TGIF! No small talk, let’s get right to sharing five random things about our week:

1. We just learned of a fire on the mountain highway coming down into our town. It’s a 100+ degrees here so it’s not good news. It’s close enough that we’re not worried (about ourselves, we are worried about the people and animals in its path) but we’re on alert. We see a lot of air support on the fire, so that’s hopeful — sometimes they can knock it down pretty fast. And I have a friend in Canada evacuating a huge fire there — I hate fires.
2.  The week has been mostly quiet and hot. Somewhat boring, but only because the heat limits our options.
3. Maggie is having bladder issues as in very small accidents. She gets very upset about it, but she doesn’t seem unwell. All that said, she has a vet appointment August 5th, and I’ll ask them to do an ultrasound. They’ll either do it then and make another appointment. It’s really just a precaution that I’m more than happy to pay for. I think it’s just a poor spa job (before we had her) and age, but she hides pain so I’d rather be overcautious.
4. The baby shower for my daughter-in-law is August 3rd and its really nice to have that to think about and look forward too. The baby should be here very late August and maybe early September. Those are great distractions from dealing with getting into UCI. I think we’re making progress, but I have an appointment with my primary doctor late next week in case I need more help. On the upside, I’ve been polishing up my phone and nagging skills, bwahahaha! It’s been a long week.
5. Tomorrow we’re going to an auto museum and winery place with Youngest and his wife. It’ll be fun to spend time with them! Wizard and I both need a day out, or at least a couple hours as it may be too hot for us to stay longer than that.

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

TGIF!!! Who is the wise witch making the weeks go faster lately? Or is that just me??? Anyhow, it’s time to share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

1.  Monday I got my mammogram done. Um, it was the same as it usually was — the procedure is tolerable and quick. I had a harder time tolerating a lady in the waiting room being annoyed at everything and hassling the staff because — obviously — she had more important things to do that the rest of us did.
2. This week was a first at the grocery store — Wizard and I were both stunned at how low our total bill was. Like…we were confused, LOL. I mean we knew it’d be a light week but are we even eating??? Oh wait, the scale says we are Anyway, those kinds of shocks are few and far between.
3. Then I went to Trader Joes “for fun” and $75.00 dollars later….it all made sense, LOL. I filled in some things like fruit, good parmesan cheese, baking vanilla and various other items. None of that really adds up to $75.00 though…until I added in two bottles of wine (see #4 for why the wine). So why do I think Traders is fun? Because it’s not a required task, and most of what I get is stuff I want, or ingredients to cook or bake something fun and basically use a little creativity.
4. Okay, so I’m still working on getting into UCI. I *think* I’m making progress, but man it’s been hassle. I’ve been making endless calls trying to get my referral faxed from one entity to another and finally realized my mistake. I was expecting people to do their job! Silly of me, right? So I drove across town to UPS and paid them to Fax the referral to two of UCI fax numbers I’d been given. Finally yesterday I was told they had a referral!  See what happens when I stop being lazy and do other people’s jobs for them? Now the referral needs to be “verified” and then they’ll call me with an appointment.  Before that I got bounced around between surgeons and in total, I’ve seen or talked to 5 doctors, spent a few hundred dollars and mountains of worry, and still waiting. And so…I built a documentation file (which I am prepared to use if needed) and, also, bought some wine The stress on me is expected, but the stress on Wizard is what’s really pissing me off.  So…wine for him too! Plus I’m probably making peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips because duh chocolate and peanut butter are soul mates!
5. Oh and before I forget, Maggie met a very young puppy today. She was fine with him, but way more interested with his big brother — whom she has a crush on. That makes me smile! And the puppy was too adorable! Her son brought him home (say he found the puppy in a box), and they believe he’s a six to eight week old Miniature Rottweiler. To me, he had the markings of a Rottie, but had a slimmer build like a miniature pincher. But I am definitely not a breed expert, and it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m happy for them

I’m seeing my sister today and the rest of my weekend is nothing special so we’ll see what happens. Now it’s your turn to share five random things about your week! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

TGIF! Let’s get right into sharing five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

1. I like cookies. This feels important.
2. Maggie can still catch a lizard! And I can still sort of jump up and down while screaming, “Drop it!” Maggie dropped it–minus one tail–and the little guy scurried under a fence. Maggie was very proud of her stellar lizard catching abilities. I’m not as proud of my reaction, LOLOL! She’s confused by me acting hysterical because I normally don’t act that way. I reassured her I wasn’t mad at her.
3. Monday I had an appointment with a general surgeon who told me this surgery requires an ENT. By the time we got out of that office, I had a blazing headache and a furious husband. So that was fun. It’s a long story why this happened, but it absolutely will get resolved, in fact I talked to a person in my group that assured me it’s already approved. But if not, I’ll could just do the surgery myself, I mean I have a brand new set of knives and I can follow YouTube directions….  (Do I really have to tell everyone I’m just kidding???? But I do really like my new knives for cooking!)
4. I bought a new Bluetooth thingie (it’s the technical word, LOL). I have Bluetooth earbuds that are great for listening to podcasts, books etc. But they suck for anyone on a phone call with me. It’s super staticky and they have trouble hearing me. So I’m trying the single ear device thing. BLB sent a link to one, but I chose a different one. If I was wrong, BLB will make fun of me forever! But also, if I’m wrong, I’ll never tell him, so there’s that!
5. This weekend Wizard and I plan to see Turbo (our grandson). Otherwise I’ll work on some projects and clean. Can you believe next week if Fourth of July????

That’s my five, I’d really love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend!

TGIF!! Let’s get right to sharing five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

1. I finally bought some knives! They were on sale which always makes me happy. I think they’ll be fine for me.
2. The receptionist at Maggie’s vet is my hero! I spent days with Chewy trying to sort out a prescription snafu with Maggie’s food. Basically we just needed a one bag of food and treats before she sees her vet for her annual exam and shots in August. But Chewy was doing things like approving the treats, but saying there was no prescription for the food. Then they sent me an email that the food was approved, but not the treats. Does that sound logical to you? I tried to explain this but customer service could not figure out anything and suggested I get a new prescription. I went in circles for days, and finally I took Maggie to her normal bi-monthly vet-tech appointment, and told the receptionist what was happening. I told her I’d happy cancel the chewy order, and order the food from them instead. But she wasn’t having it, and called Chewy. Within a couple hours, the problem was fixed, the food shipped and now I have it! Maggie won’t starve! In the receptionist’s words were: “They had 85 reasons why this snafu happened, and not one of them made any sense.”  I laughed in relief. It’s not me! I’m not the problem! I also thanked her profusely. (Maggie has prescription food to help prevent bladder stones).
3. I also spent this week trying and failing repeatedly to get test results for my surgeon appointment next week. This would be hilarious if it were a skit on Saturday Night Live. At this point, I’m just going to trust the surgeon’s office has the report. They said they did, so all should be fine. Let’s hope so because I think my patience is running on empty
4. My Cilantro Plant is moody and probably looking to unalive himself. Well, actually, he’s actively trying to unalive himself. My other plants are all happy and well adjusted. But my favorite herb to use just has to be a delicate, moody, unpredictable creature. I may have to decide to NOT like cilantro in my food because I can’t take this heartbreak anymore Or I suppose I could just buy it at the store as needed.
5. This weekend, I’m seeing a friend for lunch! She just got back from Hawaii, so I can’t wait to hear about her trip with her family. It’s a total coincidence that she and I both went with our families about a month apart. We’d both booked the trips before we found out the other was going. Life is so weird sometimes!

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours. I hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend!

TGIF! It’s been another fast week for me. Okay let’s jump into sharing five random things about our week.

1. I’m fighting with my voicemail. It tells me my password is not valid. Then I got it two work for two days. Then back to not working. So frustrating! I’ve been to Verizon once, and of course, it worked while in the store. I asked them to take the password off, but they said they can’t and tried to upsale me another feature (for an additional monthly fee). I left. But last night, in desperation, I tried to add the new feature last night. So far it’s not working, but maybe it needs time…I dunno. I’ll probably be back at Verizon today.
2. I got my hair cut, but am holding off on changing the color. I’m thinking about doing something that blends brown and gray, but I’m not committed yet. Plus other stuff is going on at the moment so we decided to just trim it up, and see how things go health wise first, then think about changing the color.
3. Huge Kudos to Wizard for finding us Homeowners Insurance! Ours went up thousands (and I mean multiple thousands!) and many insurance companies have left the state, while the very few that remain refuse to insure us. I’m fully aware that many states are going though this, but since I live in California, I feel justified in adding that the state has contributed to it as well. (I try to only comment on the state that I live in ) I will be sending the Insurance Commissioner some helpful information <insert as much sarcastic anger as possible into this comment>. I’m over it. While I love California for many reasons, it doesn’t make me blind to her faults.
4. So this is a long story short: It looks like I’ll be having another surgery to remove at least part of my thyroid. The hope is to keep my thyroid function. It sure has been a crazy ride, but overall, I’m feeling good and everything will be fine. We’re waiting for authorization then we’ll schedule it. I’ve seen a lot of doctors, had a lot of tests, and the one that sounds the worst — a needle in my throat — was the easiest, quickest and the most informative! That cracks me up. Again, I will be fine. This is just something that needs to be taken care of.
5. Sunday is Father’s Day and I want to wish all the dads out there a Happy Father’s Day! Oldest son is traveling, we just saw Middle last weekend, and I think Youngest and wife is coming over for dinner on Sunday — but that’s a loose and flexible plan. I’ll take Wizard to breakfast too. It’s a good day to celebrate dads and all they do!

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a great weekend, and Happy Father’s Day to all the dads!

TGIF!! Let’s get right to sharing five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

1. Maggie wants to show you all her new pink collar. So I told her she must let me take a picture…and yes, my dog is weird, LOL
2. Monday morning, we predicted a quiet week. Um, we were wrong and spent most of it busy running around, making arrangements, talking to medical types and just doing things that have to get done. I think I’m beginning to see a pattern in that Wizard and I keep ourselves busy And this week, I’m pushing just a bit now to build my energy and strength a bit more now that the last surgery is healed.
3. Oh, also, we bought a car! A RAV 4 in a shimmering white. We’re replacing out 13 year old Ford Edge that’s been a really good car.  We’ve been trying for quite a while (like over a year now) to find a car, so it’s nice to get that done. What I’m happy about is the seat raises up to make it easier for me to drive. That is super helpful for height challenged folks driving SUVs!
4. We are getting the front windshield in the Camry replaced today. While that’s being done, Wizard will work on getting the Edge ready to sell and I may bake some cookies for Youngest. I already have oatmeal cookies for us, but Youngest mentioned this cookie in passing when I was at his house last week. That got me to thinking that I could make a double batch, give him some and freeze the rest to have on hand. I found having cookies in the freezer is super convenient as long as someone name Wizard doesn’t realized they’re in there, LOLOL.
5. This weekend we are going to Middle Son’s to celebrate his birthday. I’m making his favorite lemon pound cake to take, and we’ll go out to dinner. The goal is to make sure my pregnant daughter-in-law who’s working full time and juggling a bunch of stuff doesn’t have to do anything. I’m may try to see Turbo and his parents Sunday while Wizard is racing — but these days they have a ton of weekend commitments so that’s pretty iffy. They are so good about accommodating us when they can, so I’m never upset when they’re busy. But Turbo sure is growing up fast!

That’s my week, how was yours? I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I’m home from Hawaii!

TGIF everyone! At least I *think* it’s Friday It’s time to share five random things about out week. Here’s mine:

1. Overall the trip went well. Our flight out was delayed a bit, so we got in very late but no real problems. Got in our room, hit the bed, and the next three days were a blur of activity that wore Wizard and I out. Whoa, we are not young anymore! But we had fun. The next two days we stayed at Hawaiian Village and took advantage of things there — food, shopping, pools and the beach.  The final day, we had our last nice breakfast on the deck overlooking the beach, then caught a shuttle to the airport and flew home. Here’s a pic of Wizard and I on the flight to Honolulu
2. My daughter-in-law and I went to Diamond Head to hike, but that one was closed. It had poured rain for a couple days, and there were rock slides. But my daughter-in-law asked the ranger there for another suggestion, and he directed us to the lighthouse. It was about a 2 and a 1/2 mile hike, and I had no trouble with that. Here’s a picture of us about half way up — she’s on the right and six months pregnant!! We also saw also stopped and saw The Blowhole. Sadly, I’ve forgotten how to insert a video. But I’ll put a picture of the lighthouse we hiked to here. Note that we are on a viewing platform above it. The the narrow trail that runs along the cliffs is closed due to part of it being collapsed. Somebody wanted to try it anyway. Somebody carrying my grandchild may over climbed out to see if the trail was passable. And I was like “Don’t make me call your husband! (my son!).” She laughed. Seriously, I’d have tried it myself under normal circumstances, but it just wasn’t safe and I was definitely a bit overprotective of my daughter-in-law because she’s pregnant. I was the same with Turbo’s mom. They are very gracious and amused in front of me about it, but probably secretly want to smack me Here’s the lighthouse pic:
3. Our flight home was on time and good, despite me getting yelled out a few times by very cranky airport personal. The last time it happened, a pilot who was behind me in line for baggage drop off commiserated with me. He said he’s been yelled at too, which is crazy — he’s a pilot for the same airline as they airport personal worked for. Honolulu is a very serious airport! I had a smoother experience at LAX (Los Angeles Airport) which seems crazy. But we got on the plain, had an uneventful take off and breathed a sigh of relief. However, very quickly there was a medical event on board and the flight attendants began asking for a doctor, physician’s assistant, a nurse and there was no one.  Wizard and I immediately agreed if we have to turn back, we’ll both be patient and gracious as clearly someone was very ill and may need medical care beyond what the airline attendants can give them. However, the person stabilized and we continued our flight — but man, I felt for those flight attendants doing their best to handle it.
4. Here’s Wizard and Turbo on the submarine at Pearl Harbor.
5. Maggie must have had a great spa vacation! They said she was good, but did cry sadly when they put her “away” (in nice little stalls rather than kennels). That sounds like Maggie, LOL. She doesn’t do that at home, but she’s been known to do it at both the vets and boarding. Otherwise she seemed to eat fine, took her meds, and have a good time when they let her roam in the safe areas. She came home on Thursday looking great, and seemed happy. We’ll see how she feels after a night home, but right now, I’m so pleased she has a safe place where she feels secure to go when we need to board her.

That’s barely skims our trip, but I’m sure I’ve bored you enough at this point We are happy to be home (kind of!) and now I need to clean this weekend since it’s been three weeks today since my surgery and I’m officially released from limitations. Now if anyone is around, I’d love to hear your five things to share!