Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is the first day of December.  It'll be farewell to November & hopefully my sinus/head cold.  Other than that November wasn't that bad of a month.  No major problems.   Nothing broke.  There were surprises & others that won't be fully realized until later on, but for now, November was a a solid three stars out five month.

Now, onto the festivities & frivolities that constitute December.  I hope it goes as smoothly as November.  We don't need any more hiccups or bumps in the road.  

Here's hoping for a good December.   Until next year November.

Cya

Still Sniffling...

Definitely feeling better, not 100%, but much better.   I hope this trend continues.  I have a dentist appointment on Monday & don't want to have a sneezy, drippy nose during it.

The weather is settling into a cold spell.  No where near as cold as it's going to get, but gone are the days in the 60's F.  I really wish the 60's 80's of Fall would've lasted longer.

Here's hoping this Winter is another hell-beast one like last year.  That's all we need, a repeat year of 2011.

Cya

Still Here...

Another long night of sleep may have helped, but this sinus crap is still paying havoc with my head.  I am very tired of having to blow my nose.  I'm surprised it isn't raw by now.  I got my fav tissues today, the Puff's Plus with Vicks.  You can just breath through them & feel a little better.

Did shopping today.  That was not fun & left me exhausted.  Stopped by & got jr-burgers from Sonic.  They hit the spot.  Here's hoping this stuff is on the down hill run.

Cya

PS -  it was our first serious cold day here.  Had to get the frost off the car windows.

Wracked...

Another short post.  My body feels like hell today.  I went to bed early last night & actually managed to sleep fairly well.  I was feeling better this morning, but that has faded some.   The fever has come back & my head is stuffy.  I hate being sick when I'm already sick.  Having anything on top of being + is just annoying & complicated.  You're never quite sure what's actually bothering you & how the two issues are affecting each other. I probably won't last long today either, before I crash for the evening.  Hopefully, two really long nights of sleep will nip this thing in the proverbial bud.

Cya

Bluck...

The weather has really done a number on my head.  To be frank, my head feels like hell.  Apparently, the occupants of this household do not suffer weather fluctuations well. Sinusitis is the complaint du jour. Hopefully this crap will pass soon.

It's raining right now & only supposed to get colder through the day.  So, we'll be wet & cold for a bit, just wonderful.  Soon, I will be in a hot shower, hoping the water will melt away the congestion & loosen my stiff muscles.

I really hope you are feeling better.

Cya

At Home...

I'm spending today at home, doing basically nothing whatsoever.  I'll be eating left overs & maybe watching some television, but that is about it.  The holiday is over & the recovery from it is underway.  Most of the dishes are caught up & put away.  

Not much to say about anything today.  Just thankful that the holiday is over & that I didn't have to go shopping today.

I hope all of you had a happy Thanksgiving. 

Cya

TDay...

Well, it's here, Thanksgiving Day (US) that is. The cooking is well under way & won't be all that complicated.  Unfortunately, my roomie didn't feel up to going to her relatives today, so she's stuck her with whatever I can whip up.  No pecan pie for her.

Today is a day to be thankful for all that we have & all that we do not not.  I have made lists of things that I am thankful for before & I could again.  But few of us take the time to be thankful for what we don't have in our lives.  There are countless ways our lives could be far worse than they are.  I"m not going to list all the negatives that I count myself fortunate for not having in my life, that would be fairly negative & not very apropos. 

I will say that whether or not you are celebrating Thanksgiving today, I hope you all are doing well.  

Happy Thanksgiving.

Cya

On The Edge Of Purgatory...

The weather has been flip-flopping like crazy lately in our area.  We've been warm & cold, wet & dry, windy & still, etc...  All this indecision has left my sinuses reeling.  My head is aching & feverish.  My ears are stuffy & popping.   My eyes are itchy & draining.  That doesn't mention how my sinuses make my teeth hurt.

Leave it at, I am not in the best of places right now & neither is my roomie.  Hopefully, she'll feel well enough to deal with familial things tomorrow.   This is going to be a short post.  Looking at the screen is not being overly friendly on my eyes today.  

Hoping you're all feeling better than me.

Cya

Occupy The Bed...

OTB has become with a vengeance.  The cats have laid claim to various parts of the bed leaving only the bare middle of bed usable for humans.  That time of the year has returned.  It's cold enough that the cats have no choice but to snuggle up close to the human.

This comes with some perks:

1. The cats are sleeping with me
2. The cats give off a lot of warmth
3. They purr a lot in their sleep
4. They're cute & cuddly

However there are less than pleasant aspects to this phenomenon:

1. The cats fuss with each other all night long
2. The cats try to knead your flesh
3. The cats snore 
4. They position themselves in the most obnoxious manner possible

Even when cats appear to be cute & cuddly, it's all really clever ruse to cover their self-centered, rude, greedy, demanding little natures.  

Yeah, I said it cat, don't try to cute face me. 

Cya

(examples, but not my pics or kitties)

3, 2, 1...

Thanksgiving is but three days away.  Did some shopping today & it was not the most pleasant excursion.  People should have to have a license to navigate a shopping cart & it should require extra certification classes if children are involved.

Overall, it wasn't horrible, just not fun.  At least it's done.  We came home & ate.  It's supposed to storm today, so that is probably all that will get done today.  

It'll be us, the cats, some food & the storm.

Cya

Paying For It...

Yesterday, I did some weatherizing outside & now I am paying the price.  Most of what I was doing was wrapping up & insulating outside water taps.  I'm very irritated at the idiot that put water spigots outside without a means of cutting them off from the rest of the water flow of the house.  To have it done now would be a hassle considering all the pipe work is underground & under the house.

Anyways, during this endeavor, I apparently bent & stretched in some unusual ways.  Now a third of the backside of my body is sore.   I must of pulled some muscles or something.  Add to that, there was a gusty wind out yesterday stirring up all kinds of stuff.  My body is stiff & sore.   My sinuses & eyes were very irritated.

Hopefully a couple of days of less exertion will let the soreness pass.  Just goes to show, no good deed (even one's done for yourself) goes unpunished.

Cya

Holiday Plans...

Thanksgiving is less than a week away.  What will you do?  We  used to try the full-out holiday fare, but it was just the two of us, so that didn't really work.  We've made adjustments to the menu that suit our needs. We cut out things that we have all the time & combined some other dishes, while some remain front & center (green bean casserole).

A holiday should fit your needs & not you it's. If the traditional thing just won't do for you, then tinker with it until it does.  It may not be someone else's idea of  Thanksgiving, but that's just fine.  It doesn't have to be any one else's holiday, because it's yours & the people you choose to bring into it with you.  So make it work for you.

Have a good one & remember there are always things to be thankful for...

Cya

Count Down To Hell-Day Is On...

I normally shop on Fridays, this probably won't be the case next week.  Because next week brings us to Hell or better known as Black Friday.  When normally sane people go berzerk to save a few dollars on an item they probably don't need in the first place.

I have the holidays dealt with except for a few last minute things that just arent' out yet.   As soon as they are, I am done.  Then the holiday vultures can have the stores.

So, buckle up, Hell is just over the horizon, brace yourselves for impact.

Cya

Nippy...

Well it's nippy again for another couple of days, then we should be back into overnights of mid 40's F to 50's.   The day time should be in the 60's.  This is definitely jacket weather, but not OMG it's freezing time, yet.

I am not a fan of the overly cold, any more than I am of the overly hot.  I wish it would get to the upper 20's F overnight & low 40's during the day for the duration of Winter.  That way it can kill off all the little nasties like fleas & fire ants.

This year in Oklahoma we saw lows in the -30's F & highs pushing over 115.  That's a 145 degree range of temperature.  That is ridiculous & damned hard to live with no matter where you're from.

Here's still hoping for a less severe Winter than last year.

Cya

Changes, Bah Yuck...

I am a Virgo & thus not overly fond of change, especially not change dropped at my doorstep, unannounced & unrequested.  Be that as it may, that is exactly what has been happening lately. First, we had to alter the car insurance plans.  Then there were the earthquakes (may I remind you that this is Oklahoma).  Now my dental insurance is feeling left out & wanting some attention as well.

Apparently they are phasing out the plan I am currently on.  Why, you ask?  I have no idea.  The plan I selected looks like the one I had with higher costs for some services.  Why didn't they just raise my premium, instead of making me go through this change?  I would ask more questions of the customer service people at the insurance office, but I am relatively sure they have no more idea about this matter than I do.  Very Comforting. (That was slight sarcasm)

Again I am a Virgo & not overly fond of change.

Mid-Season Weeding...

Every new TV season there are way to many possibly good shows on to keep up with.  We find ourselves recording or watching some of these shows online.  Finally a ways into the quagmire we start eliminating the not-so-good ones.

Some don't last for a second viewing.  Many leave us pondering & we give them a four or five episodes to prove themselves.  Some do, some don't.  Some we decide to give the whole season & see if we any kind of yearning to see the show again when the new season returns (Nikita failed).  Others we know we're hooked on.  Then there are the old stand-bys that start to falter & sometimes fall to the wayside.

We have offed the one-shots already.  Now we are into mid-season cutting.  Project Runway: Accessory may find itself on this list soon.  For now it's Once Upon A Time.  Maybe it'll be something we want to watch in summer reruns, but not now.  This isn't a death sentence.  I didn't start watching Law & Order (any of them) until the original show had been on the air for nearly a decade & now I love the show.

Some of my stand-bys have been somewhat disappointing this season.  House hasn't wowed me.  Bones went to the place no show should ever go, the romance between the two main characters.  Fringe is being well fringe-ish. 

There are some new shows that I am liking.  I love last season's intro of Body of Proof.  I really like Person on Interest & so far I'm sort of into Grimm, but mainly for the Wolf.   

Let the weeding begin.  Let's thin out this crop.

Cya

Holiday Encroachment...

There are encroachers upon us.  I went to the store in mid October & there were already displays for Thanksgiving & Christmas starting to arrive.  It bothers me that we can't just enjoy one holiday at a time.  Let the pumpkins, ghost & goblins have their day, then the turkey & pilgrims, then the winter festivities.

Some one recently posted on Facebook how much it upset her that people take the Christ out Christmas by saying Happy Holidays.  So sorry to hear that, guess what, "Happy Holidays."  The winter season has a ton of holidays in it, many based off of one religion or another.  There's Saturnalia, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, a couple of Muslim Holidays, a whole host of celebrations/recognitions for Catholics/Orthodox, Yule, Solstice & a myriad of others.   So Happy Holidays would seem far more appropriate & inclusive than just Merry Christmas.  What I am supposed to say Happy Advent?  Or maybe the real Christian point is to be exclusive to the rest of the world like Mr. Garrison from Southpark.

I guess we won't even be able to enjoy Thanksgiving without Christmas butting in.  The stores have already started blasting us with holiday music.  These are a few that I got hit with today.   

Cya

Warm & Windy...

Warm & windy are the words for today.  We are nearly 80 F here & the wind hasn't stopped blowing for three days.   It is supposed to be blowing in some storms over the next few days that will throw us into another cool down cycle.

The warm I can handle, but the wind is being an issue.  It's stirring every bit of dust & debris up & making it hell on the sinuses.  My eyes are really hating the crap flying through the air.

Oh well, at least it's warm.

Cya

Saturday Is Here...

It's very windy today.  It isn't really that cold, but the wind is definitely putting a chill in the air & the atmosphere.  I hate it when I know I'm really not that cold, but the humidity or the sound of the wind makes you feel as if you should be cold.

The cats are all nestled on the couch.  Even the mostly outdoor cat is curled up in a ball among the others.  For now they're warm enough not to have to huddle close together.  That is always a testy time for them.

Romie is shifting gears into winter crafty mode & looking for her looms.  She's been dabbling with some new-to-her knitting techniques.  It helps keep her hands busy & therefore focused on something other than being cold.

Winter is coming, is becoming all to common of a saying in my home.  Unfortunately, it's true.  Damn, I wish Fall would've lasted longer.

Cya

Done...

With minor exceptions most of the holiday shopping is done.  I think we've gathered all we need for Turkey Day dinner & most the Christmas presents.  Shopping went fairly well & not too pricey this year.

I lucked out & found a bunch of stuff at good prices & just snatched them up.  I wasn't planning on getting any Christmas stuff today, but there it was & now I'm 99% done with it all.

Anyway happy 11-11-11

Cya

Chilly Day...

Woke up to another chilly day.  I am not used to the colder temperatures yet.  I probably won't ever be.  I would seriously like to live somewhere it stayed in a nice, moderate temperature zone, like 60 - 90 F.  I am not a fan of weather extremes.  What's so great about being extremely hot or cold?  Nothing.  I am not a fan of big rains, snows, ice storms or tornadoes. I can definitely live without eruptions (limnic or volcanic), tsunami, hurricanes, earthquakes, lahars or blizzards   I guess with all that to consider, I should either live in a bubble or on some space station.  Alas, for now, I am stuck in Oklahoma, where we have or probably have the potential to have, the majority or weather phenomenon I dislike. Just my luck.

Cya

Accomplishments...

I know I've said this before, but I feel it is very important to acknowledge one's accomplishments, especially if no else is going to do it for you.  It is imperative to our mental well being that we know that we are capable of preforming tasks & achieving goals we've set for ourselves.  

In my opinion, recognizing the little accomplishments is as important, if not more so, than the mammoth milestones.  It is very easy to get down on yourself.  But if you can stop & say,  "Hey, maybe I'm not the best at this or that, but I did accomplish A, B & C today, so I am not worthless."

Today is back to Trash Day Eve.  It is a fairly busy day for us. There is: 

1. Trash to be taken out.  
2. Dishes to be done.  
3. Laundry to washed
4. Meals to be cooked
5. Errands that need to be ran
6. Appointments for my roomie
7. Deal with other household chores.

Those are just some of the things we usually wind up doing on Wednesdays.   My roomie was remarkably  productive this morning.  Before her 10:00 appointment she managed to get herself around &:

1. Hit the mail box place
2. Go by the bank
3. Go by her doctor's for a prescription
4. Go by the medical supply place
5. Pay the car insurance

Those are just the things that I am aware of that she did.  All those things need to be acknowledged as something she did.  She is capable of doing these things.  I think knowing these things, makes life a little easier on us.  

Besides taking the time to smell the proverbial roses, why not take time to take stock of all you've accomplished in your life recently, big & small.

Cya

Dark & Wet...

It's wet here again today.  Not a fan of the dismal overcast skies, but it did make for good sleeping weather.  Got a bit to get done today so this will be brief.  The cats aren't happy about the rain, it's sun-blocking them.  We ran some errands & did a little shopping & the rain was a tad bit chilly.  Hopefully this system will give us a little rain & then move on out of here.

Cya

Still Adjusting...

I am still adjusting to the time change.  It usually takes me a few days to get in the swing of things.  I do like having the light in the morning when I wake up.  However, I am not fond of it being dark at a little past 5:00 PM.  

The cats aren't buying it either.  They do not believe in time changes.  Especially not if it in any way affects when they get fed.

The time change is just another point that Autumn is here & well on it's way out. We are a month & half into Fall.  Winter is fast approaching.  Why the hell didn't Summer fly by this quick?

Cya

Shake It...

Oklahoma may have a lot going for it, but this year there was a lot going into the negative column:

1. Record cold winters -30 F & below in some parts
2. Ridiculous levels of snow fall this year
3. Outrageous tornado season
4. Flood happy spring
5. Record breaking summer heat
6. Drought conditions
7. Fires
8. & now, drum-roll please, we have earthquakes

That last one was not expected.   Oklahoma always has tiny earthquakes, but you normally never even know they occurred.  That changed last night with a 5.6 magnitude quake that shook the house.  According to the geological service there were ten quakes from Saturday through Sunday morning.  Just wonderful.  The only weather phenomenon we're missing here in Oklahoma are hurricanes.   Just give it time, we already get the winds & rains carried up to us.  

Oh well, just another day in OK.

Cya

Leaves Changing...

Not much going on here today.  Went & ran some errands & that was about it for the outdoor activities for the day.  I noticed how the leaves were changing colors today.  I snapped some pics of them.   It's odd how some trees change in a uniform manner & others have a spectrum of color that gradients from green to reds & ambers.  The cats are setting in the windows trying to soak any sun they can get.  They aren't having that much luck with that today, it's fairly grey out.  

That paragraph was rambling & I have about summed up my day so far.  

Cya

Belateds & Yogurt Trojan Horses

Yesterday was my ten month anniversary for this blog, but things came up & I got distracted.  So happy ten months to me.  Yippie.

I am feeling better today than yesterday & even managed to get some shopping done.  I also managed to send  some trojan horses made of yogurt into the stomachs of my cats.  We have a flea problem in these parts, even in  the cold.  Part of that is due to the constant presence of vermin; mice, skunks, ground squirrels, possums, etc.... These animals all carry fleas in abundance & fleas carry parasites that mature into worms.  Darn varmints.  

Any way, my cats are not fans of the wormer, whether it be a pill or capsule.  So, I get the capsules & pour the insides into some plain yogurt, my cats prefer Greek.  Cats + yogurt = lickfest.   Soon all the medicine is gone & the worms find their days numbers.

Worming is done & anniversaries have been acknowledged.

Cya

Yucks...

I am not in the best of places today.  I'm not particularly sick, but I have the yucks.  For some reason I woke up early & couldn't really get back to sleep.  The weather is flip-flopping & driving my head nuts from the pressure changes.  My sinuses are being an issues, as well my digestion.   Overall, I am tired, drainy & just plain have the yucks, or if you prefer the yicks, but not the ick, that only affects fish.

I did a little shopping today & will go pick up my roomie in Fort Smith later.  I opted to reschedule my dentist appointment.  I feel like well, yucky, & postponing it just makes more sense.  Hopefully, the weather will stabilize & my head will stop feeling so crappy.

Cya

Another Trash-Day...

It may be a little weird, but I actually like trash-day.  I may not totally be into taking out the trash, but I do like the concept of it.  I like the fact that the refuse is leaving our home.  I like knowing that whatever amount of garbage left our home, is no longer part of our lives.

We've gotten way better about how much we keep & throw away.  We don't take near as many bags to the curb as we used to.  We have cut back without even really noticing it.  It's gratifying to know that we are wasting less.  That we are spending less, at least partially, because we choose to.

Then again, I am a Virgo & we Virgos do love our rituals.  The garbage ritual is a good example of that.  This ritual is organic & natural.  We use things & discard the waste.  All animals do it in some form or another.  We try to keep our homes, our dens, as clean & free of debris as possible.

Here I go contemplating the concept of refuse removal.  Hah.

Cya

Hello November...

Random Thoughts:

• November is here 
• Within a week the clock will fall back one hour  
• The whole holiday mess is upon us.   
• I am hoping that this month stays warmer  
• I don't want a repeat of last year's hellish winter 
• I have holiday shopping to do 
• I have a dentist appointment this month.  

So far though, November's being pretty nice.

Cya