Sewing class

It was almost 9 when I got up. Recyclables were supposed to be out by 8, but it took me until 9 to gather them and put them on the curb. Later I noticed they were gone. I listened to the first interview of the Hormone Balance over 40 Summit.
It talked about the importance of eating fat and protein together. I also learned the women taking HRT can pass it along to their husbands in their sweat. Not good for the husband.
I put three eggs in the coffee pot, covered them with water and turned it on, figuring the two-hour cycle ought to cook them. I listened to another audio.
I checked into buying some recommended supplements. I put apricot oil in my hair to condition it. It is lighter than coconut oil.
I sent a text to the FRG secretary asking how she was getting on, getting signatures for permission to sell at the open base event. No reply. I made and ate breakfast, then took a shower. I listened to an audio about essential oils for menopause symptoms.
At noon I went to Housing for the sewing class. Lacee arrived just ahead of me. We set up the room as the ladies arrived. Not every one did the project. Ms. Chong made the blocks as we instructed, then finished it how she thought it went. Dynee waited for me to explain the rest of the process. I tried to explain it without the pain-in-the-butt parts but it came out like an infinity scarf. So I had to re-do her project. So Young decided after making her blocks that she didn't want to cut them up, so she kept them to make a tablerunner. She was using my machine that was damaged in the mail from Huntsville to Korea. She kept saying how much she liked it, so I sold it to her for 50,000 won. Lacee and I talked about future projects. Chantal worked on a dress that she drew from memory. Myra helped her. Anna cut blocks but did not sew much and had to leave early. We all talked about getting a market trip to Daegu scheduled for next Wednesday.
We packed up at 3pm and left. Dynee pointed out that I had grease stains on my shirt and that I should give it to her to soak in Dawn dish soap.
When I got home, the eggs were still in the coffee pot. I ate one egg, kind of soft, and put the others in the fridge. I soaped up my shirt with Dr. Bronners and put it in the washbowl to soak.
The secretary texted back that she had no signatures yet. I printed out another copy so I could get the signatures while she is on vacation, then noticed the dates were wrong. I e-mailed her back and she said she'd work on it.
I washed up two bags of lettuce, threw out the limp ones and blended the rest. I drank it. Then I talked to Amber about how to get the signatures.
I was listening to another audio and paused it when Chris came home from work.
We chatted a bit, then I resumed listening. When it was over, I went outside to water the potted plants in case the rain did not reach the pots. I hung my shirt up to dry. I put money in my wallet for tomorrow. I did some tapping for anxiety. I added pics to some of the China blog posts. Then Chris sat with me. We watched one episode of Sherlock, then one episode of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. I plugged my phone in to recharge. I checked e-mail one last time. I wrote up my blog post from notes I jotted earlier in the day. Then I took my evening supplements, including a dab of progesterone cream. I've been doing it for a week now and it seems to be helping. And then it was time for bed.

Board meeting

I stayed up too late last night playing 2048. It was after midnight when I went to bed.
I got up at 8 to prepare for the meeting. I washed up and got dressed. I had heard Chris take out the food waste. I remembered that there was food waste in the freezer from just before we left for China. I took it out to the receptacle by the road and put it in.
I cleared the coffee table of the laptops and tablet. I drank water, and made hummus. All of the garlic had gone bad so I used garlic powder. Perhaps a bit too much. I put out a dish of seed crackers and a jar of dehydrated sweet potato sticks. Then I checked my sheet of notes from the last meeting for discussion points.
At 10 the ladies came, but not all at once. Kim (manager of the commissary) brought Charlene because Kim is PSC'ing and Charlene now works at the commissary. I asked questions during the meeting and took notes. Myra said if people don't step up to help at the big meeting, to disband the FRG.
Chris came home for lunch while we were wrapping up the meeting. After the meeting, I went on a walk with Myra. We walked the trail twice, then she went home. And so did I.
I counted the slugs in the red plates in the flower beds: 87. Then I went inside to have breakfast. I checked e-mail. I looked through the FRG stuff in the shed to see what we already had. I wrote up my notes in a more organized fashion. I looked up on internet how to get people to volunteer. I cleaned my whiteboard so I could draw a mapping of what needs doing. But I ended up drawing it on paper anyway.
I wanted to go to the commissary. When I got outside, it was raining. So I took an umbrella. Dynee and Ryan were just leaving in their car, so they gave me a ride. When I got into the commissary, Kim was standing there and I handed her our extra garbage bags. Then we discussed the things the FRG needs for the event on July 1st. She and I walked around the aisles noting prices for the various items. I wrote them on my sheet. I ran into Allycin and confirmed with her about the facepainting part. Her husband is going to ask the Parkers if we can use their tent. Then I walked home.
It wasn't really raining anymore. There were slugs crawling up our outside wall. I went inside. I ate some leftover cabbage and beets. I sat down to look at my FRG notes again. Chris came home from work. I started talking to him and realized he was in a bad mood, so I left him alone. I jotted some notes for my blog. I posted the announcement of tomorrow's sewing project to the community Facebook page.
I looked up how to stuff bags in the tube so that they would pull out one after another, but it only works if you take them out of the same end you put them in.
At 8, Chris sat with me. He discovered that there were no more episodes of Shetland for us to watch. But he found two episodes of Sherlock. By the time we finished them, it was after 11. Chris went to bed and I stayed up just long enough to write to my blog and take some evening supplements.
* This is our sewing project for tomorrow. *

Coconut day

Last night, I soaked my feet in a tub of hot water and Epsom salt. The doctor on the ship had recommended it for hot flashes and I had finally remembered to try it. I suppose I got to sleep earlier, but still had hot flashes during the night.

I woke up early and noticed Chris was gone from bed. I waited for him to come take his shower, but he did not. Then I heard my alarm, signifying that it was 7:30. I left the bedroom to find he was playing his computer game. I did my exercises and drybrushing. He finally took his shower, got dressed and went to work. I think he was late.
I made coffee and meditated and tapped. I listened to one interview from the summit. Then I started cleaning. First I washed a silk shirt and the other cushion cover in the tub. Then I hung them out to dry. I started cleaning the kitchen when Chris came home for lunch at 11:30. I finished the kitchen (except for the large black pot that had to soak) and then did the bathrooms. Chris told me that in the absence of orders and for planning purposes I should aim at July 8th as a moving date. He had lunch and went back to work. I ate the rest of the remaining coconut.
Myra messaged me about going for a walk. I put on my shoes and got the baggie of garlic from the fridge. (She was going to make a bug spray). I walked down to her place and gave her the garlic. She showed me all the plants around the quad. Most were awfully dry. Then we walked the trail and back to my place. We got some water and walked again, but not all the way this time. We went to her house and she showed me a video her daughter made for mother's day. Then we went to my house and I showed her all the stuff I bought in China.
After she left, I checked e-mail and ate some coconut flakes with fermented coconut milk and coconut oil. I wanted to see if coconut was difficult for me to digest. I felt no discomfort, but my stomach seemed puffy.
I went to my sewing room to pick out some fabrics to make two nine-patches. I didn't care about the color scheme, but wanted to use scraps rather than cutting yardage. I cut them in the cutting room and ironed them in the sewing room. I did not get enough blocks out of the white so I sewed scraps together to make up enough. Once the two blocks were made, I cut them in quarters, rearranged them and sewed them back together. I was not able to match all the intersections. The idea was to make a tube to hold bags and then I realized it needed to be lined because of all the seams. So I looked for some uninteresting fabric and cut it to match the rectangle I had made. I also cut strips for casings on top and bottom. had to think hard about how to attach the linings and casing. I made a super long tube and shoved the lining inside. Not sewing over the casing sandwiched between the lining and piecing was awkward. I added a ribbon to the upper casing and sewed the lower casing on. I threaded elastic through it. Then I satin-stitched the lining to the casing. Should have done the elastic last. Oh well.
I tried filling it with bags and it did not hold much. I decided the next ones would have to be build with 4” squares instead. I hung it on the front door and photographed it. I sent it to Lacee via Facebook.
Chris came home just as I was going out. I watered all the potted plants and the vegetable garden. I put out a can of beer, divided into two red plates, for the slugs. I made myself a tomato salad with sprouts. I read e-mail as I ate. Then I played with my tablet. Chris came over to watch TV. We saw two episodes, finally getting to the end of the story. Then Chris went to his laptop and I went to mine. I processed a few e-mails, and then typed up my blog.

Church on Facebook

Due to staying up so late and nightsweats, I slept in late – really late. It was after 10:30 so there was no chance of getting to church on time. So I watched the service live on the chapel Facebook page. The music did not sound good, and I wondered why since it was much better in person previously. The sermon was about the 10 commandments – more of a history lesson. I started a Sudoku puzzle as I listened but decided not to get in the habit, so I put it down. After the sermon, the chaplain made announcements. One of them was that next Sunday was a singing Sunday – there would be no sermon, just singing, hopefully with instruments.
When the live feed ended, I checked my e-mail and drank water. I took a shower and got dressed. I made and ate breakfasts. Chris was on his laptop playing the game he always plays. Eventually he took a shower while I listened to an audio. Then we went to the commissary. I drove just to keep in practice. It was practically empty of people. We picked out our food. I tried to get fenugreek and fennel, which are supposed to be good for hot flashes, but the commissary doesn't carry them. I did get a large can of tomatoes, the only one without added sugar. I know my father eats a lot of canned tomatoes, and he doesn't have hot flashes. Ha.
After putting the food away, I sprinkled Epsom salts all over the plants. I listened to an interview from the current summit. It was very hard to hear. I did a Sudoku puzzle. Then I texted Dynee to see if she wanted to go for a walk. She wasn't quite ready, so I looked into making a bag holder for the next sewing class.
She texted me when she was ready. We walked the trail and around through the base and up behind the house. Then we parted ways. I watered the potted plants and the strawberry patch. I counted the slugs, only about 60 this time. I staked the tomato plants.
I came in to have some leftovers for supper. I went back to reading e-mail. Listening to another audio, I picked up my tablet and started playing 2048. It was getting too easy, so I changed the grid to 5 by 5. Eventually the low battery pop-up alerted me to its need to be plugged in. I plugged it into my laptop and kept playing.
It was after 8 when Chris left his laptop to sit with me and watch Shetland. We watched two more episodes which were continuations from last night. But the story still wasn't over. However, I convinced him to leave it for tomorrow night. We dressed the bed with clean sheets. Then I typed up my blog and posted it so I could go to bed.
* Our row of potted plants is much prettier than the staked tomatoes.

Myra's back!

My Skype call lasted until after midnight. Then I went to bed, But Chris stayed up for his call which was at 12:30. He talked to someone in HR in the states. She told him that she would let him know next week where he would be transferred to.
Then he came to bed. We talked about the phone call and fell asleep.
I had the usual night sweats so did not sleep that well. I got up to use the bathroom and they subsided for awhile. So I stayed in bed late.
When I got up and moving, it was almost 10. I had missed the window of opportunity to put out the food waste. I drank water and read e-mail. I went out to check on the slugs – another 80 or so. I also weeded. I texted with Myra who just got back to Chinhae last night.
Greenmedinfo did a set of articles on hot flashes. They wrote about studies showing promise for things like lavender, tomato juice, fennel, fenugreek, black cohosh and especially hops. Hmmm.I checked our cupboard for fenugreek and fennel but we had none. I put lavender essential oil in the diffuser.
I washed one cushion cover from the couch. I swished it through water in the bathtub. The water turned golden, which is the color of the fabric so I didn't know if I actually got any dirt out. I hung it on the washline to dry. If it dries nicely and is not to hard to put back on the cushion, I may wash the other one.
I made and ate breakfast. I sprinkled diatomaceous earth on the flower beds. I was going to sprinkle Epsom salts, but all I had was the pharmaceutical grade stuff scented with lavender.
I read more e-mail and listened to an interview from the lifestyle medicine summit. Chris and I walked to the market just outside the gate. We bought onions, peppers, sprouts, cabbage, a fermented soy patty, and a large red beet. We each carried half of the produce back to the house. Chris started preparing it. I cracked open the last coconut. It was still mostly good, I ate some and put the rest back in the fridge.
Myra called and wanted to go for a walk. So I put on my shoes and took the earrings I bought for her. When I got to her parking lot, she was coming up the steps. She gave me a pack of size 12 needles, something I can't find in Korea. I gave her the earrings. She loved the shade of green I chose. She had a pendant and it matched. We walked toward the front gate. She stopped at the ATM. Then we went out in town. We had to avoid the main street because the sidewalks were taken up in preparation to be re-done. We found the little corner market, and bought more veggies, including tomatoes. Then we walked back, going by the canal (and the flower shop). I didn't see anything I couldn't live without, but I looked! We continued until we got to her parking lot. Then we parted. I went home and noticed Chris and the car were gone. At first I was confused, but then I remembered he was going to the movie Guardians of the Galaxy. I watered all the potted plants and the tomatoes and peas. I came in to have a drink and check e-mail. I listened to several more tapping meditations. Chris came back from the movie. He pulled roasted cabbage and roasted red beet from the oven. He had eaten before the movie so I had some of both. Then I watched part of a video on pictorial quilt making. When Chris was ready, we watched three episodes of Shetland. It was after midnight and time to blog and go to bed.
* Michele and I at the great wall. *

Opposing parties

I wanted to sleep in, but had a 9am tapping call. So I put my phone in the sewing room which was close enough for me to hear the alarm at 7:30. Chris had gone. I drank a quart of water, and got dressed. I read e-mail as I waited for my tapping buddy on Skype. But she did not sign in. I did my exercises, listening to an audio. I tried to turn on the AC but heat came out, so I texted Dynee. She came over to show me how to turn on the AC. I went outside to check the slug bowl. There were 80 slugs, the most I ever got in one night.
I put together an order of supplements. Then I made and ate breakfast, listening to interviews from lifestyle summit. I also added pics to some of the China blog posts. I sent a Facebook message to the FRG secretary about the board meeting tonight. She sent me a form she had filled out for the Open Base event. I looked it over and made some changes Then I printed out the form with the changes and changed the filled-in part to red so the people who needed to sign it could easily spot the relevant information. I also printed out her notes that she sent. They were different from what I remembered.
I ate some raspberries, and started cleaning up. I folded two baskets of laundry. I watered the potted plants and the strawberries. I made a new batch of seed crackers. I picked up more stuff and put it elsewhere. I was sitting down to write up subjects to discuss. But Kelsey came 15 minutes early. We talked for an hour, and no one else came. I called Dynee, but she was helping Anna cook for the party. Maria called, and said she was caught up in family duties. I decided that we needed to reschedule.).

After Kelsey left, I ate some seed cracker and put the rest away. I ate a cucumber. I washed some carrots, and then read e-mail. I put out a can of beer for the slugs. Some were already in the bowl, waiting for it.
I walked down the street toward the party the CO was giving for his son and a group of children from the Jinhae Hope Home. Along the way, I ran into Ray and Mandy and Cory. After a little chat, we all walked to the party. I saw Dynee and Terri. I got some fruit and baked beans. The meat was cooking very slowly because the grill wasn't that hot. I talked to Ryan about the spaghetti and he recommended cooking 10 pounds. I talked to Rina about the kids in the community club. Then Dynee and Terri and I snuck over to Terri's house to see her decorations outside and in. She did a lovely job and her husband had made a bamboo contraption in the back yard that was both decorative and functional. When she turned on the hose, it watered all her herb tubs.
Her dogs didn't want us to leave, but we had to go back. MWR had set up a screen and projector in the CO's yard. All the kids were sitting watching a movie called Mr. Bean. I watched some of it and remembered the lead actor from Black Adder. I wasn't sure it was appropriate for kids (and too stupid for adultsWhen the ribs were done (Nelson did a great job), I took them home to eat. But they were mostly gone by the time I reached our duplex. Dynee was outside with her dog, waiting for nature to take its course. We spoke for a few minutes, then I came inside. I finished the last rib and tossed the plate and bones. Then I sat down to jot some notes for my blog before I forgot. Chris came home from his hail and farewell. He had a commemorative plaque signed by lots of people. I read it while he changed clothes. Then we started watching Shetland.
After it was over, he went to his laptop while I checked mine to see if my other tapping buddy was ready for our call.
I published my blog post so I wouldn't have to do it after the call.

10,000 steps

Last night I added pics to the last few days of my blog. I noticed some digestive distress, and realized I had none in China. Was it the coconut products?
I did not wake up when Chris got up at 4 for an early call.
It was probably 9 when I got up. The bathroom door was shut and it was all misty so I turned on the fan and opened the window. I drank a quart of water. I swished while reading e-mail. I turned the dryer on because the clothes from yesterday weren't quite dry. I got nearly caught up on the daily tapping audios that I missed in China.
I made and ate breakfast. I took a shower and got dressed. I put birthday presents in a box for Faye and Kevin, and labeled it. I put money in my wallet and Epsom salts in my bag. I walked to the post office to mail the package. Then I walked to my massage. I passed the flower place, and hoped to spend more time on the return trip.
I got there right on time. I paid and handed the lady Epsom salts. The lady brought me a tub of really hot water with my Epsom salts mixed in. I could hardly put my feet in and she said (in Korean) No problem. Easy for her to say. Then she brought me a cup of iced tea. It was wonderful on such a hot day. I closed my eyes and leaned back. I mustered all the positive thoughts I could think of. Then the man turned on some music (he remembered) and dried my feet. Then he massaged my feet and calves for half an hour. When he was done, I thanked him, and said I would be back next week. I don't know if he understands, or is just used to it.
Then I walked to the market. I stopped at Daiso for tiny little gift boxes. Dynee texted me wanted to go for a walk. I told her I was at Daiso. I also got food in the market – cucumbers, apples, carrots, raspberries and lettuce. I bought a spool of thread for sewing class.
I left the market to walk home. On the way, Dynee called to say she was on her way to meet me. So I walked out to the main street and we soon found each other. But she did not want to walk back to base. She wanted to walk to the Jinhae tower and go up the 365 steps. The apples and cucumbers were really heavy so I said no. But she took my bag and off we went – to the tower, up the front and down the back. Then we went back to post. On the way I remembered to give her the Chinese currency she wanted.
But just as we were passing the gym, there was a table out with t-shirts. MWR was having a fun run. I am not sure those two words go together. But anyway, we decided to walk it. So we set off down the trail. Once out of sight, we went to our houses to drop off the food and get something to drink. We were so thirsty! Then we continued down the trail. Dynee wanted some pokeweed for herself, since it worked so well for me. (I left that morning detail out.) So we walked as far at the wooded area and found 4 large plants. She picked some leaves and we turned around and went back. But the table of t-shirts was gone. So we went into the gym. We ran into ladies we knew so there was lots of conversation. The front desk said they only had two shirts left, XL and XXL. They were too big, but Dynee and I thought they might shrink. I weighed myself at the gym. I was down a few pounds, I think.
We went home. I put the shirt inside the house, then went out to water the plants. It took a long time. I was so tired. When the watering was done, I put out a can of beer for the slugs. I made up a 12 day supply of supplements. Then I washed some lettuce for supper. Chris came home. He had been at a going-away party so he had already eaten. I checked e-mail, and then we watched TV. We watched the last episode of Lucifer on the disc. We wanted to watch The Last Emperor, but Netflix only had it on DVD. I found a copy on Youtube, but it was not very good quality. So Chris called up Shetland on the little laptop. He hooked it to the TV and we watched for 35 minutes. Then he paused it so he could attend a conference call. I caught up on all the Sudoku I missed.
After the call, we finished watching Shetland. It was a 'to be continued' type of episode. He read e-mail while I finished up the last puzzle. I took my evening supplements. I wrote up my blog post for the day and posted it. I needed to order more supplements, but the offer lasts until 1pm tomorrow.
* Our little laptop that Chris bought just to take to China *