Saturday 9: Mambo No. 5

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) Lou Bega namechecks a lot of women in this song. Is there an Angela, Pamela, Sandra, Rita, Monica, Erica, Tina, Mary, or Jessica in your life?  There are consumers named Angela, Pamela, Erica, and Jessica at my work. I don't have anyone by those names in my life outside of that.

 

2) Can you think of a song that includes your first name?  Only one, Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne. It's not a favorite. When I drove a school bus the high school kids liked to sing it over and over to me.

 

3) Lou sings that flirting is like a sport. Do you enjoy flirting?  I did when I was young and single. I really don't engage in it now.

 

4) While Lou Bega's recording became a big hit worldwide, it enjoyed great popularity, where it was used during televised cricket matches. Do you know anything about the game of cricket?  Not really. I do remember that we had to play it once in gym class and we all thought it was terribly boring.

 

5) When Lou was riding high with "Mambo No. 5," Cher invited him to open for her on her 1999-2000 tour. Cher has more than 50 hit records, two television series, a Broadway show and an Oscar under her belt. Can you think of another performer who has succeeded in so many areas of entertainment?  Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Bing Crosby, Mark Wahlburg, Will Smith, Reba McEntire....

 

6) Lou turned 50 in April of this year. Are you soon celebrating a big birthday (one that ends in a 0 or 5)?  No. I have four more years to hit a "5."

 

7) In 1999, when "Mambo No. 5" was on the radio, the movie American Pie premiered and was so popular it inspired three sequels. Have you seen any of the American Pie films?  Not that I remember and I don't really have any desire to see them. 

 
8) Also in 1999, Walmart opened its first store in the UK. Do you often shop at Walmart?  Way too often. It's so easy to place a grocery order online and choose when I want to pick it up. At least doing that slows me down on those impulsive buys you find in the store.

 

9) Random question – Have you recently fallen asleep somewhere other than your bed? If yes, where did you doze off?  I doze off for a little bit nearly every evening while in my recliner.

Thankful Thursday

It's been a while.

I continue to count and list.

I just don't post much these days.

Thought I'd give it a go tonight.

I am thankful for...

Rainy days.

Good books.

Coworkers I can laugh with.

Kitty purrs in my ear.

And kitty paws playing with my curls.

Weather cool enough to pull out cute fall clothes.

A young man willing to cut down the backyard Poplar.

Reaching the day after the Euflexxa injection when the pain stops and the "feel better" begins.

Savory autumn recipes to try.

Living with nearly all my family close by.

A good, hard-working, generous husband.

My God, who is always in control.

Currently

I'm sitting here relaxing and watching The Voice with my knee wrapped in the heating pad. Explanation...I got the second Euflexxa injection today and man, did it hurt this time. It wasn't the needle, but the gel that was injected. The doctor said it sometimes does that, doesn't go exactly where it should so they manipulated my knee for a bit and told me to keep it moving for a while. That helped a lot. On the bright side, I do think the injections are helping...not sure how much yet, but there is a difference.

So, I just told you I'm watching The Voice. No need to repeat. What I'm listening to is the hum of the AC. Boo. It's October, for crying out loud! Where is my cool autumn weather? Happy to say we're going to get a bit of it this week. Rain is on the way and temps are to dip into the 60's for daytime highs the rest of the week. Yay!

The Bookworms (the book club I joined) met again tonight. We are reading Danielle Steel's Past Perfect. I'm not really a fan of Steel, but this book is proving to be an enjoyable read. When we meet again in two weeks we should all be done reading it and can have a proper discussion without giving away anything. At that meeting I also have the honor of choosing our next read. They want a seasonal choice. Hmm...something spooky.

Tim's making lots of progress on the porch railing. I'm loving that as I will have to come up and down the front steps to use the front door when he tears the old deck off the back. There are several steps and they're a bit steep or at least with my knee I'm seeing them that way. Having the railings is the only way I'll be able to manage it.

Thinking about work. It's hard not to. None of us are happy with our current supervisor. She is a nice enough person, but the most disorganized person and I don't know, just completely unskilled at being a boss. For some reason, the higher ups have dug in on her and excuse everything she does (or doesn't do) and that leaves all of us frustrated. Good employees are talking about leaving.

I'm feeling mellow this evening. Relaxed and content.

You know I'm celebrating all things autumn these days and that includes Halloween. Even though it's way too hot for October, I'm enjoying that the Halloween decorations are finally done outside and inside (I have a trio of adorable ghosts and a dog statue with a pillow that reads "I'll get you my pretty and your little dog, too!" It was a gift from a friend.) I will get photos later this week or over the weekend.

We are both enjoying the kiddos popping in and out a lot more now that they are home schooled. Tonight when I got home it was our 6-year-old granddaughter who was out on the porch helping Pappy, handing him tools, learning how to measure, etc. Soooo adorable! My heart is full.

Thankful

• The kids are adjusting so well to homeschooling (and Mom is too).
• We are having opportunities to teach the kids things we know.
• My knee seems to be improving.
• I'm making new book-y friends.
• The decorating is done.
• Tim is feeling better than he has in a while.

Giggling

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...