But I'm much better now

It was a rough night. I won't go into detail, but I had put a surgical drape on the bed, covered with a towel, and as it turned out, I needed it. I threw the towel in the shower to deal with in the morning. I got another piece of plastic and a towel, but did not need it. I got up often to make sure it did not happen again. In the morning, my back was a little better but still iffy. I did some self-hypnosis to relax the muscles and heal whatever the problem was. The alarm sounded and shut off. I got up when I was ready. I turned on the laptop and router. I cleaned my touch pad. I got out my detox sheet to follow it. I noticed that my timer would stop ticking every so often so I had to tap it to start it again. I wondered if Wednesday mornings were taking longer because the timer was inaccurate. I got out another timer. I listened to several audios on the desktop because it has louder speakers. I wish I could run the laptop sound through the sound system in the living room. I ate the apple I set out last night. I took a shower and put all the towels in the wash. I drank a quart of water and filled a water bottle for later. I got dressed and listened to another audio until it was time to go. I went to my massage therapist. Even though I went to the bathroom to begin with, I had to go again in the middle of it. She used hot stones on my back and legs, highlighting my lower back. We had a nice talk afterward. Then I went straight home. I ate some fried spleen with ghee: nah. It was better with goat cheese, and outstanding with kimchee. I gave the grains fresh milk. I got the fry pan out of the fridge and heated it up. I peeled and sliced and fried the other jicama, then added a few eggs for good measure. I left it covered to cook while I checked e-mail. I changed my shorts for pants because the weather was cooler and kind of rainy. I dug up the avocado tree from the compost pile and put it in a pot. I watered it and some other plants. I noticed that my squash was gone. It wasn't ripe but I guess I should have picked it anyway. I brought up a bag of Jen's things and put her tapping book in it. I took it to the car along with the avocado tree. When I got to choir, I left them in the car. The choir was already gathered so maybe my watch was late. We spent most of our time on one song for two weeks from now. Then we sang Happy Birthday to Mary, our organist. Ed brought a cake. Elaine and I did not partake. After practice, I left Jen's stuff by her car and came home. There were no spiders waiting for me. I jotted notes for my blog. Cecily had forwarded a copy of Christy's obit, but I had trouble reading it. I browsed TEDx talks waiting for Chris to skype me. I starting with one on the 4th state of water, and it was so interesting that I just kept watching others that came up. Then he came on, late from a meeting. We hadn't talked long when the call dropped. I called back but he did not answer. His computer had crashed. When it came back up, I called him. We talked for a short while, but by then he had another meeting to go to. I gave him my best 'sad face' but it did no good. After the call, I finished the last TED talk, then posted to my blog and went to bed.

Making progress

I was programming my mind for the day when the alarm went off. From the moment I got out of bed I could tell that my back was not happy. But I couldn't think of anything I had done to it. It seemed to say “If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you.” I drank several glasses of salt water. I turned on the router and laptop. I swished. I checked e-mail. I tried to answer a question from a lady in Yongsan about the Yongsan Quilters group, but found that I had been 'dismembered'. (There must be a better word but I can't think of it now). I looked up the price of external floppy drives on Amazon, surprized to find out that they still sell them and they are USB. I read an article by Nick Ortner. I exercised as best I could while listening to Brian Johnson. I drank coconut water while taking notes for my blog. I got dressed and put on my new shoes to take Netflix out to the mail box. The shoes were surprisingly uncomfortable. The only way I could account for it was that the clerk must have tightened the laces differently than I did. So I tighened them differently and they were more comfortable after that. I juiced squash and forgot to clean up. I headed out to quilting. I talked with the usual people, and told them that next week would be my last week. On the way home, I went to the Asian store for kimbap and kimchi. I ate it when I got home. I skimmed the cheese and gave fresh milk to the kefir grains. I put what was left in a jar and washed the last goat milk jar. I put it in the insulated tote for the farmer's market. Then I called Linda at the church to ask about the fund for the dinner. She warned me that the system files were missing but I could come take a look anyway. So I did. First the intern computer and then the office computer. I tried the new version of the software and then went to the old version of the software. But the files seemed to be gone. The envelop numbers were not assigned to anyone and recent members were not accounted for. I looked for a restore point, but there wasn't one on that computer. Oh well. I shut the computers down and came home. I made a list of things on the donation pile that could be Freecycled. I looked through the tornado room for items that could be donated. Then it was time for the farmer's market. It rained while I was there, but only when I was standing at a stall with some protection. I bought goat milk first, having the man pour the milk in the jar I brought because I will not be able to return his jars. Then I got three bunches of lettuce from the hydroponic farm. I went to the meat stand and talked to them, explaining how I cooked the spleen and what it took to make it edible. I bought tomatoes and zucchini at another stand and peppers at a fourth stand. Then I bought some tea mix from the place on the end. The sample I had gotten months ago was so good, but I could not remember which one it was, so I got two. Then I shouldered my insulated cart, and walked back to my car. It was heavy and my back protested some. On the way home, my rear windshield wiper activated. I don't know why and I could not stop it. Since it was not raining on the way home, the window got dry and it squeaked. When I parked in the carport, I got out the manual, but it was no help. It claimed that position 7 of the wiper arm would activate it, but the picture did not make clear what that was. I brought the food in and put it away. Then I made breakfast and ate while listening to David Perlmutter talk about gut health affecting the brain. I went into the basement to get flattened boxes. As it turns out, they were flattened and taped that way to hold large paper items, like posters. I condensed two down to one and made the other into a 3-D box. I went through boxes in the corner of the basement to clear space for amassing things that should go in storage. I found all of Michele's baby blankets, some crocheted by her grandmothers. And her school book, report cards, Girl Scout sashes and patches, etc. Sigh. She won't want them. MaryAnn skyped me and we talked for some time. Then I went back down to open more boxes. The bottom box in the corner held replacement couch cushions. And when I pulled it out, the corner of the wall and the box were black. Was it mold, mildew or camel cricket dung? I carefully moved the box to the garage, not letting that corner touch anything. It was a good box otherwise and I wanted to keep it, but did not want any of my stuff contaminated, and that would not be appropriate to donate either. I went up to see if Chris had skyped. He hadn't but I cleared a few e-mails and started a new Swansons order since they had a one-day deal on free shipping and 20% off. He said things were crazy over there because congress does not understand that October 1 comes early over there and the people need to know soon if they are allowed to work tomorrow. After the call, I finished my Swanson's order and posted to my blog. I put an apple by the bed in case I need to take my meds (with food) in the morning. I rubbed magnesium oil on my back and took a magnesium supplement. I hope to be better in the morning.
* My new shoes - pretty tame compared to the other shoes in the store *

Fried and salted

I got up soon after 8, having done my mental warm-ups. I discovered that the pot I left to cook all night was cold even though the stove light was on. I turned up the heat and when it was hot, put it in a jar and into the fridge it went. I swished, turned on router and laptop, then checked e-mail. I watched a video, and exercised. I took out the garbage, then watched The Claw truck pick up the pile of branches. I watched another video and read more e-mail. I washed the pot and some other large items. I packed three floppies in an envelope, weighed them, and looked up the postage. Because they are thicker than ¼ inch, the price was higher than regular first class postage. That's the USPS for you. But I just stuck the stamps on and was glad not to have to go to the post office. I juiced lettuce and carrots and a pepper. It did not make enough juice so I juiced the 4 orange beets from the grocery store. I included the tops and it just wasn't good. I skimmed the cheese from the whey and gave L and B fresh milk. I looked up space bags on Amazon so we can bring our pillows with us on the plane. I made and ate breakfast. Then I got dressed and went to quilting. There were only 4 ladies there and two of them soon left. I worked on Kurt's quilt, finishing the binding and then adding some quilting to hold it all together. I realized it needed washing. Lauri and I stayed until after 5. I asked her if she would eat goat cheese and she said she would try it. Sheryl showed up near the end and then I had to go. When I got home, I put a large fry pan on the stove and dumped a goodly amount of coconut oil in it. Then I sliced up the remaining half of Jicama thinking to fry the slices like potato chips. I also cut up the spleen in small slices and added them to the pan. The potato chip idea did not work, but frying the spleen was an improvement. As the food industry knows, if you fry something crispy enough and add enough salt, it will be edible. So I had some for supper, then made a salad. I meditated for almost an hour. I read e-mail and washed up in the kitchen. I watched the last part of Parade's End. It wasn't a particularly satisfying ending. I prepared the DVD to go back to Netflix. I taped a box together and went down to my sewing room to fill it. Then I got out the sewing machine that Heather returned. I had a little trouble at first, but got it straightened out. I put it in its mailing box and then wondered what I should shove in with it. Fabric, of course, but what notions? I sat down to make a list, knowing that it will be the only thing that arrives before I do. But I had to keep some things for use before I leave. About 9:40 I went up to see if Chris was on. I cleared two e-mails and then he skyped me. We talked, he gave me another tour of several rooms. He sang me a song and then he had to go back to work. I posted to my blog, and went to bed.

My, how they've grown

I woke up before 8. I did my mental programming and still got up early. I skimmed the cheese and put some in a small jar for Elaine. I gave fresh milk to my pets. They have really grown. I read some e-mail while swishing and exercising. I took a shower, and then could not find my razor. When I did find it, it was too dull to shave with. So I got out a new one. Then the handle got soapy and twisted in my hand. I sliced my thigh. I dabbed it every few minutes until it quit bleeding. I made and ate breakfast, watching an interview on proper posture. I got dressed in my custom-made silk dress because it was sleeveless. I practiced my trombone as a warm up. I took it to the car, and went back for the grocery bags. On the way to church, I noticed the back of one earring was missing. When I got to church I took off my earrings and put them in my purse. I asked Ed to carry in my trombone. He gave me a hard time so I gave as good as I got. His wife said not to feel special 'cause he does it to everyone. I set my trombone up on its stand. Then I practiced with the choir. I played the prelude with the organist. It went well. After the service, I verifying the loose cash with Art. I packed up my trombone. I spoke to the pastor, and to the head of Stewardship. Several people asked if this was my last day and I assured them it was not. I put my trombone in the car, and went to get my sewing machine which Heather left for me in one of the sunday school rooms. I put it in the car. I went home to change clothes then went to the grocery store. I put the food away. I put leftover bone broth in a pot and added spleen, and beef bones. My neighbor was cutting down a pecan tree. I spoke to him about the mower. He said he'd haul my big branches away. I had a bite for lunch then went to church to count money with Art. It all added up the first time. Hurray! Then I came home. I cut up two onions and peeled a jicama. I only cut up half of it. I added that to the spleen and let it boil while I mowed the ditches and inside the fence with the push mower. Then I used the riding mower to mow the larger parts of the yard. I did not quite get every spot, but it was sprinkling rain so I came in to have a bowl of spleen stew. I checked e-mail. I listened to a Youtube version of the songs Chris had sung me. I finished an interview from earlier about proper posture. I made up a week's worth of vitamins and refilled the walnut container that I keep in the microwave. I watched installment 4 of Parade's End from Netflix. I looked up the lead female character wondering where I had seen her before. Since I had trouble opening the package of spleen, I sharpened the scissors by cutting up the foil chocolate wrapper. The spleen was kind of like a wet sponge. I wondered how in the world one makes it palatable. I wished there was an Iron Chef episode with spleen. Chris skyped me. I told him about a paper I had found showing a website for tracking Dod moves. After the call, I put the spleen in a stainless steel container in the fridge and left the bones in broth on the stove on very low heat. I posted to my blog and went to bed.

Shoe-shopping good

I got up to turn the alarm off then laid back down but that did not last long. I practiced my trombone music for tomorrow. I made copy of a page of quilting instructions for Lauri. I started the router and laptop, then put on an audio. I swished while I skimmed the cheese and freshened the milk. I drank water, and started the laundry. I did the weekend Sudoku puzzle. I stacked the dishwasher. I added things to my to-do list. I juiced, and listened to audio (Evolution of Medicine) instead of meditating. I made and ate breakfast. I put a few last things in the dishwasher and ran it. I brought up the first load of laundry and dressed the bed. I put on my thick shoes and went to the garage. I unplugged the battery from the charger and put it in the lawn mower. I opened the garage door, and.... it started to rain. Ok, fine. There was a vac in the donation pile. It was missing a hose, but I made a plug for the opening so that the suction would be directed to the bottom. I pulled it off the donation pile to use at the very end of packing, probably to be left behind. I took the next load from the dryer. I ironed the hem of a pair of shorts that keeps riding up, and a dishcloth that was so crumpled that I could not fold it. I folded all the rest of the laundry and put it away. I updated my spreadsheet lists with what went in UB and what I wish had gone in UB. I went to Fleetfeet. They put my name on a waiting list to be fitted for shoes. That was my first clue to how expensive they are. But as I walked around the store, someone came up to me and offered to assist. So I let her. She asked me questions and measured my feet. She brought me a pair of shoes to try on and walk on the treadmill. Then she showed me a slowmotion version of my feet walking. She pointed out the walking pattern and I could see how my toes turn out quite far while I am walking. She told me what kind of support she recommended. Then she brought me several other pairs of shoes. I walked in them and picked the most comfortable one. Then, even though I had told her that I wanted a neutral color shoe, not some neon modern art wanna-be, I had noticed some on the wall that were actually kind of pretty. I chose two and she brought them out. I tried them on and liked them but still the previous pair were still the most comfortable and I bought them. She said that shoes do not have much arch support but I could buy inserts for that. The inserts ran about $50 so I declined. I brought my new shoes home and got the mail: Netflix and a tax bill for the house in Atlanta. I sewed the tag/label onto the hexecontahedron. I listened to several short audios. I unstacked the dishwasher. I went to the garage to find boxes to sort stuff into. I did not find the flattened boxes, but I did find an external floppy drive unit. Yay? Hope it works. I skyped Kurt to talk about it and he did not have a port that it would fit. Then Marjory called and we talked until Chris skyped me. I talked to him until he sang me a song and his computer crashed. Then I got on the desktop to scan a copy of a bill to send him. Steven skyped me. We talked for about half an hour and then I posted to my blog and went to bed.

A new word

I was awakened by the alarm, but stayed in bed to do affirmations. Then I got up to skim the cheese and refresh the milk. I practiced my trombone and turned on the router. I swished while exercising and finishing the audio from yesterday. I juiced and meditated. I made and ate breakfast. It was not a sunny day, and I could see more trash in my front yard. I made a to-do list, then got dressed. It was raining lightly, so I put out the rain tubs. I worked on a label/tag for the hexecontahedron. I went to Great Clips for a hair cut. The lady talked about a documentary where she saw people in Korea using an iron to burn hair as a way to trim it. Then I went to the bank to deposit a check and get cash. I drove to a sporting goods store to buy walking shoes but realized I did not have socks on so could not get an accurate fit. I proceeded to Bed Bath and Beyond for a new mattress pad for the guest bed. But I could not find one without 'helpful' chemicals in it. I got a less-expensive one for the queen bed in Korea, intending to wash it and see if I liked it and could get one for the guest bed. When I got home, I brought in the mail and the yard trash. There were 2 bills, which I e-mailed to Chris. I checked e-mail, and ate two eggs with goat cheese, and then blueberries. I put the new mattress cover and my king mattress cover in the washer. The fitted sheet would not fit. I washed Chris' windshield, and noticed how dirty the rest of the car was. Oh well, he likes to wash it. I read articles about ghee and its medicinal value. I finished tag/label. I pulled one mattress pad out of the dryer and put the other one in, Chris skyped me early because it was Saturday and he planned to work through lunch. He sang me a song I had never heard but he said it was popular way back when. I watched lots of tapping videos on resisting change. I put the queen size mattress pad on the guest bed. It fit well enough, which made me think that it would not fit a queen size bed. I did more tapping videos. I put the kingsize mattress pad on my bed. Then I remembered that the fitted sheet was still in the washer, unwashed, and it was too late to do more laundry. So I tucked in the top sheet. I made myself a cup of hot ginger-tumeric tea. I got an e-mail in Japanese. Since Tokyo-dome was part of the address, I was pretty sure it was for the international quilt show in January. I don't know if I will be going or not. I drank the tea with gaba and tryptophan. I read about velaterapia and went to bed.
* Here are more rows from Tuesday *

Hot stone massage

I woke up with the alarm. I stayed in bed to do a little tapping but the sound outside needed investigating. So I got up and looked out each window, but could not see what was causing it. I turned on the router and laptop in case Chris left me a message since he could not skype me last night. I got dressed and put two items in the mail. That's when I could see the neighbors using their chipper/shredder on the far end of their property. I drank a quart of water, then did my exercises while listening to a talk on mental health. I skimmed the cheese from the whey and made a fresh milk bath for Lacto and Bacilis. I read about Bruxism and bad tasting capsules. I practiced my trombone, then juiced and meditated outside in the sun. I made and ate breakfast. I was done a little early, but read e-mail until noon. Then I drove Chris' car to quilting. For once, I turned the engine off when I parked the car instead of stalling. I sat with Marjorie, and Pauline gave me another block for my set. I told Pat about an afgan that I found in the closet that is coming apart in several places and she agreed to look at it next week. She also said she would bring a dress she made a long time ago which is just a rectangle with a triangle sewn to it. I worked on Kurt's quilt until 2:30, then drove home. I brought in the mail, nothing important. I ate two eggs and a peach. A lady stopped by and knocked on the door to see if we would consider selling the house instead of renting it. She said the phone number on the sign did not work. I gave her a short tour of the house. I e-mailed the agent to let her know. Then I watered the plants and put the afgan in the car. I took a shower and got dressed. I jotted a few notes for my blog. I started tomorrow's Sudoku puzzle. Then I left for my weekly massage. At one point she used hot stones to massage my back. That was nice, but too close to the upper limit of heat. It also seemd too short as usual. I stopped for a young coconut on the way home. I opened it, drank the juice and scraped out the insides. I checked e-mail, and started listening a video tribute to Wayne Dyer. I paused to listen to an audio on sleep studies. Proper sleep is so important that I laid down on the couch and hoped to fall asleep. But it didn't happen. I looked at homemade shampoo videos on Youtube. I put some ginger and tumeric root slices in the coffee pot with water. I looked for Chris on skype, then did some tapping. I cleared some e-mail. I was listening to an audio on heart health when Chris skyped me. We talked for a short time and then he had to go deal with business. I posted to my blog, drank some ginger/tumeric tea, and went to bed.
* Here are some of the row-by-row patterns from Tuesday *

I totally forgot

I woke up to the alarm but stayed in bed to repeat some affirmations about letting moving be easy. I swished while mixing up more hair cream (coconut oil with essential oils mixed in). I had used up most of it yesterday and slept with it in my hair overnight. I practiced my trombone. I exercised and drybrushed and made coffee. I listened to an audio so interesting that I played it twice. It was a doctor specializing in dermatology talking about food and substances to avoid, including sunscreen and lipbalm. He advocated a stool test for food sensitivities which can cause blemishes and rashes. He has a charity for kids in Nepal and said they have no personal care products except sometimes soap, and they do not have cancer and skin problems like we do. Yikes. About noon I went outside to sunbathe. I put whey on my hair and skimmed the cheese for today, giving fresh milk to the bacterial colonies. I took a shower and washed my hair. I played parts of the audio again, plus others, while I cleaned out the linen closet, separating what will go in storage from what will go to Korea. We have more towels and blankets than most homeless shelters, so I put some aside to donate. Then I found the gift section. It was full of gift bags, tissue paper, wrapping paper, and small items for gifts that I totally forgot I had – mostly from Korea and Japan. The things that I remember were for specific people I put aside, but agonized over what to do with the rest. Some of it went to the donate pile as well. I brought in the stepstool from the back patio. I brought in the mail, over half going directly to the recycle pile. I cleared some more e-mail. Then I went outside to trim grass and weeds in one of the flower beds and water the plants. I checked e-mail and listened to a short audio. Then it was time for choir. When I got there, Jennifer had a bag for me with a tomato and some goji berries in it from the plant that I had given her. Shannon sat beside me as usual. She said a friend of hers turned 50 and she thought he was old enough to be her father. (That makes me old enough to be her mother). There was nothing remarkable about the practice. Afterward I thanked Jennifer for the tomato, and talked to Mary about Sunday morning. When I got home, I practiced my trombone again. I finished writing a letter to my foster child. I tried to shop for a mattress pad on Amazon, but couldn't find an all-cotton one. Most were labeled waterproof but I wanted one that did not have latex or polyester or whatever made it waterproof. I tried to read e-mail but the internet connection kept breaking, hopefully they are working on it. I watched the Netflix movie Little Big Soldier. I don't remember putting that in my queue. Then I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* another quilt from show-n-tell *

One shipment out of the way

Lying awake last night, I had the thought that living in Huntsville is the dream I don't want to wake up from. I woke up before the alarm, which I had set to ring at 7:30. I printed out 10 copies of Chris' orders to put in the boxes that were to be packed. I got dressed. Not knowing how many boxes it would take, I printed 5 more copies. I threw some long-sleeved shirts onto the pile on the guest bed, then some bags of fabric remnants, and then a roll of batting. I printed out 10 more copies because we'll need them next month if not today. I deleted some e-mail, and picked up a little clutter here and there. The packers arrived about 9:15: a man and a woman. They looked at the pile, and then brought in some boxes and paper. As they packed, I made sure a copy of the orders went into each package. The batting, umbrella, and quilt frame were rolled and wrapped in a utility-type quilt and wound with tape. She gave me papers to sign and some labels to initial – which will go on shipping crates. He carried out most of the boxes and loaded them on the truck. It was a small truck, but I could see how a large truck would break branches off of the magnolia tree, so I made a mental note to trim the tree – as best I could. Then I put on my shoes, grabbed my purse and license plates and went to quilting. I got there at the usual time, surprisingly. I took pics of patterns that someone at the Tuesday group had sewn up. I sat with Joan and Beverly. Some of us ended up talking until after 12. Then I went to the Asian store for kimbap and stopped for gas. I ate some of the kimbap in the car. Then I came home. I ate the rest of the kimbap with kimchi. I checked e-mail, and ate a peach and then some coconut flakes. I skimmed the cheese and put Lacto and Bacilis in fresh milk. I put the rest of the fresh milk in a jar so I could wash the half gallon goat milk jars and take them back to the farmer's market. I put the clean jars in the rolling tote bag. I listened to an audio on the future of doctors. One wrote a book called “The Patient Will See You Now”. I took a quick sunbath. Then I washed up and went to the farmer's market. I got goat milk, and lettuce and romaine. I talked to the beef people, and then bought peppers, tomatoes, and squash. When I got home, I put the food away. I started making breakfast. Chris had sent me a message so I skyped him as he was getting ready for work. I told him I missed a call from Michele and he said I should call her phone. Then I went outside to trim the magnolia tree. I did some, but to do the job right would require a chainsaw and a taller ladder. I moved on to the holly bush and some other trees. Then I raked up the trimmings. I brought out the step stool from the garage, and washed all the webs off of it. I watered my plants. I tried to find article on getting spots out of laundry with hydrogen peroxide. I remembered to call Michele back, and we sang “Shall we dance?” together. After the call, I looked up how to get stains out with hydrogen peroxide or baking soda, or potassium bicarbonate. Chris skyped me and sang me a song. I just love being sung to. I tried to download the pics from camera but the download software would not engage and I could not remember the name of it to make it do so. So I just posted to my blog and went to bed.
* Here is another quilt from show-n-tell. *

Final selections

I woke up with the alarm having gone to bed late. So I stayed in bed to repeat affirmations. When I got up, I practiced my trombone, and turned on the router. I poured the bottle of iodine into another dropper bottle. For some reason, the rubber parts on iodine bottles go bad. By then it was 9. Then I turned on the laptop, and swished while deleting e-mail I would normally read or listen to. I skimmed the cheese from the whey and gave the kefir grains fresh milk. I spent some time deciding which sauce and fry pans to send. The lady from the moving company called while I was exercising. She wanted to do a phone interview about what was going and asked me to guestimate how many medium boxes I needed for clothes and dishes and such. Finally I asked for the dimensions of a medium box, and it was much smaller than I thought. She said she would call me back with the dimensions of the various boxes. So then I went through my list to see if anything was missing from the bedroom where I had stacked it all. I made a list of those items. I finished my exercises. One of my aloes took a leap for freedom. I found it on the floor, no dirt, just like a fish out of water. I replanted it in its pot and watered it well. Then I got dressed and put Netflix in the mail. The lady from the moving company called while I was walking out there. But she seemed ok with the extra items. I juiced and cleaned up. I made breakfast and ate it. I went to quilting and sat with Bertha. We chatted as she worked on her quilt and I worked on Kurt's quilt. Lauri finished the mitered corners on hers and considered ways to make it just a little bigger. I left about 3. When I got home, I ate a nectarine and some kimchi. I put a tool bag in the guest room and looked through suitcases in closets to find my winter clothing but all I found was more summer clothing. Well, what can I expect, living in Alabama? I moved things out the guest room that I did not want the packers taking tomorrow. I laid everything that was to go on the bed. I went down to look in the tool area but the light was burned out. So I replaced the light bulb and added 'step stool' to my list of things to get packed. I found a bag of acrylic paints and tried to mix up a color to match the walls upstairs. But when I used it, it was too bright. Back to the drawing board. I went back to my packing list. I added some clothes, shoes, and the crock pot. I tested both printers in the 'donate' pile to see which one was the working one and they both seemed to be working. So I chose the one with the yardsale tag on it and added it to the pile in the guest room. A man called from the packing company to say they'd be here between 8 and 10, and they estimated I had 500 pounds. I filled a gallon jar with cacao nibs to add to the pile, then emptied the rest of the box of nibs into various containers. I did some new tapping videos. Chris e-mailed me about the cold weather gear he wanted in the shipment tomorrow. I went searching to find it. I added that to the pile. I sat in front of my laptop and sang along with Broadway hits. I ate two duck eggs and some goat cheese. Chris skyped me and we talked for quite awhile. I showed him the pile of stuff on the bed. After the call, I finished the Swanson's order I was putting together. I just needed a few more dollars on my order to get free shipping, and then I needed just a few more to go from 15% off to 20% off. But I got it done, and now I am going to bed so I can get up before the packers come in the morning.

Counting and packing

I was already awake and programming my mind for the day when the alarm went off. I stayed in bed to finish. Then I got up and swished. I did not take notes so I may not be able to remember all that happened, or in what order. I practiced my trombone. I checked e-mail. I emptied the dishwasher. I took a shower and ate breakfast. I got dressed and took my grocery bags to the car. When I got to church, Mr. Montgomery was coming in at the same time and we spoke. Then Jennifer gave me a vial of essential oil beadlets and we agreed to meet after the service. Mr. Cox greeted me as I sat down. He was pleased to see that I hadn't left for Korea yet (after missing service last Sunday). The children's choir sang, and the praise choir sang. Cecelia did all the canting and it sounded so good. After the service, I helped Art count the loose cash. He said the 8am service offering wasn't there. Then I talked to Mary the organist and we agreed to meet at 3:30 to practice for next Sunday. I met Jennifer and we settled accounts for coconut oil, eggs, and beadlets. There was a 20th anniversary celebration for our pastor. After the speech, I thanked him for his service. I tracked down the person who put up the 8am offering and she showed me where she had put it. I asked Art if he found it, and he said no. I went to Publix for groceries. I told them about the two rotten coconuts I had purchased over the summer. When I got home, I changed my clothes and listened to a video of Stevie Wonder in a car with some other guy. I hardboiled eggs. I made lunch and ate it and almost forgot to leave on time. I had to come back for my trombone. When I got to church, Art seemed distracted. But he had the offering from the 8am service, with no explanation. We had multiple piles of cash and checks from the rally day baskets last Sunday and the anniversary lunch for our pastor, and donations to cover the cost of the Lutheran magazine. So much so, that it took until 4 for me to get it all on paper, and I was late meeting Mary in the sanctuary. We practiced for next Sunday and came up with a plan to make it last at least 5 minutes. Then we chatted for awhile. Then I had to get home to pack. I went through my check list, putting some things on the bed, and the smaller stuff in our biggest suitcase. I looked through the stuff Chris brought back from Honduras. I selected some things. I found a broom that could go and a folding chair (since normal chairs are too big for me). I shook my head over other things. I found a jar of paint that I thought could be used for touch-up around here (with a little tweaking). But I could not find any craft paints to amend the color. I went through more of the linen closet, selecting another mattress cover for donation. I ate a peach, and some dates. I put stored pillows in the dryer to make sure nothing was growing in them before I packed them. I checked e-mail and saw that Chris might not be able to skype me tonight. :( I wrote to Jen and to Reet and to the pastor. I watched a Netflix Dvd called “The one hundred foot journey”. It was surprisingly good. And very long. I posted to my blog and went to bed late.
* Here is another quilt from show-n-tell at the guild. *

Decisions, decisions

I got up with the alarm. I practiced my trombone, and swished. I read e-mail, and then listened to an audio while exercising. I took a shower. Then I juiced and made breakfast. I made up a week's worth of supplements. I put breakfast in the fridge and went to my massage appointment. I gave her some goat cheese and a hardboiled duck egg. But she said she could not eat the cheese, that it bothered her digestive system last time. So she is going to give it to her son. We talked for a bit about how his health was affecting his grades. Then she gave me a long massage. It felt really good. She even massaged my ear canals. I did not know there was such a thing, but she said they opened up while she was doing it. Good thing she did not include a bladder massage. By the end, I really had to go. Then I went to her office to pay her and we chatted some more. Finally, I left the office, bought some organic blackstrap molasses (supposedly good for gray hair) and got in my car. I looked at my phone to see who had called while I was being rubbed the right way. I did not recognize the number. I stopped at an Asian store on the way home to get a coconut. When I got home, it was sunny out, so I laid in the backyard and ate my breakfast. Then I checked e-mail. Steven skyped me. He wanted me to play a game, but I could not justify the time given all I should be doing. Then I went downstairs to look for one of Margie's blocks. I decided to go ahead and make them all into pillowcases and let her get the yellowing out. But I can only find two of the three. I cleaned up my sewing table but did not find the third. I did find a few things to add to the UB pile, like an iron, and a cutting board, and a shower curtain, and a boombox. I listened to part of an audio on the effects of breathing too much air (indicative of the stress in our society) and did the weekend Sudoku puzzle. I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get stuff together. I chose some fabrics and magazines to go to Korea. I went through the linen closet to see which sheet sets go and which stay, which towels to take. I stacked and ran the dishwasher. One pile of sheets will get donated. I folded laundry. Then Chris skyped me and we talked about what to take. He said he had an iron and ironing board there already. I finished the article, and read a few related ones: a scalloped tongue could indicate hypothyroidism or a nutrient deficiency. I sorted some more sheets. Then it was too late to watch my Netflix movie, so I called up some Disney songs on Youtube and sang along. Time for blog and bed.
* I don't remember who did it, but it was a bom kit from Patches and Stitches. *

Weaning myself off of the computer

I woke up early this morning and put on my eyeshades to block the growing light. I was doing mental programming when the alarm rang. I got up and decided I would get a lot more done if I did not turn on the computer today. I went to the car to get the quilt labels out of the sewing box. I practiced my trombone. I had collected cheese last night, but decided to wait until this morning to give Lacto and Bacilis their daily jar of fresh milk. I did today's Sudoku puzzle. And then I turned on the router and laptop. I read e-mail while savoring a packet of vitamin C. I drank quart of water. I used a new search engine to see if I could get better results. (I did) I exercised while listening to a video by Brian Johnson (Philosopher's Notes). Then I turned on the self-cleaning cycle on the oven. I washed things in the sink. I juiced, but did not meditate,. I vacuumed roach droppings from the lower cabinet. I wrote a note to the head real estate lady about what was not covered in the file that was sent. She replied not to stress and that the junior agent just sent a list of what their cleaning lady does. I swept up webs and dirt from a window that I just cleaned several months ago. I had to turn the oven cleaning off since the clock did not work. Dad called to get Cecily's address. I sunbathed for about 20 minutes. I was washing up when Skype rang. It was Steven calling. But then Jennifer called, from Garden Cove to see if I wanted anything from there. I couldn't think of anything except coconuts. But then she asked what happened to her eggs? I had to look it up on my blog. When I found the answer, I called her back. Then I went to the bank for cash for my massage tomorrow. I soaked a towel before doing laundry. While it soaked, I washed the light colors. I sewed labels on quilts and cases so that three entries are all ready to go. I e-mailed questions to Chris. I decided to pile all the UB shipment items on the guest bed. When I got the mail, there was a letter from Dad. I called to tell him. We were still talking when the washer finished and I put the first load of laundry in the dryer. I did some sorting in carport, and found two unopened boxes. I opened them in the garage. One held cassette tapes. I knew where some others were and tried to match cases with cassettes. Chris skyped early to say he would be out with his Korean girlfriend at our usual skype time. He also said she can't wait to meet me. I took a bunch of the unmarked tapes in the back to listen to on the tape deck. At first I couldn't get it to play, then I realized there were no speakers hooked up. Headphones were the answer. The process went on rather long as I enjoyed some of the music so much that I did not want to stop. But I did sample all of them and threw over half away. Then I sat down to watch episodes of NCIS. In fact, I watched three since this is the last day for the free month of streaming. I posted to my blog and went to bed.
* Here is another quilt from show-n-tell. I can't remember the story behind it. *

Last guild meeting for me

I got up with the alarm, already kind of awake. I turned on the router and practiced my trombone. I turned on the laptop and started swishing while reading and deleting e-mail. I took out the recyclables and put a check in the mail. I looked for valuables to put away before the house could be shown but could not find them. So I sent Chris an e-mail about that. I did some picking up. I exercised, and tapped. I read and signed a petition on net neutrality. It seems to me by my recent internet searches that the results are already being filtered. I juiced and meditated. I made and ate breakfast while listening to an audio on the time of the Shemitah. It was interesting but not news I could use. Then I went to StitchIts. I showed Cheryl my license plate from Texas and she said she could trade tonight. Anita gave me her block for my purple leaf quilt. I worked on the binding for Kurt's quilt and talked to the ladies. I told them that the guild meeting tonight would be my last. I got home and ate the last of the sweet potato casserole. I read the file from the rental agency – they want everything wiped and disinfected: baseboards, cabinets, fans, light fixtures, appliances, windows, etc and breakers turned off. Nothing about the yard or removing debris or a walk-thru. I sunbathed for half an hour. I took the chair away from the front door when I realized that once someone got into the lockbox to get the key, they could use it on the back door just as easily. I took my duster on a stick and swept around the ceiling for webs. I raked up all the yard trimmings from yesterday and put them on a pile near the carport. Using an old broom, I swept webs from the windows (like they won't come right back), I printed off a show-n-tell form, then went through my blog to see what quilts I had already shown off. That was taking forever so I went to the guild website, but could not find any show-n-tell folders. I know they take pics, so what do they do with them? I went through my quilt collection to see if any jumped out at me as needing to be shown, but nothing jumped out at me. I made some goat egg salad, and got washed up for the guild meeting. I made a new batch of breakfast spice mix. I put on pants because the meeting place is cold. I ate some chocolate with dates, then got my name tag and went to my last guild meeting. I dropped off the two quilt tops that Denise gave me. I said goodbye to a few people there. Shelly gave me her purple leaf block. Now I have 25. I sat with Marjorie for the program which was about quilts of valor. Cheryl was not there to trade plates. I talked at length to several people afterward who want to read my blog when I get to Chinhae. When I got home, I remembered that we had all turned our phones off, so I turned mine back on. I was relieved to see I hadn't missed any calls. I checked e-mail, then started watching the next episode of NCIS. I paused it to talk to Chris when he skyped me. We talked about what should go in unaccompanied baggage. Then I finished the episode. I decided to post to my blog, feed the bacterial colonies and go to bed.
* I don't remember whose quilt this is, but it is impressive. *

She's in a better place

I got up at 8 with the alarm. I swished and practiced my trombone. I turned on the router and laptop. I put some water in the coffee pot to heat up. I opened some mail I found lying on the table. It had to be more recent than this weekend. There was one real bill. I sent it to Chris. Then I looked up rosehips. I got sidetracked on the topic of vitamin D vs vitamin A recommendations. I skimmed the cheese from the curds and gave Lacto and Bacilis fresh milk. I had to print out a new detox sheet because I could not find the old one. The process was taking longer than I thought. At noon I took a break from detoxing to sunbathe. I thought I heard something odd, but did not investigate. Then I finished the detox and put everything away. I got dressed, and found my recipe for sweet potato casserole. I noticed a “For Rent” sign in our yard. I guess now I have to mow around it. The agency had sent a file on the condition we have to leave it in. I did not read it because I might find it upsetting. I asked if they were going to show it while we were out of town and they said yes. I am not comfortable with that. I juiced romaine, a pepper, and a squash. I meditated, then made breakfast. I got an e-mail from Cecily that her sister passed yesterday. I took a shower, and got dressed. I called Dad to tell him about Christy. I went out to get the mail, and found a lockbox on the front door. Then I REALLY felt uncomfortable, and unsafe. Someone must have come to my front porch while I was sunbathing. I tried to compose an e-mail to the rental agent. I placed a chair in front of the door so it won't open until I remove it – which I would if someone called first. I guess this is no different that if we were selling the house, but I have never lived in a house while selling it or trying to rent it. I had to do some tapping to calm down. I went outside to rake and trim weeds and flowers and stalks. I drained the hose in preparation to put it away. I came in and washed my hands, then made a salad for supper and cleared some e-mail. About 6:45 I went to choir. I thought I would talk to the organist after practice about the Sunday I am supposed to play in church again. But she had to leave early to practice with the symphony. When I got home, I made some egg salad. Then I checked e-mail until 9, when I started streaming NCIS. Terry called to talk about the upgrade of Servantkeeper. I finished the episode and started a second one. Chris skyped for a short time, then I finished that episode. I considered checking e-mail again, but decided I would sleep better if I did not.
* These row by row pics are from yesterday. I would guess that the pattern on the bottom is from a Western state. *

Cheese Happens

I got up before 8, after doing some mental programming. I tweezed my eyebrows and did a facial scrub. I skimmed the cheese from the kefir and gave it fresh milk. (It wasn't ready last night. The fermentation has slowed down for cooler weather). I checked e-mail. I looked for the phone number for the transportation dept at the arsenal and did not find it. I looked through the Arsenal phonebook, nope, and then the baggage orders – nope. I exercised, and took my vit C. I made copies of row by row patterns to take, and went to quilting. I gave Jane the copies because she makes master copies before putting them out for the group. Also, I heard she is making an all-Texas quilt and needed more Texas patterns. I showed Anita and Beverly what I had to trade, but they did not bring their collections today. But they will next week. After I left, I stopped by post to ask transportation which company was shipping our unaccompanied baggage. I wanted to negotiate for an earlier date so we wouldn't have to wait so long for our winter bedding and clothing. But the contract hadn't been awarded yet. So she asked when I wanted the date moved to, and I said next week on the 22nd. Then she suggested the 25th and said she'd get back to me. I guess she has to get several bids for the same date? Then I went to the gas station, but all the pumps were full. I drove around once, but it did not look like anyone was leaving and I still had half a tank so I just went home. I scanned a pattern for Beverly to give to Anita. I saw the sun was out so I put on my bathing suit, but then it went behind a cloud. It was so fickle today. But I managed a few rays every now and then. I made and ate breakfast. Denise called and we talked for half an hour. Then I got dressed and washed the goat milk bottles. I got to the farmer's market at 2:58 so waited for two minutes and then got out of the car. I went to the goat stand first, and bought a gallon of milk. He said they were having an essay contest to give away the farm. I was shocked. But he said they had tried to sell it, and want to go into the mission field. He also mentioned that they use rennet to make the cheese. I said I did not use it so I guess I don't make cheese, I just 'allow' the cheese to happen. Then I got some hydroponic lettuce, and visited with the Wagyu beef lady. She said they had started milking the cows and making butter by shaking it in jars while watching TV. When I got home, I checked the mail box. One piece was for our neighbor so I walked it over to his box. I brought the food inside and put all but the tomatoes in the fridge. Denise's cat has ringworm, so I looked up essential oils for that. I ate a peach, and checked e-mail. Transportation had submitted a request for pick up next week. I made some egg salad with goat cheese, and heated water for tea. I opened the mail, and read about the mortgage lender requiring an almost $500 appraisal fee to cancel our private mortgage insurance. I looked it up on the web. I oiled my face and hair with coconut oil and frankincense and myrrh, and did today's Sudoku puzzle, then continued my research. Steven called, talked for a little while then I went back to the internet. One comment on PMI suggested that banks cannot institute PMI after a loan has been written with a 20% downpayment, even if the tax value has dropped. But that is exactly what our lender did. And now they won't remove it without an appraisal at our expense. It is my understanding that they started charging it based on the change in tax value, so it seems unfair to me to be charged an appraisal fee now that our LTV is 30% or lower. I want to protest, but I don't know where to do it. Imade a salad, and sorted through e-mail while listening to two audios. I made some really strong detoxifying tea, then changed the AC air filter. I got an e-mail from Netflix. The streaming attribute of our account expires soon, so I looked for something to watch. I picked the sequel to Dirty Dancing but it wasn't very good so I stopped it and started streaming an episode of NCIS. That was much better, and I planned to go to bed, but the next episode started and I got interested. Then it was past time to go to bed. I just needed to check on my pets first.
* This is a row by row quilt that Jane is working on. *




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Back to the quilts

I stayed in bed through the alarm. Then I got up to see what all the noise was. It was the yard crew across the street mowing and trimming. There is no rhyme or reason to when they work. I checked e-mail and swished. I did my exercises and listened to an audio. I did some tapping. I noticed the moving van at a neighbor's house. I practiced my trombone. I realized I had forgotten to feed my pets. So I gave them a fresh jar of milk, and set the kefir out to curdle. After juicing, meditating, I made and ate breakfast. I pinned the edges of Kurt's quilt, folded it up and went to quilting. I told the ladies what a great weekend I had. I bought eggs from Leona because I had ordered them two weeks ago. I spent the afternoon machine-stitching the new backing on, and then started handquilting the binding to the back. Every one left but Lauri. She told me about a series of books featuring Aunt Dimity writing from beyond the grave. I showed her how to miter a corner. Then Dad called to ask how to get to a link I sent him. We talked until he was able to access the article. Then I packed up and went home so if he needed to call back, I would be at my computer. I placed my phone in my fanny pack and went out to rake pinecones in the yard. I dumped them in the back. Then I got the keys to the riding mower. I mowed the front, back and both sides of the yard. Then I went in for supper. I ate the last of the beef tongue, and a salad with sprouts and sunflower seeds. I read e-mail and listened to audios. I was listening to music and reading about the Edmund Fitzgerald, when Steven skyped me. I also talked to MaryAnn. Then Chris skyped me unexpectedly. As it turns out, the transportation to the ceremony in Incheon got canceled and he wasn't informed until too late to make other arrangements. After the call, I finished my audio and cleared a few more e-mails before I posted to my blog, fed my pets, and went to bed.
* This is Lauri's quilt, hanging off the table with the sun shining through it. *

What a day!

I got up to shut off my alarm, then went back to bed. No one else seemed to be up. Later it occurred to me that as the hostess perhaps I should be the first one up. So I wandered out to the kitchen to empty the dishwasher as quietly as possible. But Mary heard me and came out to help. Celeste came upstairs from sleeping in the basement. I made coffee for her. I also put some filtered water on to heat for tea. Mary brought me a packed of an herbal drink mix and asked for my opinion. I needed my magnifier lamp to read it, but the electricity was off so the light did not work. I checked the breaker box and it was fine. Not too much longer it came back on. Silvia got the little ipod going. I tripped over the wire, and knocked the decaying batteries out. I wanted her to have it since it did not work for me. Celeste cooked pot stickers. Then I cooked up some duck eggs sunny side up and hard boiled. After we ate, I saw Celeste out in my back yard talking to another woman. It turned out to be Barbara from next door. I was glad to see her up and around since I had not seen her in over a year and had been worried. Her husband was feeding my branch pile into his chipper shredder. Later she agreed to take our picture with Linda's camera. The ladies packed up and got some baggies of samples – like DE, and soap nuts, and Himalayan salt. They packed their car with luggage and a few things they found on my donate pile. Silvia said she was interested in my car if the sale did not go through. We went next door so Barbara could take our picture. They expressed interest in digging up some bulbs but it was getting late. I invited them to come back next month. I was so glad they came, and so sorry to see them go. After they left, I called Art to see when he wanted to count the offering. He said at 3, so I glanced at e-mail, trying to delete but Yahoo or the laptop wouldn't let me. I tried to get on the desktop, but it had completely shut down when the electricity went off. I booted it up, but it was time to go. When I got there, Heather told me the bouncy house was still there from the earlier Rally Day celebration. I said I really wanted to try it since there weren't any when I was a kid, but I had come to count the money. I got the calculator and met Art. We went through the process. I made several mistakes, but corrected them, and we were done in an hour. After I put the calculator back, they reminded me about the blow-up bouncy house. So I took off my shoes and had a ball. It wasn't as good as a trampoline and I think it needed more people to make it firmer and bouncier. But I had a good time and crawled up the ladder and slid down the slide. It was fun, but at one point I realized it wasn't the best for my ankle. Shannon said I could cross it off my bucket list. I gave her the massage therapy certificate and she promised to use it. Then I went to Publix for groceries. I wondered about my ankle and the magnet was gone. When I got home, I changed clothes, and put the food away. I put on a new magnet, and washed up in the kitchen. Then I used the push mower to do the ditches, and inside fence, and around the perimeter. I kept going until it needed a recharge. I say I don't like to mow, but the evidence suggests otherwise. I mixed some cinnamon and raw cacao powder with the remaining sweet potato casserole for supper. I tried to clear e-mail but Yahoo would not let me delete it. I did the Sudoku for this weekend. I played music from the '70s and '80s, when I heard Blinded by the Light. I had to look up the lyrics. I had to agree with one commenter that the lyrics are like a Rorschach test – you hear and interpret them based on your own thoughts and background. I tried to read a pdf in a previously open window, but did not get far before coming across another song I had to look up. Then Chris skyped me. He said he could not skype me tomorrow because he would be in Incheon for the celebration of an historical event. We talked about getting the table to download e-mail. Although we did not figure it out, something happened and it started working. I deleted a few e-mails that way. Then the laptop was able to delete e-mail as if nothing had happened. ??? I decided it was time to go to bed.
* Look what I got for Christmas yesterday. A really nice one, too *

We should have done this sooner

My four friends from Augusta showed up about 1am. I don't think I got to bed until three or later. My alarm went off at 8 and I got up to shut it off. I wasn't ready to be up, but I did not go back to bed. The ladies got up and we sat in the den and talked. Celeste picked some coffee to make. I hardboiled eggs and made egg salad with goat cheese. I served it with the loaf of homemade bread. That went over well. We talked for hours. I slipped away to get a quick shower. I put the casserole in the oven. Silvia and Celeste went out to the deck to color Celeste's hair. The casserole was ready but no one else was. I used the salad shooter to cut up carrots, zucchini and cucumbers for a salad. We sat down to have a late lunch. I served goat cheese again, plus cashews, blueberries, etc. I passed out cacao nibs and powdered cacao to taste. We also had the blintzes from Thursday. I gave them a tour of the basement, including the garage. I invited them to take what they wanted from the donation pile. I showed off my quilts from the quilt chest. We talked in the livingroom until the ladies brought in gift bags from the car. As we opened gifts, Silvia asked about the lady who sold the bee balm. They all wanted to go to the farm, so I called and got permission to come. After the gifts (more on that later), we piled in my car to go to the farm. Alison welcomed us and showed us the chicks in the back barn. Then we went into the garage to see the orphaned chicks. They were soooo cute! After much talking there, we went inside to see the soaps and selection of lotions in tins. It was so nice to sniff the different ones. We made our selections and paid. But with all the talking, we must have spent hours there. On the way back (it was dark) we stopped at the Asian store for kimbap and to look around. We got the last three packages. Silvia also picked out some ginger snacks and Celeste got some peanut sauce. When we got home, I put the kimbap on the table. I had kimchi with mine, but the others ate theirs with the peanut sauce. Silvia poured wine for everyone and I said I only wanted a very little. But she kept sneaking more in my glass. It did not take long for the alcohol to hit. I was about ready to pass out since we were so tired. Then Chris was on skype. At first I texted him, then turned the volume down and called him. After the call, we ladies chatted some more. I got out a heating pad for Linda.. I cleared the table, ran the dishwasher and fed the pets. Then I deleted over 100 messages and posted to my blog as the other ladies went to bed.
* Chickens in a tree*

I needed that massage

I woke up early. I decided to use the time to stay in bed and tap, but the tapping had the effect of getting me started on cleaning. I cleaned up the guest bed, putting the extra clothing in suitcases in the closet. I called Linda to find out if they were staying until Sunday. I brought the rugs up from the dryer. I did not want to put them on dirty floors so I had scrubbing to do. I emptied the bathroom so I could scrub the toilet and the floor. That was more than was necessary, but I figured it won't get cleaned again like that before I move. I drank a quart of water. I wrote a list of things I wanted to get done today. I cleaned in Chris' bathroom. When I opened his medicine cabinet, it was awful. I don't know if it was like that when we moved in and I did not catch it, or what happened. I just closed it again. I scrubbed that toilet and floor, too. I put sweet potatoes in the oven to cook. I forgot to exercise again. I skimmed the cheese from the whey. I juiced zucchini and cucumber. Steven called me on skype and we talked for a few minutes. Then I made my breakfast and two more for tomorrow and Sunday. I ate breakfast while taking notes for my blog and checking e-mail. Pinterest kindly gave me tips on how to clean grout. The sun was out, so I took 20 minutes to sunbathe and water the plants. Then I showered, and vacuumed I picked up here and there. I looked for my bread recipe, but could not find it. I found one on the internet, but it was time to leave. I grabbed a small jar of goat cheese, and water in a water bottle. Then I went to my massage appt. She worked longer than usual. I did not think I had the time to spare, but was not going to stop her! It felt so good, except for the left ear. Afterward, she ate the goat cheese in her office and gave me the jar back. Was that why she gave me extra time? She looked in my left ear, and said it might have been inflammed. ,She set up appointments through October. And I got a gift certificate for a friend. Finally the eggs had arrived, so I bought a dozen. When I went out, I saw that it had rained. I brought in the mail, and raked the front sidewalk. I got a batch of bread going, and looked for my sweet potato casserole recipe. All I found was my blog entry but there was no reference to amounts, only that I added more cranberries the next day. I looked up recipes online to get an idea of amounts. Chris skyped me and we talked for almost 45 minutes. Then I made up some numbers for the recipe and put the ingredients in a bowl and mashed them together. I stuck the bowl in the fridge for tomorrow. I vacuumed in the bedrooms and hallway. Mary called to say they were in Carolton. I did not know how far away it was. I told her the front porch light was on motion-sensor so it would not be on when they were driving up. I took some stuff downstairs and noticed two spiders I had not seen before. For some reason they bothered me more than most, so I sprayed them with the closest thing at hand – Elmers spray glue. I guess they'll be sticking around for awhile. I practiced my trombone. I cleaned off the diningroom table (quite the feat) and put down a fresh tablecloth and placemats. I placed the cooled loaf of bread in a bag in the fridge. I refreshed the milk for the kefir grains and left the whey out to form cheese. I cleared the kitchen table too. Then I posted to my blog and planned to tap until my guests arrived.
* These are Rhonda's blocks for her block-of-the-month project *

Cleaning

I was awake and doing mental programming when the alarm went off. It was hard to hear over the window fan in the diningroom. I told myself over and over that cleaning is fun and easy. And there is lots of room for improvement around here. I started cleaning the in the bathroom right after I tweezed my eyebrows. Before I finished, I had moved into the kitchen. I got dressed and put Netflix in the mail, and the recyclables at the street. I swept the front porch. It had rained, so I brought in the collection tubs and cleaned them after filtering the water into a pot to boil. I checked the cheese but it was still too soft to collect. With the windows open, it was cooler than normal so it needed more time. I practiced my trombone and turned on the router. I was not sure being connected to the internet was a good idea if I wanted to be productive. I read that a local quilt shop is going out of business and having a sale. There was no mention of how good a sale it was so I made no plans to go. I went around the family rooms pulling down cobwebs. I cleared out the kitchen floor and part of the den. I juiced, but forgot to exercise. I listened to an audio while cleaning up the juicer. I skimmed off the cheese and made up vitamin supplements for the week. I made breakfast and ate it. I could have stayed home, but promised Betty I would be at quilting today. I brought all the blocks from last week so Betty could see them. Two more blocks came in and she laid them out on the floor to see. Others crowded around to see, too. One lady brought me some license plates to choose from. I bought an Arizona and a New Mexico. She did not have a Texas so I promised to send her a pic when the ones MaryAnn sent came in (Thanks, MaryAnn). Little did I realize that they were sitting in my mailbox the whole time. I found them when I got home. I also found that I had left my sewing crate behind. On the way home I chanted, “I love driving stick”, over and over. But when I realized I had to go back, it did not ring true. I brought in the mail. There was a new air filter for the riding mower and I installed it. Then I took my car to go get the crate. Then I mopped the kitchen floor and toweled it dry (silly floor that can't stand getting wet). With a rag, I wiped everything near the floor, and then did around the sink and window sill. I even washed the step stool. I flavored some goat cheese and ate it. I looked for small chocolate bars from Green & Black, but I found ones from Ghirardelli. I scanned some pages from a RowbyRow pattern into the computer. I pulled the sheets and pillowcases off the beds, added towels that might be dusty and put them in the wash. I spray basted a new back onto kurt's quilt. I took stuff out to the car. I put the boiled rainwater in a jar. I ran into a math problem on Quora and could not stop myself from working it, I ate some fruit and nuts. I put the sheets in the dryer and filled the washer with small rugs. I swept the den rug and rolled it up. I swept and mopped under it. I took a break to listen to a short audio. I wrote an e-mail to Chris' friend, Josh. I put on the efficiency CD and went back to cleaning. I scrubbed the tub, first with baking soda and then with a blade. It was looking pretty awful when I quit because my back needed a break. I read some e-mail waiting for Chris to skype, and then remembered that he said he would be in Daegu all day and not available. I read some e-mail, and put on an old music playlist from Youtube. then went back to the tub. I wiped the scum out and then rinsed it. It must have been clean, but the bottom was still looking yellow. I put the sheets and pillow cases back on the beds. I fed the kefir grains. I posted to my blog, stopped the music, and went to bed.
* These are Fran's blocks. She recently lost her husband. *

They're coming!

I woke up to the alarm, but stayed in bed to do some mental programming. One of the statements I programmed was that I would be good at picking audios that were enjoyable and informative. I checked e-mail while drinking my quart of vinegar water. I boiled water while starting my exercise routine. Then it was time to pick an audio but Yahoo was being very slow loading e-mail all of a sudden. Or was it just with e-mail that came in during a certain time period? Maybe it's my laptop because I got on the other computer and did not have a problem. I played an audio (really long) while exercising, drybrushing, rebounding, and detoxing. When I went back to my laptop, e-mail was working fine. So it was just inexplicable. I strained the kefir from yesterday and got the curds out. I cleaned in the kitchen and bathroom. I scanned some pages from the transportation office and e-mailed them to Chris. I called the eye center to cancel the automatic appointment they made for Chris. I had to leave a message. Steven spoke to me on skype. Maryann was there, too, and told me she got me some license plates and patterns from a quilt shop there in Texas. She also talked about hundreds of kids showing up for Halloween in Chinhae. Steven suggested that I hand out something that looked like candy but wasn't sweet, and when they got home to eat it they would not remember who gave it to them. After the call, I looked for healthy candy on the internet, but nothing nearly satisfactory. I juiced a zucchini, celery and romaine. I watered the plants, and then drank the juice. I laid out in the sun while it was still high in the sky. Then I sat to meditate. Beverly called for advice on borders for a baby quilt she wants to make by Saturday. I did the best I could with not being able to see the fabric. Then she had to go to work and I resumed making breakfast. I sat down to eat it at three. I looked on Amazon for nuts that come in 2 oz packages, for a reasonable price for large lots. I rubbed whey in my hair and took a shower. I got dressed for choir. Again, I searched for snack packs of nuts (in large lots for Halloween). Steven called me. So I talked to him and MaryAnn again. I brought in the mail and a pepper from the garden. I put the recyclables out for tomorrow. Then I went through the mail. I should have done it before I took out the recyclables. Most of it would have gone in there. I ate some beef tongue, then checked the latest e-mail. Yahoo wasn't making it easy, but once a certain portion of the e-mails had been deleted, the problems disappeared. The sky darkened, the wind picked up and the rain came pouring down. I braved the onslaught to put out my collection tubs. I practiced my trombone, which I had been forgetting to do. I went to the garage to stitch up the tears in Kurt's quilt and start ripping out the binding. I had to stop to go to choir. It was nice to see Doris and Shannon again. Jennifer gave me a jar with some goji berries in it from the plant that I gave her. I left at 8 and it was not really raining. I found my phone sitting on the dining room table, and it had a message. I called back. Linda asked if she and my other friends could visit this weekend. Well of course I said yes, but looking around I knew I had work to do. And their coming was just the motivation I needed. Still, I put on the Netflix Dvd that came today, and watched until Chris skyped me. We talked for some time, then he had to go back to work. I finished the Dvd, wondering why I had put it in my queue. It was a disc from the second season of Outlander. Then I fed my pets and went to bed.
* Flowers growing outside my diningroom window *

Scammed on Facebook

I was woken from deep sleep by my phone ringing. It was Transportation calling to ask me to come to post to sign papers for baggage shipping and storing. I listened to an audio interview: yawning and stretching resets the brain. I exercised, then put a check in the mail. I drove to post to the Transportation office. We discussed weight limits and reviewed the different regulations. They agreed to ship 8000 pounds. I left really late and considered skipping the library, but was glad I did. The library was closed until January (unexpected repairs), so I dropped the DVD in the book drop and went to quilting. Most of the ladies were gone, but Terry was there. I hadn't seen her in a long time. Afterward, I went to Asian store for kimbap. On the way home I thought about how maybe having a blog with 'Korean' in the title attracted that into my reality. So I considered changing my blog name to “our Caribbean adventure” or even”our lunar adventure” (how cool would THAT be?). When I got home, I ate the kimbap with kimchi while reading e-mail. I spot-treated the backing fabric and threw it in the washer. I washed the goat milk jars. When the backing was done, I ironed part of it dry, then ran to the farmer's market with the jars to exchange them for full ones. The vendors were very talkative today, especially the meat lady and the milk lady. I also got hydroponic lettuce and romaine, and cucumbers, squash and zucchini from another stand. Then I came home and put it all away. I put two beef tongues (one from today and one from the freezer) in the crock pot. I was tempted to put in more to fill it, but it takes me too long to eat that much. I made and ate breakfast. Then I mixed some coconut cream, powdered raw cacao, coconut flakes, pecan meal and a 'cutie' for dessert. I watched a tapping video. I went down to finish ironing the quilt backing. Then I cleared off the pingpong table and brushed it. I laid out Kurt's quilt and put paper under all the edges. Then I spread the backing over the back of the quilt. I figured I would have to handsew the split parts to be sure they laid flat under the new backing. I changed my clothes and went to the Stewardship meeting. It was short. On the way home, I asked myself how I would pack if ease was my top consideration. When I got home, the porch light came on and I could see there was no spider. That was good news. I ate some of the tongue. I checked e-mail and texted Kurt. My cousin's wife messaged me on Facebook to say she had received money from Zuckerburg and I was on that list too. The whole thing sounded wrong, so I checked in my friend list, and her name and pic appeared twice so I figured it was an impersonation. Chris skyped and we talked about what happened at the transportation office. Then I read about people's experiences with TSA locks being cut off rather than unlocked. Many recommended zipties, but I am wondering what the passengers used to cut them off with at their destination since we are not allowed to carry scissors on the plane. I put the beef tongues and broth in a large jar in the fridge, then washed the crock pot. I posted to my blog, and then fed my pets and went to bed.
* This is the other side of my red pillowcase for carrying the red pulpit cloth *

Posting contributions

I got to bed late, and then got back up to feed my pets which I had forgotten to do, so I slept late. There were two roaches in the kitchen when I got there and I killed both of them. When I got up this morning, I swished and checked e-mail. I drank a quart of water. Things were going well until I realized I was a week behind on my Sudoku puzzles and I could not resist knocking out 5 of them. While I exercised and juiced, I listened to a talk by Zoe Harcombe (currently working on her PhD in public health nutrition) debunking the myth that a calorie is a calorie. She said that there is no body requirement for carbs, only fat and protein. Her last statement was that man is the only animal smart enough to make his own food and dumb enough to eat it. I cleaned the juicer and made breakfast. I ate it while listening to part of an audio. I put the last of breakfast in the fridge and went to quilting. Most of the ladies had already gone, and a few left soon after I got there. Dinah gave me some advise on replacing the backing of a quilt. I chatted with Lauri while working on the pillowcase for submitting a quilt to the show. I packed up at 4, and came home to finish breakfast and have some watermelon cake. Kurt sent me messages about the laptop he was reconditioning. I drove to church to help Art with the offering. It did not take long. Then we went into the church office. I showed him how I post contributions on the computer. After he left, I went on to post all the donations for the five Sundays in August. I decided I had better do it before they update the software. I might have to figure it out all over again. When I got home, it was dark. I did not want to fight with the spider in the dark, so I went in the front door. I checked the back door and he was not there. I got out some goat cheese and mixed it with some mustard, salt and pepper. I sliced up a tomato and ate it all together.. Mmmm. I watched some tapping videos, and finished an audio from this morning. I was reading about krofted farms when Chris skyped. He regaled me with stories of how they keep him busy over there. He hung at up 10:30, I had no more X-Files episodes to watch. I did some reading for my blog and then posted it before doing the usual bedtime routine.

Skype is 'healed'

I forgot to do laundry yesterday and my Sunday dress was in the hamper. I put the laundry in the washer. I started an audio, then swished and exercised. The alarm rang while I was working out. I shut it off. I continued listening as I took my vit C and skimmed the cheese from last night's whey. Then I put the laundry in the dryer but there wasn't time before I had to go to church. Today there was only one service. Still, I got to church early. I gave some goat cheese to Mary, then sat in my usual seat. Many people came in late, and Jen and her family sat with me after the announcements had started. After the service I gave Jen her coconut oil and thumb drive. I helped Art with the offering. Terry told me they were going to get an upgrade for Servantkeeper and put it on the desktop in the intern's office. I spoke to Brody about needing my sewing machine back by the end of the month. His mother told me she had just gotten him a trombone, practically brand new for $25. I asked if I could borrow it for Reformation Sunday. Jen's son spoke to me about permaculture. Then I went to Publix for groceries. When I got home, I put the food away and finished an audio while making breakfast and eating it. I worked downstairs, stitching quilt corners. I made a block from scraps of a 10 year old quilt. I cut out fabric to make a pillow case to hold the quilt that can be donated after the quilt show. I put the pieces in a pile to take to sewing tomorrow, then came upstairs to get in touch with Kurt. Skype on my laptop announced an upgrade. So I let it. The message that future updates would take place without me needing to do anything bothered me but I did not know who to complain to. But after the update, skype worked again. Faye skyped me and we talked for over an hour and a half. Kurt texted me and gave me permission to put a new backing on the quilt Mom made for him. Then Chris skyped me and we talked for almost half an hour. He told me about the 70-year-old Korean lady who took him to a wetlands park yesterday. Then I loaded and ran the dishwasher. I watched the last episode of X-Files. I read tips on moving. Then I posted to my blog, fed the pets and went to bed.
* This is the kind of place I would like to spend our anniversary *

Problems with Skype

I started mental programming a little before 8. Then I got dressed and went out to the car to bring in the items Denise gave me last night. I put some away and read the labels on others. I read and deleted e-mail. I started drinking my quart of water. I used frankincense and a laser light on my mole, and various creams. I swished, exercised, and juiced. I listened to a Rampage (of Esther Hicks) on Youtube. I sunbathed, and then made breakfast. Dad called. I put him on speakerphone and finished making and eating breakfast. He wanted to get on skype to be sure he could call me in Korea. We worked on it for over an hour. He did not know his skype password and I tried to log in as him and clicked the link to have instructions sent to him, but when he checked his e-mail, there was nothing newer than July. Neither of us could figure out why, so that was a bust. When I tried to log in as me, it would not work. I downloaded an ebook for frankincense oil. The company wanted me to leave a review on Amazon, but I did not know how to rate something I know little about and just started using. I filled a 1 quart measuring cup with coconut oil and transferred it to Jennifer's container to give to her tomorrow. I put the magnets from my massage therapist on acupressure points on my face to see if that did anything. I went downstairs to sew red scraps together while I listened to a previously recorded interview with Wayne Dyer. I was making a bag to submit the pulpit cloth to the quilt show. I got it pieced and then realized it needed a liner or the item would get little threads on it from the seams. So I found a piece of red for that. I got the bag done, and lined, but kept sewing scraps together until the audio finished. Jane called, and I ran upstairs to catch the phone. She had a copy for me. As long as I was upstairs, I made egg salad with the goat cheese. Yum. I ate some onion cabbage soup. I looked for the purple bag for submitting the purple quilt. I searched everywhere and finally decided to go on to the next step, but got sidetracked looking for a new word I had read in an article about Alan Turing. I read lots of articles, but did not come across that word again. I ate two slices of watermelon cake. I checked skype, and it was still having trouble. I looked for an update, and thought about rebooting, but I had too much to lose. I skyped with Steven and then brought Chris into the call when he got online. The three of us talked through the process of getting the embroidery files from the floppy discs to the thumb drive. But we could not get the files off the floppy discs. When I tried to access the drive, the computer gave an exception error and crashed, repeatedly. Finally Steven called it a night. Chris and I spoke a little longer and then he got a phone call and had to go. I looked up how to uninstall and reinstall skype. But it was complicated what with the backing up files and all. So I watched X-Files on my laptop. They had the Brady Bunch on. Then I posted to my blog, fed my bacterial colonies, and went to bed.
* This is one side of the bag. *