Pleasant Day

Up early to get ready to go to my support group today.
Spoke with the ladies that I was going to take on our little local tour. We’ve decided to reschedule our day together since Sunday is supposed to be around 103°. We are aiming at the first Sunday in November, if not then, the first Sunday in December. The reason we want to do the first Sunday of the month is because my friend RuthAnne is a docent at the Historical Society. She volunteers the first Sunday of each month and we want to have her take us on a little tour.
When I got home from my group I had 2 voice mails from the scheduler at my eye doctor’s office. They wanted me to come in tomorrow or Thursday for another injection because I guess the doctor is on a grand jury or something and he has those 2 days free. I told her I could not make it either day. First off, I have to go tomorrow and get that bloodwork done that I could not get done 2 weeks ago and second, I cannot expect Jean to take me over there on such short notice. She has a life and I cannot expect her to just drop everything and take me. They always tell me to have someone drive me when I have an eye injection.
Then the scheduler wanted me to come in during the week that I will be visiting my older brother and I told her I could not make it then either. She said that the doctor is not available again until November so I said “well I guess we will just have to wait until then”. So I now have an appointment for Friday, November 7th and another on Friday, December 5th.
After I got home, I was going to put the trash bins out at the curb. Hiker always gets excited and wants to go out with me. She always jumps up and down and I’m always telling her that she is going to hurt herself. Well she must have twisted her back leg when she came down from jumping because she yipped and was favoring it. She was limping a little at first, but I’ve been watching her and she seems to be OK now. I’m guessing that she just twisted it like we do when we step off of a curb or something. It hurts at first but then we work the soreness out of it. I’ll keep an eye on her to make sure she isn’t limping because if she is, I’ll have to take her to the vet to have it x-rayed. But I think she is OK.

Still Cool, But Not For Long

Stayed up late last night to watch the season premiere of “CSI” and then did not fall asleep until around midnight. Up early for a dog walk with Jean. Really dark outside here at 6 am.
Heard on our local news that it will be cool for a couple of days but then by the weekend it is going to be back up into the triple digits. Darn! That means that I’ll have to postpone the local tour on Sunday that I was going to take 3 of the ladies from my support group on. It will be too hot for us to be outside.
Was nice a cool when we did our dog walk this morning. There were a lot of people out walking, jogging, riding their bikes, etc.
After lunch, I did some house work which made me tired. I am soooo out of shape.

Mostly Cloudy All Day

Slept in this morning. When we did get out of bed, I noticed that it was in the low 50’s so I put on jeans and a sweat shirt for a while. I actually slept under the covers last night. That was the first time I’d done that in months.
Had some cereal and then took Hiker for a walk. Earlier it had been totally overcast, but by the time we left for the walk, the sun had come out so I had switched from the sweat shirt to a t-shirt. When we got home, the sun was back behind the clouds again.
I really need to get back into shape. I get a little winded when Hiker and I go walking now plus my calf muscles hurt when we walk. I hate it that I let myself get that much out of shape.
After lunch, Hiker and I took another ride around the valley. We headed over to Pico Canyon Park and got out of the car and walked around a little. Hiker always wants to greet any dog she see along the way, but there was this big dog she wanted to greet who didn’t seem very friendly. The guy who was holding the leash on the big dog said it was OK for them to say hi, but then the big dog started to come after Hiker and I pulled her back before it could attack her. It scared her.
Have a busy week coming up. Have to go to Wal-Mart on Monday, have my grief group on Tuesday, need to go for my blood work that I was not able to get done last 2 weeks ago, then grocery shopping on Thursday and on Friday, Jean and I are heading up to Ventura for their Harvest Festival.
Got up into the low 80’s here today and it was another beautiful fall day.

Beautiful Day Here In SoCal

Last night I was wide awake until 2 am. I had finished off the last of the coffee ice cream I made when my friend Ed was here. He likes it with a lot of coffee flavor so he had put 4 ½ tablespoons in the vanilla ice cream. Well obviously that is way too much caffeine for me since it made me so hyper. I think when I make it, I will only use 1 or 2 tablespoons.
Anyway, since I was so awake, I watched a very cute movie called “Peace, Love and Misunderstanding” with Jane Fonda. It was about old hippies living in Woodstock, NY. Was a fun movie. After that I watched a movie called “White House Down” which is exactly the same story as “Olympus Has Fallen” with a few twists.
After I fell asleep around 2 am, I slept pretty soundly through the night until Hiker woke me to go outside to potty. I tried to go back to sleep for a while, but really didn’t so finally got up around 8 am. It was beautiful outside at that time, only 54° and feeling very much like fall, which I am loving.
It was such a pretty day that I decided to take Hiker for a ride and take a few photographs. Got very cloudy in the afternoon and I keep hoping that maybe tonight we will get some rain.

Very Nice Day Weatherwise

I was so tired yesterday from being lightheaded and taking that motion sickness pill that I went to bed just a little after 8:30 pm and I fell right to sleep. I watched a movie before bed called “Forces of Nature” with Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck. It was cute.
Got up at 6 am and did our dog walk with Jean, her 3 dogs and 2 other dogs she is boarding. Then I flushed Jean’s hot water heater while she got up on my roof and glued down some loose shingles. I am afraid of heights and she isn’t so she didn’t mind doing it.
Was up into the low 80’s by 10 am. I had to run over to the liquor and get my lottery ticket for Saturday. I was going to get it yesterday, but didn’t feel like driving.
Keith told me that there is another update on our iPhone iOS. I know they said that iOS 8.0 had a lot of bugs and they tried to do an 8.0.1 to fix them but that made things even worse, so now they have an 8.0.2.
Was a beautiful day here today. In the low 80’s and breezy with clear blue sky. I hope that this cooler weather stays. The say we “may” have a chance of rain this weekend, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

Out Of It Day

Got up at 6 am to let Hiker outside and I felt fine until I went to get back into bed. I didn’t fall asleep last night until around midnight, so I thought I’d crawl back into bed and get up around 7 am, but as I started to lie down, I got very lightheaded and the room was spinning. I must have turned too quickly or it could be the hot weather we’ve been having. I made it to the bathroom and took a motion sickness pill because I have found that they really help stop the dizziness when I have these spells. The pill put me back to sleep and I woke around 8 am not as dizzy, but still a little lightheaded. Got up and got some cereal to see if that would help. It made me feel somewhat better, but it made me mad that I got dizzy because I needed to go over to Wal-Mart and I could not drive feeling the way I was.
Was still feeling a little weak by 10 am but at least my head had stopped spinning. That’s what happens whenever I get a dizzy spell, it makes me feel weak the rest of the day.
I had planned on flushing my water heater today, and I did get that done once I felt better, but never did make it to Wal-Mart so I’ll just have to try to get there tomorrow sometime.
The problem with my taking those motion sickness pills is that they have always made me very drowsy. I decided to lay down on the sofa after lunch and I immediately fell asleep. Only problem is when I wake up I feel like I’m hung over and I’m very hungry.
Hiker is so smart. She kept barking at me and sitting by her toy container. I finally opened it for her and she started digging through it all the way to the bottom until she found her rubber pumpkin, which she grabbed and started squeaking and throwing around the living room. Guess she figured it was fall so she needed her toy pumpkin. I’m surprised she remembered it.

Busy On My Laptops Today

Up at 7:30 am and immediately out for a walk with Hiker. Felt like fall again this morning…cool and crisp, but then it warmed up and got to 90° out on my patio.
Hung around the house all day. I wanted to make sure that all of my email address books in my 3 laptops jived. When I go up to visit my brother Ron, I don’t want anyone to miss out on the Daily Email Blog and any photos I may take. I’m taking my smallest laptop with me and it did not have everyone’s email address in it so I was working on that all day.
I’m hoping it cools down tomorrow because I need to flush my water heater and I don’t want it to be really hot when I’m outside doing that. I also need to clean my rain gutters just in case we ever get any rain again in my lifetime (LOL). Don’t know if I’ll to that tomorrow or not. I might do it while the water heater is draining.

Our shadows went walking with us this morning.

Stayed Home From Group Today

The pet preparedness seminar that Jean and I went to last night was very informative. I got home in time to watch both “Scorpion” and “Under The Dome”. I’ll have to see if I can catch “Sleepy Hollow” on the On Demand channel.
I still was not feeling very well last night when I went to the seminar. My throat was sore from choking yesterday and my ribs were killing me from the coughing. When I woke up a 6 am to let Hiker outside, I felt like crap. Went back to bed and slept until 8 am, so decided not to attend my grief support group today.
Hiker must have known I wasn’t feeling well because when we went back to bed after she came in this morning, she cuddled up right up close to me, which is something she normally does not do.
After having breakfast, I felt better, so I went outside and put up some autumn decorations in my front yard. Also had to clean up Hiker’s poop and while I was doing that, I heard my house phone ringing. By the time I got in to answer it, it stopped and I saw that my brother Ron had called me. He had just gotten home from his doctor appointment and he wanted to tell me that his bloodwork results were not very good. His cholesterol has gone way up, so the doctor wants him diet and exercise and come back in 3 months.
Felt much better after lunch. I was even able to do some “dreaded” housework.
Got up into the mid-90’s today.

Typical Monday

I woke up this morning needing to go to the bathroom. I didn’t look at the clock when I got back in bed so I had no idea what time it was. I no more than got settled back in bed and my alarm went off. Had to get up and get ready for our dog walk with Jean.
There was a slight chill in the air again this morning, so instead of shorts, I wore sweat pants for the walk. I hope that chill in the air means that autumn weather is on the way.
After the walk, Hiker and I had some breakfast and then I headed out to Sam’s Club. I needed to pick up several of my supplements that I take. I decided to not buy the joint supplement because I have never felt any difference in the way my joints feel. I still hurt in the morning until everything wakes up and stretches out.
In the middle of the afternoon, I swallowed wrong and had a choking/coughing fit for a few minutes. I hate that when it happens. After the episode, my ribs hurt from all of the coughing and then my stomach felt bloated. My brother Keith said I probably swallowed a bunch of air while choking/coughing.
Was a nice day again. They say that today was going to be warm, which it was. It was in the low 90s, but they say that after this, we should start having cooler weather. I sure hope so.
Jean is picking me up at 6 pm to head over to the Valencia Library for a pet preparedness workshop. It lasts for 2 hours so we probably won’t be back home until around 9 pm which means I’ll probably miss most of the new show “Scorpion” tonight. I have to watch the “Under The Dome” season finale.

Pretty Day Here

Slept much better last night. Got out of bed at 7:30 am and took Hiker for a 2 mile walk. It felt cool and crisp as if autumn was in the air. I had on shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt, but almost wished I had on jeans. But by the time we got home, I was all hot and sweating so didn’t mind the shorts and t-shirt.
Had some breakfast and then did a little house work, plus did some laundry.
It was a beautiful day. Got up to around the mid-80s and the sun was great. Hiker and I just hung out at home the rest of the day.

Pretty Day Out - But I Don't Feel Good

Could not fall asleep last night. I went to bed just after 9 pm. I was feeling tired, but once I got in bed, I could not go to sleep. I could not get comfortable no matter which way I stretched out. I turned on the TV and watched “Murder, She Wrote” and still didn’t get sleepy. Around 1 am I got up and took a sleeping pill. Finally dozed off around 1:30 am, but when I woke up at 6:20 am to let Hiker outside, I felt like I had a hangover. When Hiker came back inside, I went back to bed and went right to sleep and slept until 8 am. Still did not feel that great when I got up.
Due to the lack of sleep, I didn’t feel very well all day, plus my stomach was bothering me for some reason. Made me angry that I was not feeling well because it was beautiful outside today and it would have been a great day to take Hiker out for a hike. Was in the low 80s and breezy with bright sunshine.
I was not hungry at lunch time, but around 2 pm, I forced myself to eat a sandwich even though I still was not hungry even then. Besides me not feeling well, I noticed that Hiker’s poop was very runny. I know we didn’t eat the same thing. Maybe she knows that I don’t feel well, so that is making her not feel well.
I watched “Jumanji” on Netflix.
Got my results back on my mammogram that I had back on September 10th and everything is fine, so that’s good news. I always worry a little bit since back in 2007 they found a small lump in my left breast. It was removed and it was benign, but I always worry that another lump may show up.

Nice Day

Had our Friday dog walk with Jean and her dogs, plus she had Dodger, a dog who is staying with her for a few days. We did our walk and then stopped by to pick up Patches who lives across the street from me and Hiker. Both Hiker and Patches were getting bathed and trimmed today.
After Jean was finished grooming the dogs, I left Hiker at her house with all of the other dogs and Jean and I went over to Everest for lunch.
I am so glad the weather has cooled down, but they are saying we may be back up into the triple digits again next week. I was actually able to open my sliding patio door and my front door today and just let the air blow through.
I called Kaiser this afternoon to ask them a few questions about my signing up for their Medicare Senior Advantage plan. I was a little worried about getting my enrollment form into them prior to my trip to Northern California in a few weeks. Wanted to make sure I had time. They told me that they will be mailing the packet with the form right after October 1st and that I have until December 31st to get it back to them, so I guess I have enough time (LOL).
Finally had to turn my A/C on at 3 pm. It got up to 83° in the house, so I want to have it cooled down by bedtime.

Do You Like Coffee Flavored Ice Cream?

TURN VANILLA ICE CREAM INTO COFFEE ICE CREAM

1.     Soften ice cream to a consistency where you can mix it (not watery – still a little thick. You can put it in the microwave for a seconds to help.

2.    Put ice cream in a large mixing bowl.

3.    Boil about ¼ cup of water.

4.    Put 2 to 4 tablespoons of instant coffee into a small bowl or cup.

5.    Make sure that ice cream is now about the consistency of a thick malt.

6.    Once the water is boiling, put about 2 or 3 drops into the instant coffee and stir. You want the coffee to be about as thick as pancake syrup, so do not add too much water.

7.    Pour syrup into the softened vanilla ice cream and stir for a minute or two and then let it sit for about 4 minutes and stir it again. Do this a few times until all of the coffee syrup is mixed into the ice cream.

8.    Pour the softened ice cream into a plastic container (like Tupperware) and freeze for about 6 to 8 hours.

A Little Cooler Today

Today, my friend Ed, who was Ben’s best friend for over 35 years came and took me to lunch. He does that about every 3 or 4 month. He lives in Pomona, CA. We went to Sizzler and I ate too much as usual (LOL). Prices sure have gone up there. I remember about 3 years ago the all you can eat salad bar for seniors was $7.99 and now it is $11.99. We got to talking about ice cream and what our favorite flavors were and Ed asked me if I liked coffee ice cream. Told him I love it. He asked me if I had trouble finding it at the stores. I told him sometimes I do, and then it is way overpriced, so he showed me how to turn ordinary vanilla ice cream into coffee ice cream.
Was not as hot today as it has been. Still got up to around 90° but felt much better than the 100+ days we had for the past 2 weeks. There was a nice breeze outside too.
Tomorrow I have to take Hiker over to Jean’s house to get her groomed.

Wasted Morning

So I fasted for 20 hours after my lunch with my group friends yesterday because I was going over to Kaiser to do bloodwork for my cholesterol. Well the lab I go to does not open until 9 am, so I get there at 8:45 am and they tell me that the order from my doctor for the bloodwork was scheduled for no earlier than Friday, September 26. They said they could have me speak with the nurse and see if maybe they could open the order earlier, so that’s what I did. The nurse told me that because the doctor had raised my dosage a month ago and then I emailed him about a week and a half ago to tell him that I was having muscle pain, and he told me to lower the dose back down to what I was taking before, that he changed the date for the bloodwork. She said that if we took it now before my body adjusts back to the lower dosage that they might get a false reading. Would have been nice if they had emailed me to tell me that.
It was 90° when Hiker and I went to bed last night a little after 9 pm and it was pretty warm all night. When I we got up at 6 am it was already about 72° outside. By the time I got home from Kaiser around 9:30 am it was already 90°.
I had thoroughly clean and fill my both of my hummingbird feeders. They were pretty dirty. I had bought a set of brushes on Amazon specifically made to clean hummer feeders.
My brother Keith notified me that Apple had a new iOS to download, so I did that on both my iPhone and my iPad. It was a big download so it took quite a while to download and install.
My friend Ed (Ben’s best buddy) is coming tomorrow and he and I will be going to lunch. He and I always talk sit and talk about Ben because they were buds for over 35 years and we both have such great memories of Ben. It’s nice to be with friends who knew Ben so that we can share those memories.

H-O-T!!!

Had my grief support group at the senior center today. We all were saying how much were are hating this heat wave we are having.
The annoying woman came today. She is just so rude. We try to be nice to everyone who joins our group, but sometimes, it is a little hard.
Paul went to lunch with us today and he has finally stopped paying for all of our lunches. We feel so much more comfortable about it now.
I have to fast tonight because I am going in for blood work tomorrow morning to see if the Crestor is helping to lower my cholesterol levels.
When I got home from group, it was 110° on my patio again. Sure hope it starts to cool down soon.

Will This Heat Ever Stop?

I cannot believe that we are half-way through September already. Seems like we just left August.
For some reason, I woke up around 4:30 am and could not go back to sleep. Finally got out of bed at 6 am and fed Hiker and let her outside to potty, then we went for a dog walk with Jean and her dogs.
After the walk, Hiker and I had a breakfast of poached eggs and then I went over to Wal-Mart to do a little shopping. That was just before 9 am and it was already 90° by then.
Noticed my brother Ron had called me while I was gone, but I decided not to call him back until after I watched “Young & Restless”. We talked for about 30 minutes. I can tell that he is looking forward to Keith, Hiker and me coming to visit him.
By 2:30 pm it was 110° on my patio. So far this has been the hottest day of this heat wave. Each day seems to go up a degree or two. Sure hope the heat wave breaks soon.
I did my vacuuming and also raked my carpet. It looks so nice after it’s been vacuumed and raked.
I went out in the heat to collect my mail up at the mailbox and there was only one piece of mail in the box. But it was good because it was my Medicare Card!

Some thunderheads are forming to the north of us.

Even Hotter Today

When I got up at 6 am to let Hiker outside, it was already 70°. I’m beginning to feel like I’m in the “Twilight Zone” episode where the sun is moving closer to the earth and everyone is dying off.
Got up around 7:45 am and took Hiker out for a 2 mile walk. It was already almost 80° by that time. At least we got out and did some exercise before it got too hot.
Got home and had a little breakfast and decided to take advantage of the hot weather and put a jug of water and tea bags outside to make some sun tea. It was already 95° at 9:30 am.
By 12:45 pm it was 107° on my patio, so today was the hottest so far of this current heat wave.
Hiker and I stayed inside and I watched an “NCIS” marathon on the USA Channel. These were old episodes with Sasha Alexander was on the show.
109° here at 1:30 pm. We are hotter than the Antelope Valley which is the high desert.

Morning Walk

Later In The Afternoon

HOT, Lazy Day

Slept in just a little this morning. When I let Hiker outside at 6 am, it was already 65° and by 9 am it was already 80°. I came to the conclusion that I was NOT going to even stick my head outside today because it was going to be just too damn hot.
Did some laundry and watched some movies on Netflix.
105° here at 2 pm with all kinds of heat alerts and heat warnings.

Another Very Hot Day

We got out of bed early this morning for our regular Friday dog walk with Jean and her three dogs. Was already getting warm at 7 am and it was a little more humid today than it has been. The bugs were eating us up again.
After the walk, Hiker and I came home and had some breakfast and then I went over to Stater Brothers to do my grocery shopping.
I mixed up the ingredients for a meatloaf and then flopped down on the sofa to stay nice and cool in the air conditioned house.
I did walk up to the mailbox in the late afternoon. Was 104° at that time. We are supposed to get hotter over the weekend and them they say the humidity will be even worse next week because of another hurricane coming up the coast. I don’t ever remember so many hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean.