Shopping day

If only it was a fun shopping day! It was 'buy crap for the lodge day'. Which we did. Shit...there's a mosquito in here! Anyway...we found a few more metal/wire frames for the numbers for the doors, which we still had to modify. Nothing is ever simple. We'll be able to attach them tomorrow. Yipee! And the balance was cleaning supplies, plumbing and electrical supplies, gum, Snickers, paint...you know, the usual.

I got an email from Bealls. They are going to have 'old lady day (20% off) EVERY Tuesday! WOW! What a deal. They must be hurting for sales...considering that they have been trying to get rid of the same 80% off stuff for 3 years. They do have some good deals, but I just don't wear fancy go to meetin' clothes much anymore. And the jeans are too expensive...even with 20% off.

I got a sorta OK picture of the bird hopping to the feeder. Use your imagination...

We had some more wanna be rain clouds tonight but nothing! 

It was very hot today today.No breeze.

I am drinkingTang as we speak...but I have been adhering to the hot tea with the meal plan. I don't notice much difference yet...but then, realistically, I don't eat much greasy stuff to show a difference. I'll keep drinking it and I will be sticking to my routine evening hot tea.

Tom was looking out the window today.

He would love to be outside...stalking and killing. He watches the birds at the feeder and also the smaller sparrows on the ground. But his favorites are the doves. He likes the bigger action!

Right now he's sitting in the bathroom sink. I don't know why...I guess he justs like it.

I think I'll hit the hay. It was a long day. See you later...

b

We dodged a rain bullet

Gosh, as much as we need and want water around here, please don't let us get Hermine! My Mumsy is treading water in SA...she reports no damage to her home, thank God, but branches and trees down in her neighborhood. Power outages...horrendous. I think the worst is yet to come. Austin looks equally as bad...Arlington is under water and downtown Dallas is experiencing tornadoes! And we have nary a drop. I won't whine anymore.

And the fires in Boulder! No snow in sight...and I'm not being a smart ass. Snow would be a blessing.

AHA! Question of the day!!

Why is it...when you spend $50 on medication...before you take the first pill...suddenly all of the symptoms go away. I'm pissed. I should be happy...but I have better things to spend $50 on. That's OK. It's like taking penicillin. You have to take it for the duration in order for it to work. Even if you feel better half way through the dosage, which you generally do. Consequently, I will take the friggin' medicine.

I looked on the Smiley's Yarn site last night for yarn (duh!). They have a nice sale on that Chenille yarn that I like. It is Soooo soft...but there are only 3 colors available. I should have ordered it a month ago. Oh well. And there are a few other kinds that look interesting. Kinda hairy looking stuff...when I make the hats I use 2 or 3 strands anyway, so a hairy one is something I would use. I am pondering black. I think it would be a very good seller.

Tom kitty wasn't doing so well for a while. He lost quite a bit of weight and was acting kind of puny...and all of sudden (because we are such good and attentive parents) we realized that he wasn't eating hardly any of his dry food. He has it free choice and would normally go through a 4# bag in about 6 weeks. But it seems as if the same amount has been in there for...well...6 weeks. So we started paying more attention. Considering the fact that he is 19 years old...that dry stuff was really hard for him to chew. He needs it...naturally...for his teeth (which are part of the problem), and he does get his 'pouch 'o food' every morning. Well...after considerable thought we changed his feeding plan. He now gets 'pouch 'o food' morning and night with cat joint medicine and a couple of vitamin supplements hidden in it...along with the dry food that he doesn't eat much of. He's ecstatic. He loves food. But the little son of a bitch can tell time. He starts that 'me-get up bitch-ow' at 7:20 am. No shit! EVERY MORNING! 7:20 AM.  And I eat yogurt at 9:00 PM. He cleans out the cup. Then at 10:00 PM...it's 'pouch 'o food' again. Then....while I am asleep...Husband doles out soft treats. And just like shampoo...REPEAT!! We implemented this plan about a week ago and Tom kitty already looks better. He's still a royal pain in the ass.

We are going to watch Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation. I'll be back tomorrow...more than likely...come hell. There's no high water. Nite.

b

Sunny day Sweepin' the clouds away

Let me change this to....YESTERDAY!!! F**King internet!! This is what I wrote yesterday and lost service while I was trying to post!! I need an alternative access.....

Today I will type this on Word and send it to post. I have been losing internet all day. Don’t know why. Maybe it’s the balloons. Or maybe the mother ship has landed at the Marfa Lights Festival. All I know is that it is a pain in the ass.



It was a long day today and I am beat. I dread tomorrow. It will be a lot longer. And it’s not that Bobbie and I are doing the whole load alone like we used to. I don’t know how we did it. I’m too old for this shit.

I am going to cut stuff out tonight. Felt stuff. It’s a start! I am sending in the application on Tuesday for the Christmas Craft Show. I want a good table…but I'm not sure where that would be. As a rule…all tables should be good…but it’s funny…a lot of the folks who go to these shows are there to socialize and talk and talk…and sometimes don’t make it all the way around to see everything. Corners are good and it might be worth paying for a double space. I’m thinking along those lines.


I am considering asking Eva (at Eva’s Salon) if I can set up jewelry/art stuff either inside or in front of her shop on Gallery Night. She’s smack dab in the middle of town…a high traffic area…and it would be great if she agrees. I need to think about calling her soon, too.


It’s a beautiful evening. Even though it’s hot during the day…the ‘fall’ evenings in Alpine are nice…comfortable…relaxing to sit outside and smell the clean air. And I consider this fall. After all, it’s only a day away from Labor Day…that means it’s fall. Or should I say...in “The World According to Brenda”. I was trying to get some photos of the hummingbirds and a wren that eats from the feeder right outside the window. Rather than perch on the ‘perch’ on the feeder itself, she sits on a branch close to it and juts out at it as it spins around. I can’t catch her at it though. I am shooting from the room behind the screen and she hauls ass when she sees me coming. One of these days….FLASH!!


I saw a recipe for Caramel Apple Jam. Doesn’t that sound nutritious and delicious!! I think it’s something you should eat directly out of the jar! With the homemade bread or hot biscuits…on the side! I was looking up alternative methods of cooking it…and one was in a crock pot. That sounds easy…

I have slipped of the hot tea in the evening schedule lately and I do believe it's time to resume the practice.  I read an article yesterday about drinking warm/hot beverages with meals. As our eastern com padres, the Chinese, live by this rule...I concur. Simply the example stated was enough to make me a believer. I shall explain:

You have ordered a fine evening meal. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and cream gravy and ummmmm...green beans. Yeah....green beans cooked with diced onion and bacon.OK...there was a green salad in there, too. 

Scenario #1 -  Chew, Chew, (100 times, remember?) swallow...followed by warm/hot water/tea. Smooooth. Goes down well...repeat many times. Hot beverage after each swallow of food.

Scenario #2 -  Chew, Chew, you know the drill, swallow...followed by cold water/iced beverage. Oh-oh...little catch in the throat, slight cough, coooold water is solidifying any residual grease in the food you have just swallowed, not only in your mouth, but straight down the gullet! That fast! Creating an uncomfortable situation before the meal is even done! Gastric distress! And this could have been eliminated, or at least subdued by drinking a hot beverage rather than a cold one. I'm not saying this works for everyone...but I am certainly willing to try it for a while. I don't eat much 'grease' anymore, but even a Pecan Sandies cookie has an emulsifier...and perhaps hot Chamomile tea will assist in digestion. I am taking part in this experiment as we speak.



Chew, chew, etc. - sip (very) hot tea. So far, so good. It may take a few cookies, Tasty!

Husband has put in a funny Tim Allen movie...I won't make it to the end I can guarantee that.
 
I think I'll close now...as I have a couple of issues with the internet tonight. Have a good one and I'll keep you posted on the 'gastric experiment'.
 
b

Why do I want to paint a picture?

I just want to. We were talking about Georgia O'Keeffe today...who I aspire to be...only alive. I love her creations of dramatically simple yet provocative style. She is my hero. I found a box of blank watercolor greeting cards. The perfect size canvas. And I have tons of paint and many, many brushes. I need a subject...which will come to me in my sleep.

Speaking of sleep...I woke up with a headache from hell this morning. The inspiration I was hoping for, in my sleep, came in the form of exhausting dreams! In one...I was moving railroad ties. From one pile to another. Go figure. I also remember a pile of rocks. A HUGE pile of rocks...but I don't remember moving those.  But when I woke up...pain. And I was exhausted. I hope tonight will be better. I won't be painting railroad ties.

This will be a short post. Its already 11 and I am tired. I had great plans of a long and funny repartee earlier... then I took and shower and got tired. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow. Nite.

b

Rain?? What rain!!

What a disappointment. We got next to nothing for rain. More of 'Play Misty for Me". That's OK. And it was cool. That was refreshing.

Today was 'Brendito the Electricianado' day. I replaced 2 bathroom light fixtures and one kitchen light fixture. And lived to tell about it. That's a good thing.

Lots of people meandering about the town. Balloon frenzy! I saw a few vendor wagons headed to Marfa this afternoon...BBQ pits and such.

We are watching The Horse Whisperer with yummy Robert Redford. Seeing him always makes me think of his catalog...and now I can't remember the name of it. It'll come to me. There are great, and extreeeemly expensive clothes in in...but I love to see the jewelry. Great patterns to copy...I mean...for inspiration, of course! Is it Sundance?? Possibly. I honestly do 'sorta copy' lots of styles and patterns. I'm not great at original thought...

That's not quite true. Do you now when I get lots of inspiration? When I am asleep. I think I mentioned this many moons ago. I always used to keep and pencil and paper next to my bed and I would actually write things down in my sleep. Perhaps and clothing pattern idea. Or a story subject. Even poetry. Now it's designs and bead patterns...color schemes.Even remodeling solutions. But I still like catalogs.

I have cut out several new paper patterns for ornaments. I need to get the felt out and get busy on those.

This computer is acting stupid. I am trying to open another whatchamacallit and it won't do anything. That little 'search' circle just goes round and round and round...Damn it!

I think I'll lie down for a bit. I have a dull headache. Not yet to the throbbing stage...and I popped a couple of Advil PM a bit ago. They must be kicking in...Nite.

b

Early evening rain...

It was a nice rain...our afternoon rain, it was...but the skies south of us are BLACK!!! And I just saw on line that there is a possible tornado watch for Odessa. Ookie Spookie!! Right now...the sky is projecting that eerie yellow look...we'll see!!

We had a semi busy day...prepping for a remodeling job. On the morrow we shall haul ass to True Value to get the stuff we need for the job...paint, trim, texture, shower faucets, adheasive...all that kinda stuff. We won't necessarily be in full force tomorrow or even the next day, as this weekend is full and we like to pace ourselves!! But we shall be prepared!!

I just ate a grilled chicken salad that Husband brought home for me. He bought it at the Buffalo Rose Restaurant here in town...I ate it. Let's leave it at that.

I simply cannot believe that it is September 1st. It's crazy I tell ya. I'm almost shivering!! As I mentioned, we do have cooler temps coming in...but it won't be 'cold' for quite a while. I can dream.

Nothing out of the ordinary going on. I don't think anything is coming on TV tonight. I should do something artistic...creative...constructive...nah...don't wanna. But I should.

Oh! I forgot!! (LIke you really want to know) Colon Cleanse day!! I have a hard time with this... what's the word...program(?)...I have had too much going on the past week to stay on a 7-10 day consecutive plan...but I think I can do this now. So today was day #1. As I have also said, it's not as bad as it sounds (God bless Sunny D) so I'll continue. Rest assured...I will have the ccleanest colon in Alpine! What a title!!

I got a catalog of Christmas stuff today. There are some really cute things that would make cute felt ornaments. That would be a good plan for later...possible pattern making. 

I decided to write earlier tonight so I could spend some time looking stuff up this evening. Like Christmas cards. Can you believe that I have almost used up all of Francine's yarn!! I haven't told her yet...I would like to get some more of the chenille. It is SO soft!! And makes beautiful hats. Smiley's Yarns has great deals...

Well...guess what...I am going to post this, even though this is not my original ending! The powers that be in the 'blog world' didn't save a few of my original paragraphs!

I can't even remember what I wrote...damn that pisses me off. Oh well...see you tomorrow.

b

Tra La La...

OK...so BFF-AL was telling me about this stuff that her sister told her about...COQ10. Not only does the body make it...since we need it, but evidently...so do pharmaceutical companies!! Surprise!! It's supposed to [cure, kinda] just about everything...so I checked it out.

Benefits -  reducing symptoms of: Brainfog (my personal favorite); Hypertension; Cardiovascular; Parkinson's Disease; Migraine Headaches; Magnetic Field Exposure (I have no friggn' clue); Weight Loss (don't need it); Sudden Heart Failure; Angina...

Here's a snippet from one of the websites...Hmmm?? Watcha think?? Sounded good to me...till I read...

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a type of enzyme found in the cells of your body. CoQ10 is biosynthesized, that is, your body produces it naturally. It works to provide energy for organ function and is found in high concentrations in the heart and liver cells. In supplement form, CoQ10 is designed to replace or replenish the coenzyme in case of deficiency.
Coenzyme Q10 is concentrated in the mitochondria of your body's cells. The mitochondria convert matter (nutrition) into energy, and CoQ10 is needed for this function. The coenzyme also acts as an antioxidant -- it works to prevent the formation of cancer cells and boosts your immune system. Your body produces CoQ10 the same way it produces both HDL and LDL (good and bad) cholesterol.

One remarkable aspect of Co10 is its ability to drive metabolic reaction in the body more efficiently.

If you are eating well, but not losing weight; if you are working out but seem to have no energy after a few minutes; if you are over 30; if your immune system seems weaker than it should be, chances are you are Coenzyme Q10 deficient.

.

CoQ10 Supplements are not recommended for diabetics or those with hypoglycemia.

Well shit...so much for that.

Side effects include: Nausea and/or vomiting; Heartburn; Diarrhea; Loss of appetite; Skin itching; Rash; Insomnia; Headache; Dizziness; Itching; Irritability; Increased light sensitivity of the eyes; Fatigue; Flu-like symptoms...

Holy Supplement Batman!! I feel that way all the time! The only thing it doesn't do is make you grow a penis! Why take a pill and double up!!

Consequently...I ain't takin' none. I must say, though, that I was seriously impressed about that Brainfog issue...

I bought a Christmas present today. Official. The Christmas season has landed. I'm thinking I should add...'write Christmas cards/letters'...to my 'daily to-do list'. I will, after I find them. Oh hell..I better just buy some because I have no idea where they are.

Husband made me some horsehair tassels so I can make some earrings. I need to cut those antlers, too. No...I haven't cut them yet! 

Rambo 3 is on...in Spanish. Do you know what's dumber than that? Pretty much nothing.

Oh-oh...is appears that we are watching COPS. Whatcha gonna do when they come for you...bad boys, bad boys... At least it's in English. 

Do you know what would taste really good right now? Brownies. With pecans. Lots of them

I suppose I should wind down. It's a little after midnight...and since I don't have any brownies, I might as well go to sleep. Ho-Hum. Nite!!

b.