Thursday, August 29, 2013
A Great Bargain?
Somewhere in this tribute to myself, aka blog, I'm sure I mentioned the purchase of a "new" used car, a Honda CR-V, and what a great deal I got. I probably didn't mention that I was reluctant to purchase the first vehicle I looked at. And now I know why. In the first month of ownership, I have had the car into the shop to get the compressor replaced and the AC charged, got a second key programmed, got the remote programmed, the headlights rewired, had the airbags checked, had to get a jump start, had the battery's wires tweaked, and the leak in the fuel line repaired. Some bargain.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
And So it Starts
Starts: 1. a battle with my Honda service center over my door locks, pretty much resolved
2. a battle with Ken to get the grass cut, even bought a new mower, pretty much resolved
3. back to school for most districts, including Kristen's, haven't talked to her yet to hear how it went
4. dragging my heels about writing another blog post, wondering if anyone reads this
5. packing for a long weekend visiting family, packing sucks, but the visit will be nice
6. my body having dyskinesia, the uncontrolled movement of a muscle group, sucks and is not resolved
As you will read, two of Ken's brothers had major starts of their own in Jan 2010. Puts my list to shame.
Then to add to the stress, we’ve found out in the past couple of weeks that two of Ken’s brothers have cancer. Cy had to have a kidney removed, and George has cancer in his lymph nodes, maybe under his tongue. I’d ask you to please keep them and their families in your prayers. And so it goes… Till next time…
2. a battle with Ken to get the grass cut, even bought a new mower, pretty much resolved
3. back to school for most districts, including Kristen's, haven't talked to her yet to hear how it went
4. dragging my heels about writing another blog post, wondering if anyone reads this
5. packing for a long weekend visiting family, packing sucks, but the visit will be nice
6. my body having dyskinesia, the uncontrolled movement of a muscle group, sucks and is not resolved
As you will read, two of Ken's brothers had major starts of their own in Jan 2010. Puts my list to shame.
Court and Cancer, 2/6/10
We’re less than 48 hours now till our day in court. I’m trying to stay positive. Appraisers have been here, attorneys called, but it’s still in the magistrate’s hands.Then to add to the stress, we’ve found out in the past couple of weeks that two of Ken’s brothers have cancer. Cy had to have a kidney removed, and George has cancer in his lymph nodes, maybe under his tongue. I’d ask you to please keep them and their families in your prayers. And so it goes… Till next time…
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Procrastination
Today I'm thinking of that ugly word, procrastination. Ugly, because it has so many negative connotations. It comes from the Latin prō- meaning forward, and crāstinus meaning of tomorrow. So how did such a potentially up-beat word end up meaning to postpone or delay needlessly, or to use the dictionary, to put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
I have been procrastinating about my role in remodeling the kitchen. It's my job to paint the cabinets and their doors. Last fall, I started the doors, in hopes that seeing them would inspire (motivate?) Ken to do his part, which involves taking down the cabinets, replacing the wall, and putting in a new countertop, sink and dishwasher. Suffice it to say that no one has worked on the kitchen in a year.
Why do we procrastinate? Is it that the job looks too big, so we put off starting it? Or maybe it's a much-detested task, one that we postpone indefinitely in the hopes that someone else will do it for us. Or, maybe, we're just lazy.
I have been procrastinating about my role in remodeling the kitchen. It's my job to paint the cabinets and their doors. Last fall, I started the doors, in hopes that seeing them would inspire (motivate?) Ken to do his part, which involves taking down the cabinets, replacing the wall, and putting in a new countertop, sink and dishwasher. Suffice it to say that no one has worked on the kitchen in a year.
Why do we procrastinate? Is it that the job looks too big, so we put off starting it? Or maybe it's a much-detested task, one that we postpone indefinitely in the hopes that someone else will do it for us. Or, maybe, we're just lazy.
Friday, August 16, 2013
What's next? Part II
Well, I just had to ask. As I said previously, the winter of 2009/2010 left a lot to be desired. But let's start with more current days. Not that there's anything wrong going on. I just want to share some of the good stuff. :-)
Ken and I actually went on a date two nights in a row! That never happens! On Wednesday, we went to a concert at Cain Park which is an amphitheater on Cleveland's east side. We listened to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy play lots of swing and jazz music. I watched a few couples get up and dance. The band was great! They've been together 20 years with all of the original members. As the lead vocalist said, "It's like being married to eight different guys at once!"
Last night, we went out to dinner at Red Robin. Ken had a certificate for a free burger that he got for his birthday. If you've ever been to Red Robin, you know that one of their burgers would normally make two meals. Add "bottomless" fries and Freckled Lemonade and the Browns pre-season game on TV, and you have the makings of a fun night out.
Speaking of the Browns, I don't know if they won or lost last night - the score was 10-0 in favor of the Browns when we left - but we heard the Goodyear blimp go over the house before the game. We didn't know they were playing at home, but figured something was up when we saw the bumper-to-bumper traffic going north on I-77. The skyline looked like a postcard for what's good in Cleveland when we went home. The sun was setting, the blimp was silhouetted against the sky, the steel mills were belching their fire, and Terminal Tower and the Key Bank buildings stood as sentinels over all of it.
OK, back to the winter of what next. The post is short but says a lot in a few words.
Ken is out of his splint and in a regular cast now. He’ll be in it another 5 weeks or so, longer if he doesn’t follow orders and stay off of it.
On Jan 4, we were served a 3-day notice to vacate the house or face eviction. Reading back, I realized I hadn’t explained what was going on. Our landlord lost our house to foreclosure, and the new owner, Fannie Mae, wants us out. So we have a court date, Feb 8, and I guess we try to ask for more time due to my PD and Ken’s ankle.
Part of the problem is I want to be looking and Ken wants to buy and stay. I’m not sure we can buy in 2 weeks. I’ll keep you posted as long as I can.
Ken and I actually went on a date two nights in a row! That never happens! On Wednesday, we went to a concert at Cain Park which is an amphitheater on Cleveland's east side. We listened to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy play lots of swing and jazz music. I watched a few couples get up and dance. The band was great! They've been together 20 years with all of the original members. As the lead vocalist said, "It's like being married to eight different guys at once!"
Last night, we went out to dinner at Red Robin. Ken had a certificate for a free burger that he got for his birthday. If you've ever been to Red Robin, you know that one of their burgers would normally make two meals. Add "bottomless" fries and Freckled Lemonade and the Browns pre-season game on TV, and you have the makings of a fun night out.
Speaking of the Browns, I don't know if they won or lost last night - the score was 10-0 in favor of the Browns when we left - but we heard the Goodyear blimp go over the house before the game. We didn't know they were playing at home, but figured something was up when we saw the bumper-to-bumper traffic going north on I-77. The skyline looked like a postcard for what's good in Cleveland when we went home. The sun was setting, the blimp was silhouetted against the sky, the steel mills were belching their fire, and Terminal Tower and the Key Bank buildings stood as sentinels over all of it.
OK, back to the winter of what next. The post is short but says a lot in a few words.
What’s Next? (I just had to ask, right?) 1/23/10
So I left us all with the all-important question last time: What’s next? Damn if I didn’t get some answers.Ken is out of his splint and in a regular cast now. He’ll be in it another 5 weeks or so, longer if he doesn’t follow orders and stay off of it.
On Jan 4, we were served a 3-day notice to vacate the house or face eviction. Reading back, I realized I hadn’t explained what was going on. Our landlord lost our house to foreclosure, and the new owner, Fannie Mae, wants us out. So we have a court date, Feb 8, and I guess we try to ask for more time due to my PD and Ken’s ankle.
Part of the problem is I want to be looking and Ken wants to buy and stay. I’m not sure we can buy in 2 weeks. I’ll keep you posted as long as I can.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Birthdays, Jewelry, and a Healthy Dose of What's Next?
Tuesday was Ken's 66th birthday. He didn't want to observe it in any fashion. He said he's quit having birthdays. I couldn't get him interested in doing anything fun, including going out to eat. The poor guy didn't even get a birthday cake! Every recipe I looked at required an ingredient I didn't have. What's next? I'm taking a vow to make next year's birthday so much better.
I've been exploring the art of jewelry-making. Speaking of birthdays, I made a necklace for Kristen that, in my opinion, came out pretty well. Since then, I've been trying to make a bracelet that is truly driving me crazy. I altered the directions slightly since I thought the bracelet would be too small. When I finished it, however, it was too big.The chain is sterling silver, and I think it's too weak to withstand a lot of handling. I took the whole thing apart and started over, only to have the links in the chain come apart. What's next? I ordered another length of chain and more jump rings, this time in a silver-plated base metal. I'll keep you posted.
The rest of today's post begs the question, What's next? You know what I mean... What else could possibly go wrong? (Otherwise known as Murphy's Law.) When's the other shoe gonna drop? During the fall and winter of 2009/2010, it seemed I was asking What's next a lot. Read on to see what I mean.
I've been exploring the art of jewelry-making. Speaking of birthdays, I made a necklace for Kristen that, in my opinion, came out pretty well. Since then, I've been trying to make a bracelet that is truly driving me crazy. I altered the directions slightly since I thought the bracelet would be too small. When I finished it, however, it was too big.The chain is sterling silver, and I think it's too weak to withstand a lot of handling. I took the whole thing apart and started over, only to have the links in the chain come apart. What's next? I ordered another length of chain and more jump rings, this time in a silver-plated base metal. I'll keep you posted.
The rest of today's post begs the question, What's next? You know what I mean... What else could possibly go wrong? (Otherwise known as Murphy's Law.) When's the other shoe gonna drop? During the fall and winter of 2009/2010, it seemed I was asking What's next a lot. Read on to see what I mean.
If it’s Not One Thing … 12/28/09
It just seems to keep piling up. We went to Ken’s sister’s home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Had a wonderful visit, lots of good food and laughter. But then Ken fell on the icy driveway and, as it turned out, fractured his right ankle. He’s in a temporary splint for the next 2 weeks till the swelling goes down. Then he’ll be in a cast for the next 2 months. He’s trying to learn how to manage crutches, and I’m learning how to get by without his help. What’s next??Saturday, August 3, 2013
Spirit
Today's post is about getting into the holiday spirit.
“Christmas is coming/the goose is getting fat/Please to put a penny in an
old man’s hat. If you haven’t got a penny/a ha’penny will do/If you
haven’t got a ha’penny/God bless you”
Do you remember that old rhyme? Seems sort of appropriate given the current economic times. Many don’t even have a “ha’penny” this Christmas. But I think we could all use God’s blessings.
Ken is getting into the holiday spirit this year, more than he has for many years. He says it’s all for me, but I don’t think so. Whatever the reason, it’s nice to see him enjoying the decorations (yes, we went ahead and put them up), shopping for his grandkids, wrapping gifts. Some of the spirit may even rub off on me; I started baking cookies today, which I haven’t done for a while. Gotta get ready, ya know, ’cause I hear that Christmas is coming. God bless us all.
Back to August now. My spirit is flagging. I think Ken's is too. He has bipolar disorder, and I think he's on the downward spiral. He hasn't taken his meds for a few days, and he won't get out of bed except to heat leftovers for my supper.
I think we could use some of that holiday spirit right about now. I know without a doubt that we could use God's blessings.
Christmas is Coming, 12/17/09
Do you remember that old rhyme? Seems sort of appropriate given the current economic times. Many don’t even have a “ha’penny” this Christmas. But I think we could all use God’s blessings.
Ken is getting into the holiday spirit this year, more than he has for many years. He says it’s all for me, but I don’t think so. Whatever the reason, it’s nice to see him enjoying the decorations (yes, we went ahead and put them up), shopping for his grandkids, wrapping gifts. Some of the spirit may even rub off on me; I started baking cookies today, which I haven’t done for a while. Gotta get ready, ya know, ’cause I hear that Christmas is coming. God bless us all.
Back to August now. My spirit is flagging. I think Ken's is too. He has bipolar disorder, and I think he's on the downward spiral. He hasn't taken his meds for a few days, and he won't get out of bed except to heat leftovers for my supper.
I think we could use some of that holiday spirit right about now. I know without a doubt that we could use God's blessings.