Interlude - Day 49 of my 88 Day Challenge

This morning I read something at another blog and over the course of the day the idea become an irritating itch that could not be ignored. 

I'm thinking about writing,  God's gifts, glory, and humility.  The ideas of scale, viewership, and attachment are there, too.  I'll be back in a few days with days 50 thru however many.  Life is good.

88 Day Challenge, 48/88

It's been a quiet day.  Started a new crafting project but now have to wait until Monday for supplies to arrive. What an aggravation to know I have the supplies and then can't find them.  That's what I get for reorganizing.  Things always come up missing when you need them.  ☺️

The moon has been so beautiful this time around.  I got it in full two nights ago.  Here it is as it starts the waning phase.

88 Day Challenge, Day 47/88

A Day for Writing

The Moving Life - Part 2

Considering how important stability had become in my life,  it's surprising to me how much I've moved around in my adult life.  Granted there have been periods of long time stability but that was entirely due to rearing a son and a daughter and my strong determination for them to have a settled young life. 

However, in late 1967 I wasn't there yet but my emergence  of teenage rebellion finally arrived at the age of 19.

We lived in an area of San Diego about 25 minutes from downtown.  I moved in with my first roommate, a woman in her 20s, into a 2-bedroom house in the area known as North Park. 

By that time I had found a circle of friends of which she was one.  I only lived with her for a year because soon after we met I also met my first husband.  That marriage was a great mistake and led to four more moves between 1969 and 1972.  It seemed my life was running true to form.

But, by 1973 that marriage was behind me and its aftermath frozen me into immobility.  Finding myself free to ask important questions and get my life on track again, I again found out how fragile a circle of friendship can be.  Social isolation and grief can be crippling and lead one off into many and varied directions.  In my case, the directions were aimless.  At a time when I was free to pursue dreams and just explore, I was paralyzed by fearfulness.

In 1975, I moved again, leaving San Diego behind me.  I moved to a little mountain town in Southern California and thought "This is it".  By the end of summer,  I was leaving again.  Funny, not funny, how other people's lives can blow up and take out others with them.  And I moved again, fortuitously this time. 

Living in Riverside, CA was the doorway to my life today.  I graduated from university, met my, to this day, best friend, and met my husband of 47 years. Not too bad for a two year period. 

By 1978 I committed to trying marriage again. What followed was two local moves and then in 1980 we made the big leap to San Jose, CA and Don finishing college there.  Then a move to Modesto in '85 and settling into our first home.  There began ten years of stability but Don's work changes and he was living out of town.  After that, in 1996, we moved to Turlock where I worked and the kids were attending school.  Day to day life got a lot simpler.

We lived in Turlock for 21 years. We had two wedding, two grands, embraced retirement, and settled in for the rest of our life.  And then life happened. Again.

Late one Sunday night our daughter drop by and in one breath said, I'm pregnant again and we're moving. Well . . .

And just like that, life turned on a dime. They were moving to Tennessee.  No way was I going to be two time zones away from our grands. It was bad enough that our son lived in Indiana. We knew staying in California was no longer an option.

When we moved to Don's childhood home in Missouri in 2017, I was 69 and he was 73.  We will be 77 and 81 before the end of the year, and, yes, we will be moving again. All the reasons for being in his childhood home were either accomplished or didn't matter anymore. Yes, we've made some strong connections here but the call of being closer to our grands is irresistible.  And the bonus is that we'll be an hour closer to our son and his wife in Indiana.

Spring is approaching. The house will go on the market. With God's grace and mercy, we won't have a long wait for a buyer. Then it will be our/MY last move with Central Tennessee the end of my long and rambling road.

88 Day Challenge, Day 46/88

A Day for Writing

The Moving Life - Part I

After a lifetime of moving, and often feeling unsettled, I found myself making what I thought would be my last move in my life.  I was 69 1/2 years old.

1.  Born in California in 1947

2.  Moved to Hawaii mid 1949

3.  Dad in Navy and sent to Korea.  1950-1952.  We relocated to Wisconsin to be with my dad's family. 1950

4.  Dad's returns and we settle into the Great Lakes Training Center around 1953 for two years.

5.  Dad's transferred to California again. At this point, he is going overseas and returning every six to eight month. It's 1955.

6. 7. 8. We move from the S.F. Bay area to San Diego,  following the ship. This went on for a few years with a side trip at least one more time to Illinois and then back to California. 

9.  Finally, in 1960-1961 we started to settle in Chula Vista, Ca, just a stones throw from the US-Mexican border.  My dad retired in 1961 from the Navy and he immediately moved us all back to his family home in Rhinelander, WI.

I was thrilled. I loved my grandparents and all the cousins I had back there.  My Uncle Cap had a house on Post Lake with a dock attached to the shore.

The cousins and I loved to tramp around in the swampy area and we thought ourselves very daring as we avoided the muddy areas we call quicksand. We hunted for frogs and I discovered what a snipe hunt was. I found a green garter snake that wrapped itself tightly around my arm and then showed me who was boss when he bit the middle finger of my right hand. That was the year I discovered how sharp fangs were and I've never forgotten that feeling.  However,  I didn't developed a fear of snakes and I've held that memory close to my heart for 65 years.

10.  I remember the house we lived in so clearly.  It was a two story bungalo with an enclosed porch - basement and attic included. It was located across the street from a park the edge of which dropped off to a wide creek.  The area was covered in trees and shrubs and trails broken by previous generations of children who explored the world of the creek. I was always alone but didn't mind.  Can you imagine that happening today?  No doubt the creekside would be overrun with encampments.

I loved this time in my life, remembering cousins, family, creeks, and a secret room hidden behind my bedroom closet. I watched the Aurora Borealis from my bedroom window at night. 

This was the year I didn't think twice about exploring the mysteries of our bungalo.  One day I climbed up onto the kitchen counter to explore the tops of the cabinets (they didn't attach to the ceiling) and I found a paperback book.  Curious, I took it down and being a great reader, I thought I had found a treasure.  I suppose, in a way, I had.  It was a copy of D. H. Lawrence's famous, or some might say infamous title, "Lady Chatterly's Lover". On the cover, in big, splashy letters the following words proclaimed UNEXPURGATED VERSION. 

 Now, mind you, I was 12 years old at the time but those two words tantalize with secret meaning and I tucked the book away to later discover who knows what.  I had that book for literally decades and I reread it many times. In time, the poor paper quality was turning to dust and the glue on the spine that held the pages together broke down. The book literally fell to pieces.  I lost or maybe tossed the book some time in the late 90's but to this day, I haven't forgotten it.

My heart broke the day my dad came home and told us we were moving back to California.   It was 6 weeks until the end of the school year (I was in 8th grade).  We settled in San Diego and I finished my last month of eighth grade there. Friendless, heartbroken, and a newly pregnant mother; it was not an easy time.

Eventually my brother arrived; I was 14 years old.  I went through high school, made a circle of friends who evaporated after graduation.  But, by that time I had managed to learn to keep my feet on the ground and within two years, I moved from home making lots of mistakes along the road to adulthood.

My adult years of moving lay in front of me. It would be long road.

TOMORROW 

88 Day Challenge, Day 44-45/88

Monday came and went. I read a lot and finished painting Sebastian 's turtle.

And now it's Tuesday. I'm going to the back porch today for my Rosary and coffee. It was 52° this morning. I hope it's warmer now.

**********

Don just walked in with some news. Can't say what because early days.  But it's big and I now am feeling a little breathless and my right eye is twitching. Dratted tick comes and goes and lately it's been in the come phase.  I need to call Quanah for calming. Suffice it to say, this news, if it happens, will turn my/our lives upside-down. 

**********

LATER

Quanah helped and I've talked a bit more with Don.  At this point, as long as I'm assured, from Don, of open discussions, I will proceed with a timely chance that has fallen into our laps.

Sorry for the mystery but all will be revealed soon no matter which way it goes.  In the meanwhile,  the day is ending, dinner out is happening, and so up goes this daily post of my life. My "Dear Diary " has sure been a getting workout lately.

88 Day Challenge, Day 43/88

Sunday.

A day of rest.

And, yes. It is.

I have turned my brain off.

**********

Mass. 

Lunch with friends. 

Cleaned some shells for a new project. 

Still working on the turtle. Much like the story of "The Tortoise and the Hare", my little turtle has taken charge of my quick finish. So . . . maybe tomorrow.

And finally, to the highlight of my day.  Visit with me, today on the river.

88 Day Challenge, Day 42/88

Today gets high marks all the way around.  Up at 7. Out the door at 9.  We're on our way to C'ville's annual Chili Cook-Off  but first a stop at Little Pizza Heaven for breakfast.  They don't usually do breakfast but today's event made it seem like a good idea and, from my POV, it was.

I was really living in the moment today and didn't get any breakfast pictures to post.  I was so in the moment, I nearly didn't get pictures from the Chili Cook-Off either. But, I did do a little better when I finally remembered.  So, here we go.

This man caught my attention as he slowly stir the chili that was bubbling away in an old cast iron kettle.  And I had to admire the ingenuity that went into creating a cooking oven out of an old metal barrel.

Two ladies of the local DAR Chapter and a little lady and possible future member of DAR had a booth out soliciting support for the annual Wreaths Across America event.  Each year they buy wreaths to add to their collection with the goal of eventually being able to place  wreath at every veteran's gravesite in the cemetary. 

A local wild/exotic animal rescue group had their rescued boa constrictor available for handling. She's very friendly and the kids were fascinated.

And finally, everyone's favorite festival game of dunking a guy into a water tank.  The older kids, as you might expect, were very enthusiastic.

Yesterday's drama of the lost St. Patrick Rosary has had a happy ending.  When my pirate (Don for the uninformed) read yesterday's post, he pondered the problem and quietly went about rescuing St. Patrick from the darkness.  The man understood the mission I had hoped he would undertake and as you can see, the result is now resting in my hand.

Later tonight we are heading back to Little Pizza Heaven to enjoy an evening of Dennis Gurley and his repertoire of the Beatles and other tunes from the British invasion of music to our shores.

88 Day Challenge, Day 41/88

Well,  after yesterday's sleep-in, I actually feel back to normal and even better than normal. Last night I worked out a calendar plan for next week and gave it a run this morning.  So far I've done 3 out of 5.

Not surprisingly,  exercise and ironing are the easiest to put off.  Perhaps I should make them second and third.  Prayer keeps first place.

Speaking of prayer, I went out to the back porch this morning with my coffee, rosary, and Robb book when the unforeseen happened.  My St. Patrick Rosary slid off the book it was balanced on as I stepped onto the porch and it slid between the cracks of the boards and plunged into the darkness below.  

Why oh why couldn't it have spilled off a step sooner and landed on the concrete? Or, why didn't I have the quickness of wit to throw out my foot and step on it to stop its downward rush? I can't answer these questions and now St. Patrick rest in the darkness.

I wonder if Don can devise a hooking tool and pull it out? Oh well, as I said my Rosary this morning, I prayed to accept this event as a small cross to bear and look for the good.

In any event, the afternoon is creeping forward so time to get cleaned up and forge on to the ironing and exercise.

**********

One piece of ironing finished.

Worked at the library for a couple of hours.

Roundhouse for dinner tonight.

No purposeful exercise yet.

The day is rapidly sliding into the end zone and I'm looking forward to kicking up my feet.  It's been a nice day.

88 Day Challenge, Day 40/88

Waking up this morning . . . oh wait, I didn't have a morning . . . Don gave my toe a shake at 12:30 p.m. letting me know it was, well, 12:30.  Where did my morning go? Baffling.  I don't remember ever sleeping over 12 hours. 

By 4 p.m. I was still struggling with the surprise of so little left of the day.  Dinner was leftovers.  An Agatha Christie is on the tube.  Even my reading was abbreviated today.  Okay. Tomorrow I start over again.

88 Day Challenge, Day 39/88

I was happy to weigh myself this morning and find that I'm down a notch again.  From 280 in January to 249 this morning.  I've been battling ten pounds up and down since July and it's been so hard.  

I have a couple of small goals. Number one is to reach 245 by October 30th.  That is when I see Dr. Luber again. Number two is to reach 239 by Thanksgiving. That's ten pounds gone by T'giving.  These goals feel do-able.

I'm finding that I'm enjoying  painting Seb's little creations.  I finished his flag this morning and I may do the turtle today as well.  Post-Thanksgiving I'll have to bring a few more of them home. I wish I had more now but it's just as well.  I have enough distractions from prayer time and exercise time without adding another layer.

The light on the staircase caught my attention around noon.

Below, it looks like a this man is getting ready for barge loading but there is no barge in place.  There is one approaching but it will be a while.

Don is out with Josh tonight at another men's group meeting.  I'm watching the Milton storm tracker on Fox.  Florida knows how to handle this stuff efficiently.  Hopefully the Feds won't muck things up.

No turtle today.  Maybe tomorrow but prayer first.  In the meanwhile, sleep well.

88 Day Challenge, Day 38/88

I had lots of odd dreams last night and don't remember any of them now.  There is only the lingering awareness and a bit of breathlessness remaining. 

My Rosary, this morning, calmed me and the weak effort of yesterday was much stronger today.  

I feel more energized than I have recently and will get breakfast soon.  I don't like eating early,  so I don't. Time to get going.

**********  

I recently purchased a couple of jars of Gerber's Baby Food.  I thought this might be an easy add-in to my plain Greek yogurt. So, I gave it a try. Twice.  The first one didn't fly. Can't even remember what it was. Maybe peach.  But, I had one more, banana/blueberry.  After trying this, I only had one thought. No wonder kids become such picky eater.  

Kudos to the mom's out there who make good use of their blenders. I added some agave sweetener to the bowl and finished it up.  That is one idea I won't revisit. 

TIP:  However, I did learn this from my 10 year old grandson, the ultimate picky eater.  Mix peanut butter and honey in plain yogurt and you have the stuff of dreams. I'll be going back to that tomorrow. 

**********

Also on the Sebastian front -

For the past several months, Seb has been forming small objects with airdried clay.  This little  basket was presented to me this past spring.  In July I came home with two more, a turtle and an American flag.  Each was dried white.  Today I decided to try painting the wee basket.  I used watercolors and I love the way it turned out.

And the day is done.  Time to find a good movie and then go to bed. 

88 Day Challenge, Day 36-37/88

 Day 36

Mass started my day.  Forgot it was Brunch Sunday so no food contribution from us.

There was a quick trip to the river but we skipped the usual Roundhouse stop. I think we might return when Mike and Jean are up to it again.

I was so sleepy when we got home, I napped until 4:30. This seems to be becoming my Sunday habit.

We watch a little TV this evening but really, TV is just boring these days though i did find something new on Fox. We'll see how that goes. So far no language and nothing riské.  I really enjoy reading more, so I did after the new show, Murder in a Small Town (out of Canada).

Such was my day with nothing more challenging than staying awake until I don't have to anymore.

Day 37

So far today I briefly prayed and read a lot.  It's after 1 p.m. and I don't think I'm going to make it to the library.  

I called Quanah in Indy and had a brief conversation with him organizing our T'giving visit.  So, five days with Erin and Q with a trip from there

down to Tennessee for two days. Abel and Gricelda,  Adrian's parents, are visiting from California so we can't miss a chance to see them. (Krista, Karolina, and wee Estella)

The laundry had been put away. Don came home with groceries.   I managed to get thru 7 minutes of walking and one decade of the Joyful Mysteries. After putting everything away, I'm bushed.  I'll finish 2-5 later.  Now I'm planning dinner.

Will I iron? Maybe.  That pile of guilt waiting in the guest room is riding me. LOL

Such are the ordinary things of life yet they are the glue that keeps a life together. 

88 Day Challenge, Day 35/88

The day 35 Interlude I posted just before this post, was a very good day in sales for us.  Coffee got my day started and I prayed (a little) and it was purposeful prayer. I prayed

Don would actually sell a copy of his book today and it was almost immediately granted.  Then I suggested to God that maybe another sale would be nice. Sure enough. A few hours later, it was granted.  I had some success too so it was a high water mark in book sales for both of us today.

Now it's evening.  I called my brother and got the good news that he and his friend Ben, who lives in San Diego, would spend  Thanksgiving together at Tahoo.  California is notorious for November snow so anything might happen.

I'm settling in for the evening now.  Day is done.

Interlude on Day 35/88

We spent the day in New Madrid selling books and stuff.  One book sale for Don makes the day a win and we got it early.  I have sold this and that.  Have the afternoon ahead of us but grateful for how it's gone so far.

Don & me. A family of writers.

p.s. I prayed today with more to come. The day is always  better with prayer.

88 Day Challenge, Day 34/88

Friday. Quiet. I'm slipping from my Routine Challenge. Coffee.✅️ Read. ✅️✅️. It's 3:45 and no prayer. No exercise. I DID start a nice dinner and prep for tomorrow  but that's it.  

My reflections sound like the

diaries of my youth.  I'm marking days and that is part of what I want to change.  I want to have a routine for a sort of normality.  

The longer I'm in C'ville, the more isolated I feel. I want to start driving again, to go to the river anytime I like. I miss my children. They are so far away.

Days end.  Tomorrow is shaping up to be a fun day.  New Madrid's Fall Festival is tomorrow and we were very kindly invited to participate by Lindsey Jane's Interiors. If you are in the area, stop by.

88 Day Challenge, Day 33/88

I hardly know where to start.  Nothing in particular going on, just suddenly very tired. It hit me about 4:30 today.

Coffee. Reading. Not much prayer today. Feeling forgetful. Just a weird day. 

We visited Mike and Jean today.  Mike seems to be in a slow decline and Jean has reason to be tired.  I don't. In fact, I have much to be grateful for.  Anyway, it was good seeing him. He looks better than he did a month ago. Color better. Eyes and attitude more alert.  

I sat out on the porch for a while after we returned home.  I love the comfort of the porch and view of the backyard.  I notice the squirrels and birds are changing with the season. The squirrels, especially, are busy collecting and storing.  

Truth be told, I'm feeling sad about Mike.  Kidney disease and some neurological condition. It's a lot to face. I feel badly because I think Jean is disappointed that our priest hasn't tried to connect.

In his defense,  he's not around much, taking care of two parishes and we usually get less attention. We are an aging parish and there is no school.  But I defend only so far. One past pastor was very invested in us but he's gone now. 

I love the small community that makes up this church. If we move, I'll miss the people.

What a ramble I've been on.  I hope it's better tomorrow.   

88 Day Challenge, Day 32/88

Well, the big day came and went. We were up at five. Out the door at six. Headed for Hernando, Mississippi. Got lost twice as we passed through

Memphis  thanks to sun glaring on road signs. Arrived
in plenty of time for my appt to sit and wait for over an hour but finally got in.  Knee x-rays first then met with Dr. Luber.  My objective was to discover if there were treatment options so as to avoid knee replacement surgery and I actually did have a couple of options.  I settled on going back on the 30th and getting my first gel injection.  Gel injections replace the fluids missing in the joints. In the meantime, I will start taking Celebrex for inflammation and hopefully start physical therapy.  I'm going to give this six months and lose more weight.  Come February or March, I'll revisit the idea of surgery but for now I'll put in the work for avoiding surgery.  Stay tuned

88 Day Challenge, Day 31/88

The three starters for my day are all on tap.  Coffee, prayer, and reading have fueled me. 

Tomorrow is a big day for me.  I meet with Dr. Kurre Luber and will finally get this show on the road for repairing my knees.  I really have no idea what to expect. Everyone talks about knee replacement but there may be other treatments to start out which may help and I can avoid surgery.  So, stay tuned.  There will be a report on tomorrow's post or Thursday's.   

Dr. Luber's office is two hours away.  One of the downsides of living rural is having to drive for long distance for the best health care.  Since Dr. Luber is one of the top surgeons in his field and is well-known to us (we are friends with his parents), we decided the two hour drive to his satellite clinic in Hernando, Mississippi, was worth the trip.

But, it's pushing 11:00 a.m. and time to: 

cleaned up and dress DONE

set clothes out DONE

bag up meds DONE

sort/separate ironing DONE

Tossed some t-shirts DONE

3-hole punch and store more library board paperwork DONE

bag up medical i.d. DONE

Note prior hospital stays DONE

Confirm ch/in for tomorrow DONE

make spaghetti for tonight DONE

Start clearing out the secretary - well, that will wait for Thursday. 

And that ends that, except for one small thing.  Krista sent this picture today and it's clear that Matteo has got the whole big brother thing down with baby sister, Estella.  Along with cuddling, he also seems to be an expert bottle feeder and a burper.  All at 8 1/2 years of age.