Life: It Goes On - October 15

Happy Sunday! And by Sunday, I mean that the sun is finally shining today, hopefully all day. It's been so dreary and wet here for most of the past week. Doesn't do much to help the mood I'm put in first thing every morning when I turn on the news. It's also making it tough to start getting the yard ready for winter.

You'd think that would free up more reading time but, I've got to be honest, I'm not doing as much reading as I was for a while. Grant is brilliantly interesting but it's very slow going and I feel guilty if I pick up anything else for a break.

The Big Guy is watching The Coneheads today. It's all silly fun except when you hear Michael McKeon's character, who works for the INS, tell a boatload of refugees to "Go home. You have no skills and will only be a burden on our society." Then it starts to feel like you're watching the evening news.

This Week I'm:

Listening To: I finished The Bones of Paradise, have been making myself listen to the news more (although that always makes me an angry driver), and I'm back to podcasts (this week I listened to episodes of Stuff You Should Know and Classical Classroom). I actually added several new ones to my list (Crimetown; Terrible, Thanks for Asking; and Pod Save America) which were recommended by NPR; I haven't listened to any of them yet, though.

Watching: The baseball playoffs. I've got family happy about how the Cubs and Dodgers are doing (although someone is not going to be happy at the end of their series) and a girl very happy with how her Yankees have been playing.

Reading: An interesting article in Harper's Bazaar about emotional labor.  My work load, emotional labor-wise, is considerably less than when my kids were young and I was a stay-at-home mom. Still, I'd made supper last night for two of my kiddos and an hour later had to go in and clean up the kitchen when it became clear that neither of these grown adults thought that maybe they should do it. When I said something about it, they both said, "You didn't ask me to do it." And so it continues.

Making: Slow-cooked pork chops with apples, chicken enchiladas, turkey tater tot casserole, lasagna bake, chocolate chip cookies, shortbread cookies, and, last night, we tried cloud eggs. Got the bug last Sunday to meal prep for the week and I'm always so grateful to be able to walk in the door after work and just heat something up. Today will definitely include meal prepping again!

Planning: Our trip to Missouri this week. Cannot wait to get my hands on my great-niece who will turn one next week.

Thinking About: Making some changes to make myself happier. For starters, maybe get back to that Happiness Project I started at the beginning of the year and abandoned months ago.

Miss E

Enjoying: Last night a mildly amusing thing happened that, for some reason, struck Miss H and I as much funnier than it really was. Then the fact that we were laughing so hard made us laugh even harder. Tears streaming down our faces harder. Can't even breathe harder. This happens to us sometimes and BG just rolls his eyes and says, "I don't get it." That's ok, we do; and it's great!

Feeling:  Like I need to get out and enjoy the sunshine instead of doing the things I know I need to do.

Looking forward to: This face.

Question of the week: Last night I drove through a patch of water on the road and found myself already wondering if it was just wet or might be icy. I hate that I'm already focusing on winter! If you live in a part of the country with four distinct seasons, how do you help yourself enjoy this season without thinking too much about upcoming winter?

Life: It Goes On - September 24

I didn't entirely panic when a few months back, I used up the last inhaler on my refill. I haven't had a serious attack in some time and I really was going to get to the doctor's office some time. Thursday evening, though, my asthma flared up Friday morning, it almost sent me to the emergency room. I'm a pro at this so I had the skills to settle myself and make it through a day at work; but a visit to urgent care will cost me a lot more than a visit to my doctor's office would have. One dose of the inhaler and I was feeling much better but, dang, I lost a couple of days to using all of my energy just to breathe instead of actually doing anything. I couldn't even focus on books. And here I'd given you all the impression that I was a smart woman! So here's your PSA for the week folks: don't let yourself run out of the medicines that can save your life.

This Week I'm:

Singing Bones podcast

Listening To: I'm not sure when I'm going to be in the mood to go back to listening to books while I'm in the car. I'm loving the flexibility of listening to podcasts and I'm learning so much. This weeks podcasts included: Singing Bones, Annotated, The History Chicks, Happier With Gretchen Rubin, Nerdette and Stuff You Should Know.

Watching: Lots of football, some baseball, Orange Is The New Black, The Mindy Project, and the finale of America's Got Talent.

Reading: Still plugging away at The Telling Room but I've got to get through it soon because I need to read the October book club book soon and I have Ron Chernow's Grant to read in the next month. That's gonna take some time!

Making: That enthusiasm I expressed last week for turning on the oven fizzled under last week's heat. Mostly, we ate salads, pasta, light foods. Temps are supposed to be cooler this week so I may get myself back in the mood.

Planning: A trip to the paint store this week. We have, finally (I think), agreed on a color to paint our front door. In working on the blog this weekend, I discovered that this is something we've been "discussing" for at least three years! The current color of choice is something we've never considered before but would make my mother-in-law so happy if she were still alive.

Thinking About: Where to hang the latest photo I bought from my brother once I get it matted and framed. I am so impressed by how professional this looks! Once again going to promote his website because I love his stuff so much - check him out at See-Nile Photography!

Enjoying: Scents - bergamot hand soap and lotion, eucalyptus and spearmint lotion, lavender everything, pumpkin spice  and sandalwood candles. Lately I find myself lost in testing fragrances when I'm out shopping.

Feeling: Like there has to be an easier way to deal with a sick cat. This girl's been sick and needs medicine twice a day. She cannot be tricked into eating it and getting it down her is a two person job. One of us (me) wraps her up in a giant towel and tries to hold her down while the other one (BG) tries to get a syringe far enough into her mouth (while she flails her head back and forth) so that she won't spit the medicine back out right away. It's probably a very comical thing to see but we have the scars to prove that it's no laughing matter. Ah, the joys of pet ownership!

Looking forward to: Heading north to see my sister and brother-in-law this weekend!

Question of the week: The Big Guy is frying up some potatoes for lunch; wish I could eat them at least once a week! What's your favorite way to eat potatoes?