We made it to Turbo’s game. We took Maggie too, but that meant we couldn’t go to Turbo’s house afterward and he was sad about that But he was happy we showed up at his game! He got two single hits, one RBI and two runs scored. He did well, especially since he’s one of the younger players on this team. This, to me, looks like the year that will determine his interest for various reasons. We will see.

So the reason Turbo really wanted us to come over is Uncle Youngest got him a Radio Controlled Truck called a Rustler for his birthday, and he really wanted to show Grandpa and me how good he was getting at driving it. That squeezed my heart hard! We’ll get over there as soon as possible, and we told him that. He accepted it pretty graciously. I was touched that even with a thriving social life at 7, he still wants to see us!

Sunday, I got busy running errands and Wizard wanted the fudge filled chocolate chip cookies, which are a two day process to make, so I’m working on that. My brother in law is home and doing better, and it looks like my sister has it under control. So to no one’s surprise I turned a relaxing day into an exhausting one just doing stuff and forcing in a workout session on top of a two mile walk. Why?  I really don’t have a good answer. On the other hand, we got home Saturday around 3ish and I did nothing except cook and clean up dinner after that so maybe it’s how I achieve balance

But when I’m sore today, it’ll be my own fault!

How was your weekend?

TGIF!! We blinked and it’s Friday again! You know what that means, time to share five random things about our week:

1. My brother in law has been unwell this week (Biker Witch’s Hubby). He’s getting the care he needs and so far, is feeling better. But these days, I like to worry about everyone. And Wizard has his hands full doing what he can for his mom who is dealing with the issues of aging.
2. Wizard got his TSA Pre-check clearance! He was starting to get a complex about that, LOL. He’s thinking about taking a trip to his brother’s house (he lives in Oregon). I’m nudging him to do it. And, I’ve been looking at vacations for us, but that was mostly window shopping at this point
3. Okay, guys, I did it! I got the weave done on my hair, so now silver is threaded through the brown, and it should blend as the gray grows out. So far, I really like it! And I won’t have to get it colored every four weeks now. I will probably want to add low lights over time as more gray comes in, but right now, I’m happy to try something lower maintenance and see how I like it.  Here’s a front and back picture from the back to get an idea (Ignore how I look — these were quick pics Wizard took for me outside in the wind):
4. I made sourdough bread this week. I only mention that because today I tried a new stew recipe that’s still simmering in the crockpot now as I write this. It’s a long recipe and I mixed up measurements on two ingredients and now I’m worried it won’t be good. So see? If if I fail with this recipe, at least we have fresh sourdough so it’s not a total loss! And I don’t have to feel like a total loser, LOL. But okay, even if this version doesn’t come out, I should be able to figure out how to make it better next time. I always had a standby packaged stew mix that I used for years because it was relatively fast and easy and Wizard liked it — then the company changed the packaged formula and it’s not good. So I’m experimenting.
5. Today I have a quick tele-appointment with my endocrinologist in the morning. I expect that to go pretty well. This weekend, I don’t have any big plans as of yet (I’ve kind of held off making them to see how my brother in law is just in case my sister needs something). Next week though I’ve planned to take my daughter in law to lunch (with Baby Girl!) on Wednesday for her birthday, and then they are all coming out that weekend for a visit so we can see our son too. We may go to Turbo’s baseball games on Saturday, but we’ll see.

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

I just finished an audio book titled DON’T BELIEVE HER. The story question was good, but the heroine was annoyingly stupid in the crap she did. It was almost painful to listen to. However the mystery of “Is the woman who shows up claiming to be the missing daughter/sister really her?” kept me listening. In the end the twists were very twisty and I ended up not believing much of the book. All that said, I didn’t hate it, I just found it annoying on a few levels, while the story question kept me intrigued.

On my Kindle I’m reading CARELESS PEOPLE by Sarah Wynn-Williams. It’s a memoir of sorts, but at about half way through the book, and this is my opinion so far: I’m seeing a bit of an authenticity problem. Let’s say I believe there’s truth in here, along with some creative arrangement of facts to come out the one and only heroine at FB, while everyone else in the company is careless (and sometime downright uncaring of who they were hurting). Also, the policy debates are boring, and repetitive to the point that I forget her original objection to the policy or action. But I do know that her objection, or in some cases, her push to take some action or other, is always based on her (her word) “idealism.” I know that because she talks about her idealism constantly. Sigh…idealism is a philosophical view and frankly, a vague word. I get that she’s idealist…in something. But what?

I mean I’m idealistic in the sense that I believe society should help make sure children are fed, safe and educated because children don’t ask to be born into crappy or impoverished families. And then I could give you several concrete examples of what actions, laws and/or programs I think are are helpful to my view of an idealistic society. So, for one basic example, I believe that if there’s provable physical abuse in a family, there should be lawful intervention to protect, feed and educate the child. And there should be consequences when parents cause intentional harm to their child (not discipline, but harm).  Society needs to have some safeguards to protect children when parents can’t or won’t do it. Another example, mandatory car seats are good, while I don’t feel that strongly about seatbelts for adults, even if I always wear mine. So now if I worked at Facebook and had an influence in policy,  you’d have a general idea what I’d be willing to fight for and against when it comes to kids and Facebook. I believe in protecting kids. But her idealism seems to be less defined, and a more generalized version of “I’m the good guy” in all things. I want to understand exactly what this author’s idealist views are in concrete terms so I understand what’s shaping her choices.

But again, I’m only half way through and maybe I will have a clearer picture once I read more. I don’t regret reading the book, just….hoped for something a bit more honest and authentic, and a little less…idealistic.

That’s my reading at the moment, what are you reading?

The weekend was just what I needed!

Friday, our TSA appointments were so easy! I was expecting some kind of beurocratic interigation. But Wizard and I got classified as uninteresting and we were there maybe 15 minutes total. We’d already filled out the paperwork, gave them our passports, then got fingerprinted and photographed. Paid the fees and we were done. Easy.

I had my approval on Saturday and Wizard’s still waiting for his I’m teasing him about that. I am guessing I had a faster approval because I’ve never traveled out of the US while has gone to Europe for business. Not a lot, but probably enough to slow the system. I guess…or it’s just random luck. Who knows. I expect his will come through this week. But there’s no hurry, we really don’t have plans at the moment.

The rest of Friday, Wizard went to hang out with some friends and that gave me a chance to do some stuff in the house.

So on Saturday, we decided to go to Turbo’s game and I finally got around to texting his parents about a half hour before we left. We packed up what we needed, including lunch, gathered up Maggie and hopped in the car to go. We got to the end of the street when Oldest called to say Special K and Turbo were a little sick and not going to the game. Dang…but we circled the block and went home.

Maggie was confused, LOL.

On the upside, I had a lunch packed and ate that at noon. So easy! Then because Maggie got gypped on going to Turbo’s baseball game, I took her to Home Depot to look at plants and walk around the store. She loves that. Then I took her to Petco, where I picked out a collar for her, and Maggie picked out treats. She first chose rawhide bones and I said no (because she will throw up and they aren’t good for her) so she then chose some baked chicken sticks. Then she made friends with an employee and got lots of pets. Then we went home and I gave her a chicken stick. She loved her day out and her treat! It may sound dumb, but after this busy week, she seemed to really appreciate just spending some time with me like that. Or maybe it was me that liked it!

Saturday afternoon, I read and rested. I’ve been tired and a tad achy from changing my meds (under a doctor’s orders) this week. Saturday night I finally slept well, suggesting that some intentional rest during the day really helped.

Sunday I felt great. Wizard went racing, and I was able to organize some stuff, clean bathrooms and wash floors. Now I feel more on top of things again. I had just finished that when Youngest and his wife stopped by. Then Wizard got home in time to visit with them too.

How was your weekend?

Yesterday afternoon, Wizard and I watched the astronauts come home, and it was awesome! So much work and talent went into that mission, and all space missions. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the wonders of space travels that we’ve seen in our time. And of course, there’s the astronauts themselves, who are definite trailblazers, doing work that has far reaching potential for humanity.

But mostly, it was nice to celebration a positive Mission Accomplished in a time when the world we know seems to have a of a lot turmoil.

That’s my Wednesday happy, what is yours?

Wow, the storms! I hope everyone is safe from the series of storm, high winds and tornados. I couldn’t believe the news as I read the updates.

Meanwhile here at Witch Central, things have been quiet and somewhat boring. Turbo’s game was cancelled on Saturday because the fields were soaked. I used the day to create brownie fudge chocolate chip cookies. That requires making the brownie batter, and getting it cold enough to scoop into small balls then freeze those. Then make the chocolate chip cookie batter, then form that around the frozen brownie batter, then freezing the dough balls. I baked them the next morning while they were still frozen. I was happy with the results. They are gluten and dairy free so I’ll probably pawn them off on Youngest. But I wanted to see if I could do it, and I did

Sunday was quiet as Wizard went to the track to practice and I’m happy to have him out of the house for a few hours. We’ve been spending a LOT of time together, so I appreciate a break now and again. That gave me a chance to do a little birthday shopping for him, and I bought a couple audio books that were on sale while I was at it. I could have cleaned something, but I didn’t want to, LOL.

Today we have a mild threat of rain, then the rest of the week should be nice. There’s always stuff to do, but who knows if I’ll have the will to do it!

How was your weekend? Seriously, I hope all of you were safe from the storms and tornados, and that you all have power.

I finished the book “Love Mom” by Ilana Xander and really liked it. It had a lot of twists in the second half that kept me riveted. Right now I’m listening to “The Teacher” by Frieda McFadden. It’s a mystery and typically getting more interesting as I read. And I’m starting a political book on my Kindle that I was excited to read and now rethinking. It’s not the writing, it’s just that I follow politics in real life and may need to read other things for a mental break. I’m considering reading “Careless People” by Sarah Wynn-Williams but need to take a closer look before I decide. I’m so picky, lol!

It’s raining here. It’s fine, but it also makes me realize I’m not cut out to live in locations like Seattle where it rains and is generally gloomy (I think, I’ve never actually lived there!) so much of the time On the other hand, the heat here lasts so long, so…there’s always weather to gripe about!

What are you all reading?