Tuesday, March 29, 2011

What I Did Yesterday?

Well, I did get busy yesterday.  I began by looking for some hat box kits that I bought years ago and stored in the eaves upstairs.  They, along with at least 2 truckloads of other "stuff", have been there since I moved here in 1997.  If I could only double my money on all of my "investments" in collectibles I might even have to pay income tax!


Of course I couldn't find them right away.  I ended up spending several hours up there before I did locate them.  Whatever I did was really hard work, and the rest of the day was the same.  Ever had one of those days?  At the end of it, I really couldn't say what I did but I was really busy!  Guess I'll go back up there today and continue.  Those 2 truckloads of "stuff" haven't seen the light of day for 14 years and really need to go somewhere else.


I was planning to get the sandbags out of the bed of my pickup now that it's spring, so that I could haul this "stuff" away somewhere, but now I see the ground is white with snow again this a.m.  Always somethin' ain't it!?  Aw well, maybe I'll go up to the storage hole anyway.  I can at least do some bagging and sorting.  You know, that thing you do and can't really say what it was you did at the end of the day.  That reminds me, I have to add "find hat box kits" to my to do list so I can check it off.  Turns out they're too small for what I wanted, but I should get credit for finding them!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Blank Days

Ever feel "blank"?  The past two weeks have been like that here.  Life has been just a series of everyday activities with a bit extra thrown in.  Had visitors from out of town and helped Mom move more belongings to the nursing home.  So first there wasn't a good time to blab in my blog, then the "blankness" descended.


In spite of the ordinariness of this time, I am still very much reminded about change, not always as positive as I'd like.  Old pains are becoming worse and a new med was prescribed.  Cost would have been $185 per month, so I decided against it.  Chose to resume an older prescription (also for the same thing), but stopped that due to side effects.  So now I'm looking for more non-chemical means.


Part of that will be mental, so I'm back to looking for things to really appreciate in life each day.  One thing I've discovered about retirement is that it's just too easy to lose a grip on a sense of purpose.  I didn't want to get up this a.m. although I was awake long before my body or mind wanted to get out of bed.  My dog's whimpers got me up, then I had to make myself do the morning routines.


So here I am ready to fill my "blank" day.  I have so many "should do's" that it's paralyzing to think about them.  I need to pick one, and get back on track.  Structure and motivation - I need you!  Or a kick in the pants would do.  Or I could just sit here and ramble on all day....  Naw, gotta get moving.  The sun is shining and it's not snowing.  Too cold to plant and can't dance, so I'll find something else.  I'll let you know how it works out.  ..."yawn"

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Goodbye Winter!

I've been infected with a severe bout of spring fever, but never fear, I hear it's not lethal.  Might be contagious though, so watch out!  One of the symptoms is looking at dirty windows and thinking there's no use washing them.  It might rain and they'd get all spotted again.  And of course it would make no sense to wash the blinds and curtains with spotty windows.  Hopefully recovery will come soon.  I sure wouldn't want to be washing windows when it gets to be 90 degrees!  Another symptom is this overpowering urge to go dig in the dirt and plant something, even though it's still way frosty in the early mornings.  My daffodils are shooting up though, and the robins are busy, so at least something is moving here!


In the mean time, I'm loving the sunshine and fresh air.  Even rainy days are a welcome change from snow and ice.  Still watching the eagles and thanks Tom, for the link to another site.  This one is at Norfolk, VA Botanical Gardens.  The pair of eagles have 3 young eaglets, the latest hatched Thursday the 17th.  No, it wasn't green!  :O)  The main video is live, but there are links to recorded clips of special activities on the page.  It is really fun to see the little bobble heads when Mom and Dad exchange places on the nest or stand to feed them.
Here's the link to this other site:
http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html

Well, here goes.  I'm going to try to accomplish some actual housework.  Doing it in my head is becoming a bit tiresome!  But then again, there's always tomorrow when it will officially be spring!

"It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"  ~Mark Twain

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Eagle Watch

Guess I have some "peeping tom" tendencies, but so do thousands of others!  Last year I kept tabs on a pair of nesting eagles on the northwest coast.  Sadly only one of two eggs hatched and even more sadly the eaglet reached about one day from fledging and was overcome by a virulent  respiratory infection.  I watched him take his last breath.  Then watched as a specialist retrieved his body from the nest.

Well, regardless of that sad experience, I am delighted with the clear view we have of a nesting pair near Decorah, Iowa this year.  There are 3 eggs in the nest with Mom and Pop taking turns keeping them safe and warm.  The first is due to hatch about March 31 to April 2, then the others at about 2 day intervals.  I love watching them a bit each day, and there's even and infrared camera at night.  Just thought I ought to share it here.

Happy eagle watching!


Video chat rooms at Ustream

Sunday, March 13, 2011

New Journey

Well maybe not new, but further than I've ever gone before.  Today marks my two year anniversary of not smoking!  I quit with the aid of Chantix and quitnet.com, two of the most powerful resources around in my opinion.  I still visit quitnet and have many friends and acquaintances there.  The support is amazing.  On significant milestones and anniversaries there is a lot of celebrating together and encouragement to continue.  Smoking is a powerful addiction and I will have to stay vigilant against a relapse the rest of my life.  On major anniversaries on quitnet we are encouraged to write a "ramble".  Of course with my gabby nature I did just that today, and will include parts of it here.


"I've had surprising rash of smoking "thoughts" the past couple of weeks.  They're not compelling at all, but this still occurs now and then even after 2 years smoke free.  It's nothing intense though, just a bit annoying and easy to brush off.  Big anniversaries and milestones seem to trigger some introspection.  Then I just duck and cover, running back to the Q!  Works every time to get the right angle on my thinking.

I've been marching through unfamiliar territory the last 6 months, never having been quit this long before.  Can't expect a 47 year, 2-3 ppd habit to just go poof.  I'm amazed that it has even been possible to quit having failed so many times before.  The quitnet tradition includes various cyber rewards for anniversaries and milestones.  The Golden Boot award is for 2 years smoke free, and with it I intend to keep on kickin' ash as they say!" 

So that's the "big" thing in my life at the present time.  I love being smoke free for so many reasons.  I can't begin to tell you how many years and how hard I struggled to quit!  Whew!  Never over, but always getting better at it. If I were able, I'd love to kick up my heels and dance a jig to celebrate! 

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Spring Cleaning Time

How did my house get so dirty?  Was it just the burst of sunlight with all the blinds open today that revealed what was there all along?  Or did we have a dust storm that I wasn't aware of?  I have a satellite TV person coming to upgrade to HD today, so I got behind the TV.  Arrrrgh!  Could plant a garden there!  Makes me really not want to move any other furniture.  Then there are the blinds, the windows, the curtains.... Well spring is here and having been so rudely awakened to this dirty secret, I must dust!  On the other hand...

Dust if You Must
~author unknown~

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.
Remember, a house becomes a home when you can write
"I love you" on the furniture.....

...I like that person!
Happy Tuesday!