Week 44 - Better Each Day

It's never a good thing when you start the week with a hinky stomach. Yup, my stomach was off on Monday morning and I sat in my chair wondering if I should call in. Not a chance. Until something jettisons itself out of my body, I just feel too guilty so I got dressed and went to work.

My stomach felt fine by mid-morning, just in time for the email from Connie saying her conference had been cancelled due to the wildfires. So after all the drama over the tiny house, we wouldn't be going anyway. Of course I'd just bought my ticket to Rhode Island for Christmas the night before so my $350 Southwest credit will have to go for another trip. I got a full refund on the Alcatraz tickets too, no questions asked. Connie had to fight with AirBnB but got a full refund from them too. Oddly, I wasn't upset at all about not going. These days I just want to be home.

On another down note, Pie's mouth was stuck open again. I thought I had gotten it shut on Tuesday night and I may have but it was open again on Wednesday. I got it shut after work when snow drove her inside but was worried that it would start happening more often. As of this writing 10 days later, she's been fine. Aging isn't easy on cats or humans.

I was super conflicted about Halloween. I went home Tuesday night and trimmed the crabapple where it blocked the sidewalk but had no intention of trimming by my front door. The tree is still in recovery mode from the insane pruning of the wheel chair man a few years ago so I'd decided not to do Halloween because the kids wouldn't be able to get to my front step for candy. But as the week wore on, I just couldn't do it. On Thursday I came up with the plan to sit in the driveway with a fire in my firepit and hand out candy from there. I ran to Walgreens at lunch and bought 4 bags of candy and was set up in my driveway by 6:30 with a fire, candy, knitting and an adult beverage. It was pretty darn cold so people appreciated the fire and it kept me toasty until I went inside at 8:00. I had about 25 kids, which was probably down due to the cold. Regardless, I'm glad I participated and this might be my new Halloween plan.

Despite the Halloween success and a nice lunch with Layton at Cracker Barrel, where he rarely agrees to eat, I was cranky as all get out by the end of the day Friday. I went to swimming but with a super crappy attitude, venting to Carol about all the ways I hate swimming, which I do. She vowed to turn my mood around and she did. I apologized at the end of class. After a quick Aldi run, I was home for the weekend.

This was the weekend I'd been looking forward to just being home but Helen, my cousin who I seldom see, had asked if I wanted to go to a Christmas market in a nearby small town. I immediately agreed and we met there at 10:00. The plan had been to shop then have lunch at the local restaurant, which I've been dying to try, but it was a game day and with the game at 2:00, the restaurant was packed for a Husker party. Nope! After buying nothing and failing on lunch, we stopped at gift shop out in the country (nothing there either) before heading to my house. After catching up, we went to Mocha C's for chicken salad croissants. Helen knows the owners so they chatted away well past closing. By the time I got home, the day was shot. I did manage to finish the dishes though so had Sunday yet to get things done.

I've had a daunting to do list since getting back from my trip and haven't managed to make a dent. So Sunday I started slogging through the spare room. I have entire wardrobes for 20 pounds less than what I weigh now and 20 pounds less than that. The piles of clothes were out of control so I shuffled some yarn to free up 2 medium sized totes and started culling. I was cut throat but got it down to 2 totes – one for each size. It will be a start if I lose weight again and is now a manageable amount. I loaded 4 enormous bags of clothes into the car and then brought in plant stands and got the plants I'd brought in to overwinter all situated, which felt good. It was a good way to end the week after its less than ideal start. I'll take it!