Monday, January 28, 2019

1-28-2019 Monday- 12:45pm

Good afternoon!
Been a weather-y week up here in the North country.  We had a beautiful, softer snowfall that left a smooth, white, glittery blanket...for a short while.  My patio is one of the popular spots around our building.
Sometimes even an after meal rest stop.
(Possibly more for territory protection--the grouse wars are ongoing--LOL!)
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 You can tell there wasn't much wind as there was actually snow on top of the bird feeder...
...and across the yard. 
But then we had a ground blizzard--high winds but not really any snow--and it blew away the snow down to the grass again. 
Life in a wind vortex. 
The snow piles are rising every time they plow the parking lots across the way. 
In fact, I'll pop in a picture of the ones directly across from me right now. 
Oops!  I disturbed three grouse just now who were resting beside my planter box.
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 Anyways, a big snowstorm was coming through Sunday with an arctic deep freeze right behind it.  Mind you, it was already cold enough.  Everybody was eating frantically! 
I fed birds all day.  Put out generous amounts of seed three times and they would devour it. 
Much to my delight--the jackrabbits have also been hungry enough to come by before dark again.  I had the blinds half drawn--but was so excited to see one I had to try to get a picture. 
And then there were two! 
Those two ate side by side, but the territorial jackrabbit wars have ensued since then.  They stand up and flail their front legs at each other and chase around the yard.  But nobody goes very far away.  They just wait their turns at a distance.  I do love seeing them up close and personal again!
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Meanwhile, a couple orders I have waited weeks for.  The tiny Mog the Cat board books for Liam.  He loved that first Mog and Me book so much, I couldn't resist these for less than $10 and free shipping all the way from England.  And then the oval wooden pieces.
I have some other smaller sizes of ovals coming, too.  Leah and I are planning to try to use them to label satchels and boxes.
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Well, I did manage to keep up last week with the book and finished week two.  For my artist's date last week--since I have been pretty much dealing with the CF/chronic fatigue part of fibro lately so don't have many spoons--I already had printed off some envelopes and some matching cards that I had gotten for free from the TPK/The Postman's Knock website so I decided to sit and color them while I watched TV.  
My wonky eye makes coloring more of a challenge to stay inside the lines than it used to be--LOL!  But I did something for my artist's soul last week.  ;)
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Ian came over on Saturday after swimming class.  While he ate lunch I cut and trimmed down all the envelopes and cards.
Ian was rubbing his eyes a lot.  He wasn't sure he was up to working on our surprise for Mama and Daddy but since I was going to do most of the work...  ;)
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I taped one of the flowered envelopes together and folded the flowered card.  Ian helped a little with the pressing tapes down.  Then I wrote down what he told me to say inside the card and he signed it.  I wrote out the address, we both put the stamp on.  I cut washi tape and Ian put it on the back of the envelope.  We talked about why you had to put the postage stamp and address in a certain place so the machines could read it as we walked it down to put in the outgoing mail slot.  (Leah, if you read this--act surprised!)
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He was too tired to color blank envelopes--even if he could just scribble--so you know he's still worn down from being so sick the week before.  Gramma has been tired all the time lately so we were happy to just snuggle up on my chair with a blanket on that cold day and watch Maru The Cat, Mighty Machines, and to look up a couple videos on sorting mail that showed the machines and conveyor belts they use.
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In the early evening before Leah came to pick him up, Ian got to see the jackrabbits up close!
He said his jackrabbits at his house were smaller. 
I told him they just looked smaller because they were farther away. 
And when one ran off to sit over by the big snow pile he said--"See, it's smaller".  LOL!
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Speaking of jackrabbits and the snow piles.  Can you see how the jackrabbit dug a hole to sleep in on the side of that snow pile?  You might have to click on the picture to "biggen" it--LOL!  So funny!  The Sunday storm was coming and it stayed there all morning until the wind picked up. 
And the wind REALLY picked up.  I was suddenly deluged with birds and rabbits wanting to grab some food before they took cover during the storm.  I kept trying to toss out more seed without it flying back at me inside the apartment--LOL!
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The wind gusted so hard it blew the bird feeder sideways!  I haven't seen it do that before.  The cover was flapping and seed was being blown out--was pretty cool!
The gusts were so strong the sparrows could hardly get lift off from the patio and sometimes had to fly backwards for a little bit.  But they all wanted to fly over to that evergreen tree by that garage over there.  They'd come back and forth from the tree--a huge flock of around 30 birds.  The grouse were here--feathers being blown backwards if they accidentally turned their backs to the wind.  When the gusts came they all put their faces to the wind.  I was so mesmerized that I never even thought to make a video--duh!
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But it started to snow and the wind increased.  The jackrabbits and all the birds disappeared to hunker down.
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 This morning I turned the bird feeder back upright...
...and noticed the wind blew chunks of snow all over the lawn.  I wonder from how far away they have rolled. 
Survived the storm.  We only got 1.7 inches of snow here it says.  Now we're in for a deeper deep freeze!  

We have wind chill warnings every day--midnight tonight through Thursday morning as they expect the wind to pick up with -35 to -60 below wind chills.  Frostbite can occur in a matter of minutes.  Brrr!  Chair time with a blanket sounds soooo good.  After I am finished with laundry...
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Oh, I was told by a couple of people that the Baby Girl link didn't work last week.  I think I fixed it now.  Please let me know--and if any of the links don't work this week.  Thanks.  In fact, I'll try to link it right in here.  
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If any of you actually read all of these stories you will know a lot more about me!  Maybe a good thing...maybe not--ROFL!  
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This week the memoir session of the book was grade school--well, the way I chose to divide up my life for these writing sessions.  You answer questions and read and think about your life.  I happen to have written a few things already back in my college non-fiction classes and had written random memories on my blog.  Those are the linked stories.  
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Anyways--  
1956-1962: ages 5-11.  
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First and Second grade I went to a parochial school (Northeast Christian School) because they wouldn't let me into public school at age five.  Mom says she didn't do it to get rid of me, but three years after me she had two kids in one year--my brother in January and my sister in December.  (Do you call those Irish twins if you're Swedish?  LOL!)  It must have been a nice break to be free of one of us for the day--LOL!
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After being in a classroom with three grades where I was free to ask questions, talk, walk around and help other kids if I got done with the work...public school was a total shock!  To put it mildly.  I went from being a happy, encouraged student to a despised, behavior problem.  I was punished and punished and punished.  Sat in corners.  Made to stand with my nose in a circle on the blackboard.  Struck repeatedly with a ruler.  Smacked upside the head.  Spanked with a ping pong paddle.  Made to sit on my hands. (Discovered I truly couldn't talk without my hands...so I learned how.)  I finally learned not to talk in class or leave my desk.  But I also learned how to make people laugh without speaking or Mrs. Rymer catching me.  No wonder I drove her to complete exasperation.  She started making me sit on the floor in the hallway outside the door.  (I still got in trouble once for singing out there.)
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Luckily by 4th grade I knew full well and good how the public school system worked.  I am forever grateful that I loved first and second grade.  My love of school, learning, and reading survived.  My obsession with writing and school supplies blossomed.
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The links for this week:
Remembering on the blog my one and only bad day at Northeast Christian school in first grade.
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This was another blog cogitation when my dad turned 90.
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Blog cogitation on growing up where I did.  My sanctuary was nature.
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And finally, this was a longer story I worked on in college.  Never felt completely polished and finished--like publication worthy, as they encouraged--but this was so very much my life.  I always thought if I ever wrote my autobiography it would have to be titled Flower Child.  :)  This is who I am inside still to this very day.

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So that is it for this week, my friends.  From frigid Fargo I bid you farewell until next week.  Sending positives and virtual hugs.  :) :)
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"May such calm of soul be mine, so as to meet the force of circumstances."
Aeschylus

Monday, January 21, 2019

January 21, 2019 Monday--1:15pm

Good afternoon!
Monday again already?!
Well, I got started on the Never Too Late book this week--and I managed to get through all the extra tasks--tada!  Well, except for the Morning Pages.  As I told you, I am passing on those because I already journal every morning--plus I'd never make it to the rest of the tasks if I did that every day--LOL!  One has to choose one's battles, right?
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Woke up to a winter storm.  Light snow, but the wind gusts are so strong that at times the sparrows can hardly get lift off from my patio.  The grouse are puffed out as far as they can be against the cold wind.  
If you click to enlarge you will notice all the little black dots on the edge of the patio in the snow.  The wind blew off the rabbit poops.  I rarely have actually seen either the cottontails or the jackrabbits, but the evidence remains behind.  Rabbits are still around.  Late last night when the arriving storm was almost shaking the walls, I peeked out behind the blinds and scared off a huge white jackrabbit.  First one I've seen since fall.  Remember how I used to see them racing about at dusk?  They seen to be much more secretive this year and don't come out until after dark.
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Anyways, for the next week we are expecting a high of 19 degrees one day and lows of 25-30 below possible by this coming weekend.  Supposed to get 3-6 inches of snow by tomorrow afternoon.    
Yes, I know.  I could put my air conditioner cover on in the winter, but this icy frost would be there regardless.  I don't mind it a little chilly.  (But definitely not see-your-breath-cold--right ,Jon!?)  I've always preferred the cold to the heat--but wouldn't want it cold-cold inside.  My last apartment was downright nippy in the winter.  Could watch the blinds sway on windy days and I did usually put on the AC cover in the winter over there--LOL!  Usually I would put on an extra pair of fuzzy socks and more layers of clothing and I'd be fine.  This place is much warmer than my last two apartments...and cooler in the summer, too.  Love it here!
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  My mom would be freezing!  She's so used to Florida weather that she told me she keeps her heat at 85!!  OMG!  I would be absolutely miserable!  Mine says 70 but, as Dagan remarked last time he was here, you can feel the cold air coming across the floor from the patio door.  To be honest, I'm sitting here typing in a short sleeve seersucker house dress and fuzzy socks--LOL!  The kitchen floor is a little chilly, I admit, but I am washing clothes today and will be folding and hanging hot clothes.  ;)  I'll be glad to return to the kitchen where it's cooler.  Minnesotan born and bred, I guess.  But wouldn't want to be outside in this storm for any length of time, that's for sure.
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Anyways, there was no Gramma Day this week.  Ian came home from preschool throwing up on Wednesday afternoon and was home the rest of the week.  He was on the mend by Saturday but had his first classmate birthday party on Sunday so we wanted him to rest up another day at home.
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Wednesday for my Artist's Date (from the book) I worked some more on my bullet.  All afternoon I was filling in check boxes and weekdays.  Used some washi tape dots for "check boxes" for a few different months.  (Not the straightest dots--LOL!)  Tried out stamping in the days of the week.    
That didn't work out so well because you're trying to stamp kind of around the hump near the spine of the journal.  But once I started I had to do a whole month.  Above was the best page for stamping.  Most of them had smears or little blank spots.
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Tried another set of days of the week stamps.  I think I had worse luck with these coming out clearly.  And you should be careful not to drop them (Saturday)--LOL! 
Then I tried just using a Tombow marker to make a gray line--but it turned out so splotchy and messy that I went back and drew in squares. 
Oh well.  I got a lot done.  I still have all the headers, but I am fine leaving those to be filled in with the rest from month to month.  I have the months and header dates penciled in if I need to look ahead to enter something.  
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Still have three months (Oct-Dec) left to add the days of the week.  I left those because I would love to order some stickers to try.  Anyways, I am just about finished with what I want done ahead of time for 2019!  Whoohoo!  Maybe that means I might actually start the calligraphy classes this week.  :)
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My two days of exercise (her 20 minute solo walks outside don't work up here)--I did some balance board work.  I have it on the floor in the doorway there so I can hang on to the door frame so I don't accidentally kill myself.  
I can only do a few minutes but I am getting better already and have been able to briefly let go of the door frame a few times--hands only an inch away, of course.  I can feel it all over, that I will tell you.  Using muscles I forgot I had--ROFL!  I got in my two sessions last week.
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Thursday is my "scheduled" day to do the memoir part of the weekly tasks but we had a resident meeting that afternoon.  I guess we are going to have quarterly meetings now.  
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I can't remember if I mentioned we got these activity punch cards for January.  Said when you get the ten punches you can pick a $15 gift certificate.  Never heard of a senior building doing anything like that before?  So I wanted to go down and hear how it worked, if nothing else.
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Well, they are only good for the one month!  Only good for activities highlighted in red on the calendar.  Only good for activities from 8am to 5pm--when they have an office person who can punch them.  Some activities are worth two punches but that will be randomly decided, apparently.
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The 8am coffee klatch was not happy.  The evening bingo people were not happy.  The library people were not happy.  The many people who still work part-time to make ends meet were not happy.  The people who don't like being treated like preschoolers were not happy.  (One lady kept scowling and patting her head and her friend's head as they were explaining the punch cards and saying--"now, if you're a good little girl...")
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They seemed distressed that of all the senior buildings they manage ours has the least attendance for activities.  Maybe we're just a feisty group of loners, who knows?  
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But--as you can see on the calendar--not counting the red "Office Closed" there are only 9 activities in red.  No wonder they have to give two punches for something--LOL!  You'd have to attend everything to get your "prize".
They had a raffle in the beginning--you just wrote your name on a little piece of paper.  That was for a $25 Barnes & Noble gift certificate.  At the end of the meeting they were doing a Word Search Race for a $25 Dominos Pizza gift card.  But I passed (along with quite a few others), came home, and threw out my punch card--LOL!   I never did get started on the memoir task that day.
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Friday Dagan came with more bird seed from Fleet Farm.  Filled the bin out in the garage and wheeled it in!  Was freezing out that day, too.  I am so glad to have the bird seed bin in now next to my kitty litter bin.
Dagan said he could wheel the bin out to fill it with seed from the 40# bags in the garage, too, so that I wouldn't have all that dust to deal with!!  Whoohoo!!  I am thrilled to have the bird seed inside for the first time.  Has seemed colder this year.  Remember when my glasses frosted over!  Winter is a lot more beautiful and enjoyable through a window from a warm apartment--LOL! 
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 I never got to my last task (memoir) until Saturday.  Hopefully I will be more on track this week, but I finished the first week and that is what counts.  :)
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The book is kind of set up for the people who are retiring and at loose ends with that huge shift from working every day.  But it will work okay for me or people who aren't quite retirement age yet.  For the weekly memoir portion you are supposed to divide your age by 12 and go through your life's memories in chunks like that.  Well, that doesn't work for me--would be every 5.5 years.  It worked okay for this first week because we moved from Minneapolis, Mn to Fridley (suburb) when I was five.  
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After I finished last week's session, I sat down and figured out the 12 time chunks that would work for me.  I have moved so many times, had so many jobs, been in different relationships...I needed to make it more memory friendly--LOL!  So now I more prepared for this week.  :)
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There are a bunch of questions to jog your memory and tasks for the week.  True--I have scheduled my memoir session in for Thursdays and obviously might not get it done on that day.  But you have a weekly check-in that I plan to do first from the week before--whenever I get to my next session.  I have learned well how to be adaptable.  ;)
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One of the prompts was you first memory.  
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ASIDE:
Now many of you might not even be aware that I have another blog where I kind of store the poems and short stories I wrote in college and the various cogitations that have spontaneously occurred in this blog (IF I remember to cut and paste them over there).  Everything on that blog has been posted at one time in this main one, I believe.  People kept asking me how to find a particular story again.  As you may have noticed, I don't label blog topics or make tags--so that is why I started the other blog.
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So, for memoir week one--ages 0-5 before started school--I have two pieces for those of you who have never read them.
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  This one was a "first memory" assignment for freshman English back in 1999.  
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And this one was a memory of being about 4 or 5 I had while riding the bus to college.  (Did win first place and $2,000.00 for this one in a national online contest...and now I feel like a braggart.)
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I hope the links work.  I haven't made a link for ages so let me know if they don't work and I'll try again.
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Anyways, you might get a little memoir material from me every week for the next 12 weeks (or however long it actually takes me to get through the book).  Good grief!  Be going through my entire 67 years!  You are forewarned--LOL!
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After I traveled back in time--I made some soup.
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Over the past week I watched all three Endeavour season 5 DVDs from Netflix.  And I started on a streaming series that Netflix is dropping come February called Crossing Lines and am enjoying that, too.  You know how I like European detective mysteries.  There are three seasons of Crossiing Lines and I binge watched season one yesterday.  Perfect for one of those low-on-spoons noodle days.  :)
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Today...I already put out twice the seed I usually do because it's pretty awful out there for the birds and they are devouring the seed like crazy.  Annie is zonked out in the chair next to me.  Not snoring.  The last load of clothes is in the dryer.  The first band of snow seems to have come through.  The next band with more snow will come through during the evening and morning hours tomorrow.  My phone says another 3-5 inches expected.  I'm one of those who welcomes snow.  Ice--I'll pass.  But snow--yes, please!
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Until next week...just curious.
Do you remember much of your first five years?  
Have you ever written memoir pieces?
Do you journal?
I realize not too many people even write letters anymore.
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If all goes well--see you next Monday.  :) :)
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"We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.  And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monday, January 14, 2019

1-14-2019 Monday-noon

Good afternoon!
Was not a productive week, shall we say.  I'm not that sick anymore, but being sick wears the spoons right out of me--LOL!  I got all the usual stuff done but nothing on the Never Too Late To Begin Again book.  Ironic, don't you think?  LOL!  Anyways, fresh start this week.  Wish me luck.  :)
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There's been grouse upheaval.  Another covey of grouse arrived beginning of the week and massive chasing ensued.  [Note: I may have been feeding two coveys all along but they avoided each other successfully before it got so cold that they were more desperate, you never know.]  Anyways, I rarely see the eight together since then.  Three.  Six.
 I am visited more frequently, so I figure they are all hanging about nearby and have learned to time share.  One often keeps watch while they eat, though.
Apparently some have made new friends and relationships have shifted.  But they are all looking good...and I put out extra seed.  
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I told you I did order a few more frivolous items this month.  Not that they won't be used and treasured, mind you.  :)  From JetPens I got this roll of washi tape that is actually layered individual cacti.  So cute!  
I often use washi tape on my writing tablets to pretty them up.
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I've been into multi-pens recently.  Never thought I would like them, honestly.  I started with Frixion because I use those all the time in my bullet (erasable).  Actually, now that I think about it, I have been using these for several years.  Funny how when you get old enough only a few years feels like recently--LOL! 
 The only thing I don''t like about them is the buttons are pre-colored so if you like to color-code and love variety you need a scratch paper nearby to check which color is which.  
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But I liked using those so much...well, I do love the needle point nibs on the Pilot Hi-Tec-C pens and discovered they had multi-pens.  Their buttons are built right into the refills in the appropriate color!! 
I've been using these for over a year now.
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I also have always loved the Uni-ball Signo UM-151 Gel Pens and have been buying those for many years.  Well, they have a Uni Style Fit Multi Pen.  Okay--I went wild!  There's a rainbow pack of 16 refills you can buy...and I got the three dotted holders that hold five refills each!
Whoohoo!   
So the one refill I left out was the yellow one.  But when one of these refills is empty I'll pop in the yellow one.  You can see that these holders have a clear end where you can see the refills.  That is how you know what color you are using.
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I know.  I am a pen nut and am like a little kid when it comes to new pens, but...what fun!  :)
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The last item I got was from Amazon.  They do sell these at Office Max in town so I figured if I liked it I could get refills from there, too.  Anyways, many years ago when I first saw disc notebooks I tried to flip the pages and they were just terrible!  Stuck and were so difficult to use.  That was so long ago I don't even remember where I was...a little shop in Minneapolis, I believe.  But I thought who would like these disc notebooks?
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But they've been around now for decades.  I finally took a chance and ordered this TUL Office Max one.  Nice cover.
Decent pages--narrow enough lines for me (hate wide lined paper). 
I ordered a couple of pocket folders, too, because they were inexpensive and popped one in the front and one in the back.  It has flat pockets built into the cover in the front.
The back of the cover has a pen holder. 
I was shocked at how smoothly the pages turn!   
Some of you may have been using disc notebooks for years, but these are brand new to me.  I hope the pages can be taken in and out a few times without them getting too bent up.  Time will tell, eh?  Anyways, I was pleasantly surprised.  Now I see why people like them.
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Was a very quiet week.  Had some winter weather--wind advisories (30-50 mph gusts), wind chill advisories (not even sure--maybe 30 below or more), frost, fog, freezing drizzle/mist.  Did see the sun a couple of times.  The patio door was frozen shut on Wednesday.  The girls had to scrounge for one day, but I had put out extra the day before so there was still a little out there.    
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 This fitness tracker Leah had gotten as a present (she already had one) that she set up for me...well, three strikes and you're out.  I don't know what it is with me and fitness trackers but I did have trouble with stopping watches even with new batteries, so maybe it's my electric personality--ROFL!  Anyways, this one also never knew when I was awake or asleep.  I am up and down--say I was up three times during the night it would only report that I slept one of those sessions out of four.  And I would wake up with 700-900 steps already!?  Sorry.  I have never been known to sleepwalk and I don't think I was marching around my apartment during the night.  Straight trip to the bathroom and back--LOL!  Yes, I'm stiff and do take smaller, hobbly steps, but I am not Tim Conway!  Give me a break--ROFL!  So, I have given up completely on fitness trackers.  Unless they come out with some kind of geriatric version--LOL!  So funny!
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 I had to get a picture of this.  I have only seen Annie in the little recliner maybe 3 or 4 times since she's lived with me.  I was surprised she had given up her memory foam spot that day (but where she is right now--out like a light).
Leah dropped off this holder thingie that goes over the back of my pantry door to hold... 
...the set of attachments she got me for my Dyson!!!   
And she brought me my new (red of course) instant filter water pitcher!
Easier for me to lift than the huge one I had--that was starting to leak.  It had been Dagan and Leah's before they gave it to me, so it was well used.  
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 The wheel on the cart is doing fine so far, too.  :)
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Well, I may have been tuckered but I wasn't going to miss Gramma Day on Saturday.  :)  Leah brought with Subway for Ian and I for lunch!  Ian was tired from swimming lessons that morning.  Since we were both tired we curled up in the chair after lunch and watched three episodes of Mighty Machines!  Then we had our Subway cookies for a snack and I got out something fun I have had tucked away for months.
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It's a set of blank puzzles for you to color or draw on.  They came with envelopes, too.  We got out his minion markers and I told him he could go wild and scribble to his heart's content.  Gramma joined in, too! 
Ian didn't notice I was taking pictures.  Asked him to look up--got his "huh?  what?  I was concentrating" face--LOL! 
He made a puzzle for Mama, Daddy, Aaron, Gramma, and himself.  Blue is his favorite color he told me, so you can guess which one was his.  Then we had to take them apart and put them in the envelopes.
I got a really big envelope to put all the little labelled envelopes in so they would have no idea what the surprise was.  We sealed them all with washi tape to they can be resealed.  
Ian was so excited!  He loves puzzles. 
Daddy came to pick him up.  
Gramma morphed back into zombie-woman--LOL!
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This past week I finished watching DCI Banks on Prime.  Watched the new season of Murdoch Mysteries and started on the new season of Brokenwood Mysteries both on Acorn TV.  Watched season three of Frontier on Netflix streaming (dark show) and rented Book Club and Masterpiece Theater's The Miniaturist.  A lot of down time this past week.  I am so grateful I have so many pain/cruddy day escape options!!  :)  
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Four of The Girls are here to peck away.  One is the window peeper!  :)  Have loads going in the washer and dryer...one more to go.  I just asked Alexa and it's 22 degrees right now.  My colored lights are twinkling on this dark, grey day.  I am hopeful that I will be able to actually start on the book now this week.  I knew I would have some bad days/weeks during the 12 week course but I hadn't expected the whole first week to go by the wayside--so funny!  Such is my life.  I will get through it--even if it takes me till this summer--ROFL!!  It was a really good week, regardless.  A really good week. 
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OMGosh!  Grouse wars!  There were at least a dozen grouse racing, screeching, and chasing back and forth out there--LOL!  It was all over in a few minutes and right now there are eight...yes, eight--just counted them...eating on my patio!  Maybe the original eight?  They are so funny!
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 See you next Monday.  :) :)
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Oh, and I saw this quote and thought and knew I had to post it today.  This has been my goal my entire life.  Not easy, but worth every effort and every moment's focus one can muster.  Maybe one day I will get there.  Never give up, right?
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"I swear I will not dishonor my soul with hatred, but offer myself humbly as a guardian of nature, as a healer of misery, as a messenger of wonder, as an architect of peace."
Diane Ackerman