Friday-4:30am

Karma wondered why in the world I woke up at 2am--LOL!

Well, I was so exhausted after part two at the eye doctor yesterday that I was in bed before 9pm.  I'm up several times every night and by 2am I couldn't get back to sleep thinking about eye surgery--awk! 

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I went Monday but after an hour we had only worked on my history and the prescription for new trifocals.  So, I had to go back Thursday for part two--dilation and the whole shebang.  Turns out--no glasses for me.  I am being referred to the Fercho Cataract & Eye Clinic because I definitely have cataracts and questionable area that could be macular degeneration.  Need to investigate more.

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So, I am compiling days that would work for Leah to give me a ride and have to call back.  Could take a month or two to get in--kind of like appointments for my rheumatologist.  So, will be some time in January or February, I imagine.  I don't want to go over the holidays, regardless.

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Cataracts run in the family but I thought I'd be closer to 80, to be honest...not 65.  :(  My mom has AMD (Age related macular degeneration).  My Dad had and my son, Dagan, has glaucoma--but I was cleared of that.  Pressure was normal, actually.  Well, that is the bad news I got yesterday.

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 Meanwhile, back at the ranch...LOL!

The girls peck machine-gun style when they first arrive...

...and then they slow down a bit.  I read that they can eat all the calories to last them a day in 20 minutes and I believe it when I see them gobbling away. 

When it was still really super cold (until about three days ago when it warmed up to the 20s and 30s) they were hanging about nearby.  So cute the way they dig themselves a nest sometimes to hunker down to keep warmer against the wind. 

They even stayed next to my patio a couple times. 

This day I caught them in a huddle out on the sidewalk there. 

But they gradually all decided to move over across the sidewalk to catch the last afternoon rays. 

Still been eight of them in my usual flock.  But one day while The Girls were here I saw another flock fly down and land across the way by the garages!  Must have been 7-9 of them, too.  If there is eight--then I might not know which flock is actually here--LOL!  But last fall I saw a second flock and The Girls chased them off with a fury...so unlikely.  But wouldn't it be cool if they got together and were one huge flock!?

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I made a new whatever-is-in-the-freezer/frig/pantry-soup. 

 Frozen diced onions, sliced celery, crinkle cut carrots, mixed veggies, and baby spinach.  Cut up some potatoes.  Better Than Bouillon vegetable stock.  Large can of crushed tomatoes, two cans of black beans,  and some orzo pasta.  Salt, pepper, and some Herbs de Provence.  So good!  I forget about orzo pasta!

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You will laugh when you see what came inside of this box!

One Lamy EF nib!   

It came just like this.  

Nothing whatsoever else in the box.  LOL!

Anyways, I have had these two Lamy Safari pens for...must be somewhere around 35 years.

 Lamy Safaris came out in 1980 (just googled it) and I know they'd been around a couple years before I bought the red one.  That was my first non-disposable fountain pen and I used it a lot.  So much so that I bought the blue one shortly after so I could have two colors of ink cartridges.

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I bought them with EF nibs.  But I was used to my death grip on my ball points.  I loved Flair pens with their felt tips but could destroy and smush them in no time from pressing so hard on the paper.  Needless to say my EF nibs became almost broad nibs over time...a short time--LOL!  For years I have been wanting to switch the old nibs out for new ones...and I finally did it!

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New EF nibs.  I bought one in silver and one in black to see if there is any difference over time.  They had both been black before.

These days I know how to write with a soft touch after years of using fountain pens.  So nice to have my trusty old Lamys back in the game again!

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Speaking of fountain pens.  The first FP I saw was my dad's.  It didn't use a cartridge.  Had to use the lever on the side to fill the bladder from an ink bottle!  I used to beg Dad to let me watch him do it.  He used that special pen to write in his small five year diary every night. 

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Funny thing is, I was just talking about Dad's diary with Leah our last craft night a couple weeks ago.  (She didn't make it this last week because they lost electricity in their neighborhood and manually opening their garage door is a real pain.)  Anyways, I was joking about if I ever had one I know I would keep track of the weather because I think it would be interesting to be able to glance back five years on that day to compare.  But if I ever had one I would want to use FPs like Dad did...and it is hard to find FP friendly paper.

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So--it was two days later I find out that Leuchtturm has come out with a five year journal!!  Leuchttrum is the brand I use for my bullet journal and have tested the paper so I know most of my inks and FPs will work well on their paper!  So--yes--I ordered one.  :)     

It's called Some Lines A Day: The 5 Year Memory Book.  

I'm not sure what I will keep track of besides the weather, but I have a week to figure it out.  There's not much room.  Maybe a highlight of the day, gratitudes, diet, health...who knows?  But I will be writing with a fountain pen and will be thinking of my dad.  :)

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I've also been setting up my new Bullet for 2017.  Got birthdays and the usual monthly things entered--and added some washi tape for the pages of each month.  

January 

February 

 March

 April

Yup--have four months set up--whoohoo!  And with the washi tape and sticker color coding it makes it easier to know which month I'm on. 

This bullet will only last about 9-10 months and normally I just finish a writing journal whenever and start the next one...so starting a new bullet, a new writing journal, and now a 5-year diary all at the same time--whoohoo!  Probably will never happen again.  :)

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 While I was working on lists for the front of my new bullet journal...well, I was hunting up old links I had saved for free classes to see if they were still available or not since some of the links are like 2-4 years old.  I clicked on one and...well, let's just say I messed up Mr. Rusty.  Apparently there was a virus attached to that old link.  Dagan was over and got Mr. Rusty back in working order for me.

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Okay, here's the really, really embarrassing part.

I thought I remembered the name of that bad link...yup...you guessed it.  I clicked on it again.  But this time I was on McLap!!   

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So Dagan stopped by to pick up McLap over his lunch hour on Wednesday.  (He didn't even made fun of me--LOL!)  You may remember that Dagan and Leah are not as familiar with Mac products...but he thought he could maybe save my old McLap.  (You suddenly can't close anything and boxes pop up all over the place that they want you to click open--but I didn't.)  I haven't heard the fate of McLap yet.  Let's just say...here I thought I had computer issues before--LOL!  And then I am still having internet issues, too.  *sigh*

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While Dagan was here he shoveled off my patio for me.  After it would warm up and then freeze every night there was a crust built up that I wasn't strong enough to get through.  Thank you, Dagan!!    

They're talking "something" coming Sunday and Monday.  100% chance of something--LOL!  Freezing rain, snow...just sounds bad.  Starts on Christmas Day, too.  So I hope everyone who will be traveling in this area will be safe.  Drive and walk carefully, folks.

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I called Nazar again over a week ago about gluing the flooring down.  Left a message, I should say...as you know he doesn't answer the phone much.  Well, he actually called me back this time--the same day--shock!  Told me he had contacted a flooring company but had not heard back from them.  I asked if he could give me some warning as to when they were coming.  No...not with a third party, he said.  (I knew it was probably too much to ask...and he probably wouldn't do it anyways--LOL!)  No...haven't had anyone show up yet.

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BUT--there actually WAS a notice on the Community Room door that the library lady was sick on the second Tuesday!  Shock!  AND we got a sheet/newsletter in our door this month that was all cheery about the new (and final) building being open now with some information about the new Media Room and Exercise Room in the third building.  No signature as to who wrote it.  If it was Nazar, maybe he is trying to turn over a new leaf?  If they hired a new activity director you'd think they would have introduced themselves, right?  Could have been calendar lady, though.  Who knows?  Anyways, it was nice to get a kind of a newsletter...and a cheery one, at that.  

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So, that's about it from up here.  I'm still letting it sink in about the eye specialist and possible eye surgery.  Karma and I will have our quiet, peaceful Christmas.  (She is still barely self-abusing.)  I will watch It's A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story at some point as I always do.  We'll have our little private Christmas with McFamily some time in January.  Dagan has his annual heart and pacemaker checkup in Minneapolis beginning of January and then his dad's side of the family is having Christmas in northern Minnesota after that, too.  I'm sure glad I don't have to drive all over for holidays anymore, to be honest.  Been there. Done that.  ;)

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Well, have a wonderful holiday!  

Be safe!  

Enjoy!  

Think positive about the coming year!

Love and hugs from Fargo.  :) :)

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"We must not wish for the disappearance of our troubles but for the grace to transform them."

Simone Weil

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind.  To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."

Calvin Coolidge

Thursday-1:45pm

Good Afternoon!

We've had cold and snow and wind up here.  More cold and wind than snow, but I'll take it.  (I do love the white stuff.)  The snow plows are beginning to pile up the parking lot snow banks.  The snow is dry so the wind keeps drifting it about and they have to keep shoveling parking lots and sidewalks.

Many of you have asked how Miss Karma is doing.  Here she is taking a normal cat bath... 

...and , as you can see, her belly is all healed up. 

But don't tell her I posted such an unflattering bath shot--LOL! 

Her ears are looking good, too.  I am almost out of the Feliway spray and didn't realize when I ordered it from Amazon that it would be coming from Taiwan--LOL!  I think I have enough to last till it gets here...or there will be a test time to see if that is really helping or not, eh?  LOL!

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Since it has been so awfully cold I have seen a lot more of the sparrows and The Girls.   

They have even decided to just settle in nearby some days. 

Karma likes to see them visiting, too. 

They look huge because they keep their feathers fluffed out as far as possible against the cold. 

When they get scared they stand tall, their feathers smooth down, and they are half the size--LOL!

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You can see how much traffic I am getting here... 

...by all the footprints.  Some looked like possible jackrabbit...but I haven't seen those again.

I called Medicaid in North Dakota to find out what was covered for eye exams and glasses.  (They are my supplemental insurance.)  What a joke.  All she could tell me was "usually" they will cover extensive exams for glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataracts (all of which run in my family) but it all depended on which procedures they did and what codes they used to submit--AND some procedures need prior authorization.  But she couldn't tell me the codes or what procedures need prior authorization.  They have no list of places that take Medicaid for eye care like they do for dentists...oh, and plus she warned me that before I go to the dentist next time to double check because they lost a lot of dentists this summer.

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So, I worked at compiling a list of eye doctors.  We have four phone books up here, believe it or not.  Then just called around.  

Found a couple of them.  Decided on the nicest phone person and the closest place.  I go this coming Monday.  Leah offered to give me a ride.  I plan on getting to the dentist in January.  About time.  I am overdue to all appointments and hope to get to them before spring.

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We've had several thinner layers of snow.  Been too cold to melt.  Can you see some of The Girls under and in the tree across the way?

I've been giving them extra ground food since it's been in the teens and below zero.  They seem to really appreciate it. 

Miss Karma, waiting for her morning treat, is less impressed with my bird seed generosity because it comes before she gets her canned treat--LOL!  She's patient, though annoyed. 

But her latest favorite place to sit and snooze has become the chair by the window where she can watch the birds all day.  So she is appreciating all the interesting Cat TV even though she pretends she's not interested--LOL!   

After the last snowstorm we got a nice drift out there to block the wind a little... 

...and The Girls dig with their feet and make a snow nest to hunker down into against the wind.  So cute! 

When we had the wind chill warnings yesterday (-25 to -37 below wind chills)... 

...The Girls huddled together in a clump.  I couldn't get a better picture without scaring them away. 

They're more used to Karma moving about by the window and much less used to me. 

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Leah's brother, Aaron, was discharged from the Navy a week ago Wednesday and he's living with McFamily for a while.  Last Saturday they all came over for a visit.  (And I forgot to get any pictures--duh!)  We made dinner here.  Ian did some paint with water and coloring.  Dagan, Aaron, and Leah tried to get my printer to work.  (Yes, now old Mr. Rusty and the new printer are having communication issues.)  Could be the intermittent internet problems I've been having forever adding to it because the printer uses wifi, too, I guess--to print wirelessly.  I think they plan to bring over one of their routers to hook up and see if that fixes the problem or not.  (All Greek to me, of course.)  Was a really nice visit and they stayed way past Ian's bedtime...but I still got big hugs and "I love you, Gramma"s down the hallway.  :)

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Leah came for crafts on Monday night and messed with the printer some more.  Finally just unplugged it again and said to try it the next day.  We do that sometimes and say up a quick prayer to the techno-angels to come and fix it (or techno-fairies--ask both--don't know which--don't want to offend.) 

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Leah had bought these plain white ceramic ornaments last year she had planned to do something with.  On Monday she painted them with this shimmery acrylic paint.  They look even better in person.

The paints are the Pebeo Dyna Studio acrylics.  

I absolutely love our Craft Night/Girl's Night.  

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I plugged the printer back in and tried it on Tuesday.   Was able to print something!!  The mechanically inclined angels or fairies did their work...for now, anyways.  ;)

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 Yesterday a maintenance man (not our usual one--the fed housing guy) knocked on the door to check my washer hoses.  He didn't realize that I was one of the flooded.  I was so tickled that they were going around door to door and checking ALL of the gaskets!!  Made my day and I told him so with much enthusiasm!  I had been wondering about the apartments above me and if I might get leaking from the ceiling.  What a relief!!  :) :)

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Today...instead of the usual half dozen there were eight Grouse Girls who came earlier!  I couldn't get a picture...well, I didn't try...because they were quite jumpy due to the two new members of the flock.  The new girls are low in the pecking order and got chased a little bit from this one and that one.  But they all left together.  I'll be curious as to whether they stay a group of eight now.  Cool!  

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Oh!!!  Oh!!!  Leah and Ian went to the Natural Grocery Store and picked me up a bunch of non-dairy items to try AND a whole bunch of Gardein products a couple of days ago!!  OMG!  I had fake breaded fish fillets with fake mayonnaise...and then the next day had fake slices of meatloaf!!  Delicious!!  Been years!  I haven't been this excited since I discovered the Quorn brand of meat substitutes!  I have all kinds of fun things to try the rest of the month.  Seventh heaven, Baby!!!    

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Right now it has warmed up to 4 degrees and the wind has died down quite a bit.  Nice!  The sun is out.  The ground is white.  Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer is playing on Pandora.  The colored twinkling "fairy" lights are blinking and warming the atmosphere.  Karma is over on her chair sound asleep.  (I think she likes it when I play music.)  A huge flock of sparrows are gobbling up seed on the patio.  I am just so friggin' happy.  Content.  I just love-love-love this time of year.  :) :)

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Peace and good will.

Spread love wherever you go.

*hugs*

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"Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present."

Jim Rohn

Tuesday-11:15am

Good Morning!

As you can see Miss Karma is still quite relaxed.

Ears and tummy still looking good...thank goodness!

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The big event Friday (right after we chatted last) was waking up to a soaked carpet in my bedroom!  Wet inside the closet all the way over to my bed!  What a shock!! 

I had to quickly pull out the awkward, huge paper boxes from under my bed...and almost cried with relief that the water had not gotten to them.  Pulled out everything from my closet floor...which had gotten wet.  Kept calling every 15-20 minutes trying to catch Nazar in his office.  (Yes, the maintenance man called him Nazar--so I have learned the wrong name and so, apparently, have others here.)  No answer--didn't leave a message.  I had to jump in the shower because Caroline was doing my monthly grocery shopping for me that day.  And she calls several times while she's there with questions for me...which she did.  (I told her wait till she saw what was going on in my apartment and asked her if she could help move some things.) 

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As soon as she was heading for the checkout I called AGAIN and left a message that time about the water--and that I was worried about the lady next door to me, too.

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  Caroline arrived and I showed her the little lake in my bedroom.  She felt under the dresser (dry--so not from next door?) but said the closet floor was soaked in the back but not the front.  There was obviously a dip in the cement floor where it was pooling.  But where was it coming from?!

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Why didn't I walk over to the next building to find Nazar, The Lazy?  Truth.  Stress and IBS become instant friends.  I didn't feel safe to walk that far.  Caroline knows my issues.  I told her about calling and said I could just picture him in my mind sitting right there at his desk and not answering the phone or picking up when someone is leaving a message.  For some reason I thought he was right there in his office.

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Caroline went down there...and, yes, he was just sitting there.  Caroline told him of her client's mystery water and he said that he'd put in a call to maintenance and they wouldn't be here till the afternoon.  She said--"well, a call back would have been nice"--and walked out.  She came back and told me--yes, he had gotten the message and was just calm and uninterested in the whole thing.  Typical of him.  

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Note: Nazar could have been sitting there at his desk next to the phone...not picking up...never returning calls.  When I was finally able to walk down late that afternoon to pay my rent he was sitting calmly at his desk writing and there were two lights blinking on his phone.  While I was there the phone started to ring--he pressed a button and ignored it.  

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 Anyways...the maintenance man knew right away what it was.  The beginning of the week the same thing happened to a lady on second floor in my building.  It was the person who lived below her that called about a leaking ceiling!  When they installed the washer somebody hand-tightened the gasket/bolt or whatever it is on the hose that goes to the washing machine instead of using a wrench.  Over time it had loosened up...and started to drip.  Rapidly.

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It was one of the hoses on the left hand side. 

 This one on the right was dripping like crazy.  He tightened it up and later cut part of the sheetrock away to get some air in there to dry the walls out.

The wall next to the washer there on the left is the back wall of my bedroom closet.

So it went down the wall in the bathroom and seeped into my closet and across the carpeting.  But there was no water on the floor of the bathroom.  Weird.

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Anyways, the maintenance guy brought in this huge wet vac and vacuumed up water for a long time.  Did his thing to the wall behind the washer and then went back and vacuumed for a long time again.

I have been running a floor fan in the bedroom ever since.  Plan to leave things alone for a good month.  

I don't want mold!

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 Caroline stacked the heavy paper boxes on top of my tall dresser for me. 

They are filled with all my large paper.  The good stuff!  Watercolor, mixed media, drawing, calligrpahy, and large printed paper that I use for wall art, bookbinding, and journal making.  I can't tell you how relieved I was that my floor is uneven in the bedroom--LOL!  I had been up at 4am and it was dry there.  By 9 am it splashed when I stepped on the carpet. 

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My table leaves lie flat on the bedroom closet floor and were wet.  I just stuck them in the hallway temporarily...laid them flat after the maintenance man left...and then smashed into the metal sticking out of the side with a toe.  Of course.  It's all black and blue.  Limping a bit.

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So I moved them to behind the chairs in the living room.

When Leah came for crafts last night she moved them under the bed for me since that had been dry.

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Whew!  It was exhausting and my back has been loudly complaining ever since.  Quieter each day, but has never shut up about lifting all the heavy stuff--LOL!

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Meanwhile, the snow had pretty much melted again--but it has been really cold out.  I told you the sparrows have flocked together.

They come in bigger groups than I have seen all summer.

 

Don't tell!!

This month I ordered toys for Ian for Christmas!  

Leah buys Ian Green Toys (recycled).  

Ian has always loved vehicles of all kinds--but especially trucks, of course.  Now he will have some new ones...and even one for the bathtub!

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 Last night Leah brought the remote thingies for the lights.  These aren't actually extension cords so we still need one for the living room--LOL!  But then they will be done and installed.  With this little remote I can turn up to three things on and off (I have an extra one--got the set of three).  And with the bottom buttons I can do all at once! 

This is like The Jetsons!  

I can sit at the kitchen table and turn both the lights on or off at once!  The patio door lights... 

...and the new lights around the studio window--tada! 

I absolutely love my remote!!!  :) :)

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I did finish McFamily's tree skirt.  Didn't get done until 6:30pm last night...but Leah got to take it home with her.  :)

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I forgot to get a picture.  Leah sent me a picture on the cell phone and I listened to all her instructions on how to get it to OneDrive.  Sure, I apparently got them there..but I can't open them.  I just spent half an hour trying to figure this out--no picture for you--but many blank, unopenable ones are now in my computer.  Sorry.  Technology makes me feel SO stupid sometimes.  I refilled paper in the new printer today and can't get it back together.  Spent a good 20 minutes on that, too...it sits in pieces...can't use it.  Not my day, I guess.

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We're having a bit of snow today.

The sparrows are grateful for the feeder whenever the wind dies down a little (which hasn't been often) they come to grab something to eat.  The wind is gradually blowing seed down into the snow and they come poking about in the snow for morsels.  The grouse know how to dig with their feet, so I know they will get some.  Makes me happy to be helping.

At least I can do something right--LOL!

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Anyways, that's the latest from a frozen, white, windy Fargo today.  

:) :)

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"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well...for there is a Force of love moving through the universe that holds us fast and will never let us go."

Julian of Norwich