When I was at Trader Joe’s last week, I bought a watermelon. Then I cut it and discovered a yellow watermelon. I never knew!!! How did I get this many decades into my life and not know about yellow watermelons? Wizard and I loved it.

And that reminds me, trying new things is important. Even when it’s by accident, LOL!

So how about you? Did you know about yellow watermelons (I’m pretty sure the answer is yes and I’ve been living under a rock!). And what have you tried that’s new to you lately?

Happy Wednesday!

It was a pretty quiet weekend overall and nice enough. But late Sunday afternoon I opened the door to get a package on the porch, immediately smelled smoke and my eyes started burning. The fire is some distance away from us, so not a concern for us directly but causing evacuations for others. I hate fires.

Aside from that, my weekend went well except for nose bleeds. I had a sudden and significant one Friday morning while getting Maggie’s breakfast. Wizard came in and finished feeding her while I went into the bathroom to take care of it. I got it to stop in about five minutes and that’s good. But then I returned to the kitchen and found blood on the floor and running down a white cupboard. Wizard surveyed it, then turned to look at me. “Don’t disappear. The cops will luminal this place and arrest me. I’ll never be able to explain all this blood!” I cracked up. He was only half kidding, and I laughed harder. Because sometimes, we just have to laugh!

Saturday I had a couple minor nosebleeds, and Sunday was blood free! I have a prescription ointment I’m usually and hopefully that helps. I’m sure the weather is aggravating it.

Otherwise, I did some cleaning, organizing for the baby shower in a couple weeks, a bit of online shopping in my endless hunt for clothes and shoes that I like and will actually wear, and I’m beginning a new sourdough starter. With the throat surgery and endless tests, I neglected my old starter and it’d died    I don’t know how I got so careless! Later in the afternoon, we went over to Youngest’s to see a stacked stone planter he’s been building in the backyard 100 degree heat. He doesn’t mind the heat as long as it’s not humid. The planter is going to be beautiful.

I forget to tell you all, one morning last week, Maggie and I were on our daily morning walk, and we were on the sidewalk by a school. Between the sidewalk and the fenced school parking lot is a slope filled with brush. An animal broke out of that brush and hauled-butt back into the hills. I was so startled, I stopped and watched and I’m pretty sure it was a bobcat. It could have been a coyote, but it moved like a cat, and had the bobcat ears from what I could see. Either way, we were lucky! It’s rare for the critters to come down to the street, but it happens. It’s part of the package of living at the base of the hills (it’s a National Forest), and it’s also a good reminder to stay alert.

I’m listening to a non-fiction book by a doctor about wide ranging topics in medicine and the medical field. That’s both interesting and a bit depressing.

How was your weekend?

I just haven’t been reading. There’s lots of reasons, but one thing I have been into lately is listening to trial lawyer podcasts following trials that are live streamed in real time with the lawyers commentary. Recently, I just happened to be two of the strangest trials with unexpected plot twists so I was hooked and not reading or listening to anything else I’ve loosely followed other trials too lately. Why? No idea, my interests can bounce around and I guess it keeps me learning. It’s also good to have on in the background as I’m cooking, gardening or doing projects in the house.

I miss reading and I’m going to spend some quality time searching for really good books. Catching and keeping my interest lately is pretty tough.

How about you? Are you reading? And if so, share what you’re reading!

Happy Wednesday!

While I was doing some early prep for dinner on Saturday afternoon, Wizard got a news alert on his phone. And that’s how we  learned of an attempted assassination of a presidential candidate. And just like that, my weekend filled with anger, disbelief and a bottomless sadness. I just cannot understand what drives a 20 year old kid to murder people. I just can’t.

As I write this, the latest I know (and I was gone most of the day yesterday taking a break from reality before I wrote this blog) is Former President Trump was injured, one man died and two more were critically wounded. And a LOT of people who love those victims have been terrorized and traumatized. I hope to God I am never in a crowd and forced to witness such a terrible thing like that. Ever.

I am sad at what we’ve become. It would not matter to me which of the two candidates was targeted, my feelings would remain the same. This is not how we solve problems. People who do something this heinous are the problem.

Now deep breath and let’s move on: The rest of my weekend was good. The highlight was having lunch with my friend, then we walked around an outlet center and ended  our day out with some sorbet. Friends are truly one of life’s blessings.

So that was my weekend, how was yours?

TGIF!! Friday keep on coming! Okay let’s jump into sharing five random things about our week.

1. Well the good news is I had some chocolate chip cookies in my freezer! Just what I needed this week!
2. The frustrating news is my ENT office told me late Wednesday they will not do my surgery. Oh did I say told? Sorry I meant sent me an email. Thankfully it was just in time to cancel my preop appointment.
3. A huge thank you to another doctor’s assistant who spotted the shenanigans going on with my case. That assistant worked behind the scenes to get me a referral to UCI (a very good University hospital system). That same assistant called me last week I think to let me know the referral was there if I needed it. I suspect she knew I would need it. I’m now in the process of getting a consultation set up there. It’ll take time to get the referral authorization into their system, then we’ll need start over with a new specialist. But I should get better care for my specific situation. The moral of this story is that many times really good people are stepping up and quietly helping even when they have no real skin in the game. I so appreciate that assistant.
4. More good news, I should be able to go to my daughter in law’s shower now! I’m so looking forward to that, and since I’m one of the hostesses it’s good that I’ll be there Even more fun, I’m getting to know my daughter in law’s mom more as we plan the shower and she’s so nice! Truly a bright spot to have all this going on. And just because I’m thinking about it, my daughter in law called just to see how I’m doing and I love her for that. So lot’s of bright spots that make me happy.
5. I’m meeting a friend on Sunday for lunch and I’m very happy about that. Wizard is going racing too, which I’m also pleased about. He needs to get out, see his friends and have fun too.

That’s my week, now it’s your turn! I really hope everyone has a great weekend!

Just when I think the fireworks are over, some moron set one off last night and terrified my dog. We were all in bed, Maggie was sound asleep in the the front room, and after that mortar blast, she was afraid to go back to that bed.

Add in the heat that’s keep Wizard in the house…all day…I’m over it.

But at least there hasn’t been any bad news or new problems this week, so that’s a win!

How your Wednesday going?

I missed posting on Friday! Sorry! The 4th of July threw off my schedule. Feel free to include anything that would have been in your Friday Five in a comment on this post if you like. For me, let’s recap a few things in a Friday Five fashion:

1. We had a mostly good Fourth of July. Wizard and I went to an early dinner, then made sure we were home way before the fireworks started. We did our best to help manage her fear, and she did pretty well. She didn’t shake, pant or pace, and mostly just stayed close to me or Wizard. Still I hate that Maggie gets scared because she can’t understand the booming firecrakers. But overall, I’m proud of her, and us for helping her manage her fear better this year.
2. I made a gluten and dairy free version of thin mint cookies. They are a softer, bigger version, but they work for most chocolate and mint lovers I’m going my best to stay busy while dealing with fatigue and other symptoms (like sudden, dramatic and gross, one-sided nose bleeds as I wait for surgery).
3. Sunday, we went to a little pool party at youngest’s and had a blast. Turbo was there, and so was Daughter in law’s nephew who is a few years older than Turbo. Those two, plus Oldest and Youngest son, had more fun than should be legal splashing all of us, and other assorted pool antics.  Food was great. As a bonus: I made a bruschetta I was happy with, and used basil and tomatoes from my mini garden
4. Maggie had a bath last week and I tried to take pictures of her. The first two attempts she refused to look at me or the camera phone. Then I went over and sat on the wall to contemplate my life choices in getting a dog. Maggie saw me, came over and reluctantly agreed to one picture. Then she made the third pic look like a scared hostage photo. Yet two minutes before that, she was running all over the backyard terrorizing lizards and looking half her age.
5. This week is working on Daughter in law’s baby shower (that’s fun stuff), a hair appointment, pre-op appointment, seeing Biker Witch and trying to stay out of the worst of the heat. Also…I’m thinking lemon shortbread cookies. We’ll see.

Now it’s your turn to share about your weekend and last week if you like! Happy Monday!