869.

Good morning and Happy Tuesday y'all. 🙋🏾‍♀️

I hope everyone is somewhere safe and feeling good.

The day dawned sunny and cool in our neighborhood.

I awoke with a start, hearing a strange beeping noise that I thought was the transmitter for daddy's defibrillator. 🙍🏽‍♀️

Never mind that I know  the transmitter is not a monitor. The beeping scared me. In the six years I've lived here, I've never heard that noise before and it seemed to be coming from daddy's room.

I jumped up and ran in. He was already up. When I asked him about the noise, he said he didn't hear it.

Okay... 🤷🏽‍♀️

On a brighter note, I slept until that noise startled me (a little after 8).

I'm usually up and at 'em by 7:30 latest. Gotta tidy up the living room and get daddy's breakfast going. I like to be done with his morning routine (glucose check, breakfast, nebulizer, and morning meds) by 9.

No later than 9:30.

It just makes the day flow easier.

Our schedule is much easier now that he no longer has any meds he takes three times a day. That's something to be thankful for. 😌

Before daylight savings time, we were in bed by 10 p.m. Now that it's getting dark earlier, daddy is ready for bed earlier. It was 9 p.m. last week and now he's ready for bed by 8 p.m.

Good for me because I can start my wind down earlier.

What I've learned in the past several months is that the earlier I get in bed, the earlier I'll fall asleep. Even when I tell myself I'm not sleepy. 😂

Today we're heading out for several hours. I have an appointment at noon. We'll have lunch after then head to one of the supermarkets to pick up a cake or two (and maybe some pies) for Thursday. (The day we celebrate Thanksgiving Day here in the United States.)

On the way home we'll get daddy's prescriptions, I'll check the mailboxes then we're back home until Thursday. 😌

Et maintenant, it's time for me to get dressed so we can get outta here.

Have a great day y'all; be blessed, be a blessing! 💕

p.s. Come back later for some Mercury-in-retrograde musings. (Did y'all think I forgot? 😁😁)

868.

Good evening and Happy Monday folks.

I hope everyone is in good spirits and somewhere safe.

Other than being tired, I'm doing well. 🙆🏽‍♀️

Daddy is is well as he can possibly be with all the health obstacles he's experiencing.

Last week we had a scare in the wee hours that necessitated an overnight hospital stay. Afib, they said. He was put in observation, had his medications changed, then discharged back to home.

I was already tired but that hospital stay really knocked things out of wack.

Daddy had awakened me that morning around 3. The paramedics and EMTs came and we were at hospital by 4.

I had only just gone to sleep at 1 a.m. With getting checked into the E.R., waiting for a room, getting to the "room", and daddy getting his vitals checked and blood taken every 15-30 minutes (so it seemed), I was only able to get in a few winks and nods until I came home that night around 9 p.m.

My plan was to sleep a few hours then head back to the hospital around 4 or 5 a.m. But I was exhausted and decided against setting an alarm. I awakened before 8 a.m. and was back with him by 10.

Since he's been home I haven't been able to sleep through the night, waking every couple of hours until daylight and/or time to get up. 😫

Daddy has been very tired since he returned because he didn't get any sleep in hospital either. He does get his naps during the day and I doze. But it's not enough. I'm really gonna have to get in a solid 15-minute nap or two while he's getting his 😴😴😴.

This here care-taking ain't for the faint of heart, I tell ya. 

🌸 🌸 🌸

In other news, I've been talking with my friend. (And y'all have guessed by now that he's a "he" right? 😌)

So as I said, we've been talking. He seems to be doing well but I know how deceptive the grieving process can be, especially in the beginning. And we can never know how another person grieves because it's different for us all. It's such a long and winding road. Sometimes eerily quiet, other times loudly frightening.

My prayer for him is that he's able to move safely through this journey and emerge... intact.

We talk a lot about our dearly departed significant others. He knew Mr. Bliss. Not on a very personal level but they'd met a few times. I never got the chance to meet his lady. Hearing about her and their life together gives me a good feeling. I'm glad they were happy, that he was happy with her. 😊

He's a good guy. I hope he'll be that happy again one day. 💕

Amen.

866.

Hello and happy Monday y'all.

Here in the US of A, we're honoring our retired military members with a day called Veteran's Day. It's the day we use to thank our former service men and women for their service to us.

The appreciation takes many forms. Sometimes we say it verbally or in writing. The federal government gives employees the day off. Other businesses do as well.

Restaurants give free and/or discounted food and drink. Some of them do this for the spouses of veterans as well. Some extend these offers to the widows/widowers of veterans as well.

I am the widow of a veteran but I won't be heading out for any free or discounted food or drinks today. I'm not feeling particularly festive. 😔

To all veterans, my sincerest "thank you" for your service. I will never forget even as I pray for the day all militaries need only be groups used for peaceful assistance around the world.

To Mr. Bliss, my darling, my love -- thank you for your service. Until we meet again, rest well airman. 💕

865.

How-do y'all and Happy Happy Friday! 🎉🎉🎉

I hope everyone is content and safe.

It's alternately overcast and raining here. Not the type of weather I look forward to but it's a day that all is well so I'm thankful. 🙏🏽

Daddy and I started our day early.

A trip to the powder room for me at 5:30 a.m. was unavoidable. I tried to be quiet because I didn't want to wake daddy. He went to bed at 10 last night but was up at 12:30 a.m., saying he saw my light. (The telly and laptop.)

Which meant he couldn't have been sleeping. (I'm starting to believe he's not getting much sleep at night because when we're home during the day, he sleeps a lot. I realized the other night that one of his medications causes him to use the bathroom frequently during the night.)

I laid back down but couldn't get back to sleep right away.

Before I knew it, daddy was up. I checked the time. It was 7:10 a.m. Although I was tired, I got up to begin my day.

I set up the sofa for daddy and put his breakfast on. When he came into the living room, I checked his sugar while we talked. We watched the morning news while I waited for his oatmeal to finish warming.

Then it was breakfast, morning meds with water, and more telly and talking.

Daddy eventually began to doze then decided he should have a proper nap in his bed.

I'm almost done fixing lunch. We're having bean soup/stew: cannelloni beans, great northern beans, carrots, chicken, green beans, cauliflower. I'll be adding corn to mine. (Daddy doesn't eat corn.)

The corn muffins are baking for another 8-10 minutes. (He does eat corn muffins.)

Bon appetite y'all. 🍗 🍲 🍜 🍞

864.2

Good day y'all.

I hope everyone is somewhere safe and feeling content.

I'm trying to relax and wondering how long it will be before I nod off. Yesterday wore me out somehow. Daddy had a doc appointment and we ran a few errands but we weren't out all day. Maybe it was the heavy bags I dragged in and the number of times I was up and down the steps to do so.

Daddy has more appointments next week and I have a service appointment for the vehicle. I like to get our grocery shopping done when we're out but I'm not sure if that will work next week. We'll see.

So folks, there is the matter of finishing post 864.

It ended here:

In more personal news, Daddy and I went out for dinner. We found a new (to me) local spot that has huge bowls.

And we continue here:

Bowls are trending now. I'm not sure why because they've been around for a while. I remember the first time we went to Qdoba. (Mr. Bliss was still alive so it was more than six years ago.) We all got burritos but bowls were an option.*

Daddy and I created our bowls from the many delicious menu options. The photos:

 My bowl: grilled chicken, quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, lentils, roasted corn, kale slaw, some other stuff.

 My butternut squash soup.

Daddy's bowl: onions, pink onions, kale slaw, roasted sweet potatoes, sweet and spicy peppers, meatballs.

Did I say "delicious menu options"? I'll say it again: delicious menu options. The bowls were scrumptious.

I'd texted Baby Bliss before we left home, to tell her daddy and I were headed out for dinner. She had lots of questions, texting me up until daddy and I were actually eating.

In the middle of my gastronomic glee, someone came up behind me and put his/her hands over my eyes. (My glasses really.)

My first thought was, "Who the heck do I know that knows I'm here?"

It was my funny daughter with her beautiful baby hands. 💕

She and the fiancé were in town making the rounds. At night. 😐😑

My child stayed long enough to eat several mouthfuls from my bowl and talk to her grandpa while I ran out to the car to greet my son-in-law.

She, too, thought the food was delicious. So much so that she dropped a few dollars 💸 in the tip jar. (I love it when we people who have worked for tips in our previous lives show our appreciation for those who currently rely on tips to supplement their incomes by forking over some well-deserved 💰.)

My leftovers went with me. Daddy wasn't paying attention and he put his in the garbage. 😩

We made a pit stop on the way home but made it inside in time for evening meds and a couple of our evening tv shows before bed.

🌸🌸🌸

*Chipotle is our usual go-to for bowls in the real world. Although I will eat a burrito at a Mexican restaurant or similar, I switched to bowls a few years ago, when I began my carb-cutting "regimen". 😐 It's one of the fewer-carbs options I've been able to make work for me.

864.

Happy late-night y'all.

It's Tuesday evening here. For those of you interested in and familiar with American politics, mid-term elections results are almost in all over America. The House is projected to become majority blue (Democrat) and the Senate retains its red (Republican) hold.

I hope this brings some semblance of common sense back to our political process. As it stands, our country seems to have become a joke around the world.

🌸 🌸 🌸

In more personal news, Daddy and I went out for dinner. We found a new local spot that has huge bowls. 

863.

Hello and Happy Happy Sunday y'all!

Daddy and I have had an eventful weekend.

Friday night, we stayed up late to watch "Deja Vu". I had seen the movie several times but daddy saw it for the first time. It's one of my favorite thrillers and daddy liked it too.

I remember my first time seeing it. Not the date i saw it but my reaction to it. I'd been seeing previews and hearing about the movie but I resisted seeing it because I assumed I knew what it was about and I thought it would be boring. The same way I'd done with LOTR.

Silly me. 🤪

I thought it was just some kinda regular ole Denzel romantic thriller. To my surprise and delight, it was much more complex than that.

Just another lesson in not rushing to judgment. Which is totally different from following one's intuition. 😌

🌸 🌸 🌸

Although we were up late Friday night, when we got up Saturday morning, daddy and I decided to head to the mountains. Previously we'd said we would go this coming Friday but Saturday morning just felt like a day to head for the hills. ⛰

Daddy said he wanted to go but he was moving very slowly, lollygagging on his bed instead of getting it in gear. 😆 I had to remind him that the ride was two hours and we needed to hustle a bit so we could get to our destination before noon.

We actually made it to the car a half hour earlier than expected but I had to come back for a few things I'd forgotten. 🙃 (I really must create more lists and alarms. It's become the only way I can be sure I'll remember everything. Almost everything...)

The weather was beautiful. Cold but sunny. We were bundled up just enough but the wind was nippier than expected. I could have used a pair of gloves earlier in the day.

We didn't have a set schedule but I knew where I wanted us to go. We hit every spot and in just the right order too.

First I took daddy to see a beautiful college campus I visit when ever I'm up that way. It has a nice lake area and daddy loves water. Everyone was nice and helpful, telling us the best place to park and offering to help daddy up the short set of (steep-ish) stairs.

Next was lunch at my favorite BBQ joint. Wouldn't you know it, daddy had fish.  🐟🐠🐟 At the BBQ joint. I didn't even know they sold fish. 👀

We then went to one of my favorite thrift stores. Even though I don't always find things to buy there (I did in June) it's always an interesting place to browse. I thought it would be crowded because it was the weekend. Surprisingly, it wasn't.

Daddy liked the shop too. He found lots of interesting things to look at and he seemed very comfortable there.

The store only takes cash, which I had forgotten. I also forgot to get cash but thankfully I had about $40 in my wallet. We left with a pair of pants and a couple of shirts for daddy, a re-usable shopping bag for Baby Bliss, and a cone of some cool-looking yarn for me. (Which is now double-bagged in my freezer, in case there are any critters lurking in its darkest recesses.)

We headed for the next thrift store (Goodwill) but made a pit stop first at my favorite independent grocery store. They always have deep discounts on healthy (and sometimes international) goodies that are sky high everywhere else. Sometimes it's because the expiration dates have come and gone so one must pay close attention.

Daddy wandered around the store which was cool because I like him to feel that he doesn't have to be within my grasp at all times.

What I didn't know until later was that he was in search of junk food. He brought an iced pastry to me and asked if he could have it. I told him no but I would find him a healthy snack. He said a curt "okay" then tossed the pastry on the nearest shelf. 😯

Well okay Mr. Shade Thrower. 😑

I spent quite a bit of moola in that store, as I always do when I shop there. Some things were for Baby Bliss and her significant other, as we were stopping at their estate on the way home. (It's on the route.)

Goodwill was our last stop.

The store is new and it's big. Initially daddy seemed reluctant to venture off on his own. Possibly because the store was bustling with other shoppers and he was maneuvering with his walker. He tagged along behind me briefly then I lost sight of him.

Eventually we both ended up in the men's section.

We left with a whole lotta stuff. For me: two summer dresses, a bunch of books, a beautiful drinking glass that matches one I already have (and possibly got at that store), two small framed summery art pieces for my office. For Baby Bliss: a black purse, a set of cut crystal wine glasses, a beautiful book about cats, a set of mirrored Asian art pieces for her s.o.  For daddy: a pair of pants, a sweater, a couple of shirts, a piece of art for his bedroom wall.

An hour later we were crossing the moat at Baby Bliss's home.

(Seriously, there's a moat.)

As we drove up the hill to their driveway, I could hear the dogs barking. They were so excited to have company that we had to wait for their parents to reign them in so I could park safely.

As soon as I opened my door, their newest baby (a boy named Blue) put his head in my lap and looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. Such a sweetheart. You would never believe what I've heard about how he's torn up the house every day since he's been there. 😂😇😈

I got out and Blue jumped in to greet daddy.

A dog with his butt in my seat. 😩🙈

Our visit was short but pleasant. The house is huge. And cold. They have that youthful blood so I guess heat isn't a priority.

(Side note: As a mommy, I am a bit worried that they're not prepared for winter. It was already cold and that area gets real snow. I've been texting them daily, asking if they have shovels, salt, a generator, and other winter necessities. Better to get those things early and not get caught in a mad rush at the last minute.)

The kids are friendly with the long-term neighbors and on close terms with one of them so that's good. I need to tell Baby Bliss to give that neighbor my number and give her's to me.

We saw the neighbor's horses while we were there. 🐎

Gorgeous creatures. Social, intelligent, graceful.

One came over to the fence to seemingly converse with the dogs. I don't know what was conveyed but it must have been good.

The dogs began to run the length of the fence in the direction the horse came from. I was amazed to see the horse take off right behind them, on his/her side of the fence. The dogs came running back and about a minute later, three more horses 🐎🐎🐎 came to the same spot at the fence to talk about... us?

Maybe. 😉

The first horse hung back a ways, seeming to let the newly-arrived have their time with the dogs. A few minutes later, the three galloped over to the first horse and they all ran off to the part of the pasture that runs behind the house where we could no longer see them.

Fascinating and very moving. I'd only seen such on telly or in movies prior to last night.

It was close to dinner time when we were about 30 minutes from home. When we got closer to home, we stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel.

Both daddy and I had a taste for fried chicken, which I've had at Cracker Barrel before and it was quite tasty. 🍗

Must have been a good cook that day.

When our chicken arrived, there was so much breading on it, I was reminded of armor. 😰 It made the chicken appear almost twice its normal size. Whyyyyyyy? Just a waste of good chicken.

It's bad enough that Cracker Barrel has only been selling the fried chicken for a short time. Now I will never feel comfortable ordering it again. 😭

And the dinner is four pieces of chicken which is half a chicken, right? No way to order just two pieces. 😒 I guess we could have ordered one dinner and one of us ordered extra sides. But who would have gotten which pieces? 😩

Maybe God was telling me/us that if we want fried chicken, I need to learn to cook it at home. If I do, it will be the oven-fried chicken that Baby Bliss used to make. It was delicious and it was easier and safer to cook it in the oven.

I do not like grease popping in my kitchen. Doesn't matter who's cooking.

🌸 🌸 🌸

In the last bit of news for this entry, I talked to my friend Saturday morning.

We talked for 30 minutes, while I did my morning chores and waited for daddy to get up.

The first few words of our conversation were surprising in a pleasant way. Then it became pleasantly funny.

We rang off with each of us reminding the other to be safe in our travels.

A great start to a fantastic day. 😊

And now my good people, I bid y'all good night. Time for 🛌. I'm beat.

Sweet dreams folks. 😴