Saturday, August 31, 2013

GIRL'S DAY OUT

My friend Debbie and I got together today to just hang out.  We hardly ever get to see each other so it was good to make time to be together, talk and just generally enjoy each other's company.

I was getting myself ready to go out when I leaned over the basin to wash my hands and threw my back out.  If it isn't one thing, it's another with me.  So I took one of the anti-inflammatory pills the doctor gave me for my knees and kept on going.

First I picked up Debbie at her house.

And we went to the library to return her books.  Since the library wasn't open today, she just put them into the drop box.


On the way home we stopped at Target because I wanted to get a mum.


I was going to get one big mum, but the medium ones were on sale so I thought I'd get one of those instead.  Then we saw a rack of little 6 inch pots that were on sale for $2.89 each.  We started looking at those, putting different colors together, and ended up with this.


The first thing we did when we got back to my house was plant them.  So many times I put it aside for later and then forget.  So they are in the pot I cleaned out last week and looking beautiful.



I also found my pinwheel and stuck it in my little flower bed.


We ate lunch together, swapped recipes and talked our way through the afternoon.  So much fun.  I also decorated my dishwasher.  I'm not rushing the season am I?  I am so looking forward to tomorrow.


When I took Debbie home she took me outside to her yard to see her coleus.  I thought mine was nice but WOW!  Hers are over two feet tall and FULL.  Fantastic!  She has four different varieties and they are just beautiful.  This is just a portion of them.

 
Of course her babies had to come out with us.  They are sweet dogs.


 I was going to get a picture of her cat also, but just as I was about to take it, the batteries died in my camera.  At least it wasn't something that I'll never see again.

So now I am off to make lemon chicken for dinner.  Yum.  

Partly CloudyPartly cloudy
High:  87 degrees at 2:45 p.m.
Low:  74 degrees tonight
Sunrise:  6:27 a.m.
Sunset:  7:35 p.m.
Days are getting shorter my friends.

Friday, August 30, 2013

FRIDAY VIEW

It has been a long and busy week.  I am so looking forward to the weekend in order to put my feet up during the day, sit down a lot more and generally just enjoy myself.  And I need it desperately.

Bob was out yesterday and will be out today also attending a funeral.  At least Marquita was well enough to come in yesterday part time and will be there all day today.  She said her car is very damaged -- in the shop being fixed.  Her knee hurts where it was jammed into the dashboard, but she is doing OK.  So here we both are limping around with our bum knees.  It must look really comical.

Work is getting worse day by day.  There are tons of people coming in every day.  A lot of them want new library cards NOW.  One day we made 28 new cards (our average is 5).  

Today we found out that they are extending our work day by 30 minutes.  (No extra pay, of course.)  There is a big controversy going on with all the employees.  Many have a problem getting to their day care before it closes.  One person said she takes college classes after work and now does not have time to get there so will not be able to finish her degree.  The answer from administration is "You shouldn't have kids if they interfere with your work hours"  and "Why don't you just quit then and go to school full time."  It's not a huge problem for me, but I am against the way things are going.  I just can't wait to retire now.  We have not had a raise in almost 6 years, our health insurance has gone up, and now this.  Joe and I have to sit down this weekend, work out a budget and see if it is possible for me to get out the end of this year.  I would love that.

On a lighter note, here it is the last day before a three day weekend.  I am so psyched about this basically because it is the beginning of September which is my favorite month of the year.  It's still warm from summer, but still has a hint of fall in the air.  And the weather is almost always good.  This is why we chose to get married in September.  September is full of good things for me and I am so looking forward to this month.

For my Friday view I figured I'd show a quick look at my yard.  The geranium is blooming, but not looking too good.  The impatients have all died.  But the sunflower is doing great and pretty soon I'll be able to get a photo of it for you.  I want to transplant it first.  Here are the last of my roses and some blue and pink morning glories.  Neither my neighbor nor I planted them, but they are all over the place.  I like them, but they choke out everything so they are sort of a pest.

Geranium

Pink and blue morning glories

Red rose

Deep pink rose

Light pink rose

Peace rose
 I've got to run so I can get to work on time.  Until later...

Mostly SunnyMostly sunny
High:  82* at 4:45 p.m. EDT
Low:  71* at 1:05 a.m.  EDT
Sunrise:  6:26 a.m.  EDT
Sunset:   7:35 p.m.  EDT

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

BACK TO WORK

And what a time I have had.  Diane is at the McPherson Square Branch this week.  (Next week is my turn to go.)  We have been extremely busy with just Bob and me there.  Boss is on vacation, so it's just us, Sheila and the guard.  

So Monday we were really looking forward to Marquita showing up at 3:00.  About 10 after 3 we got a phone call from her saying she had just been in a car accident.  Apparently it was pretty bad.  Later her mother called and said she was in the hospital.  I spoke with Marquita yesterday morning.  She said was on her way to work and at an intersection a woman drove straight through a red light, smashed into her car and then took off.  Fortunately there were three witnesses (one of whom called the police) and one of them got the license plate number.  She hurt her leg and foot and is shaken up, of course, but will be OK.  She says she may be in today but definitely by Friday.  I told her to take it easy and if she didn't feel up to coming in, to just stay home.

I certainly understand about a bum leg.  I have been on my feet at least 5 hours each day.  There is so much work to do and neither Bob nor I have any time to do it because every other hour we are on the desk.  It is tough and every evening when I come home my knee is hugely swollen.  I am in a lot of pain all day long at work.  Oh if I could only heal.

The good news is that my mouth is finally healed.  I'm almost afraid to say that for fear that it will start acting up again.  I was supposed to go to the dentist this Thursday, but he canceled and it is now rescheduled for September 12th.  This is a bad day because, again, we are severely shorthanded, but what am I to do?

I felt badly when I went to work on Monday because I saw from the schedule that Diane was on the desk for 4 hours straight while I was out sick last week.  That is very tough.  But later this week I will get a taste of that since Diane will still be at McPherson Square and Bob will be out for two days to go to a funeral.  So it will just be Sheila, Walt the guard and me.  Sheila asked today for us to get some help, but no one wants to help us.  Either I will be stuck on the desk all day or we will just close.  I told her I would take a couple of days vacation.  It would be nice to go back to cleaning up the house and yard.  And get off of my leg, of course.

Tonight I just had to get out of the place, so I took a drive to RiteAid.  I made the mistake of going down the aisle with the discount fall decorations and ended up spending $20.  But I guess that's not too bad.  I got this cute little scarecrow figure, two candles (cinnamon spiced pear and honey pumpkin pie) that smell oh so good, and 6 washcloths in fall colors for the bathroom.  I usually don't "decorate" the bathroom all that much, but thought these would be cute.  I'll post pictures later of everything.  I also got a bag of pretzels for work.  Everyone at work loves pretzels and since they were only $1 I thought I'd treat.

It was dark when I came out of work at 8:00 tonight.  That is the one thing I do not like about fall -- the days get shorter.  Less sunlight.  I like coming out of work and it still being light and having some time to do things.  I guess I'll just have to wait until spring for that though.

Well enough of my rambling.  Tomorrow is another day of work.  I'd better try to sleep even though I'm not at all sleepy.  I will be tomorrow morning though.  Until later...

Mostly SunnyTuesday
Mostly sunny
High:  89 degrees at 3:45 p.m. EDT
Low:  73 degrees at 6:25 a.m.  EDT
Sunrise:  6:23 a.m. EDT
Sunset:  7:39 p.m.  EDT

Sunday, August 25, 2013

THE SUNDAY GARDEN

Such a lovely weekend.  The weather has been perfect -- sunny, hot, just beautiful.  A real summer weekend and I am loving it.

Today's sunrise.
 I did a lot more Friday and yesterday than I should have.  Even though I was resting a lot, I just wanted to get stuff done.  I did a lot of wash and am almost all caught up.  Yay!  And I worked on my jungle of a yard.  There is still a lot to go, but it looks so much better.  I would do a little bit and then went and put my leg up for a half hour or so.  It took a long time doing it that way, but at least I didn't stress my knee.

The grass really needed cutting.
 


So that was the first thing I did.

Then I weeded around my gazing ball.
Before

After

Next I did the little flower bed by the house.
Before

Before

After

After
 I found my geranium.  Fortunately it's still alive and blooming.  I see lots of buds on it.  The other is a red impatients.  I hope it will bloom again.

I changed the garden flag.

And righted my little cat statue.  I don't know what this plant is (probably some kind of weed), but I thought the leaves were pretty so I left it.

I have a large pot which had pansies in it last year, but they all died and the weeds took over.  So I cleaned it out.  I'm going to get a nice mum to put in it for the fall.
Before

After
 The herb box was next.  Out go the weeds.  My parsley and thyme didn't make it, but I still have basil, oregano and chives.  Lots of chives.  I even found my little frog and added him to the empty space where the parsley and thyme were.

Before

After
 Lastly I did the box that has my coleus.  It was a mess, but look how nice it turned out.  I was given a sunflower by the children's librarian at work and I added it to the coleus box.  It's already growing and doing wonderful.

Before

After
 I know it looks like a lot, but since I did it over three days' time it really wasn't that much.  I still spent most of my time off of my feet.

We went to church today for the first time in three weeks.  We had a guest speaker because today was the pulpit exchange week in our denomination.  Each pastor speaks at a church not his so people get to meet him.  Our pastor came back before we left, so we got a chance to talk to him too.

Then all afternoon I spent laying on the sofa watching TV.  Not a bad way to spend the day.

We had pork steak, green beans and mashed potatoes for dinner.  And we watched the sun set as we ate.  I always think the sunsets are prettier than the sunrises.

 
 It's back to work tomorrow.  I know it's going to be hard, but I will do the best I can.  Joe has already gone to bed, and I am going to join him.  We will watch some TV until we fall asleep.  Wish I could stay home every day.  Soon.

FairPartly cloudy
High:  81 degrees at 3:05 p.m.
Sunrise:  6:23 a.m. EDT
Sunset:  7:40 p.m. EDT

Friday, August 23, 2013

AND THE OUTCOME IS...

I woke up really early today and was just putzing around for awhile.  I watched some TV, read, made and ate breakfast, fed and watered Jenny.  I was just about to get into the shower when I got a phone call from the dentist.  I thought my appointment was 9:30 and here it was 9:00.  Oh my!  I threw on some clothes, ran out the door and got there as fast as I could.  But I was very late and they had to reschedule the appointment.  It is just as well because I still have a little bit of the infection and it hopefully will be totally gone by next week.  I'll have finished the antibiotics by then too.

So I headed back home, hopped in the shower, changed my clothes and headed to the doctor's office.  I did have the right time for that.  I told him what was going on with my knee -- the pain and swelling.  He looked at it, comparing it with my other knee.  Let's just say the right one was slightly swollen and the left one looked like a basketball!  He examined me and said I had torn a ligament.  I have to stay off of it as much as possible for the next two weeks.  He wanted me to stay out of work all that time, but I can't.  Having my surgery a few months back has used up just about all of my sick time.  I need to get paid.  So I am out until Monday.  However, if it gets worse, I will have no choice but to stay out.  It is now in an ace bandage, elevated, and I have a prescription for Mobic which is an anti-inflamatory.  I take it once a day and it makes me drowsy, so I am taking it with dinner (have to take it with food) so if I fall asleep, I am home.  I took the first dose about four hours ago and already I am feeling some better.

When I called work to tell Boss that I wouldn't be in, he was very upset and started questioning me.  It was like I was trying to be out sick.  I told him it wasn't my choice to be in pain.  And I have a doctor's note.  I guess he's really frustrated because we don't have enough people to keep the library open, but it's not my fault and don't take it out on me.

Everywhere Joe and I went today, we kept running into our friend John.  John is the only person that we were both friends with individually before we got married.  He is such a great guy and we hardly ever see him.  First we went to Wawa so I could get some money out of the ATM.  Well, I gave Joe my card and he went in to get it.  I saw John go into the store and knew they would meet up.  Then we went to the pharmacy and there was John.  Isn't that something?  We don't see him for months and then wherever we turn, there he is.  He was even driving behind us as we were driving home.  We finally turned and lost him -- ha, ha.

There was another beautiful sunset today.  I thought it looked like a pond with hills around it.  Very unusual and very pretty.


Tomorrow is going to be a busy day and Joe is going to have to help me because I am sort of handicapped right now.  The yard looks like a jungle and the house is a mess.  Cleaning up is the plan for the weekend.  I am really sleepy, probably because of the medicine, so I am going to have to end.  Until later...

Isolated T-StormsThursday
Scattered thunder storms
High:  85 degrees at 11:45 a.m.
Low:  75 degrees at 5:25 a.m.
Sunrise:  6:19 a.m.
Sunset:  7:47 p.m.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

IS IT A FULL MOON?

 

 Why yes, as a matter of fact it is.  A blue moon at that.  And you could tell it today too.  

Remember I mentioned the other week about a woman who came into the library without her card and I tried to find her name in the database under Elizabeth?  It turned out she used Betty and she reamed me out for not knowing that.  Well today she returned and of course I'm the lucky one who waited on her.  She handed me her card, I scanned it, and handed it back to her saying "Thank you" as I always do.  I scanned her books, got her date due receipt, handed her everything and said, "Thanks.  Have a nice day."  She proceeded to yell at me that I am the most unpleasant person she has ever had to deal with.  There was a man standing behind her who started laughing and told her I was the nicest one in the library.  She then became furious and said she was going to report me downtown.  Let her.  I did nothing wrong.

It was a mad house at work and I actually went home for lunch just to get out of the place.  I would have ended up working straight through my lunch.

After work I stopped at Rite Aid to get some water since we were out.  I was just about to get waited on when a woman started screaming at the cashier because the photo machine was broken.  According to her it's "always" broken.  She needed copies of some pictures to give to someone in a half hour.  So she screamed at the top of her lungs that she was reporting the store (and the poor cashier who had nothing to do with it) to "Corporate Headquarters" and literally slammed out the door.  I thought she was going to break the glass.  The rest of us had a good laugh, talked about the blue moon and told the cashier to calm down and not worry about it.  I told her about my experience this morning and the people in line who I didn't even know were laughing.  It made me feel so much better.

Tomorrow I am seeing the dentist at 9:30 a.m. and hopefully will get the root canal finished and the tooth will be done with.  Please pray that I don't get another infection.  I don't know how I would deal with that.

Then at 11:30 a.m. I have an appointment with my doctor because my left knee is so swollen that I can't bend it and I have trouble putting any weight on it.  It's been real fun at work today.  I know it's the arthritis I have, but hopefully the doctor will be able to give me something to relieve the swelling and pain.  I know I really have to see an orthopedist.  And soon.  After all of these appointments I will be headed for work where I'll be until 8:00 p.m.  *Sigh*

I tried a new recipe tonight for dinner.  
 
It was a shrimp stir fry, but since I don't eat shrimp I made it with some left over flounder cut in strips.  It had zucchini, corn and tomatoes and the fish was fried with garlic.  I put fresh basil and lemon juice on top of it at the end and served it over rice.  It turned out good, but it was hard for me to eat because the rice kept getting caught in my bad tooth.

It was really hot today.  Summer is back and I'm loving it.  And we had an awesome sunset tonight.


So now it's after 11:00 p.m. and it's about time I make it into bed.  It's going to be a long day tomorrow.

SunnySunny
High 90 degrees at 2:25 p.m. EDT
Low 68 degrees at 7:05 a.m. EDT
Sunrise:  6:18 a.m. EDT
Sunset:   7:48 p.m. EDT

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

TOOTH UPDATE

 

Just a quick update on what's going on.  On Sunday I started pulling myself off of the pain killers.  And surprisingly it wasn't too bad.  The infection has started going away and the pain has lessened considerably.  I took only four pills as opposed to the 12 I have been taking each day.

I stayed home from work yesterday expecting to get my tooth pulled.  The first thing I did was to call the dentist I've been dealing with -- the one doing the root canal.  He said since things have calmed down, to just wait until Thursday and keep my appointment to have the root canal finished.  When he sees me he can make the decision whether to go on or not.  But there is a good chance I will not need to have it pulled after all.  That would be wonderful.  It is my front molar on the left bottom and pulling that would shift all the teeth in my mouth.  Besides, I'd like to keep my teeth as long as possible!

I was going to go into work, but I am now having a lot of pain in my left knee from my arthritis.  At times Sunday and yesterday I could hardly walk and have had to use a cane.  It's no fun getting old, folks.  I did so much walking as a young adult that I figured it would always be that way.  Not so.  And I miss being able to walk miles with no problem.

So that is my story and I'm sticking to it.  I'm getting ready to eat and then take off for work for my late day.  

Joe is calling out for dinner tonight at a new place for us.  Hope the food is good.  If we like it, we can add it to our collection of take out places.  It's nice to have dinner there when I come home at 8:30 and not have to cook it.

Thank you all for your prayers.  I know that God is making me better because of all of you.  And to the anonymous commenter the other day, please let me know who you are.  I'd love to have you become my newest follower.  Your comment about the salt water was right on and I have been doing that.  Thanks.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

BLACK CAT APPRECIATION DAY

I can't let the day go by without showing you MY black cat.  Jenny is the love of her daddy's life.  Joe and Jenny are inseperable.  A couple of months ago I wasn't feeling well so stayed home while Joe went to Cracker Barrel with Walt and Carole.  When he came back he had a bag with him.  I said, "Oh good, you got me some of the peppermint sticks I like.  Maybe they will settle my stomach."  He said, "Oh, uh...  Well I didn't buy anything for you.  I got a toy for Jenny."  That figures!  Ha, ha.



Go hug your kitties today, no matter what color they are!

Friday, August 16, 2013

FRIDAY VIEW

I am still in intense pain.  I get relief for awhile and then it comes back.  I have spent hours online trying to find a dentist that is open on Saturday and takes my insurance.  I can't afford to pay someone.  I know that sounds awful, but I literally do not have the money.  So far, no luck.  The one that sounded promising had terrible reviews.  People had in capital letters STAY AWAY.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.  I have had it for tonight, so in the morning I will try again.

Despite feeling so lousy I did get all my quilts washed this week and hung out to dry.  I took pictures of them to show you for your Friday View.  My mom made all of them.  She was a wonderful quilter.  I miss her so much.  I'm glad I have her quilts.  When I use them I feel as if she is still here giving me a hug.




This is the first quilt my mom ever made and she made it for me for my birthday.  I can still remember her giving it to me back in 1982.  She always said she didn't know what she was doing back then.  Unfortunately, it is starting to wear out.

A close up of the "bear claw" quilt with teddy bear blocks.

I collect teddy bears and so I love this quilt.
 I'm so not feeling good so I am going to end. If you don't hear from me in awhile, it's because of this tooth.  Ugghh.  Until later....

SunnySunny
High of 81 degrees at 11:45 a.m.
Sunrise:  6:13 a.m. EDT
Sunset:  7:55 p.m. EDT