Gorgeous Day!

 Which means we really cannot go anywhere or do anything. Coming back from Carmel Valley the traffic heading south was unbelievable! Of course, it is Saturday and sunny and warm! All the tourists are hear.

Went to 3 garage sales today. The first one I found a mini iron, for $5! I have been wanting one that size! And also got 2 sets of brand new in the packaging hankies; husband got some plant stakes.

The next one - nothing.

So the last one was in Carmel Valley and on the way there we stopped at the nursery. Got 2 tomato plants - one is a heirloom tomato called "Hillbilly Potato Leaf"! Some cucumbers, a zuchinni. Carrot seeds and radish seeds. I bought some coleus and planted them in the planter pot we bought last week. Also got a rosebush. Have been wanting a Mr. Lincoln but they are apparently very popular - you cant find them anywhere! So we bought one as an homage to both our mothers - it is called Mustard & Catsup rose! Yellow and red flowers!!!

Apparently I have been calling it by the wrong name today:

Then we went to the last one and it was rather serendipitous.

When we moved down here,  we brought 2 very nice area rugs. But after a year, husband decided he was tired of them taking up space. So he got rid of them.

Today he said - you know, we should get a rug for the living room to make it easier for Bella to get  up from laying down/sitting down. Of course I had to say - oh you mean, like the ones we got rid of?

So we were talking about where to look for a rug that wouldnt be outrageous. Drove up to the garage sale and they had a new rug, never used! About the size we wanted. Not a good color - nothing we would want to keep for long term (which we werent) - $8!!!!!

Got the coleus planted. Got the rest of the bird netting put on the raised beds. We were going to finish prepping the beds, and plant the rose but we both pooped out! 

Happy First Day of Spring or The Day Hubby Tried to Kill Me

 Garage sales were slim today.

Went to one and bought a new little clip on fan for the trailer, to replace the one that died when our AC was not working.

Then at the second place, we realized we had been there before. His prices are a little high but we found a few things we liked. Some jewelry that I will use on FFO pieces, a planter, and a chime. Price came to $32 and all husband has was $30. So, fo you think the guy would take the $30 and call it a deal? Bwahaha.....husband went to get the car, where I had left my purse. And the guy stood next to me and waited for hubby to drive up and for me to give him the $2!!!!!!

Then we decided to go on our 1 mile flat walk.....

This is where he just about killed m. My toe felt fine. My foot was, well, it was ok.....but I hit the wall, stopped and saud I was done. Sat and rested on the way back. And hubby did offer to go get the car for me. Got to the car and we had walked over  3.25 miles!!!!!!!! No wonder I was done!

Here are some random photos from the garden to celebrate Spring!

The Day After The Day After!

 LOL - that just made me laugh so I had to use it as a title!

Watched The Quiet Man last night....grilled cheese sandwich for dinner - but at least we had Wayne and O'Hara for a traditional St Patrick's Day!

Slept like a baby last night.

Woke up rested and feeling fine!
As did husband. Says his arm isnt even hurting. So glad to be "recovered"! Daughter asked my on FB why that was in quotation marks. Said because we werent actually sick, recovered isnt really the correct word to use...but best I could think of!

Tis a nice soft day here at the homestead. Soft beneficial rain falling....slightly warmer than it has been and NO WIND!

Made our monthly journey to Walmart and actually got almost everything on our list! Granted, it was a short list but still....

Made the soda bread....the corned beef is in the crockpot.....potatoes and carrots ready to go in....cabbage ready to be steamed. And I am hoping that the bread tastes as good as it smells and looks!

The Day After Part 2

 My temp back down to normal by lunch time.

But it has been a pajama day, and a day of many mini-naps! For both me and husband!

Just no energy at all, and then hard to stay awake! If this is the worst, than I cannot complain.

Husband still complaining about his arm being more sore today than yesterday -  mine, hardly sore at all.

The Day After

 Well, I slept okay last night. Woke up really warm, cooled down, and then I was chilly all night.

Husband woke up shivering and cold and got himself another blanket.

I woke up achy - but I wake up achy every day, so I have no idea if it is normal or vaccine s/e.

Very slight headache but again....

The arm does not hurt at all like the first vaccine - if you press on the site it is tender but that is it.

Woke up early because of the achiness - had to walk around a bit. Checked the Ring for overnight. Only saw the one kitty that I have been seeing for the last couple of weeks. Have not seen the other 3 nor have I seen Mr/Mrs Skunk. At first I thought they had gone to ground because of the rainy and cold nights.....but now I am worried they ended up as an entree on the Mountain Lion Buffet.

So I just checked my temperature and it is 99.5F which is elevated for me (I normally run 96+ - 97+). That probably explains the faint headache and graininess of the eyes. But this is good stuff - nothing that I feel I need to medicate yet. Will drink lots of water today and try and wait until after lunch before I take anything for it, should I need to. 

YAY!

 So vaccine #2 is done!

And we were lucky and were able to have the same nurse to administered #1.

Needle-phobic husband has spent all day saying "I didnt even feel it"!! He was totally impressed with her!

So now it feels like we have the swinging scythe over our heads - you know, the comedic symbol of doom. Just waiting to see what symptoms we are  hit with and when. We have everything prepared - nothing on the calendar for tomorrow - homemade soup planned for dinner - lots of water and drinks....Hoping that will all "voodoo" the side effects and minimize them!

Went to Michael's today and I was shocked - surprised - impressed - pleased! that I was able to get all but 2 skeins of DMC!!! I mean - I think I bought at least a dozen skeins! Usually I go in and all I am able to find is 2 out of my whole list.

PLUS I was able to cross a couple of things off my Joann's list too! That  made for a good day!

We have reservations for a camping trip mid May. Going with our friends to Chowchilla....oh boy, I just remembered, I think that is a HORRIBLE time for me to be in the Central Valley allergy wise.....This place looks nice on the internet - but what the "boys" are liking is the golf course right there!

The only thing that is strange - they took our name and phone number....but no address, no email, no CC info.....that is rare indeed when it comes to making reservations. Hopefully it plays out and everything works out well!

So watch out Grandchildren - especially Jack!!! 😘 - come March 30th you all will be subjected to 💋and hugs from MeMaw!!!!!

Saturday

 Well, it is a grey, overcast, chilly day, with winds. 

We worked on the garden a little bit - rearranged the fencing around the raised veggie beds, replaced the bark around them. Now we are still waiting on the dirt. Supposed to rain again this week so probably wont get the dirt until the end of the week - if we survive our 2d Moderna shot on Tuesday that it!

We pretty much know what we want to plant. Deciding on exactly where. And havent even seen the plants for sale yet anyway. Hubby still needs to make the trellises for the tomatoes and the cucumber. I think the squash will go in a separate planting area again just because they tend to take over everything. 

Been reading tips on growing tomatoes here and hoping we do better this year. 

Went for a walk. Hubby went for the usual 2+ hilly walk. I went for a mile walk on the most flattish part of the neighborhood I could find. AND I took Ralph with me. You know it has been far too long since you have taken your dog for a walk when his harness doesnt fit! Since we fenced in more parts of the backyard I dont even see him doing his Speed Racer sprints any more...

Broke my heart to leave Bella at home crying. And when Ralph and I walked back up the driveway she was at the back gate crying again. I was almost talking myself into switching Ralph's lead onto her collar and at least taking her down the driveway, up to the street corner, and back again....when she met us at the gate, trying to get out, and having difficulty keeping her her feet to do that. So I didnt. But it made me so sad.

What A Beautiful Day!

 We started off with nothing much to do....and ended up wasting about 5 hours doing it!

I took a shower! Yay! And the toe is looking better - not bloody red, but a bright dark pink. And the shower did not hurt. I have not taken anything for pain since I went to bed Wednesday night. AND I put on my decrepit old walking shoes today and it was....ok.

We had to take a check to the bank - grumble grumble - they have closed ALL the branches and ALL the ATMS except for the main one in the next town, and one in a town 20+ miles away. PITA.

Then we stopped by a friend's house to drop something off and to pick something up. Stayed and chatted awhile!

So then we went for a walk. Managed to do just a tick over 1 mile which was much better than I expected. What hurt the most was when I put my foot up on a split rail fence to retie my shoe!! LOL

Then we were finally in the area when the AFRP store was open; so I went in. Forgot to switch out my glasses for my sunglasses, or I would have gotten all the little alphabet ones marked FREE.....they would have been great little lagniappes to send to people! Oh well. 

Although I am not in love with this one - I was thrilled with what was included! For $3 I ended up with much more than that in floss!

But after the thrift store I was so glad I had brought my Birkies with me.Because I needed to get the sneaker off immediately! Whew....my toe was tired of those shoes!

Had lunch at our favorite diner, even though it was a tad bit windy and cool. Went to Safeway (why is Safeway not selling Disney gift cards?????????? Their GC selection was cut in about 1/4 with the remodel.....) And home.....sitting down and then out to do my daily Treasure Hunt!!!

Post Procedure Day #3

 Silly that I am finding my inner blogger about something this stupid and disgusting isnt it?!

Well, I continued on with my Tylenol and Motrin yesterday even though I had suspicions I really didnt need them,  But boy did I sleep well last night! I dont remember kicking my toe at all - only got up once to go to the bathroom, and fell right back to sleep. Apparently I missed a beautiful early morning rainbow and hubby didnt want to wake me up for it (thank you!).

I still couldnt do a full 10 minutes of the soak. Tomorrow I am going to try to leave out the epsom salts and see how I do. Or maybe I will take a shower and let that be my soak.....we will see.

Got dressed, put socks on and my birkies and we went to Costco. Got a phone call Tuesday that woke me from my nap saying my frames were in. One of the little doohickies on the side of the glasses I got in December went missing. And although the young woman at Costco assured me it was decorative, she went ahead and ordered new frames!

So we went and picked up my new frames and they popped the lenses into them. Walked around not even 1/4 of the store, which is ok because I stayed away from the dangerous area (the bakery!) and we had just been there about a week ago. Picked up a Costco size box of assorted bandaids; decided we did not need the Costco size of Motrin or Neosporin; got our corned beef for next week and left. And I did fine! I jsut concentrated on trying not to bend my toe and I was able to walk slowly, but well...

I think the rain has stopped. We have gotten somewhere just short of an inch of rain. Not much, but very welcome! But it is chilly outside. Good day to stay indoors even if we both are BORED!!!!

Post Procedure Day 2

 Well, comparatively speaking last night could have been a lot worse. But it wasnt fun. Moving around woke me up. And yes, I kicked my own toe once. Ouch.

But I kept thinking it would be much better when I could take the big bandage off today.

Thunder startled all of us awake at 3-something this morning. By 0400 I gave up, went to the bathroom, and took some acetaminophen. My toe was just throbbing. But the acetaminophen worked, because I went back to sleep until a bit after 0700.

And then bided my time until we could get the big bandage off. Had to have husband help with removing the coban, and that was a real job. It hurt trying to get that off - finally had him cut it off. And then I went to soak my toe - supposed to soak it for 10 minutes. After a few minutes of soaking I could remove the bandaid - YUCK! But I could not last 10 minutes of soaking - it hurt too badly. I made it almost 8 minutes, it was the very bottom where the nail roots were that hurt so badly. 

Dressed with my neosporin and a bandaid and boy does it feel better! And then when I put a soft pair of bed socks on, it felt even better! I can even wear my slippers as long as I remember to slide that foot along, instead of "walking" it along!

But I did learn one thing - a quick walk/slow run is DEFINITELY OUT!!! Ouch!

So I dont think there will be a try at a shoe tomorrow yet. Today, I dont even feel like getting out of my pj's so I am not.....but I am moving around more and not being a total couch hog. And I dont feel as though I have to take a nap today!

Lots of rain off and on. It sounded like light hail after the thunder that woke us up, but I didnt get up to look; and by the time I did get up, it wasnt even raining. 

So PG&E came back. And she spent about 2 hours setting in her truck. Husband needed to go to the grocery store so he got the scoop. Apparently some modum/module on our smart meter for the gas is not working and needs replaced. But they cannot replace it when it is raining. And she was told to sit and wait until it stopped raining. Which she did. Just before noon it was no longer raining and she started getting ready to replace it - and she got a call about a gas leak somewhere else which she had to respond to.....Been off and on sunny since she left. She is supposed to come back - but who knows when!

Big Sigh of Relief

 So the day of dread is over. After anxiety setting in the day I finally made the appointment, it is done, and I survived.

As of this morning I still have 10 toes, but only 9 toenails.

Treatments did nothing to treat the fungus that gave me my "Ugly Toe". So last year it was decided it had to come off.

Yeah, last year.

So today I showed up for my appointment at 0800 after waking up at 0400, 0500, 0600....sick to my stomach, sweaty palms, etc.

And the doctor was so nice. And the "freeze spray" worked wonders, the shots resulted in a wooden toe, and it was all over in just a few minutes.

Thank goodness I did not have to look or watch....gag.

And I think the adrenaline bottomed out on me after lunch today cause I fell asleep for about an hour and a half!

I have taken 1 Tylenol this afternoon, and that was mostly because of the feeling as the local totally wore off....

The bandaid comes off tomorrow, I have to soak it, and replace the bandaid. I was surprised when he said I could go back to my walking in 2 - 3 days IF I could tolerate wearing my sneakers.....we will see!!

Elope

 "run away secretly in order to get married, especially without parental consent." (from www.dictionary.com)

On one of the groups I belong to on FB several people have posted that they have, or are going to, elope.

Now, I want to make sure you understand that I do not know the story behind these elopement. Dont know anything about these people at all.

But the posts made me think. Think about things like how the media colors our definition of things. And how the media has changed the meanings of words over the years.

If you say "elope" to me, I think about what I have read, or seen on TV or in movies, about eloping. Generally speaking, it is a couple who cannot or is not allowed to get married in the "traditional" way. And so they run away together. Usually to city hall, or some place there is a magistrate to perform a legal ceremony. Sometimes it is right there in the town/city where they live. Sometimes it is several towns away; sometimes in other states.

Often these people are married in the clothes they were wearing when they ran away, whether it is a nice dress for the woman, or a business suit, or jeans. Maybe they stopped to buy a bouquet of flowers. But usually there is none of the usual wedding  falderol involved.

Sometimes it is planned well in advance, sometimes it is a last minute thing. Sometimes a couple of other people know it is happening.

But the ones I have been reading about do not follow my traditional understanding of "eloping" at all. These women - and the posters thus far have all been women - talk about the issues of taking a full length wedding gown on the plane, and finding someone/someplace to press it once they arrive, so that it looks new and not wrinkled and packed.

And they have hired a company to plan this wedding. A wedding that includes a venue; someone to perform the ceremony; flowers; photographer....A complete wedding in other words. Not just a couple standing in front of some civil magistrate saying a few words, and signing on the dotted line of the marriage license.

Not only that, they have had to make preparations in advance - time off of work, someone to care for maybe other family members, or pets. They have had to book a room, make plane reservations, transportation to and from the airport. All of these, including the wedding company and the dress, involve quite a bit of money. Maybe not as much as a full blown traditional wedding, but more money than a tankful of gas, money for the license, and probably a celebratory meal of some sort afterwards.

So I have trouble getting my head around calling all this an "elopement".

And again - I have NO knowledge about the backstory of why they decided to do it this way - Pandemic anyone? 

But is also makes me feel sad for them. Because the use of the word means running away. Running away from family and friends. Hopefully running towards something that will bring a lifetime of happiness but still....leaving behind those who would possibly love to see the joy and happiness this marriage would bring their love ones. 

So it makes me wonder if these are truly elopements - or are they a new definition of an old word (this word is from the late 16th century according to the definition). And am I just missing the new usage of this word? Is there support for these couples? Will family and friends be at this wedding?

Who knows. 

And I will probably never know.

But it is interesting how brief glimpses into other people's lives make you ponder things.