge ~ not my favorite chore.  Even though I took a photo showing where I put the shelves, I still had a struggle re-fitting them back in.  Sheesh.  Romeo helped me with drying and stuff, so it was a real collaboration.  After that, we were both tired again ~ I swear it's awful doing something you would normally make part of your day, and suddenly you need lunch and a couple hours break.  So.....

We made popcorn and watched Moonfall.  Then I started tackling the filing cabinet, where I still had ALL the check stubs from the employer before my last one.......and lots of other stuff that I waited to do until retirement.  I have put aside 80% of that crap to be shredded.  I still have 2 more drawers to do.  

Last week (you know, before the barf fest) I did a total clean out of the linen closet.  Threw away so much crap, set aside unused linens to donate.  I even have empty space on a shelf!  

Maybe I am substituting cleaning and organizing for work, but it sure feels good to accomplish things I've been putting off for so long.  Those check stubs I talked about?  They were from 5 freaking years ago.  What the hell was I saving them for?  

Love y'all.....  365

It wasn't Covid that brought me down....

 

I hope y'all had a great 4th of July!  I did not.  I was flat on my back, with one hell of a migraine.  

I woke up on the 3rd, I noticed that I had a raging headache.  I did what I normally do, which was take an OTC meds and wait a couple of hours to take the last of the morning anti-virals for Covid.  Ok, so let me back up just a minute to let you know how the anti-virals worked for me.  Keeping in mind that I know nothing about HOW they work.  

The anti-virals did work.  We felt better quickly.  It's a 5 day regimen, both a morning and evening dosages of 3 pills each.  By the third day, I felt myself, although I did feel tired.  For me, the worst side affect was the nasty taste in my mouth.  Some days it would dissipate quickly, some days not.  I didn't like it at all.  And some people have diarrhea...the really awful kind (you know what I mean!).  But I was feeling hopeful until the last day I was taking them.  I really don't know if there was any kind of cause and effect.  Romeo doesn't get migraines.  But I have, ever since I was a teenager.

Many years ago, I had an MRI and other tests to see (I suppose) if I had a brain tumor.  Nope.  Terrible allergies?  Nope.  I don't get the aura or other signs some people get that give them a clue it's time to take their medication.  No, I just feel strange, and then the next thing I know, I'm barfing my guts out. 

And when that debilitating dizziness hits, all I can do is lay down in a darkened room and try to move as little as possible.  Because I know from experience that if I get up, it will ALL come up.  Then it's a race to see if I can reach the bathroom quick enough.  Romeo is experienced ~ we've been married over 40 years.  He gets a small trash can, lined with a bag and sets it nearby.  Gets me what ever I ask for.  It's a lot more comfortable when he is around and can help me.  

During my working years, I would have to make a judgement call if it was a regular headache or a migraine.  Sometimes I was wrong, driving home with the a/c on it's coldest, leaning back as far as I can, sunglasses on and a barf bag in my hand.  And yes, more often than not I had to pull over for a minute or two.  The drive as fast as possible, during that small window when the nausea takes a step back. 

But these days the pain and all the other fun lasts 2 to 3 days instead of the 24 hours they used to be.  I had not been able to eat anything at all for nearly 3 days.   So, although I don't have them very often, when I do, it's truly awful.  The last two times (and the last one was just as bad) I cried, I was just so tired of it all.  The nausea is just unbearable.  Add that little bout to just coming off Covid was too much.  I've been sick for 10 days, and I finally feel a bit better.  But what do I do if I get one on the trip?  I'm terrified.  

Because my migraines are unpredictable and spaced rather far apart, I can't get the treatments they prescribe for those poor souls who have 15 (!!!!!) or more a month.  It is my opinion that some migraines are just a pain in the head, and don't lead to vomiting your guts out, or almost falling over if you try to walk to the restroom.  (Yes, once I crawled to the restroom because I did fall over, although it was a hallway, so I didn't just fall as crumple)  

So, sorry to devote this to a whiny snot fest. 

Love, 365

There and back again......

 

We returned from out trip to the Grand Canyon North Rim yesterday.  This photo was taken from the Navajo Bridge, which is at the "bend" of the drive through the Vermillion Cliffs, pictured below....

This photo does no justice to them at all.  It was a beautiful drive though!  The drive was longer than it should have been.  It was raining when we left, and unfortunately there were two quite terrible wrecks that created a long back up of stand-still traffic.  We creeped forward a few feet at a time.  It took 90 minutes to get back on the road, only to be delayed again to another accident.  So, it took us 2 hours to drive 70 miles.  

Luckily we didn't experienced any more.  It was smooth sailing for the rest of the drive.  Which was long.  Did I mention that?  At least we arrived before dark, and checked in to our cabin.  I had forgotten how tiny they are.  You really can't do too much in the bathroom...it was difficult to use a hair dryer, since the plugs are old enough that your plug won't stay in if you jiggle them at all.  Still, it was a nice break from tv, and cell phones (since they rarely worked).  We went on some long hikes, and saw some pretty amazing things. If you go, keep in mind there were only two (yep, count em) plugs in the whole of the cabin.  Trying to keep phones charged was a bit of a challenge. 

It has been 30 years since we've been to the north rim.  There are many more cabins than there used to be!  I estimated that they've built at least 60-75 more.  But they did do a great job, because if you had never been before, you would never know.  They do have larger cabins (the one we had slept 3), so if your family wants to do a trip together, they can handle it. 

Pros to staying in the park:  It's a long drive into the park ~ probably about 45 min to an hour.  Probably not terribly cheaper, although I did not check into that.  If you're staying for more than a day (and there were quite a few day-trippers) that long drive into the park is annoying.  

Cons to staying in the park: If you didn't make reservations for dinner dining, it's a toss of the dice if you'll be able to eat in the dining room.  Of course there are options, there's the deli which has pre-made refrigerated sandwiches (yuck), yogurt parfaits, etc.  They do have a selection of sandwiches or pizza you can order.  They are edible, especially if you're starving because you've been hiking and walking all day.  We ate there 3 out of the 4 days.  I vote the chicken salad sandwich as the best of the bunch.  The pizza smelled vile, we never gave that an option, but great for kids who aren't as picky.

Trick to scoring a dining reservation if you didn't do it in advance (which I only discovered by accident): Get on your phone and make a reservation....I lucked out on our last night and scored one.  Do not count on the people at the reservation desk telling you to do that, they just simply tell you they have  no open spots.  Which really annoyed me.  Why not tell people to go online and schedule?  I guess they would be too busy 😡.

And now for the photos:

The north rim has a small herd (at least from what I saw, probably 50-80 animals) of bison.

This is Harry, unofficially name horned toad.  Doesn't it look like a teeny tiny dinosaur?  And they are tiny, much smaller than the horned toads I'm used to seeing...probably a little bigger than a quarter...

They do have weight limits for riders!  It is expensive to take these rides these days too, I believe the average ride costs about $100.

Rain off in the distance....

Point Final....well worth the hike.

Ok, maybe that's enough for now!  You have no idea how many photos I took.  Lots and lots, lol.  How can you not, with all of that scenery in front of you.  

Romeo had started to feel tired and not great on our last full day, and not well at all on the drive home.  We tested when we were home, and it was negative for Covid until the next day....positive on the next, with me following day.  Isn't that awesome?  I had to cancel baking at church, dinner with friends, happy hour with ex-coworkers.  I do have an appointment on Tuesday, which will be day 6.  I am going to call them today to see if they want me to reschedule.  We were able to start the anti-viral medications within a day or two of the positive result.  Romeo's doc prescribed them with no problems, but my doc wanted to do a video visit before doing so.  She seemed rather reluctant to give them to me, and asked me to sign an "I understand the risks" form.  I think her main reluctance was that a percentage of people have rebound symptoms a week or so after finishing the 5 day regimen.  We do feel much better.  Romeo has one day left, and I have 2.  Just like the vaccine, this medication was made available without a lot of testing.  The only side effect that I've experienced is a nasty taste in my mouth, which is more noticeable on the evening dose than the morning dose.  But hey, I feel better, and the percentage of people who experience the rebound of symptoms (and again testing positive) is less than 5-10 percent.  I think that's worth the risk.

Have a fun long weekend!  

Love, 365