WHAT TO DO WITH OLD CHINA?

 This morning I got up and meditated. Then I went out to run some errands. I had to pick up a tiny table I got to put next to my vegan grill. I used to use an old plastic chair but since the backyard is all new, I thought I should up my game. I found a $20 table online and they were going to charge me $20 to deliver it! I opted to pick it up. 

Then I picked up Lucky’s medicine. Gotta take that flea medicine in the summer. 

Once home I worked. I found out that my old china is not worth much. I contacted a company to sell it to but they going to give me $1 or $2 for each item but I would have to ship it to the company. I texted my cousin and offered it to her daughter. 

Until tomorrow…

VEGANNIVERSARY

Today is my veganniversary. It is the date I became vegan. I didn't do anything to celebrate this year. I will be making vegan treats later this week to give to someone. 

I did spend sometime in my backyard. I had the fountain going, the sun was shing and I ate my lunch outside while reading a book. It was so nice. My neighbor calls it my "resort". 

I planted two herbs: chives and dill. Maybe this will live. 

Then I cut my hair. It needed a trim. I haven't trimmed it since last fall. I cut about 2" off. It feels good now. I took off all the dry ends and made it even now. 

Until tomorrow...

SECOND VOLUNTEER DAY

 Today was my second volunteer day with the flagging group. It was a benefit day and not only did I show up early to set up but I also stood behind a table. The table had donations that people could bid on. There were pieces of art, flags, and tickets to activities. I also slid some T-shirts. It was fun and the weather was very nice. 

Lucky spent the time at home alone asleep. I was worried about her but she did fine. 

I checked out the car and found out my flashlight was no longer working. I decided since my first trip will be a long drive, I needed to check out all my emergency supplies. I bought a first aid kit, flashlight, cellphone charger for the car, and a small electric cooler.  I am set for a long drive. 

Until tomorrow…

GOING TO YOSEMITE

 I am so excited. A client has a place in Yosemite and today I booked a trip to Yosemite. I hear it is beautiful and I can't wait to see it. Take photos of it. Hike it. When I go I will post some photos. 

This goes along with my other trips planned. I am making up time. I now have 5 trips planned. I can't wait until they start. 

What makes you smile more than a little doggy waiting for her treats?  

Until tomorrow...

MBSR COURSE #8 THE FINAL

 Today was the final MBSR online course. I was excited to meet one more time. Well, my pets decided they wanted to be part of the class! First Lucky would not lay down and paced the floors. Tick, tick, tick went her toenails. Then my bird, Sunny, decided to join the fun and started talking to himself and then screaming for attention. I was trying not to laugh during the meditation when Sunny was chattering to himself. He imitates a sound I make every morning; a sort of clicking. It was really hysterical to hear that while I am trying to meditate. He really liked the meditation leader's voice and every time he would talk, Sunny started to make noise. After a time of the screaming I finally put him to sleep (by covering his cage). 

Overall, the course was excellent. It helped me deal with some of the stress I have been going through as well as, the pain. I didn't meditate yesterday or today and I really feel a difference. I am not as calm. 

I had a situation today where a nice neighbor texted me to ask about the complaint made about me to the city. I had no idea there was a complaint made against me so I was shocked. It seems a neighbor is upset that I had construction done without a permit. I called my contractor and he told me that if there is no structural changes, no permit is needed. It left me thinking why would anyone make a complaint without knowing the facts? Why not ask me? I have one neighbor that I had some dealings with over the years and I suspect it is him. Normally I would have been very angry about something like this, but instead I was more interested in what makes a person do this type of behavior. 

I went to tai chi with my 82 year old instructor and was invited to join a tai chi class with a number of people on Saturday morning. I think I will go in a few weeks when I am not busy. Sounds fun.  My instructor has been teaching me each Wednesday morning and after learning the moves, I video him so I can practice at home. I chromecast it from my phone to the TV so it is like he is right in the room with me!

Anyway that was the majority of my day. I have to get up in the morning and meditate so I am going to sleep. 

Until tomorrow...

CAR SERVICED

I woke up early to take my car to the dealer to get a check-up. You might ask why I go to the dealer? Aren't they expensive? I have always taken my cars to the same dealer for three decades. I go to the same service person and he knows me. I call him my "car husband".  Truth be told he wanted to date me 30 years ago but he got married and had three boys in college. We became friends and he gives me free service sometimes. Today was one of those days. He filled up my fluids, checked my tires, brakes, sparkplugs, etc. He found an oil leak and ran some die to find it. I assume he fixed it. My car is ready for my next road trip. 

Until tomorrow...

FLARE DECREASING

 I think the flare might be decreasing. My fingers are less swollen. I hope it stays away for a long time. I slept late today to see if more sleep will help. 

I spent the day getting the house in order: hanging pictures, getting the guest room ready for the next visitor, organizing my stuff in my bedroom. I had to take the dog up and down the stairs every time she wanted to come with me. 

I got a chance to meditate for about 20 minutes in the middle of the day. Meditation helps. 

Until tomorrow...

GREEN BEAN CROP

Today was a "work day". First, the gardener came and got busy oiling the wood furniture. Meanwhile I was out front scothguarding the cushions. 

Then I started packing up the guest room that I have been sleeping in. I moved all my stuff to the downstairs bedroom. I unpacked and cleaned the bathroom the contractor was using. 

In the afternoon I attended an Arthritis meeting with another group. It was very interesting. I got good information not just for this group but also for my other group.

I went outside with the gardener and some of the green beans we're ready to harvest. I got about 10 green beans to put in my salad for dinner. 

I am so happy to be back in my bedroom.

Until tomorrow...

THE HOUSE RECONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE

First thing this morning the contractor showed up alone and finished the deck. He helped me move my grill upstairs and then he left. There are two minor things left to do but I can use my deck and move downstairs to my bedroom. 

The back of the house looks great. 

Today I took all my new outdoor furniture out of the garage and put it all out. I had a cafe table and chairs that went on my lower deck.

I put the cushions and little table on my upper deck. 

I organized the backyard. 

Tomorrow I am moving downstairs. I plan on enjoying the peace and quiet of the backyard the rest of the summer.☀️

Lucky had another episode last night. I am not sure if is dehydration, a seizure or high blood pressure but it is frightening for her. Poor baby. 

Until tomorrow...

ANNUAL MAMMOGRAM

 Quite a busy day. The contractors showed up for what I hoped would be the final day. It was not but more of that later. When they showed up I was just out of the shower. 

I had to leave a bit later to go to my mammogram. First, I had to put on my tiara. When I got there, the receptionist referred to me as Princess. The tech who did my mammogram had no sense of humor. I find having a sense of humor helps when getting a mammogram. The results will be available in two weeks.

Next I went to acupuncture. I really needed it today. I have pain in my foot, pain in my shoulder and pain in my back. Plus, I am currently having a flare. 

I got home and the contractors put together most of my deck. The aim was to finish it today but that did not happen. They say they will finish it tomorrow. Turns out putting the deck back together was more of a challenge than they thought. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. 

Until tomorrow…

Arthritis Meeting

If you have been following, I became a facilitator for my local Arthritis group. I had a ton of training (most of it repetitive) and today I met my mentor. I guess they think I need a mentor to be a facilitator. What I found out is I need clear instructions. In the meeting today the person who was supposed to answer my questions, didn't know how to share their zoom screen. I ended up being tech support for them. I think I will learn by trying. 

I went downstairs this morning and a whole lettuce plant was missing. There was no hole or anything. The root is even gone. So as to not lose the rest of the lettuce, I cut three heads and brought them inside. I can't figure what ate an entire head of lettuce with the root and filled in the hole where it was. If you know what animal (it can't be 🦌🐖🐐🐄🫏🐎 because there aren't any near me) could have done this, please write back and let me know. I guess I will be eating salad this weekend. 

There was another glitch with the construction. The demo guys must have thrown away one of the brackets that hold up my blinds. These are bamboo blinds and use a special metal bracket. After looking everywhere, I had to order one online. 

Until tomorrow...

MBSR COURSE #7

Last week when I was visiting the dentist to get my Invisilign checked, the dentist accidentally cut my lip with filing paper. It has been a week and my lip is still sore. This morning it had a white bubble. I contacted the doctor yesterday and she said if it was still sore today, come in. I went to her office and she doesn't think it is infected. She gave me a rinse I have to use twice a day. 

I went to Tai Chi this morning and the instructor was very happy I practiced. He gave me the next move. There are a lot of moves so it will take a while to learn. The instructor says I should know it all in November. Yikes! 

Tonight I thought it was my last MBSR course but next week is the final course. This week we talked about living your life while continuing the meditation practice. I am organizing a meditation group for after class. 

Until tomorrow...

ONE MORE DAY OF CONSTRUCTION

The contractor worked again today. It is looking very good but there are some spots that need to be fixed where the painting is subpar. Then they are putting the deck back on. Then they finished. Yay! 

Today was a day of work and practicing tai chi. The instructor had me record him doing the beginning moves and I Chromecast it on to my TV to practice. Since I see him tomorrow, I needed to practice. 

Tomorrow is the final day of the MBSR course. I was trying to think of something to do on Wednesday evenings and I decided to take a photography course. I have had this course for about two years so now is the time. 

Until tomorrow...

BURSITIS, UGH.

 I went to the foot doctor today and took my CD disk with me from my MRI. She looked at the MRI photos and then read the report. If you could have seen the look of shock on her face when she read that there is no neuroma. It turns out I have arthritis in my big toe (shocker) and a bursa between my third and fourth toes. Medline Plus says "A bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac that acts as a cushion between a bone and other moving parts, such as muscles, tendons, or skin. Bursitis occurs when a bursa becomes inflamed. People get bursitis by overusing a joint. It can also be caused by an injury. It usually occurs at the knee or elbow." Doesn't that sound like fun?! 

 The doctor let me know that she could give me another shot that had more things in it: painkiller, local anesthetic and steroids to name a few. Then if that didn't work and it was still very painful, I might need surgery. The downside to surgery is that she would be cutting the nerve to a toe. Just such a fun morning!

The needle in the foot didn't hurt too much this time due to the local. It is hours later and I don't really feel anything. 

I came home and let the contractor in to finish the molding and some more painting. I had a talk with the head guy about the workers not being too responsible: leaving my door unlocked and open, not cleaning up too good, not doing a 99% good job. He said he knew and he was always coming to check up on him. It is his relative so it is a hard situation. 

I talked to the vet to ask about increasing Lucky's pain meds. He agreed. She has just been so growly and not too much fun. 

That was what is new here. 

Until tomorrow...

MBSR ALL DAY SILENT RETREAT

Today was the day of the online silent retreat for my MBSR course. The retreat started at 9:30 am and went to 3:30 pm. I know what you are thinking. Did you stay quiet that whole time? Yes, I did. Okay I did talk to Lucky to ask her if she wanted to go pee but that was it. 

We did all sorts of meditation. Standing and laying down yoga meditation, walking meditation, body scans, counting meditation, qi gong, and more. It was a lot of up and down. 

I decided to do the first half out in the backyard. The weather was nice and my tree gives good shade. It was relaxing. I think I will do more meditation outside. 

After it was over, I went straight into a zoom on my book club. I hadn't read the book but I thought I would sit in and hear what other people thought of the book. It was a very interesting conversation to be a part of because the book had something to do with robot monks ghost that dial phones all kinds of crazy stuff. I promise to read the next book by Agatha Christie. 

I am already in bed at 7:30 pm. I did not sleep well last night because it was really warm in the room. 

Until tomorrow...

A DAY OF REST

 I slept late after this week. I had texted my friend who is in Hawaii to see if he wanted company. He said yes! I started looking up flights and next thing I know, I booked a flight to HAWAII. Then it took me a long time to find a hotel that had everything I wanted. Namely a private bathroom. I was going to stay at an eco-retreat but they only had shared bathrooms. Then someone  suggested a hostel. I am too old to stay in a hostel. I didn't even stay in a hostel when I was in my 20's. 

I finally found a hotel and called them to make sure the bathrooms were private and that it has a refrigerator. I need a fridge for my medicine. Plus, I like making breakfast in my room. Restaurants rarely have vegan food. My trick is to stop by a Walmart/Target/etc. to get a cheap toaster. I use it for a week and then leave it for the staff. The cost of a $20 toaster, muffins and fruit is still cheaper than eating breakfast out every morning.  That is my cheap travel tip of the week. My other tip for vegans is to bring your butter and peanut butter so you don't have to buy a huge amount when you arrive. I put my vegan butter in with my medicine. 

Then I booked a ticket for Oregon where I am going to see my friend for the weekend. Then I worked on rental cars. Next thing I knew it was mid-afternoon. 

I went out back and sat in the backyard. I tried to read but ended up meditating instead. I think the meditating is helping. I had a triggering incident yesterday and instead of getting  hot under the collar as I usually would have, I was calm and didn't let it bother me. Progress. 

Until tomorrow...

FAMILY VISIT DAY #5

 It was the final day of my family's visit. I had the morning to myself while they went to meet friends. I had my ex-foster kid's court date. I could barely see him. It ends up that I am on with the court for 4 minutes and have to wait 2.5 hours to be called by the judge. After that I had to work a couple of hours. 

In the late afternoon my family came by for take-out Chinese food. I ordered it while they were on their way over and the food arrived a bit after they appeared. We all had Chinese food around my very unused and old dinning room table. We talked and at about 8:45 they left to go back to the hotel. They fly home tomorrow early. 

One of my family, who loves animals, was warned not to feed or touch Lucky. It was a hot day and she is very grumpy. When we were eating, this family member decided to dip her finger in the sauce on their plate.  I asked them to please not feed the dog, especially soy sauce. Then later in the meal, this family member decided to try and pet the dog and, I think, pet her eyes. Well, the dog did exactly what she did last time; lunged, snapped and growled.  I can't say it enough, leave the dog alone. Lucky is an old grumpy dog that hates the heat. She wants to be left alone.

One of the things we talked about was travel. After they left I started looking up flights. 

That was the end to a very busy week. It was so great to see them and we made plans for the new year for me to go to them. 

Until tomorrow...

FAMILY VISIT DAY #4

 Today was the big barbecue. It was big for me since it is my first barbecue in years. My sister-in-law arrived for her conference and she came straight to my house. Then my parents arrived and the "party" began. 

We opened my new table and used my Hawaiian decorated plates and accessories. Everything was orange, red and yellow. Then the grill issue started: we could not open the tank valve on the vegan grill. It is the new tank we bought on Tuesday and had it open then. I think someone tightened it to much.  We tried for 15 minutes then I decided to cook my sweet potato burger inside on the stove. The "meat" grill worked fine and the Impossible burgers were cooked into cheese burgers. 

I served the lemon potato salad and all the fixings for burgers. My new table was perfect and I got out the umbrella. It turns out my stand does not work with this umbrella, so after lunch we all researched a stand that would work. 

After the burgers, I served a dessert that I made a couple of months ago and froze. Unfortunately since it is so hot here, it melted a bit. They all said it was delicious even if it doesn't look perfect. I served them the lavender blueberry cheesecake. 

 Lucky came down for a bit while we were eating and wandered around. That is the most social interaction I have seen in awhile. 

Overall we had a beautiful day and a great barbecue. 

Until tomorrow...

MBSR COURSE #6

 My family is visiting but today they went on a wine bus tour. They are visiting some vineyards to drink wine. I don't drink so I wasn't invited. It is probably just as well. 

The contractor was supposed to come and, possibly, finish. They did not come today so it is not finished yet. I am getting used to my new stairs. They aren't as slippery anymore. I think it was sawdust making is slippery. 

I had a physical therapy appointment for my back. He was surprised how much it hurts. He gave me some exercises to do. He said the exercises I have been doing for more than 30 years are not the way they treat back problems. Interesting!

Then in the afternoon I went to the dentist to have my invisilign checked. She filed the sides of my teeth so my teeth can move more. I can't change my "braces" for another 4 days. I am on #9 out of 12. 

The MBSR course was not too much fun this time. I got irritated when the instructor embarrassed me. I will get over it but I didn't like being embarrassed. 

I made the potato salad for tomorrow's barbecue. It is lemony potato salad. I am probably put some dill in it too. It tastes good. 

Until tomorrow...

FAMILY VISIT DAY TWO

Today did not come out the way we had planned. Instead of going to another park we ended up staying at my home for the morning sitting in my brand new backyard. Then we decided to make sure the grill works for tomorrow's barbecue. The grill did not work. It seems that the propane tank does not work. So we loaded the propane tank in the car and went to the first location to get more propane. That location was out of propane so then we drove all the way to the opposite direction to go to another place to get propane. It was a Lowe's and we ended up trading in on the broken propane tank for a new propane tank. Then we also got me a tomato plant because it seems that my current to me to plant is not looking so good. Overwatered underwatered who knows. I just know that the plant has not grown in 3 weeks. So either I overwatered it, underwatered it, or it was a bum plant to begin with. Now I have a new much better looking plant and I should get many tomatoes.

After the propane debacle we came back and I switched the propane tank head made the grill work. Then we decided to go for a walk to get some ice cream but the ice cream parlor was not open today. We kept on walking and looking and going into shops. I found a Christmas gift for one of my friends because we exchange sort of gag gifts that are funny. I found the best thing for my friend but I can't say it here.

Then we came home and relaxed for a little bit before we headed out to dinner. During our walk we saw a very nice restaurant and made some reservations so we could sit on the patio. The food was okay they did have a vegan lasagna had a lovely corn & tomato salad. When we were done eating dinner I drove my guests back to their hotel and now I am so exhausted. I did get my steps in today so that's exciting.

Until tomorrow...

FAMILY ARRIVED

 The family arrived. I went over to meet them at an historical location. We did an audio tour and walked, and walked and walked. Part of it was my fault. I miscalculated how far it was from the historical location to the restaurant I thought they would like. It was far. I walked more than 10k steps today. 

It was fun to see the historical location and I learned a lot. 

Now that I am back home, I am so tired and this will be brief. 

Update on Lucky's day: Lucky went to the park with the dog walker. I thought he was going to just let her outside when he came but he took her the park with the other dogs. She walked for 1 hour and then he had her rest. He said she wanted to walk more. That is a good sign! She is sound asleep right now but wanted to play earlier but I needed to get some work accomplished. 

That was the day. Tomorrow we are going to meet at my place and then go to a park. We may take Lucky.

Until tomorrow...

ONE DAY UNTIL FAMILY

 Today was all about the final clean up. The gardener came and cleared up the backyard because contractors are messy. There was all sorts of stuff in the backyard as well as sawdust from all the wood they cut. He took out the dead plant that the contractor stepped on, weeded and basically jujed (sp?) the back yard. It looks fantastic. I didn't take out the chairs and umbrella because it has been raining a bit in the mornings. 

I am excited to see my relatives and do fun things. Tomorrow we go on a boat ride.I already organized transportation and the dog walker to come by and let her out. 

I had these rings that I wanted to wear but my fingers have gotten slimmer. I put them away for 15 years and this week I decided to take them out and wear them. I thought it was a waste to have rings in storage. They were still too big but I found these clear ring sizers and now they fit great. Amazing how a $10 item can make my rings fit and now I can wear them!

I am going to get a good night sleep since I have to get up early to meditate. 

Until tomorrow...

A DAY OF REST

Today was a day of rest. I worked hard all week and I was tired. I got up early because the construction guys were supposed to come. Instead, the contractor came by to check everything. He says they are coming on Wednesday to finish up. 

I hung a few pictures and put up the dart board. I put together the fire pit. Then I sat down to read my homework. I am very far behind in my reading so I need to catch up. It is very boring information so I keep falling asleep. 

I need to get some sleep.

Until tomorrow...

CLEANERS & CONTRACTORS

I will be swift. I had a busy day. First thing in the morning the contractors arrive with the stair guy in tow. I almost immediately had to take Lucky to the vet to get a pedicure and annual shots. 

While I was gone they started putting in the stairs. Bamboo stairs have changed and now there is an overlay with the part that goes over the stair edge. I am not sure I like it but I plan on putting rug pieces there anyway so it won't be noticable. 

Then right on time the cleaners come. I don't know what I expected but I am in a bed with fresh sheets that feel so good. They worked for 4 hours. Everything looks shiny. Even my floors, I think they polished them! 

The best thing is that they cleaned my old Wedgewood stove. It actually shines now. Someone put in some elbow grease. 

After they left the owner texted me that the two cleaners said I was SO nice and he said he would charge me less than quoted if I want them to clean again. They were a sweet married couple. 

Noe I don't want to mess anything up, it is so beautiful. Seriously, it would have taken me a week to clean it and it would not have turned out nearly as good. 

I need some sleep after last night. I was woken up at 4 am and could not get back to sleep because I had a headache. 

Until tomorrow...

FINAL DAY UNTIL CLEANERS

I'm sure to you this is boring but to me, cleaning out my home is revitalizing! Tonight was trash night and both my recycle bin and trash bin are overflowing. I can walk around my office without tripping on something. My living room is so organized I have space to do tai chi now. Everything seems lighter. 

Of course I could practice tai chi but my Chrome Cast stopped working. Erg...

I went to accupuncture and after the needles were put in, I fell asleep. I had weird dreams. I hear this is common.

I have one more morning of decluttering until the cleaning people come. I can't wait to have a sparkling clean house. 

Until tomorrow...

MBSR #4

I woke up early to go to Tai Chi. I recorded the instructor so I can practice correctly. He seemed frustrated that I did not practice. I need to commit to the practice sessions since he is volunteering to help me. 

 I am moving out more stuff. Today I took a huge bag of pills to a drop-off center. I am sure you know that putting old medications into the water system is causing problems for fish, tadpoles, frogs, etc. Not to mention our drinking water. I had a gallon plastic bag of old, unused medications to put in the drop box. I still have liquid, inhalers and lotions to get rid of. I need to find a location. 

I spent the rest of the day finishing the clearing out of my office. Once I had that finished, I worked on my bedroom and bathroom. Then I started on my living room. In my living room I still had old Christmas and birthday cards on a shelf. I am embarrassed to stay how many years worth but it was since Christmas 2019. I was just stacking them and thinking I would go through them and I never did. Yes, they were opened but I want to make sure I have the person's newest address and maybe there is something nice someone said. They are all gone now except the super nice ones. 

I have one full day and one partial day to finish the clearing out before the cleaning team comes. 

Today in the MBSR course we practiced meditative walking. It is a type of really slow and intentional walking. I think I do it by accident while I walk Lucky uphill. She goes very slow uphill these days. Super fast downhill and on flat areas. 

After writing my post last night I got a phone call on my cellphone. It was the second call that I received that dropped in the middle of the call. I could not call the person back because the phone was acting weird. I called the carrier and got tech support. The very nice woman figured out the problem and fixed the phone. It turns out that when it was sent to me, there was a button not checked and it was making the phone only work on the cell tower I was nearest. So when I was at the park with Lucky, the phone found that cell tower. It didn't switch to my cell tower so when I was on the phone, the phone was confused. The woman from the carrier fixed it and now the phone works fine. Phew!

Until tomorrow...

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

While many of you celebrated the 4th of July with family or a barbecue, I celebrated by doing more cleaning mostly the grill. Then I went to Warby Parker to get my glasses adjusted and then took Lucky to the park. At the park we saw people hang gliding and some other firm of flying through the air. It was amazing to see people fly over your head.

I wish you could have seen the grill grates before I cleaned them. They were so rusty and gross looking, but now they look amazing. Tiny bit of rest still is there but overall I am shocked by how great they look. I cleaned off the whole inside and outside of the grill so we can barbecue next week.

I really should have done more but after washing the grill grates, paying bills, writing a card to my friend, washing the dishes and putting things away, I was bushed. Then I took the dog to the park so when I came home I just wanted to sit on the couch.

I watched a movie called Book Club 2. It was okay but I really liked the original Book Club. 

I hope you had a marvelous Independence Day filled with good food, fantastic friends/family and decent fireworks/lasers. 

THE CONTRACTORS RETURN

 The contractor’s guys showed up after back and forth texts with the contractor. He says he is stuck in South America taking care of a family emergency. I saw him on video and he looked like he was at a resort. He had a Hawaiian shirt on and he showed me how he can pick coconuts from a short tree. He says he will be back on Saturday. 

His guys brought the new flooring and ripped up the existing floor on the stairs. I can no longer go downstairs inside. I have to go outside to get downstairs. This arrangement happened so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to carry all the things I needed to downstairs. They say it will be completed on Saturday. I still won’t have a deck but the inside will be done. 

Meanwhile I have been busy. I finalized my trip to the East Coast. I contacted a friend in the northwest and arranged a weekend with her. Now I have something to do each month: July, August, September and October. 

I worked more on my home. A bit in my office, some downstairs. I had the guys carry my new eucalyptus wood table set downstairs. I also had them look at my grill. When they stacked the pieces of the deck, they rolled over against my grill and pushed the propane tank. I don’t need to cook my veggie burger and have the grill blow up in my face! I carried a bunch of stuff downstairs mostly to give away. 

Until tomorrow…

I FINISHED THE PUZZLE!

 Today I cleaned my outdoor furniture. The coffee table looks great but the chairs did not come out as good as I thought they would. Then I cleaned my "vegan" grill and started to clean the "meat" grill. The meat grill has not been used for 4 years but I had it covered so it is in very good condition. The grates have a little rust on them but I googled how to clean them and that will be my July 4th project. 

Then I worked on the 1,500 piece puzzle. I FINISHED IT! I really pushed and got it done.

So, the table is gone from my living room and I now have more room for my meditation area. 

Then I decided to book a trip to see family. It is a necessary quick trip. 

I was exhausted then the contractor texts me that he is still in Central America. The house will not be completed before my relatives come visit next week. 😒 He is going to send a guy over to move the deck pieces out of the backyard seating area. I am hoping I can bribe the guy to help me move my new table into the backyard. 

Until tomorrow...

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT IS JULY?

 I can't believe it is July already. Remember two years ago when time seemed to stand still? This year seems to be flying by. Today is a very hot day. I saw the thermostat and it was around 85 degrees. So hot!

I cleaned out 4 boxes of papers and junk. I worked for 4 hours. It was dusty and tedious but I feel about 20 pounds lighter. I am determined that when the cleaning crew comes my house will be picked up. 

Then I took my food photos and put them in frames. I took out the old photos and put them aside. I may put a few of them in other places in the home. I am hoping the contractor will hang them for me. 

Now I am resting after a very productive day. I decided to celebrate the work getting done, I ordered a vegan pizza and mozzarella sticks. My tummy is full.

I talked to a relative about going to visit them in a month. It will only be a few days. 

Until tomorrow...