halt stop forget relax

I went to a meeting tonight; first time I've been out in a couple of weeks, I think... and all went well. We got there on time, DH assisted me up the step and the ramp which both seemed steeper than the last time I was there (meaning, ahem, that I really needed a little assistance).  I remembered to give my report on Easter Seals and on MS, two of our philanthropic projects. I remembered to deliver the ornaments that were donated by Attila the Mom to be auctioned off at the Spring State Meeting. I forgot to ask for some statistics from last year, but Babs seemed to have a lot to do tonight, so I'll wait for those. So, everything went just hunky-dory. I came home and we eventually had dinner. After dinner, DH decided to have a beer so I decided to have a drink, too. I got up and pulled the Kahlua and Vodka from the cupboard and grabbed  a shot glass from the espresso machine. Not paying much attention, and too late, I realized it was the double shot glass. I poured myself a ...

Being forgetful is one of my more frustrating symptoms of MS. My B&B issues are bad, as is my limited walking distance, and my spasticity; but as troublesome as each of those is, the forgetfulness leeches the most from my quality of life. It eases its way into most every conversation I try to have with my husband. However, oddly enough, it never seems as problematic when I am talking with other people. That could be an issue with the Y chromosome, with the marriage certificate, with our astrological signs (I am a Leo, he is a Taurus), or even with our personality types (we are both INFP on the Myers Briggs, which is, oddly enough, the least common of the 16 types at 1 to 4%). Whichever it is, it is frustrating to be unable to have a decent discussion about, well, anything, with him. It gets in the way with friends, too, but those discussions are, by their nature, more discursive, which is why it usually causes fewer problems. One area where it gets bad is when discussing books ...

Tonight it was announced that a lovely piece of Zentangle(R) Inspired Art is being offered in a Giveaway. Jane  Monk, of Jane Monk Studios , is offering this 11"x17" pen and ink on watercolor paper piece to go to one lucky person. I believe the drawing is to take place on or around February 21, 2013. She also welcomes Facebook entries.  You're welcome. :-) TTTL,

We are one third of the way through Winter. It is no longer dark at 5:00 PM. However, it IS dark at 5:00 AM.  That's when I have been going to bed lately. Don't judge me. We have inherited a 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis. It is not without its  problems. Like a leaky Landau roof which needs new vinyl. And ... and... and... But it has lower miles than our Oldsmobile [114,000 vs. 179,000], and the engine runs more quietly. It's transmission was rebuilt in 2004. It's heater core has been replaced. It does have AC. It doesn't have power seats, but the windows zip up and down easily. The interior is nice, except for the worn leather on the steering wheel. It's bigger.   We just put $830 on our credit card repairing an electrical/computer  problem with the Olds. It has a cracked windshield. It needs a new radiator, and likely a new heater core. It's AC is disconnected because we can't afford to fix it. I want a Kia Soul. The one with the gang...

My sister-in-law died last night. She was in hospice. When we saw her on Christmas she was on antibiotics and steroids, so we had a really nice visit. We were able to talk with her for almost two hours before she "hit the wall,"  couldn't breathe easily any more, and asked us to leave. The nurses were going to give her the same meds she got the night before which worked so well that she slept right through being turned twice (to avoid getting a bedsore). She had lost so much weight and was so thin that her skin was like tissue paper covering her bones. It was hard seeing her so emaciated, but it was good having those two hours with her. Now she suffers no more. And though I didn't see her very often, I miss her all the more knowing I will never see her again. I didn't know going in that this Winter was going to be such a season of loss; but, there it is. Good Night, TTYL, Be Well,

Because it is somewhere between 35 and 22 degrees outside, I am going to bake cookies. I can't seem to get warm, and since I can't sit in a tub of hot water any  more (well, I can, but I just can't get up and out of one, the best way to get warmed up IMO), I will turn the oven on and get to work baking cookies. Be back later. I'm back. Finished baking peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, having a latte, and dinner, and two four cookies, and now I am stuffed to the gills. I got the kitchen all warmed up then DH comes in and keeps opening up the window to call the cat that lives outside, thinking it's too cold for her; but she doesn't come to his calls so I'm thinking she's cuddled up on the patio chair snug as only a cat can get on a cold night like this. DH says our thermometer says it's 19℉ out there tonight, which is friggin' cold. She'll be in later, no doubt. But I digress, my point was that I got it all warmed up in here, and th...

I am so glad that my MIL came down to visit us several weeks ago. Since the divorce  of one of her sons a few years ago, and half of the family moved to Nevada, we stopped having holiday meals together. And due to  all of her 'phobias' she wouldn't ride on the freeway. This time, however, her grandson, who had been visiting every other month or so insisted that he drive her to see both us, and her daughter who lives fairly close to  us. You see, she was diagnosed with inoperable esophageal cancer several months ago, and was told by her doctor to "get her affairs in order." That is what her grandson was helping her to do. When I saw her in the house she looked good, though she had started to lose weight in that way the very old do, as their bodies begin to shut down. But her voice was perky as ever, as she and DH talked of this and that, and as they went over some of the things she brought that she thought he might want. Then she decided to take us to lunch, and...

Merry Christmas to all. I have been awake since 1 AM, as I slept most of yesterday. I don't feel sleepy right now. I am having my second latte of the day, but no matter, I have been known to fall asleep while drinking one. I don't think I am very sensitive to caffeine. I will take a shower before bed, and try to get to sleep at a decent time this evening. DH's alarm is going off right now. We'll see how long he sleeps in today. I jusst finished making cookies, but I need help getting them in and out of the oven without burning myself. Sitting in the walker puts me in an awkward position, so... I'll just wait for him to get up and awake before I (we) start baking them. He'll love me for it, I'm sure. I'm listening to Pandora; I have a rotation of a variety of instrumental Christmas music playing quietly. We just got a phone call from my niece that DH's sister is in the hospital. She is the one with COPD and asthma. I guess we will be visiting he...

I want to set the record straight. After another discussion, DH said he would get the RTS ready for me to take to the dinner, and he did. It turns out that neither my friend nor I needed to use it, but you know what I say about that - It's better to have it, and not need it, than to need it, and not have it. I did feel much better just knowing that it was there.  Thanks dear. Oh, and I received a lovely aubergine cape (purple, to the plebeians) to wear, because my Secret Santa knows that I am ALWAYS cold. It's lovely. It's acrylic - but acrylic is warmer than cotton, and I am sensitive to wool. I  also got some nice beaded earrings. And a glass hummingbird that's hanging in my kitchen window. And tonight, though my computer says it's a chilly 32 degrees outside, our newly calibrated thermometer on the garage says it's a much chillier 23.  BRRRRRRRRR. Clear skies are to blame, but no snow like we had a few days ago (just a smidge - but a pretty smidge ...

It is a dark and stormy night. We have a nice one-note brass bell that we found at Lowe's several years ago in their damaged/quick sale bin. It didn't have it's clanger connected, and it's hangar was missing, and they still wanted $14.88 or something for it. DH was going to buy it, but I told him to haggle, as it wasn't worth anything as is. So we asked a salesman who, of course, had no authority and referred us to a manager, who, of course was busy elsewhere in the store. But we weren't in any hurry so I sat and waited while DH went browsing. When the manager finally arrived, I told him what I thought of the marked price and hoped he could do better for us, and he marked it down to something like $3.59. For a solid brass bell that has a lovely peal. DH, being the handy sort, was able to reassemble the bell, and he hung it up on the corner of our garage in the back yard. It rings when ever the wind blows more than about 10 mph. Tonight, it is clanging away. I...

I have a favorite Christmas song. It's not a carol, it is even a protest song of sorts, but one that is upbeat as well,   and makes me smile every year.  I am certain you will recognise it, but if not I am happy to introduce it to you. As you will see, I have been Googling a lot this evening. First let's meet the writer, Jona  Lewie, via a Ch. 4 reporter.                Now, sit back and watch and listen to his version of the song as he sang it in 1990.  and maybe, just maybe, if you like it as much as I do,  you will have a listen to the version by the Cory Band that I heard and sang to, although DH and I got about 30% of the words wrong.  [This link doesn't have a video, just audio and a photo.] Remember, we all didn't have Google back in the mid-1980's to find these things.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. This year I can sing it with the correct words. Yay, me! Stop the Cavalry...

Okay, so I am up at night anyway... tonight I'm watching Home Alone - whatever the franchise is calling it. It is overacted, and the kid will never be as famous as Macauley Culkin (sp?). Anyway. I decided to balance my check book because it was on my list of things to do today, along with eat some oatmeal, which I didn't, and carrots, also didn't, but I did take a shower. So here I am listening to this dumb semi-holiday movie at three a.m. and working on the checkbook, and I come out with a balance that is about $7 off to my favor plus my monthly budget.  Ladies and gentlemen, I am scraping the bottom of the barrel. I have so little cushion it makes me nervous. Add to that, not only does our garage roof leak, but the house roof is leaking too! It started again in the bathroom during a squall that passed through this evening - and this with a tarp up there. October it was the car that spent 10 days at car camp, last week it was the microwave that stopped working afte...

I saw my neurologist yesterday and the results of my exam were that nothing had changed, except that I am walking slower, but that could also be attributed to the minor modification DH made to my walker - he moved the back wheels from the outside to the inside so it would fit through the bathroom door. That's a good thing, but it also means that I bump into the wheel with my left foot when I try to walk a little faster, which is frustrating. I am thinking of having him change them back, at least until we need a means to transport me into the bathroom. Right now I can get in there on my own with the three wheel walker (with NO seat) just fine. No changes in my meds. Still on the Copaxone (DMD), baclofen (spasticity), zoloft (depression), diazepam (spasms at night), temazepam (to sleep), ritalin (to stay alert), and vitamin D (apparently good for MS - who knew?). The good news is that BG12 should be available sometime in March. There is some sort of back-log with the powers that be...

And here I sit at my computer, an aging laptop whose keys don't ll work, like that missing 'a' just there. That is one of the reasons I haven't written much lately. I'm a perfectionist and that is one of my strengths, but also one of my greater weaknesses. It couples well with procrastination,   don't you think? It may be the source of my procrastination, well, strike that - it IS the source of my procrastination. I don't just want to write some slop, some drivel, so I wait until I have something to say, and then I never do ... hve something to say. Just so you know, I am not going to go back to fix the errant a's that didn't type out. And I am going to do a stream of consciousness post, as most of them are, because I post out of guilt that I haven't posted in so long. So blah blah blah. ***** [where the eff is paragraph style???] I have been so very lazy lately (the past many months) that I haven't really done much of anything. I hav...

We have harvested the pears from our tree. They are Bosc, and they are ripening fast. Several months ago I tore a recipe from a magazine for a pear tart, only to find out that I don't have a tart pan. I know I used to have a tart pan - either one of my own or one I used at my Mom's. (She's been gone for nearly 12 years now!) So I have to figure out whether I should just try using a pie plate instead, and butter it well, or just find a different recipe. But the real problem is - I just don't feel like baking anything. And these pears are ripening FAST. Sigh. We made it to Trader Joe's yesterday, for a month's worth of coffee. We were down to reserves. Came out of the store $120 lighter. Funny how 'just a few things' adds up so quickly. DH is going to make some vegetable bean soup later and the recipe he selected called for leeks. Two leeks at the store were 1.64#s @$1.99/# which came to $3.24. At Trader Joes 24 oz. frozen leeks came to   $2.98. A lot o...

For those  who are interested, here's the recipe. It takes hardly any time at all. Chocolate Cherry Bombs 1/3 cup boiling water 1 3 oz. Pkg. Cherry Jello 1 5 oz. can evaporated (not condensed) milk 2 squares semi-sweet chocolate 1. Add the boiling water to the jello and stir until dissolved. Or, as I did, put the H20 into a 1 cup pyrex measuring cup and microwave for 1 minute, then add the Jello and stir. 2. Measure 5 oz. evap. milk into a 2 cup Pyrex cup , chop the chocolate squares into four pieces each and put in the cup. Place into the microwave for one minute, stir. Put back into the microwave for another minute, stir or whisk until smooth. 3. Add the Jello to the chocolate and whisk together. Pour a cupcake tin that has been sprayed with Pam, or, as I did, pour into a decorative muffin tin that has been sprayed. Better yet, put into a mini muffin tin, which I don't have, but which would be perfect for this. The size of a cupcake is a tad too big, in my opinio...

...and it's not just my sleep schedule, though I think that may indeed be most of it. The thing is, I just can't afford to see the sleep specialist at $35 a pop. She tells me to take melatonin and go to bed at  certain time, and if I can't fall asleep in 20 minutes to get out of bed and go do some quiet activity like reading, or zentangle until I feel sleepy again, and lather, rinse, repeat. Then when it's time to get up in the morning, after seven hours of sleep to get up and put my feet on the floor - no sitting up in the bed - and get up and dressed. If I need to take a nap, don't let it be longer than 30 minutes. God, it all sounds so simple, but the reality is that is is nigh impossible for me to do it. So, Thursday the 11th, I went to bed at 6:30 AM, and woke up at 12:30 PM. I decided that six hours wasn't enough sleep, so I fell back to  sleep. I woke again around 2:30 PM, and then I just felt lazy, and depressed, and rolled over again. And again. And a...

I know I am not the first one to mention this, but I really don't like the "new" Blogger interface. I have gone through it, and I changed my background to one more seasonal, and it was a pain in the ass. Just enough different to make it a frustrating experience for me. Oh well, it's done for now. I just started watching the series "Switched at Birth" which airs on the Family Channel, though I am streaming it on TUBE+. I went back to start with episode one, and I have to say that I am enjoying it. I  know, I watch too much TV - but since I got these no-line bifocals I find that reading gives me a headache. Between dog and husband it seems they are always needing to be readjusted, and it's not getting done. So I end up watching TV or listening to books or NPR streams instead. When I am listening, I do Zentangle at the same time; that, or play computer games. I lead such an exciting life. I made a salad and it turned out pretty well. Broccoli, Cauliflow...

I really must apologise. Again, I posted late and did not proof my work (if you could call it that). Typos slipped through and the whole thing just needed to be fleshed out. Whole paragraphs are missing. I never used to write this poorly. Swear to God. I'm going to let it stand. Sorry,

Things. I want things. More things than I already have. Enough things that would make me feel secure in letting go of some of the things I already own, but no longer use. They can be small things or large things but they all have one thing in common --  they are our of my reach. So I yearn for things. In the interest of truth, they are not all out of my reach. But even if I were to buy them, it is certainly not prudent for me to purchase them. Things that are consumable, like a cup of Starbuck's coffee fall into this category. Or an ice cream bar, like the coffee ice cream  coated with chocolate and toffee that I had the last time I went up to the Bargain Market on my scooter ... on the way to the Starbuck's next door. The coffee was "free" because I bought it with a gift card. I love gift cards. And the ice cream bar was a spontaneous purchase; after all it was only $1. Just a buck. It tasted just like the Dove bars and Haagen Dazs bars that cost three times a...