How Does Your Garden Grow?

New month

new garden flag

Anne from Anne's Creative Cornucopia had sent me some Fern Leaf Bleeding Heart seeds last year. I planted them as the seeds have to Winter over. I've been looking to see if they are coming up, but all that I see are some blades of grass and crocus. I'm hoping it's still a little too early for them to make an appearance and that my Thumb of Plant Death didn't curse them the way it did last year.

Through the dirty kitchen window, a brilliant, red Cardinal and a Robin.

Almost daffodils

A sprinkling of crocus on the hill

The daffodils starting to bloom

How does your garden grow?

Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

Cats and Dominoes

The Friday Five Good Things

 Five good things that happened this week.

1. A little late but we celebrated the Boston Red Sox Opening Season with hot dogs, brown bread, and baked beans

2. Sad to hear of the passing of Richard Chamberlain. I called in sick to Filene's (department store) so I could watch the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of Hamlet 11/17/1970

3. I signed up for a Zentangle class. I thought Nan might be interested, and she signed up, too

4. I assembled tools needed for class and ordered a few things I did not have

5. For a treat I had some baklava. Not as good as Ma made, but sweet nostalgia

How was your week?

TBT Reprints from CJ's Whine and Cheeze

  In 2003, Ma had a stroke. Dad was her full time caregiver until he he had a car accident that totaled the car. So in 2006, I became their chauffeur among other jobs.

At the time, to deal with the stress of running two households and working, I kept a blog entitled CJ's Whine and Cheeze. Egged on by some friends who enjoyed the first read through, you'll see your part when it comes by.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Magic 8 Ball

I had the opportunity to teach a children's workshop during February vacation week. The Weebles had a doctor's appointment scheduled for that week, and I called them to make sure there were no other appointments scheduled for the day I was given for the workshop.

Dad couldn't find his appointment book. While he tore the house apart, Ma talked to me.

"I thought you would show up today. I need you."

"No, not today, I told you maybe Friday, and that depends on what time the guy who pumps the septic system shows up. What do you need?" I'm thinking 24 more cans of beets to keep the 24 cans she has company.

"I ran out of my prescription."

"Today?"

"No, Saturday." I sighed heavily and looked to the heavens. I could hear Dad in the background speaking in tongues, and I had the urge to utter a few phrases. "Why didn't you call over the weekend?"

"I thought you would show up."

Third base! I debate about telling her I haven't perfected the art of mind reading yet, but I'm close. "I can ask Himself to swing by the pharmacy and get the pills for you."

"No, I have to take the paper to the pharmacy to have it filled. Your father can't find his appointment book, and the paper was in his book." She proceeded to tell me how Dad wouldn't be able to find his....um....head without a mirror and a flashlight.

So, looks like an emergency shuttle run on Friday, if the septic guy shows up early. Hopefully, Dad will have found his appointment book by then. My Magic 8 ball says: Don't count on it.

Doodling for Stress Reduction

 

On Mondays via Zoom, I participate in a class where we spend  a half an hour doodling our stress away.  

I missed class last week so I used the Happy, Little, Time Waster of How to Doodle 1 Flower 10 Different Ways. I colored the flowers in using Tombow Dual Markers

T Stands For 2OLOTR: Two Old Ladies on the Road - Rolling Home

Our last morning. While Teague was having her cup of tea, I decided I'd try to go for a walk along the Marginal Way, the ocean cliff walk that winds it's way from Ogunquit a mile and a half East to the village of Perkins Cove. Though the weather was still very cold, the wind had died down. 

Across the lawn there were gaps in the hedges with a chain link fence and gates to get on the Marginal Way.

Where I looked the path was still covered with snow and ice

Maybe it would be better on the other side of the lobster trap tree.

Nope. There were a couple of intrepid individuals with rugged hiking boots. Though I was wearing ankle boots, they were made for city walking and not rugged terrain. One woman told me that around the bend from this photo, it was clear. But she neglected to mention you had to walk up an icy hill. At my age, snow and ice are just a broken hip waiting to happen. 

I would have to be content taking pictures from the Beachmere lawn over the fence

and hoping when the weather was warmer, we'd be able to make another trip to Ogunquit.

Since "The Season" hadn't started, not a lot of restaurants were open. We decided to have breakfast in the Beachmere's Restaurant. I was too busy being in the moment with Teague so I didn't take a picture of breakfast. This is the breakfast I had on Friday. Sunday breakfast I had scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns. I had a cup of tea served in the dark, blue mug just like Friday's breakfast

After breakfast and checking out, we headed to Ogunquit Beach to say good-bye. 

There were a few people on the beach, but I felt like I had the beach to myself

A seagull yelling: Are you looking at me?

The brutal winds and tide created patterns in the sand

A couple was celebrating their First Wedding Anniversary.

We left the beach and headed South to stop at Nubble Light. Every time we are in the area on the way or back, we stop at the lighthouse. The view never gets old. At least this time we could see the lighthouse. The day we arrived, the lighthouse was fogged in.

As we were getting ready to leave, I noticed a couple and they were blowing bubbles.  As I got closer, they looked like they were packing up. I asked if they could blow a few more bubbles

and

they kindly obliged.

I enhanced the bubble using a stamp of a glass marble in Paint Shop Pro so the bubbles can be seen.

I thanked the couple for indulging me. The woman said I would remember the Nubble Bubbles.

So the first runaway trip of the year in the books. Hopefully, another trip when the weather is a lot warmer.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Monet and Me

 

On Friday, I mentioned I had a gadget that helps with Hot and Cold Flash Relief.  The device is Embr Wave 2 First a disclaimer, I'm not a paid spokesperson for the company and I receive no percs for discounts for the product or its accessories.

Monet is modelling the device.  It also comes with a charger with a USB you can use in a plug or laptop. I've never charged off my laptop. The device is not cheap, but I think it's worth every dime. 

There also seems to be an option to rent the device for $20 per month. 

I have had the device, the first iteration of the device since 2019. In 2022, my Embr Wave would no longer hold a charge so I bought the Embr Wave 2 as I couldn't live without it. My only disappointment was the device wasn't available in Silver as the Embr Wave was. Embr Wave 2 comes in Rose Gold or Black. I thought the black looked too conspicuous so went with the Rose Gold even though my favorite color is Not Pink. 

From the website, How It Works:

Wear Embr Wave on the inside of your wrist. Embr Wave generates cool or warm sensations by moving heat away from, or toward, your skin in waves.

Press to cool down. Press to warm up. Precisely calibrated cooling or warming waves stimulate temperature-sensitive nerves on the inside of your wrist.

Feel relief throughout your whole body. The thermal stimulus triggers a natural mind-body comfort response that helps bring relief for sleep, hot flashes, stress, & more.

There's a phone app that allows customization of the Cool Down or Warm Up Buttons. Plus there are lots of other settings to choose from. Time for the sensation ranges from 1 minute to 8 hours. 

I'm not sure my cold flashes are entirely age related as I also have Reynaud's Syndrome  Hot flashes during the day and night have gotten worse since I began taking Tamoxifen to treat and prevent breast cancer from coming back. This little device has been a godsend.

Last week after an iOS update, the Embr Wave 2 would not connect to the Wi-Fi. It took a bit of searching to troubleshoot the problem, but the what to do worked.