A Different Life II

[Lily&Me]

Good to hear you’re getting ever closer to a move-in date, Mimi.


Before starting this book last evening, I had only watched the Longmire series on Netflix, which I really, really enjoyed.

Last evening, well into the first of the e-books, I went into the Nook store and found three more in the under-$5 bin...so they are now awaiting my reading pleasure.

Anything I can read that makes me laugh out loud is a very good thing, and I believe Doug...tho not one prone to reading fiction...would have enjoyed these.

Henry Standing Bear may be my favorite character...a centered, grounded, highly principled man who speaks without contractions.


Maggie

[Air Cruiser]

Are the Walt Longmire books a mystery series? Maggie, you mentioned they made you laugh, so I didn’t know if I was googling the correct books. I love to read, enjoy mysteries, but I really need to laugh more to get away from some of life’s issues.

We can’t stream Netflix where we live, so I’m not familiar with them.

Thanks.

Deb

[Lily&Me]

Hi Deb.

I don’t know that I would call them a mystery series, but there are always crimes being solved because Walt Longmire is Sheriff of Absaroka County in Wyoming.

The crime solving is more a sub plot, in my opinion, the stories being mostly about Walt...a widower of several years...his deputies, one of which is a transplant from Philadelphia, his best and lifelong friend Henry Standing Bear, the small town they all live in, etc.

These are not comedy, but well written with a nice touch of descriptive humor.

There’s also the Red Pony, Henry’s bar and grill, the American Indians, Reservation life and issues, Walt trying to re-enter the dating scene, etc.

They are a gentle read, not full of gratuitous violence, which I like.

If you are googling Walt Longmire, you will find the books.

Try one, and see if you like it.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

This is a really great story about Olympic Gold Medalist, Red Gerard...he warms your heart, and you just know this is not the last we will hear from him.

Such a free spirit, flipping himself around up there in mid air.

https://sports.yahoo.com/incredible-...093031390.html


I finished The Cold Dish last evening, and enjoyed it more than any book in a long time. I will start the next this evening.

I’m sure it’s in large part due to the familiarity and fondness for the characters, and being able to hear Walt, Henry, Vic and Ruby’s voices from the Netflix series speaking the lines from the book to me.

Henry has some of the very best lines, but dry humor is pervasive, and it is good.


My forced housebound-ness has me looking at things inside the little house which need tending to, most of which I cannot do myself, so I have an electrician coming in the morning and a call into a trim carpenter who has done a lot of work here over the years.

Maintenance and upkeep on a 33 year old house...it’s got to be done.

It remains cold here, but is going to warm up a bit later in the week...so the snow will melt to become a slushy mess on the roads and a muddy mess for Miss Lily...the flip side of that beautiful white mass out the windows.


Maggie

[Lily&Me]

The couple of other Walt Longmire books I thought I had picked up are not actually books, but short stories.

I always feel rather ripped off when I buy one of those, thinking I have a book to later discover they are only 50-100 pages or so.

So, I’ve been reading The Sound of Glass, by Karen White...very, very good, and set in Beaufort, SC.

Waiting today for a carpenter to come by, to look at some things needing done, I settled myself into my new sitting area with a cup of tea, and just read. Lovely.


I went out to Menards the other day, with a couple of pictures on my phone of things needing tended to in the little house, and quickly realized these were not tasks I could handle myself.

Also had difficulty articulating descriptions and needs to young men who speak in a builder and electrician vernacular that I do not.

As my eyes were crossing, a young man there suggested a “trim carpenter”, so I called the man who has done some remodeling here over the years, and also built/stained/installed two magazine rack type storage pieces for the Interstate.

This is the slow season for men such as he, so I got him to the house in a mere two days. A good man, who does good work, and I am glad for him.


I am really ready to get out of here for awhile, as doctor appointments and follow up this and that are slowing to a trickle, and am looking forward to our little road trip south in a few weeks.

Very unaccustomed to the cold, after 10 winters meandering in warmer parts of the country, I am looking forward to a week of spring in bloom in the French Quarter. No coats, fleece, nor gloves will be needed...we will walk and sit and watch and listen and enjoy

Also take in the particular aroma of the Quarter, partake of delicious food, cafe au lait, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

A very dog friendly area, Lily will enjoy it as well. Most importantly...she will go with, rather than be left behind.

Although I was of course very attached to Lily when Doug was still alive, in these past near four years, to say we are even more bonded would be a gross understatement.

A fellow Airstreamer a couple of years ago said that we were now “one”, and I would have to agree with that...and if you’ve never had that with an animal, it may be hard to understand, but it’s a good thing.

Ordered today a travel water bottle thingy for her, that has a bowl receptacle in the top, and fits into a cup holder...should work very well for this and future car trips, much easier and more efficient than my usual lidded container.


Turning the TV on to watch Ellen...a good woman, and the world is better for having her in it...they are covering yet another school shooting, on average one per week since 2013, statistics show.

So senseless and tragic, for all involved. My heart goes out.

[Al and Missy]

Maggie,
Glad your vision has resolved. Have a beignet for me.

Al

[Lily&Me]

Thanks, Al, and I will.

Back in our pre-Interstate days, Doug and I would stay at the Le Richelieu in the Quarter, take a long, early morning walk along the river, then have cafe au lait and beignets at the Cafe du Monde.

From there, we would watch the night people work their way home, and the Quarter be readied for the day...trash emptied, sidewalks scrubbed, deliveries made.

It’s a special place, which we first visited on our honeymoon in 1992.

My great-great grandparents emigrated to NOLA from Germany in the 1830’s, I think it was...he was a blacksmith, and per census records they lived in the French Quarter.

So much history, and I plan on looking again at the monument to the Washington Artillery while I am there...my great uncle was in the Washington Artillery.

I’m ready to go.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Snowing this afternoon, after the last batch had all melted away and made a muddy mess for Lily’s paws these past few days ...next, we’re to get rain this evening, and it will all then freeze itself together overnight. Yippee.

Ice, on top of snow...winter in the Midwest.


I’ve been off my warfarin now 7 weeks, also off another longtime medication and onto a couple of new ones for lately identified, collateral issues.

Nothing serious, but adjusting to the new meds is taking a bit of a toll and some time ...on my best day, I feel low energy, making myself plod thru whatever needs done.

On a less-best day, I drag myself thru whatever needs done, then would like to go to bed, but...it’s just not what one does, so I don’t.

Not having any energy is not like me, but less energy may be good for me in the long run.

The sluggishness will pass, and I’m waiting impatiently to get to that point.


Been working on a new blankie for the Interstate...less gender neutral, more girly, because why not, and I’m ready to redecorate a bit. A woman’s prerogative, right?

This is one of my most favorite yarns, and it is making up into a gorgeous throw, that will be lovely in the Interstate.

Also made out of it today this cute little cap for the new baby girl of the young couple to the north of me....parents of the rammy little boy, who doesn’t like to listen to his Mama and instead play in the street. That one.

His mama and I had a conversation about that a year and a half or so ago, and there have been no more problems, tho said rammy little boy sometimes runs up my driveway and onto the front porch to look in my windows.

As long as he stays out of the street....none of us want a youngun hit by a car.

[Lily&Me]

We had two carpenters here all day yesterday, and they installed this crown molding throughout the main part of the little house...it is gorgeous.

This the best solution to several where-the-wall-meets-the-ceiling problems, and no good way to start and stop it due to my open floor plan...so, they did it all, but the bedrooms and bathroom, and I am very pleased with the results.

Tho I love my woodstove, it brings with it a few problems, one of which is that it is very drying, and the tape-into-plaster has taken a hit in a few areas.

Lily was exhausted from watching these guys, and monitoring their proximity to her food and water. As they moved to the back of the house, to silence her whimpering I had to move her food and water bowls to the hearth area.


Since items on the soffits in the kitchen and laundry area...mostly cast iron and pretty pottery picked up here and there over the years...all had to be removed, it was the perfect opportunity to wash all of those and clean the areas thoroughly.

They hadn’t been really “done” in a couple of years, but there were two big, strapping men here so I just did it...should I fall getting up and down, or from a perch on the countertops, they could call 911.

I didn’t, tho, and it is a good feeling to know that the areas and their contents are clean. Also, that I can still take care of it, tho I was tired last evening.


We had several days of heavy rain and very mild temps here, and enough rain that there are now major flood warnings along the Illinois and all other bodies of water. Better than snow, yes?, that must be removed?


Watching the endless news coverage of the latest dreadful mass shooting, these are a sorry, sorry, escalating reality in this country. And why???

I am proud of all those teens, protesting and making their voices heard.

Maybe those with the power will hear them, and take appropriate action.

Maggie

[Hittenstiehl]

Looks very nice and adds to the nice look of the cast iron pieces.

[Gearheart]

Our area has flooding too. The Grand river is surging and churning over its banks. Big chunks of ice mixed in with the water. Low lying areas are inundated and people are being evacuated to higher ground. We're on top of a hill and we have water in the basement because the ground is frozen and nothing seeps away.

[Fly at Night]

Nice display, Maggie!

Creativity is a great escape.

[Lily&Me]

Bummer, Gerard.

One of the advantages to having no basement is that it can’t flood.

I believe I’m the only house on this culdesac without a basement, and whenever I hear others’ sump pumps running I am grateful.

I believe the Illinois river is expected to crest in Peoria over the weekend at nearly 30 feet, and it will be a mess.

Haven’t heard what’s happening on the Mississippi, but the worst of that will be farther south.

However....we must have rain to live, and floods are a natural part of that.

We cannot curse the rain...no, we cannot.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by Fly at Night

Nice display, Maggie!

Creativity is a great escape.

Hey, FaN!

Good to hear from you.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

I have not yet fought off the fatigue from new meds, but managed to haul firewood and get a lot else done today, regardless...in addition to walking Miss Lily.

I can do about 4 city blocks, then would like a spot to set a spell...and, I do.

Is it an inevitable part of getting older, that we need medications that have undesirable side effects? I don’t like it, but I am alive and reasonably healthy, and for that I am grateful...small brain bleed 8 weeks ago notwithstanding.

Yes, I am whining a bit.

I’m going to NOLA, yes I am, and we’re going to walk and see and just absorb the entirety of that most delightful place...I will be seeking out raised curbs to set a spell, if nothing else is available, but we’re going to do it, and it will be fun.


I watch the Ellen show every day that I can, and always, always look forward to it.

Even if her guests are not my favorites, it is such a healthy dose of positivity and kindness at the end of a day.

Today, she has Oprah on...two such inherently good and decent people, can it get any better than that?

Joy and light and kindness and love abound and emanate. A good thing.


Oprah and George/Amal Clooney have given half a million dollars each to help get students from Florida and elsewhere in the country to the upcoming march in Washington DC.

It was apparently with youth that the civil rights movement began, which I did not remember. I love it.

There is much in this country that could be marched on, but that’s another story.

Tomorrow, Ellen has students from Parkland on...God willing and the creek don’t rise, I’ll be watching,

Don’t bully, don’t nitpick at others, be loyal to your friends and loved ones...and, be kind to one another,

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Dare I speak it out loud , the last few days seem to have seen the end of the fatigue and serious lack of energy I’ve been experiencing for several weeks, so I believe I have adjusted to the meds.

We have also had two consecutive days of no rain, mild temps, and a plethora of sunshine. A real mood brightener, all by itself.

I have my upcoming trip to NOLA, and the trip with the grands planned for the end of June...beyond that, nothing firm for 2018.

There are a few things this spring needing to be dealt with, then I will decide what and where after that.

I continue to feel that the extended, roaming kind of travel of the last near-11 years is in the past...I look to take shorter, more focused trips. We'll see.

I checked the Interstate this morning, plastered on its 2018 sticker, and all seems well.

It is calling to me a bit, but until I can dewinterize and stay that way til fall..it will go nowhere.

Coming up soon on 4 years since Doug died, I can see the changes that time-in-harness widowhood have brought.

Lots of rather rote, following-in-the-footsteps-of-the-before, the first couple of years, and I think that is healthy self-preservation at such a time.

We keep going, or we sit. Going is good.

Then, changing things up a bit as I start to feel like I own my life-sans-hubby.

We’ll see what year 5 brings...I ain’t nowhere near ready to quit.

Maggie

[Dalwyn]

Maggie, I read and enjoy your posts and envy your courage. My wife and I started our adventures in 2015 and was looking forward, planning our 2018 trips. That is until I had a heart attack and triple by-pass on January 29th. Now, everything seems so up-in-the air. I will start my cardiac rehab probably next week and it will last 12 weeks, so spring travel is not going to happen. Not sure about summer or fall, I guess that depends on what I am able to do. Oh, well just keep on plugging away I guess.

Keep up the posts I enjoy them very much.

[Lily&Me]

Sorry to hear that, Dalwyn, and wishing you a steady, uneventful recovery.

Keep your eyes on the ball, and may you be back on the road soon.

Maggie

[ColoradoLady]

Hi Maggie. Glad to know improvement continues for you. It is a process, and it matters not if one is impatient....the body heals on it's own terms...no rushing it. It does appear prudent at this time to scale back. You are wise to listen to signals from your body.

As for myself, I am, indeed, paying close attention to my signals. I am cautiously preparing for my summer travel. One decision I am making.... Trading in my cumbersome O2 system with all of it's very heavy tanks for a more modern system. The heavy tanks run out quickly, and when they do, it is then necessary to search for a place to get refills... Not available in the places we travel.

My replacement system will be the Inogen one unit. Light weight, and always available with batteries that can be recharged as needed. I will need to purchase the system, as it will belong to me, and no Medicare restrictions to deal with. Greatly simplified.

As for trips, I will plan as I go...looking to stay more in Colorado or Wyoming mountains... Closer to home... Shorter trips.

I hope your trips are all you want. Take it slower if need to... Enjoy yourself.
Evelyn.

[Lily&Me]

THanks, Evelyn, and sounds like you are tailoring your travel plans, as well.

Happy 2018 travel to you.

Maggie