Thanksgiving-1:30pm

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I decided to see about the Christmas decorations since I made the decision to go for it this year. I moved all the knick knacks from off the bookcase by Gracie into the bedroom on the tall dresser. I decided that the asparagus ferns were driving me completely crazy! I cut them back and if they grow back, okay. But they were half dying with the change in the weather and the position of the sun shifting so they get less light--dropping those tiny, spikey leaves all over my bedroom. I have always liked the looks of asparagus ferns, but have always had this same problem with them, too. I will not mourn them if they don't survive the drastic crew cut. Mean, I know--but they do drive me crazy when parts of them keep dying and shedding.
I draped the blinking lights across my rose garlands in the living room. These lights have a tinny musical accompaniment I can turn up if I want. I removed the red bells a couple years ago.
The tree fit just fine up on top of the bookcase. I did discover another thing that got broken in the move to Fargo. The little tree was in a black trash bag. There's a tripod base for the tree. Two of the three legs--well, it has been cracked at the base where the legs connect. You would have had to be pretty rough with this little tree to smash it down that hard. So, the tree is balancing up there on top of the bookcase. I will have to see if I can use super glue or something to prevent it from falling over or getting any worse. The move here--was definitely the worst move of my life. Had to hire a moving company and they damaged so many things in the move. Apartment Movers for anyone is this area--don't ever hire them. They gouged & scratched furniture, broke glass, demolished a bookcase into pieces, smashed, dented, & dropped boxes, and took almost 12 hours to move a two-bedroom apartment when they estimated 3-4 hours (even disappeared for two of those 12 hours). I'm sure I'll still find more things in the garage that have been broken or damaged. I haven't been thru all the boxes out there, yet.
Anyways, the tree is up--really "up"! hehe! Those are three singing angels set up next to the Victorian tree. I forgot to take a picture of the Santa head in the hallway--hehe! Karma was begging for him--he has a yarn beard that somehow entices her to attack? She cannot reach him, either. So, I think I am cat-safe with my decorations--knock on wood!

I am washing a load of clothes. That will do me in for the day, that's for sure. All the climbing and hauling things about--and then doing wash, too. Big day in Fargo--LOLOL!! Hope everybody is having a great Thanksgiving!

Wednesday- 7 pm

Caught Karma leaving her bathroom. I'm sure she's glad I finally scrubbed out the plastic cat box yesterday. Even when you have "scoopable" litter and scoop every day, it only lasts so long. There are too many small pieces that manage to get thru the strainer scoop and after while they accumulate. Tidy Cat is terrible stuff, as far as I'm concerned--smells! But I use Scoop Away or Fresh Step and I only have to completely empty and scrub about once every 4-6 months. I scoop every day, tho.

Thanks to Leah, nobody knows where the cat box is over at my place. We got a toy box/storage box from Target. Leah put it together for me--but before she did...
...she cut a hole in the end for an entrance for Miss Karma. But it just looks like a storage bench from the hallway.
We couldn't find a real cat box to fit inside, so we went searching. Found a plastic tub with a lid that would fit inside and Leah cut it down. Works like a charm! I laid a scrap of the outdoor carpeting I used on the porch on the bottom to catch the kitty litter off her feet. It looks like it works really well, but she still manages to drag little pieces all over the house from inbetween her toes! That's cats for you! Caroline vacuums the carpeting in there for me when she comes.

I brought in the Christmas stuff from the garage yesterday, too! Yup! Going to try to put the little tree up on the bookcase next to Miss Gracie. Might look funny--but it will be out of the reach of curious paws!

The guy was supposed to come and fix the bedroom window--again--today, but he never showed up. Dagan and Leah's extra smaller order came from Shaklee and she dropped by quickly to pick it up after work. I napped again--for like five hours. Haven't slept but 7 hours in two days. Hope to be able to sleep now tonight?? One never knows...but one can hope. :)

Tuesday-2:45am

Made it to the chiropractor today with Leah. This Dr. Hager is completely different from the other place we were going to. He only wants to see you if you are in pain. No regular scheduled appointments for him--no 2-3 times a week like at Dr. John's. I am so glad!! I am still paying for the other place and will be until January! And I thought that the most progress I made with my back/spine over there was in the first two weeks or so, anyways. I had told Leah that I didn't feel I needed to go that often--but they made you feel like you weren't really wanting to take care of yourself if you didn't come as often as he thought you should. Hummm? And Dr. John mostly used his little hammer on me. Dr. Hager--wow! It uses a lot of twisting and cracking and pressure! He does really deep pushing of muscles along and away from your spine! Hurts like hell at the time, but you feel better afterwards. So, unless I am in pain--no chiropractor!!! TaDa!!

This visit Dr. Hager got rid of the residual pain and twinges from that same spot that was so painful from young Dr. Mike. It has continued to be an annoyance since I went to Dr. Hager last time, but nothing painful enough over and above the rest of the regular pain to force me into action--hehe! I didn't realize, tho, how badly it still hurt till he started pressing and pushing around! I mean, I knew I still had residual pain there, but after dealing with the last place--I was hesitant about going back--not sure if Dr. Hager could actually fix the problem, you know? He did!!

I can see why Dr. Hager looked askance and frowned when I was telling him about the three times a week at Dr. John's. Dr. Hager would feel like he wasn't accomplishing anything to actually help you if he had to see you that often for months! You can tell that Dr. Hager knows what he is doing. He gets right to the problem and works on you till you have relief. He tells you to wait a few days and see if you think you need to come back or not for a little fine tuning. "If you still have pain after a few days--come back. If not--I really hope not to see you" he said with a glowing smile. Then he has done his job well.

Going to Dr. John had its positives, tho. I got rid of the terrible, shooting tail bone pain. He got Leah and I both thinking about our health holistically. We had to decide that we were worth the money--that our health was worth the money--and we made that committment. Dr. John was a very positive person. We went thru the testing and learned what areas we needed to work on--and what areas we were good in (much to my surprise!!). Everything happens for a reason. So, I think Dr. Mike and those horrible supplements happened to get us out of there and on to the next step on our pathways to better health. :)

All this has gotten Dagan thinking about his health, too. He's going to start taking more than just the VitaLea (multiple vitamins) and NutriFeron. In fact, there should be an extra order for them arriving here tomorrow. Dagan's going to start taking the Energizing Protein Powder in the mornings--he tried it and liked it (tastes pretty good, actually). Not sure what else he's going to take? But I am so glad!! I want him around for as long as possible, too!!!

Anyways, back to Dr. Hager--Leah gets sharp neck pains that the massage therapist (she has been going to occasionally since we quit at Chiro Life) can't quite take care of. She loves the massages, but needs things cracked, I guess. So, she might go in more often to Dr. hager than I will. But we both like him. And he uses this cream that must be a mentholated cream of some kind--it is cool, but tingly. Feels good and lasts for quite a while after the appointment. It is nice to know he is there if we need him. :)

After the chiro appointment Leah and I ran over to Target. I picked up a roll of the very cheap little 4 gallon bags that I use for my bathroom garabge and for Karma's cat box cleaning every day. I was down to the extremely crinkled ones on the very inside of the roll--hehe!

Then Leah came up to my place and we got the massage table out of the storage room so she could take that home with her. Yay!! :):)

I have only had two hours of sleep--a little nap this morning. I have no idea why I am still awake--again. I definitely decided to start taking the full dose of the Shaklee Menopause Complex on December. I have only been taking half a dose and my sleeping is getting worse. Or not sleeping, I should say--until I finally crash out for a sleepathon! And I am getting warm off and on more often. Not like the sweating I have read about, but warm enough, thank you very much!! I guess I could call them hot flashes. They can wake me up and/or keep me from sleeping. Hormones!! *sigh*

As long as I was up all night last night, I finally finished these 30 Shaklee product videos I watched online and answered questions about each one. This was a deal Renae offered us (Pam, Leah, and I). You get them all done and mail the 30 forms to her with your list of $100 worth of product at retail price--and she will order them for you!! Her gift--she does this out of her own pocket! I felt like I was back at school. I actually ended up taking notes on them--not just finding out three things that interested me. Writing in the margins--making notations. So, I actaully kept the originals and sent her copies (so I could read all the stuff around the edges of the forms--hehe!). I wanted them for future reference. Anyways, sent them off today!!

Then, because Renae will be paying for most of the things I buy every month, I can finally get the cleaning starter kit in December! So excited!! I am almost out of dishwasher soap, for one. Soon will be using plain hot water. (Altho, Dagan and Leah tease me all the time about how I clean all the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher, anyways-hehe! They'll be pretty darn clean even without dishwasher soap--I'll be sure to scrub them extra well with dishsoap before I run them thru--ha!)

What I am excited about is that in one small way I can make a difference for the earth. I will gradually be switched over to entirely non-toxic cleaning products. When Karma walks on the wet floor after Caroline cleans it--no toxins/poisons will get up thru her little feet! :) When I clean Gracie and Karma's dishes I won't have to worry about getting every last bit of soap off of them and rinse and rinse them--and that will save some water, too--hehe! Leah and Dagan will be doing this later, too--buying the big starter kit. Leah is so excited to see everything that is in it, she wants to be here when I open the box next month!! chuckle! If I am just an old hippie--Leah is a young one! :):)

I may not be sleeping well, but I have been in just the best, best mood lately! Just feeling happy and grateful and lucky. Smiling a lot. Oh--and at a suggestion from a lady on Sparks, I think I have found something I can actually do for exercise that will lift my spirits at the same time!! Dancing around the apartment! I've been dragging out old cassette tapes--Moody Blues, Jimi Hendrix, Ben Harper, Enya, Madonna, Willie Nelson, whatever I can find with an actual singer (my tastes have gone thru changes over the years, eh?). Most of my tapes and CDs have no vocals--instrumentals, new agey stuff, environmental music with frogs, crickets, and whales. Not stuff to dance to. I am even ordering some DVDs from Netflix with Sting, The Doors, Simon and Garfunkle, The Moody Blues (I loved them!!), The Beatles, etc. Going to have music about the place. Might be a shock for the neighbors who are used to quiet and the occasional chirping from this far end of the hallway--because if I am going to play music to dance to, I will play it a little louder than I play the television!! hehe!

So, you can think of me dancing around my apartment--freaking out Karma and Gracie--and having hot flashes in Fargo!! LOLOL!!

Monday-11:45pm

Well, I was up for 24 hours!! I don't believe it! Puttering about. Finished the embossing on this section of the Christmas cards, writing letters, working on the secret project, reading, cleaned the betta bowl, caught up on all my emails (seldom is my inbox totally empty), and watched TV. Went to bed at 1:00am and woke up at 5:30pm tonight! Boy, did I sleep well, tho! What a off-kilter life I lead. :)

Tomorrow afternoon Leah and I go to the chiropractor. But, because of Thanksgiving on Thursday, Leah has to work at her second job on Wednesday night instead of Thursday--so we won't meet to work on cards on Wednesday and will wait till the following week.

Leah invited me over for our own little Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday! How nice! I am so used to spending the holidays alone--and I don't mind at all. Dagan and Leah rotate between her mom's (Leah's dad died years ago) and Dagan's dad and stepmom's. I get to see them regularly, so I don't feel at all deprived. But it will be nice to actually have a Thanksgiving with them this year!! She said she's making a ham dinner!

With my health being what it is, it's nice to just be curled up in front of the TV watching holiday specials and movies with Karma and Gracie. Dagan and Leah are the only family I have up here in the North country. Over the years since I moved here in 1999 I have been invited to Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations by various people I met at school--believe it or not, even bright-eyed 20-some year old girls worried about me being alone on the holidays--hehe! But I always turned them down. They didn't understand how I could prefer to spend quiet, peaceful holidays alone rather than be with people, you know? I have no desire to be "with people" just for the sake of not being alone. If I can't be with my own friends and/or family--that's fine. I have no trouble being with me--hehe! Darn good thing, eh? As I do spend almost all my time alone. And now--no offense to Miss Gracie--Karma is much more company than I've had for years! :):)

I'm debating about bringing in the little, table-top tree this year. I know it would be just too much temptation for Miss Karma--no idea where to put it? Maybe some blinking lights around the window. That's what I did last year with a young cat in the place--hehe! Karma's no old, lay-about cat yet, that's for sure. And she can't leave a single thing alone that is brought into this apartment if she can reach it. I doubt she'll change in that regard. I'd have to find some spot where she couldn't reach the little tree--and with my crowded apartment--that is a real challenge! Might have to be twinkling lights again this year--or nothing. I do so love twinkling/blinking lights, tho! They got the better of me last year when I was going to do nothing at all--hehe! We'll see.

I could maybe take everything off the bookcase next to Gracie and I think the little tree might just fit up there....hummmm??? :):)

Sunday 8:00am

I have been sleeping erratic hours. Been up since 1:00am.

I've just been writing letters, reading, and watching TV mostly the past few days. Have been working on embossing the first piece of the Christmas cards little by little (we're making 50 of them). There will be another piece to emboss around the edges later and we are probably going to emboss the inside saying, too. I so love having Leah come over to get crafty with me--hehe!

I more often have pain flares, I guess, but lately I've been smack dab in the middle of an exhaustion flare. You feel tired and kind of weak all over--kind of like when you have the flu. Hard to explain to people. I'm fine, tho. Just moving even slower than my normal snail pace--hehe! This too shall pass.

Leah and I have appointments to go to Dr. Hager on Tuesday afternoon, so I changed my appointment with Caroline for cleaning to the following week. The bedroom window that the man fixed--broke again already. It was really hard to shut it since he fixed it and something snapped and twanged the last time! Only this time, instead of not staying open and sliding down, it doesn't want to open at all. This is only a tragedy to a woman in menopause--chuckle! I'll have to call the office Monday.

I watched The DiVinci Code--last DVD that has worked on the player connected to my bigger TV in the living room. The DVD/VHS player has been going for some time--the DVD part of it--taking longer and longer to load the movies. Then it wouldn't be able to read them, it said--but I had already watched half the movie it said it couldn't read--so I knew it was lying. So that started a contest of wills and an open and close routine until it would finally decide it could actually read the movie. The DiVinci Code took ten minutes to load--but it was the last battle I won. Since then--even a 20 minute battle hasn't convinced the DVD that it still possesses the skills to read--so I gave up. Sigh! They sure don't make things to work like they used to! I think Dagan and Leah got the DVD player for me last Christmas! I emailed them to see if they had the receipt. Maybe it is still returnable? In the meantime, I can watch movies on my little laptop screen.

Anyways, it was a good movie. I haven't read the book yet (unusual--I usually try to read the book first and I even own it), but I'll have to try to get to it now.

Based on Dan Brown's best-seller of the same name, Ron Howard's gripping film stars Tom Hanks as Harvard professor Robert Langdon and Audrey Tatou as cryptographer Sophie Neve, who must untangle a web of deceit when the curator of the Louvre, a member of a secret society and a relative of Neve's, is found murdered in the famed museum's hallowed halls. To crack the case and arrive at the truth, they must look to the works of Leonardo da Vinci.

Also watched A Prairie Home Companion, but a different DVD. This was a filming of the 30th anniversary program with all the music and commercials and his little talk--all there! I enjoyed it! I watched the extras, too--some little bits that didn't make it into the movie for some reason--also good!

For years, storyteller Garrison Keillor has ruled the public radio airwaves with his broadcasts from a fictional Minnesota town called Lake Wobegon. And woes do disappear for viewers thanks to this show, which documents a live performance of the series at the Fitzgerald Theater. With its mix of delightful vignettes, compelling tales, entertaining musical performances and Keillor's sonorous voice, A Prairie Home Companion never fails to charm.

I'm reading Jennifer's book "And Their Eyes Were Watching God"--am almost done with that one. Then I can read "The DiVinci Code" if I want to. If I feel up to all that heavy thinking--hehe! I'd need more energy than I have at the moment.

All is quiet up here in the North country. Reporting from Fargo....

Thursday-5pm

Leah was over last night and we worked on the Christmas cards.

If it wasn't for Leah, I might have had store bought cards this year. She did a lot of cutting and punching last night. Good thing we are going to the new chirpractor next Tuesday-Dr. Hager.

I have been up and down. Was confused as to what day it was! Slept last night from 10:30pm till 3:00am and then was up and couldn't get back to sleep. Then slept again from 10:30am until 4:00pm. Feels like a couple of days went by! This is the way my life is sometimes.

Going to go work on the Christmas cards while I watch TV...

Tuesday-5:00pm

Funny, now I can't remember if this was JoAnn's or Michael's? I discovered I had my camera with and was going to take pictures of our craft shopping journey...

...but after entering Hobby Lobby I forgot about the camera. I was getting progressively more sore, but it was such a fun night!! Leah and I went first to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Then we hit every craft store in Fargo--went to JoAnn's, Michael's, and Hobby Lobby. Then we drove to Moorhead to K&Krafts in the Moorhead Center Mall (our favorite craft store!).

We found a little here and a little there, but it was at K&K's that we finally decided on what to make this year for Christmas cards! They're going to be monochromatic green, but that is all I will say. :) This year Leah and I are both doing the same cards and will work together in assembly-line construction on Wednesdays. We are really excited about the cards---and our new items to play with. We have ribbons, yarns, a circle cutter, a couple of mat stacks (one is sticky back paper!), and some new punches--besides the supplies for the Christmas cards. Was such fun to be back in the craft stores! Been a while. We used up the money from the craft account, that's for sure. (Leah still had money left from when she was doing the mall craft sales.) This winter, after the holidays, we want to meet regularly and experiment with some of the fun things we have either not gotten to yet or have had little time to play with.

I am very sore--pain pills day--taking it easy so I will be in shape for making cards tomorrow night. Am feeling inspired and excited to be making cards again--and my body will catch up with my mind--hehe! :)

Sunday-7am

Heading for bed. Yup! Back on nights, that's for sure.

Been working on the secret Christmas presents for Dagan and Leah. Just didn't want you to think I had forgotten my blog! It is easy for me to use up my spoons--hehe! My good hours disappear especially quickly when I am working on projects. For the next month or so I will be heavily into Christmas cards and the secret presents. :) But I won't forget to say hello and let you know what is happening up here.

The wind had been really rattling the windows since yesterday! Made it really cool in here, but it seems to have finally died down a little. Usually I only have to turn the heat on once in a while because it stays so warm up here on third floor, but the wind usually doesn't howl and rattle my windows, either. I face east. I've had the heat on most of the time the past couple days. Might have snow or sleet today. Right now, I am headed to bed to sleep thru part of the day. :)

Friday-9:30am

Karma is loving the humidifer! I move it back and forth from the bedroom to the living room and she follows it faithfully. She loves the mist to fall on her in this spot in the living room. Poor Karma must have been parched, too--hehe! (I had bloody noses!) In the living room I have it aiming at Miss Gracie so she can reap the benefits, too.

Dagan forgot all about coming over for lunch yesterday and went home for lunch. I was really dragging and actually took a nap in the afternoon. Leah came over around 7pm after she got done with her second job. I had dinner ready for her and then we took off for Hobby Lobby--they close early at 8pm. Didn't find much and were having to hurry because we didn't leave my place until 7:30pm. Leah was looking for silver paper and didn't see any. It was one of those nights that weren't good for shopping, I think. We headed over to Sam's club for some cheap white cardstock, which we did find, and then called it a night.

We're going to go shopping on Monday night when she will be off at 4pm. We'll be able to hit JoAnn's, Michael's, and K & Krafts (we love K&K's!!) and get the shopping for supplies part over and done with. Leah said she might be able to come on Wednesday nights instead to work on cards when she'd have more time? She'll let me know--but it will either be Wednesdays or Thursdays.

I still haven't decided exactly what I want to make this year. Leah has her idea involving silver paper (don't want to give it away), but I need to figure out what I am going to make. I have the weekend to decide, I guess, so I hopefully will have a better idea when we go shopping on Monday. Otherwise--it will be a matter of what I happen to run across that strikes my fancy--hehe! There's plenty to choose from, so I am not worried. :)

I was in bed really early for me--11pm--but woke up at 4:45am and couldn't get back to sleep again to save my life. I was cold, so I turned the heat on--but then was hot. Might be naptime again this afternoon--how strange. I am absolutely not a napper by nature. Not even with fibro, believe it or not. I was never one who could sleep in a car, in school, in a chair watching TV (but that has happened to me a few times since I got fibro), and it has always taken me 20-30 minutes to fall asleep in bed usually (unless I am really totally exhausted--which has happened a lot since getting fibro--hehe!). Menopause is messing with me, tho! And often getting the better of me with these irratic sleeping patterns. I will take the rare nap now. So not me! Oh well--such is life, eh? Goes right along with the heat on--heat off--windows cracked open--windows closed thing--hehe! *sigh* This, too, shall pass.

We went from 72 degrees down to low 30s for a highs in one day, I think. (See! Naps throw me off!) Well, I am off to watch Mission Impossible III...see if that can keep me awake--hehe!

Wednesday- 3:00 pm

Wow! The flash really works on this camera! The following pictures were all taken in the dark!

I forgot to mention that Leah dropped off my very early Christmas present on Monday night. (I am going to contribute in December.) I was too tired to set it up that night, so I set it up yesterday late afternoon when Dagan was here. It has been so dry in here since I had to shut it up and put the heat on that I've even had blood noses! Anyways, I noticed that I hadn't seen Karma for quite a while last night, so I went looking for her. It is such a rarity for her not to be glued to my hip, so to speak. I found her snoozing on my bed...

...where I had the mister aimed.
Karma came out for a while last night and then she disappeared again. I found her sitting in the dark inside the bedroom door near the humidifier.
Obviously she was appreciating the humidity, too! Thanks Dagan and Leah--from all of us!!

I moved the humidifier into the living room today so that Miss Gracie could glean some of the benefits, also. I will be doing that--back and forth--all winter. Ahhh! Nice! Nice!

The office told me the window guy said he'd come to fix the bedroom window today, but he hasn't shown up so far. I called the office yesterday about the florescent light in the kitchen that has been flickering and going out. The maintenance man came already today to replace it. It was driving Leah so crazy she'd shut off the kitchen light--hehe! I would have left it to flicker till it died (there are two bulbs in the fixture) like I did the last one--chuckle! All fixed now, Leah. :)

Dagan was going to come over for lunch today, but forgot that he was dropping his car off for the day for its annual winterizing. So, he's coming tomorrow. And tomorrow night Leah is coming to work on Christmas cards! So, another busy day for me! :)

I've been working a lot on letters lately. I simply have to hand write letters. I can't imagine a world where I couldn't take pen in hand and chat with friends and family. I miss it when I go too long using email--hehe! Hand writing is a more intimate or relaxed conversation than email, you know?

Been reading the Debbie Ford book and working on the exercises--really thought provoking!

Questions like: What am I most afraid of? What's the biggest lie I have ever told myself? What's the biggest lie I have ever told someone else? What aspects of my life need transforming? What am I most afraid of finding out about myself?

Not exactly light reading. But all good! So...doing a lot of that inner work lately. I need a lot on inner work!!

I decided to mostly write about how the healthy eating and all of that lifestyle changing is going on my Sparks blog. But I will have general updates in here, too. Don't worry, nothing will be happening quickly--hehe! :)

Cloudy, but beautiful day today! 64 degrees! Very late Indian summer? Had the windows open this afternoon--able to turn off the heat and humidifier. Karma was thrilled I had the porch door propped open again for her--like the good old days--the fleeting days of summer--hehe! Hope it is nice wherever you are!

Tuesday-5:00pm

Yesterday I had been up all night long and never slept. Since the window man was scheduled to be coming to work on the inside of the third floor apartments, I was hoping he might start with #301. I showered, dressed, and started washing clothes & sheets just to keep myself awake.

I was right! He came knocking on my door about 10am. Since he had to remove the windows to put in new screens, I talked him into letting me clean them before he put them in again (slowing him down some, but he didn't seem to mind and didn't offer to help-chuckle!). I had to do them as quickly as I could so I couldn't do the extra nice job I would have if I had the time, but they are much cleaner. I used up half a roll of paper towels and they were just black from the side facing the out of doors! I always ask questions, I guess. Found out he was putting some clips in so that the upper halves of the windows cannot be removed and won't droop. So, now the outside of the top halves need to be cleaned by the owners. Humm? I doubted I'd ever see another chance to have cleaner windows--so I grabbed it! hehe! And I had him show me how to flip out the lower half of the windows so that I can clean the backsides myself in the future, too! TaDa!

He said he'd have to come back to fix the bedroom window. Didn't have the part. The bedroom window has slid down and refused to stay open ever since I moved in. I have been using a wooden dowel cut to fit--by Leah, of course--to prop it open. My old apartment in Moorhead, built in 1969, had old wooden windows that could crash down suddenly and about give you a heart attack--so I had been using dowels on all those windows over there for the five years I lived there. Anyways, the window man is supposed to come by tomorrow about 10am to fix the bedroom window for me. I will be able to open the window however wide I want it! Oh, the little joys in life, eh?

I finished clothes, watched some shows I had taped, and was in bed and asleep by 7pm. Woke up at 8am this morning! Yes--me--8am--chuckle! Extra sore from cleaning the windows and doing wash--it was immediately a pain pill day this morning--less spoons. But the windows look sooo nice! I didn't realize how dirty they had become!!

Caroline, the cleaning girl came this afternoon. The Shaklee order was delivered by UPS. I split up our order and did the invoice check. Dagan was here for his 4:30pm pacemaker check (over the telephone--they don't own a land line, so he comes here to step into the technological past). He took the Shaklee box home. I invited him to visit for lunch tomorrow. :)

Inbetween times I have been on www.sparkpeople.com a lot. Also, I've been reading Dark Side of the Light Chasers and remembering how much I love this book--even if it is a daunting book in a lot of ways. I think this is a book I could read every year or two for the rest of my life, actually. It is all about dealing with your dark side or shadow side--the parts of ourselves that we don't like or don't want to admit about ourselves. About learning to forgive, accept, and love our dark side. If we can discover where the postive lessons are about those sides of yourself we can, therefore, also learn to be truly forgiving of others. And it is the only way you can transform negatives into positves, too!! So exciting! I read it several years ago and I am enjoying reading it again. Tough love! That's what it is--tough love. :) I have so much to work on--will take me the rest of my life!

Leah will be coming over after work Thursday night. We are going to start working on Christmas cards every Thursday night until we get done. (Hope I didn't already talk about this? Fibro fog can be a curse--hehe!) I'm excited about that and have to start thinking about what I am going to make this year??? :)

Obviously, I will be tired before 6-8am--and I'll be up in the morning again tomorrow!! TaDa!! As much as I love the night, sometimes I wish I could stay on days when these brief "socially acceptable" hours arrive unexpectedly for a few days. Oh well, as Popeye said--I am what I am! :)

Saturday-5:30pm

When Karma decides she wants some "lovin'up"--this is how she learned to be right up in my face and across my chest.

Because of my bad arm, I can't grip or hold anything with my left hand, so I write and read with a small throw pillow on my lap and then this writer's desk pillow on top of that. I use a book weight to hold the books open a lot of the time, too. The corner strap holds my small legal pad in place. Just one of the ways I have made adaptations so that I can still enjoy my favorite activities.

[Note: the Halloween card is from my friend Bonnie from Hibbing. "Holy Sheet! It's Halloween!" was inside. Cracked me up, Bonnie!]

When Karma was smaller, she wasn't quite so overwhelming, but she still effectively put a stop to all lap desk activity. She climbs up and positions herself -- and then repostions -- and repostions. I was trying to take a picture since the camera was right on the table next to me, which bothers Karma because I am not surrounding her with both arms--which she takes as maybe she isn't being fully appreciated...
...which makes her keep shifting. I kept laughing and laughing--Karma kept shifting--all of which interested Miss Gracie, of course, so she had to come to the side of the cage to eye us and put in her two-cents worth.
Karma finally got herself in the perfect position and we watched the sad ending of Anne Frank: The Whole Story.
CashWise came yesterday. Never had this much trouble with an order before. Turns out they were training in four new people at once yesterday. I had three wrong items and they had forgotten to deduct my EBT card amount (food stamps--without which I don't know what I'd do living on $696.00 a month! Was a momentary fright for moi, I tell you!). They made a trip back to trade me for the right products last night and still had an item wrong the second time! By that time it was 9:30pm, so they are supposed to drop it off tonight between 6-8pm.

And what could it be that they screwed up twice? My very favorite treat and comfort food-- that I have not ordered for months--not since I started buying supplements! International Coffees French Vanilla Cafe!! They brought sugar-free (which doesn't dissolve and doesn't taste right) and then brought sugar-free decaf! So, we'll see if they can bring the original, plain old fattening french vanilla this time? They are usually so good--I really can't complain. By next month they'll have their new people trained in, hopefully. :)

The Anne Frank movie was a made for TV miniseries from 2001:

Anne Frank's acclaimed diary, kept while in hiding in Amsterdam during World War II, enjoys the highest readership of any book ever printed (except the Bible). This filmed version fills in gaps omitted when her father (the only family member to survive the Nazi holocaust) submitted the work for publication. The story follows Anne to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she died just days before liberation.

It had Ben Kingsley (awesome, as usual) as Otto Frank (her father), Hannah Taylor-Gordon played Anne, and I ordered it because Brenda Blethyn was in it and I didn't remember who she played (now that I have watched some of her movies on Netflix). I had seen it on TV back then and knew it was a good version--and it was just as good the second time, too!

This time Brenda Blethyn played the lady you didn't like who was staying with them in the attic--the lady who came from more money and started out pretty uppity. She can play the villian, flaky-ditz, or so sweetly innocent and likable that she could break your heart! (I've heard her play with an American accent, also.) Now that I know who she is--I will watch for her.

Anyways, since CashWise came--I was over my calories yesterday and might be again today--hehe! Too exciting to have new foods to pick from--and fresh stuff! Not quite as much as usual this time. I cut back on food and supplements this month so I could make a purchase.

I have had this huge, to my ankles, burgundy coat that I bought for college and then a cheap, unlined, sweatshirt material jacket--nothing inbetween--for many years. The long coat was great for all the endless waits at the bus stops and walking to night classes when it was windy and 20-30 below wind chills--even colder on occasion. I went to class and threw the coat over an empty chair or in a corner someplace out of the way. But to climb into a car with that coat on is a hassel and it is too warm to wear walking around shopping and such. It is so big that if I take it off and put it in a cart--it pretty much takes up the whole cart--hehe! (I have always had trouble climbing the steps onto the bus and not stepping on the hem and tripping my sorry self! When you are quite short--a full length coat is really almost to the ground--hehe!) So, I never did wear it until I was really freezing in the thin jacket.

That long coat is just the best coat for walking around outside in the cold, cold winter--which I still did regularly when I lived in Moorhead (bank, post office, library, coffee shop, mall). But there's no place to walk to where I live now. The bus stop is right in front of our building, so I don't have to walk far or wait long. These days I am usually going shopping with Dagan and/or Leah in a car when I am out. My very favorite, big burgundy coat has been losing it's usefulness since I moved here. :(

So, I have ordered a knee length, lighter weight, fir green berber coat! 35% off on sale--very plain one, so that I could actually squeak out the money for it! Exciting! I know, you might be thinking--"well, you rarely leave the apartment, anyways--why do you need a new coat?" Because this is Fargo! Even if I am just walking from car to apartment or car to store and back--I can't walk fast anymore. With my present coat choices--it was freeze and be comfortable later inside or not freeze and sweat/be uncomfortable the whole time I was shopping, etc. I wanted a more reasonable choice--hehe!

I know, not a big deal to most people, I suppose. But it is a big deal in my little world--hehe! Another little incentive to make it easier for me to get out a bit more. Well, that's the news from Fargo today! :)

Friday-6:30am

What do Karma and I do at 4:30 in the morning?

My timer went off, so I had to leave the computer for a while.

I went to sit in my chair and continue writing a letter to my friend, Ruby, in Wisconsin.

(Hi, Ruby!)

So, Karma decided to grab a few winks on the other chair.

After a brief "cat nap" she started sprawling and stretching about.

She thought I wasn't watching and started pushing my water bottle off the table.

I laughed and put it back.

So, she decided to capture the pages from the letter and pull them off the table.

I told her to leave them alone, silly girl.

She hid so I couldn't see her.

I informed her that I could still see her and, giggling, to stop the shenanigans.

She feigned disinterest until I was busily writing away again.

I grabbed the pages and put them back.

So then she casually went for her comb.

This is how we spend our time.

Not neccessarily doing this particular silly interaction, but Karma and I are always talking and she's always thinking of something else to do that will make me laugh or to try to scare me. (I think she knows I fake the surprise half the time for her benefit, but she really enjoys it when she truly does startle me.)

Came time to move again at 5:30am.

I went back to the computer.

Karma moseyed over to keep me company. Tired as she was.

She's up on the desk now a lot. I gave her that inch--and you can't take it back with a cat--chuckle!

She did leave the desk, after 15-20 minutes. She's lying on her back nearby the computer chair in her prayer position on the more comfortable to sprawl upon carpeting.

The timer has gone off.

6:30am and I am heading someplace else...

and Karma will follow me...in her own sweet time.

Wednesday-midnight

This is the machine that lifts a strange and noisy man to our window. It makes a loud robotic noise when it moves.

He is supposed to be on second floor all week a notice informed us at the front door. But since I haven't left the building recently, I have no clue when the notice was placed on the door--chuckle!

Guess what!! I actually had five--count 'em--five trick-or-treaters last night! First ones in six years!! Amazing! I was glad I had the candy after all!!

I finally drug the two aluminum based, plastic covered, storage wardrobes up and down the long hallway last night--switched the summer and winter clothes, shoes, and coats. If I left the house more often, I would have been pushed to do this weeks ago--hehe! It's a big project and I am glad it is done. Didn't feel too badly today, either! Hurray!

Tonight Leah had her Shaklee meeting. Six people came--besides she, Dagan, and I--so there was a full room. I forgot my camera! Anyways, I enjoy listening to Renae and get excited about Shaklee all over again. The November order will be coming in a few days. I am getting the Basic H this time for cleaning--finally. I have been concentrating on the supplements and waiting until I had used up the cleaning stuff I already had before I replaced anything. Too poor to do otherwise and don't want to be wasteful, of course.

Chuckle!

Pam told me the new concentrated Basic H says to add two drops to a 16oz spray bottle of water to make glass cleaner. (She bought the big starter cleaner kit this month--which I want to try to get it next month!) Pam said she accidentally got three drops in the bottle and it didn't work all that well. Since the plastic spray bottles come in a set, she got the proper two drops in the other bottle and it worked like a charm! So, you are not to use any more than it says to--when they say concentrated, they really mean it!

Leah got the dishwasher soap this month and it has this tiny little scoop! She says it works better than the Amway did! She's trying out the hand and body lotion this coming order. (We both have really dry hands in the winter, she'll tell me how it works.)

Anyways, enough Shaklee talk. Time to go watch something and sit in my comfy chair! (The meetings are physically harder on me--but I love going!)

Wednesday-3:30am

Warning: If you don't care for cats, the following will bore you to tears!

Chuckle! Chuckle! Chuckle!

I was asked (in a cat lovers group, of course)--why I thought Karma was unique? Hummmm? Hard to put your finger on it, but Dagan (who has lived with most of my cats) has said it, too. I think a lot of it is her attitude, personality, and quirks. Cats are often so strange--that's what I love about them!
Karma can be all demanding lovey-dovey, not content to be on my lap, she has to be across my chest and shoulder and keep rearranging herself like she can't get close enough--usually in the mornings. She loves to hide and leap out at you as you walk by--LOVES to scare me (so I pretend that she has a lot of the time). But she's a little embarrassed when I scare her. We actually play hide and seek at night in the dark before we go to bed. So she's quite annoyed with me if I stay awake till dawn--(fibro, etc, I keep crazy hours)--because she won't play unless it is dark and I swear she pouts.

She has this wild streak that just erupts! I thought she'd outgrow this, but she's 20 months old now. It doesn't last as long, but she still wants to play "crazy cat" and fight! She puts her ears back and does this growling, sideways walking, I-am-going-to-attack-your-leg thing. Then I am supposed to push her over and spin her around on her back without letting her get her teeth on me (she's declawed). She doesn't bite hard--you know the fake biting cats do when they wrestle around? She wants to, but she knows she'll get in trouble and I won't play if she bites a little too hard (which she does on purpose sometimes and quickly runs for the hills). And she knows she can't play crazy cat unless I am in the mood. If I am busy or don't feel well I have to tell her "no!" like you'd tell an unruly kid--and she gets so pissed off! Then she'll do one of her racing across the apartment, launching up and off the chairs, half-howling routines. Which she will also do for no apparent reason (to me). She's been doing it lately and walks around just generally bitching off and on. I think she is pissed off that it has gotten too cold to lounge about on the screened in porch--but I am not really sure? I think it is extremely frustrating to her that I don't understand her, since she understands English.

She also attacks toes while anybody is sitting in a chair, or thru the covers when I am in bed, when the mood strikes her--she can be in a wilder mood or a gentler mood about it. I squeal in a high Mr. Bill voice--"Oh no! Oh no! You got me!" She takes great delight in the sound effects! She will let go, almost looks like she's smiling, and bite again just to get the sound effects. This has encouraged visiting humans to do the Mr. Bill imitations, just to get Karma's reactions. She's an expressive cat!

As crazy and as demanding for attention as she can be--she never bothers me to wake me up no matter when I sleep or for how long--not even if her bowl goes empty. She seems to know I need whatever sleep I can get whenever I can get it--so she never wakes me up. She can be amazingly considerate. Doesn't even try to kill Miss Gracie when she hits the floor on occasion and follows Karma around on the floor as I previously mentioned. (Gracie isn't the brightest bulb on the tree and loves Karma!)

Karma has odd mannerisms. She often sleeps on her back in that odd 4-foot curling position so she looks like she's praying or imitating a squirrel or something. She occasionally sits on her stomach just far enough away from her little dry food bowl so that she has to do a full arm stretch to reach in and delicately scoop and paw until a kibble or two hit the floor--and then she taps them gradually, gently over to her mouth. I kind of princess lazy streak.

She's usually a sprawler when she sleeps. Good thing I never bought her any of those little round cat beds. She's a bed hog--and I (we) sleep in a single bed!

I have never spent so much time with a cat before--disabled and home 95% of the time--so what does that tell you?!! My son says she's like this BECAUSE she spends so much time with me--LOLOL True! Seems like everybody who comes to visit likes her and usually ends up playing with her or at least petting her. (Dagan likes to tease her and get her all worked up!)

There--I have put up a lot of pictures, but I have never taken the time to tell people more about Karma. Only cat lovers would understand, I suppose. That's why I posted the warning--hehe! I was just thinking--Karma would have been a cat my Grandma Ring would have just hated! She didn't like cats who liked to scare you or tried to glom onto you leg. (That made me laugh out loud while I was typing that--just thinking about Grandma Ring and Karma! Oh My!!)

Anyways, this is a late night entry. I tried to put on another picture--but I already had all the writing on the post and it didn't work. Tried three times, I think. Oh well. BTW--I guess eventually all the blogger.com blogspot blogs (almost a tongue twister!) are going to have to move to some Google Beta blog? I tried to follow the directions and it didn't work for me at all! Supposed to be able to transfer all of our old posts and it will look the same and we'd have a similar or same address? I guess I'll have to ask Dagan about helping me to do this. I don't know when the switch will be finished, but I don't think there's a rush about it. It does explain why there have been more problems with posting lately. I've read that other bloggers on blogspot have sometimes had it take hours of trying just to publish the post to the web? I haven't had that degree of trouble so far--but who knows? I have never had it tell me that the picture was on the blog and then I can't see it, either? So, who knows? Here I go...

Tuesday-6:00pm

I don't know if you can see it well on the TV.

(Can click to enlarge on any of these photos, BTW.)

This is a shot of Mickey's Diner in Saint Paul!

I was watching Prairie Home Companion last night and tried to grab a shot of Mickey's for all my friends and family in the Twin Cities!

From director Robert Altman comes this quirky piece of fiction based on the real-life radio program of the same name, with a wry screenplay penned by the show's host, Garrison Keillor. Supported by a high-powered cast that includes Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, John C. Reilly, Tommy Lee Jones and Kevin Kline, Keillor also stars in this behind-the-scenes look at the mayhem surrounding the folksy program's final broadcast.

For all the lovers of the radio program, this was a great movie. Even if it wasn't the real program and there were movie stars in it and a wandering lady angel--the music and the jokes were wonderful! I was greatly disappointed that the movie didn't include one of his wonderful, hysterically funny monolgue stories!

That is my very favorite part of his show! :(

I did watch the specials on the DVD and Garrison had control of a lot and much input. Besides the actors, the rest of the people were actually from the Prairie Home Companion program and they run like a well-oiled machine! Anyways, the movie starts and ends at Mickey's Diner! Cool! Wasn't that moved a few years back?

Anybody from Minneapolis know?

I also watched a silly movie--RV with Robin Williams.

Climbing aboard their mammoth RV for a cross-country road trip to the Colorado Rockies, the McNeive family -- led by dysfunctional patriarch Bob (Robin Williams) -- prepares for the adventure of a lifetime. But spending two weeks together in one seriously small space has a way of cramping their style. Jeff Daniels and Tony Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth co-star in director Barry Sonnenfeld's raucous vacation comedy.

Just what I expected it to be. I watched that first--after the many gritty hours of subtitles this weekend I needed something really light. It was.

It is dark here and not one trick or treater. I have only had a little group of three the first year I moved up here in 1999 at my old apartment in Moorhead, Minnesota. None since I moved to Fargo, either. Every year I say I will not buy candy again--but every year I do. I'd just hate to tell little kids at my door that I have no candy. But, year after year, they never arrive with their giggles, high voices, outstretched arms, and plastic pumpkins or pillowcases. Then guess who ends up eating it! *sigh*

If I am going to be really good about my new SparkPeople program, I should just bring the rest over to Dagan and Leah's for the Shaklee meeting tomorrow night, right? I think I will do that. If it is not here I can't eat it. One advantage to my only ordering food once a month. Silver lining I don't always appreciate, that's for sure. I don't have a lot each month to spend, either, so by the time I am ordering I am hungry for something fresh, variety, and comfort foods! Well, for everything! CashWise delivery day is exciting for more than just the noise of piles of plastic bags for Karma and Miss Gracie! :)

I do save the bags for recycling and give them back to the delivery person each month, BTW. Leah found that out, of course. She is so good about recycling! When I had a car, I used to donate them to thrift shops.

Well, I hope everybody has a nice Halloween and the kids aren't too cold here in the Midwest! It is 28 degrees as I am writing this. A snowsuit Halloween for the little ones up here, but the 3-5 inches of snow last night did miss us--was west and north of Fargo.

Have a good night!

Monday-9:15pm

Am excited!

I discovered a new website last night and have been spending as much time as possible at the computer since then!

I have been trying all year to eat healthier and maybe lose a little weight. I have been eating healthier than I had been, that's for sure--but I haven't lost a pound! I have been feeling kind of unmotivated and wishing for something to jumpstart me again. I think I have found it?

www.sparkpeople.com

It is a free webiste for people who want to lose weight and/or be healthier or who have lost the weight and/or want to stay healthy. You can sign up for free, register your goals, track your food intake, join any of the many support groups or teams, make a webpage, put up photos, blog if you want to--all free. And this place seems to be really active! I guess it has been on the news, but I hadn't heard of it, of course--not being a news watcher--hehe!

What I love is that I can enter in everything I eat and it will keep track for the day--calories, carbs, fat, etc--automatically adds it all up and shows it right next to what your range for the day is supposed to be. You can follow their meal plans if you want to and enter in what your special needs or preferences are. There's even a weekly grocery list for you to print off if you do their meal plans--and you can make substitutions. Especially helpful if you need to watch your carbs or fats because of diabetes or high cholesterol--or if you are vegetarian, etc. There are articles to read and medical experts you can email with questions...can you tell I'm excited about finding Sparks? hehe!

Living alone--well, without human companionship, anyways--with more limited physical options, well, it's difficult to stay motivated. And it's especially difficult when I only order food once a month. Fresh foods are only good for a week or maybe two. I think I can find substitutions for later in the month when the fresh stuff is gone. And frozen can be an option, regardless--ha!

I was excited that they even had two fibro support groups, too! They have all age groups and a wide variety of interest groups (I found writers, crafters, cat lovers, women over 50, etc)--and you could start a new group if you wanted to, also. The site is pretty easy to navigate and seems very busy! I still have a lot of snooping to do!

I get up today and half awake I automatically grab a couple of Reese's sticks from the Halloween bowl for breakfast. (Not much around here at the end of the month.) I almost fell over when I found out those two little stick-bars were about a third of my calories for the day! Great start, eh? But it got my attention, that's for sure! I think I will remember tomorrow that I have to enter everything I eat, you think!?

I guess I will have to re-do my CashWise online order for the 3rd--hehe! The daily meal planner gave me lots of ideas as to what the options were that were in my range--just playing around with it. Three meals and snacks. I won't starve, that's for sure. Wheat crackers are a filling snack option. Actually making myself eat breakfast will probably help, too. My downfall would be the sweet cravings that drive me crazy!

Funny! My new friend Kathy (I met on Eons) and I were just emailing about Andrew Weil's book 8 Weeks To Optimum Health. We both have the book and were just discussing being support for each other and re-reading it together. In his program you work your way up over the weeks--a gradual lifestyle change.

In Sparks, you start out in the first phase, of course. They have you graduate up to more changes--and you have online support. Just what we were talking about! I started slow. Kind of have to--but this is the push I need to try to figure out some type of moderate exercise program that I can actually accomplish without putting myself out of commission afterwards. QiGong and walking probably. I'll probably have to commit to something by phase two I bet? whew!

So, this is what I am up to right now and will be settling into the coming week. I feel like the Universe just sent me exactly what I was wishing for!! :)

Sunday-4pm

Gracie gets interrupted while eating popcorn.

Gracie doesn't understand the bright flash and is on her way to her boyfriend for comfort.

I finished this book yesterday.

This was quite the autobiography! If you ever think you have it rough--there's always somebody who has it worse. Rhodes previously had won a Pulitzer Prize--so this is written by a man who can bring you back to his childhood with him. This was his 10th novel. I haven't read anything else by Rhodes--makes me want to search some out, even if they are not autobiographical.

Anyways, also now available at www.bookcrossing.com (under soulcomfort). If anyone is interested in my TBR books (to be read) just let me know and I'll move them to the top of my stack. I'd love to do some book trading!

The guy worked on my window and the windows directly below me until 5:30pm on Friday. Spent a long time up here. Even took off some of the pieces of the eves and nailed them back on? This whole procedure really freaked out Miss Karma. She spent all of Friday in the kitchen or the hallway watching the shadows on the blinds--and waiting for them after he left. I don't think she came into the living room with me until around midnight!

Miss Gracie, on the other hand, didn't seem the least bothered by it all. She was the one I thought would be scared of the shadows and pounding--nope! Karma--still jumpy yesterday! Me--it was a bit disconcerting--just because I'm not used to something outside my third floor window. I wonder if he finished or if he'll be back on Monday?

All the pounding stirred up old dust, I think. I have been sneezing and my nose has been running since Friday. It's a little late for hayfever season, isn't it? I have that reaction to old dusty places--garages, attics, basements, old bookstores, etc. My eyes burn, too. So, that is what I have been dealing with all weekend. Seems better today? (Knock on wood.)

Yesterday I washed clothes and watched disc two and disc three of The Decalogue (1987)--the moody series by the Polish director:

Krzysztof Kieslowski's award-winning cinematic masterpiece is a riveting, profound work of supreme daring and imagination. Using one of the Ten Commandments as a thematic springboard for each film in this collection, Kieslowski bucks the trend of action-based or psychological filmmaking, exploring the lives of ordinary people flailing through inner torments, hard decisions and shattering revelations.

I had watched the first disc quite a while ago--finally got the rest of it. Had to be in the mood, I guess (hours of subtitles--dark, gritty looking films). I honestly couldn't tell which one of the commandments he was referring to in any of them except maybe one--no lie! There were usually multiple sins--hehe! That kind of distracted me when I watched the first disc--trying to figure out which one was mainly which commandment. I gave up. Just watching them each as a story--they were interesting enough in themselves and some had interesting twists at the ends. You get to view a slice of life in modern Poland, too.

Well, got an extra hour of sleep today with Daylight Savings Time "falling back". (Thanks for reminding me, Mary Lou!)

Monday tomorrow already. Hope everyone has a good week!

Friday-1:30pm

Gracie deserves some face time, I guess. She kind of gets the shaft when it comes to pictures. She's a lot harder to get a good picture of, actually. I'll try harder. Get her used to the camera.

I finished By The Light Of The Moon by Dean Koontz. It seemed like a pilot for a TV series--the entire set up and then you're left to fill in the future episodes. Quite the premise--I was going to tell you more but, in case you want to read it, I'll leave it alone. He's a good writer. Grabs you from the very beginning and keeps you wondering what is going to happen. As I indicated, the ending is far from a conclusion, but it is satisfying enough at tying up all the loose ends. This one is available now on www.bookcrossing.com (soulcomfort).

Any of you readers out there who are interested in trading books or passing them on to others to read--check out that website! :)

As I am writing the man is outside my window on a floating platform contraption pounding on the living room window frames. I have the shades drawn. This is not bothering Gracie, for some reason--but is really freaking Karma out. I am going to go keep her company.

Wednesday-3pm

Here's the tank looking better!

I've been reading this book--which will then be available at www.bookcrossing.com (soulcomfort). I don't know what it is listed under--horror, mystery, sci-fi? Strange, creepy--but with a bit of humor. I haven't read much by Koontz. I'll wait till I finish this to see if I like him a lot or not--can't imagine how he is going to wrap this up?

Well, goes to show you what four days of cleaning does to me--I was so totally, thoroughly exhausted that I laid down at 7:30pm and didn't get up until 12:30 this afternoon! I couldn't sleep--tossed and turned--dozed briefly and jerked awake--until about 3am. I was too tired to get out of bed and too sore to sleep--even with pain pills. Finally did fall asleep pretty well around 3am. I was hunched and hobbling about yesterday when Caroline came to clean--and I am the same today. Feel like I've been hit by a truck--hehe!

I do feel a little better today and I'll feel a little better tomorrow. :)

I can sit and gaze into the aquarium and look at Gracie's cage with a big grin!

My body is paying the price--but my spirits are flying!! :):)

Big internal sign of relief to be done with those two projects!

Was sooo worth it. :)

I had to pass on visiting with Maria last night tho. :(

No way was I up to company. Could hardly keep my eyes open--obviously. Next week we can have a good visit.

I am off to watch Netflix movies.

Definitely a noodle day today.

A one spoon day today-hehe!

Tuesday-6am

Hard to take a photo of this, but this is the back of the tank from an aerial view. See how this acrylic tank has bowed!! Another design flaw. Kind of scary. Made me nervous about scrubbing hard on the back side of the tank. I'll just get more algae and my arm and back were really tired after three sides, so (confession) I left the back pretty much alone.

This is the Python! I'd be lost without it since I can't carry buckets with my bad arm like I did in the old days. It attaches to the faucet on my kitchen sink--you can suck water out to clean the gravel and send clean water back into the tank. You can buy the Pythons in different lengths. I was lucky I have a hole in the wall--hehe! Saved me some money. :)
Karma loves to watch the yucky stuff scoot along the hose and up into the kitchen! She remembered the hose from last time and got all spazzy excited when I unfurled it--chuckle!

After an hour or so of emptying and refilling the tank (twice) to clean that gravel as well as I could, Karma had gotten quite comfy and parked herself for observation. Exhausted from running back and forth along the length of the hose chasing pieces of dead plants and fish crud.
This is how the suction is created to draw the water out of the tank. The nozzle contraption gets plugged with debris, loses suction, and has to be cleared out every so often. I think I had to do that three times during the process. When you want to fill the tank back up you get the water to the temperature you want it and twist the very bottom piece upward to stop the water flow into the sink.
Here's the hood when the pump is working. Since it is all black it was hard for me to get a picture of how close the water comes to the top edge on the back of the tank--but, trust me, it is pretty close.
I did discover a smaller hole higher up in the corner under the swivel top piece of the hood (to use instead of the larger hole you can see above the blue back of the tank). I fiddled around until I figured out how to remove that entire section of the hood so that I could run all the cords up thru that high corner hole. Luckily, I figured out how to get the top piece back on--haha! Now, maybe that will keep the cords from dripping water?? I sure hope so!!
This is the tank after it was filled. So many bubbles all over the sides that you can barely see into the tank and the water is a bit milky colored. This is normal. I'll take a picture after it clears up--takes about a day.

I was so exhausted and sore (especially from bending over the tank and scrubbing) and I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before--I was in bed by 10pm. Slept till 3:30am and couldn't get back to sleep. Took a couple more pain pills (glad I now know it is okay to take two at a time--and up to eight a day--hurray!), watched some stuff on tape in the bedroom, took a shower, and here I am in the living room with one light on in the dark trying not to annoy Gracie too much. She is FAR from ready to wake up. The tank probably looks much better by now, but the fish are zonked out, too.

Karma is up with me. She's parked in one of the chairs by the living room window watching the early birds go off to work, I guess. Cat TV.

I may be sore, drained, and tired--but my spirits are lifted! I am soooo glad to have the yearly cleaning projects done! Feels soooo good! They are much bigger projects for me to accomplish than they used to be now that my life has down shifted into low gear--hehe! But they are just as satisfying when they are completed! :)

Caroline comes this afternoon, so the place will be all spiffed up! :):) Right now I am going to go watch some stuff on tape here in the living room. Won't be too long and the sun should peek out? Me and my unpredictable hours--I might try to doze off in my chair...

Monday-3pm

Here's the new spot for the philodendron.

Here's the new spot for the asparagus fern.
I did clean a little bit last night. Scrubbed slate, the heater, and the pump.
Scrubbed down the hood.
This is the inside of the hood.The pump fits down into the big hole by Karma's head. Water is rushed across the rectangular space next to the hole (where the filter is supposed to be) and then there's a cylinder that fits in the section after that--it spins--and the water comes out the two little shutes you see sticking out below.

Just as I thought--I found nothing adjustable whatsoever on the pump to deal with the force of the water flow. Zip. Nada.

So, I am off right now to finish cleaning the tank. :)