November 2, 2025 Sunday

Greetings!

How can I have been so busy all week and got so little done--lol!  I have uncovered some gifts from old friends, though.  The two little red vases I got when my dear friend, Ruby, and I would go browsing in antique stores.  I still miss her.

She surprised me for no reason one day with this crazy looking cat figurine with two birds on its back.  Said she thought of me the instant she laid eyes on it.

Was very top heavy and fell over sooo many times.  The tail has been glued back on, the post has been glued back into the wooden cube (it is loose again), and the cat has been glued back into the post.  One year I finally glued the whole thing on to a heavy glass coaster and it hasn't fallen over since.

What a joy to see my two angel figurines I was surprised with (on two separate occasions) by my friend, Lynnette, I have known since before Dagan was born.  It is his birthday today!  My miracle baby is 51 years old!!  Truly a blessing!  

I remember his neo-natal nurse, Osa, (we've stayed in touch all these years) got all serious with me..."you do realize he'll never live to be five years old".  People always seemed to think because I could find joy in him just being here that day and find things to laugh about that I wasn't accepting how bad his heart was.  I knew.  I most certainly did.  Plenty of time to deal with problems when they come up and I didn't want Dagan to be surrounded by negative energy.  Positives!  Positives!  As long as he was going to be here...he was such a joy to me.  We smiled and laughed as much as possible.  I wanted him to have the best life he could have and be the best person he could be for however long he was here.  Life is too precious and too short.  

When I do stop talking and laughing and smiling...then you know things are really bad.  I know I am not right.  I have to deal with whatever it is that is stealing my joy, kick myself in the butt, and make a choice to get it back.  Life is truly too precious and too short.  :)

Also this week...look at this strange blossom on my cactus.  No, no petals fell off.  Have you ever seen one like this?

Looks like a more normal one is coming along.  Weird or normal, I will enjoy whatever blooms!

I got my letter telling us SNAP was put on pause.  

Without any notice, I discovered Amazon reimbursed me for the two sets of trays that never arrived!  That was such an unexpected and pleasant surprise!!

I unloaded all the living room boxes...

...but they are still there on the folding tables...

...making me feel like I didn't get anything done this past week--lol!

But I was busy.  Honest.  Took my usual couple of days off when I got too sore, but I was busy.  Ask Allie.

Made more where-are-things-going-for-now decisions.  Leah constructed this carpet enclosure we planned to use to for Allie's litter box to corral the litter...but we know how that turned out.  

So I asked Dagan to come down and move it into the storage area that is overflowing with stuff anyways.

Then we moved (or Dagan did--lol!) all the bins from the corner of the studio...

...into the corner of the maintenance/laundry room!

While that was being done, I spied three large boxes... 

...that said "L satchels" on them!  TaDa!

Yah!  Unloaded them.  There were four satchels that didn't have to go in with the living room correspondence satchels, so I put them in the studio for now.

Meanwhile, Leah had another brilliant idea for peace of mind!

She hung a little 3M hook down low by the shower so I can hang my watch there while I take a shower.  In case I should ever fall, I could reach it...hopefully.  You may remember my sister collapsed in her shower from a brain tumor and laid there for three days with the water running on her.  Wouldn't have helped in that case as she was unconscious, but you never know.  I have definitely felt safer since I have this new smart watch, I can tell you.

I worked at getting the living room satchels organized and put away.  Allie rolled on the floor sometimes to get my attention for some occasional petting.  Luckily, she will accept foot pets, too.

Love it!  Filled the one...

...a couple thin ones in the other hutch, but those other four may end up in here, too.  I also can't remember exactly how many satchels I have that go in the studio hutches.

The lazy susans are in place and as organized as I could get things.  I thank my friend, Bonnie, for sending me a set of clear acrylic lazy susans as a housewarming gift a couple years ago.  They hold more and fit in the kitchen.  I am using lazy susans in the bathroom cabinet, too...but haven't gotten in there yet.

All the climbing up and down on the stool--well, kind of put my knee out or sorts.  Hence the two days off this past week.  Becoming a pattern--lol!  But that's okay.  My body makes sure I take lots of breaks--lol!

Because I got into all the correspondence satchels I found my birthday cards!!  Therefore I was also able to send off belated birthday cards to the people I missed in September and October.  They went out in the mail!  Nice!  Makes me feel better.

Halloween--my knee was not in a good mood, but Leah snuck me down a couple of large keto white chocolate bars for the boys and they came down and rang my doorbell. 

I don't think I even told you that I have a door bell!!  There were lots of sounds I could have chosen, but you may not be surprised to know I chose the good old-fashioned ding-dong!  LOL!  I couldn't always hear them knocking with my bad hearing, but I can always hear the doorbell.  I love it!!

 

Also--wanted to try a different kind of a watch band...and I LOVE IT!  

I didn't think I would like one of the more plastic-y bands but I found out they are really just fine.  And they don't have the end of the band sticking out!  It tucks in behind!

My new constant companion.  I used to wear a watch all the time every day for jobs and for school.  Haven't worn one since 2005...but I was surprised at how quickly I feel naked without it now.

Time to find my Christmas bags.  Who knows where they might be.  I don't have many decorations at all, but last year I bought a Charly Brown Christmas tree on sale after Christmas and a couple of winter swags or whatever you call them.  I know they are somewhere in a white trash bag with Christmas written across it in Sharpie marker--lol!  I could use some early Christmas this year, I think.

Today I am doing laundry.  I don't think I ever showed you the colored dryer balls I got long before I moved in--lol!  I love them!

Well, I keep plugging away.  Keeps me out of trouble, eh?  Hope to continue to have progress this coming week, too.  And to finally move the pantry into the laundry room.  That was the decision on the pantry whereabouts--lol!  Plan to eventually--after can move those bins into the storage room--have some shelves where those bins are now where I can store dry goods, appliances, or whatever else I need accessible.  More storage space will be available eventually.  That's good.

I hear a mower going.  Not sure if it is Dagan or a neighbor.  Allie is listening intently...apprehensively.  She has nowhere to run and hide...but it also doesn't sound as close as it used to at the old place.  She hasn't moved.  The dryer has stopped so it's time for me to go fold and hang laundry.  Love my new washer and dryer!  Till next week, my friends.  Choose joy!!  Relentlessly!!  :)