Does the Wind Ever Stop Blowing?

Another windy summer day here in Lancaster.  I’m getting a little bored with this.  I can accept that it usually gets windy by 4:00 pm but when it is windy at 7:30 am every day, well that is just too much.  But what’s a girl to do??

We got up this morning and decided to have our coffee out on the patio.  I stepped outside and was surprised by how warm it already was.  Looking out the window and seeing the trees blowing in the wind I thought it would be cooler. 

Brad and I like to sit outside on a weekend morning and drink our coffee and work on crossword puzzles.  All the while I sat out there FarmTown on Face Book was calling my name.  But I was determined not to heed the siren’s call this morning.  At least not until it was time to plant some grapes…

For breakfast I decided to scramble some eggs and eat them with the leftover pico de gallo that we had with carne asada on Thursday.

I’m still using my 4th of July paper plates. 

We spent the whole morning outside reading, doing puzzles, playing with the dogs – in all a great morning.

For lunch I snooped around the refrigerator and pantry and decided it would be grilled cheese sandwiches for us.  And we had a few chips leftover from the carne asada meal. 

After we ate we decided to whip up some falafel mix to use for dinner.  I used garbanzo and cannellini beans, but I think the cannellini beans were too wet.  I like to use those beans in hummus but I think I’ll stick with garbanzo beans for falafels from now on.  I put the mix in the refrigerator, hoping it would be drier by dinner.  I also put together a nice tahini sauce to go with the falafels. 

I finally broke down and took the laptop outside so I could plant some grape crops and check on my sister’s farm while she is out of town.

Lindsay and Ben came by from their trip to Paso Robles.  It sounds like they had a great anniversary trip with mucho wine tasting.  They didn’t seem too much the worse for wear.  And they brought us back a great looking wine.They did seem happy to see their little Riley.  After we told them what a good dog he had been he decided to poop and pee in the house.  Oh well.  Good thing he is a cute little chiaweenie!!

Before dinner we had a glass of the nice little wine that we opened yesteday and did a little more farming.  I was excited to see that Lindsay was now a farmer and would be my neighbor.  I don’t know why that game is so much fun, but it is.

When dinner rolled around the falafel mix was thicker, but I still had to add some flour to it to get it to a better consistency.  We made a lot so we’ll be having them again tomorrow. 

And now it is time to go have a popsicle and watch a little tv with Brad.  Laura is home from Santa Monica but she just left to watch some show with her friend, Christina.

Until tomorrow…

Another Monday…

 

I wasn’t able to find my pedometer yesterday and I was very frustrated by that.  I did find a little throw away pedometer that actually worked so I’ll be using that until I find or get a new one. 

Before going to bed last night I told myself I had to get up around 5:30 so that I could walk, wash my hair and get ready for work.  Well, my eyes popped on at 5:25.  Did I jump out of bed??  No, of course not.  But I didn’t go back to sleep either.  I listened to a book I have on tape but all the while I kept an eye on the clock.  I realized I wasn’t paying any attention to the book so I got up, got dressed and made up the bed while Brad went out and turned on the coffee maker.  He was surprised when he got back to the room because he thought he was going back to bed. 

Zoey saw me putting on my shoes and she was excited.  We headed out the door about 6:00 for a good walk.  For some reason this morning I decided to gently run.  It felt good!  I didn’t run the whole time, but I did put in a good mile.  By the time we got home I had logged 5600 steps – well on my way to 10,000 for the day!

I was trying to figure out how to take a picture of my breakfast today to make it interesting.  I decided to take the picture even before the oatmeal was ready…

We got to the office and before anyone even said hello the staff was complaining that the A/C wasn’t working.  That wasn’t the best way to start the work day.  I called the A/C guys and while in our morning meeting we tried to think of what we could do to get it working ASAP.  Brad and Ben thought they had played with all of the circuit breakers, but after the meeting they tried a couple more places and lo and behold it worked!!  Since it is going to be at least in the 90s today we are thankful.  And I was able to cancel the repair people!! 

Well, time to get working…

Aftermath…

It’s been a couple days since I’ve blogged so I figured I ought to sit down and put something to paper, so to speak.  We had a wonderful 4th yesterday.  For the last 5 years we have had a small bbq here with our family and Ben’s family.  Yesterday we continued the tradition.

We were hoping for a beautiful summer day, but we got winds, winds, and more winds.  After getting very frustrated with the wind I decided to pretend it wasn’t there and just enjoy the day.  That was a better plan of action.  The weather was warm so we were able to swim.  We had a couple of new rafts and they turned out to be perfect.  Lindsay and I lied on those rafts and drifted around the pool for quite a while.  Lindsay has a great account of the day on her blog www.teachingmyselfthin.blogspot.com.

Yesterday I had some rhinestone flag “tatoos” that we put on for a little patriotic fun – we even put them on Riley (the chiaweenie) and Zoey (the lab).  To my surprise they left them on all day!  As we sat around the backyard watching the (illegal) fireworks displays around the valley I noticed the near full moon reflecting on the pool.  Very beautiful!

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I was feeling a bit frustrated with this blogging the other day.  Loading pictures was so slow and the spacing of the lines was so erratic.  Then Lindsay called this morning and told me about Live Writer!  Yay!!  So much easier!

Yesterday I came across a book that I had been reading about a year and a half ago.  In the book there was a place to write down a list of 101 goals.  I had started it and then, apparently, forgot about it.  I started reading it and felt a little disappointed in myself, but then I decided that was useless and I should just renew my drive to achieve these goals.  So that is what I am doing, starting now.  Not tomorrow, now.

One thing on the list is to walk at least 10,000 every day.  Since that is something I can definitely start today I got up to get my pedometer.  But I can’t find it.  I have found a couple of throw away pedometers but I have not found a single one with a good battery!  RRRRR.   I really want to find that great pedometer that you can just stick in your pocket, but Brad and I have looked everywhere!.  Hmmmm.  Well, I am not going to let that stop me – I just may not be able to get an accurate count of my steps today.

Well, it is time to get outside and enjoy the day.  Oh yes, the wind is still here – with a vengeance.

See ya…

TGI Thursday!!

Oh how nice it is to be sitting home on Thursday evening with dinner done, a movie (MILK) playing, and a weekend ahead to be enjoyed. We are lucky and have a 3 day weekend every week, but that doesn't make Thursday sweet, just the same!

Today started out with a nice 2 mile walk with Brad and Zoey. Then it was back to the house to enjoy a cup of coffee before really starting the day. Thursdays are always interesting days. We wake up knowing that the day will be very busy, but that it will be worth it because as soon as the last patient leaves our weekend begins.

Before heading off to the office we prepared the pork and put it in the slow cooker for pulled pork sandwiches for Fun Food Thursday!

We expected to have a lot of people canceling their appointments today since it is so close the the 4th of July weekend. But no one canceled. In fact, a number of people called with toothaches and a dire need to be seen immediately. We were continually trying to figure out where to put patients in the schedule. The way the morning was going we thought we were going to have to work through lunch, but, surprisingling we were all done only 10 minutes into lunch. And since Thursdays are the days that we have an extra 1/2 hour for lunch no one was complaining.

Lindsay and I set out not knowing where we wanted to eat. After driving a little aimlessly we decided to get a sushi. We went to a place called Big Tuna that is popular for it's all-you-can-eat sushi bar. We weren't interesting in eating all we could so we took a table and ordered salmon sushi, a 911 roll, a Hawaiian roll, and some edamame.

As we were eating we realized we had ordered too much. Next time we'll only order the salmon and one roll. We ended up leaving with a nice doggy bag --that would never be seen by the dog. BerryStar, a nice little PinkBerry imitation was a couple of doors down from Big Tuna and we wanted a little taste of frozen non-fat yogurt. Lindsay got chocolate and I got the original tart flavor with a smidge of fresh strawberries and just a couple of tiny gummi bears. It was so refreshing and good!

Back at the office the afternoon seemed to be as crazy as the morning but this time we managed to be done on time! Who would have figured? Laura had taken her car into the VW shop today to have her car serviced. After work we were going to meet her over there but decided it would make more sense (and leave less of a carbon footprint) for only us to drive over and then Brad would drive her car back to the house while I drove ours. On the way over Brad saw the doggy bag and finished it off.

We got home and the pork was wonderully tender. Lindsay and Ben came over a little later and we got out the Orowheat skinny buns and made a nice coleslaw. Okay, I didn't cut the cabbage or carrots, but I did make the dressing. We all enjoyed our pulled pork sandwiches. I like my sandwhich with the coleslaw inside and more on the side.

As I sit hear we are watching MILK. I'm getting better about watching movies. When I actually sit down and watch I enjoy them. Go figure!

I think I need a popsicle...

Until later...

A Hitch in My Get-Along

Today we got up late, I guess I was sleeping so hard that I didn't hear the alarm. Oh, wait, we never set an alarm we just let the light wake us up. I never thought I would be able to do that! So we just enjoyed our coffee in bed and then I fixed our oatmeal with strawberries.










As I was getting ready to go to the office this morning I realized I was running out of foundation. Now yesterday when I looked at my self portrait I realized I need to be generous with the foundation --- I can't run out. So I picked up the bottle to determine what the color is. I had my glasses on and I couldn't even find where the color was on the bottle. Finally I saw a spot, but I could not make out the teeeny tiny writing. Brad took a look and just laughed, then he decided it was a job for his loupes. With great magnification he was able to read it. Pure beige medium 2. As you can see from this highly magnified picture it is not easy to read. I think I'll send one of the girls in to get it for me so I don't have to take a magnifying glass to be sure I'm buying the correct color... If find this so ironic. When I was younger and didn't need glasses I really didn't need much in the way of foundation. Now that I am older and can benefit from good use of foundation I can't read the bottle...














One of the first things I did at the office this morning was send an e-mail to my Aunt Donna. It read simply "Today I think I have a hitch in my get-along :)" Her response was :) :) That put a smile on my face. You see, today was my paternal grandmother's birthday - Aunt Donna's mother's birthday. I called her Foney when I was learning to talk and the name stuck. One thing I remember about her was that if she had a pain in her hip she would say that she had a hitch in her get-along. It always made me laugh...



I received another wonderful Starbucks passion iced tea this morning. I'm addicted.

I'm still trying to get FB to reinstate my page. I'm about ready to shine that on and just start a new page. If I don't hear back from them today that's what I think I'll do. It was easy for a scammer to take possession of my FB page, but it is really hard to get it back. Too bad they weren't as diligent when an unauthorized person changed my e-mail login. What crappy support they have!!




I told Laura last night that there was no reason for her to be sitting home bored during the day when I had plenty for her to do at the office. After going to Target today and picking up my foundation she came to the office where I put her to work. At lunch the 5 of us headed off to Camielle's where, once again, I had the walnut apple tuna sandwhich. I really have to start changing up what I eat.

(Thanks for ghe great picture, Lindsay)

This evening I had a nail appointment so I was glad that Laura was in the office to be able to take me to my appointment since Brad was not going to be able to get out by 5:00. Brad and I ride in together so I couldn't just take our car and leave him stranded. Ok, he wouldn't be stranded, Ben could take him home, but since Laura was at the office it made the most sense for her to give me a ride.




I've been going to the same nail technician for a long time and consider her friend. This year has been a hard year for her and it doesn't appear to be getting better. She lost her mom a little over 2 months ago and now her father is rapidly declining. I feel so bad for her. All I could do was give her a hug and tell her that I was araound if she needed anything. :(

While I was waiting for Laura to come pick me up and take me home I went into the grocery store to get food for Fun Food Thursday. We decided on pulled pork done in the slow cooker. Brad and I will get it ready in the morning and then let it cook all day.



I got home and saw that Brad had prepared the pineapple for dinner and it was up to me to get something ready as a main course. We had some chicken that I had taken out so I decided to make a chicken pasta. I added garlic, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, tomato paste, grape tomatoes, and chicken broth and it was so delicious. We cooked a Barilla Omega 3 penne pasta to go under the sauce and topped it all off with parmesan cheese. We had the pasta dish with a pineapple and cottage cheese salad.





Well, not it is time to watch So You Think You Can Dance.


Until tomorrow...

Never eat more than you can lift -- Miss Piggy