a wee bit more snow....

 ...the world outside is fresh and clean again.  I was glad it wasn't a pool morning!  It's a stay-at-home day, so far anyway.  Laundry, vacuuming, exercise bike, wondering in between why I can't walk better than I can, but plugging away at it.  

Yesterday, Miss Sonja K. came over for a visit.  

Kaia likes the kitty!

Camille was having some brekky and doing some homework...Kaia likes Camille, too.

In the afternoon, Paul let me know that Bill had accepted our invite for dinner, my dear sister Cheryl's husband.   I chopped some red skinned potatoes, and tossed them in avocado oil, salt and pepper, added chopped onions, and put them in the air fryer.  Paul made some really good burgers from Aldi waygu beef, with sauteed onions.  He cooked up a pound of bacon too. We had some buns in the freezer, so I buttered them and put them in the oven to toast up.  Bill brought in a bottle of wine from Boundary Breaks, down on Seneca Lake, it was too good (I managed a good sip!).  I also made a quick batch of brownies.  I'm telling you, without getting a penny to do so, that Aldi brownie mix, the cheap kind, like $1.50 a box, substitute the water for strong coffee or espresso, and they are SO good!  Also, when you have someone over, your house should smell like baking brownies, right?  

Charlotte Claire and Camille were very busy doing school work, they are both really enjoying college.  I'm getting a second hand education, again, as they study and talk about their classes.  :). 

Today seemed like a chicken soup sort of day.  We have the Ambitious Kitchen cookbook, and the chicken soup recipe is divine.  We ran out of couscous, although I suspect someone put it in a different place, because wouldn't one remember using the last of such a thing?  It didn't stop me, I am simply making a separate pan of egg noodles, whoever wants them can scoop them into their bowl of soup.  It's all done now, sitting there in the Dutch oven with the lid on, ready to eat.  So it smells wonderful in here...not brownie wonderful, but good.  

I miss the sunshine on my skin so badly it almost makes me cry.  Drama drama, I know.  But here in the northeast, it's months on end without that.  It was October for me, that's already a long long time.  I mean, yeah, you can go out on a sunny winter's day and feel it on your face, but I'm talking that basking.  That's why if per chance it's fifty and sunny in March, we're out on the deck in shorts and tank tops...sometimes with goose bumps. 

 Today it's very cold out, and our furnace isn't working well.  Paul ordered a part, and Jonathan is going to help us fix it.  Our propane bill was ouch, it's been a cold winter.  Why is it that we hate spending money on things like that, instead of being insanely thankful we have the money to spend on things like that?

 We can't take anything with us when we depart this world.  We all know this, yet we're like squirrels with acorns, socking and stockpiling.  "Give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For the measure you use will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:38).   We ARE programmed to survive though, so I'm thankful that we also have some good sense.

I like it when I have  trips booked.  Norway next week, then Arizona in April, then Norway for ten days in July!  Also, five camping trips this year!   I am not as ambulatory as I had hoped I'd be, but I still have a week to prepare for the first trip.  :)  Nothing makes time fly like trying to get into shape for a deadline like an international flight!  

Ah well.  It's almost dinner time.  I was so tempted to bake some artisan bread today, but being stuck in the house with hot fresh bread, well, is it really so smart?  Maybe I'll make some when lots of people are coming over to help eat it.  It's bad enough to have those brownies out there.  

You all have a nice afternoon!

Ahh, and a day at home!

This last week, I went to the pool on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and again on Saturday!  Then to the celebration of life for Joe, home for a bit, then to my niece Becky's house for a gathering to reminisce about her mama, my sister Cheryl.  Emily so nicely drove me home, and helped me out to the car, when it gets icy, ugh.  

So this fine morning, I did not leave the house.  No one came over, it was a snowy-ash day, and I did a few loads of laundry, got on the bike several times, vacuumed, puttered.  Dishes, ect.  Paul left and did some work on a house, then stopped at Aldi.  We had burgers for dinner, and a nice salad, and some pickled beets.  I didn't like the pickled part much, but I do love beets.  

We watched the end of the hockey game, it was fun to see the USA win against the Canadians!  It's just that hockey is their thing, and we won!  :)

We are only getting a few inches of snow tonight, so I should be able to make it the pool.  The tricky part is managing to get down those deck steps.  The weather warmed up, so we haven't been able to bring the car up to the front porch, and walking down the sidewalk is treacherous...oh, I exaggerate, it's slippery though, and bumpy.  The deck steps are not too bad when they're clear, but they get icy too.  So we'll see.  Now that I drive myself, I want to make sure it's safe.

The days are ticking by, my trip is getting closer!  Oh, I wish I could walk better, but wishing is a monumental waste of time, unless it leads to working harder.  I am looking forward to and dreading this trip, if you know what I mean.  I do have an aisle seat on the plane, but not one of the nice ones where you can stretch out, no - I'm in the back of the plane with the regular people.  It's a night time flight, and I should sleep, but I am planning to stand up and move every hour or so, if I get too stiff I won't be able to walk at all.  

It'll be fiiiiiiine.  Worrying and fretting won't help.   

Ah well.  You have a good evening!

ahhh the weekend!

Yesterday, I went to the pool.  It sounds like such a simple sentence, but it's packed with suffering ha.  I figure I have to surge forwards as much as I can, and even if I'm taking mincing little old lady steps, I'm getting steadier and stronger, although it's very hard to see in the midst of it. 

I came home and made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, tried to keep moving.  I find alternating between taking a rest with my feet up, going on the exercise bike, vacuuming a little, sitting down...it helps.  If I were to just plant myself, I'd be so stiff.  Getting back into the swim class makes me aware of muscles I forgot I had!  It's so nice though. 

Miss Char and Miss Cam worked yesterday, then left for a weekend in Ottowa, Canada.  Paul and I went over to Kathryn and Darius house for smoked wings...and sliders, and Evelyn's homemade Mac and cheese, salad, and cookies... Emily and Mariel were there too, it was quite fun.  

This fine Saturday morning, we went to the rec center, again, Paul to the gym, me to the pool.  There isn't a class on Saturday morning, so I just walked forwards and backwards and moved, for a half hour.  It's not as daunting anymore, although I don't love hobbling back up the ramp...the water shoes have been amazing though.  

We're leaving in a little while to go to a celebration of life for our friend Joe.  He passed away the morning after my sister did, he was the same age as my parents.  He's been a church friend for 40 years, he had such a good heart, a father's heart.  

It's too quiet here, but Kitty is on the arm of my chair, where she belongs.  When I got back from the pool, I went in to get some laundry, she was underfoot every step, into the laundry room, I got her more food, more water, she was still underfoot, purring, corralling me to my chair so she would sit here and purr.  I am definitely her person, not that she has too many to choose from anymore, but she likes me.  

Anyway.  You all have a good day!

and what did today bring?

 I saw a post that said, "The day after leg day", and a guy got a spoon out of the drawer, dropped it, looked at the one on the floor, opened the drawer and got a new spoon.  I feel like that most days, like it's the day after leg day.  Yesterday was a doozy, going to the pool then PT later.  I have learned to keep moving after the pool, to keep things loose.  

This fine morning, I knew I had to get out of the house, it was a mild day, not snowing.  Sonja was wanting to get out too, so she came and picked me up.  I made it down the deck steps, and into her car...then off we went to Target.  She so nicely dropped me off at the door, and I hobbled in with my cane.  I got a cart, and she brought Kaia in.  Lil Miss K. got to ride in the seat of the cart for the first time!  She was bundled with a blanket, then the seat belt, and she liked it for about half the store.  I understood, I was sort of done by halfway through too.  

I walked slowly.  So slowly.  But, the knee didn't buckle until one little time right as we were leaving.  It was a fun shopping trip.  I got some Valentine's day Skittles and Hershey Kisses for 70% off.  I bought some fake tulips, and a new green gingham table runner, a salad kit, a package of chicken drumsticks, and some undies for Jamison.  Oh, and a few half price toys for the grandkids.  

We stopped on the way home to get coffees, then again for me to switch and drive so Sonja could ride in the back with little Miss, who was crying.  

Sonja and Kaia came in for a bit when we got home, we watched the long programs of the figure skating.  That gold medal winner Alysa Liu was fantastic, but I was a teeny bit shocked at what came out of her mouth. "That's what I'm f---ing talking about!  Holy s--t! " I know, she was excited, but dear me.  She was phenomenal!  Poor Amber though... And shh, I have said s--t myself, accidentally, when my knee has buckled, and back when my hip was giving me such random grief.  

I have tried to keep busy here at home this afternoon too, but jeepers it does feel like the day after leg day.  I might call my ortho and try to get an injection in the "old" knee before my trip, which is two weeks from yesterday.  

If you are tired of hearing about my knee, scroll right by...but.  I figured something out.  When I went in for one of my post surgical check ups, I was still using the walker and explained to the surgeon how the knee randomly buckled.  He told me I had a hinge knee, he explained how it bent so easily, and I just had to be patient, it was normal, ect.  Well.  I didn't know that a "hinge" knee is not a standard knee replacement.  

This explains some things to me!  

Anyway.  
Enough about the knees.  This fine afternoon, Sonja so nicely got out some of my spring-y decorations.  It's not spring yet, but we needed some sprucing up around here, it still looked so naked after we took down the Christmas stuff.  Some fake flowers and fake plants and pink candles...does wonders.  

Our dinner tonight was taco meat I had cooked up and froze, so easy.  Just fry up a baggie in the iron skillet, and make some corn tortillas...add some of the salad from the salad kit, and you have some simple taco tortillas.  I like lime juice on mine.  They're great with peppers, onions, olives, cilantro, but not too bad without all of it, too.  After dinner I had some Hershey Kisses with almonds, which are my favorite.  

I am hoping to get my rear in gear and get to the pool again tomorrow.  I am feeling immense pressure to get moving, as my trip is coming up soon.  I did buy some compression socks from Amazon for traveling.  

Anyway.  Not much else to say on this fine evening...:). Have a good one!

it's the teeny tiny little things....

 This fine morning, I did something new:  I went to the pool, all by myself.  ALL BY MYSELF.  Yes, I walked down the deck steps, to the car (to be fair, Paul did move it to the front of the driveway for me!), and drove to the pool.  I could have gone around back and parked close, and called the desk, they would have unlocked the back door for me to come in, but I got a nice close parking spot, and decided to walk down the long sidewalk.  

This was the first time I was actually there during water aerobics class, since before the surgery.  It was so nice to be back!  I was able to do some of the things, but also was walking back and forth, just moving.  One of the nice ladies in class walked with me back down the sidewalk to my car:)

Next time, I'll go in the back door!  It has stairs, but it's a much shorter walk.

Now, since I've been home, I had a second coffee and sat here in my comfy chair.  Then I got up, took care of my wet swim stuff, put in a load of laundry, went on the exercise bike a little, just to get the stiffness out...then I vacuumed my room.  It had been way too long.  Of course I vacuumed for like ten minutes before I realized the vacuum wasn't working well, someone (probably me) had vacuumed up a big plastic bead.  Behind that bead:  dog hair, fuzz, dust, crumbs...ugh.  

Anyway.  I still need to vacuum the rest of the house, but I took another break.  I have to leave here in just a little while for PT, which is gonna be killer, after going to the pool, but I didn't want to call last minute and reschedule, AGAIN.  

Oh dear, it's snowing out!  Big fat flakes!  It was raining when I left the pool...I hope it doesn't get too icy.  

And, here it is, four in the afternoon, and I'm home from PT.   They tried a new thing, had me lie down with a bolster under the knee, and hold it up and tighten the thigh muscle, while the therapist poked and prodded around the knee...it's supposed to wake up the brain-nerve connection.  Well.  I proceeded to do the other lovely things that I do in PT, bike and balance board, leg press, leg lift thing...but they were nice and didn't make me do the stair stepper, since I had been to the pool.  Was it worth $88?  ha.  not really, but I don't feel ready to walk away from it yet, since I can't walk yet ha.

I came home from PT, checked the things in the dryer, made an afternoon coffee, then was walking to my chair, feeling pretty good about my busy day, when my knee...sort of buckled.  I didn't fall, but it is so disconcerting.  It seems to happen more when I'm really tired, and it does happen less and less, so that's good.  But dang!  

It's like it's saying Don't you get any ideas about saying things are going so much better!

Overall, I have no complaints.  Except for this:  Today when I was getting the vacuum cleaner, I had the thought to tell Cheryl about swim class, because she knew the lady who walked me out to my car, and it hit so hard, I felt a sudden flash of strong anger.  I didn't dwell in it.  I am not mad that she died.  But I partly am!  I do not like it, not one little bit.   I know that's the selfish part of me speaking, but it is what it is.  I miss her terribly.  Of course I do.  You don't love someone and care about them, and go on adventures with them, and do fun things with your kids together with them, coupon shop, and make the same dresses with the same patterns and collect the same toys for your kids, and laugh about the same things, sit in the sun together and solve the worlds' problems for years and decades, then boom, it ends and you're not sad!  I still am here, I am still alive, but I'm not whole anymore.    I can't imagine the days ahead without her.  

The depths of despair...that's what Anne Shirley told Marilla in Anne of Green Gables.  Cheryl and I liked to use that term.   I am not wallowing, no, I won't stay in those depths...but it is a process, and I do miss her like crazy.  My son Samuel always likes to say,  "Two things can be true at once", and in this case yes, I am sad and I miss my sister, but I am also very happy and thankful, if that makes sense.  

Ah well....it's What Are We Having for Dinner O'Clock, and I am envying all of you meal planners right about now...have a good evening!

joy!

 So yesterday after my big trip to the pool, I puttered around here, and tried to keep moving.  We had a ham in the refrigerator, a nice honey ham, spiral sliced.  I told the girls I was going to put it in the oven, make red-skinned baked potatoes, and some roasted Brussel sprouts.  Char was dubious, a ham, just for the four of us?  That got me thinking...so I put the menu out on the family chat, and offered anyone who wanted, could come to dinner...

Emily and Mariel ended up coming!  It was so very nice!  We ate dinner in the manner of young adults these days, in the living room all cozy, watching the Olympics!  I also chopped up six apples, put them in a baking pan with a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon, and baked them up.  I had some with one small scoop of vanilla ice cream, when still warm from the oven...oh dear, so good.

We had such a good time, talking about things and critiquing the snowboarders.  We have a dear friend from church who passed away in the morning after Cheryl.  We're having a remembrance/celebration of life on Saturday, so we're planning for that, and remembering visits with him.

The younger girls are going on a trip to Ottowa for the weekend. When they're gone, it's a stark reminder of what's coming in the not too distant future.  We will be empty nesters.  Now, some older people count the days...we are not them.  The house comes to life when they are here, with their silly movie quotes and belting out Stevie Nicks.  They do their homework, then take a break with home made vodka pasta at two in the afternoon.  

I think I'm hanging on for dear life, to these days of still having "kids" at home.  I love them all dearly, of course, but these two younger ones are so lively and fun.  I know we aren't going to die of loneliness, because thankfully the older kids still come and visit and the grandchildren burst in the door and fill the house with fun.  But it's different.  

We have eighteen-going-on-twenty grandchildren all of the sudden!  8 boys, 12 girls.  The oldest is 12, then the rest are 8 and under.  Richly blessed, how did we get so blessed?  

So this fine morning, I decided today shall be a Pot Pie Day.  Chicken Pot Pie, to be exact.  I made four butter crusts to make two pies with tops and bottoms, then started on the filling...I chopped celery and carrots, and peeled six or seven potatoes, cubed them up.  I put chicken breast in the crockpot with rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, onion powder, minced onions, a dash of garlic.  I added all the veggies, and a little bit of water, then 32 ounces of chicken broth.  The pie doughs went into the refrigerator for a while...then later, I rolled them out, thickened up the filling with corn starch and flour, and made the pies.  On the tops:  salt, pepper, rosemary, then onto baking sheets lined with parchment.  

Sonja and Oscar came for dinner, and we watched some ice skating and half-pipe snowboarding.  Kaia is sitting up now!  She is also spitting up, but that is a whole 'nother story, ha.  

Now they've gone home, the kitchen is all cleaned up, and I'm tired.  I did my stair-stepper this morning, for 5 and a half minutes, and got on the bike several times.  My walking is still rusty, but getting incrementally better...I do not see the increments but I know they are happening.  

Tomorrow morning, pool again, then PT in the afternoon, this sounds rough!  Two weeks until Norway, two weeks from tomorrow!  You all have a good night!

this glass is half full!

 I just thought I would share that I went to the pool this fine morning, (and it IS a fine morning, sunny and 25 degrees! (-3.89c)).  I walked down that sidewalk without one knee buckle. I won't exaggerate and say it felt great, but it was smoother and not terrible.  (The funny thing was, Paul was walking with me, asked , "What's preventing you from just walking?"  well.  You tell me, then we'll both know.  ha.  I thought I was doing splendidly, too!)

Anyway.  I talked to lots of ladies, and I realize how much I've missed that part of going to the pool.  I was there before my swim class began, and leaving when they were arriving, but talked to different people there too.  

I put in a load of laundry when we got home, and now I'm sitting here with my feet up.  I am going to get on the exercise bike in a few minutes, so I don't get all stiff from the walking and swimming...if you could call it swimming:  I did kick my legs a little.  I mostly walked, forwards and backwards.  I swung my legs up and down and to the side and just moved.  It did feel better this time.

Charlotte Claire is doing an order pick up for me after her classes this morning, but I don't have a meal plan except for to use the chicken we have in the refrigerator.  We also have a ham I need to use.  We do have everything for pot pie, and for stir fry, so maybe we'll do both of those this week.  

I may have forgot to report that Paul took me out to dinner on Friday night!  We went to a place called The Angry Smokehouse.  He dropped me off, I crossed the road and was making my way up the little sidewalk toward the door, while he parked the car.  The maitre'd/host/seater-guy came right out and held the door for me, so I had to step up a step holding my cane and the door frame...I felt like SUCH and old lady.  I hobbled in, and he sat us down right at the first table, and it was super nice!  

In case you're wondering what we had, Paul had a burger, and I had a French dip made with beef brisket...it was ridiculously good.  Darius can smoke a better brisket though.  (yesterday he did indeed smoke a brisket, he brought me some, hot from the smoker, is there anything better?)

Anyway.  Today Paul has to bring his iPad into a shop, it's not turning on, so I'm going with him for the drive, getting out of the house is nice.  

You all have a good day, and thank you for visiting me here, to read the same old same old!