September

Well I woke up on the first feeling very vulnerable as in no longer protected from Covid. Call it my witchy sense, lol, but there was a niggling happening in the back of my brain. I had the J & J vaccine back on March 3rd and have read everything there is to read about the efficacy of the medication. It all came down to the fact no one really knew. I had seen on the news that they were giving Covid booster to anyone with health problems. So I called our local pharmacy and sure enough they were giving booster, we jumped in the car and was at there pharmacy in 15 minutes. Peter got his 3rd shot of Moderna no problem, he had lung and immune problems, but since I the J&J vaccine the store policy was not okayed to do J&J only Pfiizer and Moderna. So I left feeling like I had been let down. My husband had seen an ER Doctor on CNN, Dr. Wen, she said if you wanted a booster and no one would give it to you, go see your MD and get a prescription. So off I went to see my MD and he suggested that we should start with an antibody test. He said no matter how many prescriptions I show up with at a pharmacy if there policy is no, its no. He did say that if he any vaccine he would of been happy to start me over on Moderna or Pfizer, but the medical offices are not allowed vaccines yet. Crazy!! So blood test down on Wednesday and results back Friday morning. They showed ZERO antibodies in my system. I called the Dr. office and talked with the nurse and she said the test results reflected that I had never even had a vaccine at this point. No wonder my witchy sense alarms were going off!! So off I went to to the pharmacy to start over, I had to give my first name and filled out all the paperwork, this was going well, so far so good, I didn’t mention that I had already had a vaccine. I was sitting and waiting patiently for my Moderna shot and the pharmacist came out and asked me if I had the J&J, long story shortened, I was refused, even after I offered to sign a waver. SO home I went, I called 9 places, some of them twice, it seemed no one knew what to do with me. I finally got a wonderful nurse at the Epidemiology line at the Banner hospital. She listened to my woes and advised me if I had been directed to her line I was pretty much at the end. LOL She advised me that the only people that would have any kind of help for me would be the DHS of AZ. I told her I had called there but got pushed out to the county DHS of Pima County and so on and so. She said to to the supervisor who would be an RN, so I called and she actually answered the phone, by know it was 2:30p I had been at this for over 3 hours, she listened to my story and asked me to read to her my lab test, I got to the phrase IgG in the test ordered and that was the magic I had been looking for apparently. She said my doctor ordered the correct antibody test that they use, she said there are many test, but this one is the best, I was cheering under my breath, she took all my info, made me an appointment for 4p that afternoon and boom I was out the door on my way. It was at one of the hospitals that I had previously called, LOL the DHS had a clinic for Covid testing and vaccines. II feel so relieved that I was able to find someone that could help me. I felt that it was crazy that here the state is begging people to get vaccinated and here I am begging for it but couldn’t get any help. I already have a follow appointment for the 24th for my second injection. I am feeling better about having to be out and about. Just thought I would share my vaccine story. I am glad to see that at least they are keeping track of who and what shots we are getting, I really thought they wouldn’t be able to find me in the system, LOL I have a little more faith in the medical book keeping end of things, lol I hope you all have had your vaccines and taking care when out and about.

We were emptying the hot tub today and went to put something back on the shelf on the deck and there was a nice size King snake. It was about 3′ long or so. I think we disturbed it from under the deck with all the water and it was looking for a warmer spot to nap. It made its way back under the deck, we like King snakes, they eat rats, mice and rattlers so we were happy to see it, They keep the rattle snakes away.

We are almost out of monsoon season and it will be cooling down here soon. Looks like we will have a week or so of 100+ temps and then it will start to go down. I am so ready for winter. LOL

Not much else going on here, missed the full moon, we had thunder and lightening most of the night, But I enjoyed everyone’s pictures on line. I did a little twirl knowing that the full moon was out there behind the storm.

Keep smiling

End of August😎

Well I blinked and here we are at the end of the month already. Sitting around the house certainly gives you a false sense of time. I thought we were closer to the middle of the month, LOL I have to orientate myself weekly on what dam day it is and the real date. I lived all day yesterday thinking it was Thursday, when I got up to find its Saturday, LOL Oh well everyday is Sunday when your retired. lol

We had a windy night and its still blowing this morning, I believe we are getting some of the wind from storm off the west coast. I feel for the east getting hit by Hurricane Ida. Can’t wait for the winter months.

The desert is starting to show some colors, all the barrels are in bloom, and the yellow whittle bushes along the road are starting to bloom, along with the purple bushes here and there. So pretty.

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The barrels are in my yard and the yellow bushes are along the road in the Saguaro National Prk on my way to town.

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Another barrel that I bought in Tucson over 10 years ago, it lived in California and Yuma and never bloomed once in 10 years, I brought it back here put it back in its native soil and its blooming, LOL You have to love the cactus. The bush with orange blooms is called a Mexican Bird of Paradise, I have 5 in my yard and I love them, they grow all over town but do not grow out in the desert, they need lots of water. The last 3 are taken as I drove by on my way to town on the road through the National Park, some of the pictures are hazy best I could do. LOL Hope you enjoy a little of the beauty we have here.

Not much else going on in our world. Staying home away from people and places. My husband received his Covid booster shot a week ago. He has lung issues and his immune system is starting to take a dive. I tried to get a one, but no one wants to give a Johnson and Johnson person a second shot, believe me I tried. So heading to the doctor on Wednesday to ask his advice and maybe get a written prescription for one. I am willing to start over with moderna or pfizer and go that route. I will see what happens, I just know that the J&J is not very good. U ask why did I get it then, well its all they had when I was getting my vaccine, either it or wait, and that option at the time did not seem like a wise choice. Keeping my distance and wearing my mask is my first line of defense and then bathing in sanitizer after an outing. I wonder if we will ever get back to pre-2020 times or is this what it is going to be like for years. I realize no one really knows but we are such a divided country, and angry one at that. Well all I can do know is just try to be safe and stay away from everyone else. I have stopped my gym membership, I put it on a 3 month hold, as I didn’t feel safe going there. I asked my trainer if she had been vaccinated and she said she didn’t believe in what’s going on in regards to Covid, I respect her opinion on the matter, but I feel I was putting myself at risk, let alone my husband going there. I called the home office and they was no quibble about putting my training session on a 3 month hold. So that took some pressure off me for sure. Covid is very high in our county at this time, when I joined the gym there were only about 50 cases a day if that, know we are close to 300 just in our county, the state is at 2500ish daily and the hospitals are already stretched. So, here I sit with my husband and dog, living our lives as safe and clamly as we can,

Not much else happening. Its Saturday the 28th, that much I do know for sure, LOL

Keep safe and keep smiling, I know there is a lot going on in the world, and some of it is hitting home for many. My heart aches for those effected.

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What happen to July? It flew by even though we are stuck at home keeping our distance from everyone. Full moon, fourth of July and all the other days of the month, LOL it just snuck right on by,

No news here, I was going to the gym until covid numbers went back up so back home hiding out.

Hope everyone is enjoying the end of the summer, I am ready for cooler weather. Monsoons have been doing there thing, I believe that we are over 7″ of rain this year. All my plants and the desert are sooo happy, everything is green again. Suppose to have more this coming week. YAY

I will try to get back on here before September..

Well four months later…..

I guess life happened, In March I can’t remember what was going on but I guess it was more than I could handle, LOL I just scanned my calendar I keep by me, if I don’t write it down I would never remember it. LOL It looks like March was vaccine month, we both had our shots, and still lots of stress on going to the grocery store and doctor appointments. April was full of MD appointments and Peter had his second moderna shot, I had the johnson and johnson shot, so I had one. We had no ill effects from the shot. Well I had brain fog for about a week or so. Seemed like I couldn’t remember anything, even why I was wandering around a grocery store. Kinda freaky really. But it cleared up thank goodness. I have recently called the Az Health Dept and asked about getting a booster, I read on the J and J site that at four and half months it goes from being 85% effectiveness to 65% A little worrisome, I wanted to go get revaccinated with moderna, but the informed me that I shouldn’t do that as they have no idea how my body would react to the mix of the 2 vaccines. He was very upfront with me about the concerns, and he did reassure me that all the vaccine makers are working on a booster at this time, so that was something, he said to just keep monitoring the websites. Even thought that mask mandate is over in out state, many stores and places are asking you to wear one, and all medical offices are requiring temps upon entering and mask. Better to be safe than sorry.

I just looked at the month of April and it was full of eye appointments, and ENT appointments and both our kids came out to see us at different times of the month, so it was a very busy time. My husband was getting measured and appointments set up for cataract surgery in both eyes, That took up most of May, I played nurse Nancy with the eyedrops, he had to have them for one month in each eye and the surgeries were 2 weeks apart. 6 weeks of eye drops, 4 times a day LOL Kept me hopping. LOL Peter also had nose polys removed from both nostril’s in the MD office, but it was still a week or more of recuperating. While we were in that office we met with the hearing aide doctor and she ordered new hearing aides for him, and he had to go back to have both ears molded. He know has his hearing aides and loves them. Nose not so much, still had stuffiness most the time.

It was so nice to see our kids, been over a year since I have had my kid hugs, and I was needing them badly. Our daughter came out for a long weekend and it was nice to spend time with her, A week later our son and his girlfriend came out, she was able to stay 2 days before she had to fly back to Minnesota, she works at the college she goes to grad school for. But before she left they went out in the early morning to go climb Pichaco Peak and came back engaged. LOL It was a fun day. My son stayed for another week and then drove back to California where he was taking care of a few things at the house before he flew back east. So really nice to have him here for awhile.

One June 2rd I joined the local gym and signed for a trainer for a year!! I go 2xs a week and get 12 free days, they say they are free but for the amount I am paying I don’t think they are really free. LOL So I have had 12 sessions with my nice trainer Alyssa and that means I have turned from a night owl to an earlier riser. LOL At the gym at 7am a couple to three times a week. I hated it in the beginning, I struggled with the money end of it, and I really hate to exercise, LOL but now after 4 weeks I am starting to look forward to my workouts. I also have a swimming pool I can go bob around in after, very nice. I have shed 8#’s this month, I am hoping that it will start to melt of me from all the sweating. LOL

SO that’s what’s been going on in my world and it hasn’t stopped, LOL

July is the month my husband will have prostate surgery, in fact in just a week. It will be his second time for the same surgery so at least he know what to expect. It will be a rough couple weeks but he has a good attitude about. I did tell him after he finishes his doctoring we are going to go find a big body of water and sit by it for a couple days. LOL

I see the entire US is either flooding or under a heat advisory. We had 11 days of being 111′ or over. All the plants looks so dry and many are dying. We have been getting up at 5a to water the agaves and many trees that need water to survive not being a desert tree. I have lost 3 big agaves and lots of my beaver tail cactus is just withering away, alot of it is old and the heat is just helping it along. Our gardeners were here a couple weeks ago and he stated we had to quit cutting down trees and taking out bushes, the yard will be bare. But if they are dead, they are dead, some of the bushes he just cut off at ground level and i have been watering them and they are starting to send out green starts. Amazing how the saguaros are still standing in the heat. Now they keep promising us rain, and it passes right by, at least its cloudy and we thunder and lightening and the mountains are getting rain. I did see they were giving free sand bags and sand to anyone who wanted it that lived at the bottom of the mountain that burnt all last summer, they are expecting terrible run offs from the rain. I hear thunder as we speak but no rain.

Not much else going, I guess looking back over the past 4 months it has been busy. I will try to get back on here before the end of July.

Hope everyone is safe and trying to enjoy this crazy weather this summer is bring to us all.

Well so much for keeping up on the blog. Seems like my life is going in so many different directions and at the same time going no where!! I believe its the doomed feeling of possible death if I go out shopping. My husband is not in the best of health, lung area, so we are not sure he could beat off the virus, and I am an asthmatic along with other issues so I need to be extremely careful not only for myself but my husband. I go out and shop and wait 2 weeks to see if I caught anything!! I am so careful and use my mask, sometimes I go through 2 or 3 as I change them often while I am in the store, as soon as I think they are damp from breathing I change it. I use my alcohol wipes constantly while I am out. But still in the back of my mind is the 2 week wait. I hate feeling like this. I really miss jumping in the car and going to some of my favorite haunts. Very depressing!! and as far as the vaccine goes, well my husband has his appointment for first does March 3rd at a drive through, and I do not qualify yet, I keep trying to find a place to go but no luck. In Pima county they are fighting over the vaccine when we do get some. I am not sure why the state doesn’t have enough vaccine. I see California is also short in doses. Craxy.

On a happy subject, my cousin came down from Phoenix and we drove up to the top of Mt.. Lemmon to see the snow. LOL We are both from snow country and find it crazy that we are actually going out to see snow. LOL But it was a beautiful day and we sat in the car and watched the folks ski and board down the slops.. It was fun to see people having fun. We drove around the neighborhoods and checked out all the snow everywhere. LOL stopped for burgers and headed back down the mountain. It was a fun day and it felt good to get out and do something.

This shows some of the fire damage from the huge fire from last summer.

Keep smiling

I been on this blog for 6 years. That is a little frightening since I started this blog as a personal journey for myself as I struggled to loose weight. As naïve as I was I had no idea that I was becoming a part of a community of other bloggers. I remember back to when my daughter came over right after I started journaling and asked if I had replied to anyone? I must of had that “deer in the head lights” look as she said I had a list of followers and did I reply to them. LOL Long story short, here I am. I am so happy to be part of this community of people. I know that I am not as faithful as I should be about writing on here, its not like I am doing anything else. LOL So I will try to be more present!

We we got a dusting of snow down here in what they call the valley floor in Tucson, Mt. Lemmon got over 3′ of snow, I am guessing the skiers will be in heaven this week after they open the roads. Sure is pretty.

This is right behind out house. Pretty exciting for desert dwellers!

Well now onto more disturbing note. Its been 6 years since I have started this journey and I can say I was well on my way to weight loss, 70# down in 2018, and then I am not sure what happened! Well it doesn’t take much thought to know that I must of started eating again and not caring. Here I sit 6 years later, I am still at a weight loss of 31#s, but no where near my goal that I set for myself 6 years ago. I am back at it, have been for 3 weeks. I stopped all the craziness that I had going on in my head. Like paying for weight watchers monthly thinking it would magically help, well it might if I actually tried to follow it. I was to busy trying to fudge my way way through it for it make any significant change in my eating habit. So canceled that and put away all the self help books that I have glanced at and told myself that I need to stop the craziness in my life and just frigin get it together. grow up, be an adult and take control of the one thing I have had no control over in my entire life. So I did just that. I have been doing a fast, 3p to whenever I get up and have something to eat. I can drink whatever I want after 3pm as long as its not called food. What I mean is, no hearty soups, or milkshakes, I do have hot teas or broth and I generally have a coffee in the evening. But nothing that would be called food, I have been doing this for over 3 weeks and I am sleeping better and really have only had a couple bad evenings where I wanted to graze the kitchen. I finish up in the kitchen at 3, dishes done, coffee ready for the morning and walk away. This is how I lived my life for years in my younger years. The reality of it all is, you would think I would be starving in the morning after 15 hours with no food. But I am not, I could actually go until noon to have my first and only meal of the day. It really is amazing if we listen to our bodies and not our minds, after all we are just a type of animal and they seem to have no problem with weight when not influenced by humans. I would say 99% of animals are at they’re ideal weight, if they have adequate food to choose from, they don’t overeat or starve themselves purposely. They eat when there hungry and drink when they are thirsty. The only reason, most of what I can see in this world is that they overweight when there is an outside influencer, as a human giving them treats or over feeding, I realize that there always special circumstances but that is the just of it. I have known this as all of you have too since you were very young. So I am trying to get back to basics with my body. I eat what I want, I do not overeat, I could do better, make better choices but baby steps will get me there quicker than head games! It was like a gut punch to realize that it has been 6 years already. I was 58 when I started this journey and I am now 64!! If I don’t get a little seriously I will be 60 in 6 more years and a lot more unhealthy. I have several points against me and I don’t need to give them any chances to set it, like diabetes, it runs in our family and I am overweight and my A1C is in the prediabetic numbers so I need that to get that under control, my arthritis is not going to get any better but I could help myself with weight loss and movement, my father died of a heart attach at age 63, so another strike against me, I have recently started on blood pressure medication, its not high but my BP has always been right at the top of good, 140/84, it was lower when I was thinner, so another issue, I recently ended up with high cholesterol, my MD says that could just be an age thing since I hardly consume any meat products, or weight induced. another issue to work on. Not only is my body for the first time in 64 years yelling at me my skin is letting me know that I am aging, is not only is sagging, its dry and feels old!! My hair, well lets not go there, I used to have beautiful thick, shiny curly hair, down past my waste at one time. Well, thinning, grey dull, looks lifeless to me!! Another reason to try harder. So here at my 6 year mark, I will not call myself a failure, but a procrastinator that has not stopped making excuses for years for myself. I have asked the rebel in my soul to help instead of fighting against me all the time. I will and I am going to make a difference in my life this year!!! My word to myself.

I found if I journaled on here that I was more focused to staying in tune with me. So I will be on here more and keeping in touch not only with me, but all of you.

I hope that your all safe and untouched by Covid. We have been hiding out at home and only venturing out as needed for groceries or MD appointments. I wish you all health and peace in this new year.

I can only speak for myself, but I felt a change in the mental atmosphere of my mind at the changing of the guard in the White House. I do not label myself with a political party, however I follow the better person for the job. I gave Trump a chance and even though he did do some positive things for our country it was out weighed for me by the completer bully and asshat that he is. If he would just taken some direction in how to be a better man for the job and think of someone else than himself, he would still be president. I am sorry for the Republican party, they are good people, but there leader got off the path for America, and he was not thinking about us a nation. His actions proved that. I hope that Biden will bring us back together as a nation if he can. I feel that the tone of the Whitehouse has improved and hearing from the scientist about Covid is a positive move. No one should try to be someone they are not. Okay I will get off the soapbox, but lets give this administration a chance to see what he can do for us, just like we gave Trump the chance.

Welcome to 2021, may this be a healthier, happier, year for us all.

Merry Christmas

I wish you all a very merry Christmas…

Happy Christmas Eve

Wishing everyone a happy, merry, safe Christmas wherever you are this season. We are home alone with each other, and there is nothing wrong with that . The turkey is ready to go on the BBQ tomorrow with all the fixins. So looking forward to enjoying Christmas day with my sweetheart.

Merry Christmas to All

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, fall has finally arrived in the desert southwest, we are still in the 90’s but they keep promising lower temps. We have already had a dusting of snow on the tops of the mountains, up over 8000: feet. So that was a promising start to the fall/winter season. However since then, it feels more like summer than fall. I will quit whining but really!!!

I have been absent from here for no other reason than stress on life! I miss my kids, I miss going to a store without thinking I may bring home the virus. and now with covid increasing at this time. well I could go on and on and on. I am sharing that this is the reason I have not been on here. I don’t have a lot of nice things to say. But I will try!

Life is the same, we have been working hard on the yard, I hired a landscape company to come clean up the big plants and trees full of mistletoe, its a type of it and it kills the trees quickly. Its nice to see the yard cleaned up. My cousin who moved to Phoenix this year, came down and I showed her some of the big nurseries in town and sent her home with several pots of aloe and cactus. So my deck is looking a little better, not so cluttered.

This is what out agaves looked like when they were all cleaned up. I could here them thanking us. LOL

My sister just sent me my birthday box, and I was able to open all my presents early, it was such a special birthday, she started with a not, that said this was from everyone. Well I assumed she meant her kids, lol, however what it ended meaning was from all the family that has passed. I got a couch couch quilt made from blocks my late sister had made and my sister finished it up, I alos got a rock painted by my brother, and then she sent me a wooden box that my parents always had on there bedroom dresser full of this and that, it also contained my fathers leather wallet which was still full of everything he carried in it for at years, like 30. It is full of pictures of all the grandkids when they were little and other fun items. Even an old Sizzler restaurant Senior Card, LOL my parents loved a good bargain and when we lived in Petaluma Ca. they had a local one near them, they ate out there at least once a week if not more. LOL that sure brought back memories. She also made me a pillow from a sweatshirt I bought my mom when I was in our home town Chewelah Washington and the collar she added was from my late sister. So I was a very heart felt birthday, I appreciated it so much. She previously made me a pillow from one of my fathers shirt, even left the piece of gum in the pocket. LOLSO I am surrounded with love from my family, live and those that have left us. I love it.

Well I am rambling, be safe over this holiday season, looks like we have a vaccine in the very near future but it will take a good year for everyone to be vaccinated before we can start getting back to some sense of normalcy.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL