Bristol here we come

We stayed in bed late. I won't say why. But when I did get up, I tried to follow the usual routine. I sewed some patches together. I brushed and swished, and made tea. I filled more water bottles. I put a chunk of frozen lemon in my drinking water, plus some fire cider. I found my packing list and went around the house looking for the items on the list. It was kind of like a scavenger hunt. Chris laid out the suitcase on the bed and I filled it from the laundry basket and my dresser. I added items to the food box. I ate breakfast and checked e-mail. I watered the plants. As I finished packing, Chris took items to the car. Finally we were ready to go.
We pulled out at noon. We put a book on CD and listened to it all the way. I dozed off several times but still followed the story- more or less. We made one pit stop. When it got dark, the moon came up and it was really big, at least at first. I tried to take a picture of it. By the time we got to Bristol, it was regular size.
We checked in at the hotel, carrying in all but the food. Then we went to a grocery store. I wasn't very hungry because I ate seed crackers and banana oatmeal cookies on the way. I bought a pound of seafood salad at the deli. Then we went to Five Guys where Chris bought a burger and fries. We went back to the hotel and carried in the food boxes and the prepared food. I took some digestive enzymes before I ate the salad, and some activated charcoal afterward, since I did not know what was in the salad.
We read e-mail for awhile, until 8:30 Central time. We watched one episode of Travelers and discovered it was the last one. So then we decided on Lost in Space. We watched the premiere episode, then went back to e-mail. I made a cup of kava tea and listened to some videos by a man named Nathan Wheeler telling his life story.

Packing everything but clothes

I shut off the alarms as they sounded. I stayed in bed until after 8. I did some squats. I changed my machine needle and sewed some patches. I wound some brown thread on a bobbin to put in my sewing kit to finish the binding. Then I took my morning supplements and swished while reading e-mail.

I searched my email for a recipe calling for sandalwood and bergamot essential oils, but did not find one. I put on a few drops of sandalwood essential oil. It smelled so good. I looked up all the benefits and wondered which one I was after. I boiled tumeric and ginger to make tea, then simmered it for awhile. I put some in water bottles and froze the rest as ice cubes.

I made three breakfasts and packed 12 days worth of each ingredient into a box. I ate one of them. Then I drove to the Asian store for kimbap, but there was none. Just not a good week for kimbap. I looked through the store for sunflower seeds, but they only had them in shells for bird feeders.
Then I went to the Korean clinic. Dr. Grace was not there. Dr. Lee gave me a container with a whole kimchi'd cabbage that Dr. Grace had made. He gave me his traffic ticket to look at. After reading all the fine print, it seemed there was a possibility that he could pay online and not have to go to the courthouse in February. But I accessed the online system and there was no record, yet. We bid each other a Merry Christmas, and I left.

I drove across the street to the neighborhood WalMart store, certain that they would have raw organic sunflower seeds. I searched the entire store and only found roasted sunflower seeds, but at least they were not salted. I bought those and went home.
I parked, got out and looked for my keys to open the mail box. But the keys were not in my pockets, the pouch, or my purse. I thought it must be some kind of record to lose my keys as soon as I exited the car. When I put down everything I was holding, the keys were draped over my hand. Sigh.
I opened the mailbox and found a Christmas card. Then I took it and the kimchi and sunflower seeds inside. I tried some of the kimchi and it was good, though it would have been better with kimbap. I typed up a list of foods to avoid, etc from my Viome recommendations. It took a long time to switch back and forth from the open window to the document file. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I finished.

Chris came home from work. He had a package from the post office for me. When I saw what was in there, I knew it was from William and Karen. So I called William to let him know it had arrived. I was sorry to hear he was off of work with back problems.
I made seed crackers and a batch of banana cookies. I was going to add turmeric, but apparently we are totally out. I ate some frozen watermelon. Then I heated the last of the liver in the toaster oven and made a salad while it heated. I took the cookies and seed crackers out of the oven where they were crisping.
Chris was doing laundry, so I started to wrap packages. I looked for special scissors to make name tags, but could not find any. I tried to create them in Paint, but could not find any borders. So I searched for and downloaded a template and just added the names. I printed them out and wrapped packages and taped the tags on.
Chris wasn't quite ready yet. So I opened air tube headset. I listened to part of a youtube video to experience the sound. They work well.
Then Chris was ready to watch TV. So I brushed my teeth and swished during the first episode of Travelers. Then I drank my kava tea during the second episode. But that one ended on a cliffhanger, so we watched a third one. Then Chris went to bed and I stayed up to blog with a cold sock of rice on my shoulder. The pain has me worried.

* Looking at this uncut kimchi'd cabbage reminded me of the time in Korea when I asked Suk where to get good kimchi and she literally pulled one out of her purse and handed it to me. Ah, good memories. *

The case is solved

The sleep app woke me and I fell back asleep. I got up after 9. It was raining the rain we were supposed to have last evening but I prayed would hold off until after our choir caroling.
I swished and finished sewing a basting stitch around the quilt. I turned on the router and boiled water for tea and soaking nuts. I started reading e-mail.
The maintenance man came to fix the screens. When he was done, he took a window with him to repair. I made and ate breakfast. He came back with the window, but it would not slide into the door. So he took it away again. I got dressed and packed up quilt. He came back and this time the window slid in. He left. I wrapped the brown and purple binding on a toilet paper tube. Then I put my machine in the car and headed out.
I had a hunch to go to the church to check for my ID. It was lying in the wet grass near my usual parking space. I picked it up sopping wet and put it in the footwell of the passenger side. Then I went to quilting.
Either not many women came, or they came and left. Just a few were gathered around the tables talking. I set up my machine by Pat. She said we had to leave at 2. I sewed the binding on while listening to Pat and the others talk. I finished at 1:30 and packed up. Everyone else did too. When everything was put away and the blinds were closed, we headed out. I went home, using my ID to get on post. What a relief!
When I got home, I checked the mail – none. I took everything out of my pouch and ironed it dry. There was a $10 in there so I ironed it too, but it reacted to the heat so I backed off. I read some e-mail and put on an interview. I sorted through fleece scraps to find some nice colors for a rug. I ate some nuts and a piece of chocolate. I opened the doors to let in fresh air. It was surprisingly temperate outside.
I heated some liver and onions. After eating it, I found myself looking for more food. So I went for a walk even though it was raining. When I got back, I made and ate a salad. I played Solitaire while listening to interview on EMFs. I brushed my teeth and swished.
Then I moved my laptop to the guest room and tapped with my buddy on Skype for 90 minutes. When we were done, I returned my laptop to the dining room. I re-heated my tea and took a unit of testosterone. We watched two episodes of Travelers. Then I took the progesterone and magnesium and vitamin C. Chris made his sandwich and went to bed. I stayed up to blog.
* This is the wreath I hung on the door yesterday. It doesn't show up during the day against the black door. The directions call for spritzing so it won't dry out. Well, in this rainy weather, it should be just fine. *

The case of the disappearing ID

The sleep app woke me early and for some reason I got up. I was in the kitchen when my alarm went off. So I got an early start to my day. I decided to sew the two-color binding on, but realized that to get the purple on the back, I would have to sew the binding to the back. And the only way to do that would be to trim the backing to fit the front. And to do that, I had to baste the edges together. So I started basting. But I ran out of time. I left it on the machine and went on to making coffee and exercising and meditating.
I started cleaning around 11. I mopped the bathroom and kitchen floors. Faye called and we talked for awhile. Later the UPS guy came in a U-Haul to pick up my watchband. I had it in a small box and was worried that the label he had was too big. But he took it. I finished cleaning then washed up and got dressed. I called Beverly to meet me at the Asian store for kimbap. But when I got there, they were out of kimbap. I went to the Korean clinic and gave Dr. Grace a gift. Then I went out to the parking lot to give Beverly her gift. She gave me a bag of fleece scraps. After she left, I went back inside to help the Korean doctors.
He had a form for renewing his business license. I looked it over, and told him what numbers to use. Then she told me all about her daughter's boyfriend while I soaked my feet in an ionic foot bath and used the shoulder massager. There was a foot massager which followed the foot bath. She told me I should come by on Friday and she would give me her homemade kimchi, which is very special. Then he told me he was stopped and given a warning because his insurance card had expired. I checked his e-mail and was able to go to the website and pull up the new ones. He printed them out and then I noticed that they had the wrong address. I tried calling the agent but there was no answer so I left a message.
She hugged me and I left. I drove home, using my ID to get in the gate. I heated some liver and onions in the toaster oven and made a salad. When I had eaten, I hung the wreath that Cecily sent. There was a message on the outside of the box saying not to hang it in a space between a front door and a storm door. Say what? Oh well. That's the only space we have.
I was eating seed crackers at 6:10 when I realized I had to leave right away to get to the church by 6:30. So I threw on my coat and headed over. As soon as I arrived, I ducked into the office to put the bank bag back. Then I joined the others who were talking about the stops we would make. We piled into 4 cars. I rode with the pastor. We went to one house on a winding steep road. Jennifer handed out books of Christmas music and jingle bells. We sang a bunch of songs and then bid the couple goodbye.
We went to a second house, and did the same thing. And a third house. It was Dawn's house and she used to be in the choir. It was nice to see her again. Then we went to the church so everyone could get their own car. I followed the pastor to Jim and Barbara's house where they had decorated to the nines and put out a spread. It was the annual choir party. I ate some almonds, some shrimp and some cheese. Jennifer told me how she made her macaroons. Doris told me all about milking cows. Then I noticed the time. I thanked Barbara for the party. I bid Jim goodbye. He said I should stay for the singing. Then Bill gave me a hard time for wanting to get in Gate 8 before it closed. He didn't see any reason why going out to Gate 9 in the dark was a problem.
I left in a hurry. As I drove, I fished through my purse with my right hand, looking for my ID, but I did not find it. I figured it would appear in the light. When I got to the gate, I handed him my previous ID. He noticed it was expired. I explained and gave him my driver's license. He punched holes in my expired ID and let me go.
I went home and parked. I searched the car and my purse, but no ID or hanging pocket. I called Jennifer and she said she'd already left the party. She texted me Barbara's number. I tried one of her macaroon and it was really good. Then I called Barbara. She said she'd look around and get back to me. I checked the car again. I checked the pockets in three different coats just in case. She didn't call for so long that I thought I had given her the wrong number. So I called her back. She did not find it, but the pastor was going out to search his truck. We watched two episodes of Travelers. I went to bed with Chris. While he slept, I got up to write to my blog. Still no word on the ID.
* A selfie I took with our pastor since I might never see him again. *

Viome results are back

I woke up hearing my alarm. I did not set the sleep app. I think I went back to sleep, but I still got up by 8. I sewed the purple strip to the brown strip. Then I remembered to brush and swish. I turned on the router and soaked the sprouts and boiled water for tea and nuts.

I sat down to read e-mail and saw my Viome results had come in. I can't say I was overly impressed with the specificity of the results. There was a long list of foods labeled either Superfood, Enjoy, Mimimize or Avoid. I was hoping for a list of foods I am allergic to, but instead, the Avoid foods are because of plant viruses detected in my sample and things I don't have the microbes to digest well. Sadly that includes cashews, garlic, chick peas, bell peppers and cucumbers.

I got dressed and cleaned up the house a bit since the maintenance man said he was coming back this morning. But then Housing called to check on all the open work orders. They said they would schedule him to come tomorrow afternoon between 1 and 4. The buckle fell off of my watch again, so I took it off and laid it aside for later. I put my computer to sleep, grabbed what I needed, and went to quilting.

When I got there, Susan and Anita were making the covers for dog beds. I looked at all the barn blocks Jane got last week for her birthday. Each one was different. Beverly laid out fabrics to design another barn block. Anita had hers, but I guess she wanted to do more with it. The others talked about what projects to do next year. Josephine was giving out car trash bags that she had made as Christmas presents. I chose a red and white one. Linda was giving out hand warmers. At the end of the meeting, I gave Beverly the bag of potholders I had made, but to my surprise I had brought the wrong ones. We went out to her car and she gave me a gift – a glass mug with “Yes you do need more fabric” etched on it.
After that, I went to the Asian store, but they had no kimbap today. But she had the pickled garlic that I have been asking about for two or three months. My Viome report said I should avoid garlic, but I felt compelled to buy it. Maybe the pickled ones aren't so bad.
I went home, and ate half an avocado, and a fat bomb. I listened to interviews while making breakfast. After eating, I went for a short walk because it was a nice day and I was out of time.

I went to church to count money, arriving at 2. There were so many checks that I had to continue on the back side of the paper. There was no one there to distract me and that was great because the job took every second I had. I barely got the reports printed off and shut down the computer, then had to grab the money and run. I made it to the bank with only a few minutes to spare.
Once the deposits were processed, I headed home. The car said it was 50 degrees, but it felt colder to me. I got the mail and put the recyclable bin back in place. Chris was sitting at his laptop when I came in. I had no mail for him and he had no mail for me. Liver and onions were cooked in a pan on the stove. I put some in a bowl and ate it. It was very good. Chris said the maintenance man had been here and replaced the wall switches, and did something to the mold in the bathroom.

I checked e-mail. I reported my new watchband as defective to Amazon. I had Chris take the new band off of my watch. I put it in a box and wrapped it up for UPS to pick up tomorrow and return so I can get my money back.
I tried to print the AVOID food list from Viome, but highlighting what I wanted did not help. I sent a message to their customer service. I found a list of the microbes and viruses in my sample. I suspect there are many more that they can't test for yet.
I went through some more e-mail, then quit. I ironed the strips I sewed this morning to make binding. We watched two episodes of Travelers season 3. Chris made his sandwich and went to bed. I stayed up to blog and swish and take vitamin C.
* These are the gifts I got in the last two days, some of which I forgot to mention. Lauri gave me the needle cushion that looks like a tube of lipstick. Rebecca gave me the stylus that doubles as a pen. Beverly gave me the glass. Linda gave me the round hand warmers, and Josephine gave me the bag. I hope I got the names right. *

Oven is fixed

I woke up hearing water running. It seemed like Chris was taking a really long shower. But eventually I had to get up to use the bathroom and discovered that the toilet was making the noise. Chris had already gone to work. I fixed the toilet and went back to bed. My alarm rang at 7:30. I silenced the phone and called William (because he had called last night during the party). He wanted info that was on my computer so I had to call him back later. Then I got up. I swished and sewed, then turned on the router.
I was boiling water for tea and nuts, and soaking sprouts when a man knocked at the front door. He had a part for the oven and lost no time installing it. When he finished, I mentioned the light switches that weren't working properly. He said he could fix them, but I needed to submit work orders. As soon as he left, I called Housing and left a message.
Chris had left the bread machine out as a signal that he needed bread. I added the ingredients and set it in motion. Then I made seed crackers. They came out extra crispy so I guess the oven gets hotter now than it used to get. I made a new batch of spice mix. I read e-mail for a bit, then made and ate breakfast. I opened the package of SwissShield Naturell RF Shielding Fabric. I wrapped the fabric around the router but to no effect. Dang! That is expensive stuff!
I was getting ready to head to quilting when William called. I talked to him briefly, then loaded two projects in my cart and rolled it to the car. I went to quilting. I set up my machine, initially doing more talking than sewing. Then I worked on nine patch blocks while listening to the ladies talk. Lauri and Alice whom I don't see often stayed late to sew with me.
When I got home, I checked the mail and brought my sewing gear inside. It was such a nice day that I had to go walking. I went to Housing to make sure they got my message this morning. I also submitted a work order for mold in the bathroom. I finished my walk in a hurry to get back. The man said mold had to be investigated within an hour of reporting. Chris was home when I got back. I told him the oven was fixed. Then the man came back. He checked the mold in bathroom, and looked at the storm window. After he left, I checked the mail Chris brought from the post office. The watch batteries had arrived. I asked Chris to put one in my watch. But the buckle on the new band fell off as soon as I tried to put it on. Chris stuck it back on, but it fell off a second time. I went to Amazon and reported it as defective. They wanted to know how I was going to return it. While I was considering that, Chris put the buckle back on. I tried it again, and this time it stayed. I decided to wait on the return, just in case.
I put some yucca root in the toaster oven to heat. I ate the last of the beef and pulled some liver from the freezer to thaw for tomorrow. I made a salad and ate it while reading e-mail.
I cut strips for binding, going for the two-color effect since there is no color (other than white) which will look good with the front and the back. William called at 8. I got some strips joined while talking to him.
After the call, we watched last two episodes of DS9. I kept a cold rice pack on my left shoulder. The final episode must have been twice as long as a regular episode because it was almost 11 when we finished. Chris went to bed and I stayed up to blog as fast as possible and get to bed.
* This is from Sunday morning. *

Pastor's party

I woke up with congestion, and wished I had used a vitamin C and glutathione patch last night. I did the usual swishing and sewing and checked e-mail briefly. Then I took a shower and put on the vitamin patches. I got dressed and collected stuff to take to church.
I got to church just in time to practice with the choir. I gave a bottle of magnesium to Cecelia. Jennifer gave me two pieces of some almond bread that she made. I showed her my emWave2. I went to get a bulletin and talked to Ron. Then I sat by Don and waited for the service to begin.
It began with three kids dressing up like Mary, Joseph and the angel, standing around the manger. Mary wasn't much older than Jesus. So cute. Then Susan read a kids version of the birth story. The kids sang Away in a Manger and Susan said a prayer. Then they took off their costumes and sat with their parents and we all clapped. During another part of the service, we all lined up to hang Chrismons on the trees up front. The girls hung several and had a good time.
After the service, I stayed to talk to someone, then put my choir folder back in the rack. I shook the pastor's hand and wished him a Merry Christmas because I might not see him again. He retires at the end of this month and we will be on vacation. He thought we would run into each other sometime.
Then Cecelia and I went to our cars. I got the rotary stuff from my trunk and gave it to her with brief instructions on how to cut the borders of a fleece rectangle into strips. Then she went home and I headed back to base.
When I got home, I checked the mail. There was a bill for Chris. I changed clothes and ate some of the almond bread. I gave a little piece to Chris. It was quite good and I wouldn't have known there was no sugar or wheat flour in it.
We went to Publix for our weekly groceries. When we got back, Chris put stuff away while I washed all the cans of soup and coconut milk. I made two weeks worth of supplements while he boiled eggs for lunches all week. Then I made and ate breakfast.
After breakfast, I went for a walk. I picked some pine needles, and made pine needle tea, when I got back. I searched for a hood pattern online, but it was hard to find the kind I wanted. Finally I found a balaclava pattern and printed it out, but it was too small.
Our neighbor came over with caramels for Chris and an orange and lemon for me. I ate a can of soup. Then I washed a dropper bottle and filled it with fire cider. I printed out a label for it, then had trouble finding a substance to glue it to the bottle. After that, I put it in a clear treat bag and tied a red ribbon around it.
I changed my clothes and we went to a party at the pastor's house. I had totally forgotten about it. I gave the fire cider to the pastor's wife. Chris and I talked with lots of people, separately. I had a bottle of water and some cheese. It was after 8:30 when Chris alerted me that our gate was closing soon. We said our goodbyes and headed home. We came through the gate with 4 minutes to spare, but I think the second guard closed it after we drove through.
We brushed our teeth, then watched two episodes of DS9. I kept a sock of cold rice on my left shoulder. When the episodes were over, Chris made his lunch and went to bed. I stayed up to blog and put on more patches, hoping to sleep well.