Monday, again ????

[The view across my front yard, 2005]

Well, here we are, another day come and gone. I could wax philosophic about the passage of time, or my place in the Universe, but instead I'd like to talk about something near and dear to my heart. (ahem.)

Yesterday morning at the meeting, my glasses broke. I've had a feeling they were about to, as they just felt fragile. I was cleaning the lenses and they pretty much just came apart in my hands. The weld that holds the nosepiece broke. Luckily, I had my prescription sunglasses, so I could still see (plus, I looked totally incognito and cool.). Fast forward to later in the day, and I'm trying to find any kind of old glasses that I can still see out of, to no avail. Finally I found a pair that didn't give me an instant headache. They aren't quite right, but at least I can see the keyboard. I don't like the way they look, or the color of the frames (a dark bronze), or the way they fit. But hey, I can use them. I really cannot afford new glasses right now. So....drumroll....the other day the Medicare book came in the mail. I'm thinking, I'll find out what Medicare covers and maybe I can get new glasses. OR something. I swear...it's like the book is written in Chinese.
Now, I'm a relatively intelligent human being. I can figure out lots of stuff. The only place where it talks about eyecare is under A) Diabetes or B) [this is a direct quote] "Eyeglasses(limited): ONE PAIR OF EYEGLASSES WITH STANDARD FRAMES (OR ONE SET OF CONTACT LENSES) AFTER CATARACT SURGERY THAT IMPLANTS AN INTRAOCULAR LENS.

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Does that mean that I can only get glasses if I let them implant a lens?
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

How do seniors on Medicare afford glasses?

I'm bewitched, bothered and bewildered... (that reference is for you, 'roni. Happy Homecoming!)


Sigh...oh well. I still have lots of things to be grateful for today.

*All my critters are in house, safe and loved
*I have a wonderful marriage based on mutual respect and good humour.
*I have most of my family living within a hundred miles of me or less.
*I am over 6000 words into NaNoWriMo
*I am geting to know more and more great folks in the blogger community
*I am sober. Just for today.
*Listening to others problems make mine feel small.
*I have a huge share of meetings close enough to attend any time I want.
*The 12 Steps have absolutely changed my life.
*Today I have a faith that works.
*I have a nice warm bed to climb into, I am not homeless, and am well fed.
*My health is relatively good.
*Tomorrow I get to vote my conscience and exercise a right that a lot of people don't have.
*Today, I am a child of God, and I try to act like it.


Sweet dreams, all y'all.

Settle down, it's Saturday!

[The late, great Augie...aka Octavio Augustus]

Just a quick post to say that I'm feeling pretty darn blessed today. All the stars were in alignment and all the little synchronicities fell into place. Made for a very pleasant and comfortable day.

Someone said once, "It's impossible to be hateful and grateful at the same time, so I choose grateful." I loved that. Took it to heart, in fact. The more grateful I am, the better I act. The more grateful I am, the more I have to be grateful for.

Today I am grateful:

*For my family

*For my animals

*For my home

*For my blogging community

*For friends

*For NaNoWriMo buddies

*For friends in general

*Most especially, for my husband, who loves me unconditionally

Life is good.

'Fraidy Friday

[One of those cool caves, in Virginia, I think]

Glad this day is over. My back hurts from standing in the kitchen for about 6 and a half hours slaughtering pumpkins. I froze 12 pounds of cooked pumpkin. That should be enough pies and breads for the year. The crazy thing was, all through the process I kept thinking "Aldi's has this stuff for .89 a can" Arrgghhhhhh......

I roasted all the pumpkin seeds too. The main batch, from 2 pumpkins, I just roasted with canola oil, worcestershire sauce and sea salt. The second batch, I made spicy roasted seeds with granulated garlic and cayenne and sea salt. They are wonderful. Got about 6 cups, at least, of roasted seeds.

We had no trick-or-treaters. Never do. But that's okay. I buy candy anyway (whatever my favorite kind happens to be in any particular year) and then I just eat it all myself. Brahahahahahaha....

Nothing exciting today, puppy played outside a lot and always came back in the house to check in with me. Got an email from an old friend in California that I have known for about 30 years and hadn't heard from in a while. That was nice.

My gratitude list today is based on all the things I don't have today. No high drama, no rages, no chaos, no screaming fights with anyone. No hangover, no "where the hell did I put my car?", no fear of what I did or did not do last night.

The blessings in this life just keep on coming. It's all good!

Threatening Thursday

[My favorite bandit in the whole wide world]

For Halloween this year, she's a pirate--just got a picture message on my phone this morning. When I took the picture above, and showed it to her, she said it was a stupid picture. I said --I love it! She said, very matter-of-factly: Then you like stupid things. It isn't easy being a 5 year old, almost 6 prima donna....lol

In the cities tonight around here was trick or treat night and one parade, but the big parade is tomorrow night, I guess. I opened the women's meeting, but apparently all those mothers had princesses and spidermen and skeletons and pirates to take around, because there were only 2 of us there. Like good soldiers, we kept the meeting open the whole time anyway, just in case someone od'd on candy and needed a meeting at the last minute. lol It was a chance for some good one on one time with my sponsee, so it wasn't a wash at all.

I baked that peach pie today and it turned out beautifully. The peaches were off our tree (and it's only 3 years old!!) and the thing was superb, if I do say so myself. We also had the brats and kraut. Tomorrow I have 3 pumkins set for slaughter, lol, and that will be canned. I have no idea how much it will make as I would never bother with them in the past--way too much work. We'll see how it goes. I may never do them again.

Tired tonight. I'm grateful to be a card carrying member of AA. I'm blessed to be walking upright. I'm blessed to have morals and ethics today. I'm grateful to have so much love in my life.

We had an invasion of lady bugs today. The temps warmed up into the 70's and the little buggers came out in hordes. I hate them in my house, and love them in my organic garden. I went around after I got home tonight and sucked them up in the vacuum cleaner. Every fall and every spring we go through this. YUCK! But I don't want to call an exterminator either. Ladybugs are a beneficial insect. IN THE GARDEN !!!!!! lol

I have to get up early and go feed the neighbors dogs while they are in Florida the next few days. Guess I'd better get to sleep--they don't like to be kept waiting. lol

It's after midnight here already. sheesh....

Wacky Wednesday

[Click to enlarge] Baby brother's 46th birthday


A homey kind of day today. I puttered. Started putting the garden beds to rest for the winter, pulled out the tomato cages and picked the last of the green tomatoes. Cleaned the chicken coop. Straightened the house and (naturally) vacuumed up enough pet hair and feathers to build my own zoo. (Or at least make a really cool Sasquatch-birdman suit).

I baked butternut squash for supper with a walnut and stuffing filling, with a side of pan fried carrots, onions and cabbage sliced really thin. Threw a dollop of home made applesauce on the plate too, just for fun. It was a very deliciously satisfying meal. We had some butter pecan ice cream for dessert, since I didn't get a pie baked like I'd planned. I promised it [again] for tomorrow though. I think tomorrow we'll have bratwurst and sauerkraut, and I have some left over mashed red potatoes with the skins on and added garlic. And peach pie. yum. Peaches from our own trees too...makes it extra special.

Tomorrow night is the women's meeting too. And after, over to my friend's Halloween extravaganza. Apparently her neighborhood looks forward to her little soiree every year. I'm excited...

Everything's done that needs doing before bed, so I'm about ready to head that direction. Hubby's lunch is made, dishes are done, animals are fed and watered and have been outside for their last hurrah.

I'm just grateful for almost everything about my life today. Love, troubles, joys, and family. Trying to live in the anticipation of the next great miracle coming my way....

Dream on, fellow travellers....dream on....

Tender Tuesdays

[A boy and a dog]
{Tristan and baby Lucy}

Winding down a chilly and productive Tuesday. Kept the car and went to town...picked up some groceries at the market, got some cat food and rice milk at the dreaded Wally World, went by the CSO and picked up new where and when's that just came out as well as about 20 newcomer packets for my homegroup. Then I went to a noon meeting , which just happens to be where my home group meets, so I was able to drop off the goods in the cabinet that our stuff goes in and enjoy a meeting on the 10th Step. It was a small meeting, but had diverse perceptions and varying amounts of sobriety, so it made for lively discussion. From there it was home to put things away and start some chicken breasts thawing in the microwave, and then off to pick himself up from work.

We briefly considered going to a speaker meeting tonight, but it was just too much to get going again once we were home. We are so lame.

I made a nice supper of chicken fajitas with red, yellow and green bell peppers from the garden, as well as lots of onions.I cooked the 2 breasts in the electric skillet and then tore them apart. For some reason I had one package with just the 2 small breasts in it, so this was a good way to use that up. I made a pot of a texmati rice I had in the cupboard...it is Texas red rice, white rice and lentils all together. Then I sauteed some finely chopped bell pepper and onion and garlic, ground some cumin seed with my mortar and pestle, and put in a can of black beans. It made for a satisfying simple supper, and after that, believe me--we weren't going anywhere, lol.

I'm chock full of gratitude tonight. For a loving spouse, for a sweet little homestead, for all my furry babies, for grandchildren, for relative health, for my handosme son and his adorable wife, for a sister-in-law (2 of them, actually) who are like sisters to me (and maybe love me MORE than my own sisters, lol). I am grateful that I found onions on sale at 3 lbs. for a dollar and bought 9 pounds. I'm grateful that the price of gas has come down for now. I'm grateful for a sober life that is beyond my wildest expectations.

Hope you are all finding a streak of gratitude in your lives too...

Madly Monday

[Lily...the little Halloween Cat]

A cold and windy Monday here in Corntown. The farmers are fighting to get the corn and beans in before it freezes (tonight-estimated temp22). Hubby went off to a job and me and the furbabies all stayed home. Spent the bigger part of the day inside, either on the computer or huddled under the big flannel comforter reading. Made a spaghetti with putanesca sauce for supper with garlic bread and a lovely coconut cake for dessert. Hubby is out to his food class and should be home any minute. I was getting up to make popcorn, and remembered that I needed to make birthday cards for his dad and brother. Then one for a 37th AA anniversary for a friend. Then thought I might as post and just turn the computer off for the night...so-here I am.

Grateful to be snug and warm in this 38 degrees tonight. Grateful to have a full tummy. Watched a documentary about the ANC and the underground and apartheid called "Memories of Rain". Grateful to live in this time on this planet.

Grateful my husband had work today and probably the next 2 weeks.

Feeling blessed to have popcorn to pop and butter to dress it with, along with sea salt and brewer's yeast. Yum.

Blessed that my food co-op carries rooibos tea.

And that brings me to goodnight....