Currently

It's a comfortable, though cloudy, evening with temperatures in the mid 60's. Dark comes by 7:00 now and nothing has changed...I am still that weirdo who loves the early darkness. It brings people together inside, candles are lit, lights seem softer. It's cozy season!

I'm watching The Voice. I've only caught it sporadically in the past, but I'm really enjoying it. The coaches are so much fun.

I answered the call in a community group on Facebook for a new book club starting up. Six women met up at a local restaurant this past Friday to iron out the foundation and choose our first book. As of today we're up to 15 members! This is going to be so much fun. Our first book, which I started today, is Danielle Steel's Past Perfect.

At work, the new supervisor has a background in elementary education, and she's decided we should have a morning wake up time where we listen to upbeat music and dance. Not the worst idea, but all of her song choices tend to lean toward Romper Room. The Good Morning Song is the most insidious ear worm of them all.

All things autumnal are making me smile these days. I don't think it's going to be a very colorful fall here due to the dry conditions, but fall is still managing to make itself known with the tastes, the sounds, and the smells. 

As a family we decorated the yard for Halloween on Sunday. I haven't done that since my kids were at home, but now there are the grandchildren and our daughter doesn't decorate outside these days. I have enjoyed all the displays we've seen in recent years featuring clever and fun scenes with skeletons, so it was an easy decision to decide to give it a shot. Our front yard now has a "Hula-ween" theme. There are skeletons enjoying a luau (including a skeleton pig with an apple in its mouth) in their finest grass skirts, Hawaiian shirts, and lei's. There's one "floating" in an innertube and everywhere there are flamingos, both pink and skeletal. The pink ones have little skeleton jockeys. There's flaming torches, a skeleton alligator, and even a skeleton mermaid. It's all in good fun, not scary at all. I promise I'll get a few photos once the lighting is complete.

Like everyone else, I feel sad about recent events in the news. It feels like the whole world has gone stark, raving, mad. However, I am rejoicing at the awakening and revival I'm seeing in so many young people. In my own little world, it has meant our daughter going back to church (and getting her husband and children to go, too) and she finally took the major step of withdrawing the kids from public school and is beginning their homeschool journey this week. The kids are very excited and we all believe it will be better for them.

My knee (well...maybe my whole thigh) is feeling rather stiff this evening, but it is, I hope, a good thing. I got my first Euflexa injection today and they warned that would happen. Stiffness aside, I do think it has helped the pain a little bit. I get another injection next Monday and the final one the Monday after that. Here's hoping it works and holds off knee replacement for a while.

Feeling grateful...

• The man I took care of is in a nursing home and began chemo treatments today. There were days we didn't think it would get worked out.
• I got to attend church and worship with our daughter and her family.
• New friends in the book club.
• The weather is beautiful.
• I have good co-workers.
• I don't live in an urban area.

Giggling at...

Currently

I am

Reading... another Harlequin Intrigue. I'm finding these books to be halfway decent reading...not your average fluffy, Harlequin romances. That's a good thing since I seem to have picked up several of them at one of the used book sales this summer.

Listening... to Oliver purring next to my ear and the hum of the A/C.

Watching... I just turned the television off, but I had been watching House Hunters International. I used to watch those shows all the time, but haven't tuned in for ages.

Loving... the soothing feel of the heating pad on my knee. Heat seems to give me more relief than ice.

Thinking... about what needs packed for the man I take care of. He is going to be moving to a nursing home while he goes through chemo, surgery, and whatever else is down the line. The hope is to bring him home again afterward. As things stand, he should go Monday to do the paperwork, move sometime later next week, and start chemo on the 29th.

Feeling... relieved. I made it through another week with that difficult one-on-one. To keep him out of trouble we don't stay at work. I meet his van and put him in the one I'm driving without him ever getting into the building. We come back about 5-10 minutes before the vans start picking consumers up. It works beautifully and he was so good for me this week, but it does make for long days. I'm glad it's over.

Celebrating... that my daughter went to church last Sunday, loved it, and plans to go this Sunday with her husband and kids along. If my knee will allow it I plan to go, too.

Enjoying... the cooler nights. It makes for much better sleep.

Weather... is too hot. It was around 85 degrees today. Sorry, but once we get to September I want nice cool fall days. At least the nights are dipping down to the 50's or even the 40's.

Grateful... my client will start chemo soon; everything went well with the one-on-one this week; my shots will start soon.

Giggling...  

Ten Things Tuesday

I haven't done this one for a long time, so why not?

1. Everyone at work and at home (me included) was incredibly sleepy today. The weather?

2. I talked to the company that supplies the Euflexa (sp?) for the shots in my knee. Everything was approved so they will get it to my provider's central office. It will then go to the office my orthopedist works out of and they will call me when they get it to set up the appointments. Maybe next week.

3. Still processing in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination. It saddens me that anyone can rejoice in the death of another human being. I am thrilled, however, to be a witness to the awakening taking place and the drawing of young people to church. My daughter is among them.

4. The blind man I help care for may be starting chemo this week with the hope of shrinking the tumor to the point it can be surgically removed. He will have to stay in a nursing home throughout his chemo. He is one who will certainly need to have someone available 24 hours a day and my employer can't provide that...also, those of us who are part of his care team are not trained nurses or even nurses aides and we don't really want to be responsible for his health during chemo. I will not have to take care of him if he is in a care facility. I will somehow have to make up an hour and a half each week, however, to maintain my full-time status.

5. I am out every day this week with the young man who is a coworker's one-on-one. My coworker is lounging on the beach all week and I get to take over for him. So far, everything is going well and the one-on-one is doing great.

6. I bought a couple more skeletons today. My daughter and grandchildren are going to help me turn the yard into a fun Halloween display. I don't do the scary stuff. I'm thinking of going tropical with my skeleton crew and having a "Hulaween" celebration going on.

7. Christmas stuff is coming out in the stores already. I bought a Grinch blow mold. I happened to see him and if I didn't get him now, he'd be gone.

8. Tim turns 65 in December. We are trying to navigate the "wonders" of medicare. It's crazy to me that he has to make a decision about that before his birthday, even if he's not planning to retire (he's not), or be penalized for the rest of his life. 

9. My knee/leg really hurts today.

10. I got one bag each of Werther's caramel apple, maple cream, and pumpkin spice chewy caramels. That should get me through the season.

Currently

The weather... calm and clear. The overnight temperature will dip to near 40 degrees. We're getting a lovely taste of fall weather with warm days and cool nights. Love it!

I'm reading... a Harlequin Intrigue book, Dropping the Hammer by Joanna Wayne.

I'm watching... Northern Exposure on Prime. I never really got into it back in the 90s. I'm enjoying it now.

I'm listening... to Tim sniffling. Fall allergies are hitting everyone hard this year.

I'm loving... that the grandchildren seem to want to be here with us a lot lately. We're looking forward to them sleeping over this coming Saturday.

I'm thinking... about what the orthopedic doctor had to say yesterday. Basically, I need a new knee. She gave me the choice, however, of contacting the orthopedic surgeon or trying the euflexa (sp?) shots. I've opted to try the shots first. That will at least give me time to talk with HR at work and see how I could manage taking off for the surgery if I need to.

I'm feeling... content, happy, creative. We are moving into the months that make me feel the most alive.

I'm celebrating... making progress with decluttering the house. It has admittedly gotten away from me with my leg hurting so much.

I'm enjoying... the switch to heartier fall meals. I made a batch of stuffed peppers in the crock pot today. Yum!

I'm grateful... for all the help our daughter's been giving me on the bad pain days.

I'm giggling...