tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30676657013166346992024-03-03T18:26:03.738-06:00My Journey to FitShelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.comBlogger1888125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-49227122575756306312020-05-13T05:00:00.000-05:002020-05-13T05:00:00.616-05:00This is the EndTomorrow marks my 12th year of blogging, and with that, I've decided that it's time to close shop. I think I've said pretty much everything I had to say over this decade-plus of blogging, and while I'm sad to lose the connection with you
guys, it's time to let this blog go.<br />
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I started this blog when I started my weight loss journey, and it evolved into something much more than a diet blog. It ran the gamut of family life, running, fashion <i>(remember Fashion Friday?),</i> knitting, decorating - you name it, I've probably blogged about it. Of course the most important subject matter has been Paco the Wonder Dog, and it always made me laugh when someone would mention that they hadn't seen him on the blog lately. So here you go, one last picture of Paco:<br />
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<i>I will miss you guys bery much.</i></div>
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While I'm glad to have this online record of my last twelve years, I'm equally glad to have made so many blog friends. The support you've given me has been amazing and I will miss you all. And while my blog will be dormant, I'll still be around reading and commenting on your blogs. If you want to keep in touch, I'm only an email away; please don't hesitate to write me - 40somethingsjourney@gmail.com.<br />
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Thanks for reading, my friends. Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com75tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-25305754058412848832020-05-11T05:00:00.001-05:002020-05-11T05:00:03.921-05:00Seizure UpdateIt's been five and a half months since I had my first-ever, and hopefully last-ever grand mal/tonic-clonic <a href="https://www.myjourneytofit.com/2019/12/in-which-paco-earns-his-keep.html" target="_blank">seizure</a>, so I thought I'd update you on that saga.<br />
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I was diagnosed with focal epilepsy based on my seizure and abnormal EEG. It feels weird to say that because except for what happened on November 24, 2019, I've not had any epileptic-like symptoms. That doesn't mean it couldn't happen again, which is why I've been very careful with taking my anti-seizure medication every 12 hours. Thankfully in this day and age of carrying a portable alarm with me, aka my iPhone, it's pretty easy to remember to do so. Last week when Jeff and I were going on our walk, I knew that we'd still be out when my medication alarm would go off, so I made sure to bring my pill box and some water with me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmI4H1lY50uHp6BQWNlkfxB8IkveIXdZlfsHfscG2dyUz7RWwfyrxC68-iIk0FE_Dt-odjqsOVvGcwzx_EwFtpa06TOF8NcXdFa5rbaaGmTbxvany4FtDr5QJDzUgYyHgK0bIGEA53-s-9/s1600/IMG_3692.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmI4H1lY50uHp6BQWNlkfxB8IkveIXdZlfsHfscG2dyUz7RWwfyrxC68-iIk0FE_Dt-odjqsOVvGcwzx_EwFtpa06TOF8NcXdFa5rbaaGmTbxvany4FtDr5QJDzUgYyHgK0bIGEA53-s-9/s400/IMG_3692.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>It's a process to fill a month's worth of medication into my rainbow of pill boxes, but at least I know that I've taken my medicine based on the empty box. (Also included are OTC allergy meds because grass and pollen have declared war on me this year)</i></div>
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As I said, I don't feel like I have epilepsy. But, I'm not taking chances that I don't, so along with diligently taking my medication, I'm also not doing things like taking a bath, or swimming alone, or riding my bike. That last one was a hard decision because during this pandemic, riding a bike in my neighborhood would be nice. But it would be a hard fall if I suddenly had a seizure, and it could possibly happen in front of a moving vehicle, so biking is off the table for me.<br />
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Regarding medication: I've ramped up to my full dose of Lamictal and am completely off of Keppra. I'd hoped, since I was at the full dose of Lamictal before I tapered off of Keppra that I'd be finished with side effects, but it's been several weeks without Keppra and my side effects have gotten worse. It's irritating because I cannot find words when I'm trying to speak <i>(and write),</i> I can't remember things, I make typos like crazy, I'm super clumsy and can't tell you how many drinks I've knocked over and other things I've spilled. It's fun being me. <br />
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The only other side effect of Lamictal that scared me was when my eyes suddenly started moving rapidly from side to side. I happened to be sitting down the first time this happened and called for Jeff because I wasn't sure if this was the start of another seizure. Nothing else happened, and in the meantime he was looking up Lamictal and rapid eye movement and sure enough, that was connected. Of course, I'll let my epileptologist know about this and the other side effects when I see him - well, via a telemed video, thank you coronavirus - later on this month. <br />
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All in all, things are back to normal for me. Yes, I have some side effects that I'd like to go away, but the fact that I've gone this long without another seizure is promising. And I'd like for it to stay that way.Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-6873803629673329722020-05-08T05:00:00.000-05:002020-05-08T05:00:04.728-05:00Friday MishmashPuzzles puzzles puzzles! To give my hands a break from knitting quite so much - I'm still knitting but my thumb joints hurt if I knit for several hours every day - I've been doing jigsaw puzzles to pass the time. At first I did a 500 piece one, which was fun and completed fairly quickly. Then I opened a 1,000 piece one. Holy cats that was hard. So many pieces had the same colors throughout the puzzle, and the pieces were small and sometimes fit just enough in spots to cause make it even more tricky. It took me well over a week to complete:<br />
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<i>Mother Nature. Beautiful but a beast to finish.</i></div>
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Then I decided to rebuild my puzzle confidence by doing a 500 piece puzzle:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAWN6A2HwdcsowW03hyphenhyphenRknVTaWNkkPChx56YK6tVG37idnA1loFJMJWx0nGI212fCqUHLSDKv6mNeclzE884JbIRldsd_e-YWG7Vs1eID5iYU0zJolxLUJNbyfEezUBUt24zhE2SwWpJ0/s1600/IMG_3892.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAWN6A2HwdcsowW03hyphenhyphenRknVTaWNkkPChx56YK6tVG37idnA1loFJMJWx0nGI212fCqUHLSDKv6mNeclzE884JbIRldsd_e-YWG7Vs1eID5iYU0zJolxLUJNbyfEezUBUt24zhE2SwWpJ0/s400/IMG_3892.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Larger pieces made for a much more fun time with this one.</i></div>
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Now I'm doing another 1,000 piece puzzle, sorting the pieces by color, and it's already coming together easier:<br />
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<i>Jane Austen's Book Club. I moved my puzzle to the coffee table because the glare on the dining table was really bad. </i><br />
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While I'm doing the puzzles, I've been listening to a new podcast that I really enjoy - it's called Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald. You might remember them better as J.D. and Turk from the TV show Scrubs. I loved Scrubs back in the day, and it's really cool to hear about each episode with all of the little back stories. Once I started listening, I caught up on the particular episodes on Hulu and am watching for all of the things they referenced in the podcast.</div>
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I believe I've mentioned a time or two that I am a bit of a Chapstick fanatic. Wearing a mask makes the mask stick to my lips, which is kinda gross. Of course I forget that I have Chapstick on when I put on my mask - I'd wipe it off if I could remember. Small annoyance in the time of Covid-19, I know. Here's our new masks, sewn by my childhood friend Russell:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEy0rfoWBvCcUvn7VKlNccbHsdDVUlyzlgZ8jkMtbFaxqHldGulhWe7vdhMBQFqc1gkDW9Tv3zOQ32JUzGeDV9ExA7J3_Oqe6E4dXGFW68YF_SEGiLRb5xcakFVOMbMXYI2QXM1aeFp6uj/s1600/IMG_3950.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEy0rfoWBvCcUvn7VKlNccbHsdDVUlyzlgZ8jkMtbFaxqHldGulhWe7vdhMBQFqc1gkDW9Tv3zOQ32JUzGeDV9ExA7J3_Oqe6E4dXGFW68YF_SEGiLRb5xcakFVOMbMXYI2QXM1aeFp6uj/s400/IMG_3950.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>If we can't go to Hawaii, at least we can wear Hawaiian-print masks! Russell ordered the fabric from a shop in Honolulu, so the masks are totally authentic, LOL. </i></div>
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I am still so thrilled with how well Bobo Corona is doing. He's getting so big and draping beautifully over the table - I wish I could go to the cute nursery we discovered last summer and get one of their interesting plant stands for him, as he's going to be touching the ground pretty soon. Also I want that table back for setting drinks on, but I'll gladly let Bobo live on it right now:</div>
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<i>Sometimes I go outside just to admire ol' Bobo.</i></div>
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Diane is back in town after having been gone for more than two months. She came over so we could have a socially-distant visit:<br />
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<i>It's a lot like our post run visits, when we'd all sit in lawn chairs on the clubhouse driveway. Of course back then we were a lot closer, but hey, this worked quite well.</i></div>
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We have, not surprisingly, nothing on our agenda for the weekend other than me running a little bit, and hopefully Jeff will be able to run as well. That is it. As it has been for the last eight weeks now. Hope you all are staying safe and well - have a great weekend!</div>
Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-49576164326396702902020-05-06T05:00:00.000-05:002020-05-06T05:00:03.360-05:00WWW - Finally, Some ImprovementIt feels like I've been writing a Wednesday Workout Update forever, oftentimes when I don't actually have a WWU to report. But today I do, yippee!<br />
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Running is feeling a little bit better. Somewhat easier. Still only doing a mile, but that mile is showing improvement so I'll take it. Doing a decent warm up walk is helping a lot, too - I usually get anywhere from a third to a half mile of walking before beginning my run. After my run on Saturday, I recovered for a few minutes and then ran five short sprints in hopes of improving my cardio. It's all baby steps but hopefully everything is working together so I can run successfully again.<br />
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A big victory for me, but sad at the same time for Jeff, is that I ran by myself yesterday! You all know that I am a social runner. But he'd gone out early in the morning for his normal 3 mile run and his calf ended up hurting so badly at one point that he walked home. I was proud of him for not trying to run through the pain; he iced and rested it yesterday and will take the rest of the week off from running and hopefully it will get better. Getting back to ME <i>(haha),</i> since I was dressed and ready when he limped home, I decided that I would go ahead and run. It helped that it was daylight so I felt comfortable running by myself. Jeff was my water station at the halfway point. It was very warm and humid, and the sun was out, so my goal was to just get through it, and I did. All. By. Myself. I couldn't tell you the last time I ran solo. <br />
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Previous to his injury, on the days that I don't run, Jeff and I walk anywhere from 2 - 3 miles. I look forward to the day when our scary statue park reopens and we can walk there because we pretty much know every inch of our neighborhood by now.<br />
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That said, you'd be wrong in thinking that between the walking and running I'd be losing weight. My corona candy says otherwise. One of these days I'm sure my anxiety will level off and I won't need it so often, but it's a weirdly odd and uncertain time to be around, so whatever it takes to get through a day is fine by me.<br />
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Speaking of uncertain times, our governor has started to allow certain business to reopen. Not sure I agree with that <i>(OK I don't)</i> because reports are still coming in showing increased cases, but I can choose to continue to stay home and that's what we are doing. Gyms have not been allowed to open yet; once my gym reopens I think I'll still wait a while to see how things play out with people huffing and puffing in a close environment. Maybe I'm a little on the more paranoid side, but better safe than sorry, right?Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-20449517776441444292020-05-04T05:00:00.000-05:002020-05-04T05:00:03.430-05:00Herniated Disc Update #9 - One Year LaterIt's been just over a year since my L3-L4 disc decided to blow up so it's time for a final update on my saga. <br />
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After trying pain management with medication and epidural steroid injections as well as physical therapy for over five months, nothing improved enough to make it through the day without extreme pain. I was finally ready to consult with a neurosurgeon about this. My neurosurgeon came highly recommended by a number of people I trusted, so when he said he could fix this and make me feel better, I decided to try a surgical intervention. <br />
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Seven months ago I had a
laminectomy and discectomy to relieve pressure on my nerve. While the
surgery went well, it took much longer than my neurosurgeon predicted
for me to feel 100% again, which made me question my decision to have
surgery in the first place. You hear so many tales of back surgery
gone wrong, and the longer it took for me to feel better, the more
nervous I became. Had my surgeon said something along the lines of
"your nerve has been compressed for so long that it will take quite a
while for it to settle down" I would have accepted the continued leg
pain as part of the recovery instead of worrying that the surgery didn't
solve anything.<br />
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That said, surgery was the key to healing my herniated disc. I can say that now. I can't even remember when my leg pain finally went away thanks to my other medical event, which was a grand mal seizure two months after surgery. As I was dealing with a new set of issues, the leg pain went on the back burner. I suspect it was somewhere around January that it finally resolved.<br />
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As for my back, my physical therapist told me that after having surgery - any surgery on any part of the body - it's changed forever. So I need to be aware of that and not do anything that might bring on another disc problem. I will not do any kind of jumping/high impact exercise ever again. And that's OK - better to lose the jump rope than to go through that painful hell. <br />
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I've been gently easing back into exercise. I walked for about four weeks before adding in a little bit of running. I like running and want to do it. My hopes are to build up to running three miles. However, if I start to have pain, I will stop. It's not worth getting hurt again. I don't see myself ever running long distances - I think my days of doing a half marathon, or probably even a 10K are done. But if I can run a few miles and feel good, I'll be content with that.<br />
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There is a happy ending to my herniated disc. It took a lot of trying different things to get to this point. It was the most painful thing I've ever gone through; pain that was 24/7, pain that hurt so badly that I was ready to hurl myself out of the car at one point. It's not something I would wish on anyone. But if you've discovered my blog while searching for someone who has gone through this and come out OK on the other side, I want to give you some hope that it can get better. Hang in there.Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-60926422086522475012020-05-01T05:00:00.000-05:002020-05-01T05:00:03.897-05:00FMM - Odds and EndsI figured it was time to do a few updates on some things I've posted. First up is the last piece of our bedroom makeover - the throw pillow sham that was backordered until April. Worth the wait:<br />
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<i>It's from the Del Mar Coastal collection at Pottery Barn. I love how the slight touches of dark orange pull everything together, from the art on the wall to the throw blanket.</i></div>
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<i>One more shot - I am so happy with how the room turned out! This was such a fun makeover.</i></div>
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<i>Looking goooood on that coral blanket, Henry!</i></div>
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In case anyone is interested in my herniated disc saga, and my seizure saga <i>(2019 can suck it and 2020 isn't much better, sheesh),</i> I updated the bar under my blog header with links to all of of those posts. It took me a while to get all of the herniated disc posts in the correct date order because there were so many of them. While I didn't reread any, just seeing the titles reminded me of how much I went through with it. Yes, the seizure was very scary, but the pain of the herniated disc is something I'll never forget. That said, I hope I'm done with health issues now. Enough is enough, right?<br />
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I've been meaning to show you my little ocean-themed air plant collection for a while now, so here you go:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkrRSh80Q-ko016aTGZsWfLNmweABoT2xSHl9RXmIrCH1EtWNcaBDuA0ACZgIpFIpx19V4OltKsKnt_W6RldlQglDSXx5Ax0mxneIds5bwFQ1U4vlQeObrg22aSHSAhHWhME4_O_fW-MT/s1600/IMG_2443.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkrRSh80Q-ko016aTGZsWfLNmweABoT2xSHl9RXmIrCH1EtWNcaBDuA0ACZgIpFIpx19V4OltKsKnt_W6RldlQglDSXx5Ax0mxneIds5bwFQ1U4vlQeObrg22aSHSAhHWhME4_O_fW-MT/s400/IMG_2443.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>They are hanging in my kitchen window - the puffer fish and the rainbow octopus are from a craft gallery in Capitola, California, and the sea urchin came from a local succulent shop here in town.</i></div>
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Have a great weekend! Stay safe. </div>
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Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-13028121486721647312020-04-29T05:00:00.000-05:002020-04-29T05:00:17.514-05:00WWU - Motivational Shoes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeJ_P0_sLNZXjbyylUMQMuUeTpIovi0_8b427TdR-G2xXiDmi_bcEFUbttOrjJ8Lqxf3rgeXym0zZyB61kNVD37PJ-zzQj-eRwubmPR12jNkpCTyeezGif3wcAQMYOFWqeR_3bcQhey_j/s1600/IMG_3715.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeJ_P0_sLNZXjbyylUMQMuUeTpIovi0_8b427TdR-G2xXiDmi_bcEFUbttOrjJ8Lqxf3rgeXym0zZyB61kNVD37PJ-zzQj-eRwubmPR12jNkpCTyeezGif3wcAQMYOFWqeR_3bcQhey_j/s400/IMG_3715.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>You see why I had to get these, right?</i></div>
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It seems I've gone full circle with my running shoes - I started out with a pair of Brooks Addictions back in 2009, and I've gone through many different brands over the years, with the Hoka Cliftons being my go-to shoes for the last five years. I did stray to the Brooks Levitates in 2017, and wore them off and on, but usually kept with the Cliftons.<br />
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Once I started running again, I've had different things pop up, like the side of my baby toe bugging me, and my arch zings me once in a while during a walk and run, and my left knee began talking to me late last week. I think some of this is due to me finding my form after not running for a year plus having had back surgery, and as I move forward I expect these to resolve, but as runners know, new shoes can fix everything, haha.<br />
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First thing I did was to start wearing my Levitates again. I'd forgotten how comfortable they are! So that was working nicely, and then Karen texted me a picture of these Hawaiian-soled shoes. My eyes suddenly had hearts in them and after quizzing Karen on the model - the Revel 3 - I ordered a pair. It helps that she and I are shoe-compatible, down to the same size and same level of comfort on everything from sandals to running shoes, so I pretty much know if a shoe works for her, it'll work for me.<br />
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Side note: We have tried on each others shoes many times over the years, swapping them anywhere from the driveway at the Renegade clubhouse to our table at Blue Baker. Just one more thing to miss while we are all quarantined, sigh.<br />
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Anyway, I love them! I'm gliding on air, like a gazelle. Well not really. But they are super light and comfortable, so it feels like I'm running better. It also makes getting ready for a run more exciting. The rest of my running gear is several years old, so it's nice to have a brand new pair of shoes to put on. Sometimes the little things are big, you know?<br />
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Regarding running. I'm making progress, although it's in very small increments. Last week I managed to get about 3/4 of a mile done <i>(with 30:30 intervals)</i> before gasping for air, so that's good, right? With our weather warming up, I know that we're heading into the hardest time to run, regardless if you've been constantly running, so I know that I'll have to take this for what it is and just keep plugging along.<br />
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I'm in no hurry to get anywhere - my big goal for the year was to run a 5K in the fall and earn a medal with 2020 on it, but at the rate we're going, there may not be any races before the end of the year. Who knows. I hope I'm wrong about that. But I have a suspicion that may be the way things are headed.Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-35940465728146216532020-04-27T05:00:00.001-05:002020-04-27T05:00:05.727-05:00Knitting!I'm back in my knitting groove once more and finally have some finished projects to show you. Here's everything I've been working on, except for one item, which is a gift so obviously I can't post it yet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQdjjGN_Iy6fzuz7gQFfLei7zGr8uHcGz_dnrJFGUZ3cnuxila6Bi1IRnSw9lX4wDBvis-H5FS_ykOMykpuHktn9VTkjb6HIkK6ffkKQ6sLs5O0iGCrCSuh8fvaQ73TqXD1SU0zt0b35A/s1600/IMG_3677.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQdjjGN_Iy6fzuz7gQFfLei7zGr8uHcGz_dnrJFGUZ3cnuxila6Bi1IRnSw9lX4wDBvis-H5FS_ykOMykpuHktn9VTkjb6HIkK6ffkKQ6sLs5O0iGCrCSuh8fvaQ73TqXD1SU0zt0b35A/s400/IMG_3677.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>I named these Mindfully Mindless. The yarn is Mindless Knits, colorway is Stella. </i> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGg2xrLeozw7uST3-ev5KdLtlO8VZj-ve7NDbYkGfMr2veYcSNjj1aPXRxPu1L9goh-NIy6iy2MPzXLSdrLWwSQ6sR2fvuzZGrHJrtpbFftWWnsOvfd1K7yhQyshzocwSTx93hlBkuuvyd/s1600/IMG_3678.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGg2xrLeozw7uST3-ev5KdLtlO8VZj-ve7NDbYkGfMr2veYcSNjj1aPXRxPu1L9goh-NIy6iy2MPzXLSdrLWwSQ6sR2fvuzZGrHJrtpbFftWWnsOvfd1K7yhQyshzocwSTx93hlBkuuvyd/s400/IMG_3678.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>Soft new socks, waiting for October when it'll be cool enough to need them.</i></div>
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The concept behind the mindless part of these socks is that you knit them cuff down, and when you get to the turquoise blue, that's when you know that it's time to start the heel. But I prefer knitting from the toe up, so I had to guesstimate how much yarn to pull off in order to have the heel color in the right spot. I did a pretty good job of that. But the stripes are so wide that I got bored slogging through them, and while the yarn was nice, I wouldn't use it again.<br />
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Let's play "can you spot the issue" with this pair: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyH5If2oow6tg0DzJej_kPvJ5QzNCTQMt8ZHbqn07W16CdCtEqqZqJV8WBdzvLRM0IweNKo-OaqYPdBYtjSp58njK_cRbruG-ypq6V1EHCsfZMQ0ZsgDG-IOUbTAeC7dN0CNKftR-LYuPM/s1600/IMG_3680.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyH5If2oow6tg0DzJej_kPvJ5QzNCTQMt8ZHbqn07W16CdCtEqqZqJV8WBdzvLRM0IweNKo-OaqYPdBYtjSp58njK_cRbruG-ypq6V1EHCsfZMQ0ZsgDG-IOUbTAeC7dN0CNKftR-LYuPM/s400/IMG_3680.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>Anything?</i></div>
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It's not a big deal, and it's one way to know that these are, indeed, hand knit - but I ran out of yarn doing the last few stitches of the bind off on the cuff. The good thing is that I used every last inch of this yarn - these are the second pair of socks that I squeezed out of a skein - but I had to find another color to finish them. I had some purple yarn on hand that worked, which is the little bit you can see on the top of each sock. What I should have done when I realized I was going to run out of yarn was undo the bind off and start it again with the purple, so the entire top edge would look like I meant to do that. But taking out a super stretchy bind off is hard and I didn't want to mess with that, hence the bonus color.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlAM3648LUQsRip2NH76c2Ks8ayL0A62oIstaTpJ713Ejqu1Z9K1Psd5-vfOlihJ0znASh0FFeMpA3ewc-9Zg4WuajcPDRa0lvQOGJLCuKURve0sIB_4AAgOdi9P8hJ2EiAAsAoRHBciM/s1600/IMG_3682.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlAM3648LUQsRip2NH76c2Ks8ayL0A62oIstaTpJ713Ejqu1Z9K1Psd5-vfOlihJ0znASh0FFeMpA3ewc-9Zg4WuajcPDRa0lvQOGJLCuKURve0sIB_4AAgOdi9P8hJ2EiAAsAoRHBciM/s400/IMG_3682.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>I named these Box of Crayons II. Yarn is from Must Stash, colorway is Kama Sutra. I love all of the colorways from Must Stash and if I had a million dollars I'd have them all. Alas, I do not, so when I do get my hands on a skein, I make it go far!</i></div>
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I surprised myself by knitting a shawl. I have not been the biggest fan of knitting shawls because they take so much time - you can get up to 300 stitches on your needles, doing a pattern, which takes a lot of concentration, before you begin decreasing, and you usually go down to two or three stitches. But I saw a pattern come up on Ravelry's new patterns page, it called for a heavy weight yarn, the most stitches you got up to was 58 before decreasing, it used only one skein of yarn, and it was free. So I figured I had nothing to lose, especially since I had some pretty yarn in my stash that I was dying to use.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCR6K6L0yENFQ9Q0fW3_IBlvnmudPc4puGJp-8ulHtkdTBHPzUhPgtnIlrjdQGMjq3vX40o_JI_4TW-y6fr23Q1IQGOfaPRKgexiX9LzAxh-z-tYWmdf9QkHX9_Sklh7zbAOdVLIbIt-K/s1600/IMG_3763.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCR6K6L0yENFQ9Q0fW3_IBlvnmudPc4puGJp-8ulHtkdTBHPzUhPgtnIlrjdQGMjq3vX40o_JI_4TW-y6fr23Q1IQGOfaPRKgexiX9LzAxh-z-tYWmdf9QkHX9_Sklh7zbAOdVLIbIt-K/s400/IMG_3763.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>Pattern is Ribbon Summer Shawl, yarn is Madtosh DK, colorway is A Clue Board From 1984. Model is Paco the Wonder Dog.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgky5EFDK-xsJn5wDn8-KQVv5CCQ8GOzRFQP-gCAtLJ-92W_zQSjZ0awZo6uUc68eMedyO6HAEAvofjZec0FcjXoQlrojB8KaV0jaigv4EBr9xrSaGAl_Fer947N5XjKFd1tCRx8P9jWw1m/s1600/IMG_3767.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgky5EFDK-xsJn5wDn8-KQVv5CCQ8GOzRFQP-gCAtLJ-92W_zQSjZ0awZo6uUc68eMedyO6HAEAvofjZec0FcjXoQlrojB8KaV0jaigv4EBr9xrSaGAl_Fer947N5XjKFd1tCRx8P9jWw1m/s400/IMG_3767.jpeg" width="317" /></a></div>
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<i>Modeled on a human. Some version of this is probably how I'll style it when I wear it.</i></div>
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OK, that was the finished shawl, but I had to show you the difference between blocking and unblocking - and for the non-knitters, unblocked is a project fresh off the needles, and blocked is after the project has had a nice bath with some wool soap, carefully wrung out, rolled in a towel and stepped on to remove even more moisture, and then stretched out to finish drying, pinned along the way with T-pins to keep it in place:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3fxYIXrD-6jFCZmYHaxOTbB4-PyLPRdcjwualfhXjFXjk5JdsAKCwtGFtzqobN9V8jXyBrj6TwHl8U2KsMF5n24f44gsEjQjJSxQ0uMRAn3x2YJpKgs4wtCU6xFmXLXLltG76ssJFoIX/s1600/IMG_3734.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3fxYIXrD-6jFCZmYHaxOTbB4-PyLPRdcjwualfhXjFXjk5JdsAKCwtGFtzqobN9V8jXyBrj6TwHl8U2KsMF5n24f44gsEjQjJSxQ0uMRAn3x2YJpKgs4wtCU6xFmXLXLltG76ssJFoIX/s400/IMG_3734.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Close up, unblocked. See how the longer loops are uneven?</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9S_SKroa0_1ebFJi77QxdiBmBRLzom9P8vOiqFK3SO-yY5BYrkcn3EKO-O0y-EMkMM3dOj7e5jcEpS9SW8W-IdrXatQTCeOg9SSdtJstmL93GyRjIFehEwgNtOX7hp2k6GaqkNTyCP9Cw/s1600/IMG_3737.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9S_SKroa0_1ebFJi77QxdiBmBRLzom9P8vOiqFK3SO-yY5BYrkcn3EKO-O0y-EMkMM3dOj7e5jcEpS9SW8W-IdrXatQTCeOg9SSdtJstmL93GyRjIFehEwgNtOX7hp2k6GaqkNTyCP9Cw/s400/IMG_3737.jpeg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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<i>Close up, blocked. Stitches are much more even, forgiving any tension differences that may have occurred, depending on how exciting the TV show I was watching at the time happened to be.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoAThyphenhyphen9Vx3DzKkR61zNGBGQ9zP3WEw0hbgZuoPZqZxyNDhTEf-jPtTKJTM3IM95hO-4ba9U7XMV0PscyqTfzwOJnr8OlIl1f1mmcvijZHj1tUKBkogIRGU02NQHyPjXEaTph3lKf-nFjc/s1600/IMG_3740.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoAThyphenhyphen9Vx3DzKkR61zNGBGQ9zP3WEw0hbgZuoPZqZxyNDhTEf-jPtTKJTM3IM95hO-4ba9U7XMV0PscyqTfzwOJnr8OlIl1f1mmcvijZHj1tUKBkogIRGU02NQHyPjXEaTph3lKf-nFjc/s400/IMG_3740.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>Because it was nearly dry and so airy, I blocked it on the guest bed. Plus my blocking mats were behind the suitcases in the closet and I didn't want to pull everything out to get to them.</i> </div>
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I am really happy with how this turned out! The variegated colors of the yarn show so beautifully, and the shawl is light and airy looking. While it's called a summer shawl, I cannot imagine wearing it during our hot Texas summers. That said, if I traveled somewhere that cools down in the evening, I would bring it along with me, just in case. Either way, it'll make a fun addition to my winter wardrobe - I'd wear it more as a scarf/cowl than a shawl, as that kinda screams old lady to me, which I am not. Or at least I don't think I am, haha.<br />
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Oh - I've already started another summer shawl. I liked it that much! Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-56963095834817220522020-04-24T05:00:00.000-05:002020-04-24T05:00:05.169-05:00FMM - Random as UsualThe last outing we had before we self-quarantined was our trip with Karen and Jimmymeow to Bobo's Nursery and the Leona General Store. I bought a few plants at Bobo's and they all are doing well, but this is the one I was a little hesitant about buying because it's mostly a shade plant and we don't have a lot of shade around our house. That said, it's alive and growing, woohoo! I took a couple pictures and texted them to Karen, saying how well Bobo <i>(yes I name some of my plants, doesn't everybody?)</i> was doing. She suggested a last name for Bobo, so I now present to you Bobo Corona:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThQSYF_JkedShQAptxRiMMEykqcbzTHmSFz5Wj-e7iqdkzX8JJs2EpYpuhL57XuOxHqJ1aWXN1rtEFY2_f5VeTZeU8Td0wdNWNkM6jNVVcR_9obNuQEkfxi5aBvwmI59UGiIsvD-547IT/s1600/Bobo+Corona.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThQSYF_JkedShQAptxRiMMEykqcbzTHmSFz5Wj-e7iqdkzX8JJs2EpYpuhL57XuOxHqJ1aWXN1rtEFY2_f5VeTZeU8Td0wdNWNkM6jNVVcR_9obNuQEkfxi5aBvwmI59UGiIsvD-547IT/s400/Bobo+Corona.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>Grow Bobo Corona, grow! It's draping over the little table. Side note, we need another little table because that was the one we set our drinks on.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmJqA3Tdsc4ep83srRsaLD1LlgITO9YeTTIy3H1_qhPqCEJuo5LBxK02tsckrlKPdq1p294HG_KlUZMuXVKWbaMq7yjZnE7BtAuDBUD45CGiS2tYvtoIOHp_M8UfXQqUJLBLNOJPwTPTm/s1600/IMG_3670.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmJqA3Tdsc4ep83srRsaLD1LlgITO9YeTTIy3H1_qhPqCEJuo5LBxK02tsckrlKPdq1p294HG_KlUZMuXVKWbaMq7yjZnE7BtAuDBUD45CGiS2tYvtoIOHp_M8UfXQqUJLBLNOJPwTPTm/s400/IMG_3670.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>The flowers are still so pretty.</i></div>
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Originally I had it on our front porch but I think that was a little too shady - Bobo Corona needed some sunlight. This area in our back yard is mostly shady but with just enough sun that it seems to be doing well there.<br />
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I like to use a weekly desk calendar because the size is nice for the small area where I put it. Back in December, I chose one because I loved the cover, but since it's open all the time I never get to see the cover. Well, with the pandemic and nothing happening in my life, I realized that I could keep it closed and enjoy the cover:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONV4IY0QcxTSZ0_0CQgyN5SlKBGi5HxnDfGU3ZLoMLRFpZoFlYoNFjiABlB33NHjTVpPV1isMPfo9FWmIHsIG4zYR8clB16eEP4XLg8keB3gywsVYRYpoXmCz9kQbBnj3blbEixzgxDIN/s1600/Day+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONV4IY0QcxTSZ0_0CQgyN5SlKBGi5HxnDfGU3ZLoMLRFpZoFlYoNFjiABlB33NHjTVpPV1isMPfo9FWmIHsIG4zYR8clB16eEP4XLg8keB3gywsVYRYpoXmCz9kQbBnj3blbEixzgxDIN/s400/Day+2.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>I love watercolor, and I love flowers, so this was an easy choice. Also unused are my makeup brushes, because why bother? At least they're clean for when I go back to wearing makeup again.</i></div>
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I bought several jigsaw puzzles for the duration. This one is very artsy but man is it hard! The pieces are small and so many of them look the same - I've worked on it for about a week, off and on, and I'm still not finished:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3wQmeG6vwBs4PiXH-XCQqXufKyV1k12prnRjvjoQs1gTjpC_swUQCjgrNP2Fs1cUKjx0KV3kOQczMJtOekmgwk33v9A_zJnM6ab24Bt9U8IVJ5L5KcPHW92P7oM2Di_AR9jTBKwV2L04/s1600/IMG_3696.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3wQmeG6vwBs4PiXH-XCQqXufKyV1k12prnRjvjoQs1gTjpC_swUQCjgrNP2Fs1cUKjx0KV3kOQczMJtOekmgwk33v9A_zJnM6ab24Bt9U8IVJ5L5KcPHW92P7oM2Di_AR9jTBKwV2L04/s320/IMG_3696.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>It's called Mother Earth, which is appropriate to be working on around Earth Day.</i></div>
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<i>We got our first masks, which were kindly made by one of Jeff's coworkers. Since you are supposed to wash them each time your wear them, I have an order of plain masks coming, plus some special Hawaiian masks that a childhood friend is making. I used to get excited about new clothes...now it's new masks. What a weird time we're living in.</i></div>
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Have a great weekend - be safe!<i> </i></div>
Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-82063241980528647022020-04-22T05:00:00.000-05:002020-04-22T05:00:02.219-05:00WWU - Cardio is HardioYou guys, going from no cardio to trying to run a little bit is killing me. My cardio is horrible and while it may be improving each time I run, it's in teeny-tiny increments that are barely noticeable. This is what happens when you don't get to work out for a year.<br />
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I'm permanently banned from doing any jumping activities thanks to my delicate back - OK I am calling it delicate but after what I went through with nerve pain from my herniated disc, it feels like I'm only one wrong move from another herniation. So I can't do things like jump rope or burpees <i>(yay to THAT),</i> and after tearing my calf muscle nearly two years ago doing mountain climbers, explosive movements like that are also out. Basically exercise, while good for you, is bad for me, haha.<br />
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My gym is doing online Zoom workouts but I can't get into them. I think because I wasn't going to the gym <i>(I was set to go back March 16 but we all know what happened to delay that), </i>I'm just not motivated to do anything without my group and coaches in person. Yes that's an excuse but it's where I am.<br />
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Thanks to all the walking we've been doing, my leg muscles are getting stronger, and I'm glad I had that base before I started running again. But dang, not being able to control my breathing during my running intervals makes it tough. After struggling through 30:30 intervals <i>(walk for 30 seconds, then run for 30 seconds)</i> for a week, I decided to try walking for one minute followed by running for 30 seconds for the first half of the mile run before switching to 30:30 intervals, just to give myself more lung recovery time. It has helped, but it's also hard to know that I can't get more running done without a longer break.<br />
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That said, I had my best run to date on Saturday - maybe because it was dark, maybe because I was finally somewhere different than my neighborhood, maybe because it was kinda cold - I don't know. But I ran my 30:30 intervals without feeling like I was dying halfway through, and even at the end I felt good. Now, it was about a minute slower than my previous runs but I'll take it - getting faster will be a little easier once I can, you know, actually RUN. <br />
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Random, but heartwarming: While walking our big neighborhood loop, we saw the UPS truck and waved to the driver. He said "aren't you Miss Shelley from the Arts Council?" I left that job nearly 10 years ago! I remembered him but of all the stops he makes, I thought it was really nice that he remembered me. And then a few days later while we were running, he drove past, beeped his horn, and stuck his hand out to wave - cool! <br />
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I haven't seen my fellow Renegades in what feels like forever, but one Saturday, we did a Zoom <i>(had a Zoom? I don't know how to phrase it)</i> video chat, which was fun. We also got to see all of the Renegade kids and babies, ahhh. Logan was eating his beloved pumpkin bread while Mason had a bagel, complete with a cream cheese face. They are so cute!</div>
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Welp, that's all the news that's fit to print...er, blog. Hopefully I'll be able to show some improvement with my running for my next Wednesday Workout Update!</div>
Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-90278675221224415702020-04-20T05:00:00.000-05:002020-04-20T05:00:11.316-05:00Sealing Granite<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFgzT_ab5E5MhNzCjq_f1p0i312w4U4Fugi-fdl9F8ZsxZIfTwKx-d4IJmyleQmqGa82RlO4VK2qsiZi4xt9CdPepsWwJg7Pvm9MM7kxyZ9Ci4-lMrsqBPAL2w8sLb6VfxhPub09sb1L9/s1600/IMG_3656.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFgzT_ab5E5MhNzCjq_f1p0i312w4U4Fugi-fdl9F8ZsxZIfTwKx-d4IJmyleQmqGa82RlO4VK2qsiZi4xt9CdPepsWwJg7Pvm9MM7kxyZ9Ci4-lMrsqBPAL2w8sLb6VfxhPub09sb1L9/s400/IMG_3656.jpeg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<i>This is the sealer I chose - it great reviews and was supposed to be odorless. I figured that was good enough since I really had no idea what to expect. For a chemical sealant, I have to say there was very little odor, so that was nice.</i></div>
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This isn't a home improvement blog - heck, I don't know what kind of blog it is anymore - but I was able to place an order with Home Depot for curbside pickup and I got some sealer, plus some daily cleaner for afterward. After reading the directions, I realized that this is going to take a while and will have to be done over the course of several days, as once it's sealed, you're supposed to wait to use the countertops for 24 hours.<br />
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I started small, with our coffee station. I cleaned the granite, let it dry, and then went to town with the sealer according to the directions on the bottle. This section turned out great:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveMg9NI4wDHq1G3tWzjZYc2jNpKtri6xrcu3Tt1yUFhLwQ6bm-07M68kGWzAafkPGtm8svU5SicVieqWqZSomn4azHk_cblAutf9nVPDiQVSMT8QzXv3cJ0mdCsI68a4UutEsvXbVH1m-/s1600/IMG_3659.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveMg9NI4wDHq1G3tWzjZYc2jNpKtri6xrcu3Tt1yUFhLwQ6bm-07M68kGWzAafkPGtm8svU5SicVieqWqZSomn4azHk_cblAutf9nVPDiQVSMT8QzXv3cJ0mdCsI68a4UutEsvXbVH1m-/s400/IMG_3659.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>I know you can't tell, but it looks wonderful.</i></div>
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According to the directions on the bottle, you are supposed to let it sit without placing anything on it for 24 hours, so I set up a temporary coffee station for this morning:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RAWT4MC-aN_ZXmmjTtxNmT9JagsPzJ9Zo5gAB3G8XQiB9R4CqxI3W078DG5QcY5k-hS6rEjvJbyRuqn0cWsciZYGSfcV0WdL6Xti0APkrFx_zd_C69mrY-ycB7kuy408pBX7djAlQEYm/s1600/IMG_3658.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RAWT4MC-aN_ZXmmjTtxNmT9JagsPzJ9Zo5gAB3G8XQiB9R4CqxI3W078DG5QcY5k-hS6rEjvJbyRuqn0cWsciZYGSfcV0WdL6Xti0APkrFx_zd_C69mrY-ycB7kuy408pBX7djAlQEYm/s400/IMG_3658.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>All of our coffee necessities. Behind the coffee stuff is everything from the counters from each side of the stove.</i></div>
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After my great success <i>(Borat voice, which I can never unhear regarding that phrase)</i> with the coffee station, I moved on to the counters on each side of the stove. I did exactly what I did the first go-round, and when it came time to do my final check, I was horrified to see streaks on the granite. I panicked for a minute, but in rereading the directions, sometimes several coats may be needed. I can only surmise that these counters get more use than the coffee station, which is pretty much a once a day thing. So I applied another coat and it did look better, but still streaky in a few spots. Several coats later, I think it's finally done. That was a bit of a heart stopper - I was worried that I'd ruined my beautiful countertops!<br />
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This afternoon will be 24 hours so I'll put everything back on that side of the kitchen. I'll have to strategically plan out the other side because we won't be able to use the sink for 24 hours...which will be trickier than normal considering we are here alllllll the time and pretty much fill up the dishwasher by end of day. We can go out for dinner - oh wait, we can't. We may be having sandwiches for lunch and dinner.<br />
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I'm glad I was able to get this project started - it has been a nice diversion from knitting and doing jigsaw puzzles. Fingers crossed the other side goes smoothly! Oh and in case you were wondering, I have to place an order for another bottle of sealer...I had no idea it would take as much as it does. Live and learn, I guess.Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-50636761270452861512020-04-17T05:00:00.000-05:002020-04-17T05:00:07.434-05:00FMM - A True MishMashI haven't done such a random post in a while. It's time, don't you think?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmUXyUSUKdzAPsTgj5PpCZPFuTudEBmy0jFcziKj6xkYKCBicX0YeM-Clp00tBU7hognnGSsTFeGAhuJ-urKbZ0BI_uwC43c_M_n1GHDBesmdpkT0KQl2Fe_NMly9oxN-1YFrEdGg-FXE/s1600/IMG_3423.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmUXyUSUKdzAPsTgj5PpCZPFuTudEBmy0jFcziKj6xkYKCBicX0YeM-Clp00tBU7hognnGSsTFeGAhuJ-urKbZ0BI_uwC43c_M_n1GHDBesmdpkT0KQl2Fe_NMly9oxN-1YFrEdGg-FXE/s400/IMG_3423.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>Day one of social distancing, self-quarantine, isolation - whatever you are calling it. I started taking pictures thinking it could be an interesting project to look back at, but tomorrow marks our fifth week of this and really, I'm over it. Although it's not over.</i><br />
<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-75Uwi6V-ygBE-9InsLW2t2cbG3rOmVi-DJtMUVafZY1tbMuiktjk6tidLraFHvL60MSj8L4X3VbvnTIsb5qBYY4jv-Yvsnbg3dqgu1TtsP63qGbVcxYeUnME8jkKVEuklSIDNqS5DgC/s1600/IMG_3643.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-75Uwi6V-ygBE-9InsLW2t2cbG3rOmVi-DJtMUVafZY1tbMuiktjk6tidLraFHvL60MSj8L4X3VbvnTIsb5qBYY4jv-Yvsnbg3dqgu1TtsP63qGbVcxYeUnME8jkKVEuklSIDNqS5DgC/s400/IMG_3643.jpeg" width="400" /></a> </i><br />
<i>Saw this online on Tuesday evening and it was especially ironic because I had just told Jeff I wanted to watch Survivor, which I record so I don't have to sit through commercials. He told me it was Tuesday. I did this last week, too. So I'm actually not even aware of Wednesdays, apparently. </i></div>
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<i>I love his little batman ears! This was a couple weeks ago - Paco wasn't feeling good, so I had the heated mattress pad on plus I covered him up. He didn't even want to get off the bed when I got up; that's when I decided to keep the curtains closed so he could keep sleeping. His tummy was upset thanks to having too much people food. We gave him some Tums, a little rice and chicken broth, and he was back to normal in a couple of days.</i></div>
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<i>Jeff unearthed this sheet of two dollar bills that we'd bought when we visited Washington DC back in 1997. We went on a tour of the Bureau of Engraving & Printing, which was really interesting. So much so that we paid $16 for $8 worth of two dollar bills, LOL.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgFW90pifzFrJACWSpwkJTeSxDtVDwCb3qTt8gO-tT6ViU0E-JoKT8ldNUvAT3kgI0cBIHhZ7xEjdrRECDJxYSg19Ok6sNn_OYcc55EWh-pewyjRMIBGaR5u4c-KvEBgO-4xOiMAv0Fyf/s1600/IMG_3593.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgFW90pifzFrJACWSpwkJTeSxDtVDwCb3qTt8gO-tT6ViU0E-JoKT8ldNUvAT3kgI0cBIHhZ7xEjdrRECDJxYSg19Ok6sNn_OYcc55EWh-pewyjRMIBGaR5u4c-KvEBgO-4xOiMAv0Fyf/s400/IMG_3593.jpeg" width="303" /></a></div>
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<i>Along with groceries, Blue Baker started selling homemade pizza kits. We bought one and made it. It was round when we got the dough stretched out (which was no small feat), but it kind of rolled when we transferred it to a hot cookie sheet and we ended up with a heart-shaped pizza. It still tasted good. We have much more appreciation for the bakers now - who knew getting a round pizza took such skill? We know now.</i></div>
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<i>Jeff helping me play Zelda. He gets really close to the TV when he's trying to figure out a hard challenge, which blocks half of my view. So helpful.</i></div>
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<i>At least it's not a kid, but I swear, all I see is Mom. Mommmm. MOM. Let me in. He's not good at staying outside for longer than a couple of minutes anymore.</i></div>
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<i>A knitten' kitten? OK he's not a kitten anymore but it was a cute picture - I put the sock between his paws and he snuggled with it. Awww, Henny-pie. He's mellowed with age. This month he turns 15!</i></div>
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<i>Picture taken before the quarantine. I had to document that Henry let someone who isn't Jeff or I pet him. Normally he sees a stranger and bolts, but he not only stayed around when Jimmymeow was here, he let allowed petting. I guess Jimmymeow lived up to his name!</i></div>
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Have a great weekend! Be safe, be well.Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-26527906599910696902020-04-15T05:00:00.000-05:002020-04-15T05:00:00.454-05:00WWU - Entertaining MyselfI've been walking so much that I earned a badge from Garmin - and you know how much I like my badges:<br />
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<i>So yeah. I am on FIRE!</i></div>
<br />
Because I'm uploading my stats to Garmin Connect so often, I've begun naming my walks more than just the standard "walk with Jeff" which goes to show you just how long I've been in quarantine; naming walks has become my entertainment. Hey, whatever gets you through, right? Anyway, some of my favorites have been, and they all begin with Coronavirus walk, just so you know <i>(and I don't have to repeat myself several times):</i><br />
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- post taquitos, pre ice cream <i>(quarantine freezer eating)</i><br />
- now with illegal garden/vegetable patches <i>(on unused public property)</i><br />
- firefighter edition <i>(something was going on behind an old storefront)</i><br />
- police edition <i>(something was going on at a house on our route; people were being interviewed by two cops but no one was wearing a mask and no one was doing the six feet distancing...why?)</i><br />
- Paco/no Paco <i>(took him for a walk but that was more of a stop and sniff everything so we brought him home after a little while and went for a longer walk)</i><br />
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Because I've had over a month of a lot of walking, and our weather turned very cold - 40s in April is pretty cold for south Texas, I decided to try running a little. I do a one mile warm up walk and then I've been running another mile at 30:30 intervals, which leaves me gasping. I tend to run too fast for the first 4 or 5 intervals and then can't breathe for the rest. My legs feel OK, but my cardio? Not so much. I just need to figure out how to slow my pace in the beginning so I can make it through to the end. It's very eye-opening to start running from scratch and if I end up feeling good enough to run a 5K, which is my goal for this year <i>(along with finding a race where I can earn a 5K medal with "2020" on it),</i> I'll keep up that distance, if only to not start over again.Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-25781881313686064632020-04-13T05:00:00.000-05:002020-04-13T05:00:10.389-05:00When This is Over, Part 2Let's talk projects. Being around the house so much, I keep finding things that I'd like to do but can't because I'm not going to stores for unnecessary items. Truth be told I'm not going inside stores at all - it's online ordering only for me. However, I do have a list that I keep adding to, for when life returns to normal. Or our new normal, whatever that may be.<br />
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There are some things that we could be doing, if we had the supplies. One thing is resealing our granite kitchen countertops. It's been about two years since we got them, and while they were sealed during the renovation and still, for the most part, have water bead up on them <i>(something I recently learned is the need for sealing test)</i> there are areas that could use some help, especially around the faucet. But we don't have any sealer, dang it. <br />
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Another thing we would like to do is to spray paint our mailbox black. Currently it's in a state of white and rust. It's in a stone structure that matches our house, except that now our front and garage doors are black, so when we repaint it, black will make it pop. Plus we've ordered a new address dealie from the same company <i>(Allied Medal Hangers)</i> who has made our medal hangers. They do custom orders and we thought it would be really cool - and yes we are shamelessly copying one that we saw during our walks up and down allllll the streets in our neighborhood. Only ours will be powder-coated black, which, again, will pop against the white stone. Plus it will be rust-proof. I can't wait for the signs to arrive - we're getting one for each side of the mailbox since people approach from both sides thanks to the grassy area in the middle of our street. But the project will be unfinished until we can paint the mailbox, dang it.<br />
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An easy project, if I had the materials, is to repot the plant I bought for our bedroom. It's doing great, but the pot it came in is small and it dries out really fast. I don't want to put it directly into the ceramic container because there's no drain hole, plus I'm paranoid about moisture getting onto our new dresser. All I need is the next size up plastic pot from a garden center, which I probably could get for a buck <i>(or even free).</i> Again, not going out means no bigger pot, dang it.<br />
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<i>It's doing so well and is even growing a little taller!</i></div>
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<i>There's plenty of room in the planter for a larger pot. I just need to get my hands on one.</i></div>
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Replace the pendant light in the kitchen with a can light:<br />
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<i>It's original to the house, which makes it 20 years old...and we still like it.</i></div>
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<i>We kept it during the renovation because we had plans to put our little cafe table back in the same spot. But after having the window unblocked by furniture for a few months, we ended up liking the open feel and ended up leaving it open.</i></div>
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While we are used to it being there, we really don't need a pendant light; plus it'll probably look better to have a can light, which are in the other part of the kitchen ceiling. It will be more cohesive, as the decorators would say. I looked online at lights but because our other lights are older, we will need to work at matching them, which means an in-person trip to the hardware store, and we all know that isn't happening at the moment.<br />
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I'm sure as this quarantine goes on, we'll discover more projects that we'd like to do. Funny thing, when we have the freedom to live life normally, we tend to put most projects off. But now, we're itching to get some things done. Have you guys experienced the same phenomenon? Let me know what you want to do when this is over...maybe I'll get even more ideas!Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-14644160272560143372020-04-10T05:00:00.000-05:002020-04-10T05:00:04.740-05:00In Which We Watch Even MORE Movies...And TV shows. <br />
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<b>Silicon Valley</b> <i>(HBO),</i> starring many guys you'll probably recognize but might have to look up on IMDb to place where you know them. I finished the final season of Silicon Valley, which I started watching
years ago because I grew up in Silicon Valley before it was Silicon
Valley. It's a weird show that made me cringe at time, but also laugh,
so I'd recommend it. Each season the businesses around the logo would change, depending on what was new. I'll never forget being in San Jose and driving by eBay - it was really odd to see it there instead of the normal stores. Progress, I guess.<br />
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<b>Schitt$ Creek</b> <i>(Netflix, Pop TV, Amazon Prime),</i> starring Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Daniel Levy, and others. I tried to watch this several years ago but couldn't get into it. Tried again now that it was on Netflix and loved it. So much so that I bought the final season on Amazon Prime because we don't have the Pop network, where it's currently running.<br />
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<b>Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker</b> <i>(Netflix),</i> starring Octavia Spencer, Garrett Morris, Blair Underwood, among many others. This was a random pick on a Tuesday and I didn't know what to expect. It's about a black woman who became a millionaire by making hair care products in the early 1900s. Her products are still sold today, at Sephora, which is pretty cool. Her story was so interesting and I was impressed not only at how hard she worked to become a success, but how generous she was with her philanthropy. It makes me grateful for all women who paved the way for today's currently successful women in business. I recommend watching it, especially if you have an afternoon to binge all fours episodes. <br />
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<b>Doctor Strange</b> <i>(On Demand),</i> starring Sherlock, aka Benedict Cumberbatch. We saw this a while back but neither of Jeff nor I could remember much of the plot line so we rented it. This goes along with wanting to watch movies that we could lose ourselves in for a couple of hours and forget the outside world. It was great and it set us up to watch some of the later Avengers movies <i>(again)</i> where Dr. Strange would appear.<br />
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<b>Run the Race</b> <i> (Amazon Prime),</i> starring mostly people I'd never heard of. A running movie? Of course we had to watch it. The story line stared out interesting enough to keep Jeff and I watching, but then it devolved into a preachy religious movie and we noped right out, as that is just not our jam.<br />
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<b>Avengers: Infinity War</b> <i>(Amazon Prime),</i> starring The Avengers, of course. In keeping with the theme of the movie, we watched it to wipe away what we'd just watched with Run the Race. It worked! And on my second viewing, I caught things I missed during the first one. It's still such a good one in the saga, even with everything that happened <i>(no spoilers here). </i>We watched the final movie in the series, End Game, a few days later. Never thought I'd like this type of movies, but I do...and enough to rewatch them.
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<b>Yesterday</b> <i>(HBO),</i> starring a very talented group of people I'd never heard of. You guys. This was such a good movie - fun, touching, and a bit of a tear-jerker at one point. I'm not going to give anything away, but if you are even just a little bit of a Beetles fan, you need to watch this movie.<br />
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<b>Bohemian Rhapsody</b> <i>(HBO),</i> starring Rami Malik, who won an Oscar for his performance. This the story of the band Queen, which was the music of my high school years. We had a mock radio station that would play music before the morning announcements and Queen songs were played quite often <i>(along with Pink Floyd's We Don't Need No Education, which always made everyone crack up).</i> Anyway, I loved this movie, loved seeing how the band began and how they came up with their innovative sound; if you are remotely familiar with Queen songs, this movie is for you. <br />
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<b>Fun with Dick and Jane</b> <i>(Hulu),</i> starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni. I saw the original movie in the theater back in 1977 when I was but a child (haha OK I was a freshman in high school...same thing, practically). The new movie held up - and that's saying a lot considering this film came out in 2005. It was funny, actually made us laugh out loud at some points, and it was a great diversion from the outside world.<br />
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We pretty much watch a movie each evening. It's a good distraction from the world, plus there's some family issues that are challenging in these times. Not coronavirus, thankfully, but it's not great, either. I'm thankful we have enough subscriptions to movie channels that we're still finding interesting things to watch. Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-80882644452316456842020-04-08T05:00:00.000-05:002020-04-08T05:00:07.168-05:00WWU - WHAT??It's been forever since I've had a Wednesday Workout Update because in all honesty, it's been forever since I've actually worked out. And while my gym has been on the ball with about a million live workouts plus on demand workouts, I just haven't been interested. I think part of it is due to me not having already been working out, part due to some oddly sore joints - elbow pain, anyone? - and of course, lack of motivation.<br />
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I started walking with Jeff a few weeks before the Coronavirus became so widespread in the United States, and I even tried throwing in a few bits of running during those walks. That went OK but boy howdy did I ever become aware of my lack of cardio. I'd already decided to just concentrate on walking to get my muscles used to doing something, when we started doing social distancing. Then our city declared a shelter-in-place mandate and closed our favorite place for walking, the scary statue park. I get the need for doing that, but sighhhhh.<br />
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So we did the next best thing, which was to start walking in our neighborhood. At first we walked our old running route, but I got bored with that so we started mixing it up. One morning we walked my original running route, which I did back before the new neighborhood was opened up next to ours. Up and down every street equals two miles. We encountered a homemade hand washing station on one street:<br />
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<i>At first I thought there was a bottle of hand sanitizer on the sink, but then I looked closer and saw a garden hose attached, which made sense considering there was also a drain hose. Kinda cool in these weird times.</i> </div>
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We also walked around the newest part of the new neighborhood, where there is still a large field. One morning a few college-aged boys were at their doorway, pointing at something in the field we were walking by. Turns out it was a feral pig! It was pretty far away from us but you better believe we kept an eye on it as we rounded the bend. I guess I would have found out just how fast I could run had it turned toward us, haha. <br />
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One morning we decided to own up to our Renegade-ness and went around the gates of the utility road that goes between the two neighborhoods. The gates are there to prevent vehicle traffic so we really weren't breaking any rules...I think. See for yourself:<br />
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<i>Something so easy to go around can't be illegal to walk on, right?</i></div>
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<i>Gross alert: an armadillo that had been picked clean by vultures. Jeff said it was mostly skeleton. This picture is the closest I got to looking at it; I blocked that side of my eyes with my hand as I quickly walked by.</i> </div>
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<i>At the other end, with another gate. It was a windy day, hence the hair.</i></div>
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We also walked the utility road across from this one, which is obviously more used based on how much cleaner the road was. The amount of locks on that gate was interesting:<br />
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<i>Jeff said it was a lock chain, so there didn't have to be a master key for one lock - each company that needed access only had to unlock their lock and they could drive in.</i></div>
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<i>A small patch of wildflowers - Indian paintbrush and bluebonnets. That was a pretty sight and definitely nicer than the dead armadillo.</i></div>
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<i>What a clever idea for a mailbox stand - and hey, small packages could go in the basket!</i></div>
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We continue to walk in our neighborhood most days, anywhere from two to two and a half miles. We have no set distance in mind, we just walk wherever looks interesting. And when we come upon another walker, we <i>(or they)</i> cross over the road to give each other the distance deemed appropriate to avoid spreading the virus. It's not the most exciting area to be walking but at least we are able to get outside; I hope that continues to be the case.<br />
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Hope you are all well and able to get some fresh air!Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-33811071838624954612020-04-06T05:00:00.001-05:002020-04-06T05:00:02.921-05:00Grocery Shopping During a PandemicI've been alternating between ordering groceries online from our local grocery store, HEB, and from Blue Baker, who is expanding their grocery offerings all the time. Drive-thru for BB, curbside delivery for HEB. Haha I just realized BB and HEB both end in B. YES I AM THAT BORED.<br />
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Anyway. Ordering groceries, especially in advance from HEB, is like playing a game of grocery roulette - you never know what you're going to get. Or maybe more like Forrest Gump with his box of chocolates. I put things on my list, hoping to get most of them. It really wasn't a problem when I started doing this last summer, when I couldn't get to the store because my back was so bad. I might have one or two items that were out of stock, but if I couldn't get one brand of pasta I could always get another. Now? No pasta. At all. Isn't that wild?<br />
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I probably could do better with getting things if I went into the stores, but I'm being overly-cautious. I don't want to mingle with people and I know that try as they might, it's impossible to keep a decent distance from others at the store. I've read that people are lining up outside of the grocery stores before they open, and it's like that old game show, Supermarket Sweep, except that instead of the meat bins, everyone makes a mad dash for the paper goods aisle. Toilet paper has become the new meat. <br />
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Back to chocolate. Of all the temporary closings of businesses, I was crushed most when <a href="https://www.sees.com/" target="_blank">See's Candies</a> announced that they had stopped production and online ordering. Candy, especially chocolate, is what's getting me through this! What's more, I'd sent each of my kadults a See's Easter basket several weeks ago, just to give them some sweetness during the early days of isolation. I'd planned on placing an order for us later on, but that turned out to be a no go. What that tells me is that I should never be without some backup See's Candies in my pantry. As Bob is my witness <i>(Rugrats),</i> I'll never go chocolate-less again!<br />
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We have plenty of food plus Jeff has tried his hand at making pasta once more. When he first got interested in doing it, he made several batches but then decided it was more effort than it was worth, so he concentrated on making his homemade sauces and we used store-bought pasta. Luckily we still have his special 00 pasta flour so he's set. Have I mentioned that Jeff is half Italian? Hence the need for pasta.<br />
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We are cooking so much more than ever; along with the craziness of the outside world, we're a little concerned about money so even though a lot of restaurants in town are doing curbside pickup and/or delivery, we're choosing to only order once in a great while, and that's from Blue Baker. We figure we can't keep every restaurant in business during this pandemic, but at least we can try with our favorite one, so BB it is. <br />
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How are you guys doing? Still good with TP? Pasta? CHOCOLATE?Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-51401301815629189722020-04-03T05:00:00.000-05:002020-04-03T05:00:01.895-05:00Your Votes - And Boredom is Setting InI had my opinion regarding the "which businesses will be slammed first" poll, and the majority of you guys were on the same page as me - hairdressers. Medical and gyms were next on the list. While several of you gave more than one answer, I chose the top or first one for my super unscientific poll. <br />
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Depending on when we get out of this, I may have some interesting-looking hair. I have mine highlighted and while there is some gray, there's also some dark hair. Who knows what I'll look like; at least it'll be longer, which is what I've been going for since January. I'd like more of a shoulder length style. I may exceed expectations, haha.<br />
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Speaking of when this is over, is anyone thinking we may be in isolation for at least another month? That's where my mind is going. Coronavirus still seems to be on its way toward peaking but not there yet, so all of the caution efforts are still greatly necessary. I don't have a problem with doing that because A) I don't want to get sick and/or die; and B) I don't want anyone else to, either.<br />
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That said, I'm getting bored. While our TV/movie watching is still happening, it's not something I can stand to do for hours at a time. Even knitting is beginning to be boring. I started another project - a shawl, which is something I rarely do because it's such a big thing - but even with that, I'm finding it difficult to do. Not because it's difficult, just that I'm bored.<br />
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I finally thought about doing a jigsaw puzzle but of course we'd donated all of our puzzles when we were cleaning the house for our renovation. So I went online looking to order some puzzles and hey guess who also had that idea? EVERYBODY. I finally found some that could be shipped in a decent timeline <i>(some wouldn't ship until mid-May and I hope to not be cooped up by then)</i> so maybe next week I'll have that to occupy my mind. My running buddy Julia suggested a paint by sticker book - it's like a paint by numbers only you use stickers. That looked pretty cool plus they were still in stock, and my order arrived on Wednesday:<br />
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<i>I started with the kid's version and will work my way up to the adult one.</i></div>
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<i>A school of fish! I need to work on putting the stickers closer together but not bad for my first try.</i></div>
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Along with the sticker art and puzzles, Jeff and I have been playing UpWords, which is a game we've had forever and one of the few games we kept during the renovation purge. I have a better vocabulary and can spell better than him but he's more of a strategist than me, so he keeps winning, dang it.<br />
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Have a great weekend - stay safe, stay well!Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-29247741913161559942020-04-01T05:00:00.001-05:002020-04-01T05:00:01.861-05:00Worst April Fool's EVERBack in my day ::tucks Kleenex into sleeve:: April Fool's day involved putting salt in the sugar dish or something equally benign. What the world has been going through for months now feels like some sort of horrible April Fool's joke gone terribly wrong. Even the funny memes about bad coworkers <i>(pets, usually)</i> and students/teachers <i>(suspending them for fighting, firing the teacher for drinking on the job)</i> have become stale. <br />
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Just when ennui was settling in, Blue Baker came to the rescue with online grocery shopping. Yes, our favorite restaurant has found a way to stay in business by not only offering delivery and drive-thru pickup of their standard menu, but since they are continuing to get food from their supplier, they've started offering groceries and paper goods for sale. Their online ordering menu for groceries gave me a good laugh when I read it, so I thought I'd share some of the gems with you:<br />
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<i>Craving a banana. Got a tenner? It's yours!</i></div>
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<i>How about a bag of ice? Sadly the rapper doesn't come with it.</i></div>
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<i>Rice. For when you want 2000 of something, LOL.</i></div>
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<i>Well if they're laid by Chicken Little herself, sign me up for some eggs!</i></div>
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<i>Punny.</i></div>
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<i>I don't care. They're your oats. Ha!</i></div>
<br />
And finally, BB to the rescue: <br />
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<i>This ain't yo' Mama's Charmin but when in need...</i></div>
<br />
I love that they have managed to pivot and not only keep their employees working, but are providing an alternative to traditional grocery shopping. We've purchased a pound of fresh asparagus, milk, their homemade bread, ice, and some bagels so far. We got to yell hello to our favorite employee, Patrick, from a safe distance of our car to the drive-thru window, which gave us a sense of normalcy in this world of uncertainty. And while we don't need TP yet because I'd stocked up right before my parents visited in February, it's nice to know we have options. In fact my neighbor drove by while I was sitting on the driveway watching Jeff clean out the garage; she rolled down her window and said she'd been on the hunt for TP with no luck. I told her about Blue Baker and she was so grateful - with all three of her kids back home, she was hitting desperate times.<br />
<br />
We can't wait to gather inside the restaurant with the rest of the Renegades and have breakfast and kibitz with each other, but in the meantime, we'll support BB as much as possible so they will be there when this awfulness is behind us.<br />
<br />
Hope you all remain well.Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-69104002665968134212020-03-30T05:00:00.001-05:002020-03-30T05:00:13.145-05:00When This Is Over...What do you think will be the first type of business to be slammed?<br />
<br />
Here's where I'd embed a poll, but we all know that kind of technology is way beyond my capabilities, so I'll just list a few things that I've thought of, and you can choose one and vote in the comments, or write in your vote.<br />
<ul>
<li>Airlines</li>
<li>Dog groomers</li>
<li>Gyms </li>
<li>Hairdressers</li>
<li>Movie theaters </li>
<li>Nail salons</li>
<li>Repair people</li>
<li>Restaurants</li>
<li>Theme parks</li>
</ul>
So as to not sway you, I'll withhold stating my personal opinion right now but I'll tally your responses and post everything on Friday, including my oh-so-important opinion. <br />
<br />
Let's hear it, peeps!Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-60604650326254075432020-03-27T05:00:00.000-05:002020-03-27T05:00:00.332-05:00FMM - AMA Answers!<b>Paula:</b> Do you think running caused the issue with your back? I
didn’t start running until I was 51 & in 2 weeks I will be 57 and
worry. My bones aren’t that great. <i>Honestly, I think the most damage was done with my workouts - jumping, burpees, explosive movements, etc. I'm not a "bouncy" runner which is why I don't put most of the onus on running, although that was the straw that broke the camel's...er, MY back. My PT thinks I'll be OK with running again, with low mileage. If I can get to running a 5K by the end of the year I'll consider it a success. P.S. I'll be 57 in about three months - yay 1963 babies!</i><br />
<br />
<b>Kim:</b> What is your ranking of Harry Potter books and movies, and
are they the same or different? <i>Even though it's the most childish, the first book is my favorite because it's the one that drew me into the saga. I read the books in order as they were released - after my kids were finished with them, of course. Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix was perhaps my least favorite but overall it had some plotlines that carried over into the next few books so I can't fault it very much. I think it goes the same for that movie, but again, I liked all of the books/movies so I can't complain about any of them, really. I'm so glad you are finally reading them and watching the movies!</i><br />
<br />
<b>Barbara:</b> Have you entered the Land of Instapot? <i>We did, about a year ago. Mostly used it for "baking" potatoes and making hard boiled eggs, plus the occasional shredded meat or soup-type of thing. Thanks for the reminder - we should get it out from the cupboard and start using it again!</i><br />
<br />
<b>Kim:</b> Do you have any daily routines? I’m finding myself floundering a big without a routine. <i>Oddly, I am not foundering now that I've been stuck at home. I had many years worth of routines, such as laundry (bedding, towels, clothes) on Mondays, vacuuming first thing (well, after coffee), blog reading/commenting while drinking coffee (I think we can see that coffee fits into a lot of my routine, LOL), etc. When I restarted working in January, that all went to hell. So I think that whatever you are used to doing becomes really challenging when there is a huge change. I suspect you and I are opposite in dealing with what has happened over the last couple of weeks.</i> <br />
<br />
<b>Meranda:</b> Any tips on potty training a puppy?<i> Not really - the last true puppy we had was our beloved dachshund, Jackie, who we got when she was about six weeks old. I remember thinking it was like having a toddler; not only did we take her out to potty regularly (kind of like asking a toddler if they needed to potty), but she slept upstairs with us and whenever she made a sound like she had to go, I'd take her downstairs to the backyard. It was a lot of work and I was tired - much like any parent of small children - but she seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly. Other than that, I've read that hanging a bell on the back door, where your puppy can reach it with their paw or nose, and teaching them to ring it when they want to go outside is a good idea. Hope it goes well for you and your new puppies!</i><br />
<br />
<b>Helen:</b> If you could live anywhere you want in retirement, where would you live?<i> I think you asked this question the last time I did an AMA, LOL...we know where your brain is! While my ideal answer is the same, Maui, I'd also be up to moving to North Carolina if we ever get a grandchild. No pressure on my son...but wouldn't that be fun?? And I guess since Jeff is in semi-retirement now, by default, it's Texas.</i><br />
<br />
Thanks to everyone who participated - this was fun!Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-28625017085612060242020-03-25T05:00:00.000-05:002020-03-25T05:00:01.700-05:00Because of Social Isolation...I haven't worn a bra in days. Except when we go for a walk; I'm suited up to face anyone for that <i>(from six feet away, of course).</i><br />
<br />
We were hungry and decided to cook dinner. Looked at the clock and saw that it was only 4:30 pm. Cooked it anyway.<br />
<br />
I don't know what day it is because it doesn't matter except for trash day, which is on my calendar.<br />
<br />
My phone alarms are set for weirdly random things:<br />
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<i>Medication alerts, of course, but curbside grocery pickup, setting out cooler on porch for meal delivery, and setting out DVR for UPS pickup (and yes, I paid for UPS pickup because I didn't want to walk into the UPS store. Paranoid? Maybe, but why take a chance?) Waking up to go to work? Nah. Alarm set for going back to my group workout, which I was going to start beginning March 16? Nope.</i></div>
<br />
My house is c-l-e-a-n. Really clean. Ready for visitors clean. Except...no visitors.<br />
<br />
I kinda blame Jeff for this one, but we ran out of dry cat food Sunday morning. The feeder is in his office on a table since Paco would gladly help himself to it if he could reach it. Henry can have it anytime he wants, plus we feed him some canned wet food morning and evening. I was close to asking my neighbor if I could borrow a cup of cat food but luckily my online order was delivered on Monday so all is right in Henry's world once more. <br />
<br />
I'm knitting a lot. That goes along with all of the movie watching, natch. I'm trying to complete some projects that were in hibernation thanks to my medication-addled brain; this also involves fixing several heels on socks, which isn't fun. But I've thrown in a fresh pair of socks and a hat to break up that yuckiness, and depending on how long this lasts, I may be ready to open up a limited-edition shop one of these days. Quaran-hats has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Or is there a better name? Emmaclaire, you always come up with clever names, what do you say?<br />
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Socks:<br />
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<i>This is the new sock - I did a toe! And a foot! And a heel! You have no idea how happy I am right now - I haven't been able to knit anything complicated (like the toe and heel) for about nine months. This is big!</i></div>
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<i>Heels! These socks, which I'm knitting at the same time, doing a few stripes on one before doing a few on the other, have been languishing since July, but I finally got heels on them. I think they might actually get finished before this coming July!</i></div>
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<i>Another heel! The mate to this sock has been finished for well over a year now; the combination of the wide stripes, which aren't my favorite, plus that whole nerve pain/seizure/concussion issue made it easy to ignore them. Just a few more inches and then I'll have a new pair of socks, woohoo!</i> </div>
<br />
Hat:<br />
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<i>From one of my TJ Maxx kits - not entirely sure about the pom pom, but I love the swirly design from the pattern. To clarify, I like the colored pom pom, but it seems a little dense. Luckily I have plenty of yarn on hand if I decide to switch it out.</i></div>
<br />
While I'm ready for this to be over, I'm grateful that I have a hobby to keep me busy for the duration. And luckily I also have a lot of yarn so I can knit to my heart's content. What's keeping you busy during this abnormal time?Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-88853699675726667822020-03-23T05:00:00.000-05:002020-03-23T05:00:01.511-05:00In Which We Watch Some MoviesSocial isolation, self-quarantine - whatever you are calling it, comes with at least one benefit for Jeff and I - we are watching more movies than usual, so I thought I'd give you a rundown on what we've seen recently. We are trying to avoid anything too dark because let's face it, what's happening is dark enough right now, so for the most part we've focused on the lighter movies. If you have any recommendations, please comment - it looks like we're going to be in this isolation for a while longer, so the movie watching will continue. <br />
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<b>Swimming with Men</b> <i>(Hulu),</i> starring the guy from Sherlock and the guy from Downton Abbey - Rupert Graves <i>(Lestrade),</i> and Jim Carter <i>(Carson).</i> This was a random pick one evening as I was scrolling through the movie choices on Hulu; I'm so glad we watched it as it had a great story all the way through. It's based on a documentary of the Swedish men's synchronized swim team, only this team is British. Watch it!<br />
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<b>The Avengers</b> <i>(Amazon Prime),</i> starring everyone. Yes we've seen it before but not in a while and we'd both forgotten a lot of what happens in this movie. It ended up being such a good choice because for a couple of hours we forgot about the woes of the world.<br />
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<b>Thor</b> <i>(Amazon Prime),</i> starring my handsome future third husband, Chris Hemsworth. Even though his hair isn't as Thor-like gorgeous as it is in the later Avengers movies, it's still a good one and explains the back story on Thor and Loki, which again, I'd forgotten. Well some of it. I try to retain all things Thor, LOL. Of course I recommend watching it, it's THOR!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirn16vMxZQmbDmxxzhlNTszDtmMah235JeL8B1t3O_ih341b3lVEXDSjgji7Ppd8GkOVuEB7TyeZHpfJpdGakTOMlsywXqnHEmQ7b1uWlJhGRZ69RG6Er0oEP1Y087JYkkrjOlnXxeWVii/s1600/Honey+Boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirn16vMxZQmbDmxxzhlNTszDtmMah235JeL8B1t3O_ih341b3lVEXDSjgji7Ppd8GkOVuEB7TyeZHpfJpdGakTOMlsywXqnHEmQ7b1uWlJhGRZ69RG6Er0oEP1Y087JYkkrjOlnXxeWVii/s320/Honey+Boy.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<b>Honey Boy</b> <i>(Amazon Prime),</i> starring Shia LeBouf. I don't want to
give away the plot twist, but it's about a child actor. It's more of a
serious movie; I enjoyed it. Jeff was just OK with it but more because
of the subject matter than the movie itself. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlqIpkTuHEqodcipGsEq3mb812nxFB746Bl52fSbaJkeYYV9PFby0NVp47x_InjHweMDd6eXn3LLGky-PkQN-5Js2KXIgPnVX1G3bIMYRVZI8MEdohyMRFg31Zc9vJ67GM75h4nFCCq7S/s1600/jojo_rabbit.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlqIpkTuHEqodcipGsEq3mb812nxFB746Bl52fSbaJkeYYV9PFby0NVp47x_InjHweMDd6eXn3LLGky-PkQN-5Js2KXIgPnVX1G3bIMYRVZI8MEdohyMRFg31Zc9vJ67GM75h4nFCCq7S/s320/jojo_rabbit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Jojo Rabbit</b> <i>(On Demand),</i> starring Taika Waititi as Hitler. Weird premise but it works; it's at times funny and charming and sweet and heartbreaking and sad and a tiny bit hopeful. We wanted to see it when it was out in theaters and it was worth the rental. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxXg9EDAGaEqEJhiRHujrFfZnnApNCL-SUdA72eWYLmos07-UUZzPOlC91a0rp2yG24ZRXZ0m_VANObsQqxU-ohvjA94wihvWq_nyUGUpYCLcL7khekC8Yrzv_Hp0DnKiccLUKmssdeMG/s1600/ima+pepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxXg9EDAGaEqEJhiRHujrFfZnnApNCL-SUdA72eWYLmos07-UUZzPOlC91a0rp2yG24ZRXZ0m_VANObsQqxU-ohvjA94wihvWq_nyUGUpYCLcL7khekC8Yrzv_Hp0DnKiccLUKmssdeMG/s400/ima+pepper.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Bottled Up: The Battle Over Dublin Dr Pepper</b> <i>(Amazon Prime),</i> starring real life people. We were interested in this documentary because it's about a small Texas company battling with a huge corporate conglomerate. I'm not a Dr Pepper person but even I knew about the appeal of Dublin Dr Pepper. The issue between the two Dr Peppers was that the original recipe had cane sugar in it, and at some point after the formula was sold to Dr Pepper/Snapple, they changed to using high fructose corn syrup. However, the Dublin plant was still bottling the original Dr Pepper with cane sugar. They had a small six-county distribution area but people came from all over to pick up cases of their drink, and eventually corporate Dr Pepper sued them and they had to stop making it. One thing I've realized after living in Texas for 20+ years is that Texans are fiercely loyal, and this did not sit well with not only Dublinites, but many Texans throughout the state. I believe that while Big Red and Dr Pepper are the "official" drinks of Texas, there are those who refuse to drink Dr Pepper anymore. It was an interesting documentary and really cool to see the history of Dr Pepper, but a little sad to see how the original Dr Pepper ended. Side note: all along I could have sworn that Dublin Dr Pepper had been revived and was still in stores, but apparently not.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpBORYbTsIlrGJ0mjT0aHvG6_0tJ_tPrsKgZCb2NgMahxuqqiFBXD6JKkIgTRNBYq8P1CUi6XGiQHd_H_vsWaj7vqM14N7tdAG13pe8ZABKZJpQbO6RgCyuFBbpws76k2paA88bwIxdKa/s1600/swell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpBORYbTsIlrGJ0mjT0aHvG6_0tJ_tPrsKgZCb2NgMahxuqqiFBXD6JKkIgTRNBYq8P1CUi6XGiQHd_H_vsWaj7vqM14N7tdAG13pe8ZABKZJpQbO6RgCyuFBbpws76k2paA88bwIxdKa/s320/swell.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<b>Swell</b> <i>(Amazon Prime),</i> starring the guy from LA Law - Corbin Bernsen <i>(Arnie Becker).</i> I'll admit that this movie caught my eye because it looked like it was filmed on the beaches of northern California, which I am quite familiar with. Turns out the opening scene was filmed on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz - it was so nice to see one of my favorite places in California! I was there in January and walked the same area where the surfer girl in the movie was...oh man, did it ever make me miss Santa Cruz! The movie was about a young woman's search for her younger brother, and it involved driving up Highway 101 to Oregon. That part was lovely to see; she even stopped at <a href="https://www.treesofmystery.net/" target="_blank">Trees of Mystery</a>, which is random but sentimental because that's where Jeff and I went the day after we got engaged. There's a giant Paul Bunyan statue there, along with Babe the blue ox. So that was cool. But the movie was a little too dramatic for what I was looking for, and along the way she connected with dinosaur boy who had the most loud, grating voice - I nearly turned off the movie but the scenery kept me going. Instead, I turned the volume down low. Unless you are really wanting to see some beautiful parts of the California/Oregon coasts, I wouldn't recommend this movie.<br />
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Up next, Yesterday and probably Avengers: Infinity War. Any other suggestions?Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-78711560828469548672020-03-20T05:00:00.000-05:002020-03-20T05:00:07.488-05:00FMM - Ammendment to Wednesday's Post, Plus Ask Me (almost) Anything!I mentioned on <a href="https://www.myjourneytofit.com/2020/03/a-post-about-nothing.html" target="_blank">Wednesday's post</a> that Jeff and I planned on deep cleaning one room a day during our self-isolation, but after we moved furniture, dusted, vacuumed, wiped down the baseboards, and mopped the floor in the the family room, we were beat and ended up taking a nap on our now-cleaner couches...we quickly decided that we'll be cleaning one room every other day. I used muscles that haven't seen the light of day in a long time and even Jeff, who's been running consistently, was a little sore; so we took Thursday off from cleaning. Here's our nice clean family room: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwEHVJgx9gFLoK67nWCLxYs8CN5ohHv1UuBQhoNwD_pB24Ha5CTuG8J5g7vnCteo5k_04wUOt4Zhh57o4bzB2SA-N41_FtKFT1OoLPAbBDfqoEq3Rn_A1gBxlAWXuNoLXNZ-pfmoSe9QD/s1600/IMG_3447.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwEHVJgx9gFLoK67nWCLxYs8CN5ohHv1UuBQhoNwD_pB24Ha5CTuG8J5g7vnCteo5k_04wUOt4Zhh57o4bzB2SA-N41_FtKFT1OoLPAbBDfqoEq3Rn_A1gBxlAWXuNoLXNZ-pfmoSe9QD/s400/IMG_3447.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>I know it looks the same but trust me, it's CLEAN. Also, bonus Henry in this shot.</i></div>
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<i>Taken the morning after we cleaned. One of the scourges of my existence - dumb bugs that fly in to die. We call these mosquito-eaters - is that what you guys call them?</i></div>
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<i>My continual entertainment - rearranging the shelves on the sides of the fireplace.</i></div>
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<i>Over the course of our move here, nearly 21 years ago, and when we packed up for the renovation, two years ago, we donated a lot of books. I regret that now, as I like to use them for height with decorating...hence the knitting books in this shot.</i></div>
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Today I think we'll tackle the kitchen, which isn't bad, but the little dust collectors on the cabinet doors need to be wiped down, plus there's general deep cleaning to be done:<br />
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<i>I blame most of the lower cabinet's dust on the two low-lying animals living in our house.</i></div>
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And now, the second part of this post - it's another Ask Me (almost) Anything! I think these are always fun, so either ask away in the comments below, or if you don't comment, you can email me at 40somethingsjourney@gmail.com with your question and I'll answer it in my post next week.</div>
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Have a great weekend in isolation!</div>
Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3067665701316634699.post-30150109763373003202020-03-18T05:00:00.000-05:002020-03-18T05:00:05.099-05:00A Post About NothingI don't have a lot to write about - but when did that ever stop me? However, I can see by my stats that I have a ton more visitors reading here and I know how boring it is to not be able to do your normal activities, so for now I'm going to keep blogging away for your entertainment - aren't you the lucky ducks? LOL. <br />
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So, Jeff is officially working from home now. His workplace closed yesterday at end of day, which meant he spent all day there helping with getting everything set up for that. Which also means that our social distancing has been extended - two weeks for him and if he gets sick, another two weeks from that point for me. Ugh. He also set up his work office on one end of our dining table...why??? He has a home office but he says he "needs the space" ::whispers:: what the actual hell does that mean? <br />
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I'm also home from work, but not working. The physical therapy clinic is open <i>(for now)</i> but with patients canceling right and left, it's not feasible for Amanda to pay me to help out from home. I can log into the system from here but there's not much to do at this point anyway. <br />
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The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in our town was announced yesterday - it was only a matter of time and available test kits before that happened. I wouldn't be surprised if more official cases were announced; plus you know there are people who have it who haven't been tested, so it's best to stay home.<br />
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Also, why did COVID-19 become Coronavirus? Do we always need a catchy name for things? Side note: we checked the beer case when we were at the grocery store last week and there was plenty of Corona beer in it. I joked that Jeff should buy a six-pack but holy hell, it was $10 - is that normal?? I don't drink and he rarely does so buying alcohol is not something that happens very often around here. Needless to say the Corona beer stayed at the store.<br />
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Side note #2: I regret going to the store last Thursday night. Us and eleventy-billion other people in close contact can't be good. No more of that - it'll be curbside delivery when we run out of milk and ice cream. <br />
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As for being home, Jeff and I have decided to work on cleaning one room a day - doing a deeper clean than usual. By the end of this, our house should be Molly Maid clean...for free! We also have plans to go for a walk in the late afternoon, possibly at the scary statue park if there's not too many other people out there as well. It's a hugely popular place for Pokemon so who knows, that may be where everyone is hanging out. One way or another, we'll be getting some exercise and fresh air.<br />
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Hope you all are well!Shelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05890227462052573887noreply@blogger.com14