Why do I do this stuff?

Hello to all

I have been fiddling with this blog template for hours to do a very simple job.  Namely, I needed to find a new blog counter when the previous one disappeared.  I have done this before; blog counters tend to come and go, but damned if I can remember how to do it.  For now I will leave well enough alone, even the part that says, "There have been XXX visitors" that isn't above the counter itself.  Maybe another day.  I took several HTML classes through my work, but that was 9 years ago or more, and stuff you don't use tends to disappears, too.

An on-line friend is very ill, and I am sending good thoughts and hugs her way, that she will be able to go home soon.  If wishes could come true...  Update:  She died, her family are in mourning.  I nearly deleted her address, to avoid the word that she had passed.

Thought for the day:  "May you have warm words on a cold day, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door."

Falling leaves and me

Yes, I fell again, this time in the house.  I was walking around the end of the couch when I stumbled and then wheee, going down.  I managed to (sort of) land on the couch, because the alternative was tumbling down the flight of stairs.  I'm very wary of the stairs, especially if I am carrying something and cannot grip the banister..  I understand  my elders saying, "youth is wasted on the young".  I now have a lovely blue-black-green batch of bruises. 

I now have I clear desktop, I could not believe how much paperwork had accumulated.  And the attic!!  Our new years resolution (in October) is put NOTHING in the attic, but bring everything down over a  period of time, sort out what is worth keeping and take it to a storage rental place.  Leave the attic empty.  If we cannot manage some of what is up there, hire a hauler to take it away.  I know there is a crib, baby chair, etc., that will have to be pitched because they don't meet new (25+ years) safety regs.  And there are tons of textbooks (might need them someday!) as well as fiction, old yearbooks, etc.  I swear they pop up in there, dark and undisturbed.

Daughter and I cruelly pinned down the long-haired cat today and clipped  a fair amount of her hair off.  Not really cruel, we sedated her (vet supplied), but she never really got sleepy enough to do her stomach.  She now hates us, at least for long enough to forget her indignity.  And she looks ridiculous.  But for the most part mat-less.

Quote for the day:  "Someday your prince will come.  Mine took a wrong turn, got lost and won't ask for directions."

Frustrated

I probably should not have called him Airhead; He is more like light-minded when it comes to keeping everyone in the loop about my aunt.  I don't know if he has a facebook page or a simple web page.  It is just that we haven't heard from him since Sept 16 and I want to know (lightly, not every little detail) how his mom is faring.  To lose contact only to hear that she has passed would be sad.  Maybe a quick phone call to us?

I made a loaf of  bread for my neighbor.  She had sent us a big 'ole apple pie still warm from the over, delish.  But she uses Truvia to sweeten her baked goods, which is fine, but for sending bread, it has to have sugar for the yeast to rise; there is 3 T in the entire loaf.  It smelled so good while it was baking and rose perfectly, hope she likes it.

N used the pressure washer on the winter horse blankets, huge chunks of debris washed off. One blanket has a huge rip in it; I think we will pitch it and use the new one I ordered several years ago.  After all, what am I saving it for?  If one is destroyed I have several (damaged) ones to  tide us over for the 3-5 days it will take for a new one to come.

Thought for the day: " A paper cut is a tree's final revenge."

Trivial

I decided to switch to a new family doctor, after the current one left me without any information related to the large amount of lab work he had done.  His nurse said his evaluation of the results were that they were "acceptable".  That was it.  Acceptable.  What does that even mean??

Anyway we will see how this doctor does; so far so good.

We have lost touch with my uncle's son (AKA Airhead) after the funeral.  When we call the house there is no answer, not even a machine, and I don't have the number for Airhead who lives next door.  Finally sent a snail mail to them and it got returned for insufficient postage.  I'm sure they spent more than 22 cents returning it to me.  So I sent another note off today, not too big, not too small but like Goldilocks' porridge, just right.  I predict they will ignore us, but at least we made the effort.  Airhead's wife seems OK, but I have only met her once before the funeral.  I wouldn't have recognized either of them if we passed in the street.  I know where she works, we could go that way if I want to be thorough.  But reason me this; how many people would need to be updated on my aunt's condition?  Anyone in town would know as soon as it happened, and out of town there is us, and some nephews in Ohio.  So maybe 3 phone calls or maybe 4.  Doesn't seem to be an undue stress.

Our son is back on full duties at work, although he calls for help if he has to load/unload some of the big items.  Our daughter is on jury duty, US Federal, most likely drug cases.  The drawback is that the court is 40 miles away, and she will get caught in the rush hour traffic which is more trudge hour traffic.  Still, it is interesting, at least for a while.  I've had jury duty several times, here and in San Francisco, but the "call this number every day after 5 pm" to hear if you are needed the next day, that part is a bummer.  When I worked in a lab, it meant I couldn't start any multi-day experiments because I never knew if I would get called on day 2 of the prep.  My boss was less than thrilled, as I remember it.

I got a neat mug made on Shutterfly, and I chose a template that holds 12 photos.  I used photos of 12 of our cats, 5 are still alive, the rest have passed .  There are still 8 or 10 more (this is a 45 year span of time, we aren't hoarders), all have passed, but I will need to dig through old boxes of non-digital photos to find them all, if possible.  I'll post photos when I get the set done.  I can't remember the next word I want to use, but I remember all of their names.

T shirt for the day:  "If we're not meant to have midnight snacks, why is there a light in the fridge?"