Monday-10am

The sky is clouded over this morning.  Chilly again up here.  Only 48 degrees right now and not expected to reach 60, but it made for excellent sleeping weather.  I was in bed early and up late.  :)

When it's really chilly in the morning I crack the door open and, even though she doesn't want to go out, Karma will sit there in bit of fresh air and listen...

...to the beep beep beep of construction equipment.  To the left of the new connecting road they have some big new project going on with graters and dump trucks and a lot of noise.

And off to the right beyond our sister apartment building there's a lot of digging and dump trucks and piling of dirt going on.  From what little I can see, those are a huge couple piles of dirt!

So, we have it coming from both sides.  I imagine till the snow flies, at least.

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When I called about the two missing reams of linen business paper this nice young man tracked the package information down and told me it had been delivered a couple days before--"left at the front door"??  I told him nothing had been left outside my door, this was a security building, and if he left it downstairs anywhere that was ridiculous in an apartment complex.  They still owed me two reams of paper.  He said he would find out from the subcontracted delivery company.  (The other 32 lb cotton ream came FedEx from Chicago).

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Well, I found it before they did.  The office didn't call until Thursday, and I didn't see I had a call on my land line until after they were closed (my recorder is in the bedroom which I am trying not to look at, as you know, and I rarely get anything except nuisance calls on the land line)...but I went and picked up the package with my little green cart on Friday morning and called Office Max back to let them know.  

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It never occurred to me that anything would ever be left at the office because they have sent out notices over the years that they will not accept packages for residents and I have never had a package left there in the entire 7 1/2 years I've lived here.  They must have taken it because they either had another new person in the office who didn't know any better or because they know me after all this time.  So, the office either didn't call for two days or the delivery company lied about when they delivered it.  I didn't ask.  Because I wouldn't doubt the office forgot to call because they're not used to taking packages and weren't exactly happy about it in the first place.  I just thanked them and rolled away.  

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Anyways, the case of the wandering paper is solved.  The three new reams are now with my parchment ream in the new bookcase.  Not even sagging much yet at all--LOL!  I finally have a specific spot of my reams of paper.  :):) 

The shelves that were emptied actually look like they straightened out amazingly well.  Might be able to use the wood for something else after all.

And the TV computer with the MSMediaPlayer problems...well, I was thinking that since all the current recordings show up in the center or to the right (they're all arranged horizontally across the screen), I always moved the cursor to the right and then it would crash.  So, I wondered if I could move it to the left?  Computers are strange, touchy and often illogical creatures, right?  Sure enough!  I can move the cursor to the left (the oldest recordings) as long as I don't go past the big arrow...or it crashes.  Which means I can go the long way around from the left and go through all the recordings to get to the newest ones.  So, I can manage to finagle my way around carefully to watch my recorded shows!  TaDa!  So far.  Knock on wood!  (I don't mean to sound cocky in case that MS program is listening.)

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I also checked and I can get into the TV scheduling spot with no problem so far...the place to pick what you want to record.  So I can live with this.  Can't really afford to replace anything right now and maybe Dagan might find some way to get it to think straight again, you know?  But for now, MSMedia Player is like a crazy, touchy relative you learn to live with and know which buttons not to push--LOL!

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Karma and I have been lazy bums since we last spoke.  I've only been doing what I have to--laundry, cooking, and such--but I caught up online!  I also caught up on watching the programs I had recently recorded (of course, did you doubt it?) and yesterday I spent the day watching people run away from and splat zombie brains all day--LOL!

  (Netflix: The Walking Dead, Season Two.)

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Oh, and finished a couple letters and started a third.  Nothing "extra"...didn't play with any art stuff.  Been draggy tired the last two days...even though I've been sleeping okay.  Just another aspect of fibro (chronic fatigue) that can increase or decrease like the pain does--sometimes for specific reasons and sometimes just to mess with you.  Last night I slept 10 hours!  Yet I've been yawning ever since I woke up and my eye lids are at half mast--LOL!  One of those days.

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But I think I can manage to do some puttering in the bedroom and get back to the organizing today.  My back has been feeling better and I told myself I would return to the cleaning project on Monday.  Better to do a little bit of something than nothing at all.  Tiredness is easier to push through than pain.  Pain will stop you cold.  Exhaustion eventually will, too--but it doesn't hurt--LOL!  You can just take a nap or go to bed...or fall asleep sitting up in your chair.  Hard on the neck, true--but on the whole it's just much less physically painful to be noodle tired.  ;)

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So that's the plan for this week.  

Back to the organizing project.  

The tortoise wins the race, right?

Baby steps.  Baby steps.

(Remember that silly movie, What About Bob?)

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I don't remember where I saw this quote years ago or who said it, but I still love it.  Have a fantabulous week!!

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"Blessed are the cracked for they shall let in the light."

Thursday-1pm

Okay, I am going to put the two challenges first thing since short posts are preferred and I'm still going to chat a little, of course.  That way anyone just looking for those can peek and leave.  I won't be offended.  Just happy that I felt well enough to take an art break and play this week.  ;)

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The template this week from Erin at The Bright Owl was supposed to be a monodala (a word she made up meaning you would only use one kind of zentangle doodle). 

Well, how about none?  Sorry.  All I could see were a tangle of those big Christmas bulbs that used to get so hot you'd worry the house would burn down--LOL!  Maybe the fact that it was 37 degrees when I woke up this morning might suggest the holiday mood a bit more?  LOL!  ;)

 The challenge from Jennifer for the Artist's Play Room over at Just Add Water, Silly this week was JUICY!  I'll show more below, but this is my unfinished offering.

 I unsealed the new Silks, stirred each one with a toothpick, and got one picture before my battery died yesterday.  Then I closed them up and shook the heck out of them.  Not a good shot of how shimmery they are in real life. 

 Karma knows I am doing interesting things up at my little art table and commandeers the chair whenever I take a break.

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What am I doing up here?

Who me?

Nothing.

 I'm just resting here.

Way too tired to climb on your table.

Really.

Just look at me.

Do you see how tired I am?

  

I'm not even looking at your old table.

Promise.  

You can just look away.  

Honest.

Look away. 

You can trust me.

 Cats are notorious liars.

 Anyways, I had no plan for what I was going to do for "juicy" (and I don't think this is finished) except that I wanted to use the new Silks somehow and be a loose woman.  ;)  

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I started out with acrylics and a bit of water for the background.  Took some kid's brushes and blobbed on some red and blue paint along the bottom.  Was thinking of flowers in a field.  Dripped yellow paint.  Splattered yellow paint.  Took out my extra-fine, carbon-black fountain pen and scribbled flowers, stems & leaves...

...and then started blobbing on several of the Silk acrylic glazes... 

 ...here, there, and everywhere.

 Looks pretty juicy to me all along the bottom where I used the new Silks.

 Couldn't resist a bit of shimmery misting all over, too.

I am very pleased that I had minimal trouble blobbing and scribbling.  :)

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Obviously, I was able to chop veggies for soup (the back test) and then take my art break this week!  Whoohoo!

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Yesterday I asked Dagan to stop by and remove all the books and magazines from the top two sagging bookcase shelves.  (They were seriously beginning to worry me.)  He managed to fit them all on the shelf between the kitchen and main room and on the end of my desk.  I covered the ones up on the ledge with an old art towel so they won't get spattered by droplets since they are right above the sink.  

Here I thought I was finally free of having a mess in here, at least.  Well, that was short-lived, wasn't it?  Now I not only need my bedroom blinders but had to dig out the heavy-duty main room blinders again--LOL!  Harder to ignore when you look at it all the time.  If I don't have to actually see it or only catch glimpses...well, I have a tremendous capacity for denial...as evidenced by my former love life--ROFL!  ;)  

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At least with all that stacked where it is my desk, craft table, and art table are still free and clear--tada!!  Needed to figure out a way to keep them open and useable since I have no idea when Dagan and Leah will ever be able to make it over to Lowe's.  They are busy with picking out light fixtures and such--and are going to wire the whole house for the internet themselves--pretty soon, too.  Dagan thought maybe even this weekend.  :)

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Oh, I forgot to tell you that I won second place in Goulet Pens ink drop contest with the mandala!  

Won a ten dollar gift certificate!!  Nice!  I knew when I saw somebody had used the inks to kind of watercolor paint a picnic scene by the water that they were going to win first...and they did...by a landslide!  I purposely didn't vote.  Didn't want to influence the outcome.  Thrilled to get second.  :)

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Meanwhile, yesterday afternoon (before Dagan arrived) I turned on the TV to watch something I had recorded and MS Media Player crashed to black screen.  I waited till Dagan got here.  The TV would still switch over to the DVD player, so the TV still works.  It's MS Media Player in the TV computer.  But I could go online and get to Netflix to watch streaming, so that's something.

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This morning I wanted to try it again when I was on a painting break.  It doesn't want me to try to move the recorded selections over or it gets really upset and crashes to black screen.  Then I have to manually shut down the TV computer and reboot it.  As a matter of fact it doesn't even like the cursor to move too far from the middle of the screen or it crashes.  But if I picked a selection from the very center of the screen it would let me watch it...twice.  

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But then I made the mistake of picking something a little right from center and it crashed.  I'll deal with rebooting when I am done blogging.  For the rest of the day I'm going to stick with Netflix streaming.  I don't think it is good for its metallic brains to keep crashing like that, so I guess I will be recording the TV shows but not be able to watch them.  Unless Dagan figures out how to fix MS Media Player or (if I have to buy something) until I can afford to fix or replace whatever is broken.  Such is life these days with all the electronics that aren't made to last.  ;)

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Oh, and everything seems to have glitches lately.  I ordered (in a buy two get one free deal) business paper from Office Max.  First I got an email telling me the 32 lb paper was backordered.  Next I got an email saying they were all three coming.  Then FedEx brings me one box of paper yesterday--the backordered 32 lb paper. Huh?  I sent them an email, but I am going to try calling them now since I haven't heard anything.

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Saggy shelves, flukes, crashes, boxes of paper roaming the streets, and lying cats.

 I think I will play with paints...or doodle...or write letters...or throw a little black TV computer box out the window...LOL!  

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Only kidding.  

Have an uneventful weekend.  ;)

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"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."

Jean-Baptiste Moliere

Monday-8:15am

Good beginning-of-the-week morning!

We've had chilly mornings and cool days of sun and clouds. 

Suddenly went down to 40s at night and 60s during the days.  (Still been moving Karma's bed around--lol!) 

One afternoon the clouds looked like a blanket of dirty cotton.  

Sunday morning it was 39 degrees when I woke up!  What the heck!?  And yet today the prediction is 90.  That's it.  I figure Mother Nature is bipolar and has definitely gone off her meds.  ;)

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Meanwhile...I have totally been ignoring the bedroom since Dagan helped me with some boxes on Thursday.  

 I have my bedroom-blinders on from the time I open my eyes in the morning.  I was in need of a body break...and it might continue for a few days more, actually.

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Scroll!  Scroll!  

Where are my blinders!

Dagan and Leah made it over on Thursday.  Leah didn't arrive until about 8:30pm because she was still working, but Dagan helped me with filling and moving four boxes into the top of the hall closet.  (I had Caroline take a lot of stuff down for me on Wednesday when she was here.)  That was all I have done in there.  

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Dagan noticed how the new (cheap) bookcase's shelves are bowing under the weight of all the books.  

When Leah came...well, they decided that they would go over to Lowe's and have them cut some wood shelves like we did for additional shelves for the other bookcases in the living room.  

We haven't ever bothered to paint them or finish them if you noticed that in previous pictures of bookcases in the main room.  AND...the cheapie bookcase came with plastic shelf holders, so Leah is going to pick up some more metal ones, too.  I just have to hope the wood doesn't crack before they can get to Lowe's.  So, I'll have to say I wouldn't recommend this bookcase if you actually plan to use it for books--LOL!  (I got it for $67.00.)

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Karma and I have been relaxing and resting these past few days.  

Moving all those books almost set my back off on a kind of fibro-fixation.  I won't do that again.  Have to wait for more help with the bedroom when it comes to moving anything heavy around or putting boxes up in the top of the closets.  I can call Dagan or Leah to stop by and move them for me when I am ready or wait till Caroline comes to clean.  My back is feeling better after a few days rest...so a few more won't hurt.  ;)

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When I was still in college I took an art class where we had to sit on high, hard stools with no backs for 2 1/2 hour classes.  Somehow the fibro fixated on my tailbone and just stayed there.  (Not sciatica.)  For over two years every time I went to stand up it felt like I was being stabbed with a very sharp knife or an ice pick and I had to sit with pillows.  Constant extra sharp pain because the fibro had gotten set off and fixated on my be-hind!  

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The doctor said it could go away or stay forever.  Fibro is just too unpredictable.  He said it could shift to another place, too.  Much to my joy and delight, it decided to gradually subside after a couple years.  

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Let's just say my lower back has always been very touchy (old accident) and I don't want the fibro to fixate on it or pay it any additional attention--LOL!  Unrelenting focus...nope!  Don't need that.  Don't want to set it off.  General all-over pain with the usual fibro areas being worse, but fluctuating...that's plenty for me.  ;)  That's why I am careful and try to pay close attention.  But no matter how careful you are--you are still at the mercy of fibro's whims and unpredictability. 

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So when the tubs arrived from Amazon I just stuck stuff in them, but I didn't "organize"...which would have meant taking everything down and some things out of the bookcase, moving shelves (well I moved one just to fit something in) and doing a proper and thorough job of it.  I just filled and shoved around.

My new Silks arrived, too.  I never even took pictures yet...or even opened them to gaze upon all that luscious color.  Just being good, doing my stretching exercises, meditation (relaxes the muscles), lazin' around with Karma...confining myself to light puttering...and things I have to do, like laundry.  But I am thinking that after a month of organizing...maybe I should take some art time this week before I dive back in.  Have my back and shoulders be sore from something a lot more fun.  Not that I don't love to organize...but I am missing me some playtime.  ;)  Maybe I can even do one or both of the challenges (zendala & APR)--whoohoo!  We'll see how my body feels about it.  Regardless, I am being good and still on R&R for a while.  :)  

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See you Thursday.

I am loving this fall weather!!

Enjoy your week.  :):)

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"Welcome the present moment as if you had invited it.  Why?  Because it is all we ever have."

Pema Chodron

Thursday-9am

Good Morning!!

It has dropped back to wonderful cool nights.  It was 80s during the day, but now is supposed to be in the 70s the next few days--ahhh!  With 40-50s at night!  

Perfection!!

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One day I moved Karma's cat bed out on my patio chair.  She loved it, of course.  She heard me come stand by the door, looked up, but pretended she didn't see me.  (Her way of letting me know she didn't want me to notice her and kick her out.)  

I didn't come outside.  Ha!  Made you look--LOL! 

She saw I had the camera and was making no move to come take her spot so she shut her eyes... 

...and went back to snoozing. 

I have puttered out here in the main room up until yesterday.  The desk is cleared of stacks and boxes again...  

...and the art table... 

...and the craft table by the windows, too.  TaDa!! 

This bookcase is almost settled. 

This one has a ways to go... 

...and this one also still needs some tweaking...along with the wall shelves.  Once the clear tubs arrive from Amazon I can do some more sorting with these. 

I decided to add several jars and cans that were in the hall closet and had to move some things around again...and there will be a little more shifting, but it is getting close to done in here!

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We won't talk about the bedroom.  (I have pathways in there.)

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The September Ink Drop arrived.  They each picked their favorites of the new inks they carry.  

A colorful assortment. 

Dagan and Leah worked late yesterday, but Dagan said he would probably make it over tonight.  Not sure about Leah as she's been putting in overtime, too.

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Karma's still been chummier than normal since the chime alarm incident of 2012.  I've decided that I need to buy a different alarm clock.  Not because of that, but because the high pitch of the chime alarm somehow sets off my tinnitus.  When I hear something that sounds similar in pitch--well, I suddenly will hear the chime alarm going off in my head--ears?--and I can't shut it off.  It only happens once in a while, but when it does...I can see why it drove Karma crazy.  My ears are listening for that alarm every evening, I guess.  And the high chiming is close to the tinnitus ringing in my ears.  I only started using that old chime clock a couple months ago, but I've noticed a general amping up of the normal, all-the-time ringing in my ears.  Not a good thing.  I need a new clock.

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For those of you that asked and were concerned about me...I take breaks all the time.  I can't not take breaks.  Can only work an hour or less at a time and then have to wait 2-3 hours until the next session.  But, even so, it's what I'm doing--all the lifting and bending.  No way to get around it being extra painful.  But I just try to walk that fine line between needing a day or two reprieve or knocking myself out of commission for a week or so.  I pay attention to when I am done for the day--even if it is noon.  ;)  And so far I have managed quite excellently.  So, thank you so much, but don't worry or feel sorry for me.  Things have been going swimmingly.  I may be slow and sore, but that is totally, totally expected.  (I could hardly walk the next morning after seeing Dagan and Leah's house that night.)  I don't mention my body and it's foibles because I'm complaining or looking for sympathy, but only because it's just a plain and simple fact of my daily life that I work around and to explain why it takes me soooo long to get things done--LOL!  Please don't worry about me.  I'm doing really well considering all I've gotten done so far.  In fact, I am really proud of myself to have accomplished all this and not once flipped over the line to totally non-functional--hurray!  (Knock on wood!)  This is an accomplishment!  In fact, I am smiling just looking around in here.  It's so nice to know you care, but please don't spend any time worrying about me, okay?  Karma and I are just fine and dandy!  :):)

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And on that note, today is going to be a wonderful recovery day.  I can gaze around me and see that I am really, really close to being done in this room.  Ahhhh!  I shall shut the bedroom door, cuddle with Karma, and watch Frozen Planet today...and probably get to visit with Dagan tonight.  (And ask him to move some boxes for me--LOL!)  Life is good.  Believe me.  Life is very, very good.  :):)

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If I am ever really whining and complaining--have no doubt--you'll know it!  And then please remind me:

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"A thankful person is thankful under all circumstances.  A complaining soul complains even in paradise."

Baha'u'llah

Monday-4:30am

I didn't plan on being awake for an early morning sunrise again...

...but here I am in the middle of the night again. 

I woke up at 3:30am (bad dream) and couldn't get back to sleep.  Hurtin' from doing too much the past couple days...and then I can have what I call pain dreams where I incorporate the pain into the dream.  They can be emotionally disturbing sometimes.  So I took a pain pill and here I am letting it do its thing so that maybe I can make it back to bed this time.  ;)

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I finished up with what I was going to tackle with the books and then I started in on the satchels.  Have a lot of them to go through and some of them will end up in the bedroom, but first I had to empty them from the bookcases.

I ended up taking out all the movable shelves eventually, too, as I decided where things would go...hopefully.  I am still not quite done in here and have a huge mess now in the bedroom to work on.  Some of which might not fit and may have to come back out here--LOL! 

Anyways, I made a lot of headway!!  Tada!!

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This is what I have so far in the art bookcase. 

And this is what I have so far in the other two across the room.  Obviously more to go on this one... 

...but this one is getting pretty full and feeling more settled. 

All I have to do to make Karma's life interesting is move her cat bed--LOL! 

She's usually interested in what I am doing around here when I am moving things about... 

...but it has been going on for too long.  Plus Karma worries about being stepped on and I am all over the place...too dangerous.  She's been snoozing under the bed a lot--LOL!  Well, a girl does need her beauty sleep.  ;)

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The AC is working well.  I didn't feel better until Saturday...and then I overdid it all weekend, of course.  Duh!  When you finally feel better you are so happy to be able to get something done...well, common occurrence over here.  My mind is still enthusiastic even if my body isn't--LOL!

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My check came early because the third landed on a holiday.  (Happy Labor Day to those of you who celebrate it.)  So I already made my orders for the month.  Got some more clear plastic tubs from Amazon, postage stamps (lost without those), and all the refills for the ink pads!!  Ordered less food again (don't worry--I won't starve with a pantry full of supplies--just have to actually cook more and good thing I do love oatmeal--lol!) and got something else that was totally a splurge!  Ordered some Silks (acrylic glazes) from LuminArte.  I plan to take my first paid for online class on how to use them when it's available again sometime before the year is out.  I'll explain more later when I am able to sit here longer.

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Feels like I have forgotten something, but I'll write myself a note for Thursday if I remember.  I am thrilled I am getting closer to finished out here, anyways.  Probably 90% done in the living room and the hallway bookcases are good to go!  The bedroom is a total disaster and I still have to tackle the hallway closet.  I'll deal with those next, but I need a good long break here, I guess.  Recovery time.

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All is going well.  Life is good!

Have a wonderful, wonderful week!!  :):)

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"If God sends you down a stony path, may God give you strong shoes."

Irish Blessing