Hey there...

I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving where has the year gone?

We were in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago.  Son and daughter-in-law joined us for part of the time.  It was fun to see them.  They will be coming home for quite a stretch for the holidays. 

Daughter-in-law loves where she is teaching so far.  Son isn't back in school yet but may take some classes in the spring.  He's pretty much a house husband for now, lol.  He is learning to cook though so there's that. 

Yesterday we got our first dusting of snow.  Winter will be here soon. 

Just wanted to confirm I'm still kicking, ha.

Random thoughts

1.  OMG, it's been so hot this summer.  I've hardly been able to stand it.  I've had very little patio sitting, darn.  Hopefully, fall will be better.

2.  I also can't wait until the election is over. Enough said about that, ha!

3.  Son and daughter-in-law are in California as of August 1st.  They are renting a 3 bedroom house which son loves and is close to where dil is teaching.   They have a lemon, kumquat, orange and peach trees in their yard which is different.  It was quite the trip driving down their with the 2 cats and took them a day longer than they wanted but I guess it went okay.

4. We went to Magellan's daughter's wedding.  It was fun and beautiful.

5.  We are planning a trip to Vegas this fall for hippie and my birthday (70 and 65, ugh)!  That's if I ever get around to arranging it. We might fly son down too which would be fun since he'll be so close. 

6.  Hippies done a lot of fishing this summer so far. 

7.  I haven't really done much of anything except read a lot.  Still going out with my dinner friends once a month so there is that, thank goodness or I'd really be a hermit ;-).

8.  We had a problem with our house roof a while back.  The guy that put it on came and fixed it for free.  We talked to him about the patio roof and he's going to put something up there to hopefully stop the leaks.  We told him no hurry so who know when that will be done.

9.  That's about it. 

Random Thoughts

1.  Nothing pretty much is going on around here.

2.  The Dinner Friends recently went out for Magellan's birthday at The Outback.  Although a couple were on vacation the month of February.  I think everyone should be back for next month's dinner though.

3.  So far I haven't seen anyone on The Voice that's a clear winner like the last two years.  However, the show just started and we'll see.  I hope it doesn't happen though, I would like there to be a little suspense otherwise what is the point in watching!

4.  I can hardly stand this political season we are having.  I almost wish November was here already but then it would be close to me not being able to sit on the patio and I certainly don't want to wish that away, lol.

5.  Speaking of the patio, it looks like next week we might get some warmer weather.  Yay!!

That's about all I can think of to say...my life has been boring!

What's been happening

1. Hippie's birthday was last week.  He turned 69, wow.  He's an old man, ha.

2. My birthday is this week.  I'll be 64.  I'm getting kinda old too. 

3.  Next birthday, I'll be getting Medicare.  OMG!!! How did that happen?

4.  In September,  I decided to get Amazon Prime.  There was an offer for $67 for the first year instead of the $99 (or whatever the normal price is) so I thought why not.  I've been wanting to try it.

5.  After I signed up, I bought a fit bit.  I haven't started using it yet.  Hopefully, soon.

6.  I was talking to hippie about buying myself a Kindle Fire for Christmas.  He suggested since it was going to be my birthday, I should buy it for that.  He didn't have to say it twice.  I now own a kindle.  I've set it up but haven't used it that much yet.  I still love my Ipad but it's running out of room.  Thus, the kindle.  I think with the stuff I bought, I should be on my way to paying off the $67 with the shipping costs I'm not having to make.

7.  It's been very cold here.  This weekend we went down into the 30's at night.  During the day today it was only in the mid 40's.

8.  I'm still kinda iffy about Facebook.

9.  A couple of weeks ago, some of the Dinner Friends went to the memorial for hospice that we bought the brick for our friend that died last year from kidney cancer.  The brick turned out wonderful.

10.  This year has just kind of flew by.  Once Halloween comes, it will be a rush to the holidays.  With their school schedules and their new cats, I'm not sure son and daughter-in-law will come home for Thanksgiving.  We'll see.  It depends on if they can get someone to come in for the cats.  Hopefully, that won't be an issue with Christmas.

 TTYL...

Random Stuff

1.  It's been a busy couple of weeks.

2.  I knew Sawyer Frederick's was going to win The Voice but I bet anyone who watched the show could see the hand writing on the wall from his blind audition.   ;-0

3.  We were in Las Vegas.  Fun, fun!  Hippie won some money.

4.  Our son and our daughter-in-law (yes, they got married in Vegas while we were there) then came home the day after we did to go to a wedding for one of son's high school buddies.

5.  Daughter-in-law got a teaching position in Iowa.  


6.  For a month I haven't been able to hear on my cell phone.  I thought I was going to need it replaced or I was going deaf.  Finally, I went to Verizon and the guy checked it out.  I had the volume on low, duh!

 7.  I probably won't blog again until sometime in June, a lot going on here. TTYL

Random thoughts

1.  I like to send my Christmas cards on the 1st of December.  That means I have to get going on them.  I decided to write a dreaded newsletter which I've already started.  I don't send them to many people though. 

2.  It's hard to believe Thanksgiving will be here soon.  My brother and his wife are having it again, thank goodness.

3. Cleveland Browns 6-3, Wow!  The Buckeyes are doing pretty well too!

4.  I think I'm a book snob or more precisely a listening snob.  When I listen to fiction audio books, I never listen to one that a man reads although I have tried.  It was hard at first when I listened to a woman read and she had to sound like a man.  For some reason, it's even more difficult for me to hear a man trying to sound like a woman.  Kinda crazy!

5.  Wednesday is the last of Alphabe-Thursdays for this round.  Eh, at least I posted for each letter.  It really hasn't got me back much into blogging as I had hoped.  I guess I'll just muddle along like I did before.

Random thoughts

1.  We bought a new TV for Christmas. Our old one finally bit the dust.  Hippie went and picked it out.  We were supposed to get the size we had which was big but he bought an even bigger one (men, huh). It's a smart TV.  We had to have hippie's brother come and set it up so we could watch it, ha!  Your supposed to be able to do the internet on it but we haven't set that part up yet, if we ever do.

2.  The treadmill room is beginning to be a catch all room.  We put the old TV in there until it can be taken to the tree lawn.  We took mom's old TV stand out of that room. There was a bunch of her old stuff in there which is now piled up on a couple of dining room chairs that I keep in there, among other stuff that I don't have a place for.  Ay yi yi! This room could get out of hand.

3.  My son and his girlfriend bought me a lighted bake shop for Christmas.  I guess I'm finally going to be starting a village.

4.  My brother and his wife got hippie and me some gift cards, also a fruit basket.  I always wanted a fruit basket but why does it make me feel old.

5.  Magellan and her boyfriend came over this past Saturday.  We ordered pizza.  I made a salad.  Hippie bought a French Silk Pie, yummy.  Her and I drank a bottle of Riesling.  By 10:30, they left.  She practically fell asleep on the couch while her boyfriend laid on the other couch.  Ha, ha. At least we know they felt comfortable in our home, eh?

Random thoughts

1.  My new obsession is audio books.  Can I get any lazier?   Ha!

2.  It's been getting chillier and chillier here.  I haven't been sitting on the patio too much, boo hoo...

3.  The neighbor man is turning 100 this month.

4.  I went to a launch party for someone I know that is a Christian singer/song writer.   I never did anything like that before.  It was pretty cool!  This was her first professional CD.  I'm excited for her and her family.

5. I've always had mixed feelings regarding all the pink in October.  I read a really good blog post from  a woman with breast cancer who will be on it forever, unless the decision to stop is made....... http://www.butdoctorihatepink.com/2013/10/pinktober-from-metastatic-point-of-view.html    Awareness is all well and good but we also need to be aware of people who are going to be living with cancer the rest of their lives. So, if you are inclined to buy into the whole pink October thing be careful who you give your money to.  Research is really needed for women/men not only to prolong their life but to save their lives. 

  

Random thoughts

1.  I'm back to watching The Voice.  It must have been that I missed Christina and Ceelo that's why I didn't watch it the last time. I love it again. 

2.  One morning I had to take a shower early for a doctor's appointment.  I had to turn the furnace on because it was pretty chilly in the house.  It was a good thing though at least I know it works before we have to have it on all the time.

3.  Something's wrong with the n on my keypad. I'm having to go back a lot to press it harder, ugh!

4.  I think I've moved on from romance novels and back to women's friendship books, at least for now.

5.  I had my six month check up with my oncologist.  I love that guy.  We're going to reevaluate at my next six month check up about going yearly, ha!

Random thoughts

1.  It's been chilly here the last few days, in the 60's.  Some nights even got into the high 40's. 

2.  Magellan had her treatment and while there, we tried to figure out how to get library books on her new Nook she won in a raffle.  Ay yi yi!!

3.  I loved having my home cleaned.  It's so much easier to keep up now.  I'm having it done every two weeks.  She's coming again this Saturday.

4.  No more deer sightings.  Hippie is going to have to get rid of the vegetable plants for the winter anyhow.  

5.  September 10th was our anniversary, 36 years wow.

6.  Hippie and his buddies always fish for walleye in spring and summer.  In September, they switch to perch.  So far, they have done well with the perch fishing this year.

7.  Mom went to the zoo.  She had a great time.  I'm lucky she's at a place that takes them places like that.

Random thoughts

1.  So just under the wire, I switched my google reader to feedly.  I had a lot of choices but the emails I had with the different choices were deleted somehow.   Feedly was the only one I remembered.  I like it, at least for now.  It's not very complicated.

2.  For a long time I haven't been able to delete blogs from my google reader.  Since I changed I've been able to get rid of blogs that no one's been writing for years, ha!!

3.  A couple of weeks ago, we had to get our refrigerator fixed.  The guy came and took it apart and then hippie had to help him put it back together because he was having a hard time getting the freezer shelves back in @@.  At least it seems to be working ;-)

4. I figured Michelle Chamuel wasn't going to win The Voice but that's okay.  I think she's going to do well anyhow.  

5.  My life's been pretty boring right now, just how I like it lol.  However, Magellan's going to be on vacation so I might do something with her.   

Random thoughts

1.  Way to go Michelle Chamuel, for making it to the final three on The Voice.

2.  I must be hearing too much country music on The Voice, practically every song I'm hearing on their sounds country to me lol.

3.  I've been on the computer obsessively typing since last Friday.  Somewhere I got a new story in my head and since then it has been my new obsession.  I've even stopped reading.  I love it when the words just flow for me.   I'm sure this too will pass.

4.  My Mary story is on the back burner for now until a muse comes along for that.

5. We were going to visit mom and were stopped at an intersection.  The turning light came on and the people across from us went.  Suddenly, I saw a Mama duck and her babies (there were 5 or 6) crossing the street at the same time.  Luckily, the cars were able to dodge them.  Then the light changed and we had to go so I never got to see if they made it across to the sidewalk.  I thought about taking a picture but I was too distracted fearing that they were going to get run over.  I was worried about those ducks the whole time we were at mom's.  We normally go home another way but we had to stop at the drugstore so we had to go the way we came.  I was apprehensive when we got to that intersection but luckily, there were no dead ducks, ha!

6.  Speaking about the drugstore, I was done taking my prescription Vitamin D a while ago.  I finally picked up the over the counter D, I hope I didn't mess myself up.  I go back in September for a blood test, so I guess I'll see then.

7.  Hippie went fishing again this week, they didn't catch much but at least he caught something.  Although I was surprised, the day they went it was very windy.  In fact he said the waves were so high in the lake, water came over the side and got his pants all wet.  I guess that's the life of a fisherman lol.





  

Random thoughts

 1.  My son and his girlfriend flew to Portland, Oregon for a wedding this past weekend.  One of his friends from here got married and that's where he lives now.  Hopefully, I'll hear from son today and he'll have lots to tell, and also send me some pictures.

2.  One of my Dinner Friends and her two daughters flew for a George Strait concert to San Antonio, Texas for the weekend.  How cool is that!!

3.  I wish I was flying somewhere.

4. In the google reader, the print has been very small so I've been clicking on the actual blogs to read them.  I'm beginning to notice more and more people's headers are more minimalistic then they used to be.  I know I changed mine awhile back.  I think I was in the trend and I didn't even know it, heh, heh.

5.  There's just something about Michelle Chamuel on The Voice that I love.  I hope she gets to the finals.

Random thoughts

1.  I put the air conditioning on last week for a couple of days.  Then turned the heat back on when it went into the 30's - 40's during the night later in the week.  In a few more days looks like it will be back to the air conditioning.  Ohio weather - you gotta love it. 

2.  Every night before I go to sleep I make a mental list of all I want to get done the next day.  Then I don't do it, ha!

3.  Sunday was Mom's birthday.  She turned 86.  We took a cake for her and the residents.

4. Here are the flowers on the patio I wanted to post last week but couldn't.  This week they posted.  Go figure!!

5.  I remember when I was young my mom always buying the poppy from the veteran's for Memorial Day or Decoration Day as she likes to call it.  I haven't seen them for a while but I knew they still existed.  Over the weekend we had to stop by the grocery store and sure enough there was a vet outside with the poppies.  We bought one.  Remember those that died serving our country and hoping that fewer die in the future.  Have a good Memorial Day!

Random thoughts

1.  For some reason I haven't been able to put pictures on my blog.  Darn, anyhow I was going to show the flowers I bought for the patio.  Imagine they look like daisy's but they're really not, ha!  I always bought them for the back porch before we got the enclosure except last year.  This year I decided to go back to them.  However, while I love them, I was quite unaware of how they would smell in an enclosed space...not great!!

2.  Still no flowers in the front yet.  

3.  Hippie did get the vegetable garden in.  So, there's that.

4.  Magellan had another treatment on Friday.  There weren't a lot of people, so we got moved on up to one of the penthouses.  It was good to be back, heh, heh.

5.  Hippie went fishing for the first time over the weekend this year.  Not a good fishing day.  

6.  I'm very behind in blog reading.  I haven't done anything with my google reader either.  People have given me suggestions,  I'll have to get on that soon.

7.  I read one of the funniest books over the weekend.  It's called 'My Heart May Be Broken, But My Hair Still Looks Good' (don't you just love that title) by Dixie Cash.  It's a romance novel but it has these two women characters in it that run a beauty parlor/PI service.  

8.  I was all set to buy my dream cabin/house by the lake so I could sit on the front porch and read myself into oblivion.  Then we didn't win Mega Millions or Powerball. 

9.  Squirrel, Geese, and Deer, Oh My.  When I took Mom outside over the weekend, she had a good time looking at the animals.  The weather was gorgeous.  Perfect for me.  I wish I could bottle it up for the really hot or cold days.

10.  Here's to a good week!!

 

Random thoughts

1.  I'm wondering where the snow is, so far very minimal.

2.  Magellan has had a rough go with her chemo treatments.  Four down only two more to go. 

3.  I finally succumbed (no pun intended, ha, ha) to reading Fifty Shades of Grey.  Then I bought the other two lol.  Anyone read them?

4.  Our son should be coming home in January for the in-law Christmas.  I can't wait. 

5.  Jenny Matlock custom made me two signs for Christmas.  I'm in love with them.

6.  I'm almost done with my Christmas knitting.

7.  I finally bought a new recliner.  I threw the old one out when mom went into the nursing home.  I don't know what took me so long.  It's burgundy leather.  So soft.

8.  I only have a few more weeks of the Mrs. Dunkin story.  I can't seem to get back into writing it.  Or blogging for that matter.

9.  Mom's been doing pretty well (knock on wood).

10. Tonight's Dinner Friends Christmas.  Can't wait. 

Random thoughts

1. I went to the movies with Magellan to see Hope Springs.  Cute and funny.

2. Got a shingles shot.  My arm was red for over a week.  Oh well, hopefully, I won’t get shingles.

3. We had our front sidewalks leveled.  I’m happy we got that done.  Now I don’t have to worry about someone falling on them.

4. My dad’s brother passed away.  Wow, two uncles gone in less than a month.

5. I don’t know why I can’t figure out how to schedule posts.  I think I have it figured out and then it doesn’t post when it's scheduled for.

Random thoughts

1.   I finally went to the Horseshoe Casino downtown.  Went with Magellan.  Pretty fancy.  Lost $25.  Ate at the buffet, yummy!!

2.   Went down on the rapid.  We had to get tickets out of machine.  After struggling trying to figure it out, finally a kid helped us, ha.  Does that mean we are old or are they too complicated?

3.  Speaking of Magellan, she might have to start treatment soon.  I'm going with her on the 27th for a second opinion.  Concerned.

 4.  Lived in our home for 26 years, recently got mail for the old owner of our home, wth?

  5.  My uncle passed away.  First time I ever heard taps played live with a bugler and a 21 gun salute.

 6.  Despite the drought our garden's done pretty well this year.  Sick of cucumbers and getting enough tomatoes, ha. 

  

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Random thoughts

1.  Do you see our house on my blogger header?  Click on this link to see what the railings look like. http://www.vikisplace.blogspot.com/2011/09/finally.html  I want to get shutters for the windows but I can't find the exact color to match the door.  I was thinking of putting up white shutters to match the railings on the steps.   What do you think?

2.  One of the rabbits dug a bunch of grass away from our weed filled back yard, ha, and last night he was laying in it.  Oh boy.

3.  I'm wondering about my Mary story.  I've got over 300 pages written on it, lol.  I don't know if I should continue posting it or just stop.

4.  Weather - crazy.  Again today almost feels like a fall day.  In a few days it will be hot, hot, hot.

5.  I hate house cleaning.

Random thoughts

1.  I'm noticing on some blogs some of the the words on the posts are connected together - likethis.   What's up with that?

2.  We are going to have our outside front steps and back steps re-built. It should be in May.   We'll see how that goes.

3.  I haven't heard from the patio guy yet this spring.  He said if I didn't hear from them by March 20th, I should call.  I just haven't had the heart to do that yet.

4.  It ended up being hippie and me for Easter.  My brother called on Holy Saturday and mentioned they were going to his in-laws and wanted to set up a different time to come here.  I said let's forget it.  He wasn't so keen on it but I was, ha.  We met him at the nursing home on Easter morning and I gave him some of the food I had already prepared.  So, I had an Easter nap lol.  

5. We got our new garbage cans last week for the automated trucks.  We were supposed to start using them this week.  However, when they came today it was the old trucks.  The guy said they won't be starting until next week@@.

6.  I know this is a pretty boring post, ha,ha.  I don't feel like I have anything interesting to say unless you consider whining exciting and then I could probably write more.