Saturday's Saturation

This morning was overcast when I woke up; I had been cat napping for about an hour and a half when I finally decided to get up. My throat and nose were both plugged up so I thought that I might as well get up and see if I could get them to drain.

About an hour after I got up they both started to drain and then I started to cough and that caused my throat to get soar...sometimes one can just not win.

After eating breakfast, and loading the dishwasher up, I started into to the living room to read the paper, but I saw the mailman delivering the mail, so I went out and got it. There were several things in the mail, including our back statement.

After going through the mail and recycling the junk mail, I went into my computer room and reconciled the savings account and my checking account, Kathleen's account has not been reconciled in I cannot remember when. She just keeps writing checks and I just keep transferring money into it.

After balancing the accounts, I voted my proxy on some more of my stocks, it must be that time of year, it seems like I have done this three or four times in the last month. Now it was time for me to go into the living room again and try to get the paper read.

I got a couple sections read when Kathleen came downstairs and wanted to go to Best Buy to exchange her battery backup. So I put on some shoes and socks and packed up her battery backup and off we went.

After finishing at Best Buy we went out to Harbor Freight because Kathleen wanted to get a new umbrella for our patio table and I had a coupon for the one she wanted that expired tomorrow. Well we did not just get the umbrella; we also got several other little things.

While we were at Harbor Freight we decided to stop at BiMart as we had a couple things that we wanted to get from the coupon book that expired tomorrow as well. Then it was time to go home as I was getting hungry seeing that I had not eaten since about 0830 and it was after 1400.

Kathleen heated up a can of beef vegetable soup and I toasted a couple slices of multi-grain bread and made a couple open faced sandwiches to go along with my soup. I also took an antihistamine to see if I could get my nose and throat to stop running. After finishing lunch, I went back to the living room to finish reading the paper.

I made myself some hot honey with lemon and red wine vinegar to see if I could get my throat to feeling better. It helped a little but not enough. I finally dozed off in my chair for an hour or so, I had thought about going upstairs before I fell asleep, but I was too tired to make it upstairs. I think that the antihistamine probably had something to do with my falling asleep, but I was also tired to begin with.

It was now about 1800 and I asked Kathleen what she was planning for dinner, and she asked what I felt like so I said spaghetti because I though that the sauce would help sooth my throat. Kathleen also made some steak to go along with the spaghetti and that was really good as well.

Well, I hope my allergies clear up soon as I have my annual physical Monday and I want to feel as good as possible when I do that. I cannot think of anything else to write about, so I will just say good night.

Friday!

I was too tired last night after I got back from meeting with the accountability group last night, but that was a good thing. I had not been able to meet with them for over three months so just being able to do that was good for me.

This morning I woke up with my throat feeling rather thick, I felt like I had a lot of mucus that had settled in my throat over night. Usually when this happens it breaks loose during the morning but this morning I could not get it loose.

Anyway, after breakfast this morning I emptied the dishwasher and then put the dishes from last night into it. Then it was off to the living room where the mail had just gotten here, so I went out and got it. Nothing for me, but Kathleen had a couple things, so I just read the paper.

Seeing that it was Friday and it was not raining, I went outside to mow the lawn. I mowed the front lawn, my neighbor's front lawn and the others neighbor's strip along our fence on the east side of the driveway.

While I was mowing our lawn, Kathleen said that she was going to go to the Barn to pick up a fuchsia hanging basket. She also said that she was going to stop off at Aaron and Tami's for a few minutes; she finally got back around 1700.

Back to mowing...after I finished the front yard, I brought the mower to the back yard and then was going to rest for a while, but about all I did was go into the house and get a glass of water. I felt pretty good, so I went right back outside and gathered up the lawn furniture so that I could mow without having to stop the mower to move it.

After finishing the back yard and putting the mower back into the garage, I decided that I would rest for a little while, so I put the lawn furniture back onto the lawn and plopped myself down.

Unfortunately the weeds were making so much noise that I had to get up and pull them. I spent about a half hour pulling weeds and then decided that I needed to go inside and make myself something to eat for lunch. By this time it was about 1500, so I just made a Boca burger on dark rye with onion and dill pickle slices.

Then I went back outside and picked up some trash from the parking strip and met our new neighbor, who just moved here from outside Chicago. After talking with her for several minutes I noticed that my pedometer had fallen off somewhere.

So I went all over looking for it, but could not find it, so I went back into the house and started to watch the news. Kathleen came home shortly after that with her purchases and said that she stayed so long at Aaron and Tami's because Becca was having a school is out party, but unfortunately not too many kids showed up, so Kathleen stayed to make it seem like there were more people there.

Besides getting the fuchsia hanging basket, she also got some herbs, some tomato plants and several flower. So while putting them into the back yard, I remembered that I had not looked on the other side of the fence for my pedometer, and there it was, it was one of the first places that I had mowed, so I did not record any of the walking that I did while mowing.

Yesterday I had over 2400 steps, and I am sure that I would have had at least that many but it only registered about 400, so I guess that I will just have to believe that I got a good amount of steps in today.

Tonight, Kathleen made a flounder dish along with some wild rice, the flounder was kind of mushy, and so I ate it with a spoon, kind of like fish chowder. Kathleen did not care for it too much, but I said that I would finish the left-over tomorrow. Kathleen was going to throw it out, but I hate to throw food out.

Well, I fell asleep watching Hannity & Colmes tonight, and I still feel pretty worn out, so I think that it will be early to bed tonight. So I think that I will just say good night!

Wet Wednesday

Today was one of those days when the sun would shine and by the time I got ready to go outside it would start to rain. Anyway, this morning was pretty normal (?) whatever that is except Kathleen made apple kiwi pancakes for breakfast.

Then about 1030 Kathleen and I headed out to do our errands, stop by the credit union to deposit a check, stop by the radiation/ oncology office to pay the $15 co-pay from my last visit, then stopped by the State Farm office to get our copies of the 50 Million Pound Challenge, then to Goodwill to drop off a SUV load of things that we no longer needed, then on to Winco to do our weekly shopping.

By the time we got back home it was almost 1400 and by the time we got the groceries unloaded and put away it was 1430. Kathleen made a frozen pizza that she bought today and I made a sardine sandwich. Kathleen shared some of her pizza with me so I put some sardines on the pizza, kind of a poor man's anchovy, it really was not that bad, but Kathleen could not stop laughing at me.

After letting the food settle we were off to return the hard drive that Kathleen got last night, as it was not the correct one for her machine. After she made the exchange we wound up buying a couple battery backups, one for upstairs and her machines and one for downstairs for mine.

With all that running around today, I am rather tired, in fact I seriously thought about not blogging tonight, but after dinner I got a little more energy and here I am. For dinner Kathleen made a shrimp salad, which was great since I had not had my lunch salad it worked out really well for me.

Well, the house is a little cleaner and there is more room with all the things we took to Goodwill today, now we just need to keep it up. I think I have run out of words today, so I will just say good night.

Turbulent Tuesday

Well this morning I woke up to rain hitting the sky light in our bedroom. It was kind of a nice sound and almost relaxing. Too bad that I was wide awake enough that I knew that I would not be able to go back to sleep.

So after breakfast, I went into the living room to read the paper. Then after finishing the paper, I put it with the paper recycling and then took the bin out to the street. While I was doing that the recycling truck came, so I waited and then took the bin back into the mud room and put a new bag in it for the papers.

I had not heard the mail come, but when I checked, it was there, so I brought it in and opened it up. I got my senior recreation guide from the Portland Parks and Recreation department also a couple of catalog's and our East County paper. The only thing that I wound up keeping was the senior recreation guide.

They have several excursions and a couple classes that I would like to participate in. I first saw the van for the excursions while we were staying at the beach a couple weeks ago. They only charge $18 to go to the beach, it is cheaper than buying gas let alone wear and tear on the vehicle.

After I finished the mail, I sorted out all the clothes and things that we have been setting aside for Goodwill. It took over two hours to sort, catalog and box everything up. Kathleen was really surprised when she came downstairs and saw that I had been working on it. I have been meaning to do it for quite some time, but the weather has just been too nice to stay inside and work.

After finishing boxing everything up, I had worked up an appetite, so I made myself a salad. In doing so I used up all the lettuce, finished off one pack of celery, the last yellow pepper, next to the last tomato and green onions, so we will definitely have to go to the grocery store tomorrow.

This afternoon it cleared up a little but it was too wet outside to do anything, which may have been a good thing. Kathleen said that yesterday after I came in from working outside my eyes were a bright red from allergies. Anyway, I decided that I would vacuum up the downstairs and pick up all the lint from sorting out the clothes.

After finishing that I washed, dried, folded and put away two loads of laundry. For just the two of us it seems like I am still doing a couple/three loads of laundry every week. So we are either really clean people or really messy, or maybe a little of both.

Kathleen talked about dropping the things off at Goodwill this afternoon but by the time she came downstairs I was too tired. I did however after a while load it all into the SUV. I not only filled up the cargo area but the back seat as well.

Now tomorrow when we go to Winco we can drop the donations off at the same time seeing as they are both in the same parking lot.

By this time I was getting hungry again, Kathleen had her left-overs from last night so she heated that up and I made myself a Boca burger on dark rye with onion, Kosher dill pickle slices and cheddar.

We had a brief power outage this evening, probably from a lightning hit to one of the substations and both our computers went out. Mine eventually rebooted, but Kathleen's hard drive crashed, so she is out now buying a new one.

Well, that is about it for tonight, good night for now.

Milder Monday

Today was a much nicer day than it was suppose to be, I guess that they had a brief storm on the west side this morning, but today on the east side was quite nice. After breakfast I emptied the dishwasher, took the towels out of the dryer and folded them. I put the ones that belonged downstairs away and put the ones for upstairs on the stairs to put away the next time I went upstairs and then went into the living room to read the paper.

Just as I was finishing the paper the mail came, so I went out and got it. There was quite a bit of mail there, much of it was junk mail, but I did get my proxy vote pamphlet on some of my stocks, and the Visa bill, but other than that there was not much for me.

Kathleen got about the same amount of mail, and Toni got a couple. Some days Toni and Andrea get more mail than we do. By the time I read the mail and voted my proxy on-line it was about 1230, so I went outside and dumped the weeds that I had pulled yesterday. After that I noticed a bucket of rose prunings that I had not put into the yard debris barrel.

Not really wanting to go inside, I decided that I would start to weed around the area where Kathleen wants the arches to go, by the time I stopped and got cleaned up it was 1530. No wonder that I was hungry!

Since it was so late, I did not want to make anything too filling, so I made a Limburger cheese and onion sandwich on dark rye bread. That did the trick, as I felt pretty full. I was still pretty thirsty even after drinking a 12 ounce glass of water, so I made myself a cherry slushy.

About 1700 I sat down and watched Fox news and then about 1830 I went upstairs and asked Kathleen about dinner. She cooked up another chicken breast and reheated the wild rice. Since we had two bundles of asparagus in the refrigerator, Kathleen steamed one bundle to go with the rest of the dinner.

It looks like the rain will be here tomorrow, I just hope that it is not an all day, all week affair. Well, I cannot think of anything else to say, so I will just say good night.

Savoring Sunday

Well, I got up around 0600 this morning and my nose was so stuffed up that I could not get back to sleep, so I finally got up after trying for a while to go to sleep again. The paper had not even arrived yet when I got downstairs, so I went outside and pulled some weeds and picked up some trash in the front of our house and our neighbors and when I came back from putting it in the trash the paper carrier was just coming up the driveway.

So I took the paper into the house and then headed for the shower and then breakfast. I had not heard Kathleen upstairs yet, but as I was brushing my teeth, I could hear her moving around. Before I went upstairs, I arranged the ads and the paper to make it easier and quicker to go through when I got around to doing it.

We both got ready, out the door and to church before it started this morning, something that rarely ever happens any more. By the time church was over I could hardly wait to get up and move around, I was getting so stiff.

The same thing happened after Sunday Sch00l, I just can not sit very long, and when I have to I get really stiff. After cleaning up after S.S. we took off and went home, I could not wait to get out of the long paints and into my shorts, so as soon as we got home I headed upstairs to change.

Kathleen made a salad for lunch and then I went outside and did a little yard work. She came outside after a while and cut some boxwood branches to go with the cluster of roses that I had brought into the house earlier. She then told me where she wanted the arches to go that I bought and put together a couple of weeks ago. I need to do some more landscaping before I can put them where she wants them to go, but at least I have some idea of where they need to go and what needs to be done to get them there.

She went back into the house and I pulled some more weeds. With the weather scheduled to change tomorrow, I wanted to get some weeding done, even if it was kind of hit and miss. I am hoping that sometime this week I will be able to get the arches up and the clematis planted.

Then tonight for dinner Kathleen made some chicken and wild rice and also cooked an artichoke. We each had a half of an artichoke, half of a chicken breast and a cup of wild rice, I finished all of mine, but Kathleen only ate about half of hers.

Well, that was our day, I am tired and sore, somewhere along the line I must have pulled my calf muscle yesterday, it is really sore and it makes it really difficult for me to walk or move around at all.

So I guess this will be the last nice day for a while, it is suppose to start raining tomorrow and I am not sure how much outside work I am going to be able to accomplish...not that I do not have enough inside to do, but being outside is so much more fun!

That is about it from this side of the world; I guess that it is time for me to say good night!

Sunny Saturday

Today was another really nice day, so after breakfast, reading the paper and then the mail, I decided to go out and mow the front lawn. While I was at it I also mowed the neighbor’s front lawn and the other neighbors strip on the other side of the west fence.

After finishing that, I was smart enough to stop and go inside and rest for a while. I felt pretty good, so I went back out and finished mowing the back yard after moving the lawn furniture out of the way. When I finished I was feeling a little light headed, so I went into the house and had some water and then sat for a while.

It was getting close to 1400, so I decided to go into the kitchen and make a salad for lunch. I am getting pretty good at making a good and quick salads, so now it only takes me about fifteen minutes to make a salad with about eight different ingredients in it.

So after resting for a while, I went out side and did some weeding on the east side of the house, I got done what I wanted to accomplish, but there is still a lot to get done yet. When I finished up, I noticed that it was after 1630, so I put everything away and went into the house and got cleaned up.

About 1700 I asked Kathleen what she planned to do for dinner and she said a salad, nothing against salads, but I try to limit them to one a day, so I said that I would make myself a Boca burger and she could have a salad.

So about 1830 I went in and micro waved the burger and then toasted a couple slices of dark rye bread and that was my lunch. Kathleen came down about 1915 and decided that she would just have the rest of her chicken from Tuesday's trip around Mt Hood.

Well, that is all I can think of for now, I feel pretty good considering that I mowed the whole yard and half of the neighbors. I am pretty tired as well, so I have a feeling that it may be an early night for me, so I will just say good night for now.

Friday's Field Trip

This morning started out pretty normal, breakfast, read the paper and then the mail, but that is where it stopped being normal. About 0930 I went upstairs to check with Kathleen to see what time she planned on leaving for Alyssa and Dan's as we were going to watch Hayden because Alyssa was going on a field trip with Natalie's class and taking Zander and Dan had a business meeting with a new client in Sandy.

While I waited for her to get dressed and come downstairs, I vacuumed the downstairs carpeting, as it had not been done since Monday and was starting to show little white specks, not like when we had Reggie, but annoying just the same.

Anyway, she came downstairs about 1015 and we did not get out of the house until about 1030 and arrived at Alyssa's about 1100. Dan was talking with his Uncle Bill and left about fifteen minutes after we got there.

We played with Hayden for a while and before we knew it, it was about noon and time to put him down for a nap. Kathleen changed his diaper and put him down. While she was doing that, I swept and mopped her kitchen floor, I think the pool party Wednesday had taken its toll on the floor.

When Kathleen came back down, she worked on clearing the sink from the dishes and I watered a couple of her plants that I think only get watered when I think about it. While I was in the family room, I noticed that the floor could probably use a quick vacuuming, so I started to pick up some of the loose things lying around and started to vacuum.

All of a sudden the vacuum stopped running, I thought that it probably needed to have the bag changed, so I opened up the compartment that houses the bag and I was right. I looked for clean bags, but did not find any, so I decided that I would just empty the old one, not the best practice, but in a pinch it works.

So took it out to the garbage can and then I pulled out the stuff from the bag and put it into a plastic bag and then went back and put the bag back on. Then when I turned the switch on but nothing happened. I checked out the hose and it was plugged up as well, so I dug out the stuff from the hose, but it still would not start.

Next I went down to the circuit breaker box and checked the breakers and they were all okay, so I figured that there was a reset button on the vacuum someplace or it would shut off for a time and then work again.

I did not find a switch, so I just left it sit for a while and then decided to clean up and go outside for a while. I was going to sit out by the pool, which I did for a while, but I saw a lot of things that needed picking up, so I had Kathleen bring out a couple bags and I picked up the trash and tried to get the assorted socks and shoes in close proximity to one another.

Alyssa returned with the two older children about 1430 and Hayden woke up from his nap about the same time. When Alyssa came in a told her about the vacuum and she found the reset button and I was able to finish vacuuming the family room.

It was time for us to get going, so we left about 1500 just as Dan came home. By the time we got back home I was really feeling tired, so I sat down in my easy chair and took a nap. I had not planned to take a nap, but I guess that I was more tired than I thought that I was.

Kathleen was tired as well so when she came downstairs about 1845, I said that I would fix myself a Boca burger if she wanted to finish off her leftovers from her field trip on Tuesday with Linda, Karis and Toni, so she did. She also cooked up a sweet potato and sliced it up.

So I had the Boca burger, a few sweet potato slices and a couple dill pickles for dinner. Probably not the type of meal that most people would consider eating, but I was too tired to think of anything else. Well, I am really worn out tonight, so I think that I will just say good night.

Tremendious Thursday

I had pretty good nights sleep last night, so after breakfast and reading the paper and the mail, I loaded up the dishwasher and turned it on. Then I decided that I would go for a walk, since I had not done that in over a week.

I took a couple of walks while we were at the beach, but nothing very long, so today I decided to try it again. I just started out walking and when I got to a point where I could have turned and gone home, I decided to keep walking.

As it turned out I walked three miles and only had a little problem with my hip joint. My feet were plenty sore as I forgot when I took off that I had on my Birkenstock's and not my walking shoes. The did not feel too bad while I was walking, but about a half hour after I finished up, they let me know that they were not happy!

Kathleen had still not come downstairs yet, and the dishes were done, so I emptied the dishwasher. Kathleen finally came downstairs and we both went outside and sat out in the sun for a while.

I could only sit for a while and then I had to pull some weeds and do some pruning of the roses. When I took the rose trimming out to the yard debris, I noticed some low hanging dead branches on one of the walnut trees, so I cut them as well.

I was getting hungry and it was about 1400, so I decided that I would go inside, clean up and make my self a salad. I have gotten so that I really enjoy having a salad for lunch. It really gives me something to chew on and does a good job of filling me up without a lot of calories.

After eating, I sat down for a while and then went back outside and pulled a few more weeds. It was getting pretty warm again, so I decided that it would be better if I went back inside where it was nice and cool.

About 1830 I called up to Kathleen to find out what was for dinner, and she came down a little while later and made some shrimp stir fry and mixed in the rest of the left-over wild rice. The when that was all done, she cut up a mango to top it off, and boy was that ever good.

Well, that is about it for today, so I will say good night for now.

Whew What a Wednesday

Well, today was in the 90's and it is supposed to stay rather warm the rest of the week. This morning after breakfast and reading the paper, Toni called from work and said that she was not feeling well. So Kathleen took off around 0930 to take her some Gas-X, Pepcid AC Plus and some liquid simethicone to see if it would help with her stomach problems.

While she was gone I decided that I would do a couple loads of laundry, so I wash, dried, folded and put away a load of dark clothes and a load of light clothes.

I was thinking that she would be gone an hour or two, so I did not plan on doing too much, and I needed to stay home as Linda and Karis were stopping by before they went back up to Tacoma to drop some things off.

So I went outside and weeded for a while. They came and I gave Linda an old pair of sunglasses so that she could drive without squinting. Then I went back to weeding. I finally went into the house, not because I was done or overly tired, but just because it was hot out and I did not want to get too hot.

After a while in the house I decided to make myself a strawberry smoothie for lunch. As I was sipping the smoothie, I read a couple magazines and a catalog that had come in the mail. After a while I went back outside and weeded in the shade for a while.

I finally decided that I had better go inside as even in the shade it was hot. It got to be about 1600 and we had told Alyssa that we probably would be coming over to take advantage of her offer to go swimming and have a barbecue. So I called her and after many rings I got the answering machine, so I left a message that we probably would not be coming.

During the message I could here an incoming call, so I quickly hung up and answered the phone, it was Dan, so I gave him the message again that we would probably not make it tonight.

Kathleen finally got home about 1630 and was too tired to think about going. So she sat down on the couch and read her mail and then went upstairs. About 1915, I went upstairs to see when she had planned to do dinner. She came down about fifteen minutes later and heated up some of her left-over meals from yesterday and cooked a skinless chicken breast for me with wild rice and sliced up a mango.

Well, that is abut it from here for today, so I guess a good night is in order.

Temperate Tuesday

Well this morning after breakfast and reading the paper, I went to Becca's pre-school program. Kathleen, Linda and Karis went up to the mountain and I am not sure where else today. I got there a little early as there were some other things that I needed to drop off. The program was about forty-five minutes long and the children did a really good job.

Alexis sat on my lap for a while off and on; she got a little restless as the program went on. Afterwards they served up juice and cookies, but I passed on them. I took off after a while and took some clippers back to Target that I had gotten the other day and broke.

After coming home I changed clothes and mowed the front lawn. Not wanting to wear myself out, I stopped after doing the front lawn and went into the house to rest a while. It was also getting pretty warm out, mid 80's, and I did not want to get too hot.

I also took the time to make myself a salad for lunch, so after letting that digest for a few minutes, I went back outside and mowed the back lawn. After finishing the mowing, I dead-headed some of the roses that were pretty spent.

The hot dry weather does not do much for the life of the flowers after they have been out for a few days they get really wilty. I also pulled a few weeds and then decided to go back in the house and rest some more.

I do not feel too bad tonight, I did not do all that much, but I also tried to pace myself a little better than I had been. I sat down and watched the news and then about 1830, I decided that I would make myself some dinner, as Kathleen had not returned yet.

I made myself a Boca burger and reheated up some of the wild rice that was left-over from the other night. Kathleen called while I was eating, there was so much static that I could not understand what she was saying very well. So Toni called and her call was much clearer, I guess that they were going to get something to eat and wanted to know if I wanted them to bring anything back for me.

Since I was in the middle of eating, I declined. I think that my Boca burger and wild rice was probably a little healthier than just about anything that they could have brought home.

Well, that was my day, dull as it was. Tomorrow it is suppose to be in the 90's, so I probably will not be getting a lot done outside. Alyssa has invited everyone over for a swim tomorrow, but I am not sure what Kathleen has lined up, so I will have to wait until she gets home to find out. I think that I will just call it a day and say good night.

Memorial Day Monday

This morning after breakfast and reading the paper, we went to Winco to pick up some groceries for ourselves and also some hot dogs and hamburgers with their perspective buns and a watermelon and some strawberries and pound cake to take over for the celebration.

Shortly after we got back Kathleen's brother's ex wife and their oldest daughter came by and then after a quick visit we all went to Alyssa and Dan's for Memorial Day where all the grandchildren and their parents were there. Toni and Chucky got there later on as Toni had to work today, but we stayed there until a little after 2200.

The grandchildren all took turns jumping on papa and then asking him to cut them some more water melon. I think it will make for interesting diapers for the little ones and the older ones should not have any problem with constipation for the next couple days.

Tomorrow Kathleen is taking them up to the mountain and I am not sure where else. I am staying home to go to Becca's preschool program and also to take Andrea to Costco. It is supposed to be in the high 80's and low 90's the rest of this week, so it looks like we are getting a little jump on summer.

Well, that is about all for tonight, I am really tired and should have gone to bed about an hour ago, so I will just say good night!

Sanguine Sunday

Well, let me see if I remember how to do this blog thing. I decided to take a few days off while at the beach and then when we got back Friday I was really worn out so I thought that I would forgo doing the blog for another day.

Then yesterday, I worked out in the yard and mowed the whole yard and my neighbor's front lawn and was ready to take a nap when Kathleen came out and said that we were invited to Aaron and Tami's for dinner.

So I cleaned up and off we went. They had just bought a wrought iron gazebo and a round steel and plastic picnic table so I helped them put it together as well as played fetch with Archie for a while.

Tami started to barbecue some chicken, but ran out of propane, so she finished it in the house. By the time we finished dinner, I could hardly keep my head off the table.

When we finally got home I was too tired to even think about doing a blog, so here we are today, and I am still tired, but nothing like what I was like the past two days. It has been a pretty lazy day, but every time I do something, I get this way.

Today Alyssa and Dan had Hayden dedicated at their church so we went and stood on the platform with them along with Dan's parents. Then after the service, one of my friends and her husband came up and talked to us for quite a while.

After we left the church we stopped at Lowe's to look at a picnic table, but it was too light weight for us. So after Kathleen got done looking at the flowers and taking pictures of a humming bird, we finally left for home.

I finished off the couple slices of pizza from Friday night, so we actually had it for three meals, not too bad. Anyway, after a little while we took off for Costco to take advantage of some of their coupons that were expiring today.

We have been putting it off for about a week, because we were just too tired, so today we ran out of tomorrows so we had to go. I probably would have been better off taking a nap, but there were some things that we needed, so off we went.

Then tonight I had some chicken gumbo soup and added some of the left over wild rice from earlier in the week. The extra rice really made it nice and thick, just the way I like it. The best gumbo that I ever had was while I was down south, boy was that ever good.

Well, that is about all I can think of today, I am tired, but it is a good tired. So I think that I will just say good night, and see you tomorrow!

Transitioning Tuesday

Today was kind of a transitional day in a couple of ways. First the weather is transitioning to a little nicer although tomorrow there is a possibility of a few showers. Secondly I am starting to feel a little better again today, although I did have a spell of light headedness again early this afternoon.

Anyway, after breakfast I went into the living room and read the paper, and the mail must have come some time when I was out of the room, because I was getting ready to go outside and mow the lawn but decided to check the mail first and it was there. There was not much there, just a couple catalogs, so I flipped through them quickly and then took them and the rest of the junk mail up front to the recycling bin.

I finished the front lawn and then went into the back yard and did a little edging, and when I got up I felt really light headed, so I went into the house and ate an orange and felt a little better. So I went back outside and mowed the back lawn.

Then I took my scythe and cut the blackberries starts from the field behind our property. By this time I was getting pretty worn out, so I sat for a while and then made myself a salad. I used up all the lettuce, yellow bell pepper, cucumber and used the last of one of our sweet onions. It is a good thing that we are going to Cannon Beach tomorrow, as I am out of most everything that I need to make one of my staples.

Aaron called this afternoon and I answered the phone, so I talked to him for a while. I guess things were a little slow this afternoon, so he decided to give us a call. I think I must have dozed for a little bit later this afternoon because before I knew it was 1700.

Kathleen has gone to a demonstration on some soft-ware at Montivilla Sewing Center tonight so she is gone until late tonight. I think that she is planning to go to Fred Meyer after she is done at Montivilla.

So when dinner time came around I made myself a Boca burger on some multi-grain bread with some dill pickle slices and a nice big slice of onion. Does anyone besides me feel like I am eating a lot of onions? If it were not for the fact that I am not suppose to have more than one slice of bread a day, (I have two every other day) I probably would have had a Limburger cheese and onion sandwich for lunch today, but I had in the back of my mind needing the bread for a Boca burger tonight.

Well, that is all I can think of tonight, so I will just say good night.

More of the Same Monday

I guess that we have gotten a little spoiled with all the nice weather lately, because I have really gotten frustrated with the last couple of rainy days. I do not feel like taking my daily walks and I cannot work outside when it rains, to of my more consistent things for the last several weeks.

Aside from the weather turning I also have not been feeling as well as I had for a while. Last Friday I think I really must have overdone, because Saturday, Sunday and today I have just been exhausted and I no longer have the resiliency that I once had to bounce back.

I got another pretty good night sleep last night, about another ten hours, but when I got up I did not feel really refreshed. I did feel better than I had the last couple days, but after shaking out the kitchen throw rugs, sweeping the floor and then mopping it I was pretty much done for. I did manage to vacuum the downstairs again and do two loads of laundry, but that is about all I accomplished today.

Anyway, after getting up, I had some puffed rice for breakfast and then went into the living room to read the paper. After finishing the paper I took the recycling out to the street and brought the garbage can up as well. The mail truck was down the street when I brought the trash out, so when it got here I opened it up and threw most of it into the recycling.

I did have one magazine and two renewals that came today along with the usual credit card application which I shredded. By this time it was getting close to lunch time, so I went into the kitchen and made myself a salad. Salads have become almost a staple for me, I can get a least a half dozen of my vegetables in that way.

Today I used carrots, celery, yellow bell pepper, onion, sugar peas and several kinds of lettuce. I use just a hint of raspberry vinaigrette to top off the salad and it really adds a lot of flavor to the salad.

I almost took a nap this afternoon but decided to do the laundry instead, so that took up a good portion of my afternoon. After I had the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away, I went downstairs and read the magazine that came today in the mail.

By the time I finished it, I asked Kathleen about her plans for dinner, she thought chicken and rice. I said as long as the rice is either brown or wild that would be fine. There is just something about eating white rice...there is nothing there!

Kathleen stir fried the sugar peas, onion sun dried tomatoes and sesame seeds and then cut up a mango to put on top of the wild rice/brown rice mix. It really tasted good, Kathleen made the comment that she really likes chicken and rice and I said that I do not mind it as long as the rice is not white.

I think she likes the white rice because it is quicker to cook, but I like the brown rice because I feel like I have eaten something when I am done. Well, that was my day, good night.

Showery Sunday

I woke up feeling a lot better than I did yesterday, of course I did not feel all that bad when I woke up yesterday, just really tired, but by the afternoon I could hardly keep my eyes open. I tried taking a nap around 1500 and just as I was dozing off the phone rang and after I answered it I was too wide awake to go back to sleep.

Anyway, I accomplished very little yesterday, and went to bed earlier than I have in a long time and slept for ten hours. So of course when I woke up this morning I felt a lot more rested. I was still not feeling well enough to try to make it to church, so I just took my time and made myself an egg beater veggie omelet.

After eating I put everything into the dishwasher and than went into the living room to read the paper. After reading the paper I watched the Spurs game and then shortly after that the Kreig's came over for a visit and to bring us some beef stew for dinner. They only stayed for a short time and had to take off.

Andrea called shortly after they left and said that they were going to come over after visiting with John's parents. They got here shortly after we finished the stew that Dianne brought over. It was really good with lots of mushrooms, onions, green beans, zucchini and potatoes. I still am not eating potatoes, so I gave most of mine to Kathleen, I ate a few of the smaller pieces, and Kathleen gave me her mushrooms as she does not really like them cooked.

Anyway, I got to hold Brandon for quite a while and he even fell asleep on my shoulder. I think that this was the longest that John has ever stayed at our house. Most of the time it is in and out, so that was kind of nice as well. They finally left about 2100.

Well, about all I got done today was to sort out some of my magazines and cut out the articles that I wanted to keep. I did vacuum the downstairs and emptied the dishwasher this morning, but I only went outside briefly today as it has been raining off and on most of the day. Well, that is all I can think about now, I am really tired so I think that I will just say good night.

Mount Saint Helens Twenty-seven years later

It is hard to believe that it has been twenty-seven years since Mt. Saint Helens erupted. I remember when I went off almost like it was yesterday, all the ash floating around for months. I remember cleaning it out of the gutters and having to change the air filters on the vehicles almost weekly.

Anyway, after getting up and having breakfast I read the paper, and then I went to Aaron ad Tami's to pick up my landscape rake because my neighbor wanted to borrow it to put in some lawn and needed it to level out the compost top soil mix that he had dropped off.

I took Kathleen's SUV because she had parked in the driveway and I would have had to play vehicle shuffle and that would have taken almost time as it did to use her vehicle. I could not stay at their house very long, as I needed to get back so that Kathleen could get to her class.

I did get a chance to say hi to Alexis and Becca for a little bit. I also got to see how their siding project was coming along. They have really done a nice job on their residing. As a side note, Aaron called me later this afternoon and said that they had completed the residing. Now they just need to spray paint it.

The mail still had not come yet so I decided to mow the lawn. Not only did I mow my front lawn, but I mowed the strip along the neighbor's driveway and the other neighbor's whole lawn. I was getting pretty worn out, so I decided to go to the back yard and do a little weeding around the rose tree. I had not done it since last year and the ground was pretty hard.

After finishing what I had planned on doing I decided that I had better mow the back lawn before I completely ran out of gas. By the time I finished I was really tired, so I went into the house and cleaned up. It was about 1400 so I decided that I better make myself some lunch.

I decided that I would have a salad for lunch as we were going out to dinner tonight with Andrea, Toni and Chucky. After lunch, I cleaned up all the dishes and put everything into the dishwasher and started it up. Then I took the arches that I bought yesterday and took them outside.

It took about forty-five minutes to put both of them together and I set them up in the garden, but the wind was blowing them over, so I just left them on their sides. I have some steel posts that I will be wiring them to, but Kathleen has not shared with me where she wants them.

Once that was home, I went into the house and took a shower in preparation for dinner. Kathleen called a little after 1700 and said that she wanted to stay a little longer and work on her project. Toni called a little after that and said that we would meet at Newport Bay at about 1800.

She called about an hour later and said that they would pick me up as she talked to Kathleen and she did not have time to pick me up, so Andrea and Toni picked me up. We got to the restaurant just as Kathleen drove up, and Chucky was already there.

I had a good salmon, asparagus and rice pilaf that was really good, I was so tired that I could hardly eat it...but I did. I cut it in half and so I will have it for dinner tomorrow. I was the only one to have rice; everyone else had potatoes of some sort or another. I would not normally have rice but a potato for now is something that I am not supposed to have.

This last week I have lost almost twenty-five pounds; I do not feel too badly having cut my calorie count by more than half. I am sure that I will not be able to keep this kind of weight lose up for the next couple of weeks, but even if I can lose ten pounds a week that would really be great.

I eventually would like to get down to about 180 pounds, so I still have quite a few pounds to go. I would be happy if next year at this time I am at that weight. Well, I think I have used all my words up for today, so I will just say good night.

Thursday's Trips

Another good night, I actually woke up semi-refreshed and felt better than I have in a long time. After breakfast, I read the paper and then the mail when it came, although there was not much there.

Kathleen started her class at Montivilla, so she left the house about 0930 and I took my walk just a little while after she left. I took a little longer walk than I had been taking, and felt pretty good when I got back home.

After resting for a little while I decided to run some errands that Kathleen and I just have not seemed to be able to do. First I stopped off at Winco and too the bottles and cans back. While I was there, I picked up some apples, as I was out of them and I try to eat one a day.

I have been eating about a dozen different fruits and vegetables a day and so we go through a lot of them in a week. After finishing at Winco, I took off to go to Organ Craft Warehouse as I wanted to pick up a couple arches for our clematis to climb up on.

I looked at my Wrangler records today and noticed that I have only bought gas two times in this last year, once last August and then again this last December and I still have a half of a tank of that left. So my gas expenses for this last year is under sixty dollars. Before that would have been about what I was using every couple-three weeks.

Once I finished there I headed home, it was about 1400 by the time that I got back and time to start thinking about lunch. A salad was the easiest thing that I could think of so I sliced up some mushrooms, scallions, a couple slices of yellow bell pepper, some sugar peas, a radish and of course a couple kinds of lettuce and some spinach. I topped it off with just a dash of raspberry vignette.

After finishing the salad, I cleaned up the dishes and put things into the dish washer. Then I went outside and worked in the rose garden for a little while. I pulled about a five gallon of weeds, and I could feel myself getting pretty tired, so I cleaned up and went inside.

Kathleen came home about 1830 from her class and was pretty well worn out. So she made herself a baked potato and put some sour cream on it and cheddar cheese. The eating plan that I am trying to follow does not allow me to have any of those, at least not at this time.

In a couple weeks I can start eating some of them, but for now I am limited to what I am suppose to eat. I is a fairly strict diet, but that is one of the reasons that I have been able to loose about twenty pounds in this last week.

Just about all of my favorite "treats" are off limits, so that is another reason for me not eating very much. I can have about four ounces of red meat, chicken, turkey or fish a day and all the rest of it is fruits and vegetables. I can also have about an ounce of nuts, 8 ounces of milk or soy, and 8 ounces of juice a day.

It is a pretty restrictive calorie wise, but there are a lot of things that I am allowed that have that I enjoy, so it is really not that difficult for me. Anyway, I broiled the rest of the sirloin from the other night and mixed the wild rice and brown rice that we had left over from the last couple nights.

Well, I am kind of tired right now, so I think that I will just say good night!

Wednesday's Weather

I am starting to feel better, I can tell it by when I wake up, and I feel like getting up and not just getting up because I cannot breathe. After eating breakfast, I read the paper and since the mail had not come yet, I decided that I would take my wake a little early.

When I got out to the street, I noticed the mail truck about a block away, but I decided that I would go walk anyway. I had a good walk and felt pretty good when I got back, so I got the mail and sorted it out and then took my shower.

Kathleen had an appointment with her sleep doctor and she asked me if I wanted to go with her, but I thought that I would go get my blood drawn. I wanted to do that so that they would have a week to do the testing and then the doctor would have the results when I went to see her next Wednesday.

I thought that Kathleen would be home by the time I finished and then we could do some running around that she wanted to do. On my way home, I stopped at BiMart to pick up some Resinol that Kathleen had ordered for a couple of the grandchildren who are prone to diaper rash.

Well, when I got home Kathleen was still not here, so I made myself some lunch and then decided to sit outside and wait for her to get home. I sat for a little while and then decided to prune the roses of some spent flowers and dead wood, and then pulled some weeds and still no Kathleen.

So about 1500 I decided to go into the house and do a little reading, as I was sure that once I started reading she would show up. Well, she finally got home about 1630, seems that she had done some shopping on the way home and even stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up some items that she had on her to get list.

One of the things that she brought home was some salmon, which she thought would be good for dinner. Then about 1800 she took off for the fabric store to pick up some things that she needed for a class that she is taking the next few days.

So about 1845, I decided to heat up the left-over wild rice and cook the salmon, so I had it for dinner and Kathleen can have hers whenever she gets home tonight. She also needed to pick up either a jacket or a shirt for her class, so there is no telling when she will be home.

Well, that was my day; I think I covered all that I could remember about today, so I will just say good night.

Tuesday's Temperature

I felt pretty good again this morning when I got up, although I was up earlier than I would like to have been. Anyway after getting up and having breakfast, I read the paper and then recycled it up front, as today was our garbage pick-up and recycling day. While I was out putting the paper in the bin the garbage truck was at the corner, so I just waited for it to pick up the trash and than I took the trash can into the back yard.

The mail came a while later, so I opened it and read what looked interesting and set the rest in a pile to take to the recycling bin. After finishing the mail, I decided to take my morning walk; I have been trying to walk at least a half hour every morning. I had meant to take the paper recycling out when I went for my walk, but I forgot.

Anyway, when I got back the recycling truck had not come yet so I took the junk mail up front to the bin then I rested for a little while. After my quick rest, I decided that I would go out and mow the front lawn.

I finished that and then I went into the back yard and trimmed the grass along the backside of the berry patch. I was tired enough that I did not want to mow the back yard...just yet, so I went into the house to rest for a while. As you can see, I do a lot of resting.

Anyhow, after a brief rest, I went upstairs and asked Kathleen if she had filled out her mail in ballot; she had not, so I reminded her that she needed to do that. She also said that she wanted to stop by BiMart, so I said I would go with her when she got dressed.

I also reminded Kathleen that we needed to take her SUV to John's so that he could change the oil in it before we made our trip to the coast. So she called John and he said bring it by anytime. She also called Andrea and they were going to meet up and go to Joann's, so I decided that I would stay home and work in the yard.

It was getting to be about 1330, so I decided to make myself a salad for lunch. It took about fifteen minutes to cut everything up and another fifteen minutes to eat it. Then I waited about twenty minutes and then decided to go out back and mow the back lawn. Well, I just about finished that when she came outside.

After putting the mower into the garage I decided to sit in the sun for a while before I went into the house. I heard that the temperature was 86 degrees today, so that is three days that it has been above 80 degrees. It was about 1500 when I finally made it back into the house and got cleaned up.

I was pretty warn out, so I just sat in my chair for a while and then I read my Golf magazine that came yesterday, but I had not had a chance to read yet. John called about 1800 and said that Kathleen's SUV was ready and asked if I would call her as he could not get a hold of Andrea. So I called Kathleen and told her and then asked if she had planned on being home by 1900 as that is when I have been eating lately.

She asked me to make some rice and that she thought that she would be home a little after 1900. So I put the water and the wild rice into the rice cooker and turned it on. She finally got home a little after 1900 and then she put some steaks into the oven.

I have been trying to cut down on my portion sizes so I have only been eating about 4 ounces of meat or fish at any meal. Besides the steak and rice Kathleen also cut up a tomato and an avocado. I also have been trying to eat slower, so that seems to help me feel full and I do not get stuffed from eating more than I really needed.

Well, Kathleen has gone upstairs and I cannot think of anything else to write about, so I will just say good night for now.

Much More Better Monday

Well, last night I decided that I would try sleeping without the humidifier and I managed to sleep about the same as I had been with it. Anyway after getting up, I made myself some breakfast and then went in and read the paper. The mail came just after I finished the paper so I opened it up.

I did not look at it because I wanted to take a walk before it got too warm outside. I walked for about three miles again and stopped a couple times to talk to people working in their front yards. By the time I got back from my walk, I was ready to sit down and read the mail.

I felt pretty good, so I decided that I would run to the credit union to deposit a bunch of insurance checks that I had but did not feel well enough to go to deposit them. Anyway, while I was out I got some gas for my Honda power mower, it takes better gas than my Wrangler, and of course it uses a lot less. I have been using the power mower for the last couple weeks as I just have not felt all that well and did not have the energy to push the reel mower.

After I got back from running around doing some errands, I made my self some lunch. After I cleaned up my lunch mess, I went outside and finished edging the rest of the front yard that I started last week.

After I finished edging, I decided to go into the house and rest as I am trying not to over extend myself. I finished reading the other book and then read the latest National Graphic magazine. Kathleen had gone to meet with Andrea at the craft store, so when it got to be 1900, I decided to make myself some dinner.

I had wild rice and a Boca burger, I am trying to watch what I am eating and I have lost about fifteen pounds in the last week. That is from eating less, walking and doing some strength training.

I have needed to loose some weight for several years, but I just have not done it. My doctor has told me for the last couple of years that I need to loose weight, so I hope that next month when I see him again for my physical I will have lost the weight and kept it off. I have found a pretty good plan, at least it has been working well for me so far and I hope that I can stick with it.

Well, Kathleen still is not home, and I think that I have said all I can think of for now, so good night.

Happy Mother's Day!

I was up a couple of times last night due to cramps in my legs, I am not sure why, unless it was from the walking I did last night. Anyway Kathleen's alarm went off at 0700 and I could not get back to sleep, so I finally got up.

I have been coughing a lot and over-all did not feel very well, so I decided not to even try to go to church or Sunday School. So I made myself breakfast, actually I did not make it as much as open a container of yogurt and a sliced up apple.

After eating I emptied the dishwasher and when I got done in the kitchen, I called my sister so that I could wish my Mother a Happy Mother's Day. There was not answer so I left a message.

Then I went into the living room to read the paper. First I looked at the comics and the ads and when I got finished with them I decided that I would try to take a walk.

Walking usually helps make me feel better, so I though I would see if it would help me to feel better. I did fell better for a while after I finished my walk, but about 1300 I started to really warn out, and I had not done anything.

Anyway, after my walk, I finished reading the paper. Kathleen had gone to church and Sunday School and called about 1135 to let me know that she would be leaving shortly and stopping at Winco on her way home to buy some groceries.

Finally about 1300, I decided that I needed to make myself something for lunch, so I took out a cod fillet and put it in the micro wave and use the convection feature to bake it. While that was cooking I got out some mixed vegetables to have with the cod.

Kathleen came home about a half hour after I finished eating so I helped her bring the groceries into the house. We talked for a while and then Kathleen went upstairs and I was going to take a shower and get ready go to Alyssa and Dan's for a Mother's Day and Birthday dinner for Kathleen.

I started to feel light headed and my stomach was kind of upset feeling, so I sat down for a while. It did not help so I told Kathleen that I did not think that I could make it to the party. As it turned out, it was a good thing I did not go. Just as Kathleen was pulling out of the driveway, I had to rush to the bathroom and just made it.

I had to do the same thing about a half hour later only this time it was a lot worse. I am really really tired of not feeling well. I tried calling my sister again, this time the phone just kept ringing, so I never did get through to Mom.

I just finished eating the salad that I made myself for dinner; some of the things that Kathleen got from the grocery store were salad making items. Well, it is pretty quiet around here tonight, and I cannot think of anything else to say, so I will just say good night and Happy Mother's Day again!

Saatisfying Saturday

Well today was better than it started out. I was awakened three times last night because my alarm kept going off. I finally decided to get up the third time it went off about 0600. I went out to see what was going on and it was just the battery getting too low. So I hooked it up to the charger and charged it.

Then I made myself an egg for breakfast. After finishing breakfast and washing the dishes, I went into the living room to read the paper and then the mail when it got here. I was feeling better than I had for a couple days so I decided to take a walk, I have been told that the route that I took is three miles, so if that is true, I had a really good fast paced walk.

Kathleen was concerned that I was breathing too heavily, but I told her that is how I sound when I have worked up a sweat. I was really tired when I got back home, but it kind of felt good. I toot a short rest and then made myself some lunch.

After resting for a little while, I went outside to pull a few weeds in the garden. I stopped because I could feel myself getting really tired and it looked like it was going to start raining.

I had planned on taking a nap but while I was in the kitchen and Kathleen had started to take a few things out of the refrigerator, so I suggested that we clean out the refrigerator.

We spent the next hour and a half emptying the shelves one at a time and cleaning off each shelf as I went. I asked Kathleen to decide what she really wanted to keep and what could we either give away or throw away. We wound up dumping twenty five bottles of all kind of things, two cans, and a couple other things.

We can even see what is on all the shelves now. Once we finished that Kathleen wanted to clean off the shelves that are next to the refrigerator, so she started pulling things off and we threw more stuff away. She even arranged things so that we can see where everything is.

I had to take the garbage out once and we half filled it up again. She even cleared all of her stuff off the kitchen table, so that there is enough room to eat comfortably.

About 1700, I got so tired that I could hardly stand up, so I went into the living room for a while and did a little reading. I read two books already this week and have just about finished a third. When I do not have energy to do anything else I usually read unless I am too tired to keep my eyes open.

We finally ate dinner about 1915; I had some left-over wild rice and some baby corn. Kathleen made herself a grilled cheese sandwich and a talking rain. Well, I am tired tonight, but it is a good tired from doing things, so I think that I will just say good night.

Friday's Follies

When I got up this morning Kathleen told me that I did not look very rested, so I responded and asked her when the last time I did look rested when I got up...she could not answer that. So I guess that I look about the same as I normally do, only now it seems like it takes me an hour or so of being up before I actually look like I should be up.

After breakfast and reading the paper, I was going to take my six foot ladder over to Aaron and Tami's for them to use while siding, but I felt so poorly that when I told Kathleen what I was going to do, she wanted to know if she could go along as well. So I said if I load the ladder into the SUV she could just take it over there herself as I really did not feel all that well.

She took off about 0900 and did not return until about 1630... of course she did a lot of shopping along the way. She visited with the grandchildren for quite a while, but she also spent a lot of time looking for more clothes.

Anyway, while she was gone I worked out in the yard most of the time. I edged the front of the front of the front lawn and along the driveway. Then I mowed the front lawn, the neighbor’s driveway strip on the other side of the driveway and the neighbor’s front lawn.

Then I took a short rest and had the rest of my blueberry smoothie, and then went back outside to edge along the back sidewalk. After doing about two thirds of it, I could feel myself getting really tired, so I decided to stop and mow the back yard.

By the time I finished the back yard I was really tired and hungry, so I sautéed a couple zucchini and a couple slices of onion. I decided to use the zucchini as they were starting to get a little soft and I knew that they would not last much longer. It tasted really good, and while the zucchini and onion were cooking, I noshed on a couple celery stalks.

Shortly after I finished eating, Andrea and Brandon came over on their way to the grocery store. We visited for quite a while and then Kathleen came home from her shopping spree. They left to finish their shopping about 1830, so they were here for quite a while.

Tonight for dinner I heated up the salmon and rice pilaf and Kathleen had the rest of her salad. My salmon and rice were almost as good as they were last night, but I am afraid the Kathleen's salad was just not the same.

Well, I am really tired tonight, so I think that I will just say good night.

Thursday's Thirty-eight

Well, today is our thirty-eighth anniversary; it somehow does not seem possible. Anyway this morning was pretty much a normal morning, I really did not get a thing done. One reason for this is that since we did not get to go to the beach this week, I thought that we would go out to eat. So I did not want to get started on something and then get too tired to go.

Anyway we left the house about 1500 and stopped by Aaron and Tami's house to see how they were doing on their siding project. They had the North side about half way done and also had the new window installed and the old slider door removed and plywood put over the hole. I felt bad that I could not help, but I think that I would have been more in the way than any help.

After we left their house we went to Francis Xavier's for an early dinner, I had a salmon fillet with rice pilaf; Kathleen had a grilled shrimp salad and a piece of chocolate cake for dessert.

I purposely divided the salmon and rice pilaf into two sections and ate one half and took the other half home. Kathleen did the same with her salad and cake, so we can enjoy it again, maybe tomorrow for dinner.

After eating we stopped at the Troutdale Outlet Mall, as Kathleen wanted to see if she could find some new clothes. She has lost so much weight that nothing fits her anymore, so a couple weeks ago we got her some slacks and a jacket and today she bought a few more tops, some slacks and probably some other things as well. Needless to say, by the time we were done, I was really worn out.

Well, that is about all I did today, so I will just say good night.

Happy Anniversary

Wednesday's Ways

Again I had a good nights sleep last night, by that I mean I slept okay. When I got up I virtually had just enough energy to go downstairs and make myself breakfast. It was Wednesday, so being the creature of habit that I am, I made myself an egg sandwich. To go along with it I micro waved a couple soy sausages and toasted a couple pieces of English muffin bread.

After cleaning up the pan and putting the dishes in the dishwasher, I went into the living room to read the paper. When I finished the paper, I went out and watered the "new" grass and picked up some fir branches and cones. The mail cane shortly after I finished watering, so I went into the house with it and opened it up.

I got my bank statement and portfolio statement, so I reconciled the bank accounts and added the progress of all my funds into the data base that I keep for them. I have been very fortunate in that they all have been showing positive returns, although that is not so surprising right now as the market in general is doing well.

My portfolio has shown growth over the last several years with the exception of a couple months, so that is really good. Even after taking out all my living expenses, taxes and fees, I still managed to make a good profit. My corporate property investments have done exceptionally well. So even after living off the earnings for the last year, I still have more than I had last year, so I cannot complain at all.

Well, after seeing what my investments were doing, I decided that I would plant a plant that Kathleen bought a couple weeks ago, so I got Kathleen to show me where she wanted it. While I was doing that I transplanted a couple other plants that had grown in places where I did not want them.

After doing all the transplanting, I noticed that I never finished weeding the berry patch, so I finished up that and by this time I was really worn out. So I cleaned up my tools and put them away; I was going to go into the house and rest, but I figured that I would just sit in my Adirondack chair for a while.

The sun felt good, but I knew that I needed to go inside and make myself some lunch. By the time I got inside it was after 1400, so I made myself a Boca burger and put it on a couple heels of the English muffin toast. I added a slice of Velveeta to the burger and melted it, then added a couple kosher dill slices. I had not had a Boca burger for quite some time and here I have had one two days in a row.

I was feeling pretty worn out so I went into the living room and sat in my chair and dozed for a while. I am not quite sure why, but I have been really worn out for the last week or so. I could understand it when I had the flu, but I just have not gotten any energy back yet. Not like me at all.

When I woke up, I decided to go out and water the "new" grass again, and after finishing that I decided to change the Betta's water. I had put the water out yesterday morning, and added the anti-0chlorine drops to it and let it sit, but was too tired to change it yesterday. I did not have any more energy today, but I needed to get the water containers off the counter and the Betta really needed his water changed.

Kathleen asked me what I wanted for dinner, she suggested hash for me and lentil soup for her, I felt more like chili, so she opened up a can and heated it up. I thought that we would need more so I heated up another can and it is a good thing I did because we just about finished up the second bowl of chili.

Well, I am just about brain dead, so I think that I will just say good night.

Tremendous but Tiring Tuesday

I had another good nights sleep, so after getting up and going downstairs, eating breakfast and reading the paper, I took the recycling to the street. Then I unloaded the dishwasher from last night. Just as I was finishing that the mail came so I brought it in. Not much of anything today.

So I went outside and mowed the front yard, then I sprayed it with Weed be Gone to try to get rid of some of the weeds are invading the lawn. While I was at it I also sprayed part of my neighbor’s lawns on both sides. It is hard to keep a weed free lawn when there are lots of weed, just inches away on the other side of the property line.

Anyway, after finishing the front yard, I mowed the back yard. By this time I was getting pretty tired, so I went into the house and rested for a while. After a quick rest, I made myself some lunch.

I had not had a Boca Burger for a while, so I decided to have one on toasted multi-grain bread heels. While the bread was toasting I melted some Velveeta on one of the heels. Once they were toasted, I added a couple kosher dill pickle slices and some ketchup. Yummy!

I was still pretty tired, so I decided to sit and rest for a while, but since it was so nice outside I decided to go outside and sit in the sun for a while...well, I think I have been down this road often enough that I probably do not need to tell anyone what happened.

The sitting in the sun only lasted a short time; before I knew it I was transplanting some plants, trimming some Italian prune sprouts on the other side of the fence. These were some that had started a couple years ago, but since there was someone living there, I did not feel like I could trim them. Now that there is no one there, I thought that it I would do it while I had the chance.

Well, after doing that, I was really tired, so I went inside and cleaned up. Then I sat down in my chair and dozed for a bit. Kathleen came downstairs and said that she did not think she would be feeling well enough to go to the beach tomorrow, (we had planned on spending a few days there to celebrate our anniversary) so she called the place where I made the reservations and chanced the date to two weeks from now.

Kathleen made some rice and shrimp stir-fried for dinner, it was good, but I was really so tired that I could not really enjoy it. I had been trying to get so much work done before we took off for the coast and I had not really recovered from being sick myself. Oh well, maybe I will be able to rest up over the next couple weeks.

I had been following the weather forecast for the coast for the next few days and it looks like it was suppose to be pretty nice, I just hope that it is nice in two weeks. Well, I cannot think of anything else to say, so I will just say good night.

Making Monday Marvelous

I had a good nights sleep last night and after eating breakfast and reading the paper, I went out and watered the new grass. Yes it is no longer just grass seed, but this morning I actually noticed some grass that had sprouted some time in the last couple days. I have been so out of it that I had not noticed it until this morning.

After finishing the watering, I took myself for a walk, instead of just going ten blocks or so, today I went about thirty-four blocks. It took me about a half hour, as I tried to do it at a pretty good clip. I got my heart rate up quite a bit and even worked up a sweat.

Shortly after I got home the mail came, so I opened it up and read it, then rested for a while. I could not stay inside any longer, so I went outside and sat in my Adirondack chair and soaked up some rays.

Well, I just could not sit there, so I got my gardening tools out and started to do some weeding in the rose garden. Even though I had the garden looking pretty good a month or so ago, the weeds are really growing like weeds!

It was pretty warm today, almost eighty degrees, so I could not stay out too long, as the garden is pretty much in the sun all afternoon. So I gathered up my tools and put them back into the garage and then cleaned up.

After resting for a few minutes, I made myself a couple grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, of course by this time it was about 1430, but I had not thought about eating until I got back into the house. After eating I sat in my chair in the living room for about an hour, dozing off and on.

When I finally awoke, I decided that a shower might help, so I went upstairs to get some clean clothes. While I was up there I decided to try on some short as the ones I had been wearing were getting pretty loose. To my surprise I was able to drop down two sizes, which made me feel better.

Shortly after my shower, Kathleen asked me to come into the kitchen to help decide what to have for dinner. We decided to use the rest of the pot roast and potatoes and have a roast beef stew. So after a bit, it was done, and it made about three cups, large cups at that, of stew.

The pot roast was used for at least six meals, so it was well worth the price. Now we will have to really think about what to have for the next couple of days. After dinner, I gathered up all the dishes, pots and pans and loaded them into the dishwasher and started it up.

I must say that I am really tired tonight, but at least I know why, and it is not just from being sick. That is about everything I can think to write about so good night.

Still Sick Sunday

Well, I slept a little better last night, I still needed to get up a few times, but I was able to go back to sleep rather quickly again. Kathleen on the other hand is getting worse. She probably slept okay, although it is hard for me to tell as she goes to bed so late and I am usually downstairs when she gets up and I never know when she actually gets up.

After getting up, I made myself an egg sandwich using the egg whites from Kathleen's egg yokes from a couple days ago and added some cheddar to look like yoke. I toasted some multi-grain bread and it made a really nice sandwich.

I just started making egg sandwiches again, when I was much younger, I use to have them every morning for breakfast. Anyway after breakfast, I read the paper and then took a walk around the country block.

Kathleen made it downstairs shortly after I got back from my walk and I asked her about lunch, and she said that she did not feel like eating. I was getting hungry, so I made myself a roast beef sandwich from the left-over pot roast from the other night.

It must have inspired Kathleen as she decided to have some pot roast and potatoes. She out did me as she added some onions to the potatoes and then some mayonnaise to make a potato salad. I wish that I had thought to do that, but I did not, but my sandwich was good none the less.

After resting for a little while I decided to take another walk. I added a couple more blocks to this trip, and I still felt pretty good when I got back home. I did a little reading and then Kathleen came back downstairs about 1900 and asked what I had for dinner. I had not eaten yet, so she said that she had not planned on anything, so I heated up some more of the pot roast, potatoes and carrots, I added some of the gravy and then topped it off with some cheddar.

Well, other than taking two walks I did not really accomplish anything. I did not go to church or Sunday School this morning, as I still do not feel really great and I did not want to pass on what ever it is that I have and I also do not want to pick up anything else.

I cannot think of anything else that I did today, so I am just going to say good night.

Sore Saturday

I thought that I might be sore this morning, but I was expecting either my back, legs or maybe both to be sore. Instead it was my chest and stomach, from all the coughing that I have been doing the last couple of days.

Anyway after breakfast, I read the paper and then emptied the dishwasher. After a while the mail came, so I sorted it out and looked at the mail, putting the magazines aside for later.

When Kathleen got up she had a sore throat as well, so we decided not to go out to the restaurant and then clothes shopping for her, so I went back downstairs.

I started reading my "Golf Digest" magazine when Chucky came over to pick up a couple gift cards that they were buying from us, so we visited with him for a while. When he left I went back to finish my magazine, and than went out and mowed the front yard.

It was probably not the smartest thing that I have ever done, but the weather has been ideal for good grass growth. So I have to mow the front yard at least twice a week now. The back yard I usually only do once a week, for some reason it does not seem to grow as fast.

When I came in from mowing, I made myself a couple shredded beef burritos from the pot roast from last night, and then I went and read the other magazine. After finishing it, I swept and mopped the kitchen floor and then vacuumed the downstairs.

I could feel myself getting really tired, so I went upstairs and took a couple hour nap. When I got up I started coughing pretty hard, something that I had not done much of most of the earlier part of the day. I guess it is a good thing as I am getting a lot of phlegm up, I just wish that I could get it all up at one time.

Tonight Kathleen reheated the pot roast, potatoes and carrots form last night for dinner, it still tasted good and there is plenty left for a few more meals.

Well, another unproductive day, at this rate I will be so far behind on getting things done that I will never get caught up. Well, since I did not get much done today, I do not have a lot to write about so I will just say good night.

Feel Better Friday

I slept pretty well last night and did not get up until about 0800. I was not congested as I had been much of this week, which was really nice. So after eating breakfast and reading the paper I took myself for a walk around the block. It was a little drizzly as I started off, but once I got going I did not feel any more drops.

I looked at the grass seed and it still looked damp from the rain last night/early this morning, so I did not bother watering it this morning. Shortly after I got back from my walk and sat down and then the mail came, so I read it.

The grass was high enough that if I felt better I might have tried to mow it, but given that fact and the fact that it was still pretty damp; I easily talked myself out of doing that. I did a little sorting in the upstairs bathroom closet and tried to neaten everything up a little...but I was not really very successful at achieving much progress.

For lunch I heated up a couple of the left-over apricot/banana pancakes from the other morning, and use up two bottles of syrup, one maple and the other blueberry. Speaking of blueberries, I have some green berries on my bushes. I also noticed some green strawberries and raspberries, so it will not be much longer before I can start grazing on berries in the mornings.

So many of our flowers are in bloom, several of the roses, the primroses, the columbine, violas and several others. The bulbs are pretty much history now, so I will need to cut the dead stalks off them one of these days.

Anyway, after lunch, I went outside and picked up a five gallon bucket of fir cones, so I am sure that my leg and back muscles will be sore in the morning. I did notice that my throat started to bother me this afternoon, and my nose started to run pretty good as well. I have been sneezing a lot the last few days and today was not exception, but it got a little worse this afternoon.

The grass seed had gotten a little dry, so I went out to water it and just as I did it started to drizzle again, I just kept watering, and the people driving by probably thought that I was a little nuts, but it stopped raining before I finished watering.

A short time after I got back into the house it started to get pretty dark looking, and when I looked out of the kitchen window the street was white...from hail. It got pretty heavy for a while, but after the initial barrage it must have warmed up, because there was none that stuck.

Kathleen made a pot roast for dinner tonight along with potatoes, carrots and onions. There were lots left-over so I am sure that we will be having it for a few more meals. Well, I did not take a nap this afternoon, and I still do not feel too tired, but then I did not do very much of anything today. That is all I can think to write about so I will just say good night for now.

Thursday's Therapies

I woke up at 0400 this morning and was really having a hard time breathing, A continuation from yesterday when I woke up with a really sore throat and a stuffed up head. I have been stuffed up for most of this week, at first I thought it was just allergies, but yesterday morning I realized that it was more of a cold.

I was pretty much immobile yesterday, about all I managed to do was wash, dry, fold and put away a load of towels. I went to bed about 1100 and slept until almost 1500 and just about had not voice.

I awoke several times last night and not being able to breath, so I would walk around for a few minutes and let my head clear. Then I could sleep for a little while longer, but I was up three or four times and finally decided to get up at 0500.

After breakfast, I read the paper and then when Kathleen got up, I stripped the bed and washed, dried and remade the bed. I had kind of planned on taking a shower and then a nap, but by the time I finished making up the bed, I needed to rest before taking a shower.

I noticed that the sun was out, so I took the vegetable scraps out to the compost tumbler, and then worked on my walking stick for a little while. I cut it to size and then sanded the stubs where the limbs had been.

It was still pretty nice outside, so I thought that I would put on my walking shoes and walk around the block, since I was too worn out to do it yesterday, I did not want to get out of the habit. So I went inside and told Kathleen that I was going to go for a walk, and then took off.

When I got back, I was pretty hungry, so I made myself a can of vegetable soup. Kathleen had gone while I was out for my walk, so I read for a while and than watched Fox news. When Kathleen came home she had bought a humidifier since I had mentioned that I had given our old one away last summer. I hooked it up and have been sitting next to it ever since, except for the time I was at the dinner table.

That is one nice thing about having a lap top, I can use it where I need to be rather having to go some place to use it. Kathleen made some ravioli for dinner, she was going to make it with Alfredo sauce, but I said that I thought that the tomato sauce would be better for me, so she made it with tomato sauce.

After finishing eating I cleared off the table and put the dishes into the dishwasher. Kathleen has taken off for Andrea/Brandon's shower at church tonight, so I do not know what time she will be coming home from that. So I will just say good night.

Tired Tuesday

I got up a little early because I have been trying to take walks early in the morning to get a little exercise in before I start the day and get too tired. After my walk, I had breakfast and then went in to read the paper and the mail.

When I finished doing that I went outside and mowed the front lawn and then watered the grass seed. After walking around a little to rest, I went and mowed the back yard, the west side of the front yard, the other side of the fence on the west side and then the front of the neighbors yard.

By the time I finished all that mowing, I was getting pretty worn out, so I went inside and made myself some lunch. After eating and cleaning up my mess, I went upstairs and took a couple hour nap.

I was going to take another walk, but I just could not work up the energy, and slowly but surely I am learning not to push myself too much. After getting up, I took the laundry downstairs and did a could loads of laundry. When the finished drying, I took them upstairs, folded and put them away.

I was going to do a load of towels, but just ran out of steam. Kathleen made some halibut, wild rice and asparagus for dinner, I finished all of mine, but Kathleen only ate about half of hers. I figure that fish, asparagus and rice are on the healthy side of the food spectrum so it was not a bad thing to finish it all.

Well, I got a few things done today, not a lot, but enough to make me feel like I did accomplish some things. That is all I can think to write about, so I think I will just call it a day and say good night.

Moderate Monday

I got up a little earlier than I had planned to this morning as my head was full of mucus and I was having trouble breathing. I took a couple Sudafed when I got up and it helped to clear it up a little. After breakfast, I read the paper and then went out front to pull some weeds in the area on the east side of the driveway.

There are so many bulbs there that it was hard to get to the base of the weeds, so I just kind of pulled from as far down as I could get. While I was doing that the mail came so I went inside and read the mail.

By this time it was getting close to the time for lunch so I made a couple burritos out of the hamburger, rice and tomato mix from the other night. After resting for a little bit I went outside and watered the grass seeds that I planted the other day and then went to pull some weeds at the back of the house.

The weeds and the Italian prune seedlings were really getting a hold on the back side of the rose garden. The seedlings are from last years prunes, but this should be the last year that I have this problem as the tree is now gone.

After weeding for a couple hours, I got really tired, so I put all my tools away, cleaned up and went upstairs to take a nap. I slept until a little after 1700; Kathleen was just getting ready to go to the library to return some books and pick up some she had on hold. I was still too groggy to get ready to go in time, so she took off.

While she was out, she also stopped by the grocery store where she meet up with Andrea, Brandon and Toni. Kathleen finally came home a little after 1900 and since it was so late she just opened up a couple cans of soup for dinner.

Well, the weather is about to change to more moisture, today was the last of the nice weather for a couple days, so I wanted to get as much done outside as I could. Unfortunately I just do not have the energy to do what needs to get done. I would have liked to mow the front yard, before the rain, but ran out of energy.

Maybe if the rain holds off until late morning or early afternoon, I will be able to do it then. I would like to use the reel mower rather than the Honda, because I will not disturb the grass seed as much.

Well, I can not think of anything else to write about, so I will just say good night.

Sunday's Serenities

Well, this morning I got up early so that I could get ready for church and Sunday School. When I went upstairs to get dressed Kathleen was starting to get ready herself, but she looked like she needed to get some more sleep, so I told her that. So I went by myself and Kathleen stayed home, but did not go back to bed to get some more rest.

As soon as the pastor finished his sermon, I had to get up and leave the sanctuary, as my bottom was so sore I could not sit any longer. Then I left Sunday School early for the same reason. When I got home Kathleen was still on her computer and in about the same condition as when I left.

I changed my clothes and went downstairs to read the paper. After finishing the paper, I made a couple burritos out of the hamburger, rice and tomato dish from last night and a couple whole wheat tortillas adding some hot salsa and some sour cream. They were pretty good and rather filling.

Then I emptied the dishwasher, and loaded up the dishes from breakfast and lunch, and did some of the hand washing that was sitting around the kitchen.

Then after resting for a little, I went outside to water the grass seed that I did the other day. I also pulled a few weeds and then went into the house to rest. I probably should have taken a nap, but since I had not really done anything, I decided that I did not need to take a nap.

Well, Kathleen came downstairs about 1700 and asked if it would be alright if we had the left over dinner from last night, I did not mind so that is what we had plus a tomato and an avocado.

Well, I did not do very much today, but I am tired and cannot think of anything else to write about, so I will just say good night.

Slow Starting Saturday

I had another decent night sleep last night, but still woke up with not a lot of energy. After eating breakfast, reading the paper and the mail I went outside and mowed the back yard. I was going to try to over seed the back yard, but there are so many cherry and apple pedals on the lawn and more to fall that I thought I would wait another week or so until they all fall.

Usually we have a little more rain than we have had this week and they fall quicker, but I would rather keep the trees in bloom and not have the rain every day. So when I finished mowing, I just put the lawn mower away and went into the house.

I took a few things downstairs to the basement and then replaced the shower hose in the downstairs bath. It had been spraying water for a couple months, not seriously, just enough to be annoying.

I could not stand that it was so nice outside, so I went out and dug up some of the area on the east side of the house, I am removing the lawn( and I use that term very loosely), and am planning on putting on some low growing ground cover plants.

It was now about 1400, so I made myself a couple whole wheat burritos, and then I went upstairs to take a nap. I slept until about 1645, I asked Kathleen what she had planned for dinner and she said that she was thawing out some hamburger, so I went downstairs.

Kathleen started dinner, but than remembered that she had not picked up one of her prescriptions the other day, so she took off to Fred Meyer's and picked them up. I turned off dinner when the timer went off and Kathleen returned about fifteen minutes later.

She had made a hamburger, rice and tomato dish, that we added sour cream to and had a tomato and avocado on the side. There was quite a lot left so I will probably put some on some tortillas and have a burrito for lunch one of these days.

Well, I am tired and I cannot think of anything else to write about, so I will just say good night.

Fun Friday

I got another pretty good night sleep last night, I only needed to get up once about 0530, so that was nice. After breakfast I read the paper and the mail, and then I went outside and mowed the front lawn.

Then I put the Scott's seed starter soil and the grass seed and put them into my cart along with a rake and a potato fork and took them to the front lawn where I roughed up the surface, then sprinkled grass seed in the bare spots, scooped some soil onto the seed and then raked and tamped the soil to help embed the seed.

Then I went over to the walnut tree and finished taking the ivy off it. I finally got it all off and it makes a lot of difference in how the tree looks. As I was finishing this up Aaron came over with the girls.

The girls went into the house and Aaron and I talked outside for a while. Since I still had the ivy leaves to get picked up I went over there and raked up the leaves and Aaron pushed them into the yard debris recycling can. When I took the can to the other side of the driveway, I noticed a couple spots that still needed some reseeding, so I did that while I still had all the stuff there.

Then we put the tools and the cart into the garage. Aaron noticed my new chipper/shredder, so I took him into the back yard to show him my new compost tumbler. Then we went into the house, as I needed to rest for a while.

About the time I sat down, Alexis jumped up on my lap and wanted me to read to her, I told her that I needed to rest for a while, so she went back to her coloring. She came back a couple times and Aaron and I were talking so we asked her to come back later. Finally she brought a couple, (five), for me to read, I had rested up enough by then that I went a head and read them to her, Becca came over and listened to the stories as well. When I finished the first stack of books she got down and brought over another stack for me to read.

After finishing them she went off for a while and did some other things, like played catch with me. The Becca played catch with me with some plastic flowers that she got from Kathleen. After awhile Becca brought over a book for me to read, so I read that to her. Shortly after I finished the book, Kathleen came out with her bubble machine, so she and the girls went outside and made bubbles.

Then Aaron and I went out to the garage so that I could show Aaron a brass hammer that I made many years ago, he needed one for his guitars. While we were outside Tami had called and said that it was safe to bring the girls home, she was making a wedding cake for a wedding tomorrow.

By the time everyone left I was really hungry, as I had not had time to have lunch, and I was also tired as I did not have time for a nap again today (third day in a row). Kathleen heated up a can of corn beef hash for me and she reheated the left over steak from Wednesday night. By the time I finished eating I could hardly keep my head up, I finally worked up enough energy to stand up and put the dishes into the dishwasher and here I am.

Well, as I said earlier this is the third day in a row that I have not had a nap and I am really tired, I think that I need to sit down in the living room and just vegetate for a while, so I will just say good night.

Tired Thursday

Well I only had to get up once last night, so that was very nice, although I did wake up and got up about 0630 and felt pretty good. So after breakfast and reading the paper and mail, I went outside and decided to move some more gravel into the front of the driveway.

I did about for cart loads of it plus raked it out and then decided that I needed to stop and rest, so I put the tools and the cart away and went inside. It was about 1330, so I decided to make myself some lunch. I found a few Tatar tots in the refrigerator and that was about it, so I got a couple slices of bread, some Limburger cheese, sliced and onion and made a sandwich.

I also found a cottage cheese container that had about four mouthfuls of cottage cheese left in it so I finished that and also a jar with about a half dozen pepperoncini in it so I finished that as well. We still have three jars of pepperoncini and another container of cottage cheese, but at least there is a little more room in the refrigerator.

As I was finishing up my lunch, Kathleen came down and said that she had a doctor's appointment for 1420 and asked if I was planning on doing anything, so I said that I had planned on going back outside and work in the yard for a while. So she said that she would like it if I went with her to the doctor's, so I did.

When we finished up there, I stopped by the credit union to deposit an insurance refund check, then we stopped by Fred Meyer to pick up a couple prescriptions for her. By the time we finished there it was about 1800, so I suggested that we stop by Papa Murphy's to pick up a DeLight pizza for dinner, she said okay as she did not have anything else planned.

We just and had some pizza left, it was not that long ago that just one pizza would not be enough, so that shows that we, or at least I am eating less. Well, I did not get nearly as much done today as I had anticipated, but at least I got something done and I do not feel too bad and I am not overly tired.

That is about it for today, so I will just say good night.