Morning in the Country

Whimsy and Hugs!

I have been amazed at the way mornings and twilights look when I am nestled between two mature cornfields. I rather like it. In the early mornings the fog swirls around the edges of the green giants, and I can easily imagine away the highway that's a good quarter mile west of me. I sit at the window watching the sunlight battle back the mists while Callie mutters about the birdsong she is hearing...  and I love that time of day.

I contacted a good Blogger buddy from many years about her experiences  with vertigo, and she gave me the advice it could be my Kindle Fire. I just got a new model for Mother's Day, about a week before my first episodes...  Then we bought new Galaxy 10 phones, and I rather overdid it with mine the first night like a kid with a new toy. Ensue the next morning with about four days of the worst ever Vertigo for me. I have been really staying off the screens as much as possible and paying attention to any warning signs while I am on.  So far, so good. I read that might be the case. My son was able to tone down the screen animation levels on the phone, and I just use the Fire for Zoom meetings.

Look what my friend found on her porch this week!  They are cute now!

You know... as much as I loved every bit of YouTube tutorials and Vlogs and all that, I am enjoying the respite and making good use of that extra time. I have slept a total of 5 hours in my bed in 8 days because horizontal isn't a good thing right now and I don't stay on my left side...  a must. In the midst of a new normal with Covid, I find I must find a new new normal...  Well, perhaps I am not an old dog because it is definitely a new trick for me.

On top of that I am embarking on week 3 of Keto Diet. I told my friend if somebody came up to me with a warm chocolate chip cookie, I might actually bite the arm off at the elbow! Actually, Keto is pretty easy to follow, once we get used to it. I am sold on its effectiveness for my son, at least, because he's had such great relief in a short time from other health conditions that brought him pain.

My Studio is a hub for my days and nights because I seem to roam through the house (rather roll since I am on a wheelie chair) and work in off center spaces that won't wake my son, who sleeps in the living room. I decided to start making Halloween Cards because I have just about finished with summer projects. My recent plan has been to send a hand made card to someone almost every day.

I spend most afternoons in there with Callie because she thinks she has to be a big part of any meeting my son has online.... and he doesn't agree...  So...  Cat sitter I become.

I can finally crochet without getting dizzy if I stick to the basic stitch patterns I can do in my sleep... Any of  you have any tips for me. This is such a widespread problem. I cannot imagine what has caused it in so many of my friends.

Anyway...  it's time to post this and finish up the bedclothes in the laundry.  Friday is always a fun day, even though I've been retired so long.  I have mentioned that before. It just feels as if I'm going to do something over the weekend although I usually do not. Don't even cook big any more...  Hope you have something fun planned for yourselves. Making our own sunshine these days, my mother would call it... and I enjoy that because of her.  Hugs!

Morning Thunder

Whimsy and Hugs! Greetings from... the exact same place you found me since February! Lucky for us, my son and I seem to be true homebodies. And our little cat has become so spoiled that she fusses quite loudly when one of us leaves her area! I could share photos of my long, summer naps and sleepless nights..... but Callie offered to model for ya! Much... much cuter!

July 15th is here with early morning storms. My dad always said he wanted a good rain for his birthday, which would have been the eleventh. He used to take the entire month of July off from Ma Bell Telephone after he'd worked long enough to get four weeks of vacation. We worked in the hayfields during that hot, sweltering month. My jobs were so minimal. I took the hay hands water. Yep. I helped cook their mid day meal. That's it. Sometimes in the evening I drove the '47 pickup or the Ferguson tractor and hay sled through the field while Daddy threw on bales, the small round ones, and we brought in a load or two. He wore dark green work clothes and walked along smiling, covered in hayseed, obviously loving every minute of his life --- loving hard, hot, open-air work so much.

Since I last posted, I went wild and freed the house of anything non-diet. I decided it was the best help for my son's success, not to mention myself. So.... very blah on cooking news. Unless you are interested in keto crustless pizza... not bad, but... Pizza Hut is safe from my competition.

I bit the bullet and ordered two phones for my son and me... Ours were just driving us distracted. I had not realized that Samsung had joined the ranks of companies with non-replaceable (at home) batteries, much like the Apple products and Amazon kindles. So tomorrow we get to play with Samsung S -10's. (Whatever that includes)... I hope the camera is fun! I have my priorities!

Have a good week, and do something fun for me. I have started some large projects for gifts, and have an order to go in for beautiful yarn, material, and batting. I don't sew, but I have the desire to make a quilt. I will start small????  Right. That sounds just like me! 

An Uptick in our County

Whimsy and Hugs! I was very dismayed this week to read the ever-increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases in our county. Many all resulted from a Church Revival... and others came from travel. A few developed after an Amish wedding. We (my son and I) are still staying in lock-down. I have seen a few friends from a distance on my porch, but now.... too hot for this air-conditioned house-kitty! On the days I wake up feeling human, not dizzy from Vertigo, I take my cat in with me to my Studio to keep her from vocally participating in my son's work teleconferencing. She must think he's talking to her! She busied herself working at the doorknob in that room to get out and back to "her Precious." I fancy that means she is smart to dig at the knob, but meanwhile she is knocking down my stuff!

 I have finally quit my job as chef! My son is doing great on a Keto diet, and I get pretty sick of left-overs... I finally grew tired of Aldi's cranberry almond chicken salad (after a steady diet of it for eight weeks!) So... I am just gearing up for summer fare.

 My plan book is filling with ideas for deep cleaning the living room and re-arranging some furniture.... once it decides to stop spinning around me. Right now I am a cat-sitting, laundry-folding, paper-gluing home dweller. I have a friend who  keeps wondering and asking me what I have done each day... I know she can't believe laundry even makes my list! For the 36 years I taught school, nothing on my daily to-do list would have even made the cut...  I never wrote down daily tasks--- just big, dreamy plans.

 I found this photo of a bacon cheeseburger soup I love to make (and eat.) I think it looks sooo good, but my recipe would have to evolve a little and use keto ingredients and no taters... lol That's like having a Fourth of July without fireworks... Ask me how I know! I am saying, "Get this red, white, and blue out of here. I failed again!" lol...

 Now this kitty? She knows how to thoroughly enjoy lock-down...

 My son has her calling me Karen! I never know what she is thinking, but he seems to improvise and imagine my cat to be quite the sarcasm queen!

 "Hey, Karen! Let's have chicken for supper!"

"Hey, Karen. My twin sister and I (see our resemblance? I am the prettier one) think you should maybe get out of our house! Today, Karen..."

 I need to print this out because I really believe it is the way to live!

  Take care, Dear ones!

Happy Independence Day!

Good morning! I hope you had some fun activities planned for the 4th. I am ready to hear them!

Someone turned another year older Monday, the 29th.  And it was the old Oatmeal and Whimsy herself. I have been soooo under the weather for about 2-3 weeks... Good old BPPV... (Vertigo) It has been fierce this time, so I even had to get a Rx for some anti-vertigo and nausea pills.  About the only thing I can say about last week was I got in a lot of lap/nap time for my kitty because I felt like sitting motionless with a little blanket, some ice water, and my eyes carefully closed....

However... whining done! I have some fun things to share on this extended 4th of July weekend.

I  started my birthday at 12:01 a.m. with a huge surprise. My son had searched the internet and found, ordered, and hid a huge statue of the Grand Fairy of Kensington Gardens. I had been given this same pattern of fairy by my coworkers and school system when I retired the first time, and she was quite special to me. She was, of course, one of the treasures stolen a couple years ago when we had the vandals and thieves in our former home. I was super thrilled to get this, and she means even more coming from my son! She had a fair share of "fairy dust" about her aka styrofoam flakes!!!

I scooted her over to blend in with the mantel... It is already time to decorate for late summer. I guess I decorate for me!

A really sweet family owns a local specialties and produce shop. I have known them for years, even was a baby sitter for the owner about 45 years or so ago... I was surprised to see them stepping up our sidewalk with delicious produce, a gift for my birthday! So nice!

Oh, how I love those little yellow tomatoes!

I had a great birthday with gifts from my cousin to open each day of my birthday week. She does that fun tradition, and it is really special. Here are a few! She sewed that cute cloth!

All in all, getting a year older was quite lovely. I have a few more surprises to share in future posts! My little cat is not a fan of the neighbor's fireworks! However, I told her to be a good sport! See you soon!

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